When Hollywood from time to time reinvented the western the results were sometimes sensationally good, as attested to by this superior neglected classic. We’d call it the first psychological western if the term weren’t so limiting. Gregory Peck once again proves how good he can be when well cast and he’s surrounded by fine characterizations, not typical oater walk-ons. The screenplay and direction are so pleasing that the downbeat finale isn’t a drawback — it doesn’t strain to enforce an irony, or to sell a deep-dish ‘author’s message.’ This one’s just a winner in all categories.
The Gunfighter
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 1053
1950 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 84 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date , 2020 / 39.95
Starring: Gregory Peck, Helen Westcott, Millard Mitchell, Jean Parker, Karl Malden, Skip Homeier, Anthony Ross, Verna Felton, Ellen Corby, Richard Jaeckel, Alan Hale Jr., Mae Marsh, James Millican, Kim Spalding.
The Gunfighter
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 1053
1950 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 84 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date , 2020 / 39.95
Starring: Gregory Peck, Helen Westcott, Millard Mitchell, Jean Parker, Karl Malden, Skip Homeier, Anthony Ross, Verna Felton, Ellen Corby, Richard Jaeckel, Alan Hale Jr., Mae Marsh, James Millican, Kim Spalding.
- 11/21/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
In celebration of its 100th anniversary, the American Society of Cinematographers has released a list of the 100 best shot films of the 20th century.
This list was released to "showcase the best of cinematography as selected by professional cinematographers.” Here's how the list was put together:
The process of cultivating the 100 films began with Asc members each submitting 10 to 25 titles that were personally inspirational or perhaps changed the way they approached their craft. “I asked them — as cinematographers, members of the Asc, artists, filmmakers and people who love film and whose lives were shaped by films — to list the films that were most influential,” Fierberg explains. A master list was then complied, and members voted on what they considered to be the most essential 100 titles.
Here's a little sizzle reel that was cut together showcasing some of the films on the list:
It's hard to argue with the Top 10 films,...
This list was released to "showcase the best of cinematography as selected by professional cinematographers.” Here's how the list was put together:
The process of cultivating the 100 films began with Asc members each submitting 10 to 25 titles that were personally inspirational or perhaps changed the way they approached their craft. “I asked them — as cinematographers, members of the Asc, artists, filmmakers and people who love film and whose lives were shaped by films — to list the films that were most influential,” Fierberg explains. A master list was then complied, and members voted on what they considered to be the most essential 100 titles.
Here's a little sizzle reel that was cut together showcasing some of the films on the list:
It's hard to argue with the Top 10 films,...
- 1/9/2019
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
Before Vincent Price haunted houses, he chalked up plenty of experience as a Broadway star and a versatile character actor. This superb Joseph L. Mankiewicz gothic romance assigns him major leading man duty as a ‘dark and troubled’ soul — the kind that intimidates cowering leading ladies. With typical good humor, Price called it the first of his ‘dead wife’ movies!
Dragonwyck
Blu-ray
Twilight Time
1946 / B&W / 1:37 Academy / 103 min. / Street Date , 2018 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store / 29.95
Starring: Gene Tierney, Walter Huston, Vincent Price, Glenn Langan, Anne Revere, Spring Byington, Connie Marshall, Harry Morgan, Vivienne Osborne, Jessica Tandy, Trudy Marshall, Reinhold Schünzel, Grady Sutton.
Cinematography: Arthur C. Miller
Film Editor: Dorothy Spencer
Original Music: Alfred Newman
From the novel by Anya Seton
Produced by Ernst Lubitsch, Darryl F. Zanuck
Written for the screen and Directed by Joseph H. Mankiewicz
You’d have to say that Vincent Price’s film...
Dragonwyck
Blu-ray
Twilight Time
1946 / B&W / 1:37 Academy / 103 min. / Street Date , 2018 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store / 29.95
Starring: Gene Tierney, Walter Huston, Vincent Price, Glenn Langan, Anne Revere, Spring Byington, Connie Marshall, Harry Morgan, Vivienne Osborne, Jessica Tandy, Trudy Marshall, Reinhold Schünzel, Grady Sutton.
Cinematography: Arthur C. Miller
Film Editor: Dorothy Spencer
Original Music: Alfred Newman
From the novel by Anya Seton
Produced by Ernst Lubitsch, Darryl F. Zanuck
Written for the screen and Directed by Joseph H. Mankiewicz
You’d have to say that Vincent Price’s film...
- 3/13/2018
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Just like her famous parents, Lucy DeVito enjoys making people laugh. “It’s not easy, but I love it,” the 34-year-old tells Et from her dressing room at the Jerry Orbach Theater in New York City.
Daughter to Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman, Lucy has appeared opposite her father on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and in the 2016 film The Comedian, as well as on HBO’s Girls and Speech & Debate. Following her 2009 Off-Broadway debut alongside her mother in Love, Loss and What I Wore, the actress is back on the New York stage with the romantic comedy Hot Mess, playing Elanor, a quirky aspiring magician from Los Angeles who falls for a Jewish recovering alcoholic (Max Crumm) with a secret he can’t seem to confess.
Backstage, the actress talks about the blessing and curse of being a DeVito, the lessons her parents taught her about being successful in the entertainment industry and what’s next...
Daughter to Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman, Lucy has appeared opposite her father on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and in the 2016 film The Comedian, as well as on HBO’s Girls and Speech & Debate. Following her 2009 Off-Broadway debut alongside her mother in Love, Loss and What I Wore, the actress is back on the New York stage with the romantic comedy Hot Mess, playing Elanor, a quirky aspiring magician from Los Angeles who falls for a Jewish recovering alcoholic (Max Crumm) with a secret he can’t seem to confess.
Backstage, the actress talks about the blessing and curse of being a DeVito, the lessons her parents taught her about being successful in the entertainment industry and what’s next...
- 12/7/2017
- Entertainment Tonight
• Coming Soon Ant Man and the Wasp has wrapped filming. Apparently there's a scene on a beach between Pfeiffer and Douglas
• Decider 10 movies you should stream right now to prepare for awards season
• The Guardian apparently Feud is just making its way to the UK so there's a new Susan Sarandon interview where she defends her baffling political decisions of the recent past
• Rotten Tomatoes Jude Law has nabbed the male lead of Captain Marvel opposite Brie Larson
• Los Angeles Times John Lasseter, Disney/Pixar's long time chief creative officer, is taking a leave of absence from Disney after complaints of inappropriate behavior with female employees
• Playbill what are the plays that Broadway revives the most often? The top 12 features well loved playwright's like Tennessee Williams (though I was surprised by his second most revived), Arthur Miller, Eugene O'Neill, and of course Edward Albee's masterpiece Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf
• Variety Rance Howard,...
• Decider 10 movies you should stream right now to prepare for awards season
• The Guardian apparently Feud is just making its way to the UK so there's a new Susan Sarandon interview where she defends her baffling political decisions of the recent past
• Rotten Tomatoes Jude Law has nabbed the male lead of Captain Marvel opposite Brie Larson
• Los Angeles Times John Lasseter, Disney/Pixar's long time chief creative officer, is taking a leave of absence from Disney after complaints of inappropriate behavior with female employees
• Playbill what are the plays that Broadway revives the most often? The top 12 features well loved playwright's like Tennessee Williams (though I was surprised by his second most revived), Arthur Miller, Eugene O'Neill, and of course Edward Albee's masterpiece Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf
• Variety Rance Howard,...
- 11/26/2017
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
The Phoenix Theater’s production of “The Seagull” marked Montgomery Clift’s big return to the theater, in 1954, after a decade of making movies in Hollywood. Unfortunately, the first preview of the Chekhov classic fell flat with the audience, and Arthur Miller was called in to give notes. According to Maureen Stapleton, also in the cast, the playwright was concise. “His first note was ‘I can’t hear you,'” she recalled. “is second note was ‘I can’t hear you,’ his third note was ‘I can’t hear you.'” That quote from Patricia Bosworth’s biography “Montgomery Clift...
- 10/31/2017
- by Robert Hofler
- The Wrap
That Harrison Ford worked as a carpenter before hitting it big with “Star Wars” is fairly well known by now, but what of his clientele? According to the new documentary “Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold,” the future Han Solo once slouched towards Bethlehem with the subject of Griffin Dunne’s film when she was living in Malibu.
Read More:Joan Didion and Arthur Miller Get the Documentary Treatment From Family Members, And That Makes All the Difference — Nyff
“I spent a couple of months there in their house, every day,” Ford says. “First thing in the morning, last thing at the end of every day, explaining why we hadn’t made more progress and how it was going to cost even more money.” Dunne is Didion’s nephew, and his movie about her — which premiered at the New York Film Festival and is now streaming on Netflix — took six years to complete.
Read More:Joan Didion and Arthur Miller Get the Documentary Treatment From Family Members, And That Makes All the Difference — Nyff
“I spent a couple of months there in their house, every day,” Ford says. “First thing in the morning, last thing at the end of every day, explaining why we hadn’t made more progress and how it was going to cost even more money.” Dunne is Didion’s nephew, and his movie about her — which premiered at the New York Film Festival and is now streaming on Netflix — took six years to complete.
- 10/28/2017
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
The following essay was produced as part of the 2017 Nyff Critics Academy, a workshop for aspiring film critics that took place during the 55th edition of the New York Film Festival.
In today’s intense political climate, the battle between nationalism and globalism is a widespread conflict, one that emerges in part from being alienated by a system that is unsympathetic and uncaring. Hollywood reflects this alienation by what it chooses to ignore: The industry continually avoids touchy film subjects, such as the lives of working-class Americans. The studio’s largest, mass-produced films play it safe by focusing on the all-inclusive entertainment value of superheroes and furry animals.
One might argue that the onus lies on American audiences, who may not be interested in realism, and perhaps it’s just a business decision on part of the studios. However, within the past seven years, American independent cinema has produced successful,...
In today’s intense political climate, the battle between nationalism and globalism is a widespread conflict, one that emerges in part from being alienated by a system that is unsympathetic and uncaring. Hollywood reflects this alienation by what it chooses to ignore: The industry continually avoids touchy film subjects, such as the lives of working-class Americans. The studio’s largest, mass-produced films play it safe by focusing on the all-inclusive entertainment value of superheroes and furry animals.
One might argue that the onus lies on American audiences, who may not be interested in realism, and perhaps it’s just a business decision on part of the studios. However, within the past seven years, American independent cinema has produced successful,...
- 10/28/2017
- by Muhammad Muzammal
- Indiewire
The International Documentary Association has announced its initial round of nominees for the 2017 Ida Documentary Awards, including special mentions and nods for limited series, curated series, episodic series, and more. Nominees for Best Feature and Best Short, and awards for creative recognition, will be announced on November 1. The Ida will honor director Marcel Mettelsiefen’s “Watani: My Homeland” with the Pare Lorentz Award. Also receiving a special mention in the category is Joe Berlinger’s “Intent to Destroy.”
Other standouts from this first list of nominees include Bryan Fogel’s controversial “Icarus,” Ryan White’s Netflix series “The Keepers,” Ken Burns’ revelatory miniseries “The Vietnam War,” and many more of the year’s best in documentary offerings.
Read More:Joan Didion and Arthur Miller Get the Documentary Treatment From Family Members, And That Makes All the Difference — Nyff
The 33rd edition of the annual ceremony will take place Saturday, December...
Other standouts from this first list of nominees include Bryan Fogel’s controversial “Icarus,” Ryan White’s Netflix series “The Keepers,” Ken Burns’ revelatory miniseries “The Vietnam War,” and many more of the year’s best in documentary offerings.
Read More:Joan Didion and Arthur Miller Get the Documentary Treatment From Family Members, And That Makes All the Difference — Nyff
The 33rd edition of the annual ceremony will take place Saturday, December...
- 10/16/2017
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
The following essay was produced as part of the 2017 Nyff Critics Academy, a workshop for aspiring film critics that took place during the 55th edition of the New York Film Festival.
Arnaud Desplechin may be the only filmmaker with a literary sensibility who understands the storytelling power of rap. His dialogue resembles a specific brand of French intellectualism that manifests in maladroit humor, and he maintains a general focus on epic, convoluted structures and literary motifs — soliloquies that break the fourth wall, omniscient narration, and strongly developed characters (which tie directly with his consistent lengthiness). His characters, while gauche, are irrevocably more privileged — they are artists and filmmakers, occupying large houses and indulgent with their resources.
This is why rap becomes a key contrasting factor in several of his films: Hip hop is not for the bourgeoise. The social issues that the lyrics of the rap songs often tackle have...
Arnaud Desplechin may be the only filmmaker with a literary sensibility who understands the storytelling power of rap. His dialogue resembles a specific brand of French intellectualism that manifests in maladroit humor, and he maintains a general focus on epic, convoluted structures and literary motifs — soliloquies that break the fourth wall, omniscient narration, and strongly developed characters (which tie directly with his consistent lengthiness). His characters, while gauche, are irrevocably more privileged — they are artists and filmmakers, occupying large houses and indulgent with their resources.
This is why rap becomes a key contrasting factor in several of his films: Hip hop is not for the bourgeoise. The social issues that the lyrics of the rap songs often tackle have...
- 10/14/2017
- by Jason Ooi
- Indiewire
The following essay was produced as part of the 2017 Nyff Critics Academy, a workshop for aspiring film critics that took place during the 55th edition of the New York Film Festival.
The western is an iconic genre tied to the very genesis of cinema itself, but it doesn’t have the currency it held decades ago. That’s why it’s such a thrill to see Chloe Zhao’s “The Rider” and Valeski Grisebach’s “Western” — two highlights from this year’s New York Film Festival — reshape the genre from the ground up.
It’s only possible to appreciate that if you consider how far the genre has come. The western reigned Hollywood for decades—particularly from the ‘30s to the ‘60s. The genre’s appeal was that its unequivocal good vs. evil narrative could translate to any cultural zeitgeist. It wasn’t until Sergio Leone’s spaghetti westerns and...
The western is an iconic genre tied to the very genesis of cinema itself, but it doesn’t have the currency it held decades ago. That’s why it’s such a thrill to see Chloe Zhao’s “The Rider” and Valeski Grisebach’s “Western” — two highlights from this year’s New York Film Festival — reshape the genre from the ground up.
It’s only possible to appreciate that if you consider how far the genre has come. The western reigned Hollywood for decades—particularly from the ‘30s to the ‘60s. The genre’s appeal was that its unequivocal good vs. evil narrative could translate to any cultural zeitgeist. It wasn’t until Sergio Leone’s spaghetti westerns and...
- 10/12/2017
- by Caroline Madden
- Indiewire
The following essay was produced as part of the 2017 Nyff Critics Academy, a workshop for aspiring film critics that took place during the 55th edition of the New York Film Festival.
Tragedy begets tragedy. And in 2017, the global infrastructure’s threshold for human suffering seems to be testing its limits: environmental catastrophes are ravaging the Global South, refugees are fleeing war and persecution only to be met with xenophobic policies. Yet, in the shadow of the 24/7 news cycle, keeping up with current events can prove challenging. As the landscape for film exhibition follows technology’s rapid adaptation, offering new ways to watch movies outside of the traditional theater experience, the role of a film festival continues its evolution: extending its cinematic influence over the industry and the audience, and if lucky, offering a platform that can push the culture forward.
There’s no other place one can better witness that...
Tragedy begets tragedy. And in 2017, the global infrastructure’s threshold for human suffering seems to be testing its limits: environmental catastrophes are ravaging the Global South, refugees are fleeing war and persecution only to be met with xenophobic policies. Yet, in the shadow of the 24/7 news cycle, keeping up with current events can prove challenging. As the landscape for film exhibition follows technology’s rapid adaptation, offering new ways to watch movies outside of the traditional theater experience, the role of a film festival continues its evolution: extending its cinematic influence over the industry and the audience, and if lucky, offering a platform that can push the culture forward.
There’s no other place one can better witness that...
- 10/12/2017
- by Rooney Elmi
- Indiewire
Here’s what we’ve learned after one day at the Telluride Film Festival, which draws folks from all over the world to indulge in a Labor Day Weekend ritual of film gorging. Before boarding the Delta charter plane from Lax to Montrose, Colorado, the new Academy president, cinematographer John Bailey, admitted he hasn’t seen Telluride co-director Tom Luddy, or director Paul Schrader, since Schrader’s 1985 film “Mishima.” Schrader’s rigorously elegant “First Reformed,” starring Ethan Hawke in his update of Robert Bresson’s “Diary of a Country Priest,” is looking for a buyer, and distributors are eager to check it out here.
At the high-altitude opening day patron’s brunch, Rebecca Miller cheered on her “Maggie’s Plan” star Greta Gerwig, who is making her directorial debut with “Lady Bird.” Miller is at Telluride with a documentary about her father, playwright Arthur Miller.
After the brunch, so many...
At the high-altitude opening day patron’s brunch, Rebecca Miller cheered on her “Maggie’s Plan” star Greta Gerwig, who is making her directorial debut with “Lady Bird.” Miller is at Telluride with a documentary about her father, playwright Arthur Miller.
After the brunch, so many...
- 9/2/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Here’s what we’ve learned after one day at the Telluride Film Festival, which draws folks from all over the world to indulge in a Labor Day Weekend ritual of film gorging. Before boarding the Delta charter plane from Lax to Montrose, Colorado, the new Academy president, cinematographer John Bailey, admitted he hasn’t seen Telluride co-director Tom Luddy, or director Paul Schrader, since Schrader’s 1985 film “Mishima.” Schrader’s rigorously elegant “First Reformed,” starring Ethan Hawke in his update of Robert Bresson’s “Diary of a Country Priest,” is looking for a buyer, and distributors are eager to check it out here.
At the high-altitude opening day patron’s brunch, Rebecca Miller cheered on her “Maggie’s Plan” star Greta Gerwig, who is making her directorial debut with “Lady Bird.” Miller is at Telluride with a documentary about her father, playwright Arthur Miller.
After the brunch, so many...
At the high-altitude opening day patron’s brunch, Rebecca Miller cheered on her “Maggie’s Plan” star Greta Gerwig, who is making her directorial debut with “Lady Bird.” Miller is at Telluride with a documentary about her father, playwright Arthur Miller.
After the brunch, so many...
- 9/2/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
The Film Society of Lincoln Center recently announced the complete lineup for the Spotlight on Documentary section of the 55th New York Film Festival September 28-October 15. This year's series will include Rebecca Miller's tender portrait of her father, Arthur Miller Writer October 9-10.
- 8/28/2017
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
The New York Film Festival has unveiled the roster of its Spotlight on Documentary section for this year’s fest, which runs September 28-October 15. Filmmakers in the lineup include Alex Gibney, Abel Ferrara and Nancy Buirski, with subjects ranging from Joan Didion and Jane Goodall to Arthur Miller and U.S. immigration to the global refugee crisis. Two of the docus premiering the lineup — the Griffin Dunne-directed Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold and the Gay…...
- 8/23/2017
- Deadline
Rolling Stone's Peter Travers pays tribute to the late, great playwright/actor Sam Shepard: "It was never about him. It was always about the work." Everett Collection
Sam Shepard famously hated endings. As a playwright, he felt "the temptation towards resolution, towards wrapping up the package, seems to me a terrible trap."
He got that right. So Shepard leaves us to deal with his ending, a death at 73 at his home in Kentucky, surrounded by family. Als, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, was the culprit. The obits pay...
Sam Shepard famously hated endings. As a playwright, he felt "the temptation towards resolution, towards wrapping up the package, seems to me a terrible trap."
He got that right. So Shepard leaves us to deal with his ending, a death at 73 at his home in Kentucky, surrounded by family. Als, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, was the culprit. The obits pay...
- 7/31/2017
- Rollingstone.com
Imagine growing up in a world where your neighbors were Tennessee Williams, The Marx Brothers, Alan Jay Lerner, Noel Coward, Arthur Miller, and scores of others. For Michael Colby, he did grow up in such a world because his grandparents owned New York's famous Algonquin Hotel. Now, Michael swings by Shetler to discuss with Rob and Kevin his enviable life as a real life Eloise of The Plaza.
- 7/9/2017
- by Behind the Curtain
- BroadwayWorld.com
Iranian auteur Asghar Farhadi’s The Salesman was his second film to win the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language film (following 2012’s A Separation), which began receiving accolades immediately after its premiere at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, where it picked up awards for Best Actor and Best Screenplay. Purchased by The Cohen Media Group, the title racked up over two million at the domestic box office thanks to an awards and marketing campaign which received an additional relevancy from the political firestorm regarding a travel ban which inhibited Farhadi from attending the awards ceremony (a platform which ended up as the program’s only significant political acceptance speech from the director by proxy).
Notably, this is a return to Iran for Farhadi after his 2013 French language debut The Past, though this searing indictment on the bothersome realities of vengeance and unjustifiably gendered power ethics doesn’t reach the formidable and deliciously exacting dramatics of his 2012 Oscar and nominated Golden Berlin Bear winning A Separation. Still, Farhadi’s particular theatrics remain idiosyncratic to his interests in exploring culturally specific dynamics between men and women, and have successfully elevated the international awareness and platform of Iranian cinema, and his latest (which snagged a Best Screenplay and Best Actor win at Cannes 2016) is another strident chapter on human emotions shackled by social convention.
In the midst of rehearsing their soon to open stage production of the famous Arthur Miller play, in which they will be starring as Willy and Linda Loman, married couple Emad (Shahab Hosseini) and Rana Etesami (Taraneh Alidoosti) find themselves displaced from their newly purchased apartment when the entire complex begins to collapse. Thankfully, Babak (Babak Karimi), their co-star in the stage production, knows of a vacant apartment where the couple can immediately relocate temporarily as they await a reimbursement for their damaged apartment. Their lives suddenly in disarray, Rana mistakenly buzzes an interloper into the apartment one evening thinking it is Emad returning home, only to be physically and sexually assaulted by a man who had come to visit the previous displaced tenant, a prostitute who was greatly disliked by her socially pure neighbors. The culprit flees the scene following the indiscretion and leaves his truck behind. While Emad and Rana attempt to pick up the pieces, their emotional disconnect causes Emad to go to great lengths to solicit an eye for an eye without the interference of the law.
The opening sequences of The Salesman provide the film with its overarching metaphor of an irreparable foundational disturbance, the unsecure building and subsequent evacuation resulting in a dramatic ripple effect. Just as the central couple in A Separation is (at least partially defined) by their parental roles, Rana and Emad’s predicament here is also born out of their childlessness. Devotees of the theater, (Miller’s tweaked text, including side jokes about the downplayed sexuality of the prostitute character Miss Francis is merely a backdrop and superficial subtext), it is inferred the Etesamis and their untraditional lives and interests are the potential cause for their current state of tragic duress. The power of suggestion is the significant thread connecting (and strangling) the major movements of The Salesman, which uses Miller not so much as a treatment of American vs. Iranian values, but as an experimental, doubling arena for the theatrical business of life.
The actress playing Miss Francis in the play assumes she is being demeaned by a male co-star because portraying a woman of easy virtue invites automatic disrespect; Babak becomes infuriated at Emad adlibbing incendiary lines during a performance; a woman in a taxi is convinced Emad aims to molest her because he sits with his legs open; and, ultimately, it is Rana’s fault she was raped because she didn’t bother to check who she opened the front door of her apartment to. Had Rana and Emad had children or more conventional professions, their own lackadaisically defined routines would have been in automatic check, or so the social circles around them in The Salesman seem to imply.
We sympathize more with Shahab Hosseini’s Emad, whose chronic frustration boils over into a Death and the Maiden style attempt at truth as vengeance. Because Farhadi, once again, only implies the trauma exacted upon Rana in her shower, it allows for us to be more estranged from her untoward behavior and subsequent victimhood and more celebratory of Emad’s impassioned attempt to rectify the situation by saving his pride (and, perhaps to a lesser degree, his wife’s reputation). Farhadi reunites with his About Elly (2008) cinematographer Hossein Jafarian to construct a careful examination of bodies in spaces, the suggested control and inherent power plays in blocking.
The final, intense third act returns us to the unsafe space of the crumbling façade, a touching metaphor for the grisly and unappealing outcome of Emad’s desperate ploy for closure and revenge. But as in previous works, Farhadi’s strength lies in his ability to cast adept performers able to convey the subtle complexities of his prose, and what Taraneh Alidoosti and Shahab Hosseini (both who have previously appeared in Farhadi’s films) achieve here is exciting as it is troubling for Farhadi forces us to ask why do we sympathize with Emad and not Rana? The audience, like the community and culture around Rana, become complicit in their inability to empathize with either females or victimhood. Until the magnificent finale, that is, when Emad and company (including a particularly arresting late staged supporting turn from Farid Sajjadhosseini) are taken to task, and satisfaction for anyone quickly dissipates into the realm of the impossible.
Disc Review:
For the film’s first availability on Blu-ray, this Sony release isn’t quite as persuasive as most of Cohen Media Group’s usual home entertainment releases. Presented in 1.85:1 with DTS-hd Master Audio, picture and sound quality are serviceably transferred in this high definition package. A lone extra feature begs for a more illustrious presentation for the lauded title, however.
A Conversation:
An interview with writer-director Asghar Farhadi on the origins and making of The Salesman is available as a bonus feature.
Final Thoughts:
In the same vein as Farhadi’s other tautly constructed social issue melodramas, The Salesman is another aggravating ripple effect of confounded displacement and fractured foundations.
Film Review: ★★★½/☆☆☆☆☆
Disc Review: ★★★/☆☆☆☆☆
The post The Salesman | Blu-ray Review appeared first on Ioncinema.com.
Notably, this is a return to Iran for Farhadi after his 2013 French language debut The Past, though this searing indictment on the bothersome realities of vengeance and unjustifiably gendered power ethics doesn’t reach the formidable and deliciously exacting dramatics of his 2012 Oscar and nominated Golden Berlin Bear winning A Separation. Still, Farhadi’s particular theatrics remain idiosyncratic to his interests in exploring culturally specific dynamics between men and women, and have successfully elevated the international awareness and platform of Iranian cinema, and his latest (which snagged a Best Screenplay and Best Actor win at Cannes 2016) is another strident chapter on human emotions shackled by social convention.
In the midst of rehearsing their soon to open stage production of the famous Arthur Miller play, in which they will be starring as Willy and Linda Loman, married couple Emad (Shahab Hosseini) and Rana Etesami (Taraneh Alidoosti) find themselves displaced from their newly purchased apartment when the entire complex begins to collapse. Thankfully, Babak (Babak Karimi), their co-star in the stage production, knows of a vacant apartment where the couple can immediately relocate temporarily as they await a reimbursement for their damaged apartment. Their lives suddenly in disarray, Rana mistakenly buzzes an interloper into the apartment one evening thinking it is Emad returning home, only to be physically and sexually assaulted by a man who had come to visit the previous displaced tenant, a prostitute who was greatly disliked by her socially pure neighbors. The culprit flees the scene following the indiscretion and leaves his truck behind. While Emad and Rana attempt to pick up the pieces, their emotional disconnect causes Emad to go to great lengths to solicit an eye for an eye without the interference of the law.
The opening sequences of The Salesman provide the film with its overarching metaphor of an irreparable foundational disturbance, the unsecure building and subsequent evacuation resulting in a dramatic ripple effect. Just as the central couple in A Separation is (at least partially defined) by their parental roles, Rana and Emad’s predicament here is also born out of their childlessness. Devotees of the theater, (Miller’s tweaked text, including side jokes about the downplayed sexuality of the prostitute character Miss Francis is merely a backdrop and superficial subtext), it is inferred the Etesamis and their untraditional lives and interests are the potential cause for their current state of tragic duress. The power of suggestion is the significant thread connecting (and strangling) the major movements of The Salesman, which uses Miller not so much as a treatment of American vs. Iranian values, but as an experimental, doubling arena for the theatrical business of life.
The actress playing Miss Francis in the play assumes she is being demeaned by a male co-star because portraying a woman of easy virtue invites automatic disrespect; Babak becomes infuriated at Emad adlibbing incendiary lines during a performance; a woman in a taxi is convinced Emad aims to molest her because he sits with his legs open; and, ultimately, it is Rana’s fault she was raped because she didn’t bother to check who she opened the front door of her apartment to. Had Rana and Emad had children or more conventional professions, their own lackadaisically defined routines would have been in automatic check, or so the social circles around them in The Salesman seem to imply.
We sympathize more with Shahab Hosseini’s Emad, whose chronic frustration boils over into a Death and the Maiden style attempt at truth as vengeance. Because Farhadi, once again, only implies the trauma exacted upon Rana in her shower, it allows for us to be more estranged from her untoward behavior and subsequent victimhood and more celebratory of Emad’s impassioned attempt to rectify the situation by saving his pride (and, perhaps to a lesser degree, his wife’s reputation). Farhadi reunites with his About Elly (2008) cinematographer Hossein Jafarian to construct a careful examination of bodies in spaces, the suggested control and inherent power plays in blocking.
The final, intense third act returns us to the unsafe space of the crumbling façade, a touching metaphor for the grisly and unappealing outcome of Emad’s desperate ploy for closure and revenge. But as in previous works, Farhadi’s strength lies in his ability to cast adept performers able to convey the subtle complexities of his prose, and what Taraneh Alidoosti and Shahab Hosseini (both who have previously appeared in Farhadi’s films) achieve here is exciting as it is troubling for Farhadi forces us to ask why do we sympathize with Emad and not Rana? The audience, like the community and culture around Rana, become complicit in their inability to empathize with either females or victimhood. Until the magnificent finale, that is, when Emad and company (including a particularly arresting late staged supporting turn from Farid Sajjadhosseini) are taken to task, and satisfaction for anyone quickly dissipates into the realm of the impossible.
Disc Review:
For the film’s first availability on Blu-ray, this Sony release isn’t quite as persuasive as most of Cohen Media Group’s usual home entertainment releases. Presented in 1.85:1 with DTS-hd Master Audio, picture and sound quality are serviceably transferred in this high definition package. A lone extra feature begs for a more illustrious presentation for the lauded title, however.
A Conversation:
An interview with writer-director Asghar Farhadi on the origins and making of The Salesman is available as a bonus feature.
Final Thoughts:
In the same vein as Farhadi’s other tautly constructed social issue melodramas, The Salesman is another aggravating ripple effect of confounded displacement and fractured foundations.
Film Review: ★★★½/☆☆☆☆☆
Disc Review: ★★★/☆☆☆☆☆
The post The Salesman | Blu-ray Review appeared first on Ioncinema.com.
- 5/3/2017
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
[Editor’s Note: This post is presented in partnership with Movies on Demand. Catch up on the latest films On Demand here.]
Movies on Demand has another month of audience favorites in store, including some of the most popular titles of the year so far. Check out five of our favorite films from the upcoming month below, as well as the full list of great movies available throughout May.
1) “I Am Not Your Negro” (Available May 2)
Raoul Peck’s documentary about the life and work of James Baldwin is a stunning tribute to the writer’s vital work. Even thirty years after his death, Baldwin’s words still cut to the heart of issues confronting American society. With performances of Baldwin’s writing from narrator Samuel L. Jackson, Peck provides a deeply human gateway to understanding the achievements and contributions of a man who still has much to say about how our country understands race.
2) “The Salesman” (Available May 2)
Somewhat lost in the weeks of Oscars aftermath is the recognition of director Asghar Farhadi’s latest film,...
Movies on Demand has another month of audience favorites in store, including some of the most popular titles of the year so far. Check out five of our favorite films from the upcoming month below, as well as the full list of great movies available throughout May.
1) “I Am Not Your Negro” (Available May 2)
Raoul Peck’s documentary about the life and work of James Baldwin is a stunning tribute to the writer’s vital work. Even thirty years after his death, Baldwin’s words still cut to the heart of issues confronting American society. With performances of Baldwin’s writing from narrator Samuel L. Jackson, Peck provides a deeply human gateway to understanding the achievements and contributions of a man who still has much to say about how our country understands race.
2) “The Salesman” (Available May 2)
Somewhat lost in the weeks of Oscars aftermath is the recognition of director Asghar Farhadi’s latest film,...
- 5/2/2017
- by Indiewire Staff
- Indiewire
Filmmaker Oren Moverman has never shied away from tackling difficult, seemingly impossible material to adapt to film with some of his writing work including the screenplays for Todd Haynes’ I’m Not There and the equally intriguing Brian Wilson biopic, Love and Mercy.
As a director and producer he’s followed suit with his 2nd film Rampart starring Woody Harrelson as an L.A. police officer with questionable motives, followed by a meditative look at homelessness with Richard Gere in Time Out of Mind.
For his latest movie, The Dinner, Moverman adapts Dutch author Herman Koch’s novel, which on the surface is about a dinner between two related couples with all the requisite food porn. As it progresses, it explores a variety of topics including mental illness and the battle of Gettysburg.
At the core of the film is Steve Coogan and Richard Gere playing brothers, the former a history professor,...
As a director and producer he’s followed suit with his 2nd film Rampart starring Woody Harrelson as an L.A. police officer with questionable motives, followed by a meditative look at homelessness with Richard Gere in Time Out of Mind.
For his latest movie, The Dinner, Moverman adapts Dutch author Herman Koch’s novel, which on the surface is about a dinner between two related couples with all the requisite food porn. As it progresses, it explores a variety of topics including mental illness and the battle of Gettysburg.
At the core of the film is Steve Coogan and Richard Gere playing brothers, the former a history professor,...
- 5/2/2017
- by Edward Douglas
- LRMonline.com
A California dad who was arrested after his son went missing has been released from jail while authorities continue to search for the boy.
Aramazd Andressian Sr. was arrested last Sunday on suspicion of one count of child endangerment and one count of child abduction. He had been jailed on $10 million bond. His 5-year-old son, Aramazd Andressian Jr. has not been seen for more than a week.
But jail records obtained by People show that Andressian was released from jail on Tuesday afternoon. His attorney told Ktla that he was released due to “insufficient evidence.”
Five-year-old Aramazd Andressian Jr. disappeared...
Aramazd Andressian Sr. was arrested last Sunday on suspicion of one count of child endangerment and one count of child abduction. He had been jailed on $10 million bond. His 5-year-old son, Aramazd Andressian Jr. has not been seen for more than a week.
But jail records obtained by People show that Andressian was released from jail on Tuesday afternoon. His attorney told Ktla that he was released due to “insufficient evidence.”
Five-year-old Aramazd Andressian Jr. disappeared...
- 4/26/2017
- by Steve Helling
- PEOPLE.com
California authorities are searching for a 5-year-old boy who has been missing for more than a week — and have arrested the boy’s father on suspicion of one count of child endangerment and one count of child abduction.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is asking for anyone with information about the disappearance of Aramazd Andressian Jr. to come forward.
According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the boy was last seen by his mother on Saturday, April 15, when she handed him to his father during a custody transition. Three days later, she had a Skype conversation with the boy.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is asking for anyone with information about the disappearance of Aramazd Andressian Jr. to come forward.
According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the boy was last seen by his mother on Saturday, April 15, when she handed him to his father during a custody transition. Three days later, she had a Skype conversation with the boy.
- 4/24/2017
- by Steve Helling
- PEOPLE.com
A haunting piece of Hollywood history is up for sale.
A Brentwood, California, home that once belonged to the legendary actress Marilyn Monroe was just listed for $6.9 million. The screen icon purchased the hacienda-style house in early 1962 after divorcing her third husband, Arthur Miller, according to Variety, but only lived there for a few months. She was found dead in her bedroom at the home in August of that year at 36 years old of an apparent drug overdose.
Related: Tour the Historical $25 Million Cecil B. DeMille Estate That Angelina Jolie Just Put an Offer On
The four-bedroom, four-bath home has...
A Brentwood, California, home that once belonged to the legendary actress Marilyn Monroe was just listed for $6.9 million. The screen icon purchased the hacienda-style house in early 1962 after divorcing her third husband, Arthur Miller, according to Variety, but only lived there for a few months. She was found dead in her bedroom at the home in August of that year at 36 years old of an apparent drug overdose.
Related: Tour the Historical $25 Million Cecil B. DeMille Estate That Angelina Jolie Just Put an Offer On
The four-bedroom, four-bath home has...
- 4/21/2017
- by Mackenzie Schmidt
- PEOPLE.com
If “Abundant Acreage Available” didn’t have closeups or outdoor scenes, it could have been filmed theater. Writer-director Angus MacLachlan’s second feature focuses on grown siblings Tracy (Amy Ryan) and Jesse (Terry Kinney) in the immediate aftermath of their father’s death. Stuck with his expansive farmland, they’re unsure what to do next, until the arrival of three older men who knew the deceased stake a claim to it. Set in a single location with a cast of five, the movie offers a lesson in minimalist drama, unfolding as a sharply acted mood piece that never crescendos, but hums along with wise observations and first-rate performances.
A intergenerational family drama that wouldn’t look out of place in the oeuvres of Tennessee Miller or Arthur Miller, “Abundant Acreage Available” is a noticeably more somber work for MacLachlan, whose directorial debut “Goodbye to All That” was a vulgar black comedy about overcoming divorce.
A intergenerational family drama that wouldn’t look out of place in the oeuvres of Tennessee Miller or Arthur Miller, “Abundant Acreage Available” is a noticeably more somber work for MacLachlan, whose directorial debut “Goodbye to All That” was a vulgar black comedy about overcoming divorce.
- 4/21/2017
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Steve Carell, Amy Schumer and Nicole Kidman have signed on to star in She Came to Me, the latest film project from writer-director Rebecca Miller.
Gigi Pritzker and Rachel Shane are producing via OddLot Entertainment, which was one of the companies behind last year's surprise hit Hell or High Water. Miller, the daughter of playwright Arthur Miller and who has written directed such movies as The Many Lives of Pippa Lee and Maggie’s Plan, is also producing with Damon Cardasis via their banner Round Films.
Plot details were not revealed, but the project is described as a sweeping comedic drama, a...
Gigi Pritzker and Rachel Shane are producing via OddLot Entertainment, which was one of the companies behind last year's surprise hit Hell or High Water. Miller, the daughter of playwright Arthur Miller and who has written directed such movies as The Many Lives of Pippa Lee and Maggie’s Plan, is also producing with Damon Cardasis via their banner Round Films.
Plot details were not revealed, but the project is described as a sweeping comedic drama, a...
- 3/23/2017
- by Borys Kit
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
By strange and fortuitous coincidence, my meeting with Jack Garfein fell upon the nexus of several intersecting moments in history. It was Friday, January 27th — International Holocaust Remembrance Day. One week earlier, Donald J. Trump was sworn to office as forty-fifth President of the United States; and in the ensuing weekend, allegations of Trump’s unpunished sexual misconduct, callous attitudes toward women and courting of radical right-wing supporters helped bring about the Women’s March on Washington, one of the largest mass protests in the nation’s history. All around, people are anxiously reading the past with tenuous hopes and fears for the future. History, so often a thing defined after the fact, is currently in violent and furious motion.
Jack Garfein is living history, and he’s not shy about telling it. Born to Ukrainian Jews in 1930, Mr. Garfein personally witnessed as a child the rise of Nazi Germany...
Jack Garfein is living history, and he’s not shy about telling it. Born to Ukrainian Jews in 1930, Mr. Garfein personally witnessed as a child the rise of Nazi Germany...
- 3/20/2017
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
Roundabout Theatre Company presentsMark Ruffalo,Tony Shalhoub,Jessica HechtandDanny DeVitoin a new Broadway production ofArthur Miller'sThe Price, directed bySteppenwolf TheatreCompany co-founder,Terry Kinney.Arthur Miller'sThe Priceopens officially tonight, March 16, 2017. This is a limited engagement through May 7, 2017 on Broadway at the American Airlines Theatre on Broadway 227 West 42nd Street. Check out a first look at the cast in action below...
- 3/16/2017
- by BroadwayWorld TV
- BroadwayWorld.com
“Theater geek” may not be the most obvious label for J.J. Abrams, who has built a film and TV career directing, writing and producing sci-fi and action-heavy shows (Alias, Lost), rebooting film franchises (Star Trek, Star Wars) and launching his own Easter egg-filled film universe (Cloverfield). But the filmmaker has the same appreciation for Broadway as he does The Twilight Zone, the sci-fi anthology series he’s long considered to be one of the best on TV.
“I’ve been a fan of theater all my life,” Abrams tells Et. In fact, he has been attending shows in New York City, where he was born, since he was a young kid, collecting playbills from every production along the way. “I embarrassingly saved all of them.”
He recalls seeing the original runs of The Magic Show, starring Doug Henning, and Noises Off, as well as various productions of Arthur Miller and Tennessee Williams plays. He cites Ira Levin...
“I’ve been a fan of theater all my life,” Abrams tells Et. In fact, he has been attending shows in New York City, where he was born, since he was a young kid, collecting playbills from every production along the way. “I embarrassingly saved all of them.”
He recalls seeing the original runs of The Magic Show, starring Doug Henning, and Noises Off, as well as various productions of Arthur Miller and Tennessee Williams plays. He cites Ira Levin...
- 3/14/2017
- Entertainment Tonight
Roundabout Theatre Company presentsMark Ruffalo,Tony Shalhoub,Jessica HechtandDanny DeVitoin a new Broadway production ofArthur Miller'sThe Price, directed bySteppenwolf TheatreCompany co-founder,Terry Kinney.Arthur Miller'sThe Priceopens officially on Thursday, March 16, 2017. This is a limited engagement through May 7, 2017 on Broadway at the American Airlines Theatre on Broadway 227 West 42nd Street. Check out a first look at the cast in action below...
- 3/1/2017
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
This past weekend, the American Society of Cinematographers awarded Greig Fraser for his contribution to Lion as last year’s greatest accomplishment in the field. Of course, his achievement was just a small sampling of the fantastic work from directors of photography, but it did give us a stronger hint at what may be the winner on Oscar night. Ahead of the ceremony, we have a new video compilation that honors all the past winners in the category at the Academy Awards
Created by Burger Fiction, it spans the stunning silent landmark Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans all the way up to the end of Emmanuel Lubezki‘s three-peat win for The Revenant. Aside from the advancements in color and aspect ration, it’s a thrill to see some of cinema’s most iconic shots side-by-side. However, the best way to experience the evolution of the craft is by...
Created by Burger Fiction, it spans the stunning silent landmark Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans all the way up to the end of Emmanuel Lubezki‘s three-peat win for The Revenant. Aside from the advancements in color and aspect ration, it’s a thrill to see some of cinema’s most iconic shots side-by-side. However, the best way to experience the evolution of the craft is by...
- 2/6/2017
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
A big congratulations are in order for Denzel Washington who just took home his very first Screen Actors Guild award. The Fences actor won Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture at the 2017 SAG Awards and accepted the award by admitting he really didn't believe in himself. "Thank you very much," he began. "You know, I am a God-fearing man. I'm supposed to have faith, but I didn't have faith. God bless you all, all the other actors. I'd say, 'You know, young boys are going to win, you ain't going to win.' So I didn't even prepare. But I am prepared!" He continued, "Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller,...
- 1/30/2017
- E! Online
Denzel Washington has been named best actor at this year’s Screen Actors Guild Awards.
The 62-year-old actor won for his role in August Wilson’s Fences as a Pittsburgh sanitation worker who bitterly reflects on never getting the chance to play Major League baseball. (Washington also directed.) His win could spell good things for his Oscar chances: For the last 10 years, the SAG Awards have correctly predicted the Oscar best actor winner 100 percent of the time.
People and Entertainment Weekly are hosting the official live pre-show for the SAG Awards on Sunday, Jan. 29, in partnership with TNT and sponsored by Dunkin’ Donuts.
The 62-year-old actor won for his role in August Wilson’s Fences as a Pittsburgh sanitation worker who bitterly reflects on never getting the chance to play Major League baseball. (Washington also directed.) His win could spell good things for his Oscar chances: For the last 10 years, the SAG Awards have correctly predicted the Oscar best actor winner 100 percent of the time.
People and Entertainment Weekly are hosting the official live pre-show for the SAG Awards on Sunday, Jan. 29, in partnership with TNT and sponsored by Dunkin’ Donuts.
- 1/30/2017
- by Devan Coggan and Natalie Stone
- PEOPLE.com
On Tuesday, it was announced that Fences is up for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress for Denzel Washington and Viola Davis, and Best Adapted Screenplay, which, if it wins, will be posthumously awarded to playwright August Wilson. The American playwright behind Fences and “The Pittsburgh Cycle” -- 10 plays, including Fences, about the black experience set in different decades -- died in 2005 before seeing the play adapted for the screen.
In fact, it took nearly 30 years for the play, which had been optioned by Paramount in the late-‘80s and was originally set to star Eddie Murphy, to finally get released in theaters this past year.
2017 Oscars: Black Actors Nominated in Every Acting Category for First Time in Oscar History
For producer Todd Black, who helped fight to get Wilson’s play adapted to screen, it’s that fourth nomination that’s truly special. “There were challenges...
In fact, it took nearly 30 years for the play, which had been optioned by Paramount in the late-‘80s and was originally set to star Eddie Murphy, to finally get released in theaters this past year.
2017 Oscars: Black Actors Nominated in Every Acting Category for First Time in Oscar History
For producer Todd Black, who helped fight to get Wilson’s play adapted to screen, it’s that fourth nomination that’s truly special. “There were challenges...
- 1/24/2017
- Entertainment Tonight
Dana Andrews movies: Film noir actor excelled in both major and minor crime dramas. Dana Andrews movies: First-rate film noir actor excelled in both classics & minor fare One of the best-looking and most underrated actors of the studio era, Dana Andrews was a first-rate film noir/crime thriller star. Oftentimes dismissed as no more than a “dependable” or “reliable” leading man, in truth Andrews brought to life complex characters that never quite fit into the mold of Hollywood's standardized heroes – or rather, antiheroes. Unlike the cynical, tough-talking, and (albeit at times self-delusionally) self-confident characters played by the likes of Alan Ladd, Edward G. Robinson, James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart, and, however lazily, Robert Mitchum, Andrews created portrayals of tortured men at odds with their social standing, their sense of ethics, and even their romantic yearnings. Not infrequently, there was only a very fine line separating his (anti)heroes from most movie villains.
- 1/22/2017
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
"I'm the end of the line," Arthur Miller once asserted. "Absurd and appalling as it may seem, serious New York theater has died in my lifetime."
Many might argue otherwise. In fact, the best proof that theatre is still alive and kicking is Focus on Playwrights, the new coffee-table book, the cover of which showcases the life-crinkled face that once overlooked the birth of A View from the Bridge, All My Sons, and The Crucible. Yes, photographer Susan Johann’s scintillating collection of over 90 playwrights, whom she’s shot over 20 years -- and the inclusion of sharply revealing interviews with some of the same, is the best retort to anyone ready to cremate modern drama.
Some of those captured for publications such as Vogue and the New Yorker are now deceased (e.g. August Wilson, Edward Albee, and Joe Chaikin) while others are very much functioning (e.g. David Henry Hwang,...
Many might argue otherwise. In fact, the best proof that theatre is still alive and kicking is Focus on Playwrights, the new coffee-table book, the cover of which showcases the life-crinkled face that once overlooked the birth of A View from the Bridge, All My Sons, and The Crucible. Yes, photographer Susan Johann’s scintillating collection of over 90 playwrights, whom she’s shot over 20 years -- and the inclusion of sharply revealing interviews with some of the same, is the best retort to anyone ready to cremate modern drama.
Some of those captured for publications such as Vogue and the New Yorker are now deceased (e.g. August Wilson, Edward Albee, and Joe Chaikin) while others are very much functioning (e.g. David Henry Hwang,...
- 1/20/2017
- by Brandon Judell
- www.culturecatch.com
Even filmmaker Stephen Gaghan will admit it’s been far too long since he’s had a movie in theaters with the Oscar-nominated political thriller Syriana. It got him his second Oscar nomination after winning an Oscar for writing Stephen Soderbergh’s Oscar-winning Traffic a few years earlier.
He’s finally back with Gold, a movie loosely based on the real-life Bre-x gold scandal with Matthew McConaughey playing Kenny Wells, a man struggling to keep his father’s mining business alive after his passing. A vision of there being gold in Indonesia, puts him in contact with geologist Michael Acosta (Edgar Ramirez) who believes that he can help Wells find that gold. After a trying start where Kenny almost succumbs to malaria, Acosta finds evidence of gold, which gets many investing in their company, but as with the Bre-x scandal, things weren’t what they seemed.
Unlike Syriana and Traffic,...
He’s finally back with Gold, a movie loosely based on the real-life Bre-x gold scandal with Matthew McConaughey playing Kenny Wells, a man struggling to keep his father’s mining business alive after his passing. A vision of there being gold in Indonesia, puts him in contact with geologist Michael Acosta (Edgar Ramirez) who believes that he can help Wells find that gold. After a trying start where Kenny almost succumbs to malaria, Acosta finds evidence of gold, which gets many investing in their company, but as with the Bre-x scandal, things weren’t what they seemed.
Unlike Syriana and Traffic,...
- 1/19/2017
- by Edward Douglas
- LRMonline.com
The Keys of the Kingdom
Blu-ray
Twilight Time
1944 / B&W / 1:37 Academy / 137 min. / Street Date December 13, 2017 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store 29.95
Starring: Gregory Peck, Thomas Mitchell, Vincent Price, Rose Stradner, Roddy McDowall, Edmund Gwenn, Cedric Hardwicke, Peggy Ann Garner, Jane Ball, James Gleason, Anne Revere
Cinematography: Arthur Miller
Art Direction: James Basevi, William Darling
Film Editor: James B. Clark
Original Music: Alfred Newman
Written by: Joseph L. Mankiewicz, Nunnally Johnson from a novel by A.J. Cronin
Produced by: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Directed by John M. Stahl
The Twilight Time label has access to much of the Fox library, and draws from the vault what’s been fully restored and what’s not already claimed elsewhere. Accompanying their UA- sourced disc of Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s The Barefoot Contessa is a 1944 Fox release from the writer-director-producer, a big studio production directed in this case by John M. Stahl. The Keys of the Kingdom...
Blu-ray
Twilight Time
1944 / B&W / 1:37 Academy / 137 min. / Street Date December 13, 2017 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store 29.95
Starring: Gregory Peck, Thomas Mitchell, Vincent Price, Rose Stradner, Roddy McDowall, Edmund Gwenn, Cedric Hardwicke, Peggy Ann Garner, Jane Ball, James Gleason, Anne Revere
Cinematography: Arthur Miller
Art Direction: James Basevi, William Darling
Film Editor: James B. Clark
Original Music: Alfred Newman
Written by: Joseph L. Mankiewicz, Nunnally Johnson from a novel by A.J. Cronin
Produced by: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Directed by John M. Stahl
The Twilight Time label has access to much of the Fox library, and draws from the vault what’s been fully restored and what’s not already claimed elsewhere. Accompanying their UA- sourced disc of Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s The Barefoot Contessa is a 1944 Fox release from the writer-director-producer, a big studio production directed in this case by John M. Stahl. The Keys of the Kingdom...
- 1/10/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Casting directors have a strange distinction in the awards world: Their guild has an Academy branch, but it’s the only one without its own Oscar category. Imagine for a moment that they did. What are the best-cast films of 2016?
IndieWire asked 13 of the top casting directors to nominate films worthy of casting recognition this year. There were a few restrictions worth noting. Although casting directors often get early sneak peeks at films, many noted there are some films they still hadn’t seen. In particular, many are anxious to find out what legendary casting director Ellen Lewis has cooked up for Martin Scorsese’s “Silence.” The other restriction, which was imposed as responses came in: They couldn’t all write about “Moonlight.” (We’ll dig further into the casting of that film in another article.)
Read More: Casting Directors and the Academy: Why Lynn Stalmaster’s Honorary Oscar Matters...
IndieWire asked 13 of the top casting directors to nominate films worthy of casting recognition this year. There were a few restrictions worth noting. Although casting directors often get early sneak peeks at films, many noted there are some films they still hadn’t seen. In particular, many are anxious to find out what legendary casting director Ellen Lewis has cooked up for Martin Scorsese’s “Silence.” The other restriction, which was imposed as responses came in: They couldn’t all write about “Moonlight.” (We’ll dig further into the casting of that film in another article.)
Read More: Casting Directors and the Academy: Why Lynn Stalmaster’s Honorary Oscar Matters...
- 11/23/2016
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
Elia Kazan's third picture is a hard-hitting noir, a true story that honors the efforts of a noble States' Attorney when confronted with a murder case that was a little too open-and-shut. But a close read of the movie uncovers a miasma of social criticism, hiding behind the self-congratulating official narration. A great show. Boomerang! Blu-ray Kl Studio Classics 1947 / B&W / 1:37 flat full frame / 88 min. / Street Date November 15, 2016 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95 Starring Dana Andrews, Jane Wyatt, Lee J. Cobb, Sam Levene, Arthur Kennedy, Cara Williams, Ed Begley, Taylor Holmes, Robert Keith. Cinematography Norbert Brodine Art Direction Richard Day, Chester Gore Film Editor Harmon Jones Original Music David Buttolph Written by Richard Murphy from an article in The Reader's Digest by Anthony Abbot (Fulton Oursier) Produced by Louis De Rochemont, Darryl F. Zanuck Directed by Elia Kazan
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
In just his second movie, director...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
In just his second movie, director...
- 11/15/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
A formidable character actress, Amy Ryan has built a career on dramatic supporting roles in everything from Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead to HBO’s The Wire, as well as Tony-nominated performances on Broadway. She is probably most famous for her Oscar-nominated turn as a distraught mother of a missing daughter in Ben Affleck’s Gone Baby Gone. "I'm not a glamour girl and that's Ok," Ryan tells Et by phone. Not confined to Hollywood's standards for leading ladies, she naturally gravitated toward these supporting roles. "It's what got me excited when reading scripts. The character parts are always so much fun."
While there’s no doubt that Ryan can deliver scathing, emotional performances, she has a serious funny bone that’s not often seen onscreen. “My mom always said to me, ‘Your career really surprised me,’” Ryan says. The 48-year-old actress, who is currently earning laughs in Roundabout Theatre Company’s limited run of...
While there’s no doubt that Ryan can deliver scathing, emotional performances, she has a serious funny bone that’s not often seen onscreen. “My mom always said to me, ‘Your career really surprised me,’” Ryan says. The 48-year-old actress, who is currently earning laughs in Roundabout Theatre Company’s limited run of...
- 11/14/2016
- Entertainment Tonight
Ahead of her appearance in Sydney Theatre Company’s Speed-the-Plow, the actor reflects on the ‘electric’ production that was the beginning of her journey
It was one of those experiences where you remember everything: who you were with, what you were wearing, what time of day it was.
It was my first Arthur Miller. I was 16 years old. I’d been a nerdy drama student for about eight years, but I hadn’t seen that much live theatre and I’d never seen any of Miller’s plays performed.
Continue reading...
It was one of those experiences where you remember everything: who you were with, what you were wearing, what time of day it was.
It was my first Arthur Miller. I was 16 years old. I’d been a nerdy drama student for about eight years, but I hadn’t seen that much live theatre and I’d never seen any of Miller’s plays performed.
Continue reading...
- 10/31/2016
- by As told to Alexandra Spring
- The Guardian - Film News
Though I just gushed love all over Thomas Vinterberg's Oscar submission finalist The Commune yesterday, today brings news that Denmark went with another title for their submission. The committee unanimously chose Land of Mine, a World War II drama. The film looks at a little told story about German POWs in Denmark forced to dig up land mines. The film will be released in the Us by Sony Pictures Classics, dates Tba. It's worth noting that the film is also up for the Nordic Film Prize on November 1st, a prize which has other Oscar submission finalists in the running:
Nordic Council Film Prize Nominees
The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki (Finland's Oscar submission)
The Here After (Sweden - Reviewed last year at Tiff)
Land of Mine (Denmark's Oscar submission)
Louder Than Bombs (Norway's English Language Joachim von Trier film)
Sparrows (Iceland's Oscar submission finalist...
Nordic Council Film Prize Nominees
The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki (Finland's Oscar submission)
The Here After (Sweden - Reviewed last year at Tiff)
Land of Mine (Denmark's Oscar submission)
Louder Than Bombs (Norway's English Language Joachim von Trier film)
Sparrows (Iceland's Oscar submission finalist...
- 9/19/2016
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Rehearsals are underway for the Young Vic Production of Arthur Miller's 'A View From the Bridge' produced by Center Theatre Group at the Ahmanson Theatre. Directed by Ivo van Hove, 'A View From the Bridge' will begin previews on September 7, with the opening set for September 14, 2016. Performances continue through October 16. Scroll down for a sneak peek at the company in rehearsal...
- 8/25/2016
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
Leave it to director William Wellman to direct the most compelling social justice movie of the 1940s. Taken from a bestselling novel, it's a wrenching examination of the workings of a natural American phenomenon, the Lynch Mob. The Ox-Bow Incident Blu-ray Kl Studio Classics 1942 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 75 min. / Street Date July 12, 2016 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95 Starring Henry Fonda, Dana Andrews, Mary Beth Hughes, Anthony Quinn, William Eythe, Harry Morgan, Jane Darwell, Matt Briggs, Harry Davenport, Frank Conroy, Marc Lawrence Cinematography Arthur Miller Art Direction James Basevi, Richard Day Film Editor Allen McNeil Original Music Cyril J. Mockridge Written and Produced by Lamar Trotti from a novel by Walter Van Tilburg Clark Directed by William A. Wellman
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
In the first scene of this grim feature, Henry Fonda stumbles out of a saloon street and throws up in the street. Apparently that was the reaction shared...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
In the first scene of this grim feature, Henry Fonda stumbles out of a saloon street and throws up in the street. Apparently that was the reaction shared...
- 8/22/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
By Todd Garbarini
This weekend of August 12 through 14th, the Laemmle Ahrya Fine Arts Theatre in Los Angeles will be presenting a series of classic western films that will also feature special guests who are scheduled to come and speak about their work in the films. We strongly suggest checking with the theatre’s schedule to see which other guests are added.
From the press release:
Anniversary Classics Western Weekend
August 12-14 at the Ahrya Fine Arts Theatre in Beverly Hills
5 Classic Westerns with special guests throughout the weekend
Laemmle’s Anniversary Classics presents our tribute to the sagebrush genre with the Anniversary Classics Western Weekend, a five film round-up of some of the most celebrated westerns in movie history. The star-studded lineup features John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, Burt Lancaster, Lee Marvin, Robert Ryan, Kevin Costner, Montgomery Clift, Natalie Wood, Eli Wallach, Lee Van Cleef and others.
This weekend of August 12 through 14th, the Laemmle Ahrya Fine Arts Theatre in Los Angeles will be presenting a series of classic western films that will also feature special guests who are scheduled to come and speak about their work in the films. We strongly suggest checking with the theatre’s schedule to see which other guests are added.
From the press release:
Anniversary Classics Western Weekend
August 12-14 at the Ahrya Fine Arts Theatre in Beverly Hills
5 Classic Westerns with special guests throughout the weekend
Laemmle’s Anniversary Classics presents our tribute to the sagebrush genre with the Anniversary Classics Western Weekend, a five film round-up of some of the most celebrated westerns in movie history. The star-studded lineup features John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, Burt Lancaster, Lee Marvin, Robert Ryan, Kevin Costner, Montgomery Clift, Natalie Wood, Eli Wallach, Lee Van Cleef and others.
- 8/9/2016
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
This Alan Arkin-Peter Falk show is finally being recognized as a comedy mini-masterpiece. Afraid of offending his daughter's future father-in-law, a dentist is sucked into a nightmare of crime and jeopardy, as a jolly Chinese airline whisks him away to a rendezvous with danger in a Latin American dictatorship. It's a gem of sustained mirth. The In-Laws Blu-ray The Criterion Collection 823 1979 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 103 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date July 5, 2016 / 39.95 Starring Peter Falk, Alan Arkin, Richard Libertini, Nancy Dussault, Penny Peyser, Arlene Golonka, Michael Lembeck, Paul Lawrence Smith, Ed Begley Jr., James Hong, Barbara Dana, David Paymer. Cinematography David M. Walsh Film Editor Robert E. Swink Original Music John Morris Written by Andrew Bergman Produced by Arthur Miller, William Sackheim Directed by Arthur Hiller
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Good grief, I had no idea that Albert Brooks and Michael Douglas remade this movie back in...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Good grief, I had no idea that Albert Brooks and Michael Douglas remade this movie back in...
- 6/29/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Hamilton rose to the occasion and scored an impressive 11 trophies at the 2016 Tony Awards on Sunday night (June 12), including Best Musical.
The blockbuster hip-hop musical about America's founding father was nominated for a record-breaking 16 awards during Sunday's (12Jun16) prizegiving, and in addition to the top award presented to them by Barbra Streisand, the show's star, creator and lyricist Lin-Manuel Miranda, took individual prizes for Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score.
Miranda lost the Best Leading Actor in a Musical trophy to his co-star Leslie Odom, Jr., while other acting prizes went to Renee Elise Goldsberry (Best Featured Actress in a Musical) and Daveed Diggs (Best Featured Actor in a Musical).
The creative team had a near clean sweep, winning Best Direction of a Musical (Thomas Kail), Best Choreography (Andy Blankenbuehler), Best Orchestrations (Alex Lacamoire), Best Costume Design (Paul Tazewell), and Best Lighting Design (Howell Binkley).
Although Hamilton went home with 11 trophies, it did not break the record for the most wins in one night, which is held by The Producers. The musical was honoured with 12 Tonys in 2001.
Meanwhile, acclaimed show The Humans scored the most trophies in the play categories, for Best Play, Best Featured Actor and Actress prizes for its two stars Reed Birney and Jayne Houdyshell, respectively, and Best Scenic Design of a Play for David Zinn.
Frank Langella earned his fourth Tony for Best Leading Actor in a Play for The Father, while Jessica Lange won her first Tony for Best Leading Actress in a Play for Long Day's Journey Into Night. Arthur Miller's A View From The Bridge was given two Tonys, for Best Revival of a Play and for its director Ivo van Hove.
Casts from each of the Best Musical contenders - Bright Star, Hamilton, School of Rock, Shuffle Along, and Waitress - treated viewers to song and dance numbers, while stars from Best Revival of a Musical nominees, The Color Purple, Fiddler on the Roof, She Loves Me and Spring Awakening, also hit the stage to perform.
Bebe Neuwirth also led a 20th anniversary tribute to the revival of long-running musical Chicago, the show which earned her her second Tony Award in 1997.
The list of winners at the 70th Annual Tony Awards is as follows:
Best Musical:
Hamilton
Best Play:
The Humans
Best Revival of a Musical:
The Color Purple
Best Revival of a Play:
Arthur Miller's A View From The Bridge
Best Book of a Musical:
Lin-Manuel Miranda - Hamilton
Best Original Score:
Lin-Manuel Miranda - Hamilton
Best Leading Actor in a Musical:
Leslie Odom, Jr. - Hamilton
Best Leading Actress in a Musical:
Cynthia Erivo - The Color Purple
Best Leading Actor in a Play:
Frank Langella - The Father
Best Leading Actress in a Play:
Jessica Lange - Long Day's Journey Into Night
Best Featured Actor in a Musical:
Daveed Diggs - Hamilton
Best Featured Actress in a Musical:
Renee Elise Goldsberry - Hamilton
Best Featured Actor in a Play:
Reed Birney - The Humans
Best Featured Actress in a Play:
Jayne Houdyshell - The Humans
Best Direction of a Musical:
Thomas Kail - Hamilton
Best Direction of a Play:
Ivo van Hove - Arthur Miller's A View from the Bridge
Best Lighting Design of a Musical:
Howell Binkley - Hamilton
Best Lighting Design of a Play:
Natasha Katz - Long Day's Journey Into Night
Best Costume Design of a Musical:
Paul Tazewell - Hamilton
Best Costume Design of a Play:
Clint Ramos - Eclipsed
Best Scenic Design of a Musical:
David Rockwell - She Loves Me
Best Scenic Design of a Play:
David Zinn - The Humans
Best Choreography:
Andy Blankenbuehler - Hamilton
Best Orchestrations:
Alex Lacamoire - Hamilton
Special Tony Award:
National Endowment for the Arts and Miles Wilkin
Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award:
Brian Stokes Mitchell
Regional Theatre Tony Award:
Paper Mill Playhouse
Lifetime Achievement:
Sheldon Harnick and Marshall W. Mason. (Td/Wn/Mt)...
The blockbuster hip-hop musical about America's founding father was nominated for a record-breaking 16 awards during Sunday's (12Jun16) prizegiving, and in addition to the top award presented to them by Barbra Streisand, the show's star, creator and lyricist Lin-Manuel Miranda, took individual prizes for Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score.
Miranda lost the Best Leading Actor in a Musical trophy to his co-star Leslie Odom, Jr., while other acting prizes went to Renee Elise Goldsberry (Best Featured Actress in a Musical) and Daveed Diggs (Best Featured Actor in a Musical).
The creative team had a near clean sweep, winning Best Direction of a Musical (Thomas Kail), Best Choreography (Andy Blankenbuehler), Best Orchestrations (Alex Lacamoire), Best Costume Design (Paul Tazewell), and Best Lighting Design (Howell Binkley).
Although Hamilton went home with 11 trophies, it did not break the record for the most wins in one night, which is held by The Producers. The musical was honoured with 12 Tonys in 2001.
Meanwhile, acclaimed show The Humans scored the most trophies in the play categories, for Best Play, Best Featured Actor and Actress prizes for its two stars Reed Birney and Jayne Houdyshell, respectively, and Best Scenic Design of a Play for David Zinn.
Frank Langella earned his fourth Tony for Best Leading Actor in a Play for The Father, while Jessica Lange won her first Tony for Best Leading Actress in a Play for Long Day's Journey Into Night. Arthur Miller's A View From The Bridge was given two Tonys, for Best Revival of a Play and for its director Ivo van Hove.
Casts from each of the Best Musical contenders - Bright Star, Hamilton, School of Rock, Shuffle Along, and Waitress - treated viewers to song and dance numbers, while stars from Best Revival of a Musical nominees, The Color Purple, Fiddler on the Roof, She Loves Me and Spring Awakening, also hit the stage to perform.
Bebe Neuwirth also led a 20th anniversary tribute to the revival of long-running musical Chicago, the show which earned her her second Tony Award in 1997.
The list of winners at the 70th Annual Tony Awards is as follows:
Best Musical:
Hamilton
Best Play:
The Humans
Best Revival of a Musical:
The Color Purple
Best Revival of a Play:
Arthur Miller's A View From The Bridge
Best Book of a Musical:
Lin-Manuel Miranda - Hamilton
Best Original Score:
Lin-Manuel Miranda - Hamilton
Best Leading Actor in a Musical:
Leslie Odom, Jr. - Hamilton
Best Leading Actress in a Musical:
Cynthia Erivo - The Color Purple
Best Leading Actor in a Play:
Frank Langella - The Father
Best Leading Actress in a Play:
Jessica Lange - Long Day's Journey Into Night
Best Featured Actor in a Musical:
Daveed Diggs - Hamilton
Best Featured Actress in a Musical:
Renee Elise Goldsberry - Hamilton
Best Featured Actor in a Play:
Reed Birney - The Humans
Best Featured Actress in a Play:
Jayne Houdyshell - The Humans
Best Direction of a Musical:
Thomas Kail - Hamilton
Best Direction of a Play:
Ivo van Hove - Arthur Miller's A View from the Bridge
Best Lighting Design of a Musical:
Howell Binkley - Hamilton
Best Lighting Design of a Play:
Natasha Katz - Long Day's Journey Into Night
Best Costume Design of a Musical:
Paul Tazewell - Hamilton
Best Costume Design of a Play:
Clint Ramos - Eclipsed
Best Scenic Design of a Musical:
David Rockwell - She Loves Me
Best Scenic Design of a Play:
David Zinn - The Humans
Best Choreography:
Andy Blankenbuehler - Hamilton
Best Orchestrations:
Alex Lacamoire - Hamilton
Special Tony Award:
National Endowment for the Arts and Miles Wilkin
Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award:
Brian Stokes Mitchell
Regional Theatre Tony Award:
Paper Mill Playhouse
Lifetime Achievement:
Sheldon Harnick and Marshall W. Mason. (Td/Wn/Mt)...
- 6/13/2016
- GossipCenter
Mark Strong is incredibly excited to return to New York City. The seasoned character actor received a Tony nomination for playing the dangerously single-minded Brooklyn longshoreman Eddie Carbone in Ivo van Hove's acclaimed revival of Arthur Miller's A View From the Bridge, the same role for which he won an Olivier Award in London. THR’s review of the limited run, which wrapped in February, said, “This ensemble superbly captures that complexity of people isolated by their own anxieties while being pulled into a calamity that will scar them all. The fulcrum of that seething mass is Strong, who gives a
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read more...
- 6/6/2016
- by Ashley Lee
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: Memento also secures deals for Bruno Dumont’s Cannes contender Slack Bay.
The UK’s Curzon Artificial Eye and Germany’s Prokino are among the latest distributors to snap up Iranian director Asghar Farhadi’s The Salesman (Forushande) following its well-received premiere in Competition at Cannes this year.
Farhadi’s tale about a couple in a touring production of Arthur Miller’s Death Of A Salesman whose relationship turns violent picked up awards for best screenplay as well as best actor for Shahab Hosseini.
Paris-based Memento Films International (Mfi) has also unveiled new deals to Bulgaria (Bulgaria Film Vision), Czech Republic and Slovakia (Artcam) and Romania (Macondo).
The title also sold well into Latin America during Cannes, securing distribution in Argentina (Alfa Films), Brazil (Providence Filmes) and Mexico (Cinema Nueva Era). Bogota-based Cineplex took rights for Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia and Central America as well as pan-Latin American satellite TV rights.
There were also...
The UK’s Curzon Artificial Eye and Germany’s Prokino are among the latest distributors to snap up Iranian director Asghar Farhadi’s The Salesman (Forushande) following its well-received premiere in Competition at Cannes this year.
Farhadi’s tale about a couple in a touring production of Arthur Miller’s Death Of A Salesman whose relationship turns violent picked up awards for best screenplay as well as best actor for Shahab Hosseini.
Paris-based Memento Films International (Mfi) has also unveiled new deals to Bulgaria (Bulgaria Film Vision), Czech Republic and Slovakia (Artcam) and Romania (Macondo).
The title also sold well into Latin America during Cannes, securing distribution in Argentina (Alfa Films), Brazil (Providence Filmes) and Mexico (Cinema Nueva Era). Bogota-based Cineplex took rights for Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia and Central America as well as pan-Latin American satellite TV rights.
There were also...
- 5/31/2016
- ScreenDaily
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