This July, Prime Video is bringing you a lot of entertainment with a sequel of a beloved film like My Spy titled The Eternal City and an animated sequel series to the comedy gold, which was the Sausage Party film titled Foodtopia. However, for the purposes of this article, we are only including the films that are coming to Prime Video this month and have a 90% or higher Rotten Tomatoes score. So, check out the 7 best films that are coming to Prime Video in July 2024 with a 90% or higher Rotten Tomatoes score.
Animal House (July 1)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%
National Lampoon’s Animal House is a classic comedy-drama film directed by John Landis from a screenplay co-written by Harold Ramis, Douglas Kenney, and Chris Miller. Inspired by National Lampoon stories written by Matty Simmons and Ivan Reitman, the 1978 film follows the story of freshmen Larry and Kent as they join a troublemaking...
Animal House (July 1)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%
National Lampoon’s Animal House is a classic comedy-drama film directed by John Landis from a screenplay co-written by Harold Ramis, Douglas Kenney, and Chris Miller. Inspired by National Lampoon stories written by Matty Simmons and Ivan Reitman, the 1978 film follows the story of freshmen Larry and Kent as they join a troublemaking...
- 7/5/2024
- by Kulwant Singh
- Cinema Blind
Joshua Logan’s Paint Your Wagon can be viewed as one of the last gasps of a dwindling Hollywood studio system, as well as a precursor to the New Hollywood. The film, with its expansive anamorphic vistas of the American Northwest, bears some superficial similarities to Michael Cimino’s Heaven’s Gate, which is often historicized as the end of the New Hollywood, given how it bankrupted United Artists. But in contrast to the profound sadness with which Cimino regards America’s history of violence, Logan’s musical romp takes a lighthearted approach to the process of resettlement, and it’s propelled by the contrasting personalities of Lee Marvin and Clint Eastwood as bickering and tussling gold prospectors.
Paint Your Wagon straddles multiple genres at once, suggesting something like a western-inflected musical riff on Ernst Lubitsch’s Design for Living. The crux of the story concerns Ben Rumson (Marvin), a ne...
Paint Your Wagon straddles multiple genres at once, suggesting something like a western-inflected musical riff on Ernst Lubitsch’s Design for Living. The crux of the story concerns Ben Rumson (Marvin), a ne...
- 3/25/2024
- by Clayton Dillard
- Slant Magazine
Who would have thought that one of the more enduring family movies in the last 20 years would come from Brett Ratner and star Nicolas Cage? Indeed, The Family Man was only a modest success when it came out over the holiday season in 2000, but it has since inspired rip-offs and remakes and is a beloved classic for many of us.
In it, Nicolas Cage plays a high-flying businessman named Jack Campbell, who doesn’t appreciate the little things in life, such as Christmas. It’s lonely at the top, but he consoles himself with his Ferrari, penthouse apartment in New York, and hook-ups with women such as supermodel Amber Valletta, who has a small role as his bedmate early in the film. Yet, being alone on Christmas Eve, he does a good deed when he intervenes in a convenience store standoff by showing empathy towards a wired, gun-toting customer, played by Don Cheadle,...
In it, Nicolas Cage plays a high-flying businessman named Jack Campbell, who doesn’t appreciate the little things in life, such as Christmas. It’s lonely at the top, but he consoles himself with his Ferrari, penthouse apartment in New York, and hook-ups with women such as supermodel Amber Valletta, who has a small role as his bedmate early in the film. Yet, being alone on Christmas Eve, he does a good deed when he intervenes in a convenience store standoff by showing empathy towards a wired, gun-toting customer, played by Don Cheadle,...
- 12/25/2023
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
If the fifth season of FX’s “Fargo” looks a little familiar to you, all the creators can say to that is…you betcha. Noah Hawley’s Coen-verse thriller series spinoff has sprouted numerous timelines and tangents (the current season even goes back 500 years at one point), but this year’s tense, fiercely comic installment is not at all coy about wanting to put you right back in the universe of the Oscar-winning 1996 classic, even though this incarnation takes place in 2019, only four years ago.
“Frankly, part of the pitch that I made about myself is that it was really a coming of a full circle,” said production designer Trevor Smith, who is returning to “Fargo” after working as an art director on the first season starring Billy Bob Thornton and Martin Freeman, which is the closest to the vibe of the current season. “This fifth installment, I would argue,...
“Frankly, part of the pitch that I made about myself is that it was really a coming of a full circle,” said production designer Trevor Smith, who is returning to “Fargo” after working as an art director on the first season starring Billy Bob Thornton and Martin Freeman, which is the closest to the vibe of the current season. “This fifth installment, I would argue,...
- 12/19/2023
- by Jason Clark
- The Wrap
Head Count is a comedy thriller film directed by Ben and Jacob Burghart, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Josh Doke. The film follows the story of Kat, who just got out of prison but an unknown is pointing his own gun at his head. As the empty rounds click away, Kat remembers what happened to each bullet from his gun. Head Count stars Aaron Jakubenko as Kat, Melanie Zanetti as Jo, Ryan Kwanten as Sawyer, Chris Bylsma as Cassidy, Addam Bramich as Brian, and Polaris Banks as Flint. So, if you love the comedy thriller film here are some similar movies you could watch next.
Vengeance (Prime Video) Credit – Focus Features
Synopsis: Vengeance, the directorial debut from writer and star B.J. Novak (“The Office”), is a darkly comic thriller about Ben Manalowitz, a journalist and podcaster who travels from New York City to West Texas to investigate the death...
Vengeance (Prime Video) Credit – Focus Features
Synopsis: Vengeance, the directorial debut from writer and star B.J. Novak (“The Office”), is a darkly comic thriller about Ben Manalowitz, a journalist and podcaster who travels from New York City to West Texas to investigate the death...
- 9/29/2023
- by Kulwant Singh
- Cinema Blind
"Saving Private Ryan" holds a special place in the pantheon of WWII movies. Known for its bloody realism and Janusz Kaminski's Academy Award-winning cinematography inspired by photojournalist Robert Capa's pictures of the D-Day landing, the film shaped the public imagination of the war for generations. Audiences now know it as the quintessential WWII film, but screenwriter Robert Rodat found its inspiration in an entirely different era.
In the movie, three of four brothers in the Ryan family have already perished in action. U.S. Army Chief of Staff George C. Marshall (Harve Presnell) has determined that for the sake of morale, they can't afford...
The post The Original Inspiration Behind Saving Private Ryan Didn't Actually Come From WWII appeared first on /Film.
In the movie, three of four brothers in the Ryan family have already perished in action. U.S. Army Chief of Staff George C. Marshall (Harve Presnell) has determined that for the sake of morale, they can't afford...
The post The Original Inspiration Behind Saving Private Ryan Didn't Actually Come From WWII appeared first on /Film.
- 6/15/2022
- by Leigh Giangreco
- Slash Film
The Coens’ rereleased thriller about a pregnant police chief investigating a bungled kidnapping is a noir without cynicism; a macabre black comedy with purity at its core
Now rereleased for its 25th anniversary, Ethan and Joel Coen’s perfectly flavoured comedy-thriller Fargo has become an established classic noir. Or maybe noir-blanc, a tale of criminal wickedness and weakness in the vast, snowy-white landscapes of Minnesota and North Dakota. Since 1996, something in Fargo’s macabre black comedy – the Garrison-Keillor-meets-James-m-Cain approach – has proved fertile: it inseminated a streaming-tv property now spanning four seasons. But the original film now looks better than ever, and it’s down to its keeping the quirkiness relevant and in check (something the Coens maybe haven’t always been able to achieve), and its brilliance in making the forces of law and order look as interesting and funny as the bad guys.
There is an outstanding performance from Frances McDormand as Marge Gunderson,...
Now rereleased for its 25th anniversary, Ethan and Joel Coen’s perfectly flavoured comedy-thriller Fargo has become an established classic noir. Or maybe noir-blanc, a tale of criminal wickedness and weakness in the vast, snowy-white landscapes of Minnesota and North Dakota. Since 1996, something in Fargo’s macabre black comedy – the Garrison-Keillor-meets-James-m-Cain approach – has proved fertile: it inseminated a streaming-tv property now spanning four seasons. But the original film now looks better than ever, and it’s down to its keeping the quirkiness relevant and in check (something the Coens maybe haven’t always been able to achieve), and its brilliance in making the forces of law and order look as interesting and funny as the bad guys.
There is an outstanding performance from Frances McDormand as Marge Gunderson,...
- 6/10/2021
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
‘Godzilla vs. Kong’ helmer Adam Wingard has signed up to take the directors chair on the upcoming remake of 1997s’ ‘Face/Off’.
Wingard will also co-write the script alongside long time collaborator Simon Barrett. Neal Moritz will produce the remake for Paramount, and David Permut will executive produce. None of the original cast are expected to return.
The original film saw John Travolta and Nicolas Cage star alongside each other as an FBI special agent and a terrorist. The two arch-enemies assume each other’s identity by switching faces. Travolta’s FBI agent Sean Archer tracks down Castor Troy (Cage), but Troy is severely injured in a plane crash. Archer then undergoes surgery to replace his face with Troy’s in order to go undercover as a criminal.
The film also starred Joan Allen, Alessandro Nivola, Gina Gershon, Dominque Swain, Nick Cassavetes, Harve Presnell, Colm Feore, and John Carroll Lynch.
Also...
Wingard will also co-write the script alongside long time collaborator Simon Barrett. Neal Moritz will produce the remake for Paramount, and David Permut will executive produce. None of the original cast are expected to return.
The original film saw John Travolta and Nicolas Cage star alongside each other as an FBI special agent and a terrorist. The two arch-enemies assume each other’s identity by switching faces. Travolta’s FBI agent Sean Archer tracks down Castor Troy (Cage), but Troy is severely injured in a plane crash. Archer then undergoes surgery to replace his face with Troy’s in order to go undercover as a criminal.
The film also starred Joan Allen, Alessandro Nivola, Gina Gershon, Dominque Swain, Nick Cassavetes, Harve Presnell, Colm Feore, and John Carroll Lynch.
Also...
- 2/12/2021
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Adam Wingard, director of the upcoming monster showdown “Godzilla vs. Kong,” will helm the remake of the 1997 thriller “Face/Off” for Paramount.
Wingard will write the script with longtime collaborator Simon Barrett. The two have previously worked on the 2016 found footage horror film “Blair Witch,” the 2014 thriller “The Guest” and the 2010 horror “A Horrible Way to Die.”
The original “Face/Off,” an action thriller, was directed by John Woo and starred John Travolta and Nicolas Cage as an FBI special agent and a terrorist, respectively. The two arch enemies assume each other’s identity by, as the title suggests, switching faces. Travolta’s FBI agent Sean Archer tracks down Castor Troy (Cage), but Troy is severely injured in a plane crash. Archer then undergoes surgery to replace his face with Troy’s in order to go undercover as a criminal.
The original cast also included Joan Allen, Alessandro Nivola, Gina Gershon, Dominque Swain,...
Wingard will write the script with longtime collaborator Simon Barrett. The two have previously worked on the 2016 found footage horror film “Blair Witch,” the 2014 thriller “The Guest” and the 2010 horror “A Horrible Way to Die.”
The original “Face/Off,” an action thriller, was directed by John Woo and starred John Travolta and Nicolas Cage as an FBI special agent and a terrorist, respectively. The two arch enemies assume each other’s identity by, as the title suggests, switching faces. Travolta’s FBI agent Sean Archer tracks down Castor Troy (Cage), but Troy is severely injured in a plane crash. Archer then undergoes surgery to replace his face with Troy’s in order to go undercover as a criminal.
The original cast also included Joan Allen, Alessandro Nivola, Gina Gershon, Dominque Swain,...
- 2/11/2021
- by Jordan Moreau
- Variety Film + TV
TV vet Dylan Walsh is entering the Arrowverse, as the father of no less than intrepid reporter Lois Lane.
Our sister site Deadline reports that Walsh has joined The CW’s Superman & Lois in the role of Samuel Lane, “a no-nonsense Army General who’s determined to keep America, and the world, safe from all threats – from this world or beyond.”
More from TVLineGrant Gustin 'Devastated' By Death of The Flash Co-Star Logan WilliamsRiverdale Musical First Look: Cheryl, Kevin and the Gang All Get Angry as Hedwig -- Plus, Meet the Archies!The CW Sets Burden of Truth Season 3, More...
Our sister site Deadline reports that Walsh has joined The CW’s Superman & Lois in the role of Samuel Lane, “a no-nonsense Army General who’s determined to keep America, and the world, safe from all threats – from this world or beyond.”
More from TVLineGrant Gustin 'Devastated' By Death of The Flash Co-Star Logan WilliamsRiverdale Musical First Look: Cheryl, Kevin and the Gang All Get Angry as Hedwig -- Plus, Meet the Archies!The CW Sets Burden of Truth Season 3, More...
- 4/3/2020
- TVLine.com
Exclusive: Dylan Walsh is set as a series regular opposite Tyler Hoechlin and Elizabeth Tulloch in Superman & Lois, the CW’s straight-to-series drama about the iconic DC couple, from The Flash executive producer Todd Helbing, DC Universe architect Greg Berlanti and Warner Bros. TV. Walsh will play the popular comic book character General Lane, father of Lois and Lucy.
Written by Helbing, based on the DC characters created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, Superman & Lois revolves around the world’s most famous superhero and comic books’ most famous journalist, played by Hoechlin and Tulloch, as they deal with all the stress, pressures and complexities that come with being working parents in today’s society.
More from DeadlineThe CW Sets Summer Premiere Dates For 'Masters Of Illusion', 'Penn & Teller: Fool Us', 'Bulletproof' & 'Burden Of Truth'Friday Ratings: 'Hawaii Five-0' Knocks Out Competition With Chuck Norris AppearanceThe...
Written by Helbing, based on the DC characters created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, Superman & Lois revolves around the world’s most famous superhero and comic books’ most famous journalist, played by Hoechlin and Tulloch, as they deal with all the stress, pressures and complexities that come with being working parents in today’s society.
More from DeadlineThe CW Sets Summer Premiere Dates For 'Masters Of Illusion', 'Penn & Teller: Fool Us', 'Bulletproof' & 'Burden Of Truth'Friday Ratings: 'Hawaii Five-0' Knocks Out Competition With Chuck Norris AppearanceThe...
- 4/2/2020
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
On Monday, August 28, 2017, Turner Classic Movies will devote an entire day of their “Summer Under the Stars” series to the late, great Louis Burton Lindley Jr. If that name doesn’t sound familiar, well, then just picture the fella riding the bomb like a buckin’ bronco at the end of Dr. Strangelove…, or the racist taskmaster heading up the railroad gang in Blazing Saddles, or the doomed Sheriff Baker, who gets one of the loveliest, most heartbreaking sendoffs in movie history in Sam Peckinpah’s Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid.
Lindley joined the rodeo circuit when he was 13 and soon picked up the name that would follow him throughout the length of his professional career, in rodeo and in movies & TV. One of the rodeo vets got a look at the lank newcomer and told him, “Slim pickin’s. That’s all you’re gonna get in this rodeo.
Lindley joined the rodeo circuit when he was 13 and soon picked up the name that would follow him throughout the length of his professional career, in rodeo and in movies & TV. One of the rodeo vets got a look at the lank newcomer and told him, “Slim pickin’s. That’s all you’re gonna get in this rodeo.
- 8/27/2017
- by Dennis Cozzalio
- Trailers from Hell
By John M. Whalen
Back in the 1950s, before he became a legend, filmmaker Sam Peckinpah (“The Wild Bunch,” “Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia,” and “The Killer Elite”) wrote scripts for TV westerns, including “Gunsmoke,” “The Rifleman,” and “Tombstone Territory.” His reputation grew and in 1957 he wrote his first screenplay entitled “The Glory Guys” which was based on Hoffman Birney’s novel, “The Dice of God.” The book was a fictional account of Custer and the Battle of the Little Big Horn, with all names changed. The script went unproduced for almost eight years, and in the meantime Sam had moved on, directing features including “The Deadly Companions” (1960), “Ride the High Country” (1962) and “Major Dundee” (1965).
You would think that with that growing resume, Peckinpah would have been able to direct anything he wanted to, but such was far from the case. “Bloody Sam,” as he was called, affectionately by his fans,...
Back in the 1950s, before he became a legend, filmmaker Sam Peckinpah (“The Wild Bunch,” “Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia,” and “The Killer Elite”) wrote scripts for TV westerns, including “Gunsmoke,” “The Rifleman,” and “Tombstone Territory.” His reputation grew and in 1957 he wrote his first screenplay entitled “The Glory Guys” which was based on Hoffman Birney’s novel, “The Dice of God.” The book was a fictional account of Custer and the Battle of the Little Big Horn, with all names changed. The script went unproduced for almost eight years, and in the meantime Sam had moved on, directing features including “The Deadly Companions” (1960), “Ride the High Country” (1962) and “Major Dundee” (1965).
You would think that with that growing resume, Peckinpah would have been able to direct anything he wanted to, but such was far from the case. “Bloody Sam,” as he was called, affectionately by his fans,...
- 12/30/2016
- by [email protected] (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
The Pretender TV show premiered 20 years ago today. Starring Michael T. Weiss, as Jarod, the action-adventure drama, created by Steven Mitchell and Craig van Sickle, ran for four seasons before being cancelled in 2000, by NBC.The series also starred: Andrea Parker, Patrick Bauchau, Jon Gries, Ryan Merriman, Richard Marcus, Alex Wexo, James Denton, Sam Ayers, Harve Presnell, Paul Dillon, Willie Gault, Dennis Cruzado, Pamela Gidley, Jason Brooks, and Ashley Peldon. Read More…...
- 9/19/2016
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
Do you like my choice of leading image? 'We're the Glory Guys! Eee-Yow!' What is surely the most generic cavalry western of all time is actually from a screenplay by Sam Peckinpah. Twilight Time's extras have a lot to say about that, and so does Savant. The Glory Guys Blu-ray Twilight Time 1965 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 113 min. / Street Date September 6, 2016 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store / 29.95 Starring Tom Tryon, Harve Presnell, Senta Berger, James Caan, Andrew Duggan, Slim Pickens, Peter Breck, Jeanne Cooper, Michael Anderson Jr., Adam Williams, Wayne Rogers, Michael Forest, Paul Birch, Stephen Chase, Claudio Brook. Cinematography James Wong Howe Cinematography Ernst R. (Tom) Rolf, Melvin Shapiro Original Music Riz Ortolani Written by Sam Peckinpah from the novel by Hoffman Birney Produced by Arthur Gardner, Arnold Laven, Jules V. Levy Directed by Arnold Laven
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
The Glory Guys is as generic and standard-issue...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
The Glory Guys is as generic and standard-issue...
- 9/5/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Debbie Reynolds ca. early 1950s. Debbie Reynolds movies: Oscar nominee for 'The Unsinkable Molly Brown,' sweetness and light in phony 'The Singing Nun' Debbie Reynolds is Turner Classic Movies' “Summer Under the Stars” star today, Aug. 23, '15. An MGM contract player from 1950 to 1959, Reynolds' movies can be seen just about every week on TCM. The only premiere on Debbie Reynolds Day is Jerry Paris' lively marital comedy How Sweet It Is (1968), costarring James Garner. This evening, TCM is showing Divorce American Style, The Catered Affair, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, and The Singing Nun. 'Divorce American Style,' 'The Catered Affair' Directed by the recently deceased Bud Yorkin, Divorce American Style (1967) is notable for its cast – Reynolds, Dick Van Dyke, Jean Simmons, Jason Robards, Van Johnson, Lee Grant – and for the fact that it earned Norman Lear (screenplay) and Robert Kaufman (story) a Best Original Screenplay Academy Award nomination.
- 8/24/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Ron Moody as Fagin in 'Oliver!' based on Charles Dickens' 'Oliver Twist.' Ron Moody as Fagin in Dickens musical 'Oliver!': Box office and critical hit (See previous post: "Ron Moody: 'Oliver!' Actor, Academy Award Nominee Dead at 91.") Although British made, Oliver! turned out to be an elephantine release along the lines of – exclamation point or no – Gypsy, Star!, Hello Dolly!, and other Hollywood mega-musicals from the mid'-50s to the early '70s.[1] But however bloated and conventional the final result, and a cast whose best-known name was that of director Carol Reed's nephew, Oliver Reed, Oliver! found countless fans.[2] The mostly British production became a huge financial and critical success in the U.S. at a time when star-studded mega-musicals had become perilous – at times downright disastrous – ventures.[3] Upon the American release of Oliver! in Dec. 1968, frequently acerbic The...
- 6/19/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Fargo - 20th Century Fox/MGM - Blu-ray Director: Joel Coen and Ethan Coen Cast: Frances McDormand, William H. Macy, Steve Buscemi,Peter Stormare, Harve Presnell. Full cast + crew Fargo is a perfect movie. Yes, what a controversial stance in the year 2014, but there it is. It's an exquisitely written, perfectly plotted dark comedy about murder and congenial mayhem wrapped in a slice of Middle America most people never pay much mind to. There's not a note in this movie that's out of key. This is a remastered Blu-ray, so it should be a slight visual bump over the last release (which I don't have to compare it to, unfortunately), but other than that there's nothing new to this release. But we don't really care, because Fargo...
Read More...
Read More...
- 4/2/2014
- by Peter Hall
- Movies.com
Rank the week of October 14th’s Blu-ray and DVD new releases against the best films of all-time: New Releases Green Lantern
(Blu-ray & DVD | PG13 | 2011)
Flickchart Ranking: #2480
Win Percentage: 43%
Times Ranked: 6760
Top-20 Rankings: 25
Directed By: Martin Campbell
Starring: Ryan Reynolds • Blake Lively • Peter Sarsgaard • Mark Strong • Temuera Morrison
Genres: Action • Action Thriller • Based-on-Comics • Comic-Book Superhero Film • Crime • Crime Thriller • Science Fiction • Sci-Fi Action • Thriller
Rank This Movie
Horrible Bosses
(Blu-ray & DVD | Nr | 2011)
Flickchart Ranking: #750
Win Percentage: 54%
Times Ranked: 6278
Top-20 Rankings: 23
Directed By: Seth Gordon
Starring: Jason Bateman • Jason Sudeikis • Jennifer Aniston • Kevin Spacey • Jamie Foxx
Genres: Black Comedy • Comedy • Workplace Comedy
Rank This Movie
Zookeeper
(Blu-ray & DVD | PG | 2011)
Flickchart Ranking: #10259
Win Percentage: 37%
Times Ranked: 470
Top-20 Rankings: 9
Directed By: Frank Coraci
Starring: Kevin James • Rosario Dawson • Leslie Bibb • Ken Jeong • Donnie Wahlberg
Genres: Animal Picture • Comedy • Family-Oriented Comedy
Rank This Movie
Judy Moody And The Not Bummer Summer
(Blu-ray & DVD | PG...
(Blu-ray & DVD | PG13 | 2011)
Flickchart Ranking: #2480
Win Percentage: 43%
Times Ranked: 6760
Top-20 Rankings: 25
Directed By: Martin Campbell
Starring: Ryan Reynolds • Blake Lively • Peter Sarsgaard • Mark Strong • Temuera Morrison
Genres: Action • Action Thriller • Based-on-Comics • Comic-Book Superhero Film • Crime • Crime Thriller • Science Fiction • Sci-Fi Action • Thriller
Rank This Movie
Horrible Bosses
(Blu-ray & DVD | Nr | 2011)
Flickchart Ranking: #750
Win Percentage: 54%
Times Ranked: 6278
Top-20 Rankings: 23
Directed By: Seth Gordon
Starring: Jason Bateman • Jason Sudeikis • Jennifer Aniston • Kevin Spacey • Jamie Foxx
Genres: Black Comedy • Comedy • Workplace Comedy
Rank This Movie
Zookeeper
(Blu-ray & DVD | PG | 2011)
Flickchart Ranking: #10259
Win Percentage: 37%
Times Ranked: 470
Top-20 Rankings: 9
Directed By: Frank Coraci
Starring: Kevin James • Rosario Dawson • Leslie Bibb • Ken Jeong • Donnie Wahlberg
Genres: Animal Picture • Comedy • Family-Oriented Comedy
Rank This Movie
Judy Moody And The Not Bummer Summer
(Blu-ray & DVD | PG...
- 10/11/2011
- by Jonathan Hardesty
- Flickchart
Jean Hagen, Debbie Reynolds, Singin' in the Rain Debbie Reynolds on TCM: The Unsinkable Molly Brown, The Singing Nun Schedule (Et) and synopses from the TCM website: 6:00 Am The Affairs Of Dobie Gillis (1953) A lovesick teenager searches for romance at college. Dir: Don Weis. Cast: Debbie Reynolds, Bobby Van, Barbara Ruick. Bw-73 mins. 7:15 Am I Love Melvin (1953) A photographer's assistant promises to turn a chorus girl into a cover girl. Dir: Don Weis. Cast: Donald O'Connor, Debbie Reynolds, Una Merkel. C-77 mins. 8:45 Am The Tender Trap (1955) A swinging bachelor finds love when he meets a girl immune to his line. Dir: Charles Walters. Cast: Frank Sinatra, Debbie Reynolds, David Wayne. C-111 mins, Letterbox Format. 10:45 Am Bundle Of Joy (1956) A shop girl is mistaken for the mother of a foundling. Dir: Norman Taurog. Cast: Eddie Fisher, Debbie Reynolds, Adolphe Menjou. C-98 mins. 12:30 Pm Tammy And The Bachelor...
- 8/20/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Pert, pretty, multi-talented, actress-singer-dancer-Hollywood collector Debbie Reynolds is Turner Classic Movies' Star of the Day on Friday, August 18, as TCM continues its "Summer Under the Stars" series. TCM is presenting 13 Debbie Reynolds movies. [Debbie Reynolds Movie Schedule.] Fans of Gene Kelly's Singin' in the Rain (1952) will be able to watch the romantic comedy-musical for the 118th time. I'm not one of them; in fact, I much prefer Kelly and Stanley Donen's On the Town (1949), and I'd say that George Sidney's Show Boat (1951) and Donen's Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954) are my favorite musicals of the 1950s. But fan or no, there's much to enjoy in Singin' in the Rain, including Reynolds and Donald O'Connor's performances, several great songs from the 1920s, and Jean Hagen's high-pitched mix of Norma Talmadge, (the British) Mabel Poulton, and Corinne Griffith. The iconic "Singin' in the Rain" number is one of my least favorite...
- 8/20/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
(from left) Michael Jackson, David Carradine, Bea Arthur, Ricardo Montalban, Karl Malden, Brittany Murphy and Patrick Swayze After losing the likes of Paul Newman, Bernie Mac, George Carlin, Estelle Getty, Roy Scheider and Heath Ledger in 2008 who would have ever thought 2009 would have also taken so many recognizable and loved names. Of course, these are the things we never plan on as once again I continue the tradition I started back in 2006, remembering those we lost over the past year. Like always I will remind you this is not a complete list, but to my knowledge it is a pretty good representation of those we lost from the world of entertainment... Pat Hingle (Died January 3, 2009) - Commissioner Gordon in the '80s and '90s series of Batman movies. Died from Myelodysplasia (blood cancer).
Ricardo Montalban (Died January 14, 2009) - Played the memorable role of Khan in Star Trek - The...
Ricardo Montalban (Died January 14, 2009) - Played the memorable role of Khan in Star Trek - The...
- 1/13/2010
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
DVD Release Date: Nov. 17 Creators: Conan O’Brien, Jonathan Groff Starring: Andy Richter, Tony Hale, Clea Lewis, Harve Presnell, Mashall Manesh Studio/Length: Shout! Factory, 132 mins. Short-lived detective spoof showed promise but never had time to develop Andy Barker, P.I. is all about what happens when you take clichéd murder-mystery investigations and make someone other than Sam Spade or Philip Marlowe the detective. The titular P.I., played to perfection by longtime Conan O’Brien sidekick Andy Richter, is fascinatingly boring—an accountant by trade, Barker is both highly unqualified and highly uninterested in solving crimes. In his heart, he’ll always prefer Form...
- 1/8/2010
- Pastemagazine.com
Fargo (1996) I guess that was your accomplice in the wood chipper. Synopsis Facing a mountain of debt, Minneapolis car salesman Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy) hires thugs Carl Showalter (Steve Buscemi) and Gaear Grimsrud (Peter Stormare) to kidnap his wife Jean (Kristin Rudrüd) and ransom her for money from his wealthy father-in-law Wade (Harve Presnell). When Carl and Gaear leave three bodies in their wake on the car ride to their hideout in Brainerd, Minnesota, the pregnant local police chief Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand) gets involved in the case. Why We Love It When he first reviewed it in 1996, Roger Ebert wrote “films like Fargo are why I love the movies.” I couldn’t say it any better myself. The crowning achievement in the illustrious careers of Joel and Ethan Coen, it’s the movie that most fully displays their preternatural knack for blending insightful character depictions with a keen sense of the ways genre work. It...
- 12/2/2009
- by Robert Levin
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Chicago – Created by Conan O’Brien and Jonathan Groff, NBC’s “Andy Barker, P.I.” was barely given even the slightest chance to develop a following when it debuted a few years ago. Andy Richter had the worst luck as a sitcom lead, failing to find an audience for the brilliant-but-canceled “Andy Richter Controls the Universe” and then getting the axe again after only six episodes of the promising “Andy Barker, P.I.”. No wonder he returned to the loving embrace of Conan O’Brien when he went to “The Tonight Show”.
DVD Rating: 3.5/5.0
Richter’s last stab at sitcom glory was a clever comedy about a fish-out-of-water stuck in noir-esque action. The lovable sidekick played Cpa Andy Barker, a successful accountant who stumbles into the life of a private detective after he rents a storefront office that used to be occupied by someone more skilled at the seedy side of humanity.
DVD Rating: 3.5/5.0
Richter’s last stab at sitcom glory was a clever comedy about a fish-out-of-water stuck in noir-esque action. The lovable sidekick played Cpa Andy Barker, a successful accountant who stumbles into the life of a private detective after he rents a storefront office that used to be occupied by someone more skilled at the seedy side of humanity.
- 12/1/2009
- by [email protected] (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
If you never managed to catch Andy Barker, P.I. when it originally aired two years ago, try not to beat yourself up. Though the show had an impressive cast, led by Andy Richter as a Cpa-turned-private-investigator, and including Harve Presnell, Tony Hale, Marshall Manesh, and Clea Lewis. It was also created by Conan O'Brien and Jonathan Groff. But it only lasted six episodes, and didn't seem to get much push from NBC. Watching it on the newly released DVD, Andy Barker, P.I.: The Complete Series, it's hard not to feel the show could have had legs if given the chance.
All's well that ends well, though, and Richter is happier than ever, paired again with Conan O'Brien on The Tonight Show, getting to do what he calls a "silly little comedy show" without dealing with the backwards world of the sitcom. I spoke with Richter earlier this week...
All's well that ends well, though, and Richter is happier than ever, paired again with Conan O'Brien on The Tonight Show, getting to do what he calls a "silly little comedy show" without dealing with the backwards world of the sitcom. I spoke with Richter earlier this week...
- 11/23/2009
- by Nick Zaino
- Aol TV.
Rob Hunter loves movies. He also loves his job as a Cpa who occasionally finds a little mystery thrown his way. These two joys come together in the form of cash money payments that he receives every week and immediately uses to buy more DVDs. So join us each week as he takes a look at new DVD releases and gives his highly unqualified opinion as to which titles are worth BUYing, which are better off as RENTals, and which should be AVOIDed at all costs. Click on any of the titles below to magically head over to Amazon.com and pick up the DVD. And don't forget to check out Neil Miller's hilariously titled This Week In Blu-ray column for reviews on the latest high definition Blu-ray releases! Andy Barker P.I.: The Complete Series Pitch: The short-lived adventures of a late-night talk show sidekick who gets mistaken for a detective... Why...
- 11/18/2009
- by Rob Hunter
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Actor, singer and Broadway star Harve Presnell died July 1, 2009 at the age of 75. Born September 14, 1933, Presnell started his career on stage, playing prominent roles on Broadway in shows such as The Unsinkable Molly Brown, before moving into film work in the late 1960s. Perhaps best known as the domineering father-in-law to William H. Macy's sheepish wannabe kidnapper in Fargo, Presnell enjoyed a career resurgence in the 1990s and became one of the more recognizable character actors of the last two decades.
Presnell's performance in Fargo was one of those that made even cinephiles wonder, who is this guy? Playing Wade Gunderson, the gruff and obstinate father of the film's kidnap victim, he complemented the desperate ambition of Macy's Jerry Lundegaard and the smalltown sensibleness of Frances McDormand's Marge Gunderson. That same year, he appeared in several other movies, including The Whole Wide World, Larger Than Life and The Chamber,...
Presnell's performance in Fargo was one of those that made even cinephiles wonder, who is this guy? Playing Wade Gunderson, the gruff and obstinate father of the film's kidnap victim, he complemented the desperate ambition of Macy's Jerry Lundegaard and the smalltown sensibleness of Frances McDormand's Marge Gunderson. That same year, he appeared in several other movies, including The Whole Wide World, Larger Than Life and The Chamber,...
- 7/3/2009
- by Todd Gilchrist
- Cinematical
Harve Presnell, the Golden Globe-winning actor best known for his role as William H. Macy's father-in-law in Fargo and who starred in Broadway musicals The Unsinkable Molly Brown and Annie, has died. He was 75.
The actor died Tuesday at St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica, Calif., after a battle with pancreatic cancer, Presnell's agent told the Associated Press.
See other celebrities who have died this year
Born, George Harvey Presnell on Sept. 14, 1933, he was known for his booming baritone voice. The 6-foot-4 actor first gained attention in 1960 as ...
Read More >...
The actor died Tuesday at St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica, Calif., after a battle with pancreatic cancer, Presnell's agent told the Associated Press.
See other celebrities who have died this year
Born, George Harvey Presnell on Sept. 14, 1933, he was known for his booming baritone voice. The 6-foot-4 actor first gained attention in 1960 as ...
Read More >...
- 7/2/2009
- by Adam Bryant
- TVGuide - Breaking News
Jermaine Jackson says he wishes it were he who died instead of Michael - Lifeline Live Neil Patrick Harris might host the Emmys - BuzzSugar Michael Jackson used aliases to get multiple prescriptions filled - TMZ Heidi and Spencer think 9/11 was an inside job - Celebitchy Nigel confirms Katie's performance on So You Think You Can Dance - Wonderwall Actor Harve Presnell passed away on Tuesday - Popeater Usher's wife is disputing his divorce claims - AP Hayden Panettiere talks about her dad's domestic violence arrest - Us Weekly Kendra and Hank's wedding day video - I'm Not Obsessed...
- 7/2/2009
- by PopSugar
- Popsugar.com
Actor Presnell Dies
Broadway star Harve Presnell has died, aged 75.
The actor passed away on Tuesday in Santa Monica, California after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
Presnell made his name on the New York stage in the 1960s and 1970s, starring in productions including The Unsinkable Molly Brown and Annie. He also acted on the West End stage in London in a 1972 version of Gone With The Wind.
He was also an established movie star, appearing alongside Tom Hanks in Saving Private Ryan in 1998, and he won a Golden Globe in 1965 for Most Promising Male Newcomer.
He also appeared in Fargo, Face/Off and Mr. Deeds. His final films were 2006's Flags of Our Fathers and 2007's Evan Almighty, in which he played Congressman Burrows.
Presnell also appeared in a number of U.S. TV shows, such as teen drama Dawson's Creek, Andy Barker P.I. and Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.
He is survived by his wife Veeva Suzanne Hamblen and three children from a previous marriage.
The actor passed away on Tuesday in Santa Monica, California after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
Presnell made his name on the New York stage in the 1960s and 1970s, starring in productions including The Unsinkable Molly Brown and Annie. He also acted on the West End stage in London in a 1972 version of Gone With The Wind.
He was also an established movie star, appearing alongside Tom Hanks in Saving Private Ryan in 1998, and he won a Golden Globe in 1965 for Most Promising Male Newcomer.
He also appeared in Fargo, Face/Off and Mr. Deeds. His final films were 2006's Flags of Our Fathers and 2007's Evan Almighty, in which he played Congressman Burrows.
Presnell also appeared in a number of U.S. TV shows, such as teen drama Dawson's Creek, Andy Barker P.I. and Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.
He is survived by his wife Veeva Suzanne Hamblen and three children from a previous marriage.
- 7/2/2009
- WENN
The celebrity deaths keep on happening, which makes me hope that Death takes a holiday at least over the 4th of July weekend. Yesterday we lost actor and baritone singer Harve Presnell, who is best remembered nowadays for playing William H. Macy's father-in-law in Fargo, and now today we say goodbye to Karl Malden, who won a supporting actor Oscar for A Streetcar Named Desire, which was one of his four collaborations with director Elia Kazan. He was also Oscar-nominated for his performance in Kazan's On the Waterfront. Other memorable film appearances include roles in Gypsy, <em ...
- 7/1/2009
- by Christopher Campbell
- Spout
Engvall, Cyrus take the 'Bait'
Comedian Bill Engvall and crooner-turned-actor Billy Ray Cyrus are set to star in the comedy feature "Bait Shop" for Lionsgate Home Entertainment.
The story centers around a small town bait shop owner (Engvall) who finds his beloved tackle shop at risk of foreclosure.
In an attempt to raise money to save his business, he enters a high-profile fishing tournament, which finds him competing against his nemesis, the self-promoting fishing pro Hot Rod Johnson (Cyrus).
C.B. Harding "Delta Farce" is directing the film, which also stars Harve Presnell ("Fargo") and Richard Riehle ("Grounded for Life").
J.P. Williams of Parallel Entertainment and Alan Blomquist are producing the film, which was written by Engvall, Tom Ryan, Bear Aderhold and Tom Sullivan.
Production on the film, which will be distributed by Lionsgate Home Entertainment as a DVD original feature, is set to begin today in Orlando, Fla.
The story centers around a small town bait shop owner (Engvall) who finds his beloved tackle shop at risk of foreclosure.
In an attempt to raise money to save his business, he enters a high-profile fishing tournament, which finds him competing against his nemesis, the self-promoting fishing pro Hot Rod Johnson (Cyrus).
C.B. Harding "Delta Farce" is directing the film, which also stars Harve Presnell ("Fargo") and Richard Riehle ("Grounded for Life").
J.P. Williams of Parallel Entertainment and Alan Blomquist are producing the film, which was written by Engvall, Tom Ryan, Bear Aderhold and Tom Sullivan.
Production on the film, which will be distributed by Lionsgate Home Entertainment as a DVD original feature, is set to begin today in Orlando, Fla.
- 1/27/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The networks are getting faster and faster at pulling shows from the airwaves. Just when you think you've heard it all, they come up with something new. Well, how about pulling a show before it's even been aired?
Andy Barker P.I. is a new sitcom that's scheduled to debut this Thursday night at 9:30pm on NBC. The series stars comic actor Andy Richter and was created by Conan O'Brien and Jonathan Groff. The series premise is that Richter plays a struggling accountant who reluctantly becomes a detective after moving into office space formerly occupied by a private investigator. The series co-stars Tony Hale, Marshall Manesh, Harve Presnell, and Clea Lewis.
Richter's had a string of bad luck with sitcoms since he left Late Night with Conan O'Brien seven years ago. It sounds like this show might be good enough to break that run. But, has NBC already made...
Andy Barker P.I. is a new sitcom that's scheduled to debut this Thursday night at 9:30pm on NBC. The series stars comic actor Andy Richter and was created by Conan O'Brien and Jonathan Groff. The series premise is that Richter plays a struggling accountant who reluctantly becomes a detective after moving into office space formerly occupied by a private investigator. The series co-stars Tony Hale, Marshall Manesh, Harve Presnell, and Clea Lewis.
Richter's had a string of bad luck with sitcoms since he left Late Night with Conan O'Brien seven years ago. It sounds like this show might be good enough to break that run. But, has NBC already made...
- 3/13/2007
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
Flags of Our Fathers
Clint Eastwood's "Flags of Our Fathers" does a most difficult and brave thing and does it brilliantly. It is a movie about a concept. Not just any concept but the shop-worn and often wrong-headed idea of "heroism."
The movie performs this task amid the fog of war on Iwo Jima in 1945, when the Associated Press' Joe Rosenthal took the iconic photograph of six American servicemen raising Old Glory on Mount Suribachi. The movie deconstructs that moment, shattering it into a jigsaw puzzle of flashbacks and flash-forwards, to explore how that photograph turned into a major prop of the U.S. government's war bonds campaign and how the government designated the three surviving flag raisers as "heroes."
From a boxoffice standpoint, this might be a rare instance of having your cake and eating it, too: The film also takes a hard, unblinking look at the cynicism and PR manipulation that went into the war bond tour and what we today recognize as the nascent fluttering of the cult of celebrityhood, when the three surviving flag-raisers were among the most famous men in the U.S.
Yet Eastwood packs the movie with action as tough and bloody as such benchmark films as "Saving Private Ryan", "Black Hawk Down" and "We Were Soldiers". Nor does he ever deny the sacrifice and achievements of the men who fought and died in the battle for Iwo Jima. So the movie should attract viewers across the political spectrum. Critical acclaim and year-end awards can only expand its potential boxoffice.
The film is based on a book by James Bradley (with Ron Powers) about his father, Navy Corpsman John Bradley, one of the flag-raisers who nevertheless would never discuss that or any other aspect of his war experiences with his family. William Broyles Jr. and Paul Haggis' screenplay has a complex structure that takes awhile for audiences to read.
A soldier runs alone in a bleak landscape that looks like the lunar surface, then awakens in a cold sweat in his bed, his wife comforting him, many years later. Three soldiers, scaling a mountaintop with explosions everywhere, reach the summit and survey a sea of faces in a football stadium, roaring approval for this re-enactment of their experiences of only weeks before. Meanwhile, a man in more recent times -- we later realize this is the son, James Bradley (Tom McCarthy) -- interviews key people who knew his father.
In this manner, the movie moves back and forth in time to watch people come to grips with the question of heroism and how that flag raising became a symbol Americans desperately clung to as the war in the Pacific hung in the balance. "If you can get a picture, the right picture, you can win a war," a retired captain (Harve Presnell) tells Bradley.
The film introduces the six servicemen as U.S. warships steam steadily toward Iwo Jima. Initially it's hard to tell who's who, but Eastwood and his writers probably do this deliberately as they want us to consider these young men as ordinary Joes doing a job in combat. It is totally random how fate chooses the six -- and actually it's three as the others are killed not long after the photo is taken.
Within days the U.S. government calls the surviving flag-raisers back to the mainland: Doc Bradley (Ryan Phillippe), a Navy Corpsman called upon to help the Marines raise the flag; Rene Gagnon (Jesse Bradford), a "runner" who happened to bring the flag to the mountaintop; and Ira Hayes (Adam Beach), an Indian who is the most uncomfortable at finding himself a national hero.
For most of the war bond tour, the trio's "minder" John Benjamin Hickey) has double duty. He must overcome the men's resistance to playing heroes, a label they feel belongs to others more deserving. And he must keep Ira sober. War has kept the Marine's alcoholism in check; back home he fears banquet halls more than the blood-stained soil of Iwo Jima.
Then the background to the photo itself undermines the men's sense of purpose. The fact is that Rosenthal's famous photo is of the second flag-raising that day. The first occurs before Rosenthal made it up the top. When he does arrive, he finds soldiers, who had been laying a telephone line, preparing to raise a second, larger flag the moment the first one comes down. And that photo, taken blindly at the last moment, is the one that hit the wires worldwide. This leads to confusion, cleared up only years later, as to the identities of the soldiers in the photo since none of their faces is visible.
Cinematographer Tom Stern shoots in washed-out colors, much like old color film long faded so that only blues, grays, browns and flesh tones prevail. This situates the film in a hallucinatory no-man's-land between Iwo Jima and a peaceful U.S., where no one has any concept of the horrors these men endured.
There are many astonishing moments. A Japanese soldier lies dying next to a critically injured Yank, the two men now linked in death. A search of caves deep within the island causes American soldiers to realize the surviving Japanese are committing suicide with their grenades. The persistent racism Ira faces is so casual that everyone is blithely unaware of the demeaning nature of their remarks.
Eastwood's own musical score, infusing the film with understated valor and light melancholy, and Henry Bumstead's fine sets and period design are crucial components of Eastwood's vision of a world that needs "heroism" to help it understand and process the incomprehensible cruelty and sacrifice of war. Says one vet, "We need easy-to-understand truths and damn few words."
FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS
Paramount Pictures
DreamWorks and Warner Bros. Pictures present a Malpaso Prods./Amblin Entertainment production
Credits:
Director: Clint Eastwood
Screenwriters: William Broyles Jr., Paul Haggis
Based on the book by: James Bradley with Ron Powers
Producers: Clint Eastwood, Steven Spielberg, Robert Lorenz
Director of photography: Tom Stern
Production designer: Henry Bumstead
Music: Clint Eastwood
Co-producer: Tim Moore
Costume designer: Deborah Hopper
Editor: Joel Cox
Cast:
John Bradley: Ryan Phillippe
Rene Gagnon: Jesse Bradford
Ira Hayes: Adam Beach
Keyes Beech: John Benjamin Hickey
Bud Gerber: John Slattery
Mike Strank: Barry Pepper
Ralph Ignatowski: Jamie Bell
Hank Hansen: Paul Walker
Running time -- 132 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
The movie performs this task amid the fog of war on Iwo Jima in 1945, when the Associated Press' Joe Rosenthal took the iconic photograph of six American servicemen raising Old Glory on Mount Suribachi. The movie deconstructs that moment, shattering it into a jigsaw puzzle of flashbacks and flash-forwards, to explore how that photograph turned into a major prop of the U.S. government's war bonds campaign and how the government designated the three surviving flag raisers as "heroes."
From a boxoffice standpoint, this might be a rare instance of having your cake and eating it, too: The film also takes a hard, unblinking look at the cynicism and PR manipulation that went into the war bond tour and what we today recognize as the nascent fluttering of the cult of celebrityhood, when the three surviving flag-raisers were among the most famous men in the U.S.
Yet Eastwood packs the movie with action as tough and bloody as such benchmark films as "Saving Private Ryan", "Black Hawk Down" and "We Were Soldiers". Nor does he ever deny the sacrifice and achievements of the men who fought and died in the battle for Iwo Jima. So the movie should attract viewers across the political spectrum. Critical acclaim and year-end awards can only expand its potential boxoffice.
The film is based on a book by James Bradley (with Ron Powers) about his father, Navy Corpsman John Bradley, one of the flag-raisers who nevertheless would never discuss that or any other aspect of his war experiences with his family. William Broyles Jr. and Paul Haggis' screenplay has a complex structure that takes awhile for audiences to read.
A soldier runs alone in a bleak landscape that looks like the lunar surface, then awakens in a cold sweat in his bed, his wife comforting him, many years later. Three soldiers, scaling a mountaintop with explosions everywhere, reach the summit and survey a sea of faces in a football stadium, roaring approval for this re-enactment of their experiences of only weeks before. Meanwhile, a man in more recent times -- we later realize this is the son, James Bradley (Tom McCarthy) -- interviews key people who knew his father.
In this manner, the movie moves back and forth in time to watch people come to grips with the question of heroism and how that flag raising became a symbol Americans desperately clung to as the war in the Pacific hung in the balance. "If you can get a picture, the right picture, you can win a war," a retired captain (Harve Presnell) tells Bradley.
The film introduces the six servicemen as U.S. warships steam steadily toward Iwo Jima. Initially it's hard to tell who's who, but Eastwood and his writers probably do this deliberately as they want us to consider these young men as ordinary Joes doing a job in combat. It is totally random how fate chooses the six -- and actually it's three as the others are killed not long after the photo is taken.
Within days the U.S. government calls the surviving flag-raisers back to the mainland: Doc Bradley (Ryan Phillippe), a Navy Corpsman called upon to help the Marines raise the flag; Rene Gagnon (Jesse Bradford), a "runner" who happened to bring the flag to the mountaintop; and Ira Hayes (Adam Beach), an Indian who is the most uncomfortable at finding himself a national hero.
For most of the war bond tour, the trio's "minder" John Benjamin Hickey) has double duty. He must overcome the men's resistance to playing heroes, a label they feel belongs to others more deserving. And he must keep Ira sober. War has kept the Marine's alcoholism in check; back home he fears banquet halls more than the blood-stained soil of Iwo Jima.
Then the background to the photo itself undermines the men's sense of purpose. The fact is that Rosenthal's famous photo is of the second flag-raising that day. The first occurs before Rosenthal made it up the top. When he does arrive, he finds soldiers, who had been laying a telephone line, preparing to raise a second, larger flag the moment the first one comes down. And that photo, taken blindly at the last moment, is the one that hit the wires worldwide. This leads to confusion, cleared up only years later, as to the identities of the soldiers in the photo since none of their faces is visible.
Cinematographer Tom Stern shoots in washed-out colors, much like old color film long faded so that only blues, grays, browns and flesh tones prevail. This situates the film in a hallucinatory no-man's-land between Iwo Jima and a peaceful U.S., where no one has any concept of the horrors these men endured.
There are many astonishing moments. A Japanese soldier lies dying next to a critically injured Yank, the two men now linked in death. A search of caves deep within the island causes American soldiers to realize the surviving Japanese are committing suicide with their grenades. The persistent racism Ira faces is so casual that everyone is blithely unaware of the demeaning nature of their remarks.
Eastwood's own musical score, infusing the film with understated valor and light melancholy, and Henry Bumstead's fine sets and period design are crucial components of Eastwood's vision of a world that needs "heroism" to help it understand and process the incomprehensible cruelty and sacrifice of war. Says one vet, "We need easy-to-understand truths and damn few words."
FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS
Paramount Pictures
DreamWorks and Warner Bros. Pictures present a Malpaso Prods./Amblin Entertainment production
Credits:
Director: Clint Eastwood
Screenwriters: William Broyles Jr., Paul Haggis
Based on the book by: James Bradley with Ron Powers
Producers: Clint Eastwood, Steven Spielberg, Robert Lorenz
Director of photography: Tom Stern
Production designer: Henry Bumstead
Music: Clint Eastwood
Co-producer: Tim Moore
Costume designer: Deborah Hopper
Editor: Joel Cox
Cast:
John Bradley: Ryan Phillippe
Rene Gagnon: Jesse Bradford
Ira Hayes: Adam Beach
Keyes Beech: John Benjamin Hickey
Bud Gerber: John Slattery
Mike Strank: Barry Pepper
Ralph Ignatowski: Jamie Bell
Hank Hansen: Paul Walker
Running time -- 132 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 10/10/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Flags of Our Fathers
Clint Eastwood's "Flags of Our Fathers" does a most difficult and brave thing and does it brilliantly. It is a movie about a concept. Not just any concept but the shop-worn and often wrong-headed idea of "heroism."
The movie performs this task amid the fog of war on Iwo Jima in 1945, when the Associated Press' Joe Rosenthal took the iconic photograph of six American servicemen raising Old Glory on Mount Suribachi. The movie deconstructs that moment, shattering it into a jigsaw puzzle of flashbacks and flash-forwards, to explore how that photograph turned into a major prop of the U.S. government's war bonds campaign and how the government designated the three surviving flag raisers as "heroes."
From a boxoffice standpoint, this might be a rare instance of having your cake and eating it, too: The film also takes a hard, unblinking look at the cynicism and PR manipulation that went into the war bond tour and what we today recognize as the nascent fluttering of the cult of celebrityhood, when the three surviving flag-raisers were among the most famous men in the U.S.
Yet Eastwood packs the movie with action as tough and bloody as such benchmark films as "Saving Private Ryan", "Black Hawk Down" and "We Were Soldiers". Nor does he ever deny the sacrifice and achievements of the men who fought and died in the battle for Iwo Jima. So the movie should attract viewers across the political spectrum. Critical acclaim and year-end awards can only expand its potential boxoffice.
The film is based on a book by James Bradley (with Ron Powers) about his father, Navy Corpsman John Bradley, one of the flag-raisers who nevertheless would never discuss that or any other aspect of his war experiences with his family. William Broyles Jr. and Paul Haggis' screenplay has a complex structure that takes awhile for audiences to read.
A soldier runs alone in a bleak landscape that looks like the lunar surface, then awakens in a cold sweat in his bed, his wife comforting him, many years later. Three soldiers, scaling a mountaintop with explosions everywhere, reach the summit and survey a sea of faces in a football stadium, roaring approval for this re-enactment of their experiences of only weeks before. Meanwhile, a man in more recent times -- we later realize this is the son, James Bradley (Tom McCarthy) -- interviews key people who knew his father.
In this manner, the movie moves back and forth in time to watch people come to grips with the question of heroism and how that flag raising became a symbol Americans desperately clung to as the war in the Pacific hung in the balance. "If you can get a picture, the right picture, you can win a war," a retired captain (Harve Presnell) tells Bradley.
The film introduces the six servicemen as U.S. warships steam steadily toward Iwo Jima. Initially it's hard to tell who's who, but Eastwood and his writers probably do this deliberately as they want us to consider these young men as ordinary Joes doing a job in combat. It is totally random how fate chooses the six -- and actually it's three as the others are killed not long after the photo is taken.
Within days the U.S. government calls the surviving flag-raisers back to the mainland: Doc Bradley (Ryan Phillippe), a Navy Corpsman called upon to help the Marines raise the flag; Rene Gagnon (Jesse Bradford), a "runner" who happened to bring the flag to the mountaintop; and Ira Hayes (Adam Beach), an Indian who is the most uncomfortable at finding himself a national hero.
For most of the war bond tour, the trio's "minder" John Benjamin Hickey) has double duty. He must overcome the men's resistance to playing heroes, a label they feel belongs to others more deserving. And he must keep Ira sober. War has kept the Marine's alcoholism in check; back home he fears banquet halls more than the blood-stained soil of Iwo Jima.
Then the background to the photo itself undermines the men's sense of purpose. The fact is that Rosenthal's famous photo is of the second flag-raising that day. The first occurs before Rosenthal made it up the top. When he does arrive, he finds soldiers, who had been laying a telephone line, preparing to raise a second, larger flag the moment the first one comes down. And that photo, taken blindly at the last moment, is the one that hit the wires worldwide. This leads to confusion, cleared up only years later, as to the identities of the soldiers in the photo since none of their faces is visible.
Cinematographer Tom Stern shoots in washed-out colors, much like old color film long faded so that only blues, grays, browns and flesh tones prevail. This situates the film in a hallucinatory no-man's-land between Iwo Jima and a peaceful U.S., where no one has any concept of the horrors these men endured.
There are many astonishing moments. A Japanese soldier lies dying next to a critically injured Yank, the two men now linked in death. A search of caves deep within the island causes American soldiers to realize the surviving Japanese are committing suicide with their grenades. The persistent racism Ira faces is so casual that everyone is blithely unaware of the demeaning nature of their remarks.
Eastwood's own musical score, infusing the film with understated valor and light melancholy, and Henry Bumstead's fine sets and period design are crucial components of Eastwood's vision of a world that needs "heroism" to help it understand and process the incomprehensible cruelty and sacrifice of war. Says one vet, "We need easy-to-understand truths and damn few words."...
The movie performs this task amid the fog of war on Iwo Jima in 1945, when the Associated Press' Joe Rosenthal took the iconic photograph of six American servicemen raising Old Glory on Mount Suribachi. The movie deconstructs that moment, shattering it into a jigsaw puzzle of flashbacks and flash-forwards, to explore how that photograph turned into a major prop of the U.S. government's war bonds campaign and how the government designated the three surviving flag raisers as "heroes."
From a boxoffice standpoint, this might be a rare instance of having your cake and eating it, too: The film also takes a hard, unblinking look at the cynicism and PR manipulation that went into the war bond tour and what we today recognize as the nascent fluttering of the cult of celebrityhood, when the three surviving flag-raisers were among the most famous men in the U.S.
Yet Eastwood packs the movie with action as tough and bloody as such benchmark films as "Saving Private Ryan", "Black Hawk Down" and "We Were Soldiers". Nor does he ever deny the sacrifice and achievements of the men who fought and died in the battle for Iwo Jima. So the movie should attract viewers across the political spectrum. Critical acclaim and year-end awards can only expand its potential boxoffice.
The film is based on a book by James Bradley (with Ron Powers) about his father, Navy Corpsman John Bradley, one of the flag-raisers who nevertheless would never discuss that or any other aspect of his war experiences with his family. William Broyles Jr. and Paul Haggis' screenplay has a complex structure that takes awhile for audiences to read.
A soldier runs alone in a bleak landscape that looks like the lunar surface, then awakens in a cold sweat in his bed, his wife comforting him, many years later. Three soldiers, scaling a mountaintop with explosions everywhere, reach the summit and survey a sea of faces in a football stadium, roaring approval for this re-enactment of their experiences of only weeks before. Meanwhile, a man in more recent times -- we later realize this is the son, James Bradley (Tom McCarthy) -- interviews key people who knew his father.
In this manner, the movie moves back and forth in time to watch people come to grips with the question of heroism and how that flag raising became a symbol Americans desperately clung to as the war in the Pacific hung in the balance. "If you can get a picture, the right picture, you can win a war," a retired captain (Harve Presnell) tells Bradley.
The film introduces the six servicemen as U.S. warships steam steadily toward Iwo Jima. Initially it's hard to tell who's who, but Eastwood and his writers probably do this deliberately as they want us to consider these young men as ordinary Joes doing a job in combat. It is totally random how fate chooses the six -- and actually it's three as the others are killed not long after the photo is taken.
Within days the U.S. government calls the surviving flag-raisers back to the mainland: Doc Bradley (Ryan Phillippe), a Navy Corpsman called upon to help the Marines raise the flag; Rene Gagnon (Jesse Bradford), a "runner" who happened to bring the flag to the mountaintop; and Ira Hayes (Adam Beach), an Indian who is the most uncomfortable at finding himself a national hero.
For most of the war bond tour, the trio's "minder" John Benjamin Hickey) has double duty. He must overcome the men's resistance to playing heroes, a label they feel belongs to others more deserving. And he must keep Ira sober. War has kept the Marine's alcoholism in check; back home he fears banquet halls more than the blood-stained soil of Iwo Jima.
Then the background to the photo itself undermines the men's sense of purpose. The fact is that Rosenthal's famous photo is of the second flag-raising that day. The first occurs before Rosenthal made it up the top. When he does arrive, he finds soldiers, who had been laying a telephone line, preparing to raise a second, larger flag the moment the first one comes down. And that photo, taken blindly at the last moment, is the one that hit the wires worldwide. This leads to confusion, cleared up only years later, as to the identities of the soldiers in the photo since none of their faces is visible.
Cinematographer Tom Stern shoots in washed-out colors, much like old color film long faded so that only blues, grays, browns and flesh tones prevail. This situates the film in a hallucinatory no-man's-land between Iwo Jima and a peaceful U.S., where no one has any concept of the horrors these men endured.
There are many astonishing moments. A Japanese soldier lies dying next to a critically injured Yank, the two men now linked in death. A search of caves deep within the island causes American soldiers to realize the surviving Japanese are committing suicide with their grenades. The persistent racism Ira faces is so casual that everyone is blithely unaware of the demeaning nature of their remarks.
Eastwood's own musical score, infusing the film with understated valor and light melancholy, and Henry Bumstead's fine sets and period design are crucial components of Eastwood's vision of a world that needs "heroism" to help it understand and process the incomprehensible cruelty and sacrifice of war. Says one vet, "We need easy-to-understand truths and damn few words."...
- 10/9/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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