Obviously it wasn’t by design, but the early-1950s renewal of the western genre, aided in large part by the success of Winchester ’73, which heralded a career second act for both its director, Anthony Mann, and its star, James Stewart, was answered in other quarters of the industry by multiple endeavors to take the once disreputable genre, previously dismissed as Roy Rogers/Saturday-matinee bunkum, all the way into the hallowed halls of state-sanctioned, capital-a art. And, as it happened, the two westerns that made a big runner-up showing at the 1952 and 1953 Oscars, High Noon and Shane, respectively, also served, by virtue of holding what wide swaths of the future cinephile demographic would come to view as Vichy letters of transit, as high-value targets for skeptics of the official cultural narrative.
These auteurist critics and film buffs, whose philosophy acquired definite contours some 10-odd years later, observed a different watershed moment: Rio Bravo.
These auteurist critics and film buffs, whose philosophy acquired definite contours some 10-odd years later, observed a different watershed moment: Rio Bravo.
- 5/3/2024
- by Jaime N. Christley
- Slant Magazine
Everyone remembers their first time. That is the first time they saw Marlon Brando.
For the late Mike Nichols, seeing Brando on Broadway in 1947 in his seminal turn as Stanley Kowalski in Tennessee Williams‘ “A Streetcar Named Desire,” was the catalyst that lead to his career in the arts which saw him become a rare Egot winner. The teenage Nichols and his then girlfriend’s mother were given tickets for the second night of the Elia Kazan-directed production. “There had never been anything like it, I know that by now,” Nichols recalled in a 2010 L.A. Times interview. It was, to this day, the only thing onstage that I had ever seen that was 100% real and 100% poetic. Lucy and I weren’t exactly theater buffs, but we couldn’t get up at the intermission. We were just so stunned. Your heart was pounding. It was a major experience.”
Susan L.
For the late Mike Nichols, seeing Brando on Broadway in 1947 in his seminal turn as Stanley Kowalski in Tennessee Williams‘ “A Streetcar Named Desire,” was the catalyst that lead to his career in the arts which saw him become a rare Egot winner. The teenage Nichols and his then girlfriend’s mother were given tickets for the second night of the Elia Kazan-directed production. “There had never been anything like it, I know that by now,” Nichols recalled in a 2010 L.A. Times interview. It was, to this day, the only thing onstage that I had ever seen that was 100% real and 100% poetic. Lucy and I weren’t exactly theater buffs, but we couldn’t get up at the intermission. We were just so stunned. Your heart was pounding. It was a major experience.”
Susan L.
- 4/2/2024
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Synopsis
Black Hawk Down
From acclaimed director Ridley Scott (The Martian) and renowned producer Jerry Bruckheimer (Pearl Harbor) comes the gripping true story about bravery, camaraderie, and the complex reality of war.
Black Hawk Down stars an exceptional cast including Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor, and Eric Bana. In 1993, an elite group of American Rangers and Delta Force soldiers are sent to Somalia on a critical mission to capture a violent warlord whose corrupt regime has led to the starvation of hundreds of thousands of Somalis. When the mission goes quickly and terribly wrong, the men find themselves outnumbered and literally fighting for their lives.
The Guns Of Navarone
Academy Award®-winners Gregory Peck, David Niven, and Anthony Quinn star as a team of Allied military specialists recruited for a dangerous but imperative mission: to infiltrate a Nazi-occupied fortress and disable two long-range field guns so that 2,000 trapped British soldiers may be rescued.
Black Hawk Down
From acclaimed director Ridley Scott (The Martian) and renowned producer Jerry Bruckheimer (Pearl Harbor) comes the gripping true story about bravery, camaraderie, and the complex reality of war.
Black Hawk Down stars an exceptional cast including Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor, and Eric Bana. In 1993, an elite group of American Rangers and Delta Force soldiers are sent to Somalia on a critical mission to capture a violent warlord whose corrupt regime has led to the starvation of hundreds of thousands of Somalis. When the mission goes quickly and terribly wrong, the men find themselves outnumbered and literally fighting for their lives.
The Guns Of Navarone
Academy Award®-winners Gregory Peck, David Niven, and Anthony Quinn star as a team of Allied military specialists recruited for a dangerous but imperative mission: to infiltrate a Nazi-occupied fortress and disable two long-range field guns so that 2,000 trapped British soldiers may be rescued.
- 9/17/2023
- by ComicMix Staff
- Comicmix.com
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“All of us labor in webs spun long before we were born,” William Faulkner wrote in “Requiem for a Nun.” As we’ve seen with the WGA strike, Hollywood’s past issues with labor often seem like a familiar tangle. An ongoing exhibit at the Skirball Center in Los Angeles about the Hollywood blacklist of the 1950s is making those attending since the writers’ strike began see the dispute in a new — and yet familiar — light.
The writers’ battle with studios is primarily economic, while the blacklist dealt with Cold War politics. But Skirball Center curator Cate Thurston, who put together the current exhibition “Blacklist: The Hollywood Red Scare,” sees similarities between then and now — chiefly in the idea that studios and writers are pitted against each other by external forces...
“All of us labor in webs spun long before we were born,” William Faulkner wrote in “Requiem for a Nun.” As we’ve seen with the WGA strike, Hollywood’s past issues with labor often seem like a familiar tangle. An ongoing exhibit at the Skirball Center in Los Angeles about the Hollywood blacklist of the 1950s is making those attending since the writers’ strike began see the dispute in a new — and yet familiar — light.
The writers’ battle with studios is primarily economic, while the blacklist dealt with Cold War politics. But Skirball Center curator Cate Thurston, who put together the current exhibition “Blacklist: The Hollywood Red Scare,” sees similarities between then and now — chiefly in the idea that studios and writers are pitted against each other by external forces...
- 6/30/2023
- by Kristen Lopez
- The Wrap
“I never set out to play the hero, but since I’m usually cast as one I want to be the best paid hero.”
That’s what Sean Connery said at a moment when he was re-negotiating his James Bond deal. As a serious actor, Connery admitted he never understood what traits audiences wanted from their movie heroes and his confusion would be shared by studio mavens today.
Related Story Peter Bart: Quentin Tarantino’s Movie About A Film Critic May Be A Parting Shot To A Fading Species Related Story Keanu Reeves "Stripped" 'John Wick: Chapter 4' Of Dialogue So That He Only Says 380 Words In Nearly Three Hours Related Story How Did 'John Wick: Chapter 4' Day & Date Theatrical Release With Russia Surface Amid Studios' Boycott?
Even long-in-the-tooth leading men can find a second wind.
Keanu Reeves is drawing record box office in John Wick: Chapter 4,...
That’s what Sean Connery said at a moment when he was re-negotiating his James Bond deal. As a serious actor, Connery admitted he never understood what traits audiences wanted from their movie heroes and his confusion would be shared by studio mavens today.
Related Story Peter Bart: Quentin Tarantino’s Movie About A Film Critic May Be A Parting Shot To A Fading Species Related Story Keanu Reeves "Stripped" 'John Wick: Chapter 4' Of Dialogue So That He Only Says 380 Words In Nearly Three Hours Related Story How Did 'John Wick: Chapter 4' Day & Date Theatrical Release With Russia Surface Amid Studios' Boycott?
Even long-in-the-tooth leading men can find a second wind.
Keanu Reeves is drawing record box office in John Wick: Chapter 4,...
- 3/30/2023
- by Peter Bart
- Deadline Film + TV
Movie star John Wayne once expressed his positive thoughts toward Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Winston Churchill. He was known to be politically vocal, unafraid to express his support or disapproval of politicians. Here’s a look at why Wayne thought Churchill was the “most terrific fella of our century.”
John Wayne was vocally anti-communist John Wayne | Martin Mills/Getty Images
Wayne was closely associated with his conservative Republican views. However, he didn’t always think that he aligned with the political party. In fact, Wayne considered himself a liberal before the world reminded him that he held very traditionalist, conservative views.
The Oscar-winning actor frequently expressed anti-communist statements, leaning back on his “super patriot” image. Wayne despised Hollywood figures behind the scenes who infused communist messaging in their filmmaking. High Noon screenwriter Carl Foreman was one of the folks at the top of the list, which largely...
John Wayne was vocally anti-communist John Wayne | Martin Mills/Getty Images
Wayne was closely associated with his conservative Republican views. However, he didn’t always think that he aligned with the political party. In fact, Wayne considered himself a liberal before the world reminded him that he held very traditionalist, conservative views.
The Oscar-winning actor frequently expressed anti-communist statements, leaning back on his “super patriot” image. Wayne despised Hollywood figures behind the scenes who infused communist messaging in their filmmaking. High Noon screenwriter Carl Foreman was one of the folks at the top of the list, which largely...
- 3/13/2023
- by Jeff Nelson
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Movie star John Wayne took his career very seriously. He starred in a wide assortment of Western and war movies, but they weren’t all winners. Wayne wasn’t afraid to admit when a movie role wasn’t the right one for him. However, he always took it personally when a bad one came across his desk. It once went so far that he threatened to fire his agent when he read a script that he found offensive. Nevertheless, it went on to win big at the Academy Awards.
John Wayne wanted to play strong movie roles John Wayne | Rdb/ullstein bild via Getty Images
Wayne made his first box-office disaster with 1930’s The Big Trail, which was directed by Raoul Walsh. He didn’t get the opportunity to explode into stardom until 1939’s Stagecoach, which was his first leading collaboration with his mentor, John Ford. The movie star had...
John Wayne wanted to play strong movie roles John Wayne | Rdb/ullstein bild via Getty Images
Wayne made his first box-office disaster with 1930’s The Big Trail, which was directed by Raoul Walsh. He didn’t get the opportunity to explode into stardom until 1939’s Stagecoach, which was his first leading collaboration with his mentor, John Ford. The movie star had...
- 3/9/2023
- by Jeff Nelson
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
1957's "The Bridge on the River Kwai" marked one of the finest achievements in Hollywood history by presenting both a taut, suspenseful World War II story and a tale of psychological degradation under the oppressive weight of a P.O.W. camp. Director David Lean's masterful command of pace and tone is assisted by nuanced and engaging performances from Sir Alec Guinness, William Holden, and Sessue Hayakawa. And the screenplay, based on the novel by Pierre Boulle, is beautifully structured, building to an explosive climax that's almost secondary to the implosion that's been carefully developed across the whole movie.
The screenplay was credited to Boulle, and he won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. While he wrote the source material, the screenplay actually came entirely from other writers, who were kept under wraps. Between Boulle, Lean, and producer Sam Spiegel, many people officially involved with the movie would take some credit for the work.
The screenplay was credited to Boulle, and he won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. While he wrote the source material, the screenplay actually came entirely from other writers, who were kept under wraps. Between Boulle, Lean, and producer Sam Spiegel, many people officially involved with the movie would take some credit for the work.
- 12/23/2022
- by Anthony Crislip
- Slash Film
In the highly unlikely event that you become a major Hollywood player (if that even means anything anymore), keep this in mind: net points are for saps. Studio accounting is basically rigged to ensure that blockbusters almost never turn a significant profit. This is because lowly creatives like screenwriters and the authors who wrote the material on which the movie is based would have to get paid, which is anathema to executives.
If you want to get seriously wealthy in the film biz, get your agent to negotiate for gross points. Get that first-dollar windfall before exhibitors and what-have-you get their cut. That's funny money. And that gravy train got chugging down the track but good in 1957 when William Holden and his representation recognized his value to David Lean's big-screen adaptation of Pierre Boulle's World War II novel "The Bridge on the River Kwai."
Holden Has Columbia Over...
If you want to get seriously wealthy in the film biz, get your agent to negotiate for gross points. Get that first-dollar windfall before exhibitors and what-have-you get their cut. That's funny money. And that gravy train got chugging down the track but good in 1957 when William Holden and his representation recognized his value to David Lean's big-screen adaptation of Pierre Boulle's World War II novel "The Bridge on the River Kwai."
Holden Has Columbia Over...
- 11/27/2022
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
So much classic Western iconography comes directly from the images of Fred Zinneman's 1952 film "High Noon." The ticking clocks awaiting the arrival of a dangerous train, the lone figures in a dusty town square, and Gary Cooper's sweaty, sickly close-ups are unforgettable. His desperate, acclaimed performance in the movie effectively resurrected a floundering career.
His appeal, one of ordinary heroism, was frequently wasted on movies that didn't know how to use him. Like many actors whose rise to fame preceded World War II, he struggled with changing audience expectations – there was little room anymore for the optimism of Frank Capra's "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town" or the tough patriotism of Howard Hawks' "Sergeant York," the latter of which proved enormously influential for Clint Eastwood.
He was in high-profile flops like the Ayn Rand-scripted 1949 adaptation of her own novel "The Fountainhead," an ultimately dramatically inert film that demonstrated his limitations.
His appeal, one of ordinary heroism, was frequently wasted on movies that didn't know how to use him. Like many actors whose rise to fame preceded World War II, he struggled with changing audience expectations – there was little room anymore for the optimism of Frank Capra's "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town" or the tough patriotism of Howard Hawks' "Sergeant York," the latter of which proved enormously influential for Clint Eastwood.
He was in high-profile flops like the Ayn Rand-scripted 1949 adaptation of her own novel "The Fountainhead," an ultimately dramatically inert film that demonstrated his limitations.
- 11/14/2022
- by Anthony Crislip
- Slash Film
Among the classic westerns of the Golden Age of Hollywood, "High Noon" stands tall in its simplicity. Aging marshal Will Kane (Gary Cooper) has retired, ready to start afresh with his new bride, played by Grace Kelly in her breakthrough role. Before he has had a chance to say his goodbyes and leave town, word arrives that an outlaw he sent to prison is coming in on the noon train with his gang, seeking revenge. His sense of duty and pride won't let him run scared, even though it's not his job anymore, and he tries to raise a posse to confront the bad guys. However, no one is prepared to stick their neck out, apart from the town drunk and a kid who admires Kane. He refuses their assistance and has no choice but to stride out to face the killers alone.
Told almost in real-time, Fred Zinneman's celebrated...
Told almost in real-time, Fred Zinneman's celebrated...
- 10/18/2022
- by Lee Adams
- Slash Film
A certified classic Western was born totally out of spite. "Rio Bravo" was spearheaded by two of the biggest names in Old Hollywood — the on-screen cowboy John Wayne and the multi-faceted director Howard Hawks. The 1959 film was a direct response to a Western released seven years prior, "High Noon." Hawks took issue with the characters, while Wayne had moral scruples. Their opposition to the Academy Award-winning film inspired them to make another unforgettable entry into studio era cinema.
"High Noon" stars Gary Cooper as a town marshal whose retirement plans are interrupted by a newly released convict returning to claim his revenge. When the marshal asks the townspeople for help, they all turn their backs on him. His own wife even encourages him to run away because of her pacifist Quaker beliefs, and he must face his rival alone.
The film was made in response to McCarthyism, which was rising to popularity at the time.
"High Noon" stars Gary Cooper as a town marshal whose retirement plans are interrupted by a newly released convict returning to claim his revenge. When the marshal asks the townspeople for help, they all turn their backs on him. His own wife even encourages him to run away because of her pacifist Quaker beliefs, and he must face his rival alone.
The film was made in response to McCarthyism, which was rising to popularity at the time.
- 10/12/2022
- by Shae Sennett
- Slash Film
What do “Some Like It Hot,” “High Noon,” “The Devil Wears Prada,” “Dog Day Afternoon” and “Almost Famous” have in common? These popular and beloved films are making their long and winding road to the stage.
Since Disney asked Julie Taymor to find a way to bring Simba to Broadway, virtually every studio has been going through its archives to see what might transfer from screen to stage. (The opposite had been the traditional course of events.) Disney’s catalog of animated hits, alongside franchise spinoffs like “Wicked” and “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” attract a built-in family crowd. But the scorecard on many recent adaptations has been mixed: “Mrs. Doubtfire,” “Tootsie,” “Pretty Woman” and even Billy Crystal’s “Mr. Saturday Night” — which closes Sept. 4 after a five-month run — are a few that came and went.
This fall will see musicals based on Cameron Crowe’s “Almost Famous,” with music by Tom Kitt,...
Since Disney asked Julie Taymor to find a way to bring Simba to Broadway, virtually every studio has been going through its archives to see what might transfer from screen to stage. (The opposite had been the traditional course of events.) Disney’s catalog of animated hits, alongside franchise spinoffs like “Wicked” and “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” attract a built-in family crowd. But the scorecard on many recent adaptations has been mixed: “Mrs. Doubtfire,” “Tootsie,” “Pretty Woman” and even Billy Crystal’s “Mr. Saturday Night” — which closes Sept. 4 after a five-month run — are a few that came and went.
This fall will see musicals based on Cameron Crowe’s “Almost Famous,” with music by Tom Kitt,...
- 8/25/2022
- by Michele Willens
- The Wrap
Exclusive Interview: Broadway will get a Western play for the first time in decades next year when High Noon, a world premiere stage adaptation by Forrest Gump scribe Eric Roth of the Stanley Kramer-produced 1952 film classic, arrives on the New York stage.
Michael Arden, whose Once On This Island won the Tony Award for Best Musical Revival in 2018, will direct.
“It’s an Everest challenge to translate to the stage,” said Paula Wagner, who will produce with Hunter Arnold, in an exclusive interview with Deadline. “But if anyone can do it, it’s Eric Roth and our director Michael Arden.”
Roth, who has been nominated for six Academy Awards for Best Adapted Screenplay will make his Broadway debut with High Noon. The adaptation will unfold in real time over the course of its two-hour running time,...
Michael Arden, whose Once On This Island won the Tony Award for Best Musical Revival in 2018, will direct.
“It’s an Everest challenge to translate to the stage,” said Paula Wagner, who will produce with Hunter Arnold, in an exclusive interview with Deadline. “But if anyone can do it, it’s Eric Roth and our director Michael Arden.”
Roth, who has been nominated for six Academy Awards for Best Adapted Screenplay will make his Broadway debut with High Noon. The adaptation will unfold in real time over the course of its two-hour running time,...
- 7/27/2022
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Post-slap, Will Smith has been banned from attending the Oscars ceremony along with other Academy events for 10 years. The Academy’s Board of Governors met April 8, to finalize their response to Smith’s physical attack on presenter Chris Rock on stage during the March 25 awards show.
Smith previously tendered his resignation from the Academy. Speculation swirled that his Best Actor Oscar could be rescinded or he might be declared ineligible for future nomination, but here’s why both of those outcomes were unlikely.
The sole precedent for overturning a win came in 1969, when feature documentary “The Young Americans” was found to be ineligible due to its release date. In that case, runner-up “Journey Into Self” received the statuette and the original one was returned.
There is a more significant precedent for barring someone from nomination in an otherwise eligible film, but it was an ugly chapter of Academy history that,...
Smith previously tendered his resignation from the Academy. Speculation swirled that his Best Actor Oscar could be rescinded or he might be declared ineligible for future nomination, but here’s why both of those outcomes were unlikely.
The sole precedent for overturning a win came in 1969, when feature documentary “The Young Americans” was found to be ineligible due to its release date. In that case, runner-up “Journey Into Self” received the statuette and the original one was returned.
There is a more significant precedent for barring someone from nomination in an otherwise eligible film, but it was an ugly chapter of Academy history that,...
- 4/8/2022
- by Tom Brueggemann
- Indiewire
In the postwar turf fight between the motion picture industry and the television networks, the first telecast of an Academy Awards ceremony by NBC on March 19, 1953 marked the beginning of grudging truce: The movies would use TV to lure audiences back into theaters and TV would use the movies to sell television.
As usual, a lot of the action took place off (either) screen. In addition to the film-v.-TV storyline and the backstage machinations to win the gold-plated statue (by now universally known as Oscar, though still a name that required quotation marks, at least according to the grammar police at the New York Times), a political undercurrent rumbled beneath the hooray-for-Hollywood festivities. The showdown was not just, or maybe mostly, between calibrations of film artistry but, in the case of two of the five best picture nominees, between gradations of ideological correctness.
Three of the candidates bore no...
As usual, a lot of the action took place off (either) screen. In addition to the film-v.-TV storyline and the backstage machinations to win the gold-plated statue (by now universally known as Oscar, though still a name that required quotation marks, at least according to the grammar police at the New York Times), a political undercurrent rumbled beneath the hooray-for-Hollywood festivities. The showdown was not just, or maybe mostly, between calibrations of film artistry but, in the case of two of the five best picture nominees, between gradations of ideological correctness.
Three of the candidates bore no...
- 3/26/2022
- by Thomas Doherty
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The films in contention for the 2022 Best Original Screenplay Oscar are “Belfast,” “Don’t Look Up,” “King Richard,” “Licorice Pizza,” and “The Worst Person in the World.” Our odds currently indicate that “Licorice Pizza” (10/3) will take the prize, followed in order of likelihood by “Belfast” (18/5), “Don’t Look Up” (9/2), “King Richard” (9/2), and “The Worst Person in the World” (9/2).
For the fifth time in eight years, multiple original writing nominees – namely, Paul Thomas Anderson (“Licorice Pizza”) and Kenneth Branagh (“Belfast”) – also picked up bids for directing and producing their films. Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay are now the sixth and seventh unique categories that Branagh has earned notices in after Best Actor, Best Director (“Henry V” and “Belfast”), Best Live Action Short, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor.
Anderson was previously recognized here for his “Boogie Nights” (1998) and “Magnolia” (2000) scripts. The 22-year gap between his “Magnolia” and “Licorice Pizza” nominations is...
For the fifth time in eight years, multiple original writing nominees – namely, Paul Thomas Anderson (“Licorice Pizza”) and Kenneth Branagh (“Belfast”) – also picked up bids for directing and producing their films. Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay are now the sixth and seventh unique categories that Branagh has earned notices in after Best Actor, Best Director (“Henry V” and “Belfast”), Best Live Action Short, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor.
Anderson was previously recognized here for his “Boogie Nights” (1998) and “Magnolia” (2000) scripts. The 22-year gap between his “Magnolia” and “Licorice Pizza” nominations is...
- 3/25/2022
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
"The Bridge on the River Kwai" is one of the great prisoners of war films, balancing contemplative moments with heart-pumping action and intrigue. The film compares and contrasts the honor systems of clashing, warring cultures, focusing on individual interactions between POWs and their captors during the notorious Siam-Burma railway project. Unfortunately, the real-life forced labor that constructed the Burma railway was a hopeless and brutal death sentence that didn't allow much time for self-reflection.
Directed by David Lean and scripted by blacklisted writers Carl Foreman and Michael Wilson, "The Bridge on the River Kwai" is based on a novel written by French author,...
The post The Tragic Real-Life Story That Inspired Bridge on The River Kwai appeared first on /Film.
Directed by David Lean and scripted by blacklisted writers Carl Foreman and Michael Wilson, "The Bridge on the River Kwai" is based on a novel written by French author,...
The post The Tragic Real-Life Story That Inspired Bridge on The River Kwai appeared first on /Film.
- 3/24/2022
- by Andrew Housman
- Slash Film
The production of David Lean's "The Bridge on the River Kwai" is as fascinating a tale as the film itself -- no small feat considering "Bridge" won Best Picture at the 30th Academy Awards. For one, the film's credited writer was Pierre Boulle, author of the film's literary source material. In truth, however, Boulle did not speak English and the true scribes were blacklisted screenwriters Carl Foreman and Michael Wilson; their contributions were secret and only acknowledged decades later. The film also had a difficult time securing the actor for its lead role, Colonel Nicholson. The character was ultimately played by Alec Guinness...
The post Why Alec Guinness Almost Refused to Star In The Bridge On The River Kwai appeared first on /Film.
The post Why Alec Guinness Almost Refused to Star In The Bridge On The River Kwai appeared first on /Film.
- 3/1/2022
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
The director of Over The Edge and The Accused takes us on a journey through some of his favorite movies.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
The Student Teachers (1973)
Night Call Nurses (1972)
White Line Fever (1975)
Truck Turner (1974)
Heart Like A Wheel (1983)
The Accused (1988)
Over The Edge (1979)
Modern Times (1936)
City Lights (1931)
Manhattan (1979)
Some Like It Hot (1959)
The Apartment (1960)
North By Northwest (1959)
Moon Pilot (1962)
Mr. Billion (1977)
White Heat (1949)
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
The Three Musketeers (1973)
The Four Musketeers (1974)
Superman (1978)
Superman II (1980)
The Three Musketeers (1948)
Shane (1953)
The 400 Blows (1959)
8 ½ (1963)
Fellini Satyricon (1969)
Richard (1972)
Millhouse (1971)
The Projectionist (1970)
El Dorado (1966)
The Shootist (1976)
Woodstock (1970)
Payback (1999)
A Hard Day’s Night (1964)
The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962)
Billy Liar (1963)
Ford Vs Ferrari (2019)
The Wild Bunch (1969)
The Ballad of Cable Hogue (1970)
Bad Girls (1994)
Masters of the Universe (1987)
Giant (1956)
The More The Merrier (1943)
The Graduate (1967)
The Victors (1963)
…And Justice For All (1979)
Citizen Kane (1941)
An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
The Student Teachers (1973)
Night Call Nurses (1972)
White Line Fever (1975)
Truck Turner (1974)
Heart Like A Wheel (1983)
The Accused (1988)
Over The Edge (1979)
Modern Times (1936)
City Lights (1931)
Manhattan (1979)
Some Like It Hot (1959)
The Apartment (1960)
North By Northwest (1959)
Moon Pilot (1962)
Mr. Billion (1977)
White Heat (1949)
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
The Three Musketeers (1973)
The Four Musketeers (1974)
Superman (1978)
Superman II (1980)
The Three Musketeers (1948)
Shane (1953)
The 400 Blows (1959)
8 ½ (1963)
Fellini Satyricon (1969)
Richard (1972)
Millhouse (1971)
The Projectionist (1970)
El Dorado (1966)
The Shootist (1976)
Woodstock (1970)
Payback (1999)
A Hard Day’s Night (1964)
The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962)
Billy Liar (1963)
Ford Vs Ferrari (2019)
The Wild Bunch (1969)
The Ballad of Cable Hogue (1970)
Bad Girls (1994)
Masters of the Universe (1987)
Giant (1956)
The More The Merrier (1943)
The Graduate (1967)
The Victors (1963)
…And Justice For All (1979)
Citizen Kane (1941)
An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn...
- 7/7/2020
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
Epics — everybody wants to make them but the studios are naturally wary. Richard Attenborough’s ode to the youthful ambitions of Sir Winston Churchill was a big hit in England but didn’t make a dent here. Although a dead ringer for the young Winston, Simon Ward didn’t take off as a star either, leaving Anne Bancroft and Robert Shaw in a sidebar drama that will mostly be remembered for an Std. Correspondent-soldier Churchill sees action in India, The Sudan and South Africa, thanks to the intervention of his socially adept mother. It’s a beautiful, ‘safe’ production with plenty of national pride. Its American premiere served as the Grand opening screening for the second Filmex film festival.
Young Winston
Blu-ray
Powerhouse Indicator
1972 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 154 min. / Street Date October 28, 2019 / available from Powerhouse Films UK / £15.99
Starring: Simon Ward, Robert Shaw, Anne Bancroft, Jack Hawkins, Patrick Magee, Edward Woodward, John Mills,...
Young Winston
Blu-ray
Powerhouse Indicator
1972 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 154 min. / Street Date October 28, 2019 / available from Powerhouse Films UK / £15.99
Starring: Simon Ward, Robert Shaw, Anne Bancroft, Jack Hawkins, Patrick Magee, Edward Woodward, John Mills,...
- 1/11/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
BAFTA has revealed the shortlisted films in the Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director, or Producer category. Lauded documentary For Sama and gang drama Blue Story make the cut. Scroll down for the full list.
The award was previously known as the Carl Foreman Award for Special Achievement by a British Writer, Director or Producer in their First Feature Film. The winners is chosen by a jury.
The shortlist for the two other BAFTA jury categories – British Short Film and British Short Animation – will be announced tomorrow.
Marc Samuelson, Chair of BAFTA’s Film Committee said, “New talent is the lifeblood of the British film industry. This shortlist of ten films shines a light on a diverse group of talented debut British filmmakers who demonstrate that the future of British film is in good hands.”
Nominations for all categories will be announced on Tuesday 7, January 2020, with the Ee Rising...
The award was previously known as the Carl Foreman Award for Special Achievement by a British Writer, Director or Producer in their First Feature Film. The winners is chosen by a jury.
The shortlist for the two other BAFTA jury categories – British Short Film and British Short Animation – will be announced tomorrow.
Marc Samuelson, Chair of BAFTA’s Film Committee said, “New talent is the lifeblood of the British film industry. This shortlist of ten films shines a light on a diverse group of talented debut British filmmakers who demonstrate that the future of British film is in good hands.”
Nominations for all categories will be announced on Tuesday 7, January 2020, with the Ee Rising...
- 12/9/2019
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
‘Mission impossible’ escapism about high-stakes wartime sabotage looks at an authentic, dramatic episode of WW2 — the onslaught of futuristic V-Weapons on London — and then veers into fictional fantasy (think big explosions). George Peppard toughs it out to get free of his MGM contract. Lili Palmer and Barbara Rütting do the heavy lifting, while Sophia Loren is in as a glamorous sidebar. Weirdly, the movie all but lionizes the Germans that develop, test and fire the V-Weapon rockets at England … exaggerating their scientific progress and giving them a strange kind of ‘Right Stuff.’
Operation Crossbow
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1965 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 116 min. / Street Date November 12, 2019 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Sophia Loren, George Peppard, Trevor Howard, John Mills, Richard Johnson, Tom Courtenay, Jeremy Kemp, Anthony Quayle, Lilli Palmer, Barbara Rütting (Rueting), Paul Henreid, Helmut Dantine, Richard Todd, Sylvia Sims, John Fraser, Maurice Denham, Patrick Wymark, Richard Wattis, Allan Cuthbertson, Karel Stepanek,...
Operation Crossbow
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1965 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 116 min. / Street Date November 12, 2019 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Sophia Loren, George Peppard, Trevor Howard, John Mills, Richard Johnson, Tom Courtenay, Jeremy Kemp, Anthony Quayle, Lilli Palmer, Barbara Rütting (Rueting), Paul Henreid, Helmut Dantine, Richard Todd, Sylvia Sims, John Fraser, Maurice Denham, Patrick Wymark, Richard Wattis, Allan Cuthbertson, Karel Stepanek,...
- 11/5/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
This story originally appeared in the May 13, 1971 issue of Rolling Stone with Peter Fonda on the cover
Scene 1—’The Young Lovers’ (1964—produced and directed by Sam Goldwyn Jr.; Peter’s first film on a bike; he gets a coed pregnant; “mildly touching but without any great insight into the prob-lems of today’s youth.”)
It started out as simple as this: I wanted to take a vacation. No sooner had I arrived in Lahaina, Maui — Hawaii’s first capital and former whaling center (see Michener’s Hawaii) — than I wandered...
Scene 1—’The Young Lovers’ (1964—produced and directed by Sam Goldwyn Jr.; Peter’s first film on a bike; he gets a coed pregnant; “mildly touching but without any great insight into the prob-lems of today’s youth.”)
It started out as simple as this: I wanted to take a vacation. No sooner had I arrived in Lahaina, Maui — Hawaii’s first capital and former whaling center (see Michener’s Hawaii) — than I wandered...
- 8/18/2019
- by Howard Junker
- Rollingstone.com
Tony Sokol Aug 16, 2019
Peter Fonda was a counterculture film icon who gave John Lennon a bad trip but a great song.
Actor and director Peter Fonda died of respiratory failure due to lung cancer at his Los Angeles home on Friday, Aug. 16, his manager, Alan Somers, announced via Variety. The Oscar-nominated screenwriter and star of Easy Rider was 79.
“It is with deep sorrow that we share the news that Peter Fonda has passed away at his home in Los Angeles surrounded by family,” the Fonda family said in a statement. “In one of the saddest moments of our lives, we are not able to find the appropriate words to express the pain in our hearts. And, while we mourn the loss of this sweet and gracious man, we also wish for all to celebrate his indomitable spirit and love of life. In honor of Peter, please raise a glass to freedom.
Peter Fonda was a counterculture film icon who gave John Lennon a bad trip but a great song.
Actor and director Peter Fonda died of respiratory failure due to lung cancer at his Los Angeles home on Friday, Aug. 16, his manager, Alan Somers, announced via Variety. The Oscar-nominated screenwriter and star of Easy Rider was 79.
“It is with deep sorrow that we share the news that Peter Fonda has passed away at his home in Los Angeles surrounded by family,” the Fonda family said in a statement. “In one of the saddest moments of our lives, we are not able to find the appropriate words to express the pain in our hearts. And, while we mourn the loss of this sweet and gracious man, we also wish for all to celebrate his indomitable spirit and love of life. In honor of Peter, please raise a glass to freedom.
- 8/17/2019
- Den of Geek
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, probably best known for handing out Oscars each year, isn’t the only organization known for a major show business award that threw a party this week at the Cannes Film Festival. Golden Globe givers the Hollywood Foreign Press Association does it every year, and were back here Sunday night for its annual bash at Nikki Beach off the Croisette.
In addition to drawing names like Helen Mirren, Robert Pattinson, Quentin Tarantino, Andie Macdowell, Cannes jury president Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and many more, the HFPA brought along a nice little check for half a million dollars for the efforts of Help Refugees. Each year the HFPA uses the worldwide spotlight of Cannes to shine a light on a group that is out doing good in the world and needs the attention. Joined by the socially conscious Participant Media (which again threw a...
In addition to drawing names like Helen Mirren, Robert Pattinson, Quentin Tarantino, Andie Macdowell, Cannes jury president Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and many more, the HFPA brought along a nice little check for half a million dollars for the efforts of Help Refugees. Each year the HFPA uses the worldwide spotlight of Cannes to shine a light on a group that is out doing good in the world and needs the attention. Joined by the socially conscious Participant Media (which again threw a...
- 5/20/2019
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
David Crow Feb 19, 2019
John Wayne also had a personal crusade against the screenwriter of the classic Western, High Noon.
Like many Americans, the image of John Wayne’s silhouette is etched into my subconscious. Having the good fortune to partner with one of the greatest directors of his day—and the greatest Western auteur, bar none—the Duke strikes an at once fierce and noble figure in John Ford’s very best films. With pictures like Stagecoach, The Quiet Man, and especially The Searchers in his canon, there is nothing more dignified than the man stretching his arm, an homage to his own Western idol Harry Carey Sr., standing in the doorway to the wilderness he can never abandon. Olive Carey, Harry’s widow, was not wrong in comparing him to a ballet legend when she said the Duke “has the grace of Nureyev,” which was relayed by film historian...
John Wayne also had a personal crusade against the screenwriter of the classic Western, High Noon.
Like many Americans, the image of John Wayne’s silhouette is etched into my subconscious. Having the good fortune to partner with one of the greatest directors of his day—and the greatest Western auteur, bar none—the Duke strikes an at once fierce and noble figure in John Ford’s very best films. With pictures like Stagecoach, The Quiet Man, and especially The Searchers in his canon, there is nothing more dignified than the man stretching his arm, an homage to his own Western idol Harry Carey Sr., standing in the doorway to the wilderness he can never abandon. Olive Carey, Harry’s widow, was not wrong in comparing him to a ballet legend when she said the Duke “has the grace of Nureyev,” which was relayed by film historian...
- 8/5/2018
- Den of Geek
Few latecomer ’60s spy movies were big successes. This amusing Brit effort sank without a trace, perhaps taking with it the career of the talented Tom Courtenay as a leading man. The comic tale pits an underachieving, cheeky London lad against an intelligence conspiracy that wouldn’t be doing anybody much harm — if they didn’t insist on murdering people.
Otley
Blu-ray
Powerhouse Indicator (UK)
1969 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 92 min. / Available at The Ph page / Street Date March 19, 2018 / £15.99
Starring: Tom Courtenay, Romy Schneider, Alan Badel, James Villiers, Leonard Rossiter, James Bolam, Fiona Lewis, Freddie Jones, James Cossins, James Maxwell, Edward Hardwicke, Ronald Lacey, Phyllida Law, Geoffrey Bayldon, Frank Middlemass.
Cinematography: Austin Dempster
Film Editor: Richard Best
Art Direction: Carmen Dillon
Original Music: Stanley Myers
Written by Dick Clement, Ian la Frenais from a book by Martin Waddell
Produced by Bruce Cohn Curtis, Carl Foreman
Directed by Dick Clement
The British film...
Otley
Blu-ray
Powerhouse Indicator (UK)
1969 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 92 min. / Available at The Ph page / Street Date March 19, 2018 / £15.99
Starring: Tom Courtenay, Romy Schneider, Alan Badel, James Villiers, Leonard Rossiter, James Bolam, Fiona Lewis, Freddie Jones, James Cossins, James Maxwell, Edward Hardwicke, Ronald Lacey, Phyllida Law, Geoffrey Bayldon, Frank Middlemass.
Cinematography: Austin Dempster
Film Editor: Richard Best
Art Direction: Carmen Dillon
Original Music: Stanley Myers
Written by Dick Clement, Ian la Frenais from a book by Martin Waddell
Produced by Bruce Cohn Curtis, Carl Foreman
Directed by Dick Clement
The British film...
- 3/24/2018
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Another release of the Kramer-Foreman-Zinnemann classic gives Savant another chance to make his argument that this supposedly 'liberal' movie is too confused to be anything but political quicksand -- if anything, its statement is bitterly hawkish. High Noon Blu-ray Olive Signature 1952 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 85 min. / Street Date September 20, 2016 / available through the Olive Films website / 39.95 Starring Gary Cooper, Thomas Mitchell, Grace Kelly, Katy Jurado, Lloyd Bridges, Lon Chaney Jr, Harry Morgan, Otto Kruger, Lee Van Cleef. Cinematography Floyd Crosby Production Designer Rudolph Sternad Film Editor Elmo Williams Original Music Dimitri Tiomkin Written by Carl Foreman Produced by Stanley Kramer Directed by Fred Zinnemann
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
This is my fourth time out with a review of High Noon, starting fourteen years ago with a pretty miserable Artisan DVD, then a Lionsgate 'ultimate edition,' followed by Olive Film's first, quite good Blu-ray. Olive now revisits the 1952 classic as...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
This is my fourth time out with a review of High Noon, starting fourteen years ago with a pretty miserable Artisan DVD, then a Lionsgate 'ultimate edition,' followed by Olive Film's first, quite good Blu-ray. Olive now revisits the 1952 classic as...
- 10/1/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Every week we dive into the cream of the crop when it comes to home releases, including Blu-ray and DVDs, as well as recommended deals of the week. Check out our rundown below and return every Tuesday for the best (or most interesting) films one can take home. Note that if you’re looking to support the site, every purchase you make through the links below helps us and is greatly appreciated.
Blood Simple (Joel and Ethan Coen)
For as accomplished as Joel and Ethan Coen’s debut Blood Simple comes across as to a viewer, like any director, they can’t help but recognize their flaws. That’s not to say their newly restored debut, now available on The Criterion Collection, doesn’t look and sound gorgeous — every bead of sweat dripping down M. Emmet Walsh’s face and every gun blow feels like you’re right there in...
Blood Simple (Joel and Ethan Coen)
For as accomplished as Joel and Ethan Coen’s debut Blood Simple comes across as to a viewer, like any director, they can’t help but recognize their flaws. That’s not to say their newly restored debut, now available on The Criterion Collection, doesn’t look and sound gorgeous — every bead of sweat dripping down M. Emmet Walsh’s face and every gun blow feels like you’re right there in...
- 9/20/2016
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
With Antoine Fuqua’s humdrum remake of The Magnificent Seven due for release next week and HBO preparing to debut its unnerving series-reimagining of Westworld next month, we can imagine that studio executives are busily scouring their dads’ DVD collections looking for the next big Western blockbuster. So, it should come as no surprise that Relativity Studios has picked up the rights to crank out an updated version of Fred Zinnemann’s 1952 award-winning High Noon, The Wrap reports.
The original film—about a small town sheriff (Gary Cooper) who is abandoned by the citizens he protects when a shiftless outlaw (Ian MacDonald) comes back looking for bloody vengeance—was widely seen as a statement on McCarthyism and the Hollywood blacklist from screenwriter Carl Foreman, who was later forced to seek work in Europe. The new version will reportedly take place in present day along the U.S.-Mexico border ...
The original film—about a small town sheriff (Gary Cooper) who is abandoned by the citizens he protects when a shiftless outlaw (Ian MacDonald) comes back looking for bloody vengeance—was widely seen as a statement on McCarthyism and the Hollywood blacklist from screenwriter Carl Foreman, who was later forced to seek work in Europe. The new version will reportedly take place in present day along the U.S.-Mexico border ...
- 9/16/2016
- by Dennis DiClaudio
- avclub.com
Do you love movies about cute animals? The original pet-lion-in-Africa romp is actually a well balanced nature film about the separation between wild animals and those raised by humans. Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers winningly play the Adamsons, game wardens that dedicate themselves to the well-being of Elsa, the lioness they raise from infancy. Born Free Blu-ray Twilight Time Limited Edition 1966 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 96 min. / Ship Date December 8, 2015 / available through Twilight Time Movies / 29.95 Starring Virginia McKenna, Bill Travers, Geoffrey Keen, Peter Lukoye, Omar Chambati Cinematography Kenneth Talbot Film Editor Don Decon Original Music John Barry Written by Lester Cole from the novel by Joy Adamson Produced by Sam Jaffe, Paul B. Radin Directed by James Hill
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Savant normally becomes sullen and anti-social around overly committed animal lovers, I suppose because I think the world gets a little out of balance when people seriously consider their domestic...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Savant normally becomes sullen and anti-social around overly committed animal lovers, I suppose because I think the world gets a little out of balance when people seriously consider their domestic...
- 1/1/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Highly respected producer worked on Joanna Hogg’s Archipelago and Sally El Hosaini’s My Brother the Devil.
British producer Gayle Griffiths has died following a battle with cancer. She was 49.
Griffiths, who died on Friday (Oct 23) in London, was perhaps best known for producing Joanna Hogg films Archipelago (2010) and Exhibition (2013), which both starred Tom Hiddleston, as well as urban drama My Brother The Devil (2012).
Sally El Hosani, director of My Brother The Devil, wrote on Facebook: “I can honestly say that the film wouldn’t have been what it was without her input and wisdom. She had real vision and believed in the film when many others in the industry didn’t. She was a fighter with a truly generous heart and empathy for the underdog.
“She was never one to make a fuss about her health and all through the filming of My Brother The Devil nobody would have guessed she was also having cancer...
British producer Gayle Griffiths has died following a battle with cancer. She was 49.
Griffiths, who died on Friday (Oct 23) in London, was perhaps best known for producing Joanna Hogg films Archipelago (2010) and Exhibition (2013), which both starred Tom Hiddleston, as well as urban drama My Brother The Devil (2012).
Sally El Hosani, director of My Brother The Devil, wrote on Facebook: “I can honestly say that the film wouldn’t have been what it was without her input and wisdom. She had real vision and believed in the film when many others in the industry didn’t. She was a fighter with a truly generous heart and empathy for the underdog.
“She was never one to make a fuss about her health and all through the filming of My Brother The Devil nobody would have guessed she was also having cancer...
- 10/27/2015
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
It's fitting that Clint Eastwood and John Wayne both have the same birthday week. (Wayne, who died in 1979, was born May 26, 1907, while Eastwood turns 85 on May 31). After all, these two all-American actors' careers span the history of that most American of movie genres, the western.
Both iconic actors were top box office draws for decades, both seldom stretched from their familiar personas, and both played macho, conservative cowboy heroes who let their firearms do most of the talking. Each represented one of two very different strains of western, the traditional and the revisionist.
As a birthday present to Hollywood's biggest heroes of the Wild West, here are the top 57 westerns you need to see.
57. 'Meek's Cutoff' (2010)
Indie filmmaker Kelly Reichardt and her frequent leading lady, Michelle Williams, are the talents behind this sparse, docudrama about an 1845 wagon train whose Oregon Trail journey goes horribly awry. It's an intense...
Both iconic actors were top box office draws for decades, both seldom stretched from their familiar personas, and both played macho, conservative cowboy heroes who let their firearms do most of the talking. Each represented one of two very different strains of western, the traditional and the revisionist.
As a birthday present to Hollywood's biggest heroes of the Wild West, here are the top 57 westerns you need to see.
57. 'Meek's Cutoff' (2010)
Indie filmmaker Kelly Reichardt and her frequent leading lady, Michelle Williams, are the talents behind this sparse, docudrama about an 1845 wagon train whose Oregon Trail journey goes horribly awry. It's an intense...
- 5/26/2015
- by Gary Susman
- Moviefone
By Alex Simon
There are few rituals in life more chaotic, confounding and magical than the wedding. Appropriately, marriages have provided the backdrop for many a story spun through the ages. Whether it’s sending out multitudes of wedding invitations, choosing the right dress, or whether to seat Aunt Mabel next to her second or fifth ex-husband at the reception, weddings both in life and on film are almost always guaranteed to bring forth a surge of emotions. Below are a few of our favorite cinematic nuptials:
1. The Searchers (1956)
John Ford’s western masterpiece is full of many iconic moments, not the least of which is one of the screen’s greatest knock-down, drag-out fights between Jeffrey Hunter and Ken Curtis for the hand of comely Vera Miles. Martin Scorsese loved this scene so much, he paid homage by having his characters watch it in Mean Streets (1973).
2. Rachel Getting Married...
There are few rituals in life more chaotic, confounding and magical than the wedding. Appropriately, marriages have provided the backdrop for many a story spun through the ages. Whether it’s sending out multitudes of wedding invitations, choosing the right dress, or whether to seat Aunt Mabel next to her second or fifth ex-husband at the reception, weddings both in life and on film are almost always guaranteed to bring forth a surge of emotions. Below are a few of our favorite cinematic nuptials:
1. The Searchers (1956)
John Ford’s western masterpiece is full of many iconic moments, not the least of which is one of the screen’s greatest knock-down, drag-out fights between Jeffrey Hunter and Ken Curtis for the hand of comely Vera Miles. Martin Scorsese loved this scene so much, he paid homage by having his characters watch it in Mean Streets (1973).
2. Rachel Getting Married...
- 5/19/2015
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
'A Hatful of Rain' with Lloyd Nolan, Anthony Franciosa and Don Murray 'A Hatful of Rain' script fails to find cinematic voice as most of the cast hams it up Based on a play by Michael V. Gazzo, A Hatful of Rain is an interesting attempt at injecting "adult" subject matters – in this case, the evils of drug addiction – into Hollywood movies. "Interesting," however, does not mean either successful or compelling. Despite real, unromantic New York City locations and Joseph MacDonald's beautifully realistic black-and-white camera work (and the pointless use of CinemaScope), this Fred Zinnemann-directed melodrama feels anachronistically stagy as a result of its artificial dialogue and the hammy theatricality of its performers – with Eva Marie Saint as the sole naturalistic exception. 'A Hatful of Rain' synopsis Somewhat revolutionary in its day (Otto Preminger's The Man with a Golden Arm,* also about drug addiction,...
- 5/11/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Eli Wallach and Anne Jackson on the Oscars' Red Carpet Eli Wallach and Anne Jackson at the Academy Awards Eli Wallach and wife Anne Jackson are seen above arriving at the 2011 Academy Awards ceremony, held on Sunday, Feb. 27, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. The 95-year-old Wallach had received an Honorary Oscar at the Governors Awards in November 2010. See also: "Doris Day Inexplicably Snubbed by Academy," "Maureen O'Hara Honorary Oscar," "Honorary Oscars: Mary Pickford, Greta Garbo Among Rare Women Recipients," and "Hayao Miyazaki Getting Honorary Oscar." Delayed film debut The Actors Studio-trained Eli Wallach was to have made his film debut in Fred Zinnemann's Academy Award-winning 1953 blockbuster From Here to Eternity. Ultimately, however, Frank Sinatra – then a has-been following a string of box office duds – was cast for a pittance, getting beaten to a pulp by a pre-stardom Ernest Borgnine. For his bloodied efforts, Sinatra went on...
- 4/24/2015
- by D. Zhea
- Alt Film Guide
Teresa Wright-Samuel Goldwyn association comes to a nasty end (See preceding post: "Teresa Wright in 'Shadow of a Doubt': Alfred Hitchcock Heroine in His Favorite Film.") Whether or not because she was aware that Enchantment wasn't going to be the hit she needed – or perhaps some other disagreement with Samuel Goldwyn or personal issue with husband Niven Busch – Teresa Wright, claiming illness, refused to go to New York City to promote the film. (Top image: Teresa Wright in a publicity shot for The Men.) Goldwyn had previously announced that Wright, whose contract still had another four and half years to run, was to star in a film version of J.D. Salinger's 1948 short story "Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut." Instead, he unceremoniously – and quite publicly – fired her.[1] The Goldwyn organization issued a statement, explaining that besides refusing the assignment to travel to New York to help generate pre-opening publicity for Enchantment,...
- 3/11/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Exclusive: Karen Kramer is going on the offensive again against Lionel Chetwynd, who again has called her late husband, legendary filmmaker and liberal icon Stanley Kramer, an “enabler” of the Hollywood blacklist. She has accused Chetwynd, a darling of Hollywood conservatives, of defaming her husband, who produced and directed such classics as High Noon, Inherit The Wind, Judgment At Nuremberg, On The Beach and Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner.
The blacklist, which ended some 55 years ago, is still a polarizing issue.
There is no doubt that blacklisted screenwriter Carl Foreman felt betrayed by Kramer in connection with the 1952 masterpiece High Noon. Foreman, who died in 1984 and was a longtime friend of Chetwynd’s, said as much in a lengthy letter to New York Times film critic Bosley Crowther after his glowing review of the film. Foreman never forgave Kramer for denying him associate producer credit on the film. Foreman...
The blacklist, which ended some 55 years ago, is still a polarizing issue.
There is no doubt that blacklisted screenwriter Carl Foreman felt betrayed by Kramer in connection with the 1952 masterpiece High Noon. Foreman, who died in 1984 and was a longtime friend of Chetwynd’s, said as much in a lengthy letter to New York Times film critic Bosley Crowther after his glowing review of the film. Foreman never forgave Kramer for denying him associate producer credit on the film. Foreman...
- 1/22/2015
- by David Robb
- Deadline
In The Theory of Everything, Eddie Redmayne plays Stephen Hawking, the brilliant British cosmologist stricken with Lou Gehrig’s disease, the motor-neurone disease that robbed him of his ability to speak on his own. The film follows Hawking from his academic days at Cambridge, where he met his first wife, Jane (Felicity Jones), through his history-making research that became increasing arduous as he became a prisoner of his own body. Since the film premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in September, Redmayne—best known for the role of the dashing Marius in Les Miserables—has rightfully been one of the...
- 11/8/2014
- by Jeff Labrecque
- EW.com - PopWatch
Belle director joins the high profile list of attendees for Screen’s upcoming annual Film Summit
Amma Asante, the director of acclaimed British costume drama Belle, is to give the opening keynote at the upcoming Screen Film Summit, which takes place at the BFI on December 1.
The BAFTA-award winning writer-director will discuss her career to date, breaking through as a new talent, the need for more diverse stories, challenges facing the UK industry and more.
Asante’s first feature, A Way Of Life, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and went on to win 17 international awards for writing and directing, including the BAFTA Carl Foreman Award for a debut film.
Her second feature, Belle, based on the true story of the illegitimate mixed race daughter of a Royal Navy Admiral, has just picked up two Bifa nominations for lead actress Gugu Mbatha-Raw.
Asante will join a raft of industry experts who will be talking about the...
Amma Asante, the director of acclaimed British costume drama Belle, is to give the opening keynote at the upcoming Screen Film Summit, which takes place at the BFI on December 1.
The BAFTA-award winning writer-director will discuss her career to date, breaking through as a new talent, the need for more diverse stories, challenges facing the UK industry and more.
Asante’s first feature, A Way Of Life, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and went on to win 17 international awards for writing and directing, including the BAFTA Carl Foreman Award for a debut film.
Her second feature, Belle, based on the true story of the illegitimate mixed race daughter of a Royal Navy Admiral, has just picked up two Bifa nominations for lead actress Gugu Mbatha-Raw.
Asante will join a raft of industry experts who will be talking about the...
- 11/6/2014
- by sarah.cooper@screendaily.com (Sarah Cooper)
- ScreenDaily
What do film directors Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick, Agnès Varda, Robert Wise, Fred Zinnemann, Luis Buñuel, Alain Resnais, Roman Polanski, Sidney Lumet, Robert Altman, Louis Malle, Richard Linklater, Tom Tykwer, Alexander Sokurov, Paul Greengrass, Song Il-Gon, Alfonso Cuarón, and Alejandro Iñárritu have in common? More specifically, what type of film have they directed, setting them apart from fewer than 50 of their filmmaking peers? Sorry, “comedy” or “drama” isn’t right. If you’ve looked at this article’s headline, you’ve probably already guessed that the answer is that they’ve all made “real-time” films, or films that seemed to take about as long as their running time.
The real-time film has long been a sub-genre without much critical attention, but the time of the real-time film has come. Cuarón’s Gravity (2013), which was shot and edited so as to seem like a real-time film, floated away with the most 2014 Oscars,...
The real-time film has long been a sub-genre without much critical attention, but the time of the real-time film has come. Cuarón’s Gravity (2013), which was shot and edited so as to seem like a real-time film, floated away with the most 2014 Oscars,...
- 10/18/2014
- by Daniel Smith-Rowsey
- SoundOnSight
I promise – it wasn’t my plan to have seven of the ten films on this portion of the list focus on World War II. But, if we look back at the biggest international conflicts of all time, World War II is the one that provides the most opportunity. It’s a chance for a number of different countries to look at the same war from different perspectives. In this portion alone, there’s a French film, a German film, a Hungarian film, a couple British/American films, and a few American films – all about varied aspects of World War II.
courtesy of fmvmagazine.com
40. The Killing Fields (1984)
Directed by: Roland Joffé
Conflict: Cambodian Civil War
For all the films made about World War II and larger scale conflicts, the few that depict smaller, more concentrated ones are sometimes more effective. Roland Joffé’s 1984 drama The Killing Fields hones in on Cambodia,...
courtesy of fmvmagazine.com
40. The Killing Fields (1984)
Directed by: Roland Joffé
Conflict: Cambodian Civil War
For all the films made about World War II and larger scale conflicts, the few that depict smaller, more concentrated ones are sometimes more effective. Roland Joffé’s 1984 drama The Killing Fields hones in on Cambodia,...
- 6/10/2014
- by Joshua Gaul
- SoundOnSight
Today on Trailers from Hell, John Landis deep dives into David Lean's classic war drama "The Bridge on the River Kwai." David Lean's 2 hour and 41 minute war drama was a box office smash in 1957, beloved not only by critics but World War II vets as well, regardless of the fact that its hero, played by Alec Guiness, is in fact an anti-hero, a by-the-book pedant whose obsession with military protocol only succeeds in aiding his enemy. The canny screenplay (by Carl Foreman) provides two compelling counterpoints to Guiness' driven colonel in William Holden’s deadbeat sailor and Sessue Hayakawa’s weak-willed commandant. Lean’s masterful command of the widescreen action and intimate drama makes "Bridge" an endlessly rewatchable experience...
- 5/26/2014
- by Trailers From Hell
- Thompson on Hollywood
David Lean's 2 hour and 41 minute war drama was a box office smash in 1957, beloved not only by critics but World War II vets as well, regardless of the fact that its hero, played by Alec Guiness, is in fact an anti-hero, a by-the-book pedant whose obsession with military protocol only succeeds in aiding his enemy. The canny screenplay (by Carl Foreman) provides two compelling counterpoints to Guiness' driven colonel in William Holden's deadbeat sailor and Sessue Hayakawa's weak-willed commandant. Lean's masterful command of the widescreen action and intimate drama makes Bridge an endlessly rewatchable experience.
The post The Bridge on the River Kwai appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
The post The Bridge on the River Kwai appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
- 5/26/2014
- by TFH Team
- Trailers from Hell
After 50 years as the Observer's film critic, Philip French is retiring. Here he talks about his life and career and answers questions from readers and film-makers including Mike Leigh and Ken Loach
It says a lot about Philip French that after 50 years as the Observer's film critic – five decades in which he has watched more than 2,500 movies, written six books on the subject and received an OBE for his services to film – he is nervous enough about this interview to have researched his answers in advance.
When I arrive at his house in Tufnell Park, north London, I find French poring over a thick reference book at the kitchen table. A cup of coffee is left to cool as he thumbs through the relevant footnotes, anxious to get the facts absolutely right. He will turn 80 in a couple of weeks and says that he occasionally struggles to remember names of directors or actors.
It says a lot about Philip French that after 50 years as the Observer's film critic – five decades in which he has watched more than 2,500 movies, written six books on the subject and received an OBE for his services to film – he is nervous enough about this interview to have researched his answers in advance.
When I arrive at his house in Tufnell Park, north London, I find French poring over a thick reference book at the kitchen table. A cup of coffee is left to cool as he thumbs through the relevant footnotes, anxious to get the facts absolutely right. He will turn 80 in a couple of weeks and says that he occasionally struggles to remember names of directors or actors.
- 8/24/2013
- by Elizabeth Day
- The Guardian - Film News
Though it went mostly underseen in the U.S. , Amma Asante's 2004 film "A Way Of Life" was one of the best debut films by a British director in the last decade. A tough, powerful Wales-set drama with a brace of deeply moving performances, it won Asante the BAFTA Carl Foreman award for best debut by a British filmmaker as well as top prizes from the London and Miami Film Festivals, and marked the writer-director as a serious talent to watch. It's taken a little while, but Asante is back with a new film, "Belle," and it looks set to reach a much larger audience than its predecessor, as Fox Searchlight have announced that they've picked up theatrical rights in the U.S., the U.K. and much of the rest of the world. The film's based on the true story of Dido Elizabeth Belle, the mixed-race illegitimate daughter of...
- 7/1/2013
- by Oliver Lyttelton
- The Playlist
Film London announces Lilting, the latest project from Film London Microwave, will be distributed by Curzon Film World’s Artificial Eye in the UK with Protagonist Pictures to manage international sales. A striking feature debut from director Hong Khaou with an all-star cast led by Ben Whishaw (Skyfall, Cloud Atlas) and Cheng Pei Pei (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon), Lilting explores love without a common language.
Written and directed by Khaou and produced by Dominic Buchanan, Lilting is the eighth film from the successful feature film fund Film London Microwave. Alongside Whishaw and Pei Pei, the film also stars Peter Bowles (Blow-Up, The Bank Job), Morven Christie (House of 9, The Young Victoria) and Andrew Leung (The List).
As part of Film London Microwave’s mentorship component, award-winning film-maker Michael Winterbottom acted as writer/director Khaou’s mentor, while producer Buchanan received guidance and support from his mentor Ken Marshall, the producer of London to Brighton, Filth and Song for Marion.
Curzon Film World’s Artificial Eye is known for its discerning taste in the best of European and world cinema. The label has released more winners of the Cannes Palme d'Or than any other UK distributor, with titles including The Class (2008) and The White Ribbon (2009).
Commercially-minded and creatively-spirited Protagonist Pictures is an international sales company committed to strong relationships with film-makers. Recent highlights in their catalogue include Searching for Sugar Man, Sightseers, The Imposter and Microwave’s Shifty. This year at Cannes they represent The Selfish Giant by Clio Barnard, screening in Directors’ Fortnight, and in the Critics’ Week, Paul Wright’s debut feature For Those In Peril.
Lilting tells the story of a Chinese mother (Pei Pei) as she grieves for her son (Leung) following his untimely death. He was her eyes and ears in the UK, their adopted country, and without him she is stranded. The only person left is his lover (Whishaw) – who she knows only as his flat mate. Together they are forced to overcome their differences and unite in sorrow whilst struggling against the absence of a shared language. An intimate and thoughtful film, Lilting addresses overcoming cultural and generational boundaries, the power of memory, and the lifelines and relationships formed in the face of grief.
Adrian Wootton, Chief Executive of Film London and the British Film Commission, said: “Lilting is a moving cinematic achievement and I am delighted that it will reach UK audiences through Curzon Film World and that Protagonist will be managing international sales. It is a testament to Microwave’s innovative approach to film-making that its projects attract high-calibre talent and prestigious commercial distributors and sales agents. The scheme’s successful track record is also a result of the Microwave team, who are integral to nurturing and guiding all our film-makers. I am proud to see another Microwave feature proving itself in the commercial marketplace and hope this is only the start of Lilting’s success.”
Louisa Dent, Managing Director of Curzon Film World said: "When we read the script, it was clear that this was something special. There is an emotional urgency that is compelling and honest. Hong is a real emerging talent and his short films marked him out. We knew that the Microwave/Film London team would be great partners on this and with a quality cast it seemed liked a perfect fit for us.”
Mike Goodridge, CEO of Protagonist Pictures said: “I had admired Hong's shorts so it was with great excitement that I watched his first feature Lilting. But Hong exceeds expectations: the film is an accomplished and mature portrait of love and loss, graced by two extraordinary lead performances. The whole Protagonist team was knocked out by it and we are confident it will be embraced by distributors around the world.”
Funded by Film London Microwave, additional finance came from production companies Stink Films and Andy Brunskill’s recently launched Sums Film and Media Ltd., supported by financier/producer Bob & Co, Lim Kay Sui and Neo Swee Lin.
Film London Microwave is a unique training-through-production scheme delivered in partnership with BBC Films and with support from Creative Skillset. Challenging London-based film-makers to shoot a feature film for up to £120,000, Film London Microwave enables talent to thrive in a limited budget with its integrated training programme which offers crucial guidance and mentoring throughout the film-making process.
The Film London Microwave team is made up of Creative Producer Mia Bays, who also acts as the Distribution/Marketing Consultant and Mike Kelly, Business and Finance Producer, alongside Film London’s Talent Development Manager Kevin Dolan and Development and Production Officer Tessa Inkelaar. Film London will soon be appointing a new Head of Talent Development and Production, who will head up the Microwave team.
Encompassing training and development from script to screen and beyond, Film London Microwave has enjoyed excellent results. Last year saw the successful UK theatrical releases of Ben Drew’s iLL Manors, released by Revolver, and Frances Lea’s Strawberry Fields, released through Soda Pictures’ New British Cinema Quarterly programme. Other films produced through the scheme include the BAFTA-nominated Shifty, award-winning horror Mum & Dad, documentary The British Guide to Showing Off, teen drama Freestyle and the yet to be release Borrowed Time which was awarded Best in Fest at the 2012 Edinburgh International Film Festival.
About Film London Microwave
Launched in 2006, Microwave is the acclaimed micro-budget feature film scheme set up by Film London with BBC Films, with support from Creative Skillset. Committed to discovering and investing in emerging London-based film-makers, Microwave backs talented teams with fresh voices and strong stories. A unique ‘apprenticeship’ scheme, it provides an intensive approach to film-making with the emphasis on original ideas, tightly focussed scripts and short production schedules. Film-makers are supported by an extensive training and mentoring programme from development, through production, all the way to the film’s release in the UK and internationally.
In pre production:
Seekers Written by Arinze Kene, directed by Nicole Volavka and produced by Rob Watson.
A thriller set in the world of London's underclass. An African single mother finds new happiness with Jean-Baptiste, a refugee from Rwanda, and their struggle to survive in the big city eases. But a chance sighting of a ghost from the past exposes long buried traumas, which puts their lives in danger and everything they have is threatened.
Completed features:
Mum & Dad (2008) Directed & written by Steven Sheil and produced by Lisa Trnovski. Released Boxing Day 2008 in the UK and Mother’s Day 2009 in North America courtesy of Revolver Entertainment
Shifty (2008) Directed & written by Eran Creevy and produced by Rory Aitken and Ben Pugh. Released on 24 April 2009 in the UK courtesy of Metrodome Distribution. Shifty received a BAFTA nomination for the Carl Foreman Award (Best Debut) in 2010 and 5 Bifa nominations in 2008
Freestyle (2009) a teen romance based around the world of freestyle basketball, directed by Kolton Lee and produced by Lincia Daniel. Released in London and key cities by Revolver in February 2010 and became the first Microwave film to receive a theatrical release in the Us through Phase 4
The British Guide to Showing Off, director Jes Benstock’s Alternative Miss World documentary produced by Dorigen Hammond. Distributed by Verve Pictures in autumn 2011
Strawberry Fields, directed by Frances Lea and produced by Liam Beatty and Lucie Wenigerova, is an intense rites of passage film bursting with energy, sex and humour set during a perfect English summer. It received its World Premiere at the 55th BFI London Film Festival and released by Soda Pictures on 6 July
iLL Manors, written and directed by Ben Drew and produced by Atif Ghani
A unique crime thriller set on the unforgiving streets of London, following six disparate lives, all struggling to survive the circles of violence that engulf them. Released by Revolver on 8 June 2012
Borrowed Time, a bittersweet comedy about growing up and rediscovering youth, written and directed by Jules Bishop and produced by Olivier Kaempfer, starring Philip Davis, Theo Barklem-Biggs and Perry Benson. The film received its world premiere at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in June 2012 and is set for release in 2013.
Lilting Written and directed by Hong Khaou and produced by Dominic Buchanan
Starring Ben Whishaw and Cheng Pei Pei, Lilting is an intimate and thoughtful film about communication, falling in love and forming relationships without a common language. A mother’s attempt at understanding who her son is after his untimely death, her emotions are stirred up by presence of his partner.
The Film London Microwave team includes Kevin Dolan, Talent Development Manager, Tessa Inkelaar, Development and Production Officer, Creative Producer Mia Bays, who also acts as the Distribution/Marketing Consultant, and Mike Kelly, Business and Finance Producer.
About Film London
Film London, as the capital’s film and media agency, aims to ensure London has a thriving film sector that enriches the city’s businesses and its people. The agency works with all the screen industries to sustain, promote and develop London as a major international production and film cultural capital, and it supports the development of the city’s new and emerging film-making talent. Film London is funded by the Mayor of London, the National Lottery through the BFI, and receives significant support from Arts Council England and Creative Skillset.
About BBC Films
BBC Films is the feature filmmaking arm of the BBC. It aims to make strong British films with range and ambition, bringing the best of British talent to audiences. BBC Films is firmly established at the forefront of British independent filmmaking and co-produces around eight films a year, working in partnership with major international and UK distributors. Christine Langan is the Head of BBC Films, responsible for the development and production slate, strategy and business operations.
Recent releases include Sally Potter’s reflection on troubled friendship Ginger and Rosa currently in cinemas, Ol Parker’s teen romance Now is Good, Fernando Meirelles’ stylish and contemporary drama 360, James Marsh’s heart-wrenching thriller Shadow Dancer, Julien Temple’s documentary feature London – The Modern Babylon, Lasse Hallström’s romantic comedy Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, Max and Dania’s kinetic 3D film StreetDance 2, Ralph Fiennes’ contemporary Shakespeare adaptation Coriolanus, Simon Curtis’ comedy drama My Week with Marilyn, Nick Murphy’s supernatural mystery The Awakening, Lynne Ramsay’s adaptation of the Winner for the Orange Prize for Fiction We Need to Talk About Kevin, David Mackenzie’s romantic thriller Perfect Sense, Cary Fukunaga’s modern retelling of Jane Eyre, and James Marsh’s moving documentary Project Nim.
Forthcoming films include Mike Newell’s sumptuous Dickens classic Great Expectations in cinemas 30 November and Dustin Hoffman’s directorial debut, the wickedly comic Quartet, which will be in cinemas 4 January 2013, and in March Terri Hooley biopic Good Vibrations from directors Lisa Barros D’Sa and Glenn Leyburn will feature in cinemas. Also set for a Spring release is Nick Murphy’s gripping thriller Blood.
BBC Films has an impressive back catalogue, which includes titles such as Nigel Cole’s Made in Dagenham, Lone Scherfig’s Academy Award® nominated and BAFTA award-winning An Education; Armando Iannucci’s Academy Award® and BAFTA award-nominated In the Loop; Jane Campion’s Academy Award®nominated Bright Star; and Andrea Arnold’s BAFTA award-winning Fish Tank.
Twitter @BBCFilms...
Written and directed by Khaou and produced by Dominic Buchanan, Lilting is the eighth film from the successful feature film fund Film London Microwave. Alongside Whishaw and Pei Pei, the film also stars Peter Bowles (Blow-Up, The Bank Job), Morven Christie (House of 9, The Young Victoria) and Andrew Leung (The List).
As part of Film London Microwave’s mentorship component, award-winning film-maker Michael Winterbottom acted as writer/director Khaou’s mentor, while producer Buchanan received guidance and support from his mentor Ken Marshall, the producer of London to Brighton, Filth and Song for Marion.
Curzon Film World’s Artificial Eye is known for its discerning taste in the best of European and world cinema. The label has released more winners of the Cannes Palme d'Or than any other UK distributor, with titles including The Class (2008) and The White Ribbon (2009).
Commercially-minded and creatively-spirited Protagonist Pictures is an international sales company committed to strong relationships with film-makers. Recent highlights in their catalogue include Searching for Sugar Man, Sightseers, The Imposter and Microwave’s Shifty. This year at Cannes they represent The Selfish Giant by Clio Barnard, screening in Directors’ Fortnight, and in the Critics’ Week, Paul Wright’s debut feature For Those In Peril.
Lilting tells the story of a Chinese mother (Pei Pei) as she grieves for her son (Leung) following his untimely death. He was her eyes and ears in the UK, their adopted country, and without him she is stranded. The only person left is his lover (Whishaw) – who she knows only as his flat mate. Together they are forced to overcome their differences and unite in sorrow whilst struggling against the absence of a shared language. An intimate and thoughtful film, Lilting addresses overcoming cultural and generational boundaries, the power of memory, and the lifelines and relationships formed in the face of grief.
Adrian Wootton, Chief Executive of Film London and the British Film Commission, said: “Lilting is a moving cinematic achievement and I am delighted that it will reach UK audiences through Curzon Film World and that Protagonist will be managing international sales. It is a testament to Microwave’s innovative approach to film-making that its projects attract high-calibre talent and prestigious commercial distributors and sales agents. The scheme’s successful track record is also a result of the Microwave team, who are integral to nurturing and guiding all our film-makers. I am proud to see another Microwave feature proving itself in the commercial marketplace and hope this is only the start of Lilting’s success.”
Louisa Dent, Managing Director of Curzon Film World said: "When we read the script, it was clear that this was something special. There is an emotional urgency that is compelling and honest. Hong is a real emerging talent and his short films marked him out. We knew that the Microwave/Film London team would be great partners on this and with a quality cast it seemed liked a perfect fit for us.”
Mike Goodridge, CEO of Protagonist Pictures said: “I had admired Hong's shorts so it was with great excitement that I watched his first feature Lilting. But Hong exceeds expectations: the film is an accomplished and mature portrait of love and loss, graced by two extraordinary lead performances. The whole Protagonist team was knocked out by it and we are confident it will be embraced by distributors around the world.”
Funded by Film London Microwave, additional finance came from production companies Stink Films and Andy Brunskill’s recently launched Sums Film and Media Ltd., supported by financier/producer Bob & Co, Lim Kay Sui and Neo Swee Lin.
Film London Microwave is a unique training-through-production scheme delivered in partnership with BBC Films and with support from Creative Skillset. Challenging London-based film-makers to shoot a feature film for up to £120,000, Film London Microwave enables talent to thrive in a limited budget with its integrated training programme which offers crucial guidance and mentoring throughout the film-making process.
The Film London Microwave team is made up of Creative Producer Mia Bays, who also acts as the Distribution/Marketing Consultant and Mike Kelly, Business and Finance Producer, alongside Film London’s Talent Development Manager Kevin Dolan and Development and Production Officer Tessa Inkelaar. Film London will soon be appointing a new Head of Talent Development and Production, who will head up the Microwave team.
Encompassing training and development from script to screen and beyond, Film London Microwave has enjoyed excellent results. Last year saw the successful UK theatrical releases of Ben Drew’s iLL Manors, released by Revolver, and Frances Lea’s Strawberry Fields, released through Soda Pictures’ New British Cinema Quarterly programme. Other films produced through the scheme include the BAFTA-nominated Shifty, award-winning horror Mum & Dad, documentary The British Guide to Showing Off, teen drama Freestyle and the yet to be release Borrowed Time which was awarded Best in Fest at the 2012 Edinburgh International Film Festival.
About Film London Microwave
Launched in 2006, Microwave is the acclaimed micro-budget feature film scheme set up by Film London with BBC Films, with support from Creative Skillset. Committed to discovering and investing in emerging London-based film-makers, Microwave backs talented teams with fresh voices and strong stories. A unique ‘apprenticeship’ scheme, it provides an intensive approach to film-making with the emphasis on original ideas, tightly focussed scripts and short production schedules. Film-makers are supported by an extensive training and mentoring programme from development, through production, all the way to the film’s release in the UK and internationally.
In pre production:
Seekers Written by Arinze Kene, directed by Nicole Volavka and produced by Rob Watson.
A thriller set in the world of London's underclass. An African single mother finds new happiness with Jean-Baptiste, a refugee from Rwanda, and their struggle to survive in the big city eases. But a chance sighting of a ghost from the past exposes long buried traumas, which puts their lives in danger and everything they have is threatened.
Completed features:
Mum & Dad (2008) Directed & written by Steven Sheil and produced by Lisa Trnovski. Released Boxing Day 2008 in the UK and Mother’s Day 2009 in North America courtesy of Revolver Entertainment
Shifty (2008) Directed & written by Eran Creevy and produced by Rory Aitken and Ben Pugh. Released on 24 April 2009 in the UK courtesy of Metrodome Distribution. Shifty received a BAFTA nomination for the Carl Foreman Award (Best Debut) in 2010 and 5 Bifa nominations in 2008
Freestyle (2009) a teen romance based around the world of freestyle basketball, directed by Kolton Lee and produced by Lincia Daniel. Released in London and key cities by Revolver in February 2010 and became the first Microwave film to receive a theatrical release in the Us through Phase 4
The British Guide to Showing Off, director Jes Benstock’s Alternative Miss World documentary produced by Dorigen Hammond. Distributed by Verve Pictures in autumn 2011
Strawberry Fields, directed by Frances Lea and produced by Liam Beatty and Lucie Wenigerova, is an intense rites of passage film bursting with energy, sex and humour set during a perfect English summer. It received its World Premiere at the 55th BFI London Film Festival and released by Soda Pictures on 6 July
iLL Manors, written and directed by Ben Drew and produced by Atif Ghani
A unique crime thriller set on the unforgiving streets of London, following six disparate lives, all struggling to survive the circles of violence that engulf them. Released by Revolver on 8 June 2012
Borrowed Time, a bittersweet comedy about growing up and rediscovering youth, written and directed by Jules Bishop and produced by Olivier Kaempfer, starring Philip Davis, Theo Barklem-Biggs and Perry Benson. The film received its world premiere at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in June 2012 and is set for release in 2013.
Lilting Written and directed by Hong Khaou and produced by Dominic Buchanan
Starring Ben Whishaw and Cheng Pei Pei, Lilting is an intimate and thoughtful film about communication, falling in love and forming relationships without a common language. A mother’s attempt at understanding who her son is after his untimely death, her emotions are stirred up by presence of his partner.
The Film London Microwave team includes Kevin Dolan, Talent Development Manager, Tessa Inkelaar, Development and Production Officer, Creative Producer Mia Bays, who also acts as the Distribution/Marketing Consultant, and Mike Kelly, Business and Finance Producer.
About Film London
Film London, as the capital’s film and media agency, aims to ensure London has a thriving film sector that enriches the city’s businesses and its people. The agency works with all the screen industries to sustain, promote and develop London as a major international production and film cultural capital, and it supports the development of the city’s new and emerging film-making talent. Film London is funded by the Mayor of London, the National Lottery through the BFI, and receives significant support from Arts Council England and Creative Skillset.
About BBC Films
BBC Films is the feature filmmaking arm of the BBC. It aims to make strong British films with range and ambition, bringing the best of British talent to audiences. BBC Films is firmly established at the forefront of British independent filmmaking and co-produces around eight films a year, working in partnership with major international and UK distributors. Christine Langan is the Head of BBC Films, responsible for the development and production slate, strategy and business operations.
Recent releases include Sally Potter’s reflection on troubled friendship Ginger and Rosa currently in cinemas, Ol Parker’s teen romance Now is Good, Fernando Meirelles’ stylish and contemporary drama 360, James Marsh’s heart-wrenching thriller Shadow Dancer, Julien Temple’s documentary feature London – The Modern Babylon, Lasse Hallström’s romantic comedy Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, Max and Dania’s kinetic 3D film StreetDance 2, Ralph Fiennes’ contemporary Shakespeare adaptation Coriolanus, Simon Curtis’ comedy drama My Week with Marilyn, Nick Murphy’s supernatural mystery The Awakening, Lynne Ramsay’s adaptation of the Winner for the Orange Prize for Fiction We Need to Talk About Kevin, David Mackenzie’s romantic thriller Perfect Sense, Cary Fukunaga’s modern retelling of Jane Eyre, and James Marsh’s moving documentary Project Nim.
Forthcoming films include Mike Newell’s sumptuous Dickens classic Great Expectations in cinemas 30 November and Dustin Hoffman’s directorial debut, the wickedly comic Quartet, which will be in cinemas 4 January 2013, and in March Terri Hooley biopic Good Vibrations from directors Lisa Barros D’Sa and Glenn Leyburn will feature in cinemas. Also set for a Spring release is Nick Murphy’s gripping thriller Blood.
BBC Films has an impressive back catalogue, which includes titles such as Nigel Cole’s Made in Dagenham, Lone Scherfig’s Academy Award® nominated and BAFTA award-winning An Education; Armando Iannucci’s Academy Award® and BAFTA award-nominated In the Loop; Jane Campion’s Academy Award®nominated Bright Star; and Andrea Arnold’s BAFTA award-winning Fish Tank.
Twitter @BBCFilms...
- 5/27/2013
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
If not for a last minute change, legendary opera star Maria Callas would have been the female lead in The Guns of Navarone.
Opera superstar Maria Callas was set to make her movie debut in Carl Foreman’s iconic war film The Guns Of Navarone, according to a new book, The Making Of The Guns Of Navarone launched this weekend at the Bradford Widescreen Film Festival (April 26-29) by Scottish film historian Brian Hannan.
The singer had scandalised the world by her affair with Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis, who would later marry Jackie Kennedy, widow of assassinated president John F Kennedy. Callas was first choice for the role of the older female Greek partisan. Producer Carl Foreman promised ‘mucho love scenes’ with star Gregory Peck.
Commented Hannan, ‘At the time, Maria Callas was the most famous woman in the world, a fiery mixture of Princess Diana and Madonna, the...
Opera superstar Maria Callas was set to make her movie debut in Carl Foreman’s iconic war film The Guns Of Navarone, according to a new book, The Making Of The Guns Of Navarone launched this weekend at the Bradford Widescreen Film Festival (April 26-29) by Scottish film historian Brian Hannan.
The singer had scandalised the world by her affair with Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis, who would later marry Jackie Kennedy, widow of assassinated president John F Kennedy. Callas was first choice for the role of the older female Greek partisan. Producer Carl Foreman promised ‘mucho love scenes’ with star Gregory Peck.
Commented Hannan, ‘At the time, Maria Callas was the most famous woman in the world, a fiery mixture of Princess Diana and Madonna, the...
- 4/25/2013
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Here are two forthcoming books by author Brian Hannan that are sure to interest Cinema Retro readers:
The Making Of The Guns Of Navarone by Brian Hannan (published by Baroliant Press May 2013 £8.99)
History tells us The Guns Of Navarone was a huge critical and box office success. But for most of the filming and the run-up to release it didn’t look that way. Us producer Carl Foreman, a victim of the McCarty anti-communist witch-hunt of the early 1950s, lost his scriptwriter (Eric Ambler), preferred cast (William Holden and Cary Grant), director (Alexander Mackendrick), two leading ladies and very nearly one the stars, David Niven who almost died during shooting. Actor Gregory Peck turned into a potential liability after the disastrous box office of Beloved Infidel. Calling on new research material, Brian Hannan takes a fresh look at an old favourite, creating a snapshot, movie-wise, of the period.
The Making...
The Making Of The Guns Of Navarone by Brian Hannan (published by Baroliant Press May 2013 £8.99)
History tells us The Guns Of Navarone was a huge critical and box office success. But for most of the filming and the run-up to release it didn’t look that way. Us producer Carl Foreman, a victim of the McCarty anti-communist witch-hunt of the early 1950s, lost his scriptwriter (Eric Ambler), preferred cast (William Holden and Cary Grant), director (Alexander Mackendrick), two leading ladies and very nearly one the stars, David Niven who almost died during shooting. Actor Gregory Peck turned into a potential liability after the disastrous box office of Beloved Infidel. Calling on new research material, Brian Hannan takes a fresh look at an old favourite, creating a snapshot, movie-wise, of the period.
The Making...
- 3/22/2013
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
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