Samuel L. Jackson is an acting legend who has starred in numerous movies of all genres. Among his major movies are School Daze (1988), Do the Right Thing (1989), Mo’ Better Blues (1990), Jungle Fever (1991), Oldboy (2013), and Chi-Raq (2015), Tarantino’s films Jackie Brown (1997), Kill Bill: Volume 2 (2004), Django Unchained (2012), and The Hateful Eight (2015), but he also has two extremely popular roles in his filmography – that of Nick Fury in the MCU, as well as that of Mace Windu in the Star Wars franchise.
We know that Mace Windu died in The Revenge of the Sith, but the character had already been a fan favorite by that moment and since then, there have been numerous calls for Windu to return to the series, implying that the character did not die during the fated battle against Palpatine. Samuel L. Jackson was recently asked about it and he made his opinion on the matter quite clear.
We know that Mace Windu died in The Revenge of the Sith, but the character had already been a fan favorite by that moment and since then, there have been numerous calls for Windu to return to the series, implying that the character did not die during the fated battle against Palpatine. Samuel L. Jackson was recently asked about it and he made his opinion on the matter quite clear.
- 4/23/2024
- by Arthur S. Poe
- Fiction Horizon
John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson and Harvey Keitel reunited at the TCM Classic Film festival on Thursday for a 30th anniversary screening of Quentin Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction” to reflect on the film’s impact on their careers — and upon the medium itself.
“It changed cinema, so it’s almost hard to have it sink in,” observed Uma Thurman, who joined Samuel L. Jackson, John Travolta and Harvey Keitel for a Q&a about Tarantino’s benchmark film with Turner Classic Movies host Ben Mankiewicz. “I feel like I’ve had an evolving and beautifully growing relationship with ‘Pulp Fiction’ all of my life. It changed cinema, and it changed every filmmaker I met since.”
Though she and her three costars were the only members asked to speak before the screening, several other members of the cast and crew joined them in the auditorium of the Tcl Chinese Theatre,...
“It changed cinema, so it’s almost hard to have it sink in,” observed Uma Thurman, who joined Samuel L. Jackson, John Travolta and Harvey Keitel for a Q&a about Tarantino’s benchmark film with Turner Classic Movies host Ben Mankiewicz. “I feel like I’ve had an evolving and beautifully growing relationship with ‘Pulp Fiction’ all of my life. It changed cinema, and it changed every filmmaker I met since.”
Though she and her three costars were the only members asked to speak before the screening, several other members of the cast and crew joined them in the auditorium of the Tcl Chinese Theatre,...
- 4/19/2024
- by Todd Gilchrist
- Variety Film + TV
Halle Berry became one of the biggest actors in Hollywood, having won Oscars and starred in blockbusters. But if she realized just how crazy the world of celebrity was earlier, Berry might’ve gone down a different path.
Halle Berry once revealed what she would’ve done if she wasn’t an actor Halle Berry | Johnny Nunez/WireImage
Berry didn’t always have her sights set on acting. She initially went to school in the hopes of finding more traditional work.
“I was going to college, I wanted to be a journalist,” Berry once told BlackTree TV. “I wanted to be a news anchor, or travel the far seas and report.”
But Berry’s motivations changed when she ended up taking a summer class on a whim.
“It’s when I was living in Chicago, I took a class in second city, just for s***s and giggles. Just because...
Halle Berry once revealed what she would’ve done if she wasn’t an actor Halle Berry | Johnny Nunez/WireImage
Berry didn’t always have her sights set on acting. She initially went to school in the hopes of finding more traditional work.
“I was going to college, I wanted to be a journalist,” Berry once told BlackTree TV. “I wanted to be a news anchor, or travel the far seas and report.”
But Berry’s motivations changed when she ended up taking a summer class on a whim.
“It’s when I was living in Chicago, I took a class in second city, just for s***s and giggles. Just because...
- 4/19/2024
- by Antonio Stallings
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Brad Dourif has had an incredible acting career that stretches back more than fifty years – and back in the early days of that career, he even earned a “Best Actor in a Supporting Role” Oscar nomination for his performance in the 1975 classic One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Over a decade later, he started playing the role he is best known for, that of Charles Lee Ray, a.k.a. Chucky, a serial killer who uses voodoo to transfer his soul into the body of a doll. Dourif is now 74 years old, so when we hear that he has decided to retire from acting, it’s totally understandable… but while talking about his retirement, Dourif has also made sure to assure fans that his days of Chucky are not over. He will still continue to work on any Chucky projects that might come up.
News of Dourif’s retirement comes...
News of Dourif’s retirement comes...
- 4/17/2024
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Prolific is a massive understatement when it comes to describing producer Samuel L. Jackson, who next stars in The Kill Room, which opens Sept. 29.
Since his debut in indie film Together For Days in 1972, the 74-year-old Jackson has been in more than 100 films that have collectively grossed more than $27 billion, making him the highest-grossing live-action actor of all time as of 2021, according to The Numbers.
In his career, he’s been in some of the most iconic films ever, as well, including Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing (1989), Mo’ Better Blues (1990) and Jungle Fever (1991), Jurassic Park (1993), A Time to Kill (1996), Black Snake Moan (2006), Goodfellas (1990), Die Hard With A Vengeance (1995) and the unforgettable Snakes On A Plane (2006).
Jackson got his big break after he appeared in True Romance (1993), which was written by Quentin Tarantino. After that experience, Tarantino came to Jackson with the role of Jules Winnfield in Pulp Fiction...
Since his debut in indie film Together For Days in 1972, the 74-year-old Jackson has been in more than 100 films that have collectively grossed more than $27 billion, making him the highest-grossing live-action actor of all time as of 2021, according to The Numbers.
In his career, he’s been in some of the most iconic films ever, as well, including Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing (1989), Mo’ Better Blues (1990) and Jungle Fever (1991), Jurassic Park (1993), A Time to Kill (1996), Black Snake Moan (2006), Goodfellas (1990), Die Hard With A Vengeance (1995) and the unforgettable Snakes On A Plane (2006).
Jackson got his big break after he appeared in True Romance (1993), which was written by Quentin Tarantino. After that experience, Tarantino came to Jackson with the role of Jules Winnfield in Pulp Fiction...
- 4/4/2024
- by David Morgan
- Deadline Film + TV
Oscar winner Halle Berry has been a part of many activistic campaigns in her career. The Catwoman star had been a vocal supporter of Barrack Obama during his presidential campaign in 2008 and successfully campaigned against the building of a natural gas facility off the coast of Malibu.
The actress has also been actively involved in a campaign to change the narrative on women going through menopause. Berry revealed last year that she was in the middle of a transitional period and mentioned how she wanted to change the image of women going through the phase. She recently mentioned how she got the diagnosis as she was first given a herpes scare before she came to know about her menopause.
Halle Berry Was Wrongly Tested Positive For Herpes After Meeting Van Hunt Halle Berry in Monster’s Ball
Academy Award-winning actress Halle Berry recently attended the A Day of Unreasonable Conversation summit along with Kerry Washington,...
The actress has also been actively involved in a campaign to change the narrative on women going through menopause. Berry revealed last year that she was in the middle of a transitional period and mentioned how she wanted to change the image of women going through the phase. She recently mentioned how she got the diagnosis as she was first given a herpes scare before she came to know about her menopause.
Halle Berry Was Wrongly Tested Positive For Herpes After Meeting Van Hunt Halle Berry in Monster’s Ball
Academy Award-winning actress Halle Berry recently attended the A Day of Unreasonable Conversation summit along with Kerry Washington,...
- 3/26/2024
- by Nishanth A
- FandomWire
The American Society of Cinematographers has done the right thing.
The group said today that Oscar-winning filmmaker Spike Lee will receive its Board of Governors Award next month.
“Spike Lee is one of the most brilliant filmmakers of our time, and the social impact of his work is immeasurable,” ASC President Shelly Johnson said. “This award celebrates his respect for the partnership between director and cinematographer and how two people unite to tell a visual story in a way that can only be recognized as that of collaboration.”
The Brooklyn-raised Lee began his storied career in the 1980s as a writer-director of such films as She’s Gotta Have It, School Daze and Do the Right Thing, for which he earned a Best Original Screenplay Oscar nomination. Many more celebrated films would follow, including Malcolm X, Mo’ Better Blues, Jungle Fever, Crooklyn, Clockers, He Got Game, Summer of Sam, Girl 6,...
The group said today that Oscar-winning filmmaker Spike Lee will receive its Board of Governors Award next month.
“Spike Lee is one of the most brilliant filmmakers of our time, and the social impact of his work is immeasurable,” ASC President Shelly Johnson said. “This award celebrates his respect for the partnership between director and cinematographer and how two people unite to tell a visual story in a way that can only be recognized as that of collaboration.”
The Brooklyn-raised Lee began his storied career in the 1980s as a writer-director of such films as She’s Gotta Have It, School Daze and Do the Right Thing, for which he earned a Best Original Screenplay Oscar nomination. Many more celebrated films would follow, including Malcolm X, Mo’ Better Blues, Jungle Fever, Crooklyn, Clockers, He Got Game, Summer of Sam, Girl 6,...
- 2/6/2024
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Filmmaker Sam Pollard, one of the most prolific and important forces in contemporary documentary, will be honored by Black Public Media at its upcoming PitchBlack Awards in New York.
Pollard — who directed or co-directed four films and docuseries this year alone, including The League and Bill Russell: Legend — will receive the Bpm Trailblazer Award in a ceremony on April 25. The event is set to take place at the Stanley H. Kantor Penthouse of Manhattan’s Lincoln Center, capping the latest edition of Bpm’s PitchBLACK Forum, described as “the largest pitch competition of its kind in the United States for independent filmmakers and creative technologists who create Black content.”
“A multiple Emmy- and Peabody Award-winning producer-director-editor, Pollard is known for his work on a plethora of important works including: Eyes On The Prize, Maynard, MLK/FBI, Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power, and Mr. Soul!,” a release noted.
Pollard — who directed or co-directed four films and docuseries this year alone, including The League and Bill Russell: Legend — will receive the Bpm Trailblazer Award in a ceremony on April 25. The event is set to take place at the Stanley H. Kantor Penthouse of Manhattan’s Lincoln Center, capping the latest edition of Bpm’s PitchBLACK Forum, described as “the largest pitch competition of its kind in the United States for independent filmmakers and creative technologists who create Black content.”
“A multiple Emmy- and Peabody Award-winning producer-director-editor, Pollard is known for his work on a plethora of important works including: Eyes On The Prize, Maynard, MLK/FBI, Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power, and Mr. Soul!,” a release noted.
- 12/23/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Speaking in her masterclass at Red Sea International Film Festival, Oscar-winning actress Halle Berry said that launching her own production company is finally empowering her to make the stories she has always wanted to produce and direct – including a project that she identified on the plane on the way to Jeddah.
“Finally on the plane coming here I saw a story, I saw what’s in my heart, and realised what I wanted to share,” said Berry, who recently launched production company HalleHolly with former WME partner Holly Jeter.
When pressed further she said: “It’s a love story at its core, but it deals with the supernatural and time travel and the future. It’s taken me the last few years to figure this out.”
Berry said having her own banner – which she has previously said will make content with strong, multicultural, female protagonists – is finally giving her the...
“Finally on the plane coming here I saw a story, I saw what’s in my heart, and realised what I wanted to share,” said Berry, who recently launched production company HalleHolly with former WME partner Holly Jeter.
When pressed further she said: “It’s a love story at its core, but it deals with the supernatural and time travel and the future. It’s taken me the last few years to figure this out.”
Berry said having her own banner – which she has previously said will make content with strong, multicultural, female protagonists – is finally giving her the...
- 12/6/2023
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
This is Day 112 of the SAG-AFTRA strike.
Striking actors in New York City hit the picket lines in extra layering Thursday with the weather turning colder and their union’s strike against studios and streamers extending into its fifth calendar month.
Amid reports of progress in the talks out west between SAG-AFTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, picketers spotted Thursday outside AMPTP member company offices in Manhattan included Annabella Sciorra, Terry Kinney, Kelly AuCoin, Glenn Fleshler, Stephen Kunken, Carrie Gibson, Michael Cyril Creighton, Frank C. Williams and Stephanie D’Abruzzo.
Actors said that they are doing their best to balance hopes for a settlement — which have been dashed before — with managed expectations while most continue to go without paying work.
“It’s a fine line,” Gibson, a SAG-AFTRA strike captain who had a recurring role on Max’s Barry, told Deadline at a picket outside NBCUniversal headquarters at Rockefeller Center.
Striking actors in New York City hit the picket lines in extra layering Thursday with the weather turning colder and their union’s strike against studios and streamers extending into its fifth calendar month.
Amid reports of progress in the talks out west between SAG-AFTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, picketers spotted Thursday outside AMPTP member company offices in Manhattan included Annabella Sciorra, Terry Kinney, Kelly AuCoin, Glenn Fleshler, Stephen Kunken, Carrie Gibson, Michael Cyril Creighton, Frank C. Williams and Stephanie D’Abruzzo.
Actors said that they are doing their best to balance hopes for a settlement — which have been dashed before — with managed expectations while most continue to go without paying work.
“It’s a fine line,” Gibson, a SAG-AFTRA strike captain who had a recurring role on Max’s Barry, told Deadline at a picket outside NBCUniversal headquarters at Rockefeller Center.
- 11/2/2023
- by Sean Piccoli
- Deadline Film + TV
In early 1991, 20-year-old Tupac Shakur was torn between ambitions of acting and rapping, and struggling to catch a break on both fronts. He had studied theater at the Baltimore School for the Arts and toured with the west coast hip-hop collective Digital Underground, but acting opportunities were scarce and he had yet to finish the demo tape that would launch him to stardom. His luck would turn when Digital Underground’s road manager, Sleuth, received a call from Cara Lewis, the group’s booking agent at William Morris. A film director named Ernest Dickerson was looking for actors for a movie called Juice and they invited Money-b, a fellow member of the collective, to audition. Dickerson had earned acclaim for his work as Spike Lee’s director of photography on a run of films, including She’s Gotta Have It, School Daze, Do the Right Thing, Mo’ Better Blues, and Jungle Fever.
- 10/24/2023
- by Staci Robinson
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A new exhibit highlights the icons who have shaped the New York film-maker’s unique style
Spike Lee is telling me the story of how he had to convince Frank Sinatra to let him use his music for Lee’s 1991 film Jungle Fever. Apparently, Ol’ Blue Eyes was upset about one of the film-maker’s earlier movies, Do the Right Thing. In an unforgettable scene, a ruckus breaks out in Sal’s Pizzeria, the neighborhood restaurant where the film’s protagonists hang. At one point during the chaos, a devastating fire starts, and the walls, adorned with photos of beloved celebrities – such as Frank Sinatra – burn.
Lee was trying to negotiate the rights with Sinatra’s daughter, Tina, who at the time handled the music legend’s business affairs. “You disrespected my father,” Tina told Lee, by his own account. Lee apologized and, for weeks, begged for a way to make amends.
Spike Lee is telling me the story of how he had to convince Frank Sinatra to let him use his music for Lee’s 1991 film Jungle Fever. Apparently, Ol’ Blue Eyes was upset about one of the film-maker’s earlier movies, Do the Right Thing. In an unforgettable scene, a ruckus breaks out in Sal’s Pizzeria, the neighborhood restaurant where the film’s protagonists hang. At one point during the chaos, a devastating fire starts, and the walls, adorned with photos of beloved celebrities – such as Frank Sinatra – burn.
Lee was trying to negotiate the rights with Sinatra’s daughter, Tina, who at the time handled the music legend’s business affairs. “You disrespected my father,” Tina told Lee, by his own account. Lee apologized and, for weeks, begged for a way to make amends.
- 10/11/2023
- by Syreeta McFadden
- The Guardian - Film News
As non-industry folk are hopefully learning during the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, the vast majority of the union's members are not multi-millionaires. Acting is a job, and if you want to maintain a successful career, you can't always be as picky as you'd like to be. You have to audition aggressively, take what's offered, and, as soon as you've completed the gig, start fretting about doing it all over again.
If you're really lucky, you might eventually piece together a body of work that serves as a calling card. At this point, you're a known quantity, someone for whom a writer might create a character. Or perhaps your strengths as a performer will make you a director's first choice for a specific role.
For most actors, it's a long, hard road to this kind of rare success, and once they've attained it, they take nothing for granted. That's why someone like...
If you're really lucky, you might eventually piece together a body of work that serves as a calling card. At this point, you're a known quantity, someone for whom a writer might create a character. Or perhaps your strengths as a performer will make you a director's first choice for a specific role.
For most actors, it's a long, hard road to this kind of rare success, and once they've attained it, they take nothing for granted. That's why someone like...
- 7/22/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Samuel L. Jackson has had it with not getting motherf*ckin’ recognition from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and motherf*ckin’ Sciences, saying the organization has denied him Oscar nominations — and even wins — on multiple occasions.
Notably, Samuel L. Jackson did receive an Honorary Oscar last year, as his “dynamic performances resonate across genres and generations of audiences worldwide”, which he considers a genuine victory and not a consolation prize. Still, he knows the Academy made a few errors. “Didn’t feel honorary, just felt like I was getting an Oscar. I earned it. I worked for it. I can possibly name four other instances where I could have won or should have won or should have been nominated, but I’m fine with it. It’s mine. I got it. My name’s on it.”
As for which movies Samuel L. Jackson feels he should have been Oscar-nominated for,...
Notably, Samuel L. Jackson did receive an Honorary Oscar last year, as his “dynamic performances resonate across genres and generations of audiences worldwide”, which he considers a genuine victory and not a consolation prize. Still, he knows the Academy made a few errors. “Didn’t feel honorary, just felt like I was getting an Oscar. I earned it. I worked for it. I can possibly name four other instances where I could have won or should have won or should have been nominated, but I’m fine with it. It’s mine. I got it. My name’s on it.”
As for which movies Samuel L. Jackson feels he should have been Oscar-nominated for,...
- 7/21/2023
- by Mathew Plale
- JoBlo.com
When Spike Lee won his long overdue first competitive Oscar at the 2019 Academy Awards, he literally jumped into presenter Samuel L. Jackson’s arms for a hug. But there was a moment when the longtime friends probably couldn’t have imagined they’d share such a public embrace.
In a new interview with Vulture, Jackson – who appeared in early Lee films like “School Daze,” “Do the Right Thing,” “Mo Better Blues,” and “Jungle Fever” – explained he had a falling out with the filmmaker over “Malcolm X.”
“I actually read with most of the people who auditioned for ‘Malcolm X.’ I was supposed to be the guy that turned Malcolm X on to Islam in prison. I forget who played that role,” Jackson revealed. Albert Hall played the role of Baines in the film and turned in an indelible performance in the part. He later appeared in Lee’s film “Get on the Bus.
In a new interview with Vulture, Jackson – who appeared in early Lee films like “School Daze,” “Do the Right Thing,” “Mo Better Blues,” and “Jungle Fever” – explained he had a falling out with the filmmaker over “Malcolm X.”
“I actually read with most of the people who auditioned for ‘Malcolm X.’ I was supposed to be the guy that turned Malcolm X on to Islam in prison. I forget who played that role,” Jackson revealed. Albert Hall played the role of Baines in the film and turned in an indelible performance in the part. He later appeared in Lee’s film “Get on the Bus.
- 7/21/2023
- by Christopher Rosen
- Gold Derby
Samuel L. Jackson told The Times last year that he deserved to win the Oscar for best supporting actor over Martin Landau (“Ed Wood”) at the 1995 Academy Awards. In a new interview with Vulture, the actor said he was robbed of a second chance to win an Oscar just a couple years later with Joel Schumacher’s 1996 legal drama “A Time to Kill,” co-starring Matthew McConaughey and Sandra Bullock. The John Grisham adaptation starred Jackson as a man on trial in Mississippi for killing the two men who raped his daughter.
“In ‘A Time to Kill,’ when I kill those guys, I kill them because my daughter needs to know that those guys are not on the planet anymore and they will never hurt her again — that I will do anything to protect her,” Jackson said. “That’s how I played that character throughout. And there were specific things we shot,...
“In ‘A Time to Kill,’ when I kill those guys, I kill them because my daughter needs to know that those guys are not on the planet anymore and they will never hurt her again — that I will do anything to protect her,” Jackson said. “That’s how I played that character throughout. And there were specific things we shot,...
- 7/20/2023
- by Zack Sharf
- Variety Film + TV
Samuel L. Jackson is detailing his 1992 falling out with Spike Lee that took more 20 years to rebuild.
Jackson, in a wide-ranging interview with Vulture, shared that the creative split from Lee was due to a “Malcolm X” salary dispute which ultimately led Jackson to turn down the role of Baines in the historical epic. Albert Hall was cast instead.
“I actually read with most of the people who auditioned for ‘Malcolm X,'” Jackson said, after starring in Lee’s “Jungle Fever,” “School Daze,” and “Do the Right Thing” prior. “I was supposed to be the guy that turned Malcolm X on to Islam in prison. I forget who played that role. But it was still down to that Spike Lee scale-plus-10 salary thing. I was like, ‘I’m not going to work for no scale-plus-10.'”
The “scale plus 10” salary refers to a pay rate for actors with a...
Jackson, in a wide-ranging interview with Vulture, shared that the creative split from Lee was due to a “Malcolm X” salary dispute which ultimately led Jackson to turn down the role of Baines in the historical epic. Albert Hall was cast instead.
“I actually read with most of the people who auditioned for ‘Malcolm X,'” Jackson said, after starring in Lee’s “Jungle Fever,” “School Daze,” and “Do the Right Thing” prior. “I was supposed to be the guy that turned Malcolm X on to Islam in prison. I forget who played that role. But it was still down to that Spike Lee scale-plus-10 salary thing. I was like, ‘I’m not going to work for no scale-plus-10.'”
The “scale plus 10” salary refers to a pay rate for actors with a...
- 7/20/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Chicago – Sam Pollard has established himself as a top director of documentaries, to add to his stellar career as a film editor … including for Spike Lee. His latest doc is a deep dive into the 20th Century curiosity of the Negro League. With interviews, archival photos/footage and comprehensive storytelling, the doc is entitled “The League.”
The Negro Leagues were born because of Major League Baseball’s segregation in the first half of the 20th Century, as the owners colluded to keep blacks off their teams. It took black entrepreneur Rube Foster to organize the rag-tag “negro” teams of the era into a collective in 1920. At the League’s peak they forged their own top players, introduced a more modern speed-oriented game and produced many future stars … including Jackie Robinson, Hank Aaron and Willie Mays. Barely surviving the Depression, the barnstorming league changed teams and areas of the country with impunity,...
The Negro Leagues were born because of Major League Baseball’s segregation in the first half of the 20th Century, as the owners colluded to keep blacks off their teams. It took black entrepreneur Rube Foster to organize the rag-tag “negro” teams of the era into a collective in 1920. At the League’s peak they forged their own top players, introduced a more modern speed-oriented game and produced many future stars … including Jackie Robinson, Hank Aaron and Willie Mays. Barely surviving the Depression, the barnstorming league changed teams and areas of the country with impunity,...
- 7/15/2023
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
During a fraught time for L.A., the team behind the 1992 original White Men Can’t Jump took a shot on a personal story about the bonds forged through pickup basketball.
Writer-director Ron Shelton — who had helmed 1988’s Bull Durham, earning himself an Oscar nom for the script — got the idea for the film from his weekday routine: After working on screenplays in the morning, he would head to the Hollywood Ymca near his office to shoot hoops at lunch. White Men producer David V. Lester recalls Shelton’s fascination with the athletes’ squabbles and chatter.
“It annoyed him at first because he just wanted a workout, but the writer in him saw the magic of these moment-to-moment relationships on the basketball court,” Lester tells The Hollywood Reporter.
In the comedy, L.A. streetball players Sidney (Wesley Snipes) and Billy (Woody Harrelson) team up to hustle competitors who take Billy for...
Writer-director Ron Shelton — who had helmed 1988’s Bull Durham, earning himself an Oscar nom for the script — got the idea for the film from his weekday routine: After working on screenplays in the morning, he would head to the Hollywood Ymca near his office to shoot hoops at lunch. White Men producer David V. Lester recalls Shelton’s fascination with the athletes’ squabbles and chatter.
“It annoyed him at first because he just wanted a workout, but the writer in him saw the magic of these moment-to-moment relationships on the basketball court,” Lester tells The Hollywood Reporter.
In the comedy, L.A. streetball players Sidney (Wesley Snipes) and Billy (Woody Harrelson) team up to hustle competitors who take Billy for...
- 5/19/2023
- by Ryan Gajewski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Halle Berry became the first Black female actor to win an Oscar for Best Actress thanks to her starring role in Monster’s Ball. But before Berry, the movie was hip hop icon Queen Latifah’s movie to take.
Halle Berry ended up starring in ‘Monster’s Ball’ after Queen Latifah was offered the part Queen Latifah | Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
Monster’s Ball turned out to be one of Berry’s many career highlights. But it wasn’t a film that she pursued until reading the movie’s script. Although Berry was a rising star at the time, she wasn’t who the film’s director Marc Foster originally envisioned for the role.
“I first received the script from my manager who had gotten the script from Marc Forster’s agent. She passed it onto my manager already knowing that Marc really wasn’t interested in me. But she thought I would be right for the role,...
Halle Berry ended up starring in ‘Monster’s Ball’ after Queen Latifah was offered the part Queen Latifah | Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
Monster’s Ball turned out to be one of Berry’s many career highlights. But it wasn’t a film that she pursued until reading the movie’s script. Although Berry was a rising star at the time, she wasn’t who the film’s director Marc Foster originally envisioned for the role.
“I first received the script from my manager who had gotten the script from Marc Forster’s agent. She passed it onto my manager already knowing that Marc really wasn’t interested in me. But she thought I would be right for the role,...
- 5/11/2023
- by Antonio Stallings
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
In 2021, Wesley Snipes used an Esquire "What I've Learned" column to make a fascinating confession: "I've got to learn how to be a movie star."
Snipes was 58 at the time of the article's publication, and enjoying a career renaissance due to his portrayal of actor-director D'Urville Martin in Craig Brewster's uproarious "Dolemite Is My Name." Though he'd officially made his comeback as an aging gang leader in Spike Lee's "Chi-Raq" four years prior, Martin was the perfect vehicle through which Snipes could examine the frustration of an ambitious artist shunted from A-list roles to low-aiming exploitation flicks.
Snipes' Martin is a bitter, alcoholic filmmaker trying, and failing miserably, to make nightclub comic Rudy Ray Moore (Eddie Murphy) look like a Blaxploitation action star on par with Richard Roundtree. Martin is a defeated man, and it's hard not to sense Snipes reckoning with the sun setting on his own action-hero stardom.
Snipes was 58 at the time of the article's publication, and enjoying a career renaissance due to his portrayal of actor-director D'Urville Martin in Craig Brewster's uproarious "Dolemite Is My Name." Though he'd officially made his comeback as an aging gang leader in Spike Lee's "Chi-Raq" four years prior, Martin was the perfect vehicle through which Snipes could examine the frustration of an ambitious artist shunted from A-list roles to low-aiming exploitation flicks.
Snipes' Martin is a bitter, alcoholic filmmaker trying, and failing miserably, to make nightclub comic Rudy Ray Moore (Eddie Murphy) look like a Blaxploitation action star on par with Richard Roundtree. Martin is a defeated man, and it's hard not to sense Snipes reckoning with the sun setting on his own action-hero stardom.
- 5/1/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
The task of casting two actors that can play believable friends is a feat that can't be faked, and it was only half the battle when it came time to cast the basketball buddy comedy "White Men Can't Jump." Writer-director Ron Shelton was looking for more than just chemistry between his two leads. He also needed actors that looked like they belonged on the court, which made it a grueling casting process for its prospective stars.
Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson were already longtime friends before "White Men Can't Jump" fell into their laps. They'd met on the set of "Wildcats," another sports comedy starring Goldie Hawn, and had spent something like six years cultivating a rapid-fire rapport. That pre-established chemistry should have made their casting a no-brainer — if only Snipes and Harrelson were as much of a match on the court as they were off of it.
"People think Wesley is obvious casting,...
Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson were already longtime friends before "White Men Can't Jump" fell into their laps. They'd met on the set of "Wildcats," another sports comedy starring Goldie Hawn, and had spent something like six years cultivating a rapid-fire rapport. That pre-established chemistry should have made their casting a no-brainer — if only Snipes and Harrelson were as much of a match on the court as they were off of it.
"People think Wesley is obvious casting,...
- 2/9/2023
- by Lyvie Scott
- Slash Film
Hey, "The Tonight Show With Host Jimmy Fallon" fans. Tonight, February 8, 2023, NBC will be giving you another brand new installment of The Tonight Show with host Jimmy Fallon. So, we're on here to give you guys a brief preview of who you can expect to see show up in tonight's episode. You guys are going to see an actress, a filmmaker and a comedian tonight. The first description reveals that 52 year old American rapper, actress and singer Queen Latifah is going to arrive to talk with Jimmy at some point. Queen Latifah has been involved in productions like: CBS' The Equalizer TV show, Scream: The TV Series, Fox's Star TV show, The Rap Game TV show, Brotherly Love, The Queen Latifah Show, Steel Magnolias, Beauty Shop movie, Bringing Down The House, The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air TV show, 22 Jump Street movie, Hot In Cleveland, 30 Rock TV show, Entourage TV show,...
- 2/8/2023
- by Andre Braddox
- OnTheFlix
Jack Harlow is making his film debut in the remake of White Men Can’t Jump and he’s starring alongside Sinqua Walls. Watch the full preview in the video posted above!
A teaser for the upcoming movie dropped and shows the banter between Harlow’s Jeremy and Walls’ Kamal. In the preview, the stars of the film argue about who is the best living film director.
“I am like the P.T. Anderson of basketball psychological warfare,” Jeremy says with Kamal drawing a blank as to who he was.
Jeremy adds, “Our greatest living director,” to which Kamal fires back and says, “Spike Lee is our greatest living director.”
“Spike Lee is not even a good Knicks fan,” Jeremy retaliates.
“I knew this was a mistake,” Kamal adds.
Jeremy was referring to Paul Thomas Anderson, the film director behind Hard Eight, Boogie Nights, Magnolia, There Will Be Blood, and Licorice Pizza,...
A teaser for the upcoming movie dropped and shows the banter between Harlow’s Jeremy and Walls’ Kamal. In the preview, the stars of the film argue about who is the best living film director.
“I am like the P.T. Anderson of basketball psychological warfare,” Jeremy says with Kamal drawing a blank as to who he was.
Jeremy adds, “Our greatest living director,” to which Kamal fires back and says, “Spike Lee is our greatest living director.”
“Spike Lee is not even a good Knicks fan,” Jeremy retaliates.
“I knew this was a mistake,” Kamal adds.
Jeremy was referring to Paul Thomas Anderson, the film director behind Hard Eight, Boogie Nights, Magnolia, There Will Be Blood, and Licorice Pizza,...
- 2/5/2023
- by Armando Tinoco
- Deadline Film + TV
Spike Lee is to receive a BFI Fellowship, the highest honor bestowed by the UK’s lead organization for film.
The award will be presented to filmmaker Lee at an event at BFI Southbank, hosted by BFI Chair Tim Richards and BFI Chief Exec Ben Roberts, with an on stage Q&a with Spike Lee accompanied by a screening of Summer of Sam, on 13 February 2023.
While in the UK, Lee will visit teams at the BFI National Archive, who have liaised with the director on a new 35mm print of Malcolm X (1992), to premiere at the BFI’s inaugural Film on Film Festival taking place at BFI Southbank in June. He will also take a masterclass with young filmmakers.
Born in Atlanta in 1957 but raised in Brooklyn, New York City, Lee received his Mfa in Film Production at NYU/Tisch. After graduation, he founded 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, based in Brooklyn.
The award will be presented to filmmaker Lee at an event at BFI Southbank, hosted by BFI Chair Tim Richards and BFI Chief Exec Ben Roberts, with an on stage Q&a with Spike Lee accompanied by a screening of Summer of Sam, on 13 February 2023.
While in the UK, Lee will visit teams at the BFI National Archive, who have liaised with the director on a new 35mm print of Malcolm X (1992), to premiere at the BFI’s inaugural Film on Film Festival taking place at BFI Southbank in June. He will also take a masterclass with young filmmakers.
Born in Atlanta in 1957 but raised in Brooklyn, New York City, Lee received his Mfa in Film Production at NYU/Tisch. After graduation, he founded 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, based in Brooklyn.
- 1/27/2023
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Writer, producer, and director Spike Lee came into the 1990s hot. After the critical and commercial triumph of his 1989 masterpiece “Do the Right Thing,” he started the decade with the exquisite jazz film “Mo’ Better Blues” (1990) and kept up the pace with 1991’s provocative, furious, and hilarious “Jungle Fever.” Those three films had all been made for Universal with modest budgets and were all successes relative to those budgets, but for his next movie Lee was ready to go to the mattresses. He took a break from Universal to make a movie at Warner Bros., the studio that held the rights to a project Lee had dreamed of directing since he was a film student: Alex Haley’s “The Autobiography of Malcolm X.”
Lee might not have been ready to take on a film of that scope and ambition when he was at NYU, but in the fall of 1991 he...
Lee might not have been ready to take on a film of that scope and ambition when he was at NYU, but in the fall of 1991 he...
- 8/18/2022
- by Jim Hemphill
- Indiewire
Exclusive: Annabella Sciorra (The Sopranos) has joined the cast of the Paramount+ series Tulsa King from executive producers Taylor Sheridan and Terence Winter, who also serves as writer and showrunner.
She will play Joanne, Dwight’s (Sylvester Stallone) younger sister who lives in Brooklyn. Sciorra and Stallone previously co-starred in the James Mangold film Cop Land released in 1997.
Tulsa King follows New York mafia capo Dwight “The General” Manfredi (Stallone) after he is released from prison after 25 years and is unceremoniously exiled by his boss to set up shop in Tulsa, Okla. Realizing that his mob family may not have his best interests in mind, Dwight slowly builds a crew from a group of unlikely characters to help him establish a new criminal empire in a place that to him might as well be another planet.
Andrea Savage, Martin Starr, Max Casella, Domenick Lombardozzi, Vincent Piazza, Jay Will, A.C. Peterson with Garrett Hedlund,...
She will play Joanne, Dwight’s (Sylvester Stallone) younger sister who lives in Brooklyn. Sciorra and Stallone previously co-starred in the James Mangold film Cop Land released in 1997.
Tulsa King follows New York mafia capo Dwight “The General” Manfredi (Stallone) after he is released from prison after 25 years and is unceremoniously exiled by his boss to set up shop in Tulsa, Okla. Realizing that his mob family may not have his best interests in mind, Dwight slowly builds a crew from a group of unlikely characters to help him establish a new criminal empire in a place that to him might as well be another planet.
Andrea Savage, Martin Starr, Max Casella, Domenick Lombardozzi, Vincent Piazza, Jay Will, A.C. Peterson with Garrett Hedlund,...
- 8/15/2022
- by Rosy Cordero
- Deadline Film + TV
Academy president David Rubin and Oscar show producer Will Packer clearly enjoyed escaping from the anxieties of this year’s Oscars for one relaxed evening, as this year’s postponed Governors Awards finally unfolded the Friday before the big night Sunday, in a low-key alternative Oscar universe. These awards used to be presented at the main Oscars, but were cut back in 2009 after it took a full 45 minutes to give them out. Now the Academy Awards ceremony displays a montage of the Governors Awards presentation.
Usually the Governors Awards, voted on by the 53-member Board representing 17 branches, take place in November and function as a black-tie starting gun to Oscar season, while providing the Academy with a revenue-generating event, as studios buy tables and pack them with that year’s Oscar-bound talent. That energy was missing from the subdued proceedings tonight, as Denzel Washington was the only star nominee to...
Usually the Governors Awards, voted on by the 53-member Board representing 17 branches, take place in November and function as a black-tie starting gun to Oscar season, while providing the Academy with a revenue-generating event, as studios buy tables and pack them with that year’s Oscar-bound talent. That energy was missing from the subdued proceedings tonight, as Denzel Washington was the only star nominee to...
- 3/26/2022
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
We're celebrating each of the upcoming Honorary Oscar winners with a few pieces on their career.
“And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee.”
by Lynn Lee
If Jungle Fever (1991) put Samuel L. Jackson on Hollywood’s map, Pulp Fiction (1994) made him a star. With his jheri curl helmet, glowering eyes, and stentorian voice, Jackson’s gun-toting, Bible-quoting Jules Winnfield became an instant icon. At least, it wasn’t long before high school and college boys of the mid to late ’90s were sporting “Bad Motherfucker” wallets and reciting his “path of the righteous” speech – without, of course, anything resembling Slj’s diction or élan.
It wasn’t just him, of course...
“And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee.”
by Lynn Lee
If Jungle Fever (1991) put Samuel L. Jackson on Hollywood’s map, Pulp Fiction (1994) made him a star. With his jheri curl helmet, glowering eyes, and stentorian voice, Jackson’s gun-toting, Bible-quoting Jules Winnfield became an instant icon. At least, it wasn’t long before high school and college boys of the mid to late ’90s were sporting “Bad Motherfucker” wallets and reciting his “path of the righteous” speech – without, of course, anything resembling Slj’s diction or élan.
It wasn’t just him, of course...
- 3/24/2022
- by Lynn Lee
- FilmExperience
Samuel L. Jackson will receive an Honorary Oscar at the 2022 Governors Awards later this month, but the actor says his shelves should already be graced by at least one of the statuettes.
In an interview with Britain’s The Times, Jackson said he “should have won” 1994’s Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his performance in Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction (Martin Landau won that year for his role as Bela Lugosi in Tim Burton’s Ed Wood).
The Times noted that Jackson made the assertion with a smile.
But Jackson had stronger words for being shut out of the 1992 Oscar race, when his supporting performance in Spike Lee’s Jungle Fever didn’t earn a nomination.
“My wife and I went to see Bugsy,” Jackson told The Times, referring to the Barry Levinson film starring Warren Beatty, which scored supporting actor nominations for Harvey Keitel and Ben Kingsley. “Damn! They...
In an interview with Britain’s The Times, Jackson said he “should have won” 1994’s Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his performance in Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction (Martin Landau won that year for his role as Bela Lugosi in Tim Burton’s Ed Wood).
The Times noted that Jackson made the assertion with a smile.
But Jackson had stronger words for being shut out of the 1992 Oscar race, when his supporting performance in Spike Lee’s Jungle Fever didn’t earn a nomination.
“My wife and I went to see Bugsy,” Jackson told The Times, referring to the Barry Levinson film starring Warren Beatty, which scored supporting actor nominations for Harvey Keitel and Ben Kingsley. “Damn! They...
- 3/2/2022
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Samuel L. Jackson has a message for the Academy and it has nothing to do with the current drama surrounding the reformatted 94th Academy Awards telecast. Instead, Jackson wants Oscar voters to know that he should have an Academy Award under his belt at this point in his career. Although Jackson is being recognized with an Honorary Oscar this year, he’s only ever received one Oscar nomination: best supporting actor in 1995 for his role in Quentin Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction.”
“I should have won that one,” Jackson recently told The Times about his “Pulp Fiction” Oscar nomination. Jackson was nominated that year against Martin Landau (“Ed Wood”), Chazz Palminteri (“Bullets Over Broadway”), Paul Scofield (“Quiz Show”) and Gary Sinise (“Forrest Gump”). Landau was awarded the Oscar. Jackson said he missed out on another Oscar for “Jungle Fever,” for which he wasn’t even nominated. Two cast members from “Bugsy...
“I should have won that one,” Jackson recently told The Times about his “Pulp Fiction” Oscar nomination. Jackson was nominated that year against Martin Landau (“Ed Wood”), Chazz Palminteri (“Bullets Over Broadway”), Paul Scofield (“Quiz Show”) and Gary Sinise (“Forrest Gump”). Landau was awarded the Oscar. Jackson said he missed out on another Oscar for “Jungle Fever,” for which he wasn’t even nominated. Two cast members from “Bugsy...
- 3/1/2022
- by Zack Sharf
- Variety Film + TV
Image Source: Getty / NBC
Samuel L. Jackson was the recipient of the prestigious chairman's award at this year's NAACP Image Awards. On Saturday, the 73-year-old actor was honored for his career in film and theater, which spans over four decades. During his acceptance speech, Jackson took the opportunity to speak about the importance of using your voice and voting.
"We can put our legs, our bodies, and our voices to work to make sure that people do get out and vote."
"I've been fortunate enough to grow up in a lot of different areas where I had the opportunity to use my voice, my legs, my body to fight for things that were right - from civil rights to the Vietnam War to Morehouse College and a lot of other things that needed fixing and changing, and we got it done," Jackson said. "And right now, we still have things that we need to do.
Samuel L. Jackson was the recipient of the prestigious chairman's award at this year's NAACP Image Awards. On Saturday, the 73-year-old actor was honored for his career in film and theater, which spans over four decades. During his acceptance speech, Jackson took the opportunity to speak about the importance of using your voice and voting.
"We can put our legs, our bodies, and our voices to work to make sure that people do get out and vote."
"I've been fortunate enough to grow up in a lot of different areas where I had the opportunity to use my voice, my legs, my body to fight for things that were right - from civil rights to the Vietnam War to Morehouse College and a lot of other things that needed fixing and changing, and we got it done," Jackson said. "And right now, we still have things that we need to do.
- 2/27/2022
- by Monica Sisavat
- Popsugar.com
Halle Berry first exploded onto the film scene in 1991, starring in three major studio films: Spike Lee's drama "Jungle Fever," Kevin Hooks' comedy "Strictly Business," and Tony Scott's action spectacular "The Last Boy Scout." Since then, Berry's career has continued at an impressive clip, the actress having starred in high-profile comedies, Hollywood franchise pictures, animated films, and small indie dramas. She was in "The Flintstones," "X-Men," and was Catwoman. Berry is also, to date, the only Black woman to have won the Academy Award for Best Actress (for Marc Forster's 2001 film "Monster's Ball"). Berry directed her first feature film in 2021 with "Bruised," in which...
The post How Two Horror Movies Changed Halle Berry Forever appeared first on /Film.
The post How Two Horror Movies Changed Halle Berry Forever appeared first on /Film.
- 2/10/2022
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Filmmaker earned Guild’s DGA Honor in 2002.
Spike Lee will receive the Directors Guild Of America’s (DGA) lifetime achievement award, joining a roster of previous winners that includes Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Ridley Scott and Akira Kurosawa.
Lee will collect the Guild’s highest honour at the 74th Annual DGA Awards on March 12. The Lifetime Achievement Award for Distinguished Achievement in Motion Picture Direction has only been bestowed 35 times in the history of the DGA – and so far never to a woman. The Guild presented the filmmaker with a DGA Honor in 2002 for his “distinguished contributions to our nation...
Spike Lee will receive the Directors Guild Of America’s (DGA) lifetime achievement award, joining a roster of previous winners that includes Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Ridley Scott and Akira Kurosawa.
Lee will collect the Guild’s highest honour at the 74th Annual DGA Awards on March 12. The Lifetime Achievement Award for Distinguished Achievement in Motion Picture Direction has only been bestowed 35 times in the history of the DGA – and so far never to a woman. The Guild presented the filmmaker with a DGA Honor in 2002 for his “distinguished contributions to our nation...
- 1/19/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Spike Lee will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award for Distinguished Achievement in Motion Picture Direction at this year’s DGA Awards, Directors Guild of America President Lesli Linka Glatter announced today.
The DGA’s highest honor will be presented to Lee at the 74th annual DGA Awards on Saturday, March 12. Lee is the first Black director to get the award, which recognizes extraordinary efforts in the art of cinema, He joins a roster of just 35 helmers so honored, including Frank Capra, Alfred Hitchcock, Orson Welles, Billy Wilder, Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Miloš Forman and, most recently, Ridley Scott.
In a statement, Glatter said, “Icon. Trailblazer. Visionary. Spike Lee has changed the face of cinema, and there is no single word that encapsulates his significance to the craft of directing. From his groundbreaking Do the Right Thing, BlacKkKlansman, and everything in-between – to his signature ‘double dolly’ shot, Spike is an innovator on so many levels.
The DGA’s highest honor will be presented to Lee at the 74th annual DGA Awards on Saturday, March 12. Lee is the first Black director to get the award, which recognizes extraordinary efforts in the art of cinema, He joins a roster of just 35 helmers so honored, including Frank Capra, Alfred Hitchcock, Orson Welles, Billy Wilder, Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Miloš Forman and, most recently, Ridley Scott.
In a statement, Glatter said, “Icon. Trailblazer. Visionary. Spike Lee has changed the face of cinema, and there is no single word that encapsulates his significance to the craft of directing. From his groundbreaking Do the Right Thing, BlacKkKlansman, and everything in-between – to his signature ‘double dolly’ shot, Spike is an innovator on so many levels.
- 1/19/2022
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Oscar-winning costume designer Ruth E. Carter is partnering with Black and woman-owned, online vintage marketplace Thrilling on a Vintage Studio Services program, aimed at connecting stylists, designers and production companies with vintage and secondhand items for film and TV projects.
Nearly 1,000 shops across the U.S. will be accessible through the initiative, which is looking to help bolster small businesses, while encouraging eco-friendly and sustainable practices within entertainment.
As Thrilling’s first-ever brand ambassador, Carter has pledged to utilize the company and its new program in her upcoming projects for 2022. In celebration of the program’s launch, Thrilling has also unveiled a campaign comprised of styles inspired by Ruth’s work across 40+ film and television projects, which illustrates the role fashion plays in setting the stage for some of cinema’s most memorable scenes.
Naturally, Carter describes her partnership with the marketplace as “thrilling.
“I really want...
Nearly 1,000 shops across the U.S. will be accessible through the initiative, which is looking to help bolster small businesses, while encouraging eco-friendly and sustainable practices within entertainment.
As Thrilling’s first-ever brand ambassador, Carter has pledged to utilize the company and its new program in her upcoming projects for 2022. In celebration of the program’s launch, Thrilling has also unveiled a campaign comprised of styles inspired by Ruth’s work across 40+ film and television projects, which illustrates the role fashion plays in setting the stage for some of cinema’s most memorable scenes.
Naturally, Carter describes her partnership with the marketplace as “thrilling.
“I really want...
- 1/13/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
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
He’s a five-time black belt who showed off a fluid brutality in action films such as the Blade franchise; yet when he went to school, he was originally convinced his future and passion lay in performative dance. He’s a four-time winner of the NAACP Image Awards; he’s played villains, criminals, and that one bleached-blond fiend who wanted to blow up Sylvester Stallone in Demolition Man. He’s worked with the likes of Denzel Washington, Robert De Niro, and Spike Lee in some of the auteur’s most seminal films, but his first big break was being the tough guy who taught Michael Jackson how to be “Bad” in that Martin Scorsese music video.
It’s a singular career and one indicative of one of the brightest talents of his generation. “I’ve always kind of looked at my arc in the business as being diverse, and try...
It’s a singular career and one indicative of one of the brightest talents of his generation. “I’ve always kind of looked at my arc in the business as being diverse, and try...
- 11/29/2021
- by Rosie Fletcher
- Den of Geek
Annabella Sciorra has been set to star in “Fresh Kills,” an upcoming feature film set in the world of organized crime.
Jennifer Esposito is writing and directing the film, marking her feature directorial debut. She will also act in “Fresh Kills” alongside Sciorra.
Inspired by Esposito’s upbringing in Staten Island, “Fresh Kills” tells the suspenseful story about the loyal women behind the mob men who loomed over New York City in the late 20th century. Sciorra will play a widow named Christine, and Esposito will portray her protective older sister Francine Larusso.
“Fresh Kills” will have nontraditional financing; the project intends to be the first feature film to be funded and traded by a global group of fan investors. It will be financed by an offering on the Upstream Exchange, which on Thursday announced a $3.5 million IPO. Upstream is a digital stock exchange powered by Horizon Fintex and Merj Exchange Limited.
Jennifer Esposito is writing and directing the film, marking her feature directorial debut. She will also act in “Fresh Kills” alongside Sciorra.
Inspired by Esposito’s upbringing in Staten Island, “Fresh Kills” tells the suspenseful story about the loyal women behind the mob men who loomed over New York City in the late 20th century. Sciorra will play a widow named Christine, and Esposito will portray her protective older sister Francine Larusso.
“Fresh Kills” will have nontraditional financing; the project intends to be the first feature film to be funded and traded by a global group of fan investors. It will be financed by an offering on the Upstream Exchange, which on Thursday announced a $3.5 million IPO. Upstream is a digital stock exchange powered by Horizon Fintex and Merj Exchange Limited.
- 11/18/2021
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
Fresh off her directorial debut on Netflix’s upcoming mixed martial arts drama, Bruised, Halle Berry is ready for her next bout. The Oscar-winning actress also stars in the film, but she is not undefeated in her onscreen record, and she wants a rematch. Berry wishes she could not only remake Catwoman, but reimagine it in a subversive turnaround. Catwoman would come out on top.
“I would love to direct Catwoman,” Berry told Jake Hamilton on Jake’s Takes. “If I can get a hold of that now, knowing what I know, having had this experience and reimagine that world the way I reimagined this story. Bruised was written for a white, Irish Catholic like 25-year-old girl, and I got to reimagine it. I wish I could go back and reimagine Catwoman and redo that, have a redo on that.”
While it has amassed an avid cult following, Catwoman was...
“I would love to direct Catwoman,” Berry told Jake Hamilton on Jake’s Takes. “If I can get a hold of that now, knowing what I know, having had this experience and reimagine that world the way I reimagined this story. Bruised was written for a white, Irish Catholic like 25-year-old girl, and I got to reimagine it. I wish I could go back and reimagine Catwoman and redo that, have a redo on that.”
While it has amassed an avid cult following, Catwoman was...
- 11/15/2021
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
Twenty years after Halle Berry starred in “Monster’s Ball” and became the first and (to date) only Black woman to win Best Actress at the Academy Awards, the Oscar-winning performer is getting back in the awards-season ring — and this time with a movie she directed herself. It’s called “Bruised” and after a long and winding road to release — the mixed martial arts drama first screened at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2020 — Netflix will debut the film on November 24.
“They gave me the script and I loved the story, but it was written for a twentysomething Irish Catholic white woman,” Berry told Entertainment Weekly earlier this year. “I couldn’t get it out of my mind, so I thought, is it possible that this could be reimagined for someone like me? Because I think I have a take on it that could actually work — making it about a middle-aged Black woman,...
“They gave me the script and I loved the story, but it was written for a twentysomething Irish Catholic white woman,” Berry told Entertainment Weekly earlier this year. “I couldn’t get it out of my mind, so I thought, is it possible that this could be reimagined for someone like me? Because I think I have a take on it that could actually work — making it about a middle-aged Black woman,...
- 10/14/2021
- by Christopher Rosen
- Gold Derby
Halle Berry, Anthony Anderson, Jennifer Hudson and Barry Jenkins are among the honorees at this year’s edition of the Critics Choice Association’s annual Celebration of Black Cinema & Television event.
This year’s ceremony, which takes place on Monday, Dec. 6 at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel, includes TV recognition for the first time. The Celebration of Black Cinema launched in 2014 to honor standout achievements in Black filmmaking. For 2021, the event will feature 20 award categories.
Berry will receive the Career Achievement Award, recognized for her roles in films such as “Monster’s Ball,” which earned her an Oscar for best actress (the first and only Black woman to receive that award) in 2002. Her other credits include “Die Another Day,” “Jungle Fever,” “Losing Isaiah,” “Bulworth,” “Swordfish” and “John Wick.”
“Berry’s iconic performances throughout her career have showcased her brilliance as an actor and blazed the trail for Black performers who have come after her,...
This year’s ceremony, which takes place on Monday, Dec. 6 at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel, includes TV recognition for the first time. The Celebration of Black Cinema launched in 2014 to honor standout achievements in Black filmmaking. For 2021, the event will feature 20 award categories.
Berry will receive the Career Achievement Award, recognized for her roles in films such as “Monster’s Ball,” which earned her an Oscar for best actress (the first and only Black woman to receive that award) in 2002. Her other credits include “Die Another Day,” “Jungle Fever,” “Losing Isaiah,” “Bulworth,” “Swordfish” and “John Wick.”
“Berry’s iconic performances throughout her career have showcased her brilliance as an actor and blazed the trail for Black performers who have come after her,...
- 10/6/2021
- by Michael Schneider
- Variety Film + TV
Jennifer Hudson, Halle Berry, Barry Jenkins and Anthony Anderson are among this year’s honorees for the Critics Choice Association’s Celebration of Black Cinema & Television. Inaugurated in 2014, the annual event has honored standout achievements in Black filmmaking, and this year will be the first to incorporate excellence in television as well. It will take place on Monday, December 6, at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel and will feature 20 award categories.
Academy Award-winning actress Berry will receive the Career Achievement Award as a tribute to her extraordinary roles over the years, as well as her upcoming directorial debut Bruised, in which she also stars as the disgraced Mma fighter Jackie Justice. It opens November 17 in theaters and hits Netflix on November 24. Berry’s career has spanned three decades, including performances in Die Another Day, Jungle Fever, Losing Isaiah, Bulworth, Swordfish, John Wick and as legendary actress in Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, for which she won an Emmy.
Academy Award-winning actress Berry will receive the Career Achievement Award as a tribute to her extraordinary roles over the years, as well as her upcoming directorial debut Bruised, in which she also stars as the disgraced Mma fighter Jackie Justice. It opens November 17 in theaters and hits Netflix on November 24. Berry’s career has spanned three decades, including performances in Die Another Day, Jungle Fever, Losing Isaiah, Bulworth, Swordfish, John Wick and as legendary actress in Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, for which she won an Emmy.
- 10/5/2021
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
Rick Aiello, actor and son of Oscar nominee Danny Aiello, died of pancreatic cancer on Monday at a hospital in Warwick, N.Y., his niece Sydney Fingerhut told Variety. He was 65.
Fingerhut remembers him as a great uncle who was close to all his nieces and nephews, and a “strong guy.”
With more than 60 acting credits, Aiello followed in his father’s footsteps, appearing alongside him in Spike Lee’s 1989 classic “Do the Right Thing.” His father earned an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Salvatore “Sal” Fragione and Aiello played Officer Long, a role he’d reprise a couple years later in Lee’s “Jungle Fever.”
Aiello also starred in films, including Christian Maelen’s “Remedy” and George Gallo’s “29th Street,” and toplined the TV series “Dellaventura” and the movie “A Brooklyn State of Mind” opposite his dad. As a character actor, Aiello had roles in shows such as “The Sopranos,...
Fingerhut remembers him as a great uncle who was close to all his nieces and nephews, and a “strong guy.”
With more than 60 acting credits, Aiello followed in his father’s footsteps, appearing alongside him in Spike Lee’s 1989 classic “Do the Right Thing.” His father earned an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Salvatore “Sal” Fragione and Aiello played Officer Long, a role he’d reprise a couple years later in Lee’s “Jungle Fever.”
Aiello also starred in films, including Christian Maelen’s “Remedy” and George Gallo’s “29th Street,” and toplined the TV series “Dellaventura” and the movie “A Brooklyn State of Mind” opposite his dad. As a character actor, Aiello had roles in shows such as “The Sopranos,...
- 7/27/2021
- by Ethan Shanfeld
- Variety Film + TV
Rick Aiello, an actor who appeared in films including Do the Right Thing, Harlem Nights and A Brooklyn State of Mind alongside his father, the late Oscar-nominated actor Danny Aiello, has died. He was 65.
Aiello died Monday of pancreatic cancer in a hospital in Warwick, New York, his wife, Arlene, told The Hollywood Reporter. His brother Danny III, a stuntman who doubled for his dad in Do the Right Thing (1989) and was a stunt coordinator on FX’s Rescue Me, also succumbed to pancreatic cancer; he died in 2010 at age 53.
Danny Aiello, known for his turn as Sal the pizza-joint owner in Do the Right Thing and for portraying Cher’s lovelorn suitor in Moonstruck (1987), died in December 2019 at 86.
Rick Aiello also worked with his father on the 1997-98 CBS series Dellaventura, playing the muscle at the firm owned by Danny Aiello’s cop-turned-private eye, and in other films like...
Aiello died Monday of pancreatic cancer in a hospital in Warwick, New York, his wife, Arlene, told The Hollywood Reporter. His brother Danny III, a stuntman who doubled for his dad in Do the Right Thing (1989) and was a stunt coordinator on FX’s Rescue Me, also succumbed to pancreatic cancer; he died in 2010 at age 53.
Danny Aiello, known for his turn as Sal the pizza-joint owner in Do the Right Thing and for portraying Cher’s lovelorn suitor in Moonstruck (1987), died in December 2019 at 86.
Rick Aiello also worked with his father on the 1997-98 CBS series Dellaventura, playing the muscle at the firm owned by Danny Aiello’s cop-turned-private eye, and in other films like...
- 7/27/2021
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Back in 1989, when Spike Lee hit the Cannes International Film Festival for the second time with his “Do the Right Thing,” he was a Brooklyn filmmaker with the hopes of every first-time Competition filmmake: winning a prize. The festival even encouraged him to turn up for the closing-night ceremony, so Lee was furious when Wim Wenders’ jury left him empty-handed.
That still stung nearly 30 years late when Lee returned to Cannes in 2018 with “BlacKkKlansman,” which won the Cannes Grand Prix as well as his first Oscar, for Best Adapted Screenplay. “Cannes can be brutal if you don’t get the right reception: ‘Shit, why did I come?’ It’s good to get the flip side,” he said. “I’ve been doing this for three decades. Making a good film is a miracle. There’s some hard shit.”
2021 marks the first Cannes Festival since May 2019 (pushed to sultry July by the...
That still stung nearly 30 years late when Lee returned to Cannes in 2018 with “BlacKkKlansman,” which won the Cannes Grand Prix as well as his first Oscar, for Best Adapted Screenplay. “Cannes can be brutal if you don’t get the right reception: ‘Shit, why did I come?’ It’s good to get the flip side,” he said. “I’ve been doing this for three decades. Making a good film is a miracle. There’s some hard shit.”
2021 marks the first Cannes Festival since May 2019 (pushed to sultry July by the...
- 7/6/2021
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Back in 1989, when Spike Lee hit the Cannes International Film Festival for the second time with his “Do the Right Thing,” he was a Brooklyn filmmaker with the hopes of every first-time Competition filmmake: winning a prize. The festival even encouraged him to turn up for the closing-night ceremony, so Lee was furious when Wim Wenders’ jury left him empty-handed.
That still stung nearly 30 years late when Lee returned to Cannes in 2018 with “BlacKkKlansman,” which won the Cannes Grand Prix as well as his first Oscar, for Best Adapted Screenplay. “Cannes can be brutal if you don’t get the right reception: ‘Shit, why did I come?’ It’s good to get the flip side,” he said. “I’ve been doing this for three decades. Making a good film is a miracle. There’s some hard shit.”
2021 marks the first Cannes Festival since May 2019 (pushed to sultry July by the...
That still stung nearly 30 years late when Lee returned to Cannes in 2018 with “BlacKkKlansman,” which won the Cannes Grand Prix as well as his first Oscar, for Best Adapted Screenplay. “Cannes can be brutal if you don’t get the right reception: ‘Shit, why did I come?’ It’s good to get the flip side,” he said. “I’ve been doing this for three decades. Making a good film is a miracle. There’s some hard shit.”
2021 marks the first Cannes Festival since May 2019 (pushed to sultry July by the...
- 7/6/2021
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
For more than a minute there, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s metallic exoskeleton appeared unstoppable. With a glowing red-eye that became the stuff of nightmares and then action figures (we’re serious), the T-800 entered the ‘90s like a wrecking ball. No matter what they threw at him, and no matter what obstacles got in his way, the cyborg did not pause, it did not rest, and it seemed to be everywhere.
Ironically, this also applied to more than just the Terminator’s onscreen antics. In the summer of 1991, Terminator 2: Judgment Day was an indestructible money-sucking machine that conquered the box office four weekends in a row in July, and then miraculously hung on to its boffo target long enough to also become the number one movie in America for a weekend in September.
It was an R-rated entertainment that was technically a sequel, yet also a standalone science fiction thriller...
Ironically, this also applied to more than just the Terminator’s onscreen antics. In the summer of 1991, Terminator 2: Judgment Day was an indestructible money-sucking machine that conquered the box office four weekends in a row in July, and then miraculously hung on to its boffo target long enough to also become the number one movie in America for a weekend in September.
It was an R-rated entertainment that was technically a sequel, yet also a standalone science fiction thriller...
- 7/2/2021
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
Nearly six years have passed since Samuel L. Jackson, Wesley Snipes, and Denzel Washington presented Spike Lee with an honorary Academy Award in recognition of his influential career. Flanked by his colleagues, Jackson spoke for over seven minutes about Lee’s impact on the film industry, with a special focus on his and the director’s enduring friendship. Later, he also bestowed Lee’s first competitive Oscar, leading to their well-remembered on-stage embrace. Now, the time has come for the highly-regarded actor to have his own day in the sun.
Along with Danny Glover, Elaine May, and Liv Ullmann, Jackson is set to be recognized at the upcoming 12th annual Governors Awards. The 72-year-old’s tribute comes in acknowledgment of his status as “a cultural icon whose dynamic work has resonated across genres and generations and audiences worldwide.” With more than 130 credits to his name and a yearly average of...
Along with Danny Glover, Elaine May, and Liv Ullmann, Jackson is set to be recognized at the upcoming 12th annual Governors Awards. The 72-year-old’s tribute comes in acknowledgment of his status as “a cultural icon whose dynamic work has resonated across genres and generations and audiences worldwide.” With more than 130 credits to his name and a yearly average of...
- 6/30/2021
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
Samuel L. Jackson, Elaine May and Liv Ullmann will receive honorary Oscars this year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Thursday. Danny Glover will also receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. The four Oscar statuettes will be presented at the Governors Awards ceremony on Jan. 15, 2022.
“We are thrilled to present this year’s Governors Awards to four honorees who have had a profound impact on both film and society,” Academy president David Rubin said in a statement. “Sam Jackson is a cultural icon whose dynamic work has resonated across genres and generations and audiences worldwide, while Elaine May’s bold, uncompromising approach to filmmaking, as a writer, director and actress, reverberates as loudly as ever with movie lovers. Liv Ullmann’s bravery and emotional transparency has gifted audiences with deeply affecting screen portrayals, and Danny Glover’s decades-long advocacy for justice and human rights reflects his dedication...
“We are thrilled to present this year’s Governors Awards to four honorees who have had a profound impact on both film and society,” Academy president David Rubin said in a statement. “Sam Jackson is a cultural icon whose dynamic work has resonated across genres and generations and audiences worldwide, while Elaine May’s bold, uncompromising approach to filmmaking, as a writer, director and actress, reverberates as loudly as ever with movie lovers. Liv Ullmann’s bravery and emotional transparency has gifted audiences with deeply affecting screen portrayals, and Danny Glover’s decades-long advocacy for justice and human rights reflects his dedication...
- 6/24/2021
- by Antonio Ferme
- Variety Film + TV
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