It is apparently official: Quentin Tarantino's 10th and final film will not be "The Movie Critic." I say "apparently" because Tarantino briefly abandoned "The Hateful Eight" when the screenplay leaked to the internet, so maybe "The Movie Critic" still has a shot at going before a camera. But this feels final. It sounds like the concept got away from him, and he would've done the one thing he's talked about but avoided his entire career: he was going to make a sequel.
If The Hollywood Reporter has their story straight, "The Movie Critic" began life as a 1970s character study that was, in Tarantino's words, "based on a guy who really lived but was never really famous, and he used to write movie reviews for a porno rag" before expanding into a Hollywood yarn that involved Brad Pitt's Hollywood stuntman Cliff Booth from "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood.
If The Hollywood Reporter has their story straight, "The Movie Critic" began life as a 1970s character study that was, in Tarantino's words, "based on a guy who really lived but was never really famous, and he used to write movie reviews for a porno rag" before expanding into a Hollywood yarn that involved Brad Pitt's Hollywood stuntman Cliff Booth from "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood.
- 4/23/2024
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
John Flynn’s Rolling Thunder is a lean, mean revenge thriller that could have only been made in the 1970s. It’s 1973, to be exact, and Major Charles Rane (William Devane) has recently returned to San Antonio after several years in a Viet Cong prison camp. Greeted with a hero’s welcome, Rane has little use for his neighbors’ praise, which he appears to regard (correctly) as an almost poignantly inadequate expression of collective survivor’s guilt.
Rane, along with his friend and fellow veteran Johnny Vohden (Tommy Lee Jones), inhabits the film with a calm pragmatism that might be disconcerting for viewers accustomed to cinema’s more overheated depictions of soldiers coming home. The men don’t appear to resent the friends and family who’re blessedly ignorant of the atrocities they experienced abroad, but the soldiers no longer possess the facilities necessary to uphold basic social conventions such...
Rane, along with his friend and fellow veteran Johnny Vohden (Tommy Lee Jones), inhabits the film with a calm pragmatism that might be disconcerting for viewers accustomed to cinema’s more overheated depictions of soldiers coming home. The men don’t appear to resent the friends and family who’re blessedly ignorant of the atrocities they experienced abroad, but the soldiers no longer possess the facilities necessary to uphold basic social conventions such...
- 4/23/2024
- by Chuck Bowen
- Slant Magazine
If you know your Quentin Tarantino lore, you’ll know that one of his favourite films of all time is John Flynn’s Rolling Thunder. A gritty revenge flick, the 1977 movie was such an influence on Tarantino that he named his short-lived distribution company, Rolling Thunder Pictures, after it. He explains his love of the film in detail in his epic film book, Cinema Speculation. Now, the film is set to get a 4K special edition courtesy of Shout Factory, which comes packed with extras.
If you’ve never seen it, Rolling Thunder is a pretty incredible film. Paul Schrader originally wrote it, but it was heavily rewritten by Heywood Gould (Cocktail). It follows a Nam P.O.W., Major Charles Rane (William Devane), who returns to his home in San Antonio after seven years in Hanoi. Having long come to terms with the fact that he was unlikely ever to return home,...
If you’ve never seen it, Rolling Thunder is a pretty incredible film. Paul Schrader originally wrote it, but it was heavily rewritten by Heywood Gould (Cocktail). It follows a Nam P.O.W., Major Charles Rane (William Devane), who returns to his home in San Antonio after seven years in Hanoi. Having long come to terms with the fact that he was unlikely ever to return home,...
- 2/25/2024
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
Mostly it’s all in the headline, as we’ve yet to get much in the way of truly solid info on Quentin Tarantino’s 10th and final feature, The Movie Critic, since it was announced just under a year ago. But Deadline have revealed that (once more with feeling) Brad Pitt will star, and with it comes speculation he’ll be the film’s lead––a slight surprise given Tarantino’s claim it would feature “somebody in the 35-year-old ballpark” and “definitely be a new leading man.” But I have spent my entire cinephilic life hearing Tarantino promise one thing before doing another, and Deadline seem to think he’s done “quite a bit of rewriting since then.” Consider, too, that the number of complaints made about Pitt’s work in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, from fans and detractors and AMPAS alike, are near-zero, and suddenly this all seems quite plausible.
- 2/1/2024
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Though Master Gardener is appearing on best-of-2023 lists, Paul Schrader isn’t slowing down or resting on laurels. In October he finished shooting his 24th feature Oh, Canada, an adaptation of the novel by his friend (and Affliction writer) Russell Banks starring Richard Gere, Jacob Elordi, Uma Thurman, and Michael Imperioli. An American Gigolo reunion in the midst of Schrader’s late-career hot streak is enough to vault that into upper echelons of most-anticipated 2024 features, but excitement is doubled by a recent interview in Le Monde where arguably his greatest film gets invoked: “It’s the first time, since Mishima, that I’ve made a puzzle film. Or an assembly of scattered memories, heterogeneous formats, fragments.” And despite wrapping two months ago, a 91-minute cut (retaining every scene shot over 17 days) is already finished, now only awaiting a score by the group Phosphorescent.
But when do we see it? Schrader thinks Oh,...
But when do we see it? Schrader thinks Oh,...
- 12/29/2023
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
Chicago – If you’ve watched any cop procedurals on TV or otherwise, you’ve seen the recitation of the “Miranda Warning”, but what you may not have known is the incredible true story behind that recitation. Director Michelle Danner is the filmmaker behind “Miranda’s Victim.”
Ernesto Miranda (Sebastian Quinn) is accused of rape by Trish Weir (Abigail Breslin) in the early 1960s. Justice for that particular crime is difficult now and especially in that era, and the confession coerced out of Miranda leads to a Supreme Court decision to protect the perpetrator and law enforcement through the Miranda Warning. However the victim’s story was not over … and the wheels of justice kept turning.
Miranda’s Victim
Photo credit: Vertical Entertainment
Rating: 4.0/5.0
This story can only be put into the category of truth is stranger than fiction. The fact was Ernesto Miranda was the least likely person to represent the famous warning,...
Ernesto Miranda (Sebastian Quinn) is accused of rape by Trish Weir (Abigail Breslin) in the early 1960s. Justice for that particular crime is difficult now and especially in that era, and the confession coerced out of Miranda leads to a Supreme Court decision to protect the perpetrator and law enforcement through the Miranda Warning. However the victim’s story was not over … and the wheels of justice kept turning.
Miranda’s Victim
Photo credit: Vertical Entertainment
Rating: 4.0/5.0
This story can only be put into the category of truth is stranger than fiction. The fact was Ernesto Miranda was the least likely person to represent the famous warning,...
- 10/4/2023
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
If you ever happen across Tommy Lee Jones in a public setting, should you find yourself sharing an elevator with him or spot him across the room in a restaurant, do yourself a favor and leave him be. If you're at all adept at reading body language, you should realize fairly quickly that the man is a walking "do not disturb" sign. Should you try to engage, know that he will swiftly and bluntly shut you down. Whatever bond you feel you've formed with Jones, it doesn't extend beyond the movie theater or your television screen. Not for him.
If you ever get the opportunity to interview Tommy Lee Jones, prepare. Do your research, write your very specific questions down well in advance and do not deviate. If you ask good, thoughtful questions, you'll get a good interview. Do not try to have a conversation. If your inquiries ramble or,...
If you ever get the opportunity to interview Tommy Lee Jones, prepare. Do your research, write your very specific questions down well in advance and do not deviate. If you ask good, thoughtful questions, you'll get a good interview. Do not try to have a conversation. If your inquiries ramble or,...
- 8/16/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Rest in peace to Linda Haynes.
The actress, who appeared in several roles in films like “Rolling Thunder”, “Human Experiments” and “Brubaker”, died July 17 in South Carolina at 75 years old.
The actress’s son, Greg Sylvander, revealed the tragic news on his Facebook on Friday.
Read More: Tony Bennett, Legendary Singer, Dies At 96
“It is with great sadness that I report that my mother, Linda Haynes Sylvander, has passed away, peacefully at home,” he began. “My mom moved up to South Carolina to live with us over three years ago, and it was some of our very best times together.”
“As an only child, I have dreaded these times my entire life. I find peace in knowing that my mother was at peace and had the most beautiful life these final years together with her grandchildren, Courtney Sylvander and I. We are going to miss my mom immensely.”
Read More:...
The actress, who appeared in several roles in films like “Rolling Thunder”, “Human Experiments” and “Brubaker”, died July 17 in South Carolina at 75 years old.
The actress’s son, Greg Sylvander, revealed the tragic news on his Facebook on Friday.
Read More: Tony Bennett, Legendary Singer, Dies At 96
“It is with great sadness that I report that my mother, Linda Haynes Sylvander, has passed away, peacefully at home,” he began. “My mom moved up to South Carolina to live with us over three years ago, and it was some of our very best times together.”
“As an only child, I have dreaded these times my entire life. I find peace in knowing that my mother was at peace and had the most beautiful life these final years together with her grandchildren, Courtney Sylvander and I. We are going to miss my mom immensely.”
Read More:...
- 8/12/2023
- by Emerson Pearson
- ET Canada
Linda Haynes, who notably appeared in films including “Coffy,” “Rolling Thunder,” “The Drowning Pool” and “Brubaker,” died July 17 in South Carolina — the news had not spread widely until Friday. She was 75.
“It is with great sadness that I report that my mother, Linda Haynes Sylvander has passed away, peacefully at home,” her son Greg Sylvander wrote on Facebook on Friday. She had moved to South Carolina three years ago to live with Greg. “As an only child, I have dreaded these times my entire life. I find peace in the knowing that my mother was at peace and had the most beautiful life these final years together with her grandchildren, Courtney Sylvander and I. We are going to miss my mom immensely.”
Haynes’ first film was 1969’s “Latitude Zero,” an international co-production directed by legendary Japanese filmmaker Ishirō Honda. The movie co-starred Joseph Cotton and Cesar Romero, among others. It was in the 1970s,...
“It is with great sadness that I report that my mother, Linda Haynes Sylvander has passed away, peacefully at home,” her son Greg Sylvander wrote on Facebook on Friday. She had moved to South Carolina three years ago to live with Greg. “As an only child, I have dreaded these times my entire life. I find peace in the knowing that my mother was at peace and had the most beautiful life these final years together with her grandchildren, Courtney Sylvander and I. We are going to miss my mom immensely.”
Haynes’ first film was 1969’s “Latitude Zero,” an international co-production directed by legendary Japanese filmmaker Ishirō Honda. The movie co-starred Joseph Cotton and Cesar Romero, among others. It was in the 1970s,...
- 8/11/2023
- by Drew Taylor
- The Wrap
Linda Haynes, who appeared in films including “Rolling Thunder,” “Drowning Pool” and “Brubaker,” died July 17 in South Carolina. She was 75.
Her son Greg Sylvander reported her death on Facebook.
“As an only child, I have dreaded these times my entire life. I find peace in the knowing that my mother was at peace and had the most beautiful life these final years together with her grandchildren, Courtney Sylvander and I. We are going to miss my mom immensely,” he wrote.
In 1977, Haynes co-starred in John Flynn’s psychological thriller “Rolling Thunder,” written by Paul Schrader and starring William Devane, Tommy Lee Jones and James Best. The film follows former Vietnam prisoner of war Charles Rane who, after surviving a violent home invasion and losing a hand, sets out on a crusade to get revenge with help from a friend. Haynes played Linda Forchet, a Southern belle who welcomes Rane back...
Her son Greg Sylvander reported her death on Facebook.
“As an only child, I have dreaded these times my entire life. I find peace in the knowing that my mother was at peace and had the most beautiful life these final years together with her grandchildren, Courtney Sylvander and I. We are going to miss my mom immensely,” he wrote.
In 1977, Haynes co-starred in John Flynn’s psychological thriller “Rolling Thunder,” written by Paul Schrader and starring William Devane, Tommy Lee Jones and James Best. The film follows former Vietnam prisoner of war Charles Rane who, after surviving a violent home invasion and losing a hand, sets out on a crusade to get revenge with help from a friend. Haynes played Linda Forchet, a Southern belle who welcomes Rane back...
- 8/11/2023
- by Sophia Scorziello
- Variety Film + TV
What on earth possessed a whole bunch of us to think pink on Monday night? True, many of us were in a playful mood, me included, because Warner Bros Discovery was hosting a series of multimedia screenings of Barbie across several screens at two multiplexes in central London.
It’s following hot on the turbo-charged heels of Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.
Nice people from WB’s UK top brass and corporate comms presided over a pre-screening soiree at the W Hotel. From an upper-floor window, the line of people waiting to gain entry to Cineworld’s Empire could be spied snaking its way across Leicester Square like a slither of pythons bedecked with candy floss.
The London screening of ‘Barbie’
Dresses, jackets, trousers, T-shirts, the odd fascinator, fingernails flashed shades of cerise, fuchsia, magenta and raspberry.
If you must know,...
It’s following hot on the turbo-charged heels of Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.
Nice people from WB’s UK top brass and corporate comms presided over a pre-screening soiree at the W Hotel. From an upper-floor window, the line of people waiting to gain entry to Cineworld’s Empire could be spied snaking its way across Leicester Square like a slither of pythons bedecked with candy floss.
The London screening of ‘Barbie’
Dresses, jackets, trousers, T-shirts, the odd fascinator, fingernails flashed shades of cerise, fuchsia, magenta and raspberry.
If you must know,...
- 7/18/2023
- by Baz Bamigboye
- Deadline Film + TV
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSHam on Rye.Tyler Taormina, director of the idiosyncratic Ham on Rye (2019) and Happer's Comet (2022), has wrapped production on his next feature. Filmed on Long Island, Christmas Eve In Miller’s Point is a Christmas comedy that stars Michael Cera, Elsie Fisher, and Gregg Turkington, plus the progeny of two prominent filmmakers in Francesca Scorsese and Sawyer Spielberg.The Guardian reports that filmmaker Brian Rose is attempting to “recreate” the lost version of Orson Welles’s The Magnificent Ambersons (1942), which was altered significantly by Rko prior to its release. Using “the latest technology to reconstruct lost material and animate charcoal sketches,” Rose has reportedly spent four years recreating “around 30,000 frames” of Welles’s original rough cut in order that viewers can visualize what Welles intended in lieu of seeing the director’s original cut,...
- 6/21/2023
- MUBI
Early on, Quentin Tarantino became a pariah for the level of violence depicted in movies – almost always from people who don’t understand how movie violence works, what the director intended with their usage and so on. And while his films have boasted some truly memorable scenes of it (from Reservoir Dogs’ ear scene to Rick Dalton taking a flamethrower to some home invaders in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood), Tarantino will never be down with violence towards animals.
During a conversation at this year’s Cannes Film Festival (excerpts via Variety) – where Quentin Tarantino hosted a surprise special screening of John Flynn’s terrific Rolling Thunder (1977) – the writer/director/budding movie critic put a foot down when it came to watching animals be harmed onscreen. On that form of deliberate violence, Tarantino said, “I have a big thing about killing animals in movies. That’s a bridge I can’t cross…...
During a conversation at this year’s Cannes Film Festival (excerpts via Variety) – where Quentin Tarantino hosted a surprise special screening of John Flynn’s terrific Rolling Thunder (1977) – the writer/director/budding movie critic put a foot down when it came to watching animals be harmed onscreen. On that form of deliberate violence, Tarantino said, “I have a big thing about killing animals in movies. That’s a bridge I can’t cross…...
- 6/14/2023
- by Mathew Plale
- JoBlo.com
The man who directed a scene so bloody it was filmed in black and white to avoid an Nc-17 rating has some qualms with violence in film.
In an hourlong conversation at the Cannes Film Festival, Quentin Tarantino addressed some parts of his book “Cinema Speculation” and he teased his 10th and final film, “The Movie Critic.” As a serious grind-house fanatic, Tarantino discussed the place of violence in his own films and in classics like John Flynn’s “Rolling Thunder” and Martin Scorsese’s “Taxi Driver.”
On John Flynn’s “Rolling Thunder”
“It was the movie that made me start taking myself seriously as a film critic,” Tarantino said of “Rolling Thunder.”
Not that he was writing and publishing reviews on movies, but as he watched the film, he was able to note its nuances and form opinions on them. The moderators asked Tarantino about why he believed Flynn...
In an hourlong conversation at the Cannes Film Festival, Quentin Tarantino addressed some parts of his book “Cinema Speculation” and he teased his 10th and final film, “The Movie Critic.” As a serious grind-house fanatic, Tarantino discussed the place of violence in his own films and in classics like John Flynn’s “Rolling Thunder” and Martin Scorsese’s “Taxi Driver.”
On John Flynn’s “Rolling Thunder”
“It was the movie that made me start taking myself seriously as a film critic,” Tarantino said of “Rolling Thunder.”
Not that he was writing and publishing reviews on movies, but as he watched the film, he was able to note its nuances and form opinions on them. The moderators asked Tarantino about why he believed Flynn...
- 6/13/2023
- by Sophia Scorziello
- Variety Film + TV
Quentin Tarantino arrived at the Cannes International Film Festival to participate in the activities of the Quinzaine des Cinéastes. For those responsible for this parallel section of the festival, the presence of the Hollywood director meant historical rectification, because more than 30 years ago, they missed the opportunity to have the director's first film, Reservoir Dogs, in their selection. So to redeem themselves, this time the Quinzaine des Cinéastes gave Tarantino full freedom to choose a film to screen at the Croisette Theater on the afternoon of Thursday, May 25. The choice was kept secret until Tarantino himself revealed that we would watch one of his old favorites on 35mm: John Flynn's Rolling Thunder, in which William Devane is a former Pow who fought in Vietnam. Shortly...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 5/30/2023
- Screen Anarchy
Quentin Tarantino was at the Cannes Film Festival this week to present a screening of John Flynn‘s 1977 film “Rolling Thunder,” which features prevalently in his book “Cinema Speculations.” And with Qt on la Croisette, Deadline sat the director down to talk about his next (and final) film, “The Movie Critic,” his thoughts on the streaming zeitgeist, and other details about his career.
Continue reading Quentin Tarantino Says He Didn’t Get Far Developing His Take On ‘Casino Royale,’ Thinks The Next Bond Should Resemble Fleming’s Novels at The Playlist.
Continue reading Quentin Tarantino Says He Didn’t Get Far Developing His Take On ‘Casino Royale,’ Thinks The Next Bond Should Resemble Fleming’s Novels at The Playlist.
- 5/26/2023
- by Ned Booth
- The Playlist
Planning to kick off pre-pre-production and the casting process for his next — and still, according to him, final — film, Quentin Tarantino has revealed more about what it'll be. According to the writer/director, The Movie Critic will be based on a real person, but not as has been speculated, Pauline Kael. Instead, it'll be someone far less well known.
Tarantino, speaking to Deadline's Baz Bamigboye at Cannes (where the director is presenting a screening of John Flynn’s 1977 revenge thriller Rolling Thunder), opened up to explain more about the character's inspiration, a critic who wrote for, by Qt's description, a "porno rag". Turns out Tarantino really was checking out such magazines for the articles!
"He wrote about mainstream movies and he was the second-string critic, he says I think he was a very good critic. He was as cynical as hell. His reviews were a cross between early Howard Stern...
Tarantino, speaking to Deadline's Baz Bamigboye at Cannes (where the director is presenting a screening of John Flynn’s 1977 revenge thriller Rolling Thunder), opened up to explain more about the character's inspiration, a critic who wrote for, by Qt's description, a "porno rag". Turns out Tarantino really was checking out such magazines for the articles!
"He wrote about mainstream movies and he was the second-string critic, he says I think he was a very good critic. He was as cynical as hell. His reviews were a cross between early Howard Stern...
- 5/25/2023
- by James White
- Empire - Movies
With Quentin Tarantino at the Cannes Film Festival for a special screening of John Flynn‘s 1977 flick “Rolling Thunder,” Deadline sat the director down for an interview to talk about his career, his upcoming final film “The Movie Critic,” and more. And in the chat, Qt confirmed that “The Movie Critic” will indeed be the “last thing” he does as a feature film.
Continue reading Quentin Tarantino Confirms Again That ‘The Movie Critic’ Is His Last Film, But He Won’t Rule Out Directing A TV Series Someday at The Playlist.
Continue reading Quentin Tarantino Confirms Again That ‘The Movie Critic’ Is His Last Film, But He Won’t Rule Out Directing A TV Series Someday at The Playlist.
- 5/25/2023
- by Ned Booth
- The Playlist
Exclusive: Quentin Tarantino, sitting in the shade on the Carlton Hotel terrace, revealed to this column that his new film will indeed be about a movie critic from the 1970s but he stressed that it won’t be about the New Yorker’s Pauline Kael. Instead, it will be based on a man who wrote for a porno magazine.
Tarantino was speaking to this columnist ahead of announcing a special screening in Directors’ Fortnight this afternoon of John Flynn’s 1977 movie Rolling Thunder starring William Devane. Today’s event is billed as as a ‘Rendezvous-vous with Quentin Tarantino’.
Exclusive: Quentin Tarantino reveals 1977's 'Rolling Thunder' as his surprise Directors' Fortnight screening here at #Cannes. The writer-director dedicated a chapter to the film in his last book Cinema Speculation. pic.twitter.com/mm9mWiDbds
— Deadline Hollywood (@Deadline) May 25, 2023
The filmmaker dedicates an entire chapter to Flynn’s revenge thriller in his book Cinema Speculation.
Tarantino was speaking to this columnist ahead of announcing a special screening in Directors’ Fortnight this afternoon of John Flynn’s 1977 movie Rolling Thunder starring William Devane. Today’s event is billed as as a ‘Rendezvous-vous with Quentin Tarantino’.
Exclusive: Quentin Tarantino reveals 1977's 'Rolling Thunder' as his surprise Directors' Fortnight screening here at #Cannes. The writer-director dedicated a chapter to the film in his last book Cinema Speculation. pic.twitter.com/mm9mWiDbds
— Deadline Hollywood (@Deadline) May 25, 2023
The filmmaker dedicates an entire chapter to Flynn’s revenge thriller in his book Cinema Speculation.
- 5/25/2023
- by Baz Bamigboye
- Deadline Film + TV
Whenever Quentin Tarantino makes a movie, the movie news apparatus kicks into overdrive. Ideally, we would walk in cold to every movie, but with Tarantino there's a breadcrumb dropping game that invites us to suss out plot details. For years, it was common for his scripts to get leaked to the internet (and he seemed relatively okay with this), but he was furious when an early draft of "The Hateful Eight" made the cyber rounds prior to shooting. He wasn't done, and he didn't want the public taking a look under the hood before he was done calibrating the engine.
The plot of "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" was kept almost completely under wraps until its 2019 Cannes debut, and I expected more of the same with his next (and purportedly final) feature, "The Movie Critic." But minor details have been seeping out here and there, and Paul Schrader just...
The plot of "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" was kept almost completely under wraps until its 2019 Cannes debut, and I expected more of the same with his next (and purportedly final) feature, "The Movie Critic." But minor details have been seeping out here and there, and Paul Schrader just...
- 5/19/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Nowadays it’s rare to see a multiplex movie with so little affect. And arriving in the second week of January as one of the few dumping-ground action programmers we thankfully still get, the bluntly titled Plane can be––and this is not a backhanded compliment necessarily––described as a VOD action movie that somehow escaped to theaters. Directed by French action craftsman Jean-François Richet, the kind of cineaste who probably grew up on Charles Bronson movies exported to Europe as opposed to Jean-Luc Godard at the cinematheque, the film can bring to mind both Clint Eastwood and even the late John Flynn in its formal simplicity.
Though the film’s chief attraction will be its star Gerard Butler, who seems to almost be veering into Keanu Reeves / Nicolas Cage “begrudging respect” territory just by keeping at it in these unpretentious action flicks. The actor, who permanently looks like he...
Though the film’s chief attraction will be its star Gerard Butler, who seems to almost be veering into Keanu Reeves / Nicolas Cage “begrudging respect” territory just by keeping at it in these unpretentious action flicks. The actor, who permanently looks like he...
- 1/13/2023
- by Ethan Vestby
- The Film Stage
If you’re a film fanatic, one book that’s absolutely worth checking out is Quentin Tarantino’s Cinema Speculation (buy it here). On the brilliant Video Archives podcast (which you really should be listening to), Tarantino downplays the autobiographical nature of the book, which is mostly about his reactions to the films that were seminal to him as a child of the seventies. But, along with the film analysis, there’s a lot of interesting, autobiographical material that adds up to a nostalgic depiction of a young film fan coming of age. For a lot of us, it’s tough not to relate.
With that in mind, Tarantino’s formative films are likely different than the ones from those of us who grew up a generation or so later, but every single movie that he mentions is well worth seeking out. Here are five to get started with:
Rolling...
With that in mind, Tarantino’s formative films are likely different than the ones from those of us who grew up a generation or so later, but every single movie that he mentions is well worth seeking out. Here are five to get started with:
Rolling...
- 12/26/2022
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
This review originally ran September 2, 2022, in conjunction with the film’s world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival.
You’ll need to have faith in your core to be swept away by Sebastián Lelio’s lovely and elegiac “The Wonder,” a mournful and textured psychodrama that gently nurses one into hope and spiritual serenity.
But not a religious kind of faith, to be clear: You’ll just need to believe in, or at least gradually come to accept, the power of stories as a means of survival.
A deeply feminine tale of fortitude with heart and teeth, “The Wonder” (making its world premiere at the 2022 Telluride Film Festival) hints at this very suggestion right at the start — perhaps a tad too expressly — and opens on what looks like a contemporary film stage. As the camera pans, it unveils the yarn’s eventual setting, the impoverished Irish Midlands of the 19th Century,...
You’ll need to have faith in your core to be swept away by Sebastián Lelio’s lovely and elegiac “The Wonder,” a mournful and textured psychodrama that gently nurses one into hope and spiritual serenity.
But not a religious kind of faith, to be clear: You’ll just need to believe in, or at least gradually come to accept, the power of stories as a means of survival.
A deeply feminine tale of fortitude with heart and teeth, “The Wonder” (making its world premiere at the 2022 Telluride Film Festival) hints at this very suggestion right at the start — perhaps a tad too expressly — and opens on what looks like a contemporary film stage. As the camera pans, it unveils the yarn’s eventual setting, the impoverished Irish Midlands of the 19th Century,...
- 11/16/2022
- by Tomris Laffly
- The Wrap
Richard Stark's Parker books are pure pulp pleasure. They're nasty, unsentimental crime novels written with a brutal economy. The prose is stiletto sharp, the stories shaved to the narrative bone. Once you read "The Hunter," which introduces us to the underworld shenanigans of a skilled robber named Parker, you have to read them all – and you can do so in a remarkably short span of time. These books are short and addictive.
Stark's work is so thrillingly vicious that you're occasionally concerned for the author's mental well-being. The author might actually be worried, too, as Stark is the pen name for legendary noir novelist Donald E. Westlake. By all accounts, Westlake, who passed away in 2008, was a lovely man, which makes Parker's adventures the most entertaining therapy sessions ever put to paper. Better to type out one's worst, repressed impulses than act on them.
Unsurprisingly, Quentin Tarantino is a massive Stark fan.
Stark's work is so thrillingly vicious that you're occasionally concerned for the author's mental well-being. The author might actually be worried, too, as Stark is the pen name for legendary noir novelist Donald E. Westlake. By all accounts, Westlake, who passed away in 2008, was a lovely man, which makes Parker's adventures the most entertaining therapy sessions ever put to paper. Better to type out one's worst, repressed impulses than act on them.
Unsurprisingly, Quentin Tarantino is a massive Stark fan.
- 11/8/2022
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Click here to read the full article.
Spotify said on Monday it will acquire Sonantic, a tech company that specializes in creating hyperrealistic artificial voices.
In a blog post announcing the acquisition, Spotify said Sonantic’s technology could allow the audio company to better communicate with users when they aren’t looking at their screens and help reduce other barriers to entry for new listeners.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Based in London, Sonantic was founded in 2018 by Zeena Qureshi and John Flynn. The company caters toward entertainment industry professionals and, in 2020, raised €2.3 million (about 2.4 million) in seed funding. Sonantic has also worked with Val Kilmer, who was diagnosed with throat cancer and underwent a tracheotomy in 2014, to develop an AI voice model based on past audio recordings of Kilmer’s voice.
“I’m grateful to the entire team at Sonantic who masterfully restored my voice in a...
Spotify said on Monday it will acquire Sonantic, a tech company that specializes in creating hyperrealistic artificial voices.
In a blog post announcing the acquisition, Spotify said Sonantic’s technology could allow the audio company to better communicate with users when they aren’t looking at their screens and help reduce other barriers to entry for new listeners.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Based in London, Sonantic was founded in 2018 by Zeena Qureshi and John Flynn. The company caters toward entertainment industry professionals and, in 2020, raised €2.3 million (about 2.4 million) in seed funding. Sonantic has also worked with Val Kilmer, who was diagnosed with throat cancer and underwent a tracheotomy in 2014, to develop an AI voice model based on past audio recordings of Kilmer’s voice.
“I’m grateful to the entire team at Sonantic who masterfully restored my voice in a...
- 6/13/2022
- by J. Clara Chan
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Spoiler Alert: Do not read unless you have watched “Top Gun: Maverick,” in theaters now.
“Top Gun” fans knew ahead of time that Val Kilmer would be reprising his role of Tom “Iceman” Kazansky in the sequel, but the specifics of the actor’s return were a question mark considering Kilmer lost the ability to speak after undergoing throat cancer treatment in 2014. The script for “Top Gun: Maverick” pulls from Kilmer’s real life, with Iceman also having cancer and communicating through typing. Kilmer gets to say one brief line of dialogue, but his speaking voice was created by artificial intelligence.
Kilmer announced in August 2021 that he had partnered with Sonantic to create an A.I.-powered speaking voice for himself. The actor supplied the company with hours of archival footage featuring his speaking voice that was then fed through the company’s algorithms and turned into a model. According to Forbes,...
“Top Gun” fans knew ahead of time that Val Kilmer would be reprising his role of Tom “Iceman” Kazansky in the sequel, but the specifics of the actor’s return were a question mark considering Kilmer lost the ability to speak after undergoing throat cancer treatment in 2014. The script for “Top Gun: Maverick” pulls from Kilmer’s real life, with Iceman also having cancer and communicating through typing. Kilmer gets to say one brief line of dialogue, but his speaking voice was created by artificial intelligence.
Kilmer announced in August 2021 that he had partnered with Sonantic to create an A.I.-powered speaking voice for himself. The actor supplied the company with hours of archival footage featuring his speaking voice that was then fed through the company’s algorithms and turned into a model. According to Forbes,...
- 5/31/2022
- by Zack Sharf
- Variety Film + TV
Stars: William Devane, Tommy Lee Jones, Linda Haynes | Written by Paul Schrader, Heywood Gould | Directed by John Flynn
This is a film that has a reputation. Regarded as somewhat of an exploitation classic, Rolling Thunder has – thanks to its unavailability – seemingly passed into legend amongst movie fans and after the last Blu-ray from a decade ago(!) went out of print, and now costs a fortune on the secondary market, next week’s [re]release has become one of the most anticipated of the year for some, myself included – for me mainly because I sold my Studio Canal Blu some time ago for mucho dinero and regretted it.
The plot goes something like this: after spending eight years in a Vietcong prison camp, Major Charles Rane (William Devane) returns home to a small town in Texas to be greeted as a hero with a Cadillac convertible and a couple of thousand dollars in silver coins,...
This is a film that has a reputation. Regarded as somewhat of an exploitation classic, Rolling Thunder has – thanks to its unavailability – seemingly passed into legend amongst movie fans and after the last Blu-ray from a decade ago(!) went out of print, and now costs a fortune on the secondary market, next week’s [re]release has become one of the most anticipated of the year for some, myself included – for me mainly because I sold my Studio Canal Blu some time ago for mucho dinero and regretted it.
The plot goes something like this: after spending eight years in a Vietcong prison camp, Major Charles Rane (William Devane) returns home to a small town in Texas to be greeted as a hero with a Cadillac convertible and a couple of thousand dollars in silver coins,...
- 5/19/2022
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
I must have at least 7 home video releases of John Sturges’ classic, starting from VHS, but they’ve come up with a good reason to return: a 4K transfer with color and contrast grading that to me better represents the movie. The thrilling, not-too-violent escapades of Steve McQueen, Richard Attenborough, James Garner, David McCallum, James Coburn, Charles Bronson & James Donald are no longer timed so that everything looks like a washed-out high noon: both the 4th of July and much of the mad-dash escape scramble are meant to take place near the crack of dawn. In this case ‘Much darker’ is much richer; faces don’t get blown out. And I do see more detail in the enhanced image. So here we go again, happily.
The Great Escape 4K
4K Ultra HD
Kl Studio Classics
1963 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 172 min. / Street Date January 11, 2022 / available through Kino Lorber / 39.95
Starring: Steve McQueen, James Garner,...
The Great Escape 4K
4K Ultra HD
Kl Studio Classics
1963 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 172 min. / Street Date January 11, 2022 / available through Kino Lorber / 39.95
Starring: Steve McQueen, James Garner,...
- 12/27/2021
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Exclusive: In the wake of his seven-figure spec sale of The Bee Keeper to Miramax, which has Jason Statham attached to star, Kurt Wimmer will next direct his original script Solara for Oakhurst Entertainment and The Motus Studios.
The project is billed as a throwback to the raw and down-and-dirty tone and ethos of such 1970s movies as the Charles Bronson, Elmore Leonard scripted Mr Majestyk and the John Flynn-directed, Paul Schrader co-scripted Rolling Thunder starring Tommy Lee Jones and William Devane.
The project will be produced and financed by Jai Khanna and Marina Grasic of Oakhurst Entertainment along with Emanuele Moretti of The Motus Studios. Wimmer will also produce. Verve Ventures arranged the financing and will co-represent domestic rights with Motus handling international.
“Astonishingly powerful and poignant, Wimmer’s script has a furious sense of purpose. It was a no-brainer for us to dive in,” Khanna tells Deadline.
The project is billed as a throwback to the raw and down-and-dirty tone and ethos of such 1970s movies as the Charles Bronson, Elmore Leonard scripted Mr Majestyk and the John Flynn-directed, Paul Schrader co-scripted Rolling Thunder starring Tommy Lee Jones and William Devane.
The project will be produced and financed by Jai Khanna and Marina Grasic of Oakhurst Entertainment along with Emanuele Moretti of The Motus Studios. Wimmer will also produce. Verve Ventures arranged the financing and will co-represent domestic rights with Motus handling international.
“Astonishingly powerful and poignant, Wimmer’s script has a furious sense of purpose. It was a no-brainer for us to dive in,” Khanna tells Deadline.
- 9/21/2021
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
This review contains spoilers for What If…? episode 1.
What If…? is the latest Marvel Studios small screen project to arrive on Disney+ after much fanfare. The animated anthology show, created by Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia writer A.C. Bradley and Marvel storyboard vet Bryan Andrews, aims to explore alternate timelines in the MCU multiverse. In order to fully grasp the basic premise of What If…? as a whole it helps to have watched Marvel’s Loki, which recently introduced the multiverse to the MCU.
What If…? episode 1, “What If… Captain Carter Were The First Avenger?,” focuses on a (mainly) WWII-era version of Peggy Carter who made a key alternate choice that affected the creation of Captain America in a major way.
It’s a fun episode! Your mileage may vary depending on how much you love Peggy Carter, but since I love her a whole lot I had a good time watching this.
What If…? is the latest Marvel Studios small screen project to arrive on Disney+ after much fanfare. The animated anthology show, created by Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia writer A.C. Bradley and Marvel storyboard vet Bryan Andrews, aims to explore alternate timelines in the MCU multiverse. In order to fully grasp the basic premise of What If…? as a whole it helps to have watched Marvel’s Loki, which recently introduced the multiverse to the MCU.
What If…? episode 1, “What If… Captain Carter Were The First Avenger?,” focuses on a (mainly) WWII-era version of Peggy Carter who made a key alternate choice that affected the creation of Captain America in a major way.
It’s a fun episode! Your mileage may vary depending on how much you love Peggy Carter, but since I love her a whole lot I had a good time watching this.
- 8/11/2021
- by Kirsten Howard
- Den of Geek
AT&T has set a deal with Tpg Capital that calls for the struggling satellite TV provider DirecTV to become a standalone company in which Tpg would own a 30% stake.
The sides have been in talks for months as AT&T has sought to find a solution to the problem of DirecTV’s subscriber losses dragging down the company’s overall results. The pact with Tpg implies an enterprise value of $16.25 billion, a far cry from the $48.5 billion that AT&T paid for DirecTV in 2015. AT&T will own the remaining 70% of the new entity.
The deal covers DirecTV, AT&T TV and AT&T’s smaller U-verse MVPD service. The new company, to be named DirecTV, will be headed by Bill Morrow, who is CEO of AT&T’s U.S. video series. The new-model DirecTV will be governed by a board of five seats, two for AT&T, two from...
The sides have been in talks for months as AT&T has sought to find a solution to the problem of DirecTV’s subscriber losses dragging down the company’s overall results. The pact with Tpg implies an enterprise value of $16.25 billion, a far cry from the $48.5 billion that AT&T paid for DirecTV in 2015. AT&T will own the remaining 70% of the new entity.
The deal covers DirecTV, AT&T TV and AT&T’s smaller U-verse MVPD service. The new company, to be named DirecTV, will be headed by Bill Morrow, who is CEO of AT&T’s U.S. video series. The new-model DirecTV will be governed by a board of five seats, two for AT&T, two from...
- 2/25/2021
- by Cynthia Littleton
- Variety Film + TV
It’s been nearly nine months since the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office charged Harvey Weinstein with rape and sexual assault, formally launching a criminal case in the heart of the former indie mogul’s dominion.
Since those first charges were filed in L.A., Weinstein has been convicted by of third-degree rape and a first-degree criminal sexual act and is now serving out a 23-year prison sentence in New York, which means he’ll have to be extradited to L.A. before that criminal case can move forward.
Here’s where things stand now:
Last Friday, the District Attorney for Los Angeles charged Weinstein with six additional sexual assault counts based on new accusations that Weinstein raped a woman at a Beverly Hills hotel between September 2004 and 2005, and another woman, twice, in November 2009 and November 2010 at a Beverly Hills hotel.
Paired with the earlier charges from April and January,...
Since those first charges were filed in L.A., Weinstein has been convicted by of third-degree rape and a first-degree criminal sexual act and is now serving out a 23-year prison sentence in New York, which means he’ll have to be extradited to L.A. before that criminal case can move forward.
Here’s where things stand now:
Last Friday, the District Attorney for Los Angeles charged Weinstein with six additional sexual assault counts based on new accusations that Weinstein raped a woman at a Beverly Hills hotel between September 2004 and 2005, and another woman, twice, in November 2009 and November 2010 at a Beverly Hills hotel.
Paired with the earlier charges from April and January,...
- 10/6/2020
- by J. Clara Chan
- The Wrap
The two Buffalo police officers seen in a viral video pushing an elderly protester were arraigned Saturday on felony assault charges.
Officers Aaron Torgalski and Robert McCabe both pleaded not guilty to felony second-degree assault and were released without bail. Both officers are scheduled to return to court on July 20th. If convicted on the charge, the maximum possible sentence is 7 years in prison, the Erie County District Attorney’s Office said Saturday.
In the viral video seen by over 78 million since the June 4th incident, Torgalski and McCabe are...
Officers Aaron Torgalski and Robert McCabe both pleaded not guilty to felony second-degree assault and were released without bail. Both officers are scheduled to return to court on July 20th. If convicted on the charge, the maximum possible sentence is 7 years in prison, the Erie County District Attorney’s Office said Saturday.
In the viral video seen by over 78 million since the June 4th incident, Torgalski and McCabe are...
- 6/6/2020
- by Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
Images from this picture were burned into our Boomer childhood brains … we actually sat still for almost three hours to watch it. John Sturges’ epic show is like a fine-tuned watch — its unbreakable story is populated by ideal characters that become instant heroes, just for acting like normal men that want free of confinement. It’s really about freedom — after two hours in the Pow compound, the fugitives set loose in the wide, green beauty of Germany might as well be escaping into a wonderland of light and space. In its own way this show made our parents’ wartime experience come alive — it’s The picture to interest kids in events of the past.
The Great Escape
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 1027
1963 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 172 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date May 12, 2020 / 39.95
Starring: Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, James Donald, Charles Bronson, Donald Pleasence, James Coburn, Hannes Messemer,...
The Great Escape
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 1027
1963 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 172 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date May 12, 2020 / 39.95
Starring: Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, James Donald, Charles Bronson, Donald Pleasence, James Coburn, Hannes Messemer,...
- 5/2/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
The lockdown has been a good excuse for many of us to venture into our personal archives and dredge up some gems from the past. Quentin Tarantino has been doing just that, unearthing a 1982 interview he, then a 20-year-old on the fringes of the industry, conducted with the filmmaker John Milius.
Tarantino says he approached Milius via his assistant under the pretence of writing a book, and was granted access twice for some lengthy chats, initially at the filmmaker’s office on the Paramount lot and then on the set of war pic Uncommon Valor.
More from DeadlineCannes Film Festival Won't Happen In June Admit Organizers, But Fest Still Hoping To Stage A Version Of The Event In 2020Cinemark: 17,500 Layoffs, Pay Cuts, $42M Dividend Suspension, $20M Tax Refund Part Of Covid-19 Cash-Preserve MethodsAmazing Stories, Mythic...
Tarantino says he approached Milius via his assistant under the pretence of writing a book, and was granted access twice for some lengthy chats, initially at the filmmaker’s office on the Paramount lot and then on the set of war pic Uncommon Valor.
More from DeadlineCannes Film Festival Won't Happen In June Admit Organizers, But Fest Still Hoping To Stage A Version Of The Event In 2020Cinemark: 17,500 Layoffs, Pay Cuts, $42M Dividend Suspension, $20M Tax Refund Part Of Covid-19 Cash-Preserve MethodsAmazing Stories, Mythic...
- 4/14/2020
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
The longer Scream Factory has been in business, the more high profile and “classic” titles they have released, the more they have begun to dig a little deeper for the kinds of catalogue titles and semi-obscurities for which devoted horror fans have been clamoring for years. New licensing deals have made new titles possible, including three new releases that have been among the most highly requested movies in Scream Factory’s history. As if there was any doubt, the fact that these three films now have special edition Blu-rays are proof positive that we are living in a golden age of home video.
First up is Brainscan, a 1994 effort in the tradition of Evilspeak, Trick or Treat, and 976-Evil in which a lonely, depressed kid named Michael (Edward Furlong) unlocks the door into a world of horror when a computer game called Brainscan puts him in the body of a...
First up is Brainscan, a 1994 effort in the tradition of Evilspeak, Trick or Treat, and 976-Evil in which a lonely, depressed kid named Michael (Edward Furlong) unlocks the door into a world of horror when a computer game called Brainscan puts him in the body of a...
- 8/31/2018
- by Patrick Bromley
- DailyDead
Tomorrow will see Scream Factory's release of cult favorite Brainscan (1994) starring Edward Furlong on Blu-ray, but in the meantime, we have three Blu-ray clips, a TV spot, and an official trailer from the high-definition home media release.
Press Release: This August, Scream Factory invite loyal fans and horror enthusiasts to embark on an interactive trip to hell when 90’s science fiction horror cult classic, Brainscan debuts on Blu-ray August 28, 2018. Produced by Michel Roy and directed by John Flynn, Brainscan stars Edward Furlong (Terminator 2: Judgment Day), Frank Langella (The Americans), Amy Hargreaves (Homeland), and T. Ryder Smith as “The Trickster.” Available for the first time on Blu-ray, Brainscan is a must have for movie collectors and contains special features including new interviews with cast and crew, audio commentary, and more! Pre-order is available now at Amazon.com
When Michael, a lonely teenager (Edward Furlong), orders the latest interactive video game, the...
Press Release: This August, Scream Factory invite loyal fans and horror enthusiasts to embark on an interactive trip to hell when 90’s science fiction horror cult classic, Brainscan debuts on Blu-ray August 28, 2018. Produced by Michel Roy and directed by John Flynn, Brainscan stars Edward Furlong (Terminator 2: Judgment Day), Frank Langella (The Americans), Amy Hargreaves (Homeland), and T. Ryder Smith as “The Trickster.” Available for the first time on Blu-ray, Brainscan is a must have for movie collectors and contains special features including new interviews with cast and crew, audio commentary, and more! Pre-order is available now at Amazon.com
When Michael, a lonely teenager (Edward Furlong), orders the latest interactive video game, the...
- 8/27/2018
- by Tamika Jones
- DailyDead
Two months back, we let you guys know that Scream Factory is bringing us John Flynn’s slasher flick Brainscan starring Edward Furlong and Frank Langella to Blu-ray this August. And today we have all the details. You can check out the full list of special features below and the cover art to the right and then make sure […]
The post Scream Factory’s Brainscan Blu-ray Special Features Announced appeared first on Dread Central.
The post Scream Factory’s Brainscan Blu-ray Special Features Announced appeared first on Dread Central.
- 7/14/2018
- by Mike Sprague
- DreadCentral.com
"Wanna play?" Scream Factory is preparing for "an interactive trip to hell" with the unveiling of their full list of bonus features for the new Brainscan Blu-ray ahead of its August 28th release:
Press Release: This August, Scream Factory™ invite loyal fans and horror enthusiasts to embark on an interactive trip to hell when 90’s science fiction horror cult classic, Brainscan debuts on Blu-ray August 28, 2018. Produced by Michel Roy and directed by John Flynn, Brainscan stars Edward Furlong (Terminator 2: Judgment Day), Frank Langella (The Americans), Amy Hargreaves (Homeland), and T. Ryder Smith as “The Trickster.” Available for the first time on Blu-ray, Brainscan is a must have for movie collectors and contains special features including new interviews with cast and crew, audio commentary, and more! Pre-order is available now at Amazon.com
When Michael, a lonely teenager (Edward Furlong), orders the latest interactive video game, the new high-tech wizardry penetrates his subconscious,...
Press Release: This August, Scream Factory™ invite loyal fans and horror enthusiasts to embark on an interactive trip to hell when 90’s science fiction horror cult classic, Brainscan debuts on Blu-ray August 28, 2018. Produced by Michel Roy and directed by John Flynn, Brainscan stars Edward Furlong (Terminator 2: Judgment Day), Frank Langella (The Americans), Amy Hargreaves (Homeland), and T. Ryder Smith as “The Trickster.” Available for the first time on Blu-ray, Brainscan is a must have for movie collectors and contains special features including new interviews with cast and crew, audio commentary, and more! Pre-order is available now at Amazon.com
When Michael, a lonely teenager (Edward Furlong), orders the latest interactive video game, the new high-tech wizardry penetrates his subconscious,...
- 7/12/2018
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
"Now that I have your attention, please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Trickster." Back in the mid-’90s, director John Flynn took viewers into an immersive video game with vicious consequences in Brainscan, and with virtual reality experiences now on the rise, Scream Factory has announced a new Blu-ray release of the 1994 horror film:
From Scream Factory: "Ready, Player One….into Hell. More 90s terror is coming your way as we unleash the often-requested film Brainscan on Blu-ray August 28th!
When Michael, a lonely teenager, orders the latest interactive video game, the new high-tech wizardry penetrates his subconscious, where his darkest impulses lead him through a deadly maze of murder, deception and desire. Pursued by homicide detective and prodded by "The Trickster" (T. Ryder Smith) who materializes into his room, Michael is torn between the worlds of good and evil, of reality and fantasy and, ultimately, life and death.
From Scream Factory: "Ready, Player One….into Hell. More 90s terror is coming your way as we unleash the often-requested film Brainscan on Blu-ray August 28th!
When Michael, a lonely teenager, orders the latest interactive video game, the new high-tech wizardry penetrates his subconscious, where his darkest impulses lead him through a deadly maze of murder, deception and desire. Pursued by homicide detective and prodded by "The Trickster" (T. Ryder Smith) who materializes into his room, Michael is torn between the worlds of good and evil, of reality and fantasy and, ultimately, life and death.
- 5/1/2018
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
It’s the loose-censored early 1970s, and screen bandits shootin’ up the American movie landscape are no longer suffering the once-mandated automatic moral retribution. Walter Matthau launched himself into the genre with this excellent Don Siegel on-the-run epic, about an old-fashioned independent bandit who accidentally rips off the mob for a million. It’s great, wicked fun.
Charley Varrick
Region B Blu-ray
Indicator
1973 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 111 min. / Charley Varrick the Last of the Independents; Kill Charley Varrick / Street Date January 22, 2018 / available from Powerhouse Films UK / £14.99
Starring: Walter Matthau, Joe Don Baker, Andrew Robinson, John Vernon, Felicia Farr, Sheree North, Jacqueline Scott, William Schallert, Norman Fell, Benson Fong, Woodrow Parfrey, Rudy Diaz, Charles Matthau, Tom Tully, Albert Popwell
Cinematography: Michael Butler
Film Editor: Frank Morriss
Original Music: Lalo Schifrin
Written by Dean Riesner, Howard Rodman from the novel The Looters by John Reese
Produced by Jennings Lang, Don Siegel
Directed by...
Charley Varrick
Region B Blu-ray
Indicator
1973 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 111 min. / Charley Varrick the Last of the Independents; Kill Charley Varrick / Street Date January 22, 2018 / available from Powerhouse Films UK / £14.99
Starring: Walter Matthau, Joe Don Baker, Andrew Robinson, John Vernon, Felicia Farr, Sheree North, Jacqueline Scott, William Schallert, Norman Fell, Benson Fong, Woodrow Parfrey, Rudy Diaz, Charles Matthau, Tom Tully, Albert Popwell
Cinematography: Michael Butler
Film Editor: Frank Morriss
Original Music: Lalo Schifrin
Written by Dean Riesner, Howard Rodman from the novel The Looters by John Reese
Produced by Jennings Lang, Don Siegel
Directed by...
- 1/20/2018
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
“All the films in this book share an air of disreputability… I have tried to avoid using the word art about the movies in this book, not just because I didn’t want to inflate my claims for them, but because the word is used far too often to shut down discussion rather than open it up. If something has been acclaimed as art, it’s not just beyond criticism but often seen as above the mere mortals for whom its presumably been made. It’s a sealed artifact that offers no way in. It is as much a lie to claim we can be moved only by what has been given the imprimatur of art as it would be to deny that there are, in these scruffy movies, the very things we expect from art: avenues into human emotion and psychology, or into the character and texture of the time the films were made,...
- 8/6/2017
- by Dennis Cozzalio
- Trailers from Hell
Forced to live together in a confined space and depending on each other for survival, the Dollanganger siblings from 1987’s Flowers in the Attic have always reminded me of the kids from The Boxcar Children book series I grew up reading, although instead of solving mysteries on fun adventures, they were busy dealing with a scissors-wielding grandma, a murderous mother, and some intense incestual feelings—not exactly the type of material you’d find next to Gertrude Chandler Warner’s books in the library.
Published in 1979 and featuring evil parental figures, inter-family violence, and sibling incest, V.C. Andrews’ Flowers in the Attic was a sought-after page-turner for readers drawn to its controversial elements, and its viability in the bookstores paved its way to the cinemas in the mid-’80s. A story about four siblings—two brothers and two sisters—locked away in a gothic mansion’s upstairs room (and the...
Published in 1979 and featuring evil parental figures, inter-family violence, and sibling incest, V.C. Andrews’ Flowers in the Attic was a sought-after page-turner for readers drawn to its controversial elements, and its viability in the bookstores paved its way to the cinemas in the mid-’80s. A story about four siblings—two brothers and two sisters—locked away in a gothic mansion’s upstairs room (and the...
- 7/17/2017
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
John Flynn's The Outfit (1974), a brutally efficient bit of business based glancingly on Richard Stark’s procedurally inquisitive and poetic crime novel of the same name, is a movie that feels like it’s never heard of a rounded corner; it’s blunt like a 1970 Dodge Monaco pinning a couple of killers against a Dumpster and a brick wall. I say “glancingly” because the movie, as Glenn Kenny observed upon The Outfit’s DVD release from the Warner Archives, is based less on the chronologically unconcerned novel than an idea taken from it. On the page Stark's protagonist, the unflappable Parker, his face altered by plastic surgery to the degree that past associates often take a fatal beat too long to realize to whom it is they are speaking, assumes the detached perspective of a bruised deity, undertaking the orchestration of a series of robberies administered to Mob-run businesses...
- 6/5/2016
- by Dennis Cozzalio
- Trailers from Hell
Rolling Thunder is one of my favorite films. I’m not just saying that because it is next month’s Late Nite Grindhouse screening, it includes almost everything I loved in 70’s cinema. It is a vigilante story, a character study, a road movie and a great, justifying finale. It doesn’t hurt that it feels, at times, an echo of co-writer, Paul Schrader’s previous work, Taxi Driver (which is definitely in my top 5 of my favorite films).
The film has had a release history that was troubled. Rolling Thunder was to be released by 20th Century Fox but after it showed as a sneak 2nd feature in a double bill with the third Dirty Harry film, The Enforcer, the crowd reacted violently towards some of the studio heads in the audience. This infamous screening took place in San Jose where the majority of the crowd was latino and...
The film has had a release history that was troubled. Rolling Thunder was to be released by 20th Century Fox but after it showed as a sneak 2nd feature in a double bill with the third Dirty Harry film, The Enforcer, the crowd reacted violently towards some of the studio heads in the audience. This infamous screening took place in San Jose where the majority of the crowd was latino and...
- 3/30/2016
- by Andy Triefenbach
- Destroy the Brain
“You learn to love the rope. That’s how you beat ’em. That’s how you beat people who torture you. You learn to love ’em. Then they don’t know you’re beatin’ ’em.”
Rolling Thunder (1977) screens Midnights next weekend (April 8th and 9th) at The Moolah Theater and Lounge (3821 Lindell Blvd, St. Louis, Mo 63108) as part of Destroy the Brain’s monthly Late Night Grindhouse film series.
Paul Schrader followed his Taxi Driver screenplay with the one for Rolling Thunder, a gritty revenge thriller directed by John Flynn in 1977. Similarities abound as both are about Vietnam vets who are ticking time bombs pushed to the brink by the violence they’ve come home to. But Rolling Thunder’s plot eventually veers from character study into a Death Wish-style vigilante thriller. Like Taxi Driver, it leads slowly toward a cathartic bloodbath finale. Rolling Thunder is highly regarded by fans and critics alike,...
Rolling Thunder (1977) screens Midnights next weekend (April 8th and 9th) at The Moolah Theater and Lounge (3821 Lindell Blvd, St. Louis, Mo 63108) as part of Destroy the Brain’s monthly Late Night Grindhouse film series.
Paul Schrader followed his Taxi Driver screenplay with the one for Rolling Thunder, a gritty revenge thriller directed by John Flynn in 1977. Similarities abound as both are about Vietnam vets who are ticking time bombs pushed to the brink by the violence they’ve come home to. But Rolling Thunder’s plot eventually veers from character study into a Death Wish-style vigilante thriller. Like Taxi Driver, it leads slowly toward a cathartic bloodbath finale. Rolling Thunder is highly regarded by fans and critics alike,...
- 3/30/2016
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Con Air, Last Action Hero, Brainscan and Die Hard 4.0 could all have been very different films, going by the early drafts of their scripts.
The life of a Hollywood screenwriter might sound like a glamorous one, but it's not all premieres and champagne.
As one of the smaller cogs in an often complex machine, the writer can often find his or her work changed almost beyond recognition by other hands. Such is the case with the following movies, which were all changed quite drastically in one way or another between their original draft and their final cut.
Some scripts were pressed into service as sequels. Some began in one genre and wound up in another. Rather than put together an exhaustive list, we've chosen a few examples of the script changes that intrigued or bemused us most.
Con Air
Nic Cage with lank hair and a thick southern drawl. An...
The life of a Hollywood screenwriter might sound like a glamorous one, but it's not all premieres and champagne.
As one of the smaller cogs in an often complex machine, the writer can often find his or her work changed almost beyond recognition by other hands. Such is the case with the following movies, which were all changed quite drastically in one way or another between their original draft and their final cut.
Some scripts were pressed into service as sequels. Some began in one genre and wound up in another. Rather than put together an exhaustive list, we've chosen a few examples of the script changes that intrigued or bemused us most.
Con Air
Nic Cage with lank hair and a thick southern drawl. An...
- 6/17/2015
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
Interview Simon Brew 27 Feb 2014 - 05:44
In the first of a two part look back at his career, James Woods chats to us about family, Scorsese, Stone, Leone and more...
It took a false start or two before we finally got James Woods on the end of the phone. There was no agent connecting us, no middle person to monitor what we were saying. Just a problem with a charging cable, oddly enough.
When we were connected, we launched into an interview that was intended to last 15 minutes, but as it turned out, it passed the hour mark. And heck, we got through a lot: so much, that we've split this interview into two articles. A genuinely fascinating man.
Regular readers will know that we've been long-time fans of James Woods - as highlighted by our look at some of his least appreciated films, here - and as our conversation started,...
In the first of a two part look back at his career, James Woods chats to us about family, Scorsese, Stone, Leone and more...
It took a false start or two before we finally got James Woods on the end of the phone. There was no agent connecting us, no middle person to monitor what we were saying. Just a problem with a charging cable, oddly enough.
When we were connected, we launched into an interview that was intended to last 15 minutes, but as it turned out, it passed the hour mark. And heck, we got through a lot: so much, that we've split this interview into two articles. A genuinely fascinating man.
Regular readers will know that we've been long-time fans of James Woods - as highlighted by our look at some of his least appreciated films, here - and as our conversation started,...
- 2/25/2014
- by sarahd
- Den of Geek
With the screenplays for Sydney Pollack’s “The Yakuza” (1975), Brian De Palma’s “Obsession” (1976), John Flynn’s “Rolling Thunder,” Martin Scorsese’s “Taxi Driver” (1976) and “Raging Bull” (1980) under his belt, Paul Schrader's legacy as a seminal figure in 1970s American screenwriting was unassailably assured. Yet not only did he go on to write "The Mosquito Coast" and Scorsese's "The Last Temptation Of Christ," he has also enjoyed a long, diverse career as a director, with his most recent foray being released last week: the controversial, chatter-worthy "The Canyons" (you can read our review here). While not as celebrated (or maybe as consistently assured) as his writing, Schrader’s directing career is nevertheless an intriguing one. Often tapping into the same sordid corners of the human psyche that his most famous screenplays deal in, with morally layered themes of obsession, guilt, repression, catharsis and psychosis often culminating in acts of anti-social psychosexual.
- 8/5/2013
- by The Playlist Staff
- The Playlist
Cult movies are impossible to identify until years after their release, and even then it apparently takes Quentin Tarantino to point them out to the rest of us. (That’s not entirely true, but we’ll let him think it is for now.) One of the director’s favorite films, possibly even *the* favorite depending who you ask, is John Flynn‘s 1977 revenge picture Rolling Thunder. Having finally watched it I’d actually argue that labeling it as a “revenge picture,” which is how it’s been spoken of for over thirty years, is incorrect and ultimately reductive. Not that there isn’t some wonderfully wet and violent revenge action to be found here, but it’s hardly the film’s main focus or only strength. William Devane stars as a Vietnam veteran recently released from years as a Pow. He returns home to a wife, son and a small town that welcomes him back as a...
- 5/29/2013
- by Rob Hunter
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
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