US premiere of Kate Winslet starrer Lee added to selection.
AFI Fest guest artistic director Greta Gerwig has revealed her five selections ahead of the Hollywood event running October 25-29.
Gerwig, whose Barbie ranks as the highest global release of the year to date on $1.43bn, has curated All That Jazz, An American In Paris, A Matter Of Life And Death, Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, and Wings Of Desire.
Separately the festival announced on Tuesday that it has set an October 28 US premiere for Ellen Kuras’ Lee starring Kate Winslet as Lee Miller, the model turned war correspondent whose images of the Blitz,...
AFI Fest guest artistic director Greta Gerwig has revealed her five selections ahead of the Hollywood event running October 25-29.
Gerwig, whose Barbie ranks as the highest global release of the year to date on $1.43bn, has curated All That Jazz, An American In Paris, A Matter Of Life And Death, Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, and Wings Of Desire.
Separately the festival announced on Tuesday that it has set an October 28 US premiere for Ellen Kuras’ Lee starring Kate Winslet as Lee Miller, the model turned war correspondent whose images of the Blitz,...
- 10/10/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
In months leading up to her billion-dollar Mattel success “Barbie,” Greta Gerwig famously revealed some of the film influences behind her work. Now, the practice is set to continue in her role as guest artistic director for the 2023 AFI Fest, which takes place in Los Angeles Oct. 25–29.
The Oscar-nominated writer-director revealed Tuesday the five films that are going to be part of her specially curated festival sidebar: Tim Burton’s “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure,” Bob Fosse’s “All That Jazz,” Emeric Pressburger and Michael Powell’s “A Matter of Life and Death,” Vincente Minnelli’s “An American in Paris” and Wim Wenders’ “Wings of Desire.”
Gerwig will introduce select films herself, notably “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure,” which screens at the Tcl Chinese Theatre on Oct. 26 at 6 p.m., two months after the death of its star and cowriter Paul Reubens.
Additionally, AFI Fest has added a few new titles to the lineup,...
The Oscar-nominated writer-director revealed Tuesday the five films that are going to be part of her specially curated festival sidebar: Tim Burton’s “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure,” Bob Fosse’s “All That Jazz,” Emeric Pressburger and Michael Powell’s “A Matter of Life and Death,” Vincente Minnelli’s “An American in Paris” and Wim Wenders’ “Wings of Desire.”
Gerwig will introduce select films herself, notably “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure,” which screens at the Tcl Chinese Theatre on Oct. 26 at 6 p.m., two months after the death of its star and cowriter Paul Reubens.
Additionally, AFI Fest has added a few new titles to the lineup,...
- 10/10/2023
- by Jason Clark
- The Wrap
The Barbie phenomenon is spreading to AFI Fest.
Greta Gerwig, who directed and co-wrote the billion dollar blockbuster starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, has been tapped to serve as guest artistic director of the Los Angeles-based festival. In the role, Gerwig will curate a number of films to add to the festival lineup and will be on hand to present one or more of those films depending on her schedule. Filmmakers like Pedro Almodóvar, Bernardo Bertolucci, Ava DuVernay, David Lynch and Agnès Varda have held the role in previous festivals.
On Oct. 10, AFI revealed the list of films Gerwig has selected. Those five films include Bob Fosse’s All That Jazz starring Roy Scheider, Jessica Lange and Ann Reinking, Vincente Minnelli’s An American in Paris starring Gene Kelly, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s A Matter of Life and Death, Tim Burton’s Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure starring the...
Greta Gerwig, who directed and co-wrote the billion dollar blockbuster starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, has been tapped to serve as guest artistic director of the Los Angeles-based festival. In the role, Gerwig will curate a number of films to add to the festival lineup and will be on hand to present one or more of those films depending on her schedule. Filmmakers like Pedro Almodóvar, Bernardo Bertolucci, Ava DuVernay, David Lynch and Agnès Varda have held the role in previous festivals.
On Oct. 10, AFI revealed the list of films Gerwig has selected. Those five films include Bob Fosse’s All That Jazz starring Roy Scheider, Jessica Lange and Ann Reinking, Vincente Minnelli’s An American in Paris starring Gene Kelly, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s A Matter of Life and Death, Tim Burton’s Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure starring the...
- 10/2/2023
- by Chris Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Way back in 2011, long before he was cast in the TV adaptation of Good Omens, actor Michael Sheen (Aziraphale) told MTV that his favourite film was Powell and Pressburger’s 1945 masterpiece A Matter of Life and Death. That was still the case in 2019, as confirmed on social media. For someone currently appearing as an angel, it’s an incredibly appropriate favourite film – and the makers of Good Omens must have been listening, because there are several Easter eggs nodding to the film appearing in the fantasy-comedy’s second season.
An Unusual Origin
Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger were British film-makers who started a production company called The Archers in 1939, just a few years after Pressburger came to Britain having fled the Nazis. As well as producing, they wrote and directed several very well-known and hugely influential films during the 1940s, including The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, Black Narcissus,...
An Unusual Origin
Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger were British film-makers who started a production company called The Archers in 1939, just a few years after Pressburger came to Britain having fled the Nazis. As well as producing, they wrote and directed several very well-known and hugely influential films during the 1940s, including The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, Black Narcissus,...
- 7/30/2023
- by Louisa Mellor
- Den of Geek
The BFI has set a major U.K.-wide film celebration of one of the greatest and most enduring filmmaking partnerships in the history of cinema: Michael Powell (1905-1990) and Emeric Pressburger (1902-1988).
The du are best known for iconic films including “The Red Shoes” (1948), “A Matter of Life and Death” (1946) and “Black Narcissus” (1947), the latter of which premiered on Wednesday at Bologna’s Piazza Maggiore as part of Il Cinema Ritrovato, screening from a new 35mm print made by the BFI.
From Martin Scorsese to Matthew Bourne, Kate Bush to Tilda Swinton, Powell and Pressburger have influenced creatives for decades and this is the largest and most wide-ranging exploration ever undertaken about the work of the legendary writer-producer-director team. The celebration will kick off this fall with the BFI Distribution re-release of “I Know Where I’m Going” (1945), recently restored by the BFI National Archive and The Film Foundation.
The du are best known for iconic films including “The Red Shoes” (1948), “A Matter of Life and Death” (1946) and “Black Narcissus” (1947), the latter of which premiered on Wednesday at Bologna’s Piazza Maggiore as part of Il Cinema Ritrovato, screening from a new 35mm print made by the BFI.
From Martin Scorsese to Matthew Bourne, Kate Bush to Tilda Swinton, Powell and Pressburger have influenced creatives for decades and this is the largest and most wide-ranging exploration ever undertaken about the work of the legendary writer-producer-director team. The celebration will kick off this fall with the BFI Distribution re-release of “I Know Where I’m Going” (1945), recently restored by the BFI National Archive and The Film Foundation.
- 6/29/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Anyone who has watched the Criterion Channel knows that writer-director Ari Aster is a devoted cinephile with broad taste and a deep understanding of how and why movies work. For his latest and most ambitious film, “Beau Is Afraid,” Aster told IndieWire’s Filmmaker Toolkit podcast that he tried to leave specific tributes to other movies behind, at least consciously. “I would say that a lot of the influences were unconscious while I was writing it,” he said. “I became aware of them while we were shooting, or even in post.” Aster and his regular cinematographer, Pawel Pogorzelski, talked more about literary references than cinematic ones, but there’s no denying that several of the classics that Aster has “metabolized,” as he put it, found their way into the visual and aural DNA of “Beau Is Afraid.” Here are three key films that influeced Aster and Pogorzelski’s approach.
“Playtime...
“Playtime...
- 5/8/2023
- by Jim Hemphill
- Indiewire
In 2018, a journalist asked Bruce Dickinson how he felt about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Iron Maiden singer inveighed: “If we’re ever inducted, I will refuse — they won’t bloody be having my corpse in there.”
A year later, Steve Harris — the band’s bassist and only consistent member since Maiden formed in 1975 — offered a more levelheaded take: “It’s very nice if people give you awards or accolades, but we didn’t get into the business for that sort of thing. … With what we do,...
A year later, Steve Harris — the band’s bassist and only consistent member since Maiden formed in 1975 — offered a more levelheaded take: “It’s very nice if people give you awards or accolades, but we didn’t get into the business for that sort of thing. … With what we do,...
- 5/2/2023
- by Kory Grow
- Rollingstone.com
Ari Aster’s nearly-three hour journey Beau Is Afraid, described by the filmmaker himself as a “Jewish Lord of the Rings,” will arrive a bit earlier than expected. Now set to debut on April 14 in New York and LA before expanding wide the following week, including IMAX screens, we’ve received more context for what to expect thanks to a new series the director curated for Film at Lincoln Center.
Set to run April 14-20 at the NYC venue, selections include works by Alfred Hitchcock, Jiří Menzel, Guy Maddin, Albert Brooks, Nicholas Ray, Powell and Pressburger, Tsai Ming-liang, Jacques Tati, and more. “This eclectic and unexpected collection of masterworks drawn from seven decades of film history across a range of genres and production contexts sheds light on the inspirations and influences behind one of the most compelling directorial voices in Hollywood today,” notes the press release.
Aster also recently let...
Set to run April 14-20 at the NYC venue, selections include works by Alfred Hitchcock, Jiří Menzel, Guy Maddin, Albert Brooks, Nicholas Ray, Powell and Pressburger, Tsai Ming-liang, Jacques Tati, and more. “This eclectic and unexpected collection of masterworks drawn from seven decades of film history across a range of genres and production contexts sheds light on the inspirations and influences behind one of the most compelling directorial voices in Hollywood today,” notes the press release.
Aster also recently let...
- 3/30/2023
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
A Matter of Life and Death (aka Stairway to Heaven) (4K restoration) movie review: paradise on Earth
MaryAnn’s quick take… One of the most beloved British films ever is now even more lush, more gorgeous, more humanist in a glorious new restored edition. I’m “biast” (pro): loved the movie before it was restored
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
A Matter of Life and Death, from the legendary writing and directing team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, is one of the most beloved British films ever made. And it’s easy to see why: It’s a deliciously preposterous romance between two gorgeous people whom you cannot help but root for as their love is threatened. It’s a profoundly humanist fantasy about our place in the universe and the importance of living a full life. And it’s a dazzling visual spectacle that is deeply viscerally satisfying even as it deals with big ideas and big emotions.
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
A Matter of Life and Death, from the legendary writing and directing team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, is one of the most beloved British films ever made. And it’s easy to see why: It’s a deliciously preposterous romance between two gorgeous people whom you cannot help but root for as their love is threatened. It’s a profoundly humanist fantasy about our place in the universe and the importance of living a full life. And it’s a dazzling visual spectacle that is deeply viscerally satisfying even as it deals with big ideas and big emotions.
- 12/8/2017
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
Powell and Pressburger’s wartime drama, starring David Niven as an erroneously alive bomber pilot, is visually extraordinary and politically topical
A Matter of Life and Death is the utterly unique, enduringly rich and strange romantic fantasia from Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. You could put it in a double bill with It’s a Wonderful Life or The Wizard of Oz, though its pure English differentness would shine through. It was released in 1946, the same year that Winston Churchill coined the term “special relationship” – an idea that the film finds itself debating. With that concept now under pressure, 2017 is a good time for this classic to be rereleased in UK cinemas.
The film begins with a sensational flourish: a nuclear explosion that destroys a solar system. We start by drifting through outer space, accompanied by a droll narrative voice, commenting on its vastness and noticing a sudden supernova way...
A Matter of Life and Death is the utterly unique, enduringly rich and strange romantic fantasia from Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. You could put it in a double bill with It’s a Wonderful Life or The Wizard of Oz, though its pure English differentness would shine through. It was released in 1946, the same year that Winston Churchill coined the term “special relationship” – an idea that the film finds itself debating. With that concept now under pressure, 2017 is a good time for this classic to be rereleased in UK cinemas.
The film begins with a sensational flourish: a nuclear explosion that destroys a solar system. We start by drifting through outer space, accompanied by a droll narrative voice, commenting on its vastness and noticing a sudden supernova way...
- 12/8/2017
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Rachel Meaden Dec 8, 2017
It’s 71 years old and considered one of the best British films ever made. Rachel takes a look at the wonderful A Matter Of Life And Death.
This article contains spoilers for A Matter Of Life And Death
It never made sense to me that they changed the title of A Matter Of Life And Death for American cinemas (it was thought that Us audiences wouldn’t go and see a film with the word ‘death’ in the title); Stairway To Heaven feels wrong for a couple of reasons. Not to be pedantic but technically it’s an escalator, also it’s never explicitly referred to as 'Heaven' in the movie. But mainly, it's far too imposing a title. Part of the film does explore the afterlife (and it doesn't get much more imposing than that...), but what's so brilliant about A Matter Of Life And Death...
It’s 71 years old and considered one of the best British films ever made. Rachel takes a look at the wonderful A Matter Of Life And Death.
This article contains spoilers for A Matter Of Life And Death
It never made sense to me that they changed the title of A Matter Of Life And Death for American cinemas (it was thought that Us audiences wouldn’t go and see a film with the word ‘death’ in the title); Stairway To Heaven feels wrong for a couple of reasons. Not to be pedantic but technically it’s an escalator, also it’s never explicitly referred to as 'Heaven' in the movie. But mainly, it's far too imposing a title. Part of the film does explore the afterlife (and it doesn't get much more imposing than that...), but what's so brilliant about A Matter Of Life And Death...
- 12/7/2017
- Den of Geek
Powell & Pressburger’s ‘A Matter of Life and Death’ Gets Heavenly Trailer for Theatrical Restoration
With a filmography of full-hearted movies with bold innovation when it comes to both their aesthetic touch and narrative ideas, one of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s finest films, A Matter of Life and Death, has recently been restored and is now returning to theaters. Ahead of the run, a new trailer has now arrived courtesy of Park Circus.
“A romantic, daring and beautifully realized allegorical fantasy – one of the best of the Powell/Pressburger movies,” says Martin Scorsese, a great admirer of the directing duo, who is quoted in the trailer. A Matter of Life and Death returns to UK theaters on December 8 and opens at NYC’s Film Forum for a one-week run on December 29. See the synopsis and gorgeous new trailer and poster below.
Fantastical and romantic, A Matter of Life and Death stars David Niven as an Raf pilot who must appeal to a celestial...
“A romantic, daring and beautifully realized allegorical fantasy – one of the best of the Powell/Pressburger movies,” says Martin Scorsese, a great admirer of the directing duo, who is quoted in the trailer. A Matter of Life and Death returns to UK theaters on December 8 and opens at NYC’s Film Forum for a one-week run on December 29. See the synopsis and gorgeous new trailer and poster below.
Fantastical and romantic, A Matter of Life and Death stars David Niven as an Raf pilot who must appeal to a celestial...
- 11/25/2017
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSSharunas Bartas has been accused of sexual misconduct by two past collaborators. Read the full story at The Hollywood Reporter.On the positive news front: Abel Ferrara has secured funding for his previously delayed production Siberia, starring Willem Dafoe, Isabelle Huppert, and Nicholas Cage.Recommended VIEWINGThe trailer for the gorgeous new restoration of the Jacques Rivette masterpiece La belle noiseuse.Watch a rare in-depth discussion with Bela Tarr for the Morelia International Film Festival.Another beautiful restoration trailer—this time for Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger's A Matter of Life and Death.Somehow we missed this: a trailer for a new Kiyoshi Kurosawa TV series. If anyone has further information on this, we're all ears!Recommended READINGIn the event of Grasshopper's forthcoming Blu-ray release, Straub-Huillet scholar & filmmaker Ted Fendt offers a new essay on...
- 11/22/2017
- MUBI
Mubi is showing Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's The Small Back Room (1949), The Tales of Hoffmann (1951) and Michael Powell's Peeping Tom (1960) in November and December, 2017 in the United States in the series Powell & Pressburger: Together and Apart.The story goes that when they were casting their first flat-out masterpiece together, The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943), Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger sent a letter to an actress outlining a manifesto of their production company, called "the Archers." At the time, the Archers was freshly incorporated, with Powell and Pressburger sharing all credit for writing, directing, and producing, and their manifesto had five points. Point one was to ensure that they provided their financial backers with "a profit, not a loss," which may raise eyebrows among those who are used to manifestos burning with anti-capitalist fire—but then, in a system like commercial cinema, profitability buys freedom.
- 11/8/2017
- MUBI
This seductive and playful retelling of the life of St Anthony of Padua, set in a jungle in northern Portugal, recalls the work of Apichatpong Weerasethakul
At certain moments in this dreamily erotic, playfully baffling and beautifully shot movie, I found myself thinking of the naked Pan shepherd at the beginning of Powell and Pressburger’s A Matter of Life and Death. There is the same elusive sense of humour. The Ornithologist is highly diverting and seductive, a pastoral of sorts, and a secular meditation on faith and acceptance, very loosely derived from the life of St Anthony of Padua. However, it retreats into a kind of shaggy-dog whimsy by the end, and doesn’t entirely live up to its visionary promise.
A bird-watcher called Fernando (Paul Hamy) is looking for black storks in remote northern Portugal. Transfixed by the sight of them through his binoculars while kayaking, he incautiously...
At certain moments in this dreamily erotic, playfully baffling and beautifully shot movie, I found myself thinking of the naked Pan shepherd at the beginning of Powell and Pressburger’s A Matter of Life and Death. There is the same elusive sense of humour. The Ornithologist is highly diverting and seductive, a pastoral of sorts, and a secular meditation on faith and acceptance, very loosely derived from the life of St Anthony of Padua. However, it retreats into a kind of shaggy-dog whimsy by the end, and doesn’t entirely live up to its visionary promise.
A bird-watcher called Fernando (Paul Hamy) is looking for black storks in remote northern Portugal. Transfixed by the sight of them through his binoculars while kayaking, he incautiously...
- 10/5/2017
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Aaron is joined by David Blakeslee and Matt Gasteier as they take a detour from Criterion to talk about art music in general. We tie it to the label by doing a bracket challenge for the best Criterion music on disc, but we also talk about our personal experiences and tastes in music, and have a short debate about whether rock is dead. We include some Criterion news and FilmStruck, including Peter Becker’s interview and some recent Oop titles on streaming.
Episode Notes
11:30 – Our Music Backgrounds
33:45 – The Criterion Music Bracket Challenge
40:40 – Piece of Flair (Flipper, Bjork, The Strokes)
54:30 – Short Takes (Science is Fiction, Koyaanisqatsi, Inside Llewyn Davis)
1:03:00 – Murray Lerner’s Festival
1:23:00 – Is Rock Dead?
1:50:00 – FilmStruck
Episode Links Criterion Reflections Podcast CriterionCast 186: An Autumn Afternoon Criterion Close-Up 61 – The Rose The Criterion Completion – Hour 8 Matt Gasteier – 33 1/3 Nas’ Illmatic The Focus...
Episode Notes
11:30 – Our Music Backgrounds
33:45 – The Criterion Music Bracket Challenge
40:40 – Piece of Flair (Flipper, Bjork, The Strokes)
54:30 – Short Takes (Science is Fiction, Koyaanisqatsi, Inside Llewyn Davis)
1:03:00 – Murray Lerner’s Festival
1:23:00 – Is Rock Dead?
1:50:00 – FilmStruck
Episode Links Criterion Reflections Podcast CriterionCast 186: An Autumn Afternoon Criterion Close-Up 61 – The Rose The Criterion Completion – Hour 8 Matt Gasteier – 33 1/3 Nas’ Illmatic The Focus...
- 9/25/2017
- by Aaron West
- CriterionCast
Since any New York City cinephile has a nearly suffocating wealth of theatrical options, we figured it’d be best to compile some of the more worthwhile repertory showings into one handy list. Displayed below are a few of the city’s most reliable theaters and links to screenings of their weekend offerings — films you’re not likely to see in a theater again anytime soon, and many of which are, also, on 35mm. If you have a chance to attend any of these, we’re of the mind that it’s time extremely well-spent.
Quad Cinema
A retrospective dedicated to the late, great Harry Dean Stanton is now underway.
Museum of the Moving Image
The retrospective of Samuel Fuller’s war films continues.
Film Society of Lincoln Center
The great Czechoslovak New Wave is highlighted in a series of banned films.
Film Forum
An outstanding exhibition of Warner Bros.
Quad Cinema
A retrospective dedicated to the late, great Harry Dean Stanton is now underway.
Museum of the Moving Image
The retrospective of Samuel Fuller’s war films continues.
Film Society of Lincoln Center
The great Czechoslovak New Wave is highlighted in a series of banned films.
Film Forum
An outstanding exhibition of Warner Bros.
- 9/21/2017
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Every week, IndieWire asks a select handful of film critics two questions and publishes the results on Monday. (The answer to the second, “What is the best film in theaters right now?”, can be found at the end of this post.)
A recent article (based on a very unscientific poll) argued that millennials don’t really care about old movies. Maybe that’s true, and maybe it isn’t, but the fact remains that many people disregard classic cinema on principle. These people are missing out, but it only takes one film — the right film — to change their minds and forever alter their viewing habits.
This week’s question: What is one classic film you would recommend to someone who doesn’t watch them?
Candice Frederick (@ReelTalker), Hello Beautiful, /Film, Thrillist, etc
“Rebel Without a Cause.” I’ll out myself by saying that I’ve only recently seen this film...
A recent article (based on a very unscientific poll) argued that millennials don’t really care about old movies. Maybe that’s true, and maybe it isn’t, but the fact remains that many people disregard classic cinema on principle. These people are missing out, but it only takes one film — the right film — to change their minds and forever alter their viewing habits.
This week’s question: What is one classic film you would recommend to someone who doesn’t watch them?
Candice Frederick (@ReelTalker), Hello Beautiful, /Film, Thrillist, etc
“Rebel Without a Cause.” I’ll out myself by saying that I’ve only recently seen this film...
- 8/28/2017
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Kirsten Howard Feb 17, 2017
Keanu Reeves, as much as any actor of his generation, has left a legacy to be proud of. We take a look back at his career.
Much like his character in the John Wick films, Keanu Reeves is a man with very little to lose.
See related Grimm season 6 episode 6 review: Breakfast In Bed Grimm season 6 episode 5 review: The Seven Year Itch Grimm season 6 episode 4 review: El Cuegle Grimm season 6 episode 3 review: Captain, My Captain
Often maligned for his lack of range as an actor, or dismissed as merely a vaguely goofy action star, every misstep that Reeves has taken throughout his career has come from an enviable ability to consistently take risks. Despite every effort to pigeonhole him, Keanu Reeves just won’t be told what he can and can’t do.
Born in Beirut to a showgirl and a geologist, Reeves is also a rabid...
Keanu Reeves, as much as any actor of his generation, has left a legacy to be proud of. We take a look back at his career.
Much like his character in the John Wick films, Keanu Reeves is a man with very little to lose.
See related Grimm season 6 episode 6 review: Breakfast In Bed Grimm season 6 episode 5 review: The Seven Year Itch Grimm season 6 episode 4 review: El Cuegle Grimm season 6 episode 3 review: Captain, My Captain
Often maligned for his lack of range as an actor, or dismissed as merely a vaguely goofy action star, every misstep that Reeves has taken throughout his career has come from an enviable ability to consistently take risks. Despite every effort to pigeonhole him, Keanu Reeves just won’t be told what he can and can’t do.
Born in Beirut to a showgirl and a geologist, Reeves is also a rabid...
- 2/8/2017
- Den of Geek
Ryan Lambie Dec 23, 2016
Editor Thelma Schoonmaker talks to us about Martin Scorsese’s new film, Silence, taking risks in filmmaking and lots more...
Name a great Scorsese movie, and it’ll almost certainly have been edited by Thelma Schoonmaker. From 1980 onwards, the pair have been inseparable, with Schoonmaker cutting such classics as Raging Bull, The King Of Comedy, After Hours, Goodfellas, Casino and Gangs Of New York. Scorsese’s latest film is Silence, a powerful, heartfelt period piece about the limits of faith. Starring Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver as a pair of Jesuit priests who witness the torture and execution of Christians in 17th century Japan, the movie is a stark tonal contrast to The Wolf Of Wall Street, Scorsese’s wilfully gaudy, giddy account of drug-addled millionaire corporate crook Jordan Belfort.
See related John Carney interview: Sing Street, X-Men, Hitchcock & more Den Of Geek films of the year:...
Editor Thelma Schoonmaker talks to us about Martin Scorsese’s new film, Silence, taking risks in filmmaking and lots more...
Name a great Scorsese movie, and it’ll almost certainly have been edited by Thelma Schoonmaker. From 1980 onwards, the pair have been inseparable, with Schoonmaker cutting such classics as Raging Bull, The King Of Comedy, After Hours, Goodfellas, Casino and Gangs Of New York. Scorsese’s latest film is Silence, a powerful, heartfelt period piece about the limits of faith. Starring Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver as a pair of Jesuit priests who witness the torture and execution of Christians in 17th century Japan, the movie is a stark tonal contrast to The Wolf Of Wall Street, Scorsese’s wilfully gaudy, giddy account of drug-addled millionaire corporate crook Jordan Belfort.
See related John Carney interview: Sing Street, X-Men, Hitchcock & more Den Of Geek films of the year:...
- 12/22/2016
- Den of Geek
Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger officially become ‘The Archers’ for this sterling morale-propaganda picture lauding the help of the valiant Dutch resistance. It’s a joyful show of spirit, terrific casting (with a couple of surprises) and first-class English filmmaking.
One of Our Aircraft is Missing
Blu-ray
Olive Films
1942 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy /103 82 min. / Street Date November 15, 2016 / available through the Olive Films website / 29.98
Starring Godfrey Tearle, Eric Portman, Hugh Williams, Bernard Miles, Hugh Burden, Emrys Jones, Pamela Brown, Joyce Redman, Googie Withers, Hay Petrie, Arnold Marlé, Robert Helpmann, Peter Ustinov, Roland Culver, Robert Beatty, Michael Powell.
Cinematography Ronald Neame
Film Editor David Lean
Camera Crew Robert Krasker, Guy Green
Written by Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
Produced by The Archers
Directed by Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
There are still a few more key Powell-Pressburger ‘Archer’ films waiting for a quality disc release, Contraband and Gone to Earth for just two.
One of Our Aircraft is Missing
Blu-ray
Olive Films
1942 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy /103 82 min. / Street Date November 15, 2016 / available through the Olive Films website / 29.98
Starring Godfrey Tearle, Eric Portman, Hugh Williams, Bernard Miles, Hugh Burden, Emrys Jones, Pamela Brown, Joyce Redman, Googie Withers, Hay Petrie, Arnold Marlé, Robert Helpmann, Peter Ustinov, Roland Culver, Robert Beatty, Michael Powell.
Cinematography Ronald Neame
Film Editor David Lean
Camera Crew Robert Krasker, Guy Green
Written by Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
Produced by The Archers
Directed by Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
There are still a few more key Powell-Pressburger ‘Archer’ films waiting for a quality disc release, Contraband and Gone to Earth for just two.
- 11/21/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
“A Heavenly Beginning”
By Raymond Benson
They must have done something right. Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941) has proven to be a timeless and universal movie that keeps on giving, and the welcome new release from the Criterion Collection attests to it.
The premise of the film has been around for a while. Most of our generation know the remake better—Heaven Can Wait (1978, starring Warren Beatty and Julie Christie)—which is a superb Oscar-nominated romantic comedy in its own right. Another remake in 2001, Down to Earth, starred Chris Rock.
But that’s not all. It wasn’t until I’d viewed the supplements on the new disk that I appreciated the fact that Mr. Jordan was indeed the first of several Hollywood pictures dealing with “heavenly” concepts—angels, the afterlife, and second chances. In a video discussion, critic Michael Sragow and filmmaker/distributor Michael Schlesinger reveal how the picture’s popularity actually began a trend of similar movies throughout the 1940s—A Guy Named Joe, Angel on My Shoulder, A Matter of Life and Death, It’s a Wonderful Life, and even Mr. Jordan’s direct sequel, Down to Earth (1947, not to be confused with the Chris Rock remake), which features both James Gleason and Edward Everett Horton again playing their roles from the first movie.
Here Comes Mr. Jordan was a major release and surprise hit from Columbia Pictures, a studio that always struggled to be one of the majors despite having director Frank Capra on their team in the ‘30s. Critically and popularly acclaimed, the picture successfully blends fantasy, romance, comedy, and intrigue, creating a delightful, and sometimes thought-provoking, piece of entertainment. It was nominated for Best Picture of 1941, Best Director (Alexander Hall), Best Actor (Robert Montgomery), Best Supporting Actor (James Gleason, and he steals the movie!), and Best B&W Cinematography. The film deservedly won the Oscar for Best Writing, Original Story, for Sidney Buchman and Seton I. Miller.
The story concerns Joe Pendleton (enthusiastically played by Montgomery in a stretch from his usual sophisticated tuxedo-clad characters) as a prizefighter with a heavy New Jersey accent who crashes in his private plane. His soul is saved by the Messenger (Horton), an angel whose job is to escort to Heaven the departing souls from his “territory.” In the mist-filled outskirts of Heaven, Mr. Jordan (benevolently portrayed by Claude Rains), a sort of St. Peter in a three-piece suit, checks in the new souls as they board another plane to take them to their afterlife homes. But Joe’s soul was accidentally taken before his body actually died—and therefore Mr. Jordan grants Joe a second chance. However, his consciousness must be placed into a recently deceased person—so Joe winds up inside a rich, corrupt banker’s body. Joe, in his new persona, sets about turning the banker’s life around for good, and he also attempts to continue his prizefighting. For the latter, he calls in his former manager, Corkle (Gleason) to train him. First, though, he’s got to convince Corkle that he’s really Joe inside the new man’s form. To complicate things, Joe falls in love with the daughter (Evelyn Keyes) of a man the banker destroyed financially and sent to prison. Joe also doesn’t know it yet, but he will have to jump bodies one more time before the story plays out.
The comedy and romance work like a charm, and the fantasy elements of Mr. Jordan are surprisingly effective. The movie is intelligently written and treats its subject matter with respect; and yet it has fun with the mechanics of death and the philosophical discourse of what we think the afterlife really is. The audience is tricked, in a way, into pleasantly enjoying a movie about death. What happens to Joe Pendleton at the end isn’t the norm for a romantic comedy. Technically it’s not a happy ending—and yet, it is. It’s a feel-good movie with a bittersweet center. This is a testament to the quality of writing in Here Comes Mr. Jordan.
The new 2K digital restoration looks fabulous. It has an uncompressed, monaural soundtrack. Along with the aforementioned video conversation about the film, the supplements include a long audio interview with Elizabeth Montgomery (daughter of Robert Montgomery, and, yes, the star of Bewitched) about her father and the movie; the Lux Radio Theatre radio adaptation starring Cary Grant (who was originally approached to star in the film—one can only imagine what it would have been like with Grant), Rains, Keyes, and Gleason; and a trailer. An essay by critic Farran Smith Nehme adorns the booklet.
A little gem from Hollywood released just prior to America’s entrance into World War II, Here Comes Mr. Jordan is a genuine classic, arguably superior to its many remakes and imitations. You will believe...
Click Here To Order From Amazon...
By Raymond Benson
They must have done something right. Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941) has proven to be a timeless and universal movie that keeps on giving, and the welcome new release from the Criterion Collection attests to it.
The premise of the film has been around for a while. Most of our generation know the remake better—Heaven Can Wait (1978, starring Warren Beatty and Julie Christie)—which is a superb Oscar-nominated romantic comedy in its own right. Another remake in 2001, Down to Earth, starred Chris Rock.
But that’s not all. It wasn’t until I’d viewed the supplements on the new disk that I appreciated the fact that Mr. Jordan was indeed the first of several Hollywood pictures dealing with “heavenly” concepts—angels, the afterlife, and second chances. In a video discussion, critic Michael Sragow and filmmaker/distributor Michael Schlesinger reveal how the picture’s popularity actually began a trend of similar movies throughout the 1940s—A Guy Named Joe, Angel on My Shoulder, A Matter of Life and Death, It’s a Wonderful Life, and even Mr. Jordan’s direct sequel, Down to Earth (1947, not to be confused with the Chris Rock remake), which features both James Gleason and Edward Everett Horton again playing their roles from the first movie.
Here Comes Mr. Jordan was a major release and surprise hit from Columbia Pictures, a studio that always struggled to be one of the majors despite having director Frank Capra on their team in the ‘30s. Critically and popularly acclaimed, the picture successfully blends fantasy, romance, comedy, and intrigue, creating a delightful, and sometimes thought-provoking, piece of entertainment. It was nominated for Best Picture of 1941, Best Director (Alexander Hall), Best Actor (Robert Montgomery), Best Supporting Actor (James Gleason, and he steals the movie!), and Best B&W Cinematography. The film deservedly won the Oscar for Best Writing, Original Story, for Sidney Buchman and Seton I. Miller.
The story concerns Joe Pendleton (enthusiastically played by Montgomery in a stretch from his usual sophisticated tuxedo-clad characters) as a prizefighter with a heavy New Jersey accent who crashes in his private plane. His soul is saved by the Messenger (Horton), an angel whose job is to escort to Heaven the departing souls from his “territory.” In the mist-filled outskirts of Heaven, Mr. Jordan (benevolently portrayed by Claude Rains), a sort of St. Peter in a three-piece suit, checks in the new souls as they board another plane to take them to their afterlife homes. But Joe’s soul was accidentally taken before his body actually died—and therefore Mr. Jordan grants Joe a second chance. However, his consciousness must be placed into a recently deceased person—so Joe winds up inside a rich, corrupt banker’s body. Joe, in his new persona, sets about turning the banker’s life around for good, and he also attempts to continue his prizefighting. For the latter, he calls in his former manager, Corkle (Gleason) to train him. First, though, he’s got to convince Corkle that he’s really Joe inside the new man’s form. To complicate things, Joe falls in love with the daughter (Evelyn Keyes) of a man the banker destroyed financially and sent to prison. Joe also doesn’t know it yet, but he will have to jump bodies one more time before the story plays out.
The comedy and romance work like a charm, and the fantasy elements of Mr. Jordan are surprisingly effective. The movie is intelligently written and treats its subject matter with respect; and yet it has fun with the mechanics of death and the philosophical discourse of what we think the afterlife really is. The audience is tricked, in a way, into pleasantly enjoying a movie about death. What happens to Joe Pendleton at the end isn’t the norm for a romantic comedy. Technically it’s not a happy ending—and yet, it is. It’s a feel-good movie with a bittersweet center. This is a testament to the quality of writing in Here Comes Mr. Jordan.
The new 2K digital restoration looks fabulous. It has an uncompressed, monaural soundtrack. Along with the aforementioned video conversation about the film, the supplements include a long audio interview with Elizabeth Montgomery (daughter of Robert Montgomery, and, yes, the star of Bewitched) about her father and the movie; the Lux Radio Theatre radio adaptation starring Cary Grant (who was originally approached to star in the film—one can only imagine what it would have been like with Grant), Rains, Keyes, and Gleason; and a trailer. An essay by critic Farran Smith Nehme adorns the booklet.
A little gem from Hollywood released just prior to America’s entrance into World War II, Here Comes Mr. Jordan is a genuine classic, arguably superior to its many remakes and imitations. You will believe...
Click Here To Order From Amazon...
- 6/13/2016
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Here's a sterling example of what Hollywood excelled at back in the golden age: Robert Montgomery, Evelyn Keyes, Claude Rains and Edward Everett Horton star in possibly the most magical of movies known as Film Blanc. A cosmic goof leaves a man with fifty years yet to live without a body -- so heavenly troubleshooters try to find him a new one. Here Comes Mr. Jordan Blu-ray The Criterion Collection 819 1941 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 94 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date June 14, 2016 / 39.95 Starring Robert Montgomery, Evelyn Keyes, Claude Rains, Rita Johnson, Edward Everett Horton, James Gleason. Cinematography Joseph Walker Art Direction Lionel Banks Film Editor Viola Lawrence Original Music Frederick Hollander Written by Sidney Buchman, Seton I. Miller from the play Heaven Can Wait by Harry Segall Produced by Everett Riskin Directed by Alexander Hall
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Some movies are so entertaining that it's best to tell people,...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Some movies are so entertaining that it's best to tell people,...
- 6/7/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
In this unruly Belgian satire, God is a sadistic, filing-fixated resident of Brussels
In Jaco Van Dormael’s playfully blasphemous Belgian fantasy, God exists, lives in Brussels, and is a total bastard to his wife and daughter. Locked in a Gilliam-esque room of filing cabinets, his unholiness (played by Benoît Poelvoorde, who once turned heads and stomachs in Man Bites Dog) spends his days sadistically abusing the world’s population. Then, resourceful, resentful daughter Ea (Pili Groyne) commandeers his computer, texts the time and date of their deaths to every living soul, and escapes through a washing machine into the wonderland of the world. Here, she must assemble six random apostles while steering clear of her wrathful dad, who is getting a taste of his own earthly medicine. It’s divertingly unruly stuff, which comes on like a cross between Powell and Pressburger’s A Matter of Life and Death...
In Jaco Van Dormael’s playfully blasphemous Belgian fantasy, God exists, lives in Brussels, and is a total bastard to his wife and daughter. Locked in a Gilliam-esque room of filing cabinets, his unholiness (played by Benoît Poelvoorde, who once turned heads and stomachs in Man Bites Dog) spends his days sadistically abusing the world’s population. Then, resourceful, resentful daughter Ea (Pili Groyne) commandeers his computer, texts the time and date of their deaths to every living soul, and escapes through a washing machine into the wonderland of the world. Here, she must assemble six random apostles while steering clear of her wrathful dad, who is getting a taste of his own earthly medicine. It’s divertingly unruly stuff, which comes on like a cross between Powell and Pressburger’s A Matter of Life and Death...
- 4/17/2016
- by Mark Kermode, Observer film critic
- The Guardian - Film News
Les Soviets plus l’électricitéFrance’s central place within film culture may have its ups and downs when it comes to adventurous film-making, but its reputation as a hub of international film viewing holds strong. Yet beyond the central role of Cannes in the yearly festival rigmarole, and references to the riches of the Paris film-going scene and to vaguely understood state subsidies, little attention is actually paid to the wider infrastructures of a film-going culture which, after all, provided more ticket sales for Uncle Boonmee than the rest of the world combined. To say this is not to trumpet French exceptionalism far and wide: Olaf Möller has spoken lovingly of the key role of film programming on West German television in the 1970s, and Italian critics would no doubt be able to provide similar insight into the workings of Rai 3 or the myriad smaller festivals which continue to...
- 1/5/2016
- by Nathan Letoré
- MUBI
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Our guide to jumping into Star Trek Voyager, if you want to get going quickly...
Maps To TV Shows: Is there a popular show you’d really like to watch but you just don’t have time to wade through years of it all at once? Do you just want to know why that one character keeps turning up on Tumblr? Do the fans all tell you ‘season one is a bit iffy but stick with it, it gets great!’, leaving you with absolutely zero desire ever to watch the boring/silly/just plain weird season one? Then Maps To TV Shows is for you!
In these articles, we’ll outline routes through popular TV shows focusing on particular characters, story arcs or episode types. Are you really into the Klingon episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation? Do you want to get the overall gist of...
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Our guide to jumping into Star Trek Voyager, if you want to get going quickly...
Maps To TV Shows: Is there a popular show you’d really like to watch but you just don’t have time to wade through years of it all at once? Do you just want to know why that one character keeps turning up on Tumblr? Do the fans all tell you ‘season one is a bit iffy but stick with it, it gets great!’, leaving you with absolutely zero desire ever to watch the boring/silly/just plain weird season one? Then Maps To TV Shows is for you!
In these articles, we’ll outline routes through popular TV shows focusing on particular characters, story arcs or episode types. Are you really into the Klingon episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation? Do you want to get the overall gist of...
- 12/1/2015
- by simonbrew
- Den of Geek
Lights, camera, curtsy! When Prince William, Kate Middleton, and Prince Harry walked the red carpet last month for the Royal Film Performance of Spectre, they were actually following in the footsteps of King George VI, Queen Elizabeth, and Princess Diana. The annual Royal Film Performance is hosted by the Cinema and Television Benevolent Fund to raise money for those in the film and TV industries affected by accident and illness. The first Royal Film Performance, A Matter of Life and Death, was held in 1946 and attended by King George VI; his wife, Queen Elizabeth; and their daughters, Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret. It was only six years later that Princess Elizabeth became queen, and she has attended most of the Royal Film Performances since, including Casino Royale in 2006. The 2007 event, which was to feature Brick Lane, was officially canceled due to scheduling conflicts with Prince Charles, but there were other...
- 11/11/2015
- by Marcia Moody
- Popsugar.com
Val Lewton’s third horror film, The Leopard Man (1943) initially seemed promising. Based on Cornell Woolrich’s novel Black Alibi, it had more pedigree than Lewton’s previous movies. He reunited his previous team: director Jacques Tourneur, writer Ardel Wray, even Dynamite, the black leopard from Cat People. Forced again to film on the Rko lot, he sent Wray to photograph Santa Fe, New Mexico and crafted meticulous sets around her snapshots. Despite this attention to detail, The Leopard Man is one of Lewton’s weakest efforts.
The plot is simple enough. Nightclub entertainers James (Dennis O’Keefe) and Kiki (Jean Brooks) arrive in Santa Fe with a leopard in tow; Kiki’s rival Clo-Clo (Margo) scares the cat, which escapes into the city. The leopard kills a Mexican girl, sending the city into a panic. Several other women die, but James grows convinced that the leopard isn’t behind them.
The plot is simple enough. Nightclub entertainers James (Dennis O’Keefe) and Kiki (Jean Brooks) arrive in Santa Fe with a leopard in tow; Kiki’s rival Clo-Clo (Margo) scares the cat, which escapes into the city. The leopard kills a Mexican girl, sending the city into a panic. Several other women die, but James grows convinced that the leopard isn’t behind them.
- 10/13/2015
- by Christopher Saunders
- SoundOnSight
The BBC First British Film Festival has revealed its full program.
Featuring 31 titles, the program aims to capture the magic, unique humour, romance, traditions and new age vitality of British culture.
The festival will open with Paolo Sorrentino.s film, Youth, nominated for the Palme d.Or at this year.s Cannes film festival, and the follow up to his Academy Award-winning film, The Great Beauty (2013)..
Following two old friends, retired composer Fred (Michael Caine) and film director Mick (Harvey Keitel), on vacation at a prestigious hotel in the Swiss Alps, the film is an introspective and thought-provoking, wry buddy comedy — and it employs Sorrentino.s hallmark stunning visuals to majestic effect.
Straight from its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, The Man Who Knew Infinity — the retelling of mathematical genius Srinivasa Ramanujan.s life — will close the festival..
Featuring performances from Dev Petal (Slumdog Millionaire) as Ramanujan, and...
Featuring 31 titles, the program aims to capture the magic, unique humour, romance, traditions and new age vitality of British culture.
The festival will open with Paolo Sorrentino.s film, Youth, nominated for the Palme d.Or at this year.s Cannes film festival, and the follow up to his Academy Award-winning film, The Great Beauty (2013)..
Following two old friends, retired composer Fred (Michael Caine) and film director Mick (Harvey Keitel), on vacation at a prestigious hotel in the Swiss Alps, the film is an introspective and thought-provoking, wry buddy comedy — and it employs Sorrentino.s hallmark stunning visuals to majestic effect.
Straight from its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, The Man Who Knew Infinity — the retelling of mathematical genius Srinivasa Ramanujan.s life — will close the festival..
Featuring performances from Dev Petal (Slumdog Millionaire) as Ramanujan, and...
- 9/28/2015
- by Inside Film Correspondent
- IF.com.au
Louisa Mellor Apr 26, 2017
Puns, movie references and nods to Aardman’s past abound in Wallace & Gromit: A Matter Of Loaf And Death…
Animator Nick Park’s fifth Wallace and Gromit film, A Matter Of Loaf And Death (named for the Powell & Pressburger 1946 fantasy romance A Matter Of Life And Death, the first of many such baking-related puns) became the most-watched television programme in the UK in 2008, attracting a Christmas day average audience of 14.4 million viewers. It saw 62 West Wallaby Street, Wigan, transformed into a granary, making Wallace the target of a “cereal killer” intent on ridding the world of bakers. Gromit, as ever, came to the rescue.
See related Why Alien: Isolation proves the Alien deserves another movie
We’ve scoured the half-hour short to unpack some of Aardman’s characteristic in-jokes and film references…
1. The name and look of Baker Bob, who meets an unfortunate end at the hands...
Puns, movie references and nods to Aardman’s past abound in Wallace & Gromit: A Matter Of Loaf And Death…
Animator Nick Park’s fifth Wallace and Gromit film, A Matter Of Loaf And Death (named for the Powell & Pressburger 1946 fantasy romance A Matter Of Life And Death, the first of many such baking-related puns) became the most-watched television programme in the UK in 2008, attracting a Christmas day average audience of 14.4 million viewers. It saw 62 West Wallaby Street, Wigan, transformed into a granary, making Wallace the target of a “cereal killer” intent on ridding the world of bakers. Gromit, as ever, came to the rescue.
See related Why Alien: Isolation proves the Alien deserves another movie
We’ve scoured the half-hour short to unpack some of Aardman’s characteristic in-jokes and film references…
1. The name and look of Baker Bob, who meets an unfortunate end at the hands...
- 6/29/2015
- Den of Geek
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