When Robbie Robertson and The Band performed their final concert at San Francisco’s Winterland Ballroom in November 1976, it was clearly an ending for the group, as expressed in the title of the 1978 film Martin Scorsese made about the event, “The Last Waltz.” While that movie — by virtually any imaginable criteria, the greatest rock and roll film ever made — documented a farewell, it itself represented a new beginning: a collaboration between Scorsese and Robertson that would last nearly 50 years and yield an astonishing series of masterpieces including “Raging Bull,” “The Wolf of Wall Street,” and most recently “Killers of the Flower Moon,” for which Robertson — who died last August at the age of 80 — posthumously scored an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Score.
Robertson’s work in “Killers” is the apotheosis of his partnership with Scorsese, a score that exhibits the passion, variety, and depth of expression familiar from Robertson...
Robertson’s work in “Killers” is the apotheosis of his partnership with Scorsese, a score that exhibits the passion, variety, and depth of expression familiar from Robertson...
- 2/13/2024
- by Jim Hemphill
- Indiewire
What made the original television run of "The Twilight Zone" (from 1959-1964) so special was the way individual episodes could function on multiple levels. Since the show was an anthology, and every episode had its own premise, it was free to explore whatever it wanted to. The first level of a given episode was the superficially exciting one that put you in the shoes of a protagonist faced with an unnerving science-fiction premise. But the other level went deeper, studying human nature at extremes. Host and show creator Rod Serling would show up to deliver the moral, but the twists, unhappy endings, and central ironies continue to be surprising and disturbing.
The series typically explored prejudice in the form of racism or anti-intellectualism, or in one of its most famous episodes, the idea of beauty standards. But it also explored nostalgia, whether for a bygone way of life or for the one that got away.
The series typically explored prejudice in the form of racism or anti-intellectualism, or in one of its most famous episodes, the idea of beauty standards. But it also explored nostalgia, whether for a bygone way of life or for the one that got away.
- 12/3/2023
- by Anthony Crislip
- Slash Film
Priscilla Presley was a fan of Elvis Presley long before she entered into a relationship with him. He was one of the biggest artists in the world, and his music was inescapable; her friends brought Elvis merchandise to school and joined his fan club. While Priscilla was never this dedicated of a fan, her mother didn’t think she should be listening to Elvis’ music at all. She thought he was far too inappropriate for teenage girls.
Priscilla Presley’s mom didn’t think she should listen to Elvis’ music
When Priscilla was in junior high school, she began understanding why some of her friends were fans of Elvis. After seeing him perform on television, she realized what others saw in him.
“Then I saw him on television on Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey’s Stage Show,” she wrote in her book Elvis and Me. “He was sexy and handsome, with his deep brooding eyes,...
Priscilla Presley’s mom didn’t think she should listen to Elvis’ music
When Priscilla was in junior high school, she began understanding why some of her friends were fans of Elvis. After seeing him perform on television, she realized what others saw in him.
“Then I saw him on television on Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey’s Stage Show,” she wrote in her book Elvis and Me. “He was sexy and handsome, with his deep brooding eyes,...
- 8/30/2023
- by Emma McKee
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
By the time Elvis Presley began a relationship with the future Priscilla Presley, he was incredibly famous. His music and films had caused a stir around the world, and his future wife was well aware of who he was. A friend had even invited her to join an Elvis fan club. Priscilla declined, though. She saw an image of Elvis that she found shocking and lewd.
Priscilla Presley wasn’t impressed with Elvis when she first heard of him
In 1956, Priscilla became acquainted with Elvis as a public figure. Her father gave her one of his records, and she liked the music, though not nearly as much as many of her friends.
“I liked Elvis but not as fanatically as many of my girlfriends at Del Valley Junior High,” she wrote in her book Elvis and Me. “They all had Elvis T-shirts and Elvis hats and Elvis bobby sox and...
Priscilla Presley wasn’t impressed with Elvis when she first heard of him
In 1956, Priscilla became acquainted with Elvis as a public figure. Her father gave her one of his records, and she liked the music, though not nearly as much as many of her friends.
“I liked Elvis but not as fanatically as many of my girlfriends at Del Valley Junior High,” she wrote in her book Elvis and Me. “They all had Elvis T-shirts and Elvis hats and Elvis bobby sox and...
- 8/29/2023
- by Emma McKee
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
It's hard to believe it's been 70 years since Fred Zinneman's "From Here to Eternity" came out. Not that we were all there of course, but time has been really kind to the all-star, Best Picture-winning drama. Unlike many of the rah-rah war films emerging from America during and post-World War II, "From Here to Eternity" argues not that war is hell — since most of the movie takes place during peace time — but that men, even in the army, are subconsciously determined to make life hell whether there's a war on or not.
Montgomery Clift, Burt Lancaster, and Frank Sinatra star as soldiers stationed in Hawaii immediately prior to World War II, whose stubborn pride and barely contained insecurities lead directly to many avoidable tragedies. Clift plays Private Prewitt, a formerly promising boxer who refuses to box again after accidentally blinding a fellow soldier, and endures criminal abuse just because...
Montgomery Clift, Burt Lancaster, and Frank Sinatra star as soldiers stationed in Hawaii immediately prior to World War II, whose stubborn pride and barely contained insecurities lead directly to many avoidable tragedies. Clift plays Private Prewitt, a formerly promising boxer who refuses to box again after accidentally blinding a fellow soldier, and endures criminal abuse just because...
- 8/6/2023
- by William Bibbiani
- Slash Film
Priscilla Presley has addressed some of the alleged history of ex-husband Elvis Presley that was arguably left out of summer blockbuster “Elvis.”
The Baz Luhrmann-directed film presents Elvis (Austin Butler) as the embodiment of mid-20th century America, showing him as being deeply moved by the Civil Rights Movement and Martin Luther King Jr.’s death. That goes against a popular narrative that he was racist, something immortalized in Public Enemy’s song “Fight the Power.” In a new interview with “Piers Morgan Uncensored,” Priscilla discussed Elvis’ relationships with musicians of color.
“Per the movie, [for] a long time it was stated that Elvis was a racist,” Priscilla explained. “He was not a racist. He had never been a racist. He had friends, Black friends, friends from all over. He loved their music, he loved their style. He loved being around Black musicians.”
Priscilla cited Elvis’ friendships with Fats Domino...
The Baz Luhrmann-directed film presents Elvis (Austin Butler) as the embodiment of mid-20th century America, showing him as being deeply moved by the Civil Rights Movement and Martin Luther King Jr.’s death. That goes against a popular narrative that he was racist, something immortalized in Public Enemy’s song “Fight the Power.” In a new interview with “Piers Morgan Uncensored,” Priscilla discussed Elvis’ relationships with musicians of color.
“Per the movie, [for] a long time it was stated that Elvis was a racist,” Priscilla explained. “He was not a racist. He had never been a racist. He had friends, Black friends, friends from all over. He loved their music, he loved their style. He loved being around Black musicians.”
Priscilla cited Elvis’ friendships with Fats Domino...
- 7/21/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
This article contains The Batman spoilers.
“Some day, and that day may never come, I will call upon you to do a service for me,” Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) tells the funeral director who seeks revenge on the men who assaulted his daughter in The Godfather. “But until that day, consider this justice a gift on my daughter’s wedding day.”
In a pivotal scene in director Matt Reeves’ The Batman, it appears the godfather of Gotham City has lit up a similar Bat-Signal.
The new film is more noir drama than your typical superhero movie; gangsters run Gotham City, and Carmine Falcone (John Turturro) is the top crime boss. Every fortune begins with a crime, and even the wealthy eccentric Bruce Wayne (Robert Pattinson) accepts (barely) that his murdered father, the surgeon Thomas Wayne (Luke Roberts), knew some colorful characters in his own wild youth, even stitching up a...
“Some day, and that day may never come, I will call upon you to do a service for me,” Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) tells the funeral director who seeks revenge on the men who assaulted his daughter in The Godfather. “But until that day, consider this justice a gift on my daughter’s wedding day.”
In a pivotal scene in director Matt Reeves’ The Batman, it appears the godfather of Gotham City has lit up a similar Bat-Signal.
The new film is more noir drama than your typical superhero movie; gangsters run Gotham City, and Carmine Falcone (John Turturro) is the top crime boss. Every fortune begins with a crime, and even the wealthy eccentric Bruce Wayne (Robert Pattinson) accepts (barely) that his murdered father, the surgeon Thomas Wayne (Luke Roberts), knew some colorful characters in his own wild youth, even stitching up a...
- 3/7/2022
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
Dick Halligan, who won two Grammys for his early work with the group Blood, Sweat and Tears and later turned to film and television work, died Jan. 18 in Rome, Italy at age 78. The family cited natural causes.
Halligan was a member of Blood, Sweat and Tears for the horn-driven rock band’s first four albums. He played trombone on the group’s heralded 1968 debut, “Child is Father to the Man,” then moved over to keyboards and flute for their second album, the self-titled, “Blood, Sweat and Tears,” after co-founder and keyboardist Al Kooper left the band. With David Clayton-Thomas coming in as the grittier new lead vocalist, the group had a major commercial breakthrough and went from the counterculture cult popularity of the debut to winning the 1969 album of the year Grammy for the sophomore release. Halligan remained on board for two more albums before taking his leave in 1971.
It...
Halligan was a member of Blood, Sweat and Tears for the horn-driven rock band’s first four albums. He played trombone on the group’s heralded 1968 debut, “Child is Father to the Man,” then moved over to keyboards and flute for their second album, the self-titled, “Blood, Sweat and Tears,” after co-founder and keyboardist Al Kooper left the band. With David Clayton-Thomas coming in as the grittier new lead vocalist, the group had a major commercial breakthrough and went from the counterculture cult popularity of the debut to winning the 1969 album of the year Grammy for the sophomore release. Halligan remained on board for two more albums before taking his leave in 1971.
It...
- 1/26/2022
- by Chris Willman
- Variety Film + TV
“Money is just like women and popcorn: the more you get the more you want.”
Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney in Girl Crazy is currently available on Blu-ray From Warner Archive. Ordering info can be found Here
Mickey Rooney. Judy Garland. Gershwin music. And Tommy Dorsey to play it. Who could ask for anything more? From Garland’s rendition of “But Not for Me” to the grand finale of “I Got Rhythm,” Girl Crazy is one of the most buoyant tunefests ever put on-screen. Rich kid Danny Churchill (Rooney) has a taste for wine, women and song, but not for higher education. So his father ships him to an all-male college out West where there’s not supposed to be a female for miles. But before Danny arrives, he spies a pair of legs extending out from under a stalled roadster. They belong to the dean’s granddaughter, Ginger Gray...
Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney in Girl Crazy is currently available on Blu-ray From Warner Archive. Ordering info can be found Here
Mickey Rooney. Judy Garland. Gershwin music. And Tommy Dorsey to play it. Who could ask for anything more? From Garland’s rendition of “But Not for Me” to the grand finale of “I Got Rhythm,” Girl Crazy is one of the most buoyant tunefests ever put on-screen. Rich kid Danny Churchill (Rooney) has a taste for wine, women and song, but not for higher education. So his father ships him to an all-male college out West where there’s not supposed to be a female for miles. But before Danny arrives, he spies a pair of legs extending out from under a stalled roadster. They belong to the dean’s granddaughter, Ginger Gray...
- 7/19/2020
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The Beatles camp is commemorating the 50th anniversary of Let It Be this year with the release of the movie The Beatles: Get Back on September 4th. Directed by Peter Jackson, the documentary is packed with unseen footage from the contentious recording sessions for Let It Be that culminated with their legendary rooftop performance. Some of the footage was used in the 1970 Michael Lindsey Hogg-directed film Let It Be, but the vast majority of it has never been seen anywhere. Beatles fanatics have been salivating at the chance to see...
- 3/12/2020
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
The Road to Singapore, Zanzibar,
Morocco and Utopia
Blu ray
Kino Lorber
1940, 41, 42, 43, 46 / 1:33:1 / 85, 91, 82, 90 Min. / Street Date – March 26, 2019
Starring Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Dorothy Lamour
Written by Frank Butler, Don Hartman, Melvin Frank
Cinematography by William C. Mellor, Ted Tetzlaff
Directed by Victor Schertzinger, David Butler, Hal Walker
Between 1940 and 1962, Bob Hope and Bing Crosby starred in seven “Road” pictures directed by such distinct talents as David Butler, Norman McLeod and Hope’s own gag-writer Norman Panama who would lead the comedian kicking and screaming into the sixties with How to Commit Marriage, a poison pen letter to the counterculture released in 1969.
Though produced during a World War, the first four Road films avoided the cynicism of that late 60’s farce – instead they were the essence of disposable fun – populist entertainments peppered with topical wisecracks, potshots at company brass and the occasional talking fish. Beginning with Road to Singapore, a...
Morocco and Utopia
Blu ray
Kino Lorber
1940, 41, 42, 43, 46 / 1:33:1 / 85, 91, 82, 90 Min. / Street Date – March 26, 2019
Starring Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Dorothy Lamour
Written by Frank Butler, Don Hartman, Melvin Frank
Cinematography by William C. Mellor, Ted Tetzlaff
Directed by Victor Schertzinger, David Butler, Hal Walker
Between 1940 and 1962, Bob Hope and Bing Crosby starred in seven “Road” pictures directed by such distinct talents as David Butler, Norman McLeod and Hope’s own gag-writer Norman Panama who would lead the comedian kicking and screaming into the sixties with How to Commit Marriage, a poison pen letter to the counterculture released in 1969.
Though produced during a World War, the first four Road films avoided the cynicism of that late 60’s farce – instead they were the essence of disposable fun – populist entertainments peppered with topical wisecracks, potshots at company brass and the occasional talking fish. Beginning with Road to Singapore, a...
- 3/30/2019
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
‘The Sopranos’ Oral History, Part IV: When you spend six seasons making a show about an organized crime family that rings true, you’ll inevitably bump up against that criminal element, even if you are tapping history to create fictional storylines. If the mob feels you are celebrating their lawlessness, that is bad. If they believe you are ridiculing them and you piss them off, that might be as bad. Or worse.
Deadline: The Sopranos was filled with movie mob lore, especially around The Godfather. Mario Puzo always said it was fiction. But there is Christopher Moltisanti, trying to impress director Jon Favreau on a
movie set by sharing mob stories breaking down how the Tommy Dorsey contract clash with Frank Sinatra informed the famous scene with the horse head in the bed of the Hollywood mogul. Did you borrow much from actual mob events in writing The Sopranos?
David Chase...
Deadline: The Sopranos was filled with movie mob lore, especially around The Godfather. Mario Puzo always said it was fiction. But there is Christopher Moltisanti, trying to impress director Jon Favreau on a
movie set by sharing mob stories breaking down how the Tommy Dorsey contract clash with Frank Sinatra informed the famous scene with the horse head in the bed of the Hollywood mogul. Did you borrow much from actual mob events in writing The Sopranos?
David Chase...
- 1/13/2019
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Manhattan, Season 2, Episode 1, “Damnatio Memoriae”
Written by Sam Shaw
Directed by Thomas Schlamme
Airs Tuesdays at 9pm (Et) on Wgn
“Science isn’t a quest for truth but a process of correcting your errors.” Charlie Isaacs, Manhattan
There weren’t many errors during Manhattan‘s first season. Perhaps a few too many episodes (this season has been cut from 13 to 10 installments), maybe an extraneous character or two. But overall, the only real mistake made by this atomic-age period piece was being produced in the era of “peak TV,” a time when being very good is often not enough to survive. However despite low ratings, Wgn decided to renew Manhattan, which was created by Sam Shaw (Masters of Sex) and Thomas Schlamme (The West Wing, The Americans), for a second season. And based on its season premiere, it appears the sophomore series is doing all it can to deserve its second shot.
Written by Sam Shaw
Directed by Thomas Schlamme
Airs Tuesdays at 9pm (Et) on Wgn
“Science isn’t a quest for truth but a process of correcting your errors.” Charlie Isaacs, Manhattan
There weren’t many errors during Manhattan‘s first season. Perhaps a few too many episodes (this season has been cut from 13 to 10 installments), maybe an extraneous character or two. But overall, the only real mistake made by this atomic-age period piece was being produced in the era of “peak TV,” a time when being very good is often not enough to survive. However despite low ratings, Wgn decided to renew Manhattan, which was created by Sam Shaw (Masters of Sex) and Thomas Schlamme (The West Wing, The Americans), for a second season. And based on its season premiere, it appears the sophomore series is doing all it can to deserve its second shot.
- 10/14/2015
- by A.R. Wilson
- SoundOnSight
Interview with Cavewoman writer and artist Budd Root
Budd Root is the creator, writer, and artist of Cavewoman, a comic book series published mainly by Root’s own Basement Comics, as well as Caliber Comics and Avatar Press. Cavewoman is a science fiction series that features time travel to a prehistoric wilderness and DNA altering of humans to provide superhuman strength and agility to those who must withstand the rigors of time travel. Meriem Cooper, the series’ protagonist, is a vivacious and buxom young woman, drawn in the “good girl” style, who uses her superhuman powers to survive in a harsh environment full of carnivorous creatures. She befriends a giant gorilla, Klyde, and goes on a variety of jungle-themed adventures, including rescuing, then raising, a pair of Tyrannosaurus hatchlings, Harmony and Peace. Harmony remains Meriem’s companion, while Peace becomes one of her deadliest enemies. Overall, the book has become...
Budd Root is the creator, writer, and artist of Cavewoman, a comic book series published mainly by Root’s own Basement Comics, as well as Caliber Comics and Avatar Press. Cavewoman is a science fiction series that features time travel to a prehistoric wilderness and DNA altering of humans to provide superhuman strength and agility to those who must withstand the rigors of time travel. Meriem Cooper, the series’ protagonist, is a vivacious and buxom young woman, drawn in the “good girl” style, who uses her superhuman powers to survive in a harsh environment full of carnivorous creatures. She befriends a giant gorilla, Klyde, and goes on a variety of jungle-themed adventures, including rescuing, then raising, a pair of Tyrannosaurus hatchlings, Harmony and Peace. Harmony remains Meriem’s companion, while Peace becomes one of her deadliest enemies. Overall, the book has become...
- 9/29/2015
- by Merriell Moyer
- SoundOnSight
TV Picks: A no miss event tonight as HBO brings an intimate and touching reveal of Frank Sinatra, the pride of Hoboken, New Jersey who rose to fame and fortune with lots of heartbreak and drama along the way.This documentary is done posthumously, as director Alex Gibney (Going Clear) pieces together interviews, newspaper clippings, b-roll, still photos and archived Sinatra tapings to stitch together a life lived larger than anyone can imagine. We learn a great deal of this pop-culture legend, a 13 pound plus baby at birth, who had to sue Tommy Dorsey to gain control of his career […]...
- 4/5/2015
- by April Neale
- Monsters and Critics
Nostalgia and the lingering sting of eras lost to the sands of time have cropped up in a number of Woody Allen’s lengthy list of features, but never with such heartfelt remembrance of his own childhood as he portrays so entertainingly in Radio Days. Constructed as a sort of anthology of aurally recalled memories centered around a middle class family in Rockaway Beach and the radio celebrities of the day, Allen’s Cannes preemed and Oscar nominated 1987 film (Best Original Screenplay & Art Direction) celebrates the golden age of radio with the sharp-witted auteur’s signature neuroticism, an unusual visual pizzazz and a surprisingly melancholic air that lingers long after the credits roll.
It’s said that smell is the sense most intensely tethered to memory, but Allen seems keen to argue that point by organizing the film around an outstanding set of songs and faux radio shows from the...
It’s said that smell is the sense most intensely tethered to memory, but Allen seems keen to argue that point by organizing the film around an outstanding set of songs and faux radio shows from the...
- 7/29/2014
- by Jordan M. Smith
- IONCINEMA.com
High school senior Austin Dennison sweetly asked his 89-year-old great-grandmother, Delores, to his prom, since she had to miss her own back in the 1940s. Austin, a 19-year-old from Ohio, called Delores to see if she'd like to be his date. Of the invitation, she said, "He was so sweet and adamant about it. I asked him, 'But are you sure you don't want to take one of the young ladies who could get out there and do everything with you?' He said no. 'I want you.'" The pair went dress shopping, and Austin gave her a pearl necklace. On the night of the prom, they were introduced at the promenade, receiving a standing ovation. Austin had a special surprise for her too. He made sure that the song his late Grandpa Ed used to sing to her - "Dolores" by Tommy Dorsey, Frank Sinatra, and The Pied Pipers...
- 5/2/2014
- by Laura Marie Meyers
- Popsugar.com
Mickey Rooney movie schedule (Pt): TCM on August 13 See previous post: “Mickey Rooney Movies: Music and Murder.” Photo: Mickey Rooney ca. 1940. 3:00 Am Death On The Diamond (1934). Director: Edward Sedgwick. Cast: Robert Young, Madge Evans, Nat Pendleton, Mickey Rooney. Bw-71 mins. 4:15 Am A Midsummer Night’S Dream (1935). Director: Max Reinhardt and William Dieterle. Cast: James Cagney, Dick Powell, Olivia de Havilland, Ross Alexander, Anita Louise, Mickey Rooney, Joe E. Brown, Victor Jory, Ian Hunter, Verree Teasdale, Jean Muir, Frank McHugh, Grant Mitchell, Hobart Cavanaugh, Dewey Robinson, Hugh Herbert, Arthur Treacher, Otis Harlan, Helen Westcott, Fred Sale, Billy Barty, Rags Ragland. Bw-143 mins. 6:45 Am A Family Affair (1936). Director: George B. Seitz. Cast: Mickey Rooney, Lionel Barrymore, Cecilia Parker, Eric Linden. Bw-69 mins. 8:00 Am Boys Town (1938). Director: Norman Taurog. Cast: Spencer Tracy, Mickey Rooney, Henry Hull, Leslie Fenton, Gene Reynolds, Edward Norris, Addison Richards, Minor Watson, Jonathan Hale,...
- 8/13/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Los Angeles (AP) — Ed Shaughnessy, the jazz drummer who for nearly three decades anchored the rhythm section of Doc Severinsen's "Tonight Show" band, has died in Southern California. He was 84. William Selditz, a close family friend, tells the Los Angeles Times (http://lat.ms/1albfp7 ) that Shaughnessy had a heart attack Friday at his home in Calabasas, outside Los Angeles. The New Jersey native began his jazz career as a teenager, playing with Billie Holiday, Benny Goodman and Count Basie. He replaced Buddy Rich in Tommy Dorsey's band. In the mid-1950s Shaughnessy became a staff musician at CBS. From 1963 to...
- 5/27/2013
- by AP Staff
- Hitfix
Fine performances enliven a moving drama about a group of classical musicians whose uneasy harmony is put at risk by illness
Musical groups, coming together, working harmoniously, splitting up, reuniting, provide one of the great metaphors for human activity. In the cinema we encounter them in such different forms as the real-life bandleaders Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey feuding and going their different ways in The Fabulous Dorseys; Bing Crosby's inner-city priest reforming delinquents as a choir in Going My Way; Fellini's allegorical Orchestra Rehearsal presenting Italy as a musical rabble that can only function when submitting to a firm conductor; or Dustin Hoffman's recent Quartet, which sees elderly singers burying old differences to recreate their celebrated quartet from Rigoletto.
A Late Quartet, written and directed by the American documentarian Yaron Silberman, is a major contribution to this continuing cycle. A subtle, intelligent picture with a suitably resonant title,...
Musical groups, coming together, working harmoniously, splitting up, reuniting, provide one of the great metaphors for human activity. In the cinema we encounter them in such different forms as the real-life bandleaders Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey feuding and going their different ways in The Fabulous Dorseys; Bing Crosby's inner-city priest reforming delinquents as a choir in Going My Way; Fellini's allegorical Orchestra Rehearsal presenting Italy as a musical rabble that can only function when submitting to a firm conductor; or Dustin Hoffman's recent Quartet, which sees elderly singers burying old differences to recreate their celebrated quartet from Rigoletto.
A Late Quartet, written and directed by the American documentarian Yaron Silberman, is a major contribution to this continuing cycle. A subtle, intelligent picture with a suitably resonant title,...
- 4/8/2013
- by Philip French
- The Guardian - Film News
Fine performances enliven a moving drama about a group of classical musicians whose uneasy harmony is put at risk by illness
Musical groups, coming together, working harmoniously, splitting up, reuniting, provide one of the great metaphors for human activity. In the cinema we encounter them in such different forms as the real-life bandleaders Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey feuding and going their different ways in The Fabulous Dorseys; Bing Crosby's inner-city priest reforming delinquents as a choir in Going My Way; Fellini's allegorical Orchestra Rehearsal presenting Italy as a musical rabble that can only function when submitting to a firm conductor; or Dustin Hoffman's recent Quartet, which sees elderly singers burying old differences to recreate their celebrated quartet from Rigoletto.
Continue reading...
Musical groups, coming together, working harmoniously, splitting up, reuniting, provide one of the great metaphors for human activity. In the cinema we encounter them in such different forms as the real-life bandleaders Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey feuding and going their different ways in The Fabulous Dorseys; Bing Crosby's inner-city priest reforming delinquents as a choir in Going My Way; Fellini's allegorical Orchestra Rehearsal presenting Italy as a musical rabble that can only function when submitting to a firm conductor; or Dustin Hoffman's recent Quartet, which sees elderly singers burying old differences to recreate their celebrated quartet from Rigoletto.
Continue reading...
- 4/6/2013
- by Philip French
- The Guardian - Film News
Patty Andrews was lead singer and youngest member of 1940s swing trio whose hits included Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree
Patty Andrews, the last surviving member of the singing trio the Andrews Sisters, has died in California at 94, her spokesman has said.
Andrews died at her home in the Northridge area of Los Angeles, said Alan Eichler on Wednesday.
She was the youngest of the singing threesome, who were renowned for their tight harmonies in hits including Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy and Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree. The Andrews Sisters sold more than 75m records and became household names in the 1940s when they entertained second world war troops in Africa, the Us and Europe.
The sisters specialised in swing and played with some of the best-known big bands of the era, including those led by Glen Miller, Benny Goodman and Tommy Dorsey.
The sisters also appeared in 16 films,...
Patty Andrews, the last surviving member of the singing trio the Andrews Sisters, has died in California at 94, her spokesman has said.
Andrews died at her home in the Northridge area of Los Angeles, said Alan Eichler on Wednesday.
She was the youngest of the singing threesome, who were renowned for their tight harmonies in hits including Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy and Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree. The Andrews Sisters sold more than 75m records and became household names in the 1940s when they entertained second world war troops in Africa, the Us and Europe.
The sisters specialised in swing and played with some of the best-known big bands of the era, including those led by Glen Miller, Benny Goodman and Tommy Dorsey.
The sisters also appeared in 16 films,...
- 1/31/2013
- The Guardian - Film News
Review by Big Daddy Dane Marti Pow! As old, withered, but still dedicated Hipster, I had trepidations (very un-hip thoughts, Daddy) about seeing this film, sort as if I were undressing in front of millions of strangers. Still, Cat, while someone like Norman Mailer might write fervently about hipsters, the term for many folks is still rather broad and ephemeral, of course. For me, The Hipster is at his best – or for some of you Squares, at his worst– during the Beat Generation, the latter 50′s era personified by Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg. These Post WW11 guys and their friends were a different cool animal from the kids personified in the zany film under review! Hipsters, as opposed to Beatniks, were often African American and more knowledgeable about the harsh underbelly of life. Duh. They knew how to remain cool under unpleasant situations (which often seemed to pertain to...
- 11/16/2012
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
"My Mafia is a very romanticized myth," said "Godfather" novelist Mario Puzo, who claimed that he had never met any actual mobsters when he wrote his bestseller, and that his accounts of lurid crimes were based on archival research and imagination. Nor did Francis Ford Coppola have any direct knowledge of mob life when he and Puzo adapted the novel into a screenplay. Yet 40 years later, "The Godfather" is widely considered one of the most accurate movies about the Mafia, even though all its characters are fictional. Part of that is canny mythmaking on the part of Puzo and Coppola, but much of it comes from the real-life Mafia lore that is only thinly disguised in the movie. Which of the movie's notorious deeds are based on fact, and which are invented out of whole cloth? Read on. The Don Aside from big events like his daughter's wedding, Don Vito...
- 3/24/2012
- by Gary Susman
- Moviefone
I didn’t think I would have to insult the intelligence of our readers by pointing out a very simple fact, but based on the first comment we received, I guess I should make something clear. This is a list of our favourite soundtracks of 2011. We are currently working on a list of the best original scores, which should be posted sometime within the week. Let us know if you think we left out any soundtracks you would recommend. Enjoy!
10 – Young Adult
One of the themes of Jason Reitman’s upcoming film Young Adult, is the idea of being stuck in the past, and trying to relive your glory days, and so it’s no surprise that the soundtrack to the film is loathed with 1990s alt-rock cuts. Due December 6th via Rhino Records, the fifteen-track disc features the Replacements, the Lemonheads, Dinosaur Jr., Teenage Fanclub, Cracker, 4 Non Blondes, Veruca Salt and many more.
10 – Young Adult
One of the themes of Jason Reitman’s upcoming film Young Adult, is the idea of being stuck in the past, and trying to relive your glory days, and so it’s no surprise that the soundtrack to the film is loathed with 1990s alt-rock cuts. Due December 6th via Rhino Records, the fifteen-track disc features the Replacements, the Lemonheads, Dinosaur Jr., Teenage Fanclub, Cracker, 4 Non Blondes, Veruca Salt and many more.
- 11/30/2011
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
The Alamo Drafthouse creative team and programmers have come up with some exciting and memorable Rolling Roadshow locations throughout the years. Whether watching Jaws on Lake Travis while floating on innertubes or enjoying Strange Brew with local microbreweries and Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head Craft Brewing (my interview with Sam) -- audiences can count on a memorable experience. Through partnerships with local sponsors, the Alamo Drafthouse has offered free screenings every summer in locations such as Republic Park, Fiesta Gardens and Central Market's patio lawn. This summer the Alamo Drafthouse has been hosting the first all-Texas Rolling Roadshow in collaboration with Texas Monthly.
Alamo Drafthouse CEO/founder Tim League was one of five experts who debated the ten greatest Texas movies of all time for the Texas Monthly "No Country for Bad Movies" feature. After much debate, the panel came up with a list that fills the bill of the...
Alamo Drafthouse CEO/founder Tim League was one of five experts who debated the ten greatest Texas movies of all time for the Texas Monthly "No Country for Bad Movies" feature. After much debate, the panel came up with a list that fills the bill of the...
- 6/14/2011
- by Debbie Cerda
- Slackerwood
Alamo’s Rolling Roadshow has travelled the globe to hold special screenings in places significant to the movie being shown. This year Alamo is keeping the show in their home state of Texas showing Texas films set in Texas. Even better they have also created custom posters for the films showing which include The Searchers, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Blood Simple, Hud, Red River, Bonnie and Clyde, Tender Mercies, No Country for Old Men, Giant, and The Last Picture Show. Hit the jump to check out the posters. The 2011 Rolling Roadshow begins Friday, June 3rd.
Posters via Apple.
Here is the schedule with descriptions from the press release.
June 3 – The Searchers in Fort Parker, Texas – Old Fort Parker – Inspired by the true story of a young girl’s kidnapping during a Comanche raid on Fort Parker in 1836, director John Ford’s iconic tale of mercenary obsession has been called “the...
Posters via Apple.
Here is the schedule with descriptions from the press release.
June 3 – The Searchers in Fort Parker, Texas – Old Fort Parker – Inspired by the true story of a young girl’s kidnapping during a Comanche raid on Fort Parker in 1836, director John Ford’s iconic tale of mercenary obsession has been called “the...
- 6/2/2011
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
Here are some cool minimalist posters for Alamo Drafthouse's 2011 Rolling Roadshow. This year the roadshow is celebrating films that were set in Texas. This years films include, Blood Simple, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Searchers, Red River and more. Check out the posters done by Jason Munn via Apple.com.
Here is the full schedule and film descriptions:
June 3 – The Searchers in Fort Parker, Texas – Old Fort Parker – Inspired by the true story of a young girl’s kidnapping during a Comanche raid on Fort Parker in 1836, director John Ford’s iconic tale of mercenary obsession has been called “the most influential film in American history”. John Wayne stars as anti-hero Ethan Edwards, a man consumed by longing, hatred and a destructive quest for vengeance.
June 4 – The Texas Chainsaw Massacre in Kingsland, Texas – Junction House – Join us where it all began. Tobe Hooper’s great American classic still packs a punch of feral,...
Here is the full schedule and film descriptions:
June 3 – The Searchers in Fort Parker, Texas – Old Fort Parker – Inspired by the true story of a young girl’s kidnapping during a Comanche raid on Fort Parker in 1836, director John Ford’s iconic tale of mercenary obsession has been called “the most influential film in American history”. John Wayne stars as anti-hero Ethan Edwards, a man consumed by longing, hatred and a destructive quest for vengeance.
June 4 – The Texas Chainsaw Massacre in Kingsland, Texas – Junction House – Join us where it all began. Tobe Hooper’s great American classic still packs a punch of feral,...
- 6/1/2011
- by Tiberius
- GeekTyrant
Texas is known for being flat, minimalistic but still incredibly beautiful and that's certainly the theme of the posters for the 2011 Rolling Roadshow. This year, instead of going all across the country, the Alamo Drafthouse is keeping things close to home as they'll travel across the Lone Star State and show Texas films set in Texas [1]. Films such as Blood Simple, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Searchers, Red River and more. The posters premiered on Apple.com and, much like happened last year with Olly Moss [2], this year they were all done by one artist: Jason Munn. We've got all the images and schedule after the jump. Thanks to Apple.com for these images [3]. Last year, Olly Moss went for a specific theme and this year is the same, one artist, one theme. [gallery columns="2"] And here's the schedule with descriptions from the press release. June 3 – The Searchers in Fort Parker, Texas...
- 6/1/2011
- by Germain Lussier
- Slash Film
Reviewed by Bob Hill
(June 2011)
Directed by: Don McGlynn
Featuring: Smokey Robinson, Andrae Crouch, Mavis Staples, Ira Tucker, Marie Knight, Willa Ward and Ira Tucker Jr.
“Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy.” –Psalms 33:3
This is the Deep South — Memphis, Tenn. Bible Country, USA. A land of crops and cotton, sweeping fields and schoolhouse churches. It’s a region that has seen more than its fair share of racial injustice and, more recently, natural catastrophe.
But all of that seems a million miles away come Sunday morning, drowned out by the sound of a million and one evangelicals, raising their voices in song.
It’s a time-honored tradition as old as the Negro spiritual itself, driven by an a capella harmony so powerful and true it’s come to represent both the struggle and salvation of African-Americans in the Bible Belt. It is the...
(June 2011)
Directed by: Don McGlynn
Featuring: Smokey Robinson, Andrae Crouch, Mavis Staples, Ira Tucker, Marie Knight, Willa Ward and Ira Tucker Jr.
“Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy.” –Psalms 33:3
This is the Deep South — Memphis, Tenn. Bible Country, USA. A land of crops and cotton, sweeping fields and schoolhouse churches. It’s a region that has seen more than its fair share of racial injustice and, more recently, natural catastrophe.
But all of that seems a million miles away come Sunday morning, drowned out by the sound of a million and one evangelicals, raising their voices in song.
It’s a time-honored tradition as old as the Negro spiritual itself, driven by an a capella harmony so powerful and true it’s come to represent both the struggle and salvation of African-Americans in the Bible Belt. It is the...
- 5/31/2011
- by admin
- Moving Pictures Network
Reviewed by Bob Hill
(June 2011)
Directed by: Don McGlynn
Featuring: Smokey Robinson, Andrae Crouch, Mavis Staples, Ira Tucker, Marie Knight, Willa Ward and Ira Tucker Jr.
“Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy.” –Psalms 33:3
This is the Deep South — Memphis, Tenn. Bible Country, USA. A land of crops and cotton, sweeping fields and schoolhouse churches. It’s a region that has seen more than its fair share of racial injustice and, more recently, natural catastrophe.
But all of that seems a million miles away come Sunday morning, drowned out by the sound of a million and one evangelicals, raising their voices in song.
It’s a time-honored tradition as old as the Negro spiritual itself, driven by an a capella harmony so powerful and true it’s come to represent both the struggle and salvation of African-Americans in the Bible Belt. It is the...
(June 2011)
Directed by: Don McGlynn
Featuring: Smokey Robinson, Andrae Crouch, Mavis Staples, Ira Tucker, Marie Knight, Willa Ward and Ira Tucker Jr.
“Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy.” –Psalms 33:3
This is the Deep South — Memphis, Tenn. Bible Country, USA. A land of crops and cotton, sweeping fields and schoolhouse churches. It’s a region that has seen more than its fair share of racial injustice and, more recently, natural catastrophe.
But all of that seems a million miles away come Sunday morning, drowned out by the sound of a million and one evangelicals, raising their voices in song.
It’s a time-honored tradition as old as the Negro spiritual itself, driven by an a capella harmony so powerful and true it’s come to represent both the struggle and salvation of African-Americans in the Bible Belt. It is the...
- 5/31/2011
- by admin
- Moving Pictures Magazine
In addition to becoming the first Super Bowl anthem to hit the top of the chart, Wiz Khalifa's "Black and Yellow" has also become the 999th chart-topping song in the history of the Billboard Hot 100. That means that the next song to ascend to the top spot will be the 1,000th chart-topper in the history of the chart. It has been a long road since Tommy Dorsey's "I'll Never Smile Again!" became the first number one in the history of the Hot 100 in 1940 (it spent 12 weeks in that spot before getting knocked off by Bing Crosby's "Only Forever"), but the next chart-topper will certainly live forever as an iconic milestone.
But what song will find its way to the top? Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" will make its debut this Friday (February 11), and between the excitement over her new music and her performance at this Sunday's (February 13) Grammy Awards,...
But what song will find its way to the top? Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" will make its debut this Friday (February 11), and between the excitement over her new music and her performance at this Sunday's (February 13) Grammy Awards,...
- 2/10/2011
- by Kyle Anderson
- MTV Newsroom
Nobody likes Congress these days, but don't let ill feelings for your elected representatives get in the way of digging the Library of Congress, whose purpose is "to further the progress of knowledge and creativity for the benefit of the American people." A great part of that is preserving our recorded audio heritage for all time. This is why Universal is donating 200,000 master recordings, which THR reports is the largest ever donation of recorded sound to this very fine cultural institution.
The donation consists primarily of "metal and lacquer discs and master mono tapes" from the 1920s through the late 1940s -- original masters from the likes of Billie Holiday, Bing Crosby, Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald.
"A surprisingly high percentage of America's recording heritage since the early part of the 20th century has been lost due to neglect and deterioration," Librarian of Congress James H. Billington lamented. "The donation...
The donation consists primarily of "metal and lacquer discs and master mono tapes" from the 1920s through the late 1940s -- original masters from the likes of Billie Holiday, Bing Crosby, Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald.
"A surprisingly high percentage of America's recording heritage since the early part of the 20th century has been lost due to neglect and deterioration," Librarian of Congress James H. Billington lamented. "The donation...
- 1/10/2011
- by Brandon Kim
- ifc.com
On top of getting full lists of "Just Dance 2" tracks and "Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock" songs this week, we've also received a complete soundtrack listing for a game you may not have been looking forward to for its tunes — "Mafia 2." 2K Games released the rundown ahead of a live one-hour playthrough they're hosting today at 2Pm Pst via Ustream.
Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, Louis Prima and Little Richard all appear on the game's soundtrack, which has been posted on the "Mafia 2" website. If "GTA Godfather" has always been something you thought you might like to play with some bona fide Ratpack music in the background, you should find the entries here to your liking:
• Gatemouth Moore - "Did You Ever Love A Woman"
• Al Hibbler - "After the Lights Go Down Low"
• Al Hibbler - "Count Every Star"
• The Ames Brothers - "My Bonnie Lassie"
• The Andrews Sisters -...
Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, Louis Prima and Little Richard all appear on the game's soundtrack, which has been posted on the "Mafia 2" website. If "GTA Godfather" has always been something you thought you might like to play with some bona fide Ratpack music in the background, you should find the entries here to your liking:
• Gatemouth Moore - "Did You Ever Love A Woman"
• Al Hibbler - "After the Lights Go Down Low"
• Al Hibbler - "Count Every Star"
• The Ames Brothers - "My Bonnie Lassie"
• The Andrews Sisters -...
- 8/20/2010
- by Brian Warmoth
- MTV Multiplayer
When a great director and a great actor team together repeatedly, the rapport and trust between them can yield masterpieces that last generations. Think Johns Ford and Wayne (“Rio Grande,” “The Searchers”) Alfred Hitchcock and Jimmy Stewart (“Vertigo,” “Rear Window”) or Tim Burton and Johnny Depp (“Edward Scissorhands,” “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”). Now, after several films together, Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio can certainly be included in such a conversation – and if the duo have their druthers, they’ll be including a third legendary figure into their equation: The Chairman of the Board.
Last year, Universal Pictures and Mandalay Pictures announced that Scorsese was going to direct a biopic based on the life of Frank Sinatra, teaming with Warner Music Group and Sinatra’s estate to ensure that his song catalog could be included. Writer Phil Alden Robinson (“Field of Dreams”) is reportedly hard at work on a screenplay,...
Last year, Universal Pictures and Mandalay Pictures announced that Scorsese was going to direct a biopic based on the life of Frank Sinatra, teaming with Warner Music Group and Sinatra’s estate to ensure that his song catalog could be included. Writer Phil Alden Robinson (“Field of Dreams”) is reportedly hard at work on a screenplay,...
- 2/16/2010
- by Larry Carroll
- MTV Movies Blog
No Frank Sinatra box set should contain two versions of him singing "Bad Bad Leroy Brown." I needed to get that out of the way before addressing the rest of this profoundly flawed but worthwhile new 4 CD/1 DVD collection. Sinatra: New York consists entirely of unreleased live performances from Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, Carnegie Hall and other venues in the Big Apple, recorded over a 35-year span. It's a follow-up of sorts to Sinatra's 2006 Vegas box, which followed essentially the same pattern with his Las Vegas performances. New York City looms large in Sinatra's legend, perhaps as much so as Las Vegas. He cut his musical teeth as the "boy singer" in Harry James' band at the Roseland Ballroom on 52nd St. and then in Tommy Dorsey's band at the Paramount Theater on West...
- 11/4/2009
- by Tony Sachs
- Huffington Post
Frank Sinatra may have been born in Hoboken, New Jersey, but the Chairman of the Board always held a special place in his heart for the city that never sleeps -- "The Apple," as he called it. From a surprise appearance with Tommy Dorsey in 1955 to a 1990 concert at Radio City Music Hall, "Sinatra: New York" follows the singer onstage at various iconic New York City venues, living out one of his most famous lines: "If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere." The five-disc boxed set (4-cd/1-dvd) of previously unreleased live performances will be available November 3, at all retail outlets, including www.Sinatra.com, for a suggested list price of $79.99 (physical) and $34.99 (digital).
- 8/20/2009
- BroadwayWorld.com
Earle Hagen, Emmy-winning composer of some of the most memorable musical themes in TV history and the man heard whistling the theme song of "The Andy Griffith Show," died Monday of natural causes at his home in Rancho Mirage, Calif. He was 88.
In addition to writing the folksy "Andy Griffith" tune, Hagen penned the themes for "The Dick Van Dyke Show," "The Danny Thomas Show," "I Spy," "That Girl," "The Mod Squad" and "Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer," many for famed TV director Sheldon Leonard.
Hagen composed original music for more than 3,000 episodes during his TV career, which spanned more than three decades.
The composer also was active in the film business, mostly as an arranger and orchestrator for 20th Century Fox. He received a 1960 Oscar nomination (shared with Lionel Newman) as musical director for the Marilyn Monroe film "Let's Make Love."
Hagen, who played trombone with the Benny Goodman and Tommy Dorsey orchestras,...
In addition to writing the folksy "Andy Griffith" tune, Hagen penned the themes for "The Dick Van Dyke Show," "The Danny Thomas Show," "I Spy," "That Girl," "The Mod Squad" and "Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer," many for famed TV director Sheldon Leonard.
Hagen composed original music for more than 3,000 episodes during his TV career, which spanned more than three decades.
The composer also was active in the film business, mostly as an arranger and orchestrator for 20th Century Fox. He received a 1960 Oscar nomination (shared with Lionel Newman) as musical director for the Marilyn Monroe film "Let's Make Love."
Hagen, who played trombone with the Benny Goodman and Tommy Dorsey orchestras,...
- 5/27/2008
- by By Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Emmy-winning composer Earle Hagen dies
Earle Hagen, Emmy-winning composer of some of the most memorable musical themes in TV history and the man heard whistling the theme song of The Andy Griffith Show, died Monday of natural causes at his home in Rancho Mirage, Calif. He was 88.
In addition to writing the folksy Andy Griffith tune, Hagen penned the themes for The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Danny Thomas Show, I Spy, That Girl, The Mod Squad and Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer, many for famed TV director Sheldon Leonard.
Hagen composed original music for more than 3,000 episodes during his TV career, which spanned more than three decades.
The composer also was active in the film business, mostly as an arranger and orchestrator for 20th Century Fox. He received a 1960 Oscar nomination (shared with Lionel Newman) as musical director for the Marilyn Monroe film Let's Make Love.
Hagen, who played trombone with the Benny Goodman and Tommy Dorsey orchestras, composed the jazz standard Harlem Nocturne. Written in 1939 for big-band leader Ray Noble, the tune went on to be recorded by Les Brown, Glenn Miller, Stan Kenton, Woody Herman, Ray Anthony and many other bands.
In addition to writing the folksy Andy Griffith tune, Hagen penned the themes for The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Danny Thomas Show, I Spy, That Girl, The Mod Squad and Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer, many for famed TV director Sheldon Leonard.
Hagen composed original music for more than 3,000 episodes during his TV career, which spanned more than three decades.
The composer also was active in the film business, mostly as an arranger and orchestrator for 20th Century Fox. He received a 1960 Oscar nomination (shared with Lionel Newman) as musical director for the Marilyn Monroe film Let's Make Love.
Hagen, who played trombone with the Benny Goodman and Tommy Dorsey orchestras, composed the jazz standard Harlem Nocturne. Written in 1939 for big-band leader Ray Noble, the tune went on to be recorded by Les Brown, Glenn Miller, Stan Kenton, Woody Herman, Ray Anthony and many other bands.
- 5/27/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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