You can't have "Jaws" without Quint, a modern Captain Ahab if he'd been hunting a great white shark rather than a white whale. It's difficult to picture anyone but Robert Shaw (in one of his last roles before his premature death in 1978) in the part, but the actor actually wasn't who director Steven Spielberg first had in mind.
In "Spielberg: The First Ten Years" by Laurent Bouzereau, Spielberg claimed his first choice for Quint was Lee Marvin. He wanted a big star and Marvin was famous for playing sinister tough guys. See: "The Big Heat," "Point Blank," "The Dirty Dozen," and "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" (directed by the man who taught Spielberg how to frame a horizon.) Marvin, though, said no. Spielberg recounted: "What I heard was that [Marvin] wanted to go fishing for real! He took his fishing very seriously and didn't want to do it from a 'movie' boat.
In "Spielberg: The First Ten Years" by Laurent Bouzereau, Spielberg claimed his first choice for Quint was Lee Marvin. He wanted a big star and Marvin was famous for playing sinister tough guys. See: "The Big Heat," "Point Blank," "The Dirty Dozen," and "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" (directed by the man who taught Spielberg how to frame a horizon.) Marvin, though, said no. Spielberg recounted: "What I heard was that [Marvin] wanted to go fishing for real! He took his fishing very seriously and didn't want to do it from a 'movie' boat.
- 9/21/2024
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
Tom Cruise – the man who has proven time and again that age is nothing but a number. No one will look at him and say that he is sixty-two! Just look at the stunts he did in Top Gun: Maverick and the recent Mission: Impossible. When the conversation is about going all out for stunts and turning the intensity to ‘reckless,’ you just cannot leave the ever-charming superstar out of it.
Tom Cruise in Collateral | Credits: Paramount Pictures
Sure, there are other actors out there who perform their own stunts, including Keanu Reeves, but there is just something about Tom Cruise that sets him apart from the rest. Michael Mann, who directed the actor in Collateral (2004), will completely agree with the previous statement. In fact, he even compared Tom Cruise’s gunmanship with that of Keanu Reeves and declared the former as the winner.
Michael Mann on Tom Cruise vs.
Tom Cruise in Collateral | Credits: Paramount Pictures
Sure, there are other actors out there who perform their own stunts, including Keanu Reeves, but there is just something about Tom Cruise that sets him apart from the rest. Michael Mann, who directed the actor in Collateral (2004), will completely agree with the previous statement. In fact, he even compared Tom Cruise’s gunmanship with that of Keanu Reeves and declared the former as the winner.
Michael Mann on Tom Cruise vs.
- 9/4/2024
- by Mishkaat Khan
- FandomWire
“Night Call,” a French thriller directed by Michiel Blanchart and set amid Black Lives Matter protests in Belgium, has been sold nearly worldwide by Gaumont which releases the film today in France.
Previously acquired by Magnet Releasing for North American distribution, “Night Call” follows a young locksmith who gets way more than he bargained for after responding to an emergency call that puts him in the crosshairs of a ruthless mob boss.
It marks the feature debut of Blanchart whose live-action short “You’re Dead Hélène” was shortlisted for the 94th Oscars and is now being adapted into an English-language feature produced by Sam Raimi and TriStar Pictures.
U.K. (Vertigo), Spain (A Contracorriente), Italy (102 Distribution), Scandinavia (Nonstop), South Korea (Mediasoft), Latin America (California Filmes), Portugal (Cinemundo), Germany, Austria, German speaking Luxembourg and Switzerland, Poland (Galapagos), India (Pictureworks) and New Caledonia (Trident Import Export).
The movie played on opening night...
Previously acquired by Magnet Releasing for North American distribution, “Night Call” follows a young locksmith who gets way more than he bargained for after responding to an emergency call that puts him in the crosshairs of a ruthless mob boss.
It marks the feature debut of Blanchart whose live-action short “You’re Dead Hélène” was shortlisted for the 94th Oscars and is now being adapted into an English-language feature produced by Sam Raimi and TriStar Pictures.
U.K. (Vertigo), Spain (A Contracorriente), Italy (102 Distribution), Scandinavia (Nonstop), South Korea (Mediasoft), Latin America (California Filmes), Portugal (Cinemundo), Germany, Austria, German speaking Luxembourg and Switzerland, Poland (Galapagos), India (Pictureworks) and New Caledonia (Trident Import Export).
The movie played on opening night...
- 8/28/2024
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Fox Entertainment Studios is developing the first scripted series representation of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, sharing the real-life accounts that emerged from the dark day in the country’s history.
Premiering this October, the four-part anthology series, “One Day in October,” centers on four gritty and unflinching narratives of love, courage, survival and loss. From parental sacrifice and joyful moments turning to torment, to beacons of hope in the heart of chaos, each story reveals profound truths about the senseless carnage of Hamas’ assault, the visceral emotions it released and, as each victim’s world unraveled around them, the perseverance and sheer heroism required to survive.
“’One Day in October’ is among the most powerful projects I’ve seen, let alone been involved with,” head of Fox Entertainment Studios Fernando Szew said in a Monday statement. “Beautifully filmed, yet gut-wrenching, these are stories of people at their best in the midst of unimaginable,...
Premiering this October, the four-part anthology series, “One Day in October,” centers on four gritty and unflinching narratives of love, courage, survival and loss. From parental sacrifice and joyful moments turning to torment, to beacons of hope in the heart of chaos, each story reveals profound truths about the senseless carnage of Hamas’ assault, the visceral emotions it released and, as each victim’s world unraveled around them, the perseverance and sheer heroism required to survive.
“’One Day in October’ is among the most powerful projects I’ve seen, let alone been involved with,” head of Fox Entertainment Studios Fernando Szew said in a Monday statement. “Beautifully filmed, yet gut-wrenching, these are stories of people at their best in the midst of unimaginable,...
- 8/19/2024
- by Lucas Manfredi
- The Wrap
Exclusive: As the anniversary of October 7 approaches, the first scripted series about the devastating attack has emerged.
Fox Entertainment Studios and Israel’s yes TV are co-producing One Day in October, a four-part anthology series which the pair are calling the “first scripted representation of the personal stories that emerged from Oct. 7.”
Created by Oded Davidoff and Daniel Finkelman, the drama series, which is filmed on location in Israel, centers on four narratives of love, courage, survival and loss. From parental sacrifice and moments turning to torment to beacons of hope amid chaos, each story reveals profound truths about the “senseless carnage of this assault,” according to its backers. Cast includes Swell Ariel Or (The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem), Noa Kedar (The Malevolent Bride), Naomi Levov, Hisham Suliman, Wael Hamdoun (Fauda), Yuval Semo, Avi Azulay (Testament: The Story of Moses), Naveh Tzur and Yael Abecassis.
On October 7, Hamas militants stormed into Israel attacking, amongst other places, a number of kibbutzes and the Nova Music Festival, killing around 1,200 people and taking more than 200 hostage, of which only around half have so far returned and a number are presumed dead. The attack was the catalyst for the Israel-Hamas War, which has so far seen the deaths of around 40,000 people in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
One Day in October is one of the first projects for Fox Entertainment Studios banner Tideline, which Deadline revealed was launching earlier this year at Sundance. The anthology, which is being produced by Finkelman’s New York-based production company Sparks Go and Israel’s Zoa Films, will premiere on yes TV in October and be distributed globally by Fox Entertainment Global.
“One Day in October is among the most powerful projects I’ve seen, let alone been involved with,” said Fernando Szew, head of Fox Entertainment Studios. “Beautifully filmed, yet gut-wrenching, these are stories of people at their best in the midst of unimaginable, horrible circumstances. The survivors portrayed in this series allowed for their horrific experiences to be represented by wonderful talent — both in front of and behind the camera – which will invite the audience to ultimately feel their profound love of, and for, life.”
Finkleman added: “Our goal with this series is to capture and convey the picturesque kibbutz and euphoric music celebration that abruptly crumbled into incomprehensible nightmares. Thanks to the unwavering support of Fernando, Hannah and Tideline, I think we’ve achieved that vision and were able to create this four-part series from start to finish within a year, which is almost unheard of for any production.”
There are already a couple of movies in the works about October 7 and its aftermath including Dani Rosenberg’s Of Dogs and Men, which will world premiere at Venice, while several documentaries are being made about the attack. One Day in October also has shades of Ukraine War anthology series Those Who Stayed.
“At Tideline, our mission is to tell relevant and impactful stories from differentiated voices and perspectives globally,” said Hannah Pillemer, Executive Vice President and Head of Scripted at Fox Entertainment Studios. “One Day in October is seminal, poignant and beautifully told, making it a fitting and essential addition to Tideline’s growing footprint.”
One Day in October features four hour-long episodes written by Liron Ben-Shlush (Next to Her, Working Woman), Davidoff (The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem, The Malevolent Bride), Adam G. Simon, and Amir Hasfari and Keren Weissman (Mama’s Angel). It is directed by Davidoff and produced by Finkelman (Menasche, The Performance), Chaya Amor (The Performance), Aviv Ben-Shlush, Lee Ben-Shlush Kuperman and Szew.
Fox Entertainment Studios and Israel’s yes TV are co-producing One Day in October, a four-part anthology series which the pair are calling the “first scripted representation of the personal stories that emerged from Oct. 7.”
Created by Oded Davidoff and Daniel Finkelman, the drama series, which is filmed on location in Israel, centers on four narratives of love, courage, survival and loss. From parental sacrifice and moments turning to torment to beacons of hope amid chaos, each story reveals profound truths about the “senseless carnage of this assault,” according to its backers. Cast includes Swell Ariel Or (The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem), Noa Kedar (The Malevolent Bride), Naomi Levov, Hisham Suliman, Wael Hamdoun (Fauda), Yuval Semo, Avi Azulay (Testament: The Story of Moses), Naveh Tzur and Yael Abecassis.
On October 7, Hamas militants stormed into Israel attacking, amongst other places, a number of kibbutzes and the Nova Music Festival, killing around 1,200 people and taking more than 200 hostage, of which only around half have so far returned and a number are presumed dead. The attack was the catalyst for the Israel-Hamas War, which has so far seen the deaths of around 40,000 people in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
One Day in October is one of the first projects for Fox Entertainment Studios banner Tideline, which Deadline revealed was launching earlier this year at Sundance. The anthology, which is being produced by Finkelman’s New York-based production company Sparks Go and Israel’s Zoa Films, will premiere on yes TV in October and be distributed globally by Fox Entertainment Global.
“One Day in October is among the most powerful projects I’ve seen, let alone been involved with,” said Fernando Szew, head of Fox Entertainment Studios. “Beautifully filmed, yet gut-wrenching, these are stories of people at their best in the midst of unimaginable, horrible circumstances. The survivors portrayed in this series allowed for their horrific experiences to be represented by wonderful talent — both in front of and behind the camera – which will invite the audience to ultimately feel their profound love of, and for, life.”
Finkleman added: “Our goal with this series is to capture and convey the picturesque kibbutz and euphoric music celebration that abruptly crumbled into incomprehensible nightmares. Thanks to the unwavering support of Fernando, Hannah and Tideline, I think we’ve achieved that vision and were able to create this four-part series from start to finish within a year, which is almost unheard of for any production.”
There are already a couple of movies in the works about October 7 and its aftermath including Dani Rosenberg’s Of Dogs and Men, which will world premiere at Venice, while several documentaries are being made about the attack. One Day in October also has shades of Ukraine War anthology series Those Who Stayed.
“At Tideline, our mission is to tell relevant and impactful stories from differentiated voices and perspectives globally,” said Hannah Pillemer, Executive Vice President and Head of Scripted at Fox Entertainment Studios. “One Day in October is seminal, poignant and beautifully told, making it a fitting and essential addition to Tideline’s growing footprint.”
One Day in October features four hour-long episodes written by Liron Ben-Shlush (Next to Her, Working Woman), Davidoff (The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem, The Malevolent Bride), Adam G. Simon, and Amir Hasfari and Keren Weissman (Mama’s Angel). It is directed by Davidoff and produced by Finkelman (Menasche, The Performance), Chaya Amor (The Performance), Aviv Ben-Shlush, Lee Ben-Shlush Kuperman and Szew.
- 8/19/2024
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Hey, "Dateline NBC" fans. We're back at you to inform you that the NBC people are dropping another repeat episode of Dateline NBC tonight, August 17, 2024. Some of you guys might not have seen this particular repeat episode when it originally aired. So, we do have some preview intel for it to run by you guys. NBC served up an official press release for tonight's repeat episode. So, we will pull it up for this preview session. Let's go. Tonight's new repeat episode is officially titled, "Point Blank." It originally aired way, way back on November 20, 2020. In this repeat episode, the Dateline NBC team took a deep look at a story about a man named Todd Chance. He was murdered. The investigators who worked this case followed a trail of video evidence in an effort to try and track down the killer. Canadian journalist Andrea Canning handled the reporting duties for this episode and case.
- 8/17/2024
- by Andre Braddox
- OnTheFlix
Park Chan-wook, the eminent director of Oldboy and Stoker, is about to start filming his latest thriller – I Can’t Help It.
Acclaimed director Park Chan-wook has begun work on his latest movie, it’s been announced. Called I Can’t Help It, it’s based on The Ax – one of the later novels by prolific novelist Donald E Westlake.
Filming is due to begin this Saturday – the 17th August if you’re reading this in the future – and will star Lee Byung-hun and Son Ye-jin according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Published in 1996, The Ax introduced Burke Devore, a middle-aged chemist who, when he loses his job at a paper firm during a round of cost-cutting, goes to violent lengths in order to get his job back. There’s black comedy as well as violence in the story, then, which sounds of a piece with some of Park’s best-known films,...
Acclaimed director Park Chan-wook has begun work on his latest movie, it’s been announced. Called I Can’t Help It, it’s based on The Ax – one of the later novels by prolific novelist Donald E Westlake.
Filming is due to begin this Saturday – the 17th August if you’re reading this in the future – and will star Lee Byung-hun and Son Ye-jin according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Published in 1996, The Ax introduced Burke Devore, a middle-aged chemist who, when he loses his job at a paper firm during a round of cost-cutting, goes to violent lengths in order to get his job back. There’s black comedy as well as violence in the story, then, which sounds of a piece with some of Park’s best-known films,...
- 8/16/2024
- by Ryan Lambie
- Film Stories
Michael Ritchie’s Prime Cut never quite recovers from an early botched opportunity. Up until then, Ritchie effectively primes us for the reveal of the film’s big bad, seemingly eavesdropping on characters in a Chicago bar as they trade exposition pertaining to Mary Ann (Gene Hackman), the owner of a meatpacking plant who uses his business as a front for running drugs and prostitutes.
The trouble is that Mary Ann’s supposed to pay up to some folks in Chi-town, who claim he owes them half a mil, and that’s where enforcer Nick (Lee Marvin) comes in, swinging down to the former’s fortress in Kansas City in a limo fully decked out with guns and expendable goons. Nick and Mary Ann have a history, of course, working for the same bosses, sleeping with the same gold-digging henchwomen. After first stopping at an atmospherically sleazy flophouse, Nick walks...
The trouble is that Mary Ann’s supposed to pay up to some folks in Chi-town, who claim he owes them half a mil, and that’s where enforcer Nick (Lee Marvin) comes in, swinging down to the former’s fortress in Kansas City in a limo fully decked out with guns and expendable goons. Nick and Mary Ann have a history, of course, working for the same bosses, sleeping with the same gold-digging henchwomen. After first stopping at an atmospherically sleazy flophouse, Nick walks...
- 8/15/2024
- by Chuck Bowen
- Slant Magazine
On August 17, 2024, NBC’s “Dateline” presents the gripping episode titled “Point Blank,” airing at 9/8c. Keith Morrison will delve into the murder of Todd Chance, a case that took years to unravel despite a trail of crucial surveillance footage. The episode explores the chilling reality that Todd’s wife, Leslie Jenea Chance, may have meticulously planned his murder.
In the summer of 2013, Todd and Leslie Chance, along with their children, embarked on a trip to Las Vegas. Their vacation included a visit to a CSI-themed crime exhibit, a seemingly innocent outing that would later take on a sinister significance. Todd, a beloved father and husband, was discovered dead on August 25, 2013, in an almond grove near Bakersfield, California. His murder involved multiple gunshots, and his missing car was initially suspected to be a case of carjacking. However, the vehicle was soon found abandoned with the keys and his gun inside,...
In the summer of 2013, Todd and Leslie Chance, along with their children, embarked on a trip to Las Vegas. Their vacation included a visit to a CSI-themed crime exhibit, a seemingly innocent outing that would later take on a sinister significance. Todd, a beloved father and husband, was discovered dead on August 25, 2013, in an almond grove near Bakersfield, California. His murder involved multiple gunshots, and his missing car was initially suspected to be a case of carjacking. However, the vehicle was soon found abandoned with the keys and his gun inside,...
- 8/15/2024
- by Alex Matthews
- TV Regular
A while back, Arrow Video gave a Blu-ray release to the most popular sequel in the Exorcist franchise, The Exorcist III, in the UK. Now, the company has announced that they’ll be upgrading The Exorcist III with a 4K release on October 7th – and on that same day, they’ll also be releasing a Blu-ray of the least popular film in the franchise, Exorcist II: The Heretic. The Exorcist III can be pre-ordered on 4K at This Link. The Exorcist II: The Heretic Blu-ray is available at This Link, but keep in mind, this is a UK release, so you might need a region free player to watch the Blu-ray in other areas. If you’d prefer to get The Exorcist III on 4K with its original artwork, Arrow Video has you covered at This Link.
Here’s the info on Exorcist II: The Heretic: From John Boorman,...
Here’s the info on Exorcist II: The Heretic: From John Boorman,...
- 7/31/2024
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Peyton List, known for her riveting portrayal of a skilled martial artist (Tory Nichols) within the ranks of Netflix’s Cobra Kai, is not only punching above her weight in the arena of acting. But beyond the camera flashes and the thrill of fighting, List has also found her real-life partner in crime—hand in hand with none other than her Cobra Kai co-star.
No, it’s neither Tanner Buchanan nor Xolo Maridueña who has stolen her heart, but the talented Jacob Bertrand, who brings the complex character Eli ‘Hawk’ Moskowitz on screen.
Mary Mouser, Peyton List, Tanner Buchanan, Xolo Maridueña in Cobra Kai | Netflix
If art imitates life, then their love story is akin to a journey from on-set friends to a classic tale of long-brewing romance with chapters written across red carpets &, of course, sweet social media shout-outs. The pair officially confirmed their romantic tie-up in 2022. So, are...
No, it’s neither Tanner Buchanan nor Xolo Maridueña who has stolen her heart, but the talented Jacob Bertrand, who brings the complex character Eli ‘Hawk’ Moskowitz on screen.
Mary Mouser, Peyton List, Tanner Buchanan, Xolo Maridueña in Cobra Kai | Netflix
If art imitates life, then their love story is akin to a journey from on-set friends to a classic tale of long-brewing romance with chapters written across red carpets &, of course, sweet social media shout-outs. The pair officially confirmed their romantic tie-up in 2022. So, are...
- 7/22/2024
- by Siddhika Prajapati
- FandomWire
After its successful run of five seasons spread across the course of over six years, Cobra Kai has once again returned to the screens to deliver one last action-packed season that will conclude the series once and for all. But while the grief of the saga ending is one thing, fans are more heartbroken over a fact regarding what could have been the perfect end to the lore.
Cobra Kai. | Credit: Netflix.
As it turns out, fans had the most satisfying end to the smash-hit saga all set in their minds way before the series even neared its end. However, this dream was shattered forever after Netflix continued and “wasted away” what was originally started by YouTube Red. If anything, fans believe that the end they had envisioned just might forever remain a dream at this stage.
Fans Had Envisioned the Perfect End for Cobra Kai in Mind
Ralph Macchio...
Cobra Kai. | Credit: Netflix.
As it turns out, fans had the most satisfying end to the smash-hit saga all set in their minds way before the series even neared its end. However, this dream was shattered forever after Netflix continued and “wasted away” what was originally started by YouTube Red. If anything, fans believe that the end they had envisioned just might forever remain a dream at this stage.
Fans Had Envisioned the Perfect End for Cobra Kai in Mind
Ralph Macchio...
- 7/20/2024
- by Mahin Sultan
- FandomWire
Cobra Kai’s Queen Cobra is portrayed to perfection by actress Peyton List. The former Disney Channel star joined the Netflix show in its second season and quickly became a fan favorite. Her character, Tory Nichols, has had a great character arc in the show.
However, the beloved role would have almost gone to someone else as List was initially unsure about the role. The actress mentioned that she did not relate to Nichols when she was offered the part and did not prepare much but was selected after she nailed her audition.
Peyton List Auditioned For Cobra Kai With Little Sleep And Unprepared Peyton List in Cobra Kai | Credits: Netflix
Cobra Kai’s Queen Cobra Peyton List has been a fan favorite since her appearance in the second season of the Netflix show. A fan of the Karate Kid franchise, the actress played Tory Nichols, a fearless and skilled...
However, the beloved role would have almost gone to someone else as List was initially unsure about the role. The actress mentioned that she did not relate to Nichols when she was offered the part and did not prepare much but was selected after she nailed her audition.
Peyton List Auditioned For Cobra Kai With Little Sleep And Unprepared Peyton List in Cobra Kai | Credits: Netflix
Cobra Kai’s Queen Cobra Peyton List has been a fan favorite since her appearance in the second season of the Netflix show. A fan of the Karate Kid franchise, the actress played Tory Nichols, a fearless and skilled...
- 7/20/2024
- by Nishanth A
- FandomWire
According to The Hollywood Reporter, television vet and character actor James B. Sikking was announced by his publicist, Cynthia Snyder, to have passed away this Saturday at his Los Angeles home due to complications with dementia. Sikking was a regular and a frequent collaborator of Steven Bochco shows. The actor is known for portraying the stern Lt. Howard Hunter on the cop series, Hill Street Blues, as well as playing the dad to the titular teenage doctor character played by Neil Patrick Harris on the drama Doogie Howser M.D. Sikking was 90 at the time of his passing.
In addition to being known for television, Sikking can also be seen in a bevy of notable film roles. He played a mocking hitman in the John Boorman film Point Blank (1967). He was also the stuffy Captain Styles who James T. Kirk would defy in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984), directed by Leonard Nimoy.
In addition to being known for television, Sikking can also be seen in a bevy of notable film roles. He played a mocking hitman in the John Boorman film Point Blank (1967). He was also the stuffy Captain Styles who James T. Kirk would defy in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984), directed by Leonard Nimoy.
- 7/15/2024
- by EJ Tangonan
- JoBlo.com
James B. Sikking, the Steven Bochco favorite who portrayed the no-nonsense Lt. Howard Hunter on Hill Street Blues and the good-hearted doctor dad on Doogie Howser, M.D., has died. He was 90.
Sikking died Saturday at his Los Angeles home of complications from dementia, publicist Cynthia Snyder announced.
Although best known for his TV work, Sikking did have notable turns on the big screen as a mocking hitman in John Boorman’s Point Blank (1967), as the stuffy Captain Styles in Leonard Nimoy‘s Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) and as the director of the FBI in Alan J. Pakula’s The Pelican Brief (1993).
After spending the better part of two decades showing up on such shows as The Outer Limits, Honey West, The Fugitive, Hogan’s Heroes and Mannix, Sikking was cast as the pipe-smoking Hunter, leader of the Swat-like Emergency Action Team, on NBC’s Hill Street Blues.
Sikking died Saturday at his Los Angeles home of complications from dementia, publicist Cynthia Snyder announced.
Although best known for his TV work, Sikking did have notable turns on the big screen as a mocking hitman in John Boorman’s Point Blank (1967), as the stuffy Captain Styles in Leonard Nimoy‘s Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) and as the director of the FBI in Alan J. Pakula’s The Pelican Brief (1993).
After spending the better part of two decades showing up on such shows as The Outer Limits, Honey West, The Fugitive, Hogan’s Heroes and Mannix, Sikking was cast as the pipe-smoking Hunter, leader of the Swat-like Emergency Action Team, on NBC’s Hill Street Blues.
- 7/15/2024
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
James B. Sikking, known for his roles as Lt. Howard Hunter on “Hill Street Blues” and the titular character’s father on “Doogie Howser, M.D.,” has died. He was 90.
Sikking died Saturday of complications from dementia, his publicist Cynthia Synder said in a statement Sunday evening.
“In a remarkable career, Sikking’s wonderfully exciting face gave us drama, comedy, tragedy and hilarious farse,” Snyder shared with Variety. “His career spanned over six decades in television, film and on stage.”
Sikking was widely recognized for his portrayal of Howard Hunter on the police procedural series “Hill Street Blues,” which aired from 1981 to 1987 on NBC. He received an Emmy nomination in 1984 for his performance as the clean-cut, pipe-smoking lieutenant.
After “Hill Street Blues,” Sikking played Dr. David Howser, father of Doogie Howser (Neil Patrick Harris), for all four seasons of the ABC medical sitcom from 1989 to 1993.
He portrayed a police officer again for Steven Bochco,...
Sikking died Saturday of complications from dementia, his publicist Cynthia Synder said in a statement Sunday evening.
“In a remarkable career, Sikking’s wonderfully exciting face gave us drama, comedy, tragedy and hilarious farse,” Snyder shared with Variety. “His career spanned over six decades in television, film and on stage.”
Sikking was widely recognized for his portrayal of Howard Hunter on the police procedural series “Hill Street Blues,” which aired from 1981 to 1987 on NBC. He received an Emmy nomination in 1984 for his performance as the clean-cut, pipe-smoking lieutenant.
After “Hill Street Blues,” Sikking played Dr. David Howser, father of Doogie Howser (Neil Patrick Harris), for all four seasons of the ABC medical sitcom from 1989 to 1993.
He portrayed a police officer again for Steven Bochco,...
- 7/15/2024
- by Michaela Zee
- Variety Film + TV
Seemingly from out of nowhere, actor turned director Gilles Lellouche throws a Molotov Flanby into the Competition with only his second feature, a terrific and unexpectedly potent piece of genre filmmaking that could, to avoid spoilers, be described as a kind of mash-up of Badlands and La Haine, as if directed by Walter Hill. Throw in a little Eurocrime, from the likes of Fernando Di Leo and late-period Jean-Pierre Melville, and you’re getting close to what Lellouche has achieved here, a romantic banlieue opera that delivers all the gritty, vicarious thrills of the now-standard post-Goodfellas gangster movie but also burrows into issues of class and gender in refreshingly unpredictable ways.
It arrives as a movie seemingly made by committee, since the film is based on an Irish novel — Jackie Love Johnser Ok? by Neville Thompson — and features contributions by fellow filmmakers Ahmed Hamidi and Audrey Diwan. It quickly...
It arrives as a movie seemingly made by committee, since the film is based on an Irish novel — Jackie Love Johnser Ok? by Neville Thompson — and features contributions by fellow filmmakers Ahmed Hamidi and Audrey Diwan. It quickly...
- 5/24/2024
- by Damon Wise
- Deadline Film + TV
If Criterion24/7 hasn’t completely colonized your attention every time you open the Channel––this is to say: if you’re stronger than me––their May lineup may be of interest. First and foremost I’m happy to see a Michael Roemer triple-feature: his superlative Nothing But a Man, arriving in a Criterion Edition, and the recently rediscovered The Plot Against Harry and Vengeance is Mine, three distinct features that suggest a long-lost voice of American movies. Meanwhile, Nobuhiko Obayashi’s Antiwar Trilogy four by Sara Driver, and a wide collection from Ayoka Chenzira fill out the auteurist sets.
Series-wise, a highlight of 1999 goes beyond the well-established canon with films like Trick and Bye Bye Africa, while of course including Sofia Coppola, Michael Mann, Scorsese, and Claire Denis. Films starring Shirley Maclaine, a study of 1960s paranoia, and Columbia’s “golden era” (read: 1950-1961) are curated; meanwhile, The Breaking Ice,...
Series-wise, a highlight of 1999 goes beyond the well-established canon with films like Trick and Bye Bye Africa, while of course including Sofia Coppola, Michael Mann, Scorsese, and Claire Denis. Films starring Shirley Maclaine, a study of 1960s paranoia, and Columbia’s “golden era” (read: 1950-1961) are curated; meanwhile, The Breaking Ice,...
- 4/17/2024
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Amy Forsyth and Christian Cooke have joined the cast of “Plainclothes,” a new independent film from writer-director Carmen Emmi. They will star alongside Tom Blyth and Russell Tovey, who Variety previously reported would lead the project.
Set in the ’90s and inspired by true events, the film follows a working-class undercover officer tasked with entrapping and apprehending gay men, only to find himself drawn to one of his targets. The film is produced by Arthur Landon, Colby Cote, and Eric Podwall on behalf of Page 1 Entertainment and Lorton Entertainment. Alex Wenger and April Kelley will co-produce.
Forsyth will play Emily, ex-girlfriend and trusted confidant to Lucas (Blyth). She received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for best supporting actress for her role in the 2021 film “The Novice.” She was also seen in the Oscar-winning film “Coda” that same year. She currently stars in the recurring role of Carrie Astor on...
Set in the ’90s and inspired by true events, the film follows a working-class undercover officer tasked with entrapping and apprehending gay men, only to find himself drawn to one of his targets. The film is produced by Arthur Landon, Colby Cote, and Eric Podwall on behalf of Page 1 Entertainment and Lorton Entertainment. Alex Wenger and April Kelley will co-produce.
Forsyth will play Emily, ex-girlfriend and trusted confidant to Lucas (Blyth). She received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for best supporting actress for her role in the 2021 film “The Novice.” She was also seen in the Oscar-winning film “Coda” that same year. She currently stars in the recurring role of Carrie Astor on...
- 3/19/2024
- by Katcy Stephan
- Variety Film + TV
Oxygen’s riveting true crime series, “Dateline: Unforgettable,” returns with Season 3 Episode 6 titled “Point Blank,” airing at 8:00 Pm on Thursday, February 22nd. In this gripping episode, viewers are drawn into the chilling investigation following the murder of Todd Chance.
As the story unfolds, police painstakingly follow a trail of video evidence in their relentless pursuit of the killer. With each clue uncovered, the tension mounts as they inch closer to identifying their suspect.
Host Andrea Canning guides viewers through the twists and turns of the case, recounting a particularly revealing interview that sheds light on the shocking details surrounding Todd’s tragic death. Amidst the investigation’s complexities, an eye-popping revelation emerges, sending shockwaves through the community and leaving viewers on the edge of their seats.
Tune in to Oxygen at 8:00 Pm on Thursday, February 22nd, to unravel the mystery and uncover the truth behind “Dateline: Unforgettable: Point Blank.
As the story unfolds, police painstakingly follow a trail of video evidence in their relentless pursuit of the killer. With each clue uncovered, the tension mounts as they inch closer to identifying their suspect.
Host Andrea Canning guides viewers through the twists and turns of the case, recounting a particularly revealing interview that sheds light on the shocking details surrounding Todd’s tragic death. Amidst the investigation’s complexities, an eye-popping revelation emerges, sending shockwaves through the community and leaving viewers on the edge of their seats.
Tune in to Oxygen at 8:00 Pm on Thursday, February 22nd, to unravel the mystery and uncover the truth behind “Dateline: Unforgettable: Point Blank.
- 2/15/2024
- by Jules Byrd
- TV Everyday
“I didn’t expect to get so old,” sighs 93-year-old Thelma Post (June Squibb) in Josh Margolin’s hilarious and unexpectedly poignant mash-up of Point Blank and The Straight Story. Squibb, so good in Nebraska, once again represents for the hip-op generation, bringing wisdom and truth — plus the best waspish comic timing since Maggie Smith in Robert Altman’s Gosford Park — to a comic action-thriller that has fun with the pitfalls of old age but does so with dignity and respect. Appeal should be across the board; indeed, the film would make a great May-December double bill with the 2022 Aubrey Plaza vehicle Emily the Criminal, a similar study of an ordinary woman sucked into a shady underworld.
Margolin lays out all the film’s key elements with refreshing speed, opening with 24-year-old Daniel (Fred Hechinger) patiently helping the recently widowed...
Margolin lays out all the film’s key elements with refreshing speed, opening with 24-year-old Daniel (Fred Hechinger) patiently helping the recently widowed...
- 1/19/2024
- by Damon Wise
- Deadline Film + TV
Alita: Battle Angel star Rosa Salazar has joined the cast of Shane Black’s next film, Play Dirty. She’ll appear alongside Mark Wahlberg and Lakeith Stansfield.
After years in development, Shane Black’s thriller Play Dirty appears to be gathering pace. It was only the other day that Lakeith Stansfield was announced as a co-star alongside Mark Wahlberg; it’s now reported that he’ll be joined by Rosa Salazar, whose previous roles include the zesty anime adaptation, Alita: Battle Angel.
Deadline, the outlet that broke the story, doesn’t disclose what role Salazar will be playing in Black’s thriller, which is based on the long-running – and influential – series of novels written by Donald E Westlake.
It’s previously been reported that Play Dirty will draw on several of those novels rather than one in particular, though judging by Deadline’s synopsis, it’ll take at least a...
After years in development, Shane Black’s thriller Play Dirty appears to be gathering pace. It was only the other day that Lakeith Stansfield was announced as a co-star alongside Mark Wahlberg; it’s now reported that he’ll be joined by Rosa Salazar, whose previous roles include the zesty anime adaptation, Alita: Battle Angel.
Deadline, the outlet that broke the story, doesn’t disclose what role Salazar will be playing in Black’s thriller, which is based on the long-running – and influential – series of novels written by Donald E Westlake.
It’s previously been reported that Play Dirty will draw on several of those novels rather than one in particular, though judging by Deadline’s synopsis, it’ll take at least a...
- 1/18/2024
- by Ryan Lambie
- Film Stories
The Killer.How do you make a good movie in this country and be jumped on?Once, in 1967, in the opener for her Bonnie and Clyde review, Pauline Kael asked the opposite question: “How do you make a good movie in this country without being jumped on?” Now, times have changed. Nothing provokes us to jump and say, “Hold the torches! That’s the key! The way forward.”An automatic film like David Fincher’s new thriller, The Killer, comes and goes with the velocity of a Twitter news cycle: about six fervent days of talk. (The seventh and beyond? Fits and bursts of takes amid miles of silence.) Whether you think it’s good or bad, The Killer has not lingered in the popular consciousness. And I can’t imagine it lingering. It might have passed me by with the similarly fleeting presence of recent moving-image works like Richard Linklater...
- 1/3/2024
- MUBI
If anyone is good at spotting hidden meanings in movies, it’s Quentin Tarantino. Tarantino wrote a book of film criticism in which he said one of Elvis Presley’s movies had a rich subtext. The film was helmed by one of the most consequential action movie directors of all time.
Quentin Tarantino felt 1 Elvis Presley movie is similar its director’s struggles in Hollywood
In his 2022 book Cinema Speculation, Tarantino talked about the work of film director Don Siegel of Dirty Harry fame. “But the rogue law enforcement officer, at odds with their superiors, who operates independently to get their man and enforce their own self-determined version of justice, is practically the quintessential Siegel protagonist,” he wrote. “Even his criminals go rogue.
“Mickey Rooney’s Baby Face Nelson stands in direct contrast to Leo Gordon’s Dillinger, and both Walter Matthau’s Charley Varrick and Burt Reynolds’ cat burglar...
Quentin Tarantino felt 1 Elvis Presley movie is similar its director’s struggles in Hollywood
In his 2022 book Cinema Speculation, Tarantino talked about the work of film director Don Siegel of Dirty Harry fame. “But the rogue law enforcement officer, at odds with their superiors, who operates independently to get their man and enforce their own self-determined version of justice, is practically the quintessential Siegel protagonist,” he wrote. “Even his criminals go rogue.
“Mickey Rooney’s Baby Face Nelson stands in direct contrast to Leo Gordon’s Dillinger, and both Walter Matthau’s Charley Varrick and Burt Reynolds’ cat burglar...
- 12/17/2023
- by Matthew Trzcinski
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
For the past few years, Joel Silver has kept a relatively low profile, his most recent credit on the little-seen “SuperFly” remake of 2018. Still, the hard-charging producer behind some of the biggest hits of the ’80s and ’90s was attempting to mount a comeback. And his prospects looked promising with a series of feature film and TV projects at Amazon that were based on Donald E. Westlake’s Parker noir crime novels.
Alas, the Silver comeback has hit a snag. Sources say Amazon has fired the polarizing Hollywood figure from at least two films — one starring Mark Wahlberg, the other Jake Gyllenhaal — for being verbally abusive to two female executives. But sources close to Silver say Amazon is retaliating against the producer after he pushed back on the studio’s calls to use artificial intelligence to finish a movie during the strike. Amid the chaos, Silver’s longtime friend Robert Downey Jr....
Alas, the Silver comeback has hit a snag. Sources say Amazon has fired the polarizing Hollywood figure from at least two films — one starring Mark Wahlberg, the other Jake Gyllenhaal — for being verbally abusive to two female executives. But sources close to Silver say Amazon is retaliating against the producer after he pushed back on the studio’s calls to use artificial intelligence to finish a movie during the strike. Amid the chaos, Silver’s longtime friend Robert Downey Jr....
- 11/30/2023
- by Tatiana Siegel
- Variety Film + TV
Spoiler Alert: This post contains details from the plot of John Wick: Chapter 4.
At the end of John Wick: Chapter 4, director-producer Chad Stahelski and producer Erica Lee appeared to be putting the franchise to rest, as John Wick (Keanu Reeves) took a bullet to the gut in a duel, seemingly succumbing to his injuries. That being said, is there any way the hero of this franchise could be resurrected, as has been done with action heroes of films like Netflix’s Extraction?
“You never know,” Stahelski teased Saturday at Deadline’s Contenders Film: Los Angeles event. “Keanu’s hard to kill.”
“Never say never,” added Lee, in a conversation moderated by Justin Kroll, also featuring supervising sound editor Mark Stoeckinger.
Related: Deadline Contenders Film Los Angeles Arrivals and Panels Gallery: Cillian Murphy, Taraji P. Henson, Annette Bening, Bradley Cooper and More
In all seriousness, though, Stahelski said, the pair are...
At the end of John Wick: Chapter 4, director-producer Chad Stahelski and producer Erica Lee appeared to be putting the franchise to rest, as John Wick (Keanu Reeves) took a bullet to the gut in a duel, seemingly succumbing to his injuries. That being said, is there any way the hero of this franchise could be resurrected, as has been done with action heroes of films like Netflix’s Extraction?
“You never know,” Stahelski teased Saturday at Deadline’s Contenders Film: Los Angeles event. “Keanu’s hard to kill.”
“Never say never,” added Lee, in a conversation moderated by Justin Kroll, also featuring supervising sound editor Mark Stoeckinger.
Related: Deadline Contenders Film Los Angeles Arrivals and Panels Gallery: Cillian Murphy, Taraji P. Henson, Annette Bening, Bradley Cooper and More
In all seriousness, though, Stahelski said, the pair are...
- 11/19/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
The episode of Revisited covering Wrong Turn 2: Dead End was Written by Emilie Black, Edited by Juan Jimenez, Narrated by Niki Minter, Produced by Tyler Nichols and John Fallon, and Executive Produced by Berge Garabedian.
A long, long time ago, in a state deep in the woods, a bunch of people were eaten by cannibal hillbillies in a film called Wrong Turn. Soon, the locals to where the film was taking place got very angry about the depiction of their fellow mountain and wood residents, which they thought gave them a bad name. Horror fans responded by seeing the film anyways, making it a minor hit. The first film had a budget of $12.6 million and made $28.7 million at the box office. While this may lead to a sequel at times, it was not a given. Fast forward to 4 years later and we are gifted with the first of a long series of sequels.
A long, long time ago, in a state deep in the woods, a bunch of people were eaten by cannibal hillbillies in a film called Wrong Turn. Soon, the locals to where the film was taking place got very angry about the depiction of their fellow mountain and wood residents, which they thought gave them a bad name. Horror fans responded by seeing the film anyways, making it a minor hit. The first film had a budget of $12.6 million and made $28.7 million at the box office. While this may lead to a sequel at times, it was not a given. Fast forward to 4 years later and we are gifted with the first of a long series of sequels.
- 11/1/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Gaumont is launching “Night Call,” a high-concept thriller set over the course of a night, directed by rising filmmaker Michiel Blanchart.
Blanchart, who is repped by WME and Itaka Media, previously directed the short film “You’re Dead Hélène,” which was a festival standout and played at Clermont-Ferrand and Sitges, among other festivals. It also made the live action Oscar shortlist last year. Blanchart is set to direct a U.S. feature adaptation of “You’re Dead Hélène,” produced by Sam Raimi.
“Night Call” follows Mady, a student who works as a locksmith by night. He helps Claire get into her apartment and soon realizes that she lied to him about her identity and robbed something that belonged to a dangerous man, Yannick. Mady gets embroiled in a manhunt and will have one night to prove his innocence.
The thriller is set in a Brussels, shaken by demonstrations pitting Black Lives Matter activists against police.
Blanchart, who is repped by WME and Itaka Media, previously directed the short film “You’re Dead Hélène,” which was a festival standout and played at Clermont-Ferrand and Sitges, among other festivals. It also made the live action Oscar shortlist last year. Blanchart is set to direct a U.S. feature adaptation of “You’re Dead Hélène,” produced by Sam Raimi.
“Night Call” follows Mady, a student who works as a locksmith by night. He helps Claire get into her apartment and soon realizes that she lied to him about her identity and robbed something that belonged to a dangerous man, Yannick. Mady gets embroiled in a manhunt and will have one night to prove his innocence.
The thriller is set in a Brussels, shaken by demonstrations pitting Black Lives Matter activists against police.
- 10/31/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
In the upcoming episode of “Dateline” titled “Point Blank,” scheduled to air at 3:00 Am on Friday, September 29, 2023, on Oxygen, the focus will be on the investigation into the murder of Todd Chance.
The police are on a mission to find the person responsible for this crime. They are relying on video evidence to help them solve the case. The episode will reveal the steps taken by law enforcement as they follow this trail of video evidence in their pursuit of the killer. Viewers can expect to see how the police work tirelessly to piece together the clues and bring the perpetrator to justice. Tune in to “Dateline” to witness the unfolding investigation as it happens.
Release Date & Time: 10:00 Am Friday 29 September 2023 on Nick Jr
Monster High Crushed; Over Bro-tective Cast – Season 1 Episode 10 Main Cast Gabrielle Nevaeh Green as Clawdeen Wolf
Iris Menas as Frankie Stein
Courtney Lin as DraculauraTony Revolori as Deuce Gorgon,...
The police are on a mission to find the person responsible for this crime. They are relying on video evidence to help them solve the case. The episode will reveal the steps taken by law enforcement as they follow this trail of video evidence in their pursuit of the killer. Viewers can expect to see how the police work tirelessly to piece together the clues and bring the perpetrator to justice. Tune in to “Dateline” to witness the unfolding investigation as it happens.
Release Date & Time: 10:00 Am Friday 29 September 2023 on Nick Jr
Monster High Crushed; Over Bro-tective Cast – Season 1 Episode 10 Main Cast Gabrielle Nevaeh Green as Clawdeen Wolf
Iris Menas as Frankie Stein
Courtney Lin as DraculauraTony Revolori as Deuce Gorgon,...
- 9/24/2023
- by Jules Byrd
- TV Everyday
Eddie Marks, a member of the costume department on such films as The Breakfast Club, The Witches of Eastwick and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and the president of the Western Costume Company since 1992, has died. He was 76.
Marks died Monday of natural causes during a visit to Prague, a spokesman for the company told The Hollywood Reporter.
Marks joined Western Costume in 1989 as a vice president and became president three years later. He helped steer the company from a cramped Melrose Avenue warehouse near the Paramount lot to a hangar-sized building on Vanowen Street in North Hollywood in 1990.
Western Costume was founded sometime between 1912 and 1915 and has been among the world’s largest suppliers of costumes ever since. “What makes us stand out from our competitors is that, over the last 30 years, I’ve bought 11 companies that were costume rental companies,” Marks told THR in a 2019 profile of Western Costume.
Marks died Monday of natural causes during a visit to Prague, a spokesman for the company told The Hollywood Reporter.
Marks joined Western Costume in 1989 as a vice president and became president three years later. He helped steer the company from a cramped Melrose Avenue warehouse near the Paramount lot to a hangar-sized building on Vanowen Street in North Hollywood in 1990.
Western Costume was founded sometime between 1912 and 1915 and has been among the world’s largest suppliers of costumes ever since. “What makes us stand out from our competitors is that, over the last 30 years, I’ve bought 11 companies that were costume rental companies,” Marks told THR in a 2019 profile of Western Costume.
- 9/13/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
In principle, using the rainy-day, kitchen-sink post-rock of Manchester band The Smiths so prominently in a film like The Killer seems incredibly perverse, given that it’s an exotic, globe-trotting thriller about an American assassin. But in reality, it’s actually a very sound choice indeed: legend has it that the band’s singer, Morrissey, had two reasons for naming his band so, the first being that “Smith” is one of the most common and thus unremarkable surnames in the world. The second, and much more subversive theory, suggests that it’s also a reference to David and Maureen Smith, brother-in-law and sister of ’60s serial killer Myra Hindley, the snappily dressed couple whose testimony blew open the Moors Murderers case and whose beatnik likenesses adorn the cover of Sonic Youth’s 1990 album “Goo”.
There’s a slight chance David Fincher and his creative team may not know these things,...
There’s a slight chance David Fincher and his creative team may not know these things,...
- 9/3/2023
- by Damon Wise
- Deadline Film + TV
Frederic Forrest, a character actor who had a memorable role in 1979’s “Apocalypse Now” and earned an Oscar nomination for “The Rose” in the same year, died Friday in Santa Monica. He was 86.
Forrest’s death was first reported by his “Rose” co-star Bette Midler, who paid tribute to the actor on Twitter.
“The great and beloved Frederic Forrest has died,” Midler wrote. “Thank you to all of his fans and friends for all their support these last few months. He was a remarkable actor, and a brilliant human being, and I was lucky to have him in my life. He was at peace.”
Frederic Forrest in “Apocalypse Now”
As Jay “Chef” Hicks in Francis Ford Coppola’s “Apocalypse Now,” Forrestt played the tightly-wound former New Orleans chef on the river patrol boat who raves “I didn’t come here for this, I don’t fucking need this, all I...
Forrest’s death was first reported by his “Rose” co-star Bette Midler, who paid tribute to the actor on Twitter.
“The great and beloved Frederic Forrest has died,” Midler wrote. “Thank you to all of his fans and friends for all their support these last few months. He was a remarkable actor, and a brilliant human being, and I was lucky to have him in my life. He was at peace.”
Frederic Forrest in “Apocalypse Now”
As Jay “Chef” Hicks in Francis Ford Coppola’s “Apocalypse Now,” Forrestt played the tightly-wound former New Orleans chef on the river patrol boat who raves “I didn’t come here for this, I don’t fucking need this, all I...
- 6/24/2023
- by Pat Saperstein
- Variety Film + TV
Frederic Forrest, the resilient character actor best remembered for his performance as the high-strung Chef Hicks in Apocalypse Now and for his Academy Award-nominated turn as Huston Dyer, the Awol army sergeant who captured Bette Midler’s heart in The Rose, has died. He was 86.
Forrest died Friday at his home in Santa Monica after a long illness, his friend, actor Barry Primus, told The Hollywood Reporter.
On Twitter, Midler called Forrest “a remarkable actor, and a brilliant human being, and I was lucky to have him in my life. He was at peace.”
The great and beloved Frederic Forrest has died. Thank you to all of his fans and friends for all their support these last few months. He was a remarkable actor, and a brilliant human being, and I was lucky to have him in my life. He was at peace.”
— bettemidler (@BetteMidler) June 24, 2023
The first of two...
Forrest died Friday at his home in Santa Monica after a long illness, his friend, actor Barry Primus, told The Hollywood Reporter.
On Twitter, Midler called Forrest “a remarkable actor, and a brilliant human being, and I was lucky to have him in my life. He was at peace.”
The great and beloved Frederic Forrest has died. Thank you to all of his fans and friends for all their support these last few months. He was a remarkable actor, and a brilliant human being, and I was lucky to have him in my life. He was at peace.”
— bettemidler (@BetteMidler) June 24, 2023
The first of two...
- 6/24/2023
- by Chris Koseluk
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Kirk Douglas in Champion, Lee Marvin in Point Blank Graphic: AVClub Dwayne Johnson once called himself “franchise Viagra,” based on the fact that he was cast as a substitute lead for the sequels to G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra and Journey To The Center Of The Earth, as well...
- 5/18/2023
- by Luke Y. Thompson
- avclub.com
“Fair to middling” is how Angie Dickinson is feeling this morning as she talks about “Rio Bravo,” the 1959 film that made her a star. “Somebody who says they’re great at 90, you can figure out that they lie a lot.” It’s a line that could have come straight from Jules Furthman and Leigh Brackett’s script for the film — and a reminder that Dickinson’s gift for delivery isn’t dependent on working with a brilliant director, though she has many times in her seven-decade career.
Dickinson has more then 350 screen credits — an enormous body of work that includes “Ocean’s Eleven” (the 1960 original), “Point Blank” and “Dressed to Kill.” She’s set to appear April 13 at the TCM Film Festival to introduce a 4K restoration of Howard Hawks’ classic Western, whose boys’ club cast of John Wayne, Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson and Walter Brennan she breaks up with that same brisk humor.
Dickinson has more then 350 screen credits — an enormous body of work that includes “Ocean’s Eleven” (the 1960 original), “Point Blank” and “Dressed to Kill.” She’s set to appear April 13 at the TCM Film Festival to introduce a 4K restoration of Howard Hawks’ classic Western, whose boys’ club cast of John Wayne, Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson and Walter Brennan she breaks up with that same brisk humor.
- 4/12/2023
- by Todd Gilchrist
- Variety Film + TV
Intro: After the success of Lethal Weapon 3, it was a given there would be a fourth film in the franchise. But the next sequel proved to be surprisingly difficult to get into production. Until Warner Bros. realized they were heading into 1998 without a surefire summer hit on their hands. They gave Lethal Weapon 4 the greenlight and the movie was thrown together in a mad scramble. Twenty-five years later, it’s time to look back at the results of that rush job in this episode of Revisited.
Set-up: With a global box office haul of three hundred and twenty million dollars, Lethal Weapon 3 wasn’t just the biggest hit of the franchise. The 1992 release was considered to be the most profitable film in Warner Bros. history. So studio executives and producer Joel Silver immediately started looking forward to Lethal Weapon 4. Less than a year after Part 3 reached theatres,...
Set-up: With a global box office haul of three hundred and twenty million dollars, Lethal Weapon 3 wasn’t just the biggest hit of the franchise. The 1992 release was considered to be the most profitable film in Warner Bros. history. So studio executives and producer Joel Silver immediately started looking forward to Lethal Weapon 4. Less than a year after Part 3 reached theatres,...
- 4/11/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Clockwise from Upper Left: John Wick (Lionsgate), Death Wish, Taken (20th Century Fox), Lady Snowblood Graphic: AVClub Revenge. It’s one of the easiest character motivations to understand. And there’s no dirth of reasons why a big screen character would swear revenge; maybe their daughter was kidnapped (Taken), maybe...
- 3/27/2023
- by Matt Mills
- avclub.com
Anthony Mackie is an American actor and producer. He has appeared in a wide range of movies, from small independent films to blockbuster superhero movies such as Marvel’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Civil War, Infinity War and Endgame. He has also starred in numerous television series such as Altered Carbon, The Wire and Brothers In Arms.
Anthony Mackie. Depostiphotos
Anthony Mackie began his acting career on the stage at the age of 14 with the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts. After graduating from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, he went on to land roles in various film and television projects. His breakout role came when he was cast opposite Denzel Washington in the 2002 crime drama Antwone Fisher. This led to further roles in such Hollywood productions as Million Dollar Baby, The Manchurian Candidate and Half Nelson.
In 2014, Anthony Mackie scored his big break when...
Anthony Mackie. Depostiphotos
Anthony Mackie began his acting career on the stage at the age of 14 with the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts. After graduating from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, he went on to land roles in various film and television projects. His breakout role came when he was cast opposite Denzel Washington in the 2002 crime drama Antwone Fisher. This led to further roles in such Hollywood productions as Million Dollar Baby, The Manchurian Candidate and Half Nelson.
In 2014, Anthony Mackie scored his big break when...
- 2/24/2023
- by Martin Cid Magazine
- Martin Cid Magazine - Movies
When your students are tanking their classes (if they attend at all) and dumping Fizzies tablets onto the varsity swim meet, you can't be a soft school administrator. That said, Dean Wormer would run Faber College more like Rikers if he had the opportunity. The gruff villain (played by John Vernon) is just one of the highlights of "National Lampoon's Animal House," John Landis' 1978 frat comedy, as the biggest authority standing in the way of Delta House's good time. The movie was penned by Harold Ramis, Douglas Kenney, and Chris Miller, pulling from their respective experiences in higher education. It was "National Lampoon Magazine" editor-in-chief and writer Kenney who came up with the Dean years before the movie, as the satirical "National Lampoon's High School Yearbook" featured Wormer as a civics teacher and coach. On the big screen, Wormer doesn't suffer fools or twerps, and he's as rigid about...
- 1/25/2023
- by Anya Stanley
- Slash Film
To mark the release of Revenge on 21st November, we’ve been given a Blu-ray copy to give away to 1 winner.
Entitled CEO Richard’s (Kevin Janssens – Undercover ) romantic getaway with his young mistress Jen (Lutz) is interrupted when his sleazy associates Stan (Vincent Colombe – Point Blank) and Dimitri (Guillaume Bouchède – Love at Second Sight) arrive early for the businessmen’s annual hunting trip. Their leering advances turn ugly, culminating in a brutal attack where Jen is left for dead in the desert. Like a phoenix from the ashes, Jen rises, and now she’s out for revenge. What follows is ‘a bloody middle finger…a demand for reckoning…a kick in the balls with a feminine combat boot’ (Rolling Stone).
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned…and now it’s time to get Revenge.
Please note: This competition is open to UK residents only
a Rafflecopter giveaway...
Entitled CEO Richard’s (Kevin Janssens – Undercover ) romantic getaway with his young mistress Jen (Lutz) is interrupted when his sleazy associates Stan (Vincent Colombe – Point Blank) and Dimitri (Guillaume Bouchède – Love at Second Sight) arrive early for the businessmen’s annual hunting trip. Their leering advances turn ugly, culminating in a brutal attack where Jen is left for dead in the desert. Like a phoenix from the ashes, Jen rises, and now she’s out for revenge. What follows is ‘a bloody middle finger…a demand for reckoning…a kick in the balls with a feminine combat boot’ (Rolling Stone).
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned…and now it’s time to get Revenge.
Please note: This competition is open to UK residents only
a Rafflecopter giveaway...
- 11/14/2022
- by Competitions
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
The BFI London Film Festival will present nine new feature films and documentaries by UK-based filmmakers at its third annual Works-in-Progress showcase. Scroll down for the lineup.
This year, the showcase, which forms part of the festival’s industry program, will be an in-person event screening extracts from each project introduced by their producer to an invited audience of international buyers and festival programmers.
The nine projects are either in production, post-production, or near completion. Clips from each project will also be available online from 8-9 October via a secure platform to a wider pool of invited international industry professionals. The in-person showcase will take place on Saturday 8 October as part of the Festival’s UK Talent Days.
Two projects from last year’s in-progress lineup are set to screen during this year’s Lff. Pretty Red Dress, written and directed by Dionne Edwards, and Medusa Deluxe, written and directed by Thomas Hardiman.
This year, the showcase, which forms part of the festival’s industry program, will be an in-person event screening extracts from each project introduced by their producer to an invited audience of international buyers and festival programmers.
The nine projects are either in production, post-production, or near completion. Clips from each project will also be available online from 8-9 October via a secure platform to a wider pool of invited international industry professionals. The in-person showcase will take place on Saturday 8 October as part of the Festival’s UK Talent Days.
Two projects from last year’s in-progress lineup are set to screen during this year’s Lff. Pretty Red Dress, written and directed by Dionne Edwards, and Medusa Deluxe, written and directed by Thomas Hardiman.
- 9/20/2022
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
After hanging up his Iron Man armor, it looks like Robert Downey Jr. is, at long last, getting interested in working with talented directors once more. He’s currently filming Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer and attached to The Sympathizer series directed by Park Chan-wook. Now, he’s set to reteam with the director of one of his finest works.
Shane Black, who directed Downey Jr. in the brilliant Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (and also proved how to make a Marvel movie interesting with Iron Man 3), will reunite with the actor for a new take on the Parker character, originated by Donald E. Westlake aka Richard Stark. As reported by Matthew Belloni in his newsletter (via Comicbook.com), the crime drama is set up at Amazon Studios and will see Team Downey also produce.
The protagonist of dozens of novels by Westlake, the Parker character graced the big screen in a handful of films,...
Shane Black, who directed Downey Jr. in the brilliant Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (and also proved how to make a Marvel movie interesting with Iron Man 3), will reunite with the actor for a new take on the Parker character, originated by Donald E. Westlake aka Richard Stark. As reported by Matthew Belloni in his newsletter (via Comicbook.com), the crime drama is set up at Amazon Studios and will see Team Downey also produce.
The protagonist of dozens of novels by Westlake, the Parker character graced the big screen in a handful of films,...
- 2/21/2022
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
In the 1980s and 1990s, writer Shane Black became one of Hollywood’s most highly paid screenwriters when he reinvented the action genre by revitalizing buddy cop tropes. Films like “Lethal Weapon” and “The Last Boy Scout” turned him into the rare famous screenwriting name, but eventually, he would turn towards his own directing career. While he has made big-budget, high-concept movies like Marvel‘s “Iron Man 3” and the recent “The Predator,” he’s more arguably more beloved for his witty crime comedies like “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” and “The Nice Guys.” To that end, it looks like Black will reteam with his “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” start Robert Downey Jr.
Continue reading ‘Point Blank’: Robert Downey Jr. & Shane Black Reunite For A New ‘Parker’ Film At Amazon at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Point Blank’: Robert Downey Jr. & Shane Black Reunite For A New ‘Parker’ Film At Amazon at The Playlist.
- 2/20/2022
- by Christopher Marc
- The Playlist
On Aug. 31, 1998, Variety reported that New Zealand filmmakers Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh would transform J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy of books into three films. Reporter Benedict Carver added that the books are “a highly prized literary property that has eluded filmmakers for years.”
It was the culmination more than three decades of trying to adapt Tolkien’s work for the screen, after the world of visual effects had finally caught up to the British author’s fantastical storylines.
But three decades before, the Beatles had tried to get a “Lord of the Rings” film off the ground. After playing themselves in “A Hard Day’s Night” and “Help!,” the Fab Four was ready to play fictional characters. Apple Films executive Denis O’Dell spearheaded the hunt for material, and Lennon reportedly loved the idea of “Rings.” Lennon would play Gollum, Paul McCartney would play Frodo, George Harrison would...
It was the culmination more than three decades of trying to adapt Tolkien’s work for the screen, after the world of visual effects had finally caught up to the British author’s fantastical storylines.
But three decades before, the Beatles had tried to get a “Lord of the Rings” film off the ground. After playing themselves in “A Hard Day’s Night” and “Help!,” the Fab Four was ready to play fictional characters. Apple Films executive Denis O’Dell spearheaded the hunt for material, and Lennon reportedly loved the idea of “Rings.” Lennon would play Gollum, Paul McCartney would play Frodo, George Harrison would...
- 12/15/2021
- by Tim Gray
- Variety Film + TV
Orange Studio and pay TV group have boarded “Fahrenheit,” an international sci-fi series produced by Noor Sadar’s Mediawan-owned White Lion Films.
“Fahrenheit” was created by Guillaume Lemans, whose credits include “Anything For Her” and “Point Blank,” as well as Magali Rossitto and Mathieu Delozier. Orange Studio is a co-producer and will handle international sales with Mediawan Rights.
The eight-part series, which blends action and suspense, is set in the near future and follows small groups of hard-line eco-activists who carry out multiple destructive actions, attacks and targeted murders. These are mostly idealistic young people who believe the world is being threatened by ultra-capitalism. Mateo, a young and impetuous CIA recruit, is sent to Los Diablos, in Latin America, to infiltrate one of these activist groups, the Mandrills, and track down its leader, Adam, a charismatic yet dangerous man.
Lemans will be showrunner of the original series that will shoot in English and Spanish.
“Fahrenheit” was created by Guillaume Lemans, whose credits include “Anything For Her” and “Point Blank,” as well as Magali Rossitto and Mathieu Delozier. Orange Studio is a co-producer and will handle international sales with Mediawan Rights.
The eight-part series, which blends action and suspense, is set in the near future and follows small groups of hard-line eco-activists who carry out multiple destructive actions, attacks and targeted murders. These are mostly idealistic young people who believe the world is being threatened by ultra-capitalism. Mateo, a young and impetuous CIA recruit, is sent to Los Diablos, in Latin America, to infiltrate one of these activist groups, the Mandrills, and track down its leader, Adam, a charismatic yet dangerous man.
Lemans will be showrunner of the original series that will shoot in English and Spanish.
- 12/2/2021
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Anthony Mackie has signed on for the lead role in the “Twisted Metal” live-action series currently in the works at Sony Pictures Television, Variety has confirmed.
Sony Pictures Television and PlayStation Productions are developing the series, which is based on the “Twisted Metal” vehicular combat games, the first of which was released in 1995. It was originally reported in 2019 that Sony was interested in developing a series based on the games.
The new series, which was first announced as being in development in February, is described as an action comedy, based on an original take by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, the writers behind the “Deadpool” films and “Zombieland.”
The show is about motor-mouthed outsider John Doe (Mackie) who is offered a chance at a better life, but only if he can successfully deliver a mysterious package across a post-apocalyptic wasteland. With the help of a trigger-happy car thief, he’ll...
Sony Pictures Television and PlayStation Productions are developing the series, which is based on the “Twisted Metal” vehicular combat games, the first of which was released in 1995. It was originally reported in 2019 that Sony was interested in developing a series based on the games.
The new series, which was first announced as being in development in February, is described as an action comedy, based on an original take by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, the writers behind the “Deadpool” films and “Zombieland.”
The show is about motor-mouthed outsider John Doe (Mackie) who is offered a chance at a better life, but only if he can successfully deliver a mysterious package across a post-apocalyptic wasteland. With the help of a trigger-happy car thief, he’ll...
- 9/15/2021
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
Quentin Tarantino’s oeuvre is known for its bloody, highly stylized acts of violence, and that’s seen in perhaps no more certain terms than in his “Kill Bill” series. While neither Volume 1 nor 2 is exactly appropriate for kids, Tarantino, as revealed in a new interview with Deadline, is fairly confident his son Leo could handle watching the films in a few years.
When asked what age Tarantino would be comfortable having Leo see his movies, the director said, “If we’re judging by me, I saw a lot of stuff early on when it came out, you know, so I would imagine [early]. If I had to imagine, he would probably, as a little boy, be most attracted to ‘Kill Bill,’ anywhere between five, six, or seven.”
Tarantino seemingly wants his son to have the same formative cinematic education he did, which meant watching serious films at a young age.
When asked what age Tarantino would be comfortable having Leo see his movies, the director said, “If we’re judging by me, I saw a lot of stuff early on when it came out, you know, so I would imagine [early]. If I had to imagine, he would probably, as a little boy, be most attracted to ‘Kill Bill,’ anywhere between five, six, or seven.”
Tarantino seemingly wants his son to have the same formative cinematic education he did, which meant watching serious films at a young age.
- 7/22/2021
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Screenwriter Ed Solomon joins hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante to discuss a few of his favorite movies.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Bill And Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989) – Alex Kirschenbaum’s Bill & Ted character power rankings
Bill And Ted’s Bogus Journey (1991)
Bill And Ted Face The Music (2020)
Men In Black (1997)
The French Connection (1971) – Dennis Lehane’s trailer commentary, Mark Pellington’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairings
No Sudden Move (2021)
A Night At The Opera (1935) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary
Mosaic (2018)
Take The Money And Run (1969)
Bananas (1971) – Robert Weide’s trailer commentary
Sleeper (1973)
Love And Death (1975)
Annie Hall (1977) – Robert Weide’s trailer commentary
Manhattan (1979)
And Now For Something Completely Different… (1971) – Brian Trenchard-Smith’s trailer commentary
Blazing Saddles (1974) – John Landis’s trailer commentary, Dennis Cozzalio’s Blazing Saddles Thanksgiving
Klute (1971) – Katt Shea’s trailer commentary, Charlie Largent’s Criterion Blu-ray review
The Parallax View (1974) – Karyn Kusama’s trailer commentary,...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Bill And Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989) – Alex Kirschenbaum’s Bill & Ted character power rankings
Bill And Ted’s Bogus Journey (1991)
Bill And Ted Face The Music (2020)
Men In Black (1997)
The French Connection (1971) – Dennis Lehane’s trailer commentary, Mark Pellington’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairings
No Sudden Move (2021)
A Night At The Opera (1935) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary
Mosaic (2018)
Take The Money And Run (1969)
Bananas (1971) – Robert Weide’s trailer commentary
Sleeper (1973)
Love And Death (1975)
Annie Hall (1977) – Robert Weide’s trailer commentary
Manhattan (1979)
And Now For Something Completely Different… (1971) – Brian Trenchard-Smith’s trailer commentary
Blazing Saddles (1974) – John Landis’s trailer commentary, Dennis Cozzalio’s Blazing Saddles Thanksgiving
Klute (1971) – Katt Shea’s trailer commentary, Charlie Largent’s Criterion Blu-ray review
The Parallax View (1974) – Karyn Kusama’s trailer commentary,...
- 7/6/2021
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
When you’re dealing with characters such as Captain America who have many, many decades of history in the comics backing them up, it’s not like there’ll ever be a shortage of villains/supporting characters to choose from when making the movies. As such, we’ve already seen folks like Red Skull, Bucky Barnes, Arnim Zola, the Falcon and more show up over the course of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
But if there’s one Cap-related character who many feel got over-looked, it’s without a doubt Crossbones, who was played by Frank Grillo in the McU. First introduced simply as Brock Rumlow, a sleeper agent of Hydra, in 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier, his screentime was unfortunately reduced when he finally became Crossbones a few years later in Civil War. And, of course, he was then killed off in the opening salvo.
Still, there are many...
But if there’s one Cap-related character who many feel got over-looked, it’s without a doubt Crossbones, who was played by Frank Grillo in the McU. First introduced simply as Brock Rumlow, a sleeper agent of Hydra, in 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier, his screentime was unfortunately reduced when he finally became Crossbones a few years later in Civil War. And, of course, he was then killed off in the opening salvo.
Still, there are many...
- 7/14/2019
- by Matt Joseph
- We Got This Covered
Piranha 3D director Alexandre Aja returns to the water for a lean, suspenseful tale of a father and daughter trapped in a flooding, predator-filled house
Withholding a film from the press until the very day that it opens is usually the surest sign said film is a catastrophe. (The recent example of Luc Besson’s misfiring assassin thriller Anna proves this point quite perfectly.) So when Paramount decided not to screen the Sam Raimi-produced horror Crawl, assumptions inevitably slithered through the critical community, another underwhelming summer stinker predicted. It is, then, with genuine surprise and relieved pleasure that I can say Crawl is far from the mess one might assume. And while it’s also far from perfect, it’s a great deal more successful than many of the season’s more hyped offerings.
Related: Point Blank review – mediocre action thriller remake lands on Netflix...
Withholding a film from the press until the very day that it opens is usually the surest sign said film is a catastrophe. (The recent example of Luc Besson’s misfiring assassin thriller Anna proves this point quite perfectly.) So when Paramount decided not to screen the Sam Raimi-produced horror Crawl, assumptions inevitably slithered through the critical community, another underwhelming summer stinker predicted. It is, then, with genuine surprise and relieved pleasure that I can say Crawl is far from the mess one might assume. And while it’s also far from perfect, it’s a great deal more successful than many of the season’s more hyped offerings.
Related: Point Blank review – mediocre action thriller remake lands on Netflix...
- 7/12/2019
- by Benjamin Lee
- The Guardian - Film News
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