The musical often feels like a relic of a long-dead Hollywood studio system, but it remains a genre that captures movies’ ability to create story worlds that move freely between reality and fantasy. The worst examples come from filmmakers who give license to music, color, and movement run amok; the best musicals transcend artifice and integrate songs that become expressions of pure character emotion. It offers endless possibilities, but success demands a complete mastery of the medium.
Very few current stars could learn the choreography of Busby Berkeley, Jerome Robbins, or Bob Fosse, and adapting a medium developed and most suited for the stage requires innovative direction. In translating the joy of a live musical to the magic of cinema, some things are easily lost in the shuffle.
Read More:The 10 Best Cinematographers of 2017, Ranked
From “A Star is Born” to “Singin’ in the Rain,” here are 20 musicals that represent the...
Very few current stars could learn the choreography of Busby Berkeley, Jerome Robbins, or Bob Fosse, and adapting a medium developed and most suited for the stage requires innovative direction. In translating the joy of a live musical to the magic of cinema, some things are easily lost in the shuffle.
Read More:The 10 Best Cinematographers of 2017, Ranked
From “A Star is Born” to “Singin’ in the Rain,” here are 20 musicals that represent the...
- 12/15/2017
- by Jude Dry, Chris O'Falt, Anne Thompson, Jamie Righetti, Jenna Marotta and David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
After polling critics from around the world for the greatest American films of all-time, BBC has now forged ahead in the attempt to get a consensus on the best comedies of all-time. After polling 253 film critics, including 118 women and 135 men, from 52 countries and six continents a simple, the list of the 100 greatest is now here.
Featuring canonical classics such as Some Like It Hot, Dr. Strangelove, Annie Hall, Duck Soup, Playtime, and more in the top 10, there’s some interesting observations looking at the rest of the list. Toni Erdmann is the most recent inclusion, while the highest Wes Anderson pick is The Royal Tenenbaums. There’s also a healthy dose of Chaplin and Lubitsch with four films each, and the recently departed Jerry Lewis has a pair of inclusions.
Check out the list below (and my ballot) and see more on their official site.
100. (tie) The King of Comedy (Martin Scorsese,...
Featuring canonical classics such as Some Like It Hot, Dr. Strangelove, Annie Hall, Duck Soup, Playtime, and more in the top 10, there’s some interesting observations looking at the rest of the list. Toni Erdmann is the most recent inclusion, while the highest Wes Anderson pick is The Royal Tenenbaums. There’s also a healthy dose of Chaplin and Lubitsch with four films each, and the recently departed Jerry Lewis has a pair of inclusions.
Check out the list below (and my ballot) and see more on their official site.
100. (tie) The King of Comedy (Martin Scorsese,...
- 8/22/2017
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
The depiction of Native Americans in the movies is notorious for its reductive stereotypes. By those standards, “Mohawk,” a bloody, low-budget survival saga about members of a flailing tribe facing off against brutish American soldiers during the war of 1812, arrives like a revelation. The sophomore feature from Ted Geoghegan is a far cry from the haunted house tropes of his debut, “We Are Still Here,” but it explores a much more realistic horror — the struggle to survive against ruthless persecution, even as the future looks grim.
It’s a fast-paced action-thriller that, while rough around the edges, delivers a wild ride — and an implicit rebuke to the limitations of Hollywood storytelling.
The movie, which premiered at the 2017 Fantasia International Film Festival, revolves around the plight of Oak (Kaniehtiio Horn), a young member of the Mohawk tribe in upstate New York, and the two men with whom she enjoys a polyamorous...
It’s a fast-paced action-thriller that, while rough around the edges, delivers a wild ride — and an implicit rebuke to the limitations of Hollywood storytelling.
The movie, which premiered at the 2017 Fantasia International Film Festival, revolves around the plight of Oak (Kaniehtiio Horn), a young member of the Mohawk tribe in upstate New York, and the two men with whom she enjoys a polyamorous...
- 7/17/2017
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
We recommend titles that influenced Ben Wheatley and more.
With his sixth feature, Ben Wheatley finally has a wide release in America. Free Fire might be his most accessible movie yet, consisting a single location and pretty much just one long action sequence. It’s basically a 90-minute third act without the first two acts getting in the way. Also it features Oscar winner Brie Larson, and who doesn’t like watching her act?
If you like what you see, then you’ll want to discover Wheatley’s other work, starting with the small crime film Down Terrace, which kicked off his career. I also recommend the following dozen movies, some of which are direct influences on Wheatley, others being similar kinds of films, and then just whatever else I had determined worthy.
The Truce Hurts (1948)
Ben Wheatley loves Tom and Jerry cartoons and has cited them as an influence on his latest movie. I...
With his sixth feature, Ben Wheatley finally has a wide release in America. Free Fire might be his most accessible movie yet, consisting a single location and pretty much just one long action sequence. It’s basically a 90-minute third act without the first two acts getting in the way. Also it features Oscar winner Brie Larson, and who doesn’t like watching her act?
If you like what you see, then you’ll want to discover Wheatley’s other work, starting with the small crime film Down Terrace, which kicked off his career. I also recommend the following dozen movies, some of which are direct influences on Wheatley, others being similar kinds of films, and then just whatever else I had determined worthy.
The Truce Hurts (1948)
Ben Wheatley loves Tom and Jerry cartoons and has cited them as an influence on his latest movie. I...
- 4/21/2017
- by Christopher Campbell
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
One of this season’s biggest Oscar snubs thus far is the disqualification of the “Silence” score by the husband and wife composing team of Kim Allen Kluge and Kathryn Kluge. Their score is daringly musical in the way that it emanates from nature, yet so subtle that it didn’t pass muster with the Academy’s music branch as “a substantial body of music.”
In other words, the classical composers were penalized for succeeding too well in creating an unconventional, Zen-like score at director Martin Scorsese’s urging: “When we first met with Mr. Scorsese, he said he didn’t want Japanese music or Gregorian Chants or any music — he wanted the sounds of nature,” Kim told IndieWire.
And after reading the novel by Shūsaku Endō about the 17th century persecution and torture of Japanese Christians, they understood why. “This is where it gets complex,” said Kim, who also...
In other words, the classical composers were penalized for succeeding too well in creating an unconventional, Zen-like score at director Martin Scorsese’s urging: “When we first met with Mr. Scorsese, he said he didn’t want Japanese music or Gregorian Chants or any music — he wanted the sounds of nature,” Kim told IndieWire.
And after reading the novel by Shūsaku Endō about the 17th century persecution and torture of Japanese Christians, they understood why. “This is where it gets complex,” said Kim, who also...
- 12/16/2016
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
Most film critics who post annual 10 Best lists follow simple rules, and I am no exception — include a few likely Oscar contenders, a few popular hits, and at least one arcane title from the wild blue yonder, either foreign or up-and-coming indie, presented in short readable blurbs. (No photo gallery here.)
And yes, while I keep to a pure Top 10, I do cheat a bit with some extra categories below. So shoot me.
1. “The Jungle Book”
Jon Favreau and screenwriter Justin Marks took Rudyard Kipling’s classic tales of Mowgli and his brothers and, with help from James Cameron and Martin Scorsese’s go-to VFX master Rob Legato, created a seamlessly natural digital world with many vibrant animal characters — and one live boy (Neel Sethi). Maybe Favreau makes it look too easy. This isn’t fantasy-world “Avatar.” This is digital India. He calls up fond memories of Disney’s 1967 animated musical,...
And yes, while I keep to a pure Top 10, I do cheat a bit with some extra categories below. So shoot me.
1. “The Jungle Book”
Jon Favreau and screenwriter Justin Marks took Rudyard Kipling’s classic tales of Mowgli and his brothers and, with help from James Cameron and Martin Scorsese’s go-to VFX master Rob Legato, created a seamlessly natural digital world with many vibrant animal characters — and one live boy (Neel Sethi). Maybe Favreau makes it look too easy. This isn’t fantasy-world “Avatar.” This is digital India. He calls up fond memories of Disney’s 1967 animated musical,...
- 12/8/2016
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Most film critics who post annual 10 Best lists follow simple rules, and I am no exception — include a few likely Oscar contenders, a few popular hits, and at least one arcane title from the wild blue yonder, either foreign or up-and-coming indie, presented in short readable blurbs. (No photo gallery here.)
And yes, while I keep to a pure Top 10, I do cheat a bit with some extra categories below. So shoot me.
1. “The Jungle Book”
Jon Favreau and screenwriter Justin Marks took Rudyard Kipling’s classic tales of Mowgli and his brothers and, with help from James Cameron and Martin Scorsese’s go-to VFX master Rob Legato, created a seamlessly natural digital world with many vibrant animal characters — and one live boy (Neel Sethi). Maybe Favreau makes it look too easy. This isn’t fantasy-world “Avatar.” This is digital India. He calls up fond memories of Disney’s 1967 animated musical,...
And yes, while I keep to a pure Top 10, I do cheat a bit with some extra categories below. So shoot me.
1. “The Jungle Book”
Jon Favreau and screenwriter Justin Marks took Rudyard Kipling’s classic tales of Mowgli and his brothers and, with help from James Cameron and Martin Scorsese’s go-to VFX master Rob Legato, created a seamlessly natural digital world with many vibrant animal characters — and one live boy (Neel Sethi). Maybe Favreau makes it look too easy. This isn’t fantasy-world “Avatar.” This is digital India. He calls up fond memories of Disney’s 1967 animated musical,...
- 12/8/2016
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Keep up with the always-hopping film festival world with our weekly Film Festival Roundup column. Check out last week’s Roundup right here.
Lineup Announcements
– The Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI) and The India Center Foundation are launching India Kaleidoscope, an “exciting new festival that will present film lovers with a chance to immerse themselves in the unique sights and sounds that make up the Indian regional, independent film landscape.”
The inaugural India Kaleidoscope Festival, taking place December 8 – 11 at the Museum, will feature eight films, including seven new titles that will be making their U.S. or North American premieres and one special presentation of a classic Indian film. Most films will feature directors in person. The Opening Night film is “India in a Day,” an ambitious documentary project initiated by Google and comprised of images shot by thousands of people throughout India, artfully edited by director Richie Mehta...
Lineup Announcements
– The Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI) and The India Center Foundation are launching India Kaleidoscope, an “exciting new festival that will present film lovers with a chance to immerse themselves in the unique sights and sounds that make up the Indian regional, independent film landscape.”
The inaugural India Kaleidoscope Festival, taking place December 8 – 11 at the Museum, will feature eight films, including seven new titles that will be making their U.S. or North American premieres and one special presentation of a classic Indian film. Most films will feature directors in person. The Opening Night film is “India in a Day,” an ambitious documentary project initiated by Google and comprised of images shot by thousands of people throughout India, artfully edited by director Richie Mehta...
- 12/1/2016
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
“Silence” isn’t in theaters until Christmas Day, but you can now stream the score to Martin Scorsese’s latest film. Kim Allen Kluge & Kathryn Kluge have hardly composed a conventional soundtrack, however, melding birdsong and other ambient noise into the kind of textural soundscape that blends into the background. Listen here.
Read More: Martin Scorsese Will Meet The Pope Before ‘Silence’ World Premiere At The Vatican
Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver and Liam Neeson star in the religious drama as a trio of Jesuit priests who travel from Portugal to Japan to spread the good word — not that everyone is ready to hear it. Scorsese has wanted to make the film, an adaptation of Shūsaku Endō’s 1966 novel of the same name, for nearly 30 years; it was previously adapted by Masahiro Shinoda in 1971. Here’s the tracklist:
Read More: ‘Silence’ Trailer: Martin Scorsese’s 28-Year-Old Passion Project Looks Like A...
Read More: Martin Scorsese Will Meet The Pope Before ‘Silence’ World Premiere At The Vatican
Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver and Liam Neeson star in the religious drama as a trio of Jesuit priests who travel from Portugal to Japan to spread the good word — not that everyone is ready to hear it. Scorsese has wanted to make the film, an adaptation of Shūsaku Endō’s 1966 novel of the same name, for nearly 30 years; it was previously adapted by Masahiro Shinoda in 1971. Here’s the tracklist:
Read More: ‘Silence’ Trailer: Martin Scorsese’s 28-Year-Old Passion Project Looks Like A...
- 12/1/2016
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
With editors and cinematographers chiming in on the best examples of their craft in cinema history, it’s now time for directors to have a say. To celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Directors Guild of America, they’ve conducted a poll for their members when it comes to the 80 greatest directorial achievements in feature films since the organization’s founding in 1936. With 2,189 members participating, the top pick went to Francis Ford Coppola for The Godfather, one of three films from the director making the top 10.
Even with films from nonmembers being eligible, the male-dominated, America-centric choices are a bit shameful (Kathryn Bigelow is the only female director on the list, and the first foreign film doesn’t show up until number 26), but not necessarily surprising when one looks at the make-up of its membership. As with any list, there’s bound to be disagreements (Birdman besting The Bicycle Thief,...
Even with films from nonmembers being eligible, the male-dominated, America-centric choices are a bit shameful (Kathryn Bigelow is the only female director on the list, and the first foreign film doesn’t show up until number 26), but not necessarily surprising when one looks at the make-up of its membership. As with any list, there’s bound to be disagreements (Birdman besting The Bicycle Thief,...
- 5/3/2016
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Now that most of the Cannes Film Festival 2016 line-up has been settled when it comes to new premieres, their Cannes Classics sidebar of restored films is not only a treat for those attending, but a hint at what we can expect to arrive at repertory theaters and labels like Criterion in the coming years.
Today they’ve unveiled their line-up, which is toplined by Bertrand Tavernier‘s new 3-hour and 15-minute documentary about French cinema, Voyage à travers le cinéma français. They will also be screening William Friedkin‘s Sorcerer following his masterclass. Along with various documentaries, both classics in the genre and ones about films, they will also premiere new restorations of Andrei Tarkovsky‘s Solaris, Jean-Luc Godard‘s Masculin féminin, two episodes of Krzysztof Kieślowski‘s The Decalogue, as well as films from Kenji Mizoguchi, Marlon Brando, Jacques Becker, Mario Bava, and more.
Check out the line-up below.
Today they’ve unveiled their line-up, which is toplined by Bertrand Tavernier‘s new 3-hour and 15-minute documentary about French cinema, Voyage à travers le cinéma français. They will also be screening William Friedkin‘s Sorcerer following his masterclass. Along with various documentaries, both classics in the genre and ones about films, they will also premiere new restorations of Andrei Tarkovsky‘s Solaris, Jean-Luc Godard‘s Masculin féminin, two episodes of Krzysztof Kieślowski‘s The Decalogue, as well as films from Kenji Mizoguchi, Marlon Brando, Jacques Becker, Mario Bava, and more.
Check out the line-up below.
- 4/20/2016
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
First off, let's make one thing clear. We're not scratching our heads at Spike Lee's "Do The Right Thing" making the BBC's 100 greatest American films. That movie, of which an image accompanies this post, not only made the list, but ranked appropriately at no. 25. It's the rest of the selections that have us scratching and, yes, shaking our heads in disbelief. A wonderful page view driver, these sorts of lists make great fodder for passionate movie fans no matter what their age or part of the world they hail from. There is nothing more entertaining than watching two critics from opposite ends of the globe try to debate whether "The Dark Knight" should have been nominated for best picture or make a list like this. Even in this age of short form content where Vines, Shapchats and Instagram videos have captured viewers attention, movies will continue to inspire because...
- 7/22/2015
- by Gregory Ellwood
- Hitfix
This week Amy Nicholson posted an essay titled “Stop Laughing At Old Movies, You $@%&ing Hipsters,” followed by a response / continuation from Sam Adams, titled “When You Laugh at Old Movies the Joke Is on You.” Both writers take a similar stance, criticizing individuals who watch old films and laugh at moments never intended as comedy (rear projection, artificial set pieces, etc).
I too have seen plenty of this behaviour, yet I fail to see it as problematic, nor do I feel the need to exert my own “superiority” (to employ a word they both use) over these types of viewers. Having spent much of my adult life reading about film, writing about film, and watching anything I have access to, I think it is safe to say I am a proud cinephile. And so are Nicholson and Adams; this is evident in their writing. Yet for some reason they...
I too have seen plenty of this behaviour, yet I fail to see it as problematic, nor do I feel the need to exert my own “superiority” (to employ a word they both use) over these types of viewers. Having spent much of my adult life reading about film, writing about film, and watching anything I have access to, I think it is safe to say I am a proud cinephile. And so are Nicholson and Adams; this is evident in their writing. Yet for some reason they...
- 4/30/2015
- by Griffin Bell
- SoundOnSight
Film scores aren't just for playing in the background any more. Ivan looks at how they're taking centre stage...
Feature
Film soundtracks have always been a strange medium. The music relies on movies for their full meaning. They're so integral to a film and its mood that to listen to them away from the big screen can seem strange to many. Others, meanwhile, take the chance outside of the cinema to pore over them in detail, or use them for background music while running or working (How to Train Your Dragon's on now, if you're wondering). It's only in recent years that another way of listening to them has become popular again: with your eyes.
Do a quick Google for "film with live score" and you'll discover a whole heap of events currently happening around the UK in which orchestras accompany a screening. Why the sudden trend? Is it...
Feature
Film soundtracks have always been a strange medium. The music relies on movies for their full meaning. They're so integral to a film and its mood that to listen to them away from the big screen can seem strange to many. Others, meanwhile, take the chance outside of the cinema to pore over them in detail, or use them for background music while running or working (How to Train Your Dragon's on now, if you're wondering). It's only in recent years that another way of listening to them has become popular again: with your eyes.
Do a quick Google for "film with live score" and you'll discover a whole heap of events currently happening around the UK in which orchestras accompany a screening. Why the sudden trend? Is it...
- 6/25/2014
- by sarahd
- Den of Geek
The end of the road. The scripts that should be studied, dissected, and taught for their quality, their timeliness, and their impact on the film industry as a whole. Some were perfect for their time and place. Some were ahead of their time. Some defined their generation. And one still rules all, forty years after it was written.
courtesy of hollywood.com
10. Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
Written by David Newman, Robert Benton, and Robert Towne (uncredited)
You’re just like your brother. Ignorant, uneducated hillbilly, except the only special thing about you is your peculiar ideas about love-making, which is no love-making at all.
Nothing spices up a movie theater better than a little sex and violence; Arthur Penn’s 1967 film broke new ground on that front. Fictionalizing the partnership of famous gangsters Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, the film starred Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty as the title criminals, while...
courtesy of hollywood.com
10. Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
Written by David Newman, Robert Benton, and Robert Towne (uncredited)
You’re just like your brother. Ignorant, uneducated hillbilly, except the only special thing about you is your peculiar ideas about love-making, which is no love-making at all.
Nothing spices up a movie theater better than a little sex and violence; Arthur Penn’s 1967 film broke new ground on that front. Fictionalizing the partnership of famous gangsters Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, the film starred Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty as the title criminals, while...
- 3/17/2014
- by Joshua Gaul
- SoundOnSight
When you think of the movies you really love, your memories of a great many of them are probably linked, in one way or another, to music. Yet movies and music remain, at least in our heads, beautifully complimentary yet distinct things, like food and wine, or football and big TVs. They shouldn’t, though. A musical, of course, is its own special mashup. Yet there are so many other incredible ways that movies and music can merge. The title sequence of Singin’ in the Rain is a great number — and so, in its way, is Ewan McGregor’s performance...
- 12/24/2013
- by Owen Gleiberman
- EW - Inside Movies
Exclusive: Emmett/Furla/ Oasis Films has set Jason Patric, John Cusack, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Johnathon Schaech, Gia Mantegna and South Korean actor-singer Rain for The Prince, the Brian A. Miller-directed action thriller. Patric plays a retired Las Vegas mob enforcer who is forced to return to the city and face his former enemies when his teenage daughter goes missing. Bruce Willis was previously set to star in the film. He plays Omar, a man with a score to settle, who has waited years for Paul to return. Emmett/Furla/Oasis is producing and financing with South Korea-based Union Investment Partners. Kim Young-don, Choi Pyeung-ho, Barry Brooker, Stan Wertlieb, Jeff Rice and Brandon Grimes will executive produce alongside producers Randall Emmett, George Furla, Ho-Sung Pak, Fred Song, Adam Goldworm and co-producer Tim Sullivan. Shooting begins next week in Mobile, Ala, and Grindstone/Lionsgate Films will release domestically. Hannibal Pictures will handle international sales.
- 11/25/2013
- by MIKE FLEMING JR
- Deadline
I became a film critic to celebrate the movies I love — to spread the word about them, to talk about why they enthrall, why they matter, what they mean. And really, what could fulfill that desire more completely than spreading the word about the greatest movies you’ve ever seen? It’s like organizing the ultimate banquet: one perfect, sublime, exquisitely tasty dish after another. That said, how does one choose? In putting together EW’s list of the 100 All-Time Greatest Movies, I figured, at first, that it would be easy. Working with my fellow critics Lisa Schwarzbaum and Chris Nashawaty,...
- 7/2/2013
- by Owen Gleiberman
- EW - Inside Movies
It's probably more difficult to rank the films of a particular actor than those of a given director. A filmmaker's ouevre is often bound together by similar thematic elements or stylistic trademarks, whereas most actors work within a wide range of styles and genres, with directors of vastly varying abilities. And while most dedicated cinephiles have seen the majority of Stanley Kubrick's or Martin Scorsese's features, how many can say they've seen even half of the performances from legends like Paul Newman or Robert De Niro (or even more modern stars like Sean Penn or Bruce Willis)? No one would ever mistake him for Daniel Day-Lewis, but Tom Cruise has been nearly as selective over the course of his career, consistently working with prominent filmmakers: Scorsese, Kubrick, Spielberg, Coppola, De Palma, Mann, Stone, the brothers Scott. Seriously, who else's resume reads like that? Even when collaborating with up-and-comers...
- 12/24/2012
- by Kevin Blumeyer
- Rope of Silicon
During the first week of August, Sight & Sound organized a poll that dethroned "Citizen Kane" as the best movie ever made. Alfred Hitchcock's "Vertigo" took the title as the Greatest Film ending "Citizen Kane's" long run. (See Dethroned! "Citizen Kane" No Longer Best Movie Ever! Critics, Directors Pick Top 10 Films of All Time!)
Academians, archivists, critics, directors, and distributors all over the world were among the ones invited to participate in the poll. Now, Sight & Sound has revealed the choices made by our favorite directors (via Collider). Here they are (it's interesting to note that among the list of directors below, only Martin Scorsese, David O'Russell, and Sam Mendes picked "Vertigo"):
Andrew Dominik (The Assassination of Jesse James, Killing Them Softly)
Apocalypse Now (1979) . Francis Ford Coppola
Badlands (1973) . Terrence Malick
Barry Lyndon (1975) . Stanley Kubrick
Blue Velvet (1986) . David Lynch
Marnie (1964) . Alfred Hitchcock
Mulholland Dr. (2003) . David Lynch
The Night of the Hunter...
Academians, archivists, critics, directors, and distributors all over the world were among the ones invited to participate in the poll. Now, Sight & Sound has revealed the choices made by our favorite directors (via Collider). Here they are (it's interesting to note that among the list of directors below, only Martin Scorsese, David O'Russell, and Sam Mendes picked "Vertigo"):
Andrew Dominik (The Assassination of Jesse James, Killing Them Softly)
Apocalypse Now (1979) . Francis Ford Coppola
Badlands (1973) . Terrence Malick
Barry Lyndon (1975) . Stanley Kubrick
Blue Velvet (1986) . David Lynch
Marnie (1964) . Alfred Hitchcock
Mulholland Dr. (2003) . David Lynch
The Night of the Hunter...
- 8/27/2012
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
There was plenty of discussion across the movie blogosphere following last week's announcement that Vertigo had dethroned Citizen Kane as the greatest film of all time according to Sight & Sound's decennial poll. In addition to revealing the top 50 as determined by critics, they also provided a top 10 based on a separate poll for directors only. In the print version of the magazine, they have taken it a step further by reprinting some of the individual top 10 lists from the filmmakers who participated, and we now have some of them here for your perusal. Among them, we have lists from legends like Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola and Quentin Tarantino, but there are also some unexpected newcomers who took part including Richard Ayoade (Submarine), Miranda July (Me and You and Everyone We Know) and Sean Durkin (Martha Marcy May Marlene). Some of these lists aren't all that surprising (both Quentin Tarantino...
- 8/6/2012
- by Sean
- FilmJunk
I fondly remember the glee I had at xeroxing from library archives a good chunk of Sight & Sound’s top favorite list back in 92′ when cinephilia officially took over me and with further research I learned that any year that ends in a “2″ meant that it was time to revisit the official order. Over the past three polls (80′s, 90′s and 00′s) Alfred Hitchcock’s 1958 classic progressively moved up the rankings making its way as announced today to the number one spot dislodging Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane. My prediction for 2022: Another Brit filmmaker will continue to make strides in the top ten list – Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey should move up several spots.
Based on 846 critics’ top-ten lists and a Directors’ poll of 358 entries it is Vertigo who ends a five decade reign of the iconic snow globe and the name “Rosebud”. If anythin the list inspires a long-lasting debate,...
Based on 846 critics’ top-ten lists and a Directors’ poll of 358 entries it is Vertigo who ends a five decade reign of the iconic snow globe and the name “Rosebud”. If anythin the list inspires a long-lasting debate,...
- 8/1/2012
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Every 10 years the British film magazine Sight & Sound draws up a list of the 50 Greatest Films Ever Made. It is a list that is held with very high regard in the industry as it compiles and compares lists from esteemed critics and filmmakers from around the world. Every time that the list has been compiled since 1962, Orson Welles’ perennial classic Citizen Kane has topped the poll. But now its reign as “the Greatest Film Ever Made” has been toppled by none other than Alfred Hitchcock.
The official list, drawn up by 846 academics/critics (including Roger Ebert), names Vertigo, the 1958 classic thriller from Alfred Hitchock, as the greatest film ever made with Citizen Kane in second. When the list was compiled in 2002, Vertigo missed out on the top spot by 5 votes, which marked a change in film tastes and the arrival of a new wave of film critics. In this poll,...
The official list, drawn up by 846 academics/critics (including Roger Ebert), names Vertigo, the 1958 classic thriller from Alfred Hitchock, as the greatest film ever made with Citizen Kane in second. When the list was compiled in 2002, Vertigo missed out on the top spot by 5 votes, which marked a change in film tastes and the arrival of a new wave of film critics. In this poll,...
- 8/1/2012
- by Will Chadwick
- We Got This Covered
A Planet Fury-approved selection of notable genre releases for July.
Twins of Evil (1971) Synapse Blu-ray/DVD combo Available Now
One of the greatest Hammer horror films ever made. This stylish, sexy vampire tale revolves around two orphaned twin sisters (Playboy centerfold models Mary and Madeleine Collinson) who are sent to live with their uncle (Peter Cushing), the leader of a witch-hunting sect. When one of the twins is turned into a vampire by a devil-worshipping Count (Damien Thomas), she attempts to keep her new life a secret from her sister and their puritanical uncle. Directed by John Hough (whose eclectic genre career included Disney's Escape to Witch Mountain), Twins of Evil showcases Hammer at its "R-rated" best. This new Synapse release features an all-new 1080p high definition transfer and several exclusive extras, including:
*The Flesh and the Fury: X-Posing the Twins of Evil (84 min.) – A feature length documentary on the making of Twins of Evil.
Twins of Evil (1971) Synapse Blu-ray/DVD combo Available Now
One of the greatest Hammer horror films ever made. This stylish, sexy vampire tale revolves around two orphaned twin sisters (Playboy centerfold models Mary and Madeleine Collinson) who are sent to live with their uncle (Peter Cushing), the leader of a witch-hunting sect. When one of the twins is turned into a vampire by a devil-worshipping Count (Damien Thomas), she attempts to keep her new life a secret from her sister and their puritanical uncle. Directed by John Hough (whose eclectic genre career included Disney's Escape to Witch Mountain), Twins of Evil showcases Hammer at its "R-rated" best. This new Synapse release features an all-new 1080p high definition transfer and several exclusive extras, including:
*The Flesh and the Fury: X-Posing the Twins of Evil (84 min.) – A feature length documentary on the making of Twins of Evil.
- 7/16/2012
- by Bradley Harding
- Planet Fury
The 2012 TCM Classic Film Festival has unveiled another spectacular lineup of special guests and events for this year’s four-day gathering in Hollywood. Among the newly announced participants for this year’s festival are five-time Emmy® winner Dick Van Dyke, Oscar® winner Shirley Jones, two-time Golden Globe® winner Angie Dickinson, six-time Golden Globe nominee Robert Wagner, seven-time Oscar nominee Norman Jewison, longtime producer A.C. Lyles and three-time Oscar-winning editor Thelma Schoonmaker. In addition, the festival will feature a special three-film tribute to director/choreographer Stanley Donen, who will be on-hand for the celebration.
As part of its overall Style and the Movies theme, the festival has added several films featuring the work of pioneering costume designer Travis Banton. Oscar-nominated costume designer Deborah Nadoolman Landis will introduce the six-movie slate, with actress and former Essentials co-host Rose McGowan joining her for one of the screenings.
Other festival additions include a screening...
As part of its overall Style and the Movies theme, the festival has added several films featuring the work of pioneering costume designer Travis Banton. Oscar-nominated costume designer Deborah Nadoolman Landis will introduce the six-movie slate, with actress and former Essentials co-host Rose McGowan joining her for one of the screenings.
Other festival additions include a screening...
- 3/9/2012
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
With the 2012 Oscar ceremony taking place tonight, I’ve rounded up the 25 worst Academy Awards decisions of the past quarter century to feed filmgoers collective rage. Many of these are outright bad winners, but I’ve also reserved special spots in this countdown for blunders in production, nominations, and existing in the first place.
So take a deep breath, go watch I Saw the Devil to get in the right mood, and dig in.
25. Fifty-Nine Years of Rocky History
I did not want to imply that the Academy was all sunshine and roses before 1988; so a brief history of their ineptitude seems in order. In fact, history is a perfect lead in because, even though this is reason number twenty-five, it underlies the basic principle that caused this list to manifest. The Academy never learns from its mistakes. It never changes.
There is plenty of fodder here for several...
So take a deep breath, go watch I Saw the Devil to get in the right mood, and dig in.
25. Fifty-Nine Years of Rocky History
I did not want to imply that the Academy was all sunshine and roses before 1988; so a brief history of their ineptitude seems in order. In fact, history is a perfect lead in because, even though this is reason number twenty-five, it underlies the basic principle that caused this list to manifest. The Academy never learns from its mistakes. It never changes.
There is plenty of fodder here for several...
- 2/26/2012
- by Phil Aram
- Obsessed with Film
“…The train in the La Ciotat station still keeps arriving, a century later. It’s still possible to put oneself in the position of the frightened spectator, which means that there is something in cinema that is of the past but not past” —Serge Daney
When I quoted the above for a piece on Martin Scorsese’s Hugo I published late last year, stripping it of its context (the beautiful interview between Serge Toubiana and Daney from Postcards from the Cinema) and appropriating it for a film in which the train literally does arrive again at La Ciotat, I wanted to highlight an obvious connection, as well as an ideological link, between Daney’s statement and Scorsese’s film. Both suggest that there is something immortal in cinema and something cyclical in the medium itself. Firstly, they suggest the idea that the Lumière brothers’ image of the train somehow exists...
When I quoted the above for a piece on Martin Scorsese’s Hugo I published late last year, stripping it of its context (the beautiful interview between Serge Toubiana and Daney from Postcards from the Cinema) and appropriating it for a film in which the train literally does arrive again at La Ciotat, I wanted to highlight an obvious connection, as well as an ideological link, between Daney’s statement and Scorsese’s film. Both suggest that there is something immortal in cinema and something cyclical in the medium itself. Firstly, they suggest the idea that the Lumière brothers’ image of the train somehow exists...
- 2/25/2012
- MUBI
In response to the presently on-going Bernard Herrmann series at Film Forum in New York honoring the composer's centennial, presented here is a selection of short soundtrack music cues by the composer, with brief observations, and information regarding their availability on CD, LP or other formats.
1. “Snow Picture” from Citizen Kane (1941)
It’s amazing to think that Bernard Herrmann scored his first film for Orson Welles, and his last for Martin Scorsese, thirty five years later (he died in his sleep, the evening after finishing the recording sessions for Taxi Driver). This very short cue begins during the Thatcher Library scene, with the Inquirer reporter, Thompson (William Alland), pouring over an immense volume, as the film transitions from over-the-shoulder shot to close-up pan across Thatcher’s handwritten recollections, into a flashback punctuated by a sudden burst of light and music. This musical movement through memory is achieved in less than thirty seconds.
1. “Snow Picture” from Citizen Kane (1941)
It’s amazing to think that Bernard Herrmann scored his first film for Orson Welles, and his last for Martin Scorsese, thirty five years later (he died in his sleep, the evening after finishing the recording sessions for Taxi Driver). This very short cue begins during the Thatcher Library scene, with the Inquirer reporter, Thompson (William Alland), pouring over an immense volume, as the film transitions from over-the-shoulder shot to close-up pan across Thatcher’s handwritten recollections, into a flashback punctuated by a sudden burst of light and music. This musical movement through memory is achieved in less than thirty seconds.
- 10/30/2011
- MUBI
All the leaves are nearly brown, skies sometimes gray, there's a slight chill in the air, and my ears and eyes have been quite busy. A touch of melancholia and a satchel full of dreams yet to be realized. Winter is just around the corner. A hint of summer still lingers in the late afternoon sun. Walks in the park with the dog, shared playlists on Spotify providing the soundtrack. I remain an ever faithful servant to smart culture's demands.
"Cicadas and Gulls" Feist Metals (Cherrytree) - Canadian singer/songwriter Leslie Feist displays her chops in full maturity on her third CD. So much to enjoy, yet I'm continually drawn to this evocative, simple double-tracked voice and acoustic guitar folk song. I suspect it fully captures my current mood.
"Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me" The Smiths Complete Box Set (Rhino) - Rarely do I purchase music, one...
"Cicadas and Gulls" Feist Metals (Cherrytree) - Canadian singer/songwriter Leslie Feist displays her chops in full maturity on her third CD. So much to enjoy, yet I'm continually drawn to this evocative, simple double-tracked voice and acoustic guitar folk song. I suspect it fully captures my current mood.
"Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me" The Smiths Complete Box Set (Rhino) - Rarely do I purchase music, one...
- 10/28/2011
- by Dusty Wright
- www.culturecatch.com
Jorge Navas' first feature, Blood and Rain (La Sangre y la Lluvia), was a hit at the Venice Film Festival, received several award nominations and has since been compared to early Michael Mann and Martin Scorsese. Set in the underworld of Colombia's Bogota, spanning the events of one rain-soaked night, Blood and Rain follows taxi driver, Jorge, as he tries to uncover the names of his recently killed brother, William's, murderers.
Opening shots of a city in a storm seen through woodlands make a promising start with beautiful rain footage. From here, the cinematography is just as strong but back stories are lacking. After completing a drop off, Jorge (Jorgita) is intercepted by corrupt Lieutenant Gonzales' (Hernan Mendez) heavies who beat him and arrange a meeting for Gonzales to tell Jorge what he knows of his ex-guerilla-fighter brother's killers.
Gonzales' “dogs” are laughable amateurs, unsure of their lead or...
Opening shots of a city in a storm seen through woodlands make a promising start with beautiful rain footage. From here, the cinematography is just as strong but back stories are lacking. After completing a drop off, Jorge (Jorgita) is intercepted by corrupt Lieutenant Gonzales' (Hernan Mendez) heavies who beat him and arrange a meeting for Gonzales to tell Jorge what he knows of his ex-guerilla-fighter brother's killers.
Gonzales' “dogs” are laughable amateurs, unsure of their lead or...
- 9/28/2011
- Shadowlocked
Some would say “difficult and remote”. Others would say “brilliant, bold, daring but an absolute control freak”. The late Stanley Kubrick was labelled many things in his time but no one can doubt the man had a rich talent for realising cinema as a grand, sensory spectacle. This month marks the 12th anniversary since his death and as a tribute to his talents I would like to propose 50 reasons why the filmmaker may have actually been the greatest director of all time.
In no particular order;
1. Was a Master Of Almost Every Genre
There’s little doubt that Kubrick was a cinematic connoisseur. To prove it he created a classic entry in almost every genre, whether it be a clever comedy satire (Dr Strangelove), a masterful psychological horror (The Shining), innovative sci-fi’s (2001: A Space Odyssey & A Clockwork Orange), a beautiful period drama (Barry Lyndon), controversial anti-war movies (Paths of Glory...
In no particular order;
1. Was a Master Of Almost Every Genre
There’s little doubt that Kubrick was a cinematic connoisseur. To prove it he created a classic entry in almost every genre, whether it be a clever comedy satire (Dr Strangelove), a masterful psychological horror (The Shining), innovative sci-fi’s (2001: A Space Odyssey & A Clockwork Orange), a beautiful period drama (Barry Lyndon), controversial anti-war movies (Paths of Glory...
- 3/1/2011
- by Oliver Pfeiffer
- Obsessed with Film
The world has come down with a serious case of Bieber Fever… and with Justin Bieber: Never Say Never out in theaters tomorrow, we figured that this would be the perfect time to talk about some of our favorite Music/Band documentaries. There are so many that a couple have certainly been left out… but that just gives you something to discuss at the end!
Honorable Mention: The Fearless Freaks
If you have ever been to a The Flaming Lips concert, you know the kind of crazy, high energy show that these guys put on. In The Fearless Freaks viewers get to see the makings and evolution of this band from Oklahoma. It is an honest, genuine film that delves much deeper than just showing a band playing a show.
10. The Decline Of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years
The popularity of big hair rock music was at its...
Honorable Mention: The Fearless Freaks
If you have ever been to a The Flaming Lips concert, you know the kind of crazy, high energy show that these guys put on. In The Fearless Freaks viewers get to see the makings and evolution of this band from Oklahoma. It is an honest, genuine film that delves much deeper than just showing a band playing a show.
10. The Decline Of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years
The popularity of big hair rock music was at its...
- 2/11/2011
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
When does a child actor stop being merely precocious and enter the pantheon of acting gods? You know the gods of which we speak; they look down from their mighty pedestals as we shower them with tributes year after year… The Oscar Nominees.
Well, in order to walk through that threshold into Hollywood’s elite circle, these young folks have to have chops, serious chops. Or be really, really cute. Either way, it takes sacrifice, hard work and possibly some crazy-ass stage parents.
In honor of this year’s youthful nominees Hailee Steinfeld (“True Grit”) and Jennifer Lawrence (“Winter’s Bone”), and for your continued cinematified education, we present the youngest ever Academy Award nominees and winners from throughout the history of the awards.
Justin Henry, ‘Kramer vs. Kramer’ (1979)
Age: 8
Nomination: Best Supporting Actor (Youngest Nominee)
A troubled family is at the center of 1979′s “Kramer Vs. Kramer,” where Henry...
Well, in order to walk through that threshold into Hollywood’s elite circle, these young folks have to have chops, serious chops. Or be really, really cute. Either way, it takes sacrifice, hard work and possibly some crazy-ass stage parents.
In honor of this year’s youthful nominees Hailee Steinfeld (“True Grit”) and Jennifer Lawrence (“Winter’s Bone”), and for your continued cinematified education, we present the youngest ever Academy Award nominees and winners from throughout the history of the awards.
Justin Henry, ‘Kramer vs. Kramer’ (1979)
Age: 8
Nomination: Best Supporting Actor (Youngest Nominee)
A troubled family is at the center of 1979′s “Kramer Vs. Kramer,” where Henry...
- 2/10/2011
- by Max Evry
- NextMovie
Following Christian Bale's first Screen Actors Guild Award for his supporting performance in The Fighter (above), he has landed the top spot in a poll of the Most Extreme Movie Roles.
TV and film subscription service LOVEFiLM asked moviegoers to name the actor who had suffered most for their art. The survey was inspired by Natalie Portman's acclaimed portrayal in the Black Swan and Johnny Depp's green tea diet for his new film Dark Shadows.
Leading the extreme pack with nearly half of the votes (49 per cent) is Christian Bale who gains top spot for his dedication to the role of Trevor Reznik in The Machinist - he stopped sleeping and lost 63 pounds in weight (see picture right).
Robert De Niro charges into second place with 11 per cent of the vote for his award-winning performance in Raging Bull. Director Martin Scorsese stopped production for four months to...
TV and film subscription service LOVEFiLM asked moviegoers to name the actor who had suffered most for their art. The survey was inspired by Natalie Portman's acclaimed portrayal in the Black Swan and Johnny Depp's green tea diet for his new film Dark Shadows.
Leading the extreme pack with nearly half of the votes (49 per cent) is Christian Bale who gains top spot for his dedication to the role of Trevor Reznik in The Machinist - he stopped sleeping and lost 63 pounds in weight (see picture right).
Robert De Niro charges into second place with 11 per cent of the vote for his award-winning performance in Raging Bull. Director Martin Scorsese stopped production for four months to...
- 2/1/2011
- by David Bentley
- The Geek Files
Chicago – After Robert De Niro’s “Pupkin”-esque acceptance speech on Sunday’s Golden Globe Awards, some of our younger readers may be curious about some of the films that got him to that awkward moment. His second Oscar came for what is undeniably one of the best performances of all time. De Niro would give at least a dozen great performances, some before and some after, but “Raging Bull,” recently released in a beautiful 30th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray, is the peak of one of the most notable acting careers in film history.
Blu-Ray Rating: 5.0/5.0
After several collaborations with Martin Scorsese (“Mean Streets,” “Taxi Driver,” “New York New York”), the two would team on one of the most acclaimed films ever made. At the end of the ’80s, as lists of the best of the decade were being put together, “Raging Bull” regularly landed on the top. Thirty years later,...
Blu-Ray Rating: 5.0/5.0
After several collaborations with Martin Scorsese (“Mean Streets,” “Taxi Driver,” “New York New York”), the two would team on one of the most acclaimed films ever made. At the end of the ’80s, as lists of the best of the decade were being put together, “Raging Bull” regularly landed on the top. Thirty years later,...
- 1/18/2011
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
The Hangover: Part Two
Opens: May 26th 2011
Cast: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifinakis, Justin Bartha, Ken Jeong
Director: Todd Phillips
Summary: Phil, Stu, Alan and Doug travel to exotic Thailand for Stu’s wedding. After the unforgettable bachelor party in Las Vegas, Stu is taking no chances and has opted for a safe, subdued pre-wedding brunch. However, things don’t always go as planned.
Analysis: It really wasn't until about three months before its release that Warner Brothers realised "The Hangover" was going to be a hit. Test screening response was through the roof, while the trailer had great reaction after premiering at ShoWest and online. About that time they commissioned director Todd Phillips, along with his "Old School" and "Road Trip" scribe Scot Armstrong, to pen a sequel. Yet they still waited to see how the first one went before fully committing to the follow-up.
The wait didn't last long.
Opens: May 26th 2011
Cast: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifinakis, Justin Bartha, Ken Jeong
Director: Todd Phillips
Summary: Phil, Stu, Alan and Doug travel to exotic Thailand for Stu’s wedding. After the unforgettable bachelor party in Las Vegas, Stu is taking no chances and has opted for a safe, subdued pre-wedding brunch. However, things don’t always go as planned.
Analysis: It really wasn't until about three months before its release that Warner Brothers realised "The Hangover" was going to be a hit. Test screening response was through the roof, while the trailer had great reaction after premiering at ShoWest and online. About that time they commissioned director Todd Phillips, along with his "Old School" and "Road Trip" scribe Scot Armstrong, to pen a sequel. Yet they still waited to see how the first one went before fully committing to the follow-up.
The wait didn't last long.
- 1/4/2011
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Today the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that 241 screenplays (134 original and 107 adapted) are eligible for Best Screenplay nominations and 77 films are eligible for Best Original Score (not including Black Swan, The Fighter or The Kids Are All Right).
Earlier we shared the 248 films eligible for Best Picture. Even though there are great deal of films that were amazing movie going experiences, Academy voters are likely only to concentrate on the films that have garnered awards from other organizations.
Below are the front runners for each of the categories thanks to Awards Daily:
Best Original Screenplay
Lisa Cholodenko, Stuart Blumberg -The Kids Are All Right David Seidler – The King’s Speech Christopher Nolan – Inception Mark Heyman, Andres Heinz, John J. McLaughlin – Black Swan Mike Leigh – Another Year Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson – The Fighter Derek Cianfrance – Blue Valentine
Best Adapted Screenplay
Aaron Sorkin – The Social Network...
Earlier we shared the 248 films eligible for Best Picture. Even though there are great deal of films that were amazing movie going experiences, Academy voters are likely only to concentrate on the films that have garnered awards from other organizations.
Below are the front runners for each of the categories thanks to Awards Daily:
Best Original Screenplay
Lisa Cholodenko, Stuart Blumberg -The Kids Are All Right David Seidler – The King’s Speech Christopher Nolan – Inception Mark Heyman, Andres Heinz, John J. McLaughlin – Black Swan Mike Leigh – Another Year Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson – The Fighter Derek Cianfrance – Blue Valentine
Best Adapted Screenplay
Aaron Sorkin – The Social Network...
- 12/30/2010
- by Tiberius
- GeekTyrant
The AMPAS have named 241 scripts eligible for the Academy Awards — 134 original, 107 adapted. Unlike the WGA, Winter’s Bone, King’s Speech, Toy Story 3, Never Let Me Go, and How to Train Your Dragon will be considered.
The AMPAS have also released the list of nominees for best score. The list was narrowed down to 77 scores, which makes Best Original Score the 2011 Oscar the category with the least number of films under consideration. The scores for Black Swan, True Grit, The Kids Are Alright and The Fighter will not be eligible to compete this year. Clint Mansell‘s Black Swan score and Carter Burwell‘s True Grit score were disqualified attributed to a designation within Rule 16 of the Academy’s Special Rules for Music Awards (5d under “Eligibility”), which excludes “scores diluted by the use of tracked themes or other pre-existing music.” Meanwhile, the scores for The Kids Are All Right,...
The AMPAS have also released the list of nominees for best score. The list was narrowed down to 77 scores, which makes Best Original Score the 2011 Oscar the category with the least number of films under consideration. The scores for Black Swan, True Grit, The Kids Are Alright and The Fighter will not be eligible to compete this year. Clint Mansell‘s Black Swan score and Carter Burwell‘s True Grit score were disqualified attributed to a designation within Rule 16 of the Academy’s Special Rules for Music Awards (5d under “Eligibility”), which excludes “scores diluted by the use of tracked themes or other pre-existing music.” Meanwhile, the scores for The Kids Are All Right,...
- 12/30/2010
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
In her music video "Uh Huh" Juliette Lewis sashays around with a bouquet of colorful balloons, smiling radiantly. Her mood seems lighter than air. It's an incongruous musical moment in her rock grrrl career -- in the newest video "Terra Incognito" she's back to her old in-your-face provocations -- but the softer side was lovely to see.
And why shouldn't Juliette's mood be lighter these days? After years of touring to build a music career while doing thankless cameos in mainstream comedies, could it be that filmmakers are finally on the verge of rediscovering her unique gift?
Juliette Lewis has taken up more than her share of my actressy headspace ever since I first heard her inimitable voice in the opening frames of Martin Scorsese's Cape Fear (1991). I don't even like narration -- in anything -- and I was instantly enamored.
I met with Juliette Lewis in October at...
And why shouldn't Juliette's mood be lighter these days? After years of touring to build a music career while doing thankless cameos in mainstream comedies, could it be that filmmakers are finally on the verge of rediscovering her unique gift?
Juliette Lewis has taken up more than her share of my actressy headspace ever since I first heard her inimitable voice in the opening frames of Martin Scorsese's Cape Fear (1991). I don't even like narration -- in anything -- and I was instantly enamored.
I met with Juliette Lewis in October at...
- 11/21/2010
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Photo: Criterion Collection Just how good is the color in Black Narcissus? I was showing an online clip of it to a friend and without me saying a word about the film they said, "Well they've obviously done something to it." I didn't know what they were talking about. "This was released in 1947?" they asked. I said, "Yes," and they said, "Well they didn't have color like that in 1947!" I couldn't think of a more appropriate endorsement of cinematographer Jack Cardiff's work on this film and the colors directors Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger were able to present with films such as Black Narcissus in '47 and The Red Shoes in '48. Best of all, this was a statement made based on watching a compressed online Flash-based video. Now imagine what the reaction would be to Criterion's newly released Blu-ray editions.
The Red Shoes was first released on Criterion...
The Red Shoes was first released on Criterion...
- 7/20/2010
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Plus, new decorating ideas for snicks' bedroom, Where The Frock Are They? and is a 90210 alum enough of a hunk for a Vampire King?
Buried in this list of scoops and spoilers is the news that True Blood is about to get into the fairy business, which is great for us, because in the books fairies are breathtakingly beautiful fraternal twins, Claudine and Claude, and Claude is gay.
And the Spurf™ follows up with the news that Lara Pulver has been cast as Claudine. Lara is seen most recently in Robin Hood opposite Russell Crowe. I’m not sure she’s at all what I had in mind when I read the books. Fantasy casting for her gay twin stripper brother in the comments!
Glee is bringing back Barbra – Ryan Murphy says that Idina Menzel is about to sing “Funny Girl” in an upcoming episode as a perfect complement to...
Buried in this list of scoops and spoilers is the news that True Blood is about to get into the fairy business, which is great for us, because in the books fairies are breathtakingly beautiful fraternal twins, Claudine and Claude, and Claude is gay.
And the Spurf™ follows up with the news that Lara Pulver has been cast as Claudine. Lara is seen most recently in Robin Hood opposite Russell Crowe. I’m not sure she’s at all what I had in mind when I read the books. Fantasy casting for her gay twin stripper brother in the comments!
Glee is bringing back Barbra – Ryan Murphy says that Idina Menzel is about to sing “Funny Girl” in an upcoming episode as a perfect complement to...
- 5/11/2010
- by lostinmiami
- The Backlot
As 2009 comes to a close, we take a look back at some of the people and events that made this the Best. Lesbian. Decade. Ever. in pop culture.
Luckily for all of us, there was far more information to have mentioned from the last ten years than we could have included in this brief survey. That's why our lists for each year are not intended to be exhaustive, but are instead snapshots of different memorable moments that included the representation of lesbians and bisexual women in film, television, music, literature, comics, sports and the Internet since the year 2000.
2000
Chavela Vargas[/link] comes out
Mexican ranchera music legend Chavela Vargas publicly came out as a lesbian at the tender age of 81.
Angelina Jolie wins Best Supporting Actress Oscar
Angelina Jolie won an Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Girl, Interrupted and told Talk Magazine, "I only play women I would date.
Luckily for all of us, there was far more information to have mentioned from the last ten years than we could have included in this brief survey. That's why our lists for each year are not intended to be exhaustive, but are instead snapshots of different memorable moments that included the representation of lesbians and bisexual women in film, television, music, literature, comics, sports and the Internet since the year 2000.
2000
Chavela Vargas[/link] comes out
Mexican ranchera music legend Chavela Vargas publicly came out as a lesbian at the tender age of 81.
Angelina Jolie wins Best Supporting Actress Oscar
Angelina Jolie won an Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Girl, Interrupted and told Talk Magazine, "I only play women I would date.
- 12/31/2009
- by afterellenstaff
- AfterEllen.com
The applause you're hearing on the Great White Way is for the way Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig handled an obnoxious cell-phone user in the middle of their sold-out play, A Steady Rain - now one of the hottest tickets on Broadway. But the clapping for the play itself isn't nearly as passionate. "It all comes across like an elongated pitch meeting for an over caffeinated buddy-cop movie that might be directed by Sidney Lumet or Martin Scorsese," writes Reuters critic Frank Scheck. The play, in which the pair play cops in love with the same woman, has broken the...
- 9/30/2009
- by Michael Y. Park
- PEOPLE.com
Summer season is over, so what should we be looking forward to before the bell strikes on New Years Eve? These are our 15 most anticipated new movies, 2009.
Inglourious Basterds – released 21 August 2009
After the chop-socky homage of Kill Bill: Volume One, the spaghetti western styling of its sequel, and the mock-sploitation schlock of the Death Proof segment of Grindhouse, Quentin Tarantino’s tour of blood-letting movie genres now takes him to occupied France, with the rapid-yakking auteur delivering his response to such behind-enemy-lines WWII flicks as Robert Aldrich’s The Dirty Dozen and indeed the 1978 Inglorious Bastards (of which Tarantino’s movie shares naught but the (ahem) bastardised version of its title). Inglourious Basterds premiered at Cannes earlier this year to a somewhat muddled response. While the performance of Christopher Waltz as Nazi rotter Hans Landa drew praise, as did the irreverent audacity of Tarantino’s take on the most traumatic conflict in global history,...
Inglourious Basterds – released 21 August 2009
After the chop-socky homage of Kill Bill: Volume One, the spaghetti western styling of its sequel, and the mock-sploitation schlock of the Death Proof segment of Grindhouse, Quentin Tarantino’s tour of blood-letting movie genres now takes him to occupied France, with the rapid-yakking auteur delivering his response to such behind-enemy-lines WWII flicks as Robert Aldrich’s The Dirty Dozen and indeed the 1978 Inglorious Bastards (of which Tarantino’s movie shares naught but the (ahem) bastardised version of its title). Inglourious Basterds premiered at Cannes earlier this year to a somewhat muddled response. While the performance of Christopher Waltz as Nazi rotter Hans Landa drew praise, as did the irreverent audacity of Tarantino’s take on the most traumatic conflict in global history,...
- 8/19/2009
- by Paul Martin
- Movie-moron.com
20 Most Anticipated Movies Still to Come In 2009 At the beginning of the year I made a list of my Top 15 Most Anticipated Films of 2009. Of that list I have now seen five of them. Nine out of the remaining ten made this list as I bumped Alejandro Amenabar's Agora since it has still yet to get picked up by a distributor due to rather weak reactions out of the Cannes Film Festival. However, a few films have made their way onto this list thanks to strong film festival reactions as I have put together a list of 20 films to look forward to as we move into the final six months of 2009. One film I didn't include merely because it is coming out next week and I felt it would be a wasted space is Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. I am undoubtedly anticipating seeing it and had it been...
- 7/9/2009
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Without a doubt, the hands-down best movie related magazine on the market is Empire. Every month they bring news, reviews, interviews and many more things ending in ‘-ews’.
This month they have released their list of the 500 greatest movies of all time, as voted for by both the general public, directors such as Quentin Tarantino, and ‘industry insiders’ i.e. everyone on the Empire payroll. They are billing it as the ‘biggest movie poll of all time’.
Looking at the list of the top 50, it’s nice to see genre favorites like Evil Dead II, This is Spinal Tap and Terminator 2 in there rubbing shoulders with the likes of Schindler’s List and 2001: A Space Odyssey. Also it’s good to see that Raiders of the Lost Ark has taken it’s rightful place above Star Wars in the list (I’m amazed how often the obviously superior ‘Raiders...
This month they have released their list of the 500 greatest movies of all time, as voted for by both the general public, directors such as Quentin Tarantino, and ‘industry insiders’ i.e. everyone on the Empire payroll. They are billing it as the ‘biggest movie poll of all time’.
Looking at the list of the top 50, it’s nice to see genre favorites like Evil Dead II, This is Spinal Tap and Terminator 2 in there rubbing shoulders with the likes of Schindler’s List and 2001: A Space Odyssey. Also it’s good to see that Raiders of the Lost Ark has taken it’s rightful place above Star Wars in the list (I’m amazed how often the obviously superior ‘Raiders...
- 10/7/2008
- by Dom Duncombe
- Movie-moron.com
The Toronto International Film Festival has announced a whole load of films, including many world premiers, to be added as part of their lineups. Some of the more interesting looking ones are Lance Daly's Kisses about two Irish kids who run away from home and deal with the dark underside of Dublin. Another film I'm definitely interested in is Scott McGehee and David Siegel's Uncertainty which stars one of my personal favorites, Joseph Gordon-Levitt. It's about a couple in love who find out she's pregnant and they flip a coin from where it apparently follows both possible storylines, but with the same disastrous consequences. Also screening will be Fabrice du Welz's Vinyan (trailer here) which is about a couple who lost their son in a Tsunami and won't give up looking for him. In the Discovery program, the stop-motion animation $9.99 which is about a man seeking the meaning to life.
- 8/14/2008
- QuietEarth.us
Toronto -- The Toronto International Film Festival stepped into the "Lymelife" on Thursday, scheduling a world premiere for the Derick Martini dramedy in its Discovery sidebar.
The indie film, executive produced by Martin Scorsese and starring Alec Baldwin and Emma Roberts, portrays life in late 1970s Long Island through the eyes of a 15-year-old (Rory Culkin).
Other world premieres booked for the Discovery section include Brian Goodman's "What Doesn't Kill You," an autobiographical crime drama starring Ethan Hawke and Mark Ruffalo; Tatia Rosenthal's stop-motion animated film "$9.99"; Matt Aselton's "Gigantic," starring Paul Dano and John Goodman; Nik Fackler's Christmas romance "Lovely, Still," toplined by Martin Landau and Ellen Burstyn; and Cyrus Nowrasteh's "The Stoning of Soraya M," which stars Oscar nominee Shohreh Aghdashloo.
Also Toronto bound are Maria Govan's "Rain," Norwegian filmmaker Eva Sorhaug's "Cold Lunch," Hajime Kadoi's "Vacation" and British director Duane Hopkins' "Better Things."
Toronto earlier announced Steve McQueen's "Hunger," Barry Jenkins' "Medicine for Melancholy" and Gabriel Medina's "The Paranoids" for the sidebar.
The indie film, executive produced by Martin Scorsese and starring Alec Baldwin and Emma Roberts, portrays life in late 1970s Long Island through the eyes of a 15-year-old (Rory Culkin).
Other world premieres booked for the Discovery section include Brian Goodman's "What Doesn't Kill You," an autobiographical crime drama starring Ethan Hawke and Mark Ruffalo; Tatia Rosenthal's stop-motion animated film "$9.99"; Matt Aselton's "Gigantic," starring Paul Dano and John Goodman; Nik Fackler's Christmas romance "Lovely, Still," toplined by Martin Landau and Ellen Burstyn; and Cyrus Nowrasteh's "The Stoning of Soraya M," which stars Oscar nominee Shohreh Aghdashloo.
Also Toronto bound are Maria Govan's "Rain," Norwegian filmmaker Eva Sorhaug's "Cold Lunch," Hajime Kadoi's "Vacation" and British director Duane Hopkins' "Better Things."
Toronto earlier announced Steve McQueen's "Hunger," Barry Jenkins' "Medicine for Melancholy" and Gabriel Medina's "The Paranoids" for the sidebar.
- 8/14/2008
- by By Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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