"Batman: The Animated Series" has many artistic fathers. Tim Burton's 1989 "Batman" film, of course, but also the Fleischer Studios Superman cartoons of the 1940s, the Art Deco movement (which the skyscrapers of Gotham City are made in the visage of), and film noir.
Noir is a film genre characterized by dark high-contrast shadows ("noir" means "black" in French) shot in black-and-white, featuring urban settings, crime (whether the lead is on the wrong or right side of the law), beautiful but duplicitous women, and nefarious schemes gone awry. Noir sprouted up in the 1930s-40s, when most films were black-and-white and pulp novels, from thrillers and to detective stories, were easy fodder for Hollywood adaptations. The storytelling motifs of those books were thus intertwined with Hollywood's biting black-and-white style.
"Batman: The Animated Series" was made in color (the villains have costumes running the whole rainbow spectrum), but it was drawn...
Noir is a film genre characterized by dark high-contrast shadows ("noir" means "black" in French) shot in black-and-white, featuring urban settings, crime (whether the lead is on the wrong or right side of the law), beautiful but duplicitous women, and nefarious schemes gone awry. Noir sprouted up in the 1930s-40s, when most films were black-and-white and pulp novels, from thrillers and to detective stories, were easy fodder for Hollywood adaptations. The storytelling motifs of those books were thus intertwined with Hollywood's biting black-and-white style.
"Batman: The Animated Series" was made in color (the villains have costumes running the whole rainbow spectrum), but it was drawn...
- 3/18/2024
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
Actor turned director Keir O’Donnell’s first feature behind the camera is a primary coloured effort with some smart plot twists
Although largely comic in tone, this frothy thriller is obviously modelled on classic films noir, with their tales of betrayal and cunning, gullible heroes tricked into crime by femmes fatales, and the ever-present backbeat of quiet economic desperation. But Keir O’Donnell, a character actor making his writing-directing debut, has juiced up the formula with a palette of poppy primary colours and bright stabs of pink, and an ironic, self-mocking tone. That should help this slip down easy with new-generation viewers who may never have seen such classics as The Postman Always Rings Twice or Double Indemnity, let alone later remakes or homages like Body Heat or Blue Velvet.
It also helps that O’Donnell has cast Gen-z-star-on-the-rise Joe Keery (Steve from Stranger Things) as protagonist Baron, a guileless poor...
Although largely comic in tone, this frothy thriller is obviously modelled on classic films noir, with their tales of betrayal and cunning, gullible heroes tricked into crime by femmes fatales, and the ever-present backbeat of quiet economic desperation. But Keir O’Donnell, a character actor making his writing-directing debut, has juiced up the formula with a palette of poppy primary colours and bright stabs of pink, and an ironic, self-mocking tone. That should help this slip down easy with new-generation viewers who may never have seen such classics as The Postman Always Rings Twice or Double Indemnity, let alone later remakes or homages like Body Heat or Blue Velvet.
It also helps that O’Donnell has cast Gen-z-star-on-the-rise Joe Keery (Steve from Stranger Things) as protagonist Baron, a guileless poor...
- 2/5/2024
- by Leslie Felperin
- The Guardian - Film News
The Janus-headed The Facts of Murder looks back to the earlier neorealist docudramas of director, co-writer, and star Pietro Germi, while also presaging the sharply observed satirical outlook of films like Divorce Italian Style and Seduced and Abandoned. In the film, the comedic elements are mostly limited to the broad, almost caricatural handling of bumbling secondary characters. The primary storyline, involving an investigation into two ostensibly related crimes, is handled more like a police procedural along the lines of Jules Dassin’s The Naked City, albeit without that film’s authoritative narration.
The Facts of Murder’s central location is an apartment block. Quickly sketching in a number of characters and their relationships in the aftermath of the opening burglary, the film codes the victim, Commendatore Anzaloni (Ildebrando Santafe), as gay, and it’s suggested that the criminal might’ve been one of his pickups. But the focus of...
The Facts of Murder’s central location is an apartment block. Quickly sketching in a number of characters and their relationships in the aftermath of the opening burglary, the film codes the victim, Commendatore Anzaloni (Ildebrando Santafe), as gay, and it’s suggested that the criminal might’ve been one of his pickups. But the focus of...
- 1/4/2024
- by Budd Wilkins
- Slant Magazine
With six Oscar nominations (with two wins), well over a dozen Golden Globe nods spanning 40+ years, three Primetime Emmys, and countless other accolades, Jessica Lange has had a fantastic career in Hollywood. But at 74, she thinks it may be time to hang it up – not because she’s older but partly due to comic book movies.
Speaking with The Telegraph, Jessica Lange said that she is concerned at how far creativity has fallen as a priority. And one of the key culprits is the sort of fare that Marvel, DC and more are pushing in theaters multiple times a year. “I’m not interested in these big comic-book franchise films. I think that they’ve sacrificed this art that we’ve been involved in…for the sake of profit.” While Lange didn’t explicitly say that the MCU is to blame for her leaving the business, consider this thought: “I...
Speaking with The Telegraph, Jessica Lange said that she is concerned at how far creativity has fallen as a priority. And one of the key culprits is the sort of fare that Marvel, DC and more are pushing in theaters multiple times a year. “I’m not interested in these big comic-book franchise films. I think that they’ve sacrificed this art that we’ve been involved in…for the sake of profit.” While Lange didn’t explicitly say that the MCU is to blame for her leaving the business, consider this thought: “I...
- 10/9/2023
- by Mathew Plale
- JoBlo.com
According to Deadline, Boardwalk Empire creator Terence Winter is developing a feature-film adaptation of A Murder in Hollywood: The Untold Story of Tinseltown’s Most Shocking Crime, which deals with the “deadly love affair between screen legend Lana Turner and her gangster boyfriend, Johnny Stompanato.“
A Murder in Hollywood was written by bestselling author Casey Sherman and will be published through Sourcebooks early next year. Terence Winter will write the script for the movie and will also produce through his Cold Front Pictures production company alongside Rachel Winter through her Tangerine Pictures banner.
Lana Turner was one of the biggest actresses of the 1940s, best known for her role in The Postman Always Rings Twice. She later caught the attention of Johnny Stompanato, an enforcer for gangster Mickey Cohen and the Cohen crime family, who pursued her relentlessly. What followed was a turbulent love affair full of violent arguments and...
A Murder in Hollywood was written by bestselling author Casey Sherman and will be published through Sourcebooks early next year. Terence Winter will write the script for the movie and will also produce through his Cold Front Pictures production company alongside Rachel Winter through her Tangerine Pictures banner.
Lana Turner was one of the biggest actresses of the 1940s, best known for her role in The Postman Always Rings Twice. She later caught the attention of Johnny Stompanato, an enforcer for gangster Mickey Cohen and the Cohen crime family, who pursued her relentlessly. What followed was a turbulent love affair full of violent arguments and...
- 10/4/2023
- by Kevin Fraser
- JoBlo.com
Based on Emile Zola’s 1980 novel La Bête Humaine, Fritz Lang’s Human Desire is an entirely different beast than Jean Renoir’s 1938 adaptation. The Renoir film’s pointed humanism and everybody-has-their-reasons ethos is swapped out here for a considerably steelier point of view. Indeed, the film is less interested in its characters’ interiority than it is in viewing their lives through a fatalistic lens.
What’s most compelling about Lang’s film is how elegantly it toys with noir tropes and subverts our expectations, particularly with regard to Vicki (Gloria Grahame), who’s initially presented as your prototypical femme fatale. Vicki is trying to convince her new lover, Jeff (Glenn Ford), to murder her slovenly, abusive husband, Carl (Broderick Crawford). It’s a setup familiar from countless noirs, most notably Billy Wilder’s Double Indemnity and Tay Garnett’s The Postman Always Rings Twice, so the audience is already...
What’s most compelling about Lang’s film is how elegantly it toys with noir tropes and subverts our expectations, particularly with regard to Vicki (Gloria Grahame), who’s initially presented as your prototypical femme fatale. Vicki is trying to convince her new lover, Jeff (Glenn Ford), to murder her slovenly, abusive husband, Carl (Broderick Crawford). It’s a setup familiar from countless noirs, most notably Billy Wilder’s Double Indemnity and Tay Garnett’s The Postman Always Rings Twice, so the audience is already...
- 7/19/2023
- by Derek Smith
- Slant Magazine
Oscar winner Al Pacino (The Godfather), Oscar nominee Viggo Mortensen (Green Book), Oscar nominee John Travolta (Pulp Fiction), BAFTA winner Shia Labeouf (Honey Boy), NBR Award winner Rebecca Pidgeon (Heist) and Golden Globe nominated singer and actress Courtney Love (The People vs. Larry Flynt) are set to star in the thriller Assassination, we can reveal.
The film, which Arclight is launching for the Cannes market, is to be directed by Pulitzer Prize-winner and Oscar nominee David Mamet (Wag the Dog) from a script he co-wrote with Nicholas Celozzi.
Assassination will retell the fateful murder of John F. Kennedy from the mob’s point of view, reimagining his death as a hit ordered by Chicago mob kingpin Sam Giancana as payback for JFK’s attempt to undermine the mob after they helped get him elected (that thread formed a big part of Oliver Stone’s JFK).
Script co-writer Celozzi is Giancana’s grandnephew.
The film, which Arclight is launching for the Cannes market, is to be directed by Pulitzer Prize-winner and Oscar nominee David Mamet (Wag the Dog) from a script he co-wrote with Nicholas Celozzi.
Assassination will retell the fateful murder of John F. Kennedy from the mob’s point of view, reimagining his death as a hit ordered by Chicago mob kingpin Sam Giancana as payback for JFK’s attempt to undermine the mob after they helped get him elected (that thread formed a big part of Oliver Stone’s JFK).
Script co-writer Celozzi is Giancana’s grandnephew.
- 5/15/2023
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
With the great auteur Béla Tarr no longer directing movies, the newly restored Twilight, by one of his compatriots in the small Hungarian moviemaking community, arrives as the next best thing. Restored and taking its first stateside theatrical bow (beginning with a run in New York) 33 years after it first hit festivals, György Fehér’s existentialist crime drama is drawn from the same cinematic DNA as Tarr’s distinct body of work. This is not pre-chewed, easily digestible entertainment but patience-testing and austere, built with long takes and pared-down dialogue. Twilight is a procedural with little procedure and, by design, no satisfying answers. The mood it builds is soul-shaking.
Call it Twin Peaks without the jokes or the colorful characters — or the color. Shot in gripping black-and-white, the film unfolds in remote towns in thickly forested mountains where evil hangs in the air, and its narrative revolves around a murdered 8-year-old girl.
Call it Twin Peaks without the jokes or the colorful characters — or the color. Shot in gripping black-and-white, the film unfolds in remote towns in thickly forested mountains where evil hangs in the air, and its narrative revolves around a murdered 8-year-old girl.
- 4/20/2023
- by Sheri Linden
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
An Academy Awards nominee for his performance in 1991’s Coen Brothers-directed film Barton Fink, veteran actor Michael Lerner has passed away at the age of 81 years old.
Michael Lerner made several appearances in the horror genre throughout his decades-spanning career, including the films Anguish (1987), Maniac Cop 2 (1990), and Omen IV: The Awakening (1991). You’ll also remember Lerner from the 1993 episode of “Tales from the Crypt” titled ‘People Who Live in Brass Hearses,’ one of the show’s most memorable tales.
Later in the 1990s, Michael Lerner played Mayor Ebert in the big screen movie Godzilla (1998), a role he soon thereafter reprised in the animated “Godzilla: The Series.”
Lerner’s nearly 200 credits in film and television also include The Candidate, Reflections of Murder, The Missiles of October, Ruby and Oswald, The Postman Always Rings Twice, Strange Invaders, Eight Men Out, Harlem Nights, Newsies, Blank Check, Tale of the Mummy, My Favorite Martian,...
Michael Lerner made several appearances in the horror genre throughout his decades-spanning career, including the films Anguish (1987), Maniac Cop 2 (1990), and Omen IV: The Awakening (1991). You’ll also remember Lerner from the 1993 episode of “Tales from the Crypt” titled ‘People Who Live in Brass Hearses,’ one of the show’s most memorable tales.
Later in the 1990s, Michael Lerner played Mayor Ebert in the big screen movie Godzilla (1998), a role he soon thereafter reprised in the animated “Godzilla: The Series.”
Lerner’s nearly 200 credits in film and television also include The Candidate, Reflections of Murder, The Missiles of October, Ruby and Oswald, The Postman Always Rings Twice, Strange Invaders, Eight Men Out, Harlem Nights, Newsies, Blank Check, Tale of the Mummy, My Favorite Martian,...
- 4/10/2023
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
Character actor Michael Lerner, known for his Oscar-nominated role in Joel and Ethan Coen's "Barton Fink," has died at the age of 81. Lerner passed away on Saturday, April 8, 2023. His nephew, "The Goldbergs" star Sam Lerner, confirmed the news in an Instagram post the following day (via Variety).
Michael Lerner was born in Brooklyn, New York, on June 22, 1941. In the 1960s, he appeared on sitcoms like "The Brady Bunch" and "The Doris Day Show" and studied at San Francisco's American Conservatory Theatre before landing his first film role in "Alex in Wonderland" in 1970. In the decade that followed, Lerner would continue juggling movies, TV shows, and TV movies, making a number of guest appearances on shows like "Ironside," "The Bob Newhart Show," "M*A*S*H," "The Odd Couple," "Starsky and Hutch," "The Rockford Files," "Kojak," and "Wonder Woman."
In the 1980s, Lerner costarred in "The Postman Always Rings Twice...
Michael Lerner was born in Brooklyn, New York, on June 22, 1941. In the 1960s, he appeared on sitcoms like "The Brady Bunch" and "The Doris Day Show" and studied at San Francisco's American Conservatory Theatre before landing his first film role in "Alex in Wonderland" in 1970. In the decade that followed, Lerner would continue juggling movies, TV shows, and TV movies, making a number of guest appearances on shows like "Ironside," "The Bob Newhart Show," "M*A*S*H," "The Odd Couple," "Starsky and Hutch," "The Rockford Files," "Kojak," and "Wonder Woman."
In the 1980s, Lerner costarred in "The Postman Always Rings Twice...
- 4/10/2023
- by Joshua Meyer
- Slash Film
Michael Lerner, the busy Oscar-nominated character actor who had memorable turns as bombastic types in Barton Fink, Harlem Nights, Eight Men Out and so much more, has died. He was 81.
Lerner died Saturday night, according to an Instagram post from his nephew, Sam Lerner, who is also an actor (ABC’s The Goldbergs). The cause of death was not immediately known.
“It’s hard to put into words how brilliant my uncle Michael was, and how influential he was to me,” Sam wrote. “His stories always inspired me and made me fall in love with acting. He was the coolest, most confident, talented guy, and the fact that he was my blood will always make me feel special. Everyone that knows him knows how insane he was — in the best way.”
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Sam Lerner (@samlerner)
Raised in a Brooklyn housing project as...
Lerner died Saturday night, according to an Instagram post from his nephew, Sam Lerner, who is also an actor (ABC’s The Goldbergs). The cause of death was not immediately known.
“It’s hard to put into words how brilliant my uncle Michael was, and how influential he was to me,” Sam wrote. “His stories always inspired me and made me fall in love with acting. He was the coolest, most confident, talented guy, and the fact that he was my blood will always make me feel special. Everyone that knows him knows how insane he was — in the best way.”
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Sam Lerner (@samlerner)
Raised in a Brooklyn housing project as...
- 4/9/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Michael Lerner, an actor who featured in films such as “Elf,” “Godzilla” and “X-Men: Days of Future Past” and who received an Oscar nomination in best supporting actor for his performance in Joel and Ethan Coen’s 1991 psychological comedy “Barton Fink,” died Saturday evening. He was 81 years old.
Lerner’s death was confirmed by his nephew, “The Goldbergs” actor Sam Lerner, who paid tribute to his uncle through a post on Instagram Sunday afternoon. No further details regarding Lerner’s death are available at this time.
“We lost a legend last night. It’s hard to put into words how brilliant my uncle Michael was, and how influential he was to me,” Lerner wrote. “His stories always inspired me and made me fall in love with acting. He was the coolest, most confident, talented guy, and the fact that he was my blood will always make me feel special. Everyone...
Lerner’s death was confirmed by his nephew, “The Goldbergs” actor Sam Lerner, who paid tribute to his uncle through a post on Instagram Sunday afternoon. No further details regarding Lerner’s death are available at this time.
“We lost a legend last night. It’s hard to put into words how brilliant my uncle Michael was, and how influential he was to me,” Lerner wrote. “His stories always inspired me and made me fall in love with acting. He was the coolest, most confident, talented guy, and the fact that he was my blood will always make me feel special. Everyone...
- 4/9/2023
- by J. Kim Murphy
- Variety Film + TV
It’s no exaggeration to say that filmmaking legend Brian De Palma has had an eclectic and often spectacular career, spanning over fifty years that have brought audiences many unforgettable and classic movies. 1976’s Carrie remains an often referenced (we’re looking at you Wednesday!) horror masterpiece, crime drama Scarface is all time gangster gold, while his first entry in the Mission: Impossible franchise is still perhaps one of the strongest instalments for a then young and even more sprightly Tom Cruise. However, it’s De Palma’s 1987 The Untouchables, an adaptation of the 1950’s TV serial that focuses on the attempts to bring down crime lord Al Capone, that really shows his versatility as a director. The award winning film features several iconic scenes that are now etched in the minds of movie fans around the globe; from the Union Station shoot-out with full-on baby-in-great-peril slow-mo action shot, to...
- 4/2/2023
- by Adam Walton
- JoBlo.com
Film Noir is a universe based around mystery, the femme fatale, and the detective. Sex, lies and murder is the seductive tone that created the visually stimulating art form of cinema that began in the 1940s with The Maltese Falcon.
The film is considered the first real noir that starred Mary Astor and Humphrey Bogart and set off a chain of mainstream hits of films including Double Indemnity; Mildred Pierce; The Postman Always Rings Twice and The Third Man.
The Faces of Noir: Studio Portraits Featuring the Silver Screen Stars Ava Gardner, Humphrey Bogart & Rita Hayworth
The genre ‘Noir’ was coined by French critic Nino Frank and would define the cat-and-mouse murder mystery era of film with memorable fiendish crooks, stylish bombshells, and deadly characters who set the silver screen alight for two decades.
Films that have stood the test of time with style and substance include Alfred Hitchcock’s...
The film is considered the first real noir that starred Mary Astor and Humphrey Bogart and set off a chain of mainstream hits of films including Double Indemnity; Mildred Pierce; The Postman Always Rings Twice and The Third Man.
The Faces of Noir: Studio Portraits Featuring the Silver Screen Stars Ava Gardner, Humphrey Bogart & Rita Hayworth
The genre ‘Noir’ was coined by French critic Nino Frank and would define the cat-and-mouse murder mystery era of film with memorable fiendish crooks, stylish bombshells, and deadly characters who set the silver screen alight for two decades.
Films that have stood the test of time with style and substance include Alfred Hitchcock’s...
- 11/29/2022
- by Robert Lang
- Deadline Film + TV
It is fair to assume Criterion could plunder the world of licensed film to build an ultimate noir playlist; credit, then, for focusing sharp and nabbing deep cuts. The Criterion Channel’s November / Noirvember program will be headlined by “Fox Noir,” an eight-title program with Otto Preminger deep cut Fallen Angel, three by Henry Hathaway, Siodmak, Dassin, Kazan, and Robert Wise, and while retrospectives of Veronica Lake and John Garfield will bring some canon into the fold, I’m mostly thinking about that potential for discovery.
Following “Free Jazz,” Bob Hoskins, and Joyce Chopra programs, the other big series is a 30-year survey of Sony Pictures Classics: Sally Potter, Satoshi Kon, Panahi, Errol Morris, Almodóvar, Haneke, Mike Leigh, just a murderer’s row. Streaming premieres include 499 and A Night of Knowing Nothing, two recent epitomes of I Wish I Had Seen That; Criterion Editions comprise Cure, Brazil, Sullivan’s Travels,...
Following “Free Jazz,” Bob Hoskins, and Joyce Chopra programs, the other big series is a 30-year survey of Sony Pictures Classics: Sally Potter, Satoshi Kon, Panahi, Errol Morris, Almodóvar, Haneke, Mike Leigh, just a murderer’s row. Streaming premieres include 499 and A Night of Knowing Nothing, two recent epitomes of I Wish I Had Seen That; Criterion Editions comprise Cure, Brazil, Sullivan’s Travels,...
- 10/26/2022
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Producer-director Michael Curtiz’s femme fatale noir has a lot going for it — high production values, VistaVision, and new film talent in Tom Tryon, Carol Ohmart, Elaine Stritch & Jody Lawrance. Excellent location shooting and a Nat King Cole song provide authentic Los Angeles atmosphere. But the storyline is ten years out of date. The advertising promoted Ms. Ohmart as a new ’50s sex symbol. She may have caught fire, but the show didn’t.
The Scarlet Hour
Region free Blu-ray
Viavision [Imprint] #152
1956 / B&w / 1:85 widescreen / 95 min. / Street Date August 31, 2022 / Available from Amazon Au / 39.95; / Available from Viavision / 39.95
Starring: Carol Ohmart, Tom Tryon, Jody Lawrance, James Gregory, Elaine Stritch, E.G. Marshall, Edward Binns, David Lewis, Billy Gray, Jacques Aubuchon, Scott Marlowe, Nat ‘King’ Cole, Richard Deacon, Benson Fong, Theron Jackson, Almira Sessions.
Cinematography: Lionel Lindon
Costumes: Edith Head
Art Directors: Hal Pereira, Tambi Larsen
Film Editor: Everett Douglas
Original Music: Leith Stevens...
The Scarlet Hour
Region free Blu-ray
Viavision [Imprint] #152
1956 / B&w / 1:85 widescreen / 95 min. / Street Date August 31, 2022 / Available from Amazon Au / 39.95; / Available from Viavision / 39.95
Starring: Carol Ohmart, Tom Tryon, Jody Lawrance, James Gregory, Elaine Stritch, E.G. Marshall, Edward Binns, David Lewis, Billy Gray, Jacques Aubuchon, Scott Marlowe, Nat ‘King’ Cole, Richard Deacon, Benson Fong, Theron Jackson, Almira Sessions.
Cinematography: Lionel Lindon
Costumes: Edith Head
Art Directors: Hal Pereira, Tambi Larsen
Film Editor: Everett Douglas
Original Music: Leith Stevens...
- 9/20/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Dir: Olivia Wilde. Starring: Florence Pugh, Harry Styles, Chris Pine, Olivia Wilde, Gemma Chan, KiKi Layne, Nick Kroll, Kate Berlant. 122 mins
Do worry darling. Olivia Wilde’s new film has generated large amounts of negative buzz in advance of its world premiere in Venice today. Its star Florence Pugh appears to be distancing herself from the project amid rumours of a “falling out” between herself and Wilde. Shia Labeouf has disputed Wilde’s claims that he was fired from the production and released a video of the director that seemingly proves his story. The gossip columnists have been in a frenzy about Wilde’s relationship with pop idol Harry Styles, who took over Labeouf’s role. On top of all that are the allegations that Styles was paid three times more than Pugh despite the fact she plays the main character. Morbid anticipation has therefore been building that Don’t Worry Darling...
Do worry darling. Olivia Wilde’s new film has generated large amounts of negative buzz in advance of its world premiere in Venice today. Its star Florence Pugh appears to be distancing herself from the project amid rumours of a “falling out” between herself and Wilde. Shia Labeouf has disputed Wilde’s claims that he was fired from the production and released a video of the director that seemingly proves his story. The gossip columnists have been in a frenzy about Wilde’s relationship with pop idol Harry Styles, who took over Labeouf’s role. On top of all that are the allegations that Styles was paid three times more than Pugh despite the fact she plays the main character. Morbid anticipation has therefore been building that Don’t Worry Darling...
- 9/5/2022
- by Geoffrey Macnab
- The Independent - Film
Early on in Neil Labute’s “Out of the Blue,” a pair of James M. Cain novels get checked out by Diane Kruger’s cool, composed seductress at an elegant old library.
Unfortunately, the writer-director’s bid to evoke the murderous lust of hard-boiled staples “The Postman Always Rings Twice” and “Double Indemnity” is itself plenty checked out, a zipless exercise about as noirish as a commercial for household cleaning products.
Few careers are as mystifying in their longevity as Labute’s, whose empty misanthropy and gotcha dramatics across theater and movies were once the epitome of soured-soul indie cachet. His film career of late — whether directing his own screenplays or for-hire gigs — has been divorced from any meaningful expectations or promise or acclaim, but it’s still trudging along. “Out of the Blue,” which only ever feels tossed off, conjures the same head-scratching about its existence: If an adulterous...
Unfortunately, the writer-director’s bid to evoke the murderous lust of hard-boiled staples “The Postman Always Rings Twice” and “Double Indemnity” is itself plenty checked out, a zipless exercise about as noirish as a commercial for household cleaning products.
Few careers are as mystifying in their longevity as Labute’s, whose empty misanthropy and gotcha dramatics across theater and movies were once the epitome of soured-soul indie cachet. His film career of late — whether directing his own screenplays or for-hire gigs — has been divorced from any meaningful expectations or promise or acclaim, but it’s still trudging along. “Out of the Blue,” which only ever feels tossed off, conjures the same head-scratching about its existence: If an adulterous...
- 8/24/2022
- by Robert Abele
- The Wrap
Trixie Flynn, Personal Assistant to James Gandolfini, James L. Brooks and Robert De Niro, Dies at 74
Click here to read the full article.
Trixie Flynn, who served as an invaluable personal assistant to such Hollywood A-listers as James Gandolfini, Steve McQueen, James L. Brooks, Jack Nicholson and Robert De Niro, has died. She was 74.
Flynn died July 22 of sudden respiratory failure at her home in Marietta, Georgia, her son, theater scenic designer Seamus M. Bourne, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Flynn spent 12 years working for Gandolfini and was an assistant producer alongside him as executive producer on the HBO documentary Alive Day Memories: Home From Iraq. She retired shortly after the Sopranos star’s death in June 2013 and was named a beneficiary in his will.
Paulette Flynn was born on Oct. 23, 1947, in Pittston, Pennsylvania. She graduated from Kearny (New Jersey) High School, then moved to Los Angeles, where she landed a job with a private investigator.
She met — and would later marry — actor Don Calfa (The Return of the Living Dead,...
Trixie Flynn, who served as an invaluable personal assistant to such Hollywood A-listers as James Gandolfini, Steve McQueen, James L. Brooks, Jack Nicholson and Robert De Niro, has died. She was 74.
Flynn died July 22 of sudden respiratory failure at her home in Marietta, Georgia, her son, theater scenic designer Seamus M. Bourne, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Flynn spent 12 years working for Gandolfini and was an assistant producer alongside him as executive producer on the HBO documentary Alive Day Memories: Home From Iraq. She retired shortly after the Sopranos star’s death in June 2013 and was named a beneficiary in his will.
Paulette Flynn was born on Oct. 23, 1947, in Pittston, Pennsylvania. She graduated from Kearny (New Jersey) High School, then moved to Los Angeles, where she landed a job with a private investigator.
She met — and would later marry — actor Don Calfa (The Return of the Living Dead,...
- 8/5/2022
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Bob Rafelson, the writer, director, and producer who helped launch Jack Nicholson’s career while quietly working on some of the most influential films of the ‘60s and ‘70s, has died at the age of 89, his ex-wife Gabrielle Taurek confirmed.
Rafelson was best known for writing and directing “Five Easy Pieces” in 1970, which earned him critical acclaim and two Oscar nominations for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay. He also produced “Easy Rider” and “The Last Picture Show,” directed the “All Night Long” music video for Lionel Richie, and co-created “The Monkees.”
Born in New York City in 1933, Rafelson studied at Dartmouth College and was later stationed in Japan while serving in the U.S. Army. While there he found work as a translator of Japanese films, a job that led him to fall in love with the works of Yasujiro Ozu.
“I’d have to watch an Ozu movie over and over again — say,...
Rafelson was best known for writing and directing “Five Easy Pieces” in 1970, which earned him critical acclaim and two Oscar nominations for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay. He also produced “Easy Rider” and “The Last Picture Show,” directed the “All Night Long” music video for Lionel Richie, and co-created “The Monkees.”
Born in New York City in 1933, Rafelson studied at Dartmouth College and was later stationed in Japan while serving in the U.S. Army. While there he found work as a translator of Japanese films, a job that led him to fall in love with the works of Yasujiro Ozu.
“I’d have to watch an Ozu movie over and over again — say,...
- 7/24/2022
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
After working on the hit pop TV show, Rafelson went on to collaborate with Jack Nicholson on films including Head, Five Easy Pieces and The Postman Always Rings Twice
Bob Rafelson, a co-creator of the Monkees who became an influential figure in the New Hollywood era of the 1970s, has died. He was 89. Rafelson died at his home in Aspen on Saturday night surrounded by his family, said his wife, Gabrielle Taurek Rafelson.
Rafelson was responsible for co-creating the fictional pop music group and television series The Monkees alongside the late Bert Schneider, which won him an Emmy for outstanding comedy series in 1967.
Bob Rafelson, a co-creator of the Monkees who became an influential figure in the New Hollywood era of the 1970s, has died. He was 89. Rafelson died at his home in Aspen on Saturday night surrounded by his family, said his wife, Gabrielle Taurek Rafelson.
Rafelson was responsible for co-creating the fictional pop music group and television series The Monkees alongside the late Bert Schneider, which won him an Emmy for outstanding comedy series in 1967.
- 7/24/2022
- by Associated Press
- The Guardian - Film News
Bob Rafelson, the Oscar-nominated maverick filmmaker who directed Seventies classics like Five Easy Pieces and The King of Marvin Gardens in addition to co-creating The Monkees, has died at the age of 89.
Both The Hollywood Reporter and Variety reported that Rafelson died of natural causes Saturday at his home in Aspen, Colorado.
A veteran television producer in Hollywood before he was a filmmaker, the New York City-born Rafelson had the idea to make a television show about the fictional pop band in the early Sixties amid the British Invasion; the...
Both The Hollywood Reporter and Variety reported that Rafelson died of natural causes Saturday at his home in Aspen, Colorado.
A veteran television producer in Hollywood before he was a filmmaker, the New York City-born Rafelson had the idea to make a television show about the fictional pop band in the early Sixties amid the British Invasion; the...
- 7/24/2022
- by Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
Bob Rafelson, a giant in the American independent film movement as a writer, director and producer, and later a co-creator of The Monkees television show, has died at 89 of natural causes at his Aspen, Co home.
His death on Saturday was confirmed by his ex-wife, Gabrielle.
Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2021: A Photo Gallery
Rafelson collaborated with Jack Nicholson on seven features including Five Easy Pieces (1970) and The King of Marvin Gardens (1972). He was an uncredited producer on Easy Rider.
He was also instrumental in co-creating The Monkees, a television music group that was seen as a Beatles offshoot.
Rafelson was involved in co-writing and producing Five Easy Pieces, and then produced Peter Bogdanovich’s The Last Picture Show (1971). He was Oscar-nominated for both.
He also made his mark as a cultural influencer in television. With Bert Schneider, he created The Monkees, the 1966 NBC show that brought together a young...
His death on Saturday was confirmed by his ex-wife, Gabrielle.
Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2021: A Photo Gallery
Rafelson collaborated with Jack Nicholson on seven features including Five Easy Pieces (1970) and The King of Marvin Gardens (1972). He was an uncredited producer on Easy Rider.
He was also instrumental in co-creating The Monkees, a television music group that was seen as a Beatles offshoot.
Rafelson was involved in co-writing and producing Five Easy Pieces, and then produced Peter Bogdanovich’s The Last Picture Show (1971). He was Oscar-nominated for both.
He also made his mark as a cultural influencer in television. With Bert Schneider, he created The Monkees, the 1966 NBC show that brought together a young...
- 7/24/2022
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Bob Rafelson, the director, producer and writer who brought a European sensibility to American filmmaking with “Five Easy Pieces” in 1970, died Saturday evening at his home in Aspen, Colo. He was 89 years old.
Rafelson’s death was confirmed by his former personal assistant of 38 years, Jolene Wolff, who worked under Rafelson’s production banner Marmont Productions. Wolff stated that Rafelson died peacefully, surrounded by his family.
The Monkees vocalist and drummer Micky Dolenz, the final surviving member of the music group, offered a statement on Rafelson’s death Sunday afternoon.
“One day in the spring of 1966, I cut my classes in architecture at L.A. Trade Tech to take an audition for a new TV show called ‘The Monkees.’ The co-creator/producer of the show was Bob Rafelson,” Dolenz said. “At first, I mistook him for another actor there for the audition. Needless-to-say, I got the part and it completely altered my life.
Rafelson’s death was confirmed by his former personal assistant of 38 years, Jolene Wolff, who worked under Rafelson’s production banner Marmont Productions. Wolff stated that Rafelson died peacefully, surrounded by his family.
The Monkees vocalist and drummer Micky Dolenz, the final surviving member of the music group, offered a statement on Rafelson’s death Sunday afternoon.
“One day in the spring of 1966, I cut my classes in architecture at L.A. Trade Tech to take an audition for a new TV show called ‘The Monkees.’ The co-creator/producer of the show was Bob Rafelson,” Dolenz said. “At first, I mistook him for another actor there for the audition. Needless-to-say, I got the part and it completely altered my life.
- 7/24/2022
- by Rick Schultz and J. Kim Murphy
- Variety Film + TV
Guillermo del Toro’s seductive remake of the gritty cult classic hits a genre sweet spot alongside LA Confidential, The Postman Always Rings Twice and more
Our most enduring images and memories of film noir tend to be rooted in the 1940s and 1950s: say the words and monochromatic visions of fedoras, slinky satin gowns and unrestricted billows of cigarette smoke inevitably come to mind. That makes it a difficult genre to tackle in the present day, even if its themes and social corners are hardly era-specific. Lean too hard into the period styling and it feels like empty cosplay; update it too much and the shadowy romance dissipates.
Guillermo del Toro’s snaky, seductive remake of Nightmare Alley (now on all major VOD platforms) gets the balance just about right, even if its early-40s production and costume design is sumptuous in a way that Edmund Goulding’s 1947 original,...
Our most enduring images and memories of film noir tend to be rooted in the 1940s and 1950s: say the words and monochromatic visions of fedoras, slinky satin gowns and unrestricted billows of cigarette smoke inevitably come to mind. That makes it a difficult genre to tackle in the present day, even if its themes and social corners are hardly era-specific. Lean too hard into the period styling and it feels like empty cosplay; update it too much and the shadowy romance dissipates.
Guillermo del Toro’s snaky, seductive remake of Nightmare Alley (now on all major VOD platforms) gets the balance just about right, even if its early-40s production and costume design is sumptuous in a way that Edmund Goulding’s 1947 original,...
- 4/30/2022
- by Guy Lodge
- The Guardian - Film News
On the April 12, 2022 episode of /Film Daily, /Film editor Ben Pearson is joined by /Film editor and chief film critic Chris Evangelista to gather around the virtual water cooler and talk about what they've been up to.
Opening Banter:
At The Water Cooler:
What we've been Doing: What we've been Reading:
Ben read The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain.
What we've been Watching:
Ben watched the Severance finale, wants to give another quick shout-out to Our Flag Means Death, saw the first episode of One Perfect Shot, and watched Strongroom.
Chris watched Russian Doll season 2, Everything Everywhere...
The post Daily Podcast: Mini-Water Cooler: The Northman, Russian Doll Season 2, Strongroom, and More appeared first on /Film.
Opening Banter:
At The Water Cooler:
What we've been Doing: What we've been Reading:
Ben read The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain.
What we've been Watching:
Ben watched the Severance finale, wants to give another quick shout-out to Our Flag Means Death, saw the first episode of One Perfect Shot, and watched Strongroom.
Chris watched Russian Doll season 2, Everything Everywhere...
The post Daily Podcast: Mini-Water Cooler: The Northman, Russian Doll Season 2, Strongroom, and More appeared first on /Film.
- 4/12/2022
- by Ben Pearson
- Slash Film
Mira Sorvino has played her fair share of women from the past, most famously portraying Marilyn Monroe in the 1996 TV movie, “Norma Jean and Marilyn.” Her latest series, the Starz horror-comedy “Shining Vale,” sees Sorvino play a muse (of sorts) opposite Courteney Cox portraying a writer looking for her next hit. As a 1950s ghost haunting Cox’s Pat Phelps, Sorvino appreciated Rosemary’s devilish “glee” at getting a second chance to live through Pat and her family.
For the actress, there’s certainly an awareness of how things have progressed for women since Monroe’s day — part of Rosemary’s attraction to Pat is that the latter lives in a more permissive era — and yet so much remains mired in the past. “Being a member of the female gender sets us up for such a different life than, say, if we were a straight cisgender white male from an affluent background,...
For the actress, there’s certainly an awareness of how things have progressed for women since Monroe’s day — part of Rosemary’s attraction to Pat is that the latter lives in a more permissive era — and yet so much remains mired in the past. “Being a member of the female gender sets us up for such a different life than, say, if we were a straight cisgender white male from an affluent background,...
- 3/7/2022
- by Kristen Lopez
- Indiewire
It’s a manhunt South of the Border — Niven Busch’s drama has violence and murder but is really a novelistic character study that goes against the typical rules of Hollywood. Lew Ayres tries to atone for mistakenly killing a man, by coming to the aid of the victim’s widow. But he doesn’t realize that Teresa Wright’s ranch wife has learned the truth about him. The independent production is a modern oil-field western set in Mexico, and unusual both in storytelling style and emphasis, with an atypical imperfect hero and a romance far removed from Hollywood clichés. John Sturges is the director of this interesting obscurity.
The Capture
Blu-ray
The Film Detective
1950 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 91 min. / Street Date January 18, 2022 / Available from The Film Detective / 24.95
Starring: Lew Ayres, Teresa Wright, Victor Jory, Jacqueline White, Jimmy Hunt, Barry Kelley, Duncan Renaldo, William Bakewell, Milton Parsons, Felipe Turich, Edwin Rand,...
The Capture
Blu-ray
The Film Detective
1950 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 91 min. / Street Date January 18, 2022 / Available from The Film Detective / 24.95
Starring: Lew Ayres, Teresa Wright, Victor Jory, Jacqueline White, Jimmy Hunt, Barry Kelley, Duncan Renaldo, William Bakewell, Milton Parsons, Felipe Turich, Edwin Rand,...
- 2/5/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Carter Burwell has been the Coen brothers’ longtime composer, but “The Tragedy of Macbeth” was a different undertaking on multiple fronts. For one, only half of the duo was involved as Joel Coen wrote and directed it without Ethan Coen. The Apple Original Films project was also made during Covid-19, and oh yeah, it was a Shakespeare adaptation. But while the language of Shakespeare might be unfamiliar to modern audiences, his themes are not.
“We talked before we shot about how the play, the story, fits traditional Hollywood genres, like it fits the genre of the thriller — a couple plot a murder and then you watch how the weight of that act destroys their relationship and their world,” Burwell tells Gold Derby during our Meet the Experts: Composers panel (watch above). “It’s like ‘The Postman Always Rings Twice’ or ‘Double Indemnity,’ which are films that are right up our alley.
“We talked before we shot about how the play, the story, fits traditional Hollywood genres, like it fits the genre of the thriller — a couple plot a murder and then you watch how the weight of that act destroys their relationship and their world,” Burwell tells Gold Derby during our Meet the Experts: Composers panel (watch above). “It’s like ‘The Postman Always Rings Twice’ or ‘Double Indemnity,’ which are films that are right up our alley.
- 1/22/2022
- by Joyce Eng
- Gold Derby
Neil Labute thriller “Out of the Blue” has rounded out its cast with “On the Rocks” and “Generation” star Chase Sui Wonders, who joins Diane Kruger, Ray Nicholson and Hank Azaria.
London-based outfit WestEnd Films has launched worldwide sales on the project, which will be shopped to buyers at next week’s virtual American Film Market. The project, which is both written and directed by Labute, follows ex-con Connor (Nicholson), who meets enigmatic beauty Marilyn (Kruger) and plunges headlong into an adulterous affair that is complicated by Marilyn’s abusive husband and vulnerable stepdaughter.
“I wanted to tell a timeless love story that felt like it was rooted in American naturalism but embraced the kind of sex and thrills of European art cinema,” said Labute of his film, describing it as a neo-noir in the tradition of “The Postman Always Rings Twice” (1946), “Body Heat” (1981) and “Unfaithful” (2002).
“This is a sexually...
London-based outfit WestEnd Films has launched worldwide sales on the project, which will be shopped to buyers at next week’s virtual American Film Market. The project, which is both written and directed by Labute, follows ex-con Connor (Nicholson), who meets enigmatic beauty Marilyn (Kruger) and plunges headlong into an adulterous affair that is complicated by Marilyn’s abusive husband and vulnerable stepdaughter.
“I wanted to tell a timeless love story that felt like it was rooted in American naturalism but embraced the kind of sex and thrills of European art cinema,” said Labute of his film, describing it as a neo-noir in the tradition of “The Postman Always Rings Twice” (1946), “Body Heat” (1981) and “Unfaithful” (2002).
“This is a sexually...
- 10/26/2021
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
In “Reminiscence,” a sci-fi noir love story set in a climate-change dystopia that’s just short of the apocalypse enough to make Miami look like Venice with hotter nightclubs, Hugh Jackman plays Nick Bannister, a former soldier who runs a business in which people pay to float, unconscious, in a sensory-deprivation tank. Immersed in its calming water, with a virtual-reality headset on, they’re able to travel back into their fondest memories. It’s technology that makes the time-tripping possible, but the decaying landscape around them that makes it desirable. When the world starts to overheat and drown, the movie implies, our memories of better days may be all we have.
The sensation of déjà vu figures prominently in “Reminiscence.” We watch people’s memories unfold as if on a giant movie screen, eavesdropping on their most intimate moments. And so do Nick and his trusty number two, Watts (Thandiwe Newton...
The sensation of déjà vu figures prominently in “Reminiscence.” We watch people’s memories unfold as if on a giant movie screen, eavesdropping on their most intimate moments. And so do Nick and his trusty number two, Watts (Thandiwe Newton...
- 8/18/2021
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
Welcome back to the Supporting Actress Smackdown. Each month we pick an Oscar vintage to explore through the lens of actressing at the edges. This episode goes back to the 19th Academy Awards honoring 1946. It isn't a particularly beloved Oscar vintage though the Best Picture winner, The Best Years of Our Lives, is sublime. Apart from the winner and the Christmas film It's a Wonderful Life, the Academy all but ignored the most enduring pictures of that post-war year. But we're here to discuss Best Supporting Actress and these five women were having a moment...
The Nominees For the 1946 Oscars the Academy invited back two previous winners (Gale Sondergaard & Ethel Barrymore), tossed a bouquet in the form of 'career' nomination to a legend (Lillian Gish), honored a character actress for stretching (Flora Robson) without realizing how poorly that kind of stretch would age, and invited a new starlet (Anne Baxter) into the club.
The Nominees For the 1946 Oscars the Academy invited back two previous winners (Gale Sondergaard & Ethel Barrymore), tossed a bouquet in the form of 'career' nomination to a legend (Lillian Gish), honored a character actress for stretching (Flora Robson) without realizing how poorly that kind of stretch would age, and invited a new starlet (Anne Baxter) into the club.
- 6/26/2021
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Archetypal film noirs like The Postman Always Rings Twice were steeped in sex but kept the main event behind closed doors. Body Heat, Lawrence Kasdan’s 1981 noir revival, puts the sex front and center (along with several other positions). Set during a heat wave in a tony Florida suburb, Body Heat was an enormous success and much of that can be attributed to Kathleen Turner’s breakthrough performance as the sweaty femme fatale plotting her husband’s murder with her lover played by William Hurt. Mickey Rourke has an incendiary cameo as (appropriately) a demolition expert and John Barry provided the laconically sexy soundtrack, heavy on the saxophone.
The post Body Heat appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
The post Body Heat appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
- 6/11/2021
- by TFH Team
- Trailers from Hell
Undine (Paula Beer) is a freelance urban development expert who regularly lectures on Berlin’s architecture and its relationship to that city’s troubled past. She also has a secret: She’s the Undine of European myth, a mermaid–water spirit whose own trouble necessarily involves facilitating the death of any man who betrays her love. In “Undine,” the latest from acclaimed German director Christian Petzold, that gendered myth and Berlin’s historical collective trauma become inextricably linked in mutual heartbreak.
We meet Undine as she confronts one of those men, Johannes (Jacob Matschenz). He’s breaking up with her and would like a clean exit. Tearfully, she informs him that he has to die in a very sorry-i-don’t-make-the-rules manner. He walks away, never having bought into her story. But before Undine can carry out her mythology-bound task, Christoph (Franz Rogowski) walks into the picture, flirting.
He’s an industrial diver,...
We meet Undine as she confronts one of those men, Johannes (Jacob Matschenz). He’s breaking up with her and would like a clean exit. Tearfully, she informs him that he has to die in a very sorry-i-don’t-make-the-rules manner. He walks away, never having bought into her story. But before Undine can carry out her mythology-bound task, Christoph (Franz Rogowski) walks into the picture, flirting.
He’s an industrial diver,...
- 6/4/2021
- by Dave White
- The Wrap
by Brent Calderwood
The Lana Turner / John Garfield classic The Postman Always Rings Twice opened 75 years ago in US theaters. Based on James M. Cain’s bestselling 1934 novel about a wife who colludes with her lover in an attempt to pull off the perfect murder, Postman had to gloss over the grime to get past the censors, but it remains one of the best-loved film noirs of all time, and its huge box office success has been credited with cementing Turner’s status as a top-billed star.
While The Film Experience isn't set to celebrate the movies of 1946 until June, Postman belongs to multiple years. Here's a rundown of the four most famous screen adaptations of Cain’s crime novel, listed more or less in order of their critical reputation today...
The Lana Turner / John Garfield classic The Postman Always Rings Twice opened 75 years ago in US theaters. Based on James M. Cain’s bestselling 1934 novel about a wife who colludes with her lover in an attempt to pull off the perfect murder, Postman had to gloss over the grime to get past the censors, but it remains one of the best-loved film noirs of all time, and its huge box office success has been credited with cementing Turner’s status as a top-billed star.
While The Film Experience isn't set to celebrate the movies of 1946 until June, Postman belongs to multiple years. Here's a rundown of the four most famous screen adaptations of Cain’s crime novel, listed more or less in order of their critical reputation today...
- 5/10/2021
- by Brent Calderwood
- FilmExperience
Hiroki Ryuichi’s “Ride or Die” begins with a premise that sounds like the stuff of hard-boiled neo-noir: Abused by men her entire life, a straight Japanese housewife coerces the long-estranged lesbian friend who’s been in love with her since high school to kill her violent husband. And yet from the start it feels like we’re missing a few key details in the fine print of what’s going on here — there’s something almost right fluttering beneath all this wrong.
Sordid as it might be for Nanae (Sato Honami) to offer her sex to Rei (Mizuhara Kiko) in exchange for a murder, the manipulation is so brazen that it bends all the way back around to its own kind of ineffable truth. Even as it becomes painfully clear that Nanae won’t be able to hold up her end of the bargain anytime soon (she strips naked...
Sordid as it might be for Nanae (Sato Honami) to offer her sex to Rei (Mizuhara Kiko) in exchange for a murder, the manipulation is so brazen that it bends all the way back around to its own kind of ineffable truth. Even as it becomes painfully clear that Nanae won’t be able to hold up her end of the bargain anytime soon (she strips naked...
- 4/13/2021
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Billed as inspired by “The Postman Always Rings Twice”, “Mourning Wife” is essentially a noir drama, and one of the most sensual pink films we have seen recently.
Mourning Wife is available from Pink Eiga By Using the code AMPFriend, you get a 25% price-off on all products of the website including subscription
Tomoko, the wife of a handicapped and impotent man, Mamoru, is tasked with both taking care of him and running their failing printing business on her own. Furthermore, Mamoru’s mother has just died, something that has added to his overall stress, which has led him into a severe kind of depression. Tomoko eventually suggests to hire someone to help her with the printing business, something that eventually happens, despite Mamoru’s protests. Ryuzo is a drifter, who quickly realizes the situation in the house, and the sex-depraved Tomoko cannot do much to counter his advances, with the two becoming lovers.
Mourning Wife is available from Pink Eiga By Using the code AMPFriend, you get a 25% price-off on all products of the website including subscription
Tomoko, the wife of a handicapped and impotent man, Mamoru, is tasked with both taking care of him and running their failing printing business on her own. Furthermore, Mamoru’s mother has just died, something that has added to his overall stress, which has led him into a severe kind of depression. Tomoko eventually suggests to hire someone to help her with the printing business, something that eventually happens, despite Mamoru’s protests. Ryuzo is a drifter, who quickly realizes the situation in the house, and the sex-depraved Tomoko cannot do much to counter his advances, with the two becoming lovers.
- 4/5/2021
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Jack Nicholson has had a long career playing brooding rebels, crazed villains and sneering charmers on screen. Soon he’ll star opposite Kristen Wiig in a remake of “Toni Erdmann.” He’s a fixture of American cinema and the Lakers courtside seating. For his 80th birthday, we aimed to rank all of Jack’s major, already iconic roles, from worst to best.
“Man Trouble” (1992)
“Man Trouble” is a ridiculous screwball crime comedy in which Nicholson and Ellen Barkin get upstaged by horny dogs. It seems impossible the same guy who did “Five Easy Pieces” made this.
“A Safe Place” (1971)
This bizarre, formless ’70s relic based on a play stars Tuesday Weld and Orson Welles opposite Nicholson about a girl living a fantasy in which she never grows up.
“The Terror” (1963)
Nicholson gives a stiff performance in this Roger Corman picture opposite Boris Karloff, but he gets to kiss a woman who transforms into a corpse.
“Man Trouble” (1992)
“Man Trouble” is a ridiculous screwball crime comedy in which Nicholson and Ellen Barkin get upstaged by horny dogs. It seems impossible the same guy who did “Five Easy Pieces” made this.
“A Safe Place” (1971)
This bizarre, formless ’70s relic based on a play stars Tuesday Weld and Orson Welles opposite Nicholson about a girl living a fantasy in which she never grows up.
“The Terror” (1963)
Nicholson gives a stiff performance in this Roger Corman picture opposite Boris Karloff, but he gets to kiss a woman who transforms into a corpse.
- 4/3/2021
- by Tim Molloy and Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Lana Turner in Green Dolphin Street (1947) will be available on Blu-ray April 13th from Warner Archive
The Academy Award® winner about star-crossed love that spans the years – and the globe. After her triumph as the lunchroom temptress in the crime classic The Postman Always Rings Twice, Lana Turner expanded her range with Green Dolphin Street. Set in 19th century Europe and New Zealand, this sweeping romance tells the story of two beautiful sisters, one headstrong (Turner) and one gentle (Donna Reed), and of the man (Richard Hart) who marries one even though he loves the other. The film’s riptides of emotion are matched by breathtaking physical tumult: a fierce Maori uprising plus a catastrophic earthquake and tidal wave that earned the film a 1947 Oscar for special effects. With its dramatic story and spectacular visuals, Green Dolphin Street drew huge audiences for epic moviemaking, being one of the top-ten box office hits of the year.
The Academy Award® winner about star-crossed love that spans the years – and the globe. After her triumph as the lunchroom temptress in the crime classic The Postman Always Rings Twice, Lana Turner expanded her range with Green Dolphin Street. Set in 19th century Europe and New Zealand, this sweeping romance tells the story of two beautiful sisters, one headstrong (Turner) and one gentle (Donna Reed), and of the man (Richard Hart) who marries one even though he loves the other. The film’s riptides of emotion are matched by breathtaking physical tumult: a fierce Maori uprising plus a catastrophic earthquake and tidal wave that earned the film a 1947 Oscar for special effects. With its dramatic story and spectacular visuals, Green Dolphin Street drew huge audiences for epic moviemaking, being one of the top-ten box office hits of the year.
- 3/31/2021
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
After unveiling the discs that will be arriving in April, including Bong Joon Ho’s Memories of Murder, Olivier Assayas’ Irma Vep, and more, Criterion has now announced what will be coming to their streaming channel next month.
Highlights include retrospectives dedicated to Guy Maddin, Ruby Dee, Lana Turner, and Gordon Parks, plus selections from Marlene Dietrich & Josef von Sternberg’s stellar box set. They will also present the exclusive streaming premieres of Bill Duke’s The Killing Floor, William Greaves’s Nationtime, Kevin Jerome Everson’s Park Lanes, and more.
Jim Jarmusch’s Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, which recently arrived on the collection, will be landing on the channel as well, along with a special “Lovers on the Run” series including film noir (They Live by Night) to New Hollywood (Badlands) to the French New Wave (Pierrot le fou) to Blaxploitation (Thomasine & Bushrod) and beyond. Also...
Highlights include retrospectives dedicated to Guy Maddin, Ruby Dee, Lana Turner, and Gordon Parks, plus selections from Marlene Dietrich & Josef von Sternberg’s stellar box set. They will also present the exclusive streaming premieres of Bill Duke’s The Killing Floor, William Greaves’s Nationtime, Kevin Jerome Everson’s Park Lanes, and more.
Jim Jarmusch’s Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, which recently arrived on the collection, will be landing on the channel as well, along with a special “Lovers on the Run” series including film noir (They Live by Night) to New Hollywood (Badlands) to the French New Wave (Pierrot le fou) to Blaxploitation (Thomasine & Bushrod) and beyond. Also...
- 1/26/2021
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
The Notebook Primer introduces readers to some of the most important figures, films, genres, and movements in film history. Above: Detour “The Americans made [film noir] and then the French invented it.”—Marc VernetIn a world of uncertainty, where the lines between good and bad are routinely blurred and peril lurks behind every hesitant corner, film noir had—and still has—a spellbinding way of cutting through the banalities of ordinary existence. Noir tarnishes the superficial sheen of domestic stability, peace and prosperity, and the naïve, sanguine euphoria of one’s best-laid plans. It revels in a realm of desperation, despair, and dread, leading audiences down long, lonely streets and engineering an entertaining and engaging descent into humanity’s dark side. While there remains some question about what defines film noir, and even more debate concerning whether or not the form is a genre or a movement (or something of the two...
- 8/27/2020
- MUBI
A topsy-turvy take on The Postman Always Rings Twice, Ursula Andress, John Derek and Aldo Ray engage in some murderous fun and games in this 1965 potboiler directed by Hollywood stalwart Marc Lawrence. Shot in a little over two weeks in Calabasas, California, Lawrence co-wrote the steamy screenplay with his wife Fanya.
The post Nightmare in the Sun appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
The post Nightmare in the Sun appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
- 7/13/2020
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
Two films released, another film shot, and Steven Soderbergh managed to still watch and read a decent amount in 2019. (Note to self: barely using his Twitter account probably helps.) So a favorite tradition continues with today’s release of his annual viewing and reading log on Extension 765, which has a surprise, oddity, or some-such at nearly every turn.
Favorites include: making it through all 181 hours of Nicolas Winding Refn’s Too Old to Die Young in seven days but taking nearly four months to finish Sergei Bondarchuk’s War and Peace; Chinatown and Richard Lester movies appearing on yet another list; he, too, watching Fleabag; seeing a version of his next movie, Let Them All Talk, just under a month after principal photography commenced. And so on and so forth.
All caps, bold: Movie
All caps, bold, asterisk: Short*
All caps: TV Series
Italics: Book
Quotation marks: “Play”
Italics, quotation...
Favorites include: making it through all 181 hours of Nicolas Winding Refn’s Too Old to Die Young in seven days but taking nearly four months to finish Sergei Bondarchuk’s War and Peace; Chinatown and Richard Lester movies appearing on yet another list; he, too, watching Fleabag; seeing a version of his next movie, Let Them All Talk, just under a month after principal photography commenced. And so on and so forth.
All caps, bold: Movie
All caps, bold, asterisk: Short*
All caps: TV Series
Italics: Book
Quotation marks: “Play”
Italics, quotation...
- 1/7/2020
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options—not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves–each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit platforms. Check out this week’s selections below and an archive of past round-ups here.
A Bread Factory (Patrick Wang)
With a small theatrical release and its runtime of four hours (split across two parts) it’s not particularly surprising that Patrick Wang’s A Bread Factory went overlooked last fall, but one should seek it out–and it’s now finally arriving on streaming. One of the best American indies of the year, it is a Rivettian look at an upstate theater company that takes both an authentic look at the mechanics of survival in the arts and a fanciful approach at showing the joy of performance. I don’t imagine the entire thing will work for everyone, but there...
A Bread Factory (Patrick Wang)
With a small theatrical release and its runtime of four hours (split across two parts) it’s not particularly surprising that Patrick Wang’s A Bread Factory went overlooked last fall, but one should seek it out–and it’s now finally arriving on streaming. One of the best American indies of the year, it is a Rivettian look at an upstate theater company that takes both an authentic look at the mechanics of survival in the arts and a fanciful approach at showing the joy of performance. I don’t imagine the entire thing will work for everyone, but there...
- 9/27/2019
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
David Crow Jun 26, 2019
The Czar of Noir, Eddie Muller, walks us through the darkest shadows in Turner Classic Movies' Noir Alley. We also search for noir's future.
Eddie Muller is proud of his alias as the Czar of Noir. Being the founder of The Noir Foundation comes that kind of infamy, as does being the host of Turner Classic Movies’ Noir Alley every Saturday night. A scholar of the film movement that shot a bullet of cynicism right through the heart of post-World War II America, Muller has spent a lifetime as an author, conservationist, and simply a fan of the hardboiled form.
When we sit down for a lengthy phone conversation about Noir Alley’s continuing schedule this summer, he’s just returned to American crime fiction’s birthplace, at least in literary form, San Francisco. It was the Bay Area where Dashiell Hammett invented The Maltese Falcon’s Sam Spade,...
The Czar of Noir, Eddie Muller, walks us through the darkest shadows in Turner Classic Movies' Noir Alley. We also search for noir's future.
Eddie Muller is proud of his alias as the Czar of Noir. Being the founder of The Noir Foundation comes that kind of infamy, as does being the host of Turner Classic Movies’ Noir Alley every Saturday night. A scholar of the film movement that shot a bullet of cynicism right through the heart of post-World War II America, Muller has spent a lifetime as an author, conservationist, and simply a fan of the hardboiled form.
When we sit down for a lengthy phone conversation about Noir Alley’s continuing schedule this summer, he’s just returned to American crime fiction’s birthplace, at least in literary form, San Francisco. It was the Bay Area where Dashiell Hammett invented The Maltese Falcon’s Sam Spade,...
- 6/26/2019
- Den of Geek
The Film Society of Lincoln Center announced it changed its name to Film at Lincoln Center ahead of its 50th anniversary celebration, a move that indicated the desire to emphasize the inclusivity of its programming. The annual Chaplin Gala — which this year honored the institution’s history rather than a specific talent — included many warm and entertaining speeches from movie buffs across multiple generations, from Paul Dano and Zoe Kazan to John Waters, Tilda Swinton, and Martin Scorsese. But one presenter struck a sobering note.
“Mudbound” director Dee Rees delivered a searing indictment of the discrimination faced by African American moviegoers around the country, exploring the history of such experiences in her own family. In doing so, she provided an eye-opening explanation of the way the industry has suppressed black audiences and filmmakers alike.
“This is a vision test,” she said, repeating the line several times throughout her speech. “We...
“Mudbound” director Dee Rees delivered a searing indictment of the discrimination faced by African American moviegoers around the country, exploring the history of such experiences in her own family. In doing so, she provided an eye-opening explanation of the way the industry has suppressed black audiences and filmmakers alike.
“This is a vision test,” she said, repeating the line several times throughout her speech. “We...
- 4/30/2019
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
In the extensive filmography of director Allan Dwan, there’s perhaps no more glorious period of his filmmaking than his DeLuxe color film noir period of the 1950’s. Following on the heels of the tawdry Slightly Scarlet, which featured red-heads Arlene Dahl and Rhonda Fleming squaring off with John Payne, Dwan inverts the ménage a toi for The River’s Edge utilizing another red-head, Debra Paget, positioned between the amorous interests of Anthony Quinn and Ray Milland in one of his most sinister on-screen personas. Like a cross between Joseph Pevney’s Fox Fire (1955) and the classic The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946), a beautiful woman finds herself indebted to her husband while languishing in a rural backwater, this time a New Mexican ranch.…...
- 4/16/2019
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
A clutch of film buffs and staff writers at my favorite newspaper, the Washington Post, devoted considerable time, thought and space to a weekend article challenging 1939’s claim to the title of “Best Movie Year Ever.” Prompted by the number of critics appending “great” to 2018, the Post decided to look back and single out the greatest years in film, and after a brainstorming session, its writers settled on 1939 and six subsequent years — 1946, 1955, 1974, 1982, 1999, and 2007 — and assigned a sponsor to each one.
It was a cute idea and a fool’s errand if anyone’s ever been sent on one. It also produced fun reading, even if 1939 need not worry about its place in film history. There were unique reasons for 1939 (and ‘40 and ‘41) turning out so many enduring movies.
Hollywood had been recently and grudgingly unionized, giving directors in particular more power over their studio assignments. The country was in a dark mood,...
It was a cute idea and a fool’s errand if anyone’s ever been sent on one. It also produced fun reading, even if 1939 need not worry about its place in film history. There were unique reasons for 1939 (and ‘40 and ‘41) turning out so many enduring movies.
Hollywood had been recently and grudgingly unionized, giving directors in particular more power over their studio assignments. The country was in a dark mood,...
- 12/31/2018
- by Jack Mathews
- Gold Derby
Nicholas Korda, an Emmy and Academy Award winner for sound editing, died on Oct. 8 after a nine-year battle with brain cancer, his daughter confirmed. He was 73.
Korda received a Primetime Emmy Award for outstanding sound editing for a series for “Airwolf” in 1984. He was part of the team that won an Academy Award for best sound for “E.T.” in 1982, and he earned a Golden Reel Award for Clint Eastwood’s “Letters from Iwo Jima” in 2006.
Born on Jan. 15, 1945 in Los Angeles, Korda later attended Uc Berkeley in the 1960s. He completed his degree at Cal State University Northridge in 2006. Korda entered the film industry as an assistant editor, and from there went on to build a 40-year career as an Adr editor that involved work on more than 80 movies. His credits include “The Postman Always Rings Twice,” “The Breakfast Club,” “Fatal Attraction,” “Basic Instinct,” “Million Dollar Baby,” and the...
Korda received a Primetime Emmy Award for outstanding sound editing for a series for “Airwolf” in 1984. He was part of the team that won an Academy Award for best sound for “E.T.” in 1982, and he earned a Golden Reel Award for Clint Eastwood’s “Letters from Iwo Jima” in 2006.
Born on Jan. 15, 1945 in Los Angeles, Korda later attended Uc Berkeley in the 1960s. He completed his degree at Cal State University Northridge in 2006. Korda entered the film industry as an assistant editor, and from there went on to build a 40-year career as an Adr editor that involved work on more than 80 movies. His credits include “The Postman Always Rings Twice,” “The Breakfast Club,” “Fatal Attraction,” “Basic Instinct,” “Million Dollar Baby,” and the...
- 10/24/2018
- by Rachel Yang
- Variety Film + TV
Ludwig. Photo courtesy of Agfa.A gaggle of men in formal wear, their collars stiff and blue coats festooned with medals and ropes knotted into different patterns, stand as straight as antenna. It’s a room of immense affluence. The splendor is almost surreal, everything in its right place. The camera pans, prowls, zooming in on faces, on hands and decor, as if smitten or in awe of the decadence. In an adjacent room, a young man with an immaculate face which is frozen in a feigned look of calmness downs a glass of champagne. He paces. Soon, he is told the time has come. The doors open. Bedecked in their glittering symbols of honor and prestige, the men put a crown on his head; they raise a coat the color of wine and drape it over his shoulders. It takes four people to carry the cape. There is now a new king,...
- 6/20/2018
- MUBI
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