Woody Allen is a four-time Academy Award winner who has proved incredibly prolific in his decades-long career, writing, directing, and oftentimes starring in nearly a film a year for over 50 years. But how many of those are classics? Let’s take a look back at 25 of his greatest films, ranked worst to best.
After years as a joke writer and standup comic, Allen transitioned into filmmaking penning such screenplays as “What’s New Pussycat?” (1965) and starring in such titles as “Casino Royale” (1967). His first credit as a director was the comedically overdubbed Japanese spy thriller “What’s Up, Tiger Lily?” (1966).
The Woody Allen as we know him emerged in 1969 with the farcical mockumentary “Take the Money and Run” (1969), made when he was 34 years old. The success of that film led to a string of critically acclaimed absurdist comedies, including “Bananas” (1971) and “Sleeper” (1973).
He established himself as an important filmmaker with the romantic...
After years as a joke writer and standup comic, Allen transitioned into filmmaking penning such screenplays as “What’s New Pussycat?” (1965) and starring in such titles as “Casino Royale” (1967). His first credit as a director was the comedically overdubbed Japanese spy thriller “What’s Up, Tiger Lily?” (1966).
The Woody Allen as we know him emerged in 1969 with the farcical mockumentary “Take the Money and Run” (1969), made when he was 34 years old. The success of that film led to a string of critically acclaimed absurdist comedies, including “Bananas” (1971) and “Sleeper” (1973).
He established himself as an important filmmaker with the romantic...
- 11/25/2023
- by Zach Laws and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
HBO Max will not remove Woody Allen movies from its streaming platform, despite HBO now airing its four-part documentary series “Allen v. Farrow.” The show examines Dylan Farrow’s accusations of sexual abuse against Woody Allen, which has left many viewers puzzled over how HBO could air the series while also streaming six of Allen’s movies on HBO Max. The Allen movies now available to stream are “Scoop,” “Broadway Danny Rose,” “Shadows and Fog,” “Radio Days,” “Another Woman,” and “September,” five of which star Mia Farrow.
“These titles will remain available in the library to allow viewers to make their own informed decisions about screening the work,” HBO said in a statement to The Wrap.
HBO’s decision to continue streaming Allen’s films drew ire from many industry voices on social media, with Ernest Media Empire journalist Ernest Owens writing on Twitter, “White privilege is letting Woody Allen...
“These titles will remain available in the library to allow viewers to make their own informed decisions about screening the work,” HBO said in a statement to The Wrap.
HBO’s decision to continue streaming Allen’s films drew ire from many industry voices on social media, with Ernest Media Empire journalist Ernest Owens writing on Twitter, “White privilege is letting Woody Allen...
- 2/23/2021
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
HBO says that six Woody Allen films available for streaming on HBO Max will remain on the service after some online called out the streamer for hosting those films alongside the new docuseries “Allen v. Farrow.”
“These titles will remain available in the library to allow viewers to make their own informed decisions about screening the work,” HBO said in a statement to TheWrap.
“Allen v. Farrow,” which premiered Sunday on HBO and for streaming on HBO Max, examines Dylan Farrow’s accusations of sexual abuse against her adopted father Allen. Others online then noticed that six films, including five starring Mia Farrow, are all available on the streamer. While the films aren’t prominently displayed or promoted, the films available for streaming through HBO Max for those looking for them are “Scoop,” “Broadway Danny Rose,” “Shadows and Fog,” “Radio Days,” “Another Woman” and “September.”
“White privilege is letting Woody...
“These titles will remain available in the library to allow viewers to make their own informed decisions about screening the work,” HBO said in a statement to TheWrap.
“Allen v. Farrow,” which premiered Sunday on HBO and for streaming on HBO Max, examines Dylan Farrow’s accusations of sexual abuse against her adopted father Allen. Others online then noticed that six films, including five starring Mia Farrow, are all available on the streamer. While the films aren’t prominently displayed or promoted, the films available for streaming through HBO Max for those looking for them are “Scoop,” “Broadway Danny Rose,” “Shadows and Fog,” “Radio Days,” “Another Woman” and “September.”
“White privilege is letting Woody...
- 2/22/2021
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
If your Twitter timeline recently has been dominated by tweets about HBO’s new docu-series “Allen v. Farrow,” you aren’t alone.
The four-part documentary from filmmakers Amy Ziering, Kirby Dick, and Amy Herdy examines what happened when 7-year-old Dylan Farrow, the daughter of Mia Farrow and Woody Allen, accused her father of sexually abusing her in 1992. The saga has provoked fiery debates for nearly 30 years.
“Allen v. Farrow,” which premiered Feb. 21 and will air subsequent episodes over the next three weeks, aims to take a new look at the allegations and their aftermath. The story is told in part through never-before-seen home movies from Mia Farrow, as well as phone calls she recorded between her and Allen in the lead-up to the 1993 custody trial in which Mia Farrow prevailed.
Allen, 85, and his wife Soon-Yi Previn, who is also Farrow’s daughter, as well as a subject of “Allen v.
The four-part documentary from filmmakers Amy Ziering, Kirby Dick, and Amy Herdy examines what happened when 7-year-old Dylan Farrow, the daughter of Mia Farrow and Woody Allen, accused her father of sexually abusing her in 1992. The saga has provoked fiery debates for nearly 30 years.
“Allen v. Farrow,” which premiered Feb. 21 and will air subsequent episodes over the next three weeks, aims to take a new look at the allegations and their aftermath. The story is told in part through never-before-seen home movies from Mia Farrow, as well as phone calls she recorded between her and Allen in the lead-up to the 1993 custody trial in which Mia Farrow prevailed.
Allen, 85, and his wife Soon-Yi Previn, who is also Farrow’s daughter, as well as a subject of “Allen v.
- 2/22/2021
- by Kate Aurthur
- Variety Film + TV
As we have just about a week left to go of October, let’s take a look at everything that’s due to arrive on HBO Max in November. It’s a big month for the WarnerMedia streaming service, with countless new movies from their legendary library being added and plenty of fresh originals dropping throughout the following weeks. A few upcoming releases have yet to be dated, but otherwise, here’s the full list of what’s coming to HBO Max next month.
Released November Tba
12 Dates Of Christmas, HBO Max Original Series Premiere
Colin Quinn & Friends: A Parking Lot Comedy Show, HBO Max Original Special Premiere
Crazy, Not Insane, Documentary Premiere (HBO)
The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air Reunion Special, HBO Max Original Special Premiere
Full Bloom, HBO Max Original Series Premiere
I Hate Suzie, HBO Max Original Series Premiere
The Mystery Of Db Cooper, Documentary Premiere (HBO)
Sesame Street,...
Released November Tba
12 Dates Of Christmas, HBO Max Original Series Premiere
Colin Quinn & Friends: A Parking Lot Comedy Show, HBO Max Original Special Premiere
Crazy, Not Insane, Documentary Premiere (HBO)
The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air Reunion Special, HBO Max Original Special Premiere
Full Bloom, HBO Max Original Series Premiere
I Hate Suzie, HBO Max Original Series Premiere
The Mystery Of Db Cooper, Documentary Premiere (HBO)
Sesame Street,...
- 10/23/2020
- by Christian Bone
- We Got This Covered
Nick Apollo Forte, a longtime cruise ship and cabaret singer most widely known for his co-starring role in Woody Allen’s 1984 comedy Broadway Danny Rose, died Wednesday in Waterbury, Ct. He was 81.
His death was announced by his family. No cause of death was given, but the family thanked his doctor and staff for “many years of caring for Nick with love, respect and dignity.”
Forte, according to his family, began his musical career at age 15 under the stage name Nicky Redman. He opened for Della Reese at the Apollo Theater in 1957, after which he changed his stage name to Nick Apollo Forte to honor the venue.
After years of traveling the United States as a musician and entertainer, Forte was tapped by Allen to play alcoholic lounge singer Lou Canova in Broadway Danny Rose, which starred the director and Mia Farrow. With his newfound fame, Forte would appear on...
His death was announced by his family. No cause of death was given, but the family thanked his doctor and staff for “many years of caring for Nick with love, respect and dignity.”
Forte, according to his family, began his musical career at age 15 under the stage name Nicky Redman. He opened for Della Reese at the Apollo Theater in 1957, after which he changed his stage name to Nick Apollo Forte to honor the venue.
After years of traveling the United States as a musician and entertainer, Forte was tapped by Allen to play alcoholic lounge singer Lou Canova in Broadway Danny Rose, which starred the director and Mia Farrow. With his newfound fame, Forte would appear on...
- 2/28/2020
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Nick Apollo Forte, the veteran cruise-ship singer who portrayed Lou Canova, the fading lounge act with a big ego and an even bigger drinking problem, in Woody Allen's Broadway Danny Rose, has died. He was 81.
Forte died Wednesday in his hometown of Waterbury, Connecticut, his family announced.
Forte was hired for the 1984 Orion Pictures release after Allen heard a recording of his comic tune "Scungilli Song" coming out of a jukebox in the Bronx, the singer recalled in a 2012 interview.
"I went in and I met with Woody and he looked at me up and down....
Forte died Wednesday in his hometown of Waterbury, Connecticut, his family announced.
Forte was hired for the 1984 Orion Pictures release after Allen heard a recording of his comic tune "Scungilli Song" coming out of a jukebox in the Bronx, the singer recalled in a 2012 interview.
"I went in and I met with Woody and he looked at me up and down....
- 2/28/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
• /Film Rip Peter Mayhew, Chewbacca actor in the original Star Wars films
• Film Comment a wonderful anecdote-filled interview with the legendary casting director Juliet Taylor Dangerous Liaisons, The Exorcist, Close Encounters, Schindler's List, and Broadway Danny Rose are among her many classics.
• Deadline It's official: Michelle Pfeiffer, Lucas Hedges and Tracy Letts to headline French Exit...
• Tfe ...our earlier report about Michelle's interest in doing this movie
• Slate thinks the romcom Long Shot is actually pretty feminist (though it's initially strange to hear that claim about yet another movie where the schlubby guy gets the hot girl)
More after the jump including Lucy Liu, an 80s singer coming out, the Karate Kid, the German Oscars, upcoming stage musicals based on movies, and more...
• Film Comment a wonderful anecdote-filled interview with the legendary casting director Juliet Taylor Dangerous Liaisons, The Exorcist, Close Encounters, Schindler's List, and Broadway Danny Rose are among her many classics.
• Deadline It's official: Michelle Pfeiffer, Lucas Hedges and Tracy Letts to headline French Exit...
• Tfe ...our earlier report about Michelle's interest in doing this movie
• Slate thinks the romcom Long Shot is actually pretty feminist (though it's initially strange to hear that claim about yet another movie where the schlubby guy gets the hot girl)
More after the jump including Lucy Liu, an 80s singer coming out, the Karate Kid, the German Oscars, upcoming stage musicals based on movies, and more...
- 5/4/2019
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
When you think of Turner Classic Movies, the cinephile haven, you probably wouldn’t imagine that Rob Reiner’s delightful 1989 comedy, When Harry Met Sally… would be the opening night attraction and key art representative for the 10th Annual TCM Classic Film Festival, now taking place through Sunday night at the Tcl Grauman’s Chinese and Egyptian theatres. But indeed the times they are a-changin’ and 30 years after its release (which I was around to cover) Reiner’s film with its Oscar-nominated screenplay by the late great Nora Ephron is furthering TCM’s definition of a “Classic.”
When I recently spoke to Festival Director Genevieve McGillicuddy she acknowledged it is a more contemporary choice than the previous openers for the TCM fest, but thinks it is entirely appropriate. “Really, you know that film even when it came out in 1989 was certainly clearly a nod to romantic comedies of the past.
When I recently spoke to Festival Director Genevieve McGillicuddy she acknowledged it is a more contemporary choice than the previous openers for the TCM fest, but thinks it is entirely appropriate. “Really, you know that film even when it came out in 1989 was certainly clearly a nod to romantic comedies of the past.
- 4/12/2019
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
Best Picture and Best Director matched up almost completely at the Oscars during the 1970s, with one notable exception in 1972 when Bob Fosse won Best Director for “Cabaret” while “The Godfather” won Best Picture. This was a decade of sweeps for many of the films that won Best Picture, and their respective directors were rightfully rewarded for bringing all the technical elements together into one cohesive narrative. But which Best Director Oscar winner of the 1970s is your favorite? Look back on each winner and vote in our poll below.
Franklin J. Schaffner, “Patton” (1970) — Schaffner was the first Best Director winner of the 1970s for “Patton,” his epic George S. Patton biopic. He was not nominated for any other Oscars, though he did collect three Primetime Emmys for multiple projects in the ’50s and ’60s.
SEEMilos Forman (‘Amadeus’) voted top Best Director Oscar winner of 1980s, as orchestrated by you [Poll Results]
William Friedkin,...
Franklin J. Schaffner, “Patton” (1970) — Schaffner was the first Best Director winner of the 1970s for “Patton,” his epic George S. Patton biopic. He was not nominated for any other Oscars, though he did collect three Primetime Emmys for multiple projects in the ’50s and ’60s.
SEEMilos Forman (‘Amadeus’) voted top Best Director Oscar winner of 1980s, as orchestrated by you [Poll Results]
William Friedkin,...
- 7/2/2018
- by Kevin Jacobsen
- Gold Derby
Noah Baumbach has been making movies for more than 20 years, and in that time, has developed a distinctive voice in American cinema. His stories of neurotic New Yorkers are loaded with memorable moments of self-obsession and narcissistic showdowns. But Baumbach didn’t become a filmmaker overnight; he learned much about filmmaking from watching other movies. Raised by novelist Jonathan Baumbach and film critic Georgia Brown, Baumbach grew up surrounded by cinema, and it played a critical role in his evolving love for the medium.
The filmmaker looked back on some of these key influences during a conversation at the Film Society of Lincoln Center shortly before a screening of his latest effort, the ensemble comedy “The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected),” which Netflix releases later this month.
The Movie Brats
Baumbach was born in 1969, which placed on the younger end of the spectrum of moviegoers influenced by the movie brat...
The filmmaker looked back on some of these key influences during a conversation at the Film Society of Lincoln Center shortly before a screening of his latest effort, the ensemble comedy “The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected),” which Netflix releases later this month.
The Movie Brats
Baumbach was born in 1969, which placed on the younger end of the spectrum of moviegoers influenced by the movie brat...
- 10/3/2017
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
“Love And Angst”
By Raymond Benson
Woody Allen came off an incredible run of five superior films released between 1983 and 1987 (Zelig, Broadway Danny Rose, The Purple Rose of Cairo, Hannah and Her Sisters, and Radio Days) and then delivered one of his occasional “serious” pictures (without his presence as an actor) in late ’87 that was so dire that it only grossed approximately $500,000 in its initial run.
Basically a six-character “play” that takes many cues from the works of Anton Chekhov, September is set in a Vermont country house where depressed Lane (Mia Farrow) is recovering from a suicide attempt. Her best friend Stephanie (Dianne Wiest) is there for moral support. Lane is in love with tenant/writer Peter (Sam Waterston), and neighbor/teacher Howard (Denholm Elliott) is in love with Lane. She doesn’t share Howard’s affections, but Peter, however, is in love with Stephanie. Coming to visit into...
By Raymond Benson
Woody Allen came off an incredible run of five superior films released between 1983 and 1987 (Zelig, Broadway Danny Rose, The Purple Rose of Cairo, Hannah and Her Sisters, and Radio Days) and then delivered one of his occasional “serious” pictures (without his presence as an actor) in late ’87 that was so dire that it only grossed approximately $500,000 in its initial run.
Basically a six-character “play” that takes many cues from the works of Anton Chekhov, September is set in a Vermont country house where depressed Lane (Mia Farrow) is recovering from a suicide attempt. Her best friend Stephanie (Dianne Wiest) is there for moral support. Lane is in love with tenant/writer Peter (Sam Waterston), and neighbor/teacher Howard (Denholm Elliott) is in love with Lane. She doesn’t share Howard’s affections, but Peter, however, is in love with Stephanie. Coming to visit into...
- 9/27/2017
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Bernie Styles, who cast actors and extras for such films as The Manchurian Candidate, Up the Sandbox and Outrageous Fortune, has died. He was 99.
Styles died Wednesday at his home in Rancho Mirage, Calif., producer and former Motion Picture Academy president Hawk Koch told The Hollywood Reporter.
Working out of New York City, Styles owned the Central Casting Talent Agency and for a time lived above the now-defunct Stage Deli on Seventh Avenue near Carnegie Hall (the restaurant had a prominent place in the 1984 Woody Allen movie Broadway Danny Rose).
<br...
Styles died Wednesday at his home in Rancho Mirage, Calif., producer and former Motion Picture Academy president Hawk Koch told The Hollywood Reporter.
Working out of New York City, Styles owned the Central Casting Talent Agency and for a time lived above the now-defunct Stage Deli on Seventh Avenue near Carnegie Hall (the restaurant had a prominent place in the 1984 Woody Allen movie Broadway Danny Rose).
<br...
- 8/24/2017
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Stars: Woody Allen, Mia Farrow, Nick Forte | Written and Directed by Woody Allen
A clutch of comedians chat in a New York cafe, sharing stories about a legendary theatrical manager named Danny Rose (Woody Allen). A quirky fellow, Rose liked to throw his weight behind dead-end novelty acts: one-armed jugglers, one-legged tapdancers, and wine glass musicians. But the best story – around which this madcap movie circles – is that of Danny’s relationship with Lou Canova (Nick Forte); or, more specifically, Danny’s relationship with Lou’s muse, Tina (a barely recognisable Mia Farrow).
Lou is a pretty lousy cabaret singer who fortuitously lands a gig at the Waldorf. But he won’t perform without Tina in attendance. Danny goes to pick her up, but in doing so triggers an absurd series of events that sees the two of them on the run from Italian mobsters. Suffice to say, Allen’s...
A clutch of comedians chat in a New York cafe, sharing stories about a legendary theatrical manager named Danny Rose (Woody Allen). A quirky fellow, Rose liked to throw his weight behind dead-end novelty acts: one-armed jugglers, one-legged tapdancers, and wine glass musicians. But the best story – around which this madcap movie circles – is that of Danny’s relationship with Lou Canova (Nick Forte); or, more specifically, Danny’s relationship with Lou’s muse, Tina (a barely recognisable Mia Farrow).
Lou is a pretty lousy cabaret singer who fortuitously lands a gig at the Waldorf. But he won’t perform without Tina in attendance. Danny goes to pick her up, but in doing so triggers an absurd series of events that sees the two of them on the run from Italian mobsters. Suffice to say, Allen’s...
- 1/2/2017
- by Rupert Harvey
- Nerdly
A great many shows and movies are coming to Hulu next month, some more notable than others. To skip the chaff and go straight to the wheat, allow us to collate and curate a selection of the most notable titles available to stream in July:
“48 Hours” and “Another 48 Hours”
“The Aviator”
“Berberian Sound Studio”
“Broadway Danny Rose”
“The Brothers Bloom”
“Devil’s Pass”
“Dirty Wars”
“Dirty Work”
“‘Don’t Look Now”
“Escape From Alcatraz”
“Finding Neverland”
“Fish Tank”
“Flashdance”
“Gimme the Loot”
“Glory”
Read More: ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’: Reed Morano To Direct Elisabeth Moss In The Hulu Series
“Hackers”
“Hunger”
“The Hunt for Red October”
“In the Loop”
“Jimmy P”
“Liberal Arts”
“Like Someone in Love”
“The Loneliest Planet”
“Lonesome Jim”
“Manderlay”
“Me and You and Everyone We Know”
“Mommie Dearest”
“Phoenix”
“Rosemary’s Baby”
Read More: ‘Transparent’ Ratings Lag Behind Rivals on Netflix & Hulu
“Sightseers”
“Simon Killer...
“48 Hours” and “Another 48 Hours”
“The Aviator”
“Berberian Sound Studio”
“Broadway Danny Rose”
“The Brothers Bloom”
“Devil’s Pass”
“Dirty Wars”
“Dirty Work”
“‘Don’t Look Now”
“Escape From Alcatraz”
“Finding Neverland”
“Fish Tank”
“Flashdance”
“Gimme the Loot”
“Glory”
Read More: ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’: Reed Morano To Direct Elisabeth Moss In The Hulu Series
“Hackers”
“Hunger”
“The Hunt for Red October”
“In the Loop”
“Jimmy P”
“Liberal Arts”
“Like Someone in Love”
“The Loneliest Planet”
“Lonesome Jim”
“Manderlay”
“Me and You and Everyone We Know”
“Mommie Dearest”
“Phoenix”
“Rosemary’s Baby”
Read More: ‘Transparent’ Ratings Lag Behind Rivals on Netflix & Hulu
“Sightseers”
“Simon Killer...
- 6/22/2016
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
Xavier Giannoli on the lie of Charlie Chaplin: "Everything is true in the Dada performance." Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Tristan Tzara, Margaret Dumont and Groucho Marx, Robert Redford as Denys Finch Hatton in Sydney Pollack's Out Of Africa by Karen Blixen, Salieri and Mozart in Milos Forman's Amadeus, and Caruso the peacock helped to compose Xavier Giannoli's Marguerite, starring Catherine Frot with André Marcon, Aubert Fenoy, Michel Fau, Denis Mpunga, Sylvain Dieuaide and Christa Théret.
Meryl Streep in Stephen Frears' Florence Foster Jenkins, the next Steven Spielberg, Jeff Nichols, Midnight Special in Paris, Broadway Danny Rose, Woody Allen and Danny Kaye in Carnegie Deli and Carnegie Hall in New York excited the director during our conversation.
Hazel (Christa Théret) singing with Nedda (Petra Nesvacilová)
Anne-Katrin Titze: When did you first hear of Florence Foster Jenkins?
Xavier Giannoli: 15 years ago on the radio. I heard this...
Tristan Tzara, Margaret Dumont and Groucho Marx, Robert Redford as Denys Finch Hatton in Sydney Pollack's Out Of Africa by Karen Blixen, Salieri and Mozart in Milos Forman's Amadeus, and Caruso the peacock helped to compose Xavier Giannoli's Marguerite, starring Catherine Frot with André Marcon, Aubert Fenoy, Michel Fau, Denis Mpunga, Sylvain Dieuaide and Christa Théret.
Meryl Streep in Stephen Frears' Florence Foster Jenkins, the next Steven Spielberg, Jeff Nichols, Midnight Special in Paris, Broadway Danny Rose, Woody Allen and Danny Kaye in Carnegie Deli and Carnegie Hall in New York excited the director during our conversation.
Hazel (Christa Théret) singing with Nedda (Petra Nesvacilová)
Anne-Katrin Titze: When did you first hear of Florence Foster Jenkins?
Xavier Giannoli: 15 years ago on the radio. I heard this...
- 3/25/2016
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Xavier Giannoli: "The importance of Billy Wilder for me was tenderness and cruelty." Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
My conversation with the Marguerite director ranged from Erik Satie's food habits, Salieri in Milos Forman's Amadeus, tribute to Jean Renoir's The Rules Of The Game, John Huston's The Man Who Would Be King, Erich von Stroheim in Sunset Boulevard, Robert Redford in Sydney Pollack's Out Of Africa and Karen Blixen, Meryl Streep in Stephen Frears' Florence Foster Jenkins, Woody Allen's Broadway Danny Rose, Danny Kaye and the Carnegie Deli, Charlie Chaplin, Tristan Tzara to Margaret Dumont and the Marx Brothers.
Catherine Frot as Marguerite: "It's the story of a woman who needs love."
When I brought up Michael Shannon and Jeff Nichols' latest film, Midnight Special (after Shotgun Stories and Take Shelter and Mud), Xavier Giannoli said that in Paris there are posters...
My conversation with the Marguerite director ranged from Erik Satie's food habits, Salieri in Milos Forman's Amadeus, tribute to Jean Renoir's The Rules Of The Game, John Huston's The Man Who Would Be King, Erich von Stroheim in Sunset Boulevard, Robert Redford in Sydney Pollack's Out Of Africa and Karen Blixen, Meryl Streep in Stephen Frears' Florence Foster Jenkins, Woody Allen's Broadway Danny Rose, Danny Kaye and the Carnegie Deli, Charlie Chaplin, Tristan Tzara to Margaret Dumont and the Marx Brothers.
Catherine Frot as Marguerite: "It's the story of a woman who needs love."
When I brought up Michael Shannon and Jeff Nichols' latest film, Midnight Special (after Shotgun Stories and Take Shelter and Mud), Xavier Giannoli said that in Paris there are posters...
- 3/12/2016
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Let’s end the year with a celebration of the funniest comedy scripts ever written. The Writer’s Guild of America has chosen the 101 best laugh-getting screenplays. Keep in mind that this is all about the writing, not the cast or the director.
1.Annie Hall (1977)
2. Some Like it Hot (1959)
3. Groundhog Day (1993)
4. Airplane! (1980)
5. Tootsie (1982)
6. Young Frankenstein (1974)
7. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
8. Blazing Saddles (1974)
9. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
10. National Lampoon’s Animal House (1978)
11. This is Spinal Tap (1984)
12. The Producers (1967)
13. The Big Lebowski (1998)
14. Ghostbusters (1984)
15. When Harry Met Sally (1989)
16. Bridesmaids (2011)
17. Duck Soup (1933)
18. There’s Something About Mary (1998)
19. The Jerk (1979)
20. A Fish Called Wanda (1988)
21. His Girl Friday (1940)
22. The Princess Bride (1987)
23. Raising Arizona (1987)
24. Bringing Up Baby (1938)
25. Caddyshack (1980)
26. Monty Python’s Life of Brian (1979)
27. The Graduate (1967)
28. The Apartment (1960)
29. Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006)
30. The Hangover (2009)
31. The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005)
32. The Lady Eve...
1.Annie Hall (1977)
2. Some Like it Hot (1959)
3. Groundhog Day (1993)
4. Airplane! (1980)
5. Tootsie (1982)
6. Young Frankenstein (1974)
7. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
8. Blazing Saddles (1974)
9. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
10. National Lampoon’s Animal House (1978)
11. This is Spinal Tap (1984)
12. The Producers (1967)
13. The Big Lebowski (1998)
14. Ghostbusters (1984)
15. When Harry Met Sally (1989)
16. Bridesmaids (2011)
17. Duck Soup (1933)
18. There’s Something About Mary (1998)
19. The Jerk (1979)
20. A Fish Called Wanda (1988)
21. His Girl Friday (1940)
22. The Princess Bride (1987)
23. Raising Arizona (1987)
24. Bringing Up Baby (1938)
25. Caddyshack (1980)
26. Monty Python’s Life of Brian (1979)
27. The Graduate (1967)
28. The Apartment (1960)
29. Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006)
30. The Hangover (2009)
31. The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005)
32. The Lady Eve...
- 1/1/2016
- by feeds@cinelinx.com (Rob Young)
- Cinelinx
What's the funniest movie you've ever seen? According to the Writers Guild of America, it's Woody Allen and Marshall Brickman's "Annie Hall." That's the top of its just-released ranking of the 101 funniest screenplays, and Woody Allen appears several more times on the list: "Sleeper" (60), "Bananas" (69), "Take the Money and Run" (76), "Love and Death" (78), "Manhattan" (81), and "Broadway Danny Rose" (92). Harold Ramis made five appearances on the list, with "Groundhog Day" (3), "National Lampoon's Animal House" (10), "Ghostbusters" (14), "Caddyshack" (25), and "Stripes" (88). And Mel Brooks had "just" three screenplays on the list but they all ranked highly: "Young Frankenstein" (6), "Blazing Saddles" (8), and "The Producers" (12). He's also credited with "The Big Lebowski" (13), but he didn't write that, so I'm sure the WGA will correct its error shortly. (The Coen Brothers, who did write it, also appear at number 23 with "Raising Arizona" and 86 with "Fargo.") The most recent movie to make the list is 2011's "Bridesmaids...
- 11/12/2015
- by Sara Morrison
- Hitfix
Woody Allen's groundbreaking 1977 comedy Annie Hall triumphed over 100 other films – including a handful of the director's other works – to land at Number One on the Writers Guild of America's list of the 101 Funniest Screenplays. The comedy's Allen- and Marshall Brickman-penned script beat out a Top Five that included 1959's Some Like It Hot (Number Two), 1993's Groundhog Day (Three), 1980's Airplane! (Four) and 1982's Tootsie.
In total, Allen placed seven scripts on the 101 Funniest Screenplays list, with Sleeper, Bananas, Take the Money and Run, Love and Death, Manhattan...
In total, Allen placed seven scripts on the 101 Funniest Screenplays list, with Sleeper, Bananas, Take the Money and Run, Love and Death, Manhattan...
- 11/12/2015
- Rollingstone.com
Read More: The 25 Best Comedies Of The 21st Century So Far The Writers Guild of America has weighed in on the funniest films of all time, putting together a list of 101 features they consider to be the best comedies the movie business has ever offered. The awards for the 101 funniest screenplays were announced at Hollywood's Arclight Cinema Dome over a two-hour discussion panel hosted by Rob Reiner. The WGA East announced the winners in New York at the New School Auditorium in Greenwich Village. Woody Allen's Oscar-winning screenplay for "Annie Hall" topped the list, though it was just one of seven titles by the writer-director that was included on the list. Allen's other entries included "Sleeper," "Bananas," "Take the Money and Run," "Broadway Danny Rose," "Love and Death" and "Manhattan." "Some Like it Hot," "Groundhog Day," "Airplane!" and "Tootsie" rounded out...
- 11/12/2015
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Perhaps the most subjective genre in cinema, the same comedy can cause one viewer to have tears of laughter and another to not crack a smile. So, while knowing there can be no definitive list of the finest in the genre, the Writers Guild of America attempted to narrow down the 101 funniest screenplays. Noting the distinction from the best in the genre, these 101 films should simply produce the most laughs.
Topping the list is Woody Allen‘s Best Picture-winning Annie Hall, a choice difficult to argue with. Rounding out the top five were Some Like it Hot, Groundhog Day, Airplane! and Tootsie, while films from the Coens, Stanley Kubrick, Wes Anderson, and Edgar Wright were also mentioned. There are also some genuine head-scratching inclusions, including The Hangover at 30, and, as much as I enjoy the film, Bridesmaids nearly making the top 15, but overall, if one is looking to brighten their mood,...
Topping the list is Woody Allen‘s Best Picture-winning Annie Hall, a choice difficult to argue with. Rounding out the top five were Some Like it Hot, Groundhog Day, Airplane! and Tootsie, while films from the Coens, Stanley Kubrick, Wes Anderson, and Edgar Wright were also mentioned. There are also some genuine head-scratching inclusions, including The Hangover at 30, and, as much as I enjoy the film, Bridesmaids nearly making the top 15, but overall, if one is looking to brighten their mood,...
- 11/12/2015
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Ellie Kemper is as charming as one of the heroines in a Woody Allen film–fast-talking, genuinely affable, quick on her feet with a deftness for physical comedy—not unlike the cutups that Mia Farrow portrayed in Radio Days and Broadway Danny Rose. The Princeton grad propelled herself through New York's Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre and soon gained industry recognition with her multi-character one-woman show Feeling Sad/Mad with Ellie Kemper. She auditioned for Saturday N…...
- 6/13/2015
- Deadline TV
Twilight Time is celebrating its 4th anniversary with a major promotion that sees some of their limited edition titles reduced in price through April 3. These are the titles on sale.
Group 1
Retail price point: $24.95
Picnic
Pal Joey
Bite The Bullet
Bell, Book, And Candle
Bye Bye Birdie
In Like Flint
Major Dundee
The Blue Max
Crimes And Misdemeanors
Used Cars
Thunderbirds Are Go / Thunderbird 6
Group 2
Retail price point: $19.95
Rapture
Roots Of Heaven
Swamp Water
Demetrius And The Gladiators
Desiree
The Wayward Bus
Cover Girl
High Time
The Sound And The Fury
The Rains Of Ranchipur
Bonjour Tristesse
Beloved Infidel
Lost Horizon
The Blue Lagoon
Experiment In Terror
Nicholas And Alexandra
Pony Soldier
The Song Of Bernadette
Philadelphia
The Only Game In Town
Love Is A Many Splendored Thing
Sleepless In Seattle
The Disappearance
Sexy Beast
Drums Along The Mohawk
Alamo Bay
The Other
Mindwarp
Jane Eyre
Oliver
The Way We Were...
Group 1
Retail price point: $24.95
Picnic
Pal Joey
Bite The Bullet
Bell, Book, And Candle
Bye Bye Birdie
In Like Flint
Major Dundee
The Blue Max
Crimes And Misdemeanors
Used Cars
Thunderbirds Are Go / Thunderbird 6
Group 2
Retail price point: $19.95
Rapture
Roots Of Heaven
Swamp Water
Demetrius And The Gladiators
Desiree
The Wayward Bus
Cover Girl
High Time
The Sound And The Fury
The Rains Of Ranchipur
Bonjour Tristesse
Beloved Infidel
Lost Horizon
The Blue Lagoon
Experiment In Terror
Nicholas And Alexandra
Pony Soldier
The Song Of Bernadette
Philadelphia
The Only Game In Town
Love Is A Many Splendored Thing
Sleepless In Seattle
The Disappearance
Sexy Beast
Drums Along The Mohawk
Alamo Bay
The Other
Mindwarp
Jane Eyre
Oliver
The Way We Were...
- 3/31/2015
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Film strikes a rare and welcome balance between screwball comedy and touching emotion
Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig have been a match made in indie-film heaven since “Greenberg” in 2010, and the Sundance Film Festival premiere of “Mistress America” this weekend showed the two fully in sync once more.
By turns wacky, amusing and touching, the new film isn’t as focused as “Frances Ha,” the last film directed by Baumbach, starring Gerwig and co-written by both. But the Fox Searchlight project is one of the delights of this year’s festival, and one of the most satisfying, sure-handed and touching...
Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig have been a match made in indie-film heaven since “Greenberg” in 2010, and the Sundance Film Festival premiere of “Mistress America” this weekend showed the two fully in sync once more.
By turns wacky, amusing and touching, the new film isn’t as focused as “Frances Ha,” the last film directed by Baumbach, starring Gerwig and co-written by both. But the Fox Searchlight project is one of the delights of this year’s festival, and one of the most satisfying, sure-handed and touching...
- 1/25/2015
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Frequently parodied by Billy Crystal on “Saturday Night Live,” Franklin also played himself in the movies “Manhattan” and “Ghostbusters”
New York City radio and television personality Joe Franklin has died. He was 88.
“Joe went unexpectedly and passed away Saturday night,” friend and former producer Steve Garrin told CNN.
Franklin was a fixture on late-night radio and TV in New York. Over the years, he worked at radio stations Wjz and Wor and more recently at the Bloomberg Radio Network.
See photos: Hollywood’s Notable Deaths of 2015 (Photos)
“The last two weeks were the first time he ever missed a broadcast in over 60 years,...
New York City radio and television personality Joe Franklin has died. He was 88.
“Joe went unexpectedly and passed away Saturday night,” friend and former producer Steve Garrin told CNN.
Franklin was a fixture on late-night radio and TV in New York. Over the years, he worked at radio stations Wjz and Wor and more recently at the Bloomberg Radio Network.
See photos: Hollywood’s Notable Deaths of 2015 (Photos)
“The last two weeks were the first time he ever missed a broadcast in over 60 years,...
- 1/25/2015
- by Todd Cunningham
- The Wrap
Veteran television and radio personality Joe Franklin, who often is credited with pioneering the modern TV talk-show format with The Joe Franklin Show, died on Saturdayfollowing a battle with prostate cancer, the New York Times reports. He was 88.
Affectionately nicknamed “The Wizard of Was” and “The King of Nostalgia” for his encyclopedic knowledge of old-time show business, Franklin’s guests on his New York-based TV talker over the decades ran the gamut from Charlie Chaplin, Marilyn Monroe, Vincent Price and Andy Warhol to Tiny Tim, Madonna, Woody Allen and Julia Roberts.
Franklin is credited with giving emerging talents (including Liza Minnelli...
Affectionately nicknamed “The Wizard of Was” and “The King of Nostalgia” for his encyclopedic knowledge of old-time show business, Franklin’s guests on his New York-based TV talker over the decades ran the gamut from Charlie Chaplin, Marilyn Monroe, Vincent Price and Andy Warhol to Tiny Tim, Madonna, Woody Allen and Julia Roberts.
Franklin is credited with giving emerging talents (including Liza Minnelli...
- 1/25/2015
- TVLine.com
Everyone knows Woody Allen. At least, everyone thinks they know Woody Allen. His plumage is easily identifiable: horn-rimmed glasses, baggy suit, wispy hair, kvetching demeanor, ironic sense of humor, acute fear of death. As is his habitat: New York City, though recently he has flown as far afield as London, Barcelona, and Paris. His likes are well known: Bergman, Dostoevsky, New Orleans jazz. So too his dislikes: spiders, cars, nature, Wagner records, the entire city of Los Angeles. Whether or not these traits represent the true Allen, who’s to say? It is impossible to tell, with Allen, where cinema ends and life begins, an obfuscation he readily encourages. In the late nineteen-seventies, disillusioned with the comedic success he’d found making such films as Sleeper (1973), Love and Death (1975), and Annie Hall (1977), he turned for darker territory with Stardust Memories (1980), a film in which, none too surprisingly, he plays a...
- 1/24/2015
- by Graham Daseler
- The Moving Arts Journal
Luise Rainer dies at age 104: Rainer was first consecutive Oscar winner, first two-time winner in acting categories and oldest surviving winner (photo: MGM star Luise Rainer in the mid-'30s.) The first consecutive Academy Award winner, the first two-time winner in the acting categories, and, at age 104, the oldest surviving Oscar winner as well, Luise Rainer (Best Actress for The Great Ziegfeld, 1936, and The Good Earth, 1937) died at her London apartment on December 30 -- nearly two weeks before her 105th birthday. Below is an article originally posted in January 2014, at the time Rainer turned 104. I'll be sharing more Luise Rainer news later on Tuesday. January 17, 2014: Inevitably, the Transformers movies' director Michael Bay (who recently had an on-camera "meltdown" after a teleprompter stopped working at the Consumer Electronics Show) and the Transformers movies' star Shia Labeouf (who was recently accused of plagiarism) were mentioned -- or rather, blasted, in...
- 12/30/2014
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
By Anjelica Oswald
Managing Editor
Telluride is over, Toronto is on its way, awards buzz is growing and the fight is on for Oscar hopefuls. It’s just another fall in the film world.
Since opening the 71st Venice Film Festival and making its North American premiere at Telluride, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu‘s Birdman has affirmed its place in the Oscar race with rave reviews both overseas and here in the States.
Bennett Miller has made two feature films — Moneyball (2011) and Capote (2005) — that received Oscar nominations for best picture and premiered at one of the fall festivals, Moneyball in Toronto and Capote at Telluride. His third feature Foxcatcher made its American debut at Telluride to high praise, echoing the sentiments from Cannes.
These are just a few of the fall premieres vying for an Oscar nomination, but what about the movies that have made their theatrical debut before September? Sundance takes places in January,...
Managing Editor
Telluride is over, Toronto is on its way, awards buzz is growing and the fight is on for Oscar hopefuls. It’s just another fall in the film world.
Since opening the 71st Venice Film Festival and making its North American premiere at Telluride, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu‘s Birdman has affirmed its place in the Oscar race with rave reviews both overseas and here in the States.
Bennett Miller has made two feature films — Moneyball (2011) and Capote (2005) — that received Oscar nominations for best picture and premiered at one of the fall festivals, Moneyball in Toronto and Capote at Telluride. His third feature Foxcatcher made its American debut at Telluride to high praise, echoing the sentiments from Cannes.
These are just a few of the fall premieres vying for an Oscar nomination, but what about the movies that have made their theatrical debut before September? Sundance takes places in January,...
- 9/2/2014
- by Anjelica Oswald
- Scott Feinberg
Bill Hader has come a long way since his stint on Saturday Night Live, creating many popular characters and impersonations such as Stefon, Vincent Price and CNN’s Jack Cafferty. He is one of the highlights in such films as Adventureland, Knocked Up, Superbad and Pineapple Express, and so it is easy to see why author Mike Sacks interviewed him for his new book Poking A Dead Frog. In it, Hader talks about his career and he also lists 200 essential movies every comedy writer should see. Xo Jane recently published the list for those of us who haven’t had a chance to read the book yet. There are a ton of great recommendations and plenty I haven’t yet seen, but sadly my favourite comedy of all time isn’t mentioned. That would be Some Like It Hot. Still, it really is a great list with a mix of old and new.
- 8/28/2014
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
Mia Farrow was honored on 8 August with the Festival’s Leopard Club Award, which pays tribute to someone in film whose work has left a mark on the collective imagination.
Jay Weissberg, film critic for Variety, speaks with Mia Farrow about her career, passions, the art and craft of acting, her upcoming role on Broadway and growing up in Hollywood royalty. An engaging and smart storyteller, she has a self-effacing sense of humor and deep honesty. The hour-long talk was held in Locarno on 9 August in a packed auditorium – the backdrop of which could have reflected a movie scene, as lights flickered during torrential rains and thunderstorms raged.
Weissberg: With your father a director and mother an actress, did you fall into acting?
Farrow: No, I had a lot of other plans as well. I was going to be a fireman. A fighter pilot -- why I don’t know. And I wanted to be a nun. I got all the best parts in plays in high school. I grew up in Beverly Hills, my mother had come from Ireland and all her colleagues had come from across America and Europe too. This town of Beverly Hills was a town of making films not a town of generations who had lived there for a lot of time. All the kids I grew up with were growing up in films. George Cukor was my godfather. My parents for pragmatic reasons -- Luella Parsons was my godmother. It was political…they were buying her praise or silence, as the case was needed.
Weissberg: When you first began acting was it, ‘Oh sure I can do it’ or a concern ‘Oh this is a craft I need to study?
Farrow: Definitely the latter. I was 16, on Broadway, my father just died. My brother had been killed in an airplane crash. I began auditioning and got this part in Importance of Being Earnest. I sat in on many classes; Wynn Hammond, Uta Hagen, the Actors Studio. I didn’t commit to any of them; I sat in on as many classes as I could. I got Summer stock. I learned on my feet.
Weissberg: On "Rosemary’s Baby" there was a clash between John Cassavetes, known for naturalism and spontaneity and Polanski, a rigid filmmaker.
Farrow: Their two styles could not have been more different. With Polanski there was the precision, exactness, mapping out his shots, that he required of his actors. (Farrow demonstrates) If you had a glass that was a little too up to the right - you ruined that shot. Cassavetes did handheld stuff, he was free to say what he wanted, and there was a lot of adlibbing. Cassavetes quickly found he was not comfortable with the confines, the rigidity of these extraordinary shots that Polanski mapped out.
Weissberg: It’s extraordinary over your career your ability to surprise us. Just when we, the public or industry has typecast you, you turn around and do something unexpected. "Broadway Danny Rose" and earlier on in "Rosemary's Baby" and "John and Mary." Let’s talk about change for your characters internally and externally.
Farrow: That’s part of the job. There are actors who didn’t change characters whom I admire like Spencer Tracy and Yul Brynner. Yul said he had a different walk in every film. He thought he was a different character. If you can successfully convey that then you have to find it in yourself to make that person real. In "Broadway Danny Rose" I patterned it after the wife of a friend of Frank Sinatra’s and a woman in a restaurant. I knew how she should look and talk. There was an assistant in one of the offices and I said, ‘Can you read my lines and I can tape you to get that accent right?’ I had to change that timbre. I tried to gain the weight but still had to fake everything. Now you can’t do that part and stay in the part and do "The Purple Rose of Cairo," too (which was shot at the same time). I was in the Royal Shakespeare Academy; you can’t Not change. It’s part of the way of my training.
Weissberg: You’re going back to Broadway next month in Love Letters. What made you want to come back to the stage?
Farrow: I’ve been saying to myself, that I don’t want to act again because drama is enough in life, but I’m still earning a living. Then I wondered if that’s true; that I don’t want to act. It’s only one month on Broadway and I should see before I make definitive statements about anything. One of my sons said, ‘Don’t make these statements; acting is something you can do that can be meaningful. Don’t be so cavalier with something you were given.’
Weissberg: Did your mother give you any acting advice?
Farrow : She gave advice about acting and being truthful. ‘Don’t ever do your hair in the style of the times unless there’s a real point to looking a certain way. Choose simple clothes and hair, so people can see your role ten years from now, unless you’re deliberately trying to convey it.’ I think in "Rosemary's Baby" that was ‘me’ in that situation, I had to imagine myself in that situation and then I tried to have her look not so sixties not so anything in particular.
In response to a question about organizing a full and complicated life while juggling all the balls in the air.
Farrow: It’s better not to think of them as balls in the air otherwise I would probably drop everything. I have multiple interests and I’ve always been like that. You’ll see on Twitter what my interests are. (Farrow talks about Unicef trips to Central African Republic and the genocide there.) I try to bring some attention there to a neglected crisis.
In response to a question about Frank Sinatra
Farrow: I would say in essence a shy man who was extremely empathetic, and a shy man who took pains to cover his shyness with a toughness you saw. There were many aspects of his childhood growing up in Hoboken; his mother’s only son, skinny, he wanted to be singer and the guys in his school were tough, he got a lot of bullying. We all carry our six year-old self, and that self, that essential self, was a very sensitive and essentially shy person. He was fascinated about a lot of things. I am very glad to have known him. He was a good friend. I loved him very much.
Weissberg: Is the legend true that Prudence is your sister from the Beatles’ song ?
Farrow: I wish the song was called Dear Mia. The Beatles wrote the White Album when we were all in India. My sister Prudence was a meditator years before we went to India. Each of us was mired in our own particular nightmares. We get to the Himalayas, and she goes into meditation 24-hours a day and I have a short attention span. You get a mantra from the guru and you learn; you bring flowers and fruit. It’s a ceremony. Well, I have a little bout with hay fever – the guru has a wreath around his neck and he carefully tells me my secret word and I sneezed! I didn’t hear it properly. I asked him, “Would you mind repeating it?” Guru said, “No you have heard it.’ I said, “No really, I don't think so.” He never would repeat the word. That's probably why I never achieved that karmic bliss. The Beatles were outside our door, asking Prudence (and Farrow sings) “Won’t you come out and play?”(Upon hearing the song back in the U.S.) Prudence doesn’t like getting anything that’s prideful. Me -- I would have had Dear Mia tee shirts made!
Weissberg: Hollywood is not a comfortable place for a woman past 40.
Farrow: It’s okay I don’t look 20 anymore. Judi Dench looks like Judi Dench and we love the way she looks. And we love Maggie Smith. We love all the Maggie Smiths of her lifetime. We love all the Sally Fields and we hope she will go on to impress us. There is a residual fear from the olden days, except Katherine Hepburn, women [over 40] disappeared into their mansions because they thought they would disappoint fans. Or went to surgeons. There was a lot of fear of growing old. That’s not on the top of my one millions fears.
I ask Farrow about the disparity of women directors working in the industry
Farrow cites Kathryn Bigelow as a success story and hopes the situation changes.
Farrow: I haven’t worked with women directors yet but I would like to. Women are capable of doing anything. We’ve had some big hits. I hope one day when I do another film if I have the time to work with a woman director. I would love to work with women. We are better communicators.
In response to Farrow’s relationship with social media
Farrow: I love Twitter; my son taught me. It’s a great way to use information, to convey information for me as a human being and as Un ambassador. I told my children, ‘With knowledge comes responsibility.’ I feel if I can convey that information, maybe people can act upon it. It’s about all of us using what is in our arsenal to try to make the world a little more peaceful or compassionate.
Award-winning screenwriter and filmmaker, Susan Kouguell presents international workshops and seminars on screenwriting and film. Author of Savvy Characters Sell Screenplays! and The Savvy Screenwriter, she is chairperson of Su-City Pictures East, LLC, a consulting company founded in 1990 where she works with over 1,000 writers, filmmakers, and executives worldwide. www.su-city-pictures.com, http://su-city-pictures.com/wpblog .
Jay Weissberg, film critic for Variety, speaks with Mia Farrow about her career, passions, the art and craft of acting, her upcoming role on Broadway and growing up in Hollywood royalty. An engaging and smart storyteller, she has a self-effacing sense of humor and deep honesty. The hour-long talk was held in Locarno on 9 August in a packed auditorium – the backdrop of which could have reflected a movie scene, as lights flickered during torrential rains and thunderstorms raged.
Weissberg: With your father a director and mother an actress, did you fall into acting?
Farrow: No, I had a lot of other plans as well. I was going to be a fireman. A fighter pilot -- why I don’t know. And I wanted to be a nun. I got all the best parts in plays in high school. I grew up in Beverly Hills, my mother had come from Ireland and all her colleagues had come from across America and Europe too. This town of Beverly Hills was a town of making films not a town of generations who had lived there for a lot of time. All the kids I grew up with were growing up in films. George Cukor was my godfather. My parents for pragmatic reasons -- Luella Parsons was my godmother. It was political…they were buying her praise or silence, as the case was needed.
Weissberg: When you first began acting was it, ‘Oh sure I can do it’ or a concern ‘Oh this is a craft I need to study?
Farrow: Definitely the latter. I was 16, on Broadway, my father just died. My brother had been killed in an airplane crash. I began auditioning and got this part in Importance of Being Earnest. I sat in on many classes; Wynn Hammond, Uta Hagen, the Actors Studio. I didn’t commit to any of them; I sat in on as many classes as I could. I got Summer stock. I learned on my feet.
Weissberg: On "Rosemary’s Baby" there was a clash between John Cassavetes, known for naturalism and spontaneity and Polanski, a rigid filmmaker.
Farrow: Their two styles could not have been more different. With Polanski there was the precision, exactness, mapping out his shots, that he required of his actors. (Farrow demonstrates) If you had a glass that was a little too up to the right - you ruined that shot. Cassavetes did handheld stuff, he was free to say what he wanted, and there was a lot of adlibbing. Cassavetes quickly found he was not comfortable with the confines, the rigidity of these extraordinary shots that Polanski mapped out.
Weissberg: It’s extraordinary over your career your ability to surprise us. Just when we, the public or industry has typecast you, you turn around and do something unexpected. "Broadway Danny Rose" and earlier on in "Rosemary's Baby" and "John and Mary." Let’s talk about change for your characters internally and externally.
Farrow: That’s part of the job. There are actors who didn’t change characters whom I admire like Spencer Tracy and Yul Brynner. Yul said he had a different walk in every film. He thought he was a different character. If you can successfully convey that then you have to find it in yourself to make that person real. In "Broadway Danny Rose" I patterned it after the wife of a friend of Frank Sinatra’s and a woman in a restaurant. I knew how she should look and talk. There was an assistant in one of the offices and I said, ‘Can you read my lines and I can tape you to get that accent right?’ I had to change that timbre. I tried to gain the weight but still had to fake everything. Now you can’t do that part and stay in the part and do "The Purple Rose of Cairo," too (which was shot at the same time). I was in the Royal Shakespeare Academy; you can’t Not change. It’s part of the way of my training.
Weissberg: You’re going back to Broadway next month in Love Letters. What made you want to come back to the stage?
Farrow: I’ve been saying to myself, that I don’t want to act again because drama is enough in life, but I’m still earning a living. Then I wondered if that’s true; that I don’t want to act. It’s only one month on Broadway and I should see before I make definitive statements about anything. One of my sons said, ‘Don’t make these statements; acting is something you can do that can be meaningful. Don’t be so cavalier with something you were given.’
Weissberg: Did your mother give you any acting advice?
Farrow : She gave advice about acting and being truthful. ‘Don’t ever do your hair in the style of the times unless there’s a real point to looking a certain way. Choose simple clothes and hair, so people can see your role ten years from now, unless you’re deliberately trying to convey it.’ I think in "Rosemary's Baby" that was ‘me’ in that situation, I had to imagine myself in that situation and then I tried to have her look not so sixties not so anything in particular.
In response to a question about organizing a full and complicated life while juggling all the balls in the air.
Farrow: It’s better not to think of them as balls in the air otherwise I would probably drop everything. I have multiple interests and I’ve always been like that. You’ll see on Twitter what my interests are. (Farrow talks about Unicef trips to Central African Republic and the genocide there.) I try to bring some attention there to a neglected crisis.
In response to a question about Frank Sinatra
Farrow: I would say in essence a shy man who was extremely empathetic, and a shy man who took pains to cover his shyness with a toughness you saw. There were many aspects of his childhood growing up in Hoboken; his mother’s only son, skinny, he wanted to be singer and the guys in his school were tough, he got a lot of bullying. We all carry our six year-old self, and that self, that essential self, was a very sensitive and essentially shy person. He was fascinated about a lot of things. I am very glad to have known him. He was a good friend. I loved him very much.
Weissberg: Is the legend true that Prudence is your sister from the Beatles’ song ?
Farrow: I wish the song was called Dear Mia. The Beatles wrote the White Album when we were all in India. My sister Prudence was a meditator years before we went to India. Each of us was mired in our own particular nightmares. We get to the Himalayas, and she goes into meditation 24-hours a day and I have a short attention span. You get a mantra from the guru and you learn; you bring flowers and fruit. It’s a ceremony. Well, I have a little bout with hay fever – the guru has a wreath around his neck and he carefully tells me my secret word and I sneezed! I didn’t hear it properly. I asked him, “Would you mind repeating it?” Guru said, “No you have heard it.’ I said, “No really, I don't think so.” He never would repeat the word. That's probably why I never achieved that karmic bliss. The Beatles were outside our door, asking Prudence (and Farrow sings) “Won’t you come out and play?”(Upon hearing the song back in the U.S.) Prudence doesn’t like getting anything that’s prideful. Me -- I would have had Dear Mia tee shirts made!
Weissberg: Hollywood is not a comfortable place for a woman past 40.
Farrow: It’s okay I don’t look 20 anymore. Judi Dench looks like Judi Dench and we love the way she looks. And we love Maggie Smith. We love all the Maggie Smiths of her lifetime. We love all the Sally Fields and we hope she will go on to impress us. There is a residual fear from the olden days, except Katherine Hepburn, women [over 40] disappeared into their mansions because they thought they would disappoint fans. Or went to surgeons. There was a lot of fear of growing old. That’s not on the top of my one millions fears.
I ask Farrow about the disparity of women directors working in the industry
Farrow cites Kathryn Bigelow as a success story and hopes the situation changes.
Farrow: I haven’t worked with women directors yet but I would like to. Women are capable of doing anything. We’ve had some big hits. I hope one day when I do another film if I have the time to work with a woman director. I would love to work with women. We are better communicators.
In response to Farrow’s relationship with social media
Farrow: I love Twitter; my son taught me. It’s a great way to use information, to convey information for me as a human being and as Un ambassador. I told my children, ‘With knowledge comes responsibility.’ I feel if I can convey that information, maybe people can act upon it. It’s about all of us using what is in our arsenal to try to make the world a little more peaceful or compassionate.
Award-winning screenwriter and filmmaker, Susan Kouguell presents international workshops and seminars on screenwriting and film. Author of Savvy Characters Sell Screenplays! and The Savvy Screenwriter, she is chairperson of Su-City Pictures East, LLC, a consulting company founded in 1990 where she works with over 1,000 writers, filmmakers, and executives worldwide. www.su-city-pictures.com, http://su-city-pictures.com/wpblog .
- 8/11/2014
- by Susan Kouguell
- Sydney's Buzz
Blu-ray Release Date: July 8, 2014
Price: Blu-ray $29.95
Studio: Twilight Time
Writer-director Woody Allen’s (Broadway Danny Rose) tenderly nostalgic 1987 comedy Radio Days makes its Blu-ray debut from Twilight Time as the label continues to mine Woody’s catalog for high-definition release.
Radio Days is a vignette-packed memory piece about growing up in Brooklyn in the 1940s and it’s lovingly obsessed with the music, entertainment, and news of the wide world brought into every household via the magic of radio.
A young Allen surrogate (played by a teeny red-headed Seth Green) lives with his parents (Julie Kavner and Michael Tucker) and extended family in the wind-swept Rockaway neighborhood, their daily routines spiced by the glamour, excitement, thrills, and even occasional doses of grim reality coming to them over the airwaves.
Featuring a voiceover from Woody himself, the movie also stars Mia Farrow (Rosemary’s Baby), Dianne Wiest (Hannah and Her Sisters...
Price: Blu-ray $29.95
Studio: Twilight Time
Writer-director Woody Allen’s (Broadway Danny Rose) tenderly nostalgic 1987 comedy Radio Days makes its Blu-ray debut from Twilight Time as the label continues to mine Woody’s catalog for high-definition release.
Radio Days is a vignette-packed memory piece about growing up in Brooklyn in the 1940s and it’s lovingly obsessed with the music, entertainment, and news of the wide world brought into every household via the magic of radio.
A young Allen surrogate (played by a teeny red-headed Seth Green) lives with his parents (Julie Kavner and Michael Tucker) and extended family in the wind-swept Rockaway neighborhood, their daily routines spiced by the glamour, excitement, thrills, and even occasional doses of grim reality coming to them over the airwaves.
Featuring a voiceover from Woody himself, the movie also stars Mia Farrow (Rosemary’s Baby), Dianne Wiest (Hannah and Her Sisters...
- 7/7/2014
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
Often called “The Prince of Darkness” for his tendency to artfully cloak onscreen characters in ominous shadows, cinematographer Gordon Willis was the closest thing Hollywood had to a Rembrandt. His playful visual style, daring use of chiaroscuro, and seemingly effortless ability to conjure a mood of unsettling paranoia made him the ideal Director of Photography for the 1970s — a glorious filmmaking decade when Technicolor artifice was swept aside for New Hollywood naturalism.
Whether working with Francis Ford Coppola on The Godfather saga, Alan J. Pakula on his dizzying Watergate-era conspiracy thrillers All The President’s Men and The Parallax View,...
Whether working with Francis Ford Coppola on The Godfather saga, Alan J. Pakula on his dizzying Watergate-era conspiracy thrillers All The President’s Men and The Parallax View,...
- 5/19/2014
- by Chris Nashawaty
- EW - Inside Movies
Falmouth, Mass. (AP) — Gordon Willis, one of Hollywood's most celebrated and influential cinematographers, nicknamed "The Prince of Darkness" for his subtle but indelible touch on such definitive 1970s releases as "The Godfather," ''Annie Hall" and "All the President's Men," has died. He was 82. Suzanne Berestecky of the Chapman Cole & Gleason funeral home in Falmouth confirmed Monday that he died and that the home is handling arrangements. Details on Willis' death were not immediately available. Willis was nicknamed The Prince of Darkness for his subtle but indelible touch on such definitive 1970s releases as "The Godfather," ''Annie Hall" and "All the President's Men." He retired after the 1997 movie "The Devil's Own." Through much of the 1970s, Willis was the cameraman whom some of Hollywood's top directors relied on during one of filmmaking's greatest eras. Francis Ford Coppola used him for the first two "Godfather" movies, Woody Allen for "Annie Hall" and...
- 5/19/2014
- by AP Staff
- Hitfix
One of Hollywood's most celebrated and influential cinematographers has died. Gordon Willis was 82. Suzanne Berestecky of the Chapman Cole & Gleason funeral home in Falmouth, Mass., confirmed Monday that he died and that the home is handling arrangements. Details on Willis's death were not immediately available. Willis was nicknamed The Prince of Darkness for his subtle but indelible touch on such definitive 1970s releases as The Godfather, 'Annie Hall and All the President's Men. He retired after the 1997 movie The Devil's Own. Through much of the 1970s, Willis was the cameraman whom some of Hollywood's top directors relied on during one of filmmaking's greatest eras.
- 5/19/2014
- by Associated Press
- PEOPLE.com
Academy Award-nominated cinematographer Gordon Willis, who helped define the look of 70s cinema and worked closely with Francis Ford Coppola, Woody Allen and Alan Pakula, died on Sunday at 82. As the Dp on iconic 70s films such as "Klute," "The Parallax View" and "All the President's Men," as well as "The Godfather," Willis created a heightened sense of tension. Later in the decade, with Woody Allen's "Annie Hall" and "Manhattan," Willis helped to cement the iconography of New York City on film. He also worked with Allen on "Interiors," "Zelig," "Stardust Memories," "A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy," "Broadway Danny Rose" and "The Purple Rose of Cairo." Read More: 5 Tips from Master Cinematographer Gordon Willis"Gordon Willis is a major influence for me and many cinematographers of my generation," Academy Award-nominated cinematographer Darius Khondji told Indiewire. "But the modernity of his work will influence as much the generations of filmmakers to come.
- 5/19/2014
- by Paula Bernstein
- Indiewire
Gordon Willis, who shot a generation's worth of classic films, has died at the age of 82. Willis, who was twice nominated for Oscars and finally given an honorary Academy Award in 2010, was the man behind the camera work in all three of Francis Ford Coppola's “Godfather” films, and he often worked with Woody Allen, on films such as “Annie Hall,” “Manhattan,” “Zelig,” and “Broadway Danny Rose,” among others. Willis, known for his atmospheric shots and shadow play, also shot “All the President's Men,” “The Paralax View” and “Bright Lights, Big City.” His lone effort as a director was 1980s.
- 5/19/2014
- by Jordan Zakarin
- The Wrap
Gordon Willis, the acclaimed cinematographer behind the Godfather trilogy and such Woody Allen films as Annie Hall, Manhattan, Broadway Danny Rose and Zelig, died Sunday of complications from cancer at his home in North Falmouth, Mass., his son Gordon Willis Jr. said. He was 82. Willis' credits also include six features with director Alan J. Pakula -- including Klute (1971), The Parallax View (1974), All the President's Men (1976) and Comes a Horseman (1978) -- as well as The Paper Chase (1973) and The Drowning Pool (1975) and Allen's Interiors (1978), The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985) and Stardust Memories (1980). Willis received Academy Award nominations for Zelig and The Godfather: Part
read more...
read more...
- 5/19/2014
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Chicago – “You’re a sick f**k, Fink” is the movie quote I was tempted to throw at John Turturro, the actor who played the title role as “Barton Fink,” and dozens of other memorable movie characters. Turturro is breaking out again as a writer/director, producing a new film co-starring Woody Allen, delicately entitled “Fading Gigolo.”
Turturro stars in the film as Fioravante, a withdrawn part time florist who economic circumstances force him to seek help from Murray (Woody Allen), his favorite local bookshop owner. But the shop is closing, and Murray finds himself in the same financial difficulties. The two hatch a plan for Fioravante to become a gigolo, and Murray to become his pimp…er, representative.
Woody Allen and John Turturro Hatch a Plan in ‘Fading Gigolo’
Photo credit: Millenium Entertainment
John Michael Turturro was born in Brooklyn in the late 1950s, majored in the Theatre Arts...
Turturro stars in the film as Fioravante, a withdrawn part time florist who economic circumstances force him to seek help from Murray (Woody Allen), his favorite local bookshop owner. But the shop is closing, and Murray finds himself in the same financial difficulties. The two hatch a plan for Fioravante to become a gigolo, and Murray to become his pimp…er, representative.
Woody Allen and John Turturro Hatch a Plan in ‘Fading Gigolo’
Photo credit: Millenium Entertainment
John Michael Turturro was born in Brooklyn in the late 1950s, majored in the Theatre Arts...
- 4/29/2014
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Moviefone's Top DVD of the Week
"The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug"
What's It About? Bilbo (Martin Freeman), Gandalf (Ian McKellen), and the dwarves are back for the second film in this Tolkien cycle. Bilbo goes toe to scaly toe with Smaug, a dragon voiced by Freeman's "Sherlock" co-star Benedict Cumberbatch.
Why We're In: Even if you don't spring for the fancy Blu-ray set, you'll still get some goodies in this 2-disc package -- including the option to press pause while you take a bathroom break.
Moviefone's Top Blu-ray of the Week
"Wild at Heart"
What's It About? Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern are Sailor and Lula, two crazy, star-crossed lovers in David Lynch's tribute to "The Wizard of Oz," Elvis, road movies, and much more. Sleazy, crazy, and sexy.
Why We're In: This Blu-ray is packed with extras that are sure to please everyone who's wild at heart.
"The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug"
What's It About? Bilbo (Martin Freeman), Gandalf (Ian McKellen), and the dwarves are back for the second film in this Tolkien cycle. Bilbo goes toe to scaly toe with Smaug, a dragon voiced by Freeman's "Sherlock" co-star Benedict Cumberbatch.
Why We're In: Even if you don't spring for the fancy Blu-ray set, you'll still get some goodies in this 2-disc package -- including the option to press pause while you take a bathroom break.
Moviefone's Top Blu-ray of the Week
"Wild at Heart"
What's It About? Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern are Sailor and Lula, two crazy, star-crossed lovers in David Lynch's tribute to "The Wizard of Oz," Elvis, road movies, and much more. Sleazy, crazy, and sexy.
Why We're In: This Blu-ray is packed with extras that are sure to please everyone who's wild at heart.
- 4/8/2014
- by Jenni Miller
- Moviefone
Blu-ray Release Date: April 8, 2014
Price: Blu-ray $29.95
Studio: Twilight Time
Woody Allen makes the call in Broadway Danny Rose.
Woody Allen’s (Crimes and Misdemeanors) 1984 comedy Broadway Danny Rose makes its Blu-ray debut in April courtesy of Twilight Time.
Starring, written, and directed by Woody, Broadway Danny Rose offers a variation on the filmmaker’s patented schlub character: this time, he’s the eponymous good-hearted talent agent who represents not just the worst, but the most pathetic acts in show business. Among these is Lou Canova (Nick Apollo Forte), a corny lounge singer saddled with a drinking problem and a temperamental mistress, Tina Vitale (Mia Farrow, Rosemary’s Baby). When Lou asks Danny to be his beard with Tina, the wimpy agent suddenly finds himself dealing with the Mob—and with the feisty Tina, herself.
The film is beautifully rendered in black-and-white by cinematographer Gordon Willis—and it’s sure to...
Price: Blu-ray $29.95
Studio: Twilight Time
Woody Allen makes the call in Broadway Danny Rose.
Woody Allen’s (Crimes and Misdemeanors) 1984 comedy Broadway Danny Rose makes its Blu-ray debut in April courtesy of Twilight Time.
Starring, written, and directed by Woody, Broadway Danny Rose offers a variation on the filmmaker’s patented schlub character: this time, he’s the eponymous good-hearted talent agent who represents not just the worst, but the most pathetic acts in show business. Among these is Lou Canova (Nick Apollo Forte), a corny lounge singer saddled with a drinking problem and a temperamental mistress, Tina Vitale (Mia Farrow, Rosemary’s Baby). When Lou asks Danny to be his beard with Tina, the wimpy agent suddenly finds himself dealing with the Mob—and with the feisty Tina, herself.
The film is beautifully rendered in black-and-white by cinematographer Gordon Willis—and it’s sure to...
- 3/24/2014
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
I'm about to pull a Hannah Horvath and make something that's not about me entirely about me for a moment but... I had a really difficult week. As long time readers undoubtedly now, Woody Allen and Mia Farrow as artists and as a unit were largely responsible for making me the cinephile that I am today. The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985) was a major turning point in my life, the moment that I realized innately if not quite in a self-aware way, how much the movies meant to me.
Woody & Mia in the 80s
I will never be able to thank either of them enough for that gift. Were it not for them, and over the rest of the 80s an actress we should probably just call "Michellyl Glenn Turnstreepfer", I would not be the person I am and you would never have read The Film Experience as it would not exist.
Woody & Mia in the 80s
I will never be able to thank either of them enough for that gift. Were it not for them, and over the rest of the 80s an actress we should probably just call "Michellyl Glenn Turnstreepfer", I would not be the person I am and you would never have read The Film Experience as it would not exist.
- 2/3/2014
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Woody Allen Golden Globes 2014 tribute: Diane Keaton remembers ‘friend’ (photo: Woody Allen directing Cate Blanchett in ‘Blue Jasmine’) Accepting from presenter Emma Stone the 2014 Cecil B. DeMille Award for absentee Woody Allen, Diane Keaton (Sleeper, Love and Death, Annie Hall, Interiors, Manhattan, Manhattan Murder Mystery) was a likable presence at the January 12, 2014, Golden Globes ceremony, but her reminiscences about Allen were clearly PG-rated, going on about their "friendship" as if the two had always been just pals. Was that lullaby she sang moving or would Woody Allen have been right in yelling, "get the hook and get her off the god damn stage"? You decide. Now, in all fairness, Diane Keaton’s Woody Allen tribute wasn’t all PG-rated treacle, as she was twice bleeped by the censors. Apparently, NBC — and the ludicrous FCC — believe television audiences should be treated as if we were all three-year-olds. (See also: “Golden Globes...
- 1/13/2014
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Golden Globes 2014 winners (photo: 2014 Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe winner Jennifer Lawrence in ‘American Hustle’) Scroll down to check out the full list of Golden Globes 2014 winners. This year’s Golden Globes ceremony took place earlier this evening, January 12, with Amy Poehler and Tina Fey back as hosts. (Here are our fearless — and somewhat accurate — Golden Globes 2014 Predictions and our equally fearless — and mostly accurate — 2014 Golden Globes Predictions - The Nominations.) The 2014 Golden Globe nominations were announced by Aziz Ansari, Zoe Saldana, and Olivia Wilde exactly one month ago. Among the surprises was the inclusion in the Best Picture - Drama category of Ron Howard’s domestic box office disappointment Rush, starring Chris Hemsworth and Best Supporting Golden Globe nominee Daniel Brühl, and the exclusion of The Wolf of Wall Street‘s Martin Scorsese from the Best Director roster. Also, Julie Delpy and Greta Gerwig were both in the running...
- 1/13/2014
- by Steve Montgomery
- Alt Film Guide
WGA Awards 2014 nominations: Woody Allen, ‘American Hustle’ in; ’12 Years a Slave,’ ‘Blue Is the Warmest Color’ ineligible (photo: Cate Blanchett and Woody Allen on the ‘Blue Jasmine’ set) The Writers Guild of America has announced the nominees for the 2014 WGA Awards. The lists — adapted and original screenplay, documentary screenplay — mostly feature the expected titles, in addition to a handful of surprises chiefly because several of this year’s top contenders for screenplay awards have failed to meet the WGA’s strict eligibility rules. Among the out-of-contention screenplays for the 2014 WGA Awards were John Ridley’s 12 Years a Slave, Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope’s Philomena, Asghar Farhadi’s The Past, Abdellatif Kechiche and Ghalia Lacroix’s Blue Is the Warmest Color, William Nicholson’s Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, Peter Morgan’s Rush, Destin Daniel Cretton’s Short Term 12, and Ryan Coogler’s Fruitvale Station. The winners of the...
- 1/4/2014
- by Steve Montgomery
- Alt Film Guide
Suppressed madness bubbles through David O Russell's black comedy about con artists who get a little too close to the FBI
It's not just any kind of hustle. The adjective "American" appended to a word in a movie title always implies something with instant design-classic status, gorgeously laced with irony and modernity. There is no plausible UK equivalent. British Beauty, British Psycho and British History X sound like films from the 1950s respectively starring Diana Dors, Richard Attenborough and John Profumo. David O Russell's hellzapoppin' black comedy is an aspirational hustle, a sentimental hustle, a romantic hustle. Perhaps Hollywood Hustle is the truer title. It's a brazen, nerve-jangling, irresistibly watchable movie full of jittery backtalk, pop-eyed tension and wacky hair: wigs, frizzes and beards. The drama is loosely derived from a true story from the late-1970s of how FBI agents coerced a notorious New Jersey conman into helping them...
It's not just any kind of hustle. The adjective "American" appended to a word in a movie title always implies something with instant design-classic status, gorgeously laced with irony and modernity. There is no plausible UK equivalent. British Beauty, British Psycho and British History X sound like films from the 1950s respectively starring Diana Dors, Richard Attenborough and John Profumo. David O Russell's hellzapoppin' black comedy is an aspirational hustle, a sentimental hustle, a romantic hustle. Perhaps Hollywood Hustle is the truer title. It's a brazen, nerve-jangling, irresistibly watchable movie full of jittery backtalk, pop-eyed tension and wacky hair: wigs, frizzes and beards. The drama is loosely derived from a true story from the late-1970s of how FBI agents coerced a notorious New Jersey conman into helping them...
- 12/20/2013
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Nobody wants to rock the boat when it comes to reassessing the classics, but face facts: Gregory's Girl is clunky, 2001: A Space Odyssey is never-ending, while Dirty Dancing is still brilliant
A few weeks ago I watched The Searchers, the 1956 John Ford horse opera that is routinely described by critics as one of the greatest films of all time. In 2008 the American Film Institute named it the finest western ever, as well as the 12th best American movie, while the British Film Institute slotted it in at number seven on the all-time greatest list.
Are these guys serious? The Searchers, which deals with a mysterious, morally ambivalent Johnny Reb's relentless quest to find – and perhaps kill – a niece abducted by marauding Comanches, is padded out to epic length with all sorts of daffy comedy. The gags and slapstick fistfights undercut the serious message of the film: that most white...
A few weeks ago I watched The Searchers, the 1956 John Ford horse opera that is routinely described by critics as one of the greatest films of all time. In 2008 the American Film Institute named it the finest western ever, as well as the 12th best American movie, while the British Film Institute slotted it in at number seven on the all-time greatest list.
Are these guys serious? The Searchers, which deals with a mysterious, morally ambivalent Johnny Reb's relentless quest to find – and perhaps kill – a niece abducted by marauding Comanches, is padded out to epic length with all sorts of daffy comedy. The gags and slapstick fistfights undercut the serious message of the film: that most white...
- 12/19/2013
- by Joe Queenan
- The Guardian - Film News
When Comedy Went to School will open the 17th annual Miami Jewish Film Festival (Mjff), set to run from January 23-February 3 2014.
Mjff is backed by the Center For The Advancement Of Jewish Education’s and overall will showcase 30 films.
Among the anticipated highlights will be screenings of Israel’s foreign-language Oscar submission Bethlehem and Argentina’s entry The German Doctor, as well as Israeli box office hit Hunting Elephants starring Patrick Stewart.
Festival orgnaisers have also lined up the Florida premiere of Pawel Pawlikowski’s Ida, the 30th anniversary presentation of Woody Allen’s Broadway Danny Rose hosted by Whit Stillman and the 75th anniversary of Molly Picon’s musical comedy Mamele, featuring a live choir performance.
“We are proud to share these films with our community, whose stories open the eyes and ignite our hearts,” said Mjff director Igor Shteyrenberg.“In this revitalising year for Mjff, we hope to continue to grow and inspire new audiences...
Mjff is backed by the Center For The Advancement Of Jewish Education’s and overall will showcase 30 films.
Among the anticipated highlights will be screenings of Israel’s foreign-language Oscar submission Bethlehem and Argentina’s entry The German Doctor, as well as Israeli box office hit Hunting Elephants starring Patrick Stewart.
Festival orgnaisers have also lined up the Florida premiere of Pawel Pawlikowski’s Ida, the 30th anniversary presentation of Woody Allen’s Broadway Danny Rose hosted by Whit Stillman and the 75th anniversary of Molly Picon’s musical comedy Mamele, featuring a live choir performance.
“We are proud to share these films with our community, whose stories open the eyes and ignite our hearts,” said Mjff director Igor Shteyrenberg.“In this revitalising year for Mjff, we hope to continue to grow and inspire new audiences...
- 12/11/2013
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
When Comedy Went to School will open the 17th annual Miami Jewish Film Festival (Mjff), set to run from January 23-February 3 2014.
Mjff is backed by the Center For The Advancement Of Jewish Education’s and overall will showcase 30 films.
Among the anticipated highlights will be screenings of Israel’s foreign-language Oscar submission Bethlehem and Argentina’s entry The German Doctor, as well as Israeli box office hit Hunting Elephants starring Patrick Stewart.
Festival orgnaisers have also lined up the Florida premiere of Pawel Pawlikowski’s Ida, the 30th anniversary presentation of Woody Allen’s Broadway Danny Rose hosted by Whit Stillman and the 75th anniversary of Molly Picon’s musical comedy Mamele, featuring a live choir performance.
“We are proud to share these films with our community, whose stories open the eyes and ignite our hearts,” said Mjff director Igor Shteyrenberg.“In this revitalising year for Mjff, we hope to continue to grow and inspire new audiences...
Mjff is backed by the Center For The Advancement Of Jewish Education’s and overall will showcase 30 films.
Among the anticipated highlights will be screenings of Israel’s foreign-language Oscar submission Bethlehem and Argentina’s entry The German Doctor, as well as Israeli box office hit Hunting Elephants starring Patrick Stewart.
Festival orgnaisers have also lined up the Florida premiere of Pawel Pawlikowski’s Ida, the 30th anniversary presentation of Woody Allen’s Broadway Danny Rose hosted by Whit Stillman and the 75th anniversary of Molly Picon’s musical comedy Mamele, featuring a live choir performance.
“We are proud to share these films with our community, whose stories open the eyes and ignite our hearts,” said Mjff director Igor Shteyrenberg.“In this revitalising year for Mjff, we hope to continue to grow and inspire new audiences...
- 12/11/2013
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
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.