Exclusive: The Daily Wire has cast its lead in fantasy series The Pendragon Cycle, which is underway in Europe.
Newcomer Tom Sharp has been cast as the lead in the right-wing media company’s biggest-canvas film or TV project to date.
The seven-episode drama is a reimagining of the myth of King Arthur, set at the end of Roman Britain when pagan tribes warred with Saxon and Pict invaders, and with each other. Sharp will play Merlin, the son of an Atlantean princess and the bard, Taliesen, who pursues his father’s vision of a ‘Kingdom of Summer’ — a Briton unified in peace. To achieve this dream, Merlin will have to overcome ancient evils and navigate both the fall of the Roman occupation and the rise of Christianity in search of a king who can unite the Island of the Mighty.
The drama is being directed by Daily Wire co-ceo...
Newcomer Tom Sharp has been cast as the lead in the right-wing media company’s biggest-canvas film or TV project to date.
The seven-episode drama is a reimagining of the myth of King Arthur, set at the end of Roman Britain when pagan tribes warred with Saxon and Pict invaders, and with each other. Sharp will play Merlin, the son of an Atlantean princess and the bard, Taliesen, who pursues his father’s vision of a ‘Kingdom of Summer’ — a Briton unified in peace. To achieve this dream, Merlin will have to overcome ancient evils and navigate both the fall of the Roman occupation and the rise of Christianity in search of a king who can unite the Island of the Mighty.
The drama is being directed by Daily Wire co-ceo...
- 9/19/2023
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
The Casting Society announced its winners in film, television, and theater on Wednesday night, honoring Best Picture front-runner “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” as well as Oscar nominees “The Banshees of Inisherin,” “The Fabelmans,” and “Marcel the Shell with Shoes On.”
The casting branch of the academy is a year shy of a decade old and still doesn’t have an Oscar category of its own. However, the Casting Society has been handing out the Artios Awards for 38 years (“Artios” is from the ancient Greek meaning “perfectly fitted.”).
Nominees for feature films were announced on January 10 (two days before Oscar nominations voting begins). Many of the leading Academy Awards contenders reaped bids across the various categories according to production cost. Winners were revealed at a ceremony on March 9 (two days after the close of final Oscar voting).
Last year’s big budget winners were the comedy “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” and...
The casting branch of the academy is a year shy of a decade old and still doesn’t have an Oscar category of its own. However, the Casting Society has been handing out the Artios Awards for 38 years (“Artios” is from the ancient Greek meaning “perfectly fitted.”).
Nominees for feature films were announced on January 10 (two days before Oscar nominations voting begins). Many of the leading Academy Awards contenders reaped bids across the various categories according to production cost. Winners were revealed at a ceremony on March 9 (two days after the close of final Oscar voting).
Last year’s big budget winners were the comedy “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” and...
- 3/10/2023
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
Casting Society honored achievements in casting across film, television and theater on Thursday night with its 38th annual Artios Awards. CSA celebrated with three star-studded award ceremonies, the first in-person celebrations in three years. Yvette Nicole Brown hosted the Los Angeles show at the Beverly Hilton, while Amber Ruffin hosted in New York’s Edison Ballroom and Gordon Griffin M.B.E. at London’s Union Club.
Among the film winners were Oscar-nominated features Everything Everywhere All at Once, which received the Zeitgeist Award. Marcel the Shell With Shoes On won in the animation category, while The Fabelmans and The Banshees of Inisherin won for big budget film (drama) and studio or independent film (drama), respectively.
Among the television winners were Abbott Elementary and Yellowjackets, both earning prizes for TV pilot/first season. Hacks and Succession won the prizes for comedy and drama casting, respectively, while Dopesick won for limited series.
Among the film winners were Oscar-nominated features Everything Everywhere All at Once, which received the Zeitgeist Award. Marcel the Shell With Shoes On won in the animation category, while The Fabelmans and The Banshees of Inisherin won for big budget film (drama) and studio or independent film (drama), respectively.
Among the television winners were Abbott Elementary and Yellowjackets, both earning prizes for TV pilot/first season. Hacks and Succession won the prizes for comedy and drama casting, respectively, while Dopesick won for limited series.
- 3/10/2023
- by Tyler Coates
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Few pop culture conversations feel more uninspired to me than those that start with the assertion that "the book is always better." Despite the fact that this platitude about the shortcomings of on-screen adaptations is ubiquitous, adorning countless Instagram posts and Etsy T-shirts, it's frankly not true. Film is a different medium than literature, and visual stories can often expand upon and even interrogate the texts on which they're based. The well-curated, richly researched new book "But Have You Read The Book?" from TCM and The Wrap's film editor Kristen Lopez recognizes this, and in turn starts a series of much more inspired and nuanced conversations. Sometimes, Lopez communicates through the text's 52 examples, the book and the film are both excellent, and their differences are complementary and intriguing.
In keeping with the tradition of other Turner Classic Movies-branded books like Jeremy Arnold's "The Essentials," "But Have You Read The Book?...
In keeping with the tradition of other Turner Classic Movies-branded books like Jeremy Arnold's "The Essentials," "But Have You Read The Book?...
- 2/27/2023
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
The casting branch of the academy is a year shy of a decade old and still doesn’t have an Oscar category of its own. However, the Casting Society has been handing out the Artios Awards for 37 years (“Artios” is from the ancient Greek meaning “perfectly fitted.”).
Nominees for feature films were announced on January 10 (two days before Oscar nominations voting begins). Many of the leading Academy Awards contenders reaped bids across the various categories according to production cost. Winners will be revealed at a ceremony on March 9 (two days after the close of final Oscar voting).
Last year’s big budget winners were the comedy “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” and the drama “The Trial of the Chicago 7 ” while “The Forty-Year-Old Version” and “One Night in Miami” took the equivalent prizes in the independent division. “Minari” won the low budget and “The Surrogate” the micro budget prizes while “Soul” claimed the animation award.
Nominees for feature films were announced on January 10 (two days before Oscar nominations voting begins). Many of the leading Academy Awards contenders reaped bids across the various categories according to production cost. Winners will be revealed at a ceremony on March 9 (two days after the close of final Oscar voting).
Last year’s big budget winners were the comedy “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” and the drama “The Trial of the Chicago 7 ” while “The Forty-Year-Old Version” and “One Night in Miami” took the equivalent prizes in the independent division. “Minari” won the low budget and “The Surrogate” the micro budget prizes while “Soul” claimed the animation award.
- 1/10/2023
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
Casting Society (CSA) today announces the film nominees for the 38th Artios Awards, which honor the contribution of casting directors in film, television and theater. The CSA previously announced the nominees for its television, theater, short film and short-form series categories on Oct. 17.
Among the nominations this year are Oscar hopefuls Armageddon Time, Avatar: The Way of Water, The Banshees of Inisherin, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Elvis, Everything Everywhere All at Once, The Fabelmans, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, Tár and The Whale.
Netflix leads the total nominations with six. A24, Disney and Universal earned four nods each.
Three casting directors are honored with three nods: Ellen Chenoweth, Mary Vernieu and Bret Howe. Receiving two nominations each are Lucy Bevan, Kim Coleman, Sarah Halley Finn, Christi Soper Hilt, Avy Kaufman, Bernard Telsey, Natalie Lyon and Kevin Reher.
First held in 1985, the Artios Awards honors casting professionals in more than 20 different categories encompassing film,...
Among the nominations this year are Oscar hopefuls Armageddon Time, Avatar: The Way of Water, The Banshees of Inisherin, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Elvis, Everything Everywhere All at Once, The Fabelmans, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, Tár and The Whale.
Netflix leads the total nominations with six. A24, Disney and Universal earned four nods each.
Three casting directors are honored with three nods: Ellen Chenoweth, Mary Vernieu and Bret Howe. Receiving two nominations each are Lucy Bevan, Kim Coleman, Sarah Halley Finn, Christi Soper Hilt, Avy Kaufman, Bernard Telsey, Natalie Lyon and Kevin Reher.
First held in 1985, the Artios Awards honors casting professionals in more than 20 different categories encompassing film,...
- 1/10/2023
- by Tyler Coates
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Casting Society of America’s annual Artios Awards, which recognize superior achievement in the casting of film, TV and theater projects, has announced the nominees for its film categories, which range from 200 million blockbusters to low-and-micro budget titles.
Anticipated Oscar darlings such as “Elvis,” “Tar,” “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” “The Fabelmans” and “Glass Onion” are present along with juggernauts “Avatar: The Way of Water,” “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” and “The Batman.” “Top Gun: Maverick” is strangely absent.
But the real surprises are the smaller titles that have gotten little awards attention in races so far such as “Bros,” “Emily the Criminal,” “Armageddon Time” and “Spoiler Alert,” along with streaming titles such as AppleTV+’s “Cha Cha Real Smooth” and “Causeway,” Netflix’s “Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical” and “White Noise,” and Amazon’s “Emergency” and “Catherine Called Birdy” among them.
Also Read:
Netflix, HBO Lead Casting Society of...
Anticipated Oscar darlings such as “Elvis,” “Tar,” “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” “The Fabelmans” and “Glass Onion” are present along with juggernauts “Avatar: The Way of Water,” “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” and “The Batman.” “Top Gun: Maverick” is strangely absent.
But the real surprises are the smaller titles that have gotten little awards attention in races so far such as “Bros,” “Emily the Criminal,” “Armageddon Time” and “Spoiler Alert,” along with streaming titles such as AppleTV+’s “Cha Cha Real Smooth” and “Causeway,” Netflix’s “Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical” and “White Noise,” and Amazon’s “Emergency” and “Catherine Called Birdy” among them.
Also Read:
Netflix, HBO Lead Casting Society of...
- 1/10/2023
- by Jason Clark
- The Wrap
All of the 2022 auditions are over, and The Casting Society has unveiled the feature film nominees for its 38th annual Artios Awards, which will be handed out in March.
Vying in the Big Budget – Drama category are the casting pros behind Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Elvis, The Fabelmans, Tár and Till. Up for Big Budget – Comedy are the folks who cast Bros, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, The Menu, Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical and White Noise.
Related Story 2022-23 Awards Season Calendar – Dates For The Oscars, Golden Globes, Guilds & More Related Story Artios Awards TV Nominations: Netflix & HBO/Max Lead Field For Casting Society Related Story Artios Awards: Casting Society Lauds 'Coda', 'West Side Story', 'Don't Look Up' & More
See the full list of film nominations below. The Casting Society revealed the Artios Awards TV nominees in October.
Ellen Chenoweth...
Vying in the Big Budget – Drama category are the casting pros behind Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Elvis, The Fabelmans, Tár and Till. Up for Big Budget – Comedy are the folks who cast Bros, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, The Menu, Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical and White Noise.
Related Story 2022-23 Awards Season Calendar – Dates For The Oscars, Golden Globes, Guilds & More Related Story Artios Awards TV Nominations: Netflix & HBO/Max Lead Field For Casting Society Related Story Artios Awards: Casting Society Lauds 'Coda', 'West Side Story', 'Don't Look Up' & More
See the full list of film nominations below. The Casting Society revealed the Artios Awards TV nominees in October.
Ellen Chenoweth...
- 1/10/2023
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
There's nothing like decorating the tree with "Home Alone" or "The Santa Clause" playing in the background, or gathering around the TV for both versions of "Miracle on 34th Street." These films are well-worn and comfortable, already popular for decades. But while friends and families may appreciate these ubiquitous favorites, they likely watch a few hidden gems every season, too -- those films that, while they may not dominate the airwaves, are considered classics by the people who love them most.
Long before Hallmark became the biggest purveyor of holiday rom-coms, theaters showcased a great range of Yuletide fare. This was particularly true in the 1940s, which the British Film Institute called "the golden age of the Christmas movie." There's much more to that decade than "It's a Wonderful Life," but as time marches on, more and more holiday films fail to get the recognition they should.
Christmas comedies are...
Long before Hallmark became the biggest purveyor of holiday rom-coms, theaters showcased a great range of Yuletide fare. This was particularly true in the 1940s, which the British Film Institute called "the golden age of the Christmas movie." There's much more to that decade than "It's a Wonderful Life," but as time marches on, more and more holiday films fail to get the recognition they should.
Christmas comedies are...
- 12/19/2022
- by Allison McClain Merrill
- Slash Film
Ingenious Media, Ashland Hill Media Finance funding the action-horror.
Production has begun in Hungary on UK genre ace Neil Marshall’s action-horror and Highland Film Group sales title The Lair starring Jonathan Howard from Thor: The Dark World, Charlotte Kirk from The Reckoning and Jamie Bamber from Battlestar Galactica.
The Lair follows Sgt. Tom Hook as he is tasked with leading a unit to find Lt. Kate Sinclair after the Royal Air Force fighter pilot was shot down in Afghanistan. Pursued by insurgents, Sinclair has sought shelter in an abandoned bunker where she unwittingly releases the Ravagers – a half human-half alien man-made biological weapon.
Production has begun in Hungary on UK genre ace Neil Marshall’s action-horror and Highland Film Group sales title The Lair starring Jonathan Howard from Thor: The Dark World, Charlotte Kirk from The Reckoning and Jamie Bamber from Battlestar Galactica.
The Lair follows Sgt. Tom Hook as he is tasked with leading a unit to find Lt. Kate Sinclair after the Royal Air Force fighter pilot was shot down in Afghanistan. Pursued by insurgents, Sinclair has sought shelter in an abandoned bunker where she unwittingly releases the Ravagers – a half human-half alien man-made biological weapon.
- 7/29/2021
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
The ever-changing power balance between film and television was the subject of a Black Nights panel.
Opportunities are being created in feature films for emerging actors and directors as a result of the glboal boom in TV drama, suggested a panel of leading international agents and producers at the Black Night Stars panel debate called ‘Shifting Focus from Film to TV’ at the Black Nights International Film Festival in Tallin this week.
As an increasing number of film actors and directors are tied in to long-term contracts for TV series, more roles are becoming available for lesser known and emerging...
Opportunities are being created in feature films for emerging actors and directors as a result of the glboal boom in TV drama, suggested a panel of leading international agents and producers at the Black Night Stars panel debate called ‘Shifting Focus from Film to TV’ at the Black Nights International Film Festival in Tallin this week.
As an increasing number of film actors and directors are tied in to long-term contracts for TV series, more roles are becoming available for lesser known and emerging...
- 11/30/2018
- by Geoffrey Macnab
- ScreenDaily
Cinema Retro has received the following press announcement:
The American Cinematheque debuts a brand new print of Lawrence Of Arabia (1962) this month and has exclusive rights to exhibit the Best Picture Academy Award Winner in the Los Angeles region. Lawrence Of Arabia is one of the all-time favorites of American Cinematheque audiences and has been shown several times a year since the organization re-opened the Egyptian Theatre in December 1998. The first of exclusive engagement will take place December 15-30, 2017 at the Egyptian Theatre.
"When we completed the digital restoration of Lawrence of Arabia in 2012, we also wanted to preserve on film all the hard work that went into the image restoration. So, we produced a new 65mm negative primarily for preservation purposes. In the intervening time, renewed interest in 70mm print exhibition has generated many requests for new 70mm prints of Lawrence and we decided that this would be a...
The American Cinematheque debuts a brand new print of Lawrence Of Arabia (1962) this month and has exclusive rights to exhibit the Best Picture Academy Award Winner in the Los Angeles region. Lawrence Of Arabia is one of the all-time favorites of American Cinematheque audiences and has been shown several times a year since the organization re-opened the Egyptian Theatre in December 1998. The first of exclusive engagement will take place December 15-30, 2017 at the Egyptian Theatre.
"When we completed the digital restoration of Lawrence of Arabia in 2012, we also wanted to preserve on film all the hard work that went into the image restoration. So, we produced a new 65mm negative primarily for preservation purposes. In the intervening time, renewed interest in 70mm print exhibition has generated many requests for new 70mm prints of Lawrence and we decided that this would be a...
- 12/5/2017
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
It’s a wonder movie from the 1930s, a political fantasy that imagines a Utopia of peace and kindness hidden away in a distant mountain range — or in our daydreams. Sony’s new restoration is indeed impressive. Ronald Colman is seduced by a vision of a non-sectarian Heaven on Earth, while Savant indulges his anti-Frank Capra grumblings in his admiring but hesitant review essay.
Lost Horizon (1937)
80th Anniversary Blu-ray + HD Digital
Sony
1937 / B&W / 1:37 Academy / 133 min. / Street Date October 3, 2017 / 19.99
Starring: Ronald Colman, Jane Wyatt, Edward Everett Horton, John Howard, Thomas Mitchell, Margo, Isabel Jewell, H.B. Warner, Sam Jaffe, Noble Johnson, Richard Loo.
Cinematography: Joseph Walker
Film Editors: Gene Havelick, Gene Milford
Art Direction: Stephen Goosson
Musical director: Max Steiner
Original Music: Dimitri Tiomkin
Written by Robert Riskin from the novel by James Hilton
Produced and Directed by Frank Capra
Frank Capra had a way with actors and comedy...
Lost Horizon (1937)
80th Anniversary Blu-ray + HD Digital
Sony
1937 / B&W / 1:37 Academy / 133 min. / Street Date October 3, 2017 / 19.99
Starring: Ronald Colman, Jane Wyatt, Edward Everett Horton, John Howard, Thomas Mitchell, Margo, Isabel Jewell, H.B. Warner, Sam Jaffe, Noble Johnson, Richard Loo.
Cinematography: Joseph Walker
Film Editors: Gene Havelick, Gene Milford
Art Direction: Stephen Goosson
Musical director: Max Steiner
Original Music: Dimitri Tiomkin
Written by Robert Riskin from the novel by James Hilton
Produced and Directed by Frank Capra
Frank Capra had a way with actors and comedy...
- 10/10/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Fritz Lang continues his take-no-prisoners indictment of America’s curious relationship with crime; this time he presents the thesis that an innocent man can be a pawn in cosmic game of injustice. Three-time loser Henry Fonda, the glummest actor in ’30s films, doesn’t mean to rob or kill, but gosh darn it, They Made Him a Criminal. Those considerations aside, it’s a wonderful cinematic achievement, made all the better by a decent digital restoration.
You Only Live Once
Blu-ray
ClassicFlix
1937 / B&W / 1:37 Academy / 86 min. / Street Date July 25, 2017 / 29.98
Starring: Sylvia Sidney, Henry Fonda, Barton MacLane, Jean Dixon,
William Gargan, Jerome Cowan, Charles ‘Chic’ Sale, Margaret Hamilton, Warren Hymer,
Guinn ‘Big Boy’ Williams, Ward Bond, Jack Carson, Jonathan Hale
Cinematography: Leon Shamroy
Art Direction: Alexander Toluboff
Film Editor: Daniel Mandell
Original Music: Hugo Friedhofer
Written by Graham Baker and Gene Towne
Produced by Walter Wanger
Directed by Fritz Lang...
You Only Live Once
Blu-ray
ClassicFlix
1937 / B&W / 1:37 Academy / 86 min. / Street Date July 25, 2017 / 29.98
Starring: Sylvia Sidney, Henry Fonda, Barton MacLane, Jean Dixon,
William Gargan, Jerome Cowan, Charles ‘Chic’ Sale, Margaret Hamilton, Warren Hymer,
Guinn ‘Big Boy’ Williams, Ward Bond, Jack Carson, Jonathan Hale
Cinematography: Leon Shamroy
Art Direction: Alexander Toluboff
Film Editor: Daniel Mandell
Original Music: Hugo Friedhofer
Written by Graham Baker and Gene Towne
Produced by Walter Wanger
Directed by Fritz Lang...
- 7/31/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
No Highway in the Sky
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1951 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 99 min. / Street Date February 7, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring : James Stewart, Marlene Dietrich, Glynis Johns, Jack Hawkins, Janette Scott, Niall MacGinnis, Kenneth More, Ronald Squire, Elizabeth Allan, Jill Clifford, Felix Aylmer, Dora Bryan, Maurice Denham, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Bessie Love, Karel Stepanek.
Cinematography: Georges Périnal
Film Editor: Manuel del Campo
Original Music: Malcolm Arnold
Written by: R.C. Sherriff, Oscar Millard, Alec Coppel from the novel by Nevil Shute
Produced by: Louis D. Lighton
Directed by Henry Koster
A few years back, whenever a desired title came up on list for a Fox, Columbia or Warners’ Mod (made-on-demand) DVD, my first reaction was disappointment: we really want to see our favorites released in the better disc format, Blu-ray. But things have changed. As Mod announcements thin out, we have seen an explosion of library titles remastered in HD.
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1951 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 99 min. / Street Date February 7, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring : James Stewart, Marlene Dietrich, Glynis Johns, Jack Hawkins, Janette Scott, Niall MacGinnis, Kenneth More, Ronald Squire, Elizabeth Allan, Jill Clifford, Felix Aylmer, Dora Bryan, Maurice Denham, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Bessie Love, Karel Stepanek.
Cinematography: Georges Périnal
Film Editor: Manuel del Campo
Original Music: Malcolm Arnold
Written by: R.C. Sherriff, Oscar Millard, Alec Coppel from the novel by Nevil Shute
Produced by: Louis D. Lighton
Directed by Henry Koster
A few years back, whenever a desired title came up on list for a Fox, Columbia or Warners’ Mod (made-on-demand) DVD, my first reaction was disappointment: we really want to see our favorites released in the better disc format, Blu-ray. But things have changed. As Mod announcements thin out, we have seen an explosion of library titles remastered in HD.
- 1/21/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Joan Crawford controls every aspect of this glamorous, Oscar nominated noir about a murderous marriage double-cross. Good acting enlivens a by-the-book, gimmick-laden plot, with every moment designed to flatter the star.
Sudden Fear
Blu-ray
The Cohen Film Collection
1952 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 110 min. / Street Date December 13, 2016 / 34.99
Starring Joan Crawford, Jack Palance, Gloria Grahame, Bruce Bennett, Virginia Huston, Touch Connors, Bess Flowers, Taylor Holmes, Lewis Martin, Arthur Space.
Cinematography Charles Lang
Film Editor Leon Barsha
Art Director Boris Leven
Original Music Elmer Bernstein
Written by Lenore Coffee, Robert Smith from a novel by Edna Sherry
Produced by Joseph Kaufman
Directed by David Miller
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
The Joan Crawford movie Sudden Fear is an efficient and stylish thriller. Although it’s technically film noir, its story of a two-way murder frame-up is sublimated to the actress’s overpowering personality. It’s the first movie where Crawford was able to...
Sudden Fear
Blu-ray
The Cohen Film Collection
1952 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 110 min. / Street Date December 13, 2016 / 34.99
Starring Joan Crawford, Jack Palance, Gloria Grahame, Bruce Bennett, Virginia Huston, Touch Connors, Bess Flowers, Taylor Holmes, Lewis Martin, Arthur Space.
Cinematography Charles Lang
Film Editor Leon Barsha
Art Director Boris Leven
Original Music Elmer Bernstein
Written by Lenore Coffee, Robert Smith from a novel by Edna Sherry
Produced by Joseph Kaufman
Directed by David Miller
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
The Joan Crawford movie Sudden Fear is an efficient and stylish thriller. Although it’s technically film noir, its story of a two-way murder frame-up is sublimated to the actress’s overpowering personality. It’s the first movie where Crawford was able to...
- 12/3/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
This podcast focuses on Criterion’s Eclipse Series of DVDs. Hosts David Blakeslee and Trevor Berrett give an overview of each box and offer their perspectives on the unique treasures they find inside. In this episode, David and Trevor discuss Eclipse Series 16: Alexander Korda’s Private Lives.
About the films:
Though born to modest means in Hungary, Alexander Korda would go on to become one of the most important filmmakers in the history of British cinema. A producer, writer, and director who navigated toward subjects of major historical significance and mythical distinction, Korda made a name for his production company, London Films, with the Oscar-winning The Private Life of Henry VIII. He then continued his populist investigation behind the scenes and in the bedrooms of such figures as Catherine the Great, Don Juan, and Rembrandt. Mixing stately period drama with surprising satire, these films are exemplars of grand 1930s moviemaking.
About the films:
Though born to modest means in Hungary, Alexander Korda would go on to become one of the most important filmmakers in the history of British cinema. A producer, writer, and director who navigated toward subjects of major historical significance and mythical distinction, Korda made a name for his production company, London Films, with the Oscar-winning The Private Life of Henry VIII. He then continued his populist investigation behind the scenes and in the bedrooms of such figures as Catherine the Great, Don Juan, and Rembrandt. Mixing stately period drama with surprising satire, these films are exemplars of grand 1930s moviemaking.
- 6/5/2016
- by David Blakeslee
- CriterionCast
“The Essentials”—A Good Starting Point
By Raymond Benson
Any book that claims to be a collection of the “best” of something—whether it is a listing of movies, music, art, and so forth—has to be taken with a grain of salt. These kinds of things are entirely subjective; although in this case, TCM (Turner Classic Movies) does have a kind of clout and expertise in the matter.
That said, we have this beautifully-designed and illustrated coffee-table trade paperback that contains not 1000, not 100, not 50... but 52 “essential must-see movies.” TCM’s spokesperson, Robert Osborne, explains the criteria in his Foreword—“The Essentials” is a weekly Saturday night event on the television network in which a guest host (the likes of Rob Reiner, Sydney Pollack, Peter Bogdanovich, Drew Barrymore, and more) introduce a picture he or she believes is an Essential. The book is a collection of some of these Essentials,...
By Raymond Benson
Any book that claims to be a collection of the “best” of something—whether it is a listing of movies, music, art, and so forth—has to be taken with a grain of salt. These kinds of things are entirely subjective; although in this case, TCM (Turner Classic Movies) does have a kind of clout and expertise in the matter.
That said, we have this beautifully-designed and illustrated coffee-table trade paperback that contains not 1000, not 100, not 50... but 52 “essential must-see movies.” TCM’s spokesperson, Robert Osborne, explains the criteria in his Foreword—“The Essentials” is a weekly Saturday night event on the television network in which a guest host (the likes of Rob Reiner, Sydney Pollack, Peter Bogdanovich, Drew Barrymore, and more) introduce a picture he or she believes is an Essential. The book is a collection of some of these Essentials,...
- 5/16/2016
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
“Can’T Buy Me Love”
By Raymond Benson
Frank Capra was a superstar Hollywood director in the 1930s. He had a string of critically-acclaimed and successful pictures after joining Columbia Pictures and elevating the studio from “poverty row” to a force that competed with the big leagues. Two of Capra’s Columbia movies won the Oscar for Best Picture, and Capra became the first filmmaker to win the Oscar for Best Director three times, all within five years. You Can’t Take it With You was Capra’s second Best Picture winner and his third Best Director achievement.
Sometimes his films have been called “Capra-corn,” because they are usually steeped in Americana, explore themes of social class inequality, feature casts of eccentric—but lovable—protagonists and greedy, heartless villains, and contain stories about the Everyman’s struggle against the Establishment. Capra was also one of the developers of the screwball comedy,...
By Raymond Benson
Frank Capra was a superstar Hollywood director in the 1930s. He had a string of critically-acclaimed and successful pictures after joining Columbia Pictures and elevating the studio from “poverty row” to a force that competed with the big leagues. Two of Capra’s Columbia movies won the Oscar for Best Picture, and Capra became the first filmmaker to win the Oscar for Best Director three times, all within five years. You Can’t Take it With You was Capra’s second Best Picture winner and his third Best Director achievement.
Sometimes his films have been called “Capra-corn,” because they are usually steeped in Americana, explore themes of social class inequality, feature casts of eccentric—but lovable—protagonists and greedy, heartless villains, and contain stories about the Everyman’s struggle against the Establishment. Capra was also one of the developers of the screwball comedy,...
- 12/23/2015
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Frank Capra won his third Best Directing Oscar for this Kaufman and Hart adaptation. Star Jean Arthur is radiant, and relative newcomer James Stewart seems to have lifted his 'aw shucks' nice-guy personal from his role. With Lionel Barrymore, Ann Miller, Dub Taylor, Spring Byington and a terrific Edward Arnold. You Can't Take It with You Blu-ray + Digital HD Sony Pictures Home Entertainment 1938 / B&W / 1:37 flat / 126 min. / Street Date December 8, 2015 / 19.99 Starring Jean Arthur, Lionel Barrymore, James Stewart, Edward Arnold, Mischa Auer, Ann Miller, Spring Byington, Samuel S. Hinds, Donald Meek, H.B. Warner, Halliwell Hobbes, Dub Taylor, Mary Forbes, Lillian Yarbo, Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson. Cinematography Joseph Walker Art Direction Stephen Goosson Film Editor Gene Havlick Original Music Dimitri Tiomkin Written by Robert Riskin from the play by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart Produced and Directed by Frank Capra
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
One of Frank Capra's brightest, most entertaining features,...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
One of Frank Capra's brightest, most entertaining features,...
- 12/12/2015
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Every week we dive into the cream of the crop when it comes to home releases, including Blu-ray and DVDs, as well as recommended deals of the week. Check out our rundown below and return every Tuesday for the best (or most interesting) films one can take home. Note that if you’re looking to support the site, every purchase you make through the links below helps us and is greatly appreciated.
Partisan (Ariel Kleiman)
Why You Should See It: Whether it’s Martha Marcy May Marlene or Sound of My Voice or this year’s The Wolfpack, we’ve seen a number of films at Sundance deal with communes and closed communities, but few bring the level of danger found in Partisan. The directorial debut of Ariel Kleiman (Sundance jury winner for the short Deeper Than Yesterday) is a patiently unfolding drama that displays the lengths one will go to provide shelter and community,...
Partisan (Ariel Kleiman)
Why You Should See It: Whether it’s Martha Marcy May Marlene or Sound of My Voice or this year’s The Wolfpack, we’ve seen a number of films at Sundance deal with communes and closed communities, but few bring the level of danger found in Partisan. The directorial debut of Ariel Kleiman (Sundance jury winner for the short Deeper Than Yesterday) is a patiently unfolding drama that displays the lengths one will go to provide shelter and community,...
- 12/8/2015
- by TFS Staff
- The Film Stage
“Make Way For Pengallan!”
By Raymond Benson
The general consensus among critics and fans alike is that Jamaica Inn, the last British film Alfred Hitchcock made before moving to America to work in Hollywood, is not one of the director’s best. It isn’t. It definitely belongs in the lower echelon of his canon. However, there is still much to savor in the picture, and the new Blu-ray restoration by the Cohen Film Collection is a worthwhile medium with which to revisit this odd action-adventure thriller.
Based on a novel by Daphne du Maurier (the first of three works by the author that Hitchcock adapted), Jamaica Inn is a story of pirates operating out of an English coastal village in the early 1800s, thus making it one of Hitch’s few period dramas. Charles Laughton was a co-producer on the film as well as the star, and accounts of...
By Raymond Benson
The general consensus among critics and fans alike is that Jamaica Inn, the last British film Alfred Hitchcock made before moving to America to work in Hollywood, is not one of the director’s best. It isn’t. It definitely belongs in the lower echelon of his canon. However, there is still much to savor in the picture, and the new Blu-ray restoration by the Cohen Film Collection is a worthwhile medium with which to revisit this odd action-adventure thriller.
Based on a novel by Daphne du Maurier (the first of three works by the author that Hitchcock adapted), Jamaica Inn is a story of pirates operating out of an English coastal village in the early 1800s, thus making it one of Hitch’s few period dramas. Charles Laughton was a co-producer on the film as well as the star, and accounts of...
- 11/14/2015
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Blu-ray Release Date: Dec. 2, 2014
Price: Blu-ray $19.99
Studio: Sony
Mr. Smith Goes To Washington, one of the crown jewels in the Columbia Pictures catalog, celebrates its 75th anniversary with its Blu-ray debut.
James Stewart in Mr. Smith Goes To Washington
Directed by Frank Capra (It’s a Wonderful Life) and starring James Stewart (Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation), the classic drana concerns an idealistic, newly-appointed senator (Stewart) who heads to Washington, where he single-handedly battles ruthless politicians out to destroy him. And although his plans promptly collide with political corruption, he doesn’t back down.
Originally released in 1939, the film was nominated for 11 Academy Awards, winning one for Best Writing (Original Story).
The Blu-ray, digitally restored & mastered in 4K, is presented in collectible Digibook packaging, featuring photos and a new essay by film historian Jeremy Arnold. Bonus content includes commentary by Frank Capra Jr., the original theatrical trailer, a rare international...
Price: Blu-ray $19.99
Studio: Sony
Mr. Smith Goes To Washington, one of the crown jewels in the Columbia Pictures catalog, celebrates its 75th anniversary with its Blu-ray debut.
James Stewart in Mr. Smith Goes To Washington
Directed by Frank Capra (It’s a Wonderful Life) and starring James Stewart (Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation), the classic drana concerns an idealistic, newly-appointed senator (Stewart) who heads to Washington, where he single-handedly battles ruthless politicians out to destroy him. And although his plans promptly collide with political corruption, he doesn’t back down.
Originally released in 1939, the film was nominated for 11 Academy Awards, winning one for Best Writing (Original Story).
The Blu-ray, digitally restored & mastered in 4K, is presented in collectible Digibook packaging, featuring photos and a new essay by film historian Jeremy Arnold. Bonus content includes commentary by Frank Capra Jr., the original theatrical trailer, a rare international...
- 9/5/2014
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
800x600
Epic Grandeur Captured In Blu-ray Gift Set
By Raymond Benson
It’s probably the quintessential motion picture epic. If you’re looking for an intimate story told on a grand scale, an adventure set in an exotic location and against the backdrop of significant historical events, and an engrossing portrait of an important First World War figure… seek no further. Lawrence of Arabia has it all. This 1962 roadshow attraction from arguably Britain’s greatest director, David Lean, Lawrence is simply a magnificent achievement—both technically and artistically. With star power such as Peter O’Toole (in his first major role), Omar Sharif, Anthony Quinn, Alec Guinness, Claude Rains, Jack Hawkins, and Jose Ferrer, and a master cinematographer such as Freddie Young, Lawrence of Arabia is not only gorgeous to look at, it is dramatically compelling.
O’Toole states that on the first day of shooting, Lean told him, “We...
Epic Grandeur Captured In Blu-ray Gift Set
By Raymond Benson
It’s probably the quintessential motion picture epic. If you’re looking for an intimate story told on a grand scale, an adventure set in an exotic location and against the backdrop of significant historical events, and an engrossing portrait of an important First World War figure… seek no further. Lawrence of Arabia has it all. This 1962 roadshow attraction from arguably Britain’s greatest director, David Lean, Lawrence is simply a magnificent achievement—both technically and artistically. With star power such as Peter O’Toole (in his first major role), Omar Sharif, Anthony Quinn, Alec Guinness, Claude Rains, Jack Hawkins, and Jose Ferrer, and a master cinematographer such as Freddie Young, Lawrence of Arabia is not only gorgeous to look at, it is dramatically compelling.
O’Toole states that on the first day of shooting, Lean told him, “We...
- 11/13/2012
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
The Knife That Killed Me (Feature Film)
With the lead role of Paul Varderman now cast in GreenScreen Productions upcoming feature film, based on the book by Anthony McGowan, The Knife That Killed Me, they are now looking for supporting actors.
Looking for strong actors aged 14-17, with Yorkshire accent. See below for full details of characters:
Closing Date: 11/01/2012 : 23:59
Pay category: Paid (Equity minimum)
Production dates: Mid Feb 2012
Company: GreenScreen Productions
Producer: Tom Mattinson
Director: Marcus Romer and Kit Monkman
Casting director: Jeremy Zimmermann
Location: York
Casting details: Thursday 12th January 2012 in York
Summary:
When Paul moves away and starts at his new school all he wants is to fit in. Trying to avoid the bullies he'll do anything to earn respect. However when the violence involves knives everything can change in an instant.
Goddo (Male, 14 - 17)
A 16 year old, good-looking, natural leader who is street-wise and at times,...
With the lead role of Paul Varderman now cast in GreenScreen Productions upcoming feature film, based on the book by Anthony McGowan, The Knife That Killed Me, they are now looking for supporting actors.
Looking for strong actors aged 14-17, with Yorkshire accent. See below for full details of characters:
Closing Date: 11/01/2012 : 23:59
Pay category: Paid (Equity minimum)
Production dates: Mid Feb 2012
Company: GreenScreen Productions
Producer: Tom Mattinson
Director: Marcus Romer and Kit Monkman
Casting director: Jeremy Zimmermann
Location: York
Casting details: Thursday 12th January 2012 in York
Summary:
When Paul moves away and starts at his new school all he wants is to fit in. Trying to avoid the bullies he'll do anything to earn respect. However when the violence involves knives everything can change in an instant.
Goddo (Male, 14 - 17)
A 16 year old, good-looking, natural leader who is street-wise and at times,...
- 1/9/2012
- by noreply@blogger.com (ScreenTerrier)
- ScreenTerrier
Once in a while a movie comes along that makes you sit up and take notice. The 4th Reich has developed, much like a marauding disease, into something of a passion for Filmshaft. It’s good to give coverage and support to films that aren’t the usual run-of-the-mill productions or big blockbusters with ant-sized brains.
The 4th Reich promises zombies, the legendary Tom Savini, WW2-set adventure, Josef Mengele a.k.a The Angel of Death, Nazis, Nazi zombies and an excellent band of movie brothers-in-arms such as Jason Flemyng, Sean Pertwee, Martin Compston and Doug Bradley. Frankly, genre cinema doesn’t get any damn cooler.
We really must credit our ace team member, Alex Wagner, for raving about the film since he first got whiff of it like a zombie smells fresh meat. His enthusiasm was…dare I say it…infectious. Okay, I said it!
Very recently, I...
The 4th Reich promises zombies, the legendary Tom Savini, WW2-set adventure, Josef Mengele a.k.a The Angel of Death, Nazis, Nazi zombies and an excellent band of movie brothers-in-arms such as Jason Flemyng, Sean Pertwee, Martin Compston and Doug Bradley. Frankly, genre cinema doesn’t get any damn cooler.
We really must credit our ace team member, Alex Wagner, for raving about the film since he first got whiff of it like a zombie smells fresh meat. His enthusiasm was…dare I say it…infectious. Okay, I said it!
Very recently, I...
- 3/16/2010
- by Martyn Conterio
- FilmShaft.com
You may not have heard of The 4th Reich yet, but soon you’ll be hearing much more along with news of the film’s director, Shaun Robert Smith.
The film, which begins production in April, is the first feature film from Smith, whose short film The Soldier displayed an excellent knack of cinematography and suspense.
It also won a small boatload of awards and gained a national theatrical release in the UK.
You can watch The Soldier here.
The short film forms a sort of foundation for The 4th Reich.
From the official synopsis for the film:
June 1944, after the glorious victory on D-day, the armies of the combined allied forces begin their long push to Berlin with the aim of bringing down Hitler and the despised Nazi regime of the Third Reich.
But buried deep in secret files German Reichstag, is the chilling reality of Hitler’s plan...
The film, which begins production in April, is the first feature film from Smith, whose short film The Soldier displayed an excellent knack of cinematography and suspense.
It also won a small boatload of awards and gained a national theatrical release in the UK.
You can watch The Soldier here.
The short film forms a sort of foundation for The 4th Reich.
From the official synopsis for the film:
June 1944, after the glorious victory on D-day, the armies of the combined allied forces begin their long push to Berlin with the aim of bringing down Hitler and the despised Nazi regime of the Third Reich.
But buried deep in secret files German Reichstag, is the chilling reality of Hitler’s plan...
- 9/5/2009
- by John Cooper
- Atomic Popcorn
Ernest Hemingway was a crack cub reporter for the Kansas City Star, one of the two venerable media institutions in K.C.; the other is the Hallmark Greeting Card Co. Unfortunately, this saga of the young writer's World War I romance with an older nurse is told in terms more befitting the greeting card folks than the hard-hitting newspaper.
Starring Chris O'Donnell as Ernest Hemingway and Sandra Bullock as nurse Agnes Von Kurowsky -- whom the writer fell in love with and who inspired his "A Farewell to Arms" -- this New Line release will likely be an early boxoffice casualty, owing to its cliched, picture-postcard portrait of young love.
Based on "Hemingway in Love and War: The Lost Diary of Agnes Von Kurowsky," this story is back-dropped by the last carnages of World War I, when Hemingway and Agnes were Red Cross volunteers in Italy. A triumvirate of credited screenwriters (Allan Scott, Clancy Sigal, Anna Hamilton Phelan) has distilled the letters to a romantic dimension. Essentially, the scenario shows us Ernie (as everyone calls him) and Agnes are cut from the same cloth -- both yearn for adventure and are risk-takers. When Ernie is wounded, Agnes saves his leg from amputation by manipulating her superior into letting her undertake an anti-gangrene procedure.
Other than the fact that this saga is based on a famous personage, the story itself is a standard-issue, nurse-patient love story that eventually swoons into a similarly standard refrain, the older woman-younger man boondoggle.
Further diminishing its individuality and poignancy is the bland, expositional dialogue. While warriors and writers, including Hemingway, have duly noted that "War is hell", in this depiction, war is more an aphrodisiac. With the cannon booming in the distance and only a few perfunctory forays into the trenches, the actual war, as pictured in this beauteous mountainscape setting, seems more a romantic stimulant than a life-threatening nightmare.
Indeed, under Richard Attenborough's warm and diffident hand, "In Love and War" emerges more as a progression of Hallmark-like moments as the lovers picnic on the lake, banter in the fresco, quarrel at the cabin, etc.
As the wet-behind-the-ears Hemingway, O'Donnell seems in keeping with the writer's brash bravado. Oddly enough, from the side profile, O'Donnell looks a lot like F. Scott Fitzgerald. Should anyone wish to produce a series centered around the romances of the great writers of the Midwest, O'Donnell could play them all.
Bullock is similarly hamstrung by the strict confines of her role as a conflicted "older woman," torn between young pup Ernie and an older, stuffed shirt. She acquits herself well, however, smartly evincing the quandary of a woman torn between her head and her heart.
Singly, the technical contributions are sublime, but under Attenborough's mix, they emerge as overripe and trite, diminishing the pain and passion of the love-struck duo.
IN LOVE AND WAR
New Line Cinema
A New Line production
in association with Dimitri Villard Prods.
Producers Dimitri Villard,
Richard Attenborough
Director Richard Attenborough
Screenwriters: Allan Scott, Clancy Sigal,
Anna Hamilton Phelan
Screen story Allan Scott, Dimitri Villard
Based on the book "Hemingway in Love and War" by Henry S. Villard and James Nagel
Executive producer Sara Risher
Supervising producer Chris Kenny
Director of photography Roger Pratt
Production designer Stuart Craig
Co-producer Diana Hawkins
Editor Lesley Walker
Costume designer Penny Rose
Casting Jeremy Zimmerman, Rene Haynes,'
Clare Walker
Sound Simon Kaye, Jonathan Bates,
Gerry Humphreys
Color/stereo
Cast:
Ernest Hemingway Chris O'Donnell
Agnes Von Kurowsky Sandra Bullock
Mac Ingrid Lacey
Henry Villard Mackenzie Astin
Domenico Carracciolo Emilio Bonucci
McBride Ian Kelly
Rosie Margot Steinberg
Miss De Long Tara Hugo
Running time -- 115 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
Starring Chris O'Donnell as Ernest Hemingway and Sandra Bullock as nurse Agnes Von Kurowsky -- whom the writer fell in love with and who inspired his "A Farewell to Arms" -- this New Line release will likely be an early boxoffice casualty, owing to its cliched, picture-postcard portrait of young love.
Based on "Hemingway in Love and War: The Lost Diary of Agnes Von Kurowsky," this story is back-dropped by the last carnages of World War I, when Hemingway and Agnes were Red Cross volunteers in Italy. A triumvirate of credited screenwriters (Allan Scott, Clancy Sigal, Anna Hamilton Phelan) has distilled the letters to a romantic dimension. Essentially, the scenario shows us Ernie (as everyone calls him) and Agnes are cut from the same cloth -- both yearn for adventure and are risk-takers. When Ernie is wounded, Agnes saves his leg from amputation by manipulating her superior into letting her undertake an anti-gangrene procedure.
Other than the fact that this saga is based on a famous personage, the story itself is a standard-issue, nurse-patient love story that eventually swoons into a similarly standard refrain, the older woman-younger man boondoggle.
Further diminishing its individuality and poignancy is the bland, expositional dialogue. While warriors and writers, including Hemingway, have duly noted that "War is hell", in this depiction, war is more an aphrodisiac. With the cannon booming in the distance and only a few perfunctory forays into the trenches, the actual war, as pictured in this beauteous mountainscape setting, seems more a romantic stimulant than a life-threatening nightmare.
Indeed, under Richard Attenborough's warm and diffident hand, "In Love and War" emerges more as a progression of Hallmark-like moments as the lovers picnic on the lake, banter in the fresco, quarrel at the cabin, etc.
As the wet-behind-the-ears Hemingway, O'Donnell seems in keeping with the writer's brash bravado. Oddly enough, from the side profile, O'Donnell looks a lot like F. Scott Fitzgerald. Should anyone wish to produce a series centered around the romances of the great writers of the Midwest, O'Donnell could play them all.
Bullock is similarly hamstrung by the strict confines of her role as a conflicted "older woman," torn between young pup Ernie and an older, stuffed shirt. She acquits herself well, however, smartly evincing the quandary of a woman torn between her head and her heart.
Singly, the technical contributions are sublime, but under Attenborough's mix, they emerge as overripe and trite, diminishing the pain and passion of the love-struck duo.
IN LOVE AND WAR
New Line Cinema
A New Line production
in association with Dimitri Villard Prods.
Producers Dimitri Villard,
Richard Attenborough
Director Richard Attenborough
Screenwriters: Allan Scott, Clancy Sigal,
Anna Hamilton Phelan
Screen story Allan Scott, Dimitri Villard
Based on the book "Hemingway in Love and War" by Henry S. Villard and James Nagel
Executive producer Sara Risher
Supervising producer Chris Kenny
Director of photography Roger Pratt
Production designer Stuart Craig
Co-producer Diana Hawkins
Editor Lesley Walker
Costume designer Penny Rose
Casting Jeremy Zimmerman, Rene Haynes,'
Clare Walker
Sound Simon Kaye, Jonathan Bates,
Gerry Humphreys
Color/stereo
Cast:
Ernest Hemingway Chris O'Donnell
Agnes Von Kurowsky Sandra Bullock
Mac Ingrid Lacey
Henry Villard Mackenzie Astin
Domenico Carracciolo Emilio Bonucci
McBride Ian Kelly
Rosie Margot Steinberg
Miss De Long Tara Hugo
Running time -- 115 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
- 12/18/1996
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Penelope Ann Miller stars as Margaret Harwood, the half-American 28-year-old daughter of an upper-class London wine merchant (Ian Richardson). While examining an estate cellar in Scotland, she comes across a bottle from 1811 (the title year), and her father promptly sells it to an American millionaire (Shane Rimmer) who sends his good-looking, beer-loving troubleshooter, Oliver Plexico (Tim Daly).
Unluckily for Oliver and Margaret, the Scottish castle is also home to a threesome of evil scientists headed by the charmingly villainous Philippe Louis Jourdan), and when Oliver and Margaret stumble across a corpse in the wine cellar, they soon have the scientists after them.
This kind of farcical thriller needs more bad guys, of course, and gets them in the shape of a local thug and his dear old mom (Julia McCarthy) and another band of henchman headed by a smooth talker (Art Malik) working for another oenophile tycoon. However, the three different mobs, rather than meshing into a comic mess, ply their evil plans in polite, but not very funny order.
There's no sense of escalating chaos, although the film clearly counts on evoking that kind of hysteria.
The romantic relationship between Margaret and Oliver doesn't fare much better, going from bickering rivalry to cooing affection as if on autopilot.
Their early exchanges are not quite funny enough, the later ones not quite passionate enough.
The backgrounds, which include climactic chases on the Riviera, are fitfully integrated into the action. The aforementioned lake, the Castle Green's valley home and the French cliffsides play nice roles whenever they are allowed to, but too much of the action unfolds in anonymous suites and rooms.
YEAR OF THE COMET
A Columbia Pictures Release
Castle Rock Entertainment
in association with New Line Cinema
Producer Nigel Wooll
Director Peter Yates
Writer William Goldman
Director of photography Roger Pratt, B.S.C.
Editor Ray Lovejoy
Production designer Anthony Pratt
Casting Noel Davis, Jeremy Zimmerman, Pam Dixon C.S.A.
Music Hummie Mann
Color/Dolby
Cast:
Margaret Harwood Penelope Ann Miller
Oliver Plexico Tim Daly
Philippe Louis Jourdan
Running time -- 90 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG-13
(c) The Hollywood Reporter...
Unluckily for Oliver and Margaret, the Scottish castle is also home to a threesome of evil scientists headed by the charmingly villainous Philippe Louis Jourdan), and when Oliver and Margaret stumble across a corpse in the wine cellar, they soon have the scientists after them.
This kind of farcical thriller needs more bad guys, of course, and gets them in the shape of a local thug and his dear old mom (Julia McCarthy) and another band of henchman headed by a smooth talker (Art Malik) working for another oenophile tycoon. However, the three different mobs, rather than meshing into a comic mess, ply their evil plans in polite, but not very funny order.
There's no sense of escalating chaos, although the film clearly counts on evoking that kind of hysteria.
The romantic relationship between Margaret and Oliver doesn't fare much better, going from bickering rivalry to cooing affection as if on autopilot.
Their early exchanges are not quite funny enough, the later ones not quite passionate enough.
The backgrounds, which include climactic chases on the Riviera, are fitfully integrated into the action. The aforementioned lake, the Castle Green's valley home and the French cliffsides play nice roles whenever they are allowed to, but too much of the action unfolds in anonymous suites and rooms.
YEAR OF THE COMET
A Columbia Pictures Release
Castle Rock Entertainment
in association with New Line Cinema
Producer Nigel Wooll
Director Peter Yates
Writer William Goldman
Director of photography Roger Pratt, B.S.C.
Editor Ray Lovejoy
Production designer Anthony Pratt
Casting Noel Davis, Jeremy Zimmerman, Pam Dixon C.S.A.
Music Hummie Mann
Color/Dolby
Cast:
Margaret Harwood Penelope Ann Miller
Oliver Plexico Tim Daly
Philippe Louis Jourdan
Running time -- 90 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG-13
(c) The Hollywood Reporter...
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