Monsters are everywhere! Godzilla and Kong are going at it once again (this time as a double act) and now Abigail has hit screens, a movie about a heist gone wrong where the loot is an adorable 12-year-old ballerina. Starring Dan Stevens, Melissa Barrera and Kathryn Newton and directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett aka Radio Silence, who made the raucous Ready Or Not (as well as the most recent Scream movies), it’s a gore-soaked genre love letter that at one point had ties to the Universal Monsters canon.
Without Abigail spoilers, that’s not entirely evident in the finished product, which is nonetheless an absolute blast but it feels like a good time to celebrate the rich history of these creature features. After all, they aren’t going away anytime soon. From Leigh Whannell’s excellent take on The Invisible Man in 2020 to Zelda Williams and Diablo Cody’s Liza Frankenstein,...
Without Abigail spoilers, that’s not entirely evident in the finished product, which is nonetheless an absolute blast but it feels like a good time to celebrate the rich history of these creature features. After all, they aren’t going away anytime soon. From Leigh Whannell’s excellent take on The Invisible Man in 2020 to Zelda Williams and Diablo Cody’s Liza Frankenstein,...
- 4/22/2024
- by Louisa Mellor
- Den of Geek
The age rating for the 1964 “Mary Poppins” has been increased in the U.K. due to “discriminatory language.”
On Friday, the British Board of Film Classification upped the Disney movie’s cinema rating from U, meaning it contained “no material likely to offend or harm,” to PG for “discriminatory language.”
In a statement to Variety, a BBFC spokesperson said that the film “includes two uses of the discriminatory term ‘hottentots’. While ‘Mary Poppins’ has a historical context, the use of discriminatory language is not condemned, and ultimately exceeds our guidelines for acceptable language at U. We therefore classified the film PG for discriminatory language.”
The word is a racially insensitive term for the Khoekhoe, an indigenous group in South Africa. The BBFC further explained that the word is used in the film by Admiral Boom (Reginald Owen), including when referring to the chimney sweeps whose faces are covered in soot.
On Friday, the British Board of Film Classification upped the Disney movie’s cinema rating from U, meaning it contained “no material likely to offend or harm,” to PG for “discriminatory language.”
In a statement to Variety, a BBFC spokesperson said that the film “includes two uses of the discriminatory term ‘hottentots’. While ‘Mary Poppins’ has a historical context, the use of discriminatory language is not condemned, and ultimately exceeds our guidelines for acceptable language at U. We therefore classified the film PG for discriminatory language.”
The word is a racially insensitive term for the Khoekhoe, an indigenous group in South Africa. The BBFC further explained that the word is used in the film by Admiral Boom (Reginald Owen), including when referring to the chimney sweeps whose faces are covered in soot.
- 2/26/2024
- by Ellise Shafer
- Variety Film + TV
Near the end of Billy Wilder’s Witness for the Prosecution, after the central court case seems all but completely settled, senior barrister Sir Wilfrid Robarts (Charles Laughton) contemplates the surprising evidence that’s just been presented. “It’s a little too neat, too tidy, and altogether too symmetrical,” he remarks. It’s a comment that begs to be read through the lens of Wilder’s own wry approach to filmmaking, which often feels throughout his canon like an alchemic combination of effortless story execution, pinpoint humor, and acting masterclass.
Wilder effects an outward feeling of wily and out of control scenarios that are running like well-oiled machines within. The ending of Witness for the Prosecution exemplifies this by throwing its characters’ preceding buttoned-up decorum out of whack, as they race through a procession of sudden revelations that contain a clear logic and purpose. But per Wilder’s wont, the...
Wilder effects an outward feeling of wily and out of control scenarios that are running like well-oiled machines within. The ending of Witness for the Prosecution exemplifies this by throwing its characters’ preceding buttoned-up decorum out of whack, as they race through a procession of sudden revelations that contain a clear logic and purpose. But per Wilder’s wont, the...
- 2/13/2024
- by Clayton Dillard
- Slant Magazine
Frankenhooker, Gremlins 2, The Bride Of Frankenstein, The Fly, Beauty And The BeastScreenshot: Synapse, Warner Bros., Universal, 20th Century Fox, DisCina
There’s something about monsters. Those drippy, growly, hairy freaks that challenge beauty standards and carry shrieking damsels to the depths. However, something strange happens in those depths where...
There’s something about monsters. Those drippy, growly, hairy freaks that challenge beauty standards and carry shrieking damsels to the depths. However, something strange happens in those depths where...
- 2/9/2024
- by Matt Schimkowitz
- avclub.com
From the era of silent movies through present day, Universal Pictures has been regarded as the home of the monsters. Universal Classic Monsters: The Essential Collection showcases eight of the most iconic monsters in motion picture history including Dracula, Frankenstein, the Mummy, the Invisible Man, the Bride of Frankenstein, the Wolf Man, Phantom of the Opera, and Creature from the Black Lagoon. Starring Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney Jr., Claude Rains, and Elsa Lanchester in the roles that they made famous, these original films set the standard for a new horror genre with revolutionary makeup, mood-altering cinematography, and groundbreaking special effects. Featuring over 12 hours of revealing bonus features plus an exclusive collectible book, each film has been digitally restored from high resolution film elements for the ultimate classic monster experience.
Universal Classic Monsters: The Essential Collection is available on 4K Uhd Blu-ray on February 13.
Enter for your chance to...
Universal Classic Monsters: The Essential Collection is available on 4K Uhd Blu-ray on February 13.
Enter for your chance to...
- 2/4/2024
- by Slant Staff
- Slant Magazine
What makes a great courtroom thriller? A mesmerizing and clever plot that draws viewers in immediately. Three-dimensional characters that keep you guessing if they are the guilty party and twists and turns that leave audiences gasping and gob smacked.
Justine Triet’s dazzling French thriller “Anatomy of a Fall” has all the qualities and then some that make it a classic of the genre. Since winning the Palme D’or last May, “Anatomy of a Fall” has continued its winning ways receiving several critics’ honors, as well as two Golden Globes, a Critics Choice honor and seven BAFTA nominations including best film, best director, screenplay and best actress for Sandra Huller’s powerhouse performance. One can’t forget that Messi, the border collie ,who plays the family pet Snoop, received the Palm Dog at Cannes.
Huller plays a bisexual woman with a troubled marriage and a young blind son. When...
Justine Triet’s dazzling French thriller “Anatomy of a Fall” has all the qualities and then some that make it a classic of the genre. Since winning the Palme D’or last May, “Anatomy of a Fall” has continued its winning ways receiving several critics’ honors, as well as two Golden Globes, a Critics Choice honor and seven BAFTA nominations including best film, best director, screenplay and best actress for Sandra Huller’s powerhouse performance. One can’t forget that Messi, the border collie ,who plays the family pet Snoop, received the Palm Dog at Cannes.
Huller plays a bisexual woman with a troubled marriage and a young blind son. When...
- 1/18/2024
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Almost 90 years ago, Elsa Lanchester made history when the titular Bride of Frankenstein was quickened to life by a bolt of lightning—plus the eager gaze of two men who wanted to “create” a woman without the aid of an actual woman. To this day, it’s an iconic moment in cinema. And a fleeting one. In fact, “the Bride,” as she is christened by her makers, is never even allowed to leave the lab.
After all this time, Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone’s Poor Things corrects that oversight. While the new decadently weird dark comedy could never be mistaken for a horror movie, I am quite certain it will horrify some folks, perhaps including Oscar voters, who I doubt have gotten nearly so cosmopolitan as Poor Things’ champions suggest. For others, though, Stone’s galvanizing Bella Baxter is sure to become a cinematic legend in her own right,...
After all this time, Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone’s Poor Things corrects that oversight. While the new decadently weird dark comedy could never be mistaken for a horror movie, I am quite certain it will horrify some folks, perhaps including Oscar voters, who I doubt have gotten nearly so cosmopolitan as Poor Things’ champions suggest. For others, though, Stone’s galvanizing Bella Baxter is sure to become a cinematic legend in her own right,...
- 11/27/2023
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
There’s no shortage of brilliant detectives in novels, film and television, but one of the greatest — or at least the one with the fanciest facial hair — is Hercule Poirot. The Belgian investigator, created by Agatha Christie, has appeared 33 novels, more than 50 short stories, and has been played by a variety of iconic actors.
But for whatever reason, Poirot has only sporadically appeared on the big screen, with many of his earliest movie appearances being lost to time, while some of his other noteworthy adventures were rewritten as vehicles for Christie’s other beloved creation, Miss Marple.
Here we take a look at the various theatrically-released adventures of Hercule Poirot, from the 1930s to today, and see which of his mysteries were truly worth solving.
Photo credit: Columbia
Honorable Mention: “Murder By Death” (1976)
Neil Simon’s wacky spoof of the supersleuth genre, directed by Robert Moore, features an all-star cast...
But for whatever reason, Poirot has only sporadically appeared on the big screen, with many of his earliest movie appearances being lost to time, while some of his other noteworthy adventures were rewritten as vehicles for Christie’s other beloved creation, Miss Marple.
Here we take a look at the various theatrically-released adventures of Hercule Poirot, from the 1930s to today, and see which of his mysteries were truly worth solving.
Photo credit: Columbia
Honorable Mention: “Murder By Death” (1976)
Neil Simon’s wacky spoof of the supersleuth genre, directed by Robert Moore, features an all-star cast...
- 9/15/2023
- by William Bibbiani
- The Wrap
Sequels are practically as old as cinema, with the very first thought to be The Fall of a Nation (1916), a cheapie knockoff/follow-up to the incredibly racist The Birth of a Nation from a year earlier. Ever since Hollywood has been keen to cash-in on sequels and ongoing sagas. Before the term “movie franchise” was even a glint in a studio executive’s eye, MGM was churning out high-quality Thin Man movies at MGM throughout the 1930s and ‘40s while Universal was introducing us to both Dracula’s Daughter (1936) and Son of Frankenstein (1939). One must wonder why the studio never got those two crazy kids together.
And yet, while sequels have been around forever, they’ve generally been seen as lesser-than until recently. By their nature, sequels are derivative, and there have been many filmmakers who were all too happy to embrace sameness while filling their working hours before and after lunch.
And yet, while sequels have been around forever, they’ve generally been seen as lesser-than until recently. By their nature, sequels are derivative, and there have been many filmmakers who were all too happy to embrace sameness while filling their working hours before and after lunch.
- 6/6/2023
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
Poor Elsa Lanchester and poor Bride of Frankenstein. Despite being the title character of James Whale’s 1935 horror-comedy masterpiece, this ghoulish undead creature only gets about five minutes of proper screen time. Whale’s camera certainly basks in her visage, which by design is far more glamorous than makeup artist Jack Pierce’s other creature feature designs for the Universal Monsters. Nonetheless, after finally being brought to life, the character, who is almost insultingly dubbed “the Monster’s Mate” in the credits, gets to walk once or twice around the lab and is then obliterated—burned to a cinder because she had the audacity to (like everyone else) be repulsed by Boris Karloff’s misunderstood monster.
Emma Stone appears poised to change that in what should be one of this year’s most intriguing films: Poor Things.
As Lanthimos’ first feature since the Oscar-winning The Favourite in 2018, the film is...
Emma Stone appears poised to change that in what should be one of this year’s most intriguing films: Poor Things.
As Lanthimos’ first feature since the Oscar-winning The Favourite in 2018, the film is...
- 5/11/2023
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
Directors Matt Betinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett are unafraid to step into the shadow of legends. They already did it once to bloody good results when the pair—who along with producer Chad Villella form the horror collective Radio Silence—became the first directors to take the reins of the Scream franchise from the late, great Wes Craven. Fresh off the success of the gruesome and hilarious Ready or Not (2019), the duo homaged Craven’s legacy while making Ghostface their own in the 2022 legacy sequel (or “requel” as they call it within that film).
Yet this turned out to be just the opening act ahead of last March’s Scream VI, the scariest Ghostface movie in decades where the chatty, movie-savvy killer followed Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega to the Big Apple. It also proved to be the biggest hit in the franchise’s history, with the pic setting a series-best...
Yet this turned out to be just the opening act ahead of last March’s Scream VI, the scariest Ghostface movie in decades where the chatty, movie-savvy killer followed Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega to the Big Apple. It also proved to be the biggest hit in the franchise’s history, with the pic setting a series-best...
- 4/28/2023
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
David Finfer, the Academy Award-nominated film editor of “The Fugitive,” died on Monday following complications that resulted from a heart attack. He was 80.
Finfer was nominated for the Oscar as well as the American Cinema Editors and BAFTA awards for editing the 1993 film “The Fugitive,” which starred Harrison Ford.
He worked with Albert Brooks on several movies including “Real Life,” “”Lost in America,” “Modern Romance” and “Defending Your Life.”
Finfer’s career as a film editor took off with his first feature credit on “Ya Gotta Walk it like You Talk it or You’ll Lose that Beat.” He continued to work on a number of comedy and teen/family movies including “Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey,” “Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion,” “Snow Day,” “Waiting…” and “The Tooth Fairy.”
His other editing credits include “Inside Out,” “Soul Man” and “Boxing Helena.”
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y. in 1942, Finfer...
Finfer was nominated for the Oscar as well as the American Cinema Editors and BAFTA awards for editing the 1993 film “The Fugitive,” which starred Harrison Ford.
He worked with Albert Brooks on several movies including “Real Life,” “”Lost in America,” “Modern Romance” and “Defending Your Life.”
Finfer’s career as a film editor took off with his first feature credit on “Ya Gotta Walk it like You Talk it or You’ll Lose that Beat.” He continued to work on a number of comedy and teen/family movies including “Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey,” “Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion,” “Snow Day,” “Waiting…” and “The Tooth Fairy.”
His other editing credits include “Inside Out,” “Soul Man” and “Boxing Helena.”
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y. in 1942, Finfer...
- 4/7/2023
- by McKinley Franklin
- Variety Film + TV
Having a premiere at SXSW last year turned out to be a charm for directing duo The Daniels, and although awards lightning most likely won’t strike this year for this somewhat niche horror pastiche, hopefully its creators — Australian double-act the Cairnes brothers — will get their own media moment as a result. That Late Night With the Devil is one for the myriad genre festivals that abound internationally is a no-brainer, but the Cairneses deserve a bit more consideration than that for their film’s wry engagement with U.S. history and pop culture, despite shooting their New York-set film entirely in Melbourne.
Related Story SXSW Preview + Hot List: Movies With Ewan McGregor, Sydney Sweeney, Karen Gillan, Anthony Mackie & More Related Story 'Dungeons And Dragons: Honor Among Thieves' Review: Chris Pine Leads Group Of Unsung Heroes In Adaptation Of Famed Table-Top Game – SXSW Related Story 'National Anthem' Review: Luke Gilford's Light,...
Related Story SXSW Preview + Hot List: Movies With Ewan McGregor, Sydney Sweeney, Karen Gillan, Anthony Mackie & More Related Story 'Dungeons And Dragons: Honor Among Thieves' Review: Chris Pine Leads Group Of Unsung Heroes In Adaptation Of Famed Table-Top Game – SXSW Related Story 'National Anthem' Review: Luke Gilford's Light,...
- 3/11/2023
- by Damon Wise
- Deadline Film + TV
The launch of innovative thrillers like “Glass Onion” and “Bullet Train” has re-ignited the love for this classic genre. These films are a potent concoction of action, suspense, crime, and sci-fi – prepared to keep viewers in an endless loop of anticipation (or fear).
IMDb makes it a breeze for thriller fanatics to find the cream of the crop. From award-winning classics like “Witness for the Prosecution” that form this genre’s identity to worldwide successes such as “Parasite.” It even includes two dark superhero movies from “The Dark Knight” franchise among its top-rated gems.
Ranked Best Thriller Movies [Sortable Table] Rank Title Year IMDb Metascore 18 Witness for the Prosecution 1957 8.4 76 17 The Lives of Others 2006 8.4 89 16 Rear Window 1954 8.5 100 15 Oldboy 2003 8.4 77 14 Psycho 1960 8.5 97 13 Aliens 1986 8.4 84 12 Parasite 2019 8.5 96 11 The Usual Suspects 1995 8.5 77 10 Léon: The Professional 1994 8.5 64 9 Memento 2000 8.4 81 8 Joker 2019 8.4 59 7 The Departed 2006 8.5 85 6 The Prestige 2006 8.5 66 5 The Silence of the Lambs 1991 8.6 85 4 Se7en 1995 8.6 65 3 The Dark Knight Rises 2012 8.4 78 2 Inception 2010 8.8 74 1 The Dark Knight 2008 9 84 More About the Best Thriller Movies List...
IMDb makes it a breeze for thriller fanatics to find the cream of the crop. From award-winning classics like “Witness for the Prosecution” that form this genre’s identity to worldwide successes such as “Parasite.” It even includes two dark superhero movies from “The Dark Knight” franchise among its top-rated gems.
Ranked Best Thriller Movies [Sortable Table] Rank Title Year IMDb Metascore 18 Witness for the Prosecution 1957 8.4 76 17 The Lives of Others 2006 8.4 89 16 Rear Window 1954 8.5 100 15 Oldboy 2003 8.4 77 14 Psycho 1960 8.5 97 13 Aliens 1986 8.4 84 12 Parasite 2019 8.5 96 11 The Usual Suspects 1995 8.5 77 10 Léon: The Professional 1994 8.5 64 9 Memento 2000 8.4 81 8 Joker 2019 8.4 59 7 The Departed 2006 8.5 85 6 The Prestige 2006 8.5 66 5 The Silence of the Lambs 1991 8.6 85 4 Se7en 1995 8.6 65 3 The Dark Knight Rises 2012 8.4 78 2 Inception 2010 8.8 74 1 The Dark Knight 2008 9 84 More About the Best Thriller Movies List...
- 2/26/2023
- by Buddy TV
- buddytv.com
The Best Supporting Actor Oscar category is seeing double yet again. Brendan Gleeson and Barry Keoghan received nominations as expected for their turns in Martin McDonagh‘s “The Banshees of Inisherin” on Tuesday, marking the fourth consecutive year a film has received double bids in the category.
“Banshees” is the 22nd film to achieve this, but most remarkably, five of them have occurred in the last six years after a 26-year dry spell. “Bugsy” (1991) produced noms for Harvey Keitel and Ben Kingsley, but the category went without co-star nominees until McDonagh’s “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” (2017) yielded bids for Sam Rockwell and Woody Harrelson. After none the following year, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci garnered comeback noms for “The Irishman” (2019). Two years ago, Oscar voters shocked us all by nominating Daniel Kaluuya and Lakeith Stanfield — you know, they who played the title characters in that two-hander “Judas and the Black Messiah” — in supporting.
“Banshees” is the 22nd film to achieve this, but most remarkably, five of them have occurred in the last six years after a 26-year dry spell. “Bugsy” (1991) produced noms for Harvey Keitel and Ben Kingsley, but the category went without co-star nominees until McDonagh’s “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” (2017) yielded bids for Sam Rockwell and Woody Harrelson. After none the following year, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci garnered comeback noms for “The Irishman” (2019). Two years ago, Oscar voters shocked us all by nominating Daniel Kaluuya and Lakeith Stanfield — you know, they who played the title characters in that two-hander “Judas and the Black Messiah” — in supporting.
- 1/24/2023
- by Joyce Eng
- Gold Derby
Played by Elsa Lanchester in one of the very best horror movies ever made, the Bride of Frankenstein is joining Neca’s line of Universal Monsters toys, we’ve learned this weekend.
“Universal Monsters – 7” Scale Action Figure – Ultimate Bride of Frankenstein (Color)” will begin shipping in June 2023, and it allows you to display the Bride in two different ways.
Neca details, “Elsa Lanchester’s portrayal of the creature stitched together to be the monster’s mate is captured in this detailed 7” scale Ultimate action figure.
“It comes with bandages, removable gown, two pairs of hands, and three interchangeable head sculpts. Display-friendly window box packaging with opening front flap.”
A black and white version of the Bride of Frankenstein will also be released.
The post Neca Unwraps Ultimate ‘Bride of Frankenstein’ Action Figure! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.
“Universal Monsters – 7” Scale Action Figure – Ultimate Bride of Frankenstein (Color)” will begin shipping in June 2023, and it allows you to display the Bride in two different ways.
Neca details, “Elsa Lanchester’s portrayal of the creature stitched together to be the monster’s mate is captured in this detailed 7” scale Ultimate action figure.
“It comes with bandages, removable gown, two pairs of hands, and three interchangeable head sculpts. Display-friendly window box packaging with opening front flap.”
A black and white version of the Bride of Frankenstein will also be released.
The post Neca Unwraps Ultimate ‘Bride of Frankenstein’ Action Figure! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.
- 1/14/2023
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
Nobody knew what to make of "Night of the Hunter" when it screened in 1955. Directed by actor Charles Laughton from a script by James Agee, it broke every rule in the book. It's a fairy tale that's nastier and more adult than anything Disney could produce. It's a black-and-white film made at a time when color movies were coming into vogue. Famous actor Robert Mitchum plays one of the scariest villains in film history. There's a stretch in the middle that swings into magical realism, and the end is a Christmas movie. "Night of the Hunter" was so hated by critics at its release that Laughton decided never to make another film. These days it's heralded as not just one of the greatest pictures of its era, but one so miraculous in its construction (despite its foibles) that it might as well be a UFO.
Many have lauded Charles Laughton as the film's guiding genius,...
Many have lauded Charles Laughton as the film's guiding genius,...
- 12/24/2022
- by Adam Wescott
- Slash Film
It took a little longer than we thought after her initial surge in October, but Jamie Lee Curtis has finally infiltrated the top five in the Best Supporting Actress Oscar odds. The “Everything Everywhere All at Once” star has jumped from sixth to third place, even leapfrogging over her own co-star Stephanie Hsu.
Curtis’ rise isn’t surprising after she earned Golden Globe and Critics Choice Awards nominations this week and is one of three people — the others being Angela Bassett (“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”) and Kerry Condon (“The Banshees of Inisherin”) — who was shortlisted at both in the still very messy but very fun supporting actress race. The Golden Globe category was rounded out by Dolly de Leon (“Triangle of Sadness”) and Carey Mulligan (“She Said”), while Critics Choice’s six-person field also included Hsu, Jessie Buckley (“Women Talking”) and Janelle Monáe (“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery”).
See...
Curtis’ rise isn’t surprising after she earned Golden Globe and Critics Choice Awards nominations this week and is one of three people — the others being Angela Bassett (“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”) and Kerry Condon (“The Banshees of Inisherin”) — who was shortlisted at both in the still very messy but very fun supporting actress race. The Golden Globe category was rounded out by Dolly de Leon (“Triangle of Sadness”) and Carey Mulligan (“She Said”), while Critics Choice’s six-person field also included Hsu, Jessie Buckley (“Women Talking”) and Janelle Monáe (“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery”).
See...
- 12/16/2022
- by Joyce Eng
- Gold Derby
Ever since “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” (2017) ended a 26-year drought, double Best Supporting Actor Oscar nominees from one film have been all the rage. And this season, the category could very well tread new territory with a double set of double nominees.
“The Fabelmans” and “The Banshees of Inisherin” are both vying to field two supporting actor nominees — Paul Dano and Judd Hirsch for the former, and Brendan Gleeson and Barry Keoghan for the latter. Three of them are in the current top five in the odds and all four are in the top six. Ke Huy Quan (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) leads the way in first place, followed by Gleeson, Ben Whishaw (“Women Talking”), Dano, Hirsch and Keoghan.
Should all four get in, this would be the second time in Oscar history in which two films score double nominations in the same acting category and the first time in supporting actor.
“The Fabelmans” and “The Banshees of Inisherin” are both vying to field two supporting actor nominees — Paul Dano and Judd Hirsch for the former, and Brendan Gleeson and Barry Keoghan for the latter. Three of them are in the current top five in the odds and all four are in the top six. Ke Huy Quan (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) leads the way in first place, followed by Gleeson, Ben Whishaw (“Women Talking”), Dano, Hirsch and Keoghan.
Should all four get in, this would be the second time in Oscar history in which two films score double nominations in the same acting category and the first time in supporting actor.
- 12/1/2022
- by Joyce Eng
- Gold Derby
The World War II film "The Bridge on the River Kwai" is considered a classic, and for good reason. The prisoner of war story is based on a novel, and was inspired by a true story. It also boasts a tremendous cast that includes William Holden and Sir Alec Guinness. In fact, it's the film that won Guinness — who would go on to gain worldwide fame as Obi-Wan Kenobi — the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance.
The film itself took home seven Oscars in all, including Best Picture, and has become so revered that it was selected to be part of the National Film Registry at the United States Library of Congress. It was acclaimed by both critics and audiences alike upon its release and continues to be revered to this day.
For those who have not seen it, the film is about prisoners of war in a...
The film itself took home seven Oscars in all, including Best Picture, and has become so revered that it was selected to be part of the National Film Registry at the United States Library of Congress. It was acclaimed by both critics and audiences alike upon its release and continues to be revered to this day.
For those who have not seen it, the film is about prisoners of war in a...
- 11/17/2022
- by Jeff Kelly
- Slash Film
With the popularity of nostalgia-driven shows like "Stranger Things," interest in '80s pop culture always seems to be taking new and exciting directions. One such example is the fascination with the classic movies of the decade. Sure, everyone knows about the heavy hitters like "Back to the Future," " E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial," "The Terminator," and "The Breakfast Club." Yet, there are many other films from the 1980s that need respect, and that's what this list is about.
Here, we'll look at the movies of the '80s that deserve some love and devotion. These movies should become references in TV shows, have cosplays made of them, or at least be included in your next '80s movie marathon. So make sure to grab your favorite scrunchie, a bowl of popcorn, and a can of Tab (or whatever soda you can safely drink), so we can totally explore some fantastic...
Here, we'll look at the movies of the '80s that deserve some love and devotion. These movies should become references in TV shows, have cosplays made of them, or at least be included in your next '80s movie marathon. So make sure to grab your favorite scrunchie, a bowl of popcorn, and a can of Tab (or whatever soda you can safely drink), so we can totally explore some fantastic...
- 11/8/2022
- by Dalin Rowell
- Slash Film
Welcome to The B-Side from The Film Stage. Here we talk about movie stars! Not the movies that made them famous or kept them famous, but the ones that they made in between.
Another year, another Halloween! This year we tackle the performers who played the titular monsters from the seminal Universal Studios monster movies of the ‘30s, ‘40s, and ‘50s. To take on such a task, we brought back our good pal Gavin Mevius, talented editor and co-host of the incredible The Mixed Reviews Podcast. Be sure to listen to their podcast and support them on Patreon if you see fit!
Specifically, we examine a B-Side from Bela Lugosi (Murder by Television), Claude Rains (Crime Without Passion), Boris Karloff (Juggernaut), Elsa Lanchester (Passport to Destiny) Lon Chaney Jr. (Eyes of the Underworld), and Ben Chapman (Jungle Moon Men).
We examine why Claude Rains was one of the few to escape his monster persona,...
Another year, another Halloween! This year we tackle the performers who played the titular monsters from the seminal Universal Studios monster movies of the ‘30s, ‘40s, and ‘50s. To take on such a task, we brought back our good pal Gavin Mevius, talented editor and co-host of the incredible The Mixed Reviews Podcast. Be sure to listen to their podcast and support them on Patreon if you see fit!
Specifically, we examine a B-Side from Bela Lugosi (Murder by Television), Claude Rains (Crime Without Passion), Boris Karloff (Juggernaut), Elsa Lanchester (Passport to Destiny) Lon Chaney Jr. (Eyes of the Underworld), and Ben Chapman (Jungle Moon Men).
We examine why Claude Rains was one of the few to escape his monster persona,...
- 10/28/2022
- by Dan Mecca
- The Film Stage
From the carefully considered outline of a Final Girl to the intoxicating nebulousness of the Scream Queen moniker, women are the bloody, brooding, beating heart of the horror genre.
On screen and off, women have long proved an essential linchpin to the success of scary movies. Actresses have served as horror’s marquee-topping centerpieces since even before Elsa Lanchester became Universal’s “Bride of Frankenstein” in 1935, and the subjects of many women’s fears — abuse, stalking, subjection, birth, motherhood, the patriarchy, etc. — have inspired the works of countless creepy classics directed by men: take Brian de Palma’s “Carrie” or Dario Argento’s “Suspiria,” just for starters.
And yet, it’s only been in the last few decades that women have more fully and frequently taken over telling their own nightmares: writing, directing, and producing contemporary masterpieces such as Mary Harron’s “American Psycho,” Karyn Kusama’s “Jennifer’s Body,” Julia Ducournau’s “Raw,...
On screen and off, women have long proved an essential linchpin to the success of scary movies. Actresses have served as horror’s marquee-topping centerpieces since even before Elsa Lanchester became Universal’s “Bride of Frankenstein” in 1935, and the subjects of many women’s fears — abuse, stalking, subjection, birth, motherhood, the patriarchy, etc. — have inspired the works of countless creepy classics directed by men: take Brian de Palma’s “Carrie” or Dario Argento’s “Suspiria,” just for starters.
And yet, it’s only been in the last few decades that women have more fully and frequently taken over telling their own nightmares: writing, directing, and producing contemporary masterpieces such as Mary Harron’s “American Psycho,” Karyn Kusama’s “Jennifer’s Body,” Julia Ducournau’s “Raw,...
- 10/12/2022
- by Alison Foreman and Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Evoking the idiotic but undeniably iconic image of a shrieking woman and her bouncing boobs running for their lives, the term “scream queen” has shaped horror actresses’ careers ever since Fay Wray climbed the Empire State Building with King Kong in 1933. And yet, the half-funny play on words, nebulously defined and as outdated as the surface-level conceit it describes, doesn’t mean much of anything to the modern moviegoer anymore.
Unlike the “final girl” — a phrase coined and carefully considered in Carol J. Clover’s 1992 “Men, Women, and Chainsaws,” describing the scrappy last victim in your basic slasher — scream queens still don’t have a shared definition among contemporary critics. The term has been retrofitted to acknowledge undeniable legends of the genre like Elsa Lanchester, the “Bride of Frankenstein” herself, and applied to newer genre mainstay actresses from Toni Collette to Jenna Ortega.
But outside of a string of 2015 think-pieces...
Unlike the “final girl” — a phrase coined and carefully considered in Carol J. Clover’s 1992 “Men, Women, and Chainsaws,” describing the scrappy last victim in your basic slasher — scream queens still don’t have a shared definition among contemporary critics. The term has been retrofitted to acknowledge undeniable legends of the genre like Elsa Lanchester, the “Bride of Frankenstein” herself, and applied to newer genre mainstay actresses from Toni Collette to Jenna Ortega.
But outside of a string of 2015 think-pieces...
- 10/9/2022
- by Alison Foreman and Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
It’s pre-war Los Angeles and you’re a young and rather dashing British actor. You’re newly arrived in Hollywood and looking to make friends, and preferably ones who understand the importance of a properly made cup of tea. Look no further, then, than the Hollywood Cricket Club.
There you’ll find fellow famous Brits abroad such as David Niven, Boris Karloff and, thanks to the suspect nature of colonialism, an honorary Brit in the shape of Tasmanian-born Errol Flynn. Across the 1930s and 1940s, these stars (and more) could be counted on to drop by the club’s nets in their flawless whites. Cinema luminaries such as Cary Grant, Basil Rathbone, Ronald Colman and Leslie Howard would all also play for the team, while a young Elizabeth Taylor might be around to serve cream tea.
Like any sports team, each player brought their own distinct style to the game.
There you’ll find fellow famous Brits abroad such as David Niven, Boris Karloff and, thanks to the suspect nature of colonialism, an honorary Brit in the shape of Tasmanian-born Errol Flynn. Across the 1930s and 1940s, these stars (and more) could be counted on to drop by the club’s nets in their flawless whites. Cinema luminaries such as Cary Grant, Basil Rathbone, Ronald Colman and Leslie Howard would all also play for the team, while a young Elizabeth Taylor might be around to serve cream tea.
Like any sports team, each player brought their own distinct style to the game.
- 10/8/2022
- by Leonie Cooper
- The Independent - Film
Shopping for the horror connoisseur can be tricky, what’s a good gift for the friend or family member who loves to be scared?
Never fear, Variety has compiled the best gifts around for scary movie (and TV) lovers.
A Shudder Subscription
No horror fan worth their Michael Meyer mask should be without a subscription to Shudder. This all-horror streaming service is not only stuffed to the brim with classic and cult scares including their new original run of “Creepshow,” the very good “Scare Me” original Shudder release and loads of flick you need to watch like “Watcher,” “What Josiah Saw” and “Glorious.” And if you just want to re-watch a classic like “House” or “The Descent” this service has you covered.
7 Day Free Trial for Shudder
Buy It
Tremors T-Shirt
The greatest franchise in the history of horror, now in t-shirt form. I know what you’re thinking, “a black horror t-shirt,...
Never fear, Variety has compiled the best gifts around for scary movie (and TV) lovers.
A Shudder Subscription
No horror fan worth their Michael Meyer mask should be without a subscription to Shudder. This all-horror streaming service is not only stuffed to the brim with classic and cult scares including their new original run of “Creepshow,” the very good “Scare Me” original Shudder release and loads of flick you need to watch like “Watcher,” “What Josiah Saw” and “Glorious.” And if you just want to re-watch a classic like “House” or “The Descent” this service has you covered.
7 Day Free Trial for Shudder
Buy It
Tremors T-Shirt
The greatest franchise in the history of horror, now in t-shirt form. I know what you’re thinking, “a black horror t-shirt,...
- 10/4/2022
- by Meredith Woerner and Ellise Shafer
- Variety Film + TV
The Munsters are, by design, a comedic reinvention of the classic monsters – Herman is Frankenstein’s monster, Lily is a vampire, Grandpa is Count Dracula, and Eddie is a werewolf – but other interpretations of iconic creatures occasionally made appearances.
Before TV’s first family of fright returns in Rob Zombie’s The Munsters, let’s look back at six classic monsters that have appeared in The Munsters Universe up to this point.
Creature from the Black Lagoon
Despite only appearing on screen for about a minute and a half, Uncle Gilbert is perhaps the most memorable member of the Munsters’ extended family. The reason is simple: he’s the Gill-man from the Creature from the Black Lagoon franchise.
In “Love Comes to Mockingbird Heights”, Uncle Gilbert sends the family 180,000 worth of gold doubloons from the old country for safekeeping until he arrives to visit. This inciting incident sets the plot in motion,...
Before TV’s first family of fright returns in Rob Zombie’s The Munsters, let’s look back at six classic monsters that have appeared in The Munsters Universe up to this point.
Creature from the Black Lagoon
Despite only appearing on screen for about a minute and a half, Uncle Gilbert is perhaps the most memorable member of the Munsters’ extended family. The reason is simple: he’s the Gill-man from the Creature from the Black Lagoon franchise.
In “Love Comes to Mockingbird Heights”, Uncle Gilbert sends the family 180,000 worth of gold doubloons from the old country for safekeeping until he arrives to visit. This inciting incident sets the plot in motion,...
- 9/22/2022
- by Alex DiVincenzo
- bloody-disgusting.com
Suppress your bitter aching loneliness this holiday by watching some very anti-Valentine’s Day cinematic relationships on Shudder! We here at Trailers From Hell have culled through all of the least romantic flicks currently showing on that spookiest of movie streaming platforms, and found some intriguing viewing fodder if you’re less-than-receptive to the typical amorous pablum.
Valentine (2001)
This hokey slasher, starring such staples of the early aughts as Denise Richards and David Boreanaz (plus a pre-Grey’s Anatomy Katherine Heigl). A serial killer wanders the streets of San Francisco (with a Los Angeles interlude) wearing a creepy marble Cupid mask, using a variety of slick household items, including an electric drill and a hot iron. Not the healthiest form of romantic self-expression for our Cupid.
White Zombie (1932)
The Haitian-set Bela Lugosi horror classic so memorable it inspired the name of a multiplatinum hard rock band five decades later! In White Zombie,...
Valentine (2001)
This hokey slasher, starring such staples of the early aughts as Denise Richards and David Boreanaz (plus a pre-Grey’s Anatomy Katherine Heigl). A serial killer wanders the streets of San Francisco (with a Los Angeles interlude) wearing a creepy marble Cupid mask, using a variety of slick household items, including an electric drill and a hot iron. Not the healthiest form of romantic self-expression for our Cupid.
White Zombie (1932)
The Haitian-set Bela Lugosi horror classic so memorable it inspired the name of a multiplatinum hard rock band five decades later! In White Zombie,...
- 2/11/2022
- by Alex Kirschenbaum
- Trailers from Hell
Well, if Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz didn’t know who they were taking to the Oscars before, they do now. The married actors earned matching nominations: Best Actor for “Being the Ricardos” and Best Actress for “Parallel Mothers,” respectively. They’re the sixth spouses in Oscar history to earn Oscar acting nominations in the same year.
SEESassy Oscar nominations reactions from our film forum posters: Cheers for Kirsten Dunst, jeers for Lady Gaga snub
Bardem and Cruz join five other couples: Lynn Fontanne and Alfred Lunt; Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner; Elsa Lanchester and Charles Laughton; Rex Harrison and Rachel Roberts; and Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor.
This is the first time Bardem and Cruz are nominated together, but they have had remarkably similar Oscar track records. Both are nominated for the fourth time. Both won their Oscars on their second try for supporting roles. And both have been...
SEESassy Oscar nominations reactions from our film forum posters: Cheers for Kirsten Dunst, jeers for Lady Gaga snub
Bardem and Cruz join five other couples: Lynn Fontanne and Alfred Lunt; Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner; Elsa Lanchester and Charles Laughton; Rex Harrison and Rachel Roberts; and Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor.
This is the first time Bardem and Cruz are nominated together, but they have had remarkably similar Oscar track records. Both are nominated for the fourth time. Both won their Oscars on their second try for supporting roles. And both have been...
- 2/9/2022
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
On Thursday, Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz became only the sixth married couple in Oscar history to be nominated in the same year – but when TheWrap told Bardem that the most famous couple to achieve that feat was Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, he had a quick response.
“I hope we don’t end up like they did, right?” he said, laughing as he remembered the famously combative couple who were married in 1964, nominated for “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” in 1967, divorced in 1974, remarried in 1975 and divorced again in 1976.
In fact, three of the five previous Oscar-nominated couples did split up post-Oscars. Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne stayed together after their 1932 nomination, as did Charles Laughton and Elsa Lanchester after their dual noms in 1957. But in addition to Burton and Taylor, Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner were nominated in 1953 and divorced four years later, while Rex Harrison and Rachel Roberts...
“I hope we don’t end up like they did, right?” he said, laughing as he remembered the famously combative couple who were married in 1964, nominated for “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” in 1967, divorced in 1974, remarried in 1975 and divorced again in 1976.
In fact, three of the five previous Oscar-nominated couples did split up post-Oscars. Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne stayed together after their 1932 nomination, as did Charles Laughton and Elsa Lanchester after their dual noms in 1957. But in addition to Burton and Taylor, Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner were nominated in 1953 and divorced four years later, while Rex Harrison and Rachel Roberts...
- 2/8/2022
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Every Academy Awards season provides a little slice of history, but more Oscar records could fall with Tuesday’s announcement of the nominations. Here are some of the landmarks that could conceivably be reached:
• If Kenneth Branagh is nominated for both Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay for “Belfast,” he’ll break the record for nominations in the largest number of different categories. Branagh has previously been nominated in five different categories: Best Actor (“Henry V”), Best Supporting Actor (“My Week With Marilyn”), Best Director (“Henry V”), Best Adapted Screenplay (“Hamlet”) and Best Live Action Short (“Swan Song”). George Clooney, Alfonso Cuarón and Walt Disney have all been nominated in six different categories.
• If Jane Campion is nominated for Best Director for “The Power of the Dog,” she’ll become the first woman ever nominated twice in the category. (She was previously nominated for 1993’s “The Piano.”)
• If “The Power of the Dog,...
• If Kenneth Branagh is nominated for both Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay for “Belfast,” he’ll break the record for nominations in the largest number of different categories. Branagh has previously been nominated in five different categories: Best Actor (“Henry V”), Best Supporting Actor (“My Week With Marilyn”), Best Director (“Henry V”), Best Adapted Screenplay (“Hamlet”) and Best Live Action Short (“Swan Song”). George Clooney, Alfonso Cuarón and Walt Disney have all been nominated in six different categories.
• If Jane Campion is nominated for Best Director for “The Power of the Dog,” she’ll become the first woman ever nominated twice in the category. (She was previously nominated for 1993’s “The Piano.”)
• If “The Power of the Dog,...
- 2/7/2022
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
The best picture prize is what every studio and filmmaker covets, whether they publicly admit it or not. But, of course, it would help if you had the star power to make it happen. Oscar winners Leonardo DiCaprio and Cate Blanchett both have proven that they have said star power with the amount of best picture nominees (and winners) they’ve appeared in over their careers. With DiCaprio starring in “Don’t Look Up” alongside Blanchett, who is co-starring in another awards vehicle, “Nightmare Alley,” both stand a solid chance of getting close to — or possibly breaking — a record.
This year, Blanchett’s double feature outings could have her breaking a significant record for female actors. The two-time Oscar-winning actress currently has had a role in seven former Academy nominees: “Elizabeth” (1998), “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, “The Aviator” (2004), “Babel” (2006) and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (2008). She’s currently tied...
This year, Blanchett’s double feature outings could have her breaking a significant record for female actors. The two-time Oscar-winning actress currently has had a role in seven former Academy nominees: “Elizabeth” (1998), “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, “The Aviator” (2004), “Babel” (2006) and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (2008). She’s currently tied...
- 1/27/2022
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Best Supporting Actress has always been the Oscar acting category that’s kindest to having multiple nominees from the same film. There have been 35 instances of one film scoring more than one bid in the category, compared to 20 in Best Supporting Actor, 12 in Best Actor and just five in Best Actress. The category is also the only one of the four that has ever featured two pairs of double bids in the same year — and that could just happen again this year.
A long 72 years ago, in the 1949-50 race, the Oscars nominated four women from two films: Ethel Barrymore and Ethel Waters from “Pinky,” and Celeste Holm and Elsa Lanchester from “Come to the Stable.” The fifth nominee was “All the King’s Men” star Mercedes McCambridge, who won the supporting actress award and whom you could argue benefited from the double vote-split (“All the King’s Men” also won Best...
A long 72 years ago, in the 1949-50 race, the Oscars nominated four women from two films: Ethel Barrymore and Ethel Waters from “Pinky,” and Celeste Holm and Elsa Lanchester from “Come to the Stable.” The fifth nominee was “All the King’s Men” star Mercedes McCambridge, who won the supporting actress award and whom you could argue benefited from the double vote-split (“All the King’s Men” also won Best...
- 12/8/2021
- by Joyce Eng
- Gold Derby
It truly is the most wonderful time of the year. Halloween season is in full gear and if you're in the UK and the type to go whole hog during the Halloween weekend then Horror Channel has a bunch of classic monster films playing all Halloween weekend long. You can watch Dracula, Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, The Invisible Man, The Mummy, The Creature From The Black Lagoon and some of their sequels. That's just some great, classic monster cinema featuring some of horror's most iconic actors - Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney Jr, Bela Lugosi and Elsa Lanchester & Julie Adams. Check out the announcement below. Famous monsters rise again! To celebrate the Halloween weekend on Sat 30 October and...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 10/7/2021
- Screen Anarchy
This January, NBCUniversal is offering fans the chance to dive into some of Universal Pictures’ most gruesome classic films ever made on one of the world’s biggest horror YouTube channels, ‘Fear: The Home of Horror.’
Starting January 15th 2021 horror fans will have the opportunity to scare away the January blues and take a step back in time to watch an incredible array of classic re-mastered cult films for Free including Dracula (1931), Frankenstein (1931), The Mummy (1932), The Invisible Man (1933), The Wolf Man (1941), Bride of Frankenstein (1935) and Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948).
Each film will premiere individually and be available to watch for seven days on the Fear: The Home of Horror YouTube channel. Additionally, during each film’s premiere week, fans will have the opportunity to add these films to their digital collection at a discounted price, allowing them to watch whenever they want, for as many times as they want!
Starting January 15th 2021 horror fans will have the opportunity to scare away the January blues and take a step back in time to watch an incredible array of classic re-mastered cult films for Free including Dracula (1931), Frankenstein (1931), The Mummy (1932), The Invisible Man (1933), The Wolf Man (1941), Bride of Frankenstein (1935) and Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948).
Each film will premiere individually and be available to watch for seven days on the Fear: The Home of Horror YouTube channel. Additionally, during each film’s premiere week, fans will have the opportunity to add these films to their digital collection at a discounted price, allowing them to watch whenever they want, for as many times as they want!
- 1/6/2021
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
The verdict is in. If you want to have success in awards’ season go to court. Over the decades, a caseload of legal movies have been judged to be Oscar worthy. And for good reason. The genre is rich with emotions, betrayals, manipulations, love, hate, violence and redemption. Who doesn’t remember Humphrey Bogart’s brilliant Oscar-nominated turn as Captain Queeg slowly losing his mind on the stand as he recounts his obsession with missing strawberries in 1954’s “The Caine Mutiny”?
“A Free Soul” (1931)
Lionel Barrymore won his only Academy Award for for his delicious over-the-top turn as a wily alcoholic attorney who gets a ruthless gangster (Clark Gable) off for murder in this juicy pre-code melodrama. Though his free-spirited daughter (Norma Shearer), who wears the slinkiest of gowns, has a boyfriend (a staid Leslie Howard), she soon realizes she loves bad boys and leaves Howard for Gable. It’s a big mistake.
“A Free Soul” (1931)
Lionel Barrymore won his only Academy Award for for his delicious over-the-top turn as a wily alcoholic attorney who gets a ruthless gangster (Clark Gable) off for murder in this juicy pre-code melodrama. Though his free-spirited daughter (Norma Shearer), who wears the slinkiest of gowns, has a boyfriend (a staid Leslie Howard), she soon realizes she loves bad boys and leaves Howard for Gable. It’s a big mistake.
- 11/18/2020
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSThe prolific, captivating Sean Connery has died. As critic Glenn Kenny writes in his obituary for Decider, Connery will always be "tied to the role of James Bond, [but] so many of Connery’s non-Bond roles were [...] fascinating, challenging, and cinematically important." Recommended VIEWINGGrasshopper Films' official trailer for the new 4k digital restoration of Manoel de Oliveira's 1981 Francisca, an adaptation of Agustina Bessa-Luís’ acclaimed novel. Oscilloscope has released the first trailer for The Twentieth Century, Matthew Rankine's dark comedy-drama that reimagines the life of former Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King. The film won the Fipresci prize in the Forum section of the 2019 Berlinale. The Asian Film Archive has announced Monographs 2020, a series of video essays commissioned and conceived during lockdown. Featuring a wide range of filmmakers, the series aims to offer "an...
- 11/4/2020
- MUBI
With a full moon gracing us just in time for Halloween 2020, this critic decided to revisit one of the less-loved Universal Classic Monsters, Henry Hull’s titular beast in the flop curio Werewolf of London (1935). We’ll examine what was essentially a werewolf-infused reinterpretation of the Robert Louis Stevenson novel Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1886), and how Universal learned from its mistakes to create a trailblazing masterpiece six years later. Werewolf of London, ultimately, stands as an imperfect but intriguing early stab at reinterpreting classic werewolf mythology for a big screen presentation.
As our tale begins, famed obsessive botanist and neglectful husband Dr. Wilfred Glendon (Henry Hull) travels to Tibet to retrieve a rare flower, the “mariphasa lumina lupina,” a “phosphorescent wolf flower” that only blooms under moonlight. Though he succeeds in grabbing the plant he covets, he is also bitten by a wild werewolf in the process.
As our tale begins, famed obsessive botanist and neglectful husband Dr. Wilfred Glendon (Henry Hull) travels to Tibet to retrieve a rare flower, the “mariphasa lumina lupina,” a “phosphorescent wolf flower” that only blooms under moonlight. Though he succeeds in grabbing the plant he covets, he is also bitten by a wild werewolf in the process.
- 10/30/2020
- by Alex Kirschenbaum
- Trailers from Hell
Universal Pictures’ dubious attempt to remake Bride of Frankenstein as part of the “Dark Universe” might be dead, but the concept of reimagining the idea of a reanimated “Bride” in the 21st century leads on—with Scarlett Johansson as the lead, no less. The news came late Thursday when A24 and Apple TV+ announced Johansson would star in The Bride, a modern reworking of one of the most potent ideas in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein novel.
The new film, which will be directed by Sebastián Lelo, reimagines the story of the Bride’s creation as less the attempt to build a “Monster’s Mate”—as she is credited in the 1935 Bride of Frankenstein movie—and more a parable about a woman finding a sense of self-realization in the modern world. It’s so modern in fact that her creator will be a wealthy tech CEO who has fastened a lady...
The new film, which will be directed by Sebastián Lelo, reimagines the story of the Bride’s creation as less the attempt to build a “Monster’s Mate”—as she is credited in the 1935 Bride of Frankenstein movie—and more a parable about a woman finding a sense of self-realization in the modern world. It’s so modern in fact that her creator will be a wealthy tech CEO who has fastened a lady...
- 10/23/2020
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
C.S. Forester’s novel was originally bought by Columbia for Charles Laughton and Elsa Lanchester, then sold to Warners for Errol Flynn and Bette Davis. John Huston found it years later at Fox. He encouraged Katherine Hepburn, who suffered from dysentery through most of the shoot, to play her role like Eleanor Roosevelt. Screenwriter James Agee, sidelined by a heart attack, disliked the happy ending provided by Huston and writer Peter Vertiel.
The post The African Queen appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
The post The African Queen appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
- 9/25/2020
- by TFH Team
- Trailers from Hell
by Nathaniel R
Three afterthoughts about the 1957 Smackdown.
1. The reader ballots were quite interestingly divided though they were sparser than usual - are we doing too many Smackdowns or is it just that the films were harder to find this time? I was shocked to see that Tfe readers who had seen The Bachelor Party weren't particularly fond of Carolyn Jones who, in my estimation, was the best of the nominees. Overall it was the lowest rated field of nominees I've ever seen for reader polling.
2. My own ballot for '57 would go like so...
Marlene Dietrich, Witness for the Prosecution Carolyn Jones, The Bachelor Party Elsa Lanchester, Witness for the Prosecution Kay Thompson, Funny Face Isuzu Yamada, Throne of Blood
Though I reserve the right to ditch Lanchester and/or Thompson should I see something better. The speed of this summer's Smackdown schedule has made catching up or revisiting 'extra' films impossible.
Three afterthoughts about the 1957 Smackdown.
1. The reader ballots were quite interestingly divided though they were sparser than usual - are we doing too many Smackdowns or is it just that the films were harder to find this time? I was shocked to see that Tfe readers who had seen The Bachelor Party weren't particularly fond of Carolyn Jones who, in my estimation, was the best of the nominees. Overall it was the lowest rated field of nominees I've ever seen for reader polling.
2. My own ballot for '57 would go like so...
Marlene Dietrich, Witness for the Prosecution Carolyn Jones, The Bachelor Party Elsa Lanchester, Witness for the Prosecution Kay Thompson, Funny Face Isuzu Yamada, Throne of Blood
Though I reserve the right to ditch Lanchester and/or Thompson should I see something better. The speed of this summer's Smackdown schedule has made catching up or revisiting 'extra' films impossible.
- 7/13/2020
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
In the Supporting Actress Smackdown series we take a particular Oscar vintage and explore it with a panel of artists and journalists. This time we're talking 1957
The Actresses & Characters
In 1957 Oscar voters were in the mood for fresh faces. Four rising stars were honored along with one Old Hollywood mainstay, the Bride of Frankenstein herself (Elsa Lanchester). The shortlisted characters were a counter culture partygoer, an exasperated nurse, a Japanese newlywed, and two 18 year-old besties in a small town with both love and grief on their minds.
The Panelists
Here to talk about these performances and movies are filmmaker Q Allan Brocka, theater and film critic Kenji Fujishima, Be Kind Reward's Izzy, film critic Kimberly Pierce, writer/ director/ archivist Brett Wood and your host Nathaniel R. Let's begin...
1957
Supporting Actress Smackdown + Podcast
The companion podcast can be downloaded at the bottom of this article or by visiting the iTunes page.
The Actresses & Characters
In 1957 Oscar voters were in the mood for fresh faces. Four rising stars were honored along with one Old Hollywood mainstay, the Bride of Frankenstein herself (Elsa Lanchester). The shortlisted characters were a counter culture partygoer, an exasperated nurse, a Japanese newlywed, and two 18 year-old besties in a small town with both love and grief on their minds.
The Panelists
Here to talk about these performances and movies are filmmaker Q Allan Brocka, theater and film critic Kenji Fujishima, Be Kind Reward's Izzy, film critic Kimberly Pierce, writer/ director/ archivist Brett Wood and your host Nathaniel R. Let's begin...
1957
Supporting Actress Smackdown + Podcast
The companion podcast can be downloaded at the bottom of this article or by visiting the iTunes page.
- 7/10/2020
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Are you enjoying our super-sized Supporting Actress Smackdown season? We've already discussed 1947, 1981, and 2002. We normally only do 4 episodes but we're super-sizing things this summer so there's lots more to come. It's our own niche movie-loving way of trying to alleviate your (and our) anxiety, depression, exhaustion, during this tumultous time of righteous protests, pandemic sheltering, and treasonous manchild in the White House. Up next 1957
The Nominees
Hope Lange (Peyton Place) Carolyn Jones (The Bachelor Party) Miyoshi Umeki (Sayonara) Elsa Lanchester (Witness for the Prosecution) Diane Varsi (Peyton Place)
Get to watching those four films when you need a break from the real world! Send in your ballots once you've screened 'em with "1957" in the subject line. But please only vote on the movies you've seen.
Please Welcome Our Next Panel ... ...
The Nominees
Hope Lange (Peyton Place) Carolyn Jones (The Bachelor Party) Miyoshi Umeki (Sayonara) Elsa Lanchester (Witness for the Prosecution) Diane Varsi (Peyton Place)
Get to watching those four films when you need a break from the real world! Send in your ballots once you've screened 'em with "1957" in the subject line. But please only vote on the movies you've seen.
Please Welcome Our Next Panel ... ...
- 6/22/2020
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Bride of Frankenstein was long set for a major remake movie treatment from Universal as part of the “Dark Universe,” a continuity-unified Marvel-esque movie franchise for which the exorbitantly-produced Tom Cruise-headlined 2017 remake of The Mummy was designed as the kick off. Of course, that movie flopped spectacularly, derailing the Dark Universe plans, leaving Bride at the proverbial pre-production altar. However, said Bride remake may still have a chance to scream on the big screen.
David Koepp, a veteran screenwriter who previously took a turn—as did several other scribes—on a rewrite of Universal’s Dark-Universe-intended Bride of Frankenstein script, divulged that the remake is… well, alive, and looking for a director. In an interview with Collider, Koepp dispelled the notion that Bride was taken off Universal’s developmental slate, revealing that a combination of circumstances from the implosion of the Dark Universe and a Covid-19 lockdown yielded him...
David Koepp, a veteran screenwriter who previously took a turn—as did several other scribes—on a rewrite of Universal’s Dark-Universe-intended Bride of Frankenstein script, divulged that the remake is… well, alive, and looking for a director. In an interview with Collider, Koepp dispelled the notion that Bride was taken off Universal’s developmental slate, revealing that a combination of circumstances from the implosion of the Dark Universe and a Covid-19 lockdown yielded him...
- 6/12/2020
- by Joseph Baxter
- Den of Geek
by Nick Taylor
One way to search for great performances outside of Oscar's history books is merely to check in on what the great character actresses of their day were busy doing besides not getting their due. In 1947 just to cite a few examples, You couldn’t go wrong with Mary Astor, warm and sympathetic as the mother of sickly Liz Taylor in Cynthia, and even better at nimbly flipping through the morally compromised history of a saloon-owner afraid her daughter will run away with a dangerous man in Desert Fury. There’s also Elsa Lanchester as the housemaid in The Bishop’s Wife, so piquantly observant in a role that often invites stooging. But if we’re talking supporting actresses, surely the first stop for anyone seeking out the heavies of Classic Hollywood is Agnes Moorehead. Moorehead’s performances n Dark Passage and The Lost Moment were my first stops...
One way to search for great performances outside of Oscar's history books is merely to check in on what the great character actresses of their day were busy doing besides not getting their due. In 1947 just to cite a few examples, You couldn’t go wrong with Mary Astor, warm and sympathetic as the mother of sickly Liz Taylor in Cynthia, and even better at nimbly flipping through the morally compromised history of a saloon-owner afraid her daughter will run away with a dangerous man in Desert Fury. There’s also Elsa Lanchester as the housemaid in The Bishop’s Wife, so piquantly observant in a role that often invites stooging. But if we’re talking supporting actresses, surely the first stop for anyone seeking out the heavies of Classic Hollywood is Agnes Moorehead. Moorehead’s performances n Dark Passage and The Lost Moment were my first stops...
- 5/21/2020
- by Nick Taylor
- FilmExperience
A remake of the Jimmy Stewart-Kim Novak romantic comedy “Bell, Book & Candle” is in the works with Jay Weston and Sara Risher producing.
Weston, who has producing credits on “Lady Sings the Blues” and “Invisible Child,” originally optioned the remake rights from the estate of original author John van Druten, then collaborated with Harvey Weinstein on the project for several years. He announced Friday that Weinstein and Miramax are out of the project. The disgraced ex-mogul was found guilty on Feb. 24 of committing a criminal sexual act and third-degree rape.
Weston said he is acquiring the remake rights again with veteran film executive Risher joining him. Risher was a New Line exec before launching Chickflicks Productions, through which she produced the drama “55 Steps” starring Hilary Swank and Helena Bonham Carter. The producers are seeking a female director for “Bell, Book & Candle.”
In the original 1958 film, Novak played a...
Weston, who has producing credits on “Lady Sings the Blues” and “Invisible Child,” originally optioned the remake rights from the estate of original author John van Druten, then collaborated with Harvey Weinstein on the project for several years. He announced Friday that Weinstein and Miramax are out of the project. The disgraced ex-mogul was found guilty on Feb. 24 of committing a criminal sexual act and third-degree rape.
Weston said he is acquiring the remake rights again with veteran film executive Risher joining him. Risher was a New Line exec before launching Chickflicks Productions, through which she produced the drama “55 Steps” starring Hilary Swank and Helena Bonham Carter. The producers are seeking a female director for “Bell, Book & Candle.”
In the original 1958 film, Novak played a...
- 2/28/2020
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Born on this day in 1902: Elsa Lanchester Elsa Lanchester will forever be best known as the bride created by Dr. Frankenstein for his monster in Bride of Frankenstein. With her silent stare and shock of white-streaked hair, she is an icon in film history. Born in London in 1902, Elsa studied dance and theater from […]
The post This Day in Horror: Happy Birthday Elsa Lanchester appeared first on Dread Central.
The post This Day in Horror: Happy Birthday Elsa Lanchester appeared first on Dread Central.
- 10/28/2019
- by Alyse Wax
- DreadCentral.com
Scotty Bowers, a “sexual matchmaker” for dozens of stars during the Golden Age of Hollywood who wrote about his colorful — and sometimes unbelivable — life in his memoir “Full Service: My Adventures in Hollywood and the Secret Sex Lives of the Stars,” died at his Laurel Canyon home on Sunday. He was 96.
The story of his experiences was told in the 2017 documentary “Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood,” directed by Matt Trynauer, who confirmed his death.
A former U.S. Marine and gas station attendant, Bowers also worked as a bartender and as a go-fer to friend such as George Cukor. But the most notable part of his life was as a helpful procurer for everyone, he claimed, from Rock Hudson, Katharine Hepburn, Bette Davis and Elsa Lanchester to Cary Grant, Randolph Scott, Spencer Tracy and Charles Laughton.
The actors and filmmakers, who were often bound by morality clauses in their studio contracts,...
The story of his experiences was told in the 2017 documentary “Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood,” directed by Matt Trynauer, who confirmed his death.
A former U.S. Marine and gas station attendant, Bowers also worked as a bartender and as a go-fer to friend such as George Cukor. But the most notable part of his life was as a helpful procurer for everyone, he claimed, from Rock Hudson, Katharine Hepburn, Bette Davis and Elsa Lanchester to Cary Grant, Randolph Scott, Spencer Tracy and Charles Laughton.
The actors and filmmakers, who were often bound by morality clauses in their studio contracts,...
- 10/14/2019
- by Pat Saperstein
- Variety Film + TV
Otto Preminger and Gene Tierney’s return to the noir fold plays better now than it once did — the performances are impressive and the villain’s diabolical murder scheme is as good as anything that Fantomas or Moriarty ever came up with. Tierney’s pampered wife is the perfect patsy for a con-man with hypnosis skills — a fraud who decides to cover up an earlier crime by mesmerizing a new victim to frame herself for murder. The focus is on third-billed José Ferrer… who puts an oily menace into his character that few actors could provide.
Whirlpool
Blu-ray
Twilight Time
1949 / B&w / 1:37 academy / 97 min. / Street Date September 17, 2019 / Available from Twilight Time Movies / 29.95
Starring: Gene Tierney, Richard Conte, José Ferrer, Charles Bickford, Barbara O’Neil, Eduard Franz, Constance Collier, Fortunio Bonanova.
Cinematography: Arthur Miller
Original Music: David Raksin
Written by Ben Hecht, Andrew Solt from the novel Methinks The Lady...
Whirlpool
Blu-ray
Twilight Time
1949 / B&w / 1:37 academy / 97 min. / Street Date September 17, 2019 / Available from Twilight Time Movies / 29.95
Starring: Gene Tierney, Richard Conte, José Ferrer, Charles Bickford, Barbara O’Neil, Eduard Franz, Constance Collier, Fortunio Bonanova.
Cinematography: Arthur Miller
Original Music: David Raksin
Written by Ben Hecht, Andrew Solt from the novel Methinks The Lady...
- 10/1/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Clever plotting goes into overdrive for this light-comedy proto-paranoid film noir about a magazine publishing empire so organized that it seems a sci-fi invention from the future. Ray Milland’s charismatic fall guy finds himself embroiled in a murder plot filled with false identities, and a manhunt that he must supervise… to catch himself. Maybe Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale watched this from their cribs, and applied its chaotic symmetry to their pretzel-plotted comedies!
The Big Clock
Blu-ray
Arrow Academy
1948 / B&W / 1:37 flat full frame / 95 min. / Street Date May 14, 2019 / Available from Arrow Video / 39.95
Starring: Ray Milland, Charles Laughton, Maureen O’Sullivan, George Macready, Rita Johnson, Elsa Lanchester, Harry (Henry) Morgan.
Cinematography: Daniel L. Fapp, John Seitz
Film Editor: LeRoy Stone
Original Music: Victor Young
Written by Jonathan Latimer from a novel by Kenneth Fearing
Produced by John Farrow, Richard Maibaum
Directed by John Farrow
The thriller The Big Clock...
The Big Clock
Blu-ray
Arrow Academy
1948 / B&W / 1:37 flat full frame / 95 min. / Street Date May 14, 2019 / Available from Arrow Video / 39.95
Starring: Ray Milland, Charles Laughton, Maureen O’Sullivan, George Macready, Rita Johnson, Elsa Lanchester, Harry (Henry) Morgan.
Cinematography: Daniel L. Fapp, John Seitz
Film Editor: LeRoy Stone
Original Music: Victor Young
Written by Jonathan Latimer from a novel by Kenneth Fearing
Produced by John Farrow, Richard Maibaum
Directed by John Farrow
The thriller The Big Clock...
- 5/11/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
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