I rarely have the opportunity to call any actor sweet, but I think that term certainly applies to the beloved Gene Wilder, who passed away in 2016. It’s remarkable how a gentle man like Wilder survived and prospered in the cut-throat world of film acting but survive he did in an esteemed film career that lasted nearly four decades.
Wilder was one of those rare actors nominated at the Academy Awards for both acting (Best Supporting Actor for 1967’s “The Producers”) and writing. Wilder was also nominated for two Best Actor Golden Globe Awards (for 1971’s “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” and 1976’s “Silver Streak”) and won an Emmy in his final on-screen work in 2003 for his guest performance on “Will and Grace.”
So let’s raise a glass of something wild to toast and remember the great Wilder. Tour our photo gallery featuring his 12 greatest film performances, ranked worst to best.
Wilder was one of those rare actors nominated at the Academy Awards for both acting (Best Supporting Actor for 1967’s “The Producers”) and writing. Wilder was also nominated for two Best Actor Golden Globe Awards (for 1971’s “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” and 1976’s “Silver Streak”) and won an Emmy in his final on-screen work in 2003 for his guest performance on “Will and Grace.”
So let’s raise a glass of something wild to toast and remember the great Wilder. Tour our photo gallery featuring his 12 greatest film performances, ranked worst to best.
- 6/9/2024
- by Tom O'Brien, Misty Holland and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
The Grand Theft Auto series is known for its gritty storytelling and morally ambiguous characters, and GTA V is no exception. However, according to the massive source code leak that made headlines earlier this year, Rockstar Games had planned an even more shocking and brutal ending for one of the game’s beloved protagonists, Trevor Philips.
Here’s what could have been!
Trevor Philips: The ‘Liquid Nitrogen’ Ending GTA V’s Trevor Philips and Michael De Santa | Image via Rockstar Games
Trevor Philips is known for his chaotic and truly unhinged personality, making him one of GTA V’s most unforgettable characters. However, the original ending planned for Trevor was even more brutal than what players experienced in the final game. According to the leaked source code, one of the alternate endings involved Trevor being frozen in liquid nitrogen and then smashed to pieces by Michael with a 2×4 plank. It...
Here’s what could have been!
Trevor Philips: The ‘Liquid Nitrogen’ Ending GTA V’s Trevor Philips and Michael De Santa | Image via Rockstar Games
Trevor Philips is known for his chaotic and truly unhinged personality, making him one of GTA V’s most unforgettable characters. However, the original ending planned for Trevor was even more brutal than what players experienced in the final game. According to the leaked source code, one of the alternate endings involved Trevor being frozen in liquid nitrogen and then smashed to pieces by Michael with a 2×4 plank. It...
- 6/4/2024
- by Soumyajit Mukherjee
- FandomWire
Cinephiles romanticize the New Hollywood era of the late 1960s and most of the 1970s as a time of artistic rebellion during which a batch of young directors and experienced helmers saved Hollywood by connecting with Baby Boomer moviegoers bored with formula Westerns, backlot musicals, and all the other fusty stuff their parents dragged them to throughout their childhood. These artists toyed with genre conventions and film technique to reignite a jaded generation's excitement for the medium at a time when television was becoming an increasingly appealing entertainment option.
It was an incredibly exciting time for movies, but audiences of all ages still had an appetite for good ol' cinematic spectacle. They might've tired of sword-and-sandal epics and widescreen adaptations of Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals, but there was nothing wrong with studios spending loads of money to fill the big screen with eye-popping imagery.
And for most of the 1970s,...
It was an incredibly exciting time for movies, but audiences of all ages still had an appetite for good ol' cinematic spectacle. They might've tired of sword-and-sandal epics and widescreen adaptations of Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals, but there was nothing wrong with studios spending loads of money to fill the big screen with eye-popping imagery.
And for most of the 1970s,...
- 5/26/2024
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
‘Queen of the Deuce’ Review: A Fun Footnote About a Behind-The-Scenes Mogul of the Sexual Revolution
Over half a century ago, movies were changing at warp speed, with censorship boundaries falling and artistic ones expanding, as remembered from such game-changers as “Bonnie and Clyde,” “I Am Curious (Yellow)” and “2001: A Space Odyssey.” You probably do not remember the likes of “Whip’s Women,” “Come Ride the Wild Pink Horse,” “Once Upon a Body” or “Scare Their Pants Off!” — and good luck finding them now, since many such disposable late-1960s “adults only” features are assumed lost now. But they, too, made the ’60s “swing,” while making fortunes for individuals like the subject of “Queen of the Deuce.”
Valerie Kontakos’ documentary is about a singular character, one Chelly Wilson. She was the unlikely queenpin of the 42nd St. porn emporiums that flourished for a couple decades, until home video and other factors led to their gradual demise. Entering the biz when softcore had not yet turned...
Valerie Kontakos’ documentary is about a singular character, one Chelly Wilson. She was the unlikely queenpin of the 42nd St. porn emporiums that flourished for a couple decades, until home video and other factors led to their gradual demise. Entering the biz when softcore had not yet turned...
- 5/23/2024
- by Dennis Harvey
- Variety Film + TV
Note: This article discusses sexual misconduct and abuse.
As much as I roll my eyes at Joe Russo blaming Marvel's pandemic-era box office woes on the children, he's right about one thing: Hollywood, like the world at large, is at a crossroads at the time of this writing. Superhero films, which have been the bread and butter of the industry for most of the 21st century, are no longer a reliable draw. We also find ourselves in a curious place where franchise fatigue seems to be settling in, yet it remains challenging for anything that isn't based on an IP to find financial success. At the same time, the growing popularity of smaller and scrappier fare from studios like A24 could point to a way forward.
It's a lot like the 1960s, when you think about it. By the end of that decade, the American New Wave was in full swing.
As much as I roll my eyes at Joe Russo blaming Marvel's pandemic-era box office woes on the children, he's right about one thing: Hollywood, like the world at large, is at a crossroads at the time of this writing. Superhero films, which have been the bread and butter of the industry for most of the 21st century, are no longer a reliable draw. We also find ourselves in a curious place where franchise fatigue seems to be settling in, yet it remains challenging for anything that isn't based on an IP to find financial success. At the same time, the growing popularity of smaller and scrappier fare from studios like A24 could point to a way forward.
It's a lot like the 1960s, when you think about it. By the end of that decade, the American New Wave was in full swing.
- 5/17/2024
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
Andrew McCarthy, Faye Dunaway and Harvey Keitel have been tapped to lead the cast of Jonathan Baker’s supernatural love story “Fate,” which begins shooting later this month for Baker Entertainment in Vancouver.
Baker’s previous credits include Gina Gershon and Nicolas Cage starrer “Inconceivable” as director and “Survive the Night,” “Force of Nature” and “American Traitor: The Trial of Axis Sally” as producer.
Dunaway recently announced that her documentary “Faye” will premiere during the Classics section of this year’s Cannes Film Festival. “Faye” chronicles her life and features candid discussions about her triumphs and challenges throughout her career. A best actress Oscar winner for “Network,” Dunaway was Oscar-nominated for “Bonnie and Clyde” and “Chinatown” in addition to memorable roles in dozens of films including “The Towering Inferno,” “Three Days of the Condor” and “Mommie Dearest.”
Keitel has starred in “Reservoir Dogs,” “Taxi Driver,” “Mean Streets,” “Pulp Fiction” and “Thelma and Louise.
Baker’s previous credits include Gina Gershon and Nicolas Cage starrer “Inconceivable” as director and “Survive the Night,” “Force of Nature” and “American Traitor: The Trial of Axis Sally” as producer.
Dunaway recently announced that her documentary “Faye” will premiere during the Classics section of this year’s Cannes Film Festival. “Faye” chronicles her life and features candid discussions about her triumphs and challenges throughout her career. A best actress Oscar winner for “Network,” Dunaway was Oscar-nominated for “Bonnie and Clyde” and “Chinatown” in addition to memorable roles in dozens of films including “The Towering Inferno,” “Three Days of the Condor” and “Mommie Dearest.”
Keitel has starred in “Reservoir Dogs,” “Taxi Driver,” “Mean Streets,” “Pulp Fiction” and “Thelma and Louise.
- 5/6/2024
- by Jack Dunn
- Variety Film + TV
The original 1964 Broadway production of "Hello, Dolly!" was considered a showcase for its star, Carol Channing, and little else. At the time, critics were not entirely kind, saying the show had "unnecessary vulgar and frenzied touches," and that they "wouldn't say that Jerry Herman's score is memorable." Despite the middling reviews, "Hello, Dolly!" won 10 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Leading Actress (for Channing), Best Direction, Best Choreography, and Best Original Score.
The mid-'60s were a weirdly fraught time for major Hollywood musicals, as the genre provided some of the era's biggest hits, but also some of its biggest bombs. In 1964, Disney had a big hit with "Mary Poppins" and Warner Bros. made bank with "My Fair Lady," so musicals were suddenly on the rise. In 1965, Fox released "The Sound of Music," adapted from the stage production by Rodgers and Hammerstein, and it proved to be one of...
The mid-'60s were a weirdly fraught time for major Hollywood musicals, as the genre provided some of the era's biggest hits, but also some of its biggest bombs. In 1964, Disney had a big hit with "Mary Poppins" and Warner Bros. made bank with "My Fair Lady," so musicals were suddenly on the rise. In 1965, Fox released "The Sound of Music," adapted from the stage production by Rodgers and Hammerstein, and it proved to be one of...
- 5/5/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
David Anspaugh's 1986 sports drama "Hoosiers" has gone down in history as one of the most influential sports dramas ever made. Partly inspired by the real-life story of the 1954 Indiana state champions Milan High School, "Hoosiers" focuses on formerly-disgraced basketball coach Norman Dale (Gene Hackman), who gets a rare second chance to prove his mettle at Indiana's Hickory High School. The rather tight-knit town of Hickory seems a little too unforgiving towards Norman due to his sketchy past, but redemption finds its way to him via a David vs. Goliath situation that soon transforms into a classic underdog tale about dreaming big and achieving the impossible.
Some of the more saccharine themes in "Hoosiers" might feel a tad corny at times, but it is a film that brandishes sincere authenticity when it comes to the magic of unexpected second chances and the highs and lows of small-town sports. Moreover, a...
Some of the more saccharine themes in "Hoosiers" might feel a tad corny at times, but it is a film that brandishes sincere authenticity when it comes to the magic of unexpected second chances and the highs and lows of small-town sports. Moreover, a...
- 4/13/2024
- by Debopriyaa Dutta
- Slash Film
Dan Wallin, the music scoring engineer who recorded such classic film scores as “Spartacus,” “Bullitt,” “The Wild Bunch” and “Out of Africa,” died early Wednesday in Hawaii. He was 97.
Twice Oscar-nominated for best sound (1970’s “Woodstock” and 1976’s “A Star Is Born”), he won a 2009 Emmy for sound mixing on the Academy Awards telecast and received two additional Emmy nominations in the sound mixing category.
But it was Wallin’s skill behind the console, recording and mixing musical scores for movies and TV, that won him legions of fans among nearly all of Hollywood’s top composers and ensured steady employment for more than half a century.
He recorded the music for an estimated 500 films, including those for “Bonnie and Clyde,” “Cool Hand Luke” and “Finian’s Rainbow” in the 1960s; “The Way We Were,” “Blazing Saddles,” “Nashville,” “King Kong” and “Saturday Night Fever” in the 1970s; “Somewhere in Time,” “The Right Stuff...
Twice Oscar-nominated for best sound (1970’s “Woodstock” and 1976’s “A Star Is Born”), he won a 2009 Emmy for sound mixing on the Academy Awards telecast and received two additional Emmy nominations in the sound mixing category.
But it was Wallin’s skill behind the console, recording and mixing musical scores for movies and TV, that won him legions of fans among nearly all of Hollywood’s top composers and ensured steady employment for more than half a century.
He recorded the music for an estimated 500 films, including those for “Bonnie and Clyde,” “Cool Hand Luke” and “Finian’s Rainbow” in the 1960s; “The Way We Were,” “Blazing Saddles,” “Nashville,” “King Kong” and “Saturday Night Fever” in the 1970s; “Somewhere in Time,” “The Right Stuff...
- 4/10/2024
- by Jon Burlingame
- Variety Film + TV
In collaboration with the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, the Paris Theater has announced it will be presenting the New York “Academy Museum Branch Select” screening series starting April 3. Each of the 18 branches of the Academy has selected a film for the series that represents a major milestone in the evolution of filmmaking. Some of the films included are “Fantastic Mr.Fox,” “Showgirls,” “Bonnie and Clyde,” “Nashville,” “Yi Yi,” “In the Mood for Love” and “Citizen Kane.”
Screenings will take place on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. and Sundays at 12 p.m. at both the Paris Theater and the Academy Museum. Tickets will be available March 28 on the Paris Theater and Academy Museum websites respectively.
Cord Jefferson to Receive Wgaw’s Paul Selvin Award
Cord Jefferson will receive the Writers Guild of America West’s 2024 Paul Selvin Award for penning the screenplay for “American Fiction.” He will receive the honor at the 2024 Writers Guild Awards on Sunday,...
Screenings will take place on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. and Sundays at 12 p.m. at both the Paris Theater and the Academy Museum. Tickets will be available March 28 on the Paris Theater and Academy Museum websites respectively.
Cord Jefferson to Receive Wgaw’s Paul Selvin Award
Cord Jefferson will receive the Writers Guild of America West’s 2024 Paul Selvin Award for penning the screenplay for “American Fiction.” He will receive the honor at the 2024 Writers Guild Awards on Sunday,...
- 3/26/2024
- by Jazz Tangcay, Jaden Thompson and Jack Dunn
- Variety Film + TV
One of the greatest crime movies of all time, "The French Connection" is William Friedkin's gritty drama based on a true story. Gene Hackman stars as Detective Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle, a no-nonsense, rule-breaking cop who gets caught up investigating a case in which the Italian mob is bringing drugs into America with the help of a French heroin-smuggling syndicate. But this isn't an open-and-shut case. The lawmen are seemingly foiled at every turn, and things end on a shocking, bleak note. It's an amazing movie with one of the best chase sequences ever captured on film. "The French Connection" was released nearly 53 years ago, which means many of its cast members have left us, along with director Friedkin, who died last year. But a few are still around. So here are the only major actors still alive from "The French Connection."
Read more: The 20 Best Detective Movies Ranked
Gene...
Read more: The 20 Best Detective Movies Ranked
Gene...
- 2/17/2024
- by Chris Evangelista
- Slash Film
Grab your royale with cheese and double-check your grandfather’s watch because “Pulp Fiction” just turned 30.
To honor the anniversary of the Oscar-winning Quentin Tarantino film, the 2024 Turner Classic Movies Classic Film Festival will kick off with a special 35mm screening of “Pulp Fiction.” Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe and Emmy winner John Travolta will be in attendance to toast to his 1994 comeback role.
“‘Pulp Fiction’ is one of the most important and influential movies of the 1990s. It was Quentin Tarantino’s magnum opus and the beginning of a well-deserved comeback for John Travolta,” TCM Classic Film Festival host and TCM primetime anchor Ben Mankiewicz said. “Like ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ and ‘The Godfather,’ it changed our thinking about the type of stories Hollywood could tell.”
The theme of tje 2024 TCM Classic Film Festival is “Most Wanted: Crime and Justice in Film” to mark the network’s 30th anniversary.
To honor the anniversary of the Oscar-winning Quentin Tarantino film, the 2024 Turner Classic Movies Classic Film Festival will kick off with a special 35mm screening of “Pulp Fiction.” Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe and Emmy winner John Travolta will be in attendance to toast to his 1994 comeback role.
“‘Pulp Fiction’ is one of the most important and influential movies of the 1990s. It was Quentin Tarantino’s magnum opus and the beginning of a well-deserved comeback for John Travolta,” TCM Classic Film Festival host and TCM primetime anchor Ben Mankiewicz said. “Like ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ and ‘The Godfather,’ it changed our thinking about the type of stories Hollywood could tell.”
The theme of tje 2024 TCM Classic Film Festival is “Most Wanted: Crime and Justice in Film” to mark the network’s 30th anniversary.
- 2/15/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Throughout the 96-year history of the Academy Awards, the amount of acting lineups consisting only of first-time nominees has reached 37, or about 10% of the overall total. While that number may not seem high in a general sense, these cases actually outnumber those exclusively involving veteran contenders by a ratio of three to one. However, although this list expanded as recently as 2023, rookie-only acting lineups are gradually becoming less common than veteran-only ones, the amount of which has nearly doubled within the last dozen years.
Whereas 75% of veteran-only acting quintets have involved lead performers rather than supporting ones, almost the exact opposite is true of lineups full of newcomers. For instance, only one existing case of the former kind concerns supporting actresses, whereas the same category has produced 15 rookie-only rosters. The last such group consisted of 2000 winner Angelina Jolie and nominees Toni Collette (“The Sixth Sense”), Catherine Keener (“Being John Malkovich...
Whereas 75% of veteran-only acting quintets have involved lead performers rather than supporting ones, almost the exact opposite is true of lineups full of newcomers. For instance, only one existing case of the former kind concerns supporting actresses, whereas the same category has produced 15 rookie-only rosters. The last such group consisted of 2000 winner Angelina Jolie and nominees Toni Collette (“The Sixth Sense”), Catherine Keener (“Being John Malkovich...
- 2/7/2024
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
"Three Days of the Condor" is one of the most suspenseful crime thrillers that came out of '70s cinema. The New Hollywood movement was in full effect with audiences turning to gritty, low-budget films for thrills outside of the failing studio system. Sydney Pollack was one of the foremost leaders of the cinematic era, and "Three Days of the Condor" was one of the final entries into its canon. The filmmaker's 1970 film "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" earned him his first Academy Award nomination, so "Three Days" was a highly anticipated follow-up.
Robert Redford stars as Joe Turner, a code-breaker for the CIA who shows up to work one morning and finds his entire department has been killed. When he tries to find solace in his superiors, he quickly learns that the agency is in on the job. Joe is left to discover why the CIA wants him and his colleagues dead,...
Robert Redford stars as Joe Turner, a code-breaker for the CIA who shows up to work one morning and finds his entire department has been killed. When he tries to find solace in his superiors, he quickly learns that the agency is in on the job. Joe is left to discover why the CIA wants him and his colleagues dead,...
- 2/4/2024
- by Shae Sennett
- Slash Film
Gene Hackman is one of the most versatile and accomplished character actors on film and is appreciated by critics and audiences for his clean, no-nonsense style of acting. In his film work, Hackman was famed for the every-man quality to his work with which audiences of all types could identify which he demonstrated in the more than 80 films in which he appeared.
Throughout his film career which lasted more than half a century, Hackman’s subtle work has been showered with honors. He has won two Academy Awards (for 1971’s “The French Connection” with William Friedkin and 1992’s “Unforgiven” with Clint Eastwood) from five nominations. He has been given an honorary Cecil B. DeMille Award at the Golden Globes, while winning three competitive Globes from eight total nominations and is a Screen Actors Guild Award winner from his two nominations.
After appearing in 2004’s “Welcome to Mooseport,” Hackman announced that...
Throughout his film career which lasted more than half a century, Hackman’s subtle work has been showered with honors. He has won two Academy Awards (for 1971’s “The French Connection” with William Friedkin and 1992’s “Unforgiven” with Clint Eastwood) from five nominations. He has been given an honorary Cecil B. DeMille Award at the Golden Globes, while winning three competitive Globes from eight total nominations and is a Screen Actors Guild Award winner from his two nominations.
After appearing in 2004’s “Welcome to Mooseport,” Hackman announced that...
- 1/26/2024
- by Tom O'Brien, Misty Holland and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Since the silent era, a century’s worth of movies has told us how to love, how to die, how to dress, how to behave. But things have changed a lot since the silent era, which raises the question: Are movies still vital to our lives? Are they still at the core of our cultural life? Do they still matter?
Beyond Hollywood’s scrambled economics, one of the biggest threats to its hegemony is social media — TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and X-formerly-known-as-Twitter — with which it has always had an uncomfortable relationship, alternately its victim or master. Thanks to the gravitational pull of social media, as well as the pandemic and two strikes, the studios and theaters have endured a disastrous stretch, and even the streamers, after enjoying a several decades-long honeymoon (the so-called era of “Peak TV”), started to falter. A dense fog of doom and gloom settled over the industry.
Beyond Hollywood’s scrambled economics, one of the biggest threats to its hegemony is social media — TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and X-formerly-known-as-Twitter — with which it has always had an uncomfortable relationship, alternately its victim or master. Thanks to the gravitational pull of social media, as well as the pandemic and two strikes, the studios and theaters have endured a disastrous stretch, and even the streamers, after enjoying a several decades-long honeymoon (the so-called era of “Peak TV”), started to falter. A dense fog of doom and gloom settled over the industry.
- 1/26/2024
- by Peter Biskind
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Norman Jewison is dead at the age of 97. For over four decades he sustained a career of films that became major box office hits as well as others that presented current social issues in a Hollywood context (with some combining the two). He died peacefully at his home on Saturday January 20.
“In the Heat of the Night,” which beat “Bonnie and Clyde” and “The Graduate” for the Best Picture Oscar for 1967, is the most obvious example of Jewison’s talent for turning tough subjects into hit movies. It grossed (adjusted to current prices) over $200 million, with it already having become a major success before it won five Oscars. Ironically, the racially-charged story about a Northern Black detective (Sidney Poitier) investigating a murder and confronting a racist Southern police chief wons its Oscars in a ceremony delayed by the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Norman Frederick Jewison was born on July 21, 1926 in Toronto,...
“In the Heat of the Night,” which beat “Bonnie and Clyde” and “The Graduate” for the Best Picture Oscar for 1967, is the most obvious example of Jewison’s talent for turning tough subjects into hit movies. It grossed (adjusted to current prices) over $200 million, with it already having become a major success before it won five Oscars. Ironically, the racially-charged story about a Northern Black detective (Sidney Poitier) investigating a murder and confronting a racist Southern police chief wons its Oscars in a ceremony delayed by the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Norman Frederick Jewison was born on July 21, 1926 in Toronto,...
- 1/22/2024
- by Tom Brueggemann
- Indiewire
In the 95-year history of the Academy Awards, 88 films have each received nominations for both Best Actor and Best Actress. Although there have been 19 cases of two or more movies doing so in a single year, there hasn’t been such an occurrence since 1996, when both lead lineups included performers from “Dead Man Walking” and “Leaving Las Vegas.” However, according to Gold Derby’s late-stage 2024 Oscar nominations predictions, that nearly three-decade gap is set to soon be closed by costar pairs from “Killers of the Flower Moon” and “Maestro.”
The vast majority of the Oscars prognosticators who’ve been shaping our odds all season agree that Leonardo DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone (“Killers of the Flower Moon”) and Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan (“Maestro”) will all clinch academy mentions for their lead performances. The last such quartet consisted of eventual winners Nicolas Cage (“Leaving Las Vegas”) and Susan Sarandon (“Dead Man Walking”) and their respective costars,...
The vast majority of the Oscars prognosticators who’ve been shaping our odds all season agree that Leonardo DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone (“Killers of the Flower Moon”) and Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan (“Maestro”) will all clinch academy mentions for their lead performances. The last such quartet consisted of eventual winners Nicolas Cage (“Leaving Las Vegas”) and Susan Sarandon (“Dead Man Walking”) and their respective costars,...
- 1/21/2024
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
"Chinatown" is one of the great masterpieces of American cinema. As a period piece, it cries out with nostalgia for a bygone past while commenting on the aimlessness of this very pursuit. Like the other accomplished neo-noirs of the New Hollywood movement (namely Robert Altman's "The Long Goodbye"), its detective story is disjointed and dreamlike. It is not a neat and satisfying narrative like a classic noir. Instead, it meanders fearlessly and aimlessly into the uneasy unknown.
Although it earned its only Oscar for its screenplay, it's hard to imagine "Chinatown" being half as good as it was without the unforgettable performances of its main cast. Sadly, as the 1974 film ages into legendary status, so too do the actors that made it so legendary.
Not every actor who made the 1974 mystery movie so great has lived to see it reach its 50-year anniversary in 2024. However, some of the greatest...
Although it earned its only Oscar for its screenplay, it's hard to imagine "Chinatown" being half as good as it was without the unforgettable performances of its main cast. Sadly, as the 1974 film ages into legendary status, so too do the actors that made it so legendary.
Not every actor who made the 1974 mystery movie so great has lived to see it reach its 50-year anniversary in 2024. However, some of the greatest...
- 1/21/2024
- by Shae Sennett
- Slash Film
Landmark Theatres will mark its 50th anniversary this year with several classic film screening series and discounted tickets.
As part of the exhibitor’s ongoing Retro Replay program, the West Hollywood-based chain will celebrate movies from 1974 as well as other milestone moments in film history. Among the vintage titles set for the series are 1967’s “Bonnie and Clyde” and “The Graduate,” 1973’s “Badlands” and “Amarcord” and 1975’s “Jaws.”
“In commemoration of our 50th Anniversary, we want to recognize our guests, studio partners, and members of the creative community who’ve played pivotal roles in Landmark’s storied history,” said Kevin Holloway, president of Landmark Theatres. “Throughout 2024 we’ll be offering evergreen programming across the business, ranging from signature series to food and beverage promotions, loyalty member pricing, and more. We look forward to celebrating this milestone with our audience this coming year.”
The planned series include “1974 – The Year Landmark Opened,...
As part of the exhibitor’s ongoing Retro Replay program, the West Hollywood-based chain will celebrate movies from 1974 as well as other milestone moments in film history. Among the vintage titles set for the series are 1967’s “Bonnie and Clyde” and “The Graduate,” 1973’s “Badlands” and “Amarcord” and 1975’s “Jaws.”
“In commemoration of our 50th Anniversary, we want to recognize our guests, studio partners, and members of the creative community who’ve played pivotal roles in Landmark’s storied history,” said Kevin Holloway, president of Landmark Theatres. “Throughout 2024 we’ll be offering evergreen programming across the business, ranging from signature series to food and beverage promotions, loyalty member pricing, and more. We look forward to celebrating this milestone with our audience this coming year.”
The planned series include “1974 – The Year Landmark Opened,...
- 1/18/2024
- by William Earl
- Variety Film + TV
The real Bonnie and Clyde may have died in 1933, but the legend of the couple's crime spree lives on in the form of songs, stories, and one groundbreaking movie. Arthur Penn's "Bonnie and Clyde" took Hollywood by storm when it hit theaters in 1967, generating controversy for its on-screen violence and sensuality -- and kick-starting nationwide conversations about who deserves to be the subject of a movie. While film fans still talk about these topics today, the movie's brutal final shootout feels mild compared to modern blood-soaked movie scenes.
Still, "Bonnie and Clyde" is a fantastic film, thanks in large part to its great cast. Warren Beatty plays cocky Clyde Barrow to Faye Dunaway's initially innocent Bonnie Parker, while actors Michael J. Pollard, Gene Hackman, and Estelle Parsons round out the Barrow gang. A young Gene Wilder made his big screen debut as one of Clyde's hostages, while Denver...
Still, "Bonnie and Clyde" is a fantastic film, thanks in large part to its great cast. Warren Beatty plays cocky Clyde Barrow to Faye Dunaway's initially innocent Bonnie Parker, while actors Michael J. Pollard, Gene Hackman, and Estelle Parsons round out the Barrow gang. A young Gene Wilder made his big screen debut as one of Clyde's hostages, while Denver...
- 1/8/2024
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
The Killer.How do you make a good movie in this country and be jumped on?Once, in 1967, in the opener for her Bonnie and Clyde review, Pauline Kael asked the opposite question: “How do you make a good movie in this country without being jumped on?” Now, times have changed. Nothing provokes us to jump and say, “Hold the torches! That’s the key! The way forward.”An automatic film like David Fincher’s new thriller, The Killer, comes and goes with the velocity of a Twitter news cycle: about six fervent days of talk. (The seventh and beyond? Fits and bursts of takes amid miles of silence.) Whether you think it’s good or bad, The Killer has not lingered in the popular consciousness. And I can’t imagine it lingering. It might have passed me by with the similarly fleeting presence of recent moving-image works like Richard Linklater...
- 1/3/2024
- MUBI
J.J. Abrams touts Warren Beatty’s Bonnie and Clyde and Shampoo for must-see viewing as part of the January 2024 Turner Classic Movies lineup in his own TCM Picks video that dropped on Tuesday.
“They could not be more different,” Abrams says of Arthur Penn’s 1967 crime spree drama Bonnie and Clyde, which also starred Faye Dunaway, and Hal Ashby’s Oscar-winning dramedy Shampoo. Bonnie and Clyde “portrayed violence in a way that had not typically been seen in American cinema and really ushered in a new age of bold graphic storytelling in a way that you really hadn’t seen before,” Abrams says in the video.
Having made a name for himself in Hollywood with television and popular series like Felicity, Alias and Lost, you can see the grounds for Abrams’ eventual success making action tentpole movies, given his love for classic Hollywood pics.
Shampoo becomes a time capsule movie for Abrams,...
“They could not be more different,” Abrams says of Arthur Penn’s 1967 crime spree drama Bonnie and Clyde, which also starred Faye Dunaway, and Hal Ashby’s Oscar-winning dramedy Shampoo. Bonnie and Clyde “portrayed violence in a way that had not typically been seen in American cinema and really ushered in a new age of bold graphic storytelling in a way that you really hadn’t seen before,” Abrams says in the video.
Having made a name for himself in Hollywood with television and popular series like Felicity, Alias and Lost, you can see the grounds for Abrams’ eventual success making action tentpole movies, given his love for classic Hollywood pics.
Shampoo becomes a time capsule movie for Abrams,...
- 1/2/2024
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Before the 2023 Academy Awards, only “A Streetcar Named Desire” and “Network” had won three Oscars for acting. The former won its hat trick in 1952 with Vivien Leigh taking home Best Actress, Karl Malden claiming Best Supporting Actor, and Kim Hunter winning Best Supporting Actress. Then, in 1976, “Network” won Best Actor for Peter Finch (posthumously), Best Actress for Faye Dunaway, and Best Supporting Actress for Beatrice Straight. Those two movies stood alone as the only pictures to win three acting Oscars until 2023 when “Everything Everywhere All at Once” produced wins for Michelle Yeoh (Best Actress), Jamie Lee Curtis (Best Supporting Actress), and Ke Huy Quan (Best Supporting Actor). These three films now have the joint-highest number of acting wins in Oscars history as no film has ever managed to reign victorious in all four acting categories.
Plenty of movies have had four nominations for acting, including “American Hustle” and “Everything Everywhere All at Once.
Plenty of movies have had four nominations for acting, including “American Hustle” and “Everything Everywhere All at Once.
- 12/27/2023
- by Jacob Sarkisian
- Gold Derby
The lawsuit that accused Warren Beatty of sexual misconduct in 1973 was permanently dismissed on Friday.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Edward B. Moreton, Jr. terminated the case after Hirsch submitted a declaration filing with largely illegible handwriting and failed to meet a court deadline for a case management statement. Hirsch called into a Friday morning hearing remotely without being represented by a lawyer, according to a minute order posted on the court’s website. The suit was dismissed with prejudice, meaning Hirsch cannot refile the case.
Hirsch’s previous...
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Edward B. Moreton, Jr. terminated the case after Hirsch submitted a declaration filing with largely illegible handwriting and failed to meet a court deadline for a case management statement. Hirsch called into a Friday morning hearing remotely without being represented by a lawyer, according to a minute order posted on the court’s website. The suit was dismissed with prejudice, meaning Hirsch cannot refile the case.
Hirsch’s previous...
- 12/15/2023
- by Nancy Dillon
- Rollingstone.com
Photo: Atsushi Nishijima/Searchlight Pictures, Warner Bros., Netflix, Jaap Buittendijk/Warner Bros., Atsushi Nishijima (Neon), Kevin Winter (Getty Images), Graphic: The A.V. Club, Karl Gustafson, The A.V. Club, Image: GKIDSPoor Things review: Emma Stone comes to life in a feminist masterpieceEmma StonePhoto: Atsushi Nishijima/Searchlight Pictures
Director Yorgos Lanthimos...
Director Yorgos Lanthimos...
- 12/9/2023
- avclub.com
Clockwise from left: The Godfather Part II, Bonnie And Clyde, Goodfellas, The Departed (all images courtesy Warner Bros.)Graphic: The A.V. Club
Gangster movies are loaded with inherently alluring qualities: the vicarious thrill of watching an antihero buck the establishment and take what they want with impunity; the glamorous trappings...
Gangster movies are loaded with inherently alluring qualities: the vicarious thrill of watching an antihero buck the establishment and take what they want with impunity; the glamorous trappings...
- 12/6/2023
- by Scott Huver
- avclub.com
Warren Beatty is a multiple award-winning American actor and filmmaker known for his roles in such films as Splendor in the Glass (1961), Bonnie and Clyde (1967), Heaven Can Wait (1978), Reds (1981), Dick Tracy (1990), and Bugsy (1991). In a career spanning over six decades, Beatty has received 14 Academy Award nominations, including four Best Actor nods. He won Best Director for Reds (1981) and three Golden Globe Awards for Heaven Can Wait in 1978. Renowned for his charming personality towards women on and off the screen, Warren Beatty has a reputation for his numerous escapades with the ladies.
- 11/18/2023
- by Banks Onuoha
- TVovermind.com
What do Natalie Portman, Margot Robbie and Emma Stone have in common? Aside from being in contention for this year’s best actress nominations, the three multiple-time nominated A-listers could follow in the footsteps of Frances McDormand in this year’s Oscar race.
All three women are producers on each of their films — Portman for “May December,” Robbie for “Barbie” and Stone for “Poor Things.” If any are nominated for best picture and acting, they would be the second (or third or fourth?) women recognized in both categories in the same year. The first was McDormand for “Nomadland” (2020), who went on to win her third and fourth statuettes, the first person ever to win both on the same night.
Read: Variety’s Awards Circuit for the latest Oscars predictions in all categories.
Robbie has received raves for her performance as “Stereotypical Barbie,” one of the versions in “Barbieland,” who is...
All three women are producers on each of their films — Portman for “May December,” Robbie for “Barbie” and Stone for “Poor Things.” If any are nominated for best picture and acting, they would be the second (or third or fourth?) women recognized in both categories in the same year. The first was McDormand for “Nomadland” (2020), who went on to win her third and fourth statuettes, the first person ever to win both on the same night.
Read: Variety’s Awards Circuit for the latest Oscars predictions in all categories.
Robbie has received raves for her performance as “Stereotypical Barbie,” one of the versions in “Barbieland,” who is...
- 11/6/2023
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
“Everything Everywhere All at Once” last year made Oscar history by becoming just the third film ever to win three awards in acting categories — Michelle Yeoh (Best Actress), Jamie Lee Curtis (Best Supporting Actress), and Ke Huy Quan (Best Supporting Actor). “A Streetcar Named Desire” (1952) and “Network” (1977) also pulled off this triple play
No film has ever won all four acting prizes but plenty have contended across the board, with the most recent being “American Hustle” in 2014. “Network,” “Mrs. Miniver” in 1943, “From Here to Eternity” in 1954, “Peyton Place” in 1958, “Bonnie and Clyde” in 1968 and “The Godfather: Part 2” in 1975 all snagged five acting nominations in total.
So, how about this year? Are there any movies that could match that haul of five nominations? Or even become the first picture to win all four acting Oscars? Let’s take a look through this year’s early contenders to see which movies...
No film has ever won all four acting prizes but plenty have contended across the board, with the most recent being “American Hustle” in 2014. “Network,” “Mrs. Miniver” in 1943, “From Here to Eternity” in 1954, “Peyton Place” in 1958, “Bonnie and Clyde” in 1968 and “The Godfather: Part 2” in 1975 all snagged five acting nominations in total.
So, how about this year? Are there any movies that could match that haul of five nominations? Or even become the first picture to win all four acting Oscars? Let’s take a look through this year’s early contenders to see which movies...
- 8/14/2023
- by Jacob Sarkisian
- Gold Derby
Long ago, the 1950s ended and Disney never really got over it.
With the right kind of eyes, a casual viewer can look at the early days of Walt Disney Studios as their heyday. Walt himself was still alive and using his aggressive business acumen to produce visually innovative and award-winning animated shorts that were helping put the studio on the map. Without the Silly Symphonies, animation would not be the same. Warner Bros. outstripped Disney's fare with their cheekier, funnier shorts in the 1940s and 1950s, but the folks at Warner's Termite Terrace were very open about the fact that Merrie Melodies and Looney Tunes were ripping off Disney's Silly Symphonies name. Disney Animation broke onto the scene in 1937 with the release of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," still celebrated as one of the best of all animated films to this day.
The reason early Disney was...
With the right kind of eyes, a casual viewer can look at the early days of Walt Disney Studios as their heyday. Walt himself was still alive and using his aggressive business acumen to produce visually innovative and award-winning animated shorts that were helping put the studio on the map. Without the Silly Symphonies, animation would not be the same. Warner Bros. outstripped Disney's fare with their cheekier, funnier shorts in the 1940s and 1950s, but the folks at Warner's Termite Terrace were very open about the fact that Merrie Melodies and Looney Tunes were ripping off Disney's Silly Symphonies name. Disney Animation broke onto the scene in 1937 with the release of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," still celebrated as one of the best of all animated films to this day.
The reason early Disney was...
- 7/24/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
“Barbie” (Warner Bros.) grossed $155 million domestic and $182 million foreign. “Oppenheimer” (Universal) grossed $80.5 million domestic and $93.7 million foreign. Two non-franchise films, released on the same weekend, from two proven directors allowed their voices loud and clear despite $100 million+ budgets. That’s mega.
We all know that prefix — it’s Greek for “millions” — but the rise of atomic bomb testing in the 1950s introduced “mega” into daily use. It referred to the power of TNT expressed as megatons, or a million tons of TNT. It also implied massive impact or damage — and that’s acutely true here.
“Oppenheimer” and “Barbie” have damaged the studio truisms that surround moviemaking. The franchises, the familiar execution, the drive to develop IP that can be replicated — all those reliable touchstones that Wall Street loves — suddenly, those models look a little albatross-y. Audiences are less interested in commodities, no matter how expensive and bombastic.
Studios have a...
We all know that prefix — it’s Greek for “millions” — but the rise of atomic bomb testing in the 1950s introduced “mega” into daily use. It referred to the power of TNT expressed as megatons, or a million tons of TNT. It also implied massive impact or damage — and that’s acutely true here.
“Oppenheimer” and “Barbie” have damaged the studio truisms that surround moviemaking. The franchises, the familiar execution, the drive to develop IP that can be replicated — all those reliable touchstones that Wall Street loves — suddenly, those models look a little albatross-y. Audiences are less interested in commodities, no matter how expensive and bombastic.
Studios have a...
- 7/23/2023
- by Tom Brueggemann
- Indiewire
In modern world history, few single years have been as tumultuous as 1968. The Vietnam War continued to drag on and had reached an unprecedented level of unpopularity. The assasinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert Kennedy shocked the world. Protests against the war, for civil rights, and at the Democratic National Convention raged in the streets. On movie screens, another revolution was taking place that reflected the values of the passionate youth movement and rejected the “old ways” of filmmaking. In the years 1967-68, the studio system was taking its last gasping breaths and films like Bonnie and Clyde, The Graduate, Cool Hand Luke, The Producers, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Bullit, and If…. were changing the game in Hollywood and Britain by taking after New Wave movements in France and Italy. The horror landscape was changing as well. Gothic horrors were giving way to modern films both in setting and subject.
- 6/30/2023
- by Brian Keiper
- bloody-disgusting.com
On Tuesday, May 23, HBO Max is going away — when it will be reskinned as Max, stocked with more than twice the total amount of programming. Max’s expanded streaming menu includes the addition of hundreds of episodes of Discovery+ shows, and it’s set to get dozens of new TV shows and movies over the next month.
The new Max will feature 35,000 hours of programming, more than double what has been available on HBO Max. According to Warner Bros. Discovery, the service will be continuously updated with fresh content, averaging more than 40 new movie titles and TV seasons per month.
See Also: Max’s Priciest Plan Will Have 1,000-Plus Movies and Episodes in 4K Ultra HD
Max will continue to serve as the streaming home for HBO originals, Warner Bros. films, Max originals, the DC universe, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Adult Swim and Cartoon Network. On top of that,...
The new Max will feature 35,000 hours of programming, more than double what has been available on HBO Max. According to Warner Bros. Discovery, the service will be continuously updated with fresh content, averaging more than 40 new movie titles and TV seasons per month.
See Also: Max’s Priciest Plan Will Have 1,000-Plus Movies and Episodes in 4K Ultra HD
Max will continue to serve as the streaming home for HBO originals, Warner Bros. films, Max originals, the DC universe, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Adult Swim and Cartoon Network. On top of that,...
- 5/22/2023
- by Todd Spangler
- Variety Film + TV
I’ve loved gangster movies since I was four years old and saw Humphrey Bogart and Sylvia Sidney in Dead End (1937) on TV, and Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway in Bonnie and Clyde (1967) at the movies (My dad pinched a lobby card for me). Every Friday night, a local NYC station ran old crime flicks on a slot called “Tough Guys.” Bogart, James Cagney, Edward G. Robinson, and George Raft were the faces over the title. Today that might be Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Wesley Snipes, and James Gandolfini.
The gangster and crime genre produced some of the most influential films in cinema history. Mervyn LeRoy’s Little Caesar (1931), William A. Wellman’s The Public Enemy (1931), and Howard Hawks’ Scarface (1932), get a lot of credit for breaking ground in topics beyond criminality, shattering sexual taboos as well as the boundaries of acceptable visual violence. High Sierra (1941) and White Heat...
The gangster and crime genre produced some of the most influential films in cinema history. Mervyn LeRoy’s Little Caesar (1931), William A. Wellman’s The Public Enemy (1931), and Howard Hawks’ Scarface (1932), get a lot of credit for breaking ground in topics beyond criminality, shattering sexual taboos as well as the boundaries of acceptable visual violence. High Sierra (1941) and White Heat...
- 5/6/2023
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
(Welcome to Did They Get It Right?, a series where we take a look at an Oscars category from yesteryear and examine whether the Academy's winner stands the test of time.)
If you're ranking the most important years of American cinema, it's pretty difficult not to slot 1967 at number one. That year brought forth a major cultural and artistic shift in the medium, forever changing what American audiences thought cinema could be. This was the arrival of the New Hollywood and featured films that did more than just push the boundaries of mature subject matter, sex, violence, and politics on screen. They destroyed them. The two pillars of the year were Arthur Penn's bloody, sexy "Bonnie and Clyde" and Mike Nichols' coming-of-age dramedy "The Graduate," each becoming two of the three highest-grossing films of the year.
When the 1968 Oscars ceremony rolled around, both films found themselves in the best picture category.
If you're ranking the most important years of American cinema, it's pretty difficult not to slot 1967 at number one. That year brought forth a major cultural and artistic shift in the medium, forever changing what American audiences thought cinema could be. This was the arrival of the New Hollywood and featured films that did more than just push the boundaries of mature subject matter, sex, violence, and politics on screen. They destroyed them. The two pillars of the year were Arthur Penn's bloody, sexy "Bonnie and Clyde" and Mike Nichols' coming-of-age dramedy "The Graduate," each becoming two of the three highest-grossing films of the year.
When the 1968 Oscars ceremony rolled around, both films found themselves in the best picture category.
- 4/23/2023
- by Mike Shutt
- Slash Film
We took Gene Hackman for granted, and he's making us pay for it.
Between 1964 and 2004, there wasn't a more reliably excellent film actor in the industry. He'd knock out two or three (or more!) movies a year, and even when they were dire propositions — like the Kryptonite-ridden "Superman IV: The Quest for Peace" or Bob Clark's laugh-free buddy-cop comedy "Loose Cannons" — you knew Hackman would be present and compelling. He also never went too long between watchable films, so the charge that he was phoning it in (which was also leveled at his prolific contemporary Michael Caine) never made sense.
Hackman was — and, oh, how I hate to refer to this still-very-alive master's career in the past tense — a true working actor. He was grateful for the gigs and took them eagerly. He knew what it was to not only struggle but to be told there is no future...
Between 1964 and 2004, there wasn't a more reliably excellent film actor in the industry. He'd knock out two or three (or more!) movies a year, and even when they were dire propositions — like the Kryptonite-ridden "Superman IV: The Quest for Peace" or Bob Clark's laugh-free buddy-cop comedy "Loose Cannons" — you knew Hackman would be present and compelling. He also never went too long between watchable films, so the charge that he was phoning it in (which was also leveled at his prolific contemporary Michael Caine) never made sense.
Hackman was — and, oh, how I hate to refer to this still-very-alive master's career in the past tense — a true working actor. He was grateful for the gigs and took them eagerly. He knew what it was to not only struggle but to be told there is no future...
- 4/14/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Hollywood’s biggest night is back! The 95th Academy Awards are set to take place tonight. The awards ceremony will begin at 5 p.m. Pt/8 p.m. Et at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Jimmy Kimmel hosts the show for a third time, with presenters like Jonathan Majors, Florence Pugh, Jessica Chastain, and more set to take the stage.
ABC will broadcast the awards show live, with a stream also available on Hulu Live TV, YouTubeTV, AT&T TV, and FuboTV, according to the official Oscars page.
Host Kimmel already addressed the idea of Mc’ing the first Oscars ceremony post-Slap.
“I obviously don’t want to make the whole monologue about that, but it would be ridiculous not to mention it,” Kimmel told The Hollywood Reporter of his hosting plan following 2022 Best Actor winner Will Smith attacking presenter Chris Rock onstage. Smith was later banned from attending Academy events...
ABC will broadcast the awards show live, with a stream also available on Hulu Live TV, YouTubeTV, AT&T TV, and FuboTV, according to the official Oscars page.
Host Kimmel already addressed the idea of Mc’ing the first Oscars ceremony post-Slap.
“I obviously don’t want to make the whole monologue about that, but it would be ridiculous not to mention it,” Kimmel told The Hollywood Reporter of his hosting plan following 2022 Best Actor winner Will Smith attacking presenter Chris Rock onstage. Smith was later banned from attending Academy events...
- 3/12/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
There’s a film in the Oscar best picture race that has younger Academy voters and a new generation of film critics excited, while their older peers in both camps appear more what one might call agitated.
It’s a fairly neat generational split. The film’s anarchic spirit and unorthodox mix of genre filmmaking and biting social commentary is seen as daring and refreshing by its young fans, while its older detractors are scratching their heads over weird tonal shifts, from comic and rollicking one minute, serious and reflective in the next, shifting from spoofing genre tropes to questioning of societal norms.
The year is 1968 and the film is Arthur Penn’s “Bonnie and Clyde.”
But you’d be forgiven if you found the paragraphs above an apt description of this year’s Producers Guild Awards best feature winner, “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”
Just as “Bonnie” was a landmark film in Academy history,...
It’s a fairly neat generational split. The film’s anarchic spirit and unorthodox mix of genre filmmaking and biting social commentary is seen as daring and refreshing by its young fans, while its older detractors are scratching their heads over weird tonal shifts, from comic and rollicking one minute, serious and reflective in the next, shifting from spoofing genre tropes to questioning of societal norms.
The year is 1968 and the film is Arthur Penn’s “Bonnie and Clyde.”
But you’d be forgiven if you found the paragraphs above an apt description of this year’s Producers Guild Awards best feature winner, “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”
Just as “Bonnie” was a landmark film in Academy history,...
- 2/26/2023
- by Steven Gaydos
- Variety Film + TV
(Welcome to Did They Get It Right?, a series where we take a look at an Oscars category from yesteryear and examine whether the Academy's winner stands the test of time.)
If you were to ask the average moviegoer what the best movie of all time is, chances are pretty good that Francis Ford Coppola's "The Godfather" would be one of the most responded answers. Since it was released in cinemas back in March 1972, Coppola's examination of corruption, violence, and capitalism through the lens of organized crime has entranced viewers and inspired countless numbers of future filmmakers. A line from this film gets quoted every single day, from "Leave the gun, take the cannoli" to, of course, "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse." When we think of the canonical greats of American cinema, "The Godfather" stands there right alongside "Citizen Kane" as the cream of the crop.
If you were to ask the average moviegoer what the best movie of all time is, chances are pretty good that Francis Ford Coppola's "The Godfather" would be one of the most responded answers. Since it was released in cinemas back in March 1972, Coppola's examination of corruption, violence, and capitalism through the lens of organized crime has entranced viewers and inspired countless numbers of future filmmakers. A line from this film gets quoted every single day, from "Leave the gun, take the cannoli" to, of course, "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse." When we think of the canonical greats of American cinema, "The Godfather" stands there right alongside "Citizen Kane" as the cream of the crop.
- 2/20/2023
- by Mike Shutt
- Slash Film
In the upcoming book Oscar Wars: A History of Hollywood in Gold, Sweat, and Tears, releasing Feb. 21, Michael Schulman explores the history of Hollywood’s biggest night by deep diving into eleven different phenomena from the last 100 years. The New Yorker scribe explores the plot against Citizen Kane, the Hollywood blacklist, and the Shakespeare in Love campaign (there’s also an afterword dedicated to the slap, of course). In the below exclusive excerpt, he re-investigates Envelopegate, that infamous 2017 incident when the wrong Best Picture winner was announced.
The decision to ask Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway to present Best Picture was an obvious one. It was the fiftieth anniversary of Bonnie and Clyde, the film that had helped usher in the New Hollywood. The producers of the 2017 ceremony, Michael De Luca and Jennifer Todd, were Oscar buffs who loved the tradition of bringing in legends for the final envelope. De Luca called Beatty,...
The decision to ask Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway to present Best Picture was an obvious one. It was the fiftieth anniversary of Bonnie and Clyde, the film that had helped usher in the New Hollywood. The producers of the 2017 ceremony, Michael De Luca and Jennifer Todd, were Oscar buffs who loved the tradition of bringing in legends for the final envelope. De Luca called Beatty,...
- 2/16/2023
- by Seija Rankin
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
In the post-New Hollywood era, there are movie stars and there is Warren Beatty. The sturdily built, 6'2" dreamboat could've been a fine football player, but his movie-mad sister, Shirley MacLaine, got him fired up about acting. Beatty studied under Stella Adler, and arrived fully formed as a matinee idol opposite Natalie Wood in Elia Kazan's 1961 hit, "Splendor in the Grass." Beatty took not just to the craft, but the game. He produced and starred in Arthur Penn's "Bonnie and Clyde," which, by dint of his star power, drop-kicked studios into an era of blind risk-taking.
But there was nothing blind about investing in Beatty. "Easy Rider," "Five Easy Pieces," and even "The French Connection" were long shots. Place Beatty at the top of the marquee, and you had an event. The problem for studios was that Beatty had peculiar appetites. Ideally, you'd plug him into "Love Story" or "The Way We Were.
But there was nothing blind about investing in Beatty. "Easy Rider," "Five Easy Pieces," and even "The French Connection" were long shots. Place Beatty at the top of the marquee, and you had an event. The problem for studios was that Beatty had peculiar appetites. Ideally, you'd plug him into "Love Story" or "The Way We Were.
- 2/11/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
1967’s Bonnie and Clyde is considered one of the seminal American films. Known for its provocative use of graphic violence, it helped bring U.S. films closer in line with what was being done in Europe and is one of the films responsible for the MPAA starting a new rating system. It was so controversial that for a while, its home studio, Warner Bros, deemed it unreleasable and initially dumped it in a regional release, only for the film to become a favorite of the sixties counterculture, leading to its eventual wide release. While eventually an iconic hit that launched Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway as superstars, not much attention has been paid over the years to how truthful it was about the two gangsters it idolizes, Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow. Were they romantic anti-heroes, as the film portrays them, or were they murderous bandits?
In this episode of...
In this episode of...
- 1/30/2023
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
“Rebel Without a Cause,” “Bonnie and Clyde,” “The Wiz,” “Thelma & Louise,” “Reservoir Dogs,” “Unforgiven,” “Dazed and Confused,” “Fight Club,” “Kill Bill” — the movie references in “Young. Wild. Free.” pass by fast and furiously. Unfortunately, only viewers who haven’t seen all of the above are likely to appreciate the cinematic tropes on which this film’s plot rests — including a final twist that, depending on one’s perception, either enhances or undermines everything to come before it.
Where “Y.W.F” works best is as a showcase for the powerhouse performance of outstanding lead Algee Smith (“Euphoria”). Smith plays Brandon, a thoughtful high-school senior who’s forced to inhabit a range of roles each day: dutiful son, loving brother, aspiring artist, head of household. His mother is struggling with mental illness that leaves her in bed all day, and her boyfriend (an excellent Mike Epps) shows up only intermittently...
Where “Y.W.F” works best is as a showcase for the powerhouse performance of outstanding lead Algee Smith (“Euphoria”). Smith plays Brandon, a thoughtful high-school senior who’s forced to inhabit a range of roles each day: dutiful son, loving brother, aspiring artist, head of household. His mother is struggling with mental illness that leaves her in bed all day, and her boyfriend (an excellent Mike Epps) shows up only intermittently...
- 1/23/2023
- by Elizabeth Weitzman
- The Wrap
Before Covid upended the film festival scene, Sundance premieres were a hotbed of drama as studio chiefs and streaming executives staked out the best seats in the theater and then beat a path for the exits as soon as the credits rolled in the hopes of outmaneuvering each other for the hottest films. After two years of going virtual, Sundance is back in-person. However, it’s unclear if the all-night bidding wars that were such a staple of past festivals will also return in force. At a time of cost-cutting and box office struggles for indie movies, a new era of fiscal restraint may be the order of the day.
But Sundance’s thin mountain air could cause all that economizing to evaporate. And if it does, here are 13 films that could have buyers writing big checks.
Drift
Cast: Cynthia Erivo, Alia Shawkat
Director: Anthony Chen
Sales Agent: UTA
Why...
But Sundance’s thin mountain air could cause all that economizing to evaporate. And if it does, here are 13 films that could have buyers writing big checks.
Drift
Cast: Cynthia Erivo, Alia Shawkat
Director: Anthony Chen
Sales Agent: UTA
Why...
- 1/17/2023
- by Brent Lang and Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
It’s the dying fish that sticks in the mind. You don’t see one in Bonnie and Clyde (1967) or any of the other US movies about murderous young lovers on the lam. Director Terrence Malick’s astounding debut feature Badlands (1973), which started production just over 50 years ago, has a simplicity that is completely out of kilter with its time. While his contemporaries Martin Scorsese and Brian De Palma were making gritty, violent urban movies exposing the racial, sexual, and political tensions in an America coming to terms with the disasters of Watergate and the Vietnam War, Malick was recreating the midwest of the late 1950s in loving fashion. Nostalgia reigned.
It’s not that Badlands skimps on the violence. This is a story about a serial killer who leaves corpses wherever he goes. In the film, the South Dakota garbage collector and James Dean lookalike Kit Carruthers (Martin Sheen...
It’s not that Badlands skimps on the violence. This is a story about a serial killer who leaves corpses wherever he goes. In the film, the South Dakota garbage collector and James Dean lookalike Kit Carruthers (Martin Sheen...
- 12/16/2022
- by Geoffrey Macnab
- The Independent - Film
Banijay Benelux has acquired a majority stake in Topkapi, the Amsterdam-based production banner behind Lukas Dont’s Cannes-prizewinning film “Close” and “Flying Dutchmen.”
The two companies will forge a strategic partnership, allowing Banijay to further expand its scripted portfolio and international presence in the drama and film space.
A leading Dutch company, Topkapi has a track record spanning over 25 years with a library of more than 100 titles. The banner’s award-winning international co-productions include Thomas Vinterberg’s Oscar- and BAFTA-winning “Another Round” and “Close” which has been nominated for a Golden Globe and represents Belgium in the Oscar race. The company is headed by Laurette Schillings, Arnold Heslenfeld and Frans van Gestel.
“We are very much looking forward to working with Topkapi, which has a great reputation for high-quality drama series and films both locally and internationally,” said Peter Lubbers, CEO of Banijay Benelux.
“With an impressive global creative network...
The two companies will forge a strategic partnership, allowing Banijay to further expand its scripted portfolio and international presence in the drama and film space.
A leading Dutch company, Topkapi has a track record spanning over 25 years with a library of more than 100 titles. The banner’s award-winning international co-productions include Thomas Vinterberg’s Oscar- and BAFTA-winning “Another Round” and “Close” which has been nominated for a Golden Globe and represents Belgium in the Oscar race. The company is headed by Laurette Schillings, Arnold Heslenfeld and Frans van Gestel.
“We are very much looking forward to working with Topkapi, which has a great reputation for high-quality drama series and films both locally and internationally,” said Peter Lubbers, CEO of Banijay Benelux.
“With an impressive global creative network...
- 12/15/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
The 1970s were a special time in American cinema. After the box office woes of the 1960s, bewildered studio executives were unsure of how to connect with audiences, whose tastes and impulses were shifting in the hectic milieu of that decade. The change began at the tail end of the previous decade with "The Graduate," "Bonnie and Clyde," and "Midnight Cowboy," all of which pushed boundaries regarding sex, sexuality, and violence. It was Dennis Hopper's "Easy Rider" that would set the mold of "New Hollywood," a period in which studios afforded even the most difficult directors unprecedented creative freedom.
From the summer of 1969 until some time in the early 1980s (the exact timeframe is disputed), "New Hollywood" birthed scores of classics from a generation of new talent, the most famous of which included William Friedkin, Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, and Steven Spielberg, to name just a few. Anyone...
From the summer of 1969 until some time in the early 1980s (the exact timeframe is disputed), "New Hollywood" birthed scores of classics from a generation of new talent, the most famous of which included William Friedkin, Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, and Steven Spielberg, to name just a few. Anyone...
- 12/10/2022
- by Jack Hawkins
- Slash Film
The biopic has a long and successful history. Cast a net over the last 60 years and you'll find all manner of enduring works, ranging from "Lawrence of Arabia" and "Bonnie and Clyde" to "Serpico," "Amadeus," and "Schindler's List."
You needn't look back that far, though. The last two decades have seen biographical dramas such as "A Beautiful Mind," "The King's Speech," "12 Years a Slave," and "Green Book" all take home the Oscar for best picture. Then, there are the best actor winners. In the last 10 years, Daniel Day-Lewis, Matthew McConaughey, Eddie Redmayne, Gary Oldman, and Rami Malek have all won Oscars for biographical performances.
However, none of the biopics below won a "big five" Oscar. These films may have earned critical acclaim and even found a small audience, yet they have been left in the rough compared to such films as "The Imitation Game" and "Darkest Hour." Here are...
You needn't look back that far, though. The last two decades have seen biographical dramas such as "A Beautiful Mind," "The King's Speech," "12 Years a Slave," and "Green Book" all take home the Oscar for best picture. Then, there are the best actor winners. In the last 10 years, Daniel Day-Lewis, Matthew McConaughey, Eddie Redmayne, Gary Oldman, and Rami Malek have all won Oscars for biographical performances.
However, none of the biopics below won a "big five" Oscar. These films may have earned critical acclaim and even found a small audience, yet they have been left in the rough compared to such films as "The Imitation Game" and "Darkest Hour." Here are...
- 12/8/2022
- by Jack Hawkins
- Slash Film
Robert Benton and Paul Newman’s show-biz detective tale is one of the best-looking thrillers of 1998. With its star lineup of Susan Sarandon, Gene Hackman, Reese Witherspoon, Stockard Channing and James Garner, its the equivalent of a dog-eared comfy mystery paperback. The classic themes and stylistics are here, but in a new Hollywood where movie stars can get away with murder, and nobody seems to care. Everyone is excellent and the show quite enjoyable, even if it seems we’ve seen a lot of it before. A solid academic extra is the audio commentary by Alain Silver and James Ursini.
Twilight (1998)
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1998 / Color / 1:78 widescreen / 94 min. / Street Date December 27, 2022 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95
Starring: Paul Newman, Susan Sarandon, Gene Hackman, Reese Witherspoon, Stockard Channing, James Garner, Giancarlo Esposito, Liev Schreiber, Margo Martindale, John Spencer, M. Emmet Walsh, Lewis Arquette, Jack Wallace.
Cinematography: Piotr Sobocinski
Production Designer: David Gropman...
Twilight (1998)
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1998 / Color / 1:78 widescreen / 94 min. / Street Date December 27, 2022 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95
Starring: Paul Newman, Susan Sarandon, Gene Hackman, Reese Witherspoon, Stockard Channing, James Garner, Giancarlo Esposito, Liev Schreiber, Margo Martindale, John Spencer, M. Emmet Walsh, Lewis Arquette, Jack Wallace.
Cinematography: Piotr Sobocinski
Production Designer: David Gropman...
- 12/6/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
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