Settle in, Mother Scratchers! We’re going back to the salad days of Joel and Ethan Coen‘s fabled partnership for the duo’s unconventional comedy about an unlikely courtship, unwanted house guests, a cigar-chomping pale rider, the best deals on furniture in the Southwestern portion of the United States, and baby stealing! Slap your ass, and don’t forget the Huggies because we’re revisiting the Coen Brothers’ 1987 crime comedy Raising Arizona.
The dynamic duo of Joel and Ethan Coen made the Hollywood scene in 1984 with the neo-noir crime drama Blood Simple. Featuring John Getz, Francis McDormand, and Dan Hedaya, Blood Simple helped define the brothers as a creative team to watch, with critics taking a shine to the thriller’s harsh Texas setting, twisting plot, and hypnotic characters. Not all filmmakers come out of the gate swinging, but the Coens delivered a haymaker for film buffs craving something dark,...
The dynamic duo of Joel and Ethan Coen made the Hollywood scene in 1984 with the neo-noir crime drama Blood Simple. Featuring John Getz, Francis McDormand, and Dan Hedaya, Blood Simple helped define the brothers as a creative team to watch, with critics taking a shine to the thriller’s harsh Texas setting, twisting plot, and hypnotic characters. Not all filmmakers come out of the gate swinging, but the Coens delivered a haymaker for film buffs craving something dark,...
- 3/26/2024
- by Steve Seigh
- JoBlo.com
Clockwise from left: Rocky (Warner Bros.), Do The Right Thing (Universal), Scarface (Universal), Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (Paramount), Marcia Straub (Getty Images)Graphic: AVClub
In Field Of Dreams, when Kevin Costner is asked of his homemade baseball diamond, “Is this Heaven?” there’s a reason he doesn’t answer,...
In Field Of Dreams, when Kevin Costner is asked of his homemade baseball diamond, “Is this Heaven?” there’s a reason he doesn’t answer,...
- 6/29/2023
- by Mark Keizer, Jen Lennon, Cindy White, Matt Schimkowitz, William Hughes, Sam Barsanti, and Drew Gillis
- avclub.com
Jerry Lee Lewis, the world-famous rock and roll and country musician died at 87. On Friday, Lewis’ publicist, Zach Farnum, confirmed the Hall of Famer’s passing. Lee leaves behind a rocky legacy some musicians can only dream of achieving.
As a singer, songwriter, and pianist, Lewis dazzled crowds with infectious energy and theatrical piano playing technique. On stage, Lewis appeared to merge with his instrument, becoming one with the music he loved to share with the world. Watching Lewis on stage, you’d think he was performing an exorcism on stage, as each note caused his bones to gyrate with rhythm. Famously known for his hit song “Great Balls of Fire,” Lewis dabbled in rockabilly, gospel, country, blues, and jazz. There was scarcely a genre Lewis wouldn’t explore, and he shined while creating unique soundscapes in all categories.
Lewis came onto the music scene in 1956 with a hit called “Crazy Arms.
As a singer, songwriter, and pianist, Lewis dazzled crowds with infectious energy and theatrical piano playing technique. On stage, Lewis appeared to merge with his instrument, becoming one with the music he loved to share with the world. Watching Lewis on stage, you’d think he was performing an exorcism on stage, as each note caused his bones to gyrate with rhythm. Famously known for his hit song “Great Balls of Fire,” Lewis dabbled in rockabilly, gospel, country, blues, and jazz. There was scarcely a genre Lewis wouldn’t explore, and he shined while creating unique soundscapes in all categories.
Lewis came onto the music scene in 1956 with a hit called “Crazy Arms.
- 10/28/2022
- by Steve Seigh
- JoBlo.com
Jerry Lee Lewis has died at age 87.
The “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” singer, pianist, and songwriter passed away in Mississippi.
“Judith, his seventh wife, was by his side when he passed away at his home in Desoto County, Mississippi, south of Memphis,” Lewis’ representative Zach Farnum said in a statement shared with press. “He told her, in his final days, that he welcomed the hereafter, and that he was not afraid.”
Known as “The Killer” for the way Lewis would knock out audiences with his raw talent, the crooner skyrocketed to fame in 1957 after “Great Balls of Fire” debuted with the film “Jamboree.” The hit song played a key component in “Top Gun,” with Tom Cruise’s Maverick and Anthony Edwards’ Goose singing it on the piano in one of the iconic scenes from the 1986 film. The song is ranked as the 96th greatest song of all time by Rolling Stone.
The “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” singer, pianist, and songwriter passed away in Mississippi.
“Judith, his seventh wife, was by his side when he passed away at his home in Desoto County, Mississippi, south of Memphis,” Lewis’ representative Zach Farnum said in a statement shared with press. “He told her, in his final days, that he welcomed the hereafter, and that he was not afraid.”
Known as “The Killer” for the way Lewis would knock out audiences with his raw talent, the crooner skyrocketed to fame in 1957 after “Great Balls of Fire” debuted with the film “Jamboree.” The hit song played a key component in “Top Gun,” with Tom Cruise’s Maverick and Anthony Edwards’ Goose singing it on the piano in one of the iconic scenes from the 1986 film. The song is ranked as the 96th greatest song of all time by Rolling Stone.
- 10/28/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
A great character actor is one that enhances a story without diverting the narrative. They elevate a piece while existing as a construct of it. Someone who steals the show while remaining anonymous. In the 1980s, Trey Wilson epitomized the subtle brilliance of the character actor. Unfortunately, the Houston born actor unexpectedly succumbed to an arterial vascular malformation in 1989. Wilson was just 40 years old at the time of his death and had not yet begun to enter his prime. If the name doesn’t ring a bell, his unforgettable performances are sure to jog your memory. Amid a brief
Actor Whose Name You Should Know: Trey Wilson...
Actor Whose Name You Should Know: Trey Wilson...
- 9/15/2019
- by Robert Barger
- TVovermind.com
The Anthony Mann – James Stewart crowd-pleaser now comes to Region A Blu-ray. With its bright Technicolor hues, it’s the wagon train movie fans remember first after Red River. Stewart is a good guy with a dark background who tries to atone by helping some settlers. The thorn in his side is an unreformed former outlaw played by Arthur Kennedy in high style. Also shining bright is everyone’s favorite Universal contract player, Julie (Julia) Adams.
Bend of the River
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1952 / Color / 1:37 flat Academy / 91 min. / Street Date April 16, 2019 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: James Stewart, Arthur Kennedy, Julia Adams, Rock Hudson, Lori Nelson, Jay C. Flippen, Stepin’ Fetchit, Henry Morgan, Royal Dano, Chubby Johnson, Frances Bavier, Howard Petrie.
Cinematography: Irving Glassberg
Film Editor: Russell Schoengarth
Original Music: Hans J. Salter
Written by Borden Chase from the novel Bend of the Snake by Bill Gulick
Produced by...
Bend of the River
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1952 / Color / 1:37 flat Academy / 91 min. / Street Date April 16, 2019 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: James Stewart, Arthur Kennedy, Julia Adams, Rock Hudson, Lori Nelson, Jay C. Flippen, Stepin’ Fetchit, Henry Morgan, Royal Dano, Chubby Johnson, Frances Bavier, Howard Petrie.
Cinematography: Irving Glassberg
Film Editor: Russell Schoengarth
Original Music: Hans J. Salter
Written by Borden Chase from the novel Bend of the Snake by Bill Gulick
Produced by...
- 4/13/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
“Give me that baby, you warthog from hell!”
Webster University’s Award-Winning Strange Brew Film Series has moved! The new location is Urban Chestnut in the Grove. This month’s film is Raising Arizona. It’s this Wednesday, September 5th. The movie starts at 8pm and admission is $5.
Joel and Ethan Coen followed up their noir breakthrough, Blood Simple with an entirely different but no less satisfying, Raising Arizona , which plays out like a somewhat broad and inherently silly farce, but with a drop of sweetness and caring for its nincompoop characters underneath that elevates it to another level.
Nicolas Cage stars as H.I. McDonnough, a longtime two-bit criminal who gets nabbed heisting so often, he eventually gets to know and romance the booking police officer, Edwina, who has snapped his many mug shots over the years. The couple on both sides of the law end up marrying, and...
Webster University’s Award-Winning Strange Brew Film Series has moved! The new location is Urban Chestnut in the Grove. This month’s film is Raising Arizona. It’s this Wednesday, September 5th. The movie starts at 8pm and admission is $5.
Joel and Ethan Coen followed up their noir breakthrough, Blood Simple with an entirely different but no less satisfying, Raising Arizona , which plays out like a somewhat broad and inherently silly farce, but with a drop of sweetness and caring for its nincompoop characters underneath that elevates it to another level.
Nicolas Cage stars as H.I. McDonnough, a longtime two-bit criminal who gets nabbed heisting so often, he eventually gets to know and romance the booking police officer, Edwina, who has snapped his many mug shots over the years. The couple on both sides of the law end up marrying, and...
- 9/2/2018
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Director Jim McBride puts retro magic into a rock ‘n’ roll bio about a big talent who was probably more fun on stage than in person. Dennis Quaid hits the right note of insanity for his portrayal of Jerry Lee Lewis’s rise to fame and fortune. Winona Ryder’s hilarious, almost scary bobby-sox Lolita becomes Jerry’s girl bride. Everything’s ducky until the real-life story goes sour, leaving the comic characterizations high and dry.
Great Balls of Fire!
Blu-ray
Olive Films
1989 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 108 min. / Street Date February 27, 2018 / available through the Olive Films website / 29.98
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Winona Ryder, John Doe, Stephen Tobolowsky, Trey Wilson, Alec Baldwin, Steve Allen, Jimmie Vaughan, Lisa Blount, Lisa Jane Persky, Peter Cook, Joe Bob Briggs.
Cinematography: Affonso Beato
Film Editor: Lisa Day, Pembroke Herring, Bert Lovitt
Production Design: David Nichols
Written by Jim McBride & Jack Baran, from a book by Myra Lewis...
Great Balls of Fire!
Blu-ray
Olive Films
1989 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 108 min. / Street Date February 27, 2018 / available through the Olive Films website / 29.98
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Winona Ryder, John Doe, Stephen Tobolowsky, Trey Wilson, Alec Baldwin, Steve Allen, Jimmie Vaughan, Lisa Blount, Lisa Jane Persky, Peter Cook, Joe Bob Briggs.
Cinematography: Affonso Beato
Film Editor: Lisa Day, Pembroke Herring, Bert Lovitt
Production Design: David Nichols
Written by Jim McBride & Jack Baran, from a book by Myra Lewis...
- 3/6/2018
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
The second Anthony Mann / James Stewart western displays excellent direction and impressive Technicolor location photography high in the high mountains of Oregon. A matinee staple, it delivers everything — Stewart’s mostly good hero and Arthur Kennedy’s mostly bad hero spar and tangle and eventually fight to the death near the timber line. Handsome Rock Hudson receives prime billing for flashing his ‘Dazzledent’ smile.
Bend of the River
All-Region Blu-ray
Explosive Media (Germany)
1952 / Color / 1:37 flat full frame / 91 min. / Meuterei am Schlangenfuss, Where the River Bends / Street Date August 10, 2017 / Amazon.de Eur 17,99
Starring: James Stewart, Arthur Kennedy, Julia Adams, Rock Hudson, Lori Nelson, Jay C. Flippen, Stepin’ Fetchit, Henry Morgan, Royal Dano, Chubby Johnson, Frances Bavier, Howard Petrie.
Cinematography: Irving Glassberg
Film Editor: Russell Schoengarth
Original Music: Hans J. Salter
Written by Borden Chase from the novel Bend of the Snake by Bill Gulick
Produced by Aaron Rosenberg
Directed by Anthony...
Bend of the River
All-Region Blu-ray
Explosive Media (Germany)
1952 / Color / 1:37 flat full frame / 91 min. / Meuterei am Schlangenfuss, Where the River Bends / Street Date August 10, 2017 / Amazon.de Eur 17,99
Starring: James Stewart, Arthur Kennedy, Julia Adams, Rock Hudson, Lori Nelson, Jay C. Flippen, Stepin’ Fetchit, Henry Morgan, Royal Dano, Chubby Johnson, Frances Bavier, Howard Petrie.
Cinematography: Irving Glassberg
Film Editor: Russell Schoengarth
Original Music: Hans J. Salter
Written by Borden Chase from the novel Bend of the Snake by Bill Gulick
Produced by Aaron Rosenberg
Directed by Anthony...
- 1/13/2018
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
(See previous post: Fourth of July Movies: Escapism During a Weird Year.) On the evening of the Fourth of July, besides fireworks, fire hazards, and Yankee Doodle Dandy, if you're watching TCM in the U.S. and Canada, there's the following: Peter H. Hunt's 1776 (1972), a largely forgotten film musical based on the Broadway hit with music by Sherman Edwards. William Daniels, who was recently on TCM talking about 1776 and a couple of other movies (A Thousand Clowns, Dodsworth), has one of the key roles as John Adams. Howard Da Silva, blacklisted for over a decade after being named a communist during the House Un-American Committee hearings of the early 1950s (Robert Taylor was one who mentioned him in his testimony), plays Benjamin Franklin. Ken Howard is Thomas Jefferson, a role he would reprise in John Huston's 1976 short Independence. (In the short, Pat Hingle was cast as John Adams; Eli Wallach was Benjamin Franklin.) Warner...
- 7/5/2017
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
“I feel like a virgin at a eunuch convention.”
Married To The Mob screens Friday, June 24th at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium (470 East Lockwood). This is the sixth film in their ‘Tribute to Jonathan Demme’ The movie starts at 8:00pm.
In director Jonathan Demme’s 1988 comedy Married To The Mob, Michelle Pfeiffer stars as Angela Demarco, the widow of a recently “iced” Mob hit-man who moves from her garishly tacky Long Island home to start a new life for herself and her son, while being pursued by Mob boss Dean Stockwell and FBI man Matthew Modine. Married To The Mob has lots going for it including a very amusing script; offbeat characters; sudden sharp turns to unexpected violence, and a hilarious yet menacing, Oscar-nominated performance by Stockwell and and also by Mercedes Ruehl, as his jealous wife from hell, But Ms Pfeiffer steals the show easily. She perfectly nails Angela’s under-educated,...
Married To The Mob screens Friday, June 24th at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium (470 East Lockwood). This is the sixth film in their ‘Tribute to Jonathan Demme’ The movie starts at 8:00pm.
In director Jonathan Demme’s 1988 comedy Married To The Mob, Michelle Pfeiffer stars as Angela Demarco, the widow of a recently “iced” Mob hit-man who moves from her garishly tacky Long Island home to start a new life for herself and her son, while being pursued by Mob boss Dean Stockwell and FBI man Matthew Modine. Married To The Mob has lots going for it including a very amusing script; offbeat characters; sudden sharp turns to unexpected violence, and a hilarious yet menacing, Oscar-nominated performance by Stockwell and and also by Mercedes Ruehl, as his jealous wife from hell, But Ms Pfeiffer steals the show easily. She perfectly nails Angela’s under-educated,...
- 6/19/2017
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
30 years ago Cage teamed up with the Coen Brothers to create comedy gold. Why haven’t they reunited since?“That sumbitch. You tell him, I think he’s a damn fool, Ed. You tell him I said so — H.I. McDonnough. If he wants to discuss it, he knows where to find me: in the Maricopa County Maximum Security Correctional Facility For Men State Farm, Road Number 31, Tempe, Arizona! I’LL Be Waitin’! I’ll be waitin’.”
Earlier this week the Coen Brothers’ screwball comedy Raising Arizona turned 30, which is pretty absurd, but whatever. Since the film did celebrate this recent anniversary I figure it’s as good a time as any to talk about what is my favorite Nicolas Cage movie.
Raising Arizona is one of those movies where the stars just come together and align perfectly; at least as far my personal tastes are concerned. Favorite actor? Check. Favorite...
Earlier this week the Coen Brothers’ screwball comedy Raising Arizona turned 30, which is pretty absurd, but whatever. Since the film did celebrate this recent anniversary I figure it’s as good a time as any to talk about what is my favorite Nicolas Cage movie.
Raising Arizona is one of those movies where the stars just come together and align perfectly; at least as far my personal tastes are concerned. Favorite actor? Check. Favorite...
- 4/21/2017
- by Chris Coffel
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
A new book release just grabbed our attention that in many ways has both everything and nothing to do with cinema. The book is titled, The World’s Hardest Music Trivia: Rock n Roll History, Fun Facts and Behind the Scenes Stories About the Groups and Songs You Thought You Knew (Nautilus) but at 388 well-researched pages there is nothing trivial about it. The book is a fun read that not only covers rock 'n roll but also delves a bit into the realm of films, as well as providing interesting facts about eras gone by. Perhaps somewhat ironically its author, John Grantham, spent over 30 years in Hollywood in and around the movie industry as an actor, stuntman and voice over artist. Cinema Retro's Lee Pfeiffer caught up with him for a Q&A about his book which has a title longer than some nation's entire constitutions.
Cr – It should be...
Cr – It should be...
- 12/14/2016
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
By Todd Garbarini
Director Robert Mandel's F/X is one of the most entertaining and compulsively watchable thrillers of 1986. I originally caught up with it on VHS and, while I was impressed with the film, the ending I found to be both hokey and frustrating, mostly due to the completely out-of-place 1982 song “Just an Illusion” by Imagination that plays over the end credits. I felt that it undermined all that preceded it. However, like William Friedkin's To Live and Die in La (1985) and David Lynch's Blue Velvet (1986), F/X is a film that would only grow on me after subsequent repeated viewings. I learned to forgive the inclusion of this song as the final minutes should really be viewed as a visual pun on the film’s overall theme, which begs the question “What is real and what is fiction?”
F/X, which was released on Friday,...
Director Robert Mandel's F/X is one of the most entertaining and compulsively watchable thrillers of 1986. I originally caught up with it on VHS and, while I was impressed with the film, the ending I found to be both hokey and frustrating, mostly due to the completely out-of-place 1982 song “Just an Illusion” by Imagination that plays over the end credits. I felt that it undermined all that preceded it. However, like William Friedkin's To Live and Die in La (1985) and David Lynch's Blue Velvet (1986), F/X is a film that would only grow on me after subsequent repeated viewings. I learned to forgive the inclusion of this song as the final minutes should really be viewed as a visual pun on the film’s overall theme, which begs the question “What is real and what is fiction?”
F/X, which was released on Friday,...
- 5/29/2015
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
La Jolla Playhouse announced today that nationally-renowned scenic designer Robert Brill has been named the theatre's inaugural Artist-in-Residence. This new, multi-month residency program, supported in part by a generous donation from Playhouse Director Emeritus Des McAnuff, is designed to give artists the freedom to focus on their ongoing body of work while becoming fully integrated into all aspects of the institution, from the stage to the boardroom to the classroom. In addition to designing the sets for His GirlFriday and Sideways this season, Brill will participate in the Playhouse's artistic planning, education and outreach activities, lead master classes at Uc Dan Diego and serve as a community liaison for arts advocacy in San Diego, among other Playhouse activities.
- 5/7/2013
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
Remains found in a remote West Texas location last month are those of a 13-year-old middle school cheerleader missing since December 2010, authorities announced Friday. Hailey Darlene Dunn's remains were found near Lake J.B. Thomas in Scurry County on March 16, more than two years after her mother reported her missing. The girl's disappearance and the cause of her death remain under investigation, Scurry County Sheriff Trey Wilson said at a news conference Friday. The Scurry County District Attorney's Office received written confirmation of the identity of the remains on Friday, he said.Texas Rangers informed the girl's mother, Billie Jean Dunn,...
- 4/26/2013
- by Associated Press
- PEOPLE.com
"Son, you got a panty on your head." Not a month goes by when I don't find some excuse to quote that line, or "As in, 'to swing'?", or some other randomly uproarious line from "Raising Arizona." The classic Coen Brothers comedy, the source of so much endlessly quotable bizarre but hilarious lines, turns 25 this month. Released on March 6, 1987 in one theater in New York, the film spent the rest of March 1987 opening slowly across the country, gradually becoming a cult favorite before being recognized as a cinematic landmark. It was the movie that launched Joel and Ethan Coen into the wider consciousness of filmgoers, it gave Nicolas Cage his first real adult leading role, it gave early career breaks to John Goodman and William Forsythe, and it helped make Holly Hunter an overnight sensation. Plus, it gave us the immortal, iconic image of Cage, as feckless baby-napper and convenience store stick-up man H.
- 3/14/2012
- by Gary Susman
- Moviefone
Last August, Philadelphia Eagles player Todd Heremans was involved in a controversy relating to his tweets about how True Blood was "too gay". Apparently GLAAD didn't have a problem with the show's extreme content because True Blood was one of the honorees at the 2011 GLAAD Media Awards.
The HBO drama received the award for Outstanding Drama Series, besting Pretty Little Liars, Brothers & Sisters, Degrassi, and Grey's Anatomy. The fourth season of True Blood is scheduled to premiere this June following three seasons of being a pop culture phenomenon. This was the show's third nomination and first win.
Another award recipient was 30 Rock, winner of Outstanding Individual Episode (in a series without a regular Lgbt character) for "Klaus & Greta". Also nominated were episodes from Drop Dead Diva, Law and Order, Law and Order: UK, and Bored to Death. 30 Rock has one previous nomination, as 2007's "Blind Date" was up for Outstanding Individual Episode.
The HBO drama received the award for Outstanding Drama Series, besting Pretty Little Liars, Brothers & Sisters, Degrassi, and Grey's Anatomy. The fourth season of True Blood is scheduled to premiere this June following three seasons of being a pop culture phenomenon. This was the show's third nomination and first win.
Another award recipient was 30 Rock, winner of Outstanding Individual Episode (in a series without a regular Lgbt character) for "Klaus & Greta". Also nominated were episodes from Drop Dead Diva, Law and Order, Law and Order: UK, and Bored to Death. 30 Rock has one previous nomination, as 2007's "Blind Date" was up for Outstanding Individual Episode.
- 3/20/2011
- by Shilo Adams
- TVovermind.com
The 2010 L.A. Stage Alliance Ovation Award nominees were announced last night at The Autry National Center for the American West in Griffith Park. Several winners of last year's Ovation Awards, including Jake Broder and Vanessa Claire Smith, presented the 2010 nominations. The Theatre at Boston Court was the most highly nominated theater company, garnering 17 nods. Among the company's nominated productions are "Oedipus el Rey" and "The Twentieth Century Way."Center Theatre Group followed closely behind with 16 nominations, while the Geffen Playhouse took 12. The brand-new "Ovation Honors," a series of awards recognizing theater excellence outside of the standard categories, have been given out for the first time this year. Ovations Honors awardees include "The Who's Tommy" for video design and "The Gogol Project" for music composition for a play. The complete list of nominees is as follows:Best SeasonCabrillo Music Theatre"The Andrews Brothers""Cinderella""Guys and Dolls""Little Shop of Horrors...
- 10/19/2010
- backstage.com
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.