The hottest musical writer of recent years will reportedly be adapting the 1979 film, The Warriors, into a stage musical. Can You Dig It? The cult Walter Hill film is a popular urban grit fairy tale that tells of a night amongst the many number of gang factions in New York City. The movie was based on the 1965 novel of the same name by Sol Yurick and illustrated by Frank Modell. Many character actors were involved with the production in their younger days, including James Remar, who currently can be seen in Oppenheimer, David Patrick Kelly, Mercedes Ruehl, and Lynne Thigpen.
Variety now reports that a source close to the subject has confirmed that Lin-Manuel Miranda is in the works to adapt the movie into a stage musical. The film isn’t exactly West Side Story, but it does involve rivalry between street gangs. The plot of both the film and...
Variety now reports that a source close to the subject has confirmed that Lin-Manuel Miranda is in the works to adapt the movie into a stage musical. The film isn’t exactly West Side Story, but it does involve rivalry between street gangs. The plot of both the film and...
- 8/4/2023
- by EJ Tangonan
- JoBlo.com
Chicago – Yet another famous musical version of the final days of Jesus Christ is celebrating its 50th Anniversary as a film. “Godspell” began as a college project, moved to off-Broadway, released the film adaptation the same year as its cousin film “Jesus Christ Superstar” and had one actor go through all the iterations, while scoring a hit single with the song “Day by Day” … she is Robin Lamont.
Robin Lamont of “Godspell”
She went through all the steps of “Godspell” – even premiering in the Broadway stage version in 1976. Lamont was a student at Carnegie Mellon when a normal class assignment would connect her to the musical for six years. “Godspell” began in Pittsburgh in 1970 as a staged thesis for a Masters Degree by John-Michael Tebelak. It had a whole different set of songs and was structurally different than the show that opened Off-Off Broadway in 1971. After rejecting the original songs,...
Robin Lamont of “Godspell”
She went through all the steps of “Godspell” – even premiering in the Broadway stage version in 1976. Lamont was a student at Carnegie Mellon when a normal class assignment would connect her to the musical for six years. “Godspell” began in Pittsburgh in 1970 as a staged thesis for a Masters Degree by John-Michael Tebelak. It had a whole different set of songs and was structurally different than the show that opened Off-Off Broadway in 1971. After rejecting the original songs,...
- 4/6/2023
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
This post contains spoilers for "John Wick: Chapter 4."
All right now, for all you boppers out there in /Film land — just how much movie is "John Wick: Chapter 4?" The answer is, "So, so much movie." For anyone looking at the film's runtime worried that it would be one simple story stretched out to a huge length, fret not — "Chapter 4" is an epic in the old-school sense of the term, hopping around the globe with its titular assassin (played once again with brooding intensity by Keanu Reeves) as he faces a series of new and increasingly difficult challenges.
The even more exciting icing on "Chapter 4's" gigantic action cake is that the film's third act could almost be its own self-contained movie. In a certain way, it already is: While the "Wick" films have traditionally made references and homages to a bevy of action cinema classics, the third act...
All right now, for all you boppers out there in /Film land — just how much movie is "John Wick: Chapter 4?" The answer is, "So, so much movie." For anyone looking at the film's runtime worried that it would be one simple story stretched out to a huge length, fret not — "Chapter 4" is an epic in the old-school sense of the term, hopping around the globe with its titular assassin (played once again with brooding intensity by Keanu Reeves) as he faces a series of new and increasingly difficult challenges.
The even more exciting icing on "Chapter 4's" gigantic action cake is that the film's third act could almost be its own self-contained movie. In a certain way, it already is: While the "Wick" films have traditionally made references and homages to a bevy of action cinema classics, the third act...
- 3/28/2023
- by Bill Bria
- Slash Film
Chicago – One of the better film treats of Easter weekend is “Godspell” (1973), the hippie musical based on the Bible gospels in the book of Matthew. Featuring Victor Garber as Jesus, the film is set in New York City of the early 1970s, at the same time the World Trade Center was nearly complete. The producers had a great idea … why not film a dance number on the top of the North Tower? So the ironic song “All For the Best” ends up there, and cast member Robin Lamont remembered her reaction in an interview with Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com.
“Godspell” began in Pittsburgh in 1970 as a staged thesis for a Masters Degree by John-Michael Tebelak. It had a whole different set of songs and was structurally different than the show that opened Off-Off Broadway in 1971. After rejecting the original songs, the producers hired composer Stephen Schwartz (“Wicked”) to create the now classic soundtrack.
“Godspell” began in Pittsburgh in 1970 as a staged thesis for a Masters Degree by John-Michael Tebelak. It had a whole different set of songs and was structurally different than the show that opened Off-Off Broadway in 1971. After rejecting the original songs, the producers hired composer Stephen Schwartz (“Wicked”) to create the now classic soundtrack.
- 4/15/2022
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
How has it taken this long to get a "The Warriors" board game? I know Walter Hill's 1979 action movie is a bit of a cult title and doesn't carry the cache of something like "The Thing" or "The Shining," which have previously gotten the tabletop treatment, but still! The whole set-up for the movie is essentially a board game itself.
One group of hoodlums has to traverse the boroughs of New York and each area has a unique hostile gang wanting to kill them. The film starred Michael Beck, James Remar, David Patrick Kelly and the great Lynne Thigpen (who plays essentially just a set of...
The post Warriors! Come Out to Play ... This New The Warriors Board Game appeared first on /Film.
One group of hoodlums has to traverse the boroughs of New York and each area has a unique hostile gang wanting to kill them. The film starred Michael Beck, James Remar, David Patrick Kelly and the great Lynne Thigpen (who plays essentially just a set of...
The post Warriors! Come Out to Play ... This New The Warriors Board Game appeared first on /Film.
- 9/16/2021
- by Eric Vespe
- Slash Film
By Susan King
Audra McDonald is the most lauded Broadway performer winning a whopping six Tony Awards in both musical and dramatic categories. And she may be receiving her seventh for the revival of “Frankie and Johnny in the Clair du Lune” when the 74th annual Tonys take place Sept. 26th at the venerable Winter Garden Theatre.
Despite that record, it took a long time for Black artists to be acknowledged by the Tonys, which were first handed out in 1947. It wasn’t until 2004 that a Black actress won for a lead performance in a play: Phylicia Rashad broke this barrier with her win for a revival of Lorraine Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun.” Hansberry was the first Black artist to be nominated for Best Play in 1960 for the original production of “A Raisin in the Sun” as were its director Lloyd Richards and stars, Sidney Poitier and Claudia McNeil.
Audra McDonald is the most lauded Broadway performer winning a whopping six Tony Awards in both musical and dramatic categories. And she may be receiving her seventh for the revival of “Frankie and Johnny in the Clair du Lune” when the 74th annual Tonys take place Sept. 26th at the venerable Winter Garden Theatre.
Despite that record, it took a long time for Black artists to be acknowledged by the Tonys, which were first handed out in 1947. It wasn’t until 2004 that a Black actress won for a lead performance in a play: Phylicia Rashad broke this barrier with her win for a revival of Lorraine Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun.” Hansberry was the first Black artist to be nominated for Best Play in 1960 for the original production of “A Raisin in the Sun” as were its director Lloyd Richards and stars, Sidney Poitier and Claudia McNeil.
- 9/3/2021
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Chicago – Easter has just passed, and one of the film traditions during that holiday is the musical “Godspell.” This 1973 classic retells the story of Jesus from the Gospel of St. Matthew, through a group of hippie performers, including Victor Garber as Jesus. Robin Lamont sings the signature song in the show, “Day by Day.”
The one actor to go all the way through each iteration of the play – from its origins to Off-Off/Off Broadway to the the film version to Broadway – is Robin Lamont. Lamont was a student at Carnegie Mellon when a normal class assignment would connect her to the musical for six years. “Godspell” began in Pittsburgh in 1970 as a staged thesis for a Masters Degree by John-Michael Tebelak. It had a whole different set of songs and was structurally different than the show that opened Off-Off Broadway in 1971. After rejecting the original songs, the producers hired...
The one actor to go all the way through each iteration of the play – from its origins to Off-Off/Off Broadway to the the film version to Broadway – is Robin Lamont. Lamont was a student at Carnegie Mellon when a normal class assignment would connect her to the musical for six years. “Godspell” began in Pittsburgh in 1970 as a staged thesis for a Masters Degree by John-Michael Tebelak. It had a whole different set of songs and was structurally different than the show that opened Off-Off Broadway in 1971. After rejecting the original songs, the producers hired...
- 4/8/2021
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
1979: Ryan's Hope's Delia threated Johnny.
1980: Y&R's Leslie wanted to remember a secret from her past.
1991: As the World Turns' Ellen found out her husband had died.
1996: All My Children's Julia was visited by her Fairy Godmother."All true histories contain instruction; though, in some, the treasure may be hard to find, and when found, so trivial in quantity that the dry, shrivelled kernel scarcely compensates for the trouble of cracking the nut."
― Anne Brontë in "Agnes Grey"
"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.
On this date in...
1950: On radio soap opera The Guiding Light, Ted White (James Monk) told his wife, Meta (Jone Allison), he didn't think she...
1980: Y&R's Leslie wanted to remember a secret from her past.
1991: As the World Turns' Ellen found out her husband had died.
1996: All My Children's Julia was visited by her Fairy Godmother."All true histories contain instruction; though, in some, the treasure may be hard to find, and when found, so trivial in quantity that the dry, shrivelled kernel scarcely compensates for the trouble of cracking the nut."
― Anne Brontë in "Agnes Grey"
"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.
On this date in...
1950: On radio soap opera The Guiding Light, Ted White (James Monk) told his wife, Meta (Jone Allison), he didn't think she...
- 6/5/2018
- by Roger Newcomb
- We Love Soaps
Carmen Sandiego is famously hard to locate, but it turns out she’s been hiding out on the CW this whole time. Our sister site Deadline has exclusively reported that “Jane the Virgin” star Gina Rodriguez has been cast as the title character in a live-action “Carmen Sandiego” feature film from Netflix. Rodriguez will also produce the film through her company I Can and I Will Productions.
The character of Carmen Sandiego was first created in the educational video game series “Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?” starting in 1985. Carmen is a globetrotting thief and the leader of the criminal organization Vile whose exploits across the globe help players of the game learn international geography. The video games spawned a children’s TV game show that was hosted by Lynne Thigpen and ran from 1991-1995. It won six Daytime Emmys during its run and earned five straight nominations for...
The character of Carmen Sandiego was first created in the educational video game series “Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?” starting in 1985. Carmen is a globetrotting thief and the leader of the criminal organization Vile whose exploits across the globe help players of the game learn international geography. The video games spawned a children’s TV game show that was hosted by Lynne Thigpen and ran from 1991-1995. It won six Daytime Emmys during its run and earned five straight nominations for...
- 3/26/2018
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
These fugitives on the run aren’t innocent young lovers. Still wanted for anti-war violence from years before, an ex-radical couple struggles to remain free just as their children become old enough to think for themselves. Screenwriter Naomi Foner and director Sidney Lumet’s fascinating movie is a sympathetic look at an untenable lifestyle.
Running on Empty
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1988 / Color / 1:85 enhanced widescreen / 116 min. / Street Date June 27, 2017 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Christine Lahti, River Phoenix, Judd Hirsch, Jonas Abry, Martha Plimpton, Ed Crowley, L.M. Kit Carson, Steven Hill, Augusta Dabney, David Margulies, Lynne Thigpen, Bobo Lewis, Daniel Dassin.
Cinematography: Gerry Fisher
Film Editor: Andrew Mondshein
Original Music: Tony Mottola
Written by Naomi Foner
Produced by Griffin Dunne, Amy Robinson
Directed by Sidney Lumet
1988 suddenly seems much farther in the past than it did just a few months ago. The small town high school in Running on Empty has a dedicated, classically trained music teacher on the payroll. He earns enough to afford a rather nice house. The public school system is not being undermined, with all the wealthy students going to new kinds of exclusive, alternative schools siphoning off public money. We all have our own ideas about what ‘making America great again’ means, I suppose.
It doesn’t happen any more, but we used to read about ex- radicals from the Vietnam War days surfacing to turn themselves in. Not that many were directly involved in violent acts, but some had lived for decades under assumed identities, while their wanted photos were posted down at the Post Office. Some of them tried to raise families.
“We are all outlaws in the eyes of America.
Everything they say we are, we are.
. . . And we are very proud of ourselves.”
— The Jefferson Airplane
Naomi Foner’s Running on Empty is basically a ‘what comes next?’ chapter in the lives of former political public enemies like The Weather Underground. An unusual family is on the lam. The parents are militant radicals from the Nixon years, who went underground when one of their bombs maimed a janitor. Now they are nearing their forties, and must move from town to town whenever they think the Feds have picked up their trail. The couple chose their life and has accepted the consequences, but where does that leave their growing children, who are likewise forced to live like gypsies under assumed names?
I should think that this good movie would have a tough time in today’s market. If the online mob harps on Wonder Woman for promoting non-traditional values, what would they make of a movie ‘glorifying terrorism?’ Half of America still wants to see Jane Fonda strung up by her thumbs, and death threats for ‘enemies’ singled out on the web are now routine. Our channels of information are so jammed with stories elbowing each other for attention, I don’t think anybody could rouse the general public to even consider the problems of this kind of fugitive. Who has time for scurrilous pleas for sympathy for ‘undeserving’ people, when the public responds better to patriotic pieces about veterans . . . or cute animals?
Always watching for signs of F.B.I. surveillance, young Danny Pope (River Phoenix) alerts the rest of his family through pre-arranged signals. Annie and Arthur Pope (Christine Lahti & Judd Hirsch) abandon their jobs, their belongings and even their dog and flee to a new state with Danny and their other son Harry (Jonas Abry). With new identities they start new lives. Arthur and Annie find off-the-books employment as a cook and a medical receptionist and the boys are enrolled in school with ‘previous transcripts on the way.’ We see the unusual preparations that must be made, with secret arrangements so that any family member can alert the others if they’re found out; we also see that the family is supported to some degree by a network of post-radical (or still radical?) sympathizers, such as a doctor (David Marguiles) who tends to political fugitives. But the Popes are cut off from their own families. Annie’s disapproving father (Steven Hill) can only see her in an extraordinary circumstance arranged by a third party. Potential trouble comes when former comrade Gus Winant (L.M. Kit Carson) drops by. He’d like to sleep with his old flame Annie, and is carrying guns in the assumption that Arthur will agree to rob a bank with him. But a more troubling problem is closer to home. Young Danny has inherited his mother’s musical talent, and his teacher Mr. Phillips (Ed Crowley) is encouraging him to apply to Julliard in New York. Danny is also stuck on Phillips’ teenage daughter Lorna (Martha Plimpton), a girl to whom he might be ready to commit. As far as Arthur is concerned, Danny can’t do any of those things because his first duty is to help his family in the undercover life. Annie doesn’t know what to do. If she leaves her son behind, she may never see him again.
Practically speaking, Running on Empty will only play well to a certain segment of the public. Are you the kind that sympathizes with draft deserters that fled to Canada, or the kind that wants to hand them long terms in prison? The Popes aren’t victims of injustice, at least not directly; they knew what they were doing when they went militant, and the injuries they caused can’t simply be dismissed as youthful idealism. They are also hopelessly associated with fanatics they inspired, like the Sla. And there’s no statute of limitations on armed insurrection. I think almost all of the radical fugitives that went underground are now accounted for. Some served prison time and others got off because courtroom prosecutions would reveal or publicize the government’s own illegal doings. Running on Empty dramatizes what might have been reality for just a few of these ‘outlaws in the eyes of America.’ Some radicals reportedly found it easy to live undetected while still on various Most Wanted lists. Others found ways to turn themselves in, square themselves with the authorities and re-commence academic lives interrupted years before to oppose the government. *
Running on Empty is a fascinating show, with a cast that clearly had to work hard to make their characters believable. Christine Lahti puts up with her bossy, security-minded husband. He himself gets drunk one night and starts shouting his real name loud enough to wake the neighbors. Judd Hirsch and director Lumet know that these can’t be ordinary people. He doesn’t try to make them Ozzie and Harriet types, somehow (sniff!) trapped by their youthful mistakes. No, they’re still promoting various Union and social justice causes here and there, although Arthur must back away whenever he becomes visible enough to appear in a news photo. Every year they celebrate a birthday to Sam, the man struck by their bomb. It’s not a joke, but a ritual so they won’t forget their crime.
At the center of the movie is the cult actor River Phoenix, who graduated briefly to good roles after his appearance as an adolescent space voyager in the fantasy film Explorers. Phoenix is excellent as Danny, a kid raised to never let down his guard. The show begins with Danny detecting a plainclothes tail and executing what must be ‘escape plan 9.’ The family is out of town in a matter of minutes. Danny’s a sensitive, smart guy. If he plays by the rules, he must keep himself a complete mystery to his new girlfriend Lorna. The boy is committed to his family, but feels the pull to go off on his own, where a decent future awaits. In a way, it’s not a situation wholly unique to these former radicals. This must happen all the time when someone breaks away from a strongly structured family, or a religious cult.
The movie’s tension level doubles when Danny takes the forbidden step of telling Lorna everything. How many of us living normal lives (well, reasonably normal lives) could trust our sweethearts with such a volatile secret: “I and my whole family are fugitives from justice. Anybody helping us is a potential accomplice. Just by letting you know, I’m putting you in legal jeopardy. Will you turn me in, or become a criminal with me?”
At this age Martha Plimpton might remind one of a teenage Lauren Bacall. A survivor of Goonies, she is featured in what I think is the best Cannon film, Shy People. Plimpton and Phoenix have several worthy melodramatic romantic scenes to play, and they’re excellent together.
With the ace director Sidney Lumet in charge the strange relationships seem credible, even when the flaky, reckless Gus Winant breezes through. The former radical patriot is now nothing but an outlaw bum. In a nice choice, Gus is played by L.M. Kit Carson, the original fake counterculture hero in the classic experimental faux-documentary David Holzman’s Diary. With dangerous idiots like Gus on the loose, the Popes can’t even consider themselves part of a noble creed. Some of their old colleagues are indeed armed and dangerous.
I don’t think the Popes would stand a chance of evading the cops in today’s security state. One can no longer simply find the name of a dead infant and apply for a new birth certificate and passport. The Popes aren’t hiding in a shack in the woods, but are out and about in the public, working and rubbing elbows with schools and doctors. I guess that back in the 1980s Arthur could become a cook and Annie a receptionist without references, but it’s less likely now, when one can’t buy bubble gum without leaving a data trail. Traffic and security surveillance cameras are now everywhere. Billions of smart-phone photos are taken at public gatherings, and routinely posted on the web. A high-level security agency could be (is?) scanning the web with face recognition software.
Sidney Lumet wrote that his movies Running on Empty and Daniel had the same theme: “Who pays for the passion and commitment of the parents?” This is an even-handed and insightful drama. Lumet made a wide range of great entertainments, and some of the best- ever ‘New York Jewish Liberal Movies.’ He’s also one of the few directors who could take on fundamentally controversial material like this, and continue to maintain a busy career.
The Warner Archive Collection Blu-ray of Running on Empty is a good encoding of what was already a very good Wac Mod disc from just two years ago. The improved picture and sound reveals the expected quality of a top Sidney Lumet product. The small town we see is very attractive, a political landscape completely different from the corporate/banking rapacious wasteland of last year’s Hell or High Water. ‘Radicals unselfishly trying to stop a war in 1971’ is still anathema, while Mr. and Mrs. U.S.A. now considers it justifiable for ‘radicals to selfishly try to rescue their ruined finances.’
Madonna is on the soundtrack for a scene in Daniel’s music class. The final James Taylor song Fire and Rain works extremely well in context: “. . . and I always thought that I’d see you again.”
On a scale of Excellent, Good, Fair, and Poor,
Running on Empty Blu-ray rates:
Movie: Excellent
Video: Excellent
Sound: Excellent
Supplements: none
Deaf and Hearing Impaired Friendly? Yes; Subtitles: English (feature only)
Packaging: Keep case
Reviewed: June 21, 2017
(5451empt)
* I remember a major case from 2001. A radical who had evaded capture for thirty years finalized arrangements to turn herself in, after a delicate negotiation aimed at running her quietly through the legal system to let her get on with her life. She was reportedly not personally responsible for any violent acts, and under her assumed identity had worked for decades in a socially productive job. I followed her story for a couple of days in the newspaper . . . and then 9/11 happened. In the storm of security-minded post-attack chaos that followed, her story thread just vanished from the media-scape. I don’t have a clue what happened to her next. The timing couldn’t possibly have been worse for a former Enemy of the State.
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Text © Copyright 2017 Glenn Erickson...
Running on Empty
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1988 / Color / 1:85 enhanced widescreen / 116 min. / Street Date June 27, 2017 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Christine Lahti, River Phoenix, Judd Hirsch, Jonas Abry, Martha Plimpton, Ed Crowley, L.M. Kit Carson, Steven Hill, Augusta Dabney, David Margulies, Lynne Thigpen, Bobo Lewis, Daniel Dassin.
Cinematography: Gerry Fisher
Film Editor: Andrew Mondshein
Original Music: Tony Mottola
Written by Naomi Foner
Produced by Griffin Dunne, Amy Robinson
Directed by Sidney Lumet
1988 suddenly seems much farther in the past than it did just a few months ago. The small town high school in Running on Empty has a dedicated, classically trained music teacher on the payroll. He earns enough to afford a rather nice house. The public school system is not being undermined, with all the wealthy students going to new kinds of exclusive, alternative schools siphoning off public money. We all have our own ideas about what ‘making America great again’ means, I suppose.
It doesn’t happen any more, but we used to read about ex- radicals from the Vietnam War days surfacing to turn themselves in. Not that many were directly involved in violent acts, but some had lived for decades under assumed identities, while their wanted photos were posted down at the Post Office. Some of them tried to raise families.
“We are all outlaws in the eyes of America.
Everything they say we are, we are.
. . . And we are very proud of ourselves.”
— The Jefferson Airplane
Naomi Foner’s Running on Empty is basically a ‘what comes next?’ chapter in the lives of former political public enemies like The Weather Underground. An unusual family is on the lam. The parents are militant radicals from the Nixon years, who went underground when one of their bombs maimed a janitor. Now they are nearing their forties, and must move from town to town whenever they think the Feds have picked up their trail. The couple chose their life and has accepted the consequences, but where does that leave their growing children, who are likewise forced to live like gypsies under assumed names?
I should think that this good movie would have a tough time in today’s market. If the online mob harps on Wonder Woman for promoting non-traditional values, what would they make of a movie ‘glorifying terrorism?’ Half of America still wants to see Jane Fonda strung up by her thumbs, and death threats for ‘enemies’ singled out on the web are now routine. Our channels of information are so jammed with stories elbowing each other for attention, I don’t think anybody could rouse the general public to even consider the problems of this kind of fugitive. Who has time for scurrilous pleas for sympathy for ‘undeserving’ people, when the public responds better to patriotic pieces about veterans . . . or cute animals?
Always watching for signs of F.B.I. surveillance, young Danny Pope (River Phoenix) alerts the rest of his family through pre-arranged signals. Annie and Arthur Pope (Christine Lahti & Judd Hirsch) abandon their jobs, their belongings and even their dog and flee to a new state with Danny and their other son Harry (Jonas Abry). With new identities they start new lives. Arthur and Annie find off-the-books employment as a cook and a medical receptionist and the boys are enrolled in school with ‘previous transcripts on the way.’ We see the unusual preparations that must be made, with secret arrangements so that any family member can alert the others if they’re found out; we also see that the family is supported to some degree by a network of post-radical (or still radical?) sympathizers, such as a doctor (David Marguiles) who tends to political fugitives. But the Popes are cut off from their own families. Annie’s disapproving father (Steven Hill) can only see her in an extraordinary circumstance arranged by a third party. Potential trouble comes when former comrade Gus Winant (L.M. Kit Carson) drops by. He’d like to sleep with his old flame Annie, and is carrying guns in the assumption that Arthur will agree to rob a bank with him. But a more troubling problem is closer to home. Young Danny has inherited his mother’s musical talent, and his teacher Mr. Phillips (Ed Crowley) is encouraging him to apply to Julliard in New York. Danny is also stuck on Phillips’ teenage daughter Lorna (Martha Plimpton), a girl to whom he might be ready to commit. As far as Arthur is concerned, Danny can’t do any of those things because his first duty is to help his family in the undercover life. Annie doesn’t know what to do. If she leaves her son behind, she may never see him again.
Practically speaking, Running on Empty will only play well to a certain segment of the public. Are you the kind that sympathizes with draft deserters that fled to Canada, or the kind that wants to hand them long terms in prison? The Popes aren’t victims of injustice, at least not directly; they knew what they were doing when they went militant, and the injuries they caused can’t simply be dismissed as youthful idealism. They are also hopelessly associated with fanatics they inspired, like the Sla. And there’s no statute of limitations on armed insurrection. I think almost all of the radical fugitives that went underground are now accounted for. Some served prison time and others got off because courtroom prosecutions would reveal or publicize the government’s own illegal doings. Running on Empty dramatizes what might have been reality for just a few of these ‘outlaws in the eyes of America.’ Some radicals reportedly found it easy to live undetected while still on various Most Wanted lists. Others found ways to turn themselves in, square themselves with the authorities and re-commence academic lives interrupted years before to oppose the government. *
Running on Empty is a fascinating show, with a cast that clearly had to work hard to make their characters believable. Christine Lahti puts up with her bossy, security-minded husband. He himself gets drunk one night and starts shouting his real name loud enough to wake the neighbors. Judd Hirsch and director Lumet know that these can’t be ordinary people. He doesn’t try to make them Ozzie and Harriet types, somehow (sniff!) trapped by their youthful mistakes. No, they’re still promoting various Union and social justice causes here and there, although Arthur must back away whenever he becomes visible enough to appear in a news photo. Every year they celebrate a birthday to Sam, the man struck by their bomb. It’s not a joke, but a ritual so they won’t forget their crime.
At the center of the movie is the cult actor River Phoenix, who graduated briefly to good roles after his appearance as an adolescent space voyager in the fantasy film Explorers. Phoenix is excellent as Danny, a kid raised to never let down his guard. The show begins with Danny detecting a plainclothes tail and executing what must be ‘escape plan 9.’ The family is out of town in a matter of minutes. Danny’s a sensitive, smart guy. If he plays by the rules, he must keep himself a complete mystery to his new girlfriend Lorna. The boy is committed to his family, but feels the pull to go off on his own, where a decent future awaits. In a way, it’s not a situation wholly unique to these former radicals. This must happen all the time when someone breaks away from a strongly structured family, or a religious cult.
The movie’s tension level doubles when Danny takes the forbidden step of telling Lorna everything. How many of us living normal lives (well, reasonably normal lives) could trust our sweethearts with such a volatile secret: “I and my whole family are fugitives from justice. Anybody helping us is a potential accomplice. Just by letting you know, I’m putting you in legal jeopardy. Will you turn me in, or become a criminal with me?”
At this age Martha Plimpton might remind one of a teenage Lauren Bacall. A survivor of Goonies, she is featured in what I think is the best Cannon film, Shy People. Plimpton and Phoenix have several worthy melodramatic romantic scenes to play, and they’re excellent together.
With the ace director Sidney Lumet in charge the strange relationships seem credible, even when the flaky, reckless Gus Winant breezes through. The former radical patriot is now nothing but an outlaw bum. In a nice choice, Gus is played by L.M. Kit Carson, the original fake counterculture hero in the classic experimental faux-documentary David Holzman’s Diary. With dangerous idiots like Gus on the loose, the Popes can’t even consider themselves part of a noble creed. Some of their old colleagues are indeed armed and dangerous.
I don’t think the Popes would stand a chance of evading the cops in today’s security state. One can no longer simply find the name of a dead infant and apply for a new birth certificate and passport. The Popes aren’t hiding in a shack in the woods, but are out and about in the public, working and rubbing elbows with schools and doctors. I guess that back in the 1980s Arthur could become a cook and Annie a receptionist without references, but it’s less likely now, when one can’t buy bubble gum without leaving a data trail. Traffic and security surveillance cameras are now everywhere. Billions of smart-phone photos are taken at public gatherings, and routinely posted on the web. A high-level security agency could be (is?) scanning the web with face recognition software.
Sidney Lumet wrote that his movies Running on Empty and Daniel had the same theme: “Who pays for the passion and commitment of the parents?” This is an even-handed and insightful drama. Lumet made a wide range of great entertainments, and some of the best- ever ‘New York Jewish Liberal Movies.’ He’s also one of the few directors who could take on fundamentally controversial material like this, and continue to maintain a busy career.
The Warner Archive Collection Blu-ray of Running on Empty is a good encoding of what was already a very good Wac Mod disc from just two years ago. The improved picture and sound reveals the expected quality of a top Sidney Lumet product. The small town we see is very attractive, a political landscape completely different from the corporate/banking rapacious wasteland of last year’s Hell or High Water. ‘Radicals unselfishly trying to stop a war in 1971’ is still anathema, while Mr. and Mrs. U.S.A. now considers it justifiable for ‘radicals to selfishly try to rescue their ruined finances.’
Madonna is on the soundtrack for a scene in Daniel’s music class. The final James Taylor song Fire and Rain works extremely well in context: “. . . and I always thought that I’d see you again.”
On a scale of Excellent, Good, Fair, and Poor,
Running on Empty Blu-ray rates:
Movie: Excellent
Video: Excellent
Sound: Excellent
Supplements: none
Deaf and Hearing Impaired Friendly? Yes; Subtitles: English (feature only)
Packaging: Keep case
Reviewed: June 21, 2017
(5451empt)
* I remember a major case from 2001. A radical who had evaded capture for thirty years finalized arrangements to turn herself in, after a delicate negotiation aimed at running her quietly through the legal system to let her get on with her life. She was reportedly not personally responsible for any violent acts, and under her assumed identity had worked for decades in a socially productive job. I followed her story for a couple of days in the newspaper . . . and then 9/11 happened. In the storm of security-minded post-attack chaos that followed, her story thread just vanished from the media-scape. I don’t have a clue what happened to her next. The timing couldn’t possibly have been worse for a former Enemy of the State.
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- 6/23/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego? A question that today can be answered without looking at a map. Her character was part of an educational computer game franchise where you tried to stop Carmen Sandiego, a super theif, from stealing the worlds treasures all while learning about geography. This iconic series also made it off the computer screen and into books, an animated series that lasted 40 episodes starting in 1994, and a live action game show that starred Lynne Thigpen as "The Chief".
We will once again be able to follow Carmen thanks to Netflix according to The Tracking Board. They have ordered 22, 22-minute episodes that will premiere in 2019. The series will be based off of the computer games and will include an in depth look at the characters past, giving us insight as to why she became a super thief. The show will try to be both entertaining and...
We will once again be able to follow Carmen thanks to Netflix according to The Tracking Board. They have ordered 22, 22-minute episodes that will premiere in 2019. The series will be based off of the computer games and will include an in depth look at the characters past, giving us insight as to why she became a super thief. The show will try to be both entertaining and...
- 4/19/2017
- by Emmanuel Gomez
- LRMonline.com
Greg Lee is best known for playing the worldly host -- and confidant to Lynne Thigpen as The Chief -- in the '90s geographical kids show, "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?" Guess what he looks like now! Read more...
- 2/13/2017
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
Photo by Donnacha Kenny"Congratulations, Tom; you're one of the lucky eight per cent!" —Stir of Echoes (1999)Joliet, Illinois is probably the American city which more people have dreamed more fervently of escaping than any other. But after spending four hours in 'Prison Town'—long synonymous far and wide with incarceration—I was sad to leave; I'll be glad one day to return. Fortunately, such matters are questions of personal choice. Many of the area's residents, including those not serving custodial sentences, have little realistic option but to remain—trapped by personal, social and/or economic circumstances that can feel as confining as any 6-by-8 cell. "Joliet, or "J-Town", is racially diverse and is known as a crime-ridden city, although the area has shown much improvement since the 1990's... The east side is generally known as the ghetto side and the west side is known as middle class, even though...
- 2/29/2016
- by Neil Young
- MUBI
There's a long history of grown-ups trying to make educational materials entertaining. However, there's also a long history of most of these efforts turning out to be heavy on the education, light on the fun. It's a tough one for adults to wrap their heads around, but they're not always the best at predicting what kids will take to and what they'll sniff out as just being homework gussied up like playtime.
One exception? The various Carmen Sandiego games. Next to Oregon Trail, they were often the best possible use for a school computer back in the day. And in...
One exception? The various Carmen Sandiego games. Next to Oregon Trail, they were often the best possible use for a school computer back in the day. And in...
- 12/22/2015
- by Drew Mackie, @drewgmackie
- People.com - TV Watch
[Brightcove "4667198836001"] There's a long history of grown-ups trying to make educational materials entertaining. However, there's also a long history of most of these efforts turning out to be heavy on the education, light on the fun. It's a tough one for adults to wrap their heads around, but they're not always the best at predicting what kids will take to and what they'll sniff out as just being homework gussied up like playtime. One exception? The various Carmen Sandiego games. Next to Oregon Trail, they were often the best possible use for a school computer back in the day. And in...
- 12/22/2015
- by Drew Mackie, @drewgmackie
- PEOPLE.com
[Brightcove "4667198836001"] There's a long history of grown-ups trying to make educational materials entertaining. However, there's also a long history of most of these efforts turning out to be heavy on the education, light on the fun. It's a tough one for adults to wrap their heads around, but they're not always the best at predicting what kids will take to and what they'll sniff out as just being homework gussied up like playtime. One exception? The various Carmen Sandiego games. Next to Oregon Trail, they were often the best possible use for a school computer back in the day. And in...
- 12/22/2015
- by Drew Mackie, @drewgmackie
- PEOPLE.com
June 2014. So what does the month of June usually remind one of during this time of year? Well, besides Father’s Day and possible scheduled weddings this sixth month in the calendar year marks the celebrated occasion for the ending of the school semester. Whether students are simply looking forward to their summer vacation or managed to complete a milestone in graduating from said grammar school, middle school, high school or college the month of June is closely identified with the school season coming to a close (unless one can escape the doldrums of a summer school session).
So to mark this auspicious occasion we should take a look at some random films with an educational theme. Hence, “Too Cool for School: Top 10 Random Films Making the Grade” will briefly examine a selection of higher education ditties that taught us something (or perhaps nothing) during our heyday of cramming for tests.
So to mark this auspicious occasion we should take a look at some random films with an educational theme. Hence, “Too Cool for School: Top 10 Random Films Making the Grade” will briefly examine a selection of higher education ditties that taught us something (or perhaps nothing) during our heyday of cramming for tests.
- 6/6/2014
- by Frank Ochieng
- SoundOnSight
After last night’s Glee, an emotional tribute to Finn Hudson (without revealing his cause of death but rather focusing on his life), we decided to look back at how other television shows have handled a death in the family. The scenario can be traced back to Dan Blocker’s unexpected death before filming began on Bonanza’s final season. As a result, Bonanza was one of the first (if not the first) television show to address an actor’s death, and it did so by killing off Hoss, Blocker’s character. Many shows have followed that same path, while...
- 10/11/2013
- by Samantha Highfill
- EW.com - PopWatch
Calling all gumshoes: "Carmen Sandeigo" could be returning to PBS.
The network posted the below photo on Instagram and shared it on its official Tumblr, hinting at the return of the popular character and series "Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego?"
The caption reads: Where in the world did this come from? Stay tuned for something awesome!" After speculation took off on Tumblr, PBS posted an update: "Update!!! We have one clue for you -- this is not about new episodes, but will be appreciated by any 90s kid. Stay tuned!"
And then there's this tweet:
If I were to re-air my old PBS episodes, would you watch me? xo - Carmen http://t.co/3fBdgaujfd #Witwics #CarmenSandiego
— Carmen Sandiego (@CarmenSandiego) July 15, 2013
It appears the network could be getting ready to rebroadcast the 1990s TV series. A rep for PBS confirmed there won't be new episodes of the series at this time,...
The network posted the below photo on Instagram and shared it on its official Tumblr, hinting at the return of the popular character and series "Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego?"
The caption reads: Where in the world did this come from? Stay tuned for something awesome!" After speculation took off on Tumblr, PBS posted an update: "Update!!! We have one clue for you -- this is not about new episodes, but will be appreciated by any 90s kid. Stay tuned!"
And then there's this tweet:
If I were to re-air my old PBS episodes, would you watch me? xo - Carmen http://t.co/3fBdgaujfd #Witwics #CarmenSandiego
— Carmen Sandiego (@CarmenSandiego) July 15, 2013
It appears the network could be getting ready to rebroadcast the 1990s TV series. A rep for PBS confirmed there won't be new episodes of the series at this time,...
- 7/16/2013
- by Chris Harnick
- Huffington Post
Here are a few interesting and/or noteworthy projects that were recently added to IMDbPro's database of development titles:
Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? – With the well of '80s reboots running dry, it's time to usher in a '90s revival. J.Lo's leading the pack with her Nuyorican Productions, updating this forgotten kids gem about a fictional detective agency's attempts to thwart and capture a rogue agent. We only wish original star Lynne Thigpen was still around to dispatch the sleuths.
Knight of Cups – For a filmmaker who spent nearly two decades between releasing films, Terrence Malick seems to be making up for lost time. The director's embarking on a pair of films since wrapping up this year's Tree of Life, bringing his total of current active projects to four -- this one starring Christian Bale and Cate Blanchett and another film called Lawless featuring the duo along side Ryan Gosling and Rooney Mara.
Tammy – Newly minted Emmy winner and Bridesmaids scene-stealer Melissa McCarthy wrote this road comedy about a directionless woman and her hard-drinking granny, which has been picked up for development at New Line.
Playdate – Actress-turned-filmmaker Tara Subkoff directs this indie flick starring Radha Mitchell and Natasha Lyonne. Filming is expected to get underway soon.
Lust for Love – Dollhouse alums Felicia Day, Dichen Lachman, Fran Kranz, Enver Gjokaj and Maurissa Tancharoen are teaming up with Australian writer-director Anton King to star in this independent romcom about an innocent guy's efforts to woo women.
If you know of something in the works, you can submit it via our online submission form.
Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? – With the well of '80s reboots running dry, it's time to usher in a '90s revival. J.Lo's leading the pack with her Nuyorican Productions, updating this forgotten kids gem about a fictional detective agency's attempts to thwart and capture a rogue agent. We only wish original star Lynne Thigpen was still around to dispatch the sleuths.
Knight of Cups – For a filmmaker who spent nearly two decades between releasing films, Terrence Malick seems to be making up for lost time. The director's embarking on a pair of films since wrapping up this year's Tree of Life, bringing his total of current active projects to four -- this one starring Christian Bale and Cate Blanchett and another film called Lawless featuring the duo along side Ryan Gosling and Rooney Mara.
Tammy – Newly minted Emmy winner and Bridesmaids scene-stealer Melissa McCarthy wrote this road comedy about a directionless woman and her hard-drinking granny, which has been picked up for development at New Line.
Playdate – Actress-turned-filmmaker Tara Subkoff directs this indie flick starring Radha Mitchell and Natasha Lyonne. Filming is expected to get underway soon.
Lust for Love – Dollhouse alums Felicia Day, Dichen Lachman, Fran Kranz, Enver Gjokaj and Maurissa Tancharoen are teaming up with Australian writer-director Anton King to star in this independent romcom about an innocent guy's efforts to woo women.
If you know of something in the works, you can submit it via our online submission form.
- 11/12/2011
- by Eric Greene
- IMDbPro News
It may sound like a joke, but as it so often goes in Hollywood, sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. Walden Media (aka the folks behind The Chronicles of Narnia movies) are putting together a new family adventure film that revolves around a popular video game. No, we're not talking about Uncharted or anything from the current generation... we're talking about Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego, the educational video game from the 1980s! You remember it, right? The one that teaches you geography while trying to catch a ring of thieves plundering the world's greatest treasures? Jennifer Lopez is on board to produce and possibly star as the title character which probably means this project is doomed before it even starts. Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego has experienced a recent resurgence of sorts after a new Facebook version of the game was launched by The Learning Company and Blue Fang Games.
- 11/4/2011
- by Sean
- FilmJunk
Emmy Award-winning actress Julia Barr grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where she caught the acting bug at age 8 in a local youth theater group. She appeared in a production of "Peter Pan" when she was 13 and continued acting while attending high school and college, as a theater major on a regional campus of Purdue University.
In June 1976 she landed the role of All My Children's Brooke English, where she stayed for 30 years playing one of Pine Valley's most beloved characters (and Erica Kane's biggest rival). In 2010, she appeared on the show's 40th Anniversary special later returning for a three month run. In September, she will return to AMC once again as the show comes to a close on ABC.
In this exclusive new two-part interview with We Love Soaps TV, Barr reflects on her career, shares thoughts on her historic All My Children run, discusses the show's move to the web,...
In June 1976 she landed the role of All My Children's Brooke English, where she stayed for 30 years playing one of Pine Valley's most beloved characters (and Erica Kane's biggest rival). In 2010, she appeared on the show's 40th Anniversary special later returning for a three month run. In September, she will return to AMC once again as the show comes to a close on ABC.
In this exclusive new two-part interview with We Love Soaps TV, Barr reflects on her career, shares thoughts on her historic All My Children run, discusses the show's move to the web,...
- 7/25/2011
- by Roger Newcomb
- We Love Soaps
…the only thing we can do is play the song.
Alright now. For all you boppers out there in the big web city, all you internet people with an ear for action, I’ve got something for you. It’s a special for that real live bunch from Coney. (And there ends my near-aimless, only-amusing-to-me riff on Lynne Thigpen in The Warriors.)
The Cinefamily (hosts of our mighty live event) have — on their excellent and revamped website — just launched a new, monthly podcast dedicated to the deepest and best soundtrack cuts. It’s a full hour of music that’s great all the way through. Here’s what you get in the podcast, hosted by The Cinefamily’s Bret:
Son of Dracula – Daybreak (Harry Nilsson)
The Cannonball Run – Cannonball (Ray Stevens)
Perfect Strangers – I’m A Shadow on the Walls of the City (Michael Minard)
——
Lifeforce – Theme (Henry Mancini)
Crosscurrent...
Alright now. For all you boppers out there in the big web city, all you internet people with an ear for action, I’ve got something for you. It’s a special for that real live bunch from Coney. (And there ends my near-aimless, only-amusing-to-me riff on Lynne Thigpen in The Warriors.)
The Cinefamily (hosts of our mighty live event) have — on their excellent and revamped website — just launched a new, monthly podcast dedicated to the deepest and best soundtrack cuts. It’s a full hour of music that’s great all the way through. Here’s what you get in the podcast, hosted by The Cinefamily’s Bret:
Son of Dracula – Daybreak (Harry Nilsson)
The Cannonball Run – Cannonball (Ray Stevens)
Perfect Strangers – I’m A Shadow on the Walls of the City (Michael Minard)
——
Lifeforce – Theme (Henry Mancini)
Crosscurrent...
- 7/13/2011
- by Danny
- Trailers from Hell
Normal 0 false false false En-us X-none X-none MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 The Warriors – no other movie of the Seventies captured New York City quite like this gritty, visceral, gang drama did when it premiered in February of 1979, making The Big Apple look not only rotten to the core, but also possibly – gloriously -- like the most dangerous city in the world. For those of you who remember the movie when it first premiered in '79, it made a lasting impact that was both exhilirating and terrifying, summed up in one of the most widely quoted lines in movie history: Warriors.....come out and plaaaayeeeaaaayyy!
.
Thirty years later, the cast of this legendary film is reuniting in Coney Island for a momentous 30th anniversary celebration on Saturday, August 29th. The event is a benefit / fundraiser for Coney Island USA, the resident not-for-profit corporation that produces some of NYC’s best loved summer programming, such...
.
Thirty years later, the cast of this legendary film is reuniting in Coney Island for a momentous 30th anniversary celebration on Saturday, August 29th. The event is a benefit / fundraiser for Coney Island USA, the resident not-for-profit corporation that produces some of NYC’s best loved summer programming, such...
- 8/13/2009
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Lynne Thigpen, the prolific screen and stage actress who played dogged crime analyst Ella Farmer on the CBS cop drama The District and won a Tony Award in 1997 for her performance as a black Jewish oncologist in Wendy Wasserstein's play An American Daughter, died Wednesday night at her home in Los Angeles, CBS said. She was 54. The cause of death was unknown pending an autopsy. She was discovered unconscious by her friend Larry Aronson. Production on District was temporarily shut down Thursday after the cast and crew received word of Thigpen's death. The show, which bowed in September 2000, is based on the exploits of real-life law enforcement guru Jack Maple and was in the middle of shooting the 20th of the season's 22 episodes.
- 3/14/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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