A whopping 15 years ago, a new television series opened with Courteney Cox hopping out of the shower to Phoenix’s “Lisztomania” and playing with the folds of her skin and the fat on her body, semi-horrified to realize she’s getting “old.” Seconds later, her character is at a high school football game talking about how hot one young man is and betting with her friend on whether another attendee her age is with her son or a young boyfriend.
- 3/29/2024
- by Juan Barquin
- Primetimer
The Beatles‘ Yellow Submarine is often cited as a classic children’s film. Despite that, Ringo said kids hated some of his character’s actions in the film. He also revealed that he felt more joy being in movies than the other members of the Fab Four. Regardless, the soundtrack of Yellow Submarine became a massive hit.
Ringo Starr said the Sea of Holes scene in The Beatles’ ‘Yellow Submarine’ upset kids
During a 1981 interview with Rolling Stone, Ringo discussed the way he was portrayed in The Beatles’ movies. “I sort of became the one who always got into trouble,” he said. “You know, kids never forgave me for pressing the button that shot me out into the Sea of Holes in Yellow Submarine.”
In Yellow Submarine, the Sea of Holes in an endless series of black holes. It’s one of the eerier settings of a bright, family-friendly film.
Ringo Starr said the Sea of Holes scene in The Beatles’ ‘Yellow Submarine’ upset kids
During a 1981 interview with Rolling Stone, Ringo discussed the way he was portrayed in The Beatles’ movies. “I sort of became the one who always got into trouble,” he said. “You know, kids never forgave me for pressing the button that shot me out into the Sea of Holes in Yellow Submarine.”
In Yellow Submarine, the Sea of Holes in an endless series of black holes. It’s one of the eerier settings of a bright, family-friendly film.
- 12/4/2023
- by Matthew Trzcinski
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Ringo Starr is known, first and foremost, as a drummer, but he appeared in multiple movies over the course of his career. All of The Beatles picked up some acting experience, but Starr took steps to build a career as an actor. Not all of his movies performed well – even the drummer’s biggest fans should avoid a few of them — but some are worth a watch. Here are four of Starr’s movies worth putting on your to-watch list.
Ringo Starr | Michael Putland/Getty Images ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ is 1 of the movies Starr filmed with The Beatles
Starr’s first movie is also one of his best. In 1964, The Beatles released A Hard Day’s Night, a musical comedy film in which the band played themselves. The film gave Starr a good deal of screen time — he chaperones Paul McCartney’s grandfather and gets arrested.
While director Richard Lester...
Ringo Starr | Michael Putland/Getty Images ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ is 1 of the movies Starr filmed with The Beatles
Starr’s first movie is also one of his best. In 1964, The Beatles released A Hard Day’s Night, a musical comedy film in which the band played themselves. The film gave Starr a good deal of screen time — he chaperones Paul McCartney’s grandfather and gets arrested.
While director Richard Lester...
- 5/14/2023
- by Emma McKee
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Linda Lewis, the British singer who scored a string UK solo hits in the 1970s but is most widely known as one of the era’s most in-demand backup singers who recorded with Yusuf Islam/Cat Stevens, David Bowie, T. Rex and Rod Stewart, died May 3 at her home. She was 72.
Her death was announced by her sister, singer Dee Lewis Clay. A cause of death was not specified, but Clay noted that her sister died peacefully.
Born Linda Ann Fredericks in West Ham, London, Lewis experienced her first brush with show business with a non-speaking acting role in the 1961 film A Taste of Honey and, in 1964, as a screaming fan of the Beatles in A Hard Day’s Night.
Making her most notable early appearance as a singer at the first Glastonbury Festival in 1970, Lewis would go on to have a lengthy, decades-long recording and performing career, with four top-...
Her death was announced by her sister, singer Dee Lewis Clay. A cause of death was not specified, but Clay noted that her sister died peacefully.
Born Linda Ann Fredericks in West Ham, London, Lewis experienced her first brush with show business with a non-speaking acting role in the 1961 film A Taste of Honey and, in 1964, as a screaming fan of the Beatles in A Hard Day’s Night.
Making her most notable early appearance as a singer at the first Glastonbury Festival in 1970, Lewis would go on to have a lengthy, decades-long recording and performing career, with four top-...
- 5/4/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
I’ll have what she’s having! Err, what she’s listening to… and the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s performance of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 seems to have done the trick. Concert-goers are reporting that someone in the audience of the Walt Disney Concert Hall last Friday night delivered a loud, moaning sound, which, allegedly, was an orgasm.
“A woman in the audience had [a] loud and full body orgasm during the 5th’s second movement,” tweeted Magnus Fiennes, a composer and music producer who was in attendance. “Band politely carried on. Props to LAPhil (and Pytor Ilyich) for bringing it on.”
In a report from the Los Angeles Times, attendee Molly Grant was quoted describing the sound as a “scream/moan.” She saw the originator of the sound, too, and described her as a woman, heavily breathing, sitting with her partner. “Her partner was smiling and looking at her — like...
“A woman in the audience had [a] loud and full body orgasm during the 5th’s second movement,” tweeted Magnus Fiennes, a composer and music producer who was in attendance. “Band politely carried on. Props to LAPhil (and Pytor Ilyich) for bringing it on.”
In a report from the Los Angeles Times, attendee Molly Grant was quoted describing the sound as a “scream/moan.” She saw the originator of the sound, too, and described her as a woman, heavily breathing, sitting with her partner. “Her partner was smiling and looking at her — like...
- 5/1/2023
- by Jo Vito
- Consequence - Music
From The Video Archives Podcast, writer/director Roger Avary and writer/producer Gala Avary discuss a few of their favorite movies with Josh Olson and Joe Dante.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Taxi Driver (1976)
Star Wars (1977)
Matinee (1993)
Dune (1984)
Terror On A Train a.k.a. Time Bomb (1953)
Licorice Pizza (2021)
Batman (1989)
Yentl (1983)
Nuts (1987)
Spaceballs (1987)
Die Hard (1988)
Top Gun (1986)
Cocksucker Blues (1972)
Mijn nachten met Susan, Olga, Albert, Julie, Piet & Sandra (1975)
Straw Dogs (1971)
The Godfather (1972)
A History Of Violence (2005)
Day Of The Dolphin (1973)
Babylon (2022)
Puss In Boots: The Last Wish (2022)
Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (2022)
Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
Rock ‘n’ Roll High School (1979)
Carrie (1976)
Indictment: The McMartin Trial (1995)
Blow Out (1981)
The Matrix (1999)
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Killing Zoe (1993)
A Clockwork Orange (1971)
The Tenant (1976)
Dr. Strangelove (1964)
Bugsy Malone (1976)
Phantom Of The Paradise (1974)
The Muppet Movie (1979)
The Rules Of Attraction (2002)
The Sound Of Music (1965)
Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory (1971)
Giant (1956)
The Andromeda Strain (1971)
Babe (1995)
Time Bandits...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Taxi Driver (1976)
Star Wars (1977)
Matinee (1993)
Dune (1984)
Terror On A Train a.k.a. Time Bomb (1953)
Licorice Pizza (2021)
Batman (1989)
Yentl (1983)
Nuts (1987)
Spaceballs (1987)
Die Hard (1988)
Top Gun (1986)
Cocksucker Blues (1972)
Mijn nachten met Susan, Olga, Albert, Julie, Piet & Sandra (1975)
Straw Dogs (1971)
The Godfather (1972)
A History Of Violence (2005)
Day Of The Dolphin (1973)
Babylon (2022)
Puss In Boots: The Last Wish (2022)
Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (2022)
Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
Rock ‘n’ Roll High School (1979)
Carrie (1976)
Indictment: The McMartin Trial (1995)
Blow Out (1981)
The Matrix (1999)
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Killing Zoe (1993)
A Clockwork Orange (1971)
The Tenant (1976)
Dr. Strangelove (1964)
Bugsy Malone (1976)
Phantom Of The Paradise (1974)
The Muppet Movie (1979)
The Rules Of Attraction (2002)
The Sound Of Music (1965)
Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory (1971)
Giant (1956)
The Andromeda Strain (1971)
Babe (1995)
Time Bandits...
- 2/28/2023
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
It’s a very musical episode! Director and Tfh Guru, Allan Arkush, returns to talk about his favorite rock and roll movies with hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
No Nukes (1980)
Amazing Grace (2018) – Dennis Cozzalio’s Oscar nominee reactions
The Magnificent Ambersons (1942) – Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review
Get Crazy (1983) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary
Rock ‘n’ Roll High School (1979) – Eli Roth’s trailer commentary
Blackboard Jungle (1955) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary
Rock, Rock, Rock! (1956) – Jesus Treviño’s trailer commentary
Mister Rock And Roll (1957)
Go, Johnny, Go! (1959) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary
Hail Hail Rock And Roll! (1987) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary
The Girl Can’t Help It (1956) – Dan Ireland’s trailer commentary
Hellzapoppin’ (1941)
Innerspace (1987) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Almost Famous (2000) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary
Wayne’s World (1992)
The Graduate (1967) – Neil Labute’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review
Scorpio Rising...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
No Nukes (1980)
Amazing Grace (2018) – Dennis Cozzalio’s Oscar nominee reactions
The Magnificent Ambersons (1942) – Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review
Get Crazy (1983) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary
Rock ‘n’ Roll High School (1979) – Eli Roth’s trailer commentary
Blackboard Jungle (1955) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary
Rock, Rock, Rock! (1956) – Jesus Treviño’s trailer commentary
Mister Rock And Roll (1957)
Go, Johnny, Go! (1959) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary
Hail Hail Rock And Roll! (1987) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary
The Girl Can’t Help It (1956) – Dan Ireland’s trailer commentary
Hellzapoppin’ (1941)
Innerspace (1987) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Almost Famous (2000) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary
Wayne’s World (1992)
The Graduate (1967) – Neil Labute’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review
Scorpio Rising...
- 12/7/2021
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
Taron Egerton is terrific as the singer, but the real star of this electric biopic is director Dexter Fletcher
“When are you going to hug me?” That question echoes around Dexter Fletcher’s dazzling rock opera – a fantastical account of the highs and lows of Elton John’s wild-ride rise, told in frenetically full-blooded musical form. It’s the story of a little boy who became a big star while plaintively pleading “I want lurrve, but it’s impossible”; a shy kid (an “introverted extrovert”) who must learn to play-act confidence after enduring a childhood that would have struck a chord with Philip Larkin. Yet unlike the problematically rejigged chronology of Bohemian Rhapsody (which Fletcher rescued from disaster), this proudly nonlinear treat puts its jukebox soundtrack on shuffle, wittily deploying tunes to fit the mood rather than the timeline. The result is a riotous fact-meets-fiction swirl that combines the Brit-pic...
“When are you going to hug me?” That question echoes around Dexter Fletcher’s dazzling rock opera – a fantastical account of the highs and lows of Elton John’s wild-ride rise, told in frenetically full-blooded musical form. It’s the story of a little boy who became a big star while plaintively pleading “I want lurrve, but it’s impossible”; a shy kid (an “introverted extrovert”) who must learn to play-act confidence after enduring a childhood that would have struck a chord with Philip Larkin. Yet unlike the problematically rejigged chronology of Bohemian Rhapsody (which Fletcher rescued from disaster), this proudly nonlinear treat puts its jukebox soundtrack on shuffle, wittily deploying tunes to fit the mood rather than the timeline. The result is a riotous fact-meets-fiction swirl that combines the Brit-pic...
- 5/26/2019
- by Mark Kermode, Observer film critic
- The Guardian - Film News
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-ny), the youngest woman elected to the House of Representatives, has been the target of several conservative smear campaigns — including attacks on her pro-working-class agenda (she dared to grow up in a single-story house!) to “Sandy,” her suspiciously Anglophone teenage nickname. (To think a Puerto Rican from the Bronx not only was allowed into a Westchester County high school, but may have fraternized with other English-speaking students! ¡Qué horror!)
The latest public smear arrived less than 24 hours before she was sworn into Congress — issued by the now-deleted...
The latest public smear arrived less than 24 hours before she was sworn into Congress — issued by the now-deleted...
- 1/4/2019
- by Suzy Exposito
- Rollingstone.com
I’m guessing that you, just like most of us, have always had seasonal favorites when it comes to movies that attempt to address and evoke the spirit of Christmas. Like most from my generation, when I was a kid I learned the pleasures of perennial anticipation of Christmastime as interpreted by TV through a series of holiday specials, like How the Grinch Stole Christmas, A Charlie Brown Christmas, Santa Claus is Coming to Town and even musical variety hours where the likes of Bing Crosby and Andy Williams and Dean Martin et al would sit around sets elaborately designed to represent the ideal Christmas-decorated living room, drinking “wassail” (I’m sure that’s what was in those cups) and crooning classics of the season alongside a dazzling array of guests. (We knew we were moving into a new world of holiday cheer when David Bowie joined Bing Crosby for...
- 12/20/2016
- by Dennis Cozzalio
- Trailers from Hell
Flamboyant artist Ken Russell was eventually sidelined for what the industry calls 'excess,' but he was a genuine artist, as indicated by this, his last American film. Absolutely beyond the pale in terms of polite viewing, it's by turns awkward and insightful, profane... and more profane. Crimes of Passion Blu-ray + DVD Arrow Video (UK) 1984 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 112, 107 min. / Street Date July 12, 2016 / Available from Amazon UK 39.95 Starring Kathleen Turner, Anthony Perkins, Annie Potts, Bruce Davidson, John Laughlin. Cinematography Dick Bush China Blue's dress Ruth Myers Original Music Rick Wakeman Written and Produced by Barry Sandler Directed by Ken Russell
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
What separates exploitation trash from progressive film art? They say it's an artist's vision, and Ken Russell certainly has plenty of that. I can admire Russell's house brand of outrageousness but I also find much of his work just too fussy, too indulgent. He's excellent when trying...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
What separates exploitation trash from progressive film art? They say it's an artist's vision, and Ken Russell certainly has plenty of that. I can admire Russell's house brand of outrageousness but I also find much of his work just too fussy, too indulgent. He's excellent when trying...
- 7/26/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Twilight Time presents Irish auteur Neil Jordan’s 1982 directorial debut Angel (aka Danny Boy) on Blu-ray, an obscurely regarded gem from the great filmmaker. A visually vibrant examination of the entrenched malaise infecting a region in the midst of what’s been referred to as “the troubles” (or the Northern Ireland Conflict, a decades spanning political issue concerning the constitutional status of Ireland in the UK vs. a United Ireland, informed also by religious views and ethnic background), this melancholy revenge drama showcases Jordan’s enduring muse Stephen Rea, as well as themes he’d continue to enhance in subsequent features. Hampered by a lack of developing tension, mostly due to a dramatic catalyst granted more weight than it could possibly wield, it’s certainly a solemn precursor to Jordan’s later masterpiece that decade, Mona Lisa (1986).
Danny (Rea) is a talented saxophonist traveling around with his band to different gigs around Northern Ireland.
Danny (Rea) is a talented saxophonist traveling around with his band to different gigs around Northern Ireland.
- 10/13/2015
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
British character actor Aubrey Morris, best known for playing the probation officer in Stanley Kubrick’s 1971 cult film “A Clockwork Orange” has died, his agent confirmed on Friday. He was 89. During his five-decade career, Morris also appeared as a grave-digger opposite Christopher Lee and Edward Woodward in the cult horror film “The Wicker Man” as well as such films as “Lisztomania,” Woody Allen’s “Love and Death” and “My Girl 2.” His many TV credits include “The Saint,” “The Sweeney,” “The Prisoner,” “The Avengers” and BBC drama “Cold Comfort Farm.” Also Read: Hollywood's Notable Deaths of 2015 (Photos) Born in Portsmouth,...
- 7/17/2015
- by Debbie Emery
- The Wrap
Character actor Aubrey Morris has died, aged 89.
Morris, who passed away yesterday (July 15), had roles in numerous cult classics on the big and small screen over a 50-year period.
He was perhaps most widely known for his brief but memorable part in A Clockwork Orange, as Alex's unnerving probation officer Mr Deltoid.
Other movies included The Wicker Man, Love and Death and Lisztomania, while he made TV appearances in The Prisoner, The Avengers, The Sweeney and The Saint.
Morris also had multiple theatre roles on the West End and Broadway, while his final acting appearance came earlier this year in Us comedy series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
Watch Morris in A Clockwork Orange with Malcolm McDowell below:...
Morris, who passed away yesterday (July 15), had roles in numerous cult classics on the big and small screen over a 50-year period.
He was perhaps most widely known for his brief but memorable part in A Clockwork Orange, as Alex's unnerving probation officer Mr Deltoid.
Other movies included The Wicker Man, Love and Death and Lisztomania, while he made TV appearances in The Prisoner, The Avengers, The Sweeney and The Saint.
Morris also had multiple theatre roles on the West End and Broadway, while his final acting appearance came earlier this year in Us comedy series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
Watch Morris in A Clockwork Orange with Malcolm McDowell below:...
- 7/16/2015
- Digital Spy
Nineteenth-century Italian violin virtuoso Niccolò Paganini was rumored to have made a Faustian pact in order to play like the devil, though the flexibility that enabled him to cover three octaves across four strings with one hand was more likely a side effect of a genetic connective-tissue disorder. Bernard Rose's elegantly staged but tonally flat biopic embraces the myth, even underscoring Paganini's rising fame, scandalous hedonism, and womanizing as an anachronistic form of rock-star fantasy. (It's like a humorless take on Ken Russell's Lisztomania, and who wants that?) Unlike the writer-director's 1994 success Immortal Beloved — owned by Gary Oldman's chameleonic transformation as Beethoven — Rose's cult-of-personality approach here suffers...
- 1/28/2015
- Village Voice
A BAFTA event highlighted editor Terry Rawlings' work on such films as Alien and Blade Runner. We take a look at a unique industry talent...
The bowels of the Nostromo meander seemingly without end. Brett, the vessel’s monosyllabic engineer, is searching the dimly-lit corridors and echoing atriums for Jones, a missing tabby cat. But here among the pipes and dank, dangling chains, a much larger and deadlier predator lurks. We haven’t seen it yet, and Brett's currently unaware of it, but we can sense that it’s waiting here somewhere in the shadows.
This, of course, is Alien, Ridley Scott’s seminal outer space nightmare. The scene sketched out above is an example of why the film has endured: it’s cut to a tense, prowling rhythm, uncannily - and appropriately - like a deadly creature waiting to strike.
One of the key elements in achieving that predatory rhythm was Terry Rawlings,...
The bowels of the Nostromo meander seemingly without end. Brett, the vessel’s monosyllabic engineer, is searching the dimly-lit corridors and echoing atriums for Jones, a missing tabby cat. But here among the pipes and dank, dangling chains, a much larger and deadlier predator lurks. We haven’t seen it yet, and Brett's currently unaware of it, but we can sense that it’s waiting here somewhere in the shadows.
This, of course, is Alien, Ridley Scott’s seminal outer space nightmare. The scene sketched out above is an example of why the film has endured: it’s cut to a tense, prowling rhythm, uncannily - and appropriately - like a deadly creature waiting to strike.
One of the key elements in achieving that predatory rhythm was Terry Rawlings,...
- 12/8/2014
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
This week, the seventh edition of the Offscreen Film Festival in Brussels will start, undoubtedly one of the best 'genre' festivals in Europe. And their line-up this year is very much yummie. Radley Metzger is one of the guests of honor this year, and he will be giving a masterclass on nude cinematography. Also, they screen just about every film of his you can quickly name. Score, Misty Beethoven, Lickerish Quartet, Pamela Mann, Camille 2000... they're all there. Who isn't there is Ken Russell, as he died in 2011, but his filmography gets the same treatment here. It's hard to think of a film of his that isn't in the programme. Examples are: Tommie, Altered States, Lisztomania, Women in Love... even Lair of the White...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 3/2/2014
- Screen Anarchy
Wagner as Hitler, Ringo Starr as the pope, and an anatomical anomaly that suggests an unfortunate mishearing – this film just gets worse and worse
Lisztomania (1975)
Director: Ken Russell
Entertainment grade: Fail
History grade: Fail
Franz Liszt (1811-1886) was a Hungarian composer. He became famous across Europe as a pianist.
Fame
Franz Liszt (Roger Daltrey) is at a party. "Liszt, my dear fellow!" says a fellow composer. "Oh, piss off, Brahms," Liszt sneers, and adds to his companion Richard Wagner (Paul Nicholas): "He's a right wanker." This is the high point of both intellectualism and wit in the film's dialogue. Afterwards, Liszt plays the piano to a throng of screaming teenagers. In the 1840s, long before Elvis, Beatlemania or Justin Bieber, Heinrich Heine coined the term "Lisztomania" to describe the hysteria of Liszt's fans. Women shrieked, swooned, took cuttings of his hair, collected the dregs from his coffee cups, and...
Lisztomania (1975)
Director: Ken Russell
Entertainment grade: Fail
History grade: Fail
Franz Liszt (1811-1886) was a Hungarian composer. He became famous across Europe as a pianist.
Fame
Franz Liszt (Roger Daltrey) is at a party. "Liszt, my dear fellow!" says a fellow composer. "Oh, piss off, Brahms," Liszt sneers, and adds to his companion Richard Wagner (Paul Nicholas): "He's a right wanker." This is the high point of both intellectualism and wit in the film's dialogue. Afterwards, Liszt plays the piano to a throng of screaming teenagers. In the 1840s, long before Elvis, Beatlemania or Justin Bieber, Heinrich Heine coined the term "Lisztomania" to describe the hysteria of Liszt's fans. Women shrieked, swooned, took cuttings of his hair, collected the dregs from his coffee cups, and...
- 2/6/2013
- by Alex von Tunzelmann
- The Guardian - Film News
Don’t Knock the Rock continues!
This is just a reminder that Allison Anders’s annual celebration of rock and roll on film continues to drive on at The Cinefamily in Los Angeles.
This weekend represents the screening of one of the wildest films of the festival, Ken Russell’s completely bonkers Liszt-as-rockstar movie Lisztomania. Check out the groovy, Nsfw trailer they’ve put together:
You can buy tickets right here.
If that’s not enough for you, get to the Cinefamily early tomorrow. They’re doing a live taping of their fun Soundtrack Shelf podcast, a celebration of movie music.
Here’s Allison with more on Lisztomania.
This is just a reminder that Allison Anders’s annual celebration of rock and roll on film continues to drive on at The Cinefamily in Los Angeles.
This weekend represents the screening of one of the wildest films of the festival, Ken Russell’s completely bonkers Liszt-as-rockstar movie Lisztomania. Check out the groovy, Nsfw trailer they’ve put together:
You can buy tickets right here.
If that’s not enough for you, get to the Cinefamily early tomorrow. They’re doing a live taping of their fun Soundtrack Shelf podcast, a celebration of movie music.
Here’s Allison with more on Lisztomania.
- 8/17/2012
- by Danny
- Trailers from Hell
As summer starts to fade, the big Hollywood blockbusters are replaced with more modest and arty fare, while on home video, long overdue titles finally make their way to disc. This month, we have new-to-dvd titles from Derek Jarman, Andrzej Wadja, and Ken Russell, plus deluxe reissues of two favorites – "Quadrophenia" and (of course) "Jaws." Just when you thought it was safe to go into the video store… Whether it's the first time you've seen these titles or the fiftieth, these new discs are sure to please. Lisztomania (Ken Russell, 1975) Why You Should Care: While most people, when they hear the word "Lisztomania," immediately start singing the irresistibly catchy single from French pop band Phoenix, but the word was originally coined to describe the response to Franz Liszt, a nineteenth century Hungarian composer. The movie of the same name is ostensibly a biography of Liszt, but as directed by the creatively unmoored Ken.
- 8/7/2012
- by Drew Taylor
- The Playlist
The music documentary festival returns for another summer at Los Angeles’ Cinefamily.
Heads up, Los Angeles. Don’t Knock The Rock 2012 is nearly upon us. The excellent programming series/festival/celebration of rock and roll on film gets started next Thursday, July 26, and carries on through August at The Cinefamily.
Co-founded by filmmaker Allison Anders, and with live music curated by co-founder Tiffany Anders, Don’t Knock The Rock is a high-energy fest dedicated to the love, lust and mania of all pop, rock and roots film and music; its films contain quintessential music performances and vintage footage of important artists in their prime. Every night is hosted by returning Mc Michael Des Barres, and is packed with entertainment, whether it’s with live performances on the Cinefamily stage by the very subjects of the films, DJs spinning at intermission, or Q&As with virtually all the filmmakers!
The month-long...
Heads up, Los Angeles. Don’t Knock The Rock 2012 is nearly upon us. The excellent programming series/festival/celebration of rock and roll on film gets started next Thursday, July 26, and carries on through August at The Cinefamily.
Co-founded by filmmaker Allison Anders, and with live music curated by co-founder Tiffany Anders, Don’t Knock The Rock is a high-energy fest dedicated to the love, lust and mania of all pop, rock and roots film and music; its films contain quintessential music performances and vintage footage of important artists in their prime. Every night is hosted by returning Mc Michael Des Barres, and is packed with entertainment, whether it’s with live performances on the Cinefamily stage by the very subjects of the films, DJs spinning at intermission, or Q&As with virtually all the filmmakers!
The month-long...
- 7/24/2012
- by Danny
- Trailers from Hell
Underground cinema proves itself a force to be reckoned with as London film clubs unite to celebrate the late British film-maker
This month film clubs across the capital will unite in tribute to one of our greatest and most controversial film-makers, Ken Russell, who died in November 2011. Over 10 days and 10 venues, Ken Russell Forever promises to be a fittingly excessive, raucous and idiosyncratic tribute, with cinemagoers able to gorge themselves on films from a career that spanned biopic, horror, musicals, documentaries, thrillers, grindhouse and more. If eyes could get indigestion, you'll be rolling yours in crushed up Rennies by the end of this rich mix.
Bringing together this ragtag group of film clubs, independent cinemas and film blogs is no small feat – and it surely marks a "moment" in the evolution of the pop-up cinema movement that has been quietly gathering steam for some time. Outfits as varied as Strange...
This month film clubs across the capital will unite in tribute to one of our greatest and most controversial film-makers, Ken Russell, who died in November 2011. Over 10 days and 10 venues, Ken Russell Forever promises to be a fittingly excessive, raucous and idiosyncratic tribute, with cinemagoers able to gorge themselves on films from a career that spanned biopic, horror, musicals, documentaries, thrillers, grindhouse and more. If eyes could get indigestion, you'll be rolling yours in crushed up Rennies by the end of this rich mix.
Bringing together this ragtag group of film clubs, independent cinemas and film blogs is no small feat – and it surely marks a "moment" in the evolution of the pop-up cinema movement that has been quietly gathering steam for some time. Outfits as varied as Strange...
- 3/12/2012
- by Ruth Jamieson
- The Guardian - Film News
Hollywood Before the Code: Nasty-Ass Films for a Nasty-Ass World! runs from today through Thursday at the Roxie in San Francisco and Dennis Harvey has a fun preview in the Bay Guardian. A snippet: "March 4 offers a shocking double dose of pure white femininity finding themselves in, ahem, 'Yellow Peril' — miscegenation being something Hollywood could only begin to embrace a few decades later. Frank Capra's atypically erotic The Bitter Tea of General Yen, with Barbara Stanwyck alllllmost surrendering the white flag to a 'charismatic Chinese warlord' (Swede Nils Asther, eyes narrowed), has become a minor classic since flopping in 1933. No such luck for The Cheat (1931), a remake of Cecil B DeMille's 1915 shocker that was part of Paramount's brief, failed attempt to make stage sensation Tallulah Bankhead a movie star. Her gambling-addicted socialite gets branded (literally) in lieu of repayment not by the original's Far East businessman (dashing Sessue Hayakawa...
- 3/2/2012
- MUBI
We've all been saddened this week by the death of Ken Russell, the film-maker everyone loved except, it seems, for the UK film industry. I first became aware of his work when I was a piano-obsessed teenager. Back then, though my parents were perfectly happy for me to go through piano exams galore and to listen to Liszt as long as it was played by Alfred Brendel, they would not – absolutely never, ever – let me see Lisztomania.
- 12/2/2011
- The Independent - Film
It’s always sad when an actor or filmmaker dies, and in 2011 we have had to mourn the loss of many great stars of past and present. Pete Postlethwaite, John Barry, Maria Schneider, Jane Russell, Michael Gough, Elizabeth Taylor, Sidney Lumet, Peter Falk – all great losses, many of them at much too young an age. Only ten days ago John Neville, the delightfully charismatic star of Terry Gilliam’s The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, passed away peacefully aged 86.
But perhaps none of these deaths should be mourned more than that of Ken Russell, who died this week in his sleep at the ripe old age of 84. Aside from his short-lived and ill-advised appearance on Celebrity Big Brother, his name will be unfamiliar to the majority of young filmgoers – people who didn’t grow up with his biopics of Elgar and Mahler, people who didn’t spend their twenties listening to Who records,...
But perhaps none of these deaths should be mourned more than that of Ken Russell, who died this week in his sleep at the ripe old age of 84. Aside from his short-lived and ill-advised appearance on Celebrity Big Brother, his name will be unfamiliar to the majority of young filmgoers – people who didn’t grow up with his biopics of Elgar and Mahler, people who didn’t spend their twenties listening to Who records,...
- 11/29/2011
- by Daniel Mumby
- Obsessed with Film
The defiant romantic of British cinema never lacked for critics but his prime inspiration was surely in music
Part glam rocker, part wild-haired conductor, Ken Russell was the populist maestro of the screen, the great defiant romantic of British cinema. Russell's films showed his great love for music and composers: Elgar, Tchaikovsky, Delius, Strauss, Liszt – and Sandy Wilson and Roger Daltrey. Other film-makers might have found their creative impetus in novels or plays; Russell's inspiration was surely primarily in music. His ideas, his images, his rows, his career itself were all one colossal, chaotic rhapsody.
His adventures were a rebuke to British parochialism, literalism and complacency, and he had something of Kubrick's flair for startling or mind-bending spectacle. Russell gave us the nude wrestling scene between Alan Bates and Oliver Reed in the Oscar-winning Women In Love (1969) in which each actor, with Russell's cheerful consent, was said to have taken...
Part glam rocker, part wild-haired conductor, Ken Russell was the populist maestro of the screen, the great defiant romantic of British cinema. Russell's films showed his great love for music and composers: Elgar, Tchaikovsky, Delius, Strauss, Liszt – and Sandy Wilson and Roger Daltrey. Other film-makers might have found their creative impetus in novels or plays; Russell's inspiration was surely primarily in music. His ideas, his images, his rows, his career itself were all one colossal, chaotic rhapsody.
His adventures were a rebuke to British parochialism, literalism and complacency, and he had something of Kubrick's flair for startling or mind-bending spectacle. Russell gave us the nude wrestling scene between Alan Bates and Oliver Reed in the Oscar-winning Women In Love (1969) in which each actor, with Russell's cheerful consent, was said to have taken...
- 11/29/2011
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Legendary British filmmaker Ken Russell, the notorious director famous for boundary-pushing films such as Women in Love, Altered States and The Devils, has died at 84 following a series of strokes.
For an artist who's been called an iconoclast, a maverick and a genius — one with a professed love for consciousness-altering drugs — Russell (born July 3, 1927) got his start in a fairly conventional manner. Following a stint in the service, Russell worked as a photojournalist to minor acclaim before going to work at the BBC as a director in 1959.
While at the BBC, Russell made a series of historical documentaries, still regarded as impressive for their impressionistic visual technique. This is the beginning of the flamboyant style that became synonymous with the name Ken Russell. Many of these television films focused on renowned composers, including Edward Elgar, Richard Strauss and Claude Debussy. Interestingly, this is subject matter Russell would return to often...
For an artist who's been called an iconoclast, a maverick and a genius — one with a professed love for consciousness-altering drugs — Russell (born July 3, 1927) got his start in a fairly conventional manner. Following a stint in the service, Russell worked as a photojournalist to minor acclaim before going to work at the BBC as a director in 1959.
While at the BBC, Russell made a series of historical documentaries, still regarded as impressive for their impressionistic visual technique. This is the beginning of the flamboyant style that became synonymous with the name Ken Russell. Many of these television films focused on renowned composers, including Edward Elgar, Richard Strauss and Claude Debussy. Interestingly, this is subject matter Russell would return to often...
- 11/28/2011
- by Theron
- Planet Fury
Director Ken Russell, best known for his movies featuring sex-starved nuns, nude male wrestling, "offensive" religious symbolism, and kaleidoscopic musical numbers, died Sunday, Nov. 27, in the United Kingdom. Russell had suffered a series of strokes. He was 84. Now hardly as remembered or admired as, say, '70s Hollywood icons Steven Spielberg, Robert Altman, or Martin Scorsese, Russell not only was — more than — their equal in terms of vision and talent, but he was also infinitely more daring both thematically and esthetically. In fact, Russell was so innovatively controversial that he was referred to as the enfant terrible of British cinema while already in his 40s and 50s. But if middle age brings out complacency and apathy in most people, its effect on Russell (born July 3, 1927, in Southampton) seems to have been the opposite. Following years of work on British television, Russell's 1969 film adaptation of D. H. Lawrence's Women in Love...
- 11/28/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
It brings me great sadness to announce the passing of director Ken Russell. The British director first got the attention of American audiences when his 1969 film Women in Love, received multiple Academy Award nominations. Yet, what many genre fans will most remember him for is his hallucinogenic mix of music, sex, and horror in such films as The Devils, Altered States, Tommy (based on The Who’s album), Lisztomania, Gothic, and Lair of the White Worm. The Hugh Grant starring Lair of the White Worm, based on a novel by Bram Stoker was my first taste of some of the shocking imagery that Russell was known for including in his films. This lead me to discovering the underrated sci-fi film Altered States followed by the cult film that happens to be my favorite film of his: The Devils. The 1971 film was a lightning rod for controversy due to its portrayal...
- 11/28/2011
- by Michael Haffner
- Destroy the Brain
Ken Russell with Twiggy on the set of The Boyfriend (1971)
By Lee Pfeiffer
Director Ken Russell, who once seemed destined to enter his family's shoe business, has died after a series of strokes at age 84. Russell served in the British navy before using his talents as a photographer to become a documentary film maker. Once he began making major studio films, they were often steeped in controversy. Russell seemed to have little regard for whether his movies had boxoffice appeal. Instead, he focused on his own creative visions of storytelling. One of Russell's most acclaimed films, the 1970 version of D.H. Lawrence's Women in Love earned him as Oscar nomination and was both a critical and financial success. The films he made in the years after were not as well regarded. His 1971 film The Devils was considered so shocking that it has been censored and cut into various versions throughout the world.
By Lee Pfeiffer
Director Ken Russell, who once seemed destined to enter his family's shoe business, has died after a series of strokes at age 84. Russell served in the British navy before using his talents as a photographer to become a documentary film maker. Once he began making major studio films, they were often steeped in controversy. Russell seemed to have little regard for whether his movies had boxoffice appeal. Instead, he focused on his own creative visions of storytelling. One of Russell's most acclaimed films, the 1970 version of D.H. Lawrence's Women in Love earned him as Oscar nomination and was both a critical and financial success. The films he made in the years after were not as well regarded. His 1971 film The Devils was considered so shocking that it has been censored and cut into various versions throughout the world.
- 11/28/2011
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Following the sad death of director Ken Russell yesterday, James looks back at his sometimes stunning body of work...
While his best years were clearly long behind him, the passing of director Ken Russell, one of the undoubted titans of post-war British cinema, still feels like a huge loss for the world of film. Contrarian, provocateur and a lover of excess in all its forms, Russell was a filmmaker whose work was rarely restrained, seldom safe and almost always memorable, although not necessarily for the right reasons.
Despite a childhood desire to be a ballet dancer, it was as a photographer that Russell initially made his name, and it was through this route that he secured a job in 1959 within the BBC.
Working as an arts documentarian during the 1960s, Russell honed his craft, creating a series of artful, evocative films, mainly focusing on composers such as Debussy, Elgar and Strauss.
While his best years were clearly long behind him, the passing of director Ken Russell, one of the undoubted titans of post-war British cinema, still feels like a huge loss for the world of film. Contrarian, provocateur and a lover of excess in all its forms, Russell was a filmmaker whose work was rarely restrained, seldom safe and almost always memorable, although not necessarily for the right reasons.
Despite a childhood desire to be a ballet dancer, it was as a photographer that Russell initially made his name, and it was through this route that he secured a job in 1959 within the BBC.
Working as an arts documentarian during the 1960s, Russell honed his craft, creating a series of artful, evocative films, mainly focusing on composers such as Debussy, Elgar and Strauss.
- 11/28/2011
- Den of Geek
Ken Russell, who has died aged 84, was so often called rude names – the wild man of British cinema, the apostle of excess, the oldest angry young man in the business – that he gave up denying it all quite early in his career. Indeed, he often seemed to court the very publicity that emphasised only the crudest assessment of his work. He gave the impression that he cared not a damn. Those who knew him better, however, knew that he did. Underneath all the showbiz bluster, he was an old softie. Or, perhaps as accurately, a talented boy who never quite grew up.
It has, of course, to be said that he was capable of almost any enormity in the careless rapture he brought to making his films. He could be dreadfully cruel to his undoubted talent,...
It has, of course, to be said that he was capable of almost any enormity in the careless rapture he brought to making his films. He could be dreadfully cruel to his undoubted talent,...
- 11/28/2011
- by Derek Malcolm
- The Guardian - Film News
"Ken Russell, the British director whose daring and sometimes outrageous films often tested the patience of audiences and critics, has died," reports the AP. "He was 84."
"Known for a flamboyant style that was developed during his early career in television, Russell's films often courted controversy," writes Henry Barnes for the Guardian. "Women in Love, released in 1969, became notorious for its nude male wrestling scene between Alan Bates and Oliver Reed, while Tommy, his starry version of The Who's rock opera, was his biggest commercial success, beginning as a stage musical before being reimagined for the screen in 1976. But Russell fell out of the limelight in recent years, as some of his funding resources dried up and his proposed projects ever more eclectic. He returned to the public eye in 2007, when he appeared on the fifth edition of Celebrity Big Brother, before quitting the show after a disagreement with fellow contestant Jade Goody.
"Known for a flamboyant style that was developed during his early career in television, Russell's films often courted controversy," writes Henry Barnes for the Guardian. "Women in Love, released in 1969, became notorious for its nude male wrestling scene between Alan Bates and Oliver Reed, while Tommy, his starry version of The Who's rock opera, was his biggest commercial success, beginning as a stage musical before being reimagined for the screen in 1976. But Russell fell out of the limelight in recent years, as some of his funding resources dried up and his proposed projects ever more eclectic. He returned to the public eye in 2007, when he appeared on the fifth edition of Celebrity Big Brother, before quitting the show after a disagreement with fellow contestant Jade Goody.
- 11/28/2011
- MUBI
It was his third film, the Oscar-winning Women In Love, that put him on the map in 1969 and over the next two decades he helmed an extraordinary succession of dramas, comedies, and horror films with an unmistakable flamboyance that garnered him a huge cult following. Ken Russell’s most successful was his filming of The Who’s Tommy in 1975 but his series of composer biographies (The Music Lovers, Mahler, Lisztomania) were among his most acclaimed. He tried his hand at Hollywood Musicals (The Boyfriend – 1971) and horror fans will always embrace The Devils (1971), Gothic (1986), Lair Of The White Worm (1988), and the insane Altered States (1982). Ken Russell’s films used to play constantly at the Tivoli back in its’ repertory days but Russell spent the last couple of decades working primarily in British television. Russell died on Sunday following a series of strokes at age 84.
From The UK Telegraph:
Russell, known for...
From The UK Telegraph:
Russell, known for...
- 11/28/2011
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
London — Ken Russell, an iconoclastic British director whose daring films blended music, sex and violence in a potent brew seemingly drawn straight from his subconscious, has died at age 84.
Russell died in a hospital on Sunday following a series of strokes, his son Alex Verney-Elliott said Monday.
"My father died peacefully," Verney-Elliott said. "He died with a smile on his face."
Russell was a fiercely original director whose vision occasionally brought mainstream success, but often tested the patience of audiences and critics. He had one of his biggest hits in 1969 with "Women in Love," based on the book by D.H. Lawrence, which earned Academy Award nominations for the director and for writer Larry Kramer, and a "Best Actress" Oscar for the star, Glenda Jackson.
It included one of the decade's most famous scenes – a nude wrestling bout between Alan Bates and Oliver Reed.
Reed said at the time that the...
Russell died in a hospital on Sunday following a series of strokes, his son Alex Verney-Elliott said Monday.
"My father died peacefully," Verney-Elliott said. "He died with a smile on his face."
Russell was a fiercely original director whose vision occasionally brought mainstream success, but often tested the patience of audiences and critics. He had one of his biggest hits in 1969 with "Women in Love," based on the book by D.H. Lawrence, which earned Academy Award nominations for the director and for writer Larry Kramer, and a "Best Actress" Oscar for the star, Glenda Jackson.
It included one of the decade's most famous scenes – a nude wrestling bout between Alan Bates and Oliver Reed.
Reed said at the time that the...
- 11/28/2011
- by AP
- Huffington Post
The director Ken Russell has died aged 84. We look back at his most memorable moments, from The Devils to Women in Love
• Ken Russell: films in photographs
After early attempts at carving out a career as a photographer, Russell and his future wife Shirley-Ann began making short films with a fantasy/parable bent – in contrast with the socially engaged spirit of the then influential Free Cinema movement. Peep Show (1956) was a parody of silent cinema, while arguably the most striking of the shorts was Amelia and the Angel, part funded by the BFI, about a girl looking for angel's wings for a school play.
Russell's proficiency got him noticed by the BBC, and he was put to work on the arts documentary strand Monitor. He made a string of TV programmes with increasingly elaborate formats – on everything from pop art to brass bands, culminating with his epic film about Edward Elgar,...
• Ken Russell: films in photographs
After early attempts at carving out a career as a photographer, Russell and his future wife Shirley-Ann began making short films with a fantasy/parable bent – in contrast with the socially engaged spirit of the then influential Free Cinema movement. Peep Show (1956) was a parody of silent cinema, while arguably the most striking of the shorts was Amelia and the Angel, part funded by the BFI, about a girl looking for angel's wings for a school play.
Russell's proficiency got him noticed by the BBC, and he was put to work on the arts documentary strand Monitor. He made a string of TV programmes with increasingly elaborate formats – on everything from pop art to brass bands, culminating with his epic film about Edward Elgar,...
- 11/28/2011
- by Andrew Pulver
- The Guardian - Film News
Ken Russell, the British director whose daring and sometimes outrageous films often tested the patience of audiences and critics, has died at age 84.
Russell died in a hospital on Sunday following a series of strokes, his son Alex Verney-Elliott said Monday.
One of Russell’s biggest successes came in 1969 with Women in Love, based on the book by D.H. Lawrence, which earned Academy Award nominations for the director and for writer Larry Kramer, and an Oscar for the star, Glenda Jackson.
Music played a central role in many of Russell’s films including The Music Lovers in 1970, and Lisztomania and Tommy in 1975.
“My father died peacefully,” Verney-Elliott said. “He had had a series of strokes. He died with a smile on his face.”...
Russell died in a hospital on Sunday following a series of strokes, his son Alex Verney-Elliott said Monday.
One of Russell’s biggest successes came in 1969 with Women in Love, based on the book by D.H. Lawrence, which earned Academy Award nominations for the director and for writer Larry Kramer, and an Oscar for the star, Glenda Jackson.
Music played a central role in many of Russell’s films including The Music Lovers in 1970, and Lisztomania and Tommy in 1975.
“My father died peacefully,” Verney-Elliott said. “He had had a series of strokes. He died with a smile on his face.”...
- 11/28/2011
- by Associated Press
- EW - Inside Movies
What did director Franc Roddam do after Quadrophenia? He moved to La, tried to woo Robert Redford – and ended up making MasterChef.
'You go to Hollywood," says Franc Roddam, "and the better you are at mediocrity, the better you'll get on. I tried to make personal films, which was a mistake." The director of Quadrophenia is explaining why he hasn't made a film in 20 years. After the huge success of his 1979 debut, the screen version of the Who's rock opera, Roddam headed to California with dreams of joining the gang.
He signed a three-picture deal with Fox, aiming to make ambitious, political, principled films. First up was Rainforest, a story about the destruction of the Amazon. Roddam spent six months in South America, honing his concept, befriending the locals. Meanwhile, Robert Redford was umm-ing and ahh-ing about signing on as his lead.
"I spent 18 months nurturing Redford," says Roddam. "He...
'You go to Hollywood," says Franc Roddam, "and the better you are at mediocrity, the better you'll get on. I tried to make personal films, which was a mistake." The director of Quadrophenia is explaining why he hasn't made a film in 20 years. After the huge success of his 1979 debut, the screen version of the Who's rock opera, Roddam headed to California with dreams of joining the gang.
He signed a three-picture deal with Fox, aiming to make ambitious, political, principled films. First up was Rainforest, a story about the destruction of the Amazon. Roddam spent six months in South America, honing his concept, befriending the locals. Meanwhile, Robert Redford was umm-ing and ahh-ing about signing on as his lead.
"I spent 18 months nurturing Redford," says Roddam. "He...
- 11/10/2011
- by Henry Barnes
- The Guardian - Film News
"A very happy birthday to Liszt Ferenc, who was born two hundred years ago today," blogs Alex Ross, introducing a brief but — coming from the author of The Rest Is Noise — essential roundup.
Like many (many!) commentators today, Phil Harrell makes the case for Franz Liszt as the world's first rock star, here for NPR: "In the mid-19th century, Liszt was tearing up the polite salons and concert halls of Europe with his virtuoso performances. Women would literally attack him: tear bits of his clothing, fight over broken piano strings and locks of his shoulder-length hair. Europe had never seen anything like it. It was a phenomenon the great German poet Heinrich Heine dubbed 'Lisztomania.' … Liszt deliberately placed the piano in profile to the audience so they could see his face. He'd whip his head around while he played, his long hair flying, beads of sweat shooting into the crowd.
Like many (many!) commentators today, Phil Harrell makes the case for Franz Liszt as the world's first rock star, here for NPR: "In the mid-19th century, Liszt was tearing up the polite salons and concert halls of Europe with his virtuoso performances. Women would literally attack him: tear bits of his clothing, fight over broken piano strings and locks of his shoulder-length hair. Europe had never seen anything like it. It was a phenomenon the great German poet Heinrich Heine dubbed 'Lisztomania.' … Liszt deliberately placed the piano in profile to the audience so they could see his face. He'd whip his head around while he played, his long hair flying, beads of sweat shooting into the crowd.
- 10/22/2011
- MUBI
I hope you know there is more to Phoenix then their music being used for the trailers of turds like Alice in Wonderland and Valentine’s Day. Frontman Thomas Mars has had a fruitful relationship with director Sofia Coppola, who he not only married, but provided music for her latest film, Somewhere. Their next album after the fantastic Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix is even said to be inspired by the film.
Short film director Antoine Wagner followed the band around on a recent tour and came up with 52 minutes (hopefully) worth seeing with From A Mess To The Masses. We have the first trailer via Pma and you can check it out below, followed by the video for Lisztomania, which Wagner directed as well.
From A Mess To The Masses hits televisions in France and Germany on October 13th, with no Us release set.
Short film director Antoine Wagner followed the band around on a recent tour and came up with 52 minutes (hopefully) worth seeing with From A Mess To The Masses. We have the first trailer via Pma and you can check it out below, followed by the video for Lisztomania, which Wagner directed as well.
From A Mess To The Masses hits televisions in France and Germany on October 13th, with no Us release set.
- 10/11/2011
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
Being a Christian in the 21st century is difficult at the best of times. Even without Mel Gibson constantly putting his foot in it, or Westboro Baptist Church spitting venom at the very people they are supposed to be helping, we have to contend with a media backlash whenever a seemingly ‘Christian’ film is released.
The problem seems to be that people don’t mind Christianity per se: if people are Bible-bashing in the streets, they can ignore them or talk back. What they resent, or appear to resent, are films with Christian undertones – allegories or parables which introduce Christian beliefs or ideas in a supposedly secular context. When The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe came out in 2005, The Guardian’s Polly Toynbee accused it of “invad[ing] children’s minds with Christian iconography… heavily laden with guilt, blame, sacrifice and a suffering that is dark with emotional sadism.” Ouch.
The problem seems to be that people don’t mind Christianity per se: if people are Bible-bashing in the streets, they can ignore them or talk back. What they resent, or appear to resent, are films with Christian undertones – allegories or parables which introduce Christian beliefs or ideas in a supposedly secular context. When The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe came out in 2005, The Guardian’s Polly Toynbee accused it of “invad[ing] children’s minds with Christian iconography… heavily laden with guilt, blame, sacrifice and a suffering that is dark with emotional sadism.” Ouch.
- 9/17/2011
- by Daniel Mumby
- Obsessed with Film
All of Allison’s commentaries in one convenient place!
2011 has been the biggest year yet for our little internet spaceship of cinematic love and we’re growing everyday. Part of that is always trying to get you guys (or guy; how many of you are out there?) something new, something different, something interesting and something that’s going to continue to foster the love and admiration we have for the cinema, however you want to cut that particular pie.
One of the most requested features has been the ability to simply and quickly watch all of the trailer commentaries from a specific guru. We can only aim to please here at Trailers From Hell, and, since you’ve asked, you shall receive. Today is the launch of a hopefully weekly feature right here at Tfh, something I’m simply calling the Tfh Omnibus. The simple conceit is that a YouTube...
2011 has been the biggest year yet for our little internet spaceship of cinematic love and we’re growing everyday. Part of that is always trying to get you guys (or guy; how many of you are out there?) something new, something different, something interesting and something that’s going to continue to foster the love and admiration we have for the cinema, however you want to cut that particular pie.
One of the most requested features has been the ability to simply and quickly watch all of the trailer commentaries from a specific guru. We can only aim to please here at Trailers From Hell, and, since you’ve asked, you shall receive. Today is the launch of a hopefully weekly feature right here at Tfh, something I’m simply calling the Tfh Omnibus. The simple conceit is that a YouTube...
- 8/25/2011
- by Danny
- Trailers from Hell
It's been 40 years since Southampton boy Ken Russell filmed his notorious The Devils. Stuart Jeffries asks him about saints, sinners and the most frightening film he ever saw
Ken Russell is leaning on his stick outside the Pebble Beach restaurant in Barton-on-Sea, Hampshire, while his fourth wife parks the car. "Thanks for recognising me," he says as I shake his hand. It would be hard not to. Russell is wearing open-toed sandals, red trousers pulled up so far over his waist they're bearing down on his nipples and stripy shirt, while his big florid face is topped by a rage of grey hair.
But today Russell, now 84, has the air of a last-act Lear, or Tigger unbounced. Two weeks ago he suffered a stroke; this is only his second outing from the New Forest hospital where he's been recuperating. After greeting me, he looks rheumily out into the middle distance,...
Ken Russell is leaning on his stick outside the Pebble Beach restaurant in Barton-on-Sea, Hampshire, while his fourth wife parks the car. "Thanks for recognising me," he says as I shake his hand. It would be hard not to. Russell is wearing open-toed sandals, red trousers pulled up so far over his waist they're bearing down on his nipples and stripy shirt, while his big florid face is topped by a rage of grey hair.
But today Russell, now 84, has the air of a last-act Lear, or Tigger unbounced. Two weeks ago he suffered a stroke; this is only his second outing from the New Forest hospital where he's been recuperating. After greeting me, he looks rheumily out into the middle distance,...
- 4/28/2011
- by Stuart Jeffries
- The Guardian - Film News
One thing I truly love about cinema is the way in which films can make an audience think, to ignite a spark in their minds, provoking thoughts that never would have occurred otherwise and send them off in new directions, contemplating new ideas and viewpoints. One of the most exciting ways that cinema often achieves this is through confrontation, dangerous and exciting cinema that pulls no punches and feels dangerous.
One such dangerous film is Ken Russell’s 1971 The Devils, screened last week as part of Montreal’s Fantasia Film Festival with Ken Russell himself in attendance. The film takes place in 17th century France and focuses on Father Grandier, played by Oliver Reed giving probably the best performance of his career. Grandier is a sexually adventurous priest who, despite what appears to be genuine faith and devotion to god, pushes the boundaries of what is morally acceptable at the time,...
One such dangerous film is Ken Russell’s 1971 The Devils, screened last week as part of Montreal’s Fantasia Film Festival with Ken Russell himself in attendance. The film takes place in 17th century France and focuses on Father Grandier, played by Oliver Reed giving probably the best performance of his career. Grandier is a sexually adventurous priest who, despite what appears to be genuine faith and devotion to god, pushes the boundaries of what is morally acceptable at the time,...
- 7/26/2010
- by Craig Skinner
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Yesterday, we celebrated the day that Paul McCartney first met John Lennon, a meeting that ended up eventually giving birth to the Beatles. Today, we celebrate the birth of Richard Starkey, the man who would be known the world over as Ringo Starr, the man who kept the beat for the Beatles. He turns 70 years old today. Of the four Beatles, Ringo was the oldest (he was a few months older than Lennon) and has had one of the most fascinating solo careers since the legendary band disbanded 40 years ago.
Starr always had one of the most dynamic personalities of any of the Beatles, helping to craft some of the group's most off-beat tunes (including "Octopus's Garden" and "Don't Pass Me By") and providing the most electrifying on-screen presence (his is the one performance in "A Hard Day's Night" that stands out, and he had a relatively fruitful acting career...
Starr always had one of the most dynamic personalities of any of the Beatles, helping to craft some of the group's most off-beat tunes (including "Octopus's Garden" and "Don't Pass Me By") and providing the most electrifying on-screen presence (his is the one performance in "A Hard Day's Night" that stands out, and he had a relatively fruitful acting career...
- 7/7/2010
- by Kyle Anderson
- MTV Newsroom
If you've never been to or heard of Canada's Fantasia Film Festival, do yourself a favor: Become acquainted quickly and get your asses up to the Great White North as it's an event that's not to be missed! Now for a look at what's to come this year!
From the Press Release
While we’re still several weeks away from announcing our full 2010 festival line-up, the 14th annual Fantasia International Film Festival is making an early announcement to highlight several special events planned for this summer’s fest, including a stage play, multiple lifetime achievement awards and a gala performance/screening premiere revolving around one of the most significant silent-film restorations in the history of moving images.
The Complete Metropolis – A Gala Event At Place Des Arts
Seldom has the rediscovery of a cache of lost footage ignited widespread curiosity as did the announcement, in July 2008, that an essentially complete...
From the Press Release
While we’re still several weeks away from announcing our full 2010 festival line-up, the 14th annual Fantasia International Film Festival is making an early announcement to highlight several special events planned for this summer’s fest, including a stage play, multiple lifetime achievement awards and a gala performance/screening premiere revolving around one of the most significant silent-film restorations in the history of moving images.
The Complete Metropolis – A Gala Event At Place Des Arts
Seldom has the rediscovery of a cache of lost footage ignited widespread curiosity as did the announcement, in July 2008, that an essentially complete...
- 5/5/2010
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
One of filmmaker Ken Russell's misfortunes is that while his work is always appreciated, it's always his early work. When he was first making a splash with features in the seventies, British critics howled in outrage, often pointing back to his early BBC work, praising it, and using it as a stick to thrash the new upstart movies like The Music Lovers and The Devils. By the eighties, some of that early work was getting the praise it had originally deserved, but Russell's Us films, Altered States and Crimes of Passion, were ridiculed, and his low-budget UK features, such as Gothic and The Lair of the White Worm, garnered mainly contempt. Now even those oddities are redeemed, but nobody has much time for Russell's most recent output, productions shot in his garden shed with a camcorder. Their time will come...
What's overlooked, simply because it's been impossible to look at,...
What's overlooked, simply because it's been impossible to look at,...
- 11/26/2009
- MUBI
French pop group gets edgy
The title of Phoenix’s latest album obviously references composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and the song title “Lisztomania” describes the old-school Beatlemania that surrounded 19th-century Hungarian composer and pianist Franz Liszt. But don’t judge this record by its name—the Parisian pop group’s music is decidedly un-classical. Following up 2006's It's Never Been Like That, Phoenix has veered ever so slightly from catchy to chaotic, and it works. Thomas Mars sings with the urgency of Of Montreal’s Kevin Barnes, and his band plays with a Killers-like accessibility. The mostly uptempo Wolfgang slows down midway with instrumental “Love Like A Sunset Part I,” which is half mood-setter, half mood-killer—its climax isn’t so climactic. The album's lyrics don’t always make sense (still pondering this one from “Lisztomania”: “Romantic not disgusting yet / Darling I’m down and lonely / When with the...
The title of Phoenix’s latest album obviously references composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and the song title “Lisztomania” describes the old-school Beatlemania that surrounded 19th-century Hungarian composer and pianist Franz Liszt. But don’t judge this record by its name—the Parisian pop group’s music is decidedly un-classical. Following up 2006's It's Never Been Like That, Phoenix has veered ever so slightly from catchy to chaotic, and it works. Thomas Mars sings with the urgency of Of Montreal’s Kevin Barnes, and his band plays with a Killers-like accessibility. The mostly uptempo Wolfgang slows down midway with instrumental “Love Like A Sunset Part I,” which is half mood-setter, half mood-killer—its climax isn’t so climactic. The album's lyrics don’t always make sense (still pondering this one from “Lisztomania”: “Romantic not disgusting yet / Darling I’m down and lonely / When with the...
- 5/27/2009
- Pastemagazine.com
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