New York -- Hugh Jackman liked his record-setting Broadway run so much this winter that he's handcuffing himself to a future musical about Harry Houdini.
Producers said Wednesday that Jackman, best known as the hairy Wolverine in "The X-Men" franchise, will star as the famed illusionist in "Houdini." It's scheduled to reach Broadway during the 2013-14 season.
Academy Award and six-time Emmy Award winner Aaron Sorkin of "West Wing" fame will write the story, and three-time Academy Award and four-time Grammy Award winner Stephen Schwartz of "Wicked" fame will write music and lyrics.
Jackman's career trajectory reveals a penchant for portraying showmen. He previously played a magician, rivaling Christian Bale, in 2006's "The Prestige." Jackman will also play ringmaster P.T. Barnum in the upcoming 2013 film, "The Greatest Showman on Earth." Aside from the more obvious parallels, Jackman has gravitated toward showmanship in other ways, including his song and dance numbers for the 2009 Oscars,...
Producers said Wednesday that Jackman, best known as the hairy Wolverine in "The X-Men" franchise, will star as the famed illusionist in "Houdini." It's scheduled to reach Broadway during the 2013-14 season.
Academy Award and six-time Emmy Award winner Aaron Sorkin of "West Wing" fame will write the story, and three-time Academy Award and four-time Grammy Award winner Stephen Schwartz of "Wicked" fame will write music and lyrics.
Jackman's career trajectory reveals a penchant for portraying showmen. He previously played a magician, rivaling Christian Bale, in 2006's "The Prestige." Jackman will also play ringmaster P.T. Barnum in the upcoming 2013 film, "The Greatest Showman on Earth." Aside from the more obvious parallels, Jackman has gravitated toward showmanship in other ways, including his song and dance numbers for the 2009 Oscars,...
- 1/4/2012
- by AP/The Huffington Post
- Huffington Post
The origins of cinema, a prize-winning book reveals, are closely linked to the conjurors and spiritualists of the early 20th century
Over the past few months, I have been on a judging panel with Sir Christopher Frayling and Hugh Hudson for a prize which is not as well known as it deserves to be. This is the Kraszna Krausz best moving image book award, given to the year's most outstanding book on cinema, video art and the moving image. The award was created in 1985 by the Hungarian publisher Andor Kraszna-Krausz, and the foundation also sponsors prizes for best photography book and outstanding contribution to publishing. Our jury settled on what I think is a truly fascinating book: Disappearing Tricks: Silent Film, Houdini and the New Magic of the Twentieth Century, by Matthew Solomon, published by the University of Illinois Press.
In it, film historian Solomon re-examines the cinema's occult roots...
Over the past few months, I have been on a judging panel with Sir Christopher Frayling and Hugh Hudson for a prize which is not as well known as it deserves to be. This is the Kraszna Krausz best moving image book award, given to the year's most outstanding book on cinema, video art and the moving image. The award was created in 1985 by the Hungarian publisher Andor Kraszna-Krausz, and the foundation also sponsors prizes for best photography book and outstanding contribution to publishing. Our jury settled on what I think is a truly fascinating book: Disappearing Tricks: Silent Film, Houdini and the New Magic of the Twentieth Century, by Matthew Solomon, published by the University of Illinois Press.
In it, film historian Solomon re-examines the cinema's occult roots...
- 5/3/2011
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Robots in our past and present, in film and real life.
What Is a robot? Everything from a real-life car assembly machine to a fictional artificial human being gets called a “robot.”
The Merriam-Webster Online site gives its main definition of the term this way: “A machine that looks like a human being and performs various complex acts (as walking or talking) of a human being, also: a similar but fictional machine whose lack of capacity for human emotions is often emphasized.”
That lack of humanity in a humanoid shell is what makes a great movie robot a great monster.
There were robots in films before the term “robot” was created. In fact, robots have been in films for as long as films have been a widely available entertainment.
Robots in film
Robots in film go back nearly as far as motion pictures themselves. In 1907, Vitagraph released a short film...
What Is a robot? Everything from a real-life car assembly machine to a fictional artificial human being gets called a “robot.”
The Merriam-Webster Online site gives its main definition of the term this way: “A machine that looks like a human being and performs various complex acts (as walking or talking) of a human being, also: a similar but fictional machine whose lack of capacity for human emotions is often emphasized.”
That lack of humanity in a humanoid shell is what makes a great movie robot a great monster.
There were robots in films before the term “robot” was created. In fact, robots have been in films for as long as films have been a widely available entertainment.
Robots in film
Robots in film go back nearly as far as motion pictures themselves. In 1907, Vitagraph released a short film...
- 8/31/2010
- by Max
- FamousMonsters of Filmland
By Matt Singer and Alison Willmore
DVD box sets remain the go-to gift for any film fan in your life -- they come in a range of sizes and prices, so that you can scale up or down depending on how much you like the recipient, and this time of year they're often discounted for last-minute holiday shoppers (and those treating themselves to a present). Here are the new or revamped box sets from 2008 that we've been eyeing:
Mystery Science Theater 3000 20th Anniversary Edition
Shout Factory, $59.99
"Mystery Science Theater 3000"'s inaugural release from Shout Factory (after many years and discs with Rhino Records) celebrates the show's 20th anniversary with a spiffy box set featuring four never-released-to-dvd episodes: "Werewolf" (with the "great" Joe Estevez), "Future War," "First Spaceship on Venus" and the long-awaited and highly coveted "Laserblast," the final episode on Comedy Central. The set also includes an 80-minute documentary on the show's MSTory,...
DVD box sets remain the go-to gift for any film fan in your life -- they come in a range of sizes and prices, so that you can scale up or down depending on how much you like the recipient, and this time of year they're often discounted for last-minute holiday shoppers (and those treating themselves to a present). Here are the new or revamped box sets from 2008 that we've been eyeing:
Mystery Science Theater 3000 20th Anniversary Edition
Shout Factory, $59.99
"Mystery Science Theater 3000"'s inaugural release from Shout Factory (after many years and discs with Rhino Records) celebrates the show's 20th anniversary with a spiffy box set featuring four never-released-to-dvd episodes: "Werewolf" (with the "great" Joe Estevez), "Future War," "First Spaceship on Venus" and the long-awaited and highly coveted "Laserblast," the final episode on Comedy Central. The set also includes an 80-minute documentary on the show's MSTory,...
- 12/18/2008
- by Alison Willmore
- ifc.com
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.