Talking Heads are throwing their weight behind Record Store Day 2024 with the release of a new live album that captures their famed 1977 performance for the Massachusetts radio station Wcoz.
Titled Live At Wcoz 77, the LP features the band’s 14-song live set from the November 1977 recording session. Previously, part of the show was released on their 1983 live album, The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads, but this will mark the first time the performance will be available in its entirety.
Live At Wcoz 77 boasts a tracklist featuring live versions of songs from Talking Heads’ debut album, Talking Heads ‘77, as well as from their then-unreleased second record, More Songs About Buildings and Food, including “Take Me to the River,” “The Good Thing,” and more. The record will arrive in a limited-edition run of 13,300 double albums, all sold exclusively at independent music retailers on April 20th, 2024. Check out the list of participating vendors.
Titled Live At Wcoz 77, the LP features the band’s 14-song live set from the November 1977 recording session. Previously, part of the show was released on their 1983 live album, The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads, but this will mark the first time the performance will be available in its entirety.
Live At Wcoz 77 boasts a tracklist featuring live versions of songs from Talking Heads’ debut album, Talking Heads ‘77, as well as from their then-unreleased second record, More Songs About Buildings and Food, including “Take Me to the River,” “The Good Thing,” and more. The record will arrive in a limited-edition run of 13,300 double albums, all sold exclusively at independent music retailers on April 20th, 2024. Check out the list of participating vendors.
- 2/16/2024
- by Jo Vito
- Consequence - Music
With his long hair, sunglasses and bellbottoms, Hal Ashby was the epitome of the 1970s flower child, even though he was a decade older than most of the filmmakers working at the time. Though his flame burned brightly and briefly, he left behind a series of classics that signified the nose-thumbing, countercultural attitude of the era, with a bit of humanism and heart thrown in for good measure. Let’s take a look back at all 12 of his films, ranked worst to best.
Born on September 2, 1929 in Utah, Ashby ambled around before becoming an apprentice editor for Robert Swink, working for Hollywood legends William Wyler and George Stevens. He moved up the ranks to become an editor for Norman Jewison, with whom he shared a fraternal and professional relationship. They cut five films together, including “The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!” (1966), which earned him his first Oscar nomination,...
Born on September 2, 1929 in Utah, Ashby ambled around before becoming an apprentice editor for Robert Swink, working for Hollywood legends William Wyler and George Stevens. He moved up the ranks to become an editor for Norman Jewison, with whom he shared a fraternal and professional relationship. They cut five films together, including “The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!” (1966), which earned him his first Oscar nomination,...
- 8/25/2023
- by Zach Laws and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
With its list of new releases for July 2023, Prime Video is going to help you stay safe from the oppressive July sun.
Highlighting the Amazon Originals on the TV side this month are two heavy hitters. The first is The Horror of Dolores Roach on July 7. Based on a podcast of the same name, this series could best be described as a modern day Sweeney Todd? Why, you ask? Well you know why. Think about it. Then season 2 of Neil Gaiman adaptation Good Omens premieres on July 28. This season will follow angel Aziraphale (Michael Sheen) and demon Crowley (David Tenant) as they seek to keep the Archangel Gabriel (Jon Hamm) away from both heaven and hell.
There aren’t any Amazon Original movies of note this month and that’s alright as the influx of library titles is more than enough. July 1 sees the arrival of The 40-Year-Old Virgin, No Country for Old Men,...
Highlighting the Amazon Originals on the TV side this month are two heavy hitters. The first is The Horror of Dolores Roach on July 7. Based on a podcast of the same name, this series could best be described as a modern day Sweeney Todd? Why, you ask? Well you know why. Think about it. Then season 2 of Neil Gaiman adaptation Good Omens premieres on July 28. This season will follow angel Aziraphale (Michael Sheen) and demon Crowley (David Tenant) as they seek to keep the Archangel Gabriel (Jon Hamm) away from both heaven and hell.
There aren’t any Amazon Original movies of note this month and that’s alright as the influx of library titles is more than enough. July 1 sees the arrival of The 40-Year-Old Virgin, No Country for Old Men,...
- 7/1/2023
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
While summer starts in June, things truly heat up in July, and that includes all the hot new drops on streamers. Amazon’s Prime Video has refreshed its slate of content with over 60 new movies, like Bradley Cooper’s “A Star Is Born” and the 1973 animated adaption of the children’s book “Charlotte’s Web.”
Prime Video kicks off the start of the month with Doug McHenry’s “Jason’s Lyric,” “Father of the Bride,” and “Little Nicky.”
Plus, if you’re a Reese Witherspoon fan, Prime Video sets you up with her very first film and her breakout role as Dani in “Man in the Moon.” And the entire “Legally Blonde” trilogy is also available, for those who bend and snap.
Prime Video is also giving watchers some ultimate film classics like “Free Willy,” ”Gladiator,” and “Dances With Wolves.”
Last but absolutely not least, Season 2 of “Good Omens” will land on...
Prime Video kicks off the start of the month with Doug McHenry’s “Jason’s Lyric,” “Father of the Bride,” and “Little Nicky.”
Plus, if you’re a Reese Witherspoon fan, Prime Video sets you up with her very first film and her breakout role as Dani in “Man in the Moon.” And the entire “Legally Blonde” trilogy is also available, for those who bend and snap.
Prime Video is also giving watchers some ultimate film classics like “Free Willy,” ”Gladiator,” and “Dances With Wolves.”
Last but absolutely not least, Season 2 of “Good Omens” will land on...
- 6/30/2023
- by Raquel "Rocky" Harris
- The Wrap
Amazon originals like season two of The Summer I Turned Pretty and Good Omens, as well as The Horror of Dolores Roach, are just some of the titles hitting Prime Video this July.
Blockbusters like Fast X, 80 for Brady, Till, Knock at the Cabin, Legally Blonde and Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde, Men in Black 1-3, Saving Private Ryan, Scarface and more will also be coming to the streamer this month.
The fourth and final season of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan sees the titular character, played by John Krasinski, on his most dangerous mission yet, against a foreign and domestic enemy. Two new episodes of the thriller drop on the streamer every Friday until July 14.
Jenny Han’s The Summer I Turned Pretty returns with its second season on July 14 and picks up where season one left off at Cousins Beach. When an unexpected visitor threatens the future...
Blockbusters like Fast X, 80 for Brady, Till, Knock at the Cabin, Legally Blonde and Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde, Men in Black 1-3, Saving Private Ryan, Scarface and more will also be coming to the streamer this month.
The fourth and final season of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan sees the titular character, played by John Krasinski, on his most dangerous mission yet, against a foreign and domestic enemy. Two new episodes of the thriller drop on the streamer every Friday until July 14.
Jenny Han’s The Summer I Turned Pretty returns with its second season on July 14 and picks up where season one left off at Cousins Beach. When an unexpected visitor threatens the future...
- 6/30/2023
- by Christy Piña
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Prime Video has adapted the one-woman podcast “Empanada Loca” into a new series. “The Horror of Dolores Roach” will begin streaming on the service on July 7. Buckle up, because this one is gruesome. Roach (Justina Machado) returns to a gentrified Washington Heights after a long prison sentence and works as a masseuse in the basement of a friend’s empanada shop. But when her security is threatened, Roach is driven to extremes to survive.
Watch “The Horror of Dolores Roach” trailer:
Season 2 of “Good Omens” also will premiere on Prime Video in July. Arriving July 28, the series focuses on the friendship between Aziraphale (Michael Sheen), a fussy angel and rare-book dealer, and the snarky demon Crowley (David Tennant). While the Apocalypse has been averted, the pair are back living their lives in London, until the archangel Gabriel shows up. The series is based on the novel by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett.
Watch “The Horror of Dolores Roach” trailer:
Season 2 of “Good Omens” also will premiere on Prime Video in July. Arriving July 28, the series focuses on the friendship between Aziraphale (Michael Sheen), a fussy angel and rare-book dealer, and the snarky demon Crowley (David Tennant). While the Apocalypse has been averted, the pair are back living their lives in London, until the archangel Gabriel shows up. The series is based on the novel by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett.
- 6/26/2023
- by Fern Siegel
- The Streamable
After spending a couple awards cycles on the sidelines, A24 reemerged this year with more Oscar nominations than any other studio–18 between six films: “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” “The Whale,” “Aftersun,” “Causeway,” “Marcel the Shell With Shoes On,” and “Close.” The arthouse label is positioned to set an even more staggering record, though. If Oscar night, as it did in 2022, repeats both the SAG and DGA Awards–in other words, if “Eeaao” takes Best Actress (Michelle Yeoh), Best Supporting Actor (Ke Huy Quan), Best Supporting Actress (Jamie Lee Curtis), Best Director (Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert), and Best Picture, while Best Actor goes to “The Whale” (Brendan Fraser)–A24 will become the first studio in history to make a clean sweep of the top categories.
See Ke Huy Quan (‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’) on a comeback 30 years in the making: ‘I don’t take for granted for a second,...
See Ke Huy Quan (‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’) on a comeback 30 years in the making: ‘I don’t take for granted for a second,...
- 3/2/2023
- by Ronald Meyer
- Gold Derby
Director Ron Underwood discusses a few of his favorite westerns with hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Pearl Harbor (2001)
Mighty Joe Young (1998)
Speechless (1994)
Heart and Souls (1993)
Stealing Sinatra (2003)
City Slickers (1991)
Tremors (1990) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Tourist Trap (1979) – David DeCoteau’s trailer commentary
The Seduction (1982)
Puppet Master (1989)
The Boondock Saints (1999)
Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd (1952)
Capricorn One (1977) – Larry Karaszewski’s trailer commentary
Panic In The Streets (1950) – John Landis’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairing
Back When We Were Grownups (2004)
Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell (2018)
Tremors: Shrieker Island (2020)
The Howling (1981) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairing
Red River (1948) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary
Johnny Guitar (1954) – Michael Lehmann’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
The Searchers (1956)
Seven Samurai (1954) – Brian Trenchard-Smith’s trailer commentary
The Magnificent Seven (1960) – Jesus Treviño’s trailer commentary
The Magnificent Seven (2016)
Westworld...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Pearl Harbor (2001)
Mighty Joe Young (1998)
Speechless (1994)
Heart and Souls (1993)
Stealing Sinatra (2003)
City Slickers (1991)
Tremors (1990) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Tourist Trap (1979) – David DeCoteau’s trailer commentary
The Seduction (1982)
Puppet Master (1989)
The Boondock Saints (1999)
Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd (1952)
Capricorn One (1977) – Larry Karaszewski’s trailer commentary
Panic In The Streets (1950) – John Landis’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairing
Back When We Were Grownups (2004)
Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell (2018)
Tremors: Shrieker Island (2020)
The Howling (1981) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairing
Red River (1948) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary
Johnny Guitar (1954) – Michael Lehmann’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
The Searchers (1956)
Seven Samurai (1954) – Brian Trenchard-Smith’s trailer commentary
The Magnificent Seven (1960) – Jesus Treviño’s trailer commentary
The Magnificent Seven (2016)
Westworld...
- 2/1/2022
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
Recently, short Best Actor-nominated performances have been scarce at the Oscars. The average screen time of the past decade’s nominees is over 80 minutes, and only a handful of them have not reached one hour. Still, performances that fall under 60 minutes make up nearly one third of the category’s nominees, with plenty boasting much less time. Here is a look at the 10 shortest of all (and here are the 10 shortest winners):
10. Humphrey Bogart (“The Caine Mutiny”)
28 minutes, 22 seconds (22.79% of the film)
Bogart’s third and final Best Actor nomination came in 1955 for his portrayal of tyrannical Naval commander Philip Queeg. Though he is absent from the first quarter of the film and appears on screen for less than 30 minutes, he was classified as a lead. In the decades since, several actors have also been placed in the lead category for relatively short villainous roles, including Michael Douglas (“Wall Street...
10. Humphrey Bogart (“The Caine Mutiny”)
28 minutes, 22 seconds (22.79% of the film)
Bogart’s third and final Best Actor nomination came in 1955 for his portrayal of tyrannical Naval commander Philip Queeg. Though he is absent from the first quarter of the film and appears on screen for less than 30 minutes, he was classified as a lead. In the decades since, several actors have also been placed in the lead category for relatively short villainous roles, including Michael Douglas (“Wall Street...
- 1/28/2021
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options—not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves–each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit platforms. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
30 Years of The Film Foundation
Equally impressive as his towering career is Martin Scorsese’s dedication to restoring previously lost classics and championing underseen gems with The Film Foundation. Now celebrating 30 years, they’ve been given the spotlight on The Criterion Channel, featuring a wealth of highlights as well as a conversation between Scorsese and Ari Aster. The lineup of essentials includes The Broken Butterfly (1919), Trouble in Paradise (1932), It Happened One Night (1934), L’Atalante (1934), The Long Voyage Home (1940) The Chase (1946), The Red Shoes (1948), The River (1951), Moulin Rouge (1952), The Bigamist (1953), Ugetsu (1953), Senso (1954), The Big Country (1958), Shadows (1959), The Cloud-Capped Star (1960), Primary (1960), The Connection (1961), Salvatore Giuliano (1962), The Masque of the Red Death (1964), Once Upon a Time in the West...
30 Years of The Film Foundation
Equally impressive as his towering career is Martin Scorsese’s dedication to restoring previously lost classics and championing underseen gems with The Film Foundation. Now celebrating 30 years, they’ve been given the spotlight on The Criterion Channel, featuring a wealth of highlights as well as a conversation between Scorsese and Ari Aster. The lineup of essentials includes The Broken Butterfly (1919), Trouble in Paradise (1932), It Happened One Night (1934), L’Atalante (1934), The Long Voyage Home (1940) The Chase (1946), The Red Shoes (1948), The River (1951), Moulin Rouge (1952), The Bigamist (1953), Ugetsu (1953), Senso (1954), The Big Country (1958), Shadows (1959), The Cloud-Capped Star (1960), Primary (1960), The Connection (1961), Salvatore Giuliano (1962), The Masque of the Red Death (1964), Once Upon a Time in the West...
- 11/20/2020
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
The November 2020 lineup for The Criterion Channel has been unveiled, toplined by a Claire Denis retrospective, including the brand-new restoration of Beau travail, along with Chocolat, No Fear, No Die, Nenette and Boni, Towards Mathilde, 35 Shots of Rum, and White Material.
There will also be a series celebrating 30 years of The Film Foundation, featuring a new interview with Martin Scorsese by Ari Aster, as well as a number of their most essential restorations, including films by Jia Zhangke, Ritwik Ghatak, Luchino Visconti, Shirley Clarke, Med Hondo, and more.
There’s also David Lynch’s new restoration of The Elephant Man, retrospectives dedicated to Ngozi Onwurah, Nadav Lapid, and Terence Nance, a new edition of the series Queersighted titled Queer Fear, featuring a new conversation between series programmer Michael Koresky and filmmaker and critic Farihah Zaman, and much more.
See the lineup below and learn more on the official site.
There will also be a series celebrating 30 years of The Film Foundation, featuring a new interview with Martin Scorsese by Ari Aster, as well as a number of their most essential restorations, including films by Jia Zhangke, Ritwik Ghatak, Luchino Visconti, Shirley Clarke, Med Hondo, and more.
There’s also David Lynch’s new restoration of The Elephant Man, retrospectives dedicated to Ngozi Onwurah, Nadav Lapid, and Terence Nance, a new edition of the series Queersighted titled Queer Fear, featuring a new conversation between series programmer Michael Koresky and filmmaker and critic Farihah Zaman, and much more.
See the lineup below and learn more on the official site.
- 10/27/2020
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
by Cláudio Alves
In 1958, Burl Ives won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Some cinephiles would, understandably, assume that the great honor came to him as a reward for his legendary turn as Big Daddy in the silver screen adaptation of Tennessee Williams' Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. It wasn't so, however. Burl Ives did indeed win his Oscar for playing the impassioned patriarch of some portentous American clan, but it was for a story set in the arid landscapes of the Far West rather than the humid heat of Mississippi. The winning movie was William Wyler's The Big Country, a sublime epic of its genre whose taste for cruelty is only matched by the lushness of its score. It's not a well-remembered flick despite its quality, and, while great, Ives' supporting turn pales in comparison to what he did as Big Daddy in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof...
In 1958, Burl Ives won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Some cinephiles would, understandably, assume that the great honor came to him as a reward for his legendary turn as Big Daddy in the silver screen adaptation of Tennessee Williams' Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. It wasn't so, however. Burl Ives did indeed win his Oscar for playing the impassioned patriarch of some portentous American clan, but it was for a story set in the arid landscapes of the Far West rather than the humid heat of Mississippi. The winning movie was William Wyler's The Big Country, a sublime epic of its genre whose taste for cruelty is only matched by the lushness of its score. It's not a well-remembered flick despite its quality, and, while great, Ives' supporting turn pales in comparison to what he did as Big Daddy in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof...
- 8/4/2020
- by Cláudio Alves
- FilmExperience
Editor’s note: Filmmaker Nancy Kelly made her feature directorial debut in 1990 with the Western drama “Thousand Pieces of Gold.” A new 4K restoration by IndieCollect can currently be seen in virtual theaters via Kino Marquee. On the occasion of its new release, Kelly (along with IndieCollect’s Sandra Schulberg) wanted to share her reflections on her career both before and after its release.
Three years before I discovered Ruthanne Lum McCunn’s novel “Thousand Pieces of Gold,” I was making my living as a ranch hand. What was it that impelled me — from a working class background in a Massachusetts textile town — to pack up and head West? I had never even ridden a horse before, but I wanted an adventure. It was an impromptu decision that changed my life forever.
The cowboys didn’t know what to make of me — not much. But I broke my own horse,...
Three years before I discovered Ruthanne Lum McCunn’s novel “Thousand Pieces of Gold,” I was making my living as a ranch hand. What was it that impelled me — from a working class background in a Massachusetts textile town — to pack up and head West? I had never even ridden a horse before, but I wanted an adventure. It was an impromptu decision that changed my life forever.
The cowboys didn’t know what to make of me — not much. But I broke my own horse,...
- 4/30/2020
- by Nancy Kelly
- Indiewire
Hal Ashby would’ve celebrated his 90th birthday on September 2, 2019. With his long hair, sunglasses and bellbottoms, he was the epitome of the 1970s flower child, even though he was a decade older than most of the filmmakers working at the time. Though his flame burned brightly and briefly, he left behind a series of classics that signified the nose-thumbing, countercultural attitude of the era, with a bit of humanism and heart thrown in for good measure. In honor of his birthday, let’s take a look back at all 12 of his films, ranked worst to best.
Born in 1929 in Utah, Ashby ambled around before becoming an apprentice editor for Robert Swink, working for Hollywood legends William Wyler and George Stevens. He moved up the ranks to become an editor for Norman Jewison, with whom he shared a fraternal and professional relationship. They cut five films together, including “The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!...
Born in 1929 in Utah, Ashby ambled around before becoming an apprentice editor for Robert Swink, working for Hollywood legends William Wyler and George Stevens. He moved up the ranks to become an editor for Norman Jewison, with whom he shared a fraternal and professional relationship. They cut five films together, including “The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!...
- 9/2/2019
- by Zach Laws and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
William Wyler would’ve celebrated his 117th birthday on July 1, 2019. The three-time Oscar winner crafted several classics during Hollywood’s Golden Age, adapting his style to a wide variety of genres. In honor of his birthday, let’s take a look back at 20 of his greatest films, ranked worst to best.
Born in 1902 in Germany, Wyler immigrated to the U.S. when his cousin, Universal Studios chief Carl Laemmle, hired him as an errand boy. He quickly moved up the ranks, directing shorts during the silent era before transitioning into features. It was with the advent of sound that he hit his stride, displaying an ear for dialogue that would serve him well in lofty literary adaptations produced by his longtime partner, independent mogul Samuel Goldwyn.
SEEBette Davis movies: 15 greatest films ranked from worst to best
Wyler quickly became an Oscar mainstay, earning a record-breaking 12 nominations for Best Director: “Dodsworth...
Born in 1902 in Germany, Wyler immigrated to the U.S. when his cousin, Universal Studios chief Carl Laemmle, hired him as an errand boy. He quickly moved up the ranks, directing shorts during the silent era before transitioning into features. It was with the advent of sound that he hit his stride, displaying an ear for dialogue that would serve him well in lofty literary adaptations produced by his longtime partner, independent mogul Samuel Goldwyn.
SEEBette Davis movies: 15 greatest films ranked from worst to best
Wyler quickly became an Oscar mainstay, earning a record-breaking 12 nominations for Best Director: “Dodsworth...
- 7/1/2019
- by Zach Laws and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Washington D.C.’s Priests clearly stated their refreshingly bedrock punk-rock concerns with the title of their 2014 Ep, Bodies and Control and Money and Power. Their sound was refreshing too, at times recalling the Nineties riot grrrl idealism of Bikini Kill and Bratmobile on songs that took sharp shots at ye olde white male corporate oppression, while also turning a critical lens on the hypocrisies of the punk scene and the crushing illusions of liberal politics. “Barack Obama killed something in me and I’m gonna get him for it,...
- 4/5/2019
- by Jon Dolan
- Rollingstone.com
Lady Gaga has leaped into the lead in our combined Gold Derby odds for Best Actress at the Oscars. Her first on-screen feature film role in “A Star Is Born” has 19/5 top odds over more traditional actresses Glenn Close (“The Wife”), Olivia Colman (“The Favourite”), Melissa McCarthy (“Can You Ever Forgive Me?”) and Viola Davis (“Widows”). But a win by a music star in an acting category wouldn’t be a first at the Academy Awards.
Two of the all-time greats took home Oscar gold decades ago. Frank Sinatra managed to parlay his huge success as a singer to a pretty solid film career. The results included an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for “From Here to Eternity” in 1953 and a second nomination for “The Man with the Golden Arm” in 1955 as Best Actor.
SEEOscar Best Actor Gallery: Every Winner in Academy Award History
A few years earlier, crooner Bing...
Two of the all-time greats took home Oscar gold decades ago. Frank Sinatra managed to parlay his huge success as a singer to a pretty solid film career. The results included an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for “From Here to Eternity” in 1953 and a second nomination for “The Man with the Golden Arm” in 1955 as Best Actor.
SEEOscar Best Actor Gallery: Every Winner in Academy Award History
A few years earlier, crooner Bing...
- 10/24/2018
- by Robert Pius and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Charlton Heston would’ve celebrated his 95th birthday on October 4, 2018. Born in 1923, the actor became a household name with leading roles in action adventures and biblical epics. But his credits extended past those two well-worn genres. In honor of his birthday, let’s take a look back at 12 of his greatest films, ranked worst to best.
After serving in the United States Army Air Force during WWII, Heston made his professional movie acting debut with the film noir “Dark City” (1950). His big breakthrough came just two years later with Cecil B. DeMille‘s big top soap opera “The Greatest Show on Earth” (1952), in which he played the circus manager. Though an audience favorite in its time, the film often ranks among the all-time worst Oscar winners for Best Picture.
Heston later reunited with DeMille to play the Old Testament prophet Moses in “The Ten Commandments” (1956), which brought him a Golden Globe nomination.
After serving in the United States Army Air Force during WWII, Heston made his professional movie acting debut with the film noir “Dark City” (1950). His big breakthrough came just two years later with Cecil B. DeMille‘s big top soap opera “The Greatest Show on Earth” (1952), in which he played the circus manager. Though an audience favorite in its time, the film often ranks among the all-time worst Oscar winners for Best Picture.
Heston later reunited with DeMille to play the Old Testament prophet Moses in “The Ten Commandments” (1956), which brought him a Golden Globe nomination.
- 10/4/2018
- by Zach Laws and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Ya know, “It’s a Big Country!” Westerns and pacifism are like oil and water, but William Wyler, Jessamyn West and three other top writers found a way for Gregory Peck to surmount eight showdowns and never fire a pistol in anger. Jean Simmons and Charlton Heston win top acting honors, while Burl Ives earns his Oscar, Carroll Baker gets the thankless role and composer Jerome Moross makes western music history. MGM’s remastering job fixes the problems of an earlier Blu-ray, and even brings the title sequence up to tip top condition. Plus several hours of special extras.
The Big Country
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1958 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 166 min. / Street Date June 5, 2018 / 60th Anniversary Edition / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Gregory Peck, Jean Simmons, Carroll Baker, Charlton Heston, Burl Ives, Charles Bickford, Alfonso Bedoya, Chuck Connors, Chuck Hayward, Dorothy Adams, Chuck Roberson.
Cinematography: Franz F. Planer
Film Editor: Robert Swink...
The Big Country
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1958 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 166 min. / Street Date June 5, 2018 / 60th Anniversary Edition / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Gregory Peck, Jean Simmons, Carroll Baker, Charlton Heston, Burl Ives, Charles Bickford, Alfonso Bedoya, Chuck Connors, Chuck Hayward, Dorothy Adams, Chuck Roberson.
Cinematography: Franz F. Planer
Film Editor: Robert Swink...
- 6/9/2018
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
The best Westerns often come from outsiders. Fred Zinnemann’s Oscar-winner “High Noon,” Fritz Lang’s “Rancho Notorious,” William Wyler’s “The Big Country,” Wim Wenders’ “Paris, Texas” — all from Germans and Austrians. And of course, Sergio Leone’s classics starring Clint Eastwood were filmed by an Italian in Spain.
Now we can add U.K. filmmaker Andrew Haigh and China-born Chloé Zhao to their number. Neither set out to comment on classic western genre tropes with “Lean on Pete” (A24) and “The Rider” (Sony Pictures Classics), both of which earned raves on the festival circuit before hitting theaters this month. They shot in the badlands of Colorado and South Dakota, respectively. And both filmmakers explore the relationship between young men, their horses, and the nature that surrounds them. (Their distributors are slowly rolling them out across the heartland.)
“The Rider”
New Yorker Zhao shot her 2013 documentary “Songs My Brothers Taught Me” in South Dakota.
Now we can add U.K. filmmaker Andrew Haigh and China-born Chloé Zhao to their number. Neither set out to comment on classic western genre tropes with “Lean on Pete” (A24) and “The Rider” (Sony Pictures Classics), both of which earned raves on the festival circuit before hitting theaters this month. They shot in the badlands of Colorado and South Dakota, respectively. And both filmmakers explore the relationship between young men, their horses, and the nature that surrounds them. (Their distributors are slowly rolling them out across the heartland.)
“The Rider”
New Yorker Zhao shot her 2013 documentary “Songs My Brothers Taught Me” in South Dakota.
- 4/17/2018
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
The best Westerns often come from outsiders. Fred Zinnemann’s Oscar-winner “High Noon,” Fritz Lang’s “Rancho Notorious,” William Wyler’s “The Big Country,” Wim Wenders’ “Paris, Texas” — all from Germans and Austrians. And of course, Sergio Leone’s classics starring Clint Eastwood were filmed by an Italian in Spain.
Now we can add U.K. filmmaker Andrew Haigh and China-born Chloé Zhao to their number. Neither set out to comment on classic western genre tropes with “Lean on Pete” (A24) and “The Rider” (Sony Pictures Classics), both of which earned raves on the festival circuit before hitting theaters this month. They shot in the badlands of Colorado and South Dakota, respectively. And both filmmakers explore the relationship between young men, their horses, and the nature that surrounds them. (Their distributors are slowly rolling them out across the heartland.)
“The Rider”
New Yorker Zhao shot her 2013 documentary “Songs My Brothers Taught Me” in South Dakota.
Now we can add U.K. filmmaker Andrew Haigh and China-born Chloé Zhao to their number. Neither set out to comment on classic western genre tropes with “Lean on Pete” (A24) and “The Rider” (Sony Pictures Classics), both of which earned raves on the festival circuit before hitting theaters this month. They shot in the badlands of Colorado and South Dakota, respectively. And both filmmakers explore the relationship between young men, their horses, and the nature that surrounds them. (Their distributors are slowly rolling them out across the heartland.)
“The Rider”
New Yorker Zhao shot her 2013 documentary “Songs My Brothers Taught Me” in South Dakota.
- 4/17/2018
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Pastiches, homages, and carbon copies of films made years, decades, and movements ago clog today’s cinema. Art house fare as diverse and varied as Clouds of Sils Maria (2014), Queen of Earth (2015), The Death of Louis Xiv (2016), The Untamed (2016), and First Reformed (2017) all draw from a—now sizeable—history of cinema, for better or for worse. Add Valeska Grisebach’s Western to the batch. Eleven years since her previous work, Longing (2006), Grisebach returns to cinema with a slow-boiling film that injects the DNA of the western genre into a narrative concerning inter-European relations. And to be sure, Grisebach had some movies in mind while making Western (a few low-key nods to My Darling Clementine here and there), but as she told Daniel Kasman on this site, “it was more like they were traveling with [her] while [she] was making the film.” Western isn’t so much an homage as a muted mutation.
- 2/13/2018
- MUBI
Back when interracial marriage was a shady topic (are those dark days coming back?) the U.S. military had some adjustment issues. Full integration of the ranks didn’t remove the anti- Japanese bigotry. James Michener’s novel has been transformed into a big-scale romance, with Marlon Brando coming to terms with a split in loyalty between the flag and his private life. The big shock is that the Paul Osborn’s screenplay doesn’t let the military off easy.
Sayonara
Blu-ray
Twilight Time
1957 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 147 min. / Street Date November 14, 2017 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store / 29.95
Starring: Marlon Brando, Patricia Owens, James Garner, Martha Scott, Miiko Taka, Miyoshi Umeki, Red Buttons, Kent Smith.
Cinematography: Ellsworth Fredericks
Film Editors: Philip W. Anderson, Arthur P. Schmidt
Production Design: Ted Haworth
Original Music: Irving Berlin, Franz Waxman
Written by Paul Osborn from the novel by James Michener
Produced by William Goetz...
Sayonara
Blu-ray
Twilight Time
1957 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 147 min. / Street Date November 14, 2017 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store / 29.95
Starring: Marlon Brando, Patricia Owens, James Garner, Martha Scott, Miiko Taka, Miyoshi Umeki, Red Buttons, Kent Smith.
Cinematography: Ellsworth Fredericks
Film Editors: Philip W. Anderson, Arthur P. Schmidt
Production Design: Ted Haworth
Original Music: Irving Berlin, Franz Waxman
Written by Paul Osborn from the novel by James Michener
Produced by William Goetz...
- 11/21/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
David O. Selznick’s absurdly over-cooked western epic is a great picture, even if much of it induces a kind of hypnotic, mouth-hanging-open disbelief. Is this monument to the sex appeal of Jennifer Jones, Kitsch in terrible taste, or have Selznick and his army of Hollywood talents found a new level of hyped melodramatic harmony? It certainly has the star-power, beginning with Gregory Peck as a cowboy rapist who learned his bedside manners from Popeye’s Bluto. It’s all hugely enjoyable.
Duel in the Sun
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1946 / Color / 1:37 flat Academy / 144 min. / Special Edition / Street Date August 15, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring Jennifer Jones, Gregory Peck, Joseph Cotten, Lionel Barrymore, Lillian Gish, Walter Huston, Butterfly McQueen, Charles Bickford, Tilly Losch.
Cinematography Lee Garmes, Ray Rennahan and Harold Rosson
Production Designer J. McMillan Johnson
Film Editor Hal C. Kern, John Saure and William H. Ziegler
Original Music Dimitri Tiomkin
Written by Niven Busch,...
Duel in the Sun
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1946 / Color / 1:37 flat Academy / 144 min. / Special Edition / Street Date August 15, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring Jennifer Jones, Gregory Peck, Joseph Cotten, Lionel Barrymore, Lillian Gish, Walter Huston, Butterfly McQueen, Charles Bickford, Tilly Losch.
Cinematography Lee Garmes, Ray Rennahan and Harold Rosson
Production Designer J. McMillan Johnson
Film Editor Hal C. Kern, John Saure and William H. Ziegler
Original Music Dimitri Tiomkin
Written by Niven Busch,...
- 8/15/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Gwangi! Ready your rifles and lariats because this is one of the best. Harryhausen’s happiest dinos- à go-go epic comes thundering back in HD heralded by Jerome Moross’s impressive music score. Unless you count The Animal World, all of the stop-motion magician’s feature films are now available in quality Blu-rays.
The Valley of Gwangi
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1969 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 95 min. / Street Date March 14, 2017 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: James Franciscus, Gila Golan, Richard Carlson, Laurence Naismith, Freda Jackson, Gustavo Rojo.
Cinematography: Erwin Hillier
Visual Effects by Ray Harryhausen
Art Direction: Gil Parrondo
Film Editor: Henry Richardson
Original Music: Jerome Moross
Written by William E. Bast
Produced by Charles H. Schneer
Directed by Jim O’Connolly
“Ladies and Gentlemen, what you are about to see has never been seen before, I Repeat, has never been seen before by human eyes!”
In just the last month three...
The Valley of Gwangi
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1969 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 95 min. / Street Date March 14, 2017 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: James Franciscus, Gila Golan, Richard Carlson, Laurence Naismith, Freda Jackson, Gustavo Rojo.
Cinematography: Erwin Hillier
Visual Effects by Ray Harryhausen
Art Direction: Gil Parrondo
Film Editor: Henry Richardson
Original Music: Jerome Moross
Written by William E. Bast
Produced by Charles H. Schneer
Directed by Jim O’Connolly
“Ladies and Gentlemen, what you are about to see has never been seen before, I Repeat, has never been seen before by human eyes!”
In just the last month three...
- 3/7/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Liz Taylor scorches the screen (as least as much as it could be scorched in 1958) in a watered-down yet still potent Tennessee Williams adaptation. Paul Newman gets his Brando act together, and the rest of the show is stolen by 'Big Daddy' Burl Ives. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Blu-ray Warner Archive Collection 1958 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 105 min. / Street Date August 9, 2016 / available through the WBshop / 21.99 Starring Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Newman, Burl Ives, Jack Carson. Judith Anderson, Madeleine Sherwood, Larry Gates, Vaughn Taylor. Cinematography William Daniels Film Editor Ferris Webster Written by Richard Brooks, James Poe from the play by Tennessee Williams Produced by Lawrence Weingarten Directed by Richard Brooks
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof might have been the big Oscar winner in 1959 if it were not for Gigi, another major MGM production. In other hands, with different stars in the lead roles, the show could...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof might have been the big Oscar winner in 1959 if it were not for Gigi, another major MGM production. In other hands, with different stars in the lead roles, the show could...
- 8/2/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Booth tried to hide his need for glasses while the team chased a murderer and a jewel thief, and Hodgins made an amazing discovery on Bones Season 11 Episode 21.
Our TV Fanatics Ashley Sumerel and Christine Orlando are joined by Pam from Cbr Radio to talk poltergeists, men in glasses, and their favorite scenes from “The Jewel in the Crown.”
Did you think there was a poltergeist, seismic tremors or something else entirely?
Pam: No, I thought it was something to do with the body they found and wasn't even thinking that it was Hodgins’ body/legs causing the freak things happening. Delighted that he is feeling movement and hope he walks again.
Ashley: I figured it was something else. Actually, I really figured it was something to do with Hodgins' healing process, and thank goodness it was that and not actually a poltergeist!
Christine: I don’t believe in ghosts...
Our TV Fanatics Ashley Sumerel and Christine Orlando are joined by Pam from Cbr Radio to talk poltergeists, men in glasses, and their favorite scenes from “The Jewel in the Crown.”
Did you think there was a poltergeist, seismic tremors or something else entirely?
Pam: No, I thought it was something to do with the body they found and wasn't even thinking that it was Hodgins’ body/legs causing the freak things happening. Delighted that he is feeling movement and hope he walks again.
Ashley: I figured it was something else. Actually, I really figured it was something to do with Hodgins' healing process, and thank goodness it was that and not actually a poltergeist!
Christine: I don’t believe in ghosts...
- 7/18/2016
- by Christine Orlando
- TVfanatic
Horror in the ‘50s tended to lean towards the sci-fi end of the spectrum. And why wouldn’t it? This was the atomic age, and hiding under your school desk during a bomb drill (the safest place to be!) was scarier than any monster Hollywood could muster. So as a form of social moralizing (or an excuse to display giant, mutated lizards on screen), filmmakers merged the fear of nuclear annihilation with the need for entertainment. Most filmmakers, that is. Paul Landres’ The Vampire (1957) is a deliberate ride through the (mostly) human condition, small in scope but surprisingly big on emotion. Just don’t expect any vampires, radioactive, sparkly, or otherwise.
What you do get is a story much closer to Stevenson than Stoker, a simple riff on Jekyll and Hyde shot through a cautionary tale about America’s then growing concern with pill poppin’. The Vampire is more concerned...
What you do get is a story much closer to Stevenson than Stoker, a simple riff on Jekyll and Hyde shot through a cautionary tale about America’s then growing concern with pill poppin’. The Vampire is more concerned...
- 6/25/2016
- by Scott Drebit
- DailyDead
Army investigator John Haven is out to catch some crooks using stealth, his wits and a limitless supply of marvelous hardboiled dialogue. Dick Powell trades a trench coat for a cowboy hat, while luscious Jane Greer swaps a .38 snubnose for a dance hall dress. A great cast, a witty script and Burl Ives' singing voice make this a delightfully different noir-inflected oater. Station West DVD-r The Warner Archive Collection 1948 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 80 min. / Street Date January 12, 2016 / available through the WBshop / 21.99 Starring Dick Powell, Jane Greer, Agnes Moorehead, Burl Ives,Tom Powers, Gordon Oliver, Steve Brodie, Guinn Williams, Raymond Burr, Regis Toomey, Olin Howlin, John Kellogg, Charles Middleton, John Doucette . Cinematography Harry J. Wild Film Editor Frederic Knudtson Original Music Heinz Roemheld Written by Frank Fenton, Winston Miller Produced by Robert Sparks Directed by Sidney Lanfield
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Want to discover a 'different,' fun '40s western with clever plotting?...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Want to discover a 'different,' fun '40s western with clever plotting?...
- 2/6/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Robert Wise's taut noir suspenser about the Mafia takeover of a small city is like an underworld Invasion of the Body Snatchers. John Forsythe's newsman slowly realizes that gambling corruption has infiltrated the business district, city hall, and even his close associates; he's expected to become a crook too, or else. Great docudrama style aided by a special deep-focus lens; Estes Kefauver makes a personal appearance touting the crime-busting Washington committee that inspired the picture. The Captive City Blu-ray Kl Studio Classics 1952 / B&W / 1:33 flat full frame / 91 min. Street Date January 5, 2016 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95 Starring John Forsythe, Joan Camden, Marjorie Crossland, Victor Sutherland, Ray Teal, Martin Milner, Geraldine Hall, Hal K. Dawson, Paul Brinegar, Estes Kefauver, Victor Romito. Cinematography Lee Garmes Film Editor Robert Swink Original Music Jerome Moross Written by Alvin M. Josephy Jr., Karl Kamb Produced by Theron Warth Directed by Robert Wise
Reviewed...
Reviewed...
- 1/4/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Edward Dmytryk's big-scale cattle empire saga sees paterfamilias Spencer Tracy drive away his sons and bull his way into a modern civil dispute that can't be resolved with force. Robert Wagner is the loyal son and Richard Widmark the resentful son impatient for Dad to cash in his chips. Fox's early CinemaScope and stereophonic sound western is a transposition of a film noir mystery thriller. Broken Lance Blu-ray Twilight Time Limited Edition 1954 / Color / 2:55 widescreen / 96 min. / Ship Date November 10, 2015 / available through Twilight Time Movies / 29.95 Starring Spencer Tracy, Robert Wagner, Jean Peters, Richard Widmark, Katy Jurado, Hugh O'Brian, Eduard Franz, Earl Holliman, E.G. Marshall, Carl Benton Reid, Philip Ober. Cinematography Joseph MacDonald Film Editor Dorothy Spencer Original Music Leigh Harline Written by Richard Murphy, Philip Yordan Produced by Sol C. Siegel Directed by Edward Dmytryk Reviewed by Glenn EricksonSome of the early 'big' westerns that aspire to epic status are...
- 11/14/2015
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Omar Sharif in 'Doctor Zhivago.' Egyptian star Omar Sharif, 'The Karate Kid' producer Jerry Weintraub: Brief career recaps A little late in the game – and following the longish Theodore Bikel article posted yesterday – below are brief career recaps of a couple of film veterans who died in July 2015: actor Omar Sharif and producer Jerry Weintraub. A follow-up post will offer an overview of the career of peplum (sword-and-sandal movie) actor Jacques Sernas, whose passing earlier this month has been all but ignored by the myopic English-language media. Omar Sharif: Film career beginnings in North Africa The death of Egyptian film actor Omar Sharif at age 83 following a heart attack on July 10 would have been ignored by the English-language media (especially in the U.S.) as well had Sharif remained a star within the Arabic-speaking world. After all, an "international" star is only worth remembering...
- 7/24/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Theodore Bikel. Theodore Bikel dead at 91: Oscar-nominated actor and folk singer best known for stage musicals 'The Sound of Music,' 'Fiddler on the Roof' Folk singer, social and union activist, and stage, film, and television actor Theodore Bikel, best remembered for starring in the Broadway musical The Sound of Music and, throughout the U.S., in Fiddler on the Roof, died Monday morning (July 20, '15) of "natural causes" at the UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. The Austrian-born Bikel – as Theodore Meir Bikel on May 2, 1924, in Vienna, to Yiddish-speaking Eastern European parents – was 91. Fled Hitler Thanks to his well-connected Zionist father, six months after the German annexation of Austria in March 1938 ("they were greeted with jubilation by the local populace," he would recall in 2012), the 14-year-old Bikel and his family fled to Palestine, at the time a British protectorate. While there, the teenager began acting on stage,...
- 7/23/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
It's fitting that Clint Eastwood and John Wayne both have the same birthday week. (Wayne, who died in 1979, was born May 26, 1907, while Eastwood turns 85 on May 31). After all, these two all-American actors' careers span the history of that most American of movie genres, the western.
Both iconic actors were top box office draws for decades, both seldom stretched from their familiar personas, and both played macho, conservative cowboy heroes who let their firearms do most of the talking. Each represented one of two very different strains of western, the traditional and the revisionist.
As a birthday present to Hollywood's biggest heroes of the Wild West, here are the top 57 westerns you need to see.
57. 'Meek's Cutoff' (2010)
Indie filmmaker Kelly Reichardt and her frequent leading lady, Michelle Williams, are the talents behind this sparse, docudrama about an 1845 wagon train whose Oregon Trail journey goes horribly awry. It's an intense...
Both iconic actors were top box office draws for decades, both seldom stretched from their familiar personas, and both played macho, conservative cowboy heroes who let their firearms do most of the talking. Each represented one of two very different strains of western, the traditional and the revisionist.
As a birthday present to Hollywood's biggest heroes of the Wild West, here are the top 57 westerns you need to see.
57. 'Meek's Cutoff' (2010)
Indie filmmaker Kelly Reichardt and her frequent leading lady, Michelle Williams, are the talents behind this sparse, docudrama about an 1845 wagon train whose Oregon Trail journey goes horribly awry. It's an intense...
- 5/26/2015
- by Gary Susman
- Moviefone
We're all used to the Oscar ceremony drawing monotonous "it's too long!" complaints. Yours truly doesn't share that view. Hell, if they wanted to do 9-hour broadcasts and include all the honoraries again and give more attention to the craft categories, and never skimp on any of the four category clip reels for the actors, I'd gladly watch each additional minute. But the super long Oscar ceremony is actually not a historic consistency. The earliest Oscars were short banquets and once they started televising them in the 50s the lengths varied.
Gigi made a clean sweep with 9 Oscars but with no acting nominations. Burl Ives (The Big Country), Susan Hayward (I Want To Live!), and David Niven and Wendy Hiller (not pictured) from Separate Tables won the acting Oscars.
The shortest of all televised ceremonies was the 1958 Oscars, broadcast live on April 6th, '59. It was only 100 minutes long. Can you imagine it?...
Gigi made a clean sweep with 9 Oscars but with no acting nominations. Burl Ives (The Big Country), Susan Hayward (I Want To Live!), and David Niven and Wendy Hiller (not pictured) from Separate Tables won the acting Oscars.
The shortest of all televised ceremonies was the 1958 Oscars, broadcast live on April 6th, '59. It was only 100 minutes long. Can you imagine it?...
- 11/14/2014
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Hollywood stuntman and film director who scored huge successes with Smokey and the Bandit and The Cannonball Run
Upset by the critical response to his work, the stuntman turned film director Hal Needham, who has died aged 82, took out advertisements in Variety and other trade papers. They featured quotes from negative reviews for his movies including Smokey and the Bandit (1977) and The Cannonball Run (1981), alongside a wheelbarrow overflowing with dollar bills.
Needham made a point. His rumbustious 1977 directorial debut had grossed over $100m – an enormous return on its modest budget. He was still milking that particular creation some 20 years later, producing and directing a series of television movies, including Bandit Goes Country and Beauty and the Bandit.
These and other films, many of which starred Burt Reynolds, were seen by an audience of hundreds of millions worldwide, yet few reference books acknowledged his 45-year-long career — an unjustified omission, if only...
Upset by the critical response to his work, the stuntman turned film director Hal Needham, who has died aged 82, took out advertisements in Variety and other trade papers. They featured quotes from negative reviews for his movies including Smokey and the Bandit (1977) and The Cannonball Run (1981), alongside a wheelbarrow overflowing with dollar bills.
Needham made a point. His rumbustious 1977 directorial debut had grossed over $100m – an enormous return on its modest budget. He was still milking that particular creation some 20 years later, producing and directing a series of television movies, including Bandit Goes Country and Beauty and the Bandit.
These and other films, many of which starred Burt Reynolds, were seen by an audience of hundreds of millions worldwide, yet few reference books acknowledged his 45-year-long career — an unjustified omission, if only...
- 10/28/2013
- by Brian Baxter
- The Guardian - Film News
The “adult” Western – as it would come to be called – was a long time coming. A Hollywood staple since the days of The Great Train Robbery (1903), the Western offered spectacle and action set against the uniquely American milieu of the Old West – a historical period which, at the dawn of the motion picture industry, was still fresh in the nation’s memory. What the genre rarely offered was dramatic substance.
Early Westerns often adopted the same traditions of the popular Wild West literature and dime novels of the 19th and early 20th centuries producing, as a consequence, highly romantic, almost purely mythic portraits the Old West. Through the early decades of the motion picture industry, the genre went through several creative cycles, alternately tilting from fanciful to realistic and back again. By the early sound era, and despite such serious efforts as The Big Trail (1930) and The Virginian (1929), Hollywood Westerns were,...
Early Westerns often adopted the same traditions of the popular Wild West literature and dime novels of the 19th and early 20th centuries producing, as a consequence, highly romantic, almost purely mythic portraits the Old West. Through the early decades of the motion picture industry, the genre went through several creative cycles, alternately tilting from fanciful to realistic and back again. By the early sound era, and despite such serious efforts as The Big Trail (1930) and The Virginian (1929), Hollywood Westerns were,...
- 1/4/2013
- by Bill Mesce
- SoundOnSight
1. Burl Ives, "Silver Bells"
Here's the problem with Burl Ives' Christmas tunes: I just want him to interrupt every recording by announcing, "I am an Oscar Winner, kids. I'm not just your f*cking grandpa with the pointy beard. I beat Lee J. Cobb and Gig Young. Suck on that sugar cube, Blitzen." Indeed, Rudolph's narrator scored a Supporting Actor trophy for 1958's The Big Country, and he wasn't the jolliest bastard you've ever seen in it. But here's the thing: Christmas is about bubbling-under rage, which I've decided that Burl has, and therefore "Silver Bells" is a definitive yuletide anthem. Score: 8
2. The Carpenters, "Merry Christmas Darling"
All right. It doesn't take a looped screening of the Carpenters' Christmas specials featuring the McNichols, John Denver, and Yuletide Anorexia to realize that Christmas meant everything to the Carpenters. Karen and Richard were nothing without their plasticine grins, that true indicator of the holiday spirit.
Here's the problem with Burl Ives' Christmas tunes: I just want him to interrupt every recording by announcing, "I am an Oscar Winner, kids. I'm not just your f*cking grandpa with the pointy beard. I beat Lee J. Cobb and Gig Young. Suck on that sugar cube, Blitzen." Indeed, Rudolph's narrator scored a Supporting Actor trophy for 1958's The Big Country, and he wasn't the jolliest bastard you've ever seen in it. But here's the thing: Christmas is about bubbling-under rage, which I've decided that Burl has, and therefore "Silver Bells" is a definitive yuletide anthem. Score: 8
2. The Carpenters, "Merry Christmas Darling"
All right. It doesn't take a looped screening of the Carpenters' Christmas specials featuring the McNichols, John Denver, and Yuletide Anorexia to realize that Christmas meant everything to the Carpenters. Karen and Richard were nothing without their plasticine grins, that true indicator of the holiday spirit.
- 12/12/2012
- by virtel
- The Backlot
For moviegoers growing up in the last 20-30 years, big is the new normal. I’m talking about those big-budget, over-produced, effects/action-packed extravaganzas that are as expected and routine an arrival as a commuter bus, and never more so than during the summer months. Come a rise in temperatures, there’s an almost ceaseless parade of these megabuck behemoths through multiplexes starting in May and continuing until the kids go back to school, one rolling out almost every week.
Consider these May-August releases and their eye-popping price tags:
5/4: Marvel’s The Avengers — $220 million
5/11: Dark Shadows — $150 million
5/18: Battleship — $209 million
5/25: Men in Black 3 — $250 million
6/8: Prometheus — $120-130 million
7/3: The Amazing Spider-Man — $220 million
7/20: The Dark Knight Rises — $250 million
7/31: Total Recall — $200 million
8/5: The Expendables 2 — $100 million
For those of you who haven’t been keeping count, that’s a little over $1.7 billion in productions...
Consider these May-August releases and their eye-popping price tags:
5/4: Marvel’s The Avengers — $220 million
5/11: Dark Shadows — $150 million
5/18: Battleship — $209 million
5/25: Men in Black 3 — $250 million
6/8: Prometheus — $120-130 million
7/3: The Amazing Spider-Man — $220 million
7/20: The Dark Knight Rises — $250 million
7/31: Total Recall — $200 million
8/5: The Expendables 2 — $100 million
For those of you who haven’t been keeping count, that’s a little over $1.7 billion in productions...
- 6/29/2012
- by Bill Mesce
- SoundOnSight
She's saved three half-baked movies in a row, now will someone give her the role she needs to become a superstar?
I was watching From Here To Eternity again the other day and it struck me, while watching Deborah Kerr romp scandalously in the surf with Burt Lancaster, that American audiences in the 1950s simply could not get enough of English leading ladies. It seemed that there was always another seat – another throne, even – for emerging British female stars ready to embrace wholeheartedly the business of being a star, and not an English movie star, but a Hollywood movie star, the real thing.
If one examines movies of the period by box-office success rather than by enduring cultural impact, British actresses – Kerr in An Affair To Remember, Simmons in The Big Country, Hepburn in Funny Face – were both sex symbols and genuine superstars, even in the age of Marilyn Monroe.
I was watching From Here To Eternity again the other day and it struck me, while watching Deborah Kerr romp scandalously in the surf with Burt Lancaster, that American audiences in the 1950s simply could not get enough of English leading ladies. It seemed that there was always another seat – another throne, even – for emerging British female stars ready to embrace wholeheartedly the business of being a star, and not an English movie star, but a Hollywood movie star, the real thing.
If one examines movies of the period by box-office success rather than by enduring cultural impact, British actresses – Kerr in An Affair To Remember, Simmons in The Big Country, Hepburn in Funny Face – were both sex symbols and genuine superstars, even in the age of Marilyn Monroe.
- 6/15/2012
- by John Patterson
- The Guardian - Film News
Walter Huston, Ruth Chatterton, Dodsworth William Wyler: Record-Setting Oscar Director for Actors Pt.1 Ah, William Wyler also happens to be the director with the most Academy Award nominations: twelve in all. For the record, those are: Dodsworth, 1936; Wuthering Heights, 1939; The Letter, 1940; The Little Foxes, 1941; Mrs. Miniver, 1942; The Best Years of Our Lives, 1946; The Heiress, 1949; Detective Story, 1951; Roman Holiday, 1953; Friendly Persuasion, 1956; Ben-Hur, 1959; and The Collector, 1965. He won the Best Director Oscar for three films — none of which is among his best: Mrs. Miniver, The Best Years of Our Lives, and Ben-Hur. Considering the changes that have taken place in the American film industry following the demise of the studio system, barring a miracle Wyler will remain the Oscars' top director for actors for as long as there are Oscars. (See full list below.) William Wyler died of a heart attack in July 1981 in Los Angeles. William Wyler-directed movies: thirty-six acting nominations; fourteen wins.
- 2/22/2012
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
William Wyler was one of the greatest film directors Hollywood — or any other film industry — has ever produced. Today, Wyler lacks the following of Alfred Hitchcock, John Ford, Frank Capra, or even Howard Hawks most likely because, unlike Hitchcock, Ford, or Capra (and to a lesser extent Hawks), Wyler never focused on a particular genre, while his films were hardly as male-centered as those of the aforementioned four directors. Dumb but true: Films about women and their issues tend to be perceived as inferior to those about men — especially tough men — and their issues. The German-born Wyler (1902, in Alsace, now part of France) immigrated to the United States in his late teens. Following a stint at Universal's New York office, he moved to Hollywood and by the mid-'20s was directing Western shorts. His ascent was quick; by 1929 Wyler was directing Universal's top female star, Laura La Plante in the...
- 2/22/2012
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Sherilyn Fenn, Richard Tyson, Two Moon Junction Zalman King Dies Pt.1: Mickey Rourke-Kim Basinger Sex Drama Nine 1/2 Weeks Though much of the media coverage on the film focused on the Sherilyn Fenn-Richard Tyson sex scenes and a full-frontal nude shot of Fenn, the most interesting aspect of Two Moon Junction was its highly eclectic cast, which included Oscar winners Louise Fletcher (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest) and Burl Ives (The Big Country), Oscar nominee Juanita Moore (Imitation of Life), plus Little Darlings' Kristy McNichol, The Diary of Anne Frank's Millie Perkins, Fantasy Island's Hervé Villechaize, Endless Love's Martin Hewitt, TV star Don Galloway, and Milla Jovovich of the future Resident Alien movies. But despite the cast and the sex, Two Moon Junction bombed domestically, earning a paltry $1.54 million. Compared to Two Moon Junction, the $7 million-budgeted Wild Orchid (1990) was a megahit.
- 2/4/2012
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Katharine Hepburn, Rossano Brazzi in Oscar nominee (but not DGA nominee) David Lean's Summertime DGA Awards vs. Academy Awards 1948-1952: Odd Men Out George Cukor, John Huston, Vincente Minnelli 1953 DGA (12) Melvin Frank and Norman Panama, Above and Beyond Walter Lang, Call Me Madam Daniel Mann, Come Back, Little Sheba Joseph L. Mankiewicz, Julius Caesar Henry Koster, The Robe Jean Negulesco, Titanic George Sidney, Young Bess DGA/AMPAS George Stevens, Shane Charles Walters, Lili Billy Wilder, Stalag 17 William Wyler, Roman Holiday Fred Zinnemann, From Here to Eternity 1954 DGA (16) Edward Dmytryk, The Caine Mutiny Alfred Hitchcock, Dial M for Murder Robert Wise, Executive Suite Anthony Mann, The Glenn Miller Story Samuel Fuller, Hell and High Water Henry King, King of Khyber Rifles Melvin Frank and Norman Panama, Knock on Wood Don Siegel, Riot in Cell Block 11 Stanley Donen, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers George Cukor, A Star Is Born Jean Negulesco,...
- 1/10/2012
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
The films that weren't even given a shot at winning best picture
• Charles Saatchi: my love affair with Orson Welles
Here, in no particular order, is Charles Saatchi's list of the post-1950 films that should have been nominated for a best film Oscar. Tell us your picks below.
North by Northwest
The African Queen
Paths of Glory
Spartacus
Hud
What's Up Doc?
The Manchurian Candidate
The Big Country
Scarface
Vertigo
Kill Bill
Parenthood
Reversal of Fortune
Harold and Maude
Being There
Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?
Lost in America
Minority Report
Jurassic Park
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Heat
Once Upon a Time in America
Seven
The Searchers
Psycho
Rear Window
The Producers
Toy Story
Some Like It Hot
2001: A Space Odyssey
Lolita
The Shining
Touch of Evil
Gran Torino
Beetlejuice
Edward Scissorhands
Raising Arizona
Advise and Consent
Mean Streets
King of Comedy
Reservoir Dogs
Manhattan
Crimes and Misdemeanors...
• Charles Saatchi: my love affair with Orson Welles
Here, in no particular order, is Charles Saatchi's list of the post-1950 films that should have been nominated for a best film Oscar. Tell us your picks below.
North by Northwest
The African Queen
Paths of Glory
Spartacus
Hud
What's Up Doc?
The Manchurian Candidate
The Big Country
Scarface
Vertigo
Kill Bill
Parenthood
Reversal of Fortune
Harold and Maude
Being There
Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?
Lost in America
Minority Report
Jurassic Park
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Heat
Once Upon a Time in America
Seven
The Searchers
Psycho
Rear Window
The Producers
Toy Story
Some Like It Hot
2001: A Space Odyssey
Lolita
The Shining
Touch of Evil
Gran Torino
Beetlejuice
Edward Scissorhands
Raising Arizona
Advise and Consent
Mean Streets
King of Comedy
Reservoir Dogs
Manhattan
Crimes and Misdemeanors...
- 12/29/2011
- by Charles Saatchi
- The Guardian - Film News
The Movie Pool travels The Big Country Blu-ray!
Blu-ray Specs
Release Date: November 1, 2011
Rating: Not rated
Running Time: 165 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Audio: English Mono DTS-hd Ma, Spanish Mono, French Mono
Subtitles: English for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Spanish, French
Special Features: "Fun in the Country" featurette, TV spot, Theatrical Trailer
The Set-up
A boat captain (Gregory Peck) from back East travels to a large ranch in the west to meet the father of his fiance. There, he is challenged by a local ruffian (Chuck Connors) and a tough-as-nails ranch foreman (Charlton Heston), and must decide whether to compromise his principles to save his reputation. Featuring an Oscar-winning performance by Burl Ives (Best Supporting Actor).
Directed by: William Wyler
The Delivery
Acclaimed director William Wyler (Ben-Hur, The Best Years of Our Lives) presents this morality tale wrapped in a western. It stars an impressive cast, with Peck in the lead and Charlton Heston,...
Blu-ray Specs
Release Date: November 1, 2011
Rating: Not rated
Running Time: 165 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Audio: English Mono DTS-hd Ma, Spanish Mono, French Mono
Subtitles: English for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Spanish, French
Special Features: "Fun in the Country" featurette, TV spot, Theatrical Trailer
The Set-up
A boat captain (Gregory Peck) from back East travels to a large ranch in the west to meet the father of his fiance. There, he is challenged by a local ruffian (Chuck Connors) and a tough-as-nails ranch foreman (Charlton Heston), and must decide whether to compromise his principles to save his reputation. Featuring an Oscar-winning performance by Burl Ives (Best Supporting Actor).
Directed by: William Wyler
The Delivery
Acclaimed director William Wyler (Ben-Hur, The Best Years of Our Lives) presents this morality tale wrapped in a western. It stars an impressive cast, with Peck in the lead and Charlton Heston,...
- 12/15/2011
- by medina.victor@sbcglobal.net (Victor Medina)
- Cinelinx
Better late than never with the shill…I mean the Wow Look At All These Great Things! (And, all joking aside, I do mean that sincerely.)
We’ve finally done it. We’ve reached the end of our biggest year ever here at Trailers From Hell, a year with a lot of growing pains and a lot of triumphs. So allow me to extend some seasonal greetings to you, readers, watchers, visitors and strangers who may have just now stumbled upon our humble little site. (If you’re of the latter group, really, what took you so long?) We can only hope to keep growing the site though (please tell your friends!), and our always-amazing, never-ceasing stable of gurus only increases the realm of greatness we hope to bring you.
In the spirit of the season — that spirit being crass consumerism, of course — we thought we might direct your attention...
We’ve finally done it. We’ve reached the end of our biggest year ever here at Trailers From Hell, a year with a lot of growing pains and a lot of triumphs. So allow me to extend some seasonal greetings to you, readers, watchers, visitors and strangers who may have just now stumbled upon our humble little site. (If you’re of the latter group, really, what took you so long?) We can only hope to keep growing the site though (please tell your friends!), and our always-amazing, never-ceasing stable of gurus only increases the realm of greatness we hope to bring you.
In the spirit of the season — that spirit being crass consumerism, of course — we thought we might direct your attention...
- 12/13/2011
- by Danny
- Trailers from Hell
DVD Playhouse—December 2011
By Allen Gardner
The Rules Of The Game (Criterion) Jean Renoir’s classic from 1939 was met with a riot at its premiere and was severely cut by its distributor, available only in truncated form for two decades until it was restored to the grandeur for which it is celebrated today. A biting comedy of manners set in the upstairs and downstairs of a French country estate, the film bitterly vivisects the bourgeoisie with a gentle ferocity that will tickle the laughter in your throat. Renoir co-stars as Octave. Also available on Blu-ray disc. Bonuses: Introduction to the film by Renoir; Commentary written by scholar Alexander Sesonske and read by Peter Bogdanovich; Comparison of the film’s two endings; Selected scene analysis by Renoir scholar Chris Faulkner; Featurettes and vintage film clips; Part one of David Thomson’s “Jean Renoir” BBC documentary; Video essay; Interviews with Renoir, crew members,...
By Allen Gardner
The Rules Of The Game (Criterion) Jean Renoir’s classic from 1939 was met with a riot at its premiere and was severely cut by its distributor, available only in truncated form for two decades until it was restored to the grandeur for which it is celebrated today. A biting comedy of manners set in the upstairs and downstairs of a French country estate, the film bitterly vivisects the bourgeoisie with a gentle ferocity that will tickle the laughter in your throat. Renoir co-stars as Octave. Also available on Blu-ray disc. Bonuses: Introduction to the film by Renoir; Commentary written by scholar Alexander Sesonske and read by Peter Bogdanovich; Comparison of the film’s two endings; Selected scene analysis by Renoir scholar Chris Faulkner; Featurettes and vintage film clips; Part one of David Thomson’s “Jean Renoir” BBC documentary; Video essay; Interviews with Renoir, crew members,...
- 12/12/2011
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
A Fistful Of Dollars Blu-ray MGM Home Entertainment 1964/Rated R/Running Time 99 mins List Price: $16.99 – Now Available In a small Mexican border town called San Miguel, a stranger (Clint Eastwood) rides into town and learns about a feud between two families, the Baxters and the Rojo brothers. The stranger, who became known to American audiences through promotional material as The Man with No Name, knows that this is the perfect opportunity to make money. And this is one of the many elements that Sergio Leone's classic western, A Fistful of Dollars different from the rest. Up to this point, audiences were used to Westerns that had established good guys and bad guys. They knew who to side with and who that person would be going after. This film had characters that represented a more realistic version of the Wild West. Even the main character, which is actually credited as...
- 11/10/2011
- LRMonline.com
Rank the week of November 1st’s Blu-ray and DVD new releases against the best films of all-time: New Releases Cars 2
(Blu-ray & DVD | G | 2011)
Flickchart Ranking: #2213
Win Percentage: 48%
Times Ranked: 3502
Top-20 Rankings: 35
Directed By: John Lasseter
Starring: Larry the Cable Guy • Owen Wilson • Michael Caine • Emily Mortimer • Eddie Izzard
Genres: Action Comedy • Adventure • Adventure Comedy • Animation • Comedy • Family • Family-Oriented Adventure • Family-Oriented Comedy
Rank This Movie
Water For Elephants
(Blu-ray & DVD | PG13 | 2011)
Flickchart Ranking: #3022
Win Percentage: 51%
Times Ranked: 2226
Top-20 Rankings: 17
Directed By: Francis Lawrence
Starring: Reese Witherspoon • Robert Pattinson • Christoph Waltz • Paul Schneider • Hal Holbrook
Genres: Animal Picture • Drama • Romance • Romantic Drama
Rank This Movie
Crazy Stupid Love
(Blu-ray & DVD | PG13 | 2011)
Flickchart Ranking: #816
Win Percentage: 57%
Times Ranked: 3830
Top-20 Rankings: 19
Directed By: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa
Starring: Steve Carell • Ryan Gosling • Julianne Moore • Emma Stone • Marisa Tomei
Genres: Comedy Drama • Comedy of Manners • Drama • Romance • Romantic Comedy
Rank This Movie
Snow Flower And The Secret Fan...
(Blu-ray & DVD | G | 2011)
Flickchart Ranking: #2213
Win Percentage: 48%
Times Ranked: 3502
Top-20 Rankings: 35
Directed By: John Lasseter
Starring: Larry the Cable Guy • Owen Wilson • Michael Caine • Emily Mortimer • Eddie Izzard
Genres: Action Comedy • Adventure • Adventure Comedy • Animation • Comedy • Family • Family-Oriented Adventure • Family-Oriented Comedy
Rank This Movie
Water For Elephants
(Blu-ray & DVD | PG13 | 2011)
Flickchart Ranking: #3022
Win Percentage: 51%
Times Ranked: 2226
Top-20 Rankings: 17
Directed By: Francis Lawrence
Starring: Reese Witherspoon • Robert Pattinson • Christoph Waltz • Paul Schneider • Hal Holbrook
Genres: Animal Picture • Drama • Romance • Romantic Drama
Rank This Movie
Crazy Stupid Love
(Blu-ray & DVD | PG13 | 2011)
Flickchart Ranking: #816
Win Percentage: 57%
Times Ranked: 3830
Top-20 Rankings: 19
Directed By: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa
Starring: Steve Carell • Ryan Gosling • Julianne Moore • Emma Stone • Marisa Tomei
Genres: Comedy Drama • Comedy of Manners • Drama • Romance • Romantic Comedy
Rank This Movie
Snow Flower And The Secret Fan...
- 11/1/2011
- by Jonathan Hardesty
- Flickchart
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