By 1962, Elvis Presley was already growing weary of his film career and some of the actors he met. He wanted more substantial, dramatic roles and began to feel embarrassed about the growing list of breezy romances on his resume. Because of this, he grew irritable on set, especially when someone didn’t treat him with the reverence he felt he deserved. Elvis’ bodyguards said the singer consistently spoke poorly about one of his co-stars.
Elvis treated one actor poorly
When Elvis left the army, he began to work his way through a lengthy roster of films. In 1962, he shot Kid Galahad, a film in which his character is a boxer. Charles Bronson played his trainer, and Elvis’ bodyguards admired him for his performance. Elvis did not feel the same way.
“Elvis just did not go for him,” bodyguard Sonny West said in the book Elvis: What Happened? by Steve Dunleavy.
Elvis treated one actor poorly
When Elvis left the army, he began to work his way through a lengthy roster of films. In 1962, he shot Kid Galahad, a film in which his character is a boxer. Charles Bronson played his trainer, and Elvis’ bodyguards admired him for his performance. Elvis did not feel the same way.
“Elvis just did not go for him,” bodyguard Sonny West said in the book Elvis: What Happened? by Steve Dunleavy.
- 4/2/2024
- by Emma McKee
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Plot: In 1974, an aging hitman (Liam Neeson) tries to leave his violent past behind and reinvent himself in a small, isolated town in Ireland. However, his good nature leads to him making a fateful decision that puts him in the crosshairs of an insane Ira assassin (Kerry Condon) and her cronies.
Review: I know what you’re thinking – another Liam Neeson action flick. Ho-hum. Normally, I’d be right there with you. While no one can deny he’s become the 21st century’s version of Charles Bronson, with him churning out a steady diet of B-level action flicks, not all of them are disposable in the way something like Blacklight, Honest Thief, Retribution and too many others are. Once in a while, he works with a really interesting director, such as on the beautifully photographed Marlowe by Neil Jordan. One of his better recent action flicks was definitely The Marksman,...
Review: I know what you’re thinking – another Liam Neeson action flick. Ho-hum. Normally, I’d be right there with you. While no one can deny he’s become the 21st century’s version of Charles Bronson, with him churning out a steady diet of B-level action flicks, not all of them are disposable in the way something like Blacklight, Honest Thief, Retribution and too many others are. Once in a while, he works with a really interesting director, such as on the beautifully photographed Marlowe by Neil Jordan. One of his better recent action flicks was definitely The Marksman,...
- 3/29/2024
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
Things were going badly on Saturday Night Live‘s 1980-1981 season, even before producer Jean Doumanian realized than the January 10, 1981 episode was headed towards disaster.
The previous season had seen the departure of Lorne Michaels and the entire cast, including founders Gilda Radner, Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris, and Laraine Newman, as well as Bill Murray and Harry Shearer. Doumanian had tried to pitch her incoming group of comedians as the next generation for the hit series, but the performers quickly gained reputations as also-rans. Charlie Rocket was a less funny Chevy Chase, Gail Matthius an off-brand Jane Curtin, and so on.
But on that Jan. 10, 1981 episode, hosted by actor Ray Sharkey, things were going particularly badly. The skits went faster than anticipated and the show had five extra minutes to fill. So in an act of desperation, Doumanian followed the advice of writer Neil Levy and pushed 19-year-old featured player...
The previous season had seen the departure of Lorne Michaels and the entire cast, including founders Gilda Radner, Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris, and Laraine Newman, as well as Bill Murray and Harry Shearer. Doumanian had tried to pitch her incoming group of comedians as the next generation for the hit series, but the performers quickly gained reputations as also-rans. Charlie Rocket was a less funny Chevy Chase, Gail Matthius an off-brand Jane Curtin, and so on.
But on that Jan. 10, 1981 episode, hosted by actor Ray Sharkey, things were going particularly badly. The skits went faster than anticipated and the show had five extra minutes to fill. So in an act of desperation, Doumanian followed the advice of writer Neil Levy and pushed 19-year-old featured player...
- 3/20/2024
- by Joe George
- Den of Geek
It’s time for a new episode of the Real Slashers video series, and with this one we’re heading back into the glorious ’80s to look at a film that was released during the slasher boom of 1981: Happy Birthday to Me (watch it Here)! This movie was directed by J. Lee Thompson, whose previous credits included the classics The Guns of Navarone and Cape Fear (not to mention Conquest of the Planet of the Apes and Battle for the Planet of the Apes). To hear all about his contribution to the ’80s slasher era, check out the video embedded above.
From here, Thompson would go on to make several films with Charles Bronson, including 10 to Midnight and Death Wish 4: The Crackdown, as well as King Solomon’s Mines and the Chuck Norris adventure Firewalker.
Scripted by Timothy Bond, Peter Jobin, and John Saxton, Happy Birthday to Me...
From here, Thompson would go on to make several films with Charles Bronson, including 10 to Midnight and Death Wish 4: The Crackdown, as well as King Solomon’s Mines and the Chuck Norris adventure Firewalker.
Scripted by Timothy Bond, Peter Jobin, and John Saxton, Happy Birthday to Me...
- 3/18/2024
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Writers/Directors Joe DeBoer and Kyle McConaghy’s lo-fi ’80s psychological thriller, Dead Mail, anchors its offbeat story, characters, and retro style around profound loneliness. Bloody Disgusting spoke with the filmmakers along with stars Sterling Macer Jr. and John Fleck at SXSW, where the film made its world premiere, about their unique approach to the genre-bender.
Dead Mail leans heavily into the ’80s analog aesthetic, delivering a unique crime thriller unafraid to get weird with its dark narrative.
In the film, “On a desolate, Midwestern county road, a bound man crawls towards a remote postal box, managing to slide a blood-stained plea-for-help message into the slot before a panicking figure closes in behind him. The note makes its way to the county post office and onto the desk of Jasper, a seasoned and skilled ‘dead letter’ investigator, responsible for investigating lost mail and returning it to its sender. As he investigates further,...
Dead Mail leans heavily into the ’80s analog aesthetic, delivering a unique crime thriller unafraid to get weird with its dark narrative.
In the film, “On a desolate, Midwestern county road, a bound man crawls towards a remote postal box, managing to slide a blood-stained plea-for-help message into the slot before a panicking figure closes in behind him. The note makes its way to the county post office and onto the desk of Jasper, a seasoned and skilled ‘dead letter’ investigator, responsible for investigating lost mail and returning it to its sender. As he investigates further,...
- 3/14/2024
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
The late 1950s and the entirety of the 1960s was the golden age for big, brawny, studio-produced action-adventure epics. Films like "The Bridge on the River Kwai," "The Guns of Navarone," and "The Train" plopped big movie stars in the midst of finely crafted yarns about unflappable heroes pooling their expertise to pull off seemingly impossible tasks. Most of these were next-phase World War II movies that eschewed the reverential tone of the films made in the immediate wake of the conflict's end; they were less about the Axis enemy, and more about the ingenuity of men in high-pressure situations. When done well, they were hailed by critics and ticket-buyers alike.
And with due respect to the many entertaining entries in this subgenre, none of them can match the armrest-shredding suspense and rousing camaraderie of John Sturges "The Great Escape."
Working from a screenplay credited to W.R. Burnett and the...
And with due respect to the many entertaining entries in this subgenre, none of them can match the armrest-shredding suspense and rousing camaraderie of John Sturges "The Great Escape."
Working from a screenplay credited to W.R. Burnett and the...
- 2/24/2024
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Although collecting physical media doesn’t have the convenience appeal of streaming films, there is now sort of a stigma with purchasing movies through online platforms. Although its possible to compile a collection of movies through an online library, consumers will ultimately be at the whim of the service should it choose to keep the title available on their server. The seemingly iron-clad way to have a movie ready-to-watch is if you can have it at your fingertips. Additionally, there are a number of titles that don’t happen to find their way to have streaming access and physical media distributors like Shout and Vinegar Syndrome have dedicated their business to some overlooked titles.
There are also classic, prestige movie titles that studios are proud to remaster for a new, modern way of viewing. You can now catch a new upcoming release of Once Upon a Time in the West...
There are also classic, prestige movie titles that studios are proud to remaster for a new, modern way of viewing. You can now catch a new upcoming release of Once Upon a Time in the West...
- 2/21/2024
- by EJ Tangonan
- JoBlo.com
Frank Grillo knows what he wants.
The erstwhile Crossbones of the MCU has crafted a niche for himself as a contemporary Charles Bronson over the last decade, parlaying mainstream buzz from projects like “The Purge 2” and Mma drama series “Warrior” into a string of superior indie action movies — even if he himself shies away from Bronson comparisons when speaking about his career.
“Not that I’m comparing myself to Charles Bronson, because I couldn’t,” Grillo told IndieWire during a recent interview over Zoom, adding with a laugh, “Charles Bronson never took his shirt off on a soap opera.”
With respect to Grillo, Bronson simply didn’t have the same range. Grillo emerged from a three-year run on “Guiding Light” in the late ’90s to a decade as a working actor before landing a juicy supporting role in the Liam Neeson-starring “The Grey.” Then came 2014 and his role...
The erstwhile Crossbones of the MCU has crafted a niche for himself as a contemporary Charles Bronson over the last decade, parlaying mainstream buzz from projects like “The Purge 2” and Mma drama series “Warrior” into a string of superior indie action movies — even if he himself shies away from Bronson comparisons when speaking about his career.
“Not that I’m comparing myself to Charles Bronson, because I couldn’t,” Grillo told IndieWire during a recent interview over Zoom, adding with a laugh, “Charles Bronson never took his shirt off on a soap opera.”
With respect to Grillo, Bronson simply didn’t have the same range. Grillo emerged from a three-year run on “Guiding Light” in the late ’90s to a decade as a working actor before landing a juicy supporting role in the Liam Neeson-starring “The Grey.” Then came 2014 and his role...
- 2/17/2024
- by Mark Peikert
- Indiewire
When director Michael Winner and screenwriter Wendell Mayes adapted Brian Garfield's novel "Death Wish," it's doubtful that they had any idea they'd be launching a film franchise that would change the landscape of vigilante thrillers forever, and solidify Charles Bronson as one of the greatest stars of action cinema. The "Death Wish" films start out as a twisted character study of a man named Paul Kersey as he slowly descends into a life of vengeance and violence, bearing arms and serving as a one-man judge, jury, and executioner. There's a real allure to righting wrongs outside of the American justice system, but as Kearsey's arc shows, his desire to kill has perhaps always been a part of him -- which makes him part of the problem.
As the franchise went on, the "Death Wish" films cared less and less about the moral conundrums of its hero and instead wanted...
As the franchise went on, the "Death Wish" films cared less and less about the moral conundrums of its hero and instead wanted...
- 1/22/2024
- by BJ Colangelo
- Slash Film
The moment Elvis Presley stepped in front of the camera for his second appearance on "The Milton Berle Show" in 1956, there was no doubt that this young man was destined for more than pop music superstardom. Much more.
Conversationally, he was downright adorable with his boyish good looks and aw-shucks Southern shyness, but once the music kicked in he was transformed into a hunk of burning lust. That gyrating pelvis and run-riot voice spurred sexual awakenings in living rooms across the country (in full view of outraged parents). To teenagers, Elvis belted out a call to rebellion. To parents, he was a pompadoured incubus. To Hollywood, he was singing, swaggering box-office gold.
Between 1956 and 1972, Elvis starred in 31 features and two concert films. There were lulls (particularly when his popularity faded prior to his 1968 comeback special), but for the most part Elvis reliably packed 'em in. According to producer Hal B. Wallis...
Conversationally, he was downright adorable with his boyish good looks and aw-shucks Southern shyness, but once the music kicked in he was transformed into a hunk of burning lust. That gyrating pelvis and run-riot voice spurred sexual awakenings in living rooms across the country (in full view of outraged parents). To teenagers, Elvis belted out a call to rebellion. To parents, he was a pompadoured incubus. To Hollywood, he was singing, swaggering box-office gold.
Between 1956 and 1972, Elvis starred in 31 features and two concert films. There were lulls (particularly when his popularity faded prior to his 1968 comeback special), but for the most part Elvis reliably packed 'em in. According to producer Hal B. Wallis...
- 1/20/2024
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Actor Clint Eastwood helped make the Dirty Harry franchise one of the most iconic series of action films in cinema. But at one point Eastwood was looking for another action franchise to own.
Clint Eastwood wanted another ‘Dirty Harry’ franchise that he had more ownership of Clint Eastwood | Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images
Eastwood’s Dirty Harry series only helped further the actor’s legacy back in the day. But initially, he hoped to have another separate franchise as equally lucrative under his belt with a similar personality to Dirty Harry. In an attempt to replicate the film’s success, Eastwood allegedly went to famous writer Elmore Leonard for help. Apart from his novels, Leonard was also known for penning movies. He wrote features like Charles Bronson’s Mr. Majestyk, which was initially pitched to Eastwood. It was also inspired by his own book The Big Bounce.
“I took Mr.
Clint Eastwood wanted another ‘Dirty Harry’ franchise that he had more ownership of Clint Eastwood | Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images
Eastwood’s Dirty Harry series only helped further the actor’s legacy back in the day. But initially, he hoped to have another separate franchise as equally lucrative under his belt with a similar personality to Dirty Harry. In an attempt to replicate the film’s success, Eastwood allegedly went to famous writer Elmore Leonard for help. Apart from his novels, Leonard was also known for penning movies. He wrote features like Charles Bronson’s Mr. Majestyk, which was initially pitched to Eastwood. It was also inspired by his own book The Big Bounce.
“I took Mr.
- 1/18/2024
- by Antonio Stallings
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Netflix generates more contemporary content than anyone, but they’re dipping into the past to curate the great movies from the ’70s. These are the films that people like myself discovered as kids in the early days of when HBO premiered on cable. Bravo, I say. Here’s the preliminary list.
Alice Doesn’T Live Here Anymore
A widowed singer and single mother starts over as a diner waitress in Arizona, befriending her coworkers and romancing a ruggedly handsome rancher.
Director: Martin Scorsese
Writer: Robert Getchell
Producers: Audrey Maas, David Susskind
Key Cast (Alphabetical): Ellen Burstyn, Jodie Foster, Diane Ladd, Alfred Lutter, Harvey Keitel, Kris Kristofferson, Vic Tayback
Distributed By: Warner Bros. Discovery
Initial Release Date: December 9, 1974
At the 47th Academy Awards, Burstyn won Best Actress
Black Belt Jones
High-kicking Black Belt Jones is dispatched to take down a group of Mafia goons trying to muscle in on a downtown karate studio.
Alice Doesn’T Live Here Anymore
A widowed singer and single mother starts over as a diner waitress in Arizona, befriending her coworkers and romancing a ruggedly handsome rancher.
Director: Martin Scorsese
Writer: Robert Getchell
Producers: Audrey Maas, David Susskind
Key Cast (Alphabetical): Ellen Burstyn, Jodie Foster, Diane Ladd, Alfred Lutter, Harvey Keitel, Kris Kristofferson, Vic Tayback
Distributed By: Warner Bros. Discovery
Initial Release Date: December 9, 1974
At the 47th Academy Awards, Burstyn won Best Actress
Black Belt Jones
High-kicking Black Belt Jones is dispatched to take down a group of Mafia goons trying to muscle in on a downtown karate studio.
- 1/17/2024
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
1974 was quite a year for cinema; 50 years later, Netflix (of all places) is celebrating the golden jubilee.
In recognition of the anniversary, the streamer on Wednesday launched a new, dedicated content row (and direct URL link) with the first films being honored under its new “Milestone Movies: The Anniversary Collection” banner. Each of the 14 films came to Netflix this month by way of Warner Bros., Paramount, or Sony — the distributors that license content to Netflix.
The 1974 collection includes “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore,” “Black Belt Jones,” “Blazing Saddles,” “California Split,” “Chinatown,” “The Conversation,” “Death Wish,” “The Gambler,” “The Great Gatsby,” “It’s Alive,” “The Little Prince,” “The Lords of Flatbush,” “The Parallax View,” and “The Street Fighter” (“Gekitotsu! Satsujin ken”).
Netflix doesn’t plan to stop with disco’s heyday. In April, the streaming service will do the same for films from 1984 (turning 40); July will celebrate 1994 movies (turning 30); and in October...
In recognition of the anniversary, the streamer on Wednesday launched a new, dedicated content row (and direct URL link) with the first films being honored under its new “Milestone Movies: The Anniversary Collection” banner. Each of the 14 films came to Netflix this month by way of Warner Bros., Paramount, or Sony — the distributors that license content to Netflix.
The 1974 collection includes “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore,” “Black Belt Jones,” “Blazing Saddles,” “California Split,” “Chinatown,” “The Conversation,” “Death Wish,” “The Gambler,” “The Great Gatsby,” “It’s Alive,” “The Little Prince,” “The Lords of Flatbush,” “The Parallax View,” and “The Street Fighter” (“Gekitotsu! Satsujin ken”).
Netflix doesn’t plan to stop with disco’s heyday. In April, the streaming service will do the same for films from 1984 (turning 40); July will celebrate 1994 movies (turning 30); and in October...
- 1/17/2024
- by Tony Maglio
- Indiewire
You do not hire Jason Statham to read love poems onscreen, or to weep gently at the sight of nuzzling puppies, or to gaze thoughtfully at a particularly breathtaking sunset. You hire the Derbyshire native to kick ass and take names, with the “names” part being optional. The cinematic missing link between Bruce Willis and Charles Bronson, Statham has been keeping a certain type of genre film alive for close to two decades. He’s not the last action hero standing — his Hobbs & Shaw partner Dwayne Johnson continues to flirt with big,...
- 1/11/2024
- by David Fear
- Rollingstone.com
Bee-related puns and metaphors are the order of the day in David Ayer’s The Beekeeper. For all the specificity in these half-hearted stabs at humor and thematic resonance, including a groan-worthy reference to a certain soliloquy from Hamlet, the world of the film is unduly nebulous. It’s not unlike a partially completed sketch whose occasional flashes of color only serve to remind us how incomplete and lazily constructed the rest of it is.
Take the film’s hero, Adam Clay (Jason Statham), a simple beekeeper trying to enjoy his early retirement by making honey in the barn of the older woman, Eloise (Phylicia Rashad), who takes care of him. Clay’s affinity toward the woman, who’s ostensibly just his landlord, is easy enough to overlook, and his extreme reaction to her suicide after she’s scammed out of her retirement money and $2 million of charity money she...
Take the film’s hero, Adam Clay (Jason Statham), a simple beekeeper trying to enjoy his early retirement by making honey in the barn of the older woman, Eloise (Phylicia Rashad), who takes care of him. Clay’s affinity toward the woman, who’s ostensibly just his landlord, is easy enough to overlook, and his extreme reaction to her suicide after she’s scammed out of her retirement money and $2 million of charity money she...
- 1/10/2024
- by Derek Smith
- Slant Magazine
Robert Aldrich's "The Dirty Dozen" is the daddiest of dad movies. A box office smash upon its theatrical release in 1967, it was the proto-"men-on-a-mission" movie. Lee Marvin stars as a World War II U.S. Army major ordered to lead a pack of disposable military prisoners on a suicide mission to slaughter numerous high-ranking Nazi officers. The film brought together some of the most macho men on the planet to play the (not entirely) doomed soldiers: Charles Bronson, George Kennedy, Telly Savalas, and, of course, recently retired Cleveland Browns running back Jim Brown. It was a testosterone-fueled must-see that inspired three made-for-tv sequels and a load of imitators (including Enzo G. Castellari's "The Inglorious Bastards" and Quentin Tarantino's endearingly misspelled "Inglourious Basterds").
It's been homaged and ripped off so many times over the last 57 years that a straight-up remake would hardly be sacrilege. In fact, given...
It's been homaged and ripped off so many times over the last 57 years that a straight-up remake would hardly be sacrilege. In fact, given...
- 1/10/2024
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
There are plenty of reasons to love "The Twilight Zone," but a fun one is the way it lets us see so many famous actors before they became household names. Before Carol Burnett had her own variety show, she starred in the 1962 episode "Cavender is Coming." Before Leonard Nimoy got to be in "Star Trek," he was a throwaway soldier in the 1961 episode "A Quality of Mercy." Then there's Elizabeth Montgomery, best known for her role in the 1960s sitcom "Bewitched." Before she played the good witch Samantha Stephens, however, she played a stoic, unnamed woman in the season 3 premiere of "The Twilight Zone."
The 1961 episode is called "Two," and it starts off with Montgomery's character wandering through an abandoned war-torn town. It's been years since the war ended, resulting in total destruction on both sides. When she meets a mysterious man with the opposing army's uniform (Charles Bronson...
The 1961 episode is called "Two," and it starts off with Montgomery's character wandering through an abandoned war-torn town. It's been years since the war ended, resulting in total destruction on both sides. When she meets a mysterious man with the opposing army's uniform (Charles Bronson...
- 1/6/2024
- by Michael Boyle
- Slash Film
Riggs and Murtagh. Tango and Cash. Starsky and Hutch. John McClane. Frank Bullitt. Dirty Harry Callahan. While those are all tough movie cops, none of them are as hard as nails was perhaps the toughest, most dangerous movie cop of all time… Frank Drebin as played by Leslie Nielsen in The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
Jump back to 1980. Leslie Nielsen was a character actor known for playing deadpan, ultra-serious roles. He was typically the bad guy of the week on TV shows and TV movies, and his biggest claim to fame was playing the captain in 1956s Forbidden Planet. His career was middling; David Zucker, Jim Abrams and Jerry Zucker, aka Zaz – Zucker-Abrams-Zucker – wanted to cast him in their movie Airplane. He would play the third lead, a deadpan doctor who would perfectly ape similar roles he played in movies like The Poseidon Adventure. While the studio initially balked,...
Jump back to 1980. Leslie Nielsen was a character actor known for playing deadpan, ultra-serious roles. He was typically the bad guy of the week on TV shows and TV movies, and his biggest claim to fame was playing the captain in 1956s Forbidden Planet. His career was middling; David Zucker, Jim Abrams and Jerry Zucker, aka Zaz – Zucker-Abrams-Zucker – wanted to cast him in their movie Airplane. He would play the third lead, a deadpan doctor who would perfectly ape similar roles he played in movies like The Poseidon Adventure. While the studio initially balked,...
- 1/2/2024
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
Steve McQueen is a name so cool that two famous people have to share it: the American actor and action film icon known for films like “The Great Escape” and “Bullitt” before he died in 1980, and the Oscar-winning British film director behind acclaimed dramas like “12 Years a Slave,” “Hunger,” and “Small Axe.” Now, McQueen the director has revealed that McQueen the actor was part of his formative filmgoing experiences.
In an interview with The Messenger to promote his documentary “Occupied City,” McQueen was asked about his favorite film starring the actor who shares his name. Although McQueen initially hesitated to share, he eventually revealed his favorite to be “The Magnificent Seven.” A western remake of Akira Kurosawa’s classic “Seven Samurai” from director John Sturges, the 1960 film focuses on a group of seven American gunslingers hired to protect a Mexican village from terrorizing bandits. McQueen played drifting gambler Vin in the film,...
In an interview with The Messenger to promote his documentary “Occupied City,” McQueen was asked about his favorite film starring the actor who shares his name. Although McQueen initially hesitated to share, he eventually revealed his favorite to be “The Magnificent Seven.” A western remake of Akira Kurosawa’s classic “Seven Samurai” from director John Sturges, the 1960 film focuses on a group of seven American gunslingers hired to protect a Mexican village from terrorizing bandits. McQueen played drifting gambler Vin in the film,...
- 12/29/2023
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
Plot: In a dark corner of the universe controlled by a Fascist regime called The Motherworld, a former soldier named Kora (Sofia Boutella) tries to escape her past by living as a simple farmer on a peaceful moon called The Veldt. When that moon is invaded by The Motherworld and her friends are threatened, Kora sets off to recruit an army of soldiers to battle with the Motherworld and end their tyranny.
Review: Take Star Wars, a liberal amount of Seven Samurai, The Magnificent Seven, and Battle Beyond the Stars, and mix it in with a heavy helping of Heavy Metal (both the magazine and the film), and you end up with Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon. While a bit overstuffed (Snyder maybe made it a little too lean at just over two hours), it’s nonetheless a deliriously entertaining sci-fi epic that one could easily call the Best Star Wars Movie Never Made.
Review: Take Star Wars, a liberal amount of Seven Samurai, The Magnificent Seven, and Battle Beyond the Stars, and mix it in with a heavy helping of Heavy Metal (both the magazine and the film), and you end up with Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon. While a bit overstuffed (Snyder maybe made it a little too lean at just over two hours), it’s nonetheless a deliriously entertaining sci-fi epic that one could easily call the Best Star Wars Movie Never Made.
- 12/22/2023
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
Norby Walters, the onetime music agent who ran the annual “Night of 100 Stars” Oscar party for years and hosted an iconic low-stakes poker party for actors, died December 12. He was 91. His son, Walters Media Group founder and former Bold Films CEO Gary Michael Walters, confirmed the news but did not provide details.
Born Norbert Meyer, in 1952 Walters started booking jazz luminaries such as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and Stan Getz into his father’s bar.
Walters and his brother, Walter took over a place from their father and dubbed it Norby & Walter’s Bel Air, but its sign had no ampersand — which led to the name Walters would use during his career. He later took over a failing nightclub located next to the world-famous Copacabana, dubbed it Norby Walters’s Supper Club, and attracted a who’s who of boldfaced New York City names.
“What was I going to do?...
Born Norbert Meyer, in 1952 Walters started booking jazz luminaries such as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and Stan Getz into his father’s bar.
Walters and his brother, Walter took over a place from their father and dubbed it Norby & Walter’s Bel Air, but its sign had no ampersand — which led to the name Walters would use during his career. He later took over a failing nightclub located next to the world-famous Copacabana, dubbed it Norby Walters’s Supper Club, and attracted a who’s who of boldfaced New York City names.
“What was I going to do?...
- 12/21/2023
- by Erik Pedersen and Tom Tapp
- Deadline Film + TV
Norby Walters, a music agent who worked with Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Marvin Gaye, Kool & the Gang and Public Enemy before gaining renown in Hollywood for his annual “Night of 100 Stars” Oscar party and weekly poker game, has died. He was 91.
Walters died Dec. 10 of natural causes at an assisted living facility in Burbank, his son, producer Gary Michael Walters (Whiplash), told The Hollywood Reporter.
Walters hosted his first Oscar night gala in 1990 and the last in 2017, most often inside the Beverly Hilton’s Crystal Ballroom. Among those who attended were Shirley Jones, Robert Forster, Charles Bronson, Patricia Neal, Richard Dreyfuss, Eva Marie Saint, Martin Landau, Louis Gossett Jr., J.K. Simmons, Cliff Robertson, Red Buttons, Jon Voight and Allison Janney.
Walters for years also presided over a weekly poker game at his West Hollywood high-rise condo. The low-stakes $2 game was, his son said, “designed to be a place where actors could kibbutz,...
Walters died Dec. 10 of natural causes at an assisted living facility in Burbank, his son, producer Gary Michael Walters (Whiplash), told The Hollywood Reporter.
Walters hosted his first Oscar night gala in 1990 and the last in 2017, most often inside the Beverly Hilton’s Crystal Ballroom. Among those who attended were Shirley Jones, Robert Forster, Charles Bronson, Patricia Neal, Richard Dreyfuss, Eva Marie Saint, Martin Landau, Louis Gossett Jr., J.K. Simmons, Cliff Robertson, Red Buttons, Jon Voight and Allison Janney.
Walters for years also presided over a weekly poker game at his West Hollywood high-rise condo. The low-stakes $2 game was, his son said, “designed to be a place where actors could kibbutz,...
- 12/21/2023
- by Mike Barnes and Borys Kit
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Joel Kinnaman as Godlock in Silent Night. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Lionsgate
For years, film buffs have enjoyed arguing about whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie. The “yeas” emphasize when it’s happening and what’s going on there besides the mayhem between Bruce and the baddies. The “nays” say it’s the polar opposite of the decades of seasonal feelgood spirit exemplified by everything from It’S A Wonderful Life to what the Hallmark Channel cranks out annually for the holidays. For them, if it ain’t gooey, it ain’t Yuley. Well, whichever camp you’re in, you’ll vote the same way for this gift from A-list action writer, producer and director John Woo, Silent Night.
Silent Night serves as a two-edged title. Besides the main events occurring on consecutive Christmases (for which that title ranks among the most popular carols), the entire film plays out without a single spoken word.
For years, film buffs have enjoyed arguing about whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie. The “yeas” emphasize when it’s happening and what’s going on there besides the mayhem between Bruce and the baddies. The “nays” say it’s the polar opposite of the decades of seasonal feelgood spirit exemplified by everything from It’S A Wonderful Life to what the Hallmark Channel cranks out annually for the holidays. For them, if it ain’t gooey, it ain’t Yuley. Well, whichever camp you’re in, you’ll vote the same way for this gift from A-list action writer, producer and director John Woo, Silent Night.
Silent Night serves as a two-edged title. Besides the main events occurring on consecutive Christmases (for which that title ranks among the most popular carols), the entire film plays out without a single spoken word.
- 12/3/2023
- by Mark Glass
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Silent Night is an action-thriller film directed by John Woo, from a screenplay by Robert Archer Lynn. The Christmas-themed film revolves around a man who witnesses the murder of his young son when he gets caught in the crossfire of two rival gangs. On that day, the man was also injured and he lost his voice because of that. Now, he is on the path of revenge and is trying to kill everyone involved. Silent Night stars Joel Kinnaman in the role with Kid Cudi, Catalina Sandino Moreno, and Harold Torres in supporting roles. So, if you love the most silent action movie here are some similar movies you could watch next.
Kaabil (Hulu) Credit – Filmkraft Productions Pvt. Ltd
Synopsis: The blissful married lives of Supriya and Rohan, a visually impaired couple, come to a halt when the former is raped by men with political links. When she commits suicide,...
Kaabil (Hulu) Credit – Filmkraft Productions Pvt. Ltd
Synopsis: The blissful married lives of Supriya and Rohan, a visually impaired couple, come to a halt when the former is raped by men with political links. When she commits suicide,...
- 12/2/2023
- by Kulwant Singh
- Cinema Blind
If action has a name, it must be John Woo. The Hong Kong director has been making grandiose, pulse-pounding, operatic action epics since he began making films in his native country during the early 1970s. Coming off triumphs like "The Killer," the "A Better Tomorrow" duology, and "Hard Boiled," Woo arrived in America with the Jean Claude Van Damme banger "Hard Target" and reshaped the Hollywood action film for a solid ten years. Although he chose to step away from the Hollywood grind after 2003's "Paycheck," he's never stopped making movies, and in fact has expanded and further developed his trademark style with each successive feature.
Two decades after "Paycheck," Woo is finally making his return to Hollywood and the English-language action film by making *checks notes* a drama-heavy action movie where barely any dialogue of any language is spoken. That's right, John Woo isn't done experimenting with cinema. "Silent...
Two decades after "Paycheck," Woo is finally making his return to Hollywood and the English-language action film by making *checks notes* a drama-heavy action movie where barely any dialogue of any language is spoken. That's right, John Woo isn't done experimenting with cinema. "Silent...
- 11/30/2023
- by Bill Bria
- Slash Film
America had just crawled out from under its Vietnam hangover when Stephen J. Cannell's "The A-Team" blasted its way into the country's living rooms on January 23, 1983. NBC did not have high expectations for the show, but when the second episode -- which aired after Super Bowl Xvii (the one where Washington's John Riggins rushed with shocking impunity against Miami's defense) -- scored sky-high ratings, the network realized it had a hit on its hands.
It was the right show for a weird moment in American history. The country had gone gung-ho. We were at the advent of the '80s action hero era, and everyone was flocking to bloody, high-caliber entertainments starring the likes of Charles Bronson, Chuck Norris, and Sylvester Stallone. Meanwhile, the pulpy adventures of Don Pendleton's Mack Bolan were flying off drug store bookshelves. There was an acute interest in vigilante justice, but people were...
It was the right show for a weird moment in American history. The country had gone gung-ho. We were at the advent of the '80s action hero era, and everyone was flocking to bloody, high-caliber entertainments starring the likes of Charles Bronson, Chuck Norris, and Sylvester Stallone. Meanwhile, the pulpy adventures of Don Pendleton's Mack Bolan were flying off drug store bookshelves. There was an acute interest in vigilante justice, but people were...
- 11/11/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Exclusive: Emmy nominee Camila Morrone has signed with Brillstein Entertainment Partners for representation.
Morrone is coming off the hit Amazon limited series Daisy Jones & The Six, for which she received a Best Supporting Actress Emmy nomination for her role as Camila Dunne, and the Patrica Arquette-directed Gonzo Girl, which recently premiered at the Toronto Film Festival. Up next she can be seen starring opposite Joe Keery in the independent film Marmalade, directed and written by Keir O’Donnell.
She received critical praise for her starring role as a Montana teenager caring for her father, a veteran with a substance abuse problem, in Annabelle Attanasio’s indie film Mickey and the Bear. She also starred in A24 and Augustine Frizzell’s comedy Never Goin’ Back and in Death Wish, the Eli Roth-directed remake of the 1974 Charles Bronson film for MGM.
Morrone continues to be repped by WME, Nue Group, Hansen,...
Morrone is coming off the hit Amazon limited series Daisy Jones & The Six, for which she received a Best Supporting Actress Emmy nomination for her role as Camila Dunne, and the Patrica Arquette-directed Gonzo Girl, which recently premiered at the Toronto Film Festival. Up next she can be seen starring opposite Joe Keery in the independent film Marmalade, directed and written by Keir O’Donnell.
She received critical praise for her starring role as a Montana teenager caring for her father, a veteran with a substance abuse problem, in Annabelle Attanasio’s indie film Mickey and the Bear. She also starred in A24 and Augustine Frizzell’s comedy Never Goin’ Back and in Death Wish, the Eli Roth-directed remake of the 1974 Charles Bronson film for MGM.
Morrone continues to be repped by WME, Nue Group, Hansen,...
- 11/7/2023
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
1957 was a big year for David McCallum, the respected Glasgow-born actor known for “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.,” “The Great Escape” and his 20-year run on “NCIS” as quirky pathologist Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard.
From the Oct. 23, 1957, edition of weekly Variety
The actor, who died Sept. 25 at the age of 90, logged six mentions in Variety that year, starting with a review in the March 20 edition of weekly that listed him in the cast of the British “crime meller” (aka crime melodrama) “The Secret Place.” From then on, McCallum was a staple in our pages, boarding movies, TV shows and legit stages in the U.S. and U.K. He never stopped working.
Wedding announcement for David McCallum and Jill Ireland from the May 22, 1957, edition of weekly Variety
1957 was also the year McCallum married actor Jill Ireland in London, an event commemorated with a wedding announcement in the May 22, 1957, edition of weekly.
From the Oct. 23, 1957, edition of weekly Variety
The actor, who died Sept. 25 at the age of 90, logged six mentions in Variety that year, starting with a review in the March 20 edition of weekly that listed him in the cast of the British “crime meller” (aka crime melodrama) “The Secret Place.” From then on, McCallum was a staple in our pages, boarding movies, TV shows and legit stages in the U.S. and U.K. He never stopped working.
Wedding announcement for David McCallum and Jill Ireland from the May 22, 1957, edition of weekly Variety
1957 was also the year McCallum married actor Jill Ireland in London, an event commemorated with a wedding announcement in the May 22, 1957, edition of weekly.
- 9/29/2023
- by Cynthia Littleton
- Variety Film + TV
David McCallum, the Scottish actor who portrayed the enigmatic Russian-born U.S. secret agent Illya Kuryakin on The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and the chief medical examiner Donald “Ducky” Mallard on NCIS, died Monday. He was 90.
McCallum died of natural causes surrounded by family at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, a spokesperson for CBS announced.
McCallum also starred opposite Joanna Lumley for four seasons on the 1979-82 British sci-fi series Sapphire & Steel (she was Sapphire, he was Steel) — a show many see as a precursor to The X-Files — and played a British prisoner of war on the acclaimed 1972-74 BBC drama Colditz.
McCallum was married to British actress Jill Ireland from May 1957 until she left him for brawny actor Charles Bronson a decade later. McCallum rebounded quite nicely, though, quickly marrying model Katherine Carpenter in 1967, and his wife of 56 years survives him.
The boyishly handsome actor spent all 20 seasons...
McCallum died of natural causes surrounded by family at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, a spokesperson for CBS announced.
McCallum also starred opposite Joanna Lumley for four seasons on the 1979-82 British sci-fi series Sapphire & Steel (she was Sapphire, he was Steel) — a show many see as a precursor to The X-Files — and played a British prisoner of war on the acclaimed 1972-74 BBC drama Colditz.
McCallum was married to British actress Jill Ireland from May 1957 until she left him for brawny actor Charles Bronson a decade later. McCallum rebounded quite nicely, though, quickly marrying model Katherine Carpenter in 1967, and his wife of 56 years survives him.
The boyishly handsome actor spent all 20 seasons...
- 9/25/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: A Broadmoor hospital doc featuring “brand-new testimony from ex-patients and ex-staff” is in the works at Paramount UK network Channel 5.
Inside Broadmoor [working title] will feature interviews, archive and stylized reconstructions revealing stories about one of the nation’s oldest and highest security psychiatric hospitals. The institution in Berkshire was built in 1863, at which point it was called Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum, and it has gained notoriety down the years and housed high-profile patients including Charles Bronson and Peter Sutcliffe, the Yorkshire Ripper. The late Jimmy Savile, who was posthumously outed as a serial sexual abuser, was later accused of abuse while doing voluntary work at Broadmoor.
Channel 5’s four-parter will tell the stories of patients doing time for the most high-profile cases. Key contributions from ex-staff will reveal secrets including stories of brutal attacks, fights, and murders, while the series will examine what makes dangerous people mad as well...
Inside Broadmoor [working title] will feature interviews, archive and stylized reconstructions revealing stories about one of the nation’s oldest and highest security psychiatric hospitals. The institution in Berkshire was built in 1863, at which point it was called Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum, and it has gained notoriety down the years and housed high-profile patients including Charles Bronson and Peter Sutcliffe, the Yorkshire Ripper. The late Jimmy Savile, who was posthumously outed as a serial sexual abuser, was later accused of abuse while doing voluntary work at Broadmoor.
Channel 5’s four-parter will tell the stories of patients doing time for the most high-profile cases. Key contributions from ex-staff will reveal secrets including stories of brutal attacks, fights, and murders, while the series will examine what makes dangerous people mad as well...
- 9/11/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
"The Equalizer" has been a sturdy franchise for Sony over the last decade. Based on the 1980s CBS series starring Edward Woodward, the films are a model of narrative simplicity: Denzel Washington plays Robert McCall, a world-weary yet principled ex-CIA operative who bounces around the globe to help powerless people overcome viciously corrupt criminals. They're self-contained vigilante yarns powered exclusively by one of Hollywood's most magnetic stars in full-on badass mode. Aside from their extrajudicial nature, they're basically Charles Bronson's "Death Wish" movies absent the racism and wretched treatment of women.
As such, they're utterly critic-proof, and Washington, a two-time Oscar winner who's widely considered to be one of our finest actors, shows no compunction about playing to the cheap seats. He knows audiences dig him in this kind of badass role, and, thus far, he's been proven right at the box office. The first two films (barely...
As such, they're utterly critic-proof, and Washington, a two-time Oscar winner who's widely considered to be one of our finest actors, shows no compunction about playing to the cheap seats. He knows audiences dig him in this kind of badass role, and, thus far, he's been proven right at the box office. The first two films (barely...
- 9/1/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Cliff Twemlow is, for me, something of an enigma, an urban legend, even a myth if you like. I remember reading about this self-made film star in the pages of Darkside Magazine – his films seemingly lost to the VHS era in much the same way as Lindsay Shonteff’s oeuvre. Speaking of VHS, Twemlow is probably best known for G.B.H., a British gangster movie that became notorious after it featured on the video nasties list thanks to the garish artwork – Cliff’s character covered in blood brandishing a hammer!
What I didn’t know about Twemlow is that he wrote music, and performed not only as part of a band (under the name Peter Reno) but also penned theme songs under the same name for the De Wolfe label – over 2000 pieces of music in fact, themes that went on to be featured on TV shows of the era! Twemlow was also a novelist,...
What I didn’t know about Twemlow is that he wrote music, and performed not only as part of a band (under the name Peter Reno) but also penned theme songs under the same name for the De Wolfe label – over 2000 pieces of music in fact, themes that went on to be featured on TV shows of the era! Twemlow was also a novelist,...
- 8/30/2023
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
Plot: A businessman (Liam Neeson) is trapped in his car with his two kids by a mysterious caller who warns him that there’s a bomb under his seat that will go off if anyone tries to exit the vehicle.
Review: Remember when Liam Neeson said he was giving up action movies a few years ago? Many think he wasn’t being serious, but watching his latest, Retribution, I’m almost thinking he was telling the truth as there’s so little going on here in the way of physical action that you could almost call this an “inaction” movie. Indeed, Neeson spends 95% of the running time comfortably seated behind the wheel of his car, making this less taxing than the brawnier movies that made him a late-in-life action star.
As usual, Neeson’s latter-era movies are a mixed bag. I was fond of his recent film noir, Marlowe, and...
Review: Remember when Liam Neeson said he was giving up action movies a few years ago? Many think he wasn’t being serious, but watching his latest, Retribution, I’m almost thinking he was telling the truth as there’s so little going on here in the way of physical action that you could almost call this an “inaction” movie. Indeed, Neeson spends 95% of the running time comfortably seated behind the wheel of his car, making this less taxing than the brawnier movies that made him a late-in-life action star.
As usual, Neeson’s latter-era movies are a mixed bag. I was fond of his recent film noir, Marlowe, and...
- 8/26/2023
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
In “Retribution,” which could be the title of almost any Liam Neeson film of the past 15 years, the 71-year-old star is still a lean, looming oak tree of a man, but for maybe the first time he’s up against a force that outpowers his sullen machismo. It’s called trying to be a daddy in the 21st century.
Neeson’s Matt Turner is a high-powered banker/financier who lives with his wife and two kids in a palatial modernist glass house in Berlin. Neeson has often played devoted fathers — that was the whole premise of “Taken,” which kicked off the Neeson-as-seething-roughneck-of-vengeance genre back in 2008.
But in “Retribution,” Matt gets no respect from his tween daughter, Emily (Lilly Aspell), or his arrogant teenage son, Zach (Jack Champion). The reason, as the movie presents it, is that the culture around him has leeched his authority away. He can’t “lay down...
Neeson’s Matt Turner is a high-powered banker/financier who lives with his wife and two kids in a palatial modernist glass house in Berlin. Neeson has often played devoted fathers — that was the whole premise of “Taken,” which kicked off the Neeson-as-seething-roughneck-of-vengeance genre back in 2008.
But in “Retribution,” Matt gets no respect from his tween daughter, Emily (Lilly Aspell), or his arrogant teenage son, Zach (Jack Champion). The reason, as the movie presents it, is that the culture around him has leeched his authority away. He can’t “lay down...
- 8/23/2023
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
Though raised in Brooklyn, actor turned producer/director Danny A. Abeckaser was born in Israel. Unfortunately, that birthright isn’t enough to lend authenticity to “The Engineer,” which feels very much like an American B-movie stab at turning Israeli anti-terrorist operations of 30 years ago into formulaic action fodder — without much action, even. A miscast Emile Hirsch plays a Shin Bet agent tasked with hunting down the mastermind behind a series of suicide bombings. Arriving at yet another low ebb in Israeli international relations over Palestinian issues, this frequently unconvincing and clunky would-be thriller will have a hard time stirring much enthusiasm in most territories. Lionsgate is releasing to limited U.S. theaters and home formats on August 18.
It begins, with a burst of explanatory onscreen text, in the fall of 1993, as Israeli Prime Minister Rabin and Plo leader Yasser Arafat were in Washington D.C. attempting to broker peace under the auspices of President Clinton.
It begins, with a burst of explanatory onscreen text, in the fall of 1993, as Israeli Prime Minister Rabin and Plo leader Yasser Arafat were in Washington D.C. attempting to broker peace under the auspices of President Clinton.
- 8/16/2023
- by Dennis Harvey
- Variety Film + TV
When you consider the evidence, the 1970s was the greatest crime movie period since the 1930s. Maybe it’s because of the grim film stock, but those 10 years were so filled with the criminal element even a highly-rated political journalism feature like All the President’s Men (1976) is really an investigation into indictable acts. The decade is defined by Francis Ford Coppola’s first two The Godfather movies, but those tell the story of the dons who live in compounds on Long Island. Most illicit infractions are committed on the street, and so many fall between the cracks.
Crime and gangster movies historically and consistently break boundaries in motion picture art. This is especially true when independent filmmakers muscle their way in packing something heavy. The 1970s was an experimental decade for motion pictures with wildly varied visions behind the lens. Some of these films were considered old-fashioned, others have proven...
Crime and gangster movies historically and consistently break boundaries in motion picture art. This is especially true when independent filmmakers muscle their way in packing something heavy. The 1970s was an experimental decade for motion pictures with wildly varied visions behind the lens. Some of these films were considered old-fashioned, others have proven...
- 8/12/2023
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
Writer-director Nicholas Maggio may not have intended to be self-critical when, fairly early in his debut feature “Mob Land,” he has one character observe to another about their failing small Southern town, “This whole place has become a fucking cliché.” But the longer this slackly paced rural noir continues, the more that dialogue seems in retrospect like fair warning. Borrowing freely from “No Country for Old Men,” “Collateral” and maybe a dozen or so other superior films, Maggio has cobbled together a modestly diverting, effectively atmospheric but blatantly derivative crime drama sprinkled with a few joltingly nasty plot twists.
It helps a lot that the first-time feature filmmaker has cast just about every role with an actor fully committed to their part. Better still, some of the briefly glimpsed supporting players do their bit to ratchet up the suspense by conveying sweaty desperation, darkly comical fury, or both.
At one point,...
It helps a lot that the first-time feature filmmaker has cast just about every role with an actor fully committed to their part. Better still, some of the briefly glimpsed supporting players do their bit to ratchet up the suspense by conveying sweaty desperation, darkly comical fury, or both.
At one point,...
- 8/3/2023
- by Joe Leydon
- Variety Film + TV
Laird Koenig, who wrote “The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane,” died in Santa Barbara on June 30, Jamie Dixon, the son of Koenig’s collaborator Peter L. Dixon, told Variety. He was 95.
Koenig was an American author and screenwriter whose novel was adapted into the 1976 Jodie Foster-led horror movie “The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane.”
He was born on Sept. 14, 1927, in Seattle, and would go on to attend the University of Washington. Koenig worked in advertising before being approached by Peter L. Dixon, whom he would collaborate with extensively throughout his career, and went on to write for the adventure television series “Flipper.”
Koenig also wrote the screenplay for “The Cat” which starred Roger Perry, and the 1969 production of “The Dozens” which starred Al Freeman Jr., Morgan Freeman and Paula Kelly.
He notably wrote the screenplay for several Terence Young Films, including “Red Sun,” which starred Charles Bronson,...
Koenig was an American author and screenwriter whose novel was adapted into the 1976 Jodie Foster-led horror movie “The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane.”
He was born on Sept. 14, 1927, in Seattle, and would go on to attend the University of Washington. Koenig worked in advertising before being approached by Peter L. Dixon, whom he would collaborate with extensively throughout his career, and went on to write for the adventure television series “Flipper.”
Koenig also wrote the screenplay for “The Cat” which starred Roger Perry, and the 1969 production of “The Dozens” which starred Al Freeman Jr., Morgan Freeman and Paula Kelly.
He notably wrote the screenplay for several Terence Young Films, including “Red Sun,” which starred Charles Bronson,...
- 7/17/2023
- by McKinley Franklin
- Variety Film + TV
Laird Koenig, who adapted his novel for the screenplay to the 1976 cult film The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane, a controversial horror thriller starring a teenage Jodie Foster, has died. He was 95.
Koenig died June 30 of natural causes in Santa Barbara, Jamie Dixon, the son of Koenig’s frequent writing partner, Peter L. Dixon, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Koenig also received a writing credit on three films directed by Terence Young: Red Sun (1971), starring Charles Bronson, Toshiro Mifune, Alain Delon and Ursula Andress; Bloodline (1979), starring Audrey Hepburn, Ben Gazzara and James Mason; and Inchon (1981), starring Gazzara, Laurence Olivier and Jacqueline Bisset.
His 1970 novel The Children Are Watching, co-written with Dixon, was turned into the French film Attention Les Enfants Regardent (1978), starring Delon.
Taken from his 1974 novel — his first as a solo author — The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane starred Foster as a 13-year-old who lives...
Koenig died June 30 of natural causes in Santa Barbara, Jamie Dixon, the son of Koenig’s frequent writing partner, Peter L. Dixon, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Koenig also received a writing credit on three films directed by Terence Young: Red Sun (1971), starring Charles Bronson, Toshiro Mifune, Alain Delon and Ursula Andress; Bloodline (1979), starring Audrey Hepburn, Ben Gazzara and James Mason; and Inchon (1981), starring Gazzara, Laurence Olivier and Jacqueline Bisset.
His 1970 novel The Children Are Watching, co-written with Dixon, was turned into the French film Attention Les Enfants Regardent (1978), starring Delon.
Taken from his 1974 novel — his first as a solo author — The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane starred Foster as a 13-year-old who lives...
- 7/17/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Danish director behind stylish actioner Drive and ultra-violent thriller Only God Forgives will create a three-part series
Nicolas Winding Refn, the maverick Danish director known for his dramatically stylish and visceral way with sex and violence, is to adapt Enid Blyton’s Famous Five books for the BBC.
Refn, whose films include Drive, Only God Forgives, the Pusher trilogy, a biopic of Charles Bronson and The Neon Demon, a blackly comic look at necrophilia in LA’s fashion world, will act as creator and executive producer on the mini-series, which has begun shooting in the south-west.
Nicolas Winding Refn, the maverick Danish director known for his dramatically stylish and visceral way with sex and violence, is to adapt Enid Blyton’s Famous Five books for the BBC.
Refn, whose films include Drive, Only God Forgives, the Pusher trilogy, a biopic of Charles Bronson and The Neon Demon, a blackly comic look at necrophilia in LA’s fashion world, will act as creator and executive producer on the mini-series, which has begun shooting in the south-west.
- 6/26/2023
- by Catherine Shoard
- The Guardian - Film News
Forty years ago, Charles Bronson starred in a serial killer thriller called 10 to Midnight. Now Bronson look-alike Robert Bronzi has taken the lead in a thriller called 12 to Midnight… but Bronzi is going to have to face off with a supernatural threat in this one. The villain in 12 to Midnight is a werewolf!
Currently filming in California and the coal regions of northeast Pennsylvania, 12 to Midnight is being directed by Mark Savage (Purgatory Road) from a screenplay he crafted with Joe Knetter, producer Jeff Miller, and cast member Tom Parnell. Based on a story by Miller, the film concerns a detective, kicked off the force and despondent after the murder of his wife drives him to drink, who is asked back to the force when a new string of murders seem connected to his wife’s, and the killer appears to be taunting him. Only the killer may be superhuman,...
Currently filming in California and the coal regions of northeast Pennsylvania, 12 to Midnight is being directed by Mark Savage (Purgatory Road) from a screenplay he crafted with Joe Knetter, producer Jeff Miller, and cast member Tom Parnell. Based on a story by Miller, the film concerns a detective, kicked off the force and despondent after the murder of his wife drives him to drink, who is asked back to the force when a new string of murders seem connected to his wife’s, and the killer appears to be taunting him. Only the killer may be superhuman,...
- 6/22/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Revenge thrillers tend to be most effective when they’re lean and mean. Such is definitely not the case with the new film from writer-director Nick Cassavetes, his first since 2014’s The Other Woman. Based on Boston Teran’s well-received 1999 novel, God Is a Bullet squanders its provocative premise with a ridiculously bloated running time (155 minutes, and you feel every one of them) and gratuitous violence that lends a cartoonish sheen to a story aspiring to gritty realness. Despite its talented cast, who demonstrate a willingness to go for broke in their portrayals, the film comes across like a pretentious version of an ‘80s-era Charles Bronson actioner.
Actually, Bronson would have been perfect for the role of detective Bob Hightower (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), whose ex-wife and her new husband are brutally murdered by the members of a cult who seemed to have watched The Hills Have Eyes too many times. In...
Actually, Bronson would have been perfect for the role of detective Bob Hightower (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), whose ex-wife and her new husband are brutally murdered by the members of a cult who seemed to have watched The Hills Have Eyes too many times. In...
- 6/22/2023
- by Frank Scheck
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A year and a half has gone by since we heard that Second Sight Films had tracked down the original camera negative for the 1986 classic The Hitcher (watch it Here), which would allow them to do a full restoration and a 4K release. Now Second Sight has shared an update on the status of the 4K restoration, complete with a quote from director Robert Harmon!
Harmon was quoted as saying, “Stunned by how great it looks… beautiful work!! Really, this movie has no business looking this good considering how ancient the elements are. Thanks to everyone for dedication way beyond anything I could ever have hoped for.” Second Sight added that, “We’re thrilled at Robert’s reaction and owe a huge thanks for his time and supervision. Nearing end of the grading stage, a final session with Robert being scheduled soon. Release / Pre-order date Tbc.”
Harmon directed the film...
Harmon was quoted as saying, “Stunned by how great it looks… beautiful work!! Really, this movie has no business looking this good considering how ancient the elements are. Thanks to everyone for dedication way beyond anything I could ever have hoped for.” Second Sight added that, “We’re thrilled at Robert’s reaction and owe a huge thanks for his time and supervision. Nearing end of the grading stage, a final session with Robert being scheduled soon. Release / Pre-order date Tbc.”
Harmon directed the film...
- 5/24/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
The film world is still reeling from the recent loss of actor Rick Dalton, whose passing was first announced on May 19th, 2023 by The Video Archives Podcast's official Twitter account. Dalton, who passed away at his Honolulu, Hawaii home (shortly after celebrating his 90th birthday in April), is survived by his wife, one-time Italian starlet Francesca Cappucci.
The Video Archives Podcast, created and hosted by filmmakers Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary, aired an episode on May 22nd that is apparently part one of a multi-episode run that revolves around the directors' memories of Dalton and his work.
While other friends and fans of the actor such as Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt have yet to make any official statements or remembrances, Tarantino has made sure that Dalton's name isn't fading into the ether like so many stars of yesteryear. The "Pulp Fiction" director made sure to include a tribute to...
The Video Archives Podcast, created and hosted by filmmakers Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary, aired an episode on May 22nd that is apparently part one of a multi-episode run that revolves around the directors' memories of Dalton and his work.
While other friends and fans of the actor such as Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt have yet to make any official statements or remembrances, Tarantino has made sure that Dalton's name isn't fading into the ether like so many stars of yesteryear. The "Pulp Fiction" director made sure to include a tribute to...
- 5/24/2023
- by Bill Bria
- Slash Film
Quentin Tarantino has apparently closed the book on Rick Dalton, the actor portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio in Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood.
Tarantino made the announcement via The Video Archives podcast, which he hosts with Pulp Fiction cowriter Roger Avary. A series of tweets announced the death, and indicated that Tuesday’s podcast will be “a memorial episode designed by Quentin that features some of Rick’s best roles.”
The Video Archives podcast is where Tarantino and Avary “revisit classic films on VHS and discover new favorites.” New episodes arrive every other Tuesday usually, but apparently the schedule has been speeded up to accommodate the breaking news.
Tarantino has previously mapped out Dalton’s life. In 2021, he told podcaster Jeff Goldsmith that he had a biography set.
“I wrote The Films of Rick Dalton book,” he said. “It’s written as if Rick is real. You know, they have...
Tarantino made the announcement via The Video Archives podcast, which he hosts with Pulp Fiction cowriter Roger Avary. A series of tweets announced the death, and indicated that Tuesday’s podcast will be “a memorial episode designed by Quentin that features some of Rick’s best roles.”
The Video Archives podcast is where Tarantino and Avary “revisit classic films on VHS and discover new favorites.” New episodes arrive every other Tuesday usually, but apparently the schedule has been speeded up to accommodate the breaking news.
Tarantino has previously mapped out Dalton’s life. In 2021, he told podcaster Jeff Goldsmith that he had a biography set.
“I wrote The Films of Rick Dalton book,” he said. “It’s written as if Rick is real. You know, they have...
- 5/20/2023
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Jim Brown, the NFL Hall of Famer and Civil Rights activist who turned to acting and appeared in films and TV shows ranging from The Dirty Dozen and I Spy to Draft Day, Mars Attacks! and The A-Team, died Thursday night in Los Angeles. His wife, Monique Brown, said in an Instagram post that he died peacefully, but she did not provide a cause.
Brown is considered among the greatest football players of all time. Drafted sixth overall in 1957 by the Cleveland Browns out of Syracuse University, his bruising running style redefined the running back position. As a rookie, he ran for 237 yards in a game against the Los Angeles Rams — a record that would stand until the 1970s.
Related: Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2023: Photo Gallery & Obituaries
Among his myriad NFL records and milestones, he was the first to top 100 career rushing touchdowns and set single-season and career rushing...
Brown is considered among the greatest football players of all time. Drafted sixth overall in 1957 by the Cleveland Browns out of Syracuse University, his bruising running style redefined the running back position. As a rookie, he ran for 237 yards in a game against the Los Angeles Rams — a record that would stand until the 1970s.
Related: Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2023: Photo Gallery & Obituaries
Among his myriad NFL records and milestones, he was the first to top 100 career rushing touchdowns and set single-season and career rushing...
- 5/19/2023
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
There are many stories about Jean-Luc Godard in Cannes, like the year he helped to shut it down (1968) because of the civil unrest that was sweeping France at the time. Then there was the time when (in 1985) he was ambushed in the Palais by a Belgian anarchist and hit in the face with a custard pie after the premiere of Détective. And, as recently as 2018, there was the time he conducted a press conference for his film The Image Book via FaceTime from Switzerland, making journalists line up to speak into a mobile phone.
But the story that endures the most is the time in 1985 he signed a contract on a napkin with Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus, CEOs of The Cannon Group, whose big hits that year were Invasion U.S.A., starring Chuck Norris, and Death Wish 3, with Charles Bronson. Godard — who died last year at age...
But the story that endures the most is the time in 1985 he signed a contract on a napkin with Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus, CEOs of The Cannon Group, whose big hits that year were Invasion U.S.A., starring Chuck Norris, and Death Wish 3, with Charles Bronson. Godard — who died last year at age...
- 5/17/2023
- by Damon Wise
- Deadline Film + TV
In Netflix’s new thriller “The Mother,” Jennifer Lopez plays a military-trained assassin with a complicated criminal past who comes out of hiding to rescue the daughter she gave up years earlier. The premise is essentially a pretext for a series of impeccably staged action sequences that director Niki Caro mounts with the same exceptional precision and professionalism that characterizes Lopez’s shooter; while you may have seen this kind of revenge plot before in the “Taken” and “John Wick” movies, you’ve never seen the gunplay and stunt driving filtered through Caro’s sensibility, and that makes all the difference.
Caro cut her teeth on fight scenes with the elegant martial arts choreography of Disney’s “Mulan,” a film that she credits with giving her the confidence to handle large-scale action. For “The Mother,” however, she wanted something different. “With this one, I just felt like it was gloves off,...
Caro cut her teeth on fight scenes with the elegant martial arts choreography of Disney’s “Mulan,” a film that she credits with giving her the confidence to handle large-scale action. For “The Mother,” however, she wanted something different. “With this one, I just felt like it was gloves off,...
- 5/15/2023
- by Jim Hemphill
- Indiewire
In the future, every movie star over the age of 45 will get to play a role with a particular set of skills. Skills their characters will have acquired over a very long career — maybe as an assassin, possibly as a government-sanctioned operative, or perhaps just as your run-of-the-mill military badass. Skills that make them a nightmare for people like those unfortunate character actors and/or day players cast as thugs, mercenaries, and international criminal masterminds. If those bad guys had let those abducted wives/kids/partners/pets go, that would...
- 5/12/2023
- by David Fear
- Rollingstone.com
True Detective creator Nic Pizzolatto is going from dark alleyways to purple mountains majesty to write and executive produce The Magnificent Seven series reboot at Amazon Studios. Earlier this month, Amazon announced it would reboot several MGM properties under the Amazon Studios banner, including Robocop, Legally Blonde, Barbershop, Stargate, and more. Another title on the list is The Magnificent Seven, which Pizzolatto is saddling up to ride.
Initially, Pizzolatto wanted to make an original Western drama series for Amazon Studios. The project would have followed a former outlaw on a mission, assembling a gang while confronting his past as he and his partners stumble into trouble along their odyssey. As talks evolved, The Magnificent Seven series reboot entered the discussion. Amazon wants top talent working on its well-known Western property, and Pizzolatto is well acquainted with the property after writing the 2016 reboot.
Mark Johnson, who agreed to partner with Pizzolatto for his original Western drama,...
Initially, Pizzolatto wanted to make an original Western drama series for Amazon Studios. The project would have followed a former outlaw on a mission, assembling a gang while confronting his past as he and his partners stumble into trouble along their odyssey. As talks evolved, The Magnificent Seven series reboot entered the discussion. Amazon wants top talent working on its well-known Western property, and Pizzolatto is well acquainted with the property after writing the 2016 reboot.
Mark Johnson, who agreed to partner with Pizzolatto for his original Western drama,...
- 4/24/2023
- by Steve Seigh
- JoBlo.com
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