Full Metal Jacket to Oppenheimer; West Wing to Stranger Things, Modine is a showbiz hard worker whose latest role is as a cycling coach. Ask your questions in the comments
Matthew Modine has worked with lots of the greats: Stanley Kubrick, as wise-cracking marine Jt “Joker” Davis in Full Metal Jacket; Jonathan Demme, as a goofy FBI agent in Married to the Mob; John Schlesinger, as a hapless landlord in nightmare-tenant thriller Pacific Heights; Alan Parker, as the avian-obsessed kid in Birdy; and Robert Altman (twice) in Streamers and Short Cuts. More recently he’s had a couple of turns for Christopher Nolan: the Batman-wary deputy commissioner of Gotham in The Dark Knight Rises and American engineer Vannevar Bush in Oppenheimer.
On the small screen, he has played a womanising real estate developer in Weeds, a billionaire inventor in Proof and the evil – no, wait! – saviour doctor who tries...
Matthew Modine has worked with lots of the greats: Stanley Kubrick, as wise-cracking marine Jt “Joker” Davis in Full Metal Jacket; Jonathan Demme, as a goofy FBI agent in Married to the Mob; John Schlesinger, as a hapless landlord in nightmare-tenant thriller Pacific Heights; Alan Parker, as the avian-obsessed kid in Birdy; and Robert Altman (twice) in Streamers and Short Cuts. More recently he’s had a couple of turns for Christopher Nolan: the Batman-wary deputy commissioner of Gotham in The Dark Knight Rises and American engineer Vannevar Bush in Oppenheimer.
On the small screen, he has played a womanising real estate developer in Weeds, a billionaire inventor in Proof and the evil – no, wait! – saviour doctor who tries...
- 9/26/2024
- by Rich Pelley
- The Guardian - Film News
Three-time Oscar winner Oliver Stone has courted controversy with a series of technically ambitious, rabble rousing political dramas, chronicling the highs and lows of American history. But how many of his titles remain classics? Let’s take a look back at all 20 of his narrative films, ranked worst to best (not including documentaries).
Born in 1946, Stone served in the Vietnam War before enrolling in NYU film school. He first came to prominence as a screenwriter, winning an Oscar for penning “Midnight Express” (Best Original Screenplay in 1978) before writing “Conan the Barbarian” (1982), “Scarface” (1983) and “Year of the Dragon” (1985). During this same period, he directed the low-budget horror films “Seizure” (1974) and “The Hand” (1981).
He emerged as a an A-list director when he was 40 years old with a pair of acclaimed war dramas released in 1986: “Salvador” and “Platoon.” Both earned him Best Original Screenplay nominations, while “Platoon,” which was based on his...
Born in 1946, Stone served in the Vietnam War before enrolling in NYU film school. He first came to prominence as a screenwriter, winning an Oscar for penning “Midnight Express” (Best Original Screenplay in 1978) before writing “Conan the Barbarian” (1982), “Scarface” (1983) and “Year of the Dragon” (1985). During this same period, he directed the low-budget horror films “Seizure” (1974) and “The Hand” (1981).
He emerged as a an A-list director when he was 40 years old with a pair of acclaimed war dramas released in 1986: “Salvador” and “Platoon.” Both earned him Best Original Screenplay nominations, while “Platoon,” which was based on his...
- 9/6/2024
- by Zach Laws and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Inspired by a project that uses the arts for rehabilitation, this is an uplifting, energetic film – but Domingo’s showy performance is a little out of place
There’s charm, energy and optimism in this big-hearted film, inspired by the Rehabilitation Through the Arts project that teaches theatre skills to US prisoners. The movie’s genesis is an Esquire magazine article from 2005 about an ensemble fantasy-comedy musical performed by inmates of Sing Sing maximum security facility in New York state. The movie invites us to hear the words in the title as joyful imperatives. It is performed largely by genuine former inmates playing themselves, featuring rehearsal scenes interspersed with variously tense or moving private conversations. There is a resemblance to Alan Parker’s Fame, to which the film playfully alludes, although the proceedings are evidently too serious to allow for the more obvious comparison with Max Bialystock’s song Prisoners...
There’s charm, energy and optimism in this big-hearted film, inspired by the Rehabilitation Through the Arts project that teaches theatre skills to US prisoners. The movie’s genesis is an Esquire magazine article from 2005 about an ensemble fantasy-comedy musical performed by inmates of Sing Sing maximum security facility in New York state. The movie invites us to hear the words in the title as joyful imperatives. It is performed largely by genuine former inmates playing themselves, featuring rehearsal scenes interspersed with variously tense or moving private conversations. There is a resemblance to Alan Parker’s Fame, to which the film playfully alludes, although the proceedings are evidently too serious to allow for the more obvious comparison with Max Bialystock’s song Prisoners...
- 8/17/2024
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
It’s New York City, 1989. Susan Seidelman is in the delivery room, in labor with her son. “Siskel and Ebert” plays on the TV, and in between contractions, the two critics are tearing apart her new movie “She-Devil.” “Watching them review my film literally with the doctor’s hand inside of me telling me to push was very strange,” Seidelman recalls.
That surreal scene is just one of the memorable moments the trailblazing director recounts in “Desperately Seeking Something: A Memoir About Movies, Mothers, and Material Girls.” By turns reflective and celebratory, the book covers the surprises and setbacks of a career carved out at a time when women filmmakers were a rarity.
When Seidelman first realized she could aspire to become a movie director, she could barely find a role model. Outside of Elaine May, there was only a small handful of women directing. But Seidelman kept at it,...
That surreal scene is just one of the memorable moments the trailblazing director recounts in “Desperately Seeking Something: A Memoir About Movies, Mothers, and Material Girls.” By turns reflective and celebratory, the book covers the surprises and setbacks of a career carved out at a time when women filmmakers were a rarity.
When Seidelman first realized she could aspire to become a movie director, she could barely find a role model. Outside of Elaine May, there was only a small handful of women directing. But Seidelman kept at it,...
- 6/21/2024
- by Pat Saperstein
- Variety Film + TV
When Susan Seidelman first decided she wanted to become a filmmaker, she didn’t have any guidebooks to help the Philadelphia native on her chosen journey. With her new autobiography, “Desperately Seeking Something,” she hopes to change that.
“When I would read books about what it was like directing, it was John Ford or John Houston or Alfred Hitchcock, these guys writing from a very male perspective,” she told IndieWire during a recent interview. “I had to kind of figure stuff out for myself, so I thought it might be nice to write a memoir about what my experience was like, but also with advice for the next generation, the next few generations, hopefully.”
Seidelman’s book, out this week, charts her wild — and incredibly varied — ride through indie filmmaking (like taking her debut film “Smithereens” all the way to Cannes), keen casting (she gave Madonna her first big role...
“When I would read books about what it was like directing, it was John Ford or John Houston or Alfred Hitchcock, these guys writing from a very male perspective,” she told IndieWire during a recent interview. “I had to kind of figure stuff out for myself, so I thought it might be nice to write a memoir about what my experience was like, but also with advice for the next generation, the next few generations, hopefully.”
Seidelman’s book, out this week, charts her wild — and incredibly varied — ride through indie filmmaking (like taking her debut film “Smithereens” all the way to Cannes), keen casting (she gave Madonna her first big role...
- 6/17/2024
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Netflix is continuing to roll out its celebration of iconic films, this time turning the page to 1984.
As part of the streaming platform’s “Milestone Movies: The Anniversary Collection,” Netflix has unveiled the 1984 films celebrating their 40-year anniversary in 2024 with classics like “Footloose” and “Sixteen Candles” alongside Oscar contenders “Amadeus” and “Iceman.”
The Milestone Movies hail from Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, and Sony — the distributors that license content to Netflix.
Starting today, April 1, 2024, Netflix subscribers can revisit Brian de Palma’s erotic noir “Body Double” and Kevin Bacon’s breakout performance in “Footloose.” How about a double feature? There’s also “Repo Man” and “Beverly Hills Cop,” streaming just in time for franchise reboot “Beverly Hills Cop: Axle F” out this summer.
In addition to the cinematic celebrations in your Netflix queue, in-person special screenings of select films will continue at the Paris Theater in New York and Los Angeles...
As part of the streaming platform’s “Milestone Movies: The Anniversary Collection,” Netflix has unveiled the 1984 films celebrating their 40-year anniversary in 2024 with classics like “Footloose” and “Sixteen Candles” alongside Oscar contenders “Amadeus” and “Iceman.”
The Milestone Movies hail from Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, and Sony — the distributors that license content to Netflix.
Starting today, April 1, 2024, Netflix subscribers can revisit Brian de Palma’s erotic noir “Body Double” and Kevin Bacon’s breakout performance in “Footloose.” How about a double feature? There’s also “Repo Man” and “Beverly Hills Cop,” streaming just in time for franchise reboot “Beverly Hills Cop: Axle F” out this summer.
In addition to the cinematic celebrations in your Netflix queue, in-person special screenings of select films will continue at the Paris Theater in New York and Los Angeles...
- 4/1/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Ready to head back to the Wasteland and experience another outlandish post-apocalyptic vision from George Miller? Well, step this way – Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is revving up its engine, set to unleash a fresh batch of mayhem on the multiplexes. And the new issue of Empire is a world-exclusive deep-dive into the madness, speaking to Miller and his stars – including Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth – about their all-new action epic.
The issue hits newsstands on Thursday 14 March – but before then, take a sneak peek below at what’s inside.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Fire. Blood. Oil. Chrome. The world of Mad Max is exploding back onto the screen with the tale of the one and only Imperator Furiosa. We speak to filmmaker George Miller, stars Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth and more, getting the lowdown on Furiosa’s vengeful saga, the mind-blowing action, and Hemsworth’s wild new villain Dementus.
The issue hits newsstands on Thursday 14 March – but before then, take a sneak peek below at what’s inside.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Fire. Blood. Oil. Chrome. The world of Mad Max is exploding back onto the screen with the tale of the one and only Imperator Furiosa. We speak to filmmaker George Miller, stars Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth and more, getting the lowdown on Furiosa’s vengeful saga, the mind-blowing action, and Hemsworth’s wild new villain Dementus.
- 3/13/2024
- by Ben Travis
- Empire - Movies
Ahmed El-Shenawi, the Egyptian-born actor whose character delightfully announces that a slithering helping of “snake surprise” is about to be served in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, has died. He was 75.
El-Shenawi died Feb. 1 in Chelsea, London, his daughter, Eman El-Shenawi, told The Hollywood Reporter. He had been in the hospital for an operation to repair a fracture and developed an infection that led to sepsis, she said.
El-Shenawi also portrayed a prisoner who inherits a radio in Alan Parker’s harrowing Midnight Express (1978), starring Brad Davis, and he had the pivotal role of the therapist who hypnotizes the detective (Michael Elphick) in The Element of Crime (1984) — Lars von Trier’s first feature and the first in his Europa trilogy. Both movies played at Cannes.
“I believe his brief but impactful moments of fame resonated so much among many,” his daughter said.
In Steven Spielberg’s Temple of Doom (1984), the extremely large El-Shenawi,...
El-Shenawi died Feb. 1 in Chelsea, London, his daughter, Eman El-Shenawi, told The Hollywood Reporter. He had been in the hospital for an operation to repair a fracture and developed an infection that led to sepsis, she said.
El-Shenawi also portrayed a prisoner who inherits a radio in Alan Parker’s harrowing Midnight Express (1978), starring Brad Davis, and he had the pivotal role of the therapist who hypnotizes the detective (Michael Elphick) in The Element of Crime (1984) — Lars von Trier’s first feature and the first in his Europa trilogy. Both movies played at Cannes.
“I believe his brief but impactful moments of fame resonated so much among many,” his daughter said.
In Steven Spielberg’s Temple of Doom (1984), the extremely large El-Shenawi,...
- 3/9/2024
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Kevin Spacey will play The Devil in the Italian film 'The Contract'.The 64-year-old actor is continuing his efforts to rebuild his career by featuring in the psychological thriller from director Massimo Paolucci alongside Eric Roberts and Vincent Spano.The English-language movie has recently wrapped principal photography in Rome and is described as having a similar plotline to Alan Parker's 'Angel Heart' and Taylor Hackford's 'The Devil's Advocate'.Spacey arrived in the Italian capital in December to shoot the picture and his character 'The Devil' is described as similar to Al Pacino's part in 'The Devil's Advocate' – as satan who takes the guise of a human lawyer.Producers Massimiliano Caroletti and Sandro Lazzarini say they "courted" Spacey for eight months to convince him to take the role.The Oscar-winning star's career came crashing down in 2017 after he was accused of sexual misconduct but...
- 3/6/2024
- by Joe Graber
- Bang Showbiz
Seven years after his career imploded amid dozens of sexual misconduct accusations, Kevin Spacey’s ongoing efforts to resurrect his career have taken him to Italy. The two-time Oscar winner will star as The Devil in The Contract, one of three projects that will soon involve Italian filmmaker Massimiliano Caroletti and his wife, the former porn star Eva Henger.
Cinecittà News, the official news outlet of Rome’s famed Cinecittà Studios, revealed on Tuesday that the project, which recently wrapped shooting in Rome, is being directed by Massimo Paolucci (All in One Day) and will be produced by Tm Entertainment and Sandro Lazzerini. The thriller is based on an idea by Caroletti and scripted by Henger.
Spacey had largely avoided the public eye since his career collapsed in the early days of the #MeToo era, but has recently begun to reemerge, with a role in the upcoming indie thriller Peter...
Cinecittà News, the official news outlet of Rome’s famed Cinecittà Studios, revealed on Tuesday that the project, which recently wrapped shooting in Rome, is being directed by Massimo Paolucci (All in One Day) and will be produced by Tm Entertainment and Sandro Lazzerini. The thriller is based on an idea by Caroletti and scripted by Henger.
Spacey had largely avoided the public eye since his career collapsed in the early days of the #MeToo era, but has recently begun to reemerge, with a role in the upcoming indie thriller Peter...
- 3/5/2024
- by Martina Barone
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Kevin Spacey will appear as a character named “The Devil” in Italian director Massimo Paolucci’s psychological thriller “The Contract,” which just wrapped principal photography in Rome.
The English-language film, described in a statement as having a similar storyline as Alan Parker’s “Angel Heart” and Taylor Hackford’s “The Devil’s Advocate,” also stars Eric Roberts and Vincent Spano, Italian production company Tm Entertainment said.
Spacey arrived in Rome last December to shoot “The Contract.”
Reps for Spacey, Roberts and Spano did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The “House of Cards” star’s career imploded amid allegations of sexual misconduct in 2017, but he has since been found not liable in an October 2022 lawsuit brought by “Star Trek: Discovery” actor Anthony Rapp and was declared not guilty in a U.K. sexual assault trial in July 2023. He will soon be back on U.S. movie screens with indie thriller “Peter Five Eight,...
The English-language film, described in a statement as having a similar storyline as Alan Parker’s “Angel Heart” and Taylor Hackford’s “The Devil’s Advocate,” also stars Eric Roberts and Vincent Spano, Italian production company Tm Entertainment said.
Spacey arrived in Rome last December to shoot “The Contract.”
Reps for Spacey, Roberts and Spano did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The “House of Cards” star’s career imploded amid allegations of sexual misconduct in 2017, but he has since been found not liable in an October 2022 lawsuit brought by “Star Trek: Discovery” actor Anthony Rapp and was declared not guilty in a U.K. sexual assault trial in July 2023. He will soon be back on U.S. movie screens with indie thriller “Peter Five Eight,...
- 3/5/2024
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
In 1982, anthropologist Wade Davis traveled to Haiti on a mission: to investigate documented cases of zombiism, specifically cases of people who had been declared dead but who then miraculously came back to life. Davis immersed himself in the very real world of Haitian voodoo, witnessing an array of unbelievable rituals and fascinating rites, prompting him to write the book The Serpent and the Rainbow, which would go on to become a bestseller. Referred to in certain circles as a sort of real life Indiana Jones, Davis’ profile rose and, of course, Hollywood came calling, hoping his tales of voodoo and mystery might translate into a spectacular big screen adventure. Davis was wary of Hollywood and worried the adaptation of his book would bastardize his accounts, but hoped if the right people were involved, his story would be given a respectable treatment. As is often the case in the City of Angels,...
- 2/26/2024
- by Eric Walkuski
- JoBlo.com
British actor, writer, and director Samantha Morton will be awarded the BAFTA Fellowship at next week’s Ee BAFTA Film Awards.
Born in Nottingham in 1977, Morton garnered international attention in 1997 with her performance in Carine Adler’s Under the Skin, earning her a BIFA nomination and the Boston Film Critics Award for Best Actress. She has been nominated for an Academy Award first for Best Supporting Actress for Woody Allen’s Sweet and Lowdown (1999), and later for Best Actress for Jim Sheridan’s In America (2003).
Other notable film credits include work with directors such as Lynne Ramsay on Morvern Callar (2002), for which she won Best Performance, Toronto Film Critics Award and a BIFA for Best Actress; Steven Spielberg on Minority Report (2002); Michael Winterbottom on Code 46 (2003); Shekhar Kapur on The Golden Age (2007); Harmony Korine on Mister Lonely (2007); Anton Corbijn on Control, (2007), earning her a Best Supporting Actress BAFTA Film Award nomination; Charlie Kaufman Synecdoche,...
Born in Nottingham in 1977, Morton garnered international attention in 1997 with her performance in Carine Adler’s Under the Skin, earning her a BIFA nomination and the Boston Film Critics Award for Best Actress. She has been nominated for an Academy Award first for Best Supporting Actress for Woody Allen’s Sweet and Lowdown (1999), and later for Best Actress for Jim Sheridan’s In America (2003).
Other notable film credits include work with directors such as Lynne Ramsay on Morvern Callar (2002), for which she won Best Performance, Toronto Film Critics Award and a BIFA for Best Actress; Steven Spielberg on Minority Report (2002); Michael Winterbottom on Code 46 (2003); Shekhar Kapur on The Golden Age (2007); Harmony Korine on Mister Lonely (2007); Anton Corbijn on Control, (2007), earning her a Best Supporting Actress BAFTA Film Award nomination; Charlie Kaufman Synecdoche,...
- 2/7/2024
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Acclaimed British actor, writer and director Samantha Morton will be awarded a Fellowship at the upcoming Ee BAFTA Film Awards.
The award is the highest recognition given by BAFTA to an individual for their exceptional contribution to the film, games or television industry.
After earning plaudits in theater and television, Morton’s breakthrough film role was Carine Adler’s “Under the Skin (1997) that earned her a BIFA nomination and the Boston Film Critics Award for best actress. She has been Oscar nominated twice – for best supporting actress for Woody Allen’s “Sweet and Lowdown” (1999), and for best actress for Jim Sheridan’s “In America” (2003).
For her portrayal of child-murderer Myra Hindley in “Longford” (2006) Morton scored best actress nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award and BAFTA Television Award, and won a Golden Globe. In 2009, she made her directorial debut with television film “The Unloved,” a semi-autobiographical film based in the British children’s care system,...
The award is the highest recognition given by BAFTA to an individual for their exceptional contribution to the film, games or television industry.
After earning plaudits in theater and television, Morton’s breakthrough film role was Carine Adler’s “Under the Skin (1997) that earned her a BIFA nomination and the Boston Film Critics Award for best actress. She has been Oscar nominated twice – for best supporting actress for Woody Allen’s “Sweet and Lowdown” (1999), and for best actress for Jim Sheridan’s “In America” (2003).
For her portrayal of child-murderer Myra Hindley in “Longford” (2006) Morton scored best actress nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award and BAFTA Television Award, and won a Golden Globe. In 2009, she made her directorial debut with television film “The Unloved,” a semi-autobiographical film based in the British children’s care system,...
- 2/7/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
More than 13 years after government minister Jeremy Hunt stood up in Parliament to announce the abolition of the UK Film Council (UKFC), the body held its first reunion.
Around 80 former staff members – who worked for the organisation at some point over its existence from creation by Tony Blair’s Labour government in 2000 to final unwinding in 2011 – came together at London’s Century Club on Wednesday evening (January 31).
A speech from John Woodward – who served as UKFC chief executive throughout its existence – gave the event its focal point. While wishing to avoid “nostalgia”, which he defined as a classical Greek word...
Around 80 former staff members – who worked for the organisation at some point over its existence from creation by Tony Blair’s Labour government in 2000 to final unwinding in 2011 – came together at London’s Century Club on Wednesday evening (January 31).
A speech from John Woodward – who served as UKFC chief executive throughout its existence – gave the event its focal point. While wishing to avoid “nostalgia”, which he defined as a classical Greek word...
- 2/2/2024
- ScreenDaily
The character of Chief Miles O'Brien (Colm Meaney) first appeared as a background player in the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" pilot "Encounter at Farpoint" in 1987. Chief O'Brien was initially just an ancillary character who operated the transporters on the Enterprise-d, and who only passingly interacted with the show's main cast. As the series progressed, however, O'Brien's role became larger and larger, and he came to have his own backstories and relationship. O'Brien would eventually marry Keiko (Rosalind Chao) and have a daughter, and eventually reveal that he's suffering from some long-held war trauma. Ultimately, O'Brien appeared in 52 episodes of "Next Generation" before exiting in the show's sixth season.
The reason O'Brien left was because he had accepted a promotion. He was to become the chief engineer on a rundown Cardassian space station now designated Deep Space Nine by the Federation. Meaney, then, had signed on to be one of...
The reason O'Brien left was because he had accepted a promotion. He was to become the chief engineer on a rundown Cardassian space station now designated Deep Space Nine by the Federation. Meaney, then, had signed on to be one of...
- 12/27/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Before Alan Wake hit the scene, PC gamers had Gabriel Knight as their horror author caught in a psychological nightmare. Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers hit the PC back in December 1993, and despite its eventual sales figures deeming it to be a disappointment, Sins of the Fathers still received praise from critics and fans, thanks in part to its voice cast and mature story. Publisher Sierra still stuck with it, and kicked off a series that remains highly regarded among fans of the adventure genre.
Gabriel Knight is a cocky New Orleans book store owner and author struggling with a case of writer’s block. Compounding the situation for Gabriel are his recurring nightmares. Currently looking for material by researching a series of killings across New Orleans, Gabriel’s research leads him to determine that that the police’s theory about mob-related killings is wrong. Rather, the killings are...
Gabriel Knight is a cocky New Orleans book store owner and author struggling with a case of writer’s block. Compounding the situation for Gabriel are his recurring nightmares. Currently looking for material by researching a series of killings across New Orleans, Gabriel’s research leads him to determine that that the police’s theory about mob-related killings is wrong. Rather, the killings are...
- 12/17/2023
- by Mike Wilson
- bloody-disgusting.com
The Library of Congress announced the 25 features joining the National Film Registry for 2023, with titles including “12 Years a Slave,” “Home Alone,” “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and “Terminator 2: Judgment Day.” Selected films must be more than 10 years old and are selected each year for their cultural, historic or aesthetic significance to preserve the film heritage of the U.S.
The Library of Congress is not responsible for the physical preservation of the titles selected — many have already been preserved by copyright holders, filmmakers or other archives. For those that haven’t yet been preserved, the Library’s National Audio-Visual Conservation Center works to make sure it will be — through ventures with other archives or studios or through its own preservation program.
The selected films encompass more than 100 years of history, including the earliest title of this year’s additions — the 1921 educational film “A Movie Trip Through Filmland.”
Hollywood studio...
The Library of Congress is not responsible for the physical preservation of the titles selected — many have already been preserved by copyright holders, filmmakers or other archives. For those that haven’t yet been preserved, the Library’s National Audio-Visual Conservation Center works to make sure it will be — through ventures with other archives or studios or through its own preservation program.
The selected films encompass more than 100 years of history, including the earliest title of this year’s additions — the 1921 educational film “A Movie Trip Through Filmland.”
Hollywood studio...
- 12/13/2023
- by Pat Saperstein
- Variety Film + TV
Adrien Brody on Winning the Oscar, Catching a Train with Wes Anderson, and Making Music With Popcorn
“The Pianist” and “King Kong” star Adrien Brody spoke at the Red Sea Film Festival Friday about a wide variety of creative pursuits, including making music from popcorn in the 1990s.
“I liked the sound of the kernels of popcorn hitting the aluminium lid of the pan and so I set my microphone up and recorded it and then I sampled it and put on some reverb,” he told the audience in Saudi Arabia. “It went pok-a-pok-a-pok.”
Something of a prodigy, he was cast as a lead in a TV movie “Home at Last” when he was only 15 and later became the youngest actor to win the best male lead Oscar.
Hailing from Queens, New York, the child of a celebrated photographer and a painter, Brody’s love for acting was kindled when he was enrolled by his mother in an acting school — the American Academy of Dramatic Arts — where she had been photographing.
“I liked the sound of the kernels of popcorn hitting the aluminium lid of the pan and so I set my microphone up and recorded it and then I sampled it and put on some reverb,” he told the audience in Saudi Arabia. “It went pok-a-pok-a-pok.”
Something of a prodigy, he was cast as a lead in a TV movie “Home at Last” when he was only 15 and later became the youngest actor to win the best male lead Oscar.
Hailing from Queens, New York, the child of a celebrated photographer and a painter, Brody’s love for acting was kindled when he was enrolled by his mother in an acting school — the American Academy of Dramatic Arts — where she had been photographing.
- 12/8/2023
- by John Bleasdale
- Variety Film + TV
Jon M. Chu’s “Wicked” movies, starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, were just 10 days away from wrapping principal photography when most of the production was shut down due to the SAG-AFTRA strike.
Jonathan Bailey, who plays Fiyero in the big screen adaptation of the hit Broadway musical, was able to continue some shooting because he’s on an equity contract.
Even so, being notified that filming would be delayed was devastating, Bailey says.
“It was savage,” the Brit actor told Variety at the GQ Men of the Year party in Los Angeles. “It’s the way that Cynthia and Ari and Jon Chu are bringing that story to life. It’s so sort of psychologically rich that I think the idea that Cynthia has got to be held on ice before she manages to finish that huge [‘Defying Gravity]. It’s not just the emotional story, but the actual technique.
Jonathan Bailey, who plays Fiyero in the big screen adaptation of the hit Broadway musical, was able to continue some shooting because he’s on an equity contract.
Even so, being notified that filming would be delayed was devastating, Bailey says.
“It was savage,” the Brit actor told Variety at the GQ Men of the Year party in Los Angeles. “It’s the way that Cynthia and Ari and Jon Chu are bringing that story to life. It’s so sort of psychologically rich that I think the idea that Cynthia has got to be held on ice before she manages to finish that huge [‘Defying Gravity]. It’s not just the emotional story, but the actual technique.
- 11/20/2023
- by Marc Malkin
- Variety Film + TV
With enough passion and grit, powerful, personal stories made one-man-band style can stand up against the best work of top Hollywood talent with far greater budgets.
Warwick Thornton’s “The New Boy,” inspired by his own experiences of being packed off to a Christian boarding school in Australia as a youngster, was in development for 18 years, finally coming together when Cate Blanchett read the script and suggested taking it on through her company Dirty Films. After working with him to adapt the lead role into the character of a nun who fills in for a priest whose death has been kept secret, the project began to come together, with newcomer actor Aswan Reid as the titular boy who begins to work wonders.
It just won the top Camerimage Film Festival prize, the Golden Frog, beating out work by some of Hollywood’s most lauded directors and cinematographers.
Thornton’s background...
Warwick Thornton’s “The New Boy,” inspired by his own experiences of being packed off to a Christian boarding school in Australia as a youngster, was in development for 18 years, finally coming together when Cate Blanchett read the script and suggested taking it on through her company Dirty Films. After working with him to adapt the lead role into the character of a nun who fills in for a priest whose death has been kept secret, the project began to come together, with newcomer actor Aswan Reid as the titular boy who begins to work wonders.
It just won the top Camerimage Film Festival prize, the Golden Frog, beating out work by some of Hollywood’s most lauded directors and cinematographers.
Thornton’s background...
- 11/20/2023
- by Will Tizard
- Variety Film + TV
Rocker and activist Bob Geldof made an appearance at this week’s EnergaCamerimage cinematography film festival, where he reflected on his career and revealed that an Imax film about Live Aid, the 1985 benefit concert that he organized, may be on the way to theaters.
He also didn’t mince words when he talked about his dislike for 1982 musical film Pink Floyd-The Wall, a screening of which he helped to introduce at Camerimage in Torún, Poland, with his friend, cinematographer and Lifetime Achievement Award honoree Peter Biziou. “I don’t like the film. I think I’m really bad. I’m not an actor, and I think it’s like an extended video,” he freely admitted of the Alan Parker film in which he starred. “I don’t think it’s a film, and I think that’s the nature of the exercise. It’s an album by Pink Floyd. I don’t like the record.
He also didn’t mince words when he talked about his dislike for 1982 musical film Pink Floyd-The Wall, a screening of which he helped to introduce at Camerimage in Torún, Poland, with his friend, cinematographer and Lifetime Achievement Award honoree Peter Biziou. “I don’t like the film. I think I’m really bad. I’m not an actor, and I think it’s like an extended video,” he freely admitted of the Alan Parker film in which he starred. “I don’t think it’s a film, and I think that’s the nature of the exercise. It’s an album by Pink Floyd. I don’t like the record.
- 11/17/2023
- by Carolyn Giardina
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Torun, Poland, is a quiet hamlet nearly three hours from Warsaw, and one of the hallmarks of the yearly Camerimage Film Festival—celebrating the best and brightest in the world of cinematography—is how tranquil and non-dramatic it is.
Until this year, that is.
After a not-having-it-at-all “Ferrari” star Adam Driver’s slyly profane rejection of a dopey audience query got the internet all hot and bothered, Boomtown Rats frontman and Live Aid mastermind basically Bob Geldof said “I can top that!” with a much more profane, much more indicting and all-around hilarious roasting of not only himself, but the film he was there to support: Alan Parker’s visually innovative 1982 rock opera “Pink Floyd the Wall,” one of several retrospective screenings celebrating the career of Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Peter Biziou, an Oscar-winning director of photography.
Of his performance as Pink in the fever-dream film based on Pink Floyd’s legendary 1979 album,...
Until this year, that is.
After a not-having-it-at-all “Ferrari” star Adam Driver’s slyly profane rejection of a dopey audience query got the internet all hot and bothered, Boomtown Rats frontman and Live Aid mastermind basically Bob Geldof said “I can top that!” with a much more profane, much more indicting and all-around hilarious roasting of not only himself, but the film he was there to support: Alan Parker’s visually innovative 1982 rock opera “Pink Floyd the Wall,” one of several retrospective screenings celebrating the career of Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Peter Biziou, an Oscar-winning director of photography.
Of his performance as Pink in the fever-dream film based on Pink Floyd’s legendary 1979 album,...
- 11/15/2023
- by Jason Clark
- The Wrap
Classic rocker Bob Geldof is the latest high-profile name to pass through what is turning out to be a bustling and A-list edition of Poland’s EnergaCamerimage Film Festival, where he is presenting a screening of his 1982 feature Pink Floyd – The Wall.
Geldof plays the lead in the music drama, and he’s set to introduce the pic here at Camerimage with the film’s DoP Peter Biziou, who is the recipient of the festival’s lifetime achievement award.
When quizzed by journalists during a press Q&a whether he looked back on the feature, directed by Alan Parker, as a defining moment of his artistic career, Geldof’s response was definitive: “No, I don’t like the film. I think I’m really bad.”
“I’ve seen the movie twice, and I was embarrassed,” Geldof continued, adding that he could only finish working on the film because Biziou made it “very easy.
Geldof plays the lead in the music drama, and he’s set to introduce the pic here at Camerimage with the film’s DoP Peter Biziou, who is the recipient of the festival’s lifetime achievement award.
When quizzed by journalists during a press Q&a whether he looked back on the feature, directed by Alan Parker, as a defining moment of his artistic career, Geldof’s response was definitive: “No, I don’t like the film. I think I’m really bad.”
“I’ve seen the movie twice, and I was embarrassed,” Geldof continued, adding that he could only finish working on the film because Biziou made it “very easy.
- 11/14/2023
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Actor Sam Neill has been quite open about his battle with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, a form of blood cancer that he first revealed he had been diagnosed with earlier this year. Thankfully, Neill has been in remission from stage-three blood cancer but it is still something that he lives with. And while Neill has to undergo infusions every two weeks, what really scares him isn’t cancer but retirement.
Speaking with Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Sam Neill said he feels like he has to go into his treatments and condition with a particular mindset. “I know I’ve got it, but I’m not really interested in it…It’s out of my control. If you can’t control it, don’t get into it.” And so he has kept busy, adding that retirement “fills me with horror” in a way that cancer couldn’t quite do. And so active he has been,...
Speaking with Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Sam Neill said he feels like he has to go into his treatments and condition with a particular mindset. “I know I’ve got it, but I’m not really interested in it…It’s out of my control. If you can’t control it, don’t get into it.” And so he has kept busy, adding that retirement “fills me with horror” in a way that cancer couldn’t quite do. And so active he has been,...
- 10/17/2023
- by Mathew Plale
- JoBlo.com
Joanna Merlin, whose acting career stretched from Broadway (she was the original Tzeitel in Fiddler On The Roof), film (she played the dance teacher Miss Berg in Alan Parker’s 1980 film Fame) and TV (Law & Order: SVU‘s Judge Lena Petrovsky on dozens of episodes) has died. She was 92.
Her death was announced on the Instagram page of the New York University Tisch Graduate Acting Program, where Merlin had been on the faculty since 1998.
“Joanna was an actress, master Chekhov teacher, and former casting director for Harold Prince, Stephen Sondheim, Bernardo Bertolucci, and James Ivory,” the NYU message said, adding, “Joanna will be deeply missed at Grad Acting, by the Chekhov community, and by the many people she touched through her artistry.”
As a casting director, Merlin was involved in numerous landmark Broadway productions written by Stephen Sondheim. She was, for many years, Harold Prince’s go-to casting director.
A...
Her death was announced on the Instagram page of the New York University Tisch Graduate Acting Program, where Merlin had been on the faculty since 1998.
“Joanna was an actress, master Chekhov teacher, and former casting director for Harold Prince, Stephen Sondheim, Bernardo Bertolucci, and James Ivory,” the NYU message said, adding, “Joanna will be deeply missed at Grad Acting, by the Chekhov community, and by the many people she touched through her artistry.”
As a casting director, Merlin was involved in numerous landmark Broadway productions written by Stephen Sondheim. She was, for many years, Harold Prince’s go-to casting director.
A...
- 10/16/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Since his debut film "Thief" hit theaters in 1981, Michael Mann has enjoyed a reputation as one of the best working directors we have in America. Across masterfully mounted films like "Heat," "Collateral," and "Manhunter," he's also earned a somewhat unusual place in the filmmaking pantheon. He's become somewhat of a household name, his films generally do good business at the box office, and he tends to work in genre -- from the noir to the thriller to the procedural. And yet his films also compete at prestigious international film festivals, they've been given Criterion releases, and he's often lumped in with "arthouse" directors like Paul Thomas Anderson and Wes Anderson, rather than action helmers like Michael Bay or Tony Scott.
All this is to say that Mann's career is a bit of a paradox, but it's a wonderful one, and new Michael Mann movies should always be regarded as appointment viewing.
All this is to say that Mann's career is a bit of a paradox, but it's a wonderful one, and new Michael Mann movies should always be regarded as appointment viewing.
- 10/10/2023
- by Ryan Coleman
- Slash Film
Judging by its trailer, "Barber" is the story of a private investigator out to find a missing girl. A down-and-out protagonist, in over his head, stumbles onto a larger conspiracy that goes all the way to the top. If you've seen it once, you've seen it a thousand times, right? Not necessarily.
That may be the spine of "Barber," but half of the story is a family drama. The titular Pi has a loving relationship with his teenage daughter, and is trying to navigate how to raise her with his ex-wife. And instead of being set in the seedy streets of Los Angeles, the neo-noir capital of the world, this one's set in Ireland, a locale that's far from typical for this subgenre. Those two elements are enough to make this movie stand out from its contemporaries.
Add to that the fact that Aidan Gillen, the wonderful character actor from "Game of Thrones,...
That may be the spine of "Barber," but half of the story is a family drama. The titular Pi has a loving relationship with his teenage daughter, and is trying to navigate how to raise her with his ex-wife. And instead of being set in the seedy streets of Los Angeles, the neo-noir capital of the world, this one's set in Ireland, a locale that's far from typical for this subgenre. Those two elements are enough to make this movie stand out from its contemporaries.
Add to that the fact that Aidan Gillen, the wonderful character actor from "Game of Thrones,...
- 9/21/2023
- by Ben Pearson
- Slash Film
Clockwise from top left: The Breakfast Club (Universal), Fast Times At Ridgemont High (Universal), Grease (Paramount), Superbad (Sony), Carrie (United Artists), Bring It On (Universal)Graphic: AVClub
Few things are more nostalgic than a high school movie to bring back all those frightful and fraught memories of cliques, crushes, mean teachers,...
Few things are more nostalgic than a high school movie to bring back all those frightful and fraught memories of cliques, crushes, mean teachers,...
- 8/14/2023
- by Stacie Hougland
- avclub.com
Goldman broke through in Hollywood with One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest.
Bo Goldman, the admired Hollywood screenwriter who won Oscars for his One Flew Over The Cukoo’s Nest and Melvin And Howard scripts, has died in California, aged 90.
According to the New York Times, Goldman’s death was confirmed by his son-in-law, director Todd Field.
Born in New York City and educated at Princeton, Goldman began his career as a Broadway lyricist before becoming a television writer.
His original script for Shoot The Moon brought him to the attention of director Milos Forman, who asked Goldman to adapt...
Bo Goldman, the admired Hollywood screenwriter who won Oscars for his One Flew Over The Cukoo’s Nest and Melvin And Howard scripts, has died in California, aged 90.
According to the New York Times, Goldman’s death was confirmed by his son-in-law, director Todd Field.
Born in New York City and educated at Princeton, Goldman began his career as a Broadway lyricist before becoming a television writer.
His original script for Shoot The Moon brought him to the attention of director Milos Forman, who asked Goldman to adapt...
- 7/27/2023
- by John Hazelton
- ScreenDaily
Screenwriter Bo Goldman, who won Oscars for his scripts to “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” and “Melvin and Howard” and was among a select group of film scribes including Robert Towne and William Goldman considered to be among that generation’s best, died Tuesday in Helendale, Calif., his son-in-law, director Todd Field, confirmed to the New York Times. He was 90.
Goldman was also Oscar nominated for 1993’s “Scent of a Woman.”
The 1976 Oscar he shared with Lawrence Hauben for co-adapting Ken Kesey’s novel “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” was a particularly impressive achievement considering that “Cuckoo’s Nest” represented only Goldman’s second screenplay and the first to be produced. The win for adapted screenplay was part of a sweep for the film that also included victories for best picture, director, actor and actress. No movie had won those five awards since 1934’s “It’s a Wonderful...
Goldman was also Oscar nominated for 1993’s “Scent of a Woman.”
The 1976 Oscar he shared with Lawrence Hauben for co-adapting Ken Kesey’s novel “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” was a particularly impressive achievement considering that “Cuckoo’s Nest” represented only Goldman’s second screenplay and the first to be produced. The win for adapted screenplay was part of a sweep for the film that also included victories for best picture, director, actor and actress. No movie had won those five awards since 1934’s “It’s a Wonderful...
- 7/26/2023
- by Carmel Dagan
- Variety Film + TV
Bo Goldman, the late-blooming guru of screenwriting who received Academy Awards for his work on One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Melvin and Howard, has died. He was 90.
Goldman died Tuesday in Helendale, California, his son-in-law, director Todd Field, told The New York Times.
Goldman’s first screenplay was, years after he wrote it, directed by Alan Parker for Shoot the Moon (1982), which featured Diane Keaton and Albert Finney in a raw, seriocomic drama about a disintegrating marriage.
He also co-wrote the Mark Rydell-directed rock drama The Rose (1979), starring Bette Midler in an Oscar-nominated turn, and Martin Brest’s Scent of a Woman (1992), which netted him his third Academy Award nom (and Al Pacino the best actor Oscar, too).
Goldman was one of the handful of screenwriters — Paddy Chayefsky, Francis Ford Coppola, Horton Foote, William Goldman, Billy Wilder and Joel and Ethan Coen among them — to win Academy...
Goldman died Tuesday in Helendale, California, his son-in-law, director Todd Field, told The New York Times.
Goldman’s first screenplay was, years after he wrote it, directed by Alan Parker for Shoot the Moon (1982), which featured Diane Keaton and Albert Finney in a raw, seriocomic drama about a disintegrating marriage.
He also co-wrote the Mark Rydell-directed rock drama The Rose (1979), starring Bette Midler in an Oscar-nominated turn, and Martin Brest’s Scent of a Woman (1992), which netted him his third Academy Award nom (and Al Pacino the best actor Oscar, too).
Goldman was one of the handful of screenwriters — Paddy Chayefsky, Francis Ford Coppola, Horton Foote, William Goldman, Billy Wilder and Joel and Ethan Coen among them — to win Academy...
- 7/26/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Camerimage Film Festival, which is devoted to the art of cinematography, is to pay tribute to Peter Biziou. The British cinematographer, who won an Oscar for “Mississippi Burning,” and was BAFTA nominated for “The Truman Show,” will receive the festival’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
Biziou, the son of cinematographer-animator Leon Bijou, started his career at an animation company in London. In the mid-sixties, he started to light film sets for commercials and shorts, which helped foster “his innate intuition and his courage to implement innovation,” the festival said. He worked with the likes of Len Fulford, Bob Brooks, Terence Donovan, John Swannell and Frank Budgen.
His work with fashion photographer Robert Freeman brought an invitation for Biziou to be in charge of the visuals on Freeman’s fiction film debut, 1969’s “Secret World,” starring Jacqueline Bisset, which was well-received.
He then worked on Alan Parker’s “Bugsy Malone” (1976), Terry Jones...
Biziou, the son of cinematographer-animator Leon Bijou, started his career at an animation company in London. In the mid-sixties, he started to light film sets for commercials and shorts, which helped foster “his innate intuition and his courage to implement innovation,” the festival said. He worked with the likes of Len Fulford, Bob Brooks, Terence Donovan, John Swannell and Frank Budgen.
His work with fashion photographer Robert Freeman brought an invitation for Biziou to be in charge of the visuals on Freeman’s fiction film debut, 1969’s “Secret World,” starring Jacqueline Bisset, which was well-received.
He then worked on Alan Parker’s “Bugsy Malone” (1976), Terry Jones...
- 7/19/2023
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
You’re a wizard indeed–and only a wizard could work the sort of spell that was cast over children and adults all over the world beginning in the late ‘90s, turning the wildly successful Harry Potter books (we’re talking 120 million copies sold here) into one of the most profitable franchises ever.
With J.K. Rowling watching over the production diligently (sometimes to a fault), Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone aka …Sorcerer’s Stone was a marvel of an adaptation. And what eventually arrived didn’t come from a burly half-giant, but rather a wide-eyed cast of newcomers, a visionary crew conjuring the proper vision and the guy who directed Adventures in Babysitting…
So put on your sorting hat and head for Platform 9 ¾ as we find out…Wtf Happened to this movie?!
The making of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone goes back to 1997, the same year the novel was published.
With J.K. Rowling watching over the production diligently (sometimes to a fault), Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone aka …Sorcerer’s Stone was a marvel of an adaptation. And what eventually arrived didn’t come from a burly half-giant, but rather a wide-eyed cast of newcomers, a visionary crew conjuring the proper vision and the guy who directed Adventures in Babysitting…
So put on your sorting hat and head for Platform 9 ¾ as we find out…Wtf Happened to this movie?!
The making of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone goes back to 1997, the same year the novel was published.
- 7/19/2023
- by Mathew Plale
- JoBlo.com
Cinematographer Peter Biziou — who earned an Oscar and BAFTA for Alan Parker-directed 1988 film Mississippi Burning — will receive the lifetime achievement award at the 31st EnergaCamerimage international festival of cinematography, which returns to Turun, Poland, in November.
Biziou’s credits include Peter Weir’s The Truman Show, for which he earned an additional BAFTA nom, and several films with Parker, including Bugsy Malone (shared with Dp Michael Seresin) and Pink Floyd: The Wall.
His other notable credits also include Monty Python’s Life of Brian, helmed by Terry Jones; Time Bandits, directed by Terry Gilliam; Another Country, by Merek Kanievska; and In the Name of the Father, by Jim Sheridan.
Born in Wales in 1944, Biziou’s family was evacuated during WWII. His father, Leon Bijou, was a cinematographer, special effects, animation pro and an assistant director who worked with Richard Thorpe on 1952’s Ivanhoe.
Following his return to post-war London,...
Biziou’s credits include Peter Weir’s The Truman Show, for which he earned an additional BAFTA nom, and several films with Parker, including Bugsy Malone (shared with Dp Michael Seresin) and Pink Floyd: The Wall.
His other notable credits also include Monty Python’s Life of Brian, helmed by Terry Jones; Time Bandits, directed by Terry Gilliam; Another Country, by Merek Kanievska; and In the Name of the Father, by Jim Sheridan.
Born in Wales in 1944, Biziou’s family was evacuated during WWII. His father, Leon Bijou, was a cinematographer, special effects, animation pro and an assistant director who worked with Richard Thorpe on 1952’s Ivanhoe.
Following his return to post-war London,...
- 7/19/2023
- by Carolyn Giardina
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
When J.K. Rowling's popular "Harry Potter" series of books enchanted children and adults the world over, a Hollywood bidding war erupted. Every studio in town wanted the rights to the publishing phenomenon. Warner Bros. ultimately won out, at which point the hard work of finding the right filmmaker to launch the cash-cow franchise began.
Steven Spielberg was the obvious choice, but he envisioned the adaptations as an animated series. This was too limiting for WB, which turned the project into the most coveted open assignment in the industry. Many of the most desired directors were too auteurist for the assignment. Peter Weir, Alan Parker and M. Night Shyamalan had a distinctive style that might've overwhelmed or outright clashed with the mainstream-skewing material.
These films needed a steady hand, someone who could deliver a homogenized, four-quadrant take on the family-friendly books. They needed, and got, Chris Columbus. But if Rowling had her way,...
Steven Spielberg was the obvious choice, but he envisioned the adaptations as an animated series. This was too limiting for WB, which turned the project into the most coveted open assignment in the industry. Many of the most desired directors were too auteurist for the assignment. Peter Weir, Alan Parker and M. Night Shyamalan had a distinctive style that might've overwhelmed or outright clashed with the mainstream-skewing material.
These films needed a steady hand, someone who could deliver a homogenized, four-quadrant take on the family-friendly books. They needed, and got, Chris Columbus. But if Rowling had her way,...
- 4/30/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Amazon Studios has identified a batch of titles from its $8.45 billion acquisition of MGM that the company plans to develop into TV or film projects, including “Robocop,” “Stargate” “Legally Blonde,” “Fame,” Barbershop,” “The Magnificent Seven,” “Pink Panther” and “The Thomas Crown Affair.”
A source familiar with the matter confirmed to TheWrap that the company is in active early conversations for a “Legally Blonde” movie and potential TV series. Additionally, Amazon has similar plans for “Stargate” under consideration, with a movie expected to go first. “Robocop” is also being discussed for film and TV, with a TV series potentially going first.
The source added that Amazon Studios is actively developing TV series based on “Fame,” “Barbershop” and “The Magnificent Seven,” as well as discussing “Thomas Crown Affair” movie and “Pink Panther” movie, which could be animated. A “Poltergeist” project is also under consideration.
The news was first reported by Deadline.
Also...
A source familiar with the matter confirmed to TheWrap that the company is in active early conversations for a “Legally Blonde” movie and potential TV series. Additionally, Amazon has similar plans for “Stargate” under consideration, with a movie expected to go first. “Robocop” is also being discussed for film and TV, with a TV series potentially going first.
The source added that Amazon Studios is actively developing TV series based on “Fame,” “Barbershop” and “The Magnificent Seven,” as well as discussing “Thomas Crown Affair” movie and “Pink Panther” movie, which could be animated. A “Poltergeist” project is also under consideration.
The news was first reported by Deadline.
Also...
- 4/14/2023
- by Lucas Manfredi
- The Wrap
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
Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon was announced in 1973 at a press conference held at the London Planetarium, a spectral site which mirrored the album cover’s beam of light refracted through a triangle into a rainbow. Perhaps the iconic prismatic image provided the initial idea for fans to sync the classic film The Wizard of Oz (1939) to the album’s rock soundscape.
The band’s history with movies is vast and varied. They scored films in the aftermath of the demise and departure of the band’s founder, Syd Barrett. The success of Dark Side of the Moon also helped the group become motion picture producers, investing in the 1975 comedy Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The Wall, directed by Alan Parker and starring Bob Geldof, pushed boundaries and redefined a rock opera on film. And while the bassist/vocalist/songwriter Roger Waters didn’t let Stanley Kubrick...
The band’s history with movies is vast and varied. They scored films in the aftermath of the demise and departure of the band’s founder, Syd Barrett. The success of Dark Side of the Moon also helped the group become motion picture producers, investing in the 1975 comedy Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The Wall, directed by Alan Parker and starring Bob Geldof, pushed boundaries and redefined a rock opera on film. And while the bassist/vocalist/songwriter Roger Waters didn’t let Stanley Kubrick...
- 3/13/2023
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
In an unusual turn of events, this year’s recipient of the International Award at the American Society of Cinematographers Awards is also a nominee in its feature competition. Darius Khondji, who has been working as a director of photography for decades and earned his first Academy Award nomination for Evita (directed by Alan Parker) in 1996, is taking home the annual honor and competing for a trophy for his work on Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths.
While some DPs are known for longtime relationships with a single director, Khondji has amassed a remarkable body of work through productions with a range of helmers whose cinematic styles vary widely. Bardo was his first collaboration with Alejandro G. Iñárritu, whom Khondji describes as a very visual director who was intent on making the film, which Netflix released Dec. 16, feel as immersive as possible. He also has lensed films for...
While some DPs are known for longtime relationships with a single director, Khondji has amassed a remarkable body of work through productions with a range of helmers whose cinematic styles vary widely. Bardo was his first collaboration with Alejandro G. Iñárritu, whom Khondji describes as a very visual director who was intent on making the film, which Netflix released Dec. 16, feel as immersive as possible. He also has lensed films for...
- 3/3/2023
- by Carolyn Giardina
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
From The Video Archives Podcast, writer/director Roger Avary and writer/producer Gala Avary discuss a few of their favorite movies with Josh Olson and Joe Dante.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Taxi Driver (1976)
Star Wars (1977)
Matinee (1993)
Dune (1984)
Terror On A Train a.k.a. Time Bomb (1953)
Licorice Pizza (2021)
Batman (1989)
Yentl (1983)
Nuts (1987)
Spaceballs (1987)
Die Hard (1988)
Top Gun (1986)
Cocksucker Blues (1972)
Mijn nachten met Susan, Olga, Albert, Julie, Piet & Sandra (1975)
Straw Dogs (1971)
The Godfather (1972)
A History Of Violence (2005)
Day Of The Dolphin (1973)
Babylon (2022)
Puss In Boots: The Last Wish (2022)
Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (2022)
Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
Rock ‘n’ Roll High School (1979)
Carrie (1976)
Indictment: The McMartin Trial (1995)
Blow Out (1981)
The Matrix (1999)
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Killing Zoe (1993)
A Clockwork Orange (1971)
The Tenant (1976)
Dr. Strangelove (1964)
Bugsy Malone (1976)
Phantom Of The Paradise (1974)
The Muppet Movie (1979)
The Rules Of Attraction (2002)
The Sound Of Music (1965)
Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory (1971)
Giant (1956)
The Andromeda Strain (1971)
Babe (1995)
Time Bandits...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Taxi Driver (1976)
Star Wars (1977)
Matinee (1993)
Dune (1984)
Terror On A Train a.k.a. Time Bomb (1953)
Licorice Pizza (2021)
Batman (1989)
Yentl (1983)
Nuts (1987)
Spaceballs (1987)
Die Hard (1988)
Top Gun (1986)
Cocksucker Blues (1972)
Mijn nachten met Susan, Olga, Albert, Julie, Piet & Sandra (1975)
Straw Dogs (1971)
The Godfather (1972)
A History Of Violence (2005)
Day Of The Dolphin (1973)
Babylon (2022)
Puss In Boots: The Last Wish (2022)
Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (2022)
Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
Rock ‘n’ Roll High School (1979)
Carrie (1976)
Indictment: The McMartin Trial (1995)
Blow Out (1981)
The Matrix (1999)
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Killing Zoe (1993)
A Clockwork Orange (1971)
The Tenant (1976)
Dr. Strangelove (1964)
Bugsy Malone (1976)
Phantom Of The Paradise (1974)
The Muppet Movie (1979)
The Rules Of Attraction (2002)
The Sound Of Music (1965)
Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory (1971)
Giant (1956)
The Andromeda Strain (1971)
Babe (1995)
Time Bandits...
- 2/28/2023
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
Best Cinematography at the Oscars will be a particularly interesting category this year, since two of the nominees are the only nominations received by their respective films.
SEEJohn Williams (‘The Fabelmans’): 5 reasons why we’re all underestimating him at Oscars
It’s also interesting because four movies that received quite a bit of below-the-line support from other academy branches –”Top Gun: Maverick,” “Avatar: The Way of Water,” “The Batman,” and even the presumptive Best Picture favorite, “Everything Everywhere All At Once” – were omitted from the category. In fact, none of the bigger theatrical releases were nominated in favor of two streaming movies, two movies that didn’t make much of a dent at the box office, and Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis.” Also, only two of this year’s Cinematography-nominated films received a Production Design nomination (“Elvis” and “All Quiet on the Western Front”), whereas last year the two categories matched five-for-five.
SEEJohn Williams (‘The Fabelmans’): 5 reasons why we’re all underestimating him at Oscars
It’s also interesting because four movies that received quite a bit of below-the-line support from other academy branches –”Top Gun: Maverick,” “Avatar: The Way of Water,” “The Batman,” and even the presumptive Best Picture favorite, “Everything Everywhere All At Once” – were omitted from the category. In fact, none of the bigger theatrical releases were nominated in favor of two streaming movies, two movies that didn’t make much of a dent at the box office, and Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis.” Also, only two of this year’s Cinematography-nominated films received a Production Design nomination (“Elvis” and “All Quiet on the Western Front”), whereas last year the two categories matched five-for-five.
- 2/27/2023
- by Edward Douglas
- Gold Derby
In an awkward mix-up, Carey Mulligan’s name was accidentally read out as the winner for Best Supporting Actress instead of the actual winner, Kerry Condon, at the BAFTA Awards on Sunday evening.
The error happened as “Coda” actor Troy Kotsur, who won Best Supporting Actor at last year’s ceremony, introduced the nominees alongside a sign language interpreter. As clips of the nominees’ performances were shown, the interpreter read out Mulligan’s name to cheers and whoops. After a couple of seconds he quickly said: “Kerry Condon…Kerry Condon.” It’s unclear whether the mistake was Kotsur’s or his interpreter’s.
Condon, who was nominated for her performance in “The Banshees Of Inisherin,” swiftly took to the stage to accept her award. “Oh my God, thanks a million, really. This means so much to me,” she told the audience.
In the room at the Royal Festival Hall in...
The error happened as “Coda” actor Troy Kotsur, who won Best Supporting Actor at last year’s ceremony, introduced the nominees alongside a sign language interpreter. As clips of the nominees’ performances were shown, the interpreter read out Mulligan’s name to cheers and whoops. After a couple of seconds he quickly said: “Kerry Condon…Kerry Condon.” It’s unclear whether the mistake was Kotsur’s or his interpreter’s.
Condon, who was nominated for her performance in “The Banshees Of Inisherin,” swiftly took to the stage to accept her award. “Oh my God, thanks a million, really. This means so much to me,” she told the audience.
In the room at the Royal Festival Hall in...
- 2/19/2023
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
James Flynn, an experienced Irish producer and executive, who recently co-produced Oscar favorite “The Banshees of Inisherin,” has died age 57.
He died on Feb 11 of an undisclosed illness, Irish media reported.
Early in his career, Flynn was appointed as head of development at John Boorman’s Merlin Films International.
Later he co-founded Metropolitan Film Productions Limited with wife Juanita Wilson in 1997, before establishing Octagon Films in 2002, developing and producing films for the international market.
Between 1993 and 1997, he served as the business manager and then deputy CEO of the Irish Film Board (now Screen Ireland).
Flynn’s various credits include Alan Parker’s “Angela’s Ashes,” “Veronica Guerin,” Wilson’s Oscar-nominated “The Door” and ground-breaking animation “The Secret of Kells.”
“All of us in Metropolitan Films are deeply saddened by the passing of our esteemed founder, colleague, and great friend, James Flynn, who departed peacefully on Saturday morning with his wife Juanita...
He died on Feb 11 of an undisclosed illness, Irish media reported.
Early in his career, Flynn was appointed as head of development at John Boorman’s Merlin Films International.
Later he co-founded Metropolitan Film Productions Limited with wife Juanita Wilson in 1997, before establishing Octagon Films in 2002, developing and producing films for the international market.
Between 1993 and 1997, he served as the business manager and then deputy CEO of the Irish Film Board (now Screen Ireland).
Flynn’s various credits include Alan Parker’s “Angela’s Ashes,” “Veronica Guerin,” Wilson’s Oscar-nominated “The Door” and ground-breaking animation “The Secret of Kells.”
“All of us in Metropolitan Films are deeply saddened by the passing of our esteemed founder, colleague, and great friend, James Flynn, who departed peacefully on Saturday morning with his wife Juanita...
- 2/13/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Can you imagine a world without "The Dana Carvey Show?" To be fair, you probably can, as the ABC series only lasted for a meager eight episodes during the spring of 1996. While the show itself has gained a cult status over the decades, the real legacy of the series isn't about the show's impact on pop culture, but rather its bringing together of talent that would soon go on to impact pop culture.
Consider this staggering list of names involved: Robert Smigel, Stephen Colbert, Steve Carell, Spike Feresten (writer for David Letterman and "Seinfeld"), Robert Carlock (future showrunner of "30 Rock"), Dino Stamatopoulos (future writer of "Community" and Starburns himself) and Charlie Kaufman were all among the people helping Carvey bring his surreal sketch comedy show to the small screen.
Yet the series may not have happened at all had Carvey not been smarting after a short-lived career as a...
Consider this staggering list of names involved: Robert Smigel, Stephen Colbert, Steve Carell, Spike Feresten (writer for David Letterman and "Seinfeld"), Robert Carlock (future showrunner of "30 Rock"), Dino Stamatopoulos (future writer of "Community" and Starburns himself) and Charlie Kaufman were all among the people helping Carvey bring his surreal sketch comedy show to the small screen.
Yet the series may not have happened at all had Carvey not been smarting after a short-lived career as a...
- 2/12/2023
- by Bill Bria
- Slash Film
Irish film producer James Flynn has died. He was 57 and his death was reported by the Irish Times, which did not provide details.
Credited on Alan Parker’s Angela’s Ashes, Joel Schumacher’s Veronica Guerin and John Michael McDonagh’s Calvary, Flynn was a part of the reconstituted Irish Film Board.
Related Story Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2023: Photo Gallery & Obituaries Related Story London Critics' Circle Awards: 'The Banshees of Inisherin' & 'Tár' Win Top Prizes Related Story 'Everything Everywhere All At Once,' 'Women Talking' Among Oscar Best Picture Nominees Rallying At Weekend Box Office
The news comes as Martin McDonagh’s The Banshees of Inisherin, on which Flynn worked as co-producer, has nine Oscar nominations for next month’s Academy Awards.
Oscar-nominated producer Ed Guiney, who worked with Flynn on Sweety Barrett more than two decades ago, remembered him for the Irish Times.
Credited on Alan Parker’s Angela’s Ashes, Joel Schumacher’s Veronica Guerin and John Michael McDonagh’s Calvary, Flynn was a part of the reconstituted Irish Film Board.
Related Story Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2023: Photo Gallery & Obituaries Related Story London Critics' Circle Awards: 'The Banshees of Inisherin' & 'Tár' Win Top Prizes Related Story 'Everything Everywhere All At Once,' 'Women Talking' Among Oscar Best Picture Nominees Rallying At Weekend Box Office
The news comes as Martin McDonagh’s The Banshees of Inisherin, on which Flynn worked as co-producer, has nine Oscar nominations for next month’s Academy Awards.
Oscar-nominated producer Ed Guiney, who worked with Flynn on Sweety Barrett more than two decades ago, remembered him for the Irish Times.
- 2/12/2023
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Hugh Hudson, a British filmmaker who debuted as a feature director with the Oscar-winning Olympics drama “Chariots of Fire” and later made such well-regarded movies as “My Life So Far” and the Oscar-nominated “Greystoke,” has died at age 86.
Hudson’s family issued a brief statement announcing that he died Friday at a hospital in London “after a short illness.”
Read More: Cody Longo, ‘Days Of Our Lives’ And ‘Hollywood Heights’ Actor, Dead At 34
A London native, Hudson started out as a documentary editor and producer and also worked in television advertising before finding work in feature films in the late 1970s as a second-unit director on Alan Parker’s “Midnight Express”. In 1981, producer David Puttnam asked Hudson to direct “Chariots of Fire”, which starred Ben Cross and Nigel Havers as British athletes of contrasting religions and backgrounds at the 1924 Olympics.
With its inspirational plot and sentimental theme music by the Greek composer Vangelis,...
Hudson’s family issued a brief statement announcing that he died Friday at a hospital in London “after a short illness.”
Read More: Cody Longo, ‘Days Of Our Lives’ And ‘Hollywood Heights’ Actor, Dead At 34
A London native, Hudson started out as a documentary editor and producer and also worked in television advertising before finding work in feature films in the late 1970s as a second-unit director on Alan Parker’s “Midnight Express”. In 1981, producer David Puttnam asked Hudson to direct “Chariots of Fire”, which starred Ben Cross and Nigel Havers as British athletes of contrasting religions and backgrounds at the 1924 Olympics.
With its inspirational plot and sentimental theme music by the Greek composer Vangelis,...
- 2/11/2023
- by Melissa Romualdi
- ET Canada
Hugh Hudson, director of the Oscar-winning classic "Chariots of Fire," has passed away at the age of 86. According to a statement released by his family, Hudson "died at Charing Cross hospital on 10 February after a short illness. He is survived by his wife, Maryam, his son, Thomas, and his first wife, Sue."
Hudson's fact-based drama about British runners Harold Abrahams (Ben Cross) and Eric Liddell (Ian Charleston) was a surprise critical and commercial smash in 1981, earning four Academy Awards (including Best Picture) and out-grossing splashy studio releases like "For Your Eyes Only" and "Clash of the Titans." The film became a pop cultural phenomenon due in part to Vangelis' main theme, which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for one week in 1982 and inspired parodies in films like "Mr. Mom" and "National Lampoon's Vacation." But despite its staid period setting and deliberately paced narrative, Hudson's movie touched the hearts of moviegoers all...
Hudson's fact-based drama about British runners Harold Abrahams (Ben Cross) and Eric Liddell (Ian Charleston) was a surprise critical and commercial smash in 1981, earning four Academy Awards (including Best Picture) and out-grossing splashy studio releases like "For Your Eyes Only" and "Clash of the Titans." The film became a pop cultural phenomenon due in part to Vangelis' main theme, which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for one week in 1982 and inspired parodies in films like "Mr. Mom" and "National Lampoon's Vacation." But despite its staid period setting and deliberately paced narrative, Hudson's movie touched the hearts of moviegoers all...
- 2/10/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
The Oscar-nominated British filmmaker Hugh Hudson has passed away. Famous for his documentary and advertising work, Hudson shot Chariots of Fire, one of the most celebrated films in British history, and Best Picture winner at the 1981 Oscars ceremony. Hudson was 86 when he passed away on Friday at Charing Cross hospital in London after a brief illness.
Hudson directed seven films throughout his career, including Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984), Revolution, Lost Angels, and more. Hailed as a maker of lasting cinema, Hudson’s Revolution, starring Al Pacino, was a box office bomb, earning roughly 350,000 against a reported 29 million budget. The backlash left a lasting impression on Hudson and compelled Pacino to exit the acting scene for roughly four years.
Hudson cut his teeth as a second-unit director for filmmaker Alan Parker and producer David Puttnam on Midnight Express. Puttnam was impressed by Hudson’s keen eye...
Hudson directed seven films throughout his career, including Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984), Revolution, Lost Angels, and more. Hailed as a maker of lasting cinema, Hudson’s Revolution, starring Al Pacino, was a box office bomb, earning roughly 350,000 against a reported 29 million budget. The backlash left a lasting impression on Hudson and compelled Pacino to exit the acting scene for roughly four years.
Hudson cut his teeth as a second-unit director for filmmaker Alan Parker and producer David Puttnam on Midnight Express. Puttnam was impressed by Hudson’s keen eye...
- 2/10/2023
- by Steve Seigh
- JoBlo.com
Hugh Hudson, whose first feature directing effort Chariots of Fire won four Academy Awards including Best Picture, has died, according to a statement from his family obtained by the BBC. He was 86.
Hudson began his career making documentaries and television commercials, which he continued to do even after his big-screen breakthrough with Chariots of Fire. He worked alongside Alan Parker, Ridley Scott and Tony Scott for Ridley Scott Associates (Rsa). His first filmmaking job was as a second-unit director on Parker’s Midnight Express.
Vincent Canby wrote of Hudson’s Oscar-winning debut in 1981: “It’s to the credit of both Mr. Hudson and Mr. Welland [Colin Welland wrote the screenplay] that Chariots of Fire is simultaneously romantic and commonsensical, lyrical and comic. … It’s an exceptional film, about some exceptional people.”
Also deserving credit for the film’s lyricism was the late composer Vangelis, whom Puttnam had worked with...
Hudson began his career making documentaries and television commercials, which he continued to do even after his big-screen breakthrough with Chariots of Fire. He worked alongside Alan Parker, Ridley Scott and Tony Scott for Ridley Scott Associates (Rsa). His first filmmaking job was as a second-unit director on Parker’s Midnight Express.
Vincent Canby wrote of Hudson’s Oscar-winning debut in 1981: “It’s to the credit of both Mr. Hudson and Mr. Welland [Colin Welland wrote the screenplay] that Chariots of Fire is simultaneously romantic and commonsensical, lyrical and comic. … It’s an exceptional film, about some exceptional people.”
Also deserving credit for the film’s lyricism was the late composer Vangelis, whom Puttnam had worked with...
- 2/10/2023
- by Tom Tapp
- Deadline Film + TV
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