A movie marathon with our favorite auteurs? Where do we sign up?
Turner Classic Movies’ latest limited series “Two for One” features curated double features coupled with commentary from select guest programmers like Martin Scorsese, Paul Thomas Anderson, Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, and more. The upcoming TCM series is hosted by Ben Mankiewicz, who will interview each director about why they chose to highlight their two chosen films.
“Two for One” will feature 12 nights of double features, beginning April 6. With the logline “two films, one filmmaker, countless perspectives,” the series is set to span all of cinematic history. Directors will offer commentary on the double feature’s cultural significance, its influence on other films, behind-the-scenes stories, and their own personal reflections.
Martin Scorsese kicks off the show with a conversation comparing “Blood on the Moon” and “One Touch of Venus.” The following week, actress/director Olivia Wilde picks “Auntie Mame” and 1976 documentary “Grey Gardens.
Turner Classic Movies’ latest limited series “Two for One” features curated double features coupled with commentary from select guest programmers like Martin Scorsese, Paul Thomas Anderson, Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, and more. The upcoming TCM series is hosted by Ben Mankiewicz, who will interview each director about why they chose to highlight their two chosen films.
“Two for One” will feature 12 nights of double features, beginning April 6. With the logline “two films, one filmmaker, countless perspectives,” the series is set to span all of cinematic history. Directors will offer commentary on the double feature’s cultural significance, its influence on other films, behind-the-scenes stories, and their own personal reflections.
Martin Scorsese kicks off the show with a conversation comparing “Blood on the Moon” and “One Touch of Venus.” The following week, actress/director Olivia Wilde picks “Auntie Mame” and 1976 documentary “Grey Gardens.
- 3/8/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Turner Classic Movies have announced a new limited series, Two for One, that will feature 12 nights of double features curated by some of the most celebrated filmmakers in Hollywood beginning April 6. TCM Primetime Host Ben Mankiewicz will be joined by each director, including Paul Thomas Anderson, Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Todd Haynes, Spike Lee, Nicole Holofcener, and Rian Johnson, to introduce the two films they chose. They will offer commentary on the double feature’s cultural significance, its influence on other films, behind-the-scenes stories, and their own personal reflections.
“This was such an eclectic group of filmmakers to sit down with, which was invigorating, from Martin Scorsese talking about a Robert Mitchum western, to Spike Lee discussing Elia Kazan, to Olivia Wilde’s breakdown of Rosalind Russell in Auntie Mame,” said Ben Mankiewicz. “In these double features, these 12 directors lead us on an insider’s journey through cinematic history.”
See...
“This was such an eclectic group of filmmakers to sit down with, which was invigorating, from Martin Scorsese talking about a Robert Mitchum western, to Spike Lee discussing Elia Kazan, to Olivia Wilde’s breakdown of Rosalind Russell in Auntie Mame,” said Ben Mankiewicz. “In these double features, these 12 directors lead us on an insider’s journey through cinematic history.”
See...
- 3/8/2024
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
World-renowned director Steven Spielberg was at the height of his career when he made the Oscar-winning film "Schindler's List," but he wasn't the only filmmaker who was interested in adapting the novel of the same name for the silver screen. The acclaimed director Billy Wilder, an auteur of classic Hollywood cinema who penned and directed such renowned films as "The Apartment" and "Sunset Boulevard," was also vying for the rights to turn this story into a movie. However, by the time Thomas Keneally's evocative historical novel was published in 1993, Wilder's career was already winding down.
For a long time, Wilder enjoyed one of the most prosperous careers in Hollywood. His Oscar-nominated 1944 film "Double Indemnity" is considered the signal film of noir cinema and the model of the femme fatale trope. After Wilder's smashing success "Sunset Boulevard" earned three Oscars in 1951, he quickly went on to release several star vehicles...
For a long time, Wilder enjoyed one of the most prosperous careers in Hollywood. His Oscar-nominated 1944 film "Double Indemnity" is considered the signal film of noir cinema and the model of the femme fatale trope. After Wilder's smashing success "Sunset Boulevard" earned three Oscars in 1951, he quickly went on to release several star vehicles...
- 3/4/2024
- by Shae Sennett
- Slash Film
Arthur Schmidt, 2-time Academy Award-winning editor and longtime collaborator of Robert Zemeckis, died this past Saturday at the age of 86, his brother Ron announced.
Schmidt’s four-decade career includes some of the biggest films of the late 20th Century, including Zemeckis’ “Back to the Future” trilogy, “Contact” and “Cast Away.” He also received his two Oscars for “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” and “Forrest Gump,” the latter of which won Best Picture.
Born in Los Angeles, Schmidt’s career followed in the footsteps of his father, Arthur P. Schmidt, who also had a decorated editing career with films like “Ace in the Hole,” “Sabrina,” “Some Like It Hot,” and Billy Wilder’s legendary noir “Sunset Boulevard.”
The younger Schmidt’s career didn’t start until after his father’s death in 1965, working as an apprentice and assistant editor throughout the 1970s including on films like “Jaws 2.” His big breakthrough came...
Schmidt’s four-decade career includes some of the biggest films of the late 20th Century, including Zemeckis’ “Back to the Future” trilogy, “Contact” and “Cast Away.” He also received his two Oscars for “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” and “Forrest Gump,” the latter of which won Best Picture.
Born in Los Angeles, Schmidt’s career followed in the footsteps of his father, Arthur P. Schmidt, who also had a decorated editing career with films like “Ace in the Hole,” “Sabrina,” “Some Like It Hot,” and Billy Wilder’s legendary noir “Sunset Boulevard.”
The younger Schmidt’s career didn’t start until after his father’s death in 1965, working as an apprentice and assistant editor throughout the 1970s including on films like “Jaws 2.” His big breakthrough came...
- 8/7/2023
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
Arthur Schmidt, the two-time Oscar-winning film editor who collaborated with director Robert Zemeckis on 10 films, including Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Forrest Gump and the Back to the Future trilogy, has died. He was 86.
Schmidt died Saturday of an unknown cause at his home in Santa Barbara, his brother Ron Schmidt told The Hollywood Reporter.
The second-generation film editor also cut three Mike Nichols features — The Fortune (1975), The Birdcage (1996) and Primary Colors (1998) — and two helmed by Michael Apted — Coal Miner’s Daughter (1980), for which he received his first Oscar nom, and Firstborn (1984).
His résumé over four decades included work on Marathon Man (1976), Jaws 2 (1978), Ruthless People (1986), Beaches (1988), The Rocketeer (1991), The Last of the Mohicans (1992) and Congo (1995), and he was brought in for three months to help tidy up the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie in 2003.
Schmidt received his Academy Awards in 1989 for Who Framed Roger Rabbit and in 1995 for Forrest Gump,...
Schmidt died Saturday of an unknown cause at his home in Santa Barbara, his brother Ron Schmidt told The Hollywood Reporter.
The second-generation film editor also cut three Mike Nichols features — The Fortune (1975), The Birdcage (1996) and Primary Colors (1998) — and two helmed by Michael Apted — Coal Miner’s Daughter (1980), for which he received his first Oscar nom, and Firstborn (1984).
His résumé over four decades included work on Marathon Man (1976), Jaws 2 (1978), Ruthless People (1986), Beaches (1988), The Rocketeer (1991), The Last of the Mohicans (1992) and Congo (1995), and he was brought in for three months to help tidy up the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie in 2003.
Schmidt received his Academy Awards in 1989 for Who Framed Roger Rabbit and in 1995 for Forrest Gump,...
- 8/7/2023
- by Rhett Bartlett
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Mr. Wilder And Me author Jonathan Coe with Anne-Katrin Titze: “I love Powell and Pressburger, so I was very happy to get in a reference to them.”
With Film Forum’s Written and Directed By Billy Wilder tribute, programmed by Bruce Goldstein, starting next week in New York, Jonathan Coe’s Mr. Wilder And Me is the perfect summer read.
Jonathan Coe on Fedora: “The imagery always reminds me of that Georges Franju film Eyes Without A Face.”
In the first instalment with the author we discuss Christoph Waltz as Billy Wilder in Stephen Frears’ yet-to-be-filmed adaptation of Jonathan’s novel; meeting Volker Schlöndorff just before the Covid lockdown; the images of Nicolas Roeg’s Don’t Look Now staying with him; a connection between Georges Franju’s [film id=13604]Eyes Without A...
With Film Forum’s Written and Directed By Billy Wilder tribute, programmed by Bruce Goldstein, starting next week in New York, Jonathan Coe’s Mr. Wilder And Me is the perfect summer read.
Jonathan Coe on Fedora: “The imagery always reminds me of that Georges Franju film Eyes Without A Face.”
In the first instalment with the author we discuss Christoph Waltz as Billy Wilder in Stephen Frears’ yet-to-be-filmed adaptation of Jonathan’s novel; meeting Volker Schlöndorff just before the Covid lockdown; the images of Nicolas Roeg’s Don’t Look Now staying with him; a connection between Georges Franju’s [film id=13604]Eyes Without A...
- 7/8/2023
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
William Holden may have won his only Academy Award for Billy Wilder’s “Stalag 17,” but he wasn’t the first choice to play Sefton, the cynical sergeant who is a one-man black market at a German Pow camp. Originally, Charlton Heston was going to headline the film. Heston was red-hot at the time coming off his flashy starring role in Cecil B. DeMille’s Oscar winning 1952 circus epic “The Great Show on Earth.” But as Wilder and co-writer Edwin Blum were working on the script for the film, which premiered on July 1, 1953 in New York and two weeks later in Los Angeles, the character became darker and more disparaging; They realized Heston wasn’t right for the part
The AFI catalog noted that supposedly Wilder went to Kirk Douglas who had starred in Wilder’s 1951 “Ace in the Hole,” a masterpiece that flopped badly when released. After he turned...
The AFI catalog noted that supposedly Wilder went to Kirk Douglas who had starred in Wilder’s 1951 “Ace in the Hole,” a masterpiece that flopped badly when released. After he turned...
- 7/3/2023
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Billy Wilder was the six-time Oscar winner who left behind a series of classically quotable features from Hollywood’s Golden Age, crafting sharp witted and darkly cynical stories that blended comedy and pathos in equal measure. Let’s take a look back at 25 of his greatest films, ranked worst to best.
Wilder was born to a family of Austrian Jews in 1906. After working as a journalist, he developed an interest in filmmaking and collaborated on the silent feature “People on Sunday” (1929) with fellow rookies Fred Zinnemann, Robert Siodmak and Edgar G. Ulmer. With the rise of Adolph Hitler, Wilder fled to Paris, where he co-directed the feature “Mauvaise Graine” (1934). Tragically, his mother, stepfather and grandmother all died in the Holocaust.
After moving to Hollywood, Wilder enjoyed a successful career as a screenwriter, earning Oscar nominations for penning 1939’s “Ninotchka” and 1941’s “Hold Back the Dawn” and “Ball of Fire.” He...
Wilder was born to a family of Austrian Jews in 1906. After working as a journalist, he developed an interest in filmmaking and collaborated on the silent feature “People on Sunday” (1929) with fellow rookies Fred Zinnemann, Robert Siodmak and Edgar G. Ulmer. With the rise of Adolph Hitler, Wilder fled to Paris, where he co-directed the feature “Mauvaise Graine” (1934). Tragically, his mother, stepfather and grandmother all died in the Holocaust.
After moving to Hollywood, Wilder enjoyed a successful career as a screenwriter, earning Oscar nominations for penning 1939’s “Ninotchka” and 1941’s “Hold Back the Dawn” and “Ball of Fire.” He...
- 6/17/2023
- by Zach Laws and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
In the proliferation of subgenres, the media noir is perhaps the rarest. From the ’50s alone, Billy Wilder’s Ace in the Hole, Fritz Lang’s While the City Sleeps, and Alexander Mackendrick’s Sweet Smell of Success spring to mind. Just lately, with the exception of Dan Gilroy’s Nightcrawler (2014), there hasn’t been too much evidence of a renaissance, but Roxine Helberg’s satisfying feature debut taps back into the same dark wells of oral ambivalence corruption and power, casting the excellent Bel Powley as a journalism student who will do whatever it takes to make it in the cut-throat world of TV news broadcasting.
It’s possible that the media noir was supplanted by the white-knight school of journalism movies, which has been going strong since All the President’s Men (1976) and struck Oscar gold as recently as 2015’s Spotlight But that was in the dinosaur print era,...
It’s possible that the media noir was supplanted by the white-knight school of journalism movies, which has been going strong since All the President’s Men (1976) and struck Oscar gold as recently as 2015’s Spotlight But that was in the dinosaur print era,...
- 6/12/2023
- by Damon Wise
- Deadline Film + TV
[Warning: The below contains Major spoilers for the Rabbit Hole Season 1 finale “Ace in the Hole.”] While the Rabbit Hole Season 1 finale did wrap up some threads, it also left us wanting more. John (Kiefer Sutherland) has a new team and seems to have found love with Hailey (Meta Golding). He and his dad Ben (Charles Dance) are on much better terms. Crowley is dead (maybe). But there’s someone else running things, as Ben learns when he finds that in-ear comm at the end. Executive producers, writers, and directors John Requa and Glenn Ficarra answer our burning questions and tease what could be next if the series is renewed. Can you confirm that was Crowley and he is dead? Because Charles Dance told me not to trust the finale and then there was that in-ear comm that Ben found and someone was on the other end… John Requa & Glenn Ficarra: That’s a tough one. Let’s...
- 5/9/2023
- TV Insider
I reckon that I was not alone in thinking that, as Paramount+’s Rabbit Hole uncorked its season finale, at least one of the twists would involve someone not being who we thought them to be.
That, for example, maybe Ben — somehow — was also Crowley? Or we’d get a [Movie Title Redacted]-ian reveal that a character was purely in twitchy Weir’s imagination all along.
More from TVLineNicole Kidman and Zoe Saldaña's Spy Thriller Special Ops: Lioness Releases First Photos, Eyes Summer PremiereFatal Attraction Premiere Recap: Are You Tempted to Watch More? Grade It!Drag Race Reveals All Stars 8 Judges,...
That, for example, maybe Ben — somehow — was also Crowley? Or we’d get a [Movie Title Redacted]-ian reveal that a character was purely in twitchy Weir’s imagination all along.
More from TVLineNicole Kidman and Zoe Saldaña's Spy Thriller Special Ops: Lioness Releases First Photos, Eyes Summer PremiereFatal Attraction Premiere Recap: Are You Tempted to Watch More? Grade It!Drag Race Reveals All Stars 8 Judges,...
- 5/7/2023
- by Matt Webb Mitovich
- TVLine.com
[Warning: The below contains Major spoilers for the Rabbit Hole Season 1 finale “Ace in the Hole.”] Unsurprisingly, the Rabbit Hole finale was one reveal after another. Among the big ones: John’s (Kiefer Sutherland) ex-wife is an operative; his real wife left him after his competitor kidnapped her. He, Ben (Charles Dance), Hailey (Meta Golding), and Homm (Rob Yang) do stop Crowley’s plan. But, as the finale ends, Ben, after killing Crowley, finds a comm in his ear… Sutherland does a deep dive on John at the end of the season. The first season was so good, and I need to see more with these characters. Kiefer Sutherland: Thank you so much. John [Requa] and Glenn [Ficarra] certainly did an amazing job with developing all of those characters, and they are so rich. It’s so funny, if I run into someone on the street, the first thing that they seem to talk about is, “Oh my gosh, I...
- 5/7/2023
- TV Insider
Rarely am I at a loss for words, but Rabbit Hole Season 1 Episode 8 wrapped things up so entirely that this is one of those exceptional times.
If you're like me, you probably lament the possibility of a show being canceled without answers.
Without a renewal, this Paramount+ series offered a closed case (probably) and didn't leave viewers hanging on for dear life if a renewal never comes.
In this case, I'm not sure if that was good or not.
Can this really be all there is to say about how precious data is to those who need it but even more to those who shouldn't have it?
If you were to ask series creators Glenn Ficarra and John Requa -- and I did -- the answer is, well, yeah.
The interview will be live on the site just an hour after the review, so you can see for yourselves how it all plays out.
If you're like me, you probably lament the possibility of a show being canceled without answers.
Without a renewal, this Paramount+ series offered a closed case (probably) and didn't leave viewers hanging on for dear life if a renewal never comes.
In this case, I'm not sure if that was good or not.
Can this really be all there is to say about how precious data is to those who need it but even more to those who shouldn't have it?
If you were to ask series creators Glenn Ficarra and John Requa -- and I did -- the answer is, well, yeah.
The interview will be live on the site just an hour after the review, so you can see for yourselves how it all plays out.
- 5/7/2023
- by Carissa Pavlica
- TVfanatic
This expensive production was dismissed as a flop, and literary critics scorned it for diluting the famed novel by Theodore Dreiser. But it plays well now: William Wyler gives star Laurence Olivier what may be his best film acting role ever. Jennifer Jones’ title part suffers from script changes that censor and sentimentalize Dreiser’s intentions, but the film remains a shattering tragedy. Eddie Albert co-stars in one of his first dramatic roles; this encoding includes a scene dropped from the original release.
Carrie (1952)
Region Free Blu-ray
Viavision [Imprint] #200
1952 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 121, 118 min. / Street Date February 22, 2023 / Available from [Imprint] / Aud 34.95
Starring: Laurence Olivier, Jennifer Jones, Miriam Hopkins, Eddie Albert, Basil Ruysdael, Ray Teal, Barry Kelley, William Reynolds, Mary Murphy, Charles Halton, William Baldwin, Dorothy Adams, Jacqueline de Witt, Don Beddoe, Royal Dano, Margaret Field.
Cinematography: Victor Milner
Art Directors: Hal Pereira, Roland Anderson
Costume Design: Edith Head
Film Editor: Robert Swink...
Carrie (1952)
Region Free Blu-ray
Viavision [Imprint] #200
1952 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 121, 118 min. / Street Date February 22, 2023 / Available from [Imprint] / Aud 34.95
Starring: Laurence Olivier, Jennifer Jones, Miriam Hopkins, Eddie Albert, Basil Ruysdael, Ray Teal, Barry Kelley, William Reynolds, Mary Murphy, Charles Halton, William Baldwin, Dorothy Adams, Jacqueline de Witt, Don Beddoe, Royal Dano, Margaret Field.
Cinematography: Victor Milner
Art Directors: Hal Pereira, Roland Anderson
Costume Design: Edith Head
Film Editor: Robert Swink...
- 2/18/2023
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
The relationship between fathers and sons is complicated. It can be tough, tender, loving, combative, disappointing, violent, the stuff of Shakespearean and even Greek tragedy. It’s little wonder there have been countless films exploring fathers and sons including “East of Eden,” “Finding Nemo,” “Back to the Future,” “Field of Dreams,” “Nebraska,” “Fences,” “Beginners” and “Kramer vs. Kramer.”
One of the most indelible is Martin Ritt’s “Hud,” which celebrates its 60th anniversary. And time hasn’t diminished the power of this unapologetic drama starring Paul Newman, Melvyn Douglas, Patricia Neal and Brandon De Wilde.
Newman had played characters of questionable morality such as his Oscar-nominated turn “Fast” Eddie Felsen in 1961’s “The Hustler,” but he had never played anyone quite like Hud, the ultimate heel who never met a bottle of booze he wouldn’t drink or a married woman he didn’t seduce. Living on a cattle ranch in a tiny,...
One of the most indelible is Martin Ritt’s “Hud,” which celebrates its 60th anniversary. And time hasn’t diminished the power of this unapologetic drama starring Paul Newman, Melvyn Douglas, Patricia Neal and Brandon De Wilde.
Newman had played characters of questionable morality such as his Oscar-nominated turn “Fast” Eddie Felsen in 1961’s “The Hustler,” but he had never played anyone quite like Hud, the ultimate heel who never met a bottle of booze he wouldn’t drink or a married woman he didn’t seduce. Living on a cattle ranch in a tiny,...
- 2/16/2023
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
We're revisiting the 1951 film year in the lead up to the next Supporting Actress Smackdown. As always Nick Taylor will suggest a few alternatives to Oscar's ballot.
Surely we all remember Jan Sterling from the excellent 1954 Smackdown, whose performance as an “anxious catfishing pioneer” in The High and the Mighty gave a misogynistic role one of the only moments of real pathos in the whole film. That disaster film was enough of a critical and box office success to justify her nomination, but much like Katy Jurado in Broken Lance and even Nina Foch in Executive Suite (who I love!) from the same lineup, the energy around Sterling’s nomination reeks more than a little of belated recognition.
In Sterling’s case, that missed opportunity came in 1951. Beford the National Board of Review introduced supporting categories to their own awards they handed her Best Actress for her supporting turn as a bored,...
Surely we all remember Jan Sterling from the excellent 1954 Smackdown, whose performance as an “anxious catfishing pioneer” in The High and the Mighty gave a misogynistic role one of the only moments of real pathos in the whole film. That disaster film was enough of a critical and box office success to justify her nomination, but much like Katy Jurado in Broken Lance and even Nina Foch in Executive Suite (who I love!) from the same lineup, the energy around Sterling’s nomination reeks more than a little of belated recognition.
In Sterling’s case, that missed opportunity came in 1951. Beford the National Board of Review introduced supporting categories to their own awards they handed her Best Actress for her supporting turn as a bored,...
- 8/20/2022
- by Nick Taylor
- FilmExperience
There’s always somebody new in the rat race trenches whose motto is ‘how to make friends and deceive people.’ Howard Duff’s photographer uses his camera to extort money from criminals while polishing his image as a grabber of Pulitzer-worthy news photos. But how long can he maintain his charade with mobsters Brian Donlevy and Lawrence Tierney, and how soon will his kissing partners Peggy Dow and Anne Vernon see through his lies? This efficient noir was the first feature directing job from the prolific Joe Pevney.
Shakedown
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1950 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 80 min. / Street Date March 29, 2022 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95
Starring: Howard Duff, Brian Donlevy, Peggy Dow, Lawrence Tierney, Bruce Bennett, Anne Vernon, Peter Virgo, Charles Sherlock, Rock Hudson, Roy Engel, Gregg Martell, Joseph Pevney.
Cinematography: Irving Glassberg
Art Director: Robert Clatworthy, Bernard Herzbrun
Film Editor: Milton Carruth
Music director: Joseph Gershenson
Screenplay by Alfred Lewis Levitt,...
Shakedown
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1950 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 80 min. / Street Date March 29, 2022 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95
Starring: Howard Duff, Brian Donlevy, Peggy Dow, Lawrence Tierney, Bruce Bennett, Anne Vernon, Peter Virgo, Charles Sherlock, Rock Hudson, Roy Engel, Gregg Martell, Joseph Pevney.
Cinematography: Irving Glassberg
Art Director: Robert Clatworthy, Bernard Herzbrun
Film Editor: Milton Carruth
Music director: Joseph Gershenson
Screenplay by Alfred Lewis Levitt,...
- 3/22/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
New Release Wall
One of the best films of 2021, the Oscar-nominated “West Side Story” (20th Century) arrives on 4K, Blu-ray, and DVD and earns an immediate place in your library. This first release is a little lean on extras, but it does include a new documentary from Laurent Bouzereau, the king of “making-of,” offering a look at Steven Spielberg’s process in crafting this electrifying musical.
Also available:
“The 355” (Universal Home Entertainment) An impressive line-up of stars can’t save this spy thriller from being more by-the-numbers than a Sudoku.
“Belfast” (Focus/Universal) Kenneth Branagh racked up Oscar nods and very mixed notices for his nostalgic coming-of-age drama.
“Coming 2 America” (Paramount Home Entertainment) Were you a fan of the original “Coming to America”? Enjoy seeing every gag repeated if not cut-and-pasted from the first movie.
“Cosmic Dawn” (Kino Lorber) After witnessing her mother’s alien abduction as a child,...
One of the best films of 2021, the Oscar-nominated “West Side Story” (20th Century) arrives on 4K, Blu-ray, and DVD and earns an immediate place in your library. This first release is a little lean on extras, but it does include a new documentary from Laurent Bouzereau, the king of “making-of,” offering a look at Steven Spielberg’s process in crafting this electrifying musical.
Also available:
“The 355” (Universal Home Entertainment) An impressive line-up of stars can’t save this spy thriller from being more by-the-numbers than a Sudoku.
“Belfast” (Focus/Universal) Kenneth Branagh racked up Oscar nods and very mixed notices for his nostalgic coming-of-age drama.
“Coming 2 America” (Paramount Home Entertainment) Were you a fan of the original “Coming to America”? Enjoy seeing every gag repeated if not cut-and-pasted from the first movie.
“Cosmic Dawn” (Kino Lorber) After witnessing her mother’s alien abduction as a child,...
- 3/9/2022
- by Alonso Duralde
- The Wrap
Writer/director Adam McKay kicks off Season 5 by discussing a few of his favorite movies with hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Don’t Look Up (2021)
Parasite (2019) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006)
The Big Short (2015)
Vice (2018)
Gremlins (1984) – Glenn Erickson’s 4K Blu-ray review, Tfh’s 30th anniversary links
The Second Civil War (1997) – Glenn Erickson’s trailer commentary, Joe Dante revisits the movie
Network (1976) – Chris Wilkinson’s trailer commentary
Broadcast News (1987)
To Die For (1995) – Illeana Douglas’s trailer commentary
The Hospital (1971) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Ace In The Hole (1951) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
Dr. Strangelove (1964) – Michael Lehmann’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review
Over The Edge (1979) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairing
The Warriors (1979)
River’s Edge (1986)
Tex (1982)
Rumble Fish (1983) – Adam Rifkin’s trailer commentary, Charlie Largent’s Criterion Blu-ray...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Don’t Look Up (2021)
Parasite (2019) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006)
The Big Short (2015)
Vice (2018)
Gremlins (1984) – Glenn Erickson’s 4K Blu-ray review, Tfh’s 30th anniversary links
The Second Civil War (1997) – Glenn Erickson’s trailer commentary, Joe Dante revisits the movie
Network (1976) – Chris Wilkinson’s trailer commentary
Broadcast News (1987)
To Die For (1995) – Illeana Douglas’s trailer commentary
The Hospital (1971) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Ace In The Hole (1951) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
Dr. Strangelove (1964) – Michael Lehmann’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review
Over The Edge (1979) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairing
The Warriors (1979)
River’s Edge (1986)
Tex (1982)
Rumble Fish (1983) – Adam Rifkin’s trailer commentary, Charlie Largent’s Criterion Blu-ray...
- 1/18/2022
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
When crafting this wildly satirical yet all-too-close-too-reality film Don’t Look Up, writer-director Adam McKay admits that the unpredictable and seemingly over-the-top events of recent years convinced him he had to go even bigger to achieve his comedic ends.
“I swear on all the holy books on the planet Earth that I wrote this before Covid, and it was one of those strangest experiences I’ve ever had,” McKay explained Sunday on a panel for Deadline’s Contenders Film: Los Angeles panel at the DGA Theater. “The strangest thing about this movie was writing it, casting it and then seeing a lot of the elements come true, and then wondering: do you even make the movie?”
Reflecting on his script during pandemic downtime before shooting, “there was this moment where I realized it was all about how we’ve befouled, broken, profitized, pornographicized our lines of communication, the way we actually talk to each other,...
“I swear on all the holy books on the planet Earth that I wrote this before Covid, and it was one of those strangest experiences I’ve ever had,” McKay explained Sunday on a panel for Deadline’s Contenders Film: Los Angeles panel at the DGA Theater. “The strangest thing about this movie was writing it, casting it and then seeing a lot of the elements come true, and then wondering: do you even make the movie?”
Reflecting on his script during pandemic downtime before shooting, “there was this moment where I realized it was all about how we’ve befouled, broken, profitized, pornographicized our lines of communication, the way we actually talk to each other,...
- 11/14/2021
- by Scott Huver
- Deadline Film + TV
By Christopher James
Having a Criterion Channel subscription often feels like opening Christmas presents each month. Their monthly programming always provides subscribers with curated series from some of the greatest classic artists both domestically and in world cinema. This month, the Criterion Channel decided to honor the legendary director Billy Wilder with a sampling of five of his movies. The legendary Austrian director won six competitive Oscars over his decades-long career, plus an additional Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award in 1988.
Although—or perhaps because—he was born in Austria, writer, director, and Hollywood legend Billy Wilder saw America more clearly than most, probing its absurdities and hypocrisies with a witty yet lacerating eye. This sampler of five of his finest—including the Tinseltown tragedy Sunset Blvd., scathing media satire Ace in the Hole, and gripping Pow drama Stalag 17—showcases the pitch-perfect blend of human understanding and barbed cynicism that defines Wilder worldview.
Having a Criterion Channel subscription often feels like opening Christmas presents each month. Their monthly programming always provides subscribers with curated series from some of the greatest classic artists both domestically and in world cinema. This month, the Criterion Channel decided to honor the legendary director Billy Wilder with a sampling of five of his movies. The legendary Austrian director won six competitive Oscars over his decades-long career, plus an additional Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award in 1988.
Although—or perhaps because—he was born in Austria, writer, director, and Hollywood legend Billy Wilder saw America more clearly than most, probing its absurdities and hypocrisies with a witty yet lacerating eye. This sampler of five of his finest—including the Tinseltown tragedy Sunset Blvd., scathing media satire Ace in the Hole, and gripping Pow drama Stalag 17—showcases the pitch-perfect blend of human understanding and barbed cynicism that defines Wilder worldview.
- 9/22/2021
- by Christopher James
- FilmExperience
Next month’s Criterion Channel selection is here, and as 2021 winds down further cements their status as our single greatest streaming service. Off the top I took note of their eight-film Jia Zhangke retro as well as the streaming premieres of Center Stage and Malni. And, yes, Margaret has been on HBO Max for a while, but we can hope Criterion Channel’s addition—as part of the 63(!)-film “New York Stories”—opens doors to a more deserving home-video treatment.
Aki Kaurismäki’s Finland Trilogy, Bruno Dumont’s Joan of Arc duology, and Criterion’s editions of Irma Vep and Flowers of Shanghai also mark major inclusions—just a few years ago the thought of Hou’s masterpiece streaming in HD was absurd.
I could implore you not to sleep on The Hottest August and Point Blank and Variety and In the Cut or, look, so many Ernst Lubitsch movies,...
Aki Kaurismäki’s Finland Trilogy, Bruno Dumont’s Joan of Arc duology, and Criterion’s editions of Irma Vep and Flowers of Shanghai also mark major inclusions—just a few years ago the thought of Hou’s masterpiece streaming in HD was absurd.
I could implore you not to sleep on The Hottest August and Point Blank and Variety and In the Cut or, look, so many Ernst Lubitsch movies,...
- 8/25/2021
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
In A Hero, the discovery of a bag of gold coins sets the scene for a knotted Bressonian morality tale. The director is Asghar Farhadi, a filmmaker who has spent his career examining those blurred lines between right and wrong; decency and hubris; righteousness and folly. Taking place in the city of Shiraz, it proves a return to familiar ground for him: both the first he has made in his native Iran after the awful misstep that was Everybody Knows, as well as a return to the moral complexities of A Separation, still his finest film to date.
Farhadi stakes a claim for his latest’s fable credentials with an opening flourish: a weightless craning shot across the marvelous facade of Persepolis, the ancient capital of Persia where visiting nobles would come to present their offerings. Rahim (Amir Jadidi) is not a noble man, per se, but certainly one with...
Farhadi stakes a claim for his latest’s fable credentials with an opening flourish: a weightless craning shot across the marvelous facade of Persepolis, the ancient capital of Persia where visiting nobles would come to present their offerings. Rahim (Amir Jadidi) is not a noble man, per se, but certainly one with...
- 7/17/2021
- by Rory O'Connor
- The Film Stage
Hollywood acknowledges the existence of America’s proto- C.I.A. intelligence agency with this espionage tale of Yanks working with the resistance in occupied France. It’s basic cloak ‘n’ dagger action, with intrepid Alan Ladd and the daring Geraldine Fitzgerald risking life and limb to plant plastic explosive bombs. The details are fairly interesting: Ladd outwits the Gestapo by working with a turncoat inside their ranks. The outcome is grimly realistic, even if that old Paramount glamour is part of the package. The writer-producer is Richard Maibaum, who would later write almost thirty years’ worth of franchise James Bond 007 adventures.
O.S.S.
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1946 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 108 min. / Street Date August 10, 2021 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95
Starring: Alan Ladd, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Patric Knowles, John Hoyt, Gloria Saunders, Richard Webb, Richard Benedict, Harold Vermilyea, Don Beddoe, Onslow Stevens, Gavin Muir, Egon Brecher, Joseph Crehan, Bobby Driscoll, Julia Dean,...
O.S.S.
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1946 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 108 min. / Street Date August 10, 2021 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95
Starring: Alan Ladd, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Patric Knowles, John Hoyt, Gloria Saunders, Richard Webb, Richard Benedict, Harold Vermilyea, Don Beddoe, Onslow Stevens, Gavin Muir, Egon Brecher, Joseph Crehan, Bobby Driscoll, Julia Dean,...
- 7/13/2021
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Writer, director and actress Rebecca Miller discusses a few of her favorite films with hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Personal Velocity: Three Portraits (2002)
The Ballad Of Jack And Rose (2005)
The Private Lives Of Pippa Lee (2009)
Maggie’s Plan (2015)
Explorers (1985)
The Way We Were (1973)
Battleship Potemkin (1925)
Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday (1953)
Annie Hall (1977)
Repulsion (1965)
Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
Knife In The Water (1962)
The Tenant (1976)
Cries and Whispers (1972)
Persona (1966)
The Magician (1958)
Hour Of The Wolf (1968)
The Virgin Spring (1960)
The Seventh Seal (1957)
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)
The Exorcist (1973)
The Shining (1980)
La Dolce Vita (1960)
Regarding Henry (1991)
Angela (1995)
Badlands (1973)
Casino (1995)
On The Waterfront (1954)
My Dinner with Andre (1981)
Jules and Jim (1962)
The Bitter Tears Of Petra von Kant (1972)
Wings Of Desire (1987)
The Killer Inside Me (1976)
The Killer Inside Me (2010)
Married To The Mob (1988)
Blue Velvet (1986)
Dune (1984)
Imitation Of Life (1934)
Imitation Of Life (1959)
Written On The Wind (1956)
Magnificent Obsession (1954)
All That Heaven Allows...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Personal Velocity: Three Portraits (2002)
The Ballad Of Jack And Rose (2005)
The Private Lives Of Pippa Lee (2009)
Maggie’s Plan (2015)
Explorers (1985)
The Way We Were (1973)
Battleship Potemkin (1925)
Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday (1953)
Annie Hall (1977)
Repulsion (1965)
Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
Knife In The Water (1962)
The Tenant (1976)
Cries and Whispers (1972)
Persona (1966)
The Magician (1958)
Hour Of The Wolf (1968)
The Virgin Spring (1960)
The Seventh Seal (1957)
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)
The Exorcist (1973)
The Shining (1980)
La Dolce Vita (1960)
Regarding Henry (1991)
Angela (1995)
Badlands (1973)
Casino (1995)
On The Waterfront (1954)
My Dinner with Andre (1981)
Jules and Jim (1962)
The Bitter Tears Of Petra von Kant (1972)
Wings Of Desire (1987)
The Killer Inside Me (1976)
The Killer Inside Me (2010)
Married To The Mob (1988)
Blue Velvet (1986)
Dune (1984)
Imitation Of Life (1934)
Imitation Of Life (1959)
Written On The Wind (1956)
Magnificent Obsession (1954)
All That Heaven Allows...
- 5/11/2021
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
For his very first feature film, longtime screenwriter Evan Spiliotopoulos adapted UK writer James Herbert’s novel Shrine into the latest genre offering from Screen Gems. Starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan, William Sadler, and newcomer Cricket Brown, The Unholy is centered around a young woman who regains her hearing after a supposed visitation by the Virgin Mary—an event that also leaves her with the ability to heal others. But when a skeptical journalist arrives to investigate, he begins to suspect that these phenomena are actually the work of sinister forces, and it’s up to him to try and stop this insidious evil from claiming the young woman before it’s too late.
During the recent press day for The Unholy, Daily Dead spoke with Spiliotopoulos about transitioning from the world of screenwriting to the world of directing for this project, how integral producer Sam Raimi was in helping him...
During the recent press day for The Unholy, Daily Dead spoke with Spiliotopoulos about transitioning from the world of screenwriting to the world of directing for this project, how integral producer Sam Raimi was in helping him...
- 4/1/2021
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
In today’s Global Bulletin, “The Nest” tops Deauville, ITV outlines plans for carbon neutrality, Abacus Media Rights sells “People You May Know” in key territories, Southeast Europe gets its first premium independent series co-production and Sky enlists Gabriela Sperl to document German’s Wirecard financial scandal.
Festivals
“The Nest,” directed by Sean Durkin and starring Jude Law and Carrie Coon, was the big winner at the recently concluded 46th Deauville American Film Festival, taking home the grand prize, the 2020 Louis Roederer Fondation Revelation prize and the Critic’s prize.
The jury, led by actor Vanessa Paradis, also gave Jury Prizes to Kelly Reichardt’s “First Cow” and Sabrina Doyle’s “Lorelei.”
The Revelation jury, led by filmmaker Rebecca Zlotowski (“Savages”), gave the directing prize to Kitty Green’s “The Assistant.”
The City of Deauville Audience award...
Festivals
“The Nest,” directed by Sean Durkin and starring Jude Law and Carrie Coon, was the big winner at the recently concluded 46th Deauville American Film Festival, taking home the grand prize, the 2020 Louis Roederer Fondation Revelation prize and the Critic’s prize.
The jury, led by actor Vanessa Paradis, also gave Jury Prizes to Kelly Reichardt’s “First Cow” and Sabrina Doyle’s “Lorelei.”
The Revelation jury, led by filmmaker Rebecca Zlotowski (“Savages”), gave the directing prize to Kitty Green’s “The Assistant.”
The City of Deauville Audience award...
- 9/14/2020
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
When they dig it up, what will they find? Fans will want to see this forgotten Deutsch-noir masterpiece. Helmut Käutner’s tale of trouble on an American air base in West Germany is a swirl of romantic, political and criminal complications — all down & dirty. A tiny burg that serves as a brothel for U.S. airmen attracts displaced women and dispirited men willing to do what’s necessary to survive. We’ve seem nothing quite like this riveting drama — its sixty-year absence carries a taint of political ‘inconvenience.’ If you like challenging fare like Ace in the Hole and Try and Get Me! you’re going to love it. Both censored and uncensored versions have been restored in excellent quality.
Black Gravel
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1961 / B&w / 1:66 widescreen / 114, 113 min. / Street Date September 1, 2020 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Helmut Wildt, Ingmar Zeisberg, Hans Cossy, Wolfgang Büttner, Anita Höfer, Heinrich Trimbur,...
Black Gravel
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1961 / B&w / 1:66 widescreen / 114, 113 min. / Street Date September 1, 2020 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Helmut Wildt, Ingmar Zeisberg, Hans Cossy, Wolfgang Büttner, Anita Höfer, Heinrich Trimbur,...
- 9/5/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
If you go on Kurt Kunkle’s Instagram, you will find stories filled with “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” American happy talk. Kurt leans in, and mostly fails, at living social media meritocracy’s “fake it till you make it” ethos. Whereas social media elites show off their good fortune then go out and live their lives, poor, working-class guys like Kurt scrounge up good vibes, in every embarrassing form, to gain followers (he calls them “Kurties”)––all in hopes of climbing the social media ladder. What he finds at the top is the basis for Eugene Kotlyarenko’s Spree, an equal parts terrifying, thrilling, and satirical look at how social media can warp the mind.
A rideshare driver for Spree (Kotlyarenko’s version of Uber), Kurt Kunkle (Joe Keery) creates an evil social media campaign called #thelesson to go viral. He installs cameras in his car and livestreams...
A rideshare driver for Spree (Kotlyarenko’s version of Uber), Kurt Kunkle (Joe Keery) creates an evil social media campaign called #thelesson to go viral. He installs cameras in his car and livestreams...
- 8/14/2020
- by Joshua Encinias
- The Film Stage
We told you. Remember the rules. You didn’t listen. Now we’re Back with an all new batch of guest recommendations featuring Blake Masters, Julien Nitzberg, Floyd Norman, Tuppence Middleton and Blaire Bercy.
Please support the Hollywood Food Coalition. Text “Give” to 323.402.5704 or visit https://hofoco.org/donate!
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
The Wild Angels (1966)
Spirits of the Dead (1966)
The Trip (1967)
Mooch Goes To Hollywood (1971)
Stalker (1979)
The Candidate (1972)
The Parallax View (1974)
Network (1976)
Sweet Smell of Success (1957)
Ace In The Hole (1951)
Margin Call (2011)
Death Wish (1974)
Death Wish (2018)
Seconds (1966)
Soylent Green (1973)
Rage (1972)
Assault on Wall Street (2013)
Repo Man (1984)
Elmer Gantry (1960)
The Train (1965)
Clouds of Sils Maria (2014)
Strange Brew (1983)
To Have And Have Not (1944)
Singin’ In The Rain (1952)
Easter Parade (1948)
The Band Wagon (1953)
Guys And Dolls (1955)
On The Town (1949)
Casablanca (1942)
The Dirt Gang (1972)
Back To The Future (1985)
The Maltese Falcon (1941)
The Big Sleep (1946)
Bomba, the Jungle Boy (1949)
My Man Godfrey...
Please support the Hollywood Food Coalition. Text “Give” to 323.402.5704 or visit https://hofoco.org/donate!
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
The Wild Angels (1966)
Spirits of the Dead (1966)
The Trip (1967)
Mooch Goes To Hollywood (1971)
Stalker (1979)
The Candidate (1972)
The Parallax View (1974)
Network (1976)
Sweet Smell of Success (1957)
Ace In The Hole (1951)
Margin Call (2011)
Death Wish (1974)
Death Wish (2018)
Seconds (1966)
Soylent Green (1973)
Rage (1972)
Assault on Wall Street (2013)
Repo Man (1984)
Elmer Gantry (1960)
The Train (1965)
Clouds of Sils Maria (2014)
Strange Brew (1983)
To Have And Have Not (1944)
Singin’ In The Rain (1952)
Easter Parade (1948)
The Band Wagon (1953)
Guys And Dolls (1955)
On The Town (1949)
Casablanca (1942)
The Dirt Gang (1972)
Back To The Future (1985)
The Maltese Falcon (1941)
The Big Sleep (1946)
Bomba, the Jungle Boy (1949)
My Man Godfrey...
- 8/14/2020
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
Rlje Films has released the first trailer for Joe Keery’s social media satire “Spree,” six months after its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.
Music giant Drake, Adel “Future” Nur, Anthony Gonzales, Matte Babel and Alex Hughes are executive producers through Dreamcrew Entertainment. Eugene Kotlyarenko directed “Spree” with “Stranger Things” star Keery playing amoral rideshare driver Kurt Kunkle who becomes a murderer in pursuit of becoming a social media star by equipping his car with cameras for a live stream. Former “Saturday Night Live” cast member Sasheer Zamata and David Arquette also star and Kyle Mooney, Mischa Barton and Frankie Grande feature as characters in the film.
“Throughout his career, Drake has always made a point to support young creatives as well as provide opportunities and Dreamcrew Entertainment is an extension of this — embracing young, up and coming story tellers like Eugene who are given the backing so they can tell their stories uninhibited,...
Music giant Drake, Adel “Future” Nur, Anthony Gonzales, Matte Babel and Alex Hughes are executive producers through Dreamcrew Entertainment. Eugene Kotlyarenko directed “Spree” with “Stranger Things” star Keery playing amoral rideshare driver Kurt Kunkle who becomes a murderer in pursuit of becoming a social media star by equipping his car with cameras for a live stream. Former “Saturday Night Live” cast member Sasheer Zamata and David Arquette also star and Kyle Mooney, Mischa Barton and Frankie Grande feature as characters in the film.
“Throughout his career, Drake has always made a point to support young creatives as well as provide opportunities and Dreamcrew Entertainment is an extension of this — embracing young, up and coming story tellers like Eugene who are given the backing so they can tell their stories uninhibited,...
- 7/23/2020
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Brad Bird knows his classics, and he’ll share 20 of his favorite films this season on Turner Classic Movies’ “The Essentials” with TCM Primetime host Ben Mankiewicz. Bird — known for such films as “The Iron Giant,” “Ratatouille,” “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” and “The Incredibles” — curated this season’s selection, which will air Saturdays on TCM at 8 p.m. beginning May 2.
“Brad’s particular artistic sense works his way into every conversation we had together,” says Mankiewicz. “He sees so many stories through the eyes of an animator, providing a rare perspective on movies we think we know well, like ‘Casablanca,’ ‘Dr. Strangelove’ and ‘The Searchers.’ And his childlike enthusiasm for movies, animated and live action, is unparalleled and infectious.”
That enthusiasm made it difficult to boil the list down to just 20, Bird acknowledges, and that was after deciding to focus on movies made up to 1968.
“For every film that we did,...
“Brad’s particular artistic sense works his way into every conversation we had together,” says Mankiewicz. “He sees so many stories through the eyes of an animator, providing a rare perspective on movies we think we know well, like ‘Casablanca,’ ‘Dr. Strangelove’ and ‘The Searchers.’ And his childlike enthusiasm for movies, animated and live action, is unparalleled and infectious.”
That enthusiasm made it difficult to boil the list down to just 20, Bird acknowledges, and that was after deciding to focus on movies made up to 1968.
“For every film that we did,...
- 4/22/2020
- by Terry Flores
- Variety Film + TV
The saga continues, featuring Adam Rifkin, Robert D. Krzykowski, John Sayles, Maggie Renzi, Mick Garris and Larry Wilmore with special guest star Blaire Bercy from the Hollywood Food Coalition.
Please support the Hollywood Food Coalition. Text “Give” to 323.402.5704 or visit https://hofoco.org/donate!
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Key Largo (1948)
I Don’t Want to Talk About It (1993)
Camila (1984)
I, the Worst of All (1990)
The Wages of Fear (1953)
Le Corbeau (1943)
Diabolique (1955)
Red Beard (1965)
Seven Samurai (1954)
Ikiru (1952)
General Della Rovere (1959)
The Gold of Naples (1959)
Bitter Rice (1949)
Pickup On South Street (1953)
My Darling Clementine (1946)
Viva Zapata! (1952)
Panic In The Streets (1950)
Yellow Sky (1948)
Ace In The Hole (1951)
Wall Street (1987)
Women’s Prison (1955)
True Love (1989)
Mean Streets (1973)
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
The Abyss (1989)
The China Syndrome (1979)
Big (1988)
Splash (1984)
The ’Burbs (1989)
Long Strange Trip (2017)
Little Women (2019)
Learning To Skateboard In A War Zone (If You’re A Girl) (2019)
The Guns of Navarone...
Please support the Hollywood Food Coalition. Text “Give” to 323.402.5704 or visit https://hofoco.org/donate!
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Key Largo (1948)
I Don’t Want to Talk About It (1993)
Camila (1984)
I, the Worst of All (1990)
The Wages of Fear (1953)
Le Corbeau (1943)
Diabolique (1955)
Red Beard (1965)
Seven Samurai (1954)
Ikiru (1952)
General Della Rovere (1959)
The Gold of Naples (1959)
Bitter Rice (1949)
Pickup On South Street (1953)
My Darling Clementine (1946)
Viva Zapata! (1952)
Panic In The Streets (1950)
Yellow Sky (1948)
Ace In The Hole (1951)
Wall Street (1987)
Women’s Prison (1955)
True Love (1989)
Mean Streets (1973)
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
The Abyss (1989)
The China Syndrome (1979)
Big (1988)
Splash (1984)
The ’Burbs (1989)
Long Strange Trip (2017)
Little Women (2019)
Learning To Skateboard In A War Zone (If You’re A Girl) (2019)
The Guns of Navarone...
- 4/17/2020
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
Above: Detail from the French poster for Ace in the Hole. Artist: Roger Soubie.Kirk Douglas, who died in February at the age of 103, was the last of the superstars of Hollywood’s Golden Age. We had faces then, said Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard. She was talking about her silent-era peers, in a film made just the year after Kirk Douglas broke through as a star, but if anyone had a face to remember in Hollywood it was Kirk Douglas. In the Criterion Collection essay for Ace in the Hole (1951), Guy Maddin described him as a man “whose body has always seemed made up of a series of triangles,” but it is even more true of his face: a pointed weapon culminating in that famous dimpled chin. David Thomson in A Biographical Dictionary of Film wrote that “he is the manic-depressive among Hollywood stars, one minute bearing down on plot,...
- 3/6/2020
- MUBI
The life of Kirk Douglas took him from a childhood dominated by a hard-drinking junkman father to adult years in which he lived in a Beverly Hills home with a wine cellar. He was one of the world’s biggest movie stars and most noted actors, and Trailers From Hell remembers him this week after his passing on February 5, 2020.
In the classic Spartacus, we find wine playing at least a supporting role since nobody wanted to drink the foul water in the century before Christ. Even though the Roman Empire’s plumbing system was a miracle of its day, the lead pipes that carried the water to citizens would much later be shown as a bigger health hazard that gladiating.
Douglas, as Spartacus, worries that he and his men “look for wine when we should be hunting bread.” Nick Dennis, as Dionysius, replies that, “When you’ve got wine, you don’t need bread,...
In the classic Spartacus, we find wine playing at least a supporting role since nobody wanted to drink the foul water in the century before Christ. Even though the Roman Empire’s plumbing system was a miracle of its day, the lead pipes that carried the water to citizens would much later be shown as a bigger health hazard that gladiating.
Douglas, as Spartacus, worries that he and his men “look for wine when we should be hunting bread.” Nick Dennis, as Dionysius, replies that, “When you’ve got wine, you don’t need bread,...
- 2/12/2020
- by Randy Fuller
- Trailers from Hell
Fade In: Soundstage, Universal Studios. Interior — Nightclub. Kirk Douglas, Gig Young and I are rehearsing a scene from our film, “For Love or Money,” a fizzy, frothy 1963 opus in which Kirk and I were cast as a version of “Rock & Doris” in this variation on their fizzy, frothy opuses with elegant sets and witty banter drenched in beautiful Jean Louis costumes. In this scene, Kirk and I are having an argument that plays out on a dance floor as we gyrate to the then-popular dance craze, the Twist.
I was casually observing Kirk’s preparation for the dance, which seemed very Method, very interpretive. “What is that, Kirk?” I asked demurely. “It’s the Twist,” he answered with all the confidence of Spartacus. When I assured him, again demurely, that what he was doing bore more resemblance to the “March of the Wooden Soldiers” than the Twist, he agreed to let me teach him.
I was casually observing Kirk’s preparation for the dance, which seemed very Method, very interpretive. “What is that, Kirk?” I asked demurely. “It’s the Twist,” he answered with all the confidence of Spartacus. When I assured him, again demurely, that what he was doing bore more resemblance to the “March of the Wooden Soldiers” than the Twist, he agreed to let me teach him.
- 2/12/2020
- by Mitzi Gaynor
- Variety Film + TV
Audiences in 1951 rejected Billy Wilder’s acerbic, jet-black satire, based on a real life incident, as cynical and depressing–and that it is, in spades. But today it looks positively prescient in its unrelenting portrait of a callous and sensationalistic media and a gullible, easily manipulated public. One of Wilder’s best, least appreciated movies.
The post Ace in the Hole appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
The post Ace in the Hole appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
- 2/12/2020
- by TFH Team
- Trailers from Hell
The star of Spartacus and Paths of Glory is included in the Academy’s In Memoriam section
Kirk Douglas, the actor who became one of Hollywood’s biggest stars of the 1950s and 60s, has been remembered at the 92nd Academy Awards in Hollywood.
Douglas died aged 103 on Thursday, just a few days before the ceremony, and was considered the last surviving link to the golden age of Hollywood studio film-making. His square-jawed machismo was put to good use in early films such as Champion, but he showed unexpected range with the satirical Billy Wilder comedy Ace in the Hole, in which he played a rapacious reporter, and The Bad and the Beautiful, as a backstabbing film producer.
Kirk Douglas, the actor who became one of Hollywood’s biggest stars of the 1950s and 60s, has been remembered at the 92nd Academy Awards in Hollywood.
Douglas died aged 103 on Thursday, just a few days before the ceremony, and was considered the last surviving link to the golden age of Hollywood studio film-making. His square-jawed machismo was put to good use in early films such as Champion, but he showed unexpected range with the satirical Billy Wilder comedy Ace in the Hole, in which he played a rapacious reporter, and The Bad and the Beautiful, as a backstabbing film producer.
- 2/10/2020
- by Guardian film
- The Guardian - Film News
The actor, who died last week, will go down in history as Spartacus, but his powerful performance in Billy Wilder’s Ace in the Hole should not be overlooked
The quiet newsroom of the Sun-Bulletin in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is just a temporary holding pen for Chuck Tatum, the restless and unprincipled reporter played by Kirk Douglas in the 1951 Hollywood classic, Ace in the Hole. Sacked from bigger newspapers for being unreliable, drinking on the job and much worse, Tatum persuades the paper’s worthy editor, who works under an embroidered sampler bearing the words “Tell the Truth”, to give him a job despite his better judgment. “I can handle big news and little news. And if there’s no news, I’ll go out and bite a dog,” Tatum promises.
This is the set-up for the best film made yet about the ethics of the press. And, although the...
The quiet newsroom of the Sun-Bulletin in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is just a temporary holding pen for Chuck Tatum, the restless and unprincipled reporter played by Kirk Douglas in the 1951 Hollywood classic, Ace in the Hole. Sacked from bigger newspapers for being unreliable, drinking on the job and much worse, Tatum persuades the paper’s worthy editor, who works under an embroidered sampler bearing the words “Tell the Truth”, to give him a job despite his better judgment. “I can handle big news and little news. And if there’s no news, I’ll go out and bite a dog,” Tatum promises.
This is the set-up for the best film made yet about the ethics of the press. And, although the...
- 2/8/2020
- by Vanessa Thorpe
- The Guardian - Film News
The word rang out yesterday, vibrating through the canyons of Los Angeles, much like the echo of thousands of voices sixty years ago that proclaimed “I am Spartacus!”. Perhaps the last of the leading men of Hollywood’s pre-1950 Golden Age is now with his long-departed peers. Here’s how the town’s Hollywood Reporter broke the news:
” Kirk Douglas, the son of a ragman who channeled a deep, personal anger through a chiseled jaw and steely blue eyes to forge one of the most indelible and indefatigable careers in Hollywood history, died Wednesday in Los Angeles. He was 103.
“It is with tremendous sadness that my brothers and I announce that Kirk Douglas left us today at the age of 103,” son Michael Douglas wrote on his Instagram account. “To the world, he was a legend, an actor from the Golden Age of movies who lived well into his golden years,...
” Kirk Douglas, the son of a ragman who channeled a deep, personal anger through a chiseled jaw and steely blue eyes to forge one of the most indelible and indefatigable careers in Hollywood history, died Wednesday in Los Angeles. He was 103.
“It is with tremendous sadness that my brothers and I announce that Kirk Douglas left us today at the age of 103,” son Michael Douglas wrote on his Instagram account. “To the world, he was a legend, an actor from the Golden Age of movies who lived well into his golden years,...
- 2/7/2020
- by Jim Batts
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Los Angeles – From his chiseled-from-marble good looks to his actor intensity on screen, Kirk Douglas defined the very concept of Movie Star. The actor also broke records for longevity, living to the ripe old age of 103. Kirk Douglas died of natural causes on February 5th, 2020, at his home in Los Angeles.
Douglas was known for his fierce commitment to his craft, and his independent spirit … he formed his own production company after dissatisfaction with the movie studio system of his era. He made several classic films, even a popular Walt Disney live action feature. He was father to Oscar-winner Michael Douglas, as well as three other sons from two marriages (his was married to his second wife for 66 years). He also committed his life to several charitable causes.
I Am Kirk Douglas: The Actor in ‘Spartacus’
Photo credit: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
Douglas was born Issur Danielovich in Amsterdam, New...
Douglas was known for his fierce commitment to his craft, and his independent spirit … he formed his own production company after dissatisfaction with the movie studio system of his era. He made several classic films, even a popular Walt Disney live action feature. He was father to Oscar-winner Michael Douglas, as well as three other sons from two marriages (his was married to his second wife for 66 years). He also committed his life to several charitable causes.
I Am Kirk Douglas: The Actor in ‘Spartacus’
Photo credit: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
Douglas was born Issur Danielovich in Amsterdam, New...
- 2/6/2020
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Martin Amis’ 1984 novel “Money,” inspired by his painful experiences as the screenwriter of the disastrous 1980 sci-fi movie “Saturn 3,” includes a character based on “Saturn 3” star Kirk Douglas: “Lorne Guyland,” an aging but still virile screen legend, “had, in his time, on stage or screen, interpreted the roles of Genghis Khan, Al Capone, Marco Polo, Huckleberry Finn, Charlemagne, Paul Revere, Erasmus, Wyatt Earp, Voltaire, Sky Masterson, Einstein, Jack Kennedy, Rembrandt, Babe Ruth, Oliver Cromwell, Amerigo Vespucci, Zorro, Darwin, Sitting Bull, Freud, Napoleon, Spider-Man, Macbeth, Melville, Machiavelli, Michelangelo, Methuselah, Mozart, Merlin, Marx, Mars, Moses and Jesus Christ.”
And while “Money” is not, on the whole, particularly kind to Kirk Douglas, this list does reflect the breadth and scope of a screen career that started in 1946 and culminated in the early 21st century.
On screen, Douglas was the epitome of the square-jawed leading man, whether he was playing a Roman slave,...
And while “Money” is not, on the whole, particularly kind to Kirk Douglas, this list does reflect the breadth and scope of a screen career that started in 1946 and culminated in the early 21st century.
On screen, Douglas was the epitome of the square-jawed leading man, whether he was playing a Roman slave,...
- 2/6/2020
- by Alonso Duralde
- The Wrap
Kirk Douglas: Lifetime Achievement Award recipient at the 1st Annual Hollywood Film Awards® in 1997. Douglas came to silver screen stardom during the Golden Age of Hollywood in films like “Spartacus,” “Ace In the Hole”, “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” and “Paths of Glory,” among many others. Visit Hollywood Film Awards® “Kirk Douglas was an American actor, producer, director, philanthropist and author. After an impoverished childhood with immigrant parents and six sisters, he made his film debut in The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946) with Barbara Stanwyck. Douglas soon developed into a leading box-office star throughout the 1950s, known for serious dramas, including westerns and war films. During his career, he appeared in more than 90 films. Douglas was known for his explosive acting style, which he displayed as a criminal defense attorney in Town Without Pity (1961). Douglas became an international star through positive reception for his leading role as an unscrupulous...
- 2/6/2020
- by HollywoodNews.com
- Hollywoodnews.com
After a career as one of Hollywood’s most distinguished performers, the actor Kirk Douglas has died. Here we look back at some of his finest moments, from Paths of Glory to Ace in the Hole
Kirk Douglas, star of Spartacus, dies aged 103Hollywood’s impossibly handsome Colossus of Rhodes
Born Izzy Danielovitch into a poverty-stricken Jewish family in 1916, Douglas legally changed his name to Kirk Douglas on joining the navy during the second world war. He went on to become one of Hollywood’s most charismatic actors, and a producer of considerable influence too.
Kirk Douglas, star of Spartacus, dies aged 103Hollywood’s impossibly handsome Colossus of Rhodes
Born Izzy Danielovitch into a poverty-stricken Jewish family in 1916, Douglas legally changed his name to Kirk Douglas on joining the navy during the second world war. He went on to become one of Hollywood’s most charismatic actors, and a producer of considerable influence too.
- 2/6/2020
- by Andrew Pulver
- The Guardian - Film News
Kirk Douglas was Mr. Hollywood. That’s not just because of his acting and producing career: The iconic actor, who died Wednesday, was a constant presence at showbiz-related functions, whether the opening of a theater, a charity event, political fund-raiser or awards show. His 1996 stroke slowed him down, but only temporarily.
Douglas enjoyed being the ham and playing to the crowd, but these public appearances were aimed at shining a light on others, not on himself. Long before it was fashionable, he and wife Anne formed a charitable organization, the Douglas Foundation in 1964. Among other initiatives, it funds programs to improve school campuses and playgrounds, hand out scholarships, foster an early-education program at Sinai Temple and backs the Entertainment Industry Foundation’s Women’s Cancer Research Fund.
One of his pet causes was the Motion Picture TV Fund. After years of supporting the organization, both with appearances and donations, he...
Douglas enjoyed being the ham and playing to the crowd, but these public appearances were aimed at shining a light on others, not on himself. Long before it was fashionable, he and wife Anne formed a charitable organization, the Douglas Foundation in 1964. Among other initiatives, it funds programs to improve school campuses and playgrounds, hand out scholarships, foster an early-education program at Sinai Temple and backs the Entertainment Industry Foundation’s Women’s Cancer Research Fund.
One of his pet causes was the Motion Picture TV Fund. After years of supporting the organization, both with appearances and donations, he...
- 2/6/2020
- by Tim Gray
- Variety Film + TV
Hollywood paid tribute to Kirk Douglas, one of the enduring figureheads of its Golden Age, following news of the actor’s death on Wednesday.
The star of classics such as “Spartacus,” “Paths of Glory,” “Ace in the Hole” and “Out of the Past” died at 103 years old.
Director Steven Spielberg was among those who paid tribute to Douglas’ life and work.
“Kirk retained his movie star charisma right to the end of his wonderful life and I’m honored to have been a small part of his last 45 years,” Spielberg said in a statement. “I will miss his handwritten notes, letters and fatherly advice, and his wisdom and courage — even beyond such a breathtaking body of work — are enough to inspire me for the rest of mine.”
Ron Meyer, the vice chairman of NBCUniversal, the studio behind “Spartacus,” also remembered the actor.
“I’ve personally known the Douglas family for over 40 years.
The star of classics such as “Spartacus,” “Paths of Glory,” “Ace in the Hole” and “Out of the Past” died at 103 years old.
Director Steven Spielberg was among those who paid tribute to Douglas’ life and work.
“Kirk retained his movie star charisma right to the end of his wonderful life and I’m honored to have been a small part of his last 45 years,” Spielberg said in a statement. “I will miss his handwritten notes, letters and fatherly advice, and his wisdom and courage — even beyond such a breathtaking body of work — are enough to inspire me for the rest of mine.”
Ron Meyer, the vice chairman of NBCUniversal, the studio behind “Spartacus,” also remembered the actor.
“I’ve personally known the Douglas family for over 40 years.
- 2/6/2020
- by J. Kim Murphy
- Variety Film + TV
Kirk Douglas as Spartacus
Few actors have ever achieved the legendary status of Kirk Douglas, star of Spartacus and three-time Oscar nominee, who has passed away at the age of 103.
A former wrestler and an army veteran, Douglas got his first break in acting through his friendship with Lauren Bacall, and starred opposite Barbara Stanwyck in The Strange Love of Martha Ivers, but it was his role as a boxer in Champion in 1949 that won him serious attention. He was quick to cement his new status, going on to star in films that included The Glass Menagerie, Ace in The Hole, The Bad And The Beautiful, 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, Lust For Life, Town Without Pity and The Vikings. He retired from acting 12 years ago but remained active in other areas of life.
Alongside acting, he was a passionate campaigner who came to be much admired for his stance.
Few actors have ever achieved the legendary status of Kirk Douglas, star of Spartacus and three-time Oscar nominee, who has passed away at the age of 103.
A former wrestler and an army veteran, Douglas got his first break in acting through his friendship with Lauren Bacall, and starred opposite Barbara Stanwyck in The Strange Love of Martha Ivers, but it was his role as a boxer in Champion in 1949 that won him serious attention. He was quick to cement his new status, going on to star in films that included The Glass Menagerie, Ace in The Hole, The Bad And The Beautiful, 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, Lust For Life, Town Without Pity and The Vikings. He retired from acting 12 years ago but remained active in other areas of life.
Alongside acting, he was a passionate campaigner who came to be much admired for his stance.
- 2/6/2020
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Kirk Douglas, the epitome of old-school Hollywood star power whose intense performances conveyed his characters’ fiery and sometimes conflicted core, died Wednesday at the age of 103.
“It is with tremendous sadness that my brothers and I announce that Kirk Douglas left us today at the age of 103,” his son Michael said in a statement (via People). “To the world, he was a legend, an actor from the golden age of movies who lived well into his golden years, a humanitarian whose commitment to justice and the causes he believed in...
“It is with tremendous sadness that my brothers and I announce that Kirk Douglas left us today at the age of 103,” his son Michael said in a statement (via People). “To the world, he was a legend, an actor from the golden age of movies who lived well into his golden years, a humanitarian whose commitment to justice and the causes he believed in...
- 2/5/2020
- by Tim Grierson
- Rollingstone.com
Kirk Douglas, icon of Hollywood’s Golden Age and Spartacus star, has died at the age of 103.
“It is with tremendous sadness that my brothers and I announce that Kirk Douglas left us today at the age of 103,” son Michael Douglas said in a statement on Instagram. “To the world, he was a legend, an actor from the golden age of movies who lived well into his golden years, a humanitarian whose commitment to justice and the causes he believed in set a standard for all of us to aspire to.”
A three-time Academy Award nominee and recipient of an Oscar for Lifetime Achievement in 1996, Douglas will be remembered for a prolific career in which he appeared in close to 100 movies and delivered numerous defining performances.
As well as his titular role in Stanley Kubrick’s 1960 historical epic Spartacus, in which he played the leader of a slave revolt against the Roman republic,...
“It is with tremendous sadness that my brothers and I announce that Kirk Douglas left us today at the age of 103,” son Michael Douglas said in a statement on Instagram. “To the world, he was a legend, an actor from the golden age of movies who lived well into his golden years, a humanitarian whose commitment to justice and the causes he believed in set a standard for all of us to aspire to.”
A three-time Academy Award nominee and recipient of an Oscar for Lifetime Achievement in 1996, Douglas will be remembered for a prolific career in which he appeared in close to 100 movies and delivered numerous defining performances.
As well as his titular role in Stanley Kubrick’s 1960 historical epic Spartacus, in which he played the leader of a slave revolt against the Roman republic,...
- 2/5/2020
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
Kirk Douglas, the prolific actor and producer whose “Spartacus” is credited with helping to end the Hollywood blacklist, patriarch of a successful entertainment dynasty and one of the last surviving stars of Hollywood’s golden age, died Wednesday. He was 103.
“It is with tremendous sadness that my brothers and I announce that Kirk Douglas left us today at the age of 103,” his son Michael Douglas said in a statement posted on Instagram. “To the world, he was a legend, an actor from the golden age of movies who lived well into his golden years, a humanitarian whose commitment to justice and the causes he believed in set a standard for all of us to aspire to.
“But to me and my brothers Joel and Peter he was simply Dad, to Catherine, a wonderful father-in-law, to his grandchildren and great grandchild their loving grandfather, and to his wife Anne, a wonderful husband.
“It is with tremendous sadness that my brothers and I announce that Kirk Douglas left us today at the age of 103,” his son Michael Douglas said in a statement posted on Instagram. “To the world, he was a legend, an actor from the golden age of movies who lived well into his golden years, a humanitarian whose commitment to justice and the causes he believed in set a standard for all of us to aspire to.
“But to me and my brothers Joel and Peter he was simply Dad, to Catherine, a wonderful father-in-law, to his grandchildren and great grandchild their loving grandfather, and to his wife Anne, a wonderful husband.
- 2/5/2020
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.