While there are some directors who love the challenge and try to adapt the most difficult novels, not many of them succeed. When writing a story down, the author relies largely on their own descriptions and the reader's imagination to complete the picture. With the imagination factor taken out, it's up to the crew behind the movie to think through the details.
Though many great works of literature have been adapted into screenplays, there are some authors who haven't been so lucky as to get even one successful adaptation. The recent Netflix flop, A Man in Full, puts Tom Wolfe on this list.
Tom Wolfe Adaptations Rating
In addition to A Man in Full, there have been three other attempts to adapt Tom Wolfe's writings. In 1973, the sports drama The Last American Hero was released, based on Wolfe's essay about race car driver Junior Johnson. 10 years later, Philip Kaufman...
Though many great works of literature have been adapted into screenplays, there are some authors who haven't been so lucky as to get even one successful adaptation. The recent Netflix flop, A Man in Full, puts Tom Wolfe on this list.
Tom Wolfe Adaptations Rating
In addition to A Man in Full, there have been three other attempts to adapt Tom Wolfe's writings. In 1973, the sports drama The Last American Hero was released, based on Wolfe's essay about race car driver Junior Johnson. 10 years later, Philip Kaufman...
- 5/10/2024
- by virginia-singh@startefacts.com (Virginia Singh)
- STartefacts.com
Chris Pine, Cynthia Erivo, Kieran Culkin, Sharon Stone and Rosie Perez celebrated Jeff Bridges’ seven-decade career at the 49th annual Chaplin Awards Gala in New York City on Monday night. But the Big Lebowski star almost chose a different career path.
During his acceptance speech for the Film at Lincoln Center‘s prestigious honor, the True Grit star shared that he originally “resisted” the idea of pursuing acting full-time for a few different reasons.
“It made me nervous, anxious, and I had other things I wanted to do,” he told the full auditorium at Alice Tully Hall. “I was very much into music. I loved ceramics, painting, and who wants to do what their parents do anyway?”
He recalled his father, actor Lloyd Bridges, explaining to him that he could do all of those things in this career path and use them all to some degree, which was one of the beauties of the job.
During his acceptance speech for the Film at Lincoln Center‘s prestigious honor, the True Grit star shared that he originally “resisted” the idea of pursuing acting full-time for a few different reasons.
“It made me nervous, anxious, and I had other things I wanted to do,” he told the full auditorium at Alice Tully Hall. “I was very much into music. I loved ceramics, painting, and who wants to do what their parents do anyway?”
He recalled his father, actor Lloyd Bridges, explaining to him that he could do all of those things in this career path and use them all to some degree, which was one of the beauties of the job.
- 4/30/2024
- by Christy Piña
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Gran Turismo is a biographical sports drama film directed by Neill Blomkamp from a screenplay by Jason Hall and Zach Baylin. Based on the true story of Jann Mardenborough, a teenage Gran Turismo (racing simulation video game series developed by Polyphony Digital) player, who gets the chance to become a professional race car driver. Gran Turismo stars Archie Madekwe in the lead of Jann, with Orlando Bloom, David Harbour, and Djimon Hounsou playing supporting characters. So, if you loved the car racing film here are some similar options you could check out next.
Ford v Ferrari (Hulu & Rent on Prime Video) Credit – 20th Century Studios
Synopsis: Academy Award® Winners Matt Damon and Christian Bale star in Ford v Ferrari, based on the true story of visionary American car designer Carroll Shelby (Damon) and fearless British-born driver Ken Miles (Bale), who together build a revolutionary race car for Ford Motor Company...
Ford v Ferrari (Hulu & Rent on Prime Video) Credit – 20th Century Studios
Synopsis: Academy Award® Winners Matt Damon and Christian Bale star in Ford v Ferrari, based on the true story of visionary American car designer Carroll Shelby (Damon) and fearless British-born driver Ken Miles (Bale), who together build a revolutionary race car for Ford Motor Company...
- 9/27/2023
- by Kulwant Singh
- Cinema Blind
Few American filmmakers of the last 40 years await a major rediscovery like Hal Hartley, whose traces in modern movies are either too-minor or entirely unknown. Thus it’s cause for celebration that the Criterion Channel are soon launching a major retrospective: 13 features (which constitutes all but My America) and 17 shorts, a sui generis style and persistent vision running across 30 years. Expect your Halloween party to be aswim in Henry Fool costumes.
Speaking of: there’s a one-month headstart on seasonal programming with the 13-film “High School Horror”––most notable perhaps being a streaming premiere for the uncut version of Suspiria, plus the rare opportunity to see a Robert Rodriguez movie on the Criterion Channel––and a retrospective of Hong Kong vampire movies. A retrospective of ’70s car movies offer chills and thrills of a different sort
Six films by Allan Dwan and 12 “gaslight noirs” round out the main September series; The Eight Mountains,...
Speaking of: there’s a one-month headstart on seasonal programming with the 13-film “High School Horror”––most notable perhaps being a streaming premiere for the uncut version of Suspiria, plus the rare opportunity to see a Robert Rodriguez movie on the Criterion Channel––and a retrospective of Hong Kong vampire movies. A retrospective of ’70s car movies offer chills and thrills of a different sort
Six films by Allan Dwan and 12 “gaslight noirs” round out the main September series; The Eight Mountains,...
- 8/21/2023
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
Ernie F. Orsatti, best known for his unforgettable fall through a glass skylight in the 1972 movie The Poseidon Adventure, has died. He was 80 and passed Sept. 12 in La Quinta, Calif. from a hemorrhagic stroke, his son, Noon Orsatti, confirmed.
Ernie Orsatti was born in Beverly Hills on Feb. 13, 1940, to opera singer Inez Gorman and Ernie R. Orsatti, a former professional baseball player and double for Buster Keaton in Sherlock Jr. (1924). The younger Orsatti became a model and competitive swimmer before breaking into show business with appearances in the 1968 film The Acid Eaters and in The Green Berets, starring John Wayne.
He later had roles in the films The Mechanic (1972), The Last American Hero (1973), The Towering Inferno (1974) and Viva Knievel! (1977). He also appeared on TV shows Mannix, The Incredible Hulk, and Hill Street Blues.
In The Poseidon Adventure, the tale of an ocean liner capsized by a huge wave, Orsatti played Terry,...
Ernie Orsatti was born in Beverly Hills on Feb. 13, 1940, to opera singer Inez Gorman and Ernie R. Orsatti, a former professional baseball player and double for Buster Keaton in Sherlock Jr. (1924). The younger Orsatti became a model and competitive swimmer before breaking into show business with appearances in the 1968 film The Acid Eaters and in The Green Berets, starring John Wayne.
He later had roles in the films The Mechanic (1972), The Last American Hero (1973), The Towering Inferno (1974) and Viva Knievel! (1977). He also appeared on TV shows Mannix, The Incredible Hulk, and Hill Street Blues.
In The Poseidon Adventure, the tale of an ocean liner capsized by a huge wave, Orsatti played Terry,...
- 9/19/2020
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
All-American race car mania is alive and well in this excellent Jeff Bridges movie, a true biographical story researched by Tom Wolfe. Junior Johnson needs a future beyond running moonshine for his father, and finds it climbing the rungs of success in the stock car racing game. This may be the most satisfying saga of its kind, and it helped prove that Bridges was a star.
The Last American Hero
Region ? Blu-ray See Below
Explosive Media
1973 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 95 min. / Street Date March 28, 2019 / Der letzte Held Amerikas / Available at Amazon.de
11.92 Euros Starring: Jeff Bridges, Valerie Perrine, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Gary Busey, Art Lund, Ed Lauter.
Cinematography: George Silano
Art Director: Lawrence G. Paull
Film Editors: Robbe Roberts, Tom Rolfe
Original Music: Charles Fox
Written by William Roberts from stories by Tom Wolfe
Produced by John Cutts, William Roberts
Directed by Lamont Johnson
Catching up with older Jeff Bridges movies is never a bad idea,...
The Last American Hero
Region ? Blu-ray See Below
Explosive Media
1973 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 95 min. / Street Date March 28, 2019 / Der letzte Held Amerikas / Available at Amazon.de
11.92 Euros Starring: Jeff Bridges, Valerie Perrine, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Gary Busey, Art Lund, Ed Lauter.
Cinematography: George Silano
Art Director: Lawrence G. Paull
Film Editors: Robbe Roberts, Tom Rolfe
Original Music: Charles Fox
Written by William Roberts from stories by Tom Wolfe
Produced by John Cutts, William Roberts
Directed by Lamont Johnson
Catching up with older Jeff Bridges movies is never a bad idea,...
- 8/10/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
John Frankenheimer directed this adaption of Eugene O’Neill’s play for the American Film Theatre, a company dedicated to bringing broadway to the movie house. The very essence of risky business, Frankenheimer’s 1973 film runs close to 4 hours and features some of Hollywood’s finest actors in decidedly un-Hollywood-like roles. Lee Marvin, Fredric March and the great Robert Ryan are all up to the task as is the fresh-faced Jeff Bridges just coming into his own with that same year’s The Last American Hero.
The post The Iceman Cometh appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
The post The Iceman Cometh appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
- 7/23/2018
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
The release of Ron Howard’s Rush, one of the most anticipated (not to say mega-hyped) films of the year, inevitably begs comparisons to some of the great car-themed movies of the past.
“Rush.” Photo by Jaap Buitendijk
© 2013 – Universal Pictures.
It seems that automobiles have played key roles in films of every genre, from drama to horror to comedy to documentary. In some, like American Graffiti, Rebel without a Cause, and Bonnie and Clyde, the vehicles primarily help set the tone of the era in which the stories are set. In other films the cars themselves are the story. The animated Cars comes to mind, along with the Love Bug series, Christine, and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. And then there are films in which the cars have taken their place alongside the human stars as film icons in their own right. James Bond’s Aston Martin DB5, for instance, as...
“Rush.” Photo by Jaap Buitendijk
© 2013 – Universal Pictures.
It seems that automobiles have played key roles in films of every genre, from drama to horror to comedy to documentary. In some, like American Graffiti, Rebel without a Cause, and Bonnie and Clyde, the vehicles primarily help set the tone of the era in which the stories are set. In other films the cars themselves are the story. The animated Cars comes to mind, along with the Love Bug series, Christine, and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. And then there are films in which the cars have taken their place alongside the human stars as film icons in their own right. James Bond’s Aston Martin DB5, for instance, as...
- 9/29/2013
- by Peter Gareffa
- CinemaNerdz
(This article contains some minor spoilers for Django Unchained and be warned that most of the clips included are Nsfw)
Like many of Tarantino’s previous films Django Unchained is filled to the brim with film references. Below I’ve attempted to guide you through some of these references and links to other films.
I’ve only seen the film once at a screening and am sure that given the opportunity to sit down with the film on Blu-ray I will undoubtedly find even more, so the following is in no way definitive but hopefully provides some answers to for those wondering what Tarantino was referencing in Django Unchained. Also, most importantly, hopefully it will lead you to check out some of the films in question.
The most obvious film reference in Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained is right there in the title. Django was a 1966 ‘spaghetti western’ directed by...
Like many of Tarantino’s previous films Django Unchained is filled to the brim with film references. Below I’ve attempted to guide you through some of these references and links to other films.
I’ve only seen the film once at a screening and am sure that given the opportunity to sit down with the film on Blu-ray I will undoubtedly find even more, so the following is in no way definitive but hopefully provides some answers to for those wondering what Tarantino was referencing in Django Unchained. Also, most importantly, hopefully it will lead you to check out some of the films in question.
The most obvious film reference in Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained is right there in the title. Django was a 1966 ‘spaghetti western’ directed by...
- 1/18/2013
- by Craig Skinner
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
After his first, and very popular, top ten for Blogomatic3000 on virus outbreaks in the movies, author and critic Kim Newman is back once again with and all-new Top 10 inspired by the eminent release of the awesome comedy horror Tucker and Dale vs. Evil, which hits stores next week…
The clever joke at the heart of the witty horror comedy Tucker and Dale vs Evil is that college kids who go camping in the backwoods have seen so many movies about degenerate, inbred killer hillbillies they’re terrified even of basically sweet-natured, if ill-groomed folks like the eponymous duo played by Tyler Lebine and Alan Tudyk. In truth, the American cinema hasn’t been especially enlightened in its depiction of the rural poor of the Appalachians and other mountainous backwoods regions, but it hasn’t presented quite as overwhelmingly negative a vision as you might think.
Here’s a run-down...
The clever joke at the heart of the witty horror comedy Tucker and Dale vs Evil is that college kids who go camping in the backwoods have seen so many movies about degenerate, inbred killer hillbillies they’re terrified even of basically sweet-natured, if ill-groomed folks like the eponymous duo played by Tyler Lebine and Alan Tudyk. In truth, the American cinema hasn’t been especially enlightened in its depiction of the rural poor of the Appalachians and other mountainous backwoods regions, but it hasn’t presented quite as overwhelmingly negative a vision as you might think.
Here’s a run-down...
- 9/23/2011
- by Phil
- Nerdly
What do you get when you cross Southern Hillbillies and fast cars? You get The Last American Hero, a film about Nascar and demolition derbies but little else. Released today on DVD for the first time, check out our review below…
Elroy ‘Junior’ Jackson (Jeff Bridges) is a kid full of attitude who helps his bootlegger father transport their homemade booze. When Junior crashes into a police blockade, they arrest his father who is looking at a lengthy prison stretch. Junior must raise some fast cash to get him released and hits the demolition derby circuit. His natural skill behind the wheel sees him swiftly move on to stock car racing where he meets a promoter (Ned Beatty) and finally gets the chance to make it big on the famous Nascar circuit…
It’s quite easy to see why The Last American Hero hasn’t been previously released on DVD...
Elroy ‘Junior’ Jackson (Jeff Bridges) is a kid full of attitude who helps his bootlegger father transport their homemade booze. When Junior crashes into a police blockade, they arrest his father who is looking at a lengthy prison stretch. Junior must raise some fast cash to get him released and hits the demolition derby circuit. His natural skill behind the wheel sees him swiftly move on to stock car racing where he meets a promoter (Ned Beatty) and finally gets the chance to make it big on the famous Nascar circuit…
It’s quite easy to see why The Last American Hero hasn’t been previously released on DVD...
- 9/13/2011
- by Stuart Cummins
- Obsessed with Film
New Beverly Cinema's March schedule is programmed by the owner and birthday boy himself, Quentin Tarantino (he turns 48 on March 27). Take a look at a selection of what's he's chosen to screen this month, listed below. The complete schedule, which includes Paul Mazursky and Grindhouse Nights, Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair and much more is here. Many screenings are already sold out, so if you'd like to celebrate March Tarantino-style, act fast. Quentin Tarantino'S March Madness For his birthday month, Quentin Tarantino programs the whole March 2011 calendar! March 11, 12 White Lightning Fri/Sat: 7:30pm 1973, USA, 101 minutes: Directed by Joseph Sargent; starring Burt Reynolds, Jennifer Billingsley, Ned Beatty, Bo Hopkins, Matt Clark, Louise Latham, Diane Ladd. The Last American Hero ...
- 3/11/2011
- Thompson on Hollywood
Emmy Award-winning television and film director Lamont Johnson has died after suffering heart failure. He was 88.
Johnson passed away at his home in Monterey, California on Sunday.
He won critical acclaim for his controversial U.S. television works, including 1970 series My Sweet Charlie, which explored interracial relationships, 1972's That Certain Summer, which took a look at homosexuality, and 1981 series Crisis at Central High, about America's civil rights movement.
He also directed episodes of Have Gun - Will Travel, Peter Gunn, The Twilight Zone, Naked City and The Defenders, in addition to helming films including 1973's The Last American Hero, starring Jeff Bridges.
Johnson, who received 11 Emmy nominations during his 40-plus years directing, won in 1986 for his work on Wallenberg: A Hero's Story, a miniseries about Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg.
In 1989 he won another Emmy for Gore Vidal's Civil War drama Lincoln, starring Sam Waterston.
Johnson is survived by a son and daughter, three grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Johnson passed away at his home in Monterey, California on Sunday.
He won critical acclaim for his controversial U.S. television works, including 1970 series My Sweet Charlie, which explored interracial relationships, 1972's That Certain Summer, which took a look at homosexuality, and 1981 series Crisis at Central High, about America's civil rights movement.
He also directed episodes of Have Gun - Will Travel, Peter Gunn, The Twilight Zone, Naked City and The Defenders, in addition to helming films including 1973's The Last American Hero, starring Jeff Bridges.
Johnson, who received 11 Emmy nominations during his 40-plus years directing, won in 1986 for his work on Wallenberg: A Hero's Story, a miniseries about Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg.
In 1989 he won another Emmy for Gore Vidal's Civil War drama Lincoln, starring Sam Waterston.
Johnson is survived by a son and daughter, three grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
- 10/27/2010
- WENN
Chicago – With the release of “The American,” it’s time to rally ‘round the flagpole and see if it waves. And that mix of metaphors conjures the great American film, the movies with American or America in their titles that have flown like an eagle soaring through red, white and blue skies on a starry night, punctuated by fireworks on the 4th of July.
American Beauty (1999)
American Beauty
Photo credit: Dreamworks
As unblinking and truthful story about the American Dream as any pre-9/11 film, Ab rides on the performance of Kevin Spacey as a burnt-out corporate nebbish named Lester who is unloved by his ambitious real estate agent wife (Annette Bening) and is quietly desperate about the life that has passed him by.
When Lester is unexpectedly freed from his 9 to 5 hell, he embarks on a journey which includes workouts, weed and lust – for an unattainable teenage friend of his daughter.
American Beauty (1999)
American Beauty
Photo credit: Dreamworks
As unblinking and truthful story about the American Dream as any pre-9/11 film, Ab rides on the performance of Kevin Spacey as a burnt-out corporate nebbish named Lester who is unloved by his ambitious real estate agent wife (Annette Bening) and is quietly desperate about the life that has passed him by.
When Lester is unexpectedly freed from his 9 to 5 hell, he embarks on a journey which includes workouts, weed and lust – for an unattainable teenage friend of his daughter.
- 9/6/2010
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Long before celebrated British thesp Hugh Laurie turned up to play a cranky but brilliant Sherlock Holmes-esque physician in the Us medical drama House (favoured by undemanding channel-surfers throughout the land), a film with the same name was the subject of constant repeat viewing for my 13 year-old self and like-minded friends.
It was also my third favourite film growing up with the word ‘House’ in the title (after Animal House and House Party).
A variation on the age-old haunted house theme, the film stars William Katt (from TV show The Last American Hero) as a successful horror novelist and Vietnam vet who moves into his aunt’s residence when she passes away. Primarily there to write a non-fiction account of his time at war, he soon discovers the place he’s inherited is full of things that go bump in the night and may reveal the key to his...
It was also my third favourite film growing up with the word ‘House’ in the title (after Animal House and House Party).
A variation on the age-old haunted house theme, the film stars William Katt (from TV show The Last American Hero) as a successful horror novelist and Vietnam vet who moves into his aunt’s residence when she passes away. Primarily there to write a non-fiction account of his time at war, he soon discovers the place he’s inherited is full of things that go bump in the night and may reveal the key to his...
- 8/22/2010
- by Adam Lowes
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
2010 Best Actor Academy Award-winner Jeff Bridges.
Editor’s Note: Congratulations to Jeff Bridges for finally getting his props with last night's win for "Crazy Heart"! He's now officially lost the title of "Most Underrated Actor of His Generation." In the spirit of Jeff's victory, we at The Interview thought it appropriate to share this article, which originally appeared in the July 1999 issue of Venice Magazine. Enjoy, and well-done, Jeff!
Building Bridges
By
Alex Simon
Jeff Bridges is arguably the most underrated great American actor since the late Robert Ryan. A performer of incredible range, whose myriad of characterizations over the past 30 years leave the filmgoer with a continued sense of awe and admiration, Bridges' refusal to fit a mold on-screen might be the very thing that has kept him from becoming a conventional movie star. It's also the thing that has kept his work so fascinating, and so brilliant.
Born...
Editor’s Note: Congratulations to Jeff Bridges for finally getting his props with last night's win for "Crazy Heart"! He's now officially lost the title of "Most Underrated Actor of His Generation." In the spirit of Jeff's victory, we at The Interview thought it appropriate to share this article, which originally appeared in the July 1999 issue of Venice Magazine. Enjoy, and well-done, Jeff!
Building Bridges
By
Alex Simon
Jeff Bridges is arguably the most underrated great American actor since the late Robert Ryan. A performer of incredible range, whose myriad of characterizations over the past 30 years leave the filmgoer with a continued sense of awe and admiration, Bridges' refusal to fit a mold on-screen might be the very thing that has kept him from becoming a conventional movie star. It's also the thing that has kept his work so fascinating, and so brilliant.
Born...
- 3/9/2010
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
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