The films in contention for the 2024 Best Costume Design Oscar are “Barbie,” “Killers of the Flower Moon,” “Napoleon,” “Oppenheimer,” and “Poor Things.” Our current odds posit “Barbie” (10/3) as the frontrunner, followed in order by “Poor Things” (7/2), “Killers of the Flower Moon” (9/2), “Oppenheimer” (9/2), and “Napoleon” (9/2).
Since she was previously feted for “Anna Karenina” (2013) and “Little Women” (2020), Jacqueline Durran’s ninth career nomination for “Barbie” could make her the dozenth costumer with three or more wins. As is the case this time, her 2020 bid resulted from a collaboration with director Greta Gerwig, while her 2013 one was her third of five for a Joe Wright film, after “Pride & Prejudice” (2006) and “Atonement” (2008) and before “Darkest Hour” (2018) and “Cyrano” (2022). Her remaining two bids came for “Mr. Turner” (2015) and “Beauty and the Beast” (2018).
Durran is now involved in a rematch with Jacqueline West (“Killers of the Flower Moon”), who, as a nominee for “Dune,” lost...
Since she was previously feted for “Anna Karenina” (2013) and “Little Women” (2020), Jacqueline Durran’s ninth career nomination for “Barbie” could make her the dozenth costumer with three or more wins. As is the case this time, her 2020 bid resulted from a collaboration with director Greta Gerwig, while her 2013 one was her third of five for a Joe Wright film, after “Pride & Prejudice” (2006) and “Atonement” (2008) and before “Darkest Hour” (2018) and “Cyrano” (2022). Her remaining two bids came for “Mr. Turner” (2015) and “Beauty and the Beast” (2018).
Durran is now involved in a rematch with Jacqueline West (“Killers of the Flower Moon”), who, as a nominee for “Dune,” lost...
- 3/6/2024
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
The New Hollywood revolution was raging in 1971, and studios were rapidly transitioning from old-school leadership to boat-rocking up-and-comers who seemed to have the pulse of the Baby Boomer-driven counterculture. The age of star-studded mega-musicals and old-fashioned oaters was over; movies didn't necessarily need a serrated edge to slash into the zeitgeist, but even a weepie like Arthur Hiller's "Love Story" boasted a lived-in verisimilitude. These films, shorn of backlot artifice, were happening in the real world.
Young moviegoers weren't the only ones craving authenticity. John Schlesinger's "Midnight Cowboy" couldn't have been voted Best Picture of 1969 without significant support from gray-haired Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences members. This was a film that plunged viewers into the seamiest iteration of New York City ever captured by a studio movie, that dealt with issues of sex work and homosexuality so unflinchingly that the MPAA (now known as MPA) gave it an X-rating.
Young moviegoers weren't the only ones craving authenticity. John Schlesinger's "Midnight Cowboy" couldn't have been voted Best Picture of 1969 without significant support from gray-haired Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences members. This was a film that plunged viewers into the seamiest iteration of New York City ever captured by a studio movie, that dealt with issues of sex work and homosexuality so unflinchingly that the MPAA (now known as MPA) gave it an X-rating.
- 2/16/2024
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Anyone who didn’t perfectly predict this year’s Oscar nominees for Best Costume Design and Best Production Design has a uniquely valid excuse. This applies to all but a tiny fraction of Gold Derby’s nearly 11,000 prognosticators, whose solid consensus ultimately conflicted with the academy’s highly unusual decision to populate both categories with the same five films: “Barbie,” “Killers of the Flower Moon,” “Napoleon,” “Oppenheimer,” and “Poor Things.” Since these two craft races have only been completely congruent twice before, it’s especially understandable that very few people anticipated this outcome.
The film that mainly tripped folks up in this case was “Napoleon,” which garnered support from only 49.9% of our users in the costume design race and scraped by with a production design backing rate of just 7.5%. In the former category, many had trouble settling on two of four on-the-bubble candidates, while the latter’s pesky fifth slot...
The film that mainly tripped folks up in this case was “Napoleon,” which garnered support from only 49.9% of our users in the costume design race and scraped by with a production design backing rate of just 7.5%. In the former category, many had trouble settling on two of four on-the-bubble candidates, while the latter’s pesky fifth slot...
- 2/2/2024
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
Leonardo DiCaprio has reaped an even dozen Oscar nominations for acting. His first bid was back in 1994 in Best Supporting Actor for “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape.” After a gap of more than a decade (including being snubbed for “Titanic), he contended for Best Actor in 2005 for “The Aviator” and in 2007 for “Blood Diamond.” He then earned two nominations for Martin Scorsese‘s “The Wolf of Wall Street” in 2014 as both producer and star. Two years later, he won Best Actor for “The Revenant.” Most recently he competed in lead in 2020 for Quentin Tarantino‘s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” Those five Best Actor nominations match the tallies of the likes of Robert De Niro, Tom Hanks, Al Pacino, Sean Penn, and James Stewart.
DiCaprio reunites with Scorsese this year for the historical epic “Killers of the Flower Moon.” The film tells the true story of the Osage reservation in...
DiCaprio reunites with Scorsese this year for the historical epic “Killers of the Flower Moon.” The film tells the true story of the Osage reservation in...
- 9/11/2023
- by Jacob Sarkisian
- Gold Derby
It was supposed to be a night of celebration, but as the Academy Awards unfolded on April 7, 1970, there was a sense of anxiety and dissatisfaction gripping the movie business. Much like today, the industry was being divided by changing tastes and sensibilities, struggling to remain relevant in a period of social upheaval.
Just before Bob Hope took the stage at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion to the familiar refrain of “Thanks for the Memory,” John Wayne introduced the comic as “everybody’s friend.” But in an opening monologue, Hope made it clear to the audience that he was aligned with one ideological group in Hollywood. And even as he smiled good-naturedly, the biting tone of his jokes revealed that he was none too pleased with the direction that the movies were heading in.
“This is really a night to remember,” Hope said. “It’s such a novelty seeing actors and actresses with their clothes on.
Just before Bob Hope took the stage at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion to the familiar refrain of “Thanks for the Memory,” John Wayne introduced the comic as “everybody’s friend.” But in an opening monologue, Hope made it clear to the audience that he was aligned with one ideological group in Hollywood. And even as he smiled good-naturedly, the biting tone of his jokes revealed that he was none too pleased with the direction that the movies were heading in.
“This is really a night to remember,” Hope said. “It’s such a novelty seeing actors and actresses with their clothes on.
- 3/8/2023
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Movie star John Wayne starred in over 165 films over the course of his career. Unfortunately, they didn’t all necessarily make him proud. He had plenty of bad roles, some of which resulted from his performance and others because of casting. Nevertheless, there was one Wayne movie that was so traumatic that he “visually shuddered” when anybody would mention the title.
John Wayne admitted that he played some bad movie roles John Wayne | ullstein bild/ullstein bild via Getty Images
Wayne had his first chance to make it in the movie business with Raoul Walsh’s The Big Trail in 1930. Unfortunately, audiences underappreciated it at the time, and it flopped at the box office. However, that didn’t mark the end. He was thrust into B-movie Westerns for many years, many of which he wasn’t too happy to be a part of. Nevertheless, he was lucky to have consistent work as an actor.
John Wayne admitted that he played some bad movie roles John Wayne | ullstein bild/ullstein bild via Getty Images
Wayne had his first chance to make it in the movie business with Raoul Walsh’s The Big Trail in 1930. Unfortunately, audiences underappreciated it at the time, and it flopped at the box office. However, that didn’t mark the end. He was thrust into B-movie Westerns for many years, many of which he wasn’t too happy to be a part of. Nevertheless, he was lucky to have consistent work as an actor.
- 2/11/2023
- by Jeff Nelson
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
In the 125 years since the first play based on the life of 17th century author Cyrano de Bergerac premiered, the classic underdog tale’s eternal relevance has been proven time and time again. Its simple love triangle premise has served as the basis for many stage and screen adaptations, two of which captured the attention of Oscar voters. José Ferrer and Gérard Depardieu both earned academy recognition for their portrayals of de Bergerac, and now Peter Dinklage is gunning for a Best Actor bid for starring in the new film “Cyrano.” If he succeeds, the character will become one of only a handful in Oscars history to have inspired three nominations.
Dinklage, who bagged four Emmys during his eight-season tenure on “Game of Thrones,” first played de Bergerac during the Off-Broadway run of the stage musical from which his film derives. His potential Oscar nomination would come 71 years after Ferrer’s,...
Dinklage, who bagged four Emmys during his eight-season tenure on “Game of Thrones,” first played de Bergerac during the Off-Broadway run of the stage musical from which his film derives. His potential Oscar nomination would come 71 years after Ferrer’s,...
- 1/21/2022
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
Nicola Pagett, who portrayed the rebellious daughter Elizabeth Bellamy on the acclaimed 1970s British miniseries Upstairs, Downstairs, died Wednesday of complications from a brain tumor, The Guardian reported. She was 75.
Pagett’s notable small-screen work also included a turn as Elizabeth Fanschawe in the 1973 telefilm Frankenstein: The True Story and as the star of the 10-episode 1977 miniseries Anna Karenina.
On the big screen, Pagett appeared in such films as Anne of a Thousand Days (1969), There’s a Girl in My Soup (1970), Operation: Daybreak (1975), Privates on Parade (1983) and Mike Newell’s An Awfully Big Adventure (1995).
A West End regular, Pagett starred with Michael ...
Pagett’s notable small-screen work also included a turn as Elizabeth Fanschawe in the 1973 telefilm Frankenstein: The True Story and as the star of the 10-episode 1977 miniseries Anna Karenina.
On the big screen, Pagett appeared in such films as Anne of a Thousand Days (1969), There’s a Girl in My Soup (1970), Operation: Daybreak (1975), Privates on Parade (1983) and Mike Newell’s An Awfully Big Adventure (1995).
A West End regular, Pagett starred with Michael ...
Nicola Pagett, who portrayed the rebellious daughter Elizabeth Bellamy on the acclaimed 1970s British miniseries Upstairs, Downstairs, died Wednesday of complications from a brain tumor, The Guardian reported. She was 75.
Pagett’s notable small-screen work also included a turn as Elizabeth Fanschawe in the 1973 telefilm Frankenstein: The True Story and as the star of the 10-episode 1977 miniseries Anna Karenina.
On the big screen, Pagett appeared in such films as Anne of a Thousand Days (1969), There’s a Girl in My Soup (1970), Operation: Daybreak (1975), Privates on Parade (1983) and Mike Newell’s An Awfully Big Adventure (1995).
A West End regular, Pagett starred with Michael ...
Pagett’s notable small-screen work also included a turn as Elizabeth Fanschawe in the 1973 telefilm Frankenstein: The True Story and as the star of the 10-episode 1977 miniseries Anna Karenina.
On the big screen, Pagett appeared in such films as Anne of a Thousand Days (1969), There’s a Girl in My Soup (1970), Operation: Daybreak (1975), Privates on Parade (1983) and Mike Newell’s An Awfully Big Adventure (1995).
A West End regular, Pagett starred with Michael ...
5 random things that happened on this day, February 2nd, in showbiz history...
1970 The 27th Golden Globes honoring 1969 cinema were held with Anne of the Thousand Days (drama) and something called The Secret of Santa Vittoria (comedy) winning Best Picture. We've literally never heard of the latter until this very moment which is rare for us when it comes to films named "Best Picture" at any award show. Most of the actors who won (barring comedy categories of course) repeated their wins on Oscar night except Best Actress Genevieve Bujold (Anne of th Thousand Days)... ...
1970 The 27th Golden Globes honoring 1969 cinema were held with Anne of the Thousand Days (drama) and something called The Secret of Santa Vittoria (comedy) winning Best Picture. We've literally never heard of the latter until this very moment which is rare for us when it comes to films named "Best Picture" at any award show. Most of the actors who won (barring comedy categories of course) repeated their wins on Oscar night except Best Actress Genevieve Bujold (Anne of th Thousand Days)... ...
- 2/2/2021
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
John Aldred, the two-time Oscar-nominated British soundman who collaborated with Alfred Hitchcock, Charlie Chaplin, David Lean and Stanley Kubrick across a 50-year career, has died. He was 99.
Aldred died Dec. 15 in a hospital in Worthing, England, after a short illness, his family announced.
When he was first starting out, Aldred contributed to such films as The Four Feathers (1939), produced by Alexander Korda; The Thief of Bagdad (1940), co-directed by Michael Powell; In Which We Serve (1942), co-directed by Lean; and The Way Ahead (1944), helmed by Carol Reed.
He received his Oscar noms for his work on Anne of the Thousand Days (1969) and ...
Aldred died Dec. 15 in a hospital in Worthing, England, after a short illness, his family announced.
When he was first starting out, Aldred contributed to such films as The Four Feathers (1939), produced by Alexander Korda; The Thief of Bagdad (1940), co-directed by Michael Powell; In Which We Serve (1942), co-directed by Lean; and The Way Ahead (1944), helmed by Carol Reed.
He received his Oscar noms for his work on Anne of the Thousand Days (1969) and ...
- 1/22/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
John Aldred, the two-time Oscar-nominated British soundman who collaborated with Alfred Hitchcock, Charlie Chaplin, David Lean and Stanley Kubrick across a 50-year career, has died. He was 99.
Aldred died Dec. 15 in a hospital in Worthing, England, after a short illness, his family announced.
When he was first starting out, Aldred contributed to such films as The Four Feathers (1939), produced by Alexander Korda; The Thief of Bagdad (1940), co-directed by Michael Powell; In Which We Serve (1942), co-directed by Lean; and The Way Ahead (1944), helmed by Carol Reed.
He received his Oscar noms for his work on Anne of the Thousand Days (1969) and ...
Aldred died Dec. 15 in a hospital in Worthing, England, after a short illness, his family announced.
When he was first starting out, Aldred contributed to such films as The Four Feathers (1939), produced by Alexander Korda; The Thief of Bagdad (1940), co-directed by Michael Powell; In Which We Serve (1942), co-directed by Lean; and The Way Ahead (1944), helmed by Carol Reed.
He received his Oscar noms for his work on Anne of the Thousand Days (1969) and ...
- 1/22/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
As a British history buff, the film-maker loves everything from A Man for All Seasons to Lawrence of Arabia, while wallowing in Hollywood noir
Read all the other Lockdown watch choicesThe best arts and entertainment during self-isolation
As a professional film-maker and lifetime movie buff, I have quite a collection of films, so in times of distress, my wife and I turn to the classics – our cinematic equivalent of comfort food. We shun dystopian dramas and depressing tales of personal trauma and sour relationships in favour of historical epics, film noir and golden age movies with the great Hollywood stars.
As British history buffs, we recently watched Anne of the Thousand Days and A Man for All Seasons, a great double feature because both tell the same story from a different point of view. Similarly, Becket and The Lion in Winter feature Peter O’Toole as Henry II early and late in his reign.
Read all the other Lockdown watch choicesThe best arts and entertainment during self-isolation
As a professional film-maker and lifetime movie buff, I have quite a collection of films, so in times of distress, my wife and I turn to the classics – our cinematic equivalent of comfort food. We shun dystopian dramas and depressing tales of personal trauma and sour relationships in favour of historical epics, film noir and golden age movies with the great Hollywood stars.
As British history buffs, we recently watched Anne of the Thousand Days and A Man for All Seasons, a great double feature because both tell the same story from a different point of view. Similarly, Becket and The Lion in Winter feature Peter O’Toole as Henry II early and late in his reign.
- 4/7/2020
- by Bob Gale
- The Guardian - Film News
In the start of a new series in which writers revisit their childhood movie passion – in this case a creaky costume drama about Henry VIII starring a hungover Richard Burton
As a rather prim and unusual child, one of my favourite films when I was 12 or so was Anne of the Thousand Days, a long-forgotten and slightly dreary costume drama about Henry VIII’s relationship with Anne Boleyn. It was one of about nine videos that my parents owned: my sister was obsessed with it, and would mimic the film’s strident, declarative dialogue around the house. (“My. Elizabeth. Shall. Be. Queen!”)
Twenty-seven years have elapsed between my 12th birthday and the start of this year. How would the film bear up? Going in, I already cannot think what appeal it could have had back then. Most of the movie centres on Anne Boleyn’s famous blueballing of the monarch...
As a rather prim and unusual child, one of my favourite films when I was 12 or so was Anne of the Thousand Days, a long-forgotten and slightly dreary costume drama about Henry VIII’s relationship with Anne Boleyn. It was one of about nine videos that my parents owned: my sister was obsessed with it, and would mimic the film’s strident, declarative dialogue around the house. (“My. Elizabeth. Shall. Be. Queen!”)
Twenty-seven years have elapsed between my 12th birthday and the start of this year. How would the film bear up? Going in, I already cannot think what appeal it could have had back then. Most of the movie centres on Anne Boleyn’s famous blueballing of the monarch...
- 3/24/2020
- by Caspar Salmon
- The Guardian - Film News
Current Best Picture nominee “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” dramatizes a time of transformation in the entertainment capital. Quentin Tarantino‘s take on those changes in 1969 is reflected in the 42nd Academy Awards ceremony that was held on April 7, 1970. That night exactly 50 years ago was a blend of celebrating the newer, innovative filmmakers as well as honoring the pioneers of the business.
Throughout the 1960s, Academy members favored showy epics or musicals, with four Best Picture winners from that decade being musicals. In fact the last year of the 1960s saw a win for “Oliver!,” which also became the only G-rated film to win the the top prize. One year later Oscar history was made again when “Midnight Cowboy” won that same award, becoming the only picture with a “X” rating to win Best Picture. Its win over the historic biopic “Anne of the Thousand Days,” the lavish musical...
Throughout the 1960s, Academy members favored showy epics or musicals, with four Best Picture winners from that decade being musicals. In fact the last year of the 1960s saw a win for “Oliver!,” which also became the only G-rated film to win the the top prize. One year later Oscar history was made again when “Midnight Cowboy” won that same award, becoming the only picture with a “X” rating to win Best Picture. Its win over the historic biopic “Anne of the Thousand Days,” the lavish musical...
- 2/4/2020
- by Susan Pennington
- Gold Derby
Though the cinematic landscape has changed over the past five decades, one thing has remained the same: the Academy Awards, Golden Globes, National Board of Review of Motion Pictures, New York Film Critics Circle and National Society Film Critics have agreed to disagree on many of their choices of the best of the year. So, let’s travel back to awards season 50 years ago and see what these groups selected as the finest in filmmaker in 1969.
Best Picture
Academy Awards: The year of 1969 was truly a watershed for cinema and the Oscars reflected the numerous changes taking place in Hollywood and internationally. The Academy had one foot in tradition and one foot in contemporary cinema. But in terms of best film, “X” marked the spot as “Midnight Cowboy,” the then-x-rated gritty and poignant drama took home the best picture honor. It was the only time in Oscar history, the Academy...
Best Picture
Academy Awards: The year of 1969 was truly a watershed for cinema and the Oscars reflected the numerous changes taking place in Hollywood and internationally. The Academy had one foot in tradition and one foot in contemporary cinema. But in terms of best film, “X” marked the spot as “Midnight Cowboy,” the then-x-rated gritty and poignant drama took home the best picture honor. It was the only time in Oscar history, the Academy...
- 1/16/2020
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Anne of a Thousand Days (1969) was released 50 years ago today.
by Cláudio Alves
Even before her famous death, Anne Boleyn had become a legend. I don't say this to aggrandize the historical figure, but to explain that the second wife of Henry VIII had transformed into something not quite human. Legends aren't people so much as abstractions of them, told and retold, morphed by cultural shifts and the interest of those who tell them.
With the birth of cinema, Anne Boleyn would come to be one of the stalwarts of the historical drama on the big screen. Unfortunately, the cycles of empty mythologizing wouldn't end with the advent of new technology. As a character, Anne Boleyn is more often than not a symbol. She's a monstrous harpy or she's a martyred victim, she's a seductress who brought disgrace upon herself or she's an icon who died at the hands of a perfidious tyrant.
by Cláudio Alves
Even before her famous death, Anne Boleyn had become a legend. I don't say this to aggrandize the historical figure, but to explain that the second wife of Henry VIII had transformed into something not quite human. Legends aren't people so much as abstractions of them, told and retold, morphed by cultural shifts and the interest of those who tell them.
With the birth of cinema, Anne Boleyn would come to be one of the stalwarts of the historical drama on the big screen. Unfortunately, the cycles of empty mythologizing wouldn't end with the advent of new technology. As a character, Anne Boleyn is more often than not a symbol. She's a monstrous harpy or she's a martyred victim, she's a seductress who brought disgrace upon herself or she's an icon who died at the hands of a perfidious tyrant.
- 12/18/2019
- by Cláudio Alves
- FilmExperience
A half century ago, the 42nd Academy Awards was at a cultural crossroads as the ’60s came to a close, judging by its list of nominees and winners plucked from the year 1969. The members finally decided to give one of Hollywood’s most enduring legends, John Wayne, a Best Actor prize — basically, a career achievement honor — for his role as cowboy Rooster Cogburn, an aging gun for hire, in “True Grit.”
For some reason, the Duke never was cited for any of his iconic frontier characters including Ethan Edwards in 1956’s “The Searchers” or as Davy Crockett in 1960’s “The Alamo” — although he did compete as a producer for the year’s Best Picture prize that year. Wayne’s only other nomination as a male lead was in the 1949 war epic “Sands of Iwo Jima.”
Meanwhile, a different kind of shoot-’em-up was also in the running in the form...
For some reason, the Duke never was cited for any of his iconic frontier characters including Ethan Edwards in 1956’s “The Searchers” or as Davy Crockett in 1960’s “The Alamo” — although he did compete as a producer for the year’s Best Picture prize that year. Wayne’s only other nomination as a male lead was in the 1949 war epic “Sands of Iwo Jima.”
Meanwhile, a different kind of shoot-’em-up was also in the running in the form...
- 12/5/2019
- by Susan Wloszczyna
- Gold Derby
Glenn Close just set a new Oscar record, and not in a good way. With Close’s loss at the 91st Academy Awards for “The Wife,” she now has seven nominations and no wins, more than any other actress in film history. Amy Adams, Deborah Kerr and Thelma Ritter all have six Oscar misfires, with Adams joining that list during Sunday’s ceremony. As for male actors with the most at-bats without a home run, Close now ties Richard Burton at seven while Peter O’Toole is still in the record books at eight. Click through our photo gallery above for a closer look at Close’s seven Oscar nominations.
See 2019 Oscars: Full list of winners (and losers) at the 91st Academy Awards [Updating Live]
For her role as Joan Castleman, the repressed wife of a Nobel Prize-winning author (Jonathan Pryce), Close earned her fourth bid for Best Actress. Her co-nominees this...
See 2019 Oscars: Full list of winners (and losers) at the 91st Academy Awards [Updating Live]
For her role as Joan Castleman, the repressed wife of a Nobel Prize-winning author (Jonathan Pryce), Close earned her fourth bid for Best Actress. Her co-nominees this...
- 2/25/2019
- by Marcus James Dixon
- Gold Derby
There are a lot of Oscar firsts surrounding Alfonso Cuaron’s acclaimed Mexican drama, “Roma.” History will be made if it wins Best Picture and Best Foreign Language Film, as well as being the first movie in Spanish and Mixtec languages to take home the top Academy Award.
With history “Roma” on the cusp of rewriting the Oscar history book, let’s look back at some foreign language Oscar firsts.
The first foreign film to earn an Oscar nomination was Rene Clair’s delightful French satire “A Nous La Liberte” for Best Art Drection in the ceremony’s fifth year.
It was 80 years ago that the academy nominated a foreign-language film for the Best Picture Oscar when Jean Renoir’s anti-war masterpiece “Grand Illusion,” was one of 10 nominees for the top prize. Though the film lost to Frank Capra’s “You Can’t Take It With you,” the French drama...
With history “Roma” on the cusp of rewriting the Oscar history book, let’s look back at some foreign language Oscar firsts.
The first foreign film to earn an Oscar nomination was Rene Clair’s delightful French satire “A Nous La Liberte” for Best Art Drection in the ceremony’s fifth year.
It was 80 years ago that the academy nominated a foreign-language film for the Best Picture Oscar when Jean Renoir’s anti-war masterpiece “Grand Illusion,” was one of 10 nominees for the top prize. Though the film lost to Frank Capra’s “You Can’t Take It With you,” the French drama...
- 2/4/2019
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Alfonso Cuaron’s “Roma” has tied “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” with 10 Oscar nominations, the most ever for a non-English language contender. This comes on the heels of wins from the New York and Los Angeles critics’ groups, along with multiple guild nominations, and a best director Golden Globes award. What once looked like a streaming-service outlier is now a serious, if not leading, contender to win the industry’s top award.
In the nine-decade history of the Academy, no foreign-language film has ever won. Nine foreign-language films received five or more nominations among all categories (some — but not all — included Foreign Language Film). Of these, perhaps two — “Z” and “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” — had a legitimate shot at winning Best Picture.
The ascension of “Roma” isn’t certain. It’s receiving limited theatrical play, and is streaming worldwide on Netflix — although that’s something that didn’t dissuade the Academy in its nominations.
In the nine-decade history of the Academy, no foreign-language film has ever won. Nine foreign-language films received five or more nominations among all categories (some — but not all — included Foreign Language Film). Of these, perhaps two — “Z” and “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” — had a legitimate shot at winning Best Picture.
The ascension of “Roma” isn’t certain. It’s receiving limited theatrical play, and is streaming worldwide on Netflix — although that’s something that didn’t dissuade the Academy in its nominations.
- 1/22/2019
- by Tom Brueggemann
- Indiewire
Are “Green Room” and “Bohemian Rhapsody” Best Picture Oscar favorites because they won the Golden Globes’ top prizes? Maybe.
Or maybe not.
Though the Globes have been considered a leading bellwether for the Academy Awards, the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have agreed to disagree numerous times in major categories over the past 75 years.
In fact, the very first Golden Globes ceremony selected the religious drama “The Song of Bernadette” as the best film of 1943, while the Oscar for best picture went to the beloved “Casablanca.”
Even last year, Guillermo del Toro’s romantic fantasy “The Shape of Water” won four Oscars including best film and director. But the Globes chose “Lady Bird” for best picture musical or comedy and “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” won best drama. Del Toro did win the Globe for director.
Checking out Golden Globes best drama winners for the past decade,...
Or maybe not.
Though the Globes have been considered a leading bellwether for the Academy Awards, the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have agreed to disagree numerous times in major categories over the past 75 years.
In fact, the very first Golden Globes ceremony selected the religious drama “The Song of Bernadette” as the best film of 1943, while the Oscar for best picture went to the beloved “Casablanca.”
Even last year, Guillermo del Toro’s romantic fantasy “The Shape of Water” won four Oscars including best film and director. But the Globes chose “Lady Bird” for best picture musical or comedy and “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” won best drama. Del Toro did win the Globe for director.
Checking out Golden Globes best drama winners for the past decade,...
- 1/11/2019
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Ethan Hawke is this awards’ season critical darling earning several best actor nods from critic’s groups including the Los Angeles Film Critics Assn. and New York Film Critics Circle for his powerful performance as a troubled clergyman haunted with his past and the future in Paul Schrader’s “First Reformed.”
Hawke, who also won the Gotham Awards honor for best actor, is also nominated for a Critics Choice and a Film Independent Spirit Award but was snubbed in the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations.
But Hawke, who has received four previously Oscar nominations including for supporting actor for 2014’s “Boyhood,” shouldn’t give up the faith about a fifth nomination. Over the years, the academy has embraced actors and actresses who played members of the clergy with six wins and upwards of two dozen nominations.
Predict the Oscar nominations now; change them until January 22
Both Spencer Tracy...
Hawke, who also won the Gotham Awards honor for best actor, is also nominated for a Critics Choice and a Film Independent Spirit Award but was snubbed in the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations.
But Hawke, who has received four previously Oscar nominations including for supporting actor for 2014’s “Boyhood,” shouldn’t give up the faith about a fifth nomination. Over the years, the academy has embraced actors and actresses who played members of the clergy with six wins and upwards of two dozen nominations.
Predict the Oscar nominations now; change them until January 22
Both Spencer Tracy...
- 1/2/2019
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
A movie for people who don’t normally like costume dramas about kings and queens, this adaptation of Maxwell Anderson’s play is great entertainment from head to toe. Richard Burton gives one of his better late-career performances, and Geneviève Bujold is a dynamo in a tiny package. It’s an impressive portrait of male power run amuck.
Anne of the Thousand Days
Blu-ray
Twilight Time
1969 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 146 min. / Street Date , 2018 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store / 29.95
Starring: Richard Burton, Geneviève Bujold, Irene Papas, Anthony Quayle, John Colicos, Michael Hordern, Katharine Blake, Valerie Gearon, Michael Johnson, Peter Jeffrey.
Cinematography: Arthur Ibbetson
Film Editor: Richard Mardon
Original Music: Georges Delerue
Written by Bridget Boland, John Hale, Richard Sokolove from the play by Maxwell Anderson
Produced by Hal Wallis
Directed by Charles Jarrott
Anybody still saying that the Production Code made movies better? One minor effect of Code Enforcement was...
Anne of the Thousand Days
Blu-ray
Twilight Time
1969 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 146 min. / Street Date , 2018 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store / 29.95
Starring: Richard Burton, Geneviève Bujold, Irene Papas, Anthony Quayle, John Colicos, Michael Hordern, Katharine Blake, Valerie Gearon, Michael Johnson, Peter Jeffrey.
Cinematography: Arthur Ibbetson
Film Editor: Richard Mardon
Original Music: Georges Delerue
Written by Bridget Boland, John Hale, Richard Sokolove from the play by Maxwell Anderson
Produced by Hal Wallis
Directed by Charles Jarrott
Anybody still saying that the Production Code made movies better? One minor effect of Code Enforcement was...
- 12/29/2018
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Any Oscar season that has three queens potentially competing in the acting categories has a chance to become a battle royal, indeed. The end of the year brings tidings of two British period pieces rich with zesty female performances, one from the early 18th century during Queen Anne’s reign and the other the mid-16th century when Elizabeth I got into it with her Scottish cousin, Mary.
“The Favourite,” which opens on Nov. 23, has already reaped rewards at the Venice film festival, where it had its world premiere. Olivia Colman was crowned best actress for her portrait of portly and frail monarch Anne while her movie was bestowed with a Special Jury Prize. Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos’ previous English-language efforts, “The Lobster” and “The Killing of a Sacred Deer,” are distinctly eccentric and disturbingly dark. But even critics like Variety’s Owen Gleiberman, who were put off his off-kilter perspective embraced “The Favourite,...
“The Favourite,” which opens on Nov. 23, has already reaped rewards at the Venice film festival, where it had its world premiere. Olivia Colman was crowned best actress for her portrait of portly and frail monarch Anne while her movie was bestowed with a Special Jury Prize. Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos’ previous English-language efforts, “The Lobster” and “The Killing of a Sacred Deer,” are distinctly eccentric and disturbingly dark. But even critics like Variety’s Owen Gleiberman, who were put off his off-kilter perspective embraced “The Favourite,...
- 9/19/2018
- by Susan Wloszczyna
- Gold Derby
Just because a movie or a celebrity wins an Oscar, that doesn't mean the win was deserved. While the Academy Awards are seen as the capstone to awards season -- and one of the highest honors in the business -- we all know that stars and movies get snubbed or overlooked all the time.
What's worse is when we look back at what did win, and shake our heads in confusion and disbelief. So, with the 89th Academy Awards just around the corner, let's take a look back over the show's illustrious history at a few times the Academy voters clearly made a mistake.
Watch: 2017 Oscar Awards Nominees: 'La La Land' Leads With 14 Nominations
1. How Green Was My Valley wins Best Picture at the 14th Academy Awards in 1942
20th Century Fox
Beat Out: Citizen Kane, The Maltese Falcon, Blossoms in the Dust, Here Comes Mr. Jordan, Hold Back the Dawn, The Little Foxes, [link...
What's worse is when we look back at what did win, and shake our heads in confusion and disbelief. So, with the 89th Academy Awards just around the corner, let's take a look back over the show's illustrious history at a few times the Academy voters clearly made a mistake.
Watch: 2017 Oscar Awards Nominees: 'La La Land' Leads With 14 Nominations
1. How Green Was My Valley wins Best Picture at the 14th Academy Awards in 1942
20th Century Fox
Beat Out: Citizen Kane, The Maltese Falcon, Blossoms in the Dust, Here Comes Mr. Jordan, Hold Back the Dawn, The Little Foxes, [link...
- 2/24/2017
- Entertainment Tonight
Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation by Cecil Beaton
This week marks the 90th birthday of her majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Elizabeth Alexandra Mary was born in 1926. The Queen celebrates two birthdays each year: her actual birthday on the 21st of April and her official birthday on the second Saturday in June. (Trooping of the Colours)
She is the world’s oldest reigning monarch as well as Britain’s longest-lived. In 2015, she surpassed the reign of her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria, to become the longest-reigning British monarch and the longest-reigning queen regent in world history.
Looking to celebrate her Majesty’s birthday? First, everyone rise for the national anthem of the United Kingdom.
God save our gracious Queen!
Long live our noble Queen!
God save the Queen!
Send her victorious,
Happy and glorious,
Long to reign over us:
God save the Queen!
For more on the Queen’s schedule, visit the official site: www.
This week marks the 90th birthday of her majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Elizabeth Alexandra Mary was born in 1926. The Queen celebrates two birthdays each year: her actual birthday on the 21st of April and her official birthday on the second Saturday in June. (Trooping of the Colours)
She is the world’s oldest reigning monarch as well as Britain’s longest-lived. In 2015, she surpassed the reign of her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria, to become the longest-reigning British monarch and the longest-reigning queen regent in world history.
Looking to celebrate her Majesty’s birthday? First, everyone rise for the national anthem of the United Kingdom.
God save our gracious Queen!
Long live our noble Queen!
God save the Queen!
Send her victorious,
Happy and glorious,
Long to reign over us:
God save the Queen!
For more on the Queen’s schedule, visit the official site: www.
- 4/18/2016
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Last year HitFix threw down a 21-question quiz for Oscar fanatics, and this year we're at it again. Join us for an ultimate Oscar test featuring three tiers of difficulty: hard, harder, and hardest. Get out a notepad! The answers are on the next page. (Please note that the term "actor" can mean a man or a woman, and that any listed year refers to the time of the movie's release, not the year of the ceremony.) Hard 1. What's the highest-grossing of this year's eight Best Picture nominees? 2. Jennifer Jason Leigh just received her first Oscar nomination for Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight. Only two performances in Quentin Tarantino's filmography have earned Academy Awards. Who performed those roles? 3. Which of this year's Best Picture nominees stars a character named Joy? 4. Who's the only person in history to win both an acting Oscar and a songwriting Oscar? 5. Name one...
- 2/24/2016
- by Louis Virtel
- Hitfix
Hammer have had something of a renaissance on Blu-ray recently, with StudioCanal releasing a number of classic titles in new hi-def editions. And now, released as part of Network’s ‘The British Film’ collection, comes two of Hammer’s “sexier” films of the 70s: the infamous Twins of Evil, starring Playboy Playmates Mary and Madeleine Collinson; and Countess Dracula, which features a career-defining performance from Ingrid Pitt in the titular role.
Despite being made during Hammer early-70s fallow period, where the studio was running out of stories, out of budget and were being left behind by more “extreme” horror films and exploitation movies emanating from the Us (after all this was just after the release of Night of the Living Dead which ultimately changed the face of the genre forever), both Twins of Evil and Countess Dracula are beloved by fans of the studio, and with good reason.
Twins of Evil
Stars: Peter Cushing,...
Despite being made during Hammer early-70s fallow period, where the studio was running out of stories, out of budget and were being left behind by more “extreme” horror films and exploitation movies emanating from the Us (after all this was just after the release of Night of the Living Dead which ultimately changed the face of the genre forever), both Twins of Evil and Countess Dracula are beloved by fans of the studio, and with good reason.
Twins of Evil
Stars: Peter Cushing,...
- 9/16/2014
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
By Mark Pinkert
Contributor
* * *
For my final post of the Oscar season, I decided to interview Scott Feinberg, the preeminent Oscarologist and namesake of this website, to get some insights from him about his own career and influences, his experiences on the awards circuit this year and his impressions about the current state of the film industry. Below is the full transcript of our conversation. It’s long, but certainly worth a read.
MP: Tell me a little bit about how you began your career and also about your early influences—not just in movies but in journalism.
Sf: Well, I’ve always been interested in journalism and, in fact, one of the earliest things I remember doing was a project at the local library—I must have been in third or fourth grade. It was basically to create a newspaper, a sort of news bulletin. This was before we...
Contributor
* * *
For my final post of the Oscar season, I decided to interview Scott Feinberg, the preeminent Oscarologist and namesake of this website, to get some insights from him about his own career and influences, his experiences on the awards circuit this year and his impressions about the current state of the film industry. Below is the full transcript of our conversation. It’s long, but certainly worth a read.
MP: Tell me a little bit about how you began your career and also about your early influences—not just in movies but in journalism.
Sf: Well, I’ve always been interested in journalism and, in fact, one of the earliest things I remember doing was a project at the local library—I must have been in third or fourth grade. It was basically to create a newspaper, a sort of news bulletin. This was before we...
- 2/25/2014
- by Mark Pinkert
- Scott Feinberg
Next in line to inherit the throne of Royal films is Diana. The film takes audiences into the private realm of one of the world’s most iconic and inescapably public women – the Princess of Wales, Diana (two-time Oscar nominee Naomi Watts) — in the last two years of her meteoric life.
On the occasion of the 16th anniversary of her sudden death, acclaimed director Oliver Hirschbiegel (the Oscar-nominated Downfall) explores Diana’s final rite of passage: a secret love affair with Pakistani heart surgeon Hasnat Khan (Naveen Andrews, “Lost,” The English Patient), the human complications of which reveal the Princess’s climactic days in a compelling new light. Diana is in select theaters now.
As long as filmmakers have been bringing the lives of England’s Kings and Queens to the silver screen have moviegoers been going to the cinemas to be schooled in British Monarchy.
So Arise, Sirs and Ladies,...
On the occasion of the 16th anniversary of her sudden death, acclaimed director Oliver Hirschbiegel (the Oscar-nominated Downfall) explores Diana’s final rite of passage: a secret love affair with Pakistani heart surgeon Hasnat Khan (Naveen Andrews, “Lost,” The English Patient), the human complications of which reveal the Princess’s climactic days in a compelling new light. Diana is in select theaters now.
As long as filmmakers have been bringing the lives of England’s Kings and Queens to the silver screen have moviegoers been going to the cinemas to be schooled in British Monarchy.
So Arise, Sirs and Ladies,...
- 11/12/2013
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Shirley Jones: From book to film A few weeks ago, Shirley Jones, 79, made headlines following the publication of her book of memoirs, concisely titled Shirley Jones: A Memoir. But why the headlines? Does Shirley Jones twerk like Miley Cyrus? Nope. (And that may explain why the release of Jones’ book wasn’t selected as CNN.com’s Top Story of the Day.) So, were The Media and The People interested in Jones’ Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for Elmer Gantry, or maybe they were curious about her work in several major 1950s musicals and 1960s comedies? Are you crazy? Who gives a damn about that? The Answer: Let’s just say that the furor had something to do with sweet and innocent all-American bare breasts and three-ways. Keep that in mind next time you watch Oklahoma! (Photo: Shirley Jones ca. 1955.) (On TCM: “Shirley Jones Movies: Innocent Virgins and Sex Workers Galore.
- 8/28/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Anne Boleyn keeps an ardent Richard Burton as Henry VIII at arm's length in a good-looking movie that leaves viewers cold
Anne of the Thousand Days (1969)
Director: Charles Jarrott
Entertainment grade: C
History grade: C+
In the mid-1520s, King Henry VIII fell in love with Anne Boleyn. His desire to annul his existing marriage to Catherine of Aragon and marry Anne instead led to a split with the Roman Catholic church, a series of events known as the "King's Great Matter".
Family
Having seen Anne (Geneviève Bujold) dancing at court, Henry (Richard Burton) visits her father, Thomas Boleyn, and demands sex with his younger daughter. This is nothing new: the king has already had it away with Sir Thomas's elder daughter, Mary. Abandoned, pregnant and miserable, Mary throws herself on her father's mercy. It's not a soft landing. "What his majesty is denied, he goes half mad to obtain,...
Anne of the Thousand Days (1969)
Director: Charles Jarrott
Entertainment grade: C
History grade: C+
In the mid-1520s, King Henry VIII fell in love with Anne Boleyn. His desire to annul his existing marriage to Catherine of Aragon and marry Anne instead led to a split with the Roman Catholic church, a series of events known as the "King's Great Matter".
Family
Having seen Anne (Geneviève Bujold) dancing at court, Henry (Richard Burton) visits her father, Thomas Boleyn, and demands sex with his younger daughter. This is nothing new: the king has already had it away with Sir Thomas's elder daughter, Mary. Abandoned, pregnant and miserable, Mary throws herself on her father's mercy. It's not a soft landing. "What his majesty is denied, he goes half mad to obtain,...
- 3/27/2013
- by Alex von Tunzelmann
- The Guardian - Film News
Geneviève Bujold is back: Canadian Screen Awards 2013 [See previous post: "Canadian Screen Awards: Oscar-Nominated War Witch Tops."] In addition to War Witch‘s Rachel Mwanza, the Canadian Screen Awards 2013 Best Actress nominees are Evelyne Brochu for Inch’allah, Marilyn Castonguay for L’Affaire Dumont, Suzanne Clément for Laurence Anyways, and Geneviève Bujold for Still Mine. In the Michael McGowan-directed drama based on real-life events, the veteran Bujold plays farmer James Cromwell tough-but-ailing wife whose physical frailty sets in motion the film’s plot: Cromwell’s desire to build a better, more comfortable house for Bujold pits him against government inspector Jonathan Potts. (Photo: Geneviève Bujold, James Cromwell Still Mine.) The Montreal-born Geneviève Bujold is best known for her Hollywood movies: Charles Jarrott’s Best Picture Academy Award nominee Anne of the Thousand Days (1969), which earned Bujold a Best Actress Academy Award nomination and a Golden Globe for her portrayal of Anne Boleyn; Mark Robson’s Earthquake, playing Charlton Heston...
- 1/16/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: Jan. 15, 2013
Price: DVD $27.97, Blu-ray $29.97
Studio: Drafthouse/Rlj
A schoolteacher gets waylaid in the Australian outback and takes a journey into the heart of darkness in the 1971 thriller Wake in Fright, a “lost” cult film that was “recovered” and restored before making a return to the theatrical repertory circuit in the fall of 2012.
Wake in Fright tells the story of a British schoolteacher’s descent into personal demoralization at the hands of the deranged, hard-drinking residents of a remote Australian town. John Grant (Gary Bond, Anne of the Thousand Days) teaches at a tiny school in the outback. On his way to Sydney to catch a vacation flight, he stops in a rural mining town, where he is reluctantly drawn into the macho antics of the local men. After losing his money in the gambling game two-up, he is taken on a drunken and brutal kangaroo hunt...
Price: DVD $27.97, Blu-ray $29.97
Studio: Drafthouse/Rlj
A schoolteacher gets waylaid in the Australian outback and takes a journey into the heart of darkness in the 1971 thriller Wake in Fright, a “lost” cult film that was “recovered” and restored before making a return to the theatrical repertory circuit in the fall of 2012.
Wake in Fright tells the story of a British schoolteacher’s descent into personal demoralization at the hands of the deranged, hard-drinking residents of a remote Australian town. John Grant (Gary Bond, Anne of the Thousand Days) teaches at a tiny school in the outback. On his way to Sydney to catch a vacation flight, he stops in a rural mining town, where he is reluctantly drawn into the macho antics of the local men. After losing his money in the gambling game two-up, he is taken on a drunken and brutal kangaroo hunt...
- 12/20/2012
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
Drafthouse Films announced that they will be bringing 1971′s Wake in Fright to Blu-ray and DVD in January. Continue reading for the official release details and cover art:
A schoolteacher gets waylaid in the Australian outback and takes a journey into the heart of darkness in Wake In Fright, a revered and groundbreaking thriller that for 40 years lived only in the memory of its initial viewers. But following its miraculous recovery and restoration, the “lost” film made a triumphant return to screens nationwide this fall. Now it will make its home entertainment debut when Drafthouse Films releases it on high-definition Blu-ray and DVD on January 15, 2013.
Alongside Mad Max and Walkabout, Wake In Fright is widely acknowledged as one of the seminal films of modern Australian cinema. Author Neil Rattigan, in his book about the New Australian Cinema, Images of Australia, called it “a cinematic trip into hell. … No other Australian...
A schoolteacher gets waylaid in the Australian outback and takes a journey into the heart of darkness in Wake In Fright, a revered and groundbreaking thriller that for 40 years lived only in the memory of its initial viewers. But following its miraculous recovery and restoration, the “lost” film made a triumphant return to screens nationwide this fall. Now it will make its home entertainment debut when Drafthouse Films releases it on high-definition Blu-ray and DVD on January 15, 2013.
Alongside Mad Max and Walkabout, Wake In Fright is widely acknowledged as one of the seminal films of modern Australian cinema. Author Neil Rattigan, in his book about the New Australian Cinema, Images of Australia, called it “a cinematic trip into hell. … No other Australian...
- 12/20/2012
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
Ted Kotcheff's once lost award-winning film Wake in Fright is getting set to make its long awaited arrival onto DVD and Blu-ray, and believe me, horror fans; this is one trip to the Outback you're really gonna want to take!
From the Press Release
A schoolteacher gets waylaid in the Australian Outback and takes a journey into the heart of darkness in Wake In Fright, a revered and groundbreaking thriller that for 40 years lived only in the memory of its initial viewers. But following its miraculous recovery and restoration, the "lost" film made a triumphant return to screens nationwide this fall. Now it will make its home entertainment debut when Drafthouse Films releases it on high-definition Blu-ray and DVD on January 15, 2013.
Alongside Mad Max and Walkabout, Wake In Fright is widely acknowledged as one of the seminal films of modern Australian cinema. Author Neil Rattigan, in his book about the New Australian Cinema,...
From the Press Release
A schoolteacher gets waylaid in the Australian Outback and takes a journey into the heart of darkness in Wake In Fright, a revered and groundbreaking thriller that for 40 years lived only in the memory of its initial viewers. But following its miraculous recovery and restoration, the "lost" film made a triumphant return to screens nationwide this fall. Now it will make its home entertainment debut when Drafthouse Films releases it on high-definition Blu-ray and DVD on January 15, 2013.
Alongside Mad Max and Walkabout, Wake In Fright is widely acknowledged as one of the seminal films of modern Australian cinema. Author Neil Rattigan, in his book about the New Australian Cinema,...
- 12/19/2012
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
Above: A Romanian poster by “Manescu” for Anne of the Thousand Days (Charles Jarrott, USA, 1969).
When Christopher Landry emailed me the other day he apologized for not replying sooner and said he’d been “working nights up in the Carpathians on a horror movie,” which is the best excuse for a tardy email I’ve ever heard (and it wasn’t even that tardy). Landry is an expat film producer and writer from Massachusetts who has been living and working in Romania since 1995. He is also the author of The Silver Screen in the Golden Age: Romanian Film Posters 1965-1989, a lavish coffee-table book of more than 300 posters from the country’s Communist era.
Romanian cinema has of course undergone a post-Ceaușescu renaissance in the past twenty years, and this weekend sees the opening of the week-long festival Making Waves: New Romanian Cinema at the Film Society of Lincoln Center in New York.
When Christopher Landry emailed me the other day he apologized for not replying sooner and said he’d been “working nights up in the Carpathians on a horror movie,” which is the best excuse for a tardy email I’ve ever heard (and it wasn’t even that tardy). Landry is an expat film producer and writer from Massachusetts who has been living and working in Romania since 1995. He is also the author of The Silver Screen in the Golden Age: Romanian Film Posters 1965-1989, a lavish coffee-table book of more than 300 posters from the country’s Communist era.
Romanian cinema has of course undergone a post-Ceaușescu renaissance in the past twenty years, and this weekend sees the opening of the week-long festival Making Waves: New Romanian Cinema at the Film Society of Lincoln Center in New York.
- 11/30/2012
- by Adrian Curry
- MUBI
Writer-director Michael McGowan returns to the Toronto International Film Festival once more this year with Still, premiering his fifth feature at the festival that has played host to three of his four world debuts to date.
The film stars Oscar nominees James Cromwell (La Confidential) and Geneviève Bujold (Anne of the Thousand Days) in the leads, and now the first images of the two from this promising drama have been released.
“Based on true events and laced with wry humour, Still is a heartfelt love story about an 89-year-old New Brunswicker (James Cromwell) who comes up against the system when he sets out to build a more suitable house for his wife (Geneviève Bujold) whose memory is starting to go. Although Craig Morrison is using the same methods his father, a shipbuilder, taught him, times have changed. Craig quickly gets on the wrong side of an overzealous government inspector, who finds just about everything unacceptable,...
The film stars Oscar nominees James Cromwell (La Confidential) and Geneviève Bujold (Anne of the Thousand Days) in the leads, and now the first images of the two from this promising drama have been released.
“Based on true events and laced with wry humour, Still is a heartfelt love story about an 89-year-old New Brunswicker (James Cromwell) who comes up against the system when he sets out to build a more suitable house for his wife (Geneviève Bujold) whose memory is starting to go. Although Craig Morrison is using the same methods his father, a shipbuilder, taught him, times have changed. Craig quickly gets on the wrong side of an overzealous government inspector, who finds just about everything unacceptable,...
- 8/13/2012
- by Kenji Lloyd
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Grant Bowler / Richard Burton: Liz & Dick Grant Bowler as Richard Burton in Lifetime’s fall movie Liz & Dick looks less convincing than Lindsay Lohan as Elizabeth Taylor. Burton met Taylor at the time the two were making Cleopatra for 20th Century Fox. A troubled production, Cleopatra was initially to have starred Taylor, Peter Finch, and Stephen Boyd, under the direction of Rouben Mamoulian. Mamoulian left, Taylor fell seriously ill, nearly died, and had to have a tracheotomy performed. The end result was a Best Actress Academy Award for her troubles (and for Butterfield 8) and brand new leading men for Cleopatra: Richard Burton as Marc Antony and Rex Harrison as Julius Caesar. By then, Cleopatra also had a new director: two-time Best Director Oscar winner Joseph L. Mankiewicz. A respected stage and screen actor in the ’60s, Richard Burton was nominated for seven Academy Awards. Best Supporting Actor...
- 6/7/2012
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Vivacious Irish actor best known for her role opposite Albert Finney in Tom Jones
The red-haired, vivacious and provocative Irish actor Joyce Redman, who has died aged 93, will for ever be remembered for her lubricious meal-time munching and swallowing opposite Albert Finney in Tony Richardson's 1963 film of Tom Jones. Eyes locked, lips smacked and jaws rotated as the two of them tucked into a succulent feast while eyeing up the afters. Sinking one's teeth into a role is one thing. This was quite another, and deliciously naughty, the mother of all modern mastication scenes.
Redman and Finney were renewing a friendship forged five years earlier when both appeared with Charles Laughton in Jane Arden's The Party at the New (now the Noël Coward) theatre. Redman was not blamed by the critic Kenneth Tynan for making nothing of her role as Laughton's wife. "Nothing," he said, "after all, will come of nothing.
The red-haired, vivacious and provocative Irish actor Joyce Redman, who has died aged 93, will for ever be remembered for her lubricious meal-time munching and swallowing opposite Albert Finney in Tony Richardson's 1963 film of Tom Jones. Eyes locked, lips smacked and jaws rotated as the two of them tucked into a succulent feast while eyeing up the afters. Sinking one's teeth into a role is one thing. This was quite another, and deliciously naughty, the mother of all modern mastication scenes.
Redman and Finney were renewing a friendship forged five years earlier when both appeared with Charles Laughton in Jane Arden's The Party at the New (now the Noël Coward) theatre. Redman was not blamed by the critic Kenneth Tynan for making nothing of her role as Laughton's wife. "Nothing," he said, "after all, will come of nothing.
- 5/13/2012
- by Michael Coveney
- The Guardian - Film News
Voting is currently underway on the Sight & Sound poll for the greatest film ever made, which takes place every ten years, and is generally seen as one of the most definitive of such polls. And one film that's near-certain to place in the top ten, given that it's been there in every poll since 1982 (and placed second in 2002) is Alfred Hitchcock's "Vertigo." The film was relatively poorly received on release, and indeed, remained unseen for twenty years, one of the five films to which Hitchcock bought back the rights to leave to his daughter (the so-called Five Lost Hitchcocks, which also include "The Man Who Knew Too Much," "Rear Window," "Rope" and "The Trouble With Harry"). But since its re-release in 1984, the film has grown into the great director's most acclaimed masterpiece, and is now one of the most examined, deconstructed and written about films in the history of the medium.
- 5/9/2012
- by Oliver Lyttelton
- The Playlist
Sometimes Mad Men would rather be murky and disturbing than fabulous, and last night's episode featured more chills and less "Chiiiiild," which is what I exclaim when fabulous Joan smirks at an underling. Peggy, Roger, Jane, and Don (no Joan or Betty in sight) spent the episode scaring us with forays into unknown worlds of seediness, trippiness, and violence. Not very glamorous, I'm afraid. But I still dredged up a handful of moments suitable for drag reenactments and exaltation.
1. Peggy knows your stupid beans better than you do.
First of all, when Peggy serves up her infuriated thug grimace, stand back. Shut up. And most importantly, don't pretend you know more than her about beans. After the Heinz exec rejected Peggy's campaign idea, the well-ascoted dame strode to the table, raised her thug jawbone in defiance, and spat, "You have to run with this! It's young! And it's beautiful! No...
1. Peggy knows your stupid beans better than you do.
First of all, when Peggy serves up her infuriated thug grimace, stand back. Shut up. And most importantly, don't pretend you know more than her about beans. After the Heinz exec rejected Peggy's campaign idea, the well-ascoted dame strode to the table, raised her thug jawbone in defiance, and spat, "You have to run with this! It's young! And it's beautiful! No...
- 4/23/2012
- by virtel
- The Backlot
Each week within this column we strive to pair the latest in theatrical releases to worthwhile titles currently available on Netflix Instant Watch. This week we offer alternatives to Shame, The Lady & Coriolanus.
With the Christmas holiday soon to hit, a string of smaller flicks are set to open in limited release this Friday. A sex addict will battle his demons while facing off against a vengeance-seeking Shakespearean hero, and a world-changing real-life heroine. But if these releases won’t satisfy your thirst for history, Shakespeare, and drama, we’ve got you covered with some stellar selects that are Now Streaming.
Hunger’s Steve McQueen reteams with Michael Fassbender (Fish Tank) for this gritty drama that follows Brandon, a lonely New Yorker trapped in the throws of sex addiction. Carey Mulligan co-stars.
Lonely leads seek sex, love and solace in these steamy dramas:
Rabbit Hole (2010) Inspired by David Lindsay-Abaire’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play,...
With the Christmas holiday soon to hit, a string of smaller flicks are set to open in limited release this Friday. A sex addict will battle his demons while facing off against a vengeance-seeking Shakespearean hero, and a world-changing real-life heroine. But if these releases won’t satisfy your thirst for history, Shakespeare, and drama, we’ve got you covered with some stellar selects that are Now Streaming.
Hunger’s Steve McQueen reteams with Michael Fassbender (Fish Tank) for this gritty drama that follows Brandon, a lonely New Yorker trapped in the throws of sex addiction. Carey Mulligan co-stars.
Lonely leads seek sex, love and solace in these steamy dramas:
Rabbit Hole (2010) Inspired by David Lindsay-Abaire’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play,...
- 12/1/2011
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
Oscar nominee James Cromwell has joined the cast of Still, Michael McGowan.s Canadian independent film shooting currently in northern Ontario and Brunswick. Cromwell joins fellow Oscar nominee and Canadian native Geneviève Bujold (Anne of the Thousand Days, The House of Yes) to tell the story of an elderly couple forced to battle local authorities as they try and construct a home. McGowan, who opened the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival with his Score: A Hockey Musical, has assembled a cast with deep Canadian roots. In addition to Bujold, Still features Canuck actors Rick Roberts, Julie Stewart and Jonathan Potts, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Representing America in the Great White Northern cast will be Campbell Scott. Anytime an indie can lure a marketable, awards-caliber star like Cromwell, it.s an instant boost to the production. This is McGowan.s fifth feature, and while he is a name in his ...
- 9/28/2011
- cinemablend.com
By Elliot V. Kotek
(April 2011)
With apologies to Glenda Jackson in “Elizabeth R,” Richard Burton’s “Anne of the Thousand Days,” “The Madness of King George” with Helen Mirren and Nigel Hawthorne and Charles Laughton, who picked up a Best Actor Oscar for “The Private Life of Henry VIII,” and with nothing but respect for Kate Middleton and Prince William, the pending nuptials make the time ripe for an assessment of the monarchy’s treatment on-screen over the years.
Grab yourself a cup of England’s finest and let us know what you think’s missing.
Click for the list >>...
(April 2011)
With apologies to Glenda Jackson in “Elizabeth R,” Richard Burton’s “Anne of the Thousand Days,” “The Madness of King George” with Helen Mirren and Nigel Hawthorne and Charles Laughton, who picked up a Best Actor Oscar for “The Private Life of Henry VIII,” and with nothing but respect for Kate Middleton and Prince William, the pending nuptials make the time ripe for an assessment of the monarchy’s treatment on-screen over the years.
Grab yourself a cup of England’s finest and let us know what you think’s missing.
Click for the list >>...
- 4/29/2011
- by admin
- Moving Pictures Magazine
By Elliot V. Kotek
(April 2011)
With apologies to Glenda Jackson in “Elizabeth R,” Richard Burton’s “Anne of the Thousand Days,” “The Madness of King George” with Helen Mirren and Nigel Hawthorne and Charles Laughton, who picked up a Best Actor Oscar for “The Private Life of Henry VIII,” and with nothing but respect for Kate Middleton and Prince William, the pending nuptials make the time ripe for an assessment of the monarchy’s treatment on-screen over the years.
Grab yourself a cup of England’s finest and let us know what you think’s missing.
Click for the list >>...
(April 2011)
With apologies to Glenda Jackson in “Elizabeth R,” Richard Burton’s “Anne of the Thousand Days,” “The Madness of King George” with Helen Mirren and Nigel Hawthorne and Charles Laughton, who picked up a Best Actor Oscar for “The Private Life of Henry VIII,” and with nothing but respect for Kate Middleton and Prince William, the pending nuptials make the time ripe for an assessment of the monarchy’s treatment on-screen over the years.
Grab yourself a cup of England’s finest and let us know what you think’s missing.
Click for the list >>...
- 4/29/2011
- by admin
- Moving Pictures Network
British-born director known for Anne of the Thousand Days and Mary, Queen of Scots
The film and television director Charles Jarrott, who has died of cancer aged 83, began his career during a golden period of British TV drama, working on Armchair Theatre and The Wednesday Play in the 1960s alongside writers and directors such as Ken Loach, Dennis Potter and David Mercer. Both series were presided over by the Canadian producer Sydney Newman, who encouraged original work – what he called "agitational contemporaneity" – and had an astonishing impact. But in 1969 Jarrott's career took a different turn when he left for Hollywood, thereby increasing his income a hundredfold, while having to contend with far less adventurous material. His best films were his first, two Elizabethan costume dramas, Anne of the Thousand Days and Mary, Queen of Scots, enlivened by the Oscar-nominated performances of Richard Burton (Henry VIII), Geneviève Bujold (Anne Boleyn) and...
The film and television director Charles Jarrott, who has died of cancer aged 83, began his career during a golden period of British TV drama, working on Armchair Theatre and The Wednesday Play in the 1960s alongside writers and directors such as Ken Loach, Dennis Potter and David Mercer. Both series were presided over by the Canadian producer Sydney Newman, who encouraged original work – what he called "agitational contemporaneity" – and had an astonishing impact. But in 1969 Jarrott's career took a different turn when he left for Hollywood, thereby increasing his income a hundredfold, while having to contend with far less adventurous material. His best films were his first, two Elizabethan costume dramas, Anne of the Thousand Days and Mary, Queen of Scots, enlivened by the Oscar-nominated performances of Richard Burton (Henry VIII), Geneviève Bujold (Anne Boleyn) and...
- 3/7/2011
- by Ronald Bergan
- The Guardian - Film News
Genevieve Bujold as Anne Boleyn in Charles Jarrott's Anne of the Thousand Days Charles Jarrott, best known for the period dramas Anne of the Thousand Days (1969) and Mary Queen of Scots (1971), and for the disastrous musical Lost Horizon (1973), died Friday, Feb. 4, at the Motion Picture Home in Woodland Hills. Jarrott, who was 83, had been suffering from prostate cancer. In early 1970, the London-born Jarrott (June 16, 1927) made film history of sorts when his feature debut, Anne of the Thousand Days, was nominated for a total of 10 Academy Awards — more than any other movie that year — including Best Picture (produced by Hal B. Wallis), Best Actor (Richard Burton as Henry VIII), and Best Actress (Genevieve Bujold as Anne Boleyn), whereas Jarrott himself was bypassed by the Academy's Directors Branch. The only other comparable instance in the Academy Awards' 83-year history is the omission of [...]...
- 3/5/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
It may seem as though Academy Awards voters would be a bunch of fawning monarchists, considering how often the ceremony has been a love fest for all things English. But British kings and queens generally wind up losers at the Oscars.
If The King's Speech, a saga about Queen Elizabeth II's dad, makes good on its status as best-picture favourite on Sunday, it would become the first film with a British monarch as its central figure to win the top prize in the 83-year history of the Oscars.
Two films with a British king or queen as a supporting player - 1966's A Man for All Seasons and 1998's Shakespeare in Love - did win best picture. Yet past contenders with a monarch in a lead role have always lost: 1933's The Private Life of Henry VIII, 1946's Henry V, 1964's Becket, 1968's The Lion in Winter, 1969's Anne of the Thousand Days,...
If The King's Speech, a saga about Queen Elizabeth II's dad, makes good on its status as best-picture favourite on Sunday, it would become the first film with a British monarch as its central figure to win the top prize in the 83-year history of the Oscars.
Two films with a British king or queen as a supporting player - 1966's A Man for All Seasons and 1998's Shakespeare in Love - did win best picture. Yet past contenders with a monarch in a lead role have always lost: 1933's The Private Life of Henry VIII, 1946's Henry V, 1964's Becket, 1968's The Lion in Winter, 1969's Anne of the Thousand Days,...
- 2/22/2011
- by Cineplex.com and contributors
- Cineplex
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