The Simpsons is truly one of the most brilliantly-written animated series ever created. Having been on the air since 1989, it has covered so many different but equally amazing storylines that no other show can boast of.
Everyone knows that The Simpsons is also a show that somehow predicted many things that would happen in reality long before they actually did, but today we are going to talk about something else that the show did and still does perfectly.
The Simpsons is a show that has some sort of pop culture reference, if not in every episode, then definitely in a bunch of them every season. And here we have 5 of them that have aged like fine wine.
1. The Shining
Every season of The Simpsons has a special episode called Treehouse of Horror, and in season 6 it went all the way using Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining as a script for the episode.
Everyone knows that The Simpsons is also a show that somehow predicted many things that would happen in reality long before they actually did, but today we are going to talk about something else that the show did and still does perfectly.
The Simpsons is a show that has some sort of pop culture reference, if not in every episode, then definitely in a bunch of them every season. And here we have 5 of them that have aged like fine wine.
1. The Shining
Every season of The Simpsons has a special episode called Treehouse of Horror, and in season 6 it went all the way using Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining as a script for the episode.
- 6/9/2024
- by info@startefacts.com (Rachel Bailey)
- STartefacts.com
Christopher Nolan is one of the definitive filmmakers of this generation. The Oscar-winning director recently made the biopic Oppenheimer, which won big at the Academy Awards this year. The director is known for his blockbuster films, which are as cerebral as they are thrilling and have garnered a loyal worldwide fanbase.
Nolan has also been a vocal supporter of other films. While he has professed his love for Stanley Kubrick, he has also appreciated films that are not considered high art such as the Fast and the Furious franchise. However, one film that reportedly blew his mind was Emma Stone’s 2016 musical La La Land, for which she won her first Academy Award.
Christopher Nolan Watched La La Land Multiple Times In The Theater Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone in La La Land | Credits: Summit Entertainment/Marc Platt Productions/Impostor Pictures/Gilbert Films
Musicals are usually a hit or miss,...
Nolan has also been a vocal supporter of other films. While he has professed his love for Stanley Kubrick, he has also appreciated films that are not considered high art such as the Fast and the Furious franchise. However, one film that reportedly blew his mind was Emma Stone’s 2016 musical La La Land, for which she won her first Academy Award.
Christopher Nolan Watched La La Land Multiple Times In The Theater Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone in La La Land | Credits: Summit Entertainment/Marc Platt Productions/Impostor Pictures/Gilbert Films
Musicals are usually a hit or miss,...
- 6/9/2024
- by Nishanth A
- FandomWire
Most discussions of Stanley Kubrick's 1971 sci-fi satire "A Clockwork Orange" eventually allude to the film's copious violence. The film's protagonist, Alex DeLarge (Malcolm McDowell) is an amoral 15-year-old delinquent who sees the world as the kindling to ignite the furnace of his drug-laced, sex-crazed, bloodthirsty appetites. He spends his days skipping school, and his nights leading his street gang, the Droogs, into various brutal misadventures. The Droogs pummel other gangs, beat up homeless people for no reason, and even invade people's homes to commit sexual assault.
For Alex, there is nothing else in the world besides his capacity to destroy it. When he listens to his favorite piece of music — Beethoven's Ninth Symphony — his mind disappears into a pit of depravity. He imagines himself as a gleeful vampire. Later in the film, when he reads the New Testament, he can most closely relate to the Roman soldiers whipping Christ.
For Alex, there is nothing else in the world besides his capacity to destroy it. When he listens to his favorite piece of music — Beethoven's Ninth Symphony — his mind disappears into a pit of depravity. He imagines himself as a gleeful vampire. Later in the film, when he reads the New Testament, he can most closely relate to the Roman soldiers whipping Christ.
- 6/8/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
In the wake of a slow return to production post WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, industry contraction, and an extended M&a deal for a major studio that has kept the whole town on pins and needles, Hollywood really needs a break. Creatives and executives alike were hoping for a boost in the form of a strong summer box office, but after almost every blockbuster released in the last month failed to meet expectations, a panic that’s been in place for a while now refuses to relent. As the traditional process of producing and distributing film and television hurdles towards oblivion, the best thing one can do is take a step back and gain some perspective. Ironically enough, I believe the best place to do this is actually… at a movie theater. Just not the kind you’re probably thinking of.
While first-run mega-chains like AMC and Regal struggle through the...
While first-run mega-chains like AMC and Regal struggle through the...
- 6/8/2024
- by Harrison Richlin
- Indiewire
Back in 1990, soon after his divorce from Mimi Rogers, fans found the perfect ship as the next best power couple in Hollywood: Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. A pair like one made in heaven, these two lovebirds were seen together almost everywhere and fans couldn’t help but swoon looking at them being so in love with each other.
But then something went wrong, and this ship crashed.
Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman in Eyes Wide Shut. | Credit: Warner Bros.
While that came as a devastating blow to his fans, friends, and family, it seems that Cruise was even more heartbroken by how the course of events had turned out for him and his now ex-wife back in the day.
In fact, if anything, the heart-rending way he responded to questions about their split during interviews perfectly sums up the love and utter respect he had for Kidman in his heart.
But then something went wrong, and this ship crashed.
Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman in Eyes Wide Shut. | Credit: Warner Bros.
While that came as a devastating blow to his fans, friends, and family, it seems that Cruise was even more heartbroken by how the course of events had turned out for him and his now ex-wife back in the day.
In fact, if anything, the heart-rending way he responded to questions about their split during interviews perfectly sums up the love and utter respect he had for Kidman in his heart.
- 6/8/2024
- by Mahin Sultan
- FandomWire
Clockwise from top left: “Weapon Of Choice,” Fatboy Slim feat. Bootsy Collins; “Karma Police,” Radiohead; “Losing My Religion,” R.E.M.; “Vogue,” MadonnaScreenshot: Fatboy Slim; Radiohead; Remhq; Madonna (YouTube)
In a post-MTV world, it’s easy to write off the music video as an eternally lost art. While that may be true in some ways,...
In a post-MTV world, it’s easy to write off the music video as an eternally lost art. While that may be true in some ways,...
- 6/7/2024
- by Emma Keates
- avclub.com
The strongest viewership of Netflix’s Bridgerton proved people still rave about period titles and, in particular, intricate stories, set in the 18-19th centuries. Besides, before the success of this series, we saw such gems of the 2010s, as Mia Wasikowska’s Jane Eyre (2011), Nicole Kidman’s The Beguiled (2017) and Saoirse Ronan’s Little Women (2019).
However, there is a female-led period movie that stands out among all of them. Back in 2018, it amazed the audience by its perfect mix of black comedy elements, deep drama, impeccable acting performances and quite an authentic atmosphere and tone.
Set in the early 18th century during the long war of England against France, the movie starts by introducing us to Queen Anne, who is in poor health and isn’t interested in governing at all. The one who is really into it is Sarah Churchill, her advisor and lover.
Lady Sarah, who appears to be Duchess of Marlborough,...
However, there is a female-led period movie that stands out among all of them. Back in 2018, it amazed the audience by its perfect mix of black comedy elements, deep drama, impeccable acting performances and quite an authentic atmosphere and tone.
Set in the early 18th century during the long war of England against France, the movie starts by introducing us to Queen Anne, who is in poor health and isn’t interested in governing at all. The one who is really into it is Sarah Churchill, her advisor and lover.
Lady Sarah, who appears to be Duchess of Marlborough,...
- 6/6/2024
- by info@startefacts.com (Ava Raxa)
- STartefacts.com
Explore Steve Martin’s Life and Career The Road to Stardom: How Steve Martin Became Famous 10. The Jerk (1979) – 83% Score 9. All of Me (1984) – 85% Score 8. Roxanne (1987) – 88% Score 7. The Spanish Prisoner (1997) – 89% Score 6. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988) – 89% Score 5. Little Shop of Horrors (1986) – 90% Score 4. L.A. Story (1991) – 91% Score 3. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (1987) – 92% Score 2. Parenthood (1989) – 92% Score 1. Only Murders in the Building (2021-Current) – 99% Score
Steve Martin has donned many hats in the entertainment industry throughout his prolific career.
As a writer, comedian, musician, actor, and so much more, this extremely talented creator has always made us smile. At 78 years old, Steve Martin hasn’t let his age hold him back and has continued to flex his comedic acting muscles without slowing down.
As this beloved actor’s birthday passes and we continue to laugh at his outrageous performances, we thought it’d be a joy to look back at this masterful amuser’s career so far.
With such a...
Steve Martin has donned many hats in the entertainment industry throughout his prolific career.
As a writer, comedian, musician, actor, and so much more, this extremely talented creator has always made us smile. At 78 years old, Steve Martin hasn’t let his age hold him back and has continued to flex his comedic acting muscles without slowing down.
As this beloved actor’s birthday passes and we continue to laugh at his outrageous performances, we thought it’d be a joy to look back at this masterful amuser’s career so far.
With such a...
- 6/6/2024
- by Anne De Guia
- Your Next Shoes
Albert Brooks: Defending My Life pays tribute to a pioneer whose irreverent humor has spanned late night TV, comedy albums, features, animated voice work and a novel. But what makes the film sing is the extended rap session between Brooks and his dear friend Rob Reiner, who directed the HBO documentary. The Hollywood legends met as teenagers at Beverly Hills High School, and Reiner structures the film around a lunch in which they swap anecdotes and punchlines about Brooks’ influential career. It’s an energizing way to frame what might otherwise be just another gushy celebrity profile.
Onscreen, Brooks tells stories about the early days of Saturday Night Live and Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show, his friendships with Carrie Fisher and Stanley Kubrick, the seven movies he’s written and directed and the marriage that made him a new father in his 50s. Many of today’s wry humorists owe a debt to Brooks,...
Onscreen, Brooks tells stories about the early days of Saturday Night Live and Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show, his friendships with Carrie Fisher and Stanley Kubrick, the seven movies he’s written and directed and the marriage that made him a new father in his 50s. Many of today’s wry humorists owe a debt to Brooks,...
- 6/3/2024
- by Matthew Jacobs
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Following his groundbreaking adaptation of Dune, filmmaker Denis Villeneuve is poised to set even higher standards with his upcoming take on Arthur C. Clarke’s revered novel, Rendezvous With Rama. Initially announced in 2021, the filmmaker has shared that its development is underway, as he navigates other projects, including Cleopatra and the Dune threequel, all of which are concurrently in the writing stages.
Filmmaker Denis Villeneuve | Credit: Deadline Hollywood via YouTube
However, the adaptation of Clarke’s iconic science fiction narrative has already marked a significant milestone, as after being pursued by esteemed filmmakers in the industry, an adaptation has finally progressed to the development phase under Villeneuve’s direction.
Rendezvous With Rama Faced a Decade of Developmental Challenges
Rendezvous With Rama revolves around a group of explorers, aboard the spaceship The Endeavor, as they set out to investigate a massive cylindrical alien starship entering the Solar System. Arthur C. Clarke’s novel explores various narratives,...
Filmmaker Denis Villeneuve | Credit: Deadline Hollywood via YouTube
However, the adaptation of Clarke’s iconic science fiction narrative has already marked a significant milestone, as after being pursued by esteemed filmmakers in the industry, an adaptation has finally progressed to the development phase under Villeneuve’s direction.
Rendezvous With Rama Faced a Decade of Developmental Challenges
Rendezvous With Rama revolves around a group of explorers, aboard the spaceship The Endeavor, as they set out to investigate a massive cylindrical alien starship entering the Solar System. Arthur C. Clarke’s novel explores various narratives,...
- 6/2/2024
- by Laxmi Rajput
- FandomWire
by Nick Taylor
Hey, you there! Yeah, you! How well do you think you know your wife? Your partner? The human being you consider your most intimate companion, someone you trust so implicitly that you may in fact take for granted the idea that they have as many mysteries and desires as you yourself do? If you’re laboring under such delusions and need a stark reminder of such realities, then do I have a movie and a performance for you! Our celebration of Nicole Kidman’s ‘90s uprising has reached its conclusion with Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut...
Hey, you there! Yeah, you! How well do you think you know your wife? Your partner? The human being you consider your most intimate companion, someone you trust so implicitly that you may in fact take for granted the idea that they have as many mysteries and desires as you yourself do? If you’re laboring under such delusions and need a stark reminder of such realities, then do I have a movie and a performance for you! Our celebration of Nicole Kidman’s ‘90s uprising has reached its conclusion with Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut...
- 6/2/2024
- by Nick Taylor
- FilmExperience
Before Universal Pictures even spent a single penny on producing its planned "Exorcist" trilogy, the studio had already shelled out an eye-watering $400 million for the rights to make the trilogy. So, when David Gordon Green's "The Exorcist: Believer" was widely panned in reviews and grossed $136.2 million worldwide, there was a change of plans.
We already knew that Green wouldn't be returning to direct the next sequel, and we recently learned that beloved modern horror maestro Mike Flanagan ("The Haunting of Hill House") had been recruited to replace him. Now, Morgan Creek and Blumhouse have put out a press release to emphasize that the trilogy concept is caput. Flanagan's movie will not be a sequel to "The Exorcist: Believer," but a "radical new take" on the source material.
By the sounds of it, Flanagan came in with a strong pitch. "I immediately responded to Mike's new take on the world...
We already knew that Green wouldn't be returning to direct the next sequel, and we recently learned that beloved modern horror maestro Mike Flanagan ("The Haunting of Hill House") had been recruited to replace him. Now, Morgan Creek and Blumhouse have put out a press release to emphasize that the trilogy concept is caput. Flanagan's movie will not be a sequel to "The Exorcist: Believer," but a "radical new take" on the source material.
By the sounds of it, Flanagan came in with a strong pitch. "I immediately responded to Mike's new take on the world...
- 5/29/2024
- by Hannah Shaw-Williams
- Slash Film
If you've never sought out the truth behind sci-fi movies and TV shows, you've probably never believed what was happening on your screen. From traveling through time and space to discovering aliens, the genre can have a lot of twists and turns that are hard to imagine in real life.
But you'd be surprised how far science has come and how close humanity is to making these fictional stories real. Here are 10 sci-fi TV shows and movies that aren't true, but could have happened in real life.
Alien (1979)
Ridley Scott's Alien is one of those movies you don't want to believe could ever come true. However, there is one detail that does seem realistic. If space travel becomes as common as we think it will, the spaceships won't all look like a brand new yacht in the sky. The luxury ships will be for the rich, while the rest...
But you'd be surprised how far science has come and how close humanity is to making these fictional stories real. Here are 10 sci-fi TV shows and movies that aren't true, but could have happened in real life.
Alien (1979)
Ridley Scott's Alien is one of those movies you don't want to believe could ever come true. However, there is one detail that does seem realistic. If space travel becomes as common as we think it will, the spaceships won't all look like a brand new yacht in the sky. The luxury ships will be for the rich, while the rest...
- 5/27/2024
- by virginia-singh@startefacts.com (Virginia Singh)
- STartefacts.com
45 years ago, Alien became one of the most iconic films in science fiction history, cementing its legacy with the unforgettable chestburster scene. Even renowned director Stanley Kubrick was awestruck and curious about how this legendary moment was achieved. The film, directed by Ridley Scott, has been praised for its intense atmosphere and groundbreaking effects. The Genius Behind the Gory Scene Director Ridley Scott knew how crucial it was to make the chestburster scene shockingly realistic. He is quoted saying, I always said to the kids, keep watching in the film because the actors are really gonna perform now. The...
- 5/26/2024
- by Steve Delikson
- TVovermind.com
Throughout the years of his work, Stephen King has surely got enough acclaim from his readers and the world’s critics, but not that much of recognition from the cinema’s biggest awards institution.
There’s a whole collection of movies and shows that were successfully adapted from Stephen King’s most famous novels, but only one of the films, Misery, starring Kathy Bates, made it to winning an Oscar for Best Actress back in 1991.
Though the Academy is somewhat discreet when it comes to celebrating horror flicks, King still resents Hollywood’s essential award for not giving a chance to his novel’s adaptation that he himself considers one of the best.
Back in 2007, King’s 1999 short story titled 1408 was transformed into a psychological thriller of the same name. Starring John Cusack, the movie follows Mike Enslin who got everyone’s acclaim for his firm disbelief in the supernatural,...
There’s a whole collection of movies and shows that were successfully adapted from Stephen King’s most famous novels, but only one of the films, Misery, starring Kathy Bates, made it to winning an Oscar for Best Actress back in 1991.
Though the Academy is somewhat discreet when it comes to celebrating horror flicks, King still resents Hollywood’s essential award for not giving a chance to his novel’s adaptation that he himself considers one of the best.
Back in 2007, King’s 1999 short story titled 1408 was transformed into a psychological thriller of the same name. Starring John Cusack, the movie follows Mike Enslin who got everyone’s acclaim for his firm disbelief in the supernatural,...
- 5/26/2024
- by benjamin-patel@startefacts.com (Benjamin Patel)
- STartefacts.com
When it comes to the horror genre, few films have been as iconic and chilling as Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining. Based on Stephen King’s novel of the same name, it has become one of the best horror films of all time, since its initial release in 1980.
A still from The Shining | Credit: Warner Bros.
However, long before his visionary adaptation of King’s novel graced the silver screen, his audacious and bold advertising plans in his quest to make the world’s scariest movie, almost cost him the iconic psychological horror film.
Stanley Kubrick’s Risky Pitch For Making World’s Scariest Film
After exploring several genres in the early stages of his career, Stanley Kubrick became intrigued by the idea of delving into horror with an ambition to make the ultimate spine-chilling experience for audiences, a film so terrifying it would send them fleeing from theaters in fear.
A still from The Shining | Credit: Warner Bros.
However, long before his visionary adaptation of King’s novel graced the silver screen, his audacious and bold advertising plans in his quest to make the world’s scariest movie, almost cost him the iconic psychological horror film.
Stanley Kubrick’s Risky Pitch For Making World’s Scariest Film
After exploring several genres in the early stages of his career, Stanley Kubrick became intrigued by the idea of delving into horror with an ambition to make the ultimate spine-chilling experience for audiences, a film so terrifying it would send them fleeing from theaters in fear.
- 5/25/2024
- by Laxmi Rajput
- FandomWire
Stephen King had a very public dislike towards Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of his novel The Shining. He believed that Kubrick’s version had no real heart in it as he changed some of the fundamental elements in the book. The difference in their adaptation came from King and Kubrick’s view of good and evil. King believed in the Biblical demarcations of good and evil, while Kubrick did not believe in hell.
Jack Nicholson in a still from The Shining | The Producer Circle Company
The character Jack Torrance, played by Jack Nicholson, had psychopathic tendencies which made him a terrifying character in the movie. However, King’s novel suggests that external evil forces played a crucial role in the insanity of the character.
Stephen King v. Stanley Kubrick Over The Shining Had One Deep Reason Stephen King (credits: Stephanie Lawton | Wikimedia Commons)
Stanley Kubrick and Stephen King had two...
Jack Nicholson in a still from The Shining | The Producer Circle Company
The character Jack Torrance, played by Jack Nicholson, had psychopathic tendencies which made him a terrifying character in the movie. However, King’s novel suggests that external evil forces played a crucial role in the insanity of the character.
Stephen King v. Stanley Kubrick Over The Shining Had One Deep Reason Stephen King (credits: Stephanie Lawton | Wikimedia Commons)
Stanley Kubrick and Stephen King had two...
- 5/25/2024
- by Hashim Asraff
- FandomWire
The darkness enveloped me, and despite the summer heat outside, the air in the building was cool. I sat in silence, intently focused, anticipating what happened next, but not quite prepared. I tensed up upon seeing the spectral woman directly ahead of me. She silently floated, translucent and seemingly unaware — until at last facing me and lunging with a guttural growl as her face distorted into some horrific entity.
This memory is entirely true; it is a ghost story, but not one that took place in a haunted house. Rather, the setting was a haunted library, projected on screen in a movie theater during one of my many viewings of Ghostbusters.
Released 40 years ago on June 8, 1984 — the same day as Gremlins and three weeks after Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom — Ghostbusters became a pop-culture phenomenon and box office juggernaut. Written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis — inspired by...
This memory is entirely true; it is a ghost story, but not one that took place in a haunted house. Rather, the setting was a haunted library, projected on screen in a movie theater during one of my many viewings of Ghostbusters.
Released 40 years ago on June 8, 1984 — the same day as Gremlins and three weeks after Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom — Ghostbusters became a pop-culture phenomenon and box office juggernaut. Written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis — inspired by...
- 5/24/2024
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
‘If you see one movie this summer, see Star Wars. If you see a second, see Austin Powers.’ Thus spake trailer-man, in the teaser for Mike Myers’s upcoming comedy sequel, and to a great extent, that’s exactly what happened in the summer of 1999. Well, almost.
The 20th century was running out of time and that summer was impatiently filled with as many tantalising prospects as any big movie season in recent memory. It appeared to be the summer of comebacks. Following Terrence Malick’s long-awaited return to directing in the recently-released The Thin Red Line, Summer ’99 would see not only George Lucas but Stanley Kubrick making their much-delayed encores – though we knew by then that this was actually Kubrick’s swan song.
An exercise in peak-nostalgia seemed inevitable, but the season proved to be full of surprises. None more so than the success of that second Austin Powers film,...
The 20th century was running out of time and that summer was impatiently filled with as many tantalising prospects as any big movie season in recent memory. It appeared to be the summer of comebacks. Following Terrence Malick’s long-awaited return to directing in the recently-released The Thin Red Line, Summer ’99 would see not only George Lucas but Stanley Kubrick making their much-delayed encores – though we knew by then that this was actually Kubrick’s swan song.
An exercise in peak-nostalgia seemed inevitable, but the season proved to be full of surprises. None more so than the success of that second Austin Powers film,...
- 5/24/2024
- by Cai Ross
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Hollywood’s beauty queen Nicole Kidman has been thoroughly successful throughout her more than forty-year-old and counting career, scoring roles in nearly every genre there is, including the superhero ones as well. Decades before starring in Dceu’s Aquaman film series, she also scored the role of Dr. Chase Meridian alongside Val Kilmer’s Caped Crusader in 1995’s Batman Forever.
Nicole Kidman. | Credit: Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia Commons.
But, surprisingly enough, she was never supposed to get cast in that movie because the role was written for someone else. However, she eventually ended up making her way into the movie and it was all because of the film’s director, Joel Schumacher, who was so obsessed with working with her that he cast her in the role despite claiming she was not fit to play the seductive doctor!
Nicole Kidman was in Val Kilmer’s Batman Forever Because of Joel Schumacher
Back in the early 1990s,...
Nicole Kidman. | Credit: Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia Commons.
But, surprisingly enough, she was never supposed to get cast in that movie because the role was written for someone else. However, she eventually ended up making her way into the movie and it was all because of the film’s director, Joel Schumacher, who was so obsessed with working with her that he cast her in the role despite claiming she was not fit to play the seductive doctor!
Nicole Kidman was in Val Kilmer’s Batman Forever Because of Joel Schumacher
Back in the early 1990s,...
- 5/24/2024
- by Mahin Sultan
- FandomWire
"One-Eyed Jacks" might have been Marlon Brando's sole directing stint, but the 1961 western comes as close to perfection as possible within the confines of the genre. A high-stakes robbery acts as a catalyst for the dramatic ebb and flow that defines the unforgettable story, where a man contends with the heinous betrayal by his mentor, the father figure who has shaped him into the person he is today. This brooding, brokenhearted man, Rio (Brando) flits between vengeance and forgiveness, with a budding romance complicating the instinctual need to settle scores the old-fashioned way. The film is also stunning to behold, its gaze lingering on beautiful landscapes that blend the romanticism of Westerns with the naturalistic impulses within its complicated characters.
The making of such an intense, kinetic drama was filled with roadblocks, and Brando was not involved with it from the get-go. "One-Eyed Jacks" was initially intended to function...
The making of such an intense, kinetic drama was filled with roadblocks, and Brando was not involved with it from the get-go. "One-Eyed Jacks" was initially intended to function...
- 5/24/2024
- by Debopriyaa Dutta
- Slash Film
For the past three years, the American Cinematheque has presented “Bleak Week,” an annual festival devoted to the greatest films ever made about the darkest side of humanity. This year, the festival will not only be unspooling in Los Angeles June 1 – 7 — with special guests including Al Pacino, Lynne Ramsay, Charlie Kaufman, and Karyn Kusama — but will travel to New York for the first time with a week of screenings at the historic Paris Theater starting June 9.
“We are honored to co-present ‘Bleak Week: New York’ in partnership with one of the most beautiful movie palaces in the world,” Cinematheque artistic director Grant Moninger told IndieWire. “This year, over 10,000 people will attend ‘Bleak Week: Year 3’ in Los Angeles, proving that audiences are hungry for such powerful and confrontational cinema. Many people thought they were alone in their desire to explore films with uncomfortable truths, but the truth is that they are part of a large community,...
“We are honored to co-present ‘Bleak Week: New York’ in partnership with one of the most beautiful movie palaces in the world,” Cinematheque artistic director Grant Moninger told IndieWire. “This year, over 10,000 people will attend ‘Bleak Week: Year 3’ in Los Angeles, proving that audiences are hungry for such powerful and confrontational cinema. Many people thought they were alone in their desire to explore films with uncomfortable truths, but the truth is that they are part of a large community,...
- 5/23/2024
- by Jim Hemphill
- Indiewire
Irvin Kershner-directed The Empire Strikes Back from the Star Wars franchise is one of the highly recognized movies but it has a lot of behind-the-screen moments that would reshape the very outline of the movie. Thanks to the mastermind behind the franchise, George Lucas fans got the best treatment from the 1980 movie.
Yoda. Credit: 20th Century Studios
The Empire Strikes Back has undergone several changes before reaching the final product. Written by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan from the story developed by Lucas had different plans for the iconic character, Yoda who would later make several appearances throughout the Star Wars franchise.
George Lucas’ Original Plan For Yoda Was Different
Jedi Master Yoda. Credit: 20th Century Studios
Legendary filmmaker and the father of the Star Wars franchise, George Lucas, had a different plan for Yoda— a small, green humanoid alien and a Jedi Master— and that would have potentially...
Yoda. Credit: 20th Century Studios
The Empire Strikes Back has undergone several changes before reaching the final product. Written by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan from the story developed by Lucas had different plans for the iconic character, Yoda who would later make several appearances throughout the Star Wars franchise.
George Lucas’ Original Plan For Yoda Was Different
Jedi Master Yoda. Credit: 20th Century Studios
Legendary filmmaker and the father of the Star Wars franchise, George Lucas, had a different plan for Yoda— a small, green humanoid alien and a Jedi Master— and that would have potentially...
- 5/23/2024
- by Lachit Roy
- FandomWire
While these are more space fantasy than true sci-fi, the genre's core purpose is to offer commentary on our present and possible future. Films like Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, Christopher Nolan's Interstellar, and Ridley Scott's The Martian are exemplary in their scientific fidelity. However, one film stands out for its unparalleled accuracy: Ron Howard's Apollo 13.
The Story of the Failed, Yet Heroic Flight to the Moon
"Apollo 13" is not your typical sci-fi movie but rather a science space drama with fictional elements, dramatizing the perilous events of the April 1970 space mission. Directed by Ron Howard, known for films like Willow, A Beautiful Mind, and The Da Vinci Code, and written by William Broyles Jr. and Al Reinert, the movie meticulously recreates the dangerous mission.
The film's all-star cast, including Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, Gary Sinise, and Ed Harris, delivers stellar...
The Story of the Failed, Yet Heroic Flight to the Moon
"Apollo 13" is not your typical sci-fi movie but rather a science space drama with fictional elements, dramatizing the perilous events of the April 1970 space mission. Directed by Ron Howard, known for films like Willow, A Beautiful Mind, and The Da Vinci Code, and written by William Broyles Jr. and Al Reinert, the movie meticulously recreates the dangerous mission.
The film's all-star cast, including Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, Gary Sinise, and Ed Harris, delivers stellar...
- 5/22/2024
- by louise.everitt@startefacts.com (Louise Everitt)
- STartefacts.com
Artificial Intelligence is taking over the world slowly but surely. Many people have started losing their jobs because they are being replaced left and right by AI systems which seem to do hours of work in a few seconds. Needless to say, AI is as much a bane as it is a boon. Steven Spielberg was one of the first to give an insight into a world with advanced AI in his 2001 film A.I. Artificial Intelligence.
Steven Spielberg’s A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001) | DreamWorks Pictures
In a recent interview, Malcolm X colleagues Spike Lee and Giancarlo Esposito opened up about artificial intelligence and the danger it poses to both the film industry and the world. While Spike Lee admitted that A.I. Artificial Intelligence was his introduction to AI, Giancarlo Esposito was firm in his belief that no matter how much technology advances, you will never be able to replace the “soulfulness” of human beings.
Steven Spielberg’s A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001) | DreamWorks Pictures
In a recent interview, Malcolm X colleagues Spike Lee and Giancarlo Esposito opened up about artificial intelligence and the danger it poses to both the film industry and the world. While Spike Lee admitted that A.I. Artificial Intelligence was his introduction to AI, Giancarlo Esposito was firm in his belief that no matter how much technology advances, you will never be able to replace the “soulfulness” of human beings.
- 5/22/2024
- by Mishkaat Khan
- FandomWire
The Empire Strikes Back remains one of the most iconic films of all time and arguably the best Star Wars film. As a result, many fans might be surprised to learn that the film was shot simultaneously with another iconic horror film the Stanley Kubrick directed The Shining. However, the latter was responsible for adversely affecting The Empire Strikes Back.
The Empire Strikes Back shared studio space with The Shining (Image credit: Lucasfilm).
The Empire Strikes Back and The Shining were shot at the same studio, where they shared some studio space. However, after an unforeseen accident caused the decimation of the Kubrick film’s sets, George Lucas had to give up some of the studio space reserved for the production of his much-awaited Star Wars sequel. Here is how The Shining led to troubles for The Empire Strikes Back‘s production.
Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining Messed Up George...
The Empire Strikes Back shared studio space with The Shining (Image credit: Lucasfilm).
The Empire Strikes Back and The Shining were shot at the same studio, where they shared some studio space. However, after an unforeseen accident caused the decimation of the Kubrick film’s sets, George Lucas had to give up some of the studio space reserved for the production of his much-awaited Star Wars sequel. Here is how The Shining led to troubles for The Empire Strikes Back‘s production.
Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining Messed Up George...
- 5/22/2024
- by Pratik Handore
- FandomWire
Prior to directing "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" in 1989, Jeremiah S. Chechik had overseen many, many TV commercials, as well as the music videos for Van Halen's "When It's Love" and Hall & Oates' "Downtown Life." Chechik knew the commercial world well, having begun his career as a fashion photographer for Vogue, and having worked as a designer. After "Christmas Vacation," his career flourished, and he turned out many notable, high-profile films like "Benny & Joon," "Tall Tale: The Unbelievable Adventures of Pecos Bill," the English-language remake of "Diabolique," and the sexy film adaptation of "The Avengers." After that, he moved mostly into TV, and has directed dozens of episodes of many, many acclaimed shows.
His movement from music videos into feature films, however, began in an unlikely way, and Chechik credits his big break on a flippant, sarcastic comment made by master director Stanley Kubrick. It seems that Kubrick, when...
His movement from music videos into feature films, however, began in an unlikely way, and Chechik credits his big break on a flippant, sarcastic comment made by master director Stanley Kubrick. It seems that Kubrick, when...
- 5/22/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Nicolas Cage is going to star in the upcoming independent horror film titled Longlegs. While the film looks very modern, it’s actually a throwback to one Old Hollywood icon. Interestingly the director of Longlegs has a major connection to the icon in question.
Nicolas Cage’s ‘Longlegs’ was inspired by 1 of the best directors ever
Longlegs will be directed by Oz Perkins. So far, Perkins is most famous for his films I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House and Gretel & Hansel. During a 2020 interview with Polygon, Perkins discussed Longlegs, saying it was inspired by the work of cinematic legend Alfred Hitchcock. Hitchcock is remembered for horror films and thrillers such as Psycho, The Birds, Rear Window, Vertigo, and North by Northwest. His movies often have good humor and a psychosexual subtext. Hitchcock might be the most acclaimed director of all time, with Stanley Kubrick being his only real rival.
Nicolas Cage’s ‘Longlegs’ was inspired by 1 of the best directors ever
Longlegs will be directed by Oz Perkins. So far, Perkins is most famous for his films I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House and Gretel & Hansel. During a 2020 interview with Polygon, Perkins discussed Longlegs, saying it was inspired by the work of cinematic legend Alfred Hitchcock. Hitchcock is remembered for horror films and thrillers such as Psycho, The Birds, Rear Window, Vertigo, and North by Northwest. His movies often have good humor and a psychosexual subtext. Hitchcock might be the most acclaimed director of all time, with Stanley Kubrick being his only real rival.
- 5/22/2024
- by Matthew Trzcinski
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
For a biopic about Donald Trump, The Apprentice is surprisingly concerned with other things. The film has exactly what you might expect and somehow a curiosity around every corner, a familiar historical intrigue firmly planted in a tonal shock. The shock comes from its subtlety and perspective, the latter of which has a unique bent for a film about an ex-President debuting in an election year that spotlights his third campaign.
As you can imagine, there’s no shortage of American directors looking to cinematically take down Trump. But, for now, none of them get to. At least not as blatantly as Ali Abbasi, the international director who won the job to tell the story of the debased mogul from the early ’70s to the mid-80s.
The Apprentice––aptly named after both the reality TV show Trump (Sebastian Stan) created and young Trump’s relationship with Roy Cohn––marks...
As you can imagine, there’s no shortage of American directors looking to cinematically take down Trump. But, for now, none of them get to. At least not as blatantly as Ali Abbasi, the international director who won the job to tell the story of the debased mogul from the early ’70s to the mid-80s.
The Apprentice––aptly named after both the reality TV show Trump (Sebastian Stan) created and young Trump’s relationship with Roy Cohn––marks...
- 5/21/2024
- by Luke Hicks
- The Film Stage
There is a subgenre that basks in the creaturely natures of girls and women. Forget the ethereal sisters of “The Virgin Suicides” for here are some hot messes. Found in the literature of Shirley Jackson, Angela Carter and Deborah Levy and in films by Josephine Decker and Luna Carmoon, this is a mode of characterisation that delights in stripping away the illusion of a “fairer sex” in order to marinate in the feminine grotesque.
Ariane Labed’s entry to this canon, her directorial feature debut “September Says,” is infused with her own history as a Greek New Wave actress. There are shades of her break-out role in Yorgos Lanthimos’ claustrophobic family drama “Dogtooth” and a callback to her animal impressions in Athina Rachel Tsangari’s sublime, underrated “Attenberg.” Otherwise, Labed follows the sketchy map laid out by Daisy Johnson’s source novel, “Sisters.”
September (Pascale Kann) is older than her...
Ariane Labed’s entry to this canon, her directorial feature debut “September Says,” is infused with her own history as a Greek New Wave actress. There are shades of her break-out role in Yorgos Lanthimos’ claustrophobic family drama “Dogtooth” and a callback to her animal impressions in Athina Rachel Tsangari’s sublime, underrated “Attenberg.” Otherwise, Labed follows the sketchy map laid out by Daisy Johnson’s source novel, “Sisters.”
September (Pascale Kann) is older than her...
- 5/21/2024
- by Sophie Monks Kaufman
- Indiewire
The episode of Wtf Happened to This Horror Movie? covering The Vanishing was Written and Narrated by Mike Holtz, Edited by Juan Jimenez, Produced by Andrew Hatfield and John Fallon, and Executive Produced by Berge Garabedian.
Expectations can be a funny thing when it comes to movies. Go into a theater with absolutely no inhibitions about what you’re about to witness and you’re likely to have a far better time than if you were watching a sequel you’ve built up expectations for in your mind. Remakes? Forget it. One would wager that the likelihood of you enjoying a remake of a film that you already enjoyed in its original packaging is a considerable amount lower than had you never seen the original. For obvious reasons. This brings me to today’s topic: a 1993 American remake of the French-Dutch film Spoorlos that was attacked by many for being...
Expectations can be a funny thing when it comes to movies. Go into a theater with absolutely no inhibitions about what you’re about to witness and you’re likely to have a far better time than if you were watching a sequel you’ve built up expectations for in your mind. Remakes? Forget it. One would wager that the likelihood of you enjoying a remake of a film that you already enjoyed in its original packaging is a considerable amount lower than had you never seen the original. For obvious reasons. This brings me to today’s topic: a 1993 American remake of the French-Dutch film Spoorlos that was attacked by many for being...
- 5/20/2024
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Does the Academy hate horror? "Hate" is probably a strong word, but it's not unfair to say the Academy has at least an aversion to the genre. With the notable exception of Jonathan Demme's "The Silence of the Lambs," which swept the Oscars and won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay, the Oscars tend to overlook or ignore horror movies altogether. For (recent) example: many people thought Toni Collette should've at least nabbed a nomination for her incredible work in Ari Aster's "Hereditary," but that didn't happen.
Stephen King knows a thing or two about horror movies, especially since most of his books have been adapted to the screen. When it comes to King's movie adaptations, only one has achieved Oscar glory: "Misery," which earned Kathy Bates a Best Actress Oscar. But if King had his way, another one of his movies would've been recognized by the Academy,...
Stephen King knows a thing or two about horror movies, especially since most of his books have been adapted to the screen. When it comes to King's movie adaptations, only one has achieved Oscar glory: "Misery," which earned Kathy Bates a Best Actress Oscar. But if King had his way, another one of his movies would've been recognized by the Academy,...
- 5/19/2024
- by Chris Evangelista
- Slash Film
New generation fans of Tom Cruise were shocked to learn that he was part of many of the fighter jet stunts in his 2022 film, Top Gun: Maverick. However, little do they know about the challenges he had to face inside real jets during the filming of the first film, Top Gun, which was released in 1986. During the training sessions, Cruise was paired with Lieutenant Commander Lloyd ‘Bozo’ Abel, who was a badass fighter jet pilot in the U.S. Navy.
Tom Cruise in a still from Top Gun (1986) | Jerry Bruckheimer Films
The Mission: Impossible actor had one hell of an adventure with Bozo and he revealed one particular experience he had inside an F14 Jet. Bozo went for a daring maneuver just when Cruise had finished chucking in a plastic bag, throwing him off balance in the jet.
Tom Cruise Couldn’t Handle The F14 Jet Ride During His First Time...
Tom Cruise in a still from Top Gun (1986) | Jerry Bruckheimer Films
The Mission: Impossible actor had one hell of an adventure with Bozo and he revealed one particular experience he had inside an F14 Jet. Bozo went for a daring maneuver just when Cruise had finished chucking in a plastic bag, throwing him off balance in the jet.
Tom Cruise Couldn’t Handle The F14 Jet Ride During His First Time...
- 5/18/2024
- by Hashim Asraff
- FandomWire
Tim Blake Nelson, the talented actor known for his roles in The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, who is also set to appear in the upcoming Captain America: Brave New World, has opened up about his experience being cut from Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two. Appearing on the Inside of You podcast, Nelson recalled being heartbroken when his role was ultimately cut from the final version of Dune 2.
Tim Blake Nelson in The Ballad of Buster Scruggs | Annapurna Television/Netflix
However, while addressing his heartbreaking cut from Dune: Part Two, Tim Blake Nelson mentioned how his experience bears a striking resemblance to the legendary story of Stanley Kubrick’s compassionate firing of a mystery actor. Nelson discussed how his story runs parallel with Kubrick’s incident of firing an unnamed actor from Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman’s 1999 film, Eyes Wide Shut.
Stanley Kubrick’s Unusual Approach to Firing...
Tim Blake Nelson in The Ballad of Buster Scruggs | Annapurna Television/Netflix
However, while addressing his heartbreaking cut from Dune: Part Two, Tim Blake Nelson mentioned how his experience bears a striking resemblance to the legendary story of Stanley Kubrick’s compassionate firing of a mystery actor. Nelson discussed how his story runs parallel with Kubrick’s incident of firing an unnamed actor from Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman’s 1999 film, Eyes Wide Shut.
Stanley Kubrick’s Unusual Approach to Firing...
- 5/18/2024
- by Krittika Mukherjee
- FandomWire
There are horror movies that don’t dive straight into the most frightening parts with all those jumpscares, loud sounds and rivers of blood. On the contrary, they set a chilling atmosphere of danger coming to swallow the characters and create a never-ending sense of unease quite slowly through perfectly developing suspense.
Here are 7 slow-burn horror must-watches, handpicked by Reddit.
The Wicker Man (1973)
First comes the cultish genre’s staple that follows a Christian detective during the investigation of the disappearance of a pagan tribe’s girl. It creates a very unsettling and even paranoidal atmosphere by blending mythical elements with onscreen reality.
Funny Games (2007)
Naomi Watts and Tim Roth’s psychological horror is a perfect example of a movie that takes time for the full extent of the terror to be revealed on screen. It focuses on a couple who get captured and tormented by two young criminals on their vacation.
Here are 7 slow-burn horror must-watches, handpicked by Reddit.
The Wicker Man (1973)
First comes the cultish genre’s staple that follows a Christian detective during the investigation of the disappearance of a pagan tribe’s girl. It creates a very unsettling and even paranoidal atmosphere by blending mythical elements with onscreen reality.
Funny Games (2007)
Naomi Watts and Tim Roth’s psychological horror is a perfect example of a movie that takes time for the full extent of the terror to be revealed on screen. It focuses on a couple who get captured and tormented by two young criminals on their vacation.
- 5/17/2024
- by info@startefacts.com (Ava Raxa)
- STartefacts.com
Surreal. That’s how Misan Harriman describes his first time at the Academy Awards earlier this year. Six years before, his wife had bought him a Fujifilm X100 for his 40th birthday and encouraged him to start taking pictures with it. Then there he was, surrounded by the global industry’s most overachieving, himself an Oscar-nominated director.
He had always loved film, having been raised on ’80s and ’90s cinema like The Lost Boys, Big Trouble in Little China and Stand By Me. He describes Home Alone, of all things, as “more than entertainment for troubled kids like me,” and will share his connection to the classic movie’s study of “trauma response” and the way it, and films like it, saved him. Born in Nigeria in 1977, Harriman was the only Black kid at his British boarding school. “With my kind of neurodiversity, I’m not supposed to be good at anything,...
He had always loved film, having been raised on ’80s and ’90s cinema like The Lost Boys, Big Trouble in Little China and Stand By Me. He describes Home Alone, of all things, as “more than entertainment for troubled kids like me,” and will share his connection to the classic movie’s study of “trauma response” and the way it, and films like it, saved him. Born in Nigeria in 1977, Harriman was the only Black kid at his British boarding school. “With my kind of neurodiversity, I’m not supposed to be good at anything,...
- 5/17/2024
- by Joe Utichi
- Deadline Film + TV
This article contains no spoilers for House Of The Dragon season 2. But it does broadly allude to events from the source material Fire & Blood.
House of the Dragon season 2 is merely one month away from its June 16 premiere on HBO. As such, many fresh tidbits are beginning to trickle out about the next batch episodes for the Game of Thrones prequel.
The latest, and most substantial download of information arrived yesterday in the form of a massive, revealing new trailer and an equally massive, revealing feature from Entertainment Weekly. While we’ve already delved into the former, there’s a detail hidden in the later that deserves further exploration.
Amid EW‘s sprawling, well-written report focusing on House of the Dragon stars Emma D’Arcy (Rhaenyra Targaryen) and Olivia Cooke (Alicent Hightower), there’s a passage from series writer Sara Hess that invokes an unlikely source of inspiration for season 2: The Shining.
House of the Dragon season 2 is merely one month away from its June 16 premiere on HBO. As such, many fresh tidbits are beginning to trickle out about the next batch episodes for the Game of Thrones prequel.
The latest, and most substantial download of information arrived yesterday in the form of a massive, revealing new trailer and an equally massive, revealing feature from Entertainment Weekly. While we’ve already delved into the former, there’s a detail hidden in the later that deserves further exploration.
Amid EW‘s sprawling, well-written report focusing on House of the Dragon stars Emma D’Arcy (Rhaenyra Targaryen) and Olivia Cooke (Alicent Hightower), there’s a passage from series writer Sara Hess that invokes an unlikely source of inspiration for season 2: The Shining.
- 5/16/2024
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
Fight Club, Zodiac, The Social Network, Gone Girl. There's hardly anyone who hasn't seen, let alone heard, all of these movies and the name of the man behind them, David Fincher. From Alien 3 to The Killer with Michael Fassbender, from House of Cards to Love, Death & Robots, Fincher's career is now in its fourth decade and his films have collectively grossed over $2.1 billion. But of course, no matter how original his work, even a director as innovative as Fincher is inspired by the achievements of filmmakers who came before him. Here is a list of 26 films that David Fincher has cited as his favorites.
26 Must-See Movies David Fincher Loves
26. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
25. Chinatown
24. Dr. Strangelove
23. The Godfather Part II
22. Taxi Driver
21. Being There
20. Alien
19. Rear Window
18. Jaws
17. Lawrence of Arabia
16. Zelig
15. Cabaret
14. All That Jazz
13. Paper Moon
12. All the President's Men
11. Citizen Kane
10. 8½
9. The Graduate...
26 Must-See Movies David Fincher Loves
26. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
25. Chinatown
24. Dr. Strangelove
23. The Godfather Part II
22. Taxi Driver
21. Being There
20. Alien
19. Rear Window
18. Jaws
17. Lawrence of Arabia
16. Zelig
15. Cabaret
14. All That Jazz
13. Paper Moon
12. All the President's Men
11. Citizen Kane
10. 8½
9. The Graduate...
- 5/16/2024
- by louise.everitt@startefacts.com (Louise Everitt)
- STartefacts.com
Oh, Canada debuting this week on the Croisette is high time to see lesser-seen Schrader on the Criterion Channel, who’ll debut an 11-title series including the likes of Touch, The Canyons, and Patty Hearst, while Old Boyfriends (written with his brother Leonard) and his own “Adventures in Moviegoing” are also programmed. Five films by Jean Grémillon, a rather underappreciated figure of French cinema, will be showing
Series-wise, there’s an appreciation of the synth soundtrack stretching all the way back to 1956’s Forbidden Planet while, naturally, finding its glut of titles in the ’70s and ’80s––Argento and Carpenter, obviously, but also Tarkovsky and Peter Weir. A Prince and restorations of films by Bob Odenkirk, Obayashi, John Greyson, and Jacques Rivette (whose Duelle is a masterpiece of the highest order) make streaming debuts. I Am Cuba, Girlfight, The Royal Tenenbaums, and Dazed and Confused are June’s Criterion Editions.
Series-wise, there’s an appreciation of the synth soundtrack stretching all the way back to 1956’s Forbidden Planet while, naturally, finding its glut of titles in the ’70s and ’80s––Argento and Carpenter, obviously, but also Tarkovsky and Peter Weir. A Prince and restorations of films by Bob Odenkirk, Obayashi, John Greyson, and Jacques Rivette (whose Duelle is a masterpiece of the highest order) make streaming debuts. I Am Cuba, Girlfight, The Royal Tenenbaums, and Dazed and Confused are June’s Criterion Editions.
- 5/14/2024
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
The most notorious unmade Stanley Kubrick project is probably his "Napoleon," a massive biopic that the director infamously researched for years. In 2012, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art hosted a Kubrick exhibit, and guests were permitted to see Kubrick's filing cabinet where he stored thousands of hand-written notecards, each one detailing a single day in Napoleon Bonaparte's life. Kubrick worked on "Napoleon" in the 1970s, and claimed he wanted Jack Nicholson to play the part. Kubrick wrote a screenplay, secured filming locations in Romania, and was all ready to go. The 1970 film "Waterloo" bombed, however, and the then-recent film version of "War and Peace" threatened to flood the market with too much Napoleon. A lot of Kubrick's "Napoleon" research went into the production of 1975's "Barry Lyndon."
Kubrick's unrealized projects are plentiful. Audiences may also know all about Kubrick's plans to make "A.I.: Artificial Intelligence" near the end of his life,...
Kubrick's unrealized projects are plentiful. Audiences may also know all about Kubrick's plans to make "A.I.: Artificial Intelligence" near the end of his life,...
- 5/14/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
This article was originally published in Empire in October 2020
There’s never been a filmmaker like Roger Corman – putting some of the wildest premises in Hollywood history onto the screen, igniting the careers of countless fellow cinematic legends, and continuing to create against all the odds. Following his death at the age of 98, Empire presents our 2020 interview with the man himself – looking back on his wildest career moves, sharing his vital rules for making movies, and detailing the projects he still had in the works. Because even in his 90s, Corman was giving his all to cinema.
No force on Earth has ever been able to stop Roger Corman. From the moment he bankrolled his first film, Monster From The Ocean Floor, back in 1954, he has worked at a velocity that makes even Ben Wheatley look like Stanley Kubrick. Churning out one low-budget genre flick after another, he’s given...
There’s never been a filmmaker like Roger Corman – putting some of the wildest premises in Hollywood history onto the screen, igniting the careers of countless fellow cinematic legends, and continuing to create against all the odds. Following his death at the age of 98, Empire presents our 2020 interview with the man himself – looking back on his wildest career moves, sharing his vital rules for making movies, and detailing the projects he still had in the works. Because even in his 90s, Corman was giving his all to cinema.
No force on Earth has ever been able to stop Roger Corman. From the moment he bankrolled his first film, Monster From The Ocean Floor, back in 1954, he has worked at a velocity that makes even Ben Wheatley look like Stanley Kubrick. Churning out one low-budget genre flick after another, he’s given...
- 5/13/2024
- by Nick de Semlyen
- Empire - Movies
Stanley Kubrick's 1971 dystopian sci-fi film "A Clockwork Orange" points out that a modern British society -- so devoted to stuffy manners, politeness, and keeping evil out of sight -- won't know how to deal with legitimate sociopaths. Alex DeLarge (Malcolm McDowell) is a violent little punk who regularly leads his teen gang -- the Droogs -- into fights, into bars that serve drug-laced milk, and into the locked homes of their victims. Alex beats and assaults people without a scrap of conscience, and sees the world as something to consume, use up, and have sex with. Kubrick toys with the audience a little, presenting Alex as charismatic and funny, even though he's a monster.
When Alex is finally apprehended for his many crimes, the juvenile delinquent is thrown into prison and subjected to a new kind of rehabilitation technique ... involving movies. Alex has his eyes clamped open and he...
When Alex is finally apprehended for his many crimes, the juvenile delinquent is thrown into prison and subjected to a new kind of rehabilitation technique ... involving movies. Alex has his eyes clamped open and he...
- 5/13/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Steven Spielberg's filmmaking techniques took a large bound forward in 2001 with the release of "A.I. Artificial Intelligence." The sci-fi film, set in a near future populated by conscious androids, was a project Spielberg took over from an ailing Stanley Kubrick, who passed on it when he felt Spielberg could do it better. In "A.I.," Spielberg's photography and editing were very different from the slick, adventure films and glossy prestige pictures he had become popular making. Now everything was hazy, staid, more deliberate.
Although he had already won three Oscars (two for "Schindler's List" and one for "Saving Private Ryan") and was widely considered to be a reigning master of Hollywood's blockbuster class, Spielberg evolved. After 2001, Spielberg's career bifurcated into dispassionate effects-based thrillers wherein the filmmaker was merely experimenting, and deeply passionate political thrillers that used the politics of the past to reflect on issues of the day.
The official...
Although he had already won three Oscars (two for "Schindler's List" and one for "Saving Private Ryan") and was widely considered to be a reigning master of Hollywood's blockbuster class, Spielberg evolved. After 2001, Spielberg's career bifurcated into dispassionate effects-based thrillers wherein the filmmaker was merely experimenting, and deeply passionate political thrillers that used the politics of the past to reflect on issues of the day.
The official...
- 5/12/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Nicole Kidman is not one of the highest-paid actresses in the world for no reason. With her consistently incredible work in film and television, the actress has time and again proved that she can do anything and everything, no matter the genre. Whether it’s a thriller like Destroyer or a rom-com like Just Go with It, Nicole Kidman knows just how to do justice to her roles.
Nicole Kidman in Just Go with It (2011)
She has also worked as a producer on many projects including Taylor Sheridan’s spy thriller, Special Ops: Lioness. The television series stars Zoe Saldaña in the lead role as Joe, a CIA officer in charge of the Lioness program. Nicole Kidman also has a supporting, yet pivotal role in the series, which was custom-made by Taylor Sheridan himself just so he could get the actress to come in front of the cameras for the show.
Nicole Kidman in Just Go with It (2011)
She has also worked as a producer on many projects including Taylor Sheridan’s spy thriller, Special Ops: Lioness. The television series stars Zoe Saldaña in the lead role as Joe, a CIA officer in charge of the Lioness program. Nicole Kidman also has a supporting, yet pivotal role in the series, which was custom-made by Taylor Sheridan himself just so he could get the actress to come in front of the cameras for the show.
- 5/12/2024
- by Mishkaat Khan
- FandomWire
The terror in "The Twilight Zone" always comes from "What if?" What if there was a little boy with way too much power for anyone to tell him "no"? What if what you thought of as Heaven turned out to be more like Hell? What if man-eating aliens arrived and made humans as docile as lambs to the slaughter?
These questions may be outrageous fantasy, but the terror of them is timeless. We still watch "The Twilight Zone" decades later, and the best episodes can still leave you chilled -- all thanks to the imagination of series creator Rod Serling.
Serling is synonymous with "The Twilight Zone" even for casual viewers; one could call him TV's first auteur. His reputation was as much thanks to his on-camera work as his writing. Serling was the narrator of "The Twilight Zone," introducing and closing out each episode. (He got the job after...
These questions may be outrageous fantasy, but the terror of them is timeless. We still watch "The Twilight Zone" decades later, and the best episodes can still leave you chilled -- all thanks to the imagination of series creator Rod Serling.
Serling is synonymous with "The Twilight Zone" even for casual viewers; one could call him TV's first auteur. His reputation was as much thanks to his on-camera work as his writing. Serling was the narrator of "The Twilight Zone," introducing and closing out each episode. (He got the job after...
- 5/12/2024
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
Jessica Hausner on the references to Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining and Roman Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby: “The idea behind Hotel [starring Franziska Weisz] was to use all those classical horror film elements on purpose, to put them together but to not lift the secret.”
In the second instalment with Jessica Hausner on three of her feature films before her latest, the bewitching Club Zero (European Film Award Best Original Score to Markus Binder), we move the conversation to Hotel, starring Franziska Weisz with Birgit Minichmayr (Michael Haneke’s The White Ribbon) and Lovely Rita with Barbara Osika as Rita, Wolfgang Kostal and Karina Brandlmayer as her parents, and Peter Fiala as her man of interest. The two films have the costumes, as always, designed by Tanja Hausner, cinematography by Martin Gschlacht, sound design by Erik Mischijew (Maren Ade’s multiple European Film...
In the second instalment with Jessica Hausner on three of her feature films before her latest, the bewitching Club Zero (European Film Award Best Original Score to Markus Binder), we move the conversation to Hotel, starring Franziska Weisz with Birgit Minichmayr (Michael Haneke’s The White Ribbon) and Lovely Rita with Barbara Osika as Rita, Wolfgang Kostal and Karina Brandlmayer as her parents, and Peter Fiala as her man of interest. The two films have the costumes, as always, designed by Tanja Hausner, cinematography by Martin Gschlacht, sound design by Erik Mischijew (Maren Ade’s multiple European Film...
- 5/11/2024
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Have you ever looked up at the night sky and wondered if any film could capture the awe-inspiring vastness of the cosmos? Many directors have soared through the stars in science fiction, but one visionary’s belief is as enduring as the galaxy itself. George Lucas, the renowned creator of the epic Star Wars, has a deep appreciation for a cinematic masterpiece that even his own galactic saga cannot match: Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey.
George Lucas [Photo: Joey Gannon/Wikimedia Commons]Lucas made cinematic history in 1977 with Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, an instant classic that catapulted science fiction to the forefront of popular culture. Despite his phenomenal success, he remains convinced that Kubrick’s 1968 magnum opus is an unmatched masterpiece, a celestial pinnacle that no filmmaker in the near future can hope to surpass.
The film starred Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood in the leading roles.
George Lucas [Photo: Joey Gannon/Wikimedia Commons]Lucas made cinematic history in 1977 with Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, an instant classic that catapulted science fiction to the forefront of popular culture. Despite his phenomenal success, he remains convinced that Kubrick’s 1968 magnum opus is an unmatched masterpiece, a celestial pinnacle that no filmmaker in the near future can hope to surpass.
The film starred Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood in the leading roles.
- 5/10/2024
- by Siddhika Prajapati
- FandomWire
Kung Fury— a 2015 English-language Swedish martial arts comedy film— is weirdly entertaining, the average critics’ consensus certified the movie fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with an impressive 86% score. Also, fans have showered their love for the David Sandberg (not to be confused with Shazam! director) written and directed movie.
Jorma Taccone as Adolf Hitler in Kung Fury
As the movie claimed the astounding accolades, there was inherently another installment in the making. The sequel of the Sandberg-led movie who played the title character, also starred Arnold Schwarzenegger. However, Kung Fury 2 has never seen the light of day. Jorma Taccone played the notorious historical figure, Adolf Hitler and the actor was heartbroken as the movie was hidden from the public forever.
Jorma Taccone Was Heartbroken After Kung Fury 2’s Release Was Scrapped Jorma Taccone as Adolf Hitler in Kung Fury
Jorma Taccone played a comic version of Adolf Hitler, Kung Fuhrer,...
Jorma Taccone as Adolf Hitler in Kung Fury
As the movie claimed the astounding accolades, there was inherently another installment in the making. The sequel of the Sandberg-led movie who played the title character, also starred Arnold Schwarzenegger. However, Kung Fury 2 has never seen the light of day. Jorma Taccone played the notorious historical figure, Adolf Hitler and the actor was heartbroken as the movie was hidden from the public forever.
Jorma Taccone Was Heartbroken After Kung Fury 2’s Release Was Scrapped Jorma Taccone as Adolf Hitler in Kung Fury
Jorma Taccone played a comic version of Adolf Hitler, Kung Fuhrer,...
- 5/8/2024
- by Lachit Roy
- FandomWire
On the indie side of filmmaking life, Sean Price Williams has seen it all. He’s worked with the Safdies, Alex Ross Perry, Nathan Silver, Robert Green, and Athina Rachel Tsangari, and often more than once. He’s the premier chronicler of New York City independent movies behind the camera, typically shooting on celluloid, and bringing surreal, gritty poetry to character-driven stories that feel on the ground like portraits of versions of ourselves.
One of the most unabashedly movie-loving cinematographers working today, Williams last year moved to directing for the sprawling, scratchy-edged tale of East Coast youth, “The Sweet East,” which remains in theaters and features stars like Jacob Elordi, Simon Rex, Jeremy O. Harris, and Ayo Edebiri.
But even more recently than that directorial debut, he released a “1000 Movies” book via Metrograph Editions, a simple, unadorned paperback that offers, rather than commentary, pages listing his favorite essential films and...
One of the most unabashedly movie-loving cinematographers working today, Williams last year moved to directing for the sprawling, scratchy-edged tale of East Coast youth, “The Sweet East,” which remains in theaters and features stars like Jacob Elordi, Simon Rex, Jeremy O. Harris, and Ayo Edebiri.
But even more recently than that directorial debut, he released a “1000 Movies” book via Metrograph Editions, a simple, unadorned paperback that offers, rather than commentary, pages listing his favorite essential films and...
- 5/7/2024
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
One of the greatest visionary directors that Hollywood had the privilege of hosting, Stanley Kubrick revolutionized the process of filmmaking for the foreseeable future. The director of such instant classics as 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, and The Shining got around to claiming Tom Cruise, the biggest movie star in the world, in one of his movies shortly before his death.
Eyes Wide Shut [Credit: Warner Bros.]
Although the collaboration was short-lived and tragically bookended, their project was anything but less than glorious. Their 1999 film, Eyes Wide Shut, categorized as an erotic mystery thriller, marked the end of an era – both for Kubrick and the deteriorating relationship between the lead glamorous couple, Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman.
Nicole Kidman Recalls Her Great Stanley Kubrick Regret
At the advent of her career, the Australian model Nicole Kidman, with her wild red mane and tall lanky figure, was considered a far...
Eyes Wide Shut [Credit: Warner Bros.]
Although the collaboration was short-lived and tragically bookended, their project was anything but less than glorious. Their 1999 film, Eyes Wide Shut, categorized as an erotic mystery thriller, marked the end of an era – both for Kubrick and the deteriorating relationship between the lead glamorous couple, Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman.
Nicole Kidman Recalls Her Great Stanley Kubrick Regret
At the advent of her career, the Australian model Nicole Kidman, with her wild red mane and tall lanky figure, was considered a far...
- 5/7/2024
- by Diya Majumdar
- FandomWire
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