MGM celebrated its centennial on April 17th. Marcus Lowe established the studio by merging Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures and Louis B. Mayer Pictures. Boasting it had “more stars than there are in heaven,” MGM may have been the biggest studio during the Golden Age of Hollywood, it has gone through many owners and regimes over the years but seems to on terra firma since Amazon acquired MGM in 2021. In fact, Amazon MGM Studios won best screenplay Oscar for “American Fiction.” And speaking of Academy Awards, MGM has earned numerous statuettes over the years. Here’s a look at five Best Picture winners produced between 1929-1958.
“The Broadway Melody”
The 1929 musical made Oscar history by being the first talkie to win the top prize. Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed wrote the songs which include “The Broadway Melody,” “You Were Meant for Me” and “The Wedding of the Painted Doll” but...
“The Broadway Melody”
The 1929 musical made Oscar history by being the first talkie to win the top prize. Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed wrote the songs which include “The Broadway Melody,” “You Were Meant for Me” and “The Wedding of the Painted Doll” but...
- 4/22/2024
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
If there was any doubt at all about whether Anthony Quinn was a true star, just take a look look at his track record. A film career that lasted 66 (!) years. Appearances in 151 films. Winner of two Academy Awards (for “Viva Zapata!’ and ‘Lust for Life’). Nominated for two more. Two BAFTA nominations. Five Golden Globe nominations. Nominated for a Primetime Emmy. And even a 382-performance run on Broadway as the star of the stage musical “Zorba,” based on his own hit film. That, my friend, is a star.
Born in Mexico but raised in Texas, Quinn began his career as a professional boxer but soon segued to acting. Blessed with looks that defied pigeonholing, Quinn played characters who were Latino, Greek, Italian, Arab and Native American (among many others), allowing him to explore a range of characterizations that few actors would be able to pull off so skillfully. Quinn’s talent,...
Born in Mexico but raised in Texas, Quinn began his career as a professional boxer but soon segued to acting. Blessed with looks that defied pigeonholing, Quinn played characters who were Latino, Greek, Italian, Arab and Native American (among many others), allowing him to explore a range of characterizations that few actors would be able to pull off so skillfully. Quinn’s talent,...
- 4/13/2024
- by Misty Holland
- Gold Derby
From his crowd-pleasing blockbusters like Jurassic Park and Indiana Jones to critically acclaimed projects like Schindler’s List, Steven Spielberg has delivered a few of the most popular movies of all time. Turning into a beloved American filmmaker, with three Oscars to his name, Spielberg listed his endless source of inspiration.
Steven Spielberg in an interview with BBC
Speaking with different outlets, Steven Spielberg has noted being influenced by other people’s work and deriving his inspiration from them. Handing down a properly skimmed list of his favorite movies, Spielberg claimed that his filmography is a treasure trove of tributes to those great directors of the past and their works.
1. Dune: Part Two
Among several cult classic movies that influenced Steven Spielberg over the years, the director found his recent favorite in Denis Villeneuve’s magnum opus Dune: Part Two. During an episode of the DGA’s Director’s Cut podcast via Variety,...
Steven Spielberg in an interview with BBC
Speaking with different outlets, Steven Spielberg has noted being influenced by other people’s work and deriving his inspiration from them. Handing down a properly skimmed list of his favorite movies, Spielberg claimed that his filmography is a treasure trove of tributes to those great directors of the past and their works.
1. Dune: Part Two
Among several cult classic movies that influenced Steven Spielberg over the years, the director found his recent favorite in Denis Villeneuve’s magnum opus Dune: Part Two. During an episode of the DGA’s Director’s Cut podcast via Variety,...
- 3/28/2024
- by Krittika Mukherjee
- FandomWire
Joe Camp, the writer, director and producer who taught that old dog Hollywood new tricks about animal movies as the creative force behind the 1974 franchise-spawning Benji, has died. He was 84.
Camp died Friday morning at his home in Bell Buckle, Tennessee, following a long illness, his son, filmmaker Brandon Camp, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Camp also directed and co-wrote the comedies Hawmps! (1976), about the U.S. Cavalry replacing horses with camels in the 1850s, and The Double McGuffin (1979), which revolved around kids trying to thwart a terrorist (Ernest Borgnine) and featured lots of in-jokes about Hitchcock movies.
Other than serving as an extra on the Robert Mitchum-starring Home From the Hill (1960), Camp had no Hollywood experience when he raised about $500,000 to make Benji, a story about a stray mixed breed — not a fancy pure breed like Lassie! — who helps rescue two youngsters from kidnappers.
Crucial to the movie’s success,...
Camp died Friday morning at his home in Bell Buckle, Tennessee, following a long illness, his son, filmmaker Brandon Camp, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Camp also directed and co-wrote the comedies Hawmps! (1976), about the U.S. Cavalry replacing horses with camels in the 1850s, and The Double McGuffin (1979), which revolved around kids trying to thwart a terrorist (Ernest Borgnine) and featured lots of in-jokes about Hitchcock movies.
Other than serving as an extra on the Robert Mitchum-starring Home From the Hill (1960), Camp had no Hollywood experience when he raised about $500,000 to make Benji, a story about a stray mixed breed — not a fancy pure breed like Lassie! — who helps rescue two youngsters from kidnappers.
Crucial to the movie’s success,...
- 3/15/2024
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Frank Sinatra went through phases like he went through wives. The legendary crooner and movie star could exhibit impeccable taste for what people wanted to see and hear, and then, in a few year's time, completely lose his grasp of the zeitgeist.
Sinatra was threatening to enter one of his down periods in the mid-1960s. The popular music scene was in the throes of Beatlemania, while moviegoers were tiring of the Rat Pack's antics. Who wanted to see Sinatra and the gang saunter their way through Western and gangster pastiches like "4 for Texas" and "Robin and the 7 Hoods" when they could watch Elvis Presley set the screen ablaze with Ann-Margret in "Viva Las Vegas"?
To be fair, Sinatra was still Sinatra, but after giving one of his finest performances in John Frankenheimer's "The Manchurian Candidate," he started playing it way too safe. Bud Yorkin and...
Sinatra was threatening to enter one of his down periods in the mid-1960s. The popular music scene was in the throes of Beatlemania, while moviegoers were tiring of the Rat Pack's antics. Who wanted to see Sinatra and the gang saunter their way through Western and gangster pastiches like "4 for Texas" and "Robin and the 7 Hoods" when they could watch Elvis Presley set the screen ablaze with Ann-Margret in "Viva Las Vegas"?
To be fair, Sinatra was still Sinatra, but after giving one of his finest performances in John Frankenheimer's "The Manchurian Candidate," he started playing it way too safe. Bud Yorkin and...
- 2/1/2024
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
February––particularly its third week––is all about romance. Accordingly the Criterion Channel got creative with their monthly programming and, in a few weeks, will debut Interdimensional Romance, a series of films wherein “passion conquers time and space, age and memory, and even death and the afterlife.” For every title you might’ve guessed there’s a wilder companion: Alan Rudolph’s Made In Heaven, Soderbergh’s remake, and Resnais’ Love Unto Death. Mostly I’m excited to revisit Francis Ford Coppola’s Youth Without Youth, a likely essential viewing before Megalopolis.
February also marks Black History Month, and Criterion’s series will include work by Shirley Clarke (also subject of a standalone series), Garrett Bradley, Cheryl Dunye, and Julie Dash, while movies by Sirk, Minnelli, King Vidor, and Lang play in “Gothic Noir.” Greta Gerwig gets an “Adventures in Moviegoing” and can be seen in Mary Bronstein’s Yeast,...
February also marks Black History Month, and Criterion’s series will include work by Shirley Clarke (also subject of a standalone series), Garrett Bradley, Cheryl Dunye, and Julie Dash, while movies by Sirk, Minnelli, King Vidor, and Lang play in “Gothic Noir.” Greta Gerwig gets an “Adventures in Moviegoing” and can be seen in Mary Bronstein’s Yeast,...
- 1/11/2024
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
When Harry Met Sally (courtesy Columbia Pictures)Graphic: The A.V. Club
Whether it’s the tension of the countdown, the promise of romance, or simply the idea of letting go of the past and moving on into an unknown future, there’s just something about New Year’s Eve that brings on new revelations,...
Whether it’s the tension of the countdown, the promise of romance, or simply the idea of letting go of the past and moving on into an unknown future, there’s just something about New Year’s Eve that brings on new revelations,...
- 12/29/2023
- by Cindy White
- avclub.com
Over Hollywood's history, directors have done all sorts of quirky and morally questionable things in an effort to get a certain performance out of their actors. Francis Ford Coppola screamed abuse at Winona Ryder off-camera during the making of "Bram Stoker's Dracula" and encouraged the other actors to do the same. Then there's everything that William Friedkin did to the cast of "The Exorcist," from slapping them before shouting "action!" to firing live guns to get a shocked expression.
By comparison, "Meet Me in St. Louis" director Vincente Minnelli telling six-year-old actress Margaret O'Brien that her dog had died in order to make her cry for the 1944 musical "Meet Me in St. Louis" seems almost tame. Especially since it probably didn't actually happen (more on that in a moment). But that's the subject of a sketch on this week's episode of "Saturday Night Live," with guest host Kate McKinnon playing...
By comparison, "Meet Me in St. Louis" director Vincente Minnelli telling six-year-old actress Margaret O'Brien that her dog had died in order to make her cry for the 1944 musical "Meet Me in St. Louis" seems almost tame. Especially since it probably didn't actually happen (more on that in a moment). But that's the subject of a sketch on this week's episode of "Saturday Night Live," with guest host Kate McKinnon playing...
- 12/17/2023
- by Hannah Shaw-Williams
- Slash Film
“Saturday Night Live” alums Maya Rudolph and Kristen Wiig joined Kate McKinnon as the latter returned to “SNL” for the first time as host, 18 months since she bowed out of the cast after a 10-year tenure.
After the cold open, which spoofed Hollywood award shows, McKinnon hit the famous Studio 8H stage and did a short monologue. She acknowledged the awkwardness for her of coming back to her “old job” but in a different role.
“My name’s Kate, hi. I used to work here,” McKinnon said, sporting a blonde bob haircut and sleek black tuxedo suit. “This is so weird to be doing the monologue.” She noted she’s not accustomed to performing as herself. “I don’t really like to talk in my own voice — that’s kind of why I got into this racket in the first place.”
McKinnon also nodded to having had a “big year...
After the cold open, which spoofed Hollywood award shows, McKinnon hit the famous Studio 8H stage and did a short monologue. She acknowledged the awkwardness for her of coming back to her “old job” but in a different role.
“My name’s Kate, hi. I used to work here,” McKinnon said, sporting a blonde bob haircut and sleek black tuxedo suit. “This is so weird to be doing the monologue.” She noted she’s not accustomed to performing as herself. “I don’t really like to talk in my own voice — that’s kind of why I got into this racket in the first place.”
McKinnon also nodded to having had a “big year...
- 12/17/2023
- by William Earl
- Variety Film + TV
When Barbra Streisand delivered her 992-page memoir to her editor at Viking earlier this year, did anyone urge her to cut? Even gently?
Not that it would have done any good, for Streisand has a lot to say and her opus was termed “exhausting, ecstatic and undeniably moving” by the New Yorker this week.
Streisand hasn’t changed. On her first day of shooting On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970), when her director Vincente Minnelli shouted “cut,” she shook her head, saying she intended to keep going.
Minnelli had made great movies like An American In Paris and Gigi and had even survived working with (and being married to) Judy Garland. “One doesn’t say ‘no’ to Minnelli,” Streisand was warned by legendary writer Alan Jay Lerner (My Fair Lady).
Neither had as yet learned their Barbra lesson. Nor had her agent, Sue Mengers, who later tried to...
Not that it would have done any good, for Streisand has a lot to say and her opus was termed “exhausting, ecstatic and undeniably moving” by the New Yorker this week.
Streisand hasn’t changed. On her first day of shooting On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970), when her director Vincente Minnelli shouted “cut,” she shook her head, saying she intended to keep going.
Minnelli had made great movies like An American In Paris and Gigi and had even survived working with (and being married to) Judy Garland. “One doesn’t say ‘no’ to Minnelli,” Streisand was warned by legendary writer Alan Jay Lerner (My Fair Lady).
Neither had as yet learned their Barbra lesson. Nor had her agent, Sue Mengers, who later tried to...
- 12/7/2023
- by Peter Bart
- Deadline Film + TV
“Deep Dive” is an in-depth podcast and video essay series featuring interviews with the stars and creative team behind an exceptional piece of filmmaking. For this edition, the IndieWire Crafts and Special Projects team partnered with Warner Bros. to take a closer look at “Barbie” with director and co-writer Greta Gerwig and nine members of her creative team who breathed life into the iconic Mattel doll.
The tagline “Barbie is everything” turns out to be pretty apt. “Barbie” contains within it multiple kinds of high-concept comedy, musicals, action sequences, mother-daughter stories, and a liminal void wherein Barbie (Margot Robbie) can meet her maker, Ruth Handler (Rhea Pearlman), and elect to transcend toyhood to become a human woman. All in less than two hours!
That “Barbie” contains so much and accomplishes so much — stylistically, tonally, and emotionally — is a huge credit to co-writer and director Greta Gerwig and her creative team,...
The tagline “Barbie is everything” turns out to be pretty apt. “Barbie” contains within it multiple kinds of high-concept comedy, musicals, action sequences, mother-daughter stories, and a liminal void wherein Barbie (Margot Robbie) can meet her maker, Ruth Handler (Rhea Pearlman), and elect to transcend toyhood to become a human woman. All in less than two hours!
That “Barbie” contains so much and accomplishes so much — stylistically, tonally, and emotionally — is a huge credit to co-writer and director Greta Gerwig and her creative team,...
- 11/30/2023
- by Sarah Shachat
- Indiewire
The Criterion Channel is closing the year out with a bang––they’ve announced their December lineup. Among the highlights are retrospectives on Yasujiro Ozu (featuring nearly 40 films!), Ousmane Sembène, Alfred Hitchcock (along with Kent Jones’ Hitchcock/Truffaut), and Parker Posey. Well-timed for the season is a holiday noir series that includes They Live By Night, Blast of Silence, Lady in the Lake, and more.
Other highlights are the recent restoration of Abel Gance’s La roue, an MGM Musicals series with introduction by Michael Koresky, Helena Wittmann’s riveting second feature Human Flowers of Flesh, the recent Sundance highlight The Mountains Are a Dream That Call To Me, the new restoration of The Cassandra Cat, Lynne Ramsay’s Morvern Callar, Wong Kar Wai’s The Grandmaster, and more.
See the lineup below and learn more here.
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, Terry Gilliam, 1988
An American in Paris, Vincente Minnelli,...
Other highlights are the recent restoration of Abel Gance’s La roue, an MGM Musicals series with introduction by Michael Koresky, Helena Wittmann’s riveting second feature Human Flowers of Flesh, the recent Sundance highlight The Mountains Are a Dream That Call To Me, the new restoration of The Cassandra Cat, Lynne Ramsay’s Morvern Callar, Wong Kar Wai’s The Grandmaster, and more.
See the lineup below and learn more here.
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, Terry Gilliam, 1988
An American in Paris, Vincente Minnelli,...
- 11/13/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
There’s a scene in the Paul Reubens-starrer Pee-wee’s Big Adventure that finds its titular character setting off on a vagabond adventure. He hops aboard a train to sit side-by-side with a grizzled, toothless man known as Hobo Jack, and they sing camp songs until Pee-Wee suddenly sours on the moment. The disgust radiates from his face and he makes a rash decision to jump off the moving train and tumble into the dirt below. The scene lasts all of 53 seconds.
“It’s such a committed, incredibly short joke that takes so much effort and I think that that has embedded somewhere deep inside me,” Greta Gerwig explained from the podium inside Tcl Chinese Theatre in Hollywood on Thursday night while introducing a screening of Tim Burton’s 1985 film as part of AFI Fest. The blockbuster Barbie director turned up as part of her guest-directing duties for the Los Angeles-based festival,...
“It’s such a committed, incredibly short joke that takes so much effort and I think that that has embedded somewhere deep inside me,” Greta Gerwig explained from the podium inside Tcl Chinese Theatre in Hollywood on Thursday night while introducing a screening of Tim Burton’s 1985 film as part of AFI Fest. The blockbuster Barbie director turned up as part of her guest-directing duties for the Los Angeles-based festival,...
- 10/27/2023
- by Chris Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
In months leading up to her billion-dollar Mattel success “Barbie,” Greta Gerwig famously revealed some of the film influences behind her work. Now, the practice is set to continue in her role as guest artistic director for the 2023 AFI Fest, which takes place in Los Angeles Oct. 25–29.
The Oscar-nominated writer-director revealed Tuesday the five films that are going to be part of her specially curated festival sidebar: Tim Burton’s “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure,” Bob Fosse’s “All That Jazz,” Emeric Pressburger and Michael Powell’s “A Matter of Life and Death,” Vincente Minnelli’s “An American in Paris” and Wim Wenders’ “Wings of Desire.”
Gerwig will introduce select films herself, notably “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure,” which screens at the Tcl Chinese Theatre on Oct. 26 at 6 p.m., two months after the death of its star and cowriter Paul Reubens.
Additionally, AFI Fest has added a few new titles to the lineup,...
The Oscar-nominated writer-director revealed Tuesday the five films that are going to be part of her specially curated festival sidebar: Tim Burton’s “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure,” Bob Fosse’s “All That Jazz,” Emeric Pressburger and Michael Powell’s “A Matter of Life and Death,” Vincente Minnelli’s “An American in Paris” and Wim Wenders’ “Wings of Desire.”
Gerwig will introduce select films herself, notably “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure,” which screens at the Tcl Chinese Theatre on Oct. 26 at 6 p.m., two months after the death of its star and cowriter Paul Reubens.
Additionally, AFI Fest has added a few new titles to the lineup,...
- 10/10/2023
- by Jason Clark
- The Wrap
The Barbie phenomenon is spreading to AFI Fest.
Greta Gerwig, who directed and co-wrote the billion dollar blockbuster starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, has been tapped to serve as guest artistic director of the Los Angeles-based festival. In the role, Gerwig will curate a number of films to add to the festival lineup and will be on hand to present one or more of those films depending on her schedule. Filmmakers like Pedro Almodóvar, Bernardo Bertolucci, Ava DuVernay, David Lynch and Agnès Varda have held the role in previous festivals.
On Oct. 10, AFI revealed the list of films Gerwig has selected. Those five films include Bob Fosse’s All That Jazz starring Roy Scheider, Jessica Lange and Ann Reinking, Vincente Minnelli’s An American in Paris starring Gene Kelly, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s A Matter of Life and Death, Tim Burton’s Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure starring the...
Greta Gerwig, who directed and co-wrote the billion dollar blockbuster starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, has been tapped to serve as guest artistic director of the Los Angeles-based festival. In the role, Gerwig will curate a number of films to add to the festival lineup and will be on hand to present one or more of those films depending on her schedule. Filmmakers like Pedro Almodóvar, Bernardo Bertolucci, Ava DuVernay, David Lynch and Agnès Varda have held the role in previous festivals.
On Oct. 10, AFI revealed the list of films Gerwig has selected. Those five films include Bob Fosse’s All That Jazz starring Roy Scheider, Jessica Lange and Ann Reinking, Vincente Minnelli’s An American in Paris starring Gene Kelly, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s A Matter of Life and Death, Tim Burton’s Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure starring the...
- 10/2/2023
- by Chris Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The same season that Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, and Paul Thomas Anderson took it virtually upon themselves to help save Turner Classic Movies following a series of layoffs that was pointing to what could have been its demise, the trio are showing just how hands-on they’ll be. For September, the trio has each compiled a list of recommendations that will air on TCM throughout the month. From melodramas and film noirs to tantalizing tales and giant ants, let’s see what Spielberg, Scorsese and PTA have to recommend.
Steven Spielberg’s September TCM picks are: Douglas Sirk’s Imitation of Life (1959), the sci-fi monster movie Them! (1954), Alfred Hitchcock’s The Wrong Man (1956), and two Vincente Minnelli films, musical Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) and The Bad and the Beautiful (1952).
Martin Scorsese went a bit more obscure for his TCM picks, selecting British drama Madonna of the Seven Moons (1945), pre-code...
Steven Spielberg’s September TCM picks are: Douglas Sirk’s Imitation of Life (1959), the sci-fi monster movie Them! (1954), Alfred Hitchcock’s The Wrong Man (1956), and two Vincente Minnelli films, musical Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) and The Bad and the Beautiful (1952).
Martin Scorsese went a bit more obscure for his TCM picks, selecting British drama Madonna of the Seven Moons (1945), pre-code...
- 9/4/2023
- by Mathew Plale
- JoBlo.com
Following David Zaslav’s despicable gutting of Turner Classic Movies earlier this summer––one of many anti-art maneuvers the money-hungry Warner Bros. Discovery CEO and president has commandeered in his embarrassing, hopefully short-lived tenure––he hoped to curry some favor by bringing together the holy trinity of filmmakers to guide the future of the channel. Now, after a few weeks on the job of “network advisors,” Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, and Paul Thomas Anderson have shared their picks of what to see on the channel this month.
The first two mentioned filmmakers provided videos of their recommendations, with the Killers of the Flower Moon director recommending the Boris Karloff-led Isle of the Dead, Two Sisters from Boston, Victor Fleming’s melodrama Red Dust, and Joseph Losey’s Accident.
Spielberg recommends a pair of Vincente Minnelli films, Meet Me in St. Louis and The Bad and the Beautiful, Douglas Sirk’s Imitation of Life,...
The first two mentioned filmmakers provided videos of their recommendations, with the Killers of the Flower Moon director recommending the Boris Karloff-led Isle of the Dead, Two Sisters from Boston, Victor Fleming’s melodrama Red Dust, and Joseph Losey’s Accident.
Spielberg recommends a pair of Vincente Minnelli films, Meet Me in St. Louis and The Bad and the Beautiful, Douglas Sirk’s Imitation of Life,...
- 9/4/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Moviegoers around the world are about to be taken to school by some of the top masters of the field this fall, between new movies by Ridley Scott, Michael Mann, David Fincher, and Martin Scorsese, among others. But as much as cinephiles can spend their entire day arguing about each and every one of these heralded directors online, what can truly compare to getting a little crash course in film history by someone who's commonly considered the greatest filmmaker alive? Many would agree that Steven Spielberg is simply in a class of his own, and thanks to his new role as part of the advisory panel for the esteemed Turner Classic Movies institution, that's exactly what fans are getting.
We previously covered the whole saga surrounding Warner Bros. Discovery's shameful treatment of the hardworking folks over at TCM, necessitating A-list filmmakers like Spielberg, Scorsese, and Paul Thomas Anderson to...
We previously covered the whole saga surrounding Warner Bros. Discovery's shameful treatment of the hardworking folks over at TCM, necessitating A-list filmmakers like Spielberg, Scorsese, and Paul Thomas Anderson to...
- 8/30/2023
- by Jeremy Mathai
- Slash Film
What’s so inspiring and energizing about Steven Spielberg is that he isn’t just one of the greatest filmmakers ever, he’s an eclectic cinephile who talks about his favorite films with the boyish enthusiasm of a fan.
So he was a natural fit, alongside Martin Scorsese and Paul Thomas Anderson, for the advisory panel that came together in June to support Turner Classic Movies. As part of that role, he’s recorded his first “Spielberg’s Picks” video, a recommendations list of his personal faves from the September 2023 TCM lineup. Watch the video above, an IndieWire exclusive, for not just his choices, but his incisive comments.
For his debut picks, he chose Vincente Minnelli’s “Meet Me in St. Louis” (1944), Douglas Sirk’s “Imitation of Life” (1959), Gordon Douglas’s “Them!” (1954), Minnelli’s “The Bad and the Beautiful” (1952), and Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Wrong Man” (1957). Scorsese and Anderson’s own picks are forthcoming,...
So he was a natural fit, alongside Martin Scorsese and Paul Thomas Anderson, for the advisory panel that came together in June to support Turner Classic Movies. As part of that role, he’s recorded his first “Spielberg’s Picks” video, a recommendations list of his personal faves from the September 2023 TCM lineup. Watch the video above, an IndieWire exclusive, for not just his choices, but his incisive comments.
For his debut picks, he chose Vincente Minnelli’s “Meet Me in St. Louis” (1944), Douglas Sirk’s “Imitation of Life” (1959), Gordon Douglas’s “Them!” (1954), Minnelli’s “The Bad and the Beautiful” (1952), and Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Wrong Man” (1957). Scorsese and Anderson’s own picks are forthcoming,...
- 8/30/2023
- by Christian Blauvelt
- Indiewire
The 80th annual Venice Film Festival launches on the Lido on August 30. This edition features a slew of Oscar hopefuls including Sofia Coppola’s “Priscilla,” Bradley Cooper’s “Maestro,” David Fincher’s “The Killer,” Yorgas Lanthimos’ “Poor Things” and Michael Mann’s “Ferrari.” They’re all vying for the top prize, the Golden Lion.
Seventy years ago, there were four now-classics in competition: William Wyler’s “Roman Holiday,” for which Audrey Hepburn would win Oscar, John Huston’s “Moulin Rouge,” Samuel Fuller’s “Pickup on South Street” and Vincente Minnelli’s “The Bad and the Beautiful,” which had recently picked up five Oscars. But the Golden Lion didn’t roar at the 14th edition of the international film festival.
The jury headed by future Nobel Prize laureate in literature Eugenio Montale just couldn’t decide on the best of the fest because according to the New York Times “the quality...
Seventy years ago, there were four now-classics in competition: William Wyler’s “Roman Holiday,” for which Audrey Hepburn would win Oscar, John Huston’s “Moulin Rouge,” Samuel Fuller’s “Pickup on South Street” and Vincente Minnelli’s “The Bad and the Beautiful,” which had recently picked up five Oscars. But the Golden Lion didn’t roar at the 14th edition of the international film festival.
The jury headed by future Nobel Prize laureate in literature Eugenio Montale just couldn’t decide on the best of the fest because according to the New York Times “the quality...
- 8/29/2023
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Red, White & Royal Blue is a romantic comedy film directed by Matthew Lopez from a screenplay by Lopez and Ted Malawer. The Prime Video original film is based on a book of the same name by Casey McQuiston and it follows the love story of Alex Claremont-Diaz (Taylor Zakhar Perez), the son of the first female President of the United States Ellen Claremont (Uma Thurman) and Prince Henry (Nicholas Galitzine), a British Prince. The romantic comedy film sees our protagonists pulled between love and duty while having some carefree fun. So, if you loved Red, White & Royal Blue here are some similar movies you could watch next.
Maurice (Prime Video Add-On) Credit – Enterprise Pictures Limited
Synopsis: Set against the stifling conformity of pre-World War I English society, E.M. Forster’s Maurice is a story of coming to terms with one’s sexuality and identity in the face of disapproval and misunderstanding.
Maurice (Prime Video Add-On) Credit – Enterprise Pictures Limited
Synopsis: Set against the stifling conformity of pre-World War I English society, E.M. Forster’s Maurice is a story of coming to terms with one’s sexuality and identity in the face of disapproval and misunderstanding.
- 8/11/2023
- by Kulwant Singh
- Cinema Blind
From the early, lo-fi days of her career as something of a muse for the mumblecore movement, Greta Gerwig has been interested in messy tales of nascent adulthood. And from her partnerships with now-husband Noah Baumbach, most notably 2012’s Frances Ha, to her own solo directorial work (2017’s Lady Bird and 2019’s Little Women), her films have continued to bear the mark of a storyteller who understands the ways that modern adults, but especially women, are burdened by the weight and expectations of responsibility.
Gerwig’s Barbie is partially inspired by psychologist and author Mary Pipher’s Reviving Ophelia, a 1994 bestseller about how adolescent girls lose their identities while navigating a looks-obsessed, media-saturated culture. That should be enough to quell expectations of the film playing out as a show of allegiance to one of the most recognizable brands in the world. And if it doesn’t, the subversive streak of...
Gerwig’s Barbie is partially inspired by psychologist and author Mary Pipher’s Reviving Ophelia, a 1994 bestseller about how adolescent girls lose their identities while navigating a looks-obsessed, media-saturated culture. That should be enough to quell expectations of the film playing out as a show of allegiance to one of the most recognizable brands in the world. And if it doesn’t, the subversive streak of...
- 7/18/2023
- by Greg Nussen
- Slant Magazine
The legendary Judy Garland, one of the greatest entertainers of the 20th century, would have turned 100 on June 10, 2022. To celebrate her career, tour our photo gallery looking back at her greatest film performances.
Known as the little girl (she was only 4’11) with the big voice, Garland was a rare true triple threat, holding her own with such great dancers as Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire, twice receiving Oscar nominations in acting categories, as well as leaving behind a legacy of record-breaking concerts, a Grammy-winning gold album and recordings of iconic songs that no one else has ever been able to capture in quite the same way.
Born Frances Ethel Gumm on June 10, 1922, in Grand Rapids Minnesota, Garland was the youngest of three girls. They would eventually form the vaudeville act “The Gumm Sisters” when baby Frances was only two years old. After almost a decade of touring with her sisters,...
Known as the little girl (she was only 4’11) with the big voice, Garland was a rare true triple threat, holding her own with such great dancers as Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire, twice receiving Oscar nominations in acting categories, as well as leaving behind a legacy of record-breaking concerts, a Grammy-winning gold album and recordings of iconic songs that no one else has ever been able to capture in quite the same way.
Born Frances Ethel Gumm on June 10, 1922, in Grand Rapids Minnesota, Garland was the youngest of three girls. They would eventually form the vaudeville act “The Gumm Sisters” when baby Frances was only two years old. After almost a decade of touring with her sisters,...
- 6/3/2023
- by Susan Pennington, Chris Beachum and Misty Holland
- Gold Derby
Movie star John Wayne has quite the history when it comes to his involvement with the Oscars. He understood the politics that went on behind the scenes with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, but he still sought the validation of his peers. As a result, Wayne still played the game and recognized his own works that he felt were most worthy. Wayne once introduced an iconic comedian at the 1970 Oscars, describing him as having “true grit.”
John Wayne was a regular Oscars attendee L-r: John Wayne and Barbra Streisand | Getty Images
Wayne regularly showed up to the Oscars, even though many of his critics thought that he only had the skill to play the same, single character. Nevertheless, he brought a certain star power to the show that only the Western actor could bring. His peers even erupted into thunderous applause when he had his final public speech at the 1979 Oscars ceremony.
John Wayne was a regular Oscars attendee L-r: John Wayne and Barbra Streisand | Getty Images
Wayne regularly showed up to the Oscars, even though many of his critics thought that he only had the skill to play the same, single character. Nevertheless, he brought a certain star power to the show that only the Western actor could bring. His peers even erupted into thunderous applause when he had his final public speech at the 1979 Oscars ceremony.
- 4/9/2023
- by Jeff Nelson
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
It's important not to mix up the 1959 John Wayne film "Rio Bravo" with the 1966 John Wayne film "El Dorado." As cinephile Chilli Palmer (John Travolta) points out in the 1995 film "Get Shorty," Dean Martin played the drunk in "Rio Bravo," while Robert Mitchum played the drunk in "El Dorado." Basically the same part. Chilli Palmer also points out that John Wayne played the same role in both films: he played John Wayne.
Dean Martin was no stranger to cinema by 1959, having already appeared in a dozen short films. The bulk of his output, however, was playing more or less himself opposite his comedy partner Jerry Lewis. His first feature film didn't come until 1957, in the Richard Thorpe rom-com "Ten Thousand Bedrooms," coming after splitting with Lewis. Immediately diversifying, Martin went on to star in the war film "The Young Lions" and Vincente Minnelli's "Some Came Running" before appearing in "Rio Bravo.
Dean Martin was no stranger to cinema by 1959, having already appeared in a dozen short films. The bulk of his output, however, was playing more or less himself opposite his comedy partner Jerry Lewis. His first feature film didn't come until 1957, in the Richard Thorpe rom-com "Ten Thousand Bedrooms," coming after splitting with Lewis. Immediately diversifying, Martin went on to star in the war film "The Young Lions" and Vincente Minnelli's "Some Came Running" before appearing in "Rio Bravo.
- 3/25/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
For nearly 100 years, pundits have predicted the outcome of Oscar voting. Sometimes it’s an educated guess, but it’s a guess nevertheless, since a minimal number of PricewaterhouseCoopers execs know the actual tallies and they never talk. So pundits often look to Oscar history to back up their theories, like tribal natives trying to predict their future by watching smoke from a volcano.
Too often, people talk about voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences as if they work as a unit: “They will never vote for this” or “they always love such-and-such.” One of the fun aspects of predictions is that Academy history is like Scripture: You can always find something to back up your claims.
This year, voters nominated 10 very different films for best picture. Each has inspired predictions about why it couldn’t win because “they” won’t go for it. But actually,...
Too often, people talk about voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences as if they work as a unit: “They will never vote for this” or “they always love such-and-such.” One of the fun aspects of predictions is that Academy history is like Scripture: You can always find something to back up your claims.
This year, voters nominated 10 very different films for best picture. Each has inspired predictions about why it couldn’t win because “they” won’t go for it. But actually,...
- 3/1/2023
- by Tim Gray
- Variety Film + TV
Los Angeles – Stella Stevens had a prolific and adventurous career, especially considering all the famous co-stars and directors she encountered over her 60 year run. She began near end of the studio system in the late 1950s, and worked through the first decade of the post millennium. Stevens was 84 years old when she passed away February 17th, 2023, in her native Los Angeles.
Her leading men were as diverse as Glenn Ford, Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Elvis Presley, Jason Robards and Ernest Borgnine. The directors included Vincente Minnelli, Peter Bogdonovich, John Cassavetes, Sam Peckinpah and Jerry Lewis (he also directed “The Nutty Professor”).
Stella Stevens in Chicago circa 2011
Photo credit: Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com
Stella was born in Mississippi as Estelle Egglston, and her family moved to Memphis soon thereafter. After an early marriage and divorce, she became interested in acting and modeling while at Memphis State University.
Her leading men were as diverse as Glenn Ford, Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Elvis Presley, Jason Robards and Ernest Borgnine. The directors included Vincente Minnelli, Peter Bogdonovich, John Cassavetes, Sam Peckinpah and Jerry Lewis (he also directed “The Nutty Professor”).
Stella Stevens in Chicago circa 2011
Photo credit: Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com
Stella was born in Mississippi as Estelle Egglston, and her family moved to Memphis soon thereafter. After an early marriage and divorce, she became interested in acting and modeling while at Memphis State University.
- 2/21/2023
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Stella Stevens, the screen siren of the 1960s who brought sweet sexiness to such films as The Nutty Professor, Too Late Blues and The Ballad of Cable Hogue, has died. She was 84.
Stevens died Friday in Los Angeles, her son, actor-producer-director Andrew Stevens, told The Hollywood Reporter. “She had been in hospice for quite some time with Stage 7 Alzheimer’s,” he said.
Shining brightest in light comedies, the blond, blue-eyed actress appeared as a shy beauty contestant from Montana in Vincente Minnelli’s The Courtship of Eddie’s Father (1963), portrayed a headstrong nun in Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows! (1968) opposite Rosalind Russell and frolicked with the fun-loving Dean Martin in two films: the Matt Helm spy spoof The Silencers (1966) and How to Save a Marriage and Ruin Your Life (1968).
Stevens also starred opposite Elvis Presley in Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962), a movie she said she detested.
Her signature role, however, came in The Nutty Professor (1963), produced,...
Stevens died Friday in Los Angeles, her son, actor-producer-director Andrew Stevens, told The Hollywood Reporter. “She had been in hospice for quite some time with Stage 7 Alzheimer’s,” he said.
Shining brightest in light comedies, the blond, blue-eyed actress appeared as a shy beauty contestant from Montana in Vincente Minnelli’s The Courtship of Eddie’s Father (1963), portrayed a headstrong nun in Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows! (1968) opposite Rosalind Russell and frolicked with the fun-loving Dean Martin in two films: the Matt Helm spy spoof The Silencers (1966) and How to Save a Marriage and Ruin Your Life (1968).
Stevens also starred opposite Elvis Presley in Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962), a movie she said she detested.
Her signature role, however, came in The Nutty Professor (1963), produced,...
- 2/17/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Babylon (2022).Hollywood has been making movies about movies for almost as long as there have been movies. This is not surprising given the town’s penchant for self-mythologizing; the dramatic potential of silver-screen fame, always an Icarus flight on wax wings melting in the California sun; and the allure of a glimpse behind the scenes into the factory where the dreams are made. It would be hypocritical to mock the self-importance of a place that exerts such an inexhaustible fascination—on me, I own, and probably on you—and Hollywood’s addiction to turning the cameras on itself has produced a few masterpieces of clear-eyed ambivalence. It has also revealed, even in less successful efforts, a strain of insecurity and self-loathing under the celebratory tinsel. Some films portray the industry as crass and cruel, spitting out used-up stars and corrupting artistic integrity; some exploit chaotic, unhinged movie sets for laughs or thrills.
- 2/3/2023
- MUBI
When Kenya Barris and Jonah Hill came together to write a comedy about a Black woman and Jewish man who fall in love, decide to marry, and suddenly find their parents either objecting to their proposed union or making it really weird, it was impossible to not view the project as a riff on, or an outright remake of Stanley Kramer's "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner." Considering that Kramer's film has aged like a Kroger cheese plate in the sun, and the 2005 remake, despite being a modest box-office success, is only referenced nowadays when people lament that Kramer's film ever existed, a smart director would likely, aggressively deny any influence or association.
Still, watch the movie: if "You People" isn't a post-Obama spin on Kramer's film, what exactly is it? Barris is happy you asked. He had another Hollywood film on his mind, one that was actually good, and...
Still, watch the movie: if "You People" isn't a post-Obama spin on Kramer's film, what exactly is it? Barris is happy you asked. He had another Hollywood film on his mind, one that was actually good, and...
- 2/1/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Nancy Meyers, co-writer and producer of the 1991 Father of the Bride movie starring Steve Martin and Diane Keaton, says late actress Cindy Williams inspired the remake.
In an Instagram post remembering the Laverne & Shirley star, who died last Wednesday at the age of 75, Meyers expressed her sadness over hearing of Williams’ death. And in a brief anecdote, the writer and producer of the film directed by ex-husband Charles Shyer revealed how the beloved TV icon helped make the ’90s romantic comedy a reality.
“What few people know is that it was Cindy’s idea to remake Father of the Bride,” Meyers recalled. “She told me she was watching the Spencer Tracey [sic] version on TV one night and thought it would be a great movie to remake.”
Meyers went on to add that Williams not only “made it happen” but altered her professional trajectory in Hollywood as a result — all...
In an Instagram post remembering the Laverne & Shirley star, who died last Wednesday at the age of 75, Meyers expressed her sadness over hearing of Williams’ death. And in a brief anecdote, the writer and producer of the film directed by ex-husband Charles Shyer revealed how the beloved TV icon helped make the ’90s romantic comedy a reality.
“What few people know is that it was Cindy’s idea to remake Father of the Bride,” Meyers recalled. “She told me she was watching the Spencer Tracey [sic] version on TV one night and thought it would be a great movie to remake.”
Meyers went on to add that Williams not only “made it happen” but altered her professional trajectory in Hollywood as a result — all...
- 1/31/2023
- by Abbey White
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Chicago – On the next stop on the book tour, Chicago International Film Festival Founder Michael Kutza will talk about his book “Starstruck: How I Magically Transformed Chicago into Hollywood for More than 50 Years” at Chicago’s Union Club on Tuesday, January 31st, 2023. The tome is a dishy insider account of his two generation run as a film influencer, and moderating the event will be entertainment reporter Candace Jordan. Tickets and more information are available by clicking Starstruck.
After retiring from the festival in 2018, Kutza authored the story, which talks of his early years growing up on Chicago’s West Side, his early interest as a short filmmaker and his founding of one of the most important film festivals in cinema history in 1964. Before Sundance, Telluride, Toronto and Tribeca, there was Michael Kutza and the Chicago International Film Festival.
Michael Kutza of ‘Starstruck’
Photo credit: Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.
After retiring from the festival in 2018, Kutza authored the story, which talks of his early years growing up on Chicago’s West Side, his early interest as a short filmmaker and his founding of one of the most important film festivals in cinema history in 1964. Before Sundance, Telluride, Toronto and Tribeca, there was Michael Kutza and the Chicago International Film Festival.
Michael Kutza of ‘Starstruck’
Photo credit: Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.
- 1/30/2023
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
The year 1953 surely left even the most devoted Oscar fans scratching their heads. One of the biggest upsets ever for Best Picture, some shocking snubs and all major awards going to different films led to some baffling anomalies at the 25th Academy Awards ceremony on March 19, 1953. This was also the year that the film industry finally capitulated to its rival source of entertainment, television, and for the first time broadcast the lavish ceremony live for viewers at home – so perhaps they wanted to dazzle and stun. Let’s flashback to the Oscars from 70 years ago.
With the cameras switching back and forth between Bob Hope hosting in Los Angeles and Conrad Nagel hosting in New York, the event attracted the largest single television audience to date in that medium’s young history. Five films were nominated for Best Picture, including the expected winner “High Noon,” plus “The Quiet Man,” “Moulin Rouge” and “Ivanhoe.
With the cameras switching back and forth between Bob Hope hosting in Los Angeles and Conrad Nagel hosting in New York, the event attracted the largest single television audience to date in that medium’s young history. Five films were nominated for Best Picture, including the expected winner “High Noon,” plus “The Quiet Man,” “Moulin Rouge” and “Ivanhoe.
- 1/26/2023
- by Susan Pennington
- Gold Derby
What was the movie Steven Spielberg saw as a child that inspired him to become one of the most successful, influential, and acclaimed filmmakers? According to his semi-autobiographical new film “The Fabelmans,” his cinematic alter-ego Sammy becomes obsessed with movies after his parents take him to the see Cecil B. DeMille’s 1952 circus epic “The Greatest Show on Earth.”
“The Greatest Show on Earth,” which not only won the Oscar for Best Picture and story, was the box office champ of the year earning 14 million domestically and 36 million worldwide. Critics were not so kind to his cotton-candy colored melodrama set under the big top at Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Films in Review declared “Mr. DeMille is so accomplished a showman that one is astonished he did not just photograph a circus performance without the synthetic story he injected here. After all, the Ringling Brothers-Barnum and Bailey Circus is a wonder in itself.
“The Greatest Show on Earth,” which not only won the Oscar for Best Picture and story, was the box office champ of the year earning 14 million domestically and 36 million worldwide. Critics were not so kind to his cotton-candy colored melodrama set under the big top at Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Films in Review declared “Mr. DeMille is so accomplished a showman that one is astonished he did not just photograph a circus performance without the synthetic story he injected here. After all, the Ringling Brothers-Barnum and Bailey Circus is a wonder in itself.
- 1/18/2023
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Chicago – Looking for a last minute book gift for the Chicago film buff? Well, it doesn’t get any more insider than “Starstruck: How I Magically Transformed Chicago into Hollywood for More than 50 Years” by Michael Kutza … the founder of the Chicago International Film Festival and a film influencer for a couple generations.
Michael Kutza is taking a well-deserved victory lap, after retiring from the festival in 2018. In “Starstruck,” he talks of his early years growing up on Chicago’s West Side, his early interest as a short filmmaker and his founding of one of the most important film festivals in cinema history in 1964. Before Sundance, Telluride, Toronto and Tribeca, there was Michael Kutza and the Chicago International Film Festival.
Michael Kutza of ‘Starstruck’
Photo credit: Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com
During his 55 years in film, Michael supported the early careers of many cinema titans, including Martin Scorsese,...
Michael Kutza is taking a well-deserved victory lap, after retiring from the festival in 2018. In “Starstruck,” he talks of his early years growing up on Chicago’s West Side, his early interest as a short filmmaker and his founding of one of the most important film festivals in cinema history in 1964. Before Sundance, Telluride, Toronto and Tribeca, there was Michael Kutza and the Chicago International Film Festival.
Michael Kutza of ‘Starstruck’
Photo credit: Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com
During his 55 years in film, Michael supported the early careers of many cinema titans, including Martin Scorsese,...
- 12/21/2022
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Classic movie fans were left astounded that all three contestants on Thursday’s episode of “Jeopardy!” failed to identify “Singin’ in the Rain” star Gene Kelly.
The late dance legend, who passed away in 1996, came up under the “Olivia Newton-John” category, but players Cris Pannullo, Rob Lamanna and Jeri Zulli all drew a blank when it came time to put a name to her costar in the ’80s musical “Xanadu.”
Host Ken Jennings moved right along to the next question, but movie Twitter had a field day.
Also Read:
What Are Meese? ‘Jeopardy!’ Contestant Has Fans Cracking Up After ‘Relatable’ Wrong Answer (Video)
“Oh my god. To hell with the lot of you for not buzzing in for Gene Kelly,” one disappointed fan wrote.
Jack Young tweeted, “Sometimes, I’m just perplexed… on #Jeopardy tonight, how could all 3 of the contestants Not know Gene Kelly, the answer to the Olivia Newton-John category?...
The late dance legend, who passed away in 1996, came up under the “Olivia Newton-John” category, but players Cris Pannullo, Rob Lamanna and Jeri Zulli all drew a blank when it came time to put a name to her costar in the ’80s musical “Xanadu.”
Host Ken Jennings moved right along to the next question, but movie Twitter had a field day.
Also Read:
What Are Meese? ‘Jeopardy!’ Contestant Has Fans Cracking Up After ‘Relatable’ Wrong Answer (Video)
“Oh my god. To hell with the lot of you for not buzzing in for Gene Kelly,” one disappointed fan wrote.
Jack Young tweeted, “Sometimes, I’m just perplexed… on #Jeopardy tonight, how could all 3 of the contestants Not know Gene Kelly, the answer to the Olivia Newton-John category?...
- 12/2/2022
- by Sharon Knolle
- The Wrap
When we discuss French New Wave, I feel our idea of what that means tends to be fairly narrow. We think of the young renegade filmmakers, like the recently departed Jean-Luc Godard, who broke the formal rules of what narrative cinema had been up until the late 1950s and told stories of young people navigating politics, life, and sex. Pictures like "Breathless" and "Jules and Jim" became figureheads for the movement, but they only represent a portion of what the New Wave was bringing.
Take the work of Jacques Demy. Every director in the French New Wave was obsessed with Hollywood filmmaking, but while most wanted to subvert those conventions, Demy fully embraced them. This is particularly evident in his early movie musicals like "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg" and especially "The Young Girls of Rochefort," which are entirely indebted to the work of Stanley Donen and Vincente Minnelli. Gene Kelly even appears in "Rochefort.
Take the work of Jacques Demy. Every director in the French New Wave was obsessed with Hollywood filmmaking, but while most wanted to subvert those conventions, Demy fully embraced them. This is particularly evident in his early movie musicals like "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg" and especially "The Young Girls of Rochefort," which are entirely indebted to the work of Stanley Donen and Vincente Minnelli. Gene Kelly even appears in "Rochefort.
- 11/3/2022
- by Mike Shutt
- Slash Film
Dore Schary’s post-MGM personal production is a class act in every respect — Montgomery Clift, Robert Ryan and Myrna Loy are well cast in a story of intimate emotional cruelty. It’s from a play derived from Nathanael West’s soul-crushing novella, and despite the talent involved, it can’t shake the feeling of an overheated TV drama. The acting and characterizations are riveting. Young Dolores Hart is a beacon of light amid the gloom and misery, and in her first movie, Maureen Stapleton’s’ fireball of anxiety and malice all but steals the show. The fine cinematography is again by the great John Alton.
Lonelyhearts
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1958 / B&w / 1:85 widescreen / 103 min. / Street Date October 25, 2022 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95
Starring: Montgomery Clift, Robert Ryan, Myrna Loy, Dolores Hart, Maureen Stapleton, Jackie Coogan, Mike Kellin, Onslow Stevens, Frank Maxwell, Frank Overton, John Gallaudet, Don Washbrook, Johnny Washbrook,...
Lonelyhearts
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1958 / B&w / 1:85 widescreen / 103 min. / Street Date October 25, 2022 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95
Starring: Montgomery Clift, Robert Ryan, Myrna Loy, Dolores Hart, Maureen Stapleton, Jackie Coogan, Mike Kellin, Onslow Stevens, Frank Maxwell, Frank Overton, John Gallaudet, Don Washbrook, Johnny Washbrook,...
- 10/29/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Chicago – Chicago International Film Festival Founder Michael Kutza will sign his new book – “Starstruck: How I Magically Transformed Chicago into Hollywood for More than 50 Years” – during the current Fest, at Chicago’s AMC River East lobby from 6-9pm on October 19th, 2022.
The powerful film influencer is taking a well-deserved victory lap, after retiring from the festival in 2018. In “Starstruck,” he tells stories of his early years growing up on Chicago’s West Side, his early interest as a short filmmaker and in 1964, his founding of one of the most important film festivals in cinema history. Before Sundance, Telluride, Toronto and Tribeca, there was Michael Kutza and the Chicago International Film Festival.
Michael Kutza to Sign ‘Starstruck’
Photo credit: ChicagoFilmFestival.com
During his 55 years in film, Michael supported the early careers of many cinema titans, including Martin Scorsese, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Claude LeLouch, Wim Wenders, Margarethe von Trotta, Mike Leigh,...
The powerful film influencer is taking a well-deserved victory lap, after retiring from the festival in 2018. In “Starstruck,” he tells stories of his early years growing up on Chicago’s West Side, his early interest as a short filmmaker and in 1964, his founding of one of the most important film festivals in cinema history. Before Sundance, Telluride, Toronto and Tribeca, there was Michael Kutza and the Chicago International Film Festival.
Michael Kutza to Sign ‘Starstruck’
Photo credit: ChicagoFilmFestival.com
During his 55 years in film, Michael supported the early careers of many cinema titans, including Martin Scorsese, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Claude LeLouch, Wim Wenders, Margarethe von Trotta, Mike Leigh,...
- 10/17/2022
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
In “Don’t Worry Darling,” young housewife Alice (Florence Pugh) lives with her husband Jack (Harry Styles) in a 1950s housing development that, for both the characters and the audience, is one of the most inviting and luxurious environments to be seen in a Hollywood movie since the heyday of Vincente Minnelli and Douglas Sirk. That was every bit the intention, according to production designer Katie Byron. “There was a lot of talk about what a modern version of a 1950s utopia would be,” she told IndieWire.
From the beginning, that meant shooting in Palm Springs, where Byron took inspiration not only from the rich architecture by legends like Albert Frey and Richard Neutra, but also from the history of debauchery underneath the placid surfaces. “There was a lot of investigation into The Rat Pack and how Palm Springs became this place where the Hollywood elite — as well as artists and...
From the beginning, that meant shooting in Palm Springs, where Byron took inspiration not only from the rich architecture by legends like Albert Frey and Richard Neutra, but also from the history of debauchery underneath the placid surfaces. “There was a lot of investigation into The Rat Pack and how Palm Springs became this place where the Hollywood elite — as well as artists and...
- 9/24/2022
- by Jim Hemphill
- Indiewire
Look into the series Criterion Channel have programmed for August and this lineup is revealed as (in scientific terms) quite something. “Hollywood Chinese” proves an especially deep bench, spanning “cinema’s first hundred years to explore the ways in which the Chinese people have been imagined in American feature films” and bringing with it the likes of Cronenberg’s M. Butterfly, Cimino’s Year of the Dragon, Griffith’s Broken Blossoms, and Ang Lee’s The Wedding Banquet—among 20-or-so others. A three-film Marguerite Duras series brings one of the greatest films ever (India Song) and two lesser-screened experiments; films featuring Yaphet Kotto include Blue Collar, Across 110th Street, and Midnight Run; and lest we ignore a Myrna Loy retro that goes no later than 1949.
Criterion editions include The Asphalt Jungle, Husbands, Rouge, and Sweet Smell of Success; streaming premieres for Loznitsa’s Donbass, Béla Tarr’s watershed Damnation, and...
Criterion editions include The Asphalt Jungle, Husbands, Rouge, and Sweet Smell of Success; streaming premieres for Loznitsa’s Donbass, Béla Tarr’s watershed Damnation, and...
- 7/25/2022
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
Click here to read the full article.
When Aesop Aquarian returned from acting class to discover an acquaintance dead of a gunshot wound in his spare room, he let it go.
Perhaps it had been a game of Russian roulette, or a suicide. At least these were the theories offered to him by his new Venice Beach housemates, members of what the public would in time call the Manson Family.
Later, when Aesop’s beloved custom Volkswagen camper van was mysteriously torched after he resettled with the group on their compound 30 miles north at the Spahn Movie Ranch, he accepted it. Maybe it was just an accident. Mercury could well have been in retrograde.
But Aesop finally bugged out, hitchhiking back to Los Angeles before dawn, after it was proposed he turn assassin in the run-up to Charlie Manson’s trial. “There was no humor in the suggestion,” explained Aesop,...
When Aesop Aquarian returned from acting class to discover an acquaintance dead of a gunshot wound in his spare room, he let it go.
Perhaps it had been a game of Russian roulette, or a suicide. At least these were the theories offered to him by his new Venice Beach housemates, members of what the public would in time call the Manson Family.
Later, when Aesop’s beloved custom Volkswagen camper van was mysteriously torched after he resettled with the group on their compound 30 miles north at the Spahn Movie Ranch, he accepted it. Maybe it was just an accident. Mercury could well have been in retrograde.
But Aesop finally bugged out, hitchhiking back to Los Angeles before dawn, after it was proposed he turn assassin in the run-up to Charlie Manson’s trial. “There was no humor in the suggestion,” explained Aesop,...
- 7/15/2022
- by Gary Baum
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Photo: ‘Almost Famous’ A Brief Summary of Movie Musical History Movies and music have long been intertwined. Before Warner Bros.’ use of the Vitaphone turned “moving pictures” into “talkies,” the most upscale cinemas hosted orchestras to accompany the silent films they screened, and the first movie advertised as a talkie was a musical. ‘The Jazz Singer’ starring Al Jolson, only foretold things to come. Vincente Minnelli and Stanley Donen, along with many of their contemporaries, would go on to produce a wave of iconic movie musicals in the 30s, 40s, and 50s. With their huge sets and elaborate dance breaks, Golden Age movie musicals wowed their audiences and produced some of the era’s chart-topping radio hits. Related video: Full Commentary - Cast & Crew Spills Secrets on Making of ‘Elvis’ | In-Depth Scoop | Austin Butler Related video: Full Rendezvous At the Premiere of 'Elvis' with Reactions from Stars | Austin Butler, Baz Luhrmann...
- 6/28/2022
- by Kevin Hauger
- Hollywood Insider - Substance & Meaningful Entertainment
Exclusive: Father’s Day weekend was the ideal launchpad for Warner Bros’ Andy Garcia-Gloria Estefan romantic comedy Father of the Bride, which wound up being the biggest HBO Max movie premiere ever in its four days, specifically for a title that was exclusively made for the streaming service.
Father of the Bride was the No. 1 title across HBO Max around the world in its first four days since it launched on Thursday, June 16. The film also ranked among the top 10 most-watched title launches on HBO Max to date in Mexico, based on its first four days.
The fresh angle in this Latino take on Father of the Bride: The bride’s parents, played by Garcia and Estefan, are on the verge of a divorce.
Mexico ranks as the second-strongest country for Father of the Bride viewing on HBO Max to date, behind only the U.S.
As HBO Max looks...
Father of the Bride was the No. 1 title across HBO Max around the world in its first four days since it launched on Thursday, June 16. The film also ranked among the top 10 most-watched title launches on HBO Max to date in Mexico, based on its first four days.
The fresh angle in this Latino take on Father of the Bride: The bride’s parents, played by Garcia and Estefan, are on the verge of a divorce.
Mexico ranks as the second-strongest country for Father of the Bride viewing on HBO Max to date, behind only the U.S.
As HBO Max looks...
- 6/20/2022
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Andy Garcia joins Spencer Tracy and Steve Martin as the latest stubborn dad reluctantly taking his daughter up the aisle in a mostly likable Latino update
The earnest, mid-budget studio comedy gets another gentle jolt back to life this week with HBO Max’s sleek remake of Father of the Bride, a mostly charming throwback to a time of big music, big speeches and big kitchens. It’s a story told twice before, once in 1950 by Vincente Minnelli with help from Spencer Tracy and then decades later with Nancy Meyers ushering Steve Martin, but it’s a dynamic we’ve seen far more times than that, the over-protective father struggling to let his beloved daughter go, especially when she’s heading all the way up the aisle.
It’s such a familiar set-up that our minds instantly go to sitcom territory – dad with wagging finger, daughter with hands on hips – and so to its credit,...
The earnest, mid-budget studio comedy gets another gentle jolt back to life this week with HBO Max’s sleek remake of Father of the Bride, a mostly charming throwback to a time of big music, big speeches and big kitchens. It’s a story told twice before, once in 1950 by Vincente Minnelli with help from Spencer Tracy and then decades later with Nancy Meyers ushering Steve Martin, but it’s a dynamic we’ve seen far more times than that, the over-protective father struggling to let his beloved daughter go, especially when she’s heading all the way up the aisle.
It’s such a familiar set-up that our minds instantly go to sitcom territory – dad with wagging finger, daughter with hands on hips – and so to its credit,...
- 6/16/2022
- by Benjamin Lee
- The Guardian - Film News
Here’s a weird feeling: the sense that the eponymous father of the bride is right when it comes to his many trepidations about a would-be happy event that is about to consume his life, for better and very much for worse. Edward Streeter’s 1949 novel “Father of the Bride” inspired Vincente Minnelli’s 1950 Best Picture nominee and Charles Shyer’s sterling 1991 version (plus sequels and even a TV series), and now the story receives yet another reimagining, this time through the prism of a vibrant and complicated Cuban-American family led by Andy Garcia as the appropriately addled patriarch.
Its heart is in the right place, but even its wackiest diversions — including “SNL” star Chloe Fineman trying to put her spin on Martin Short’s indelible wedding planner Franck, plus a fresh take on the two families at its center — fall short of previous versions, and find themselves awkwardly tucked beside far more serious subplots.
Its heart is in the right place, but even its wackiest diversions — including “SNL” star Chloe Fineman trying to put her spin on Martin Short’s indelible wedding planner Franck, plus a fresh take on the two families at its center — fall short of previous versions, and find themselves awkwardly tucked beside far more serious subplots.
- 6/15/2022
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Exclusive: Former Warner Bros. Development Executive Paul Perez has inked a production deal at the Burbank, CA lot.
The news comes just as the Andy Garcia and Gloria Estefan romantic comedy, Father of the Bride, a project Perez spearheaded and produced at the studio, hits HBO Max on Thursday, June 16.
During his time at Warner Bros, Perez was involved with the development of Ready Player One, Dune and Doctor Sleep.
He came to Warners after a development executive stint at Lionsgate’s Pantelion where he worked on the Eugenio Derbez hit movie, Instructions Not Included, which wound up being Mexico’s highest grossing export of all-time with 100.5M WW, as well as Spare Parts and No Maches Frida. Perez initially cut his teeth in the industry reading scripts for producer Ben Odell (now Derbez’s production partner at 3Pas Studios) and working in the Miami William Morris offices.
Father of...
The news comes just as the Andy Garcia and Gloria Estefan romantic comedy, Father of the Bride, a project Perez spearheaded and produced at the studio, hits HBO Max on Thursday, June 16.
During his time at Warner Bros, Perez was involved with the development of Ready Player One, Dune and Doctor Sleep.
He came to Warners after a development executive stint at Lionsgate’s Pantelion where he worked on the Eugenio Derbez hit movie, Instructions Not Included, which wound up being Mexico’s highest grossing export of all-time with 100.5M WW, as well as Spare Parts and No Maches Frida. Perez initially cut his teeth in the industry reading scripts for producer Ben Odell (now Derbez’s production partner at 3Pas Studios) and working in the Miami William Morris offices.
Father of...
- 6/13/2022
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
The legendary Judy Garland, one of the greatest entertainers of the 20th century, would have celebrated her 100th birthday on June 10. Help us celebrate this landmark occasion with our photo gallery looking back at her greatest film performances.
Known as the little girl (she was only 4’11) with the big voice, Garland was a rare true triple threat, holding her own with such great dancers as Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire, twice receiving Oscar nominations in acting categories, as well as leaving behind a legacy of record-breaking concerts, a Grammy-winning gold album and recordings of iconic songs that no one else has ever been able to capture in quite the same way.
Born Frances Ethel Gumm on June 10, 1922, in Grand Rapids Minnesota, Garland was the youngest of three girls. They would eventually form the vaudeville act “The Gumm Sisters” when baby Frances was only two years old. After almost a decade of touring with her sisters,...
Known as the little girl (she was only 4’11) with the big voice, Garland was a rare true triple threat, holding her own with such great dancers as Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire, twice receiving Oscar nominations in acting categories, as well as leaving behind a legacy of record-breaking concerts, a Grammy-winning gold album and recordings of iconic songs that no one else has ever been able to capture in quite the same way.
Born Frances Ethel Gumm on June 10, 1922, in Grand Rapids Minnesota, Garland was the youngest of three girls. They would eventually form the vaudeville act “The Gumm Sisters” when baby Frances was only two years old. After almost a decade of touring with her sisters,...
- 6/10/2022
- by Susan Pennington and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Judy Garland, who would have turned 100 years old this week, wasn’t just billed as “the world’s greatest entertainer” – in her time, she really was.
Garland was much more than just little Dorothy Gale from Kansas who once had an adventure in far-off Oz. She spent 45 of her 47 years in show business, eventually making 34 feature films and more than 200 radio appearances, releasing 80 singles and 12 albums, making 60 TV appearances (including 30 of her own shows), and doing 1,100 concerts.
“She had the amazing ability to convey joy and pathos and humor and sincerity and honesty,” says author and Emmy-winning producer John Fricke (“Judy Garland: A Portrait in Art and Anecdote”), “yet by giving of herself on that level, she had no guard, no protective shield. She was a million percent vulnerable.”
See More: Judy Garland: Her Life in Photos
Just watch 16-year-old Judy sing “Over the Rainbow” from “The Wizard of Oz...
Garland was much more than just little Dorothy Gale from Kansas who once had an adventure in far-off Oz. She spent 45 of her 47 years in show business, eventually making 34 feature films and more than 200 radio appearances, releasing 80 singles and 12 albums, making 60 TV appearances (including 30 of her own shows), and doing 1,100 concerts.
“She had the amazing ability to convey joy and pathos and humor and sincerity and honesty,” says author and Emmy-winning producer John Fricke (“Judy Garland: A Portrait in Art and Anecdote”), “yet by giving of herself on that level, she had no guard, no protective shield. She was a million percent vulnerable.”
See More: Judy Garland: Her Life in Photos
Just watch 16-year-old Judy sing “Over the Rainbow” from “The Wizard of Oz...
- 6/9/2022
- by Jon Burlingame
- Variety Film + TV
Everything is coming up Judy Garland this year because the beloved performer was born a century ago on June 10th. TCM is making Garland its “Star of the Month” and the Criterion Channel is offering its own retrospective. Warner Archive is releasing three of her films on Blu-Ray: 1941’s “Ziegfeld Girl”; 1942’s “For Me and My Gal” and 1945’s “The Clock.” There are many celebrations taking place around the country in honor of her centennial including at the Judy Garland Museum in her hometown of Grand Rapids, Minnesota and the Hollywood Forever Cemetery where Garland is now buried. And there’s even a new perfume — “Judy-a Garland Fragrance by Vincenzo Spinnato” — that will be unveiled at a birthday gala in Los Angeles.
I don’t know about you, but I converted to “Judy-ism” at the age of five when I first saw her beloved 1939 classic “The Wizard of Oz” on TV.
I don’t know about you, but I converted to “Judy-ism” at the age of five when I first saw her beloved 1939 classic “The Wizard of Oz” on TV.
- 6/9/2022
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
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