One of the best bits of advice any writer will give you is to make yourself familiar with as many tropes, cliches and conventions as possible. That way, you can understand how they work while also knowing just when to ignore them. One convention seen in just about all of fiction is the idea that the protagonist and antagonist must share at least one, if not many, moments together, culminating in a final altercation in which the hero emerges victorious over the villain. It's a trope so common that not only is it not questioned, it's routinely expected, so much so that when it's missing, it seems initially like it could be a mistake. Of course, there are many examples of novels, TV shows, and films where this convention is subverted or even ignored, yet it becomes more difficult to do so when an artist is working within the confines of genre.
- 9/9/2024
- by Bill Bria
- Slash Film
The Story: H.G. Wells (Malcolm McDowell) does the impossible – after writing about a time machine he actually builds one. Too bad then that one of his dearest friends is secretly Jack the Ripper (David Warner) and uses the machine to escape justice by going into the future – 1979 San Francisco to be exact. Left with no choice and believing that he’s unleashed a monster upon a utopia (ha!), Wells pursues him through time, but winds up being a lot more out of his element than his nemesis.
The Players: Starring Malcolm McDowell, David Warner & Mary Steenburgen. Written and directed by Nicholas Meyer.
Oh, I love that part. I love that film, actually. Well of course, I was in love during the filmmaking—how could you not love the damn film? And I’ve always loved San Francisco since. – Malcolm McDowell – Random Roles
The History: Long before he became the colorful...
The Players: Starring Malcolm McDowell, David Warner & Mary Steenburgen. Written and directed by Nicholas Meyer.
Oh, I love that part. I love that film, actually. Well of course, I was in love during the filmmaking—how could you not love the damn film? And I’ve always loved San Francisco since. – Malcolm McDowell – Random Roles
The History: Long before he became the colorful...
- 11/19/2023
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
The reaction was always the same. During my high school days, I must have seen “Wait Until Dark” five times during its theatrical release. Audrey Hepburn was appealing, of course, but the main attraction for me was Alan Arkin’s chilling portrayal of a psycho sadist who, in the course of reclaiming a misdirected heroin shipment, terrorizes a blind woman in her apartment. Late in the 1967 thriller, the distressed damsel temporarily gets the upper hand by stabbing her tormentor. But as she walks away, the psycho leaps back into her kitchen and grabs her ankle.
And every time he did this, every time I saw “Wait Until Dark,” people in the audience screamed. Really, really loudly. Like, louder than the folks around me in a theater seven years later during the first jump-scare in “Jaws.”
While reading the online obituaries and social media tributes as the sad news of Arkin’s death spread,...
And every time he did this, every time I saw “Wait Until Dark,” people in the audience screamed. Really, really loudly. Like, louder than the folks around me in a theater seven years later during the first jump-scare in “Jaws.”
While reading the online obituaries and social media tributes as the sad news of Arkin’s death spread,...
- 7/1/2023
- by Joe Leydon
- Variety Film + TV
Hollywood lost another legend with the death of Alan Arkin. Arkin is an Academy Award and Tony Award-winning actor most recently known for his role in The Kominsky Method, but many fans know him for his unforgettable role as the grandfather in Little Miss Sunshine. So, what was Alan Arkin’s net worth at the time of his death? Here’s what to know.
Alan Arkin’s net worth at the time of his death
Actor Alan Arkin left behind a serious legacy at 89 years old — and that legacy came with plenty of cash. Alan Arkin’s net worth was reportedly $10 million at the time of his death.
Arkin was born in Brooklyn, New York, and his family moved to Los Angeles when he was 11 years old. In 1979, he told People that the reason he didn’t live in LA was because of his childhood experiences there. He then went...
Alan Arkin’s net worth at the time of his death
Actor Alan Arkin left behind a serious legacy at 89 years old — and that legacy came with plenty of cash. Alan Arkin’s net worth was reportedly $10 million at the time of his death.
Arkin was born in Brooklyn, New York, and his family moved to Los Angeles when he was 11 years old. In 1979, he told People that the reason he didn’t live in LA was because of his childhood experiences there. He then went...
- 6/30/2023
- by Lauren Weiler
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Alan Arkin, the legendary character actor, has died at age 89. The Arkin family confirmed his passing in a statement to People Magazine. “Our father was a uniquely talented force of nature, both as an artist and a man. A loving husband, father, grand and great grandfather, he was adored and will be deeply missed.”
Indeed, the legendary Alan Arkin had an incredible, enduring career. He first made a name for himself on stage, but here’s an interesting tidbit – he was nominated for an Oscar for his first movie role: The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming. He was a Tony Award winner when he was cast but had yet to make a movie. He won the role because he was raised in a Russian-Jewish household, making him the ideal choice to play the film’s comic hero. Arkin’s performance was so lauded that he became a sensation playing ethnic roles.
Indeed, the legendary Alan Arkin had an incredible, enduring career. He first made a name for himself on stage, but here’s an interesting tidbit – he was nominated for an Oscar for his first movie role: The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming. He was a Tony Award winner when he was cast but had yet to make a movie. He won the role because he was raised in a Russian-Jewish household, making him the ideal choice to play the film’s comic hero. Arkin’s performance was so lauded that he became a sensation playing ethnic roles.
- 6/30/2023
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
Alan Arkin, the versatile actor who finally won an Oscar — for Little Miss Sunshine — after making a career of disappearing into characters with turns that could be comic, chilling or charming, has died. He was 89.
His sons, Adam, Matthew and Anthony, announced the news in a joint statement. “Our father was a uniquely talented force of nature, both as an artist and a man,” they said. “A loving husband, father, grand and great-grandfather, he was adored and will be deeply missed.”
He had heart trouble and died Thursday at his home in San Marcos, California.
In his first significant role in a feature, Arkin received a rare best actor Oscar nomination for work in a comedy when he played a Russian sailor whose submarine is marooned off the coast of a New England fishing village in Norman Jewison’s The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming (1966).
Two years later,...
His sons, Adam, Matthew and Anthony, announced the news in a joint statement. “Our father was a uniquely talented force of nature, both as an artist and a man,” they said. “A loving husband, father, grand and great-grandfather, he was adored and will be deeply missed.”
He had heart trouble and died Thursday at his home in San Marcos, California.
In his first significant role in a feature, Arkin received a rare best actor Oscar nomination for work in a comedy when he played a Russian sailor whose submarine is marooned off the coast of a New England fishing village in Norman Jewison’s The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming (1966).
Two years later,...
- 6/30/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Broadway and film star Joel Grey and John Kander, composer of Cabaret, Chicago and more, will receive the 2023 Special Tony Awards for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre.
Grey was the original Amos Hart in the 1996 Chicago and the original Emcee in Cabaret on Broadway, for which he won a Tony Award. He later received an Academy Award, Golden Globe and BAFTA for his performance in the film adaptation. Kander, who co-wrote those legendary musicals with the late lyricist Fred Ebb, is currently represented on Broadway with the musical New York, New York.
“We are immensely thrilled to honor two legends in their own rights. John Kander has composed the soundtrack to all of our lives – meeting us in every decade – creating unforgettable scores for Cabaret, Chicago, Kiss of the Spider Woman, and his current Broadway hit New York, New York,” said Charlotte St. Martin, president of the Broadway League.
“As a legendary actor and director,...
Grey was the original Amos Hart in the 1996 Chicago and the original Emcee in Cabaret on Broadway, for which he won a Tony Award. He later received an Academy Award, Golden Globe and BAFTA for his performance in the film adaptation. Kander, who co-wrote those legendary musicals with the late lyricist Fred Ebb, is currently represented on Broadway with the musical New York, New York.
“We are immensely thrilled to honor two legends in their own rights. John Kander has composed the soundtrack to all of our lives – meeting us in every decade – creating unforgettable scores for Cabaret, Chicago, Kiss of the Spider Woman, and his current Broadway hit New York, New York,” said Charlotte St. Martin, president of the Broadway League.
“As a legendary actor and director,...
- 5/3/2023
- by Caitlin Huston
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
In 1979, Paramount’s Star Trek: The Motion Picture hit theaters to a somewhat mixed reception from critics and audiences. Many had predicted that the film would be a big money loser because it had gone dramatically over-budget, making it one of the most expensive films ever made up to the point. In the end, the film eked out a profit. It did well enough that Paramount was willing to take another chance on the franchise. Still, their approach would be pretty different, drastically slashing the budget and hiring fewer A-listers behind the camera. But, to the surprise of all, this proved to be precisely the right move, with the resulting film, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, a smash-hit that relaunched the franchise as a legitimate big-screen property and introduced the adventures of Kirk, Spock and McCoy to a whole new generation.
When Paramount Pictures was preparing for a sequel,...
When Paramount Pictures was preparing for a sequel,...
- 4/9/2023
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
By Lee Pfeiffer
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's timeless 1902 Sherlock Holmes novel "The Hound of the Baskervilles" is said to be the most often-filmed adaptation of a book. I don't know if that's true but it's quite clear that over the decades, the tale has indeed inspired many adaptations for the cinema and television. The 1939 classic introduced audiences to the teaming of Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce as Holmes and Watson. The 1959 Hammer Films version was the first Holmes movie made in color and starred Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee in another highly impressive adaptation. By the1970s, revisionist versions of Holmes stories were all the rage in cinema and on television, as evidenced by films such as "The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter ", "They Might Be Giants", "The Seven-Per-Cent Solution" and "The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes". Thus, the famed comic duo of Peter Cook and Dudley Moore opted...
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's timeless 1902 Sherlock Holmes novel "The Hound of the Baskervilles" is said to be the most often-filmed adaptation of a book. I don't know if that's true but it's quite clear that over the decades, the tale has indeed inspired many adaptations for the cinema and television. The 1939 classic introduced audiences to the teaming of Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce as Holmes and Watson. The 1959 Hammer Films version was the first Holmes movie made in color and starred Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee in another highly impressive adaptation. By the1970s, revisionist versions of Holmes stories were all the rage in cinema and on television, as evidenced by films such as "The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter ", "They Might Be Giants", "The Seven-Per-Cent Solution" and "The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes". Thus, the famed comic duo of Peter Cook and Dudley Moore opted...
- 1/28/2022
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Nicholas Meyer’s ‘other’ fantastic film project was ignored for all the wrong reasons; Pierce Brosnan fills a heroic leading role in a revisit of The Stranglers of Bombay, but filmed on location with great attention to authentic details. An officer of the East India Company detects an incredibly murderous cult of Kali-worshipping Thugs, a criminal underclass of thieves that practice ritual mass murder. The story has roots in history, snarled in colonial injustice and xenophobia. It’s a period picture unafraid to be controversial. Also starring Saeed Jaffrey and Helena Mitchell.
The Deceivers
Blu-ray
The Cohen Film Collection / Kino
1988 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 103 min. / Street Date November 16, 2021 / Available from Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Pierce Brosnan, Saeed Jaffrey, Shashi Kapoor, Helena Michell, Keith Michell, David Robb.
Cinematography: Walter Lassally
Art Directors: Gianfranco Fumagalli, Ram Yedekar
Film Editor: Richard Trevor
Original Music: John Scott
Written by Michael Hirst from the novel by John Masters
Produced by Ismail Merchant,...
The Deceivers
Blu-ray
The Cohen Film Collection / Kino
1988 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 103 min. / Street Date November 16, 2021 / Available from Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Pierce Brosnan, Saeed Jaffrey, Shashi Kapoor, Helena Michell, Keith Michell, David Robb.
Cinematography: Walter Lassally
Art Directors: Gianfranco Fumagalli, Ram Yedekar
Film Editor: Richard Trevor
Original Music: John Scott
Written by Michael Hirst from the novel by John Masters
Produced by Ismail Merchant,...
- 11/9/2021
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Four-time Oscar nominee Peter Lamont, who worked on 18 James Bond films and received an Academy Award for production design for “Titanic,” has died. He was 91.
Lamont’s death was disclosed Friday by the official 007 account on Twitter, which posted a statement by producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli that reads, “Peter Lamont was a much beloved member of the Bond family and a giant in the industry. Inextricably linked with the design and aesthetic of James Bond since Goldfinger (1964).”
“He became Production Designer on For Your Eyes Only (1981) working on 18 of the 25 films including nine as Production Designer. He was a true success story proving that with talent and hard work you will achieve your dreams,” the statement went on. “He won the Academy Award for Titanic in 1998 as well as nominations for Fiddler On The Roof (1971), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), and Aliens (1986). Our hearts go out to...
Lamont’s death was disclosed Friday by the official 007 account on Twitter, which posted a statement by producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli that reads, “Peter Lamont was a much beloved member of the Bond family and a giant in the industry. Inextricably linked with the design and aesthetic of James Bond since Goldfinger (1964).”
“He became Production Designer on For Your Eyes Only (1981) working on 18 of the 25 films including nine as Production Designer. He was a true success story proving that with talent and hard work you will achieve your dreams,” the statement went on. “He won the Academy Award for Titanic in 1998 as well as nominations for Fiddler On The Roof (1971), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), and Aliens (1986). Our hearts go out to...
- 12/18/2020
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
One of the most unexpected projects was reported this week, as news broke that Quentin Tarantino had conceived of an idea for a “Star Trek” movie that impressed Hollywood heavyweight J.J. Abrams. Tarantino is allegedly sharing the idea with a group of writers and may direct the project. Considering the filmmaker’s long-standing independence from the studio system and especially franchises, IndieWire’s staff debated the prospects of this sudden mid-career twist.
Eric Kohn: No major American filmmaker has flaunted his autonomy from the Hollywood system more than Quentin Tarantino, whose characters speak and whose movies move in ways that are forever connected to his name. So the idea of Tarantino — who flirted with studio projects early in his success before paving his own path — could have anything to do with a “Star Trek” movie is a bit baffling. Although I love the idea of a Qt/Jj combo, the suggestion that Tarantino’s energetic,...
Eric Kohn: No major American filmmaker has flaunted his autonomy from the Hollywood system more than Quentin Tarantino, whose characters speak and whose movies move in ways that are forever connected to his name. So the idea of Tarantino — who flirted with studio projects early in his success before paving his own path — could have anything to do with a “Star Trek” movie is a bit baffling. Although I love the idea of a Qt/Jj combo, the suggestion that Tarantino’s energetic,...
- 12/5/2017
- by Eric Kohn, Kate Erbland, Anne Thompson, David Ehrlich and Liz Shannon Miller
- Indiewire
By Todd Garbarini
Arguably the best Star Trek film ever made, Nicholas Meyer’s Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982), which was originally subtitled The Vengeance of Khan but was changed so as not to interfere with Richard Marquand’s Revenge of the Jedi which itself was changed to Return of the Jedi, celebrates its 35th anniversary this year and is the subject of an exclusive screening at Laemmle’s Ahrya Fine Arts Theatre. The 113-minute film, which stars William Shatner and the crew of the Enterprise, will be screened on Wednesday, May 31, 2017 at 7:30 pm on Digital Cinema Projection (Dcp).
Please Note: Director Nicholas Meyer is scheduled to appear in person for a Q & A following the screening.
From the press release:
Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan
(35th Anniversary Screening)
Wednesday, May 31, at 7:30 Pm at the Ahrya Fine Arts Theatre
Followed by Q&A with...
Arguably the best Star Trek film ever made, Nicholas Meyer’s Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982), which was originally subtitled The Vengeance of Khan but was changed so as not to interfere with Richard Marquand’s Revenge of the Jedi which itself was changed to Return of the Jedi, celebrates its 35th anniversary this year and is the subject of an exclusive screening at Laemmle’s Ahrya Fine Arts Theatre. The 113-minute film, which stars William Shatner and the crew of the Enterprise, will be screened on Wednesday, May 31, 2017 at 7:30 pm on Digital Cinema Projection (Dcp).
Please Note: Director Nicholas Meyer is scheduled to appear in person for a Q & A following the screening.
From the press release:
Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan
(35th Anniversary Screening)
Wednesday, May 31, at 7:30 Pm at the Ahrya Fine Arts Theatre
Followed by Q&A with...
- 5/24/2017
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Nicholas Meyer's first directing effort is a classy science fiction thriller best remembered for a charming romantic angle, and for introducing many of us to the marvelous Mary Steenburgen. Clever storytelling pits Malcolm McDowell against fellow time tripper David Warner, in a fourth-dimensional pursuit of none other than Jack the Ripper. Time After Time Blu-ray Warner Archive Collection 1979 / Color / 2:40 widescreen / 112 min. / Street Date November 15, 2016 / available through the WBshop / 21.99 Starring Malcolm McDowell, David Warner, Mary Steenburgen, Charles Cioffi, Kent Williams, Andonia Katsaros, Patti D'Arbanville, Corey Feldman, Shelley Hack, Clete Roberts. Cinematography Paul Lohman Film Editor Donn Cambern Original Music Miklos Rozsa Written by Nicholas Meyer story by Karl Alexander & Steve Hayes Produced by Herb Jaffe Directed by Nicholas Meyer
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Known for his smart scripts -- face it, even Invasion of the Bee Girls is an intelligent script -- Nicholas Meyer broke into the writer-director hyphenate...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Known for his smart scripts -- face it, even Invasion of the Bee Girls is an intelligent script -- Nicholas Meyer broke into the writer-director hyphenate...
- 11/12/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Summer just officially started just a few days ago, so Halloween is months away. Perhaps a great way to get us cooled off, to put us in a Fall state of mind, would be to pay a visit to one of the oldest horror movie icons: the vampire. Everyone’s aware of how scary those fanged fiends can be, but you may have forgotten how funny they are (intentionally, of course). Movie audiences have emitted nervous laughter ever since Max Schreck emerged from the shadows in the silent classic Nosferatu. And certainly there are bits (and bites) of humor (mostly comic relief supporting players) in 1931’s Dracula and Mark Of The Vampire, both with Bela Lugosi. It wasn’t until 1948 that he was in an all out farce (though the Count is never lampooned) in Abbott And Costello Meet Frankenstein. After Hammer Studios brought back (in full gory color) the bloodsuckers ten years later,...
- 6/24/2016
- by Jim Batts
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Oscar winning production designer Ken Adam died today in London at the age of 95 according to The BBC.
Adam is most famous for creating the iconic and sprawling lairs of the supervillains who populated the Sean Connery and Roger Moore-era James Bond films. His designs included the Crab Key complex in "Dr. No," the Fort Knox interiors on "Goldfinger," the volcano lair of "You Only Live Twice," Stromberg's supertanker and Atlantis sets in "The Spy Who Loved Me," and Drax's space station in "Moonraker". He also did the production design on "Thunderball" and "Diamonds Are Forever".
Adams' work extended well beyond the Bond franchise though, such as two films in the anti-Bond Harry Palmer film series with Michael Caine - "The Ipcress File" and "Funeral in Berlin". He was a favorite of Stanley Kubrick following his design of the famous war room for "Dr. Strangelove". He was offered "2001" but turned it down,...
Adam is most famous for creating the iconic and sprawling lairs of the supervillains who populated the Sean Connery and Roger Moore-era James Bond films. His designs included the Crab Key complex in "Dr. No," the Fort Knox interiors on "Goldfinger," the volcano lair of "You Only Live Twice," Stromberg's supertanker and Atlantis sets in "The Spy Who Loved Me," and Drax's space station in "Moonraker". He also did the production design on "Thunderball" and "Diamonds Are Forever".
Adams' work extended well beyond the Bond franchise though, such as two films in the anti-Bond Harry Palmer film series with Michael Caine - "The Ipcress File" and "Funeral in Berlin". He was a favorite of Stanley Kubrick following his design of the famous war room for "Dr. Strangelove". He was offered "2001" but turned it down,...
- 3/10/2016
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
From spoofs to point-and-click adventure games, here are 10 of the most memorable unusual incarnations of Sherlock Holmes...
We don’t know a great deal about the content of the 90-minute Sherlock special set to air later this year, but one thing has emerged from the set photos and tantalising titbits of information we’ve seen so far. Sherlock Holmes and John Watson will be in nineteenth-century garb, pitching them back into the setting of the legendary detective’s original adventures: 1895, to be precise. Why that happens is as yet unclear, but all will be revealed.
For those still craving their Holmes fix in the meantime, the new film Mr. Holmes offers us Ian McKellen’s take on the character, musing upon an old case as he looks back on his long career from the vantage point of retirement. Jonny Lee Miller’s ultra-modern, Us-based Sherlock will be entering his fourth...
We don’t know a great deal about the content of the 90-minute Sherlock special set to air later this year, but one thing has emerged from the set photos and tantalising titbits of information we’ve seen so far. Sherlock Holmes and John Watson will be in nineteenth-century garb, pitching them back into the setting of the legendary detective’s original adventures: 1895, to be precise. Why that happens is as yet unclear, but all will be revealed.
For those still craving their Holmes fix in the meantime, the new film Mr. Holmes offers us Ian McKellen’s take on the character, musing upon an old case as he looks back on his long career from the vantage point of retirement. Jonny Lee Miller’s ultra-modern, Us-based Sherlock will be entering his fourth...
- 6/29/2015
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
The History Channel miniseries Houdini is now available on Digital HD, with an extended version coming to Blu-ray and DVD!
Following History’s broadcast airing of the larger-than-life miniseries event on September 1st and 2nd, Houdini is now available on Digital HD. Then, unveil even more of the secrets behind the greatest magician of all time in the extended version of Houdini on two-disc Blu-ray (plus Digital HD) and two-disc DVD (plus Digital) October 7 from Lionsgate Home Entertainment. Boasting an all-star cast including Academy Award winner Adrien Brody (Best Actor in a Leading Role, The Pianist, 2002) as The Great Harry Houdini, Kristen Connolly (Netflix’s “House of Cards”) and Evan Jones (Gangster Squad), the scripted four-hour event chronicles Houdini’s extraordinary life as he finds fame while defying death with his incredible stunts and illusions.
His ability to escape from handcuffs, strait-jackets and water tanks is legendary - breaking the...
Following History’s broadcast airing of the larger-than-life miniseries event on September 1st and 2nd, Houdini is now available on Digital HD. Then, unveil even more of the secrets behind the greatest magician of all time in the extended version of Houdini on two-disc Blu-ray (plus Digital HD) and two-disc DVD (plus Digital) October 7 from Lionsgate Home Entertainment. Boasting an all-star cast including Academy Award winner Adrien Brody (Best Actor in a Leading Role, The Pianist, 2002) as The Great Harry Houdini, Kristen Connolly (Netflix’s “House of Cards”) and Evan Jones (Gangster Squad), the scripted four-hour event chronicles Houdini’s extraordinary life as he finds fame while defying death with his incredible stunts and illusions.
His ability to escape from handcuffs, strait-jackets and water tanks is legendary - breaking the...
- 9/3/2014
- by feeds@cinelinx.com (Victor Medina)
- Cinelinx
On September 1 & 2, the two-night scripted miniseries Houdini follows the epic tales of Harry Houdini as he emerges as America’s first bonafide world-renowned superstar.
Starring Academy Award winner Adrien Brody as The Great Harry Houdini, Kristen Connolly and Evan Jones, the scripted four-hour event chronicles Houdini’s extraordinary life as he finds fame while defying death with his incredible stunts and illusions.
His ability to escape from handcuffs, strait-jackets and water tanks is legendary – breaking the shackles of his past proved more challenging. History’s Houdini follows the world-renowned master of escape’s transformation from immigrant into the world’s first superstar. Driven, disciplined and actively chasing the American Dream, Houdini constantly pushed his physical limits to accomplish feats of strength that amazed audiences in an age of spectacle. And though they saw what he wanted them to see, his reality was more elusive than his escapes.
Houdini is based...
Starring Academy Award winner Adrien Brody as The Great Harry Houdini, Kristen Connolly and Evan Jones, the scripted four-hour event chronicles Houdini’s extraordinary life as he finds fame while defying death with his incredible stunts and illusions.
His ability to escape from handcuffs, strait-jackets and water tanks is legendary – breaking the shackles of his past proved more challenging. History’s Houdini follows the world-renowned master of escape’s transformation from immigrant into the world’s first superstar. Driven, disciplined and actively chasing the American Dream, Houdini constantly pushed his physical limits to accomplish feats of strength that amazed audiences in an age of spectacle. And though they saw what he wanted them to see, his reality was more elusive than his escapes.
Houdini is based...
- 8/28/2014
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Following History’s broadcast airing of the larger-than-life miniseries event on September 1 and 2, Houdini will be available on Digital HD the following day on September 3rd. Then, unveil even more of the secrets behind the greatest magician of all time in the extended version of Houdini on two-disc Blu-ray (plus Digital HD) and two-disc DVD (plus Digital) October 7 from Lionsgate Home Entertainment.
Boasting an all-star cast including Academy Award winner Adrien Brody (Best Actor in a Leading Role, The Pianist, 2002) as The Great Harry Houdini, Kristen Connolly (Netflix’s “House of Cards”) and Evan Jones (Gangster Squad), the scripted four-hour event chronicles Houdini’s extraordinary life as he finds fame while defying death with his incredible stunts and illusions.
His ability to escape from handcuffs, strait-jackets and water tanks is legendary – breaking the shackles of his past proved more challenging. History’s Houdini follows the world-renowned master of escape’s...
Boasting an all-star cast including Academy Award winner Adrien Brody (Best Actor in a Leading Role, The Pianist, 2002) as The Great Harry Houdini, Kristen Connolly (Netflix’s “House of Cards”) and Evan Jones (Gangster Squad), the scripted four-hour event chronicles Houdini’s extraordinary life as he finds fame while defying death with his incredible stunts and illusions.
His ability to escape from handcuffs, strait-jackets and water tanks is legendary – breaking the shackles of his past proved more challenging. History’s Houdini follows the world-renowned master of escape’s...
- 8/19/2014
- by Melissa Thompson
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The History Channel has released a full trailer for their new four-hour Houdini miniseries. The show will follow the life of the legendary magician from his beginnings in desperate poverty to the worldwide fame that he gained. The series stars Adrien Brody, and it looks like it's going to be pretty damn good.
Before David Blaine and David Copperfield, there was one man whose name was synonymous with being the master of illusion and escape - Harry Houdini. Houdini follows the man behind the magic as he finds fame, engages in espionage, battles spiritualists and encounters the greatest names of the era, from U.S. presidents to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Grigori Rasputin. The drama will chronicle the life of a man who can defy death through his stunts, his visions and his mastery of illusion.
Houdini stars Academy Award winner Adrien Brody (The Pianist) as the ace magician...
Before David Blaine and David Copperfield, there was one man whose name was synonymous with being the master of illusion and escape - Harry Houdini. Houdini follows the man behind the magic as he finds fame, engages in espionage, battles spiritualists and encounters the greatest names of the era, from U.S. presidents to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Grigori Rasputin. The drama will chronicle the life of a man who can defy death through his stunts, his visions and his mastery of illusion.
Houdini stars Academy Award winner Adrien Brody (The Pianist) as the ace magician...
- 8/11/2014
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
It's been a week. The third series of Sherlock ended last Sunday with Steven Moffat's 'His Last Vow', and now all that awaits is yet another painfully indefinite hiatus.
We're promised that series four and five are in the works, but neither has yet been officially confirmed by the BBC, and Moffat certainly didn't skimp on the cliffhangers with his finale. Replacing the overwhelming question mark of series two's 'How did he do it?" was a more general sense of "Wtf?" Is Moriarty really back? Are John and Mary really going to have a child? Does anyone on this show ever stay dead?
Below, we've pulled together our speculation on what's to come at 221B Baker Street.
Moriarty
Did you miss him? The strange thing about Andrew Scott's Moriarty is that he was never an integral enough part of Sherlock in its first two series for his absence...
We're promised that series four and five are in the works, but neither has yet been officially confirmed by the BBC, and Moffat certainly didn't skimp on the cliffhangers with his finale. Replacing the overwhelming question mark of series two's 'How did he do it?" was a more general sense of "Wtf?" Is Moriarty really back? Are John and Mary really going to have a child? Does anyone on this show ever stay dead?
Below, we've pulled together our speculation on what's to come at 221B Baker Street.
Moriarty
Did you miss him? The strange thing about Andrew Scott's Moriarty is that he was never an integral enough part of Sherlock in its first two series for his absence...
- 1/19/2014
- Digital Spy
How to be Sherlock Holmes: The Many Faces of a Master Detective
Sunday 12th January, 10.00Pm, BBC Four- UK Broadcast
Narrated by Peter Wyngarde
For over a hundred years, more than 80 actors have put a varying face to the world’s greatest consulting detective - Sherlock Holmes. And many of them incorporated details - such as the curved pipe and the immortal line ‘Elementary, my dear Watson’ - that never featured in Conan Doyle’s original stories.
In charting the evolution of Sherlock on screen, from early silent films to the latest film and television versions, BBC Four’s Timeshift shows how our notion of Sherlock today is as much a creation of these various screen portrayals as of the stories themselves.
How to be Sherlock Holmes: The Many Faces of a Master Detective includes clips from feature films such as Billy Wilder's The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes...
Sunday 12th January, 10.00Pm, BBC Four- UK Broadcast
Narrated by Peter Wyngarde
For over a hundred years, more than 80 actors have put a varying face to the world’s greatest consulting detective - Sherlock Holmes. And many of them incorporated details - such as the curved pipe and the immortal line ‘Elementary, my dear Watson’ - that never featured in Conan Doyle’s original stories.
In charting the evolution of Sherlock on screen, from early silent films to the latest film and television versions, BBC Four’s Timeshift shows how our notion of Sherlock today is as much a creation of these various screen portrayals as of the stories themselves.
How to be Sherlock Holmes: The Many Faces of a Master Detective includes clips from feature films such as Billy Wilder's The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes...
- 1/9/2014
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Given its impeccable track record so far with megahits Hatfields & McCoys and The Bible, a miniseries greenlight at History is big news. The cable channel’s latest long-form project to go into production is Houdini, a four-hour miniseries about the famous magician. Oscar winner Adrien Brody, who had been attached to the mini since the development stage, will play the title character, joined by Kristen Connolly (House Of Cards) as Houdini’s wife Bess. The mini, from Lionsgate and A+E Studios, the recently launched A+E Networks in-house studio headed by Bob DeBitetto, will trace the arc of Houdini’s life from desperate poverty to worldwide fame. Filming is slated to begin this fall. “It’s not magic that History has established a strong track record with its high-quality historical dramas from quality auspices,” said History’s Evp and general manager Dirk Hoogstra. “We’re excited to build on that tremendous momentum with Houdini.
- 8/19/2013
- by NELLIE ANDREEVA
- Deadline TV
History is officially in business with Houdini. The cable network announced Monday that it has ordered a four-hour miniseries about the famed magician and his wife. Adrien Brody (The Pianist) will play Houdini in the Lionsgate/A&E Studios co-production, with House of Cards' Kristen Connolly playing his wife, Bess. Oscar nominee Uli Edel will direct the project, which hails from exec producers Gerald W. Abrams (Nuremberg, Modern Marvels) and Andras Hamori (Sunshine). Nicholas Meyer (The Seven-Per-Cent Solution) will pen the series, with Patrizia von Brandenstein (Amadeus) on board as production designer. Karl Walter Lindenlaub will serve as cinematographer. The
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- 8/19/2013
- by Lesley Goldberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Primeridian Entertainment announced yesterday that the company’s principal Arcadiy Golubovich and partner Tim O’Hair will produce and finance a television project about the postwar rocket and space race between the United States and the Ussr. The company has hired acclaimed screenwriter Nicholas Meyer (Star Trek II: Wrath Of Khan) to write the pilot and series treatment for the show, which will span from the collapse of Nazi Germany through the 1960s.
Primeridian has in conjunction optioned the rights to Matthew Brzezinski’s award-winning account of the early space race, Red Moon Rising: Sputnik and the Hidden Rivalries That Ignited the Space Age. Numerous well-known experts from both countries are in discussions to consult on the project, including Sergei Khrushchev, the son of the Soviet Premier who led the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War, Nikita Khrushchev.
The untitled series will examine the tense competition between...
Primeridian has in conjunction optioned the rights to Matthew Brzezinski’s award-winning account of the early space race, Red Moon Rising: Sputnik and the Hidden Rivalries That Ignited the Space Age. Numerous well-known experts from both countries are in discussions to consult on the project, including Sergei Khrushchev, the son of the Soviet Premier who led the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War, Nikita Khrushchev.
The untitled series will examine the tense competition between...
- 6/26/2013
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
'Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan' Director Nicholas Meyer Is Writing a Cold War Space Race TV Series
Primeridian Entertainment announced today that it will be producing and financing a new television series about the post-World War II space race between the United States and the Ussr. The project will purportedly span the time between the collapse of Nazi Germany through the 1960s, covering the contentious competition between the two superpowers and their technological successes and failures. The newly launched company, who at Cannes announced a feature about Soviet dissident Alexander Solzhenitsyn to be written and directed by Cyrus Nowrasteh ("The Stoning of Soraya M."), have hired Nicholas Meyer to write the pilot. Meyer, who was nominated for an Academy Award for adapting his own novel to screen for 1976 Sherlock Holmes film "The Seven-Per-Cent Solution," directed "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" and "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country," though he only received screenplay credit for the latter. The yet untitled TV project has several expert advisors on board.
- 6/25/2013
- by Julia Selinger
- Indiewire
Primeridian Entertainment has tapped Star Trek vet Nicholas Meyer to script the pilot and treatment for an untitled TV series about the space race between the U.S. and Ussr, spanning the end of WWII through the 1960s. The neophyte banner has optioned the rights to Matthew Brzezinski’s Red Moon Rising: Sputnik And The Hidden Rivalries That Ignited the Space Age for the project and is also in talks to enlist Cold War experts like Sergei Khrushchev, son of Nikita Khrushchev, to consult. Series will focus on the competition between superpowers as both countries attempt to build on the Nazis’ V-2 designs to grow their own space programs. Primeridian is led by Arcadiy Golubovich and Tim O’Hair, who at Cannes launched a feature project based on the life of Soviet dissident Alexander Solzhenitsyn. They’ll produce and finance the untitled space project themselves. The shingle has also tapped...
- 6/25/2013
- by THE DEADLINE TEAM
- Deadline TV
We’ve all worked in a job we shouldn’t have because, well, we needed the money. I remember once spending a series of desolate evenings stuffing envelopes for a PR company, not to satisfy an overwhelming stationery fetish, but because the rent had gone up. Right now you may well be at work surreptitiously reading this article before returning your attentions to a job which is feeding relentlessly on your very soul. I’ve been there, and I feel for you.
Actors are pretty much the same. Of course, the rewards may well be much greater than those for, say, a call centre advisor, but it’s still a job. The statistics for the acting profession make scary reading, with something like 92% of actors out of work at any given time. What is most telling is that it is the same 8% who tend to work continuously whilst the remaining 92% never get a chance.
Actors are pretty much the same. Of course, the rewards may well be much greater than those for, say, a call centre advisor, but it’s still a job. The statistics for the acting profession make scary reading, with something like 92% of actors out of work at any given time. What is most telling is that it is the same 8% who tend to work continuously whilst the remaining 92% never get a chance.
- 5/1/2013
- by Basil Creese Jr
- Obsessed with Film
Almost anybody who loves sci-fi/horror books and films is familiar with the work of Karl Alexander. In 1979 his novel (with a screenplay written by Nicholas Meyer) about H. G. Wells and Jack the Ripper traveling though time and space, Time After Time, hit the big screen starring Malcolm McDowall and Mary Steenburgen. The movie was a hit and should have launched a terrific career. But why did the road turn?
My multi-part interview covers Karl's beginnings in the business right up to where he is now. He is a straight talker whose journey can open up a lot of practical doors for many of us.
What was the genesis of "Time After Time"? Was it your first novel?
First published novel, yes.
How many did you have in the cue before you finally had one published?
Three.
Over how long a period of time?
Seven years.
After three you weren't getting frustrated?...
My multi-part interview covers Karl's beginnings in the business right up to where he is now. He is a straight talker whose journey can open up a lot of practical doors for many of us.
What was the genesis of "Time After Time"? Was it your first novel?
First published novel, yes.
How many did you have in the cue before you finally had one published?
Three.
Over how long a period of time?
Seven years.
After three you weren't getting frustrated?...
- 4/3/2013
- by Del Howison
- FEARnet
Nicholas Meyer (Star Trek II, IV, VI; The Seven-Per-Cent Solution) talked with Hollywonk recently about the overlapping fandoms of Star Trek and Sherlock Holmes:
Well, Spock is surely another riff on Holmes, isn’t he? In Star Trek 6, he implies that he is descended from Holmes. When the movie played, and it was a very successful film, you could walk into any theater, and the moment Spock said this one line ( “An ancestor of mine maintained that if you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains – however improbable – must be the truth.”) half the audience roared because they got the reference. So that’s how I know Star Trek people and Holmes people have a big overlap.”
Which is only going to get bigger, with the modern-day Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) appearing in the much-anticipated Star Trek Into Darkness.
Hear more from Meyer about Holmes and Star Trek.
Well, Spock is surely another riff on Holmes, isn’t he? In Star Trek 6, he implies that he is descended from Holmes. When the movie played, and it was a very successful film, you could walk into any theater, and the moment Spock said this one line ( “An ancestor of mine maintained that if you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains – however improbable – must be the truth.”) half the audience roared because they got the reference. So that’s how I know Star Trek people and Holmes people have a big overlap.”
Which is only going to get bigger, with the modern-day Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) appearing in the much-anticipated Star Trek Into Darkness.
Hear more from Meyer about Holmes and Star Trek.
- 3/21/2013
- Hollywonk
Review Frances Roberts Feb 8, 2013
Sherlock's past returns to haunt him in this week's addiction-probing episode of Elementary...
This review contains spoilers.
1.15 A Giant Gun, Filled With Drugs
Non-Superbowl watching non-Sherlocks like myself may have missed the fact that Elementary ran an extra episode this week, The Deductionist. A serial killer case featuring an FBI Profiler with whom Holmes had a past sexual dalliance, the episode was one of the show's most mainstream crime TV instalments yet. Underneath all the CSI stuff though, was a fascinating thread of character development for our Holmes, a man revealed to be frustrated with his predictable slide into addiction and filled with dread at the prospect of a potential relapse.
It was pleasantly in keeping then, that A Giant Gun, Filled With Drugs also swung the spotlight onto Holmes’ drug history by putting the character in a position of extreme temptation.
John Hannah guested...
Sherlock's past returns to haunt him in this week's addiction-probing episode of Elementary...
This review contains spoilers.
1.15 A Giant Gun, Filled With Drugs
Non-Superbowl watching non-Sherlocks like myself may have missed the fact that Elementary ran an extra episode this week, The Deductionist. A serial killer case featuring an FBI Profiler with whom Holmes had a past sexual dalliance, the episode was one of the show's most mainstream crime TV instalments yet. Underneath all the CSI stuff though, was a fascinating thread of character development for our Holmes, a man revealed to be frustrated with his predictable slide into addiction and filled with dread at the prospect of a potential relapse.
It was pleasantly in keeping then, that A Giant Gun, Filled With Drugs also swung the spotlight onto Holmes’ drug history by putting the character in a position of extreme temptation.
John Hannah guested...
- 2/8/2013
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
Welcome Back to The Stack. I'm your host Dave Canfield here with a bunch of fun! In all seriousness, I am mucho grateful for all the folks who fired off the following releases for review. I'd barely seen Any of these films before. Fox sent the Die Hard 25th Anniversary Collection. Shout Factory sent Wes Craven's Deadly Blessing, the awesome eighties monster schlock The Nest and th awesome bit of Sherlockania (yes that Is a real word) The Seven-Per-Cent Solution that teams Sherlock and Watson up with none other than Sigmund Freud. Other titles include a pair of the best docs I've seen recently, The Imposter and Searching For Sugarman, and lastly the incredible new animated film from master Michel Ocelet, Tales of the NightI. You can watch the entire episode...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 2/6/2013
- Screen Anarchy
Moviefone's New Release Pick of the Week "Pina" (Criterion Collection) What's It About? Director Wim Wenders ("Paris, Texas," "Wings of Desire") tells the story of Pina Bausch, an acclaimed German dance choreographer and instructor who passed away just days before the start of the planned documentary; Wenders films her most celebrated works on the streets of Germany and on a stage filled with waterfalls, sand and the wild elements of earth. And he shot it all in 3D. See It Because: "Pina" eschews the characteristics of a regular documentary and being able to witness her creativity in action -- with genuinely hypnotic 3D technology -- is the best tribute possible to a unique artistic identity. Lastly, It's a German 3D dance film. If you're not at least enticed on a visual level, we're not sure what to tell you. New on DVD & Blu-ray "Death Race 3: Inferno" What's It About?...
- 1/22/2013
- by Eric Larnick
- Moviefone
Lots of interesting stuff in stores this week, particularly if you're in the mood for a good documentary or two. The biggest releases of the week are End of Watch, the acclaimed cop thriller starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena, and Lee Daniels' The Paperboy, which received much more divisive reviews. Other new movies hitting stores today include Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning, Nature Calls starring Johnny Knoxville and Patton Oswalt, and Takashi Miike's Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai. Non-fiction fans won't want to miss The Imposter, along with Searching for Sugar Man, Pina and Beauty is Embarrassing, and new to Blu-ray this week we have the 1976 Sherlock Holmes flick The Seven-Per-Cent Solution. What will you be buying or renting this week? Check out the full list of releases after the jump. Amazon.com Widgets
For More Daily Movie Goodness, Visit Filmjunk.Com!
For More Daily Movie Goodness, Visit Filmjunk.Com!
- 1/22/2013
- by Sean
- FilmJunk
Apparently there’s no accounting for taste; The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 is leading the pack in Blu-Ray pre-sales this week, closely followed by Taken 2 and Skyfall. After a lengthy run, The Dark Knight Rises has fallen to number 12 on the bestselling Blu-Ray sales charts and it will be sorely missed (thankfully I already own the film and you should too).
This week, Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña star as two boys in blue in End of Watch, a classic samurai film gets a reboot, and a little-known Sherlock Holmes film finally arrives on Blu-Ray.
Ready for this week’s picks? Then read on.
End of Watch
Release Date: January 22nd, 2013
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Peña, Anna Kendrick, America Ferrera, Frank Grillo, and Natalie Martinez.
Director: David Ayer
An American thriller drama film written and directed by David Ayer ( who also wrote Training Day and The Fast and the Furious...
This week, Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña star as two boys in blue in End of Watch, a classic samurai film gets a reboot, and a little-known Sherlock Holmes film finally arrives on Blu-Ray.
Ready for this week’s picks? Then read on.
End of Watch
Release Date: January 22nd, 2013
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Peña, Anna Kendrick, America Ferrera, Frank Grillo, and Natalie Martinez.
Director: David Ayer
An American thriller drama film written and directed by David Ayer ( who also wrote Training Day and The Fast and the Furious...
- 1/18/2013
- by C.P. Howells
- We Got This Covered
One of the most anticipated films of 2013 is Star Trek: Into Darkness, which finally comes out this May. After the trailer dropped late last year, there was plenty of speculation about how it connects to another Star Trek II from more than thirty years ago. Questions were asked – is this about Khan? what exactly is Sherlock doing in this movie? will Kirk and Spock finally make out? and will we ever get to see the green girl’s boobies this time around? It seems fitting to kick off the new year with a look back at Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, especially after all the hubbub it made as part of the beloved Summer of ’82 from last year alone. The older DVD and the more recent Blu-ray release includes director Nicholas Meyer’s commentary, in which he talks about Shatner’s acting, learning to direct, and (spoiler alert!) the...
- 1/3/2013
- by Kevin Carr
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
HollywoodNews.com: The 16th Annual Hollywood Film Awards, presented by the Los Angeles Times, is pleased to announce that the feature "Argo," directed by Ben Affleck, will receive the "Hollywood Ensemble Acting Award." "We are very proud to recognize the ensemble cast of "Argo," for their dramatic and outstanding performances," said Carlos de Abreu, Founder and Executive Director of the Hollywood Film Awards. The 2012 Hollywood Film Awards has also announced that it will honor director David O. Russell with the "Hollywood Director Award"; Oscar-winning actor Robert De Niro with the "Hollywood Supporting Actor Award"; Academy Award-winning actress Marion Cotillard with the "Hollywood Actress Award"; three-time Academy Award-nominated actress Amy Adams with the "Hollywood Supporting Actress Award"; producers Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner with the "Hollywood Producers Award"; writer/director Judd Apatow with the "Hollywood Comedy Award"; actor John Hawkes with the "Hollywood Breakout Performance Award" for "The Sessions"; and Quvenzhané Wallis...
- 10/3/2012
- by Josh Abraham
- Hollywoodnews.com
Benedict Cumberbatch: In the BBC series "Sherlock," which comes to U.S. viewers via "Masterpiece Mystery!" on PBS, Cumberbatch plays a thoroughly modern incarnation of Sherlock Holmes, who makes liberal use of texting, the Internet and Gps devices to solve crimes. It certainly doesn't hurt that the actor is exceedingly easy on the eyes.
Robert Downey Jr.: Although they're set in the Victorian England of the original stories, Downey's two (so far) feature-film turns as Holmes bring a certain 21st-century sensibility to the tales, making them accessible to an audience raised on big-screen blockbusters.
Jeremy Brett: Many consider Brett's portrayal of Holmes in four seasons of a British series -- also seen here on PBS - the definitive screen Sherlock of its time, if not all time. He played the role in a total of 41 episodes from 1984 to 1994 and might have continued had he not died at...
Robert Downey Jr.: Although they're set in the Victorian England of the original stories, Downey's two (so far) feature-film turns as Holmes bring a certain 21st-century sensibility to the tales, making them accessible to an audience raised on big-screen blockbusters.
Jeremy Brett: Many consider Brett's portrayal of Holmes in four seasons of a British series -- also seen here on PBS - the definitive screen Sherlock of its time, if not all time. He played the role in a total of 41 episodes from 1984 to 1994 and might have continued had he not died at...
- 9/27/2012
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
Taking a page from the successful programs that Warner Bros. and other studios have launched, Amazon has unveiled their “Never Before On DVD” store, which will make DVD copies available for films and television shows that have not yet made the leap to home video.
The catalog currently boasts more than 2,000 titles from the vaults of Disney, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, most of which had already been available from Warner Archive or other similar services. It also includes current content (mostly in the form of reality television) from CBS Networks, Lionsgate Home Entertainment, MTV Networks, Nickelodeon and Universal Studios Home Entertainment, with seasons of short-lived TV shows like "Mr. Sunshine" or "Dark Blue" appearing on disc for the first time.
The store will utilize Amazon’s CreateSpace DVD on demand service, which literally makes discs and packaging after you have ordered them,...
The catalog currently boasts more than 2,000 titles from the vaults of Disney, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, most of which had already been available from Warner Archive or other similar services. It also includes current content (mostly in the form of reality television) from CBS Networks, Lionsgate Home Entertainment, MTV Networks, Nickelodeon and Universal Studios Home Entertainment, with seasons of short-lived TV shows like "Mr. Sunshine" or "Dark Blue" appearing on disc for the first time.
The store will utilize Amazon’s CreateSpace DVD on demand service, which literally makes discs and packaging after you have ordered them,...
- 5/27/2012
- by Cain Rodriguez
- The Playlist
Actor whose unpredictability never undermined his electrifying talent
Nicol Williamson, whose death of oesophageal cancer at the age of 73 has been announced, was arguably the most electrifying actor of his generation, but one whose career flickered and faded like a faulty light fitting. Tall and wiry, with a rasping scowl of a voice, a battered baby face and a mop of unruly curls, he was the best modern Hamlet since John Gielgud, and certainly the angriest, though he scuppered his own performance at the Round House, north London, in 1969, by apologising to the audience and walking off the stage. The experience was recycled in a 1991 Broadway comedy called I Hate Hamlet, in which he proved his point and fell out badly with his co-star.
Williamson's greatest performance was as the dissolute and disintegrating lawyer Bill Maitland in John Osborne's Inadmissible Evidence at the Royal Court theatre in 1964. It was...
Nicol Williamson, whose death of oesophageal cancer at the age of 73 has been announced, was arguably the most electrifying actor of his generation, but one whose career flickered and faded like a faulty light fitting. Tall and wiry, with a rasping scowl of a voice, a battered baby face and a mop of unruly curls, he was the best modern Hamlet since John Gielgud, and certainly the angriest, though he scuppered his own performance at the Round House, north London, in 1969, by apologising to the audience and walking off the stage. The experience was recycled in a 1991 Broadway comedy called I Hate Hamlet, in which he proved his point and fell out badly with his co-star.
Williamson's greatest performance was as the dissolute and disintegrating lawyer Bill Maitland in John Osborne's Inadmissible Evidence at the Royal Court theatre in 1964. It was...
- 1/27/2012
- by Michael Coveney
- The Guardian - Film News
Stage and screen actor Nicol Williamson, who played Hamlet onstage and Merlin on screen, died of esophageal cancer on December 16 in Amsterdam, where he had been living since 1970. His son announced the death yesterday, January 25. Reports vary on Williamson's age; he was either 73 or 75. For those familiar only with Williamson's movie work, he was best remembered for his cocaine-addicted Sherlock Holmes in Herbert Ross' The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (1976) and for his campy Merlin in John Boorman's Excalibur (1981, photo). Based on Nicholas Meyer's novel, in The Seven-Per-Cent Solution Dr. Watson (Robert Duvall) entices Holmes to seek psychiatric help with none other than a pre-Viggo Mortensen Sigmund Freud: Alan Arkin. (Here's wondering if Shakespeare's shrink, as found in John Madden's Shakespeare in Love, was inspired by the Holmes-Freud relationship in Ross' movie.) Though made for a modest $4 million (about $16 million today), The Seven-Per-Cent Solution turned out to be...
- 1/26/2012
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Nicol Williamson, the British actor best known for his role as the wizard Merlin in the 1981 film "Excalibur" and as Sherlock Holmes in 1976's "The Seven-Per-Cent Solution," died of esophageal cancer on December 16th in Amsterdam, where he had lived for more than two decades. He was 75. Williamson had dozens of film credits to his name but won more acclaim for his stage acting. Playwright John Osborne once described him as "the greatest actor since Marlon Brando." He was nominated for a Tony Award in 1966 for his role in Osborne's "Inadmissible Evidence" and again in 1974 for Chekhov's "Uncle Vanya." He also was nominated three times for acting honors at the British Academy Film Awards, Britain's equivalent of the Oscars. In films, he was an acclaimed wizard Merlin in John Boorman's "Excalibur" and also played Little John to Sean Connery's Robin Hood and Audrey Hepburn's Lady Marian in the 1976 movie "Robin and Marian.
- 1/26/2012
- WorstPreviews.com
The Telegraph is reporting that actor Nicol Williamson (Excalibur, Robin And Marian) has sadly passed away.
Barely three months after Inadmissible Evidence, the John Osborne play that made his name, was revived in London, Nicol Williamson has died, aged 73, in Holland.
The colourful Scot - who was described by Osborne as the greatest actor since Marlon Brando, and, by Samuel Beckett, as “touched by genius” had not made a film since 1997′s superhero picture Spawn. He had, in recent years, been concentrating on music.
His son, Luke, by his former wife Jill Townsend, tells Mandrake that he died just before Christmas after a two-year fight with oesophageal cancer and was eager that no fuss should be made about his passing. To modern filmgoers, he is probably best known for The Exorcist III and for playing Merlin in Excalibur.
I’ve always held a soft spot for this actor. Loved him...
Barely three months after Inadmissible Evidence, the John Osborne play that made his name, was revived in London, Nicol Williamson has died, aged 73, in Holland.
The colourful Scot - who was described by Osborne as the greatest actor since Marlon Brando, and, by Samuel Beckett, as “touched by genius” had not made a film since 1997′s superhero picture Spawn. He had, in recent years, been concentrating on music.
His son, Luke, by his former wife Jill Townsend, tells Mandrake that he died just before Christmas after a two-year fight with oesophageal cancer and was eager that no fuss should be made about his passing. To modern filmgoers, he is probably best known for The Exorcist III and for playing Merlin in Excalibur.
I’ve always held a soft spot for this actor. Loved him...
- 1/25/2012
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Nicol Williamson who played Merlin in John Boorman's Excalibur, dies of cancer. The British actor known for his memorable role as Merlin in the 1981 film, as well as The Seven-Per-Cent Solution as Sherlock Holmes died in Amsterdam on December 16th of esophageal cancer, reports Variety. Sad news indeed. I remember watching Excalibur over 20 times at least when I was younger. A timeless classic that can be watched today and still be incredibly powerful. Williamson was nominated for 2 BAFTA Film Awards for 1968's The Bofors Gun and Inadmissible Evidence in the same year. He also scored a BAFTA TV Award for his work in 1972's The Gangster Show: The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui.
- 1/25/2012
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Sad news as Merlin in Excalibur Nicol Williamson dies aged 75
Nicol Williamson who played Merlin in John Boorman's Excalibur, dies of cancer. The British actor known for his memorable role as Merlin in the 1981 film, as well as The Seven-Per-Cent Solution as Sherlock Holmes died in Amsterdam on December 16th of esophageal cancer, reports Variety. Sad news indeed. I remember watching Excalibur over 20 times at least when I was younger. A timeless classic that can be watched today and still be incredibly powerful. Williamson was nominated for 2 BAFTA Film Awards for 1968's The Bofors Gun and Inadmissible Evidence in the same year. He also scored a BAFTA TV Award for his work in 1972's The Gangster Show: The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui.
- 1/25/2012
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Nicol Williamson who played Merlin in John Boorman's Excalibur, dies of cancer. The British actor known for his memorable role as Merlin in the 1981 film, as well as The Seven-Per-Cent Solution as Sherlock Holmes died in Amsterdam on December 16th of esophageal cancer, reports Variety. Sad news indeed. I remember watching Excalibur over 20 times at least when I was younger. A timeless classic that can be watched today and still be incredibly powerful. Williamson was nominated for 2 BAFTA Film Awards for 1968's The Bofors Gun and Inadmissible Evidence in the same year. He also scored a BAFTA TV Award for his work in 1972's The Gangster Show: The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui.
- 1/25/2012
- Upcoming-Movies.com
It's Ho Ho Holmes as a blizzard of festive season franchises takes over our cinemas. But why are they all so retro?
The Christmas Franchise Frenzy gets under way this week, a steady, unceasing carpet-bombardment of the world's multiplexes starting with an epic face-off – at the box-office, at least – between the oddly archaic figure of Sherlock Holmes, and Mission: Impossible's Ethan Hunt, now only slightly less retro, give or take eight decades, than Holmes himself. One retooled franchise from yesteryear versus another, with the similarly aged Alvin And The Chipmunks: Chipwrecked nibbling up the crumbs, perhaps hoping in vain to avenge the box-office spanking that Alvin And The Chipmunks: The Squeakwel suffered at the hands of the first Sherlock Holmes movie over Christmas 2009.
Funny to notice it's all non-superhero action movies for Christmas this year; I guess superheroes, given all their testosterone, are a spring and summer phenomenon,...
The Christmas Franchise Frenzy gets under way this week, a steady, unceasing carpet-bombardment of the world's multiplexes starting with an epic face-off – at the box-office, at least – between the oddly archaic figure of Sherlock Holmes, and Mission: Impossible's Ethan Hunt, now only slightly less retro, give or take eight decades, than Holmes himself. One retooled franchise from yesteryear versus another, with the similarly aged Alvin And The Chipmunks: Chipwrecked nibbling up the crumbs, perhaps hoping in vain to avenge the box-office spanking that Alvin And The Chipmunks: The Squeakwel suffered at the hands of the first Sherlock Holmes movie over Christmas 2009.
Funny to notice it's all non-superhero action movies for Christmas this year; I guess superheroes, given all their testosterone, are a spring and summer phenomenon,...
- 12/17/2011
- by John Patterson
- The Guardian - Film News
Perhaps nearly any classy English actor could have played Sherlock Holmes – if not elementary, it's fundamental to a certain type of career
I'm typing this in Baskerville; it's the only way to go with the astonishing parade of Baker Street irregulars, the actors who have played the great detective in one medium or another. We are about to receive the second picture in the latest manifestation, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. The wonders of film number one (just plain Sherlock Holmes) in what may end up a wearying franchise included a gross Us income of over $200m, a real part for Jude Law (Watson), and the realisation Robert Downey Jr had found the vehicle for his languid-depraved attitude (the thinking man's Johnny Depp) and his urge to get away with whatever came into his head – plus, it seemed to resurrect the career of director Guy Ritchie whose insecure grasp...
I'm typing this in Baskerville; it's the only way to go with the astonishing parade of Baker Street irregulars, the actors who have played the great detective in one medium or another. We are about to receive the second picture in the latest manifestation, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. The wonders of film number one (just plain Sherlock Holmes) in what may end up a wearying franchise included a gross Us income of over $200m, a real part for Jude Law (Watson), and the realisation Robert Downey Jr had found the vehicle for his languid-depraved attitude (the thinking man's Johnny Depp) and his urge to get away with whatever came into his head – plus, it seemed to resurrect the career of director Guy Ritchie whose insecure grasp...
- 12/2/2011
- by David Thomson
- The Guardian - Film News
Every generation puts their own stamp on the legend of Sherlock Holmes, the Victorian-era detective with an encyclopedic knowledge of Victorian-era skullduggery and a casual preference for Victorian-era cocaine. The Basil Rathbone films shifted the action forward to the 1940s, with Holmes fighting Nazis; Nicholas Meyer’s The Seven-Per-Cent Solution portrayed the detective as a drug addict wrestling with semi-Freudian memories of his father murdering his mother (so basically imagine Ang Lee’s Hulk); Alan Moore’s The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen re-conceived Holmes as a mysterious, semi-mythic catalyst for the whole modern era of invention and imagination.
So 2009′s...
So 2009′s...
- 7/13/2011
- by Darren Franich
- EW - Inside Movies
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