When Herbert Kline, Hans Burger, and Alexander Hammid’s Crisis: A Film of the Nazi Way premiered in New York City on March 11, 1939, agitprop was largely affiliated with European styles of theater, literature, and film that confronted viewers and readers with political messages. The Soviets in particular helped to define this mode of art in conjunction with the Russian Revolution and its aftermath. Crisis, though, introduced a new form of agitprop that combined the style of an expository documentary with the exigency of a newsreel.
The film documents the circumstances that led to the occupation of Czechoslovakia, beginning with images of maps and narration by American actor Leif Erickson before portraying daily life in Prague. Crisis abounds in luminous shots of Prague’s many cathedrals and castles, presenting the city as a thriving, peaceful place that will shortly be uprooted by Nazi infiltration.
Redolent of Dziga Vertov’s The Man with the Movie Camera,...
The film documents the circumstances that led to the occupation of Czechoslovakia, beginning with images of maps and narration by American actor Leif Erickson before portraying daily life in Prague. Crisis abounds in luminous shots of Prague’s many cathedrals and castles, presenting the city as a thriving, peaceful place that will shortly be uprooted by Nazi infiltration.
Redolent of Dziga Vertov’s The Man with the Movie Camera,...
- 5/18/2024
- by Clayton Dillard
- Slant Magazine
There’s something about a doppelganger that feels uniquely cinematic. A person who looks like you, thinks like you, and maybe even lives like you has always been a subject of fascination and dread in literature and philosophy, a concept that raises questions about individuality and the collective. But on the screen, seeing the effect of one person mimicked and duplicated proves all the more uncanny and unnerving. Science fiction, horror, and a multitude of other genres have used duality as a means to terrify, unsettle, and provoke.
And then, of course, there’s the acting challenge. For an experienced actor or an up-and-comer alike, playing dual roles is the ultimate flex, a way to show your range in a single project. Whether playing twins or identical strangers, an actor who takes on a dual role has to manage the trick of being both an individual and a duo, of...
And then, of course, there’s the acting challenge. For an experienced actor or an up-and-comer alike, playing dual roles is the ultimate flex, a way to show your range in a single project. Whether playing twins or identical strangers, an actor who takes on a dual role has to manage the trick of being both an individual and a duo, of...
- 4/19/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
The Academy’s tendency to award trophies to Holocaust movies has long been whispered about — and even occasionally joked about by cheeky comedians.
In 2009, shortly after Kate Winslet won a Golden Globe for her performance as a former Auschwitz guard in “The Reader,” presenter Ricky Gervais pointed to her in the audience and deadpanned, “I told ya, do a Holocaust movie; the awards come.”
Winslet, who would go on to receive an Academy Award for her part in Stephen Daldry’s film, had several years earlier appeared on Gervais and Stephen Merchant’s HBO comedy “Extras” as an actor who stars in a film about the Holocaust in the hopes that it will earn her an Oscar.
The night of the Globes, Winslet laughed at Gervais’ ribbing, as did many in the crowd. It was a much a jab at the industry as much as it was at her.
“The spoof wasn’t entirely wrong,...
In 2009, shortly after Kate Winslet won a Golden Globe for her performance as a former Auschwitz guard in “The Reader,” presenter Ricky Gervais pointed to her in the audience and deadpanned, “I told ya, do a Holocaust movie; the awards come.”
Winslet, who would go on to receive an Academy Award for her part in Stephen Daldry’s film, had several years earlier appeared on Gervais and Stephen Merchant’s HBO comedy “Extras” as an actor who stars in a film about the Holocaust in the hopes that it will earn her an Oscar.
The night of the Globes, Winslet laughed at Gervais’ ribbing, as did many in the crowd. It was a much a jab at the industry as much as it was at her.
“The spoof wasn’t entirely wrong,...
- 2/16/2024
- by Whitney Friedlander
- Variety Film + TV
The lesser-known of Charlie Chaplin’s canon might still place among the finest films ever made, and his greatest scholars and acolytes will tell you A Woman of Paris has always deserved such label. It began the run of feature-length masterpieces that was The Gold Rush, City Lights, Modern Times, and The Great Dictator but remains semi-obscure––an oddity perhaps partly explained by Chaplin’s own classification as “the first serious drama written and directed by myself,” and one soon be amended by Janus Films’ U.S. release of a 4K restoration.
Ahead of its December 22 premiere at Film Forum, there’s a new trailer and poster. The former suggests a strong, faithful rendering from Fondazione Cineteca di Bologna and Timothy Brock, who has newly conducted Chaplin’s original score; the latter so strongly evokes a 1923 theatrical release that I assumed it was the original one-sheet with new titles attached.
Ahead of its December 22 premiere at Film Forum, there’s a new trailer and poster. The former suggests a strong, faithful rendering from Fondazione Cineteca di Bologna and Timothy Brock, who has newly conducted Chaplin’s original score; the latter so strongly evokes a 1923 theatrical release that I assumed it was the original one-sheet with new titles attached.
- 12/4/2023
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Red, White & Royal Blue shares very little with first-time director Matthew López’s Tony-winning play The Inheritance. Both works address the social mores of young gay men from disparate backgrounds in the wake of a crisis, but where the characters in López’s career-defining play are processing the traumas of AIDS, the biggest hiccup in the lives of the film’s characters turns out to be a destroyed wedding cake.
No shade. Not every piece of art about gay desire needs to be rooted in trauma and internalized shame, and López’s film boasts a handful of sex scenes—between Alex Claremont-Diaz (Taylor Zakhar Perez), the son of the American president, and England’s Prince Henry (Nicholas Galitzine)—that will surely satisfy anyone who’s horny for representation. But everything around those scenes—the histrionic scenarios, the Sorkin-esque political idealism, the Gen Z-pandering internet humor—is too limp...
No shade. Not every piece of art about gay desire needs to be rooted in trauma and internalized shame, and López’s film boasts a handful of sex scenes—between Alex Claremont-Diaz (Taylor Zakhar Perez), the son of the American president, and England’s Prince Henry (Nicholas Galitzine)—that will surely satisfy anyone who’s horny for representation. But everything around those scenes—the histrionic scenarios, the Sorkin-esque political idealism, the Gen Z-pandering internet humor—is too limp...
- 8/10/2023
- by Greg Nussen
- Slant Magazine
Abel Gance’s first sound film is among the most notorious what-ifs of cinema alongside The Magnificent Ambersons and much of Erich von Stroheim’s filmography. The version that was released in theaters back in 1931 and which survives today represents a tattered remnant of its maker’s original vision: a three-hour opus intended to spread a message of world unity and pacifism as Gance’s final word on the aftershocks and moral lessons of World War I. But producers immediately took out the pruning shears, reducing the film to half its intended length and, in the process, muddying its bold, operatic themes.
Compared to Gance’s towering silent epics, End of the World cannot help but feel like a curio. Still, it’s as if Gance knew the path that the film would take, as the first images of The End of the World consist of the director himself, as protagonist Jean Novalic,...
Compared to Gance’s towering silent epics, End of the World cannot help but feel like a curio. Still, it’s as if Gance knew the path that the film would take, as the first images of The End of the World consist of the director himself, as protagonist Jean Novalic,...
- 7/14/2023
- by Jake Cole
- Slant Magazine
“Success is the most convincing talker in the world,” Napoleon Bonaparte once said. And a really successful trailer can sell you on a movie even in the midst of an extremely crowded awards season. Witness the first trailer for “Napoleon,” Ridley Scott’s long-gestating epic about the French emperor, who conquered most of Europe in the early 19th century. Watch it below.
Starring Joaquin Phoenix as the general turned dictator, the film promises an epic scale like we haven’t seen from Scott in some time. Perhaps not since “Kingdom of Heaven,” or even his last pairing with Phoenix, 2000’s “Gladiator.” There are massive armies arrayed in battle, jeering crowds set to witness Marie Antoinette’s execution during the Reign of Terror, and even the pyramids being used for target practice — yes, something that Bonaparte, a Corsican who rose from nothing to be the most all-powerful figure in Europe in centuries,...
Starring Joaquin Phoenix as the general turned dictator, the film promises an epic scale like we haven’t seen from Scott in some time. Perhaps not since “Kingdom of Heaven,” or even his last pairing with Phoenix, 2000’s “Gladiator.” There are massive armies arrayed in battle, jeering crowds set to witness Marie Antoinette’s execution during the Reign of Terror, and even the pyramids being used for target practice — yes, something that Bonaparte, a Corsican who rose from nothing to be the most all-powerful figure in Europe in centuries,...
- 7/10/2023
- by Christian Blauvelt
- Indiewire
Creating timeless comedies is a truly remarkable accomplishment for filmmakers. It’s no secret that all movie genres have the potential to age poorly, but comedy, especially, has an expiration date due to its contextual and individualistic nature. What’s funny today might not make sense in the future, and what tickles some people may leave others cold.
When it comes to picking the best comedy movies of all time, durability must be taken into account. How well does this film hold up now? Will it still be hilarious years from now?
After intense research, we’ve found the ten highest-rated comedy films that represent laugh-out-loud hilarity and will stand the test of time. We can’t guarantee these will elicit uproarious laughter from everyone – then again, if they don’t…maybe you should take a step back and reassess your comedic sensibilities – or at least vote for your favorite comedy on IMDb.
When it comes to picking the best comedy movies of all time, durability must be taken into account. How well does this film hold up now? Will it still be hilarious years from now?
After intense research, we’ve found the ten highest-rated comedy films that represent laugh-out-loud hilarity and will stand the test of time. We can’t guarantee these will elicit uproarious laughter from everyone – then again, if they don’t…maybe you should take a step back and reassess your comedic sensibilities – or at least vote for your favorite comedy on IMDb.
- 3/30/2023
- by Buddy TV
- buddytv.com
Turner Classic Movies (TCM) offers a wide assortment of movies from the past that strikes nostalgia. However, there are also plenty of gems that allow audiences to discover other oldies to fill in their cinematic blindspots. Looking for something to watch this weekend between March 24-26? Here’s a look at the upcoming programming.
Friday, March 24 Jean-Pierre Léaud as Antoine Doinel | John Springer Collection/Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images
Starting just after midnight Eastern Standard Time, the TCM movies officially kick off the ending of the week in a big way. Ranging from the Oscar-nominated Mutiny on the Bounty from 1962 to the four-time Oscar-winning Network, there’s a little something for all viewers.
The notable standouts here are The 400 Blows, Diner, Dr. Strangelove, and Network.
The 400 Blows (1959) – 12:30 a.m. Est Diner (1982) – 2:30 a.m. Est Metropolitan (1990) – 4:30 a.m. Est The Sea Wolf (1941) – 6:15 a.m.
Friday, March 24 Jean-Pierre Léaud as Antoine Doinel | John Springer Collection/Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images
Starting just after midnight Eastern Standard Time, the TCM movies officially kick off the ending of the week in a big way. Ranging from the Oscar-nominated Mutiny on the Bounty from 1962 to the four-time Oscar-winning Network, there’s a little something for all viewers.
The notable standouts here are The 400 Blows, Diner, Dr. Strangelove, and Network.
The 400 Blows (1959) – 12:30 a.m. Est Diner (1982) – 2:30 a.m. Est Metropolitan (1990) – 4:30 a.m. Est The Sea Wolf (1941) – 6:15 a.m.
- 3/23/2023
- by Jeff Nelson
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Ingmar Bergman had Liv Ullmann. Woody Allen had Diane Keaton and Christopher Guest had Catherine O’Hara — that’s how actor John Michael Higgins summed up the stature of O’Hara’s work on screen with Guest and other top directors during a wide-ranging Q&a held Saturday as part of the sixth annual USC Comedy Festival.
The Emmy-winning O’Hara was honored with the Jack Oakie and Victoria Horne Oakie Masters of Comedy Award at the festival, in recognition of her long, and often underrated, career in film, TV, stage and sketch comedy.
The Oakie Foundation honors the lives and work of two comedy legends, Jack Oakie and Victoria Horne Oakie. Jack Oakie won a supporting actor Oscar for Charlie Chaplins’ 1940 satire “The Great Dictator.” Victoria Oakie was a comedy trouper who had supporting roles (as Victoria Horne) in numerous films, most memorably opposite Jimmy Stewart in 1950’s “Harvey.”
In reviewing...
The Emmy-winning O’Hara was honored with the Jack Oakie and Victoria Horne Oakie Masters of Comedy Award at the festival, in recognition of her long, and often underrated, career in film, TV, stage and sketch comedy.
The Oakie Foundation honors the lives and work of two comedy legends, Jack Oakie and Victoria Horne Oakie. Jack Oakie won a supporting actor Oscar for Charlie Chaplins’ 1940 satire “The Great Dictator.” Victoria Oakie was a comedy trouper who had supporting roles (as Victoria Horne) in numerous films, most memorably opposite Jimmy Stewart in 1950’s “Harvey.”
In reviewing...
- 2/26/2023
- by Carla Renata
- Variety Film + TV
Grave robbing is a lot like "The Star Wars Holiday Special," in that it's kinda neat to watch when Harrison Ford is doing it, but for the most part, nobody approves.
The bizarre act of digging up a human corpse and stealing it for unnatural purposes is the sort of thing we've grown accustomed to in movies. The image of Dr. Frankenstein kicking up the soil in search of really big corpses is pretty much burned into our brains. Grave robbing is the sort of thing villains do if the bodies are fresh, and heroes do if the bodies are really, really old — or if the body is fresh and belongs to Superman, that's probably the biggest ethical loophole.
But in real life, celebrities aren't usually known for digging up corpses for personal gain. That's the sort of thing that happens to celebrities more often than the other way around.
The bizarre act of digging up a human corpse and stealing it for unnatural purposes is the sort of thing we've grown accustomed to in movies. The image of Dr. Frankenstein kicking up the soil in search of really big corpses is pretty much burned into our brains. Grave robbing is the sort of thing villains do if the bodies are fresh, and heroes do if the bodies are really, really old — or if the body is fresh and belongs to Superman, that's probably the biggest ethical loophole.
But in real life, celebrities aren't usually known for digging up corpses for personal gain. That's the sort of thing that happens to celebrities more often than the other way around.
- 2/26/2023
- by William Bibbiani
- Slash Film
British actor Sands has been missing in California’s San Gabriel Mountains since January 13.
John Malkovich has commented on the disappearance of his friend and colleague, the UK actor Julian Sands, calling it “a very sad event.”
UK actor Sands went missing while hiking in the San Gabriel Mountains outside of Los Angeles, California on January 13 this year, 38 days ago. He has not yet been located; yesterday a body of a hiker who went missing on the same day, 62-year-old Bob Gregory, was found.
Malkovich took part in a press conference today (February 20) for Berlinale Special Gala Seneca - On The Creation Of Earthquakes,...
John Malkovich has commented on the disappearance of his friend and colleague, the UK actor Julian Sands, calling it “a very sad event.”
UK actor Sands went missing while hiking in the San Gabriel Mountains outside of Los Angeles, California on January 13 this year, 38 days ago. He has not yet been located; yesterday a body of a hiker who went missing on the same day, 62-year-old Bob Gregory, was found.
Malkovich took part in a press conference today (February 20) for Berlinale Special Gala Seneca - On The Creation Of Earthquakes,...
- 2/20/2023
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
When Tom Cruise landed his first starring role in 1981’s “Taps” opposite George C. Scott, he told the crowd at Cannes on Wednesday that he remembers thinking, “Please, if I could just do this for the rest of my life, I will never take it for granted.”
Over 40 years later, Cruise hasn’t stopped running, on screen or head-first into every public appearance to celebrate how much he loves the movies. And he found a good audience when he was given a career retrospective on Wednesday ahead of the Cannes premiere of “Top Gun: Maverick,” taking the moment to champion the theatrical experience and explain what makes a movie that can only be seen on the big screen.
When Cruise was asked if he ever considered moving “Maverick” to streaming after it was delayed for nearly two years during the pandemic, he replied, “Never gonna happen.” And he further boasted...
Over 40 years later, Cruise hasn’t stopped running, on screen or head-first into every public appearance to celebrate how much he loves the movies. And he found a good audience when he was given a career retrospective on Wednesday ahead of the Cannes premiere of “Top Gun: Maverick,” taking the moment to champion the theatrical experience and explain what makes a movie that can only be seen on the big screen.
When Cruise was asked if he ever considered moving “Maverick” to streaming after it was delayed for nearly two years during the pandemic, he replied, “Never gonna happen.” And he further boasted...
- 5/18/2022
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
The Cannes Film Festival is best-known for its lavish parties and stunning red carpets, but the celebration of cinema has also often been colored by political concerns. This year, promises to be an unusually turbulent one.
After all, filmmakers, studio executives and movie lovers are assembling in the South of France as the specter of war in Ukraine and rising autocracies around the world threaten to overshadow the good times. Indeed, the loudest applause on Cannes’ opening night were reserved for Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, who made a special appearance via video link in which he invoked Charlie Chaplin’s “The Great Dictator,” a satire of Nazism, to remind the audience of the powerful role movies can play.
“Hundreds of people die every day,” Zelensky said. “Will cinema stay silent, or will it talk about it? If there is a dictator, if there is a war for freedom, again, it all depends on our unity.
After all, filmmakers, studio executives and movie lovers are assembling in the South of France as the specter of war in Ukraine and rising autocracies around the world threaten to overshadow the good times. Indeed, the loudest applause on Cannes’ opening night were reserved for Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, who made a special appearance via video link in which he invoked Charlie Chaplin’s “The Great Dictator,” a satire of Nazism, to remind the audience of the powerful role movies can play.
“Hundreds of people die every day,” Zelensky said. “Will cinema stay silent, or will it talk about it? If there is a dictator, if there is a war for freedom, again, it all depends on our unity.
- 5/18/2022
- by Brent Lang and Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Cannes 2022 unfolds in an atmosphere of uncertainty as the war in Ukraine grinds on, the global film industry sputters back from the pandemic, and diversity and gender parity issues continue to confront festival director Thierry Fremaux. That also goes for his competition jury, who along with Fremaux gave respective press conferences ahead of Tuesday night’s opening night screening of “The Artist” Oscar-winner Michel Hazanavicius’ “Final Cut,” an enjoyable comedic French remake of the Japanese zombie movie “One Cut of the Dead,” and starring Romain Duris and Berenice Bejo.
“This year, everyone wanted to come to Cannes and meet together again,” said Fremaux, who greeted opening night attendees at the top of the Palais tapis rouge. They were friendlier than the interlocutors at his Monday press conference, who grilled him about everything from gender parity to the festival’s glitchy ticketing system and new partner Tiktok. “They didn’t want to talk about cinema,...
“This year, everyone wanted to come to Cannes and meet together again,” said Fremaux, who greeted opening night attendees at the top of the Palais tapis rouge. They were friendlier than the interlocutors at his Monday press conference, who grilled him about everything from gender parity to the festival’s glitchy ticketing system and new partner Tiktok. “They didn’t want to talk about cinema,...
- 5/17/2022
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Forest Whitaker receiving his honorary Palme from Cannes outgoing President Pierre Lescure Photo: Richard Mowe The surprise star of the opening night of the Cannes Film Festival - besides the honorary Palme recipient Forest Whitaker - was Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
He appeared live from Kyiv on the big screen in the giant Lumière theatre, issuing a heart-wrenching plea for his country.
His passion and conviction before a glammed up crowd of actors, celebrities, juries and directors will doubtless put to shame many of the performances to be seen over the next 15 days.
He referenced Charlie Chaplin’s Nazi satire The Great Dictator as an illustration of the power of cinema. The one-time TV actor from Servant of the People said: “The world needs a new Chaplin who will prove that cinema must not be silent. We need cinema to show that each time the ending will be on the side of freedom.
He appeared live from Kyiv on the big screen in the giant Lumière theatre, issuing a heart-wrenching plea for his country.
His passion and conviction before a glammed up crowd of actors, celebrities, juries and directors will doubtless put to shame many of the performances to be seen over the next 15 days.
He referenced Charlie Chaplin’s Nazi satire The Great Dictator as an illustration of the power of cinema. The one-time TV actor from Servant of the People said: “The world needs a new Chaplin who will prove that cinema must not be silent. We need cinema to show that each time the ending will be on the side of freedom.
- 5/17/2022
- by Richard Mowe
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky made a special appearance during Cannes’ opening night.
Zelensky gave an impassioned speech about the responsibility of filmmaking in the midst of war via a live video call from Kyiv. Zelensky, who was a satirical actor and the voice of “Paddington” before being elected president, cited Charlie Chaplin’s “The Great Dictator” among films necessary to reflect the contradictions of warfare.
“The most brutal dictators of the 20th century loved cinema,” Zelensky said during his address, adding that most films made about those dictators were “horrific documentaries and newsreels.”
“On February 24, Russia began a war of huge proportion against Ukraine with the intention of going further into Europe… Hundreds of people die every day. They are not going to get up after the end,” Zelensky said. “Will cinema stay silent, or will it talk about it? If there is a dictator, if there is a war for freedom,...
Zelensky gave an impassioned speech about the responsibility of filmmaking in the midst of war via a live video call from Kyiv. Zelensky, who was a satirical actor and the voice of “Paddington” before being elected president, cited Charlie Chaplin’s “The Great Dictator” among films necessary to reflect the contradictions of warfare.
“The most brutal dictators of the 20th century loved cinema,” Zelensky said during his address, adding that most films made about those dictators were “horrific documentaries and newsreels.”
“On February 24, Russia began a war of huge proportion against Ukraine with the intention of going further into Europe… Hundreds of people die every day. They are not going to get up after the end,” Zelensky said. “Will cinema stay silent, or will it talk about it? If there is a dictator, if there is a war for freedom,...
- 5/17/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
The 75th edition of the Cannes Film Festival officially kicked off this evening with an emotional opening ceremony that reached a pinnacle as Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky appeared via video to address the Palais audience live from Kyiv.
During his speech, Zelensky referred to Charlie Chaplin’s The Great Dictator and the role that film had in denouncing Hitler during World War II; the 1940 picture “didn’t destroy the real dictator, but thanks to this film, cinema was not silent,” he said.
The Ukraine president continued, “On February 24, Russia began a war of huge proportion against Ukraine with the intention of going further into Europe… Hundreds of people die every day. They are not going to get up after the end clap… Will cinema stay silent, or will it talk about it? If there is a dictator, if there is a war for freedom, again, it all depends on our unity.
During his speech, Zelensky referred to Charlie Chaplin’s The Great Dictator and the role that film had in denouncing Hitler during World War II; the 1940 picture “didn’t destroy the real dictator, but thanks to this film, cinema was not silent,” he said.
The Ukraine president continued, “On February 24, Russia began a war of huge proportion against Ukraine with the intention of going further into Europe… Hundreds of people die every day. They are not going to get up after the end clap… Will cinema stay silent, or will it talk about it? If there is a dictator, if there is a war for freedom, again, it all depends on our unity.
- 5/17/2022
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy outshone all of the stars at the Cannes Film Festival after he addressed the opening night crowd of actors and filmmakers, delivering an emotional plea on behalf of his war-torn country. Appearing via video, Zelenskyy had festival-goers dabbing their eyes.
“We continue fighting,” Zelenskyy said. “We have no choice but to continue fighting for our freedom.”
Zelenskyy’s remarks came shortly before the premiere of “Final Cut,” a wacky zombie comedy that seems far removed from the brutality on display in Ukraine after Russia’s illegal invasion. But even as Cannes returned in glamorous form after two years of a global pandemic, Zelenskyy’s passionate rallying cry served as a reminder of the political turmoil still roiling the world.
“I’m sure that the dictator will lose,” Zelenskyy said, in a pointed reference to Vladimir Putin.
“We will win in this war,” he added. “Glory to Ukraine.
“We continue fighting,” Zelenskyy said. “We have no choice but to continue fighting for our freedom.”
Zelenskyy’s remarks came shortly before the premiere of “Final Cut,” a wacky zombie comedy that seems far removed from the brutality on display in Ukraine after Russia’s illegal invasion. But even as Cannes returned in glamorous form after two years of a global pandemic, Zelenskyy’s passionate rallying cry served as a reminder of the political turmoil still roiling the world.
“I’m sure that the dictator will lose,” Zelenskyy said, in a pointed reference to Vladimir Putin.
“We will win in this war,” he added. “Glory to Ukraine.
- 5/17/2022
- by Brent Lang and Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
The Italian band Måneskin made its name in the U.S. with a crafty cover, of the Four Seasons’ “Beggin,'” and there were more where that came from during the band’s set Sunday night at Coachella: The group went to both ends of the pop/punk scale and memorably covered Britney Spears’ “Womanizer,” followed by Iggy Pop and the Stooges’ “I Wanna Be Your Dog.”
Although it may not exactly count as a cover, singer Damiano David also offered a partial recitation of one of the greatest movie speeches of all time — the climactic monologue from Charlie Chaplin’s classic anti-fascist film “The Great Dictator” — as the introduction to a new, original song that was dedicated to Ukraine.
Probably not much of the young crowd immediately recognized the 1940 Chaplin speech, which was shortly followed by David yelling “Fuck Putin!” in the middle of the new song, “We’re Gonna Dance on Gasoline,...
Although it may not exactly count as a cover, singer Damiano David also offered a partial recitation of one of the greatest movie speeches of all time — the climactic monologue from Charlie Chaplin’s classic anti-fascist film “The Great Dictator” — as the introduction to a new, original song that was dedicated to Ukraine.
Probably not much of the young crowd immediately recognized the 1940 Chaplin speech, which was shortly followed by David yelling “Fuck Putin!” in the middle of the new song, “We’re Gonna Dance on Gasoline,...
- 4/18/2022
- by Chris Willman
- Variety Film + TV
You may not know his films but you will certainly know who Charlie Chaplin is…
A legend of the silent film era there is more to the man than his signature bowler hat and cane. With films such as The Great Dictator, City Lights & The Kid his impact on film cannot be overstated.
The life of Charlie Chaplin is the subject of a new documentary from directing duo, James Spinney and Peter Middleton, who explore the enigma that is Chaplin.
We sit down with James and Peter to discuss The Real Charlie Chaplin, reflect on his influence, the mammoth task of tackling the story of a legend and controversy in his personal life.
The Real Charlie Chaplin Opens in Cinemas & Digitally on February 18th
The post James Spinney & Peter Middleton on their new documentary The Real Charlie Chaplin appeared first on HeyUGuys.
A legend of the silent film era there is more to the man than his signature bowler hat and cane. With films such as The Great Dictator, City Lights & The Kid his impact on film cannot be overstated.
The life of Charlie Chaplin is the subject of a new documentary from directing duo, James Spinney and Peter Middleton, who explore the enigma that is Chaplin.
We sit down with James and Peter to discuss The Real Charlie Chaplin, reflect on his influence, the mammoth task of tackling the story of a legend and controversy in his personal life.
The Real Charlie Chaplin Opens in Cinemas & Digitally on February 18th
The post James Spinney & Peter Middleton on their new documentary The Real Charlie Chaplin appeared first on HeyUGuys.
- 2/16/2022
- by Thomas Alexander
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Writer/director Guillermo del Toro discusses a few of his favorite movies with Josh and Joe.
Show Notes:
Movies Referenced In This Episode
Nightmare Alley (2021)
Nightmare Alley (1947) – Stuart Gordon’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review
Drive My Car (2021)
Wicked Woman (1953) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairing
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (2022)
Modern Times (1936)
City Lights (1931)
The Great Dictator (1940)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) – John Landis’s trailer commentary, Dennis Cozzalio’s review, Dennis Cozzalio’s Muriel Awards capsule review
Vertigo (1958) – Dan Ireland’s trailer commentary, Brian Trenchard-Smith’s review
The Man Who Would Be King (1975) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
Lawrence Of Arabia (1962)
The Young And The Damned (1950)
Gone With The Wind (1939)
The Golem (1920) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Sunrise: A Song Of Two Humans (1927)
Alucarda (1977)
Greed (1924) – Dennis Cozzalio’s Muriel Awards capsule review
Taxi Driver (1976) – Rod Lurie’s trailer commentary
District 9 (2009) – John Sayles...
Show Notes:
Movies Referenced In This Episode
Nightmare Alley (2021)
Nightmare Alley (1947) – Stuart Gordon’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review
Drive My Car (2021)
Wicked Woman (1953) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairing
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (2022)
Modern Times (1936)
City Lights (1931)
The Great Dictator (1940)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) – John Landis’s trailer commentary, Dennis Cozzalio’s review, Dennis Cozzalio’s Muriel Awards capsule review
Vertigo (1958) – Dan Ireland’s trailer commentary, Brian Trenchard-Smith’s review
The Man Who Would Be King (1975) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
Lawrence Of Arabia (1962)
The Young And The Damned (1950)
Gone With The Wind (1939)
The Golem (1920) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Sunrise: A Song Of Two Humans (1927)
Alucarda (1977)
Greed (1924) – Dennis Cozzalio’s Muriel Awards capsule review
Taxi Driver (1976) – Rod Lurie’s trailer commentary
District 9 (2009) – John Sayles...
- 1/25/2022
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
It’s been over a century since Charlie Chaplin introduced his beloved Tramp character in 1914’s “Kid Auto Races at Venice.” Unlike a lot of the silent film performers of the time, Chaplin breaks the fourth wall and makes eye contact with the audience. And even a century later, there’s an immediacy to that eye contact, there’s a bond between you and the silent clown. “He’s this very fluid character who just communes with the audience,” said James Spinney, who, with Peter Middleton, directed the lauded new Showtime documentary “The Real Chaplin.”
“When you watch him, you feel this crackle as he looks at you,” Spinney noted during a recent Film Independent conversation. “It’s kind of flirtatious and mischievous when he does that. Watching his films today, we found that they felt fresh and subversive, even over a century later, and felt like a type of...
“When you watch him, you feel this crackle as he looks at you,” Spinney noted during a recent Film Independent conversation. “It’s kind of flirtatious and mischievous when he does that. Watching his films today, we found that they felt fresh and subversive, even over a century later, and felt like a type of...
- 12/20/2021
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Charlie Chaplin in costume as his Little Tramp character. Courtesy of Showtime.
Charlie Chaplin was the first worldwide superstar, thanks in part to the global nature of silent movies, which transcended language barriers and international borders. Charlie Chaplin was funny and clever but on screen he also generated a hypnotic magic, seeming to reach through the screen to interact directly with the viewers, an effect your can still feel today watching his films. But his charming, hilarious Little Tramp was a character, not the real Charlie Chaplin, the first thing we learn in The Real Charlie Chaplin, a new biographical documentary that looks at both the man behind the magic and his creation.
The Real Charlie Chaplin, like any film about the great Charlie Chaplin, is a most welcome thing. Reminding audiences about, or introducing them to, Charlie Chaplin is a good thing, since even today, Chaplin still remains as...
Charlie Chaplin was the first worldwide superstar, thanks in part to the global nature of silent movies, which transcended language barriers and international borders. Charlie Chaplin was funny and clever but on screen he also generated a hypnotic magic, seeming to reach through the screen to interact directly with the viewers, an effect your can still feel today watching his films. But his charming, hilarious Little Tramp was a character, not the real Charlie Chaplin, the first thing we learn in The Real Charlie Chaplin, a new biographical documentary that looks at both the man behind the magic and his creation.
The Real Charlie Chaplin, like any film about the great Charlie Chaplin, is a most welcome thing. Reminding audiences about, or introducing them to, Charlie Chaplin is a good thing, since even today, Chaplin still remains as...
- 12/11/2021
- by Cate Marquis
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
As directed by Peter Middleton and James Spinney, The Real Charlie Chaplin attempts a delicate dance, quite ambitiously trying to understand both Chaplin the genius filmmaker and his iconic character the Tramp. “Enjoy any Charlie Chaplin you have the good luck to encounter, but don’t try to link them up to anything you can grasp,” observed writer Max Eastman. A title card with the above text opens the film, offering a direct warning: as much as one can know Chaplin, one never really will. Given access to an incredible amount of archival footage from the legend’s estate, Middleton and Spinney do their damndest to confront the man from every angle. And though they don’t succeed, perhaps that’s the point?
Pearl Mackie does sharp work as the narrator, guiding the viewer through Chaplin’s downtrodden childhood in London, to his signing with Fred Karno and move to America,...
Pearl Mackie does sharp work as the narrator, guiding the viewer through Chaplin’s downtrodden childhood in London, to his signing with Fred Karno and move to America,...
- 11/17/2021
- by Dan Mecca
- The Film Stage
Since the first ceremony in 1929, the Academy has nominated over 400 performances for Best Actor, with 83 actors claiming victory. Inevitably, the debates of who “should have” won follow, some of which have lasted decades. There’s no doubt that campaigning and popularity often play roles in who wins, but in many cases there’s more than one deserving winner.
For instance, it’s unbelievable that Peter O’Toole lost for his portrayal of the title character in “Lawrence of Arabia,” until you realize the winner – another legendary performance, from Gregory Peck in “To Kill a Mockingbird.” The 1941 ceremony included five performances that are still considered some of the best acting put on film, with four of the movies now classics: Charlie Chaplin for “The Great Dictator,” Henry Fonda for “The Grapes of Wrath,” Raymond Massey for “Abe Lincoln in Illinois,” Laurence Olivier for “Rebecca” and the winner, James Stewart for “The Philadelphia Story.
For instance, it’s unbelievable that Peter O’Toole lost for his portrayal of the title character in “Lawrence of Arabia,” until you realize the winner – another legendary performance, from Gregory Peck in “To Kill a Mockingbird.” The 1941 ceremony included five performances that are still considered some of the best acting put on film, with four of the movies now classics: Charlie Chaplin for “The Great Dictator,” Henry Fonda for “The Grapes of Wrath,” Raymond Massey for “Abe Lincoln in Illinois,” Laurence Olivier for “Rebecca” and the winner, James Stewart for “The Philadelphia Story.
- 11/12/2021
- by Susan Pennington and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Since the first ceremony in 1929, the Academy has nominated over 400 performances for Best Actor, with 83 actors claiming victory. Inevitably, the debates of who “should have” won follow, some of which have lasted decades. There’s no doubt that campaigning and popularity often play roles in who wins, but in many cases there’s more than one deserving winner.
For instance, it’s unbelievable that Peter O’Toole lost for his portrayal of the title character in “Lawrence of Arabia,” until you realize the winner – another legendary performance, from Gregory Peck in “To Kill a Mockingbird.” The 1941 ceremony included five performances that are still considered some of the best acting put on film, with four of the movies now classics: Charlie Chaplin for “The Great Dictator,” Henry Fonda for “The Grapes of Wrath,” Raymond Massey for “Abe Lincoln in Illinois,” Laurence Olivier for “Rebecca” and the winner, James Stewart for “The Philadelphia Story.
For instance, it’s unbelievable that Peter O’Toole lost for his portrayal of the title character in “Lawrence of Arabia,” until you realize the winner – another legendary performance, from Gregory Peck in “To Kill a Mockingbird.” The 1941 ceremony included five performances that are still considered some of the best acting put on film, with four of the movies now classics: Charlie Chaplin for “The Great Dictator,” Henry Fonda for “The Grapes of Wrath,” Raymond Massey for “Abe Lincoln in Illinois,” Laurence Olivier for “Rebecca” and the winner, James Stewart for “The Philadelphia Story.
- 11/10/2021
- by Susan Pennington, Chris Beachum and Misty Holland
- Gold Derby
Switzerland became Charlie Chaplin’s home after he was hounded out of the U.S. in 1952, so it’s perhaps fitting that the Zurich Film Festival hosted the European premiere of feature documentary “The Real Charlie Chaplin.”
Playing in the festival’s documentary competition section, “The Real Charlie Chaplin” is an innovative montage of film clips, behind-the-scenes footage, newly-unearthed audio recordings, dramatic reconstructions and personal archive about cinema’s first and arguably greatest icon – tracing his meteoric rise from the slums of Victorian London to Hollywood stardom and eventual banishment.
The darker side of Chaplin’s life is explored too, from the treatment of his ex-wives (his second wife Lita Grey was just 15 when their relationship began) to his eccentric working methods.
The film is directed by Peter Middleton and James Spinney, whose acclaimed 2016 debut feature doc “Notes on Blindness” won the British Independent Film Award for Best Documentary Film.
Playing in the festival’s documentary competition section, “The Real Charlie Chaplin” is an innovative montage of film clips, behind-the-scenes footage, newly-unearthed audio recordings, dramatic reconstructions and personal archive about cinema’s first and arguably greatest icon – tracing his meteoric rise from the slums of Victorian London to Hollywood stardom and eventual banishment.
The darker side of Chaplin’s life is explored too, from the treatment of his ex-wives (his second wife Lita Grey was just 15 when their relationship began) to his eccentric working methods.
The film is directed by Peter Middleton and James Spinney, whose acclaimed 2016 debut feature doc “Notes on Blindness” won the British Independent Film Award for Best Documentary Film.
- 9/30/2021
- by Tim Dams
- Variety Film + TV
In the pantheon of notoriously unavailable films, Jerry Lewis’ “The Day the Clown Cried” occupies a special plinth: Its outline — a circus clown is imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp where he cheers up Jewish children before being forced to lead them to their doom — makes it one of the few movies to have been suppressed purely on the grounds of “yikes.” It is perhaps unfair to compare it with “Freaks Out,” the second film from Italian director Gabriele Mainetti (“They Call Me Jeeg”), though given that Mainetti’s film also involves circus performers, Nazis and a train full of Jewish people being transported to the camps, quite which film the comparison is unfair to is up for debate. After all, Lewis’ boondoggle didn’t have in it a psychotic, ether-addicted, six-fingered, “Sieg Heil!”-ing pianist who can see into the future, and a whole host of references to, of all things,...
- 9/9/2021
- by Jessica Kiang
- Variety Film + TV
Hollywood, for all of its pomp and circumstance regarding pop culture and celebrity, has, many times, found a way to poke fun at itself and the world at large. Parody films have been around almost as long as moving pictures. Some of the greats like Charlie Chaplin went as far as to go after Adolf Hitler in The Great Dictator back in 1940, proving that comedy can sometimes be a powerful weapon. Now, most films that are considered parody don’t always cover heavy-handed a target like, say, World War II (although you may find a couple on the list), but
A Few Parody Films We Might Have Forgotten About...
A Few Parody Films We Might Have Forgotten About...
- 7/23/2021
- by Adam Mock
- TVovermind.com
We recently did an Oscars flashback 70 years to the 23rd Academy Awards ceremony, and now we go back a decade more to the 13th ceremony, which was held on February 27, 1941, and would be the last ceremony before the United States’ entry into WWII. It was a year of many firsts that remain part of the ceremonies, a year of historic firsts in the competitive categories and a year that recognized many icons of cinema, although it’s astounding to learn that some of these individuals never won a competitive Oscar.
This was the inaugural year for sealed envelopes, with the identity of the winners kept secret until their names were called, prompting the now famous phrase, “May I have the envelope, please?” This was also the first time in Academy history that a producer won the top prize back to back.
SEEOscars flashback 60 years to 1961: Academy chooses Elizabeth Taylor,...
This was the inaugural year for sealed envelopes, with the identity of the winners kept secret until their names were called, prompting the now famous phrase, “May I have the envelope, please?” This was also the first time in Academy history that a producer won the top prize back to back.
SEEOscars flashback 60 years to 1961: Academy chooses Elizabeth Taylor,...
- 3/17/2021
- by Susan Pennington
- Gold Derby
Restorations of ‘The Kid’ and ‘The Great Dictator’ among titles set for theatrical release.
Distributor Piece of Magic has joined forces with Paris-based mk2 to release restorations of Charlie Chaplin classics in theatres around the world.
The partnership will see Piece of Magic release a 4K restoration of Chaplin’s 1921 classic The Kid this autumn, working with their global network of exhibitors in around 50 territories, while collaborating with existing mk2 distribution partners.
These territories include Benelux, Latin America, Australia and New Zealand, China and Hong Kong, Cis territories including Russia, the Czech Republic, Greece, Portugal, UAE and South Africa.
mk...
Distributor Piece of Magic has joined forces with Paris-based mk2 to release restorations of Charlie Chaplin classics in theatres around the world.
The partnership will see Piece of Magic release a 4K restoration of Chaplin’s 1921 classic The Kid this autumn, working with their global network of exhibitors in around 50 territories, while collaborating with existing mk2 distribution partners.
These territories include Benelux, Latin America, Australia and New Zealand, China and Hong Kong, Cis territories including Russia, the Czech Republic, Greece, Portugal, UAE and South Africa.
mk...
- 3/4/2021
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Finneas has joined forces with Until the Ribbon Breaks for a reimagining of “What They’ll Say About Us.”
Inspired by Black Lives Matter and actor Nick Cordero’s death from Covid-19 complications, the video features footage from protests, a quote from James Baldwin (“I can’t believe what you say, because I see what you do”), and scenes of Charlie Chaplin in The Great Dictator. Instead of the twinkling piano that opens the original recording, the remix kicks off with thrashing instrumentation.
“I’ve long been a fan of...
Inspired by Black Lives Matter and actor Nick Cordero’s death from Covid-19 complications, the video features footage from protests, a quote from James Baldwin (“I can’t believe what you say, because I see what you do”), and scenes of Charlie Chaplin in The Great Dictator. Instead of the twinkling piano that opens the original recording, the remix kicks off with thrashing instrumentation.
“I’ve long been a fan of...
- 2/26/2021
- by Angie Martoccio
- Rollingstone.com
Léo Kouper, who passed away last week at the age of 94, was rather unusual among poster artists for having a special association with one filmmaker, his being Charlie Chaplin. From the early 1950s through the early ’70s Kouper created some of the most striking and charming Chaplin poster designs for almost all his feature films. Born in Paris on August 20, 1926, Kouper was mentored from the age of 19 by the great French poster artist Hervé Morvan (1917-1980) who was nine years his senior. Morvan did his fair share of movie posters, including a stunning double panel Grand Illusion, but is best known for his bold, colorful, child-like illustrations advertising French products like Gitanes, Perrier and Lanvin Chocolate.Kouper’s illustration work is in a similar faux naïf style to Morvan’s and its simplicity and charm no doubt appealed to Chaplin over the years. His first Chaplin poster, seen above, was...
- 2/18/2021
- MUBI
To celebrate Variety’s 115th anniversary, we went to the archives to see how some of Hollywood’s biggest stars first landed in the pages of our magazine. Read more from the archives here.
Variety first mentioned Charles Chaplin, as he was billed, in his American stage debut, before he had made any films. In 1910, the British-born entertainer was appearing in a revue, “The Wow Wows,” at New York’s Colonial Theater. The review said the 29-minute show was performed in three scenes, describing Chaplin as “typically English,” with a manner that was “quiet and easy” as a group pretends to initiate him into a secret society, but they’re really getting revenge on him. Variety said the show dragged when Chaplin wasn’t onstage, and predicted he “will do all right for America.”
He did more than all right. He started in films in 1914, eventually writing, directing, acting and composing music scores,...
Variety first mentioned Charles Chaplin, as he was billed, in his American stage debut, before he had made any films. In 1910, the British-born entertainer was appearing in a revue, “The Wow Wows,” at New York’s Colonial Theater. The review said the 29-minute show was performed in three scenes, describing Chaplin as “typically English,” with a manner that was “quiet and easy” as a group pretends to initiate him into a secret society, but they’re really getting revenge on him. Variety said the show dragged when Chaplin wasn’t onstage, and predicted he “will do all right for America.”
He did more than all right. He started in films in 1914, eventually writing, directing, acting and composing music scores,...
- 12/16/2020
- by Tim Gray
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: This year’s Hainan Island International Film Festival (December 5 – 12) will host China’s biggest retrospective of Charlie Chaplin films.
The event will host 20 screenings of Chaplin films across the island, encompassing five of his classic comedies: Modern Times, The Kid, City Lights, The Great Dictator and Monsieur Verdoux. The fest is also looking into touring the films around major Chinese cities at a later date.
Chaplin visited China in 1936 and 29 of his films were released in the country between 1919 and 1924. Despite that connection, there has yet to be a significant retrospective of his works in the country to date. Last year’s Hainan film festival hosted a screening of Chaplin’s The Gold Rush.
The deal was brokered by the UK-China Film Collab with Trinity CineAsia, a leading distributor of Chinese films in Europe, and licensed by rights holder Mk2 Films, which represents the filmmaker’s library internationally.
“We...
The event will host 20 screenings of Chaplin films across the island, encompassing five of his classic comedies: Modern Times, The Kid, City Lights, The Great Dictator and Monsieur Verdoux. The fest is also looking into touring the films around major Chinese cities at a later date.
Chaplin visited China in 1936 and 29 of his films were released in the country between 1919 and 1924. Despite that connection, there has yet to be a significant retrospective of his works in the country to date. Last year’s Hainan film festival hosted a screening of Chaplin’s The Gold Rush.
The deal was brokered by the UK-China Film Collab with Trinity CineAsia, a leading distributor of Chinese films in Europe, and licensed by rights holder Mk2 Films, which represents the filmmaker’s library internationally.
“We...
- 11/16/2020
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
Before Donald Trump got himself infected with the coronavirus, he had firmly secured his place as the worst president in American history. Now, after mocking Joe Biden at their first debate for mask wearing, Trump has proved to be a reckless superspreader, risking the lives of donors at a New Jersey fundraiser and the Secret Service agents sworn to protect him by demanding a bizarre motorcade photo op outside of Walter Reed hospital. One aide and associate after another of those exposed to him — and his wife — have fallen victim to the virus.
- 10/11/2020
- by Sean Wilentz
- Rollingstone.com
The show must go on. At least the Venice Film Festival must go on. Even a pandemic can’t stop the oldest international film festival from taking place Sept. 2 through Sept. 12 in the picturesque of grand canals. Of course, safety is first with masks, social distancing etc. are all in place as critics get a first glance at possible award-winners.
Over the past seven years, the festival has held world premieres of such Oscar-winners as 2013’s “Gravity”; 2014’s “Birdman”; 2015’s “Spotlight”; 2016’s “La La Land”; 2017’s “The Shape of Water”; 2018’s “Roma”; and 2019’s “Joker.” Only two films that won the festival’s top prize have gone on to win Best Picture at the Oscars: 1948’s “Hamlet” and 2017’s “The Shape of Water.”
The festival began in 1932 as part of the Venice Biennale, the city’s legendary exhibition of the arts under the guidance of President of the Biennale, Count Giuseppe Volpi di Misurata,...
Over the past seven years, the festival has held world premieres of such Oscar-winners as 2013’s “Gravity”; 2014’s “Birdman”; 2015’s “Spotlight”; 2016’s “La La Land”; 2017’s “The Shape of Water”; 2018’s “Roma”; and 2019’s “Joker.” Only two films that won the festival’s top prize have gone on to win Best Picture at the Oscars: 1948’s “Hamlet” and 2017’s “The Shape of Water.”
The festival began in 1932 as part of the Venice Biennale, the city’s legendary exhibition of the arts under the guidance of President of the Biennale, Count Giuseppe Volpi di Misurata,...
- 9/2/2020
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
MusicThe complete album with six songs is scheduled to release on August 15, 2020.Tnm StaffAdhithya Venkatapathy aka Adhi and R Jeeva from the two member Tamil hiphop band Hiphop Tamizha have released the first title song from their upcoming album Naa Oru Alien. This song titled “Net ah Thorandha” was released on 6 August 2020 by Think Music India label. The complete album with six songs is scheduled to release on August 15, 2020. The 3.4-minute video that comes with colourful animation has references to the Hollywood franchise Avengers. The song’s lines are on humanity with a request to stay united. There are references to the novel coronavirus that appears as an evil giant figure in the video. It ends with an audio clip from Charlie Chaplin’s phenomenal ending speech from his 1940 political satire The Great Dictator: “We think too much and feel too little / More than machinery we need humanity / More than cleverness we need kindness,...
- 8/7/2020
- by Anjana
- The News Minute
Above: The Nose or Conspiracy of MavericksThe Annecy International Animation film festival—one of the oldest and most important animation festivals in the world—took place online this year, as many other festivals have during the pandemic. Overall the online version of the festival was strong, though it postponed a sidebar on African animation until next summer. But one clear misstep was the presentation of a number of feature films in the competition only as short extracts, or worse, promotions. While this did not diminish the overall quality of the festival’s range of movies, it was certainly dismissive of the audience, especially in the case of the film awarded the Cristal: Calamity, a Childhood of Martha Jane Cannary, directed by Rémi Chayé. That a film only accessible to the jury won the festival’s highest award is problematic. The decision to wait to release the film in theaters is fine,...
- 7/10/2020
- MUBI
Charlie Chaplin would’ve celebrated his 131st birthday on April 16, 2020. The silent movie comedian was a trailblazing writer, director, producer and performer, paving the way for the likes of Woody Allen, Albert Brooks and several other funny filmmakers who followed in his footsteps. In honor of his birthday, let’s take a look back at all 11 of the feature films he directed, ranked worst to best.
Born in London, England, in 1889, Chaplin grew up in extreme poverty with an absent father and a mother who was committed to a mental institution when he was 14. He began performing in music halls at an early age, traveling to America to find work in the burgeoning film industry. It was at Keystone Studios that he created the Little Tramp, a lovable vagabond who finds himself in one hilarious situation after another.
He transitioned into directing with a series of shorts before helming his first feature,...
Born in London, England, in 1889, Chaplin grew up in extreme poverty with an absent father and a mother who was committed to a mental institution when he was 14. He began performing in music halls at an early age, traveling to America to find work in the burgeoning film industry. It was at Keystone Studios that he created the Little Tramp, a lovable vagabond who finds himself in one hilarious situation after another.
He transitioned into directing with a series of shorts before helming his first feature,...
- 4/14/2020
- by Zach Laws and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
In the first of a series in which film-makers reveal their self-isolation viewing habits, the documentarian on batty curios and rare gems from 80 years ago
For absolutely no good reason, I’ve decide that the theme of my quarantine should be the number 40. To pretend to keep fit, I’ve been doing 40 sit-ups and 40 weight-lifts a day. I did an online talk for film students and called it 40 Days to Learn Film. And I decided that, in my free time, I’d watch films released in 1940.
I skipped the famous ones – Hitchcock’s Rebecca, Chaplin’s The Great Dictator, Cukor’s The Philadelphia Story, etc – because I’d seen those and I seldom watch a film twice. I wanted to know what I didn’t know about movies in 1940. I wanted an adventure. I feel alive when I’m discovering something new.
For absolutely no good reason, I’ve decide that the theme of my quarantine should be the number 40. To pretend to keep fit, I’ve been doing 40 sit-ups and 40 weight-lifts a day. I did an online talk for film students and called it 40 Days to Learn Film. And I decided that, in my free time, I’d watch films released in 1940.
I skipped the famous ones – Hitchcock’s Rebecca, Chaplin’s The Great Dictator, Cukor’s The Philadelphia Story, etc – because I’d seen those and I seldom watch a film twice. I wanted to know what I didn’t know about movies in 1940. I wanted an adventure. I feel alive when I’m discovering something new.
- 3/30/2020
- by Mark Cousins
- The Guardian - Film News
It might sound like a backhanded compliment to say that Jesse Eisenberg’s antic performance as French mime Marcel Marceau is the best thing about Jonathan Jakubowicz’s “Resistance,” but it’s not. Well, it’s not a backhanded compliment to Eisenberg, anyway. The giddy standout of a bizarre and half-baked Holocaust thriller that’s otherwise absent any clear sense of self, the star of “The Social Network” is an inspired — if also logical — choice to play another Jewish icon who changed the world from behind the flat screen of their own neuroses. And for the better, in this case.
If only this film made any real use of history’s famous mime. Few people know that Marceau helped thousands of orphaned children escape the Nazis before he ever painted his face white, but Jakubowicz only uses that incredible factoid as the hook for a shoddy and generic war saga...
If only this film made any real use of history’s famous mime. Few people know that Marceau helped thousands of orphaned children escape the Nazis before he ever painted his face white, but Jakubowicz only uses that incredible factoid as the hook for a shoddy and generic war saga...
- 3/23/2020
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
The deadly spread of coronavirus may be taking a harsh toll on nations around the globe, but the creative outlets that people are finding to alleviate the boredom of isolation is providing some more uplifting news to report.
Italy has been one of the places most decimated by the virus. Last week, its death toll surpassed China’s. At the time of writing, it had reached 5,476 fatalities, with 59,138 confirmed cases. The country is in full lockdown, with people only allowed to leave their homes for essential reasons.
More from DeadlineTokyo Olympics Will Be Suspended Due To Coronavirus, Ioc Official Tells USA Today; Japanese Pm Admits, "I Don't Think The World Will Be Ready" - UpdateCanada's Banff World Media Festival 2020 Canceled Amid Coronavirus OutbreakBroadway's 'Moulin Rouge!' Star Aaron Tveit Tests Positive For Covid-19, Symptoms "Very Mild"
Despite an understandable doom and gloom in the national mood, one organization is...
Italy has been one of the places most decimated by the virus. Last week, its death toll surpassed China’s. At the time of writing, it had reached 5,476 fatalities, with 59,138 confirmed cases. The country is in full lockdown, with people only allowed to leave their homes for essential reasons.
More from DeadlineTokyo Olympics Will Be Suspended Due To Coronavirus, Ioc Official Tells USA Today; Japanese Pm Admits, "I Don't Think The World Will Be Ready" - UpdateCanada's Banff World Media Festival 2020 Canceled Amid Coronavirus OutbreakBroadway's 'Moulin Rouge!' Star Aaron Tveit Tests Positive For Covid-19, Symptoms "Very Mild"
Despite an understandable doom and gloom in the national mood, one organization is...
- 3/23/2020
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
A leisurely, somewhat hazy travelogue compared to the piercing political indictments of his acclaimed prior “We Come as Friends” and Oscar-nominated “Darwin’s Nightmare,” Austrian documentarian Hubert Sauper’s new “Epicentro” looks at Cuba on the brink of colossal transition, as the old Communist system is in its apparent death throes, and free-market capitalism waits in the wings. It’s a fascinating moment for cultural stock-taking. Yet despite the filmmaker’s evident fondness for the people and nation, this impressionistic feature feels frustratingly obtuse, unfocused and unstructured. Nonetheless, it won the World Documentary jury prize at Sundance, which along with Sauper’s reputation should ensure a fair degree of future exposure.
“Epicentro” does start out very well, with Sauper’s own musing, philosophical narration informing us of Cuba’s distinction as “the place where the New World was discovered” and the American flag was first planted overseas — followed by, among other locations,...
“Epicentro” does start out very well, with Sauper’s own musing, philosophical narration informing us of Cuba’s distinction as “the place where the New World was discovered” and the American flag was first planted overseas — followed by, among other locations,...
- 2/6/2020
- by Dennis Harvey
- Variety Film + TV
Director Taika Waititi's "Jojo Rabbit", a spoof of World War II, is a bittersweet comedy that is based on the book "Caging Skies" by Christine Leunens.
Set in the last days World War II Germany, the film follows a 10-year-old boy named Johannes Betzler (Roman Griffin Davis), an enthusiastic and dedicated Nazi fan who lives with his mother Rosie (Scarlett Johansson) while his father is away at war. He has a very active imagination including an imaginary friend: Adolf Hitler (played by Waititi), and he follows the party ideology like any 10-year-old could unfortunately hope to. When he discovers his mother has been hiding a Jewish teenage girl named Elsa (Thomasin McKenzie) in their attic, he is initially taken aback. Thanks to this unwanted guest who becomes a stand-in for his late sister, Jojo has to grapple with his naive but bigoted worldview, thereby questioning the ideology, as well as his loyalty to Nazism.
Set in the last days World War II Germany, the film follows a 10-year-old boy named Johannes Betzler (Roman Griffin Davis), an enthusiastic and dedicated Nazi fan who lives with his mother Rosie (Scarlett Johansson) while his father is away at war. He has a very active imagination including an imaginary friend: Adolf Hitler (played by Waititi), and he follows the party ideology like any 10-year-old could unfortunately hope to. When he discovers his mother has been hiding a Jewish teenage girl named Elsa (Thomasin McKenzie) in their attic, he is initially taken aback. Thanks to this unwanted guest who becomes a stand-in for his late sister, Jojo has to grapple with his naive but bigoted worldview, thereby questioning the ideology, as well as his loyalty to Nazism.
- 1/30/2020
- GlamSham
At the Jan. 3 AFI Awards, Mel Brooks interrupted his speech about the American Film Institute’s women directors program to praise Taika Waititi for Searchlight’s “Jojo Rabbit.” However, he joked, the filmmaker “did not ask my permission to use Hitler!”
It got a big laugh (as Brooks usually does) for the reference to his 1968 movie “The Producers” and the 2001 musical. Brooks may be synonymous with comedic Nazis, but he hardly invented the concept.
On Aug. 14, 1940, Variety hailed the Hitler-Mussolini satire “The Great Dictator” as “probably the motion picture industry’s greatest one-man show,” because Charlie Chaplin, wrote, directed, starred and totally financed the $2.2 million film himself. The reviewer wrote, “The preaching is strong, notably in the six-minute speech at the finish, but also in the comedy.”
Two years later, Ernst Lubitsch directed (from Edwin Justus Meyer’s script) “To Be or Not to Be,” a 1942 film about Hitler’s 1939 invasion of Poland.
It got a big laugh (as Brooks usually does) for the reference to his 1968 movie “The Producers” and the 2001 musical. Brooks may be synonymous with comedic Nazis, but he hardly invented the concept.
On Aug. 14, 1940, Variety hailed the Hitler-Mussolini satire “The Great Dictator” as “probably the motion picture industry’s greatest one-man show,” because Charlie Chaplin, wrote, directed, starred and totally financed the $2.2 million film himself. The reviewer wrote, “The preaching is strong, notably in the six-minute speech at the finish, but also in the comedy.”
Two years later, Ernst Lubitsch directed (from Edwin Justus Meyer’s script) “To Be or Not to Be,” a 1942 film about Hitler’s 1939 invasion of Poland.
- 1/29/2020
- by Tim Gray
- Variety Film + TV
Taika Waititi follows a distinguished tradition with this ‘strange art comedy’ about a boy growing up in Nazi Germany, but fails to cut to the dark heart of the matter
Since the days of Chaplin’s The Great Dictator, film-makers have adopted naive or comedic perspectives to pierce and deflate the hideous bubble of Nazi ideology – a risky strategy that can reap rich rewards. In the 1967 classic The Producers, Mel Brooks made comedy gold from the spectre of a terrible play celebrating Hitler’s little-known dance skills. The film won a best screenplay Oscar and spawned a hit stage musical that in turn produced another star-studded screen adaptation. In 1999, Roberto Benigni’s “comedy drama” Life Is Beautiful won three Oscars with its depiction of a man whose comic clowning keeps the horrors of a concentration camp from his son – a premise weirdly reminiscent of Jerry Lewis’s ill-judged The Day the Clown Cried,...
Since the days of Chaplin’s The Great Dictator, film-makers have adopted naive or comedic perspectives to pierce and deflate the hideous bubble of Nazi ideology – a risky strategy that can reap rich rewards. In the 1967 classic The Producers, Mel Brooks made comedy gold from the spectre of a terrible play celebrating Hitler’s little-known dance skills. The film won a best screenplay Oscar and spawned a hit stage musical that in turn produced another star-studded screen adaptation. In 1999, Roberto Benigni’s “comedy drama” Life Is Beautiful won three Oscars with its depiction of a man whose comic clowning keeps the horrors of a concentration camp from his son – a premise weirdly reminiscent of Jerry Lewis’s ill-judged The Day the Clown Cried,...
- 1/5/2020
- by Mark Kermode
- The Guardian - Film News
No need to pull out your scissors just yet – voting for the 92nd Academy Awards is still underway, and the nominations won’t be unveiled until Jan. 13. So, don’t worry, voters can still check off Lupita Nyong’o for giving not one, but two, searing performances in Jordan Peele’s Us.” Nyong’o is already a Best Supporting Actress Oscar winner for Steve McQueen’s “12 Years a Slave” (2013) and could finally snag her second career nom, this time in Best Actress.
Of her two her characters in “Us,” we first meet Adelaide Wilson, a wife and mother of two, who is scarred by a 1986 incident in Santa Cruz; visiting with her parents, she wandered off into a funhouse, where she encountered a doppelgänger of herself, Red, in the hall of mirrors. In the present, Red then returns to terrorize Adelaide and her family. At the end of the movie,...
Of her two her characters in “Us,” we first meet Adelaide Wilson, a wife and mother of two, who is scarred by a 1986 incident in Santa Cruz; visiting with her parents, she wandered off into a funhouse, where she encountered a doppelgänger of herself, Red, in the hall of mirrors. In the present, Red then returns to terrorize Adelaide and her family. At the end of the movie,...
- 1/4/2020
- by Luca Giliberti
- Gold Derby
World War II has been a favorite subject of Hollywood since 1940, before the U.S. even entered the fighting. But the industry has been less interested in World War I, aka The Great War or The War to End All Wars (as it was sadly/optimistically dubbed).
In the past 25 years, there have been 16 best-picture Oscar nominees set during WWII. In those same years, there was only one set in World War I: Steven Spielberg’s “War Horse.” This is just one of many reasons why Universal-DreamWorks’ “1917,” a strong Oscar contender this year, seems so remarkable.
Krysty Wilson-Cairns, who co-wrote “1917” with director Sam Mendes, says she’s not surprised filmmakers have gravitated to the later war. “The Second World War was about countries uniting to fight the tyranny of the Nazis; it seemed like the only option to save humanity. But with the First World War, the motivations are obscure.
In the past 25 years, there have been 16 best-picture Oscar nominees set during WWII. In those same years, there was only one set in World War I: Steven Spielberg’s “War Horse.” This is just one of many reasons why Universal-DreamWorks’ “1917,” a strong Oscar contender this year, seems so remarkable.
Krysty Wilson-Cairns, who co-wrote “1917” with director Sam Mendes, says she’s not surprised filmmakers have gravitated to the later war. “The Second World War was about countries uniting to fight the tyranny of the Nazis; it seemed like the only option to save humanity. But with the First World War, the motivations are obscure.
- 1/2/2020
- by Tim Gray
- Variety Film + TV
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