“I believe in America” is the first line you hear in The Godfather. A troubled funeral home proprietor by the name of Amerigo Bonasera has come to see Don Corleone to seek revenge for his daughter, wronged by two young Anglo-Saxon men. The movie at its core is an immigrant’s story shorn of bootstrapping Horatio Alger fantasies or any notions of smooth integration into society. The film and book tell rather of old world traditions mingling, enhancing, and corrupting the democratic experiment with often spectacularly bloody results. The America...
- 8/24/2024
- by Sean Woods
- Rollingstone.com
In his Oscar-winning feature “Slumdog Millionaire”, British director Danny Boyle tells a story which is ultimately a fairy tale. The tale of Jamal who grows up in the slums, experiences many trials and tragedies in his life, only to be granted some form of happiness at the end of the road is essentially what authors such as Horatio Alger described his works as the road from “rags to riches”. It is a story which is supposed to give hope that no matter what the obstacles are, you can rely on hard work and a strong will to survive and reach your dreams, which evidently is a stark contrast to the way things are. Director Prithvi Konanur explores similar themes in his 2016 feature “Railway Children”, but ultimately infuses his story and characters with realism, thus creating a believable and also much more relatable story.
Follow our tribute to Kannada cinema by...
Follow our tribute to Kannada cinema by...
- 8/18/2024
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Robert Benton’s Bad Company does for the western what Bonnie and Clyde, Benton’s earlier collaboration with screenwriter David Newman, did for the gangster movie, only without that film’s veneer of star-powered sex appeal. The scrappier Bad Company consistently undermines the romanticized notions of the frontier that underpinned several generations of genre filmmaking. The film especially takes direct aim at two of our nation’s dearest held myths: the Horatio Alger notion of economic self-sufficiency, and the destiny of political expansion manifest in Horace Greeley’s famous dictum: “Go west, young man!”
The film is also decidedly of a piece with the year of its release in 1972, evident from the very first scene, wherein we see a young man dragged kicking and screaming from his home by blue-clad Army soldiers to be conscripted into the Union cause. The moment is given a surreal punchline by the fact that...
The film is also decidedly of a piece with the year of its release in 1972, evident from the very first scene, wherein we see a young man dragged kicking and screaming from his home by blue-clad Army soldiers to be conscripted into the Union cause. The moment is given a surreal punchline by the fact that...
- 8/15/2024
- by Budd Wilkins
- Slant Magazine
J.D. Vance's story is very inspiring. As his 2016 memoir, "Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and a Culture in Crisis," related, he was raised in abject poverty in the suburbs of Ohio by his Kentucky-born grandparents, and his mother wrestled with addiction all her life. He managed to rise out of poverty, serve a stint in the military, and was eventually accepted into Ohio State University. He eventually achieved a degree from Yale and now, at age 39, Vance has realized his ultimate goal: to be a whiny, sycophantic bootlicker for a clownish would-be fascist. In 2024, Vance will serve as the running mate of Donald Trump, and the pair hope to enact Project 2025, a piddling wish-list of evil, theocratic dictates that aims to rob women, the poor, and queer people of rights and turn the president into an Emperor. We've come a long way, baby.
Conservative critics praised "Hillbilly Elegy...
Conservative critics praised "Hillbilly Elegy...
- 7/17/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
On day one of the Republican National Convention, Donald Trump tapped Jd Vance to be his vice-presidential running mate. And with that announcement, a four-year-old movie — the Ron Howard-directed adaptation of Vance’s memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy” — leapt almost instantly into the Netflix top 10.
For many Americans, that chicken-fried Bildungsroman will be their introduction to a veep with less than two years’ government experience. In both the book and its middling Netflix adaptation, Vance portrayed himself as an Appalachian kid from poor stock who’d escaped the Rust Belt for an Ivy League education and a lucrative career.
It was that dimension of Vance’s narrative that clearly attracted director Ron Howard and producer Brian Grazer — both self-avowed liberals, who may have created a monster by legitimizing his origin story, much as “The Apprentice” producer Mark Burnett did by giving Trump a reality TV spotlight back in 2004.
Hollywood loves a Horatio Alger story,...
For many Americans, that chicken-fried Bildungsroman will be their introduction to a veep with less than two years’ government experience. In both the book and its middling Netflix adaptation, Vance portrayed himself as an Appalachian kid from poor stock who’d escaped the Rust Belt for an Ivy League education and a lucrative career.
It was that dimension of Vance’s narrative that clearly attracted director Ron Howard and producer Brian Grazer — both self-avowed liberals, who may have created a monster by legitimizing his origin story, much as “The Apprentice” producer Mark Burnett did by giving Trump a reality TV spotlight back in 2004.
Hollywood loves a Horatio Alger story,...
- 7/16/2024
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
Clarence Thomas attended donor events hosted by the billionaire Koch brothers — whose organizations and legal projects regularly appear before the Supreme Court. According to a report from ProPublica, the Supreme Court justice has appeared at least two summits hosted by the wealthy conservatives, one of which had been previously reported on, and a second which was not disclosed.
Most recently, Thomas appeared as a speaker at an exclusive dinner for high-level donors during the Koch network’s 2018 Palm Springs summit. One former Koch network executive told ProPublica that these kinds...
Most recently, Thomas appeared as a speaker at an exclusive dinner for high-level donors during the Koch network’s 2018 Palm Springs summit. One former Koch network executive told ProPublica that these kinds...
- 9/22/2023
- by Nikki McCann Ramirez
- Rollingstone.com
Clarence Thomas’ connections to wealth and expensive vacations run deeper than billionaire businessman and Nazi-enthusiast Harlan Crow. The New York Times reports that Thomas has milked relationships with the rich he made through the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, a scholarship association, to benefit himself and his wife.
Because of their Horatio Alger connections, Thomas and his spouse, Virginia, have been invited to join luxurious vacations and parties in addition being granted V.I.P. access to sports events. Thanks to the association, Thomas also rubbed elbows with the likes of...
Because of their Horatio Alger connections, Thomas and his spouse, Virginia, have been invited to join luxurious vacations and parties in addition being granted V.I.P. access to sports events. Thanks to the association, Thomas also rubbed elbows with the likes of...
- 7/9/2023
- by Peter Wade
- Rollingstone.com
Journalist Alissa Quart’s new book, “Bootstrapped: Liberating Ourselves From the American Dream,” seeks to discover the origins of two important American myths: that of the self-made man and that of the “the undeserving poor.” What is behind our country’s relentless demand for lonesome achievement and personal responsibility? Quart calls “bootstrapping” — derived from the phrase “pulling yourself up by your bootstraps” — a collective delusion, a fantasy of American prowess that we must somehow be entirely self-sufficient to succeed, and that, if we manage this, riches await. It’s the...
- 3/14/2023
- by Alissa Quart
- Rollingstone.com
Tl;Dr:
The riff from Roy Orbison’s “Oh, Pretty Woman” inspired Devo’s “Whip It.” A member of the band didn’t notice the similarity at first. “Whip It” became Devo’s only top 40 single in the United States. Roy Orbison | Evening Standard / Stringer
Roy Orbison’s “Oh, Pretty Woman” became one of the most famous classic rock songs of the 1960s. Subsequently, it inspired Devo’s “Whip It,” one of the most famous new wave songs from the 1980s. In addition, “Whip It” was inspired by a famous novel.
How a famous novel inspired Devo’s ‘Whip It’
“Whip It” was co-written by Devo’s Gerald Casale and Mark Mothersbaugh. During a 2015 interview with Rhino, Casale discussed the literary origins o the song’s lyrics.
“I was reading [Thomas Pynchon’s novel] Gravity’s Rainbow, and I wrote the lyrics in one night after who knows how many pages,...
The riff from Roy Orbison’s “Oh, Pretty Woman” inspired Devo’s “Whip It.” A member of the band didn’t notice the similarity at first. “Whip It” became Devo’s only top 40 single in the United States. Roy Orbison | Evening Standard / Stringer
Roy Orbison’s “Oh, Pretty Woman” became one of the most famous classic rock songs of the 1960s. Subsequently, it inspired Devo’s “Whip It,” one of the most famous new wave songs from the 1980s. In addition, “Whip It” was inspired by a famous novel.
How a famous novel inspired Devo’s ‘Whip It’
“Whip It” was co-written by Devo’s Gerald Casale and Mark Mothersbaugh. During a 2015 interview with Rhino, Casale discussed the literary origins o the song’s lyrics.
“I was reading [Thomas Pynchon’s novel] Gravity’s Rainbow, and I wrote the lyrics in one night after who knows how many pages,...
- 3/12/2023
- by Matthew Trzcinski
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Americans can’t get enough of processed corn. They eat it for breakfast, in cereal form, and all throughout the day, snacking on cookies and crackers and chips, often washing it down with soda.
Premiering at the SXSW Film Festival, “Flamin’ Hot” tells the backstory of Frito-Lay’s insanely popular, ultra-spicy line of snack chips — the ones that singe your taste buds and stain your fingers a radioactive red — as marketing guru Richard Montañez lays it out in his memoir, “A Boy, a Burrito, and a Cookie: From Janitor to Executive.” After a rough start selling drugs and hustling on the streets of East Los Angeles, Montañez got a job cleaning the machines at Frito-Lay’s Rancho Cucamonga plant and worked his way up to head of Multicultural marketing. Along the way, he may or may not have invented the recipe for Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, Doritos, et al.
Montañez claims...
Premiering at the SXSW Film Festival, “Flamin’ Hot” tells the backstory of Frito-Lay’s insanely popular, ultra-spicy line of snack chips — the ones that singe your taste buds and stain your fingers a radioactive red — as marketing guru Richard Montañez lays it out in his memoir, “A Boy, a Burrito, and a Cookie: From Janitor to Executive.” After a rough start selling drugs and hustling on the streets of East Los Angeles, Montañez got a job cleaning the machines at Frito-Lay’s Rancho Cucamonga plant and worked his way up to head of Multicultural marketing. Along the way, he may or may not have invented the recipe for Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, Doritos, et al.
Montañez claims...
- 3/11/2023
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
On November 20, 1945, in Nuremberg, Germany, once prime real estate for torchlit Nazi pageantry, currently reduced to ruins by Allied bombing, the International Military Tribunal, an unprecedented experiment in transnational jurisprudence, convened in the city’s Palace of Justice, one of the few buildings left standing. The four victorious powers — the United States, Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union — had hauled the loser, Nazi Germany, before four judges and a global jury to be held accountable for violating a series of recently devised additions to the criminal code — crimes against humanity, crimes against peace, criminal conspiracy, and war crimes.
Twenty-one Nazi leaders were in the dock, defendants whose names most Americans had become familiar with in the years since 1933. The accused included Reich Marshall Herman Göring, Hitler’s brutal second in command; Joachim von Ribbentrop, Minister of Foreign Affairs, who in August 1939 negotiated the pact with the Soviet Union that ignited the conflagration; Rudolf Hess,...
Twenty-one Nazi leaders were in the dock, defendants whose names most Americans had become familiar with in the years since 1933. The accused included Reich Marshall Herman Göring, Hitler’s brutal second in command; Joachim von Ribbentrop, Minister of Foreign Affairs, who in August 1939 negotiated the pact with the Soviet Union that ignited the conflagration; Rudolf Hess,...
- 2/4/2023
- by Thomas Doherty
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
So, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences decided in its infinite wisdom on Tuesday that it wasn’t going to deny Andrea Riseborough her Oscar nomination for Best Actress after all. Yippee! The republic is saved! (Cue “God Bless America.”)
I mean, c’mon. As if the academy were ever seriously considering revoking the nom over…what? The fact that a bunch of Riseborough’s friends, acquaintances, admirers and fellow performers were singing her praises a bit too passionately on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and at unofficial events for her superb performance in “To Leslie,” a microbudget indie flick that took in all of 27,000 at the box office? I rolled up practically that much money selling lemonade in front of my house as a little kid.
Please correct me if I’m wrong, but weren’t these social media platforms created to share ideas and opinions and steer like-minded...
I mean, c’mon. As if the academy were ever seriously considering revoking the nom over…what? The fact that a bunch of Riseborough’s friends, acquaintances, admirers and fellow performers were singing her praises a bit too passionately on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and at unofficial events for her superb performance in “To Leslie,” a microbudget indie flick that took in all of 27,000 at the box office? I rolled up practically that much money selling lemonade in front of my house as a little kid.
Please correct me if I’m wrong, but weren’t these social media platforms created to share ideas and opinions and steer like-minded...
- 2/2/2023
- by Ray Richmond
- Gold Derby
Director Carl Reiner's "The Jerk" is a magnum opus of rampant, unfettered buffoonery. The tale of Navin R. Johnson (Steve Martin), a white man raised by Black sharecroppers, is a snapshot of Martin at his clownish, "Wild and Crazy Guys" peak. Working with screenwriters Michael Elias and Carl Gottlieb, Martin fashions Navin's journey as the most ridiculous Horatio Alger story ever told. Navin gets his first taste of success when he finds his name in the phone book, and becomes a millionaire thanks to an invention that keeps people's glasses from sliding down their nose. It's a wildly quotable classic that launched Martin's big screen career, and, according to the folks who made it, is the beneficiary of many a happy accident.
One of the 1979 film's most uproarious elements is the Beverly Hills mansion Navin buys after hitting the big time. It's a gloriously gaudy sight gag that keeps on giving –- and,...
One of the 1979 film's most uproarious elements is the Beverly Hills mansion Navin buys after hitting the big time. It's a gloriously gaudy sight gag that keeps on giving –- and,...
- 11/3/2022
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Not all badass women are created equal. Some are downright scary in their mix of ambition, persuasive power and lack of empathy. Exhibit A: Elizabeth Holmes (Amanda Seyfried). The Stanford dropout and 2003 founder of the billion-dollar pharmaceutical Ponzi scheme Theranos, is a very bad badass. Based on the ABC News true-crime podcast, the miniseries executive produced and frequently directed by Michael Showalter (“The Eyes of Tammy Faye”) dives in to the making of a modern monster in a messy blond bun and a Steve Jobs black turtleneck.
The eight-episode format stretches out the Horatio Alger story that begins in a hurry, and gets perhaps the closest to what makes Holmes tick in the early days. A studious nerd behind thick glasses with a galumphing gait, this daughter of an emasculated Enron exec (Michel Gill) and a controlling mother (Elizabeth Marvel) strives and strives again to achieve her place among the...
The eight-episode format stretches out the Horatio Alger story that begins in a hurry, and gets perhaps the closest to what makes Holmes tick in the early days. A studious nerd behind thick glasses with a galumphing gait, this daughter of an emasculated Enron exec (Michel Gill) and a controlling mother (Elizabeth Marvel) strives and strives again to achieve her place among the...
- 2/25/2022
- by Thelma Adams
- The Wrap
Netflix’s epic Kanye West documentary, “Jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy,” will unfold in three feature-length parts, as the subtitle promises. But however the filmmakers carve up the 277-minute running time, the way they’ve encapsulated West’s story really boils down to a two-act narrative: rags to riches followed by, of course, riches to rumpuses. Is your preferred archetype of Kanye the hungry, deeply focused, self-made scrapper who showed everybody? Or the openly bipolar billionaire whose run for president felt more like a box to check on a list of Ultimate Hubris moments than anything even half-seriously intended? Both Kanyes are on view in “Jeen-yuhs,” with a story that necessarily comes off deeply bifurcated, given that a plot is something West would seem to have lost along the way.
But what a Horatio Alger story it is, that first half or so, as directors Coodie Simmons and Chike Ozah — Chicago...
But what a Horatio Alger story it is, that first half or so, as directors Coodie Simmons and Chike Ozah — Chicago...
- 1/24/2022
- by Chris Willman
- Variety Film + TV
The Mean Street for this Martin Scorsese picture is Wall Street. His show pushes the hard- R rating to depict the wild life and times of a stock-selling pirate who bilks investors for millions that fuel a ten-year spree of obscene consumption, Bad Boy decadence and absurd levels of sex and drug abuse. Leonardo DiCaprio plays Jordan Belfort beautifully, surrounded by a corps of terrific players (including Margot Robbie) given clear characters by Terence Winter and superb direction by Scorsese. The surprise is that the show is not a facile take-down of the American Dream. Screaming greed is the lure and the joke’s on us. Co-starring Jonah Hill, Matthew McConaughey, Kyle Chandler, Rob Reiner, Jon Bernthal, Jon Favreau, Jean Dujardin and Joanna Lumley.
The Wolf of Wall Street
4K Ultra- HD + Digital
Paramount Home Video
2013 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 190 min. / Street Date December 14, 2021 / Available from / 25.99
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill,...
The Wolf of Wall Street
4K Ultra- HD + Digital
Paramount Home Video
2013 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 190 min. / Street Date December 14, 2021 / Available from / 25.99
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill,...
- 12/14/2021
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Sony’s supernatural comedy sequel “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” is aiming to generate $30 million from 4,300 theaters in its domestic box office debut.
The final weekend figure could vary slightly, with the studio predicting a three-day tally near $28 million and independent tracking services estimating a start closer to $35 million. In any case, the PG-13 “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” is eyeing a first-place finish on domestic box office charts. In terms of new nationwide releases, its only competition is the Warner Bros. sports drama “King Richard,” starring Will Smith as the father of tennis legends Venus and Serena Williams. That film is projected to collect $8 million to $10 million from 3,250 cinemas while playing simultaneously on HBO Max.
Jason Reitman directed “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” taking the reins from his father Ivan Reitman, who helmed the original 1984 film “Ghostbusters.” The first movie — featuring Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis as ghost-catching parapsychologists — was critically and commercially successful, later spawning sequels,...
The final weekend figure could vary slightly, with the studio predicting a three-day tally near $28 million and independent tracking services estimating a start closer to $35 million. In any case, the PG-13 “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” is eyeing a first-place finish on domestic box office charts. In terms of new nationwide releases, its only competition is the Warner Bros. sports drama “King Richard,” starring Will Smith as the father of tennis legends Venus and Serena Williams. That film is projected to collect $8 million to $10 million from 3,250 cinemas while playing simultaneously on HBO Max.
Jason Reitman directed “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” taking the reins from his father Ivan Reitman, who helmed the original 1984 film “Ghostbusters.” The first movie — featuring Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis as ghost-catching parapsychologists — was critically and commercially successful, later spawning sequels,...
- 11/17/2021
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
The vast majority of sports movies are about exceptional talent. “King Richard” is about exceptional belief: the conviction of one man, Richard Williams, that he could turn his daughters Venus and Serena into the world’s greatest tennis players. It’s a plan he hatched — together with wife/queen Brandi — even before the girls were born and put down in a 78-page manifesto, nearly all of which has come true (or so the film informs us over the end credits). Hindsight makes this a story worth telling. At the time, everyone thought he was crazy. “It’s like asking someone to believe you have the next two Mozarts living in your house,” says one coach, passing up the opportunity of a lifetime.
Featuring a grizzled and nearly unrecognizable Will Smith in the title role, “Monsters and Men” director Reinaldo Marcus Green’s “King Richard” is a good old-fashioned Horatio Alger story for our time,...
Featuring a grizzled and nearly unrecognizable Will Smith in the title role, “Monsters and Men” director Reinaldo Marcus Green’s “King Richard” is a good old-fashioned Horatio Alger story for our time,...
- 9/3/2021
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
Debuting on opening night of the Cannes Film Festival a full year after it was originally expected to appear, “Annette” arrives on a pedestal from which it’s too easily toppled. This latest dose of weirdness from “Holy Motors” director Leos Carax — a tortured celebrity love story set to the maddening music of Sparks and starring Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard — would surely fare better in an underdog position than anointed from the outset. It’s not for everyone, as there’s little demand for 140-minute bummer musicals at the moment, though Carax’s grand experiment is certainly bold enough to find its share of defenders.
Maybe “Annette” is just ahead of its time, as champions of avant-garde duo Russell and Ron Mael, aka Sparks, like to say of the pair who wrote it, although Carax’s interpretation of their ironic endeavor reaches backward, braiding the sincerity of silent film with postmodern self-awareness,...
Maybe “Annette” is just ahead of its time, as champions of avant-garde duo Russell and Ron Mael, aka Sparks, like to say of the pair who wrote it, although Carax’s interpretation of their ironic endeavor reaches backward, braiding the sincerity of silent film with postmodern self-awareness,...
- 7/6/2021
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
As we ease into the new year, many might agree that a great way to start the 2021 cinema year is to enjoy a “rags to riches” success story. Perhaps “fable” might be the more appropriate word in this story. And just for some extra spice, it’s set in a distant foreign land, but only a decade or so ago. Like the big Oscar-winning Best Picture of 2008, Slumdog Millionaire, it is set mainly in the dusty crowded streets of India. But that’s where the comparisons end. There’s no big “feel good” song and dance finale to leave you with a grin as you head to the lobby (or more likely as you switch off your device). As a matter of fact, this film’s hero openly derides that earlier work. So, who is this “basher’? He’s the focus of the story, a young man who, at one time,...
- 1/13/2021
- by Jim Batts
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
As J.D. Vance’s memoir “Hillbilly Elegy” surged to the top of the New York Times Best Seller list, I was on location in Kentucky filming “Hillbilly” — a documentary that examines the long history of vicious cultural stereotyping that has plagued Appalachia.
My first memory of seeing Appalachia depicted to the nation was the 1989 CBS special, “48 Hours: Another America.” As a 9-year-old, I watched Dan Rather tell the world about the people of Muddy Gut, in Floyd County, one county over from where my family and I lived. Everything about that program — from the images of the broken-down cars to the condescending tone of the faceless narrator — made me feel shame. The program even added banjo to the “48 Hours” theme, a familiar cue for the viewer signaling they are entering a place that exists outside of place and time. That news program had a profound impact on me and...
My first memory of seeing Appalachia depicted to the nation was the 1989 CBS special, “48 Hours: Another America.” As a 9-year-old, I watched Dan Rather tell the world about the people of Muddy Gut, in Floyd County, one county over from where my family and I lived. Everything about that program — from the images of the broken-down cars to the condescending tone of the faceless narrator — made me feel shame. The program even added banjo to the “48 Hours” theme, a familiar cue for the viewer signaling they are entering a place that exists outside of place and time. That news program had a profound impact on me and...
- 12/1/2020
- by Ashley York
- Variety Film + TV
The Open Hearts Foundation will host its 2020 Gala and Benefactor weekend at the Sls Hotel Beverly Hills on Saturday, February 15th, with CNN New Day weekend anchor Christi Paul, serving as the evening’s Master of Ceremonies.
The Foundation, established in 2010, celebrates its 10th anniversary year with a mission to help empower people to transform adversity into opportunity, serving others through philanthropy and volunteerism.
In its first nine years, the Foundation has granted nearly $1,000,000.00 to thirty-six amazing charities and launched the Young Hearts volunteerism program in 2017. Thanks to an incredible pool of donors and sponsors, each year the Foundation has invested grants to support emerging charities that benefit children, veterans, homelessness, and those affected by various debilitating diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Lupus or Als. Inspired by Jane Seymour’s daughter, Katie Flynn, Ella Freyinger, and Adee Zach, the Young Hearts volunteerism program focuses on connecting volunteers who live with...
The Foundation, established in 2010, celebrates its 10th anniversary year with a mission to help empower people to transform adversity into opportunity, serving others through philanthropy and volunteerism.
In its first nine years, the Foundation has granted nearly $1,000,000.00 to thirty-six amazing charities and launched the Young Hearts volunteerism program in 2017. Thanks to an incredible pool of donors and sponsors, each year the Foundation has invested grants to support emerging charities that benefit children, veterans, homelessness, and those affected by various debilitating diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Lupus or Als. Inspired by Jane Seymour’s daughter, Katie Flynn, Ella Freyinger, and Adee Zach, the Young Hearts volunteerism program focuses on connecting volunteers who live with...
- 1/17/2020
- Look to the Stars
Even with the deaths of our elders today and the 400th anniversary of chattel slavery, we are often reminded that this terrible American past is within the reach of our oral, recorded history. Elijah Cummings, who died Thursday at 68, was the grandson of sharecroppers, the black tenant farmers who rented land from white owners after the Civil War.
Cummings once recounted to 60 Minutes that, when he was sworn into Congress in 1996 following a special election in Maryland’s 7th District, his father teared up. A typical, uplifting American story would...
Cummings once recounted to 60 Minutes that, when he was sworn into Congress in 1996 following a special election in Maryland’s 7th District, his father teared up. A typical, uplifting American story would...
- 10/18/2019
- by Jamil Smith
- Rollingstone.com
Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, Inc., a nonprofit educational organization honoring the achievements of outstanding individuals and encouraging youth to pursue their dreams through higher education, today announced that Jewel, award winning singer-songwriter, actress and New York Times best-selling author, has been selected for membership in this prestigious organization.
Jewel joins 12 other exceptional business, civic and cultural leaders from across North America in receiving 2019 honors. For more than 70 years, the Horatio Alger Award has been annually bestowed upon esteemed individuals who have succeeded despite facing adversities, and who have remained committed to higher education and charitable endeavors throughout their lives.
Raised in small-town Alaska in an unstable home, Jewel began performing at age 5 with her parents in hotels. Her mother when Jewel was 8 years old, and Jewel began singing in bars at age eight with her father. The stress of being a single parent was overwhelming for her father,...
Jewel joins 12 other exceptional business, civic and cultural leaders from across North America in receiving 2019 honors. For more than 70 years, the Horatio Alger Award has been annually bestowed upon esteemed individuals who have succeeded despite facing adversities, and who have remained committed to higher education and charitable endeavors throughout their lives.
Raised in small-town Alaska in an unstable home, Jewel began performing at age 5 with her parents in hotels. Her mother when Jewel was 8 years old, and Jewel began singing in bars at age eight with her father. The stress of being a single parent was overwhelming for her father,...
- 12/12/2018
- Look to the Stars
Horatio Alger stories don’t get much more archetypal than fitness pioneer Joe Weider’s: scrawny Jewish child of the Depression learns to defend himself from schoolyard prejudice by strengthening himself, then turns the world on to the healthy effects of weight-training and bodybuilding, and ultimately creates a fitness empire.
Movie material, right? Kid who got sand kicked in his face, like in that old cartoon, becomes the ripped dude with the hot girlfriend. And Weider actually did marry a blonde ’50s pin-up queen, Betty Brosmer. On top of that, in the late 1960s, he nurtured an Austrian nobody named Arnold Schwarzenegger to worldwide glory on the Mr. Olympia/Mr. Universe circuit. How could this story not work as a flex-and-pecs, flab-to-slab biopic of singular American success?
I don’t know, but “Bigger,” director and co-writer George Gallo’s movie of Weider’s trajectory, is a missed opportunity, the kind...
Movie material, right? Kid who got sand kicked in his face, like in that old cartoon, becomes the ripped dude with the hot girlfriend. And Weider actually did marry a blonde ’50s pin-up queen, Betty Brosmer. On top of that, in the late 1960s, he nurtured an Austrian nobody named Arnold Schwarzenegger to worldwide glory on the Mr. Olympia/Mr. Universe circuit. How could this story not work as a flex-and-pecs, flab-to-slab biopic of singular American success?
I don’t know, but “Bigger,” director and co-writer George Gallo’s movie of Weider’s trajectory, is a missed opportunity, the kind...
- 10/11/2018
- by Robert Abele
- The Wrap
In celebration of the July 4th, Us Independence Day, Sneak Peek footage, plus images from Marvel Comics' newest "Captain America" title, written by Ta-Nehisi Coates and illustrated by Leinil Francis Yu, with covers from Yu and Alex Ross, available July 4, 2018:
"..."it is winter in America. For over 70 years, he has stood in stalwart defense of our country and its people. But in the aftermath of the radical left-wing 'Hydra' takeover of the nation...
"...Captain America is a figure of controversy, carrying a tarnished shield, Now a new enemy is rising! Who are the 'Power Elite'? And how do they intend to co-opt and corrupt the symbol that is Captain America?..."
"Those of you who've never read a 'Captain America' comic book or seen him in the 'Marvel' movies, would be forgiven for thinking of Captain America as an unblinking mascot for American nationalism," said writer Coates.
"..."it is winter in America. For over 70 years, he has stood in stalwart defense of our country and its people. But in the aftermath of the radical left-wing 'Hydra' takeover of the nation...
"...Captain America is a figure of controversy, carrying a tarnished shield, Now a new enemy is rising! Who are the 'Power Elite'? And how do they intend to co-opt and corrupt the symbol that is Captain America?..."
"Those of you who've never read a 'Captain America' comic book or seen him in the 'Marvel' movies, would be forgiven for thinking of Captain America as an unblinking mascot for American nationalism," said writer Coates.
- 7/5/2018
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
Sneak Peek a new teaser trailer, plus images supporting Marvel Comics' publication of the latest "Captain America" comic book title, from writer Ta-Nehisi Coates and illustrator Leinil Francis Yu, with covers from Yu and Alex Ross, available July 4, 2018:
"..."it is winter in America. For over 70 years, he has stood in stalwart defense of our country and its people. But in the aftermath of the radical left-wing 'Hydra' takeover of the nation, Captain America is a figure of controversy, carrying a tarnished shield, Now a new enemy is rising! Who are the 'Power Elite'? And how do they intend to co-opt and corrupt the symbol that is Captain America?..."
"Those of you who've never read a 'Captain America' comic book or seen him in the 'Marvel' movies, would be forgiven for thinking of Captain America as an unblinking mascot for American nationalism," said writer Coates.
"In fact the best...
"..."it is winter in America. For over 70 years, he has stood in stalwart defense of our country and its people. But in the aftermath of the radical left-wing 'Hydra' takeover of the nation, Captain America is a figure of controversy, carrying a tarnished shield, Now a new enemy is rising! Who are the 'Power Elite'? And how do they intend to co-opt and corrupt the symbol that is Captain America?..."
"Those of you who've never read a 'Captain America' comic book or seen him in the 'Marvel' movies, would be forgiven for thinking of Captain America as an unblinking mascot for American nationalism," said writer Coates.
"In fact the best...
- 6/11/2018
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
Marvel Comics has shared a variant cover for the first issue of the upcoming relaunch of Captain America. It was created by legendary comics creator Frank Miller. I've always liked Miller's style of art and it's great that he's still going at it even though his health isn't doing too well.
The new Captain America comic comes from writer Ta-Nehisi Coates and artist Leinil Francis Yu. This the description that was released for it:
It Is Winter In America.For over 70 years, he has stood in stalwart defense of our country and its people. But in the aftermath of Hydra’s takeover of the nation, Captain America is a figure of controversy, carrying a tarnished shield…and a new enemy is rising!Who are the Power Elite? And how do they intend to co-opt and corrupt the symbol that is Captain America?
When talking about why he wanted to write the new Captain America comic,...
The new Captain America comic comes from writer Ta-Nehisi Coates and artist Leinil Francis Yu. This the description that was released for it:
It Is Winter In America.For over 70 years, he has stood in stalwart defense of our country and its people. But in the aftermath of Hydra’s takeover of the nation, Captain America is a figure of controversy, carrying a tarnished shield…and a new enemy is rising!Who are the Power Elite? And how do they intend to co-opt and corrupt the symbol that is Captain America?
When talking about why he wanted to write the new Captain America comic,...
- 6/6/2018
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
Here’s the chance for two lucky individuals to win the chance to build a Habitat For Humanity home with world-renowned construction and real estate experts Jonathan and Drew Scott in Nashville, Tennessee.
Those who wish to enter the drawing will have the once in a lifetime opportunity to bring one guest to meet Jonathan and Drew Scott in Nashville and make an impact in someone’s life. Winners and their guests will fly free to Nashville, and will be able to begin construction on two new homes for one busy build day on April 2, working alongside the homebuyers and other Habitat volunteers.
Participants can enter to win at www.habitat.org/ScottBrothers. Winners will be announced March 5, 2018.
From: http://www.looktothestars.org/news/17515-win-the-chance-to-build-a-habitat-for-humanity-home-with-the-scott-brothers
Related past articles Reba McEntire To Receive 2018 Horatio Alger AwardeBay Partners With Feeding America To Celebrate #GivingTuesday And Fight HungerJonathan And Drew Scott Named Habitat...
Those who wish to enter the drawing will have the once in a lifetime opportunity to bring one guest to meet Jonathan and Drew Scott in Nashville and make an impact in someone’s life. Winners and their guests will fly free to Nashville, and will be able to begin construction on two new homes for one busy build day on April 2, working alongside the homebuyers and other Habitat volunteers.
Participants can enter to win at www.habitat.org/ScottBrothers. Winners will be announced March 5, 2018.
From: http://www.looktothestars.org/news/17515-win-the-chance-to-build-a-habitat-for-humanity-home-with-the-scott-brothers
Related past articles Reba McEntire To Receive 2018 Horatio Alger AwardeBay Partners With Feeding America To Celebrate #GivingTuesday And Fight HungerJonathan And Drew Scott Named Habitat...
- 1/19/2018
- Look to the Stars
Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, Inc., a nonprofit educational organization honoring the achievements of outstanding individuals and encouraging youth to pursue their dreams through higher education, today announced that multi-media entertainer and entrepreneur Reba McEntire has been selected for membership in this prestigious organization.
Ms. McEntire joins 11 other esteemed business, civic and cultural leaders from across North America in receiving 2018 honors. For more than 70 years, the Horatio Alger Award has been annually bestowed upon admired leaders who have succeeded despite facing adversities, and who have remained committed to higher education and charitable efforts in their local communities.
Ms. McEntire, the third in a family of four children, grew up on a cattle ranch in the small, rural town of Chockie, Oklahoma. Her father expected all the children to work on the ranch and Ms. McEntire began riding horses at the age of three. By the time she was seven,...
Ms. McEntire joins 11 other esteemed business, civic and cultural leaders from across North America in receiving 2018 honors. For more than 70 years, the Horatio Alger Award has been annually bestowed upon admired leaders who have succeeded despite facing adversities, and who have remained committed to higher education and charitable efforts in their local communities.
Ms. McEntire, the third in a family of four children, grew up on a cattle ranch in the small, rural town of Chockie, Oklahoma. Her father expected all the children to work on the ranch and Ms. McEntire began riding horses at the age of three. By the time she was seven,...
- 12/13/2017
- Look to the Stars
Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, Inc., a nonprofit educational organization honoring the achievements of outstanding individuals and encouraging youth to pursue their dreams through higher education, today announced that Rob Lowe, film and television actor, producer, writer and director and New York Times best-selling author, has been selected for membership in this prestigious organization.
Lowe joins 11 other esteemed business, civic and cultural leaders from across North America in receiving 2018 honors. For more than 70 years, the Horatio Alger Award has been annually bestowed upon admired leaders who have succeeded despite facing adversities, and who have remained committed to higher education and charitable efforts in their local communities.
Born in Charlottesville, Virginia, and raised in Dayton, Ohio, eight-year-old Rob Lowe dreamed of being an actor. Throughout a tumultuous childhood, he focused on his goal despite his young age, appearing in many productions throughout the mid-west. In 1976, following his mother’s second divorce,...
Lowe joins 11 other esteemed business, civic and cultural leaders from across North America in receiving 2018 honors. For more than 70 years, the Horatio Alger Award has been annually bestowed upon admired leaders who have succeeded despite facing adversities, and who have remained committed to higher education and charitable efforts in their local communities.
Born in Charlottesville, Virginia, and raised in Dayton, Ohio, eight-year-old Rob Lowe dreamed of being an actor. Throughout a tumultuous childhood, he focused on his goal despite his young age, appearing in many productions throughout the mid-west. In 1976, following his mother’s second divorce,...
- 12/7/2017
- Look to the Stars
Author: Zehra Phelan
Lion star Dev Patel and comedy veteran Ben Stiller are currently set to star in Chippendales, a true life story based on the 80’s male strip club phenomenon founders Steve Banerjee and Nick Denoia.
Bold Films have just come on board the project to finance for the big screen but don’t be fooled by the title, the film may be about the rise of the 80’s muscle sculpted Adonis’s but the founders take centre stage as their greed and criminal activities took over their lives.
“It is the Horatio Alger story gone horribly wrong,” said Bold’s Walters. “It is a true life Boogie Nights, a wild ride through the seamy underbelly where entertainment and criminality meet, during a period where the pendulum swung toward female sexuality.”
Patel, if a deal is agreed upon, will play Steve Banerjee, who orchestrated the murder of his partner Nick Denoia,...
Lion star Dev Patel and comedy veteran Ben Stiller are currently set to star in Chippendales, a true life story based on the 80’s male strip club phenomenon founders Steve Banerjee and Nick Denoia.
Bold Films have just come on board the project to finance for the big screen but don’t be fooled by the title, the film may be about the rise of the 80’s muscle sculpted Adonis’s but the founders take centre stage as their greed and criminal activities took over their lives.
“It is the Horatio Alger story gone horribly wrong,” said Bold’s Walters. “It is a true life Boogie Nights, a wild ride through the seamy underbelly where entertainment and criminality meet, during a period where the pendulum swung toward female sexuality.”
Patel, if a deal is agreed upon, will play Steve Banerjee, who orchestrated the murder of his partner Nick Denoia,...
- 7/18/2017
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
It would be tough finding a harder working actor than Liev Schreiber who has successfully transitioned from supporting roles in movies to his very own TV show, playing fixer Ray Donovan on the Showtime series for five seasons. He’s received four Golden Globe nominations and two Emmy nominations playing that role.
In between seasons he’s found the time to make Chuck, a movie about the famed “Bayonne Brawler,” Chuck Wepner, whose career was documented in the Espn “30 for 30” doc, The Real Rocky. Besides being the New Jersey Heavyweight Champion in the ‘70s, Wepner famously went 15 rounds with Muhammad Ali, but his somewhat tragic story was also the inspiration for Sylvester Stallone to make Rocky.
The movie, directed by Philippe Falardeau (Monsieur Lazhar), recreates Chuck’s family life with his second wife Phyllis (Elisabeth Moss) and daughter. It then shows how his brush with fame led to drinking and...
In between seasons he’s found the time to make Chuck, a movie about the famed “Bayonne Brawler,” Chuck Wepner, whose career was documented in the Espn “30 for 30” doc, The Real Rocky. Besides being the New Jersey Heavyweight Champion in the ‘70s, Wepner famously went 15 rounds with Muhammad Ali, but his somewhat tragic story was also the inspiration for Sylvester Stallone to make Rocky.
The movie, directed by Philippe Falardeau (Monsieur Lazhar), recreates Chuck’s family life with his second wife Phyllis (Elisabeth Moss) and daughter. It then shows how his brush with fame led to drinking and...
- 5/4/2017
- by Edward Douglas
- LRMonline.com
The Horatio Alger myth for the Golden Age of Hollywood’s studio system involved a bright, ambitious lad working his way up from the mailroom or his post as a clapper boy. By the time Bryan McMahan entered the movie business in the late ’70s, that studio system had long crumbled, but his beginnings were every bit as humble. McMahan’s first gig was as a film lab janitor. Thirty-odd years later he’s Terrence Malick’s colorist of choice, having worked as either the digital intermediate colorist or the mastering colorist on The Thin Red Line, The New World, The Tree of Life, […]...
- 6/27/2016
- by Matt Mulcahey
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Director Shane Black certainly has a lot on his plate these days. Not only is his latest film, The Nice Guys, set to hit theater soon, but he already has two big properties ready to follow that one up. The first is The Predator, a film that's set to revitalize the long-dormant franchise. Also on the horizon is a film chronicling the adventures of the decades-old pulp hero, Doc Savage.
Here's what Black had to say about The Predator when asked if the sort of "macho" culture that it came out of was still relevant in todays' world.
"I think that the only thing that the 1980s macho context really has to add is that back then, the actors tended to be more… I think more 'men,' and less 'boys.' For instance, back in the day, the ones who filled my head as I grew up: Lee Marvin,...
Here's what Black had to say about The Predator when asked if the sort of "macho" culture that it came out of was still relevant in todays' world.
"I think that the only thing that the 1980s macho context really has to add is that back then, the actors tended to be more… I think more 'men,' and less 'boys.' For instance, back in the day, the ones who filled my head as I grew up: Lee Marvin,...
- 5/17/2016
- by Joseph Medina
- LRMonline.com
As Legend hits UK cinemas, Brian Helgeland talks to us about working with Tom Hardy, and why he wanted to make a movie and not a TV series.
Brian Helgeland's career began in horror, as he wrote the scripts for such genre pieces as A Nightmare On Elm Sreet 4 and 976-evil. But it was his adapted screenplay for the 1997 thriller La Confidential that really put Helgeland on the Hollywood map; netting him an Oscar and receiving rave reviews, its success paved the way for his more recent career, which included the hit thriller Payback (1999), Helgeland's big-screen debut as a director, and his script for the acclaimed drama Mystic River (2003).
Helgeland's latest film is Legend, a British gangster thriller about the exploits of the Kray twins. Rising from London's underworld to become unlikely celebrities at the height of the swinging 60s, Ron and Reggie Kray were more famous as nightclub...
Brian Helgeland's career began in horror, as he wrote the scripts for such genre pieces as A Nightmare On Elm Sreet 4 and 976-evil. But it was his adapted screenplay for the 1997 thriller La Confidential that really put Helgeland on the Hollywood map; netting him an Oscar and receiving rave reviews, its success paved the way for his more recent career, which included the hit thriller Payback (1999), Helgeland's big-screen debut as a director, and his script for the acclaimed drama Mystic River (2003).
Helgeland's latest film is Legend, a British gangster thriller about the exploits of the Kray twins. Rising from London's underworld to become unlikely celebrities at the height of the swinging 60s, Ron and Reggie Kray were more famous as nightclub...
- 9/3/2015
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
Carol Burnett – comedic trailblazer, actor, singer, dancer, producer and author – has been named the 52nd recipient of SAG-aftra’s highest tribute: the SAG Life Achievement Award for career achievement and humanitarian accomplishment. Burnett will be presented the performers union’s top accolade at the 22nd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, which will be simulcast live on TNT and TBS on Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016 at 8 p.m. (Et), 7 p.m. (Ct), 6 p.m. (Mt) and 5 p.m. (Pt). Given annually to an actor who fosters the “finest ideals of the acting profession,” the SAG Life Achievement Award will join Burnett’s exceptional catalog of preeminent industry and public honors, which includes multiple Emmys, a special Tony, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and both a Kennedy Center Honor and its Mark Twain Prize for Humor.
In making today’s announcement, SAG-aftra President Ken Howard said, “Carol Burnett is a creative dynamo and a comedic genius.
In making today’s announcement, SAG-aftra President Ken Howard said, “Carol Burnett is a creative dynamo and a comedic genius.
- 7/20/2015
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Posterity may have proclaimed Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton the greater artists by a narrow margin. But amongst comedians of the silent era, no one more purely identified the American spirit for contemporary audiences than Harold Lloyd. His persona was a parody but also an embrace of that classic type popularized by pulp novelist Horatio Alger and myriad others: The “underdog” who struggles to overcome adversity by sheer industry and self-improving zeal, winning the American Dream of prosperity.>> - Dennis Harvey...
- 4/21/2015
- Fandor: Keyframe
Posterity may have proclaimed Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton the greater artists by a narrow margin. But amongst comedians of the silent era, no one more purely identified the American spirit for contemporary audiences than Harold Lloyd. His persona was a parody but also an embrace of that classic type popularized by pulp novelist Horatio Alger and myriad others: The “underdog” who struggles to overcome adversity by sheer industry and self-improving zeal, winning the American Dream of prosperity.>> - Dennis Harvey...
- 4/21/2015
- Keyframe
Seventy-five years ago, The Shadow and Doc Savage made their four-color debut on January 21st, 1940 in Shadow Comics #1, which also featured the first comic book appearances of Nick Carter, Bill Barnes, Frank Merriwell, Iron Munro and a variety of other popular Street & Smith pulp characters.
With the possible exception of Walt Disney’S Comics & Stories, it is unlikely that any other comic magazine ever debuted with as many pre-proven famous characters. The Shadow had already starred in nearly 200 pulp novels and several films, while his weekly radio show had the highest audience ratings in daytime radio. Iron Munro was based on John W. Campbell’s novel The Mightiest Machine, one of the inspirations for Jerry Siegel’s Superman, and featured the exploits of a human born and raised under Jupiter’s high gravity who arrived on Earth to discover that his denser molecular structure gave him invulnerability, super strength and...
With the possible exception of Walt Disney’S Comics & Stories, it is unlikely that any other comic magazine ever debuted with as many pre-proven famous characters. The Shadow had already starred in nearly 200 pulp novels and several films, while his weekly radio show had the highest audience ratings in daytime radio. Iron Munro was based on John W. Campbell’s novel The Mightiest Machine, one of the inspirations for Jerry Siegel’s Superman, and featured the exploits of a human born and raised under Jupiter’s high gravity who arrived on Earth to discover that his denser molecular structure gave him invulnerability, super strength and...
- 1/21/2015
- by Anthony Tollin
- Comicmix.com
A review of tonight's two "Parks and Recreation" episodes coming up just as soon as we binge watch the future... When NBC announced the plan to double-pump these remaining episodes, in an attempt to get the show off its schedule as quickly as possible(*), many of you were irked by it. And while I'd like to stretch out the experience of watching "Parks and Rec" for as long as possible, the scheduling has worked out really well for these first two weeks. "2017" and "Ron and Jammy" made a good pairing — the first with a lot of exposition about the time jump, the second a throwback episode providing a last hurrah for one of the show's best villains in Tammy 2. "William Henry Harrison," of course, ends with a cliffhanger, and the scheduling allows us to see it paid off right away in "Leslie and Ron." (*) Ironically, the premiere ratings were much...
- 1/21/2015
- by Alan Sepinwall
- Hitfix
The last panel of NBC's press tour day (and my last panel of this particular tour, though Fienberg will be here for Fox, FX and PBS) should be a good one: a farewell press conference for "Parks and Recreation," featuring Amy Poehler, Chris Pratt, Adam Scott, Aziz Ansari, Retta and Jim O'Heir, plus co-creator Mike Schur. (It's a shame Nick Offerman and Aubrey Plaza won't be here, but it feels like a miracle that Pratt has time, given how many different movies he's starring in these days.) I'll be live-blogging the whole thing, as often as my fingers and the ballroom wi-fi will allow, so hit reload early and often. (All times Pacific.) 5:30 p.m.: Bob Greenblatt introduces the panel, calls it "one of the best shows that have ever been on television." It's easy to be magnanimous when the show's on the way out the door, I suppose.
- 1/17/2015
- by Alan Sepinwall
- Hitfix
Initially, "The Attorney" positions itself as an unlikely Horatio Alger-type story. Kicking off in 1978 and continuing through the '80s, in Busan, South Korea, the film follows Song Woo-seok (Sang Kang-Ho) is a luckless lawyer with only a high school education, barely making enough to get by. He's married with two kids, the home they live in has rats in the walls, and his shabby office is hardly a welcoming environment for clients. But inspiration strikes when Song discovers a loophole that lets him legally participate in some kind of real estate registration (it's never quite clear what exactly it is) that was normally reserved solely for notaries. It's a booming market, with tons of cash to be made by doing little more than paperwork, and without stepping into a courtroom, and Song finds his calling. He hustles his new practice by handing out business cards, and while he soon becomes a success,...
- 2/5/2014
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
History has already shown that the nonstop party of the Roaring Twenties couldn't go on forever, so neither could Boardwalk Empire. On Thursday, HBO announced that it was shutting down its homage to the Prohibition-era Atlantic City playground, making this fall's fifth season its last. As someone who has covered Boardwalk for Rolling Stone for the majority of its run, news of this decision was bittersweet. Sure, it's always difficult to say goodbye to a series in which you've invested so much time, energy, love and, let's be honest, aggravation.
- 1/11/2014
- Rollingstone.com
In Martin Scorsese’s GoodFellas, a pre-Quentin Tarantino movie that is turning out to be the post-Tarantino touchstone for how to make a drama about the lethal seductions of bad behavior (Boogie Nights, The Sopranos, and American Hustle are all honorary sons of GoodFellas), Henry Hill (Ray Liotta), the shark/schlub wise-guy antihero, sucks the audience right into his dream of doing whatever the hell he pleases the moment he announces, in that opening voiceover, “As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster.” To watch GoodFellas is to think: And who wouldn’t?...
- 1/3/2014
- by Owen Gleiberman
- EW - Inside Movies
Need a little pick-me-up this holiday season? Look no further than the scores of "layaway Santas" who are flooding the stores this holiday and proving that the Christmas spirit truly does live in the hearts of many Americans. The way layaway Santas work is simple: do-gooders visit stores that have a layaway department, such as Wal-Mart, Kmart or Toys "R" Us, and offer to pay off the holiday layaway bills of others who are struggling to save enough to put presents under the tree. Layaway Santas have been around for ages, but the idea gained traction recently when the Associated...
- 12/12/2013
- by Kathy Ehrich Dowd
- PEOPLE.com
Three episodes ago, Nucky, after cleaning up Willie's little chemistry mishap, made a prescient remark: "The only thing you can count on is blood." He meant it in the sense of family, but there has been no lack of bloodshed on the boardwalk since then. What Nucky also couldn't foresee was that his comment will ring true for either himself or his nephew – and that the other will learn that loved ones are never to be trusted. Who will "win" and who will "lose" in this scenario remains to be seen,...
- 10/28/2013
- Rollingstone.com
North Korean comrade Kim flies into a theatre near you. Look at her at your own risk, lest you be beamed to death. Cornering the Most-Over-The-Top-Film-Award at the 2012 Seattle International Film Festival is this incredible North Korean Horatio Alger story of a coal miner.s daughter ( I am not making this up) whose desire to become a trapeze artist takes her to the big city a world of scary adventure. Well, actually the adventure is not all that scary, but the makeup sure is. Filmed entirely in North Korea, with a North Korean cast and crew, the look and feel of the film is identical to the Donna Reed series in 1950.s America. Comrade Kim Yong-Mi (Han Jong-sim)...
- 7/17/2013
- by Ron Wilkinson
- Monsters and Critics
A band call Death comes back to life in this hilarious and poignant peon to hard rock with a soft heart. Screened at the 39th Seattle International Film Festival and released June 28, 2013, .A Band Called Death. could just as well be called .A Band Coming Back to Life.. Directed by Mark Christopher Covino and Jeff Howlett and featuring none other than Alice Cooper hisself, this is a Horatio Alger story in reverse. Three talented brothers who kill their chances at stardom and, in the end, gain something much more. In the 1970.s, Detroit was not a place you wanted to be. In fact, it is still not a place most people want to be. But if there...
- 7/17/2013
- by Ron Wilkinson
- Monsters and Critics
The timeless comic genius of Harold Lloyd shines through in Fred Newmeyer and Sam Taylor’s 1923 classic Safety Last!, one more silent film championed by the Criterion Collection folks. The indelible bookish, horn-rimmed glasses, straw-hat-wearing comedian show wonderfully how he earned the moniker “the King of Daredevil Comedy”. The “third genius” of the silent era (after Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton), stars in this Horatio Alger-style story of a country boy trying to make good in the big city.
The naive Boy (Harold Lloyd) travels on a train to the big city from the small town Great Bend, promising to send for his Girl (Mildred Davis, Lloyd’s real-life wife) after he has ‘made good’ with fame and fortune. In the opening sequence, he appears behind vertical bars – presumably imprisoning jail bars, but they are actually the train station’s gate. He becomes a low-paid, bookish-looking salesman in the...
The naive Boy (Harold Lloyd) travels on a train to the big city from the small town Great Bend, promising to send for his Girl (Mildred Davis, Lloyd’s real-life wife) after he has ‘made good’ with fame and fortune. In the opening sequence, he appears behind vertical bars – presumably imprisoning jail bars, but they are actually the train station’s gate. He becomes a low-paid, bookish-looking salesman in the...
- 6/19/2013
- by Larry Peel
- IONCINEMA.com
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