When you make a movie with Michael Mann, you're likely going to become an expert in your character's field of expertise. James Caan had to study safecracking to a level where he could actually pull off a job. The cops and crooks in "Heat" went through such rigorous firearms training, Val Kilmer's on-the-fly reload mid-shootout has been singled out as textbook by military instructors. So when Will Smith got cast as Muhammad Ali, the preternaturally skilled heavyweight champion, Mann had him bulk up and get in the ring with prominent boxing contenders.
Though Mann's "Ali" was generally well-received when it was released in 2001, critics complained that it essentially told the same "Rumble in the Jungle" story as Leon Gast's Oscar-winning 1996 documentary, "When We Were Kings." In doing so, they overlooked what is easily the most technically detailed and accurate dramatization of "the sweet science" ever put to film.
Though Mann's "Ali" was generally well-received when it was released in 2001, critics complained that it essentially told the same "Rumble in the Jungle" story as Leon Gast's Oscar-winning 1996 documentary, "When We Were Kings." In doing so, they overlooked what is easily the most technically detailed and accurate dramatization of "the sweet science" ever put to film.
- 9/27/2022
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Though “Muhammad Ali” is debuting well after “The Last Dance,” it’s hard not to think of it as a sort of spiritual prequel to ESPN’s propulsive docuseries. “The Last Dance,” which detailed the rise of Michael Jordan as both a superstar athlete and unstoppable global brand, immediately became a sensation upon its April 2020 premiere. With Jordan on board as a subject, source and producer, “The Last Dance” told the story of a man, but also the story of the time and place in which he thrived. As an ever-charismatic Jordan gave his interviews from inside a seemingly palatial home, cigar and Scotch constantly at the ready, he made it easy to understand how he’d become such a colossal figure in sports and culture alike.
Co-directed by Ken Burns, David McMahon and Sarah Burns, “Muhammad Ali” never mentions Jordan in its reconstruction of Ali’s career and impact on the world writ large,...
Co-directed by Ken Burns, David McMahon and Sarah Burns, “Muhammad Ali” never mentions Jordan in its reconstruction of Ali’s career and impact on the world writ large,...
- 9/19/2021
- by Caroline Framke
- Variety Film + TV
Fall festival season officially launches this week, and the programmers at the Telluride Film Festival are ready to make up for time lost last year amid the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic. On Wednesday, just a day before the Telluride Film Festival officially kicks off for 2021, organizers announced an enormous lineup of 80 features, including the premieres of multiple buzzy awards contenders like Will Smith in “King Richard,” Kenneth Branagh’s autobiographical drama “Belfast,” Joe Wright’s “Cyrano,” and Jane Campion’s “The Power of the Dog” (which will also screen during this year’s Venice Film Festival).
“I do think we’ve got the best movies of the year,” Telluride executive director Julie Huntsinger told Indiewire in an interview. Unlike last year’s Telluride Film Festival, which was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic (although Telluride did announce its lineup and host a drive-in screening of “Nomadland” in Los...
“I do think we’ve got the best movies of the year,” Telluride executive director Julie Huntsinger told Indiewire in an interview. Unlike last year’s Telluride Film Festival, which was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic (although Telluride did announce its lineup and host a drive-in screening of “Nomadland” in Los...
- 9/1/2021
- by Christopher Rosen
- Gold Derby
As usual, Telluride Film Festival has unveiled their 2021 lineup just moments before the event gets underway. Taking place from Thursday, September 2 through Monday, September 6, 2021, the lineup features Mike Mills’ C’mon C’mon, Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog, Pablo Larraín’s Spencer, Paolo Sorrentino’s The Hand of God, Reinaldo Marcus Green’s King Richard, Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Lost Daughter, as well as Cannes highlights Bergman Island and Red Rocket, and more.
See the lineup below.
The Automat (d. Lisa Hurwitz, U.S., 2021) In person: Lisa Hurwitz
Becoming Cousteau (d. Liz Garbus, U.S., 2021) In person: Liz Garbus
Belfast (d. Kenneth Branagh, U.K., 2021) In person: Kenneth Branagh, Jamie Dornan
Bergman Island (d. Mia Hansen-Løve, France/Germany/Sweden, 2021) In person: Mia Hansen-Løve
Bitterbrush (d. Emelie Mahdavian, U.S., 2021) In person: Emelie Mahdavian, Colie Moline
C’Mon C’Mon (d. Mike Mills, U.S., 2021) In person: Mike Mills,...
See the lineup below.
The Automat (d. Lisa Hurwitz, U.S., 2021) In person: Lisa Hurwitz
Becoming Cousteau (d. Liz Garbus, U.S., 2021) In person: Liz Garbus
Belfast (d. Kenneth Branagh, U.K., 2021) In person: Kenneth Branagh, Jamie Dornan
Bergman Island (d. Mia Hansen-Løve, France/Germany/Sweden, 2021) In person: Mia Hansen-Løve
Bitterbrush (d. Emelie Mahdavian, U.S., 2021) In person: Emelie Mahdavian, Colie Moline
C’Mon C’Mon (d. Mike Mills, U.S., 2021) In person: Mike Mills,...
- 9/1/2021
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
Mike Mills’ Joaquin Phoenix drama “C’mon C’mon,” Joe Wright’s adaptation of the Broadway musical “Cyrano” and Reinaldo Marcus Green’s “King Richard,” with Will Smith in the story of the tennis-titan Williams sisters and their father, Richard, are among the films that will play at the 2021 Telluride Film Festival, Telluride organizers announced on Wednesday.
The annual Colorado festival, which was canceled last year because of the Covid pandemic, has been expanded by one day this year, beginning on Thursday instead of Friday. As usual, it did not announce its relatively small and carefully curated lineup until the day before the festival begins.
Among the films that will join “C’mon C’mon,” “Cyrano” and “King Richard” as Telluride world premieres are a number of documentaries, including Liz Garbus’ “Becoming Cousteau,” E. Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin’s “The Rescue,” John Hoffman and Janet Tobias’ “Fauci” and Julie Cohen & Betsy West’s “Julia.
The annual Colorado festival, which was canceled last year because of the Covid pandemic, has been expanded by one day this year, beginning on Thursday instead of Friday. As usual, it did not announce its relatively small and carefully curated lineup until the day before the festival begins.
Among the films that will join “C’mon C’mon,” “Cyrano” and “King Richard” as Telluride world premieres are a number of documentaries, including Liz Garbus’ “Becoming Cousteau,” E. Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin’s “The Rescue,” John Hoffman and Janet Tobias’ “Fauci” and Julie Cohen & Betsy West’s “Julia.
- 9/1/2021
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Muhammad Ali called himself the greatest, and filmmaker Ken Burns, director of the upcoming PBS documentary series about the boxing champion, “global icon and inspiration,” is not one to disagree.
“He comes to us, first and foremost, as the greatest athlete perhaps of all time, certainly of the 20th century, and as the greatest boxer,” Burns noted during the PBS TCA presentation Wednesday. “It is not a bad thing to die the most beloved person on your planet. And he did.”
The four-part, eight-hour series titled simply Muhammad Ali airs on consecutive nights on PBS beginning September 19. Burns, who directed the series with his daughter Sarah Burns and son-in-law David McMahon, says his take differs from previous Ali documentaries in its wide lens.
“We were interested in doing a pretty comprehensive look at his life, from his birth in segregated Louisville, Kentucky in the early ’40s to his death by...
“He comes to us, first and foremost, as the greatest athlete perhaps of all time, certainly of the 20th century, and as the greatest boxer,” Burns noted during the PBS TCA presentation Wednesday. “It is not a bad thing to die the most beloved person on your planet. And he did.”
The four-part, eight-hour series titled simply Muhammad Ali airs on consecutive nights on PBS beginning September 19. Burns, who directed the series with his daughter Sarah Burns and son-in-law David McMahon, says his take differs from previous Ali documentaries in its wide lens.
“We were interested in doing a pretty comprehensive look at his life, from his birth in segregated Louisville, Kentucky in the early ’40s to his death by...
- 8/11/2021
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
When Muhammad Ali passed away on June 4th, 2016, those who knew him, admired him, fought him and loved him attested to his singular skill as a boxer, his fleet footwork and his way with words (especially of the trash-talking variety). What was often emphasized the most in these tributes, however, was how Ali was as much a political firebrand as a gamechanging pugilist – both the 20th century's consummate athlete and a social activist willing to sacrifice his career by standing up for what he believed. This was the heavyweight champion...
- 1/26/2017
- Rollingstone.com
FX has announced that the final season premiere of Sons of Anarchy will air Sept. 9 and be one hour and 45 minutes long. As EW reports in our Comic-Con Preview issue (on newsstands July 18), we’ll pick up 10 days after the tragic events of the season 6 finale. Jax will be behind bars, where he meets Ron Tully (Marilyn Manson), a white supremacist shot-caller whom he uses to expand his power base.
If seeing Jax in prison orange makes you uncomfortable, odds are you’re flashing back to season 5′s “Laying Pipe.” (Yes, the guys were wearing blue scrubs when Opie (Ryan Hurst) was killed,...
If seeing Jax in prison orange makes you uncomfortable, odds are you’re flashing back to season 5′s “Laying Pipe.” (Yes, the guys were wearing blue scrubs when Opie (Ryan Hurst) was killed,...
- 7/17/2014
- by Mandi Bierly
- EW.com - PopWatch
World heavyweight boxing champion with a star role in Rocky V
When Tommy Morrison outpointed George Foreman to win the Wbo version of the world heavyweight boxing title in 1993, it seemed he had it all. He was then aged 24, and three years earlier had starred in the film Rocky V alongside Sylvester Stallone. With millions in the bank and an internationally recognised face, he had beaten a huge figure in Foreman and was intent on cashing in on his fame.
But his life changed forever in 1996 when he tested HIV positive, and his boxing licence was suspended by the Nevada State Athletic commission. In a nationally broadcast press conference, Morrison said: "I lived a permissive, fast and reckless lifestyle. I hope I can serve as a warning that living this lifestyle can really only lead to one thing, and that's misery. I thought I was bulletproof and I'm not." A decade later Morrison,...
When Tommy Morrison outpointed George Foreman to win the Wbo version of the world heavyweight boxing title in 1993, it seemed he had it all. He was then aged 24, and three years earlier had starred in the film Rocky V alongside Sylvester Stallone. With millions in the bank and an internationally recognised face, he had beaten a huge figure in Foreman and was intent on cashing in on his fame.
But his life changed forever in 1996 when he tested HIV positive, and his boxing licence was suspended by the Nevada State Athletic commission. In a nationally broadcast press conference, Morrison said: "I lived a permissive, fast and reckless lifestyle. I hope I can serve as a warning that living this lifestyle can really only lead to one thing, and that's misery. I thought I was bulletproof and I'm not." A decade later Morrison,...
- 9/12/2013
- by John Rawling
- The Guardian - Film News
Former heavyweight boxer Tommy Morrison, who fought under the nickname "Duke," died Monday (September 2) at age 44. His family is not disclosing the cause of death, but promoter and friend Tony Holden say he was a patient in a Nebraska hospital at the time. Morrison tested positive for HIV in 1996, the Associated Press reports.
Morrison won his one and only Wbo heavyweight title in 1993, when he beat George Foreman. He lost it three months later to Michael Bentt. Morrison then tested positive for HIV shortly before a bout in 1996, which essentially ended his professional fighting career.
Years later, Morrison had two more matches, both of which he won by Tko. He claimed his HIV tests were actually false positives and was able to get licensed to fight in Arizona in 2007. It was reported August 23 that he had been bedridden and critically ill for a year.
Those who aren't fight fans may...
Morrison won his one and only Wbo heavyweight title in 1993, when he beat George Foreman. He lost it three months later to Michael Bentt. Morrison then tested positive for HIV shortly before a bout in 1996, which essentially ended his professional fighting career.
Years later, Morrison had two more matches, both of which he won by Tko. He claimed his HIV tests were actually false positives and was able to get licensed to fight in Arizona in 2007. It was reported August 23 that he had been bedridden and critically ill for a year.
Those who aren't fight fans may...
- 9/3/2013
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
Tommy Morrison, the former heavyweight champion who stood toe-to-toe with Lennox Lewis and George Foreman and later tested positive for HIV, died Monday. He was 44.
Morrison died Sunday night at a Nebraska hospital, said Tony Holden, his longtime promoter and close friend. The family would not disclose the cause of death.
In 1993, Morrison beat Foreman to win the Wbo heavyweight title, only to lose it to unheralded Michael Bentt in a defeat that scuttled a showdown with Lewis. Morrison would fight Lewis a couple of years later, getting knocked out in the sixth round in Atlantic City, N.J.
Morrison,...
Morrison died Sunday night at a Nebraska hospital, said Tony Holden, his longtime promoter and close friend. The family would not disclose the cause of death.
In 1993, Morrison beat Foreman to win the Wbo heavyweight title, only to lose it to unheralded Michael Bentt in a defeat that scuttled a showdown with Lewis. Morrison would fight Lewis a couple of years later, getting knocked out in the sixth round in Atlantic City, N.J.
Morrison,...
- 9/2/2013
- by Associated Press
- EW - Inside Movies
Tommy Morrison, the former heavyweight champion who stood toe-to-toe with Lennox Lewis and George Foreman and later tested positive for HIV, died Monday. He was 44. Morrison died Sunday night at a Nebraska hospital, said Tony Holden, his longtime promoter and close friend. The family would not disclose the cause of death. In 1993, Morrison beat Foreman to win the Wbo heavyweight title, only to lose it to unheralded Michael Bentt in a defeat that scuttled a showdown with Lewis. Morrison would fight Lewis a couple of years later, getting knocked out in the sixth round in Atlantic City, N.J. Morrison,...
- 9/2/2013
- by Associated Press
- PEOPLE.com
New York — Jazz composer Terence Blanchard couldn't have imagined how timely his opera about a gay boxer would become when he accepted a commission three years ago.
Blanchard's "Champion" – with a libretto by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Michael Cristofer – is based on the life of former world welterweight and middleweight champion Emile Griffith. Its world premiere at the Opera Theatre of St. Louis on Saturday comes just weeks after NBA center Jason Collins became the first active male pro athlete from one of the four major North American team sports to come out as gay.
Griffith's greatest triumph came in a nationally televised welterweight title bout in 1962 when he knocked out Benny "The Kid" Paret by battering him with 17 punches in seven seconds, sending his rival into a coma. Paret died 10 days later.
At the weigh-in, the Cuban-born Paret had angered Griffith by using an anti-gay Spanish slur. Thirty years later,...
Blanchard's "Champion" – with a libretto by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Michael Cristofer – is based on the life of former world welterweight and middleweight champion Emile Griffith. Its world premiere at the Opera Theatre of St. Louis on Saturday comes just weeks after NBA center Jason Collins became the first active male pro athlete from one of the four major North American team sports to come out as gay.
Griffith's greatest triumph came in a nationally televised welterweight title bout in 1962 when he knocked out Benny "The Kid" Paret by battering him with 17 punches in seven seconds, sending his rival into a coma. Paret died 10 days later.
At the weigh-in, the Cuban-born Paret had angered Griffith by using an anti-gay Spanish slur. Thirty years later,...
- 6/13/2013
- by AP
- Huffington Post
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