Jerry Herman’s musical “Hello, Dolly!” dominated the 18th Tony Awards which took place at the New York Hilton on May 24, 1964. “Hello, Dolly!” entered the ceremony with 11 nominations and walked out with ten awards including best musical, best actress for Carol Channing, original score for Herman and for Gower Champion’s choreography and direction.
Other musicals in contention for multiple awards that year were “High Spirits,” based on Noel Coward’s classic comedy “Blithe Spirit,” “Funny Girl,” which transformed Barbra Streisand into a Broadway superstar, and “110 in the Shade,” based on the straight play “The Rainmaker.”
Bert Lahr, best known as the Cowardly Lion in the 1939 classic “The Wizard of Oz,” won lead actor in a musical for “Foxy,” based on Ben Jonson’s “Volpone.” The musical was not a hit closed after 72 performances. Also nominated in the category was Bob Fosse for a short-lived revival of Rodgers and Hart’s “Pal Joey.
Other musicals in contention for multiple awards that year were “High Spirits,” based on Noel Coward’s classic comedy “Blithe Spirit,” “Funny Girl,” which transformed Barbra Streisand into a Broadway superstar, and “110 in the Shade,” based on the straight play “The Rainmaker.”
Bert Lahr, best known as the Cowardly Lion in the 1939 classic “The Wizard of Oz,” won lead actor in a musical for “Foxy,” based on Ben Jonson’s “Volpone.” The musical was not a hit closed after 72 performances. Also nominated in the category was Bob Fosse for a short-lived revival of Rodgers and Hart’s “Pal Joey.
- 5/15/2024
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
“Satan is his father and his name is Adrian!” shouts the coven leader Roman Castevet at the end of 1968’s. Rosemary’s Baby. “He shall overthrow the mighty and lay waste their temples. He shall redeem the despised and wreak vengeance in the name of the burned and the tortured.”
Even when making allowances for Roman’s (Sidney Blackmer) understandable delight at seeing his plan come to fruition, that’s a lot of expectation to put on a newborn, no matter who his father might be. Unfortunately, the sequels chronicling Adrian’s rise to power didn’t quite live up to those expectations. Neither the 1976 TV movie Look What’s Happened to Rosemary’s Baby, in which Patty Duke subs in for Mia Farrow, nor original author Ira Levin’s follow-up book Son of Rosemary (1997) manages to deliver what Roman promised.
But for the next film branching out of Rosemary’s Baby,...
Even when making allowances for Roman’s (Sidney Blackmer) understandable delight at seeing his plan come to fruition, that’s a lot of expectation to put on a newborn, no matter who his father might be. Unfortunately, the sequels chronicling Adrian’s rise to power didn’t quite live up to those expectations. Neither the 1976 TV movie Look What’s Happened to Rosemary’s Baby, in which Patty Duke subs in for Mia Farrow, nor original author Ira Levin’s follow-up book Son of Rosemary (1997) manages to deliver what Roman promised.
But for the next film branching out of Rosemary’s Baby,...
- 4/26/2024
- by Joe George
- Den of Geek
In the wake of the #MeToo movement, it's always refreshing to hear about an actress having a non-traumatizing on-set experience filming a sensitive scene -- even if that experience comes via the most unlikely of projects. Mia Farrow's time on "Rosemary's Baby" certainly wasn't all sunshine and roses, but in a 2014 Vice interview, the actress and activist described an oddly cordial and borderline silly experience she had shooting one of the film's most horrifying scenes.
In the retrospective, Farrow went into detail about shooting the movie's devilish conception scene, a harrowing horror sequence in which Rosemary is drugged and raped by a demonic presence. Even if we were to set aside the fact that the movie's director, Roman Polanski, remains a fugitive from the law for his own assault and drugging charges (which we shouldn't!), the inciting incident in "Rosemary's Baby" simply looks like it would be a terrifying ordeal to film.
In the retrospective, Farrow went into detail about shooting the movie's devilish conception scene, a harrowing horror sequence in which Rosemary is drugged and raped by a demonic presence. Even if we were to set aside the fact that the movie's director, Roman Polanski, remains a fugitive from the law for his own assault and drugging charges (which we shouldn't!), the inciting incident in "Rosemary's Baby" simply looks like it would be a terrifying ordeal to film.
- 2/13/2024
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
With his 2018 film "Hereditary," Ari Aster crafted a deeply unsettling movie about a child's death, the dissolution of a family, and the earthly rise of a demon named Paimon. The movie's careful threading of supernatural horror with everyday horror is just one reason why it quickly became one of the best horror movies of all time. "Hereditary" skeptics might quibble with that ranking, but there's no denying the powerful, haunting tone the movie summons, especially in its final moments.
Those final moments largely concern King Paimon. Paimon, a demon from Hell who has long waited for the chance to arrive on Earth, spends most of "Hereditary" in the shadows. Writer-director Ari Aster largely relegates Paimon to the movie's final act, all the while developing a complex and mysterious web of traumatic backstory that only clicks into place once you know the movie's supernatural scope. And because of the demon's obscurity,...
Those final moments largely concern King Paimon. Paimon, a demon from Hell who has long waited for the chance to arrive on Earth, spends most of "Hereditary" in the shadows. Writer-director Ari Aster largely relegates Paimon to the movie's final act, all the while developing a complex and mysterious web of traumatic backstory that only clicks into place once you know the movie's supernatural scope. And because of the demon's obscurity,...
- 11/8/2022
- by Anthony Crislip
- Slash Film
In a riotously gory inversion of the Christmas story, an older couple plan to channel the ghost of their dead grandson into an unborn child
There’s something deliciously subversive about the backstory to this offbeat horror film, which was made in Canada. Director Justin G Dyck and screenwriter Keith Cooper have collaborated on a long list of treacly, holiday-themed, made-for-tv movies with titles such as A Very Country Christmas, Christmas With a View and A Christmas Village. Anything for Jackson, however, is a riotously gory, impish inversion of all things yuletide, in that it stars sweet-featured elderly character actors Sheila McCarthy and Julian Richings as grieving grandparents Audrey and Henry Walsh, who kidnap pregnant Shannon Becker (Konstantina Mantelos) in order to perform a satanic ritual on her. It’s as if Ruth Gordon and Sidney Blackmer, the little old couple who lived next door in Rosemary’s Baby, got to...
There’s something deliciously subversive about the backstory to this offbeat horror film, which was made in Canada. Director Justin G Dyck and screenwriter Keith Cooper have collaborated on a long list of treacly, holiday-themed, made-for-tv movies with titles such as A Very Country Christmas, Christmas With a View and A Christmas Village. Anything for Jackson, however, is a riotously gory, impish inversion of all things yuletide, in that it stars sweet-featured elderly character actors Sheila McCarthy and Julian Richings as grieving grandparents Audrey and Henry Walsh, who kidnap pregnant Shannon Becker (Konstantina Mantelos) in order to perform a satanic ritual on her. It’s as if Ruth Gordon and Sidney Blackmer, the little old couple who lived next door in Rosemary’s Baby, got to...
- 12/2/2020
- by Leslie Felperin
- The Guardian - Film News
David Crow Feb 7, 2019
We round up our thoughts and reviews for the best (and rest) of this year's Sundance Film Festival.
Like that, another Sundance Film Festival is in the history books. Perhaps the most unique movie fest in North America, indie cinema’s opening salvo of the festival circuit brings new surprises each year. Unlike other prestigious film festivals on this continent, Sundance is only tangentially connected to the Oscar campaign race that defines Tiff, Telluride, New York, and all the other heavy hitters. Occurring even before the previous year’s Oscar winners have been newly christened, Sundance is the first deep breath of movie lovers' spring during the winds of winter. And in Robert Redford’s preferred little snowy, mountainside escape, many of the year’s defining independent innovations are previewed atop Park City’s icy and idyllic retreat.
Major players at last year’s Sundance Film Festival included Eighth Grade,...
We round up our thoughts and reviews for the best (and rest) of this year's Sundance Film Festival.
Like that, another Sundance Film Festival is in the history books. Perhaps the most unique movie fest in North America, indie cinema’s opening salvo of the festival circuit brings new surprises each year. Unlike other prestigious film festivals on this continent, Sundance is only tangentially connected to the Oscar campaign race that defines Tiff, Telluride, New York, and all the other heavy hitters. Occurring even before the previous year’s Oscar winners have been newly christened, Sundance is the first deep breath of movie lovers' spring during the winds of winter. And in Robert Redford’s preferred little snowy, mountainside escape, many of the year’s defining independent innovations are previewed atop Park City’s icy and idyllic retreat.
Major players at last year’s Sundance Film Festival included Eighth Grade,...
- 2/7/2019
- Den of Geek
Which actors are the most "Presidential"? To find out, we assembled this exclusive list of actors who have portrayed the President of the United States more than once.
Getting the opportunity to portray a Us President in film is rare. It can be a dignified role, and many times the actor has to be able to exhibit certain qualities we would traditionally associate with the Us head of state. Us Presidents are also depicted in film in a variety of ways. Some of them are the main characters for their respective films, where others are simply bit parts designed to represent the figurehead. Other roles may be satires, caricatures, or played for comedic effect. Regardless of the purpose or the depth of the role, there have been a limited number of Us President roles in the last century+ of motion picture projection.
Of course, some actors are more Presidential than others.
Getting the opportunity to portray a Us President in film is rare. It can be a dignified role, and many times the actor has to be able to exhibit certain qualities we would traditionally associate with the Us head of state. Us Presidents are also depicted in film in a variety of ways. Some of them are the main characters for their respective films, where others are simply bit parts designed to represent the figurehead. Other roles may be satires, caricatures, or played for comedic effect. Regardless of the purpose or the depth of the role, there have been a limited number of Us President roles in the last century+ of motion picture projection.
Of course, some actors are more Presidential than others.
- 11/12/2018
- by feeds@cinelinx.com (G.S. Perno)
- Cinelinx
"This is no dream, this is really happening...!" Paramount has debuted a very short new trailer to promote their re-release of Rosemary's Baby, in order to celebrate the film's 50th anniversary this year. Roman Polanski's acclaimed horror classic was first released in June of 1968, and has stood the test of time, still being celebrated as one of the best horror films (and scariest films) ever made. They're trying to promote this by connecting to the original ad campaign for the film, which was all about "Pray for Rosemary's Baby." It was a clever idea and worked well as the film went on to make an impressive $33 million over the course of its original domestic release. Rosemary's Baby stars Mia Farrow as Rosemary, with John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon, Sidney Blackmer, Maurice Evans, & Ralph Bellamy. "It's not what you're expecting." Here's the 50th anniversary re-release trailer for Roman Polanski's Rosemary's Baby,...
- 10/23/2018
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
There are four main subjects in Rosemary’s Baby: Rosemary Woodhouse (Mia Farrow) and the baby, of course; Guy (John Cassavetes), the Janus-faced aspiring actor husband who betrays his wife to a coterie of geriatric devil-worshipers in order to further his career (also rendering his thespian competition blind in the process); and the apartment in which the Woodhouses reside. It is the apartment that, 50 years after the film’s release, remains most intriguing, and most frightening. To the young and new-to-New-York, those trying to navigate the hostile housing market, the film presents an anxiety-inducing depiction of the arduous endeavor of searching for an apartment in an unwelcoming, unaffordable city. Attractive and of enviable size, walking distance from the theaters where Guy hopes to perform, the Woodhouse’s abode is the kind of place fit for an affluent family, with an herb garden and affable neighbors and lots of natural light flooding the many rooms.
- 6/6/2018
- MUBI
David O. Selznick’s absurdly over-cooked western epic is a great picture, even if much of it induces a kind of hypnotic, mouth-hanging-open disbelief. Is this monument to the sex appeal of Jennifer Jones, Kitsch in terrible taste, or have Selznick and his army of Hollywood talents found a new level of hyped melodramatic harmony? It certainly has the star-power, beginning with Gregory Peck as a cowboy rapist who learned his bedside manners from Popeye’s Bluto. It’s all hugely enjoyable.
Duel in the Sun
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1946 / Color / 1:37 flat Academy / 144 min. / Special Edition / Street Date August 15, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring Jennifer Jones, Gregory Peck, Joseph Cotten, Lionel Barrymore, Lillian Gish, Walter Huston, Butterfly McQueen, Charles Bickford, Tilly Losch.
Cinematography Lee Garmes, Ray Rennahan and Harold Rosson
Production Designer J. McMillan Johnson
Film Editor Hal C. Kern, John Saure and William H. Ziegler
Original Music Dimitri Tiomkin
Written by Niven Busch,...
Duel in the Sun
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1946 / Color / 1:37 flat Academy / 144 min. / Special Edition / Street Date August 15, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring Jennifer Jones, Gregory Peck, Joseph Cotten, Lionel Barrymore, Lillian Gish, Walter Huston, Butterfly McQueen, Charles Bickford, Tilly Losch.
Cinematography Lee Garmes, Ray Rennahan and Harold Rosson
Production Designer J. McMillan Johnson
Film Editor Hal C. Kern, John Saure and William H. Ziegler
Original Music Dimitri Tiomkin
Written by Niven Busch,...
- 8/15/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Jason from Mnpp here with this week's "Beauty vs Beast," which is falling square on Nicole Kidman Eve - the actress, perhaps you know her work, is turning the big Five-Oh tomorrow, and I heard if you put a cube of ice below your pillow tonight she might visit you while you sleep! I kid, don't come as me, Kidmaniacs - I adore her every bit as much as you all do. Which is problematic for this series - where could I possibly find someone to challenge her? I mean there's... no... I couldn't... could I? I am sorry, folks, but this is the only choice. Who else might beat her but the one whose heart beats so big and free...
Previously It appears that none of you learned anything from Rosemary's Baby, and you're all perfectly willing to fall prey to a pretty face covering up a treachorous heart - you gave Guy (John Cassavettes) the win with 56% of your vote over Roman (Sidney Blackmer), and while I'll admit they're both bad choices I really find Guy the most despicable so I can't agree with y'all. He deserves that loogie he gets! Or as Nick T put it:
"I'm sitting by this bag of garbage at work and like. It's less charismatic, sure, but also less morally repugnant, so it's got the edge. Still, I don't think Roman's creepiness is given its due since his wife is way more fun to watch. I'll give him my first born as tribute. It only seems fair."...
Previously It appears that none of you learned anything from Rosemary's Baby, and you're all perfectly willing to fall prey to a pretty face covering up a treachorous heart - you gave Guy (John Cassavettes) the win with 56% of your vote over Roman (Sidney Blackmer), and while I'll admit they're both bad choices I really find Guy the most despicable so I can't agree with y'all. He deserves that loogie he gets! Or as Nick T put it:
"I'm sitting by this bag of garbage at work and like. It's less charismatic, sure, but also less morally repugnant, so it's got the edge. Still, I don't think Roman's creepiness is given its due since his wife is way more fun to watch. I'll give him my first born as tribute. It only seems fair."...
- 6/19/2017
- by JA
- FilmExperience
Jason from Mnpp here on another Monday afternoon with another round of our weekly "Beauty vs Beast" series - today happens to be the 49th anniversary of my favorite movie Rosemary's Baby. Roman Polanski's masterpiece (one of his several masterpieces) was dropped from beak of the devil's stork into the world on June 12th 1968, a wailing bundle of joy (with its father's eyes) that became the 8th biggest film of the year, scoring over 33 million at the box office (aka 230 million in 2017 dollars, putting it on par with what Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them made last year) and forever giving pregnant woman something shiny and new to worry themselves about. (All of them witches!)
This being my favorite film we've already devoted one of these columns to it - we faced off the womenfolk with Rosemary (Mia Farrow) taking on Minnie (Ruth Gordon) last fall. Gordon won,...
This being my favorite film we've already devoted one of these columns to it - we faced off the womenfolk with Rosemary (Mia Farrow) taking on Minnie (Ruth Gordon) last fall. Gordon won,...
- 6/12/2017
- by JA
- FilmExperience
Do rediscovered ‘lost’ movies always disappoint? This Depression-era pre-Code science fiction disaster thriller was unique in its day, and its outrageously ambitious special effects –New York City is tossed into a blender — were considered the state of the art. Sidney Blackmer and a fetching Peggy Shannon fight off rapacious gangs in what may be the first post-apocalyptic survival thriller.
Deluge
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1933 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 67 min. / Street Date February 21, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring Peggy Shannon, Lois Wilson, Sidney Blackmer, Lane Chandler, Samuel S. Hinds, Fred Kohler, Matt Moore, Edward Van Sloan .
Cinematography: Norbert Brodine
Film Editor: Martin G. Cohn, Rose Loewinger
Special Effects: Ned Mann, Williams Wiliams, Russell Lawson, Ernie Crockett, Victor Scheurich, Carl Wester
Original Music: Val Burton
Written by Warren Duff, John F. Goodrich from the novel by Sydney Fowler Wright
Produced by Samuel Bischoff, Burt Kelly, William Saal
Directed by Felix E. Feist...
Deluge
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1933 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 67 min. / Street Date February 21, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring Peggy Shannon, Lois Wilson, Sidney Blackmer, Lane Chandler, Samuel S. Hinds, Fred Kohler, Matt Moore, Edward Van Sloan .
Cinematography: Norbert Brodine
Film Editor: Martin G. Cohn, Rose Loewinger
Special Effects: Ned Mann, Williams Wiliams, Russell Lawson, Ernie Crockett, Victor Scheurich, Carl Wester
Original Music: Val Burton
Written by Warren Duff, John F. Goodrich from the novel by Sydney Fowler Wright
Produced by Samuel Bischoff, Burt Kelly, William Saal
Directed by Felix E. Feist...
- 2/21/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Dana Andrews movies: Film noir actor excelled in both major and minor crime dramas. Dana Andrews movies: First-rate film noir actor excelled in both classics & minor fare One of the best-looking and most underrated actors of the studio era, Dana Andrews was a first-rate film noir/crime thriller star. Oftentimes dismissed as no more than a “dependable” or “reliable” leading man, in truth Andrews brought to life complex characters that never quite fit into the mold of Hollywood's standardized heroes – or rather, antiheroes. Unlike the cynical, tough-talking, and (albeit at times self-delusionally) self-confident characters played by the likes of Alan Ladd, Edward G. Robinson, James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart, and, however lazily, Robert Mitchum, Andrews created portrayals of tortured men at odds with their social standing, their sense of ethics, and even their romantic yearnings. Not infrequently, there was only a very fine line separating his (anti)heroes from most movie villains.
- 1/22/2017
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Keep up with the wild and wooly world of indie film acquisitions with our weekly Rundown of everything that’s been picked up around the globe. Check out last week’s Rundown here.
– L.A.-based outfit Strand Releasing has acquired U.S. rights to Michael O’Shea’s Cannes premiere “The Transfiguration.” The film was sold by Protagonist Pictures at Toronto, and it marks the feature debut of writer-director Michael O’Shea. The atmospheric feature puts a new spin on the vampire movie.
“Mr. O’Shea’s film is a unique hybrid that audiences and critics will be compelled by,” said Strand Releasing’s partner Jon Gerrans, who discovered the film at Cannes. No word yet on release plans.
– Oscilloscope Laboratories has announced that Joel Potrykus’s latest dark comedy, “The Alchemist Cookbook,” will be available worldwide for pay-what-you-wish via BitTorrent Now on October 7, before it screens in select theaters across the country.
– L.A.-based outfit Strand Releasing has acquired U.S. rights to Michael O’Shea’s Cannes premiere “The Transfiguration.” The film was sold by Protagonist Pictures at Toronto, and it marks the feature debut of writer-director Michael O’Shea. The atmospheric feature puts a new spin on the vampire movie.
“Mr. O’Shea’s film is a unique hybrid that audiences and critics will be compelled by,” said Strand Releasing’s partner Jon Gerrans, who discovered the film at Cannes. No word yet on release plans.
– Oscilloscope Laboratories has announced that Joel Potrykus’s latest dark comedy, “The Alchemist Cookbook,” will be available worldwide for pay-what-you-wish via BitTorrent Now on October 7, before it screens in select theaters across the country.
- 9/16/2016
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Donald Trump vs. Starbucks' War on Christmas. The War on Christmas: The movies that come to mind We're still in November, but the War on Christmas – according to online buzz, a second cousin once removed of the War on Cops – has begun. Weeping and gritting of teeth has seized certain population segments in the U.S.A. (and perhaps other countries as well) after Fox News, that beacon of intellectual freedom at the end of the cable news tunnel, announced that … Starbucks' holiday season cups are a) red b) devoid of Christmas decorations. Could it be a satanic conspiracy disguised as politically correct inclusiveness? The result of a communist takeover at the Seattle-headquartered company? Cruel and unusual Christian persecution in the form of paper cups? Your guess is as good as mine. Far-right Republican icon, U.S. presidential candidate, and 2015 political circus ringmaster Donald Trump seems to think that Starbucks...
- 11/15/2015
- by M.T. Philipe
- Alt Film Guide
–
20. The Innocents
Directed by Jack Clayton
Written by William Archibald and Truman Capote
UK, 1961
Genre: Hauntings
The Innocents, which was co-written by Truman Capote, is the first of many screen adaptations of The Turn of the Screw. If you’ve never heard of it, don’t feel bad because most people haven’t – but The Innocents deserves its rightful spot on any list of great horror films. Here is one of the few films where the ghost story takes place mostly in daylight, and the lush photography, which earned cinematographer Freddie Francis one of his two Oscar wins, is simply stunning. Meanwhile, director Jack Clayton and Francis made great use of long, steady shots, which suggest corruption is lurking everywhere inside the grand estate. The Innocents also features three amazing performances; the first two come courtesy of child actors Pamela Franklin (The Legend of Hell House), and Martin Stephens (Village of the Damned...
20. The Innocents
Directed by Jack Clayton
Written by William Archibald and Truman Capote
UK, 1961
Genre: Hauntings
The Innocents, which was co-written by Truman Capote, is the first of many screen adaptations of The Turn of the Screw. If you’ve never heard of it, don’t feel bad because most people haven’t – but The Innocents deserves its rightful spot on any list of great horror films. Here is one of the few films where the ghost story takes place mostly in daylight, and the lush photography, which earned cinematographer Freddie Francis one of his two Oscar wins, is simply stunning. Meanwhile, director Jack Clayton and Francis made great use of long, steady shots, which suggest corruption is lurking everywhere inside the grand estate. The Innocents also features three amazing performances; the first two come courtesy of child actors Pamela Franklin (The Legend of Hell House), and Martin Stephens (Village of the Damned...
- 10/31/2015
- by Ricky Fernandes
- SoundOnSight
Douglas Fairbanks Jr. ca. 1935. Douglas Fairbanks Jr. was never as popular as his father, silent film superstar Douglas Fairbanks, who starred in one action-adventure blockbuster after another in the 1920s (The Mark of Zorro, Robin Hood, The Thief of Bagdad) and whose stardom dates back to the mid-1910s, when Fairbanks toplined a series of light, modern-day comedies in which he was cast as the embodiment of the enterprising, 20th century “all-American.” What this particular go-getter got was screen queen Mary Pickford as his wife and United Artists as his studio, which he co-founded with Pickford, D.W. Griffith, and Charles Chaplin. Now, although Jr. never had the following of Sr., he did enjoy a solid two-decade-plus movie career. In fact, he was one of the few children of major film stars – e.g., Jane Fonda, Liza Minnelli, Angelina Jolie, Michael Douglas, Jamie Lee Curtis – who had successful film careers of their own.
- 8/16/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Director John Frankenheimer.
I'm often asked which, out of the over 600 interviews I've logged with Hollywood's finest, is my favorite. It's not a tough answer: John Frankenheimer.
We instantly clicked the day we met at his home in Benedict Canyon, and spent most of the afternoon talking in his den. A friendship of sorts developed over the years, with visits to his office for screenings of the old Kinescopes he directed for shows like "Playhouse 90" during his salad days in live television during the 1950s.
We hadn't spoken for nearly a year in mid-2002 when the phone rang. It was John, who spoke in what can only be described as a "stentorian bark," like a general. "Alex!" he exclaimed. "John Frankenheimer." He could sense something was amiss with me. It was. My screenwriting career had stalled. My marriage was progressing to divorce. I had hit bottom. John knew that...
I'm often asked which, out of the over 600 interviews I've logged with Hollywood's finest, is my favorite. It's not a tough answer: John Frankenheimer.
We instantly clicked the day we met at his home in Benedict Canyon, and spent most of the afternoon talking in his den. A friendship of sorts developed over the years, with visits to his office for screenings of the old Kinescopes he directed for shows like "Playhouse 90" during his salad days in live television during the 1950s.
We hadn't spoken for nearly a year in mid-2002 when the phone rang. It was John, who spoke in what can only be described as a "stentorian bark," like a general. "Alex!" he exclaimed. "John Frankenheimer." He could sense something was amiss with me. It was. My screenwriting career had stalled. My marriage was progressing to divorce. I had hit bottom. John knew that...
- 7/6/2015
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
A roundup of five worthwhile witch movies to stream online right now. "Black Sunday" (Netflix) Mario Bava's 1960 B&W chiller stars the enormous-eyed Barbara Steele in a dual role as a reincarnated witch from the 17th century and her beautiful lookalike descendant, whom she has returned from beyond the grave to possess. A moody Gothic fright film featuring horror legend Steele in arguably her most iconic role. "Teen Witch" (We have been informed that this has been removed from Netflix) :( The unintentionally funny 1989 musical best known for its ill-advised "rap" number "Top That" stars Robyn Lively as an unpopular high schooler who discovers she's descended from the witches of Salem. She goes on to use her newly-discovered powers to win the heart of the school's handsome star football player and get back at all the mean girls. If you enjoy cheese, look no further. "Rosemary's Baby" (Netflix) Fine,...
- 4/3/2015
- by Chris Eggertsen
- Hitfix
Teresa Wright and Matt Damon in 'The Rainmaker' Teresa Wright: From Marlon Brando to Matt Damon (See preceding post: "Teresa Wright vs. Samuel Goldwyn: Nasty Falling Out.") "I'd rather have luck than brains!" Teresa Wright was quoted as saying in the early 1950s. That's understandable, considering her post-Samuel Goldwyn choice of movie roles, some of which may have seemed promising on paper.[1] Wright was Marlon Brando's first Hollywood leading lady, but that didn't help her to bounce back following the very public spat with her former boss. After all, The Men was released before Elia Kazan's film version of A Streetcar Named Desire turned Brando into a major international star. Chances are that good film offers were scarce. After Wright's brief 1950 comeback, for the third time in less than a decade she would be gone from the big screen for more than a year.
- 3/11/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Each year, the Library of Congress selects 25 films to be named to the National Film Registry, a proclamation of commitment to preserving the chosen pictures for all time. They can be big studio pictures or experimental short films, goofball comedies or poetic meditations on life. The National Film Registery "showcases the extraordinary diversity of America’s film heritage and the disparate strands making it so vibrant" and by preserving the films, the Library of Congress hopes to "a crucial element of American creativity, culture and history.” This year’s selections span the period 1913 to 2004 and include a number of films you’re familiar with. Unless you’ve never heard of "Saving Private Ryan," "The Big Lebowski," “Rosemary’s Baby” or "Ferris Bueller's Day Off." Highlights from the list include the aforementioned film, Arthur Penn’s Western "Little Big Man," John Lasseter’s 1986 animated film, “Luxo Jr.," 1953’s “House of Wax,...
- 12/17/2014
- by Matt Patches
- Hitfix
Spanning the years 1913-2004, the 25 films to be added to the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry for 2014 include Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan, Roman Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby, Arthur Penn’s Little Big Man, John Hughes’ Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and the Coen brothers’ The Big Lebowski. The annual selection helps to ensure that the movies will be preserved for all time. This year’s list brings the number of films in the registry to 650.
Also on the list are John Lasseter’s 1986 animated film, Luxo Jr; the original Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory with Gene Wilder; and Howard Hawks’ classic 1959 Western Rio Bravo. Documentaries and silent films also make up part of the selection which represents titles that are “culturally, historically or aesthetically” significant; they must also each be at least 10 years old. Check out the rundown of all 25 movies below:
2014 National Film Registry...
Also on the list are John Lasseter’s 1986 animated film, Luxo Jr; the original Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory with Gene Wilder; and Howard Hawks’ classic 1959 Western Rio Bravo. Documentaries and silent films also make up part of the selection which represents titles that are “culturally, historically or aesthetically” significant; they must also each be at least 10 years old. Check out the rundown of all 25 movies below:
2014 National Film Registry...
- 12/17/2014
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline
Movies 10-1
10. Videodrome (1983) directed by David Cronenberg
In David Cronenberg’s world, sex hurts so good; it’s innately disgusting and primeval but at the same time beautiful and becoming. (Kind of like sex in the real world, when you think about it.) Bodies degenerate and mental states corrode under the influence of lust, and yet something new is engendered by the collision of bodies, bodily fluids, the ripping of flesh and the mangling of organs. Through the carrion of ugly comes the attractive flesh, the new flesh. Videodrome, as Jonathan Lethem once quipped, remains Cronenberg’s most penetrative film; he creates a world at once rooted in modernity circa 1983–a world afraid of the advent of television usurping our humanity, over-stimulated times ushering in the end times–and existing in a timeless, placeless vacuum. It’s vast and claustrophobic, prescient and paranoid, of the same lineage as early James Cameron...
10. Videodrome (1983) directed by David Cronenberg
In David Cronenberg’s world, sex hurts so good; it’s innately disgusting and primeval but at the same time beautiful and becoming. (Kind of like sex in the real world, when you think about it.) Bodies degenerate and mental states corrode under the influence of lust, and yet something new is engendered by the collision of bodies, bodily fluids, the ripping of flesh and the mangling of organs. Through the carrion of ugly comes the attractive flesh, the new flesh. Videodrome, as Jonathan Lethem once quipped, remains Cronenberg’s most penetrative film; he creates a world at once rooted in modernity circa 1983–a world afraid of the advent of television usurping our humanity, over-stimulated times ushering in the end times–and existing in a timeless, placeless vacuum. It’s vast and claustrophobic, prescient and paranoid, of the same lineage as early James Cameron...
- 10/25/2014
- by Greg Cwik
- SoundOnSight
Rosemary’s Baby
Directed by Roman Polanski
United States, 1968
Roman Polanski’s first foray into real, genre horror is a classic of mostly unseen dread.
Featuring a closely-coiffed Mia Farrow as the soft-spoken, childlike Rosemary Woodhouse, potential mother to the devil; John Cassavetes, post-Shadows, and just about to truly kick off his great directorial run; and the inimitable Ruth Gordan as a sort of Grace Zabriskie-precursor: the creepy neighbor next door, heavily made-up and eerily meddlesome, Rosemary’s Baby picks up the paranoid thread of 1965’s Repulsion. The film also anticipates the similarly – though more political – claustrophobic suspicion of Alan Pakula’s 1970’s films.
Like Repulsion Polanski puts a slender, nymph-like female at the center of the narrative, though Rosemary is endowed with more power than Catherine Deneuve’s Carol. Unlike his earlier film, Polanski externalizes the baleful forces and makes them realer. The strength of Rosemary’s...
Directed by Roman Polanski
United States, 1968
Roman Polanski’s first foray into real, genre horror is a classic of mostly unseen dread.
Featuring a closely-coiffed Mia Farrow as the soft-spoken, childlike Rosemary Woodhouse, potential mother to the devil; John Cassavetes, post-Shadows, and just about to truly kick off his great directorial run; and the inimitable Ruth Gordan as a sort of Grace Zabriskie-precursor: the creepy neighbor next door, heavily made-up and eerily meddlesome, Rosemary’s Baby picks up the paranoid thread of 1965’s Repulsion. The film also anticipates the similarly – though more political – claustrophobic suspicion of Alan Pakula’s 1970’s films.
Like Repulsion Polanski puts a slender, nymph-like female at the center of the narrative, though Rosemary is endowed with more power than Catherine Deneuve’s Carol. Unlike his earlier film, Polanski externalizes the baleful forces and makes them realer. The strength of Rosemary’s...
- 10/21/2014
- by Neal Dhand
- SoundOnSight
Reviewed by Grace Fontaine, MoreHorror.com
Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
Starring: Mia Farrow (Rosemary Woodhouse), John Cassavetes (Guy Woodhouse), Ruth Gordon (Minnie Castevet), Sidney Blackmer (Roman Castevet), Ralph Bellamy (Abe Sapirstein) and Clay Tanner (Satan)
Warning: I would not recommend watching this if you are pregnant, ladies.
“Rosemary’s Baby” does not thrive on eliciting base, violent terror upon its viewers, the aims it has is far sinister- it wants to put you off balance and keep you there.
Young newlyweds Rosemary and Guy Woodhouse have picked up sticks and set down in a grand yet somewhat ancient apartment building smack bang in the middle of cosmopolitan New York City. Rosemary is a clever yet naïve housewife who is quite content to be a homebody while Guy is a struggling actor who is desperate to make it big in the Big Apple. Although the couple share a loving and playful relationship,...
Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
Starring: Mia Farrow (Rosemary Woodhouse), John Cassavetes (Guy Woodhouse), Ruth Gordon (Minnie Castevet), Sidney Blackmer (Roman Castevet), Ralph Bellamy (Abe Sapirstein) and Clay Tanner (Satan)
Warning: I would not recommend watching this if you are pregnant, ladies.
“Rosemary’s Baby” does not thrive on eliciting base, violent terror upon its viewers, the aims it has is far sinister- it wants to put you off balance and keep you there.
Young newlyweds Rosemary and Guy Woodhouse have picked up sticks and set down in a grand yet somewhat ancient apartment building smack bang in the middle of cosmopolitan New York City. Rosemary is a clever yet naïve housewife who is quite content to be a homebody while Guy is a struggling actor who is desperate to make it big in the Big Apple. Although the couple share a loving and playful relationship,...
- 8/28/2014
- by admin
- MoreHorror
Joan Lorring, 1945 Best Supporting Actress Oscar nominee, dead at 88: One of the earliest surviving Academy Award nominees in the acting categories, Lorring was best known for holding her own against Bette Davis in ‘The Corn Is Green’ (photo: Joan Lorring in ‘Three Strangers’) Best Supporting Actress Academy Award nominee Joan Lorring, who stole the 1945 film version of The Corn Is Green from none other than Warner Bros. reigning queen Bette Davis, died Friday, May 30, 2014, in the New York City suburb of Sleepy Hollow. So far, online obits haven’t mentioned the cause of death. Lorring, one of the earliest surviving Oscar nominees in the acting categories, was 88. Directed by Irving Rapper, who had also handled one of Bette Davis’ biggest hits, the 1942 sudsy soap opera Now, Voyager, Warners’ The Corn Is Green was a decent if uninspired film version of Emlyn Williams’ semi-autobiographical 1938 hit play about an English schoolteacher,...
- 6/1/2014
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Try as I might, I can't feel like NBC's miniseries version of "Rosemary's Baby" is a disgrace. I know that I should. Roman Polanski's 1968 adaptation of Ira Levin's tightly-written suspense potboiler is a masterpiece on every level. It's disturbing and scary, which is why people remember it as a horror classic. But in certain places, it's also absolutely hilarious with a vein of dark humor that qualifies confidently as camp, but never jeopardizes the visceral tension. And that balance is perfectly captured through every performance, from Mia Farrow in the lead role, to John Cassavetes, Sidney Blackmer and the incomparable Ruth Gordon. And every way in which Polanski's "Rosemary's Baby" works, Agnieszka Holland's NBC adaptation falls short. But... duh. A review that says "NBC's 'Rosemary's Baby' is bad because Roman Polanski's 'Rosemary's Baby' is good" accomplishes nothing, even if it's both true and a tremendously efficient piece of criticism.
- 5/11/2014
- by Daniel Fienberg
- Hitfix
Patrick J. Adams (Suits) has joined the cast of NBC’s four hour Rosemary’s Baby miniseries as the male lead. Jason Isaacs (Harry Potter) meanwhile will star as warlock/coven-leader Roman Castevet, a character originally played by Sidney Blackmer in Roman Polanski’s 1968 adaptation of the 1967 best-selling suspense novel by Ira Levin.
Adams will take on the role of Rosemary Woodhouse’s (Zoe Saldana) husband, Guy. The series focuses on the couple as they move into a Paris apartment that has a darkly-storied past. After finally getting pregnant, Rosemary becomes increasingly suspicious that both her husband and their mysterious neighbours have ulterior motives about the future of her child. Guy was originally played by John Cassavetes.
Adams has become an extremely recognisable face thanks to his role in Suits, while the series marks a return to television for Issacs as he previously starred in Awake for NBC. Academy Award-nominated director Agnieszka Holland (Europa,...
Adams will take on the role of Rosemary Woodhouse’s (Zoe Saldana) husband, Guy. The series focuses on the couple as they move into a Paris apartment that has a darkly-storied past. After finally getting pregnant, Rosemary becomes increasingly suspicious that both her husband and their mysterious neighbours have ulterior motives about the future of her child. Guy was originally played by John Cassavetes.
Adams has become an extremely recognisable face thanks to his role in Suits, while the series marks a return to television for Issacs as he previously starred in Awake for NBC. Academy Award-nominated director Agnieszka Holland (Europa,...
- 1/21/2014
- by Josh Wilding
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
NBC’s mini-series version of “Rosemary’s Baby,” a tale of pregnancy gone awry and why you should never move to Paris, has added two new actors to the cast in “Suits” star Patrick J. Adams and Jason Isaacs. The two dudes join Zoe Saldana, who is playing the female lead. The mini-series, like the original Roman Polanski movie, will center around Rosemary Woodhouse, “a young wife and would-be mother who, with her husband Guy (Adams), moves into a Paris apartment that has a dark past. After finally getting pregnant, she becomes increasingly suspicious that both her husband and their isaacsmysterious neighbors have ulterior motives about the future of her child.” Adams will play Rosemary’s baby daddy Guy, while Isaacs will play main baddie Roman Castevet. The 1968 original starred Mia Farrow, with Sidney Blackmer and John Cassavetes playing the Castevet and Guy roles, respectively. Agnieska Holland is directing.
- 1/21/2014
- by Nix
- Beyond Hollywood
Keen to get the miniseries on the air this year, Us network NBC is wasting no time in finding a cast for Rosemary’s Baby. With Zoe Saldana already attached to star, Suits’ Patrick J. Adams and character stalwart Jason Isaacs have also come aboard.Adams is set as Guy, the husband to Saldana’s Rosemary Woodehouse. The pair move into a Paris apartment that comes complete with charming features and a decidedly dark past. When Rosemary finally gets pregnant, she slowly becomes convinced that her neighbours – and her husband – have disturbing plans for the child.Isaacs is taking on the role of Roman Castevet (played in the 1967 Roman Polanski film by Sidney Blackmer), the warlock leader of a coven who, unsurprisingly given that he leads a coven, is more than just your average friendly neighbour.Agnieska Holland is handling directorial chores, working from a new adaptation of Ira Levin’s novel.
- 1/21/2014
- EmpireOnline
A few days ago we learned that Zoe Saldana will be filling Mia Farrow's shoes for NBC's miniseries version of "Rosemary's Baby," and today we've found out who's playing both her husband and the leader of the coven that's so interested in her. Read on for the details.
Per Deadline, Patrick J. Adams (pictured right; "Suits") has been set as the male lead, Guy (played by John Cassavetes in Roman Polanski’s 1968 feature adaptation), opposite Saldana in the four-hour miniseries, an adaptation of the 1967 best-selling suspense novel by Ira Levin.
Jason Isaacs (pictured below; "Awake") has also joined the production, which is being directed by Agnieska Holland (In Darkness, "Treme"). Isaacs will play warlock/coven-leader Roman Castevet, a role played by Sidney Blackmer in Polanski’s version.
Synopsis:
Rosemary and her husband, Guy, move into a Paris apartment that has a darkly storied past. After finally getting pregnant, she...
Per Deadline, Patrick J. Adams (pictured right; "Suits") has been set as the male lead, Guy (played by John Cassavetes in Roman Polanski’s 1968 feature adaptation), opposite Saldana in the four-hour miniseries, an adaptation of the 1967 best-selling suspense novel by Ira Levin.
Jason Isaacs (pictured below; "Awake") has also joined the production, which is being directed by Agnieska Holland (In Darkness, "Treme"). Isaacs will play warlock/coven-leader Roman Castevet, a role played by Sidney Blackmer in Polanski’s version.
Synopsis:
Rosemary and her husband, Guy, move into a Paris apartment that has a darkly storied past. After finally getting pregnant, she...
- 1/20/2014
- by Debi Moore
- DreadCentral.com
Exclusive: Suits star Patrick J. Adams is set as the male lead opposite Zoe Saldana in NBC’s four-hour miniseries Rosemary’s Baby, an adaptation of the 1967 best-selling suspense novel by Ira Levin. Jason Isaacs also has joined the mini, directed by Agnieska Holland. It centers on Rosemary Woodhouse (Saldana), a young wife and would-be mother who, with her husband Guy (Adams), moves into a Paris apartment that has a dark past. After finally getting pregnant, she becomes increasingly suspicious that both her husband and their mysterious neighbors have ulterior motives about the future of her child. Isaacs will play warlock/coven-leader Roman Castevet, a role played by Sidney Blackmer in Roman Polanski’s 1968 feature adaptation, in which Guy was played by John Cassavetes. This marks a nice NBCUniversal crossover, with Adams — one of the hottest stars of USA Network where Suits is a flagship series — taking on a lead of an NBC project.
- 1/20/2014
- by NELLIE ANDREEVA
- Deadline TV
Patrick J. Adams ("Suits") and Jason Isaacs (the Harry Potter franchise) are set to join the previously announced Zoe Saldana in NBC's four-hour miniseries "Rosemary's Baby," an adaptation of the 1967 best-selling suspense novel by Ira Levin. Saldana is playing Rosemary, the iconic young wife and would-be mother who, with her husband (Adams), moves into a Paris apartment that has a darkly storied past. After finally getting pregnant, she becomes increasingly suspicious that both her husband and their mysterious neighbors have ulterior motives about the future of her child. Isaacs will star as Roman Castevet, played in the Polanski version by Sidney Blackmer. Scott Abbott and James Wong are writing the screenplay for "Rosemary's Baby,"...
- 1/20/2014
- Comingsoon.net
With the eve when the veils between worlds is at its thinnest around the corner, it’s difficult not to think of the day’s most prominently featured figure: the witch. Below is an essential viewing list, ranging in genre and targeted age group, of filmic work that showcase witches (loosely defined for our purposes) and show just how badass and horrifying these heralds of the supernatural can be.
****
American Horror Story: Coven
Created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk
USA, 2013
This anthology television series, which premiered last week, promises another visually stunning horrifying boundary pushing work with its third season. Coven begins by following young Zoe (Taissa Farmiga), who discovers her supernatural roots in a rather gruesome incident and is then whisked off to a private school for ‘talented’ young women. Set between the present day and the 1830s, Coven promises a panoply of witch-related themes including witch hunts,...
****
American Horror Story: Coven
Created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk
USA, 2013
This anthology television series, which premiered last week, promises another visually stunning horrifying boundary pushing work with its third season. Coven begins by following young Zoe (Taissa Farmiga), who discovers her supernatural roots in a rather gruesome incident and is then whisked off to a private school for ‘talented’ young women. Set between the present day and the 1830s, Coven promises a panoply of witch-related themes including witch hunts,...
- 10/18/2013
- by Pamela Fillion
- SoundOnSight
Every year, we here at Sound On Sight celebrate the month of October with 31 Days of Horror; and every year, I update the list of my favourite horror films ever made. Last year, I released a list that included 150 picks. This year, I’ll be upgrading the list, making minor alterations, changing the rankings, adding new entries, and possibly removing a few titles. I’ve also decided to publish each post backwards this time for one reason: the new additions appear lower on my list, whereas my top 50 haven’t changed much, except for maybe in ranking. Enjoy!
Special Mention:
Michael Jackson’s groundbreaking dance routines and unique vocals have influenced generations of musicians, dancers, and entertainers. He was one of entertainment’s greatest icons, and like most gifted individuals, he was always pushing boundaries, reinventing himself, and testing his limits. One of his biggest accomplishments was Thriller, a 14-minute...
Special Mention:
Michael Jackson’s groundbreaking dance routines and unique vocals have influenced generations of musicians, dancers, and entertainers. He was one of entertainment’s greatest icons, and like most gifted individuals, he was always pushing boundaries, reinventing himself, and testing his limits. One of his biggest accomplishments was Thriller, a 14-minute...
- 10/17/2013
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
Taking on a classic is a gutsy move, even for an award-winning filmmaker. And when director Kimberly Peirce signed on to re-imagine Stephen King's horror classic "Carrie," about a teenage girl with telekinetic powers hellbent on revenge, she knew she had some sky-high expectations to meet.
"I'd make a joke and say, 'I didn't give a f*ck,' but of course I felt pressure!" she told us recently while doing press for "Carrie." "But I think pressure is good."
All that pressure had Peirce thinking long and hard about what it would mean to sign on to a project of this scale, with its history and existing fan base. Having made just one film, 2008's "Stop-Loss," since her 1999 directorial debut, "Boys Don't Cry," it's clear, as a filmmaker, she doesn't make decisions lightly.
"I walked into this feeling a huge responsibility, much like I did with 'Boys Don't Cry...
"I'd make a joke and say, 'I didn't give a f*ck,' but of course I felt pressure!" she told us recently while doing press for "Carrie." "But I think pressure is good."
All that pressure had Peirce thinking long and hard about what it would mean to sign on to a project of this scale, with its history and existing fan base. Having made just one film, 2008's "Stop-Loss," since her 1999 directorial debut, "Boys Don't Cry," it's clear, as a filmmaker, she doesn't make decisions lightly.
"I walked into this feeling a huge responsibility, much like I did with 'Boys Don't Cry...
- 10/15/2013
- by Tim Hayne
- Moviefone
Glenda Farrell: Actress has her ‘Summer Under the Stars’ day Scene-stealer Glenda Farrell is Turner Classic Movies’ "Summer Under the Stars" star today, August 29, 2013. A reliable — and very busy — Warner Bros. contract player in the ’30s, the sharp, energetic, fast-talking blonde actress was featured in more than fifty films at the studio from 1931 to 1939. Note: This particular Glenda Farrell has nothing in common with the One Tree Hill character played by Amber Wallace in the television series. The Glenda Farrell / One Tree Hill name connection seems to have been a mere coincidence. (Photo: Glenda Farrell as Torchy Blane in Smart Blonde.) Back to Warners’ Glenda Farrell: TCM is currently showing Torchy Runs for Mayor (1939), one of the seven B movies starring Farrell as intrepid reporter Torchy Blane. Major suspense: Will Torchy win the election? She should. No city would ever go bankrupt with Torchy at the helm. Glenda Farrell...
- 8/30/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Gregory Peck from ‘Duel in the Sun’ to ‘How the West Was Won’: TCM schedule (Pt) on August 15 (photo: Gregory Peck in ‘Duel in the Sun’) See previous post: “Gregory Peck Movies: Memorable Miscasting Tonight on Turner Classic Movies.” 3:00 Am Days Of Glory (1944). Director: Jacques Tourneur. Cast: Gregory Peck, Lowell Gilmore, Maria Palmer. Bw-86 mins. 4:30 Am Pork Chop Hill (1959). Director: Lewis Milestone. Cast: Gregory Peck, Harry Guardino, Rip Torn. Bw-98 mins. Letterbox Format. 6:15 Am The Valley Of Decision (1945). Director: Tay Garnett. Cast: Greer Garson, Gregory Peck, Donald Crisp. Bw-119 mins. 8:15 Am Spellbound (1945). Director: Alfred Hitchcock. Cast: Ingrid Bergman, Gregory Peck, Michael Chekhov, Leo G. Carroll, Rhonda Fleming, Bill Goodwin, Norman Lloyd, Steve Geray, John Emery, Donald Curtis, Art Baker, Wallace Ford, Regis Toomey, Paul Harvey, Jean Acker, Irving Bacon, Jacqueline deWit, Edward Fielding, Matt Moore, Addison Richards, Erskine Sanford, Constance Purdy. Bw-111 mins. 10:15 Am Designing Woman (1957). Director: Vincente Minnelli.
- 8/16/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Joan Fontaine movies: ‘This Above All,’ ‘Letter from an Unknown Woman’ (photo: Cary Grant, Joan Fontaine in ‘Suspicion’ publicity image) (See previous post: “Joan Fontaine Today.”) Also tonight on Turner Classic Movies, Joan Fontaine can be seen in today’s lone TCM premiere, the flag-waving 20th Century Fox release The Above All (1942), with Fontaine as an aristocratic (but socially conscious) English Rose named Prudence Cathaway (Fontaine was born to British parents in Japan) and Fox’s top male star, Tyrone Power, as her Awol romantic interest. This Above All was directed by Anatole Litvak, who would guide Olivia de Havilland in the major box-office hit The Snake Pit (1948), which earned her a Best Actress Oscar nod. In Max Ophüls’ darkly romantic Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948), Fontaine delivers not only what is probably the greatest performance of her career, but also one of the greatest movie performances ever. Letter from an Unknown Woman...
- 8/6/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
We are now up to the year 1968 for the double-episode season 6 opener of Mad Men. This already seems to be the show’s most progressive season so far costume wise. Season 5 certainly took the most significant cultural jump, with Swinging Sixties politics, clothes and interiors looming like a shadow of coolness. In the latter half of season 5, aspiring actress Megan’s (Jessica Paré) capri pants and sweater audition wear, while not exactly beatnik were avant-garde enough to suggest the growing exuberance of her character. The times they are a-changin’.
For season 6, costume designer Janie Bryant looks to be channelling the same ideal as season 1, but whereas season 1 (set in 1960) was a crossover in terms of fashion from the 1950s/60’s, season 6 is transitional from the 1960s/70’s. As we are only in 1968 it could be argued this is a mite early, but cleverly Bryant only hints at the changes to come.
For season 6, costume designer Janie Bryant looks to be channelling the same ideal as season 1, but whereas season 1 (set in 1960) was a crossover in terms of fashion from the 1950s/60’s, season 6 is transitional from the 1960s/70’s. As we are only in 1968 it could be argued this is a mite early, but cleverly Bryant only hints at the changes to come.
- 4/11/2013
- by Chris Laverty
- Clothes on Film
Chicago – Any film fan that hasn’t seen Roman Polanski’s “Rosemary’s Baby” has not yet completed Movies 101. The fact is that this work is a reference point for so many others that anyone who loves cinema simply must see it to understand the form. Roman Polanski’s 1968 adaptation of Ira Levin’s hit book is a near-perfect example of urban horror, the scary story built around the idea that any door in any apartment building could be hiding pure Hell. It’s the latest addition to The Criterion Collection and a fantastic choice by the brain trust at the company that chose to include it.
Rating: 4.5/5.0
“Rosemary’s Baby” was a hit book in 1967 but the film version could have gone in any number of directions. Polanski was not yet the legend he is now. He hadn’t made “Chinatown” and was reportedly brought to the United States...
Rating: 4.5/5.0
“Rosemary’s Baby” was a hit book in 1967 but the film version could have gone in any number of directions. Polanski was not yet the legend he is now. He hadn’t made “Chinatown” and was reportedly brought to the United States...
- 11/13/2012
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Just in time for Halloween, Criterion has remastered what’s long been culturally considered one of the most notable pieces of horror film making in cinematic history, the eerie classic, Rosemary’s Baby. Standing as not only the first adaptation of someone else’s material for auteur Roman Polanski, this would mark his first foray into Hollywood, and his final product still stands as template of the film industry’s far-reaching allure to achieve a European arthouse aesthetic successfully melded with mainstream pulp.
Still, to approach this classic title, (that’s become so deeply ingrained in our cultural syntax that nearly everyone knows what the titular baby is really synonymous with), as purely a genre exercise modulated simply to invoke fear and unease, would be a mistake. What makes the film transcend showy thrills is how it plunders into our more collectively subconscious fears, giving us a kitchen sink melodrama...
Still, to approach this classic title, (that’s become so deeply ingrained in our cultural syntax that nearly everyone knows what the titular baby is really synonymous with), as purely a genre exercise modulated simply to invoke fear and unease, would be a mistake. What makes the film transcend showy thrills is how it plunders into our more collectively subconscious fears, giving us a kitchen sink melodrama...
- 10/30/2012
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Throughout the month of October, Editor-in-Chief and resident Horror expert Ricky D, will be posting a list of his favorite Horror films of all time. The list will be posted in six parts. Click here to see every entry.
As with all lists, this is personal and nobody will agree with every choice – and if you do, that would be incredibly disturbing. It was almost impossible for me to rank them in order, but I tried and eventually gave up.
****
50: Thundercrack!
Directed by Curt McDowell
Written by George Kuchar
1975, USA
Thunderstruck! is by far the most obscure film you will find on this list. It is without a doubt one of the true landmarks of Underground cinema. With a screenplay by veteran underground film maker George Kuchar (story and characters by Mark Ellinger) and directed Curt McDowell (than student of Kuchar),
Thundercrack! is a work of a crazed genius.
As with all lists, this is personal and nobody will agree with every choice – and if you do, that would be incredibly disturbing. It was almost impossible for me to rank them in order, but I tried and eventually gave up.
****
50: Thundercrack!
Directed by Curt McDowell
Written by George Kuchar
1975, USA
Thunderstruck! is by far the most obscure film you will find on this list. It is without a doubt one of the true landmarks of Underground cinema. With a screenplay by veteran underground film maker George Kuchar (story and characters by Mark Ellinger) and directed Curt McDowell (than student of Kuchar),
Thundercrack! is a work of a crazed genius.
- 10/27/2012
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
By Allen Gardner
A Separation (Sony) This drama from Iran won the 2011 Best Foreign Film Oscar, telling the story of a couple who file for a legal separation, with the wife pushing for a divorce. He won’t leave his Alzheimer’s-afflicted father behind, while she is wanting to take their young daughter with her to the United States. After a series of misunderstandings, threats and legal actions, the couple find that there is more than just their marriage that’s on the line. Hyper-realistic to a fault, reminiscent of the neo-realist films that came out of post-ww II Europe, but also repressive and redundant in the extreme, with the characters seeming to throw the same temper tantrum for two hours straight while the story, meanwhile, seems stalled. Wildly overpraised film is a real litmus test, with viewers seeming to be staunch defenders or equally impassioned detractors. It did win an Oscar,...
A Separation (Sony) This drama from Iran won the 2011 Best Foreign Film Oscar, telling the story of a couple who file for a legal separation, with the wife pushing for a divorce. He won’t leave his Alzheimer’s-afflicted father behind, while she is wanting to take their young daughter with her to the United States. After a series of misunderstandings, threats and legal actions, the couple find that there is more than just their marriage that’s on the line. Hyper-realistic to a fault, reminiscent of the neo-realist films that came out of post-ww II Europe, but also repressive and redundant in the extreme, with the characters seeming to throw the same temper tantrum for two hours straight while the story, meanwhile, seems stalled. Wildly overpraised film is a real litmus test, with viewers seeming to be staunch defenders or equally impassioned detractors. It did win an Oscar,...
- 8/1/2012
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: Oct. 30, 2012
Price: DVD $29.95, Blu-ray $39.95
Studio: Criterion
Mia Farrow fears for her future in Rosemary's Baby.
Roman Polanski’s (Carnage) masterful Rosemary’s Baby (1968) remains one of the filmmaker’s finest works and one of the greatest horror-thriller films of the past half-century.
Young Mia Farrow (The Last Unicorn) stars as young mother-to-be Rosemary Woodhouse, a newly married New Yorker (by way of Nebraska) who grows increasingly suspicious that her over-friendly elderly neighbors (High Society’s Sidney Blackmer and Harold and Maude’s Ruth Gordon) and self-involved actor-husband (John Cassavetes, Too Late Blues) are hatching a Satanic plot against her and her unborn baby.
Increasingly terrifying and darkly comic, Rosemary’s Baby was faithfully adapted from Ira Levin’s best seller by writer/director Polanski. It regularly pops up on “Top Ten Horror Movie lists,” as it rightfully should, including a couple of ours — Big Bad Daddies...
Price: DVD $29.95, Blu-ray $39.95
Studio: Criterion
Mia Farrow fears for her future in Rosemary's Baby.
Roman Polanski’s (Carnage) masterful Rosemary’s Baby (1968) remains one of the filmmaker’s finest works and one of the greatest horror-thriller films of the past half-century.
Young Mia Farrow (The Last Unicorn) stars as young mother-to-be Rosemary Woodhouse, a newly married New Yorker (by way of Nebraska) who grows increasingly suspicious that her over-friendly elderly neighbors (High Society’s Sidney Blackmer and Harold and Maude’s Ruth Gordon) and self-involved actor-husband (John Cassavetes, Too Late Blues) are hatching a Satanic plot against her and her unborn baby.
Increasingly terrifying and darkly comic, Rosemary’s Baby was faithfully adapted from Ira Levin’s best seller by writer/director Polanski. It regularly pops up on “Top Ten Horror Movie lists,” as it rightfully should, including a couple of ours — Big Bad Daddies...
- 7/19/2012
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
Rosemary’s Baby is one of those films that I just love. Since it was one of my mother’s favorite films and she had it on DVD, I always watched her copy. However, since I have been on my own for sometime now, I realized this was one movie that I didn’t have on DVD and it has been Out of Print for sometime now. I figured a new DVD release would happen eventually so I held out. Earlier this year, Criterion released drawings that hinted to releases for 2012. One image seemed like a dead giveaway but also seemed right. DVD Active has confirmed that everyone’s suspicion was correct.
The Criterion Collection will be releasing Rosemary’s Baby on Blu-Ray and DVD on October 30, 2012 just in time for Halloween. Read below for all the details.
Release Date: 30 October 2012
Srp: $39.95
Synopsis: Terrifying and darkly comic, Rosemary’s Baby...
The Criterion Collection will be releasing Rosemary’s Baby on Blu-Ray and DVD on October 30, 2012 just in time for Halloween. Read below for all the details.
Release Date: 30 October 2012
Srp: $39.95
Synopsis: Terrifying and darkly comic, Rosemary’s Baby...
- 7/18/2012
- by Andy Triefenbach
- Destroy the Brain
It has been announced that Criterion will be giving Rosemary’s Baby a Blu-ray release just in time for Halloween. The film is due out on DVD and Blu-ray October 30th, and includes a new HD digital restoration that was approved by director Roman Polanski.
“Terrifying and darkly comic, Rosemary’s Baby marked the Hollywood debut of Roman Polanski. This wildly entertaining nightmare, faithfully adapted from Ira Levin’s best seller, stars a revelatory Mia Farrow as a young mother-to-be who grows increasingly suspicious that her overfriendly elderly neighbors, played by Sidney Blackmer and an Oscar-winning Ruth Gordon, and self-involved husband (John Cassavetes) are hatching a satanic plot against her and her baby. In the decades of occult cinema Polanski’s ungodly masterpiece has spawned, it’s never been outdone for sheer psychological terror.”
Director-approved Special Edition:
New high-definition digital restoration, approved by director Roman Polanski, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack...
“Terrifying and darkly comic, Rosemary’s Baby marked the Hollywood debut of Roman Polanski. This wildly entertaining nightmare, faithfully adapted from Ira Levin’s best seller, stars a revelatory Mia Farrow as a young mother-to-be who grows increasingly suspicious that her overfriendly elderly neighbors, played by Sidney Blackmer and an Oscar-winning Ruth Gordon, and self-involved husband (John Cassavetes) are hatching a satanic plot against her and her baby. In the decades of occult cinema Polanski’s ungodly masterpiece has spawned, it’s never been outdone for sheer psychological terror.”
Director-approved Special Edition:
New high-definition digital restoration, approved by director Roman Polanski, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack...
- 7/17/2012
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
You know what this Halloween needs? A good Blu-ray release of Rosemary's Baby. And you're going to get it. That's right, one is expected to street on October 30th. Better yet? Criterion is giving us a special edition. Read on for the goods.
Terrifying and darkly comic, Rosemary’s Baby marked the Hollywood debut of Roman Polanski. This wildly entertaining nightmare, faithfully adapted from Ira Levin’s best seller, stars a revelatory Mia Farrow as a young mother-to-be who grows increasingly suspicious that her overfriendly elderly neighbors, played by Sidney Blackmer and an Oscar-winning Ruth Gordon, and self-involved husband (John Cassavetes) are hatching a satanic plot against her and her baby. In the decades of occult cinema Polanski’s ungodly masterpiece has spawned, it’s never been outdone for sheer psychological terror.
Special features after the jump!
Read more...
Terrifying and darkly comic, Rosemary’s Baby marked the Hollywood debut of Roman Polanski. This wildly entertaining nightmare, faithfully adapted from Ira Levin’s best seller, stars a revelatory Mia Farrow as a young mother-to-be who grows increasingly suspicious that her overfriendly elderly neighbors, played by Sidney Blackmer and an Oscar-winning Ruth Gordon, and self-involved husband (John Cassavetes) are hatching a satanic plot against her and her baby. In the decades of occult cinema Polanski’s ungodly masterpiece has spawned, it’s never been outdone for sheer psychological terror.
Special features after the jump!
Read more...
- 7/17/2012
- shocktillyoudrop.com
Edward G. Robinson, Douglas Fairbanks Jr, Glenda Farrell, Little Caesar Little Caesar Review Pt.1 More cogent is the claim that Little Caesar represents a look at American capitalism without the blinders. Rico is like many of the Gilded Age thugs who made violence and murder an accepted practice of business. In much the same way that the Rockefellers and Carnegies avoided being publicly seen with blood on their hands, so too do the big movers and shakers of the city’s underworld. Diamond Pete Montana (Ralph Ince) and the Big Boy (Sidney Blackmer), both of whom are several notches above Rico, survive because they keep low profiles — in the world of Big Business, too, the CEOs that stay behind the scenes survive the longest. Rico, on the other hand, does his Al Capone and John Gotti-like best to court the press and as a result, is doomed. Now, while nowhere near great cinema,...
- 3/31/2012
- by Dan Schneider
- Alt Film Guide
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