The USC School of Cinematic Arts has announced that Miky Lee will deliver the 20024 Commencement address.
James Gray, director, writer, and Sca alumnus, will receive the Mary Pickford Alumni Award at the graduation ceremony at the Shrine Auditorium on Friday, May 10, 2024.
“Miky Lee is a true pioneer and ambassador of collaborative global filmmaking, and we are so happy to have her share her insight and expertise with our graduating students,” Elizabeth M. Daley, Dean of the USC School of Cinematic Arts, said in a statement. “Miky works across borders, cultures, and genres, and champions the kinds of projects our students aspire to creating. We are so pleased she agreed to be this year’s graduation speaker.”
Sca alumnus Jon M. Chu, who graduated in 2003 with a Bfa in film & television production, will speak at this year’s main, university-wide commencement ceremony at 8:30 a.m. at Alumni Park.
As Commencement Speaker,...
James Gray, director, writer, and Sca alumnus, will receive the Mary Pickford Alumni Award at the graduation ceremony at the Shrine Auditorium on Friday, May 10, 2024.
“Miky Lee is a true pioneer and ambassador of collaborative global filmmaking, and we are so happy to have her share her insight and expertise with our graduating students,” Elizabeth M. Daley, Dean of the USC School of Cinematic Arts, said in a statement. “Miky works across borders, cultures, and genres, and champions the kinds of projects our students aspire to creating. We are so pleased she agreed to be this year’s graduation speaker.”
Sca alumnus Jon M. Chu, who graduated in 2003 with a Bfa in film & television production, will speak at this year’s main, university-wide commencement ceremony at 8:30 a.m. at Alumni Park.
As Commencement Speaker,...
- 4/17/2024
- by Armando Tinoco
- Deadline Film + TV
David E. Diano, a veteran camera operator with credits including Tombstone, The Fast and the Furious, Wedding Crashers and Spider-Man 3, has died. He was 71.
Diano died Jan. 22 at Huntington Hospital in Pasadena of coronary issues after a battle with prostate cancer, his wife, still photographer Gemma Lamana, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Diano served as president of the Society of Camera Operators from 2003-04 before deciding not to run for a second term.
“To write that David was a one-of-a-kind friend to those of us who worked with him would be an understatement,” Soc historical chair Michael Frediani said in a statement. “His kindness, artistry and boyish smile endeared him to countess friends and fellow industry colleagues — and that is what set him apart from many,”
Diano shot 17 movies for cinematographer William Fraker, a six-time Oscar nominee, from 1983-2002. Those films included War Games (1983), Murphy’s Romance (1985), Baby Boom (1987), Memoirs of an Invisible Man...
Diano died Jan. 22 at Huntington Hospital in Pasadena of coronary issues after a battle with prostate cancer, his wife, still photographer Gemma Lamana, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Diano served as president of the Society of Camera Operators from 2003-04 before deciding not to run for a second term.
“To write that David was a one-of-a-kind friend to those of us who worked with him would be an understatement,” Soc historical chair Michael Frediani said in a statement. “His kindness, artistry and boyish smile endeared him to countess friends and fellow industry colleagues — and that is what set him apart from many,”
Diano shot 17 movies for cinematographer William Fraker, a six-time Oscar nominee, from 1983-2002. Those films included War Games (1983), Murphy’s Romance (1985), Baby Boom (1987), Memoirs of an Invisible Man...
- 4/3/2024
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
“The Exorcist” is, rightfully, heralded as one of the greatest, scariest films of all time. And in the 50 years since its 1973 release, filmmakers have tried, repeatedly, to recapture the magic that made the original film so special, to mixed results.
The latest attempt is “The Exorcist: Believer,” from director David Gordon Green, which returns Ellen Burstyn to the franchise for the first time since 1973 and focuses on a new phenomenon – synchronized possession. It’s meant to be the first of a new trilogy of films. And its release (it’ll be on PVOD on October 24) is enough to have us look back at the entire franchise thus far. Which films are scary good and which are ones that you’d rather spider-walk down the stairs to get away from? Read on to find out.
Warner Bros.
7. “Dominion: Prequel to The Exorcist” (2005)
How troubled was the “Exorcist” prequel movie? So troubled...
The latest attempt is “The Exorcist: Believer,” from director David Gordon Green, which returns Ellen Burstyn to the franchise for the first time since 1973 and focuses on a new phenomenon – synchronized possession. It’s meant to be the first of a new trilogy of films. And its release (it’ll be on PVOD on October 24) is enough to have us look back at the entire franchise thus far. Which films are scary good and which are ones that you’d rather spider-walk down the stairs to get away from? Read on to find out.
Warner Bros.
7. “Dominion: Prequel to The Exorcist” (2005)
How troubled was the “Exorcist” prequel movie? So troubled...
- 10/21/2023
- by Drew Taylor
- The Wrap
The Exorcist is my choice for the best horror movie of all time. Some may say Rosemary’s Baby or The Shining or Night of the Living Dead, but as a good Catholic boy, nothing has ever gotten under my skin the way William Friedkin’s original did. But, with great success comes the desire for Hollywood to make a hit into a franchise, but Friedkin was not a franchise director. He famously turned down French Connection II, but the studio, perhaps noticing how the second French Connection turned out decently, decided to go ahead and turn it into a franchise. Still, the results, with one notable exception were a disaster. So without any further adieu, here’s our list of Exorcist movies ranked – from worst to best.
Exorcist II: The Heretic
So, worst is a degree here rather than a black-and-white fact. All of the Exorcist sequels – with that one...
Exorcist II: The Heretic
So, worst is a degree here rather than a black-and-white fact. All of the Exorcist sequels – with that one...
- 10/8/2023
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
The 1990s saw the rebirth of westerns. "Dances with Wolves" won Best Picture at the 63rd Academy Awards, as did "Unforgiven" at the 65th. The genre has never returned to the dominant ubiquity it had in Hollywood's Golden Age. However, the 1990s put Westerns on the track to enjoy a healthy presence in 21st-century cinema. One of the most fondly remembered westerns of this decade is 1993's "Tombstone." It's not as meditative as "Unforgiven," or as politically concerned as "Dances With Wolves." No, it's just a good bloody shoot-em-up.
"Tombstone" retells the story of the Earp brothers and the gunfight at O.K. Corral. The story had been told on film before, such as in John Ford's "My Darling Clementine," and transcended into a silver screen myth. "Tombstone," starring Kurt Russell as Wyatt Earp, was just the latest version of it. Screenwriter Kevin Jarre was originally set to direct...
"Tombstone" retells the story of the Earp brothers and the gunfight at O.K. Corral. The story had been told on film before, such as in John Ford's "My Darling Clementine," and transcended into a silver screen myth. "Tombstone," starring Kurt Russell as Wyatt Earp, was just the latest version of it. Screenwriter Kevin Jarre was originally set to direct...
- 1/15/2023
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
When "Tombstone" trotted into theaters just before Christmas day in 1993, families all over the country flocking to see the action Western were probably completely unaware of just how much of a struggle it was to get the film made. The original screenwriter Kevin Jarre ("Glory") had a highly quotable script that he had every attention of directing himself. After Jarre's own screenplay for "Dracula" was nixed by Universal in reaction to Francis Ford Coppola's intention to direct his own version, there was a risk that "Tombstone" would suffer the same fate after Kevin Costner announced that he and Warner Bros. were moving forward with the sprawling epic "Wyatt Earp."
"Tombstone" had the advantage and about six months of lead time, but Costner was sucking up all the oxygen by securing top-tier actors Dennis Quaid and Gene Hackman. Fortunately, Kurt Russell got hold of Jarre's script and quickly signed on...
"Tombstone" had the advantage and about six months of lead time, but Costner was sucking up all the oxygen by securing top-tier actors Dennis Quaid and Gene Hackman. Fortunately, Kurt Russell got hold of Jarre's script and quickly signed on...
- 1/12/2023
- by Drew Tinnin
- Slash Film
John Ford may forever be considered the king of the Western genre. However, mimicking his style in the 1990s proved to be costly for writer and first-time director Kevin Jarre. After penning the screenplay for "Tombstone" Jarre was also hired to direct the 1993 Western. But soon after production started, trouble rode into town.
At the time, Entertainment Weekly noted several issues plaguing the film, including a bloated script that didn't match the production time allotted by the studio. Producer James Jacks opined that the novice director was shooting the film like a John Ford Western, outdated for the era. Actor Sam Elliot, who played Virgil Earp, had harsher words for Jarre. "I knew from the third day Kevin couldn't direct," Elliott said. "He wasn't getting the shots he needed."
The film about Western anti-heroes needed a hero, and Kurt Russell stepped up. Val Kilmer might have uttered the iconic line...
At the time, Entertainment Weekly noted several issues plaguing the film, including a bloated script that didn't match the production time allotted by the studio. Producer James Jacks opined that the novice director was shooting the film like a John Ford Western, outdated for the era. Actor Sam Elliot, who played Virgil Earp, had harsher words for Jarre. "I knew from the third day Kevin couldn't direct," Elliott said. "He wasn't getting the shots he needed."
The film about Western anti-heroes needed a hero, and Kurt Russell stepped up. Val Kilmer might have uttered the iconic line...
- 1/4/2023
- by Travis Yates
- Slash Film
Click here to read the full article.
Jean-Marie Lavalou, the Frenchman who received two awards from the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences for co-creating the Louma Crane, the first remote-controlled camera system used in the motion picture industry, has died. He was 76.
Lavalou died July 15 in Paris, his company, Loumasystems, announced.
Born on March 9, 1946, in Bourg Saint Leonard, Normandie, France, Lavalou graduated in 1968 from the Ecole Nationale Supérieure Louis Lumière film school in Paris before entering national service.
He met Alain Masseron in the film department of the French Navy, and they created sweeping, never-before-seen shots while making a film inside a submarine by attaching a camera to the end of a wooden pole and moving through the narrow vessel.
The inventors brought their device to Paris camera rental house SamAlga Cinema, where chief engineer Albert Vigier introduced them to David Samuelson of Samuelson Film Service in London.
Jean-Marie Lavalou, the Frenchman who received two awards from the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences for co-creating the Louma Crane, the first remote-controlled camera system used in the motion picture industry, has died. He was 76.
Lavalou died July 15 in Paris, his company, Loumasystems, announced.
Born on March 9, 1946, in Bourg Saint Leonard, Normandie, France, Lavalou graduated in 1968 from the Ecole Nationale Supérieure Louis Lumière film school in Paris before entering national service.
He met Alain Masseron in the film department of the French Navy, and they created sweeping, never-before-seen shots while making a film inside a submarine by attaching a camera to the end of a wooden pole and moving through the narrow vessel.
The inventors brought their device to Paris camera rental house SamAlga Cinema, where chief engineer Albert Vigier introduced them to David Samuelson of Samuelson Film Service in London.
- 7/26/2022
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Click here to read the full article.
Gregory Jein, the acclaimed model maker and artist who worked on eight Star Trek properties and earned Oscar nominations for Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind and 1941, has died. He was 76.
Jein died May 22 in his Los Angeles home after a long history of health issues that included a battle with diabetes, a family spokeswoman told The Hollywood Reporter. His family elected to keep his death quiet until this week, she added.
According to the website Memory Alpha, Jein began his association with Star Trek in 1977 by designing a Klingon battle cruiser for Star Trek: Phase II, which would have been the first live-action spinoff of NBC’s original Star Trek had it gone forward.
He collaborated with visual effects maestro Douglas Trumbull on Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979), then followed with Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989), Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country...
Gregory Jein, the acclaimed model maker and artist who worked on eight Star Trek properties and earned Oscar nominations for Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind and 1941, has died. He was 76.
Jein died May 22 in his Los Angeles home after a long history of health issues that included a battle with diabetes, a family spokeswoman told The Hollywood Reporter. His family elected to keep his death quiet until this week, she added.
According to the website Memory Alpha, Jein began his association with Star Trek in 1977 by designing a Klingon battle cruiser for Star Trek: Phase II, which would have been the first live-action spinoff of NBC’s original Star Trek had it gone forward.
He collaborated with visual effects maestro Douglas Trumbull on Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979), then followed with Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989), Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country...
- 6/29/2022
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
‘Teach your children well’ they say, but Sondra Locke’s young girl in this show is the victim of parenting so bad it verges on criminal … John Lewis Carlino’s adult murder mystery has excellent imagery courtesy of director William A. Fraker and cameraman László Kovács. But the studio ‘made changes,’ removing explicit adult content and selling the show as horror even though it’s PG and has little to shock an audience. That leaves us with a carefully underplayed drama courtesy of Robert Shaw, Mary Ure, Sally Kellerman and Signe Hasso — and a twisted sex mystery that seems obvious from the get-go. The HD transfer restores Fraker’s elaborate imagery, making us wonder what his intended version might have been.
A Reflection of Fear
All-Region Blu-ray
Viavision [Imprint] 84
1972 / Color / 1:85 / 89 min. / Street Date October 27, 2021 / available from Amazon.au / 34.95
Starring: Robert Shaw, Sally Kellerman, Mary Ure, Sondra Locke, Signe Hasso,...
A Reflection of Fear
All-Region Blu-ray
Viavision [Imprint] 84
1972 / Color / 1:85 / 89 min. / Street Date October 27, 2021 / available from Amazon.au / 34.95
Starring: Robert Shaw, Sally Kellerman, Mary Ure, Sondra Locke, Signe Hasso,...
- 1/8/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Another unexpected comic treasure from the mid ’70s! Jeff Bridges and Sam Waterston make an irresistible pair of would-be outlaws in a tale of the modern West — high-country Montana, actually — where a gentleman rancher from New Jersey owns all the land and making an honest living is just too boring. Thomas McGuane’s hilariously laid-back dialogue pits our slacker cattle rustlers against society — but only in the pursuit of having a good time. Frank Perry’s beautifully directed show gives choice roles to a fistful of actors: Clifton James, Elizabeth Ashley, Harry Dean Stanton, Slim Pickens, Charlene Dallas, Richard Bright, Joe Spinell, Patti D’Arbanville. Call it ‘literate’ country comedy, with musical accompaniment by Jimmy Buffett. The extras include a great new interview with star Jeff Bridges.
Rancho Deluxe
Blu-ray
Fun City Editions
1975 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 93 min. / Street Date July 19, 2021 / Available from Vinegar Syndrome /
Starring: Jeff Bridges, Sam Waterston, Elizabeth Ashley,...
Rancho Deluxe
Blu-ray
Fun City Editions
1975 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 93 min. / Street Date July 19, 2021 / Available from Vinegar Syndrome /
Starring: Jeff Bridges, Sam Waterston, Elizabeth Ashley,...
- 8/21/2021
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Here’s a Great picture whose time has come — Theodore J. Flicker’s spy spoof is one of the smartest, funniest political satires ever, and probably James Coburn’s finest hour as an actor-producer. A high-class shrink knows too many Presidential secrets, making him an international espionage target in a giddy spy chase. Everything leads to an absurd-sounding Sci-fi conspiracy that’s quickly becoming a reality. Coburn’s hipster cred holds up well, abetted by a great lineup of talent, led by improv pioneers Godfrey Cambridge and Severn Darden.
The President’s Analyst
Blu-ray (Plays on Region A)
Viavision [Imprint] 42
1967 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 103 min. / Street Date May 26 or June 2, 2021 / Available from / 34.95 au
Starring: James Coburn, Godfrey Cambridge, Severn Darden, Joan Delaney, Pat Harrington, Barry McGuire, Jill Banner, Eduard Franz, Walter Burke, Will Geer, William Daniels, Joan Darling, Sheldon Collins, Arte Johnson, Kathleen Hughes.
Cinematography: William A. Fraker
Production Designer: Pato Guzman
Art Direction: Hal Pereira,...
The President’s Analyst
Blu-ray (Plays on Region A)
Viavision [Imprint] 42
1967 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 103 min. / Street Date May 26 or June 2, 2021 / Available from / 34.95 au
Starring: James Coburn, Godfrey Cambridge, Severn Darden, Joan Delaney, Pat Harrington, Barry McGuire, Jill Banner, Eduard Franz, Walter Burke, Will Geer, William Daniels, Joan Darling, Sheldon Collins, Arte Johnson, Kathleen Hughes.
Cinematography: William A. Fraker
Production Designer: Pato Guzman
Art Direction: Hal Pereira,...
- 6/8/2021
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
They swim, they play, and they talk. They love George C. Scott and call him ‘pa.’ Mike Nichols’ paranoid sci-fi classic combines Lassie Go Home and The Manchurian Candidate. It works up a good guys versus bad guys conspiracy storyline — until the message arrives that what the adorable dolphins Fa and Bee really need, along with the rest of the natural planet, is for us greedy, murderous humans to just Go Away. Buck Henry’s screenplay overcomes aquatic clichés and cutesy animal traditions to come up with a crowd-pleasing winner.
The Day of the Dolphin
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1973 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 104 min. / Street Date February 18, 2020 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: George C. Scott, Trish Van Devere, Paul Sorvino, Fritz Weaver, Jon Korkes, Edward Herrmann, John Dehner, Severn Darden, Elizabeth Wilson.
Cinematography: William A. Fraker
Film Editor: Sam O’Steen
Production Designer: Richard Sylbert
Original Music: Georges Delerue
Written by Buck...
The Day of the Dolphin
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1973 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 104 min. / Street Date February 18, 2020 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: George C. Scott, Trish Van Devere, Paul Sorvino, Fritz Weaver, Jon Korkes, Edward Herrmann, John Dehner, Severn Darden, Elizabeth Wilson.
Cinematography: William A. Fraker
Film Editor: Sam O’Steen
Production Designer: Richard Sylbert
Original Music: Georges Delerue
Written by Buck...
- 3/28/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
In today’s film news roundup, Kristen Stewart’s “Seberg” is getting a prime release date from Amazon and John Simmons, Debra Kaufman and Joe Alves have been selected for guild honors.
Release Date
Amazon Studios has given Kristen Stewart’s independent political thriller “Seberg” an awards-season release date of Dec. 13.
Amazon bought the film at the Berlin Film Festival. Jack O’Connell, Anthony Mackie, Margaret Qualley, Colm Meaney, Zazie Beetz, Vince Vaughn, Stephen Root, and Yvan Attal are also starring. Benedict Andrews directed from a script by Joe Shrapnel and Anna Waterhouse.
Stewart stars as actress Jean Seberg who clashes with the FBI as it attempts to discredit her through its Cointelpro program in retaliation for her support of the Black Panther Party. Those efforts included creating a false story in 1970 that the child Seberg was carrying was not fathered by her husband, but by a member of the Black Panther Party.
Release Date
Amazon Studios has given Kristen Stewart’s independent political thriller “Seberg” an awards-season release date of Dec. 13.
Amazon bought the film at the Berlin Film Festival. Jack O’Connell, Anthony Mackie, Margaret Qualley, Colm Meaney, Zazie Beetz, Vince Vaughn, Stephen Root, and Yvan Attal are also starring. Benedict Andrews directed from a script by Joe Shrapnel and Anna Waterhouse.
Stewart stars as actress Jean Seberg who clashes with the FBI as it attempts to discredit her through its Cointelpro program in retaliation for her support of the Black Panther Party. Those efforts included creating a false story in 1970 that the child Seberg was carrying was not fathered by her husband, but by a member of the Black Panther Party.
- 9/27/2019
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
One of the most jeered-at, overcooked sequels of all time thoroughly deserves its reputation as a train wreck of a movie. In hindsight we see a heap of resources and cinematic fireworks thrown at a project with little chance of survival. ‘There must be a sequel’ spake Warner Bros., and lo Sir John of Boorman stepped up to the plate. I think a lot of the scorn was blowback from the power of the original Friedkin picture, a blockbuster that was just too profane of an act to follow.
Exorcist II: The Heretic
Blu-ray
Scream Factory
1977 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 118 and 102 min. / Collector’s Edition / Street Date September 25, 2018 34.93
Starring: Linda Blair, Richard Burton, Louise Fletcher, Max von Sydow, Kitty Winn, Paul Henreid, James Earl Jones, Ned Beatty, Belinda Beatty, Rose Portillo.
Cinematography: William A. Fraker
Film Editor: Tom Priestley
Special Visual Effects: Bill Hansard, Albert Whitlock, Frank Van Der Veer
Special...
Exorcist II: The Heretic
Blu-ray
Scream Factory
1977 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 118 and 102 min. / Collector’s Edition / Street Date September 25, 2018 34.93
Starring: Linda Blair, Richard Burton, Louise Fletcher, Max von Sydow, Kitty Winn, Paul Henreid, James Earl Jones, Ned Beatty, Belinda Beatty, Rose Portillo.
Cinematography: William A. Fraker
Film Editor: Tom Priestley
Special Visual Effects: Bill Hansard, Albert Whitlock, Frank Van Der Veer
Special...
- 10/2/2018
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
The International Cinematographers Guild has announced the honorees for its 22nd annual Emerging Cinematographer Awards, including IndieWire’s Anne Thompson, who will receive the Technicolor “William A. Fraker” Award for Journalism. In addition, Rachel Morrisson will receive the Canon Award for Achievement in Cinematography and Amelia Vincent is being honored with the Asc Mentorship Award.
A selection of short films shot by the other nine honorees will debut at the Eca Los Angeles event being held on September 30 at the Directors Guild of America Theater, followed by further screenings in New York, Atlanta, and Chicago.
The honorees, which were chosen from a field of 105 submissions, are:
Hunter Robert Baker, “Peacock Killer” (Operator)
Tommy Daguanno, “Detroit Diamond” (Operator)
Drew Dawson, “Demon” (2nd Assistant)
T. Acton Fitzgerald, “Intrusions” (Operator)
Clifford Jones, “Baby Steps” (Digital Imaging Technician)
Martin Moody, “Goldblooded” (1st Assistant)
Alicia Robbins, “Internet Gangsters” (Operator)
Gus Sacks, “Embalmer” (Digital Imaging Technician)
David Stragmeister,...
A selection of short films shot by the other nine honorees will debut at the Eca Los Angeles event being held on September 30 at the Directors Guild of America Theater, followed by further screenings in New York, Atlanta, and Chicago.
The honorees, which were chosen from a field of 105 submissions, are:
Hunter Robert Baker, “Peacock Killer” (Operator)
Tommy Daguanno, “Detroit Diamond” (Operator)
Drew Dawson, “Demon” (2nd Assistant)
T. Acton Fitzgerald, “Intrusions” (Operator)
Clifford Jones, “Baby Steps” (Digital Imaging Technician)
Martin Moody, “Goldblooded” (1st Assistant)
Alicia Robbins, “Internet Gangsters” (Operator)
Gus Sacks, “Embalmer” (Digital Imaging Technician)
David Stragmeister,...
- 9/27/2018
- by Indiewire Staff
- Indiewire
Class-act director John Boorman continues to mix genre grit with European-flavored art cinema, and the result is another winner. Toshiro Mifune and Lee Marvin fight a miniature two-man war when they’re marooned together on the same tiny island. Boorman’s strong direction and Conrad Hall’s knockout cinematography insure a maximum visual impact; it’s great filmmaking all around.
Hell in the Pacific
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1968 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 103 min. / Street Date June 27, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Lee Marvin, Toshiro Mifune
Cinematography: Conrad Hall
Art Direction: Anthony Pratt, Masao Yamazaki
Film Editor: Thomas Stanford
Original Music: Lalo Schifrin
Written by Alexander Jacobs, Eric Bercovici story by Reuben Bercovitch
Produced by Reuben Bercovitch, Henry G. Saperstein, Selig J. Seligman
Directed by John Boorman
Former TV director and producer John Boorman barely survived a first feature with the Dave Clark Five, imitating Richard Lester’s success with the Beatles.
Hell in the Pacific
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1968 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 103 min. / Street Date June 27, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Lee Marvin, Toshiro Mifune
Cinematography: Conrad Hall
Art Direction: Anthony Pratt, Masao Yamazaki
Film Editor: Thomas Stanford
Original Music: Lalo Schifrin
Written by Alexander Jacobs, Eric Bercovici story by Reuben Bercovitch
Produced by Reuben Bercovitch, Henry G. Saperstein, Selig J. Seligman
Directed by John Boorman
Former TV director and producer John Boorman barely survived a first feature with the Dave Clark Five, imitating Richard Lester’s success with the Beatles.
- 6/27/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
It creeps and leaps and slides and glides along the wall… and then it eats your face, dude. Mario Bava and Riccardo Freda’s ultimate monster mastication epic now looks sensationally gory, thanks to a full restoration. Arrow’s disc has pretty much everything, including two transfers and two audio commentaries. And Savant has a guilty admission to make — it was the tripe, the whole tripe, and nothing but the tripe.
Caltiki, The Immortal Monster
Blu-ray + DVD
Arrow Video USA
1959 / B&W / 1:66 widescreen / 76 min. / Caltiki, il mostro immortale / Street Date April 11, 2017 / Available from Arrow Video / 39.95
Starring: John Merivale, Didi Sullivan (Perego), Gérard Haerter, Daniela Rocca, Giacomo Rossi-Stuart, Daniele Vargas, Arturo Dominici, Gay Pearl
Cinematography: John Foam (Mario Bava)
Special Effects: Mario Bava
Film Editor: Mario Serandrei
Original Music: Roberto Nicolosi
Written by Filippo Sanjust
Produced by Bruno Vailati
Directed by Robert Hamton (Riccardo Freda) & Mario Bava
Who says that Blu-ray is dying?...
Caltiki, The Immortal Monster
Blu-ray + DVD
Arrow Video USA
1959 / B&W / 1:66 widescreen / 76 min. / Caltiki, il mostro immortale / Street Date April 11, 2017 / Available from Arrow Video / 39.95
Starring: John Merivale, Didi Sullivan (Perego), Gérard Haerter, Daniela Rocca, Giacomo Rossi-Stuart, Daniele Vargas, Arturo Dominici, Gay Pearl
Cinematography: John Foam (Mario Bava)
Special Effects: Mario Bava
Film Editor: Mario Serandrei
Original Music: Roberto Nicolosi
Written by Filippo Sanjust
Produced by Bruno Vailati
Directed by Robert Hamton (Riccardo Freda) & Mario Bava
Who says that Blu-ray is dying?...
- 4/22/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
All six are on the slate but not all scheduled.Courtesy DC
Update: This one’s been seemingly debunked by Jon Berg and Geoff Johns, two guys who would definitely know. Dig the tweet chain below. But regardless of when the films are being released, they are still all in various stages of production, so you’re getting them, the question is just when. Thanks to Adam Hlavac for politely correcting me.
Hey @geoffjohns why didn't you tell me we were releasing 4 Batman movies in 2019? Can we increase that to 10?
— @thejonberg
In 2019, Batman will celebrate his 80th year of costumed crimefighting, and if you believe rumors started on the Reddit Dceu board (and as reported by Screen Rant), Warner Bros. is gonna do it up big, like, six films big.
According to the report, all four live-action Batfilms currently in development — The Batman, Gotham City Sirens, Nightwing, and Batgirl — will all drop in 2019, along with two animated...
Update: This one’s been seemingly debunked by Jon Berg and Geoff Johns, two guys who would definitely know. Dig the tweet chain below. But regardless of when the films are being released, they are still all in various stages of production, so you’re getting them, the question is just when. Thanks to Adam Hlavac for politely correcting me.
Hey @geoffjohns why didn't you tell me we were releasing 4 Batman movies in 2019? Can we increase that to 10?
— @thejonberg
In 2019, Batman will celebrate his 80th year of costumed crimefighting, and if you believe rumors started on the Reddit Dceu board (and as reported by Screen Rant), Warner Bros. is gonna do it up big, like, six films big.
According to the report, all four live-action Batfilms currently in development — The Batman, Gotham City Sirens, Nightwing, and Batgirl — will all drop in 2019, along with two animated...
- 4/11/2017
- by H. Perry Horton
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
–
20. The Innocents
Directed by Jack Clayton
Written by William Archibald and Truman Capote
UK, 1961
Genre: Hauntings
The Innocents, which was co-written by Truman Capote, is the first of many screen adaptations of The Turn of the Screw. If you’ve never heard of it, don’t feel bad because most people haven’t – but The Innocents deserves its rightful spot on any list of great horror films. Here is one of the few films where the ghost story takes place mostly in daylight, and the lush photography, which earned cinematographer Freddie Francis one of his two Oscar wins, is simply stunning. Meanwhile, director Jack Clayton and Francis made great use of long, steady shots, which suggest corruption is lurking everywhere inside the grand estate. The Innocents also features three amazing performances; the first two come courtesy of child actors Pamela Franklin (The Legend of Hell House), and Martin Stephens (Village of the Damned...
20. The Innocents
Directed by Jack Clayton
Written by William Archibald and Truman Capote
UK, 1961
Genre: Hauntings
The Innocents, which was co-written by Truman Capote, is the first of many screen adaptations of The Turn of the Screw. If you’ve never heard of it, don’t feel bad because most people haven’t – but The Innocents deserves its rightful spot on any list of great horror films. Here is one of the few films where the ghost story takes place mostly in daylight, and the lush photography, which earned cinematographer Freddie Francis one of his two Oscar wins, is simply stunning. Meanwhile, director Jack Clayton and Francis made great use of long, steady shots, which suggest corruption is lurking everywhere inside the grand estate. The Innocents also features three amazing performances; the first two come courtesy of child actors Pamela Franklin (The Legend of Hell House), and Martin Stephens (Village of the Damned...
- 10/31/2015
- by Ricky Fernandes
- SoundOnSight
By John M. Whalen
When the “hardware widow” (Allyn Ann McClerie) asks Monte Walsh (Lee Marvin) if he’d gotten used to the idea of his long-time partner Chet Rollins (Jack Palance) and her being married, Monte says: “I never had so many things to get used to in my whole life, as now.” That line of dialogue in the middle of William Fraker’s “Monte Walsh” (1970) pretty much sums up this first and best film adaptation of Jack Schaeffer’s novel about the end of the Old West in general and the cowboy life in particular. It’s a true classic and even though it features two of the toughest tough guy actors of the sixties and seventies, it’s not a melodramatic shoot-em-up, full of violence, sound and fury. Rather it’s an elegiac portrait of the way it must have really happened, presented in a style as...
When the “hardware widow” (Allyn Ann McClerie) asks Monte Walsh (Lee Marvin) if he’d gotten used to the idea of his long-time partner Chet Rollins (Jack Palance) and her being married, Monte says: “I never had so many things to get used to in my whole life, as now.” That line of dialogue in the middle of William Fraker’s “Monte Walsh” (1970) pretty much sums up this first and best film adaptation of Jack Schaeffer’s novel about the end of the Old West in general and the cowboy life in particular. It’s a true classic and even though it features two of the toughest tough guy actors of the sixties and seventies, it’s not a melodramatic shoot-em-up, full of violence, sound and fury. Rather it’s an elegiac portrait of the way it must have really happened, presented in a style as...
- 9/13/2015
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Despite it being the directorial debut of five times Oscar nominated cinematographer William A. Fraker, 1970’s revisionist Western Monte Walsh isn’t as well remembered as it possibly should be. Prizing characterization over narrative and ignoring the usual set of genre highlights until its third act, it’s a mellow, melancholy bit of nostalgia about the last days of the Old West. Sporting a handsome cast and imbued with the right touch of technical appropriations, it’s a rather humble offering following on the footsteps of iconic juggernauts of the genre, like True Grit or The Wild Bunch, both of which premiered the year prior. Awards glory and controversial depictions of violence launched those films into the zeitgeist, but Fraker’s has remained an obscure item rooted in realistic, low key tendencies.
As Monte Walsh (Lee Marvin) and best pal Chet Rolling (Jack Palance) descend from the mountains after a long winter,...
As Monte Walsh (Lee Marvin) and best pal Chet Rolling (Jack Palance) descend from the mountains after a long winter,...
- 8/4/2015
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Every year, we here at Sound On Sight celebrate the month of October with 31 Days of Horror; and every year, I update the list of my favourite horror films ever made. Last year, I released a list that included 150 picks. This year, I’ll be upgrading the list, making minor alterations, changing the rankings, adding new entries, and possibly removing a few titles. I’ve also decided to publish each post backwards this time for one reason: the new additions appear lower on my list, whereas my top 50 haven’t changed much, except for maybe in ranking. Enjoy!
Special Mention:
Michael Jackson’s groundbreaking dance routines and unique vocals have influenced generations of musicians, dancers, and entertainers. He was one of entertainment’s greatest icons, and like most gifted individuals, he was always pushing boundaries, reinventing himself, and testing his limits. One of his biggest accomplishments was Thriller, a 14-minute...
Special Mention:
Michael Jackson’s groundbreaking dance routines and unique vocals have influenced generations of musicians, dancers, and entertainers. He was one of entertainment’s greatest icons, and like most gifted individuals, he was always pushing boundaries, reinventing himself, and testing his limits. One of his biggest accomplishments was Thriller, a 14-minute...
- 10/17/2013
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
Yippee-ki-yay! It's action-movie time! From Die Hard to Deliverance, here's what the Guardian and Observer's critics think are the 10 best ever made. Let us know what you think in the comments below
• Top 10 romantic movies
Peter Bradshaw on action movies
In some ways, it should be the quintessential cinema genre. After all, what does the director shout at the beginning of a take? Action – at times a euphemism for violence and machismo – evolved into a recognisable genre in the 80s. Gunplay and athleticism resurfaced in a sweatier and more explicitly violent form, with movies such as Sylvester Stallone's First Blood. The hardware was all-important, and the metallic sheen of the guns was something to be savoured alongside the musculature of the heroes. The genre spawned the action hero. These were not pretty-boys there to melt female hearts: they were there to get a roar of approval from the guys.
• Top 10 romantic movies
Peter Bradshaw on action movies
In some ways, it should be the quintessential cinema genre. After all, what does the director shout at the beginning of a take? Action – at times a euphemism for violence and machismo – evolved into a recognisable genre in the 80s. Gunplay and athleticism resurfaced in a sweatier and more explicitly violent form, with movies such as Sylvester Stallone's First Blood. The hardware was all-important, and the metallic sheen of the guns was something to be savoured alongside the musculature of the heroes. The genre spawned the action hero. These were not pretty-boys there to melt female hearts: they were there to get a roar of approval from the guys.
- 10/10/2013
- The Guardian - Film News
Resurrecting the Lone Ranger with Johnny Depp must’ve sounded like one of the all-time Hollywood no-brainers when it was pitched to Disney in 2011. After all, the mysterious masked man used to be the all-American icon with the greatest chase-music (“The William Tell Overture”), the greatest sidekick (Tonto), and the greatest catchphrase (“Hi-yo, Silver, away!”). Plus, though Depp is playing a boldly reimagined Tonto opposite Armie Hammer’s Ranger, he was reuniting with producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Gore Verbinski, the creative triumvirate that made Disney billions with the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. But getting The Lone Ranger into...
- 7/2/2013
- by Jeff Labrecque
- EW - Inside Movies
Lee Marvin in The Dirty Dozen
The following news items were found in The Hollywood Reporter on January 24, 1968:
Director Peter Yates, assistant director Tim Zinneman, cameraman Bill Fraker and several key crew operators to San Francisco for final pre-production on Warner-Seven Arts' Bullitt Lee Marvin will star in Monte Walsh, based on the Jack Schafer novel. Marvin will reportedly receive $1 million against 10% of the gross. Sammy Davis Jr. set to portray a key figure in the Rhythm of Life musical number in Universal's roadshow production of Sweet Charity. Assignment marks the first screen song and dance role Davis has played since he appeared in Porgy and Bess. (Note: this was not true. Davis performed song and dance numbers in the Rat Pack films Oceans Eleven and Robin and the Seven Hoods-Ed.) David Karp yesterday turned in the first draft screenplay of Viva Che!, 20th -Fox's forthcoming drama based on...
The following news items were found in The Hollywood Reporter on January 24, 1968:
Director Peter Yates, assistant director Tim Zinneman, cameraman Bill Fraker and several key crew operators to San Francisco for final pre-production on Warner-Seven Arts' Bullitt Lee Marvin will star in Monte Walsh, based on the Jack Schafer novel. Marvin will reportedly receive $1 million against 10% of the gross. Sammy Davis Jr. set to portray a key figure in the Rhythm of Life musical number in Universal's roadshow production of Sweet Charity. Assignment marks the first screen song and dance role Davis has played since he appeared in Porgy and Bess. (Note: this was not true. Davis performed song and dance numbers in the Rat Pack films Oceans Eleven and Robin and the Seven Hoods-Ed.) David Karp yesterday turned in the first draft screenplay of Viva Che!, 20th -Fox's forthcoming drama based on...
- 12/21/2012
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Throughout the month of October, Editor-in-Chief and resident Horror expert Ricky D, will be posting a list of his favorite Horror films of all time. The list will be posted in six parts. Click here to see every entry.
As with all lists, this is personal and nobody will agree with every choice – and if you do, that would be incredibly disturbing. It was almost impossible for me to rank them in order, but I tried and eventually gave up.
****
50: Thundercrack!
Directed by Curt McDowell
Written by George Kuchar
1975, USA
Thunderstruck! is by far the most obscure film you will find on this list. It is without a doubt one of the true landmarks of Underground cinema. With a screenplay by veteran underground film maker George Kuchar (story and characters by Mark Ellinger) and directed Curt McDowell (than student of Kuchar),
Thundercrack! is a work of a crazed genius.
As with all lists, this is personal and nobody will agree with every choice – and if you do, that would be incredibly disturbing. It was almost impossible for me to rank them in order, but I tried and eventually gave up.
****
50: Thundercrack!
Directed by Curt McDowell
Written by George Kuchar
1975, USA
Thunderstruck! is by far the most obscure film you will find on this list. It is without a doubt one of the true landmarks of Underground cinema. With a screenplay by veteran underground film maker George Kuchar (story and characters by Mark Ellinger) and directed Curt McDowell (than student of Kuchar),
Thundercrack! is a work of a crazed genius.
- 10/27/2012
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
Is there such a thing as a perfect film? Perhaps. You could certainly argue that personal taste plays into the question of perfection too much -- one man's triumph is another's disaster. And even so, there are so many possible things that can go wrong with a film -- one duff performance, one ill-conceived shot, one poorly-written scene -- that it's almost an impossible task. But dammit if we don't consider "Chinatown" to be as close as you can get to being perfect.
Starting with a devilishly complex, yet brilliantly simple script from Robert Towne, still one of the finest ever written, it displays top class at every level, from Roman Polanski directing at his peak (in his last American film), to ace performances from Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway and Walter Huston, to Jerry Goldsmith's all-time-great score. It's hard to ask for much more from a film. "Chinatown" was...
Starting with a devilishly complex, yet brilliantly simple script from Robert Towne, still one of the finest ever written, it displays top class at every level, from Roman Polanski directing at his peak (in his last American film), to ace performances from Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway and Walter Huston, to Jerry Goldsmith's all-time-great score. It's hard to ask for much more from a film. "Chinatown" was...
- 6/20/2012
- by Oliver Lyttelton
- The Playlist
31 – Rosemary’s Baby
Directed by Roman Polanski
USA, 1968
Roman Polanski’s brilliant horror-thriller was nominated for two Oscars, winning Best Supporting Actress for Ruth Gordon. The director’s first American film, adapted from Ira Levin’s horror bestseller, is a spellbinding and twisted tale of Satanism and pregnancy. Supremely mounted, the film benefits from it’s strong atmosphere, apartment setting, eerie childlike score and polished production values by cinematographer William Fraker. The cast is brilliant, with Mia Farrow and John Cassavetes as the young couple playing opposite Ruth Gordon and Sidney Blackmer, the elderly neighbors. There is ominous tension in the film from first frame to last – the climax makes for one of the greatest endings of all time. Rarely has a film displayed such an uncompromising portrait of betrayal as this one. Career or marriage – which would you choose?
30 – Eraserhead
Directed by David Lynch
USA, 1977
Filmed intermittently over the course of a five-year period,...
Directed by Roman Polanski
USA, 1968
Roman Polanski’s brilliant horror-thriller was nominated for two Oscars, winning Best Supporting Actress for Ruth Gordon. The director’s first American film, adapted from Ira Levin’s horror bestseller, is a spellbinding and twisted tale of Satanism and pregnancy. Supremely mounted, the film benefits from it’s strong atmosphere, apartment setting, eerie childlike score and polished production values by cinematographer William Fraker. The cast is brilliant, with Mia Farrow and John Cassavetes as the young couple playing opposite Ruth Gordon and Sidney Blackmer, the elderly neighbors. There is ominous tension in the film from first frame to last – the climax makes for one of the greatest endings of all time. Rarely has a film displayed such an uncompromising portrait of betrayal as this one. Career or marriage – which would you choose?
30 – Eraserhead
Directed by David Lynch
USA, 1977
Filmed intermittently over the course of a five-year period,...
- 10/29/2011
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
42 – Nosferatu: The First Vampire
Directed by F.W. Murnau
1922 – Germany
The earliest surviving film based on Dracula is Nosferatu, an unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker’s novel. One of the first vampire movies, it is perhaps on one of the best vampire movies ever made. Generally creepy from beginning to the last frame.
41- Spirits Of The Dead (Histoires extraordinaires)
Directed by
Federico Fellini (segment Toby Dammit)
Louis Malle (segment William Wilson)
Roger Vadim (segment Metzengerstein)
1968 – France
First thing to notice is the three directors: Federico Fellini, Louis Malle and Roger Vadim. Second you need to take notice in the cast which includes Brigitte Bardot, Jane Fonda, Peter Fonda, Alain Delon, Terence Stamp, Salvo Randone, James Robertson Justice, Françoise Prévost and Marlène Alexandre. Spirits Of The Dead is an adaptation of three Edgar Allan Poe stories that amount to one mixed bad, but with one incredible segment that needs to be seen.
Directed by F.W. Murnau
1922 – Germany
The earliest surviving film based on Dracula is Nosferatu, an unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker’s novel. One of the first vampire movies, it is perhaps on one of the best vampire movies ever made. Generally creepy from beginning to the last frame.
41- Spirits Of The Dead (Histoires extraordinaires)
Directed by
Federico Fellini (segment Toby Dammit)
Louis Malle (segment William Wilson)
Roger Vadim (segment Metzengerstein)
1968 – France
First thing to notice is the three directors: Federico Fellini, Louis Malle and Roger Vadim. Second you need to take notice in the cast which includes Brigitte Bardot, Jane Fonda, Peter Fonda, Alain Delon, Terence Stamp, Salvo Randone, James Robertson Justice, Françoise Prévost and Marlène Alexandre. Spirits Of The Dead is an adaptation of three Edgar Allan Poe stories that amount to one mixed bad, but with one incredible segment that needs to be seen.
- 10/28/2011
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
The Legend of the Lone Ranger (Original Release Date: 22 May 1981)
The Legend of the Lone Ranger is one of my favorite movies, and much of this review will be a love letter to it. I re-watched it for the review, but I didn't need to. If I were stranded on an island and had to reconstruct movie narratives to keep my sanity, I'd manage with The Legend of the Lone Ranger as well as I'd manage with The Empire Strikes Back or E.T.
People generally like The Empire Strikes Back and E.T. The same can't be said for The Legend of the Lone Ranger. The only group that wound up hating it more than the critics was the viewing public. I had no sense of this as a very young kid, though I would grow to suspect it when I moved back to America in the late eighties.
Blank stares...
The Legend of the Lone Ranger is one of my favorite movies, and much of this review will be a love letter to it. I re-watched it for the review, but I didn't need to. If I were stranded on an island and had to reconstruct movie narratives to keep my sanity, I'd manage with The Legend of the Lone Ranger as well as I'd manage with The Empire Strikes Back or E.T.
People generally like The Empire Strikes Back and E.T. The same can't be said for The Legend of the Lone Ranger. The only group that wound up hating it more than the critics was the viewing public. I had no sense of this as a very young kid, though I would grow to suspect it when I moved back to America in the late eighties.
Blank stares...
- 5/13/2011
- by Thurston McQ
- Corona's Coming Attractions
Tremors? Nightbreed? Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat? 976-evil? Are all on the list this year. And though there were not huge horror wins in sound editing through screenplays, the Technical Awards never cease to bring out the horror veterans. Notably Tim Drnec who contributed to such VHS classics as Alien Seed, Destroyer, and Prison won for his work on “Spydercam 3D volumetric suspended cable camera technologies.” An award also shared with Ben Britten Smith and Matt Davis who both also worked on Constantine.
But among all the winners, the Academy also honored some great loses in 2010. And though they mentioned some of our heroes, Dennis Hooper (Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2), Kevin McCarthy (Invasion of the Body Snatchers) and Dino de Laurentiis (King Kong), they did not mention Zelda Rubinstein or Corey Haim. But we will in this last section and the others lost to us last year.
So farewell fight fans and remember,...
But among all the winners, the Academy also honored some great loses in 2010. And though they mentioned some of our heroes, Dennis Hooper (Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2), Kevin McCarthy (Invasion of the Body Snatchers) and Dino de Laurentiis (King Kong), they did not mention Zelda Rubinstein or Corey Haim. But we will in this last section and the others lost to us last year.
So farewell fight fans and remember,...
- 3/13/2011
- by Heather Buckley
- DreadCentral.com
Thank you for visiting ScottFeinberg.com for live coverage of the 83rd Academy Awards! Keep refreshing your browser for all the latest stats/developments — new updates will push down older updates so that you won’t have to scroll down.
* * *
The show ends movingly — if somewhat randomly — with the Ps-22 Staten Island Chorus performing “Over the Rainbow” as all of the evening’s winners join them on-stage, with many singing along. Franco and Hathaway wind up bringing in the show only 10 minutes late (most years run way over), and although it was far from the funniest or most dramatic production, it wasn’t as bad as some are making it out to be (Roger Ebert just Tweeted that it was “the worst Oscarcast I’ve ever seen!”). Franco seemed like he didn’t want to be there (it must have been brutal trying to prepare for this only on the...
* * *
The show ends movingly — if somewhat randomly — with the Ps-22 Staten Island Chorus performing “Over the Rainbow” as all of the evening’s winners join them on-stage, with many singing along. Franco and Hathaway wind up bringing in the show only 10 minutes late (most years run way over), and although it was far from the funniest or most dramatic production, it wasn’t as bad as some are making it out to be (Roger Ebert just Tweeted that it was “the worst Oscarcast I’ve ever seen!”). Franco seemed like he didn’t want to be there (it must have been brutal trying to prepare for this only on the...
- 2/27/2011
- by Scott Feinberg
- Scott Feinberg
(Celebrating award week with a look at one of Oscar’s most notable champions: The French Connection. Thirty-nine years ago, Connection – besides being one of the biggest hits of the 1970s – was the top winner at the Academy Awards walking away with gold for Best Picture [collected by producer Phil D’Antoni], Director [William Friedkin], Actor [Gene Hackman], Adapted Screenplay [by Ernest Tidyman], and Editing [Gerald Greenburg].)
“I grew up in a world where Edward G. Robinson, Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney …these were the heroes. Not the cops. Cops were the bad guys. Or they were stumbling around, couldn’t find their asses with both hands.”
So says Sonny Grosso, and it is a screen icongraphy he has worked hard to change. Grosso-Jacobson Communications has produced over 750 hours of programming for network and premium and basic cable television in its thirty-odd years. Though its output has run from Pee Wee’s Playhouse to adventure fare like Counterstrike, the most acclaimed of the company’s offerings...
“I grew up in a world where Edward G. Robinson, Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney …these were the heroes. Not the cops. Cops were the bad guys. Or they were stumbling around, couldn’t find their asses with both hands.”
So says Sonny Grosso, and it is a screen icongraphy he has worked hard to change. Grosso-Jacobson Communications has produced over 750 hours of programming for network and premium and basic cable television in its thirty-odd years. Though its output has run from Pee Wee’s Playhouse to adventure fare like Counterstrike, the most acclaimed of the company’s offerings...
- 2/20/2011
- by Bill Mesce
- SoundOnSight
Jerry Bruckheimer Films has debuted a logo for the upcoming adaptation of The Lone Ranger.
The tagline on the site reads, “The Legend Returns.”
Pirates of the Caribbean director Gore Verbinski has been hired to adapted the classic TV show film adaption for the big screen, and Johnny Depp is attached to play Tonto, the Lone Ranger’s sidekick. There’s still no word on who will play the Lone Ranger, but at one point George Clooney was rumored to be in talks.
Originally created as a radio play in 1933 by George W. Trendle and developed by Fran Striker, the last big screen iteration of the character was in 1981 with The Legend of the Lone Ranger, directed by the late William A. Fraker.
The character gained widespread notoriety between 1949 and 1957 on ABC television, as Clayton Moore donned the mask each week to fight crime and corruption in the old west.
The tagline on the site reads, “The Legend Returns.”
Pirates of the Caribbean director Gore Verbinski has been hired to adapted the classic TV show film adaption for the big screen, and Johnny Depp is attached to play Tonto, the Lone Ranger’s sidekick. There’s still no word on who will play the Lone Ranger, but at one point George Clooney was rumored to be in talks.
Originally created as a radio play in 1933 by George W. Trendle and developed by Fran Striker, the last big screen iteration of the character was in 1981 with The Legend of the Lone Ranger, directed by the late William A. Fraker.
The character gained widespread notoriety between 1949 and 1957 on ABC television, as Clayton Moore donned the mask each week to fight crime and corruption in the old west.
- 1/13/2011
- by Allan Ford
- Filmofilia
The official website for Jerry Bruckheimer Films has revealed the new logo for his forthcoming Disney film The Lone Ranger, which you see above.
Gore Verbinski (Pirates of the Caribbean) has been hired to adapt the character for the big screen, with Johnny Depp already slated to play the role of Tonto, the Lone Ranger's trusted colleague.
What isn't yet known, however, is who will play the title character, though as an exercise in wish-fulfilment a few names have been bandied about, including George Clooney, Jon Hamm, Aaron Eckhart, Matthew McConaughey, Christian Bale, Timothy Olyphant, Tom Cruise, Matt Damon…and even Will Smith.
Our personal view is that most of the above actors come with too much name recognition and that the producers might be better to go with an unknown. Typically that isn't Bruckheimer's way, however, and with Depp playing the part of Tonto, a heavyweight actor is likely...
Gore Verbinski (Pirates of the Caribbean) has been hired to adapt the character for the big screen, with Johnny Depp already slated to play the role of Tonto, the Lone Ranger's trusted colleague.
What isn't yet known, however, is who will play the title character, though as an exercise in wish-fulfilment a few names have been bandied about, including George Clooney, Jon Hamm, Aaron Eckhart, Matthew McConaughey, Christian Bale, Timothy Olyphant, Tom Cruise, Matt Damon…and even Will Smith.
Our personal view is that most of the above actors come with too much name recognition and that the producers might be better to go with an unknown. Typically that isn't Bruckheimer's way, however, and with Depp playing the part of Tonto, a heavyweight actor is likely...
- 1/12/2011
- CinemaSpy
Peter Yates, who died this past weekend at age 81, was one of several British directors invited to make movies in The States in the 1960s, all of whom had a particular and rare filmmaker’s gift for capturing a sense – the feel — of a setting often better than native-born filmmakers could. Yates’ obits talked about the car chase in Bullitt (1968), the Oscar nods for Breaking Away (1979) and The Dresser (1983), but they missed how this gift he shared with his UK colleagues was such a critical part of what made his best work so special.
Think of the hundreds – the thousands – of American-helmed movies set against the country’s great metropolises where the city sits inertly behind the action, as undistinguished and indistinguishable as a generic theatre backdrop. Then compare them to the almost hallucinogenically surreal Los Angeles of John Boorman’s Point Blank (1967), Manhattan’s desperate, grubby demimonde in John Schlesinger...
Think of the hundreds – the thousands – of American-helmed movies set against the country’s great metropolises where the city sits inertly behind the action, as undistinguished and indistinguishable as a generic theatre backdrop. Then compare them to the almost hallucinogenically surreal Los Angeles of John Boorman’s Point Blank (1967), Manhattan’s desperate, grubby demimonde in John Schlesinger...
- 1/12/2011
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
Part I: Super Chiefs — Calley, Evans, Zanuck and the Passing of the Studio Torches
From the 1960s into the 1980s, one by one, the legendary studios of old – MGM, United Artists, Warner Bros., Paramount, Columbia, 20th Century Fox — were gobbled up by conglomerates, some of which had had almost no previous interests in the entertainment business, such as Paramount’s acquirer, Gulf + Western (a motley collection of properties ranging from Caribbean sugar companies to auto parts), and Kinney National Service (a hodgepodge of funeral homes and parking lots which bought up Warner Bros.). This corporatization of the major studios – the once mighty fiefdoms of the old moguls subjugated by invaders with little or no practical or emotional affinity for movies – is often viewed disparagingly as a sea change signaling the end of the grand Old Hollywood; the Hollywood of Gable and Garland, of Casablanca (1942) and Gone with the Wind (1939).
Factually,...
From the 1960s into the 1980s, one by one, the legendary studios of old – MGM, United Artists, Warner Bros., Paramount, Columbia, 20th Century Fox — were gobbled up by conglomerates, some of which had had almost no previous interests in the entertainment business, such as Paramount’s acquirer, Gulf + Western (a motley collection of properties ranging from Caribbean sugar companies to auto parts), and Kinney National Service (a hodgepodge of funeral homes and parking lots which bought up Warner Bros.). This corporatization of the major studios – the once mighty fiefdoms of the old moguls subjugated by invaders with little or no practical or emotional affinity for movies – is often viewed disparagingly as a sea change signaling the end of the grand Old Hollywood; the Hollywood of Gable and Garland, of Casablanca (1942) and Gone with the Wind (1939).
Factually,...
- 11/18/2010
- by Bill Mesce
- SoundOnSight
Peter Yates, 1968
Sure, there's a fantastic car chase in it – one of the first, still one of the best – but Peter Yates's first American movie is so much more than a duel on wheels. First off, it belongs in the esteemed company of Greed, Vertigo, The Lineup, Dirty Harry and Zodiac as one of the finest movies set and shot in San Francisco, that most beguilingly cinematic of American cities. Secondly, it offers the distilled essence of Steve McQueen as an actor and icon at the pinnacle of his career. Exercising his usual restraint, the actor (working as his own producer) pruned every redundant word from his own role, making Bullitt perhaps the most taciturn hero of the 60s – McQueen knew that the less he said, the more intently the audience focused on him.
He is the near-silent centre of a very busy, compelling and violent crime drama. Blessed...
Sure, there's a fantastic car chase in it – one of the first, still one of the best – but Peter Yates's first American movie is so much more than a duel on wheels. First off, it belongs in the esteemed company of Greed, Vertigo, The Lineup, Dirty Harry and Zodiac as one of the finest movies set and shot in San Francisco, that most beguilingly cinematic of American cities. Secondly, it offers the distilled essence of Steve McQueen as an actor and icon at the pinnacle of his career. Exercising his usual restraint, the actor (working as his own producer) pruned every redundant word from his own role, making Bullitt perhaps the most taciturn hero of the 60s – McQueen knew that the less he said, the more intently the audience focused on him.
He is the near-silent centre of a very busy, compelling and violent crime drama. Blessed...
- 10/19/2010
- by John Patterson
- The Guardian - Film News
In the above photo, from left to right, are: Steven Poster, International Cinematographers Guild (Icg) national president, Jim Matlosz, chairman of Icg's Eca committee, Stephen Lighthill, recipient of the Deluxe/Bud Stone Award, Bob Fisher, recipient of the Technicolor Award, Andy Romanoff, recipient of the Kodak Award, and Alan Gitlin, Icg's national secretary-treasurer. The International Cinematographers Guild's 14th Annual Emerging Cinematographer Awards were held this past Sunday, September 26, at the Directors Guild of America Theater in West Hollywood. Andy Romanoff was given the Kodak Award for Mentoring Young Cinematographers in the Art and Craft of Cinematography. Stephen Lighthill's Deluxe/Bud Stone Award was for Educational Contributions to the Art and Craft of Cinematography. Bob Fischer's Technicolor / William A. Fraker Award was for Outstanding Journalistic Contributions to the Art and Craft of Cinematography. Photo: Mathew Imaging...
- 9/28/2010
- by Zhea D.
- Alt Film Guide
By Bob Fisher
HollywoodNews.com: A large crowd packed the American Society of Cinematographers clubhouse, in Hollywood, on Saturday, July 10, to say goodbye to a legend who will live in their hearts forever.
William A. Fraker, Asc, aka Billy, died on May 31 at age 86. The crowd at the memorial included cinematographers, crew members, directors, actors, producers, family and friends. His story is like the script for a feel-good Hollywood movie. Billy’s grandmother was a teacher in Mexico when a brutal revolution brought Pancho Villa to power in 1910. Teachers were on his enemies list. She and Billy’s future mother and aunt rode mules across the border and entered the United States as illegal immigrants.
His grandmother earned a living as a portrait photographer at a downtown Los Angeles studio. Billy was 10 years old when his mother died. After his father died a year later, his grandmother opened a portrait...
HollywoodNews.com: A large crowd packed the American Society of Cinematographers clubhouse, in Hollywood, on Saturday, July 10, to say goodbye to a legend who will live in their hearts forever.
William A. Fraker, Asc, aka Billy, died on May 31 at age 86. The crowd at the memorial included cinematographers, crew members, directors, actors, producers, family and friends. His story is like the script for a feel-good Hollywood movie. Billy’s grandmother was a teacher in Mexico when a brutal revolution brought Pancho Villa to power in 1910. Teachers were on his enemies list. She and Billy’s future mother and aunt rode mules across the border and entered the United States as illegal immigrants.
His grandmother earned a living as a portrait photographer at a downtown Los Angeles studio. Billy was 10 years old when his mother died. After his father died a year later, his grandmother opened a portrait...
- 7/15/2010
- by Bob Fisher
- Hollywoodnews.com
William A. Fraker was a leading cinematographer in films from the late 1960s, photographing such films as Roman Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby and the 1977’s Exorcist II: The Heretic. He earned six Academy Award nominations during his career for his work on Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977), the fantasy classic Heaven Can Wait (1978) starring Warren Beatty, Steven Spielberg’s 1941 (1979), WarGames (1983), and Murphy’s Romance (1985).
Fraker was born in Los Angeles on September 29, 1923 and served in the U.S. Navy in the Pacific during World War II. He studied at the USC School of Cinema and worked as a photographer’s assistant. He began working as a camera operator for television in the early 1960s. He served as a cinematographer for the obscure television production The Ghost of Sierra de Cobre (a.k.a. The Haunted) (1964) for director Joseph Stefano, and for Leslie Steven’s off-beat, Esperanto-language horror film Incubus (1965) starring William Shatner.
Fraker was born in Los Angeles on September 29, 1923 and served in the U.S. Navy in the Pacific during World War II. He studied at the USC School of Cinema and worked as a photographer’s assistant. He began working as a camera operator for television in the early 1960s. He served as a cinematographer for the obscure television production The Ghost of Sierra de Cobre (a.k.a. The Haunted) (1964) for director Joseph Stefano, and for Leslie Steven’s off-beat, Esperanto-language horror film Incubus (1965) starring William Shatner.
- 6/22/2010
- by Harris Lentz
- FamousMonsters of Filmland
Cinematographer whose innovative work brought him five Oscar nominations
The American cinematographer William Fraker, who has died of cancer aged 86, worked on dozens of mainstream films – the good, the bad, but never the ugly. Fraker could not be praised or blamed for the direction, acting or script, but the look of a film was, on the whole, his responsibility. Although he saw himself as part of a team who tried to fulfil the director's vision, Fraker began to push the boundaries of cinematography in commercial cinema by using faster and wider lenses, restricting lighting sources and employing techniques such as flashing and deliberate overexposure.
According to Fraker: "The director is the captain of the ship, the cinematographer is the executive officer. You have to really learn who you're working with and what they think. It's like a marriage. As a cinematographer, you can immediately tell a terrific director if they...
The American cinematographer William Fraker, who has died of cancer aged 86, worked on dozens of mainstream films – the good, the bad, but never the ugly. Fraker could not be praised or blamed for the direction, acting or script, but the look of a film was, on the whole, his responsibility. Although he saw himself as part of a team who tried to fulfil the director's vision, Fraker began to push the boundaries of cinematography in commercial cinema by using faster and wider lenses, restricting lighting sources and employing techniques such as flashing and deliberate overexposure.
According to Fraker: "The director is the captain of the ship, the cinematographer is the executive officer. You have to really learn who you're working with and what they think. It's like a marriage. As a cinematographer, you can immediately tell a terrific director if they...
- 6/10/2010
- by Ronald Bergan
- The Guardian - Film News
By Bob Fisher
HollywoodNews.com: Legendary cinematographer William A. Fraker, Asc, Bsc went to heaven last Wednesday evening. Fraker was 86 years old. The story of his life and career is like a script for a feel good Hollywood movie.
His grandmother was a teacher in Mexico during the revolution, which brought Pancho Villa into power. She left Mazaltan with Fraker’s future mother and aunt riding mules across the border into California. His mother became a still photographer at a downtown Los Angeles studio. That’s how she met his father who was a still photographer for Columbia Pictures.
Fraker served in the Navy during the Second World War. After the war, he studied filmmaking at USC, financed by the G.I. Bill of Rights. Fraker began his career shooting pickup shots for $25 apiece. He went on to earn some 50 narrative film credits as a cinematographer. Fraker earned Oscar nominations for “Looking For Mr. Goodbar,...
HollywoodNews.com: Legendary cinematographer William A. Fraker, Asc, Bsc went to heaven last Wednesday evening. Fraker was 86 years old. The story of his life and career is like a script for a feel good Hollywood movie.
His grandmother was a teacher in Mexico during the revolution, which brought Pancho Villa into power. She left Mazaltan with Fraker’s future mother and aunt riding mules across the border into California. His mother became a still photographer at a downtown Los Angeles studio. That’s how she met his father who was a still photographer for Columbia Pictures.
Fraker served in the Navy during the Second World War. After the war, he studied filmmaking at USC, financed by the G.I. Bill of Rights. Fraker began his career shooting pickup shots for $25 apiece. He went on to earn some 50 narrative film credits as a cinematographer. Fraker earned Oscar nominations for “Looking For Mr. Goodbar,...
- 6/4/2010
- by Bob Fisher
- Hollywoodnews.com
Mia Farrow in Roman Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby William A. Fraker, the Academy Award-nominated cinematographer of Richard Brooks‘ Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977), Warren Beatty and Buck Henry’s Heaven Can Wait (1978), and John Badham’s WarGames (1983), died on May 31. Fraker was 86. Among Fraker’s other credits — the best of which were usually dark psychological dramas — are Curtis Harrington’s thriller Games (1967), Roman Polanski’s devil’s child hit Rosemary’s Baby (1968), Peter Yates‘ cop drama Bullitt (1968), Mike Nichols‘ thriller-sci-fier The Day of the Dolphin (1973), Steven Spielberg’s period comedy 1941 (1979), Martin Ritt’s comedy-drama Murphy’s Romance (1985), and William [...]...
- 6/3/2010
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
By the time he died at 86 on May 31, William A. Fraker had long since been known as an avuncular eminence gris among American cinematographers. An enthusiastic, white-bearded sage, he was a multi-term president of the American Society of Cinematographers, had taught for years at his alma mater, USC, and loved to expound on film technique, its history and foremost exponents. All the same, the man behind the camera on "Bullitt," "Rosemary's Baby," "The President's Analyst," "Rancho Deluxe," "Exorcist II: The Heretic," "1941," "Looking for Mr. Goodbar," "Heaven Can Wait," "American Hot Wax," "War Games" and many more was,…...
- 6/3/2010
- Todd McCarthy's Deep Focus
While it's easy to get caught up in the passing of Gary Coleman and Dennis Hopper, Hollywood lost another talent this week. THR reports that Oscar-nominated cinematographer William Fraker has lost his battle with cancer. He was 86 years old.
Fraker may not be a household name, but odds are you've seen something he helped shoot. He was nominated six times for an Academy Award for his work on the films Looking for Mr. Goodbar, Heaven Can Wait, 1941, WarGames and Murphy's Romance, as well as a visual effects mention for 1941. He also served as cinematographer on Bullitt (starring Steve McQueen) and Roman Polanski's Rosemary's Baby.
After serving in the Navy during World War II, Fraker returned home and enrolled in USC's film school. He would return to USC as a teacher in the last few years of his life, where students undoubtedly learned a great deal from someone who'd worked...
Fraker may not be a household name, but odds are you've seen something he helped shoot. He was nominated six times for an Academy Award for his work on the films Looking for Mr. Goodbar, Heaven Can Wait, 1941, WarGames and Murphy's Romance, as well as a visual effects mention for 1941. He also served as cinematographer on Bullitt (starring Steve McQueen) and Roman Polanski's Rosemary's Baby.
After serving in the Navy during World War II, Fraker returned home and enrolled in USC's film school. He would return to USC as a teacher in the last few years of his life, where students undoubtedly learned a great deal from someone who'd worked...
- 6/2/2010
- by Alison Nastasi
- Cinematical
One of Hollywood's great cinematographers, William Fraker, succumbed to cancer Monday at age 86. While D.P.'s can be cranky, Fraker was known for his affability and exacting standards on sets, from Rosemary's Baby, Bullitt, 1941, Close Encounters and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest to Tombstone and Heaven Can Wait. A Naval veteran of World War II, Fraker attended USC's School of Cinema under the G.I. Bill. He grew into one of the defining film talents to emerge in the 60s and worked productively well into his 80s: his last film was 2002's Waking Up in Reno. Update: Todd McCarthy remembers Fraker, who he interviewed for his doc Visions of Light. Here's one obit from the Lat plus stories from Fraker's contemporaries from the American Society ...
- 6/2/2010
- Thompson on Hollywood
Revered Hollywood cinematographer William Fraker has lost his battle with cancer, aged 86.
The filmmaker, who was nominated for six Oscars, died in Los Angeles on Monday.
His film credits include Heaven Can Wait, Looking for Mr. Goodbar, madcap cult movie 1941, Rosemary’s Baby and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
After serving in World War Two, Fraker began a career as a photographer and his first project involved a Marilyn Monroe calendar.
He got his start as a camera operator on the popular TV show The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet and landed his first job as a cinematographer in 1967's Games.
Fraker went on to work with moviemaking greats like Roman Polanski, Steven Spielberg and Milos Forman.
He also directed Lee Marvin and Jack Palance in 1970 western Monte Walsh and the films The Legend of the Lone Ranger and A Reflection of Fear.
He was working on the movie Section B, with Tippi Hedren, Cyndi Lauper and Marla Maples, when he died.
The filmmaker, who was nominated for six Oscars, died in Los Angeles on Monday.
His film credits include Heaven Can Wait, Looking for Mr. Goodbar, madcap cult movie 1941, Rosemary’s Baby and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
After serving in World War Two, Fraker began a career as a photographer and his first project involved a Marilyn Monroe calendar.
He got his start as a camera operator on the popular TV show The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet and landed his first job as a cinematographer in 1967's Games.
Fraker went on to work with moviemaking greats like Roman Polanski, Steven Spielberg and Milos Forman.
He also directed Lee Marvin and Jack Palance in 1970 western Monte Walsh and the films The Legend of the Lone Ranger and A Reflection of Fear.
He was working on the movie Section B, with Tippi Hedren, Cyndi Lauper and Marla Maples, when he died.
- 6/2/2010
- WENN
By Lisa Horowitz
Legendary cinematographer William A. Fraker died Monday of cancer at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles. He was 86.
Fraker was nominated for six Oscars, five for cinematography -- including three in a row for "Looking for Mr. Goodbar" (1977), "Heaven Can Wait" (1978) and "1941" (1979), as well as "WarGames" and "Murphy's Romance" -- and one for the visual effects on "1941&qu...
Legendary cinematographer William A. Fraker died Monday of cancer at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles. He was 86.
Fraker was nominated for six Oscars, five for cinematography -- including three in a row for "Looking for Mr. Goodbar" (1977), "Heaven Can Wait" (1978) and "1941" (1979), as well as "WarGames" and "Murphy's Romance" -- and one for the visual effects on "1941&qu...
- 6/2/2010
- by Lisa Horowitz
- The Wrap
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