(Welcome to Did They Get It Right?, a series where we look at Oscars categories from yesteryear and examine whether the Academy's winners stand the test of time.)
Few directors hold as large a place in the hearts of cinephiles as Stanley Kubrick. The mythology of the director as this reclusive, micromanaging perfectionist who would drive people insane by doing 100 takes of a scene has become the stuff of legend. Some people stand in awe of what he was able to accomplish throughout his career on such a grand scale, and some, naturally, want to take him down a peg because of his godlike status amongst a certain sector of film fans. I don't hold Kubrick up as god. He wouldn't be on my Mt. Rushmore of directors. But the man did direct some of the best films ever made. That's a little difficult to deny.
Because of this revered status,...
Few directors hold as large a place in the hearts of cinephiles as Stanley Kubrick. The mythology of the director as this reclusive, micromanaging perfectionist who would drive people insane by doing 100 takes of a scene has become the stuff of legend. Some people stand in awe of what he was able to accomplish throughout his career on such a grand scale, and some, naturally, want to take him down a peg because of his godlike status amongst a certain sector of film fans. I don't hold Kubrick up as god. He wouldn't be on my Mt. Rushmore of directors. But the man did direct some of the best films ever made. That's a little difficult to deny.
Because of this revered status,...
- 8/20/2023
- by Mike Shutt
- Slash Film
In the first trailer for Hulu’s musical comedy series “Up Here,” Mae Whitman and Carlos Valdes are young New Yorkers who meet and immediately click … if only they could both silence the voices in their heads telling them they’re doing everything wrong.
The series, from “Hamilton” director/producer Thomas Kail, is written by Tony-winning playwright Steven Levenson and Danielle Sanchez-Witzel (NBC’s “The Carmichael Show”) It is set to premiere March 24 on Hulu.
Whitman, who starred in NBC’s “Good Girls” from 2018 to 2021 and “Parenthood” from 2010 to 2015. plays idealistic Lindsay. Her musical career includes guest vocals with indie band Fake Problems and singing “Gardenia” with Landon Pigg on a 2010 episode of “Parenthood.”
Valdes, who played Cisco Ramon on The CW series “The Flash,” is the equally self-doubting Miguel. He’s appeared in stage productions of “Jersey Boys,” “Once,” and “Zorba!”
“Up Here” is set in “the waning days...
The series, from “Hamilton” director/producer Thomas Kail, is written by Tony-winning playwright Steven Levenson and Danielle Sanchez-Witzel (NBC’s “The Carmichael Show”) It is set to premiere March 24 on Hulu.
Whitman, who starred in NBC’s “Good Girls” from 2018 to 2021 and “Parenthood” from 2010 to 2015. plays idealistic Lindsay. Her musical career includes guest vocals with indie band Fake Problems and singing “Gardenia” with Landon Pigg on a 2010 episode of “Parenthood.”
Valdes, who played Cisco Ramon on The CW series “The Flash,” is the equally self-doubting Miguel. He’s appeared in stage productions of “Jersey Boys,” “Once,” and “Zorba!”
“Up Here” is set in “the waning days...
- 2/28/2023
- by Sharon Knolle
- The Wrap
Irene Papas, the Greek actress known for such films as “Zorba the Greek,” “Z” and “The Guns of Navarone,” has died. She was 93.
Greece’s Ministry of Culture and Sports confirmed the news Wednesday in a statement.
Papas starred in over 70 films and stage productions throughout her career spanning nearly six decades, from Hollywood features to French and Italian cinema. She also appeared in dozens of Greek tragedies, including the title role in the 1961 film adaptation of “Antigone.”
Born on Sept. 3, 1929, in the village of Chiliomodi near Corinth, Papas began her acting studies as a teenager and later worked on multiple film and TV projects in the ’40’s and ’50s, including “The Man from Cairo,” “The Unfaithfuls,” “Bouboulina” and “Attila,” among others.
In 1961, she played a supporting role in “The Guns of Navarone” starring Gregory Peck, David Niven and Anthony Quinn. Papas then starred opposite Quinn and Alan Bates in...
Greece’s Ministry of Culture and Sports confirmed the news Wednesday in a statement.
Papas starred in over 70 films and stage productions throughout her career spanning nearly six decades, from Hollywood features to French and Italian cinema. She also appeared in dozens of Greek tragedies, including the title role in the 1961 film adaptation of “Antigone.”
Born on Sept. 3, 1929, in the village of Chiliomodi near Corinth, Papas began her acting studies as a teenager and later worked on multiple film and TV projects in the ’40’s and ’50s, including “The Man from Cairo,” “The Unfaithfuls,” “Bouboulina” and “Attila,” among others.
In 1961, she played a supporting role in “The Guns of Navarone” starring Gregory Peck, David Niven and Anthony Quinn. Papas then starred opposite Quinn and Alan Bates in...
- 9/14/2022
- by Michaela Zee
- Variety Film + TV
Irene Papas, the Greek actress who starred in such films as The Guns of Navarone, Z, Zorba the Greek and dozens of other films, playing opposite many of Hollywood’s biggest stars, died Wednesday in her hometown of Chilimodion. She was 93.
No cause of death was given, but Papas was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in the mid-2010s.
Greece’s Ministry of Culture and Sports confirmed the news. “Magnificent, majestic, dynamic, Irene Papas was the personification of Greek beauty on the cinema screen and on the theater stage, an international leading lady who radiated Greekness,” Minister Lina G. Mendoni said in a statement.
Hollywood & Media Deaths 2022: A Photo Gallery
Papas was a veteran of French and Italian cinema as well as Hollywood. During her nearly six-decade screen career, she starred with such screen legends as Gregory Peck, Kirk Douglas, Katharine Hepburn, Richard Burton, James Cagney, Maximilian Schell, David Niven,...
No cause of death was given, but Papas was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in the mid-2010s.
Greece’s Ministry of Culture and Sports confirmed the news. “Magnificent, majestic, dynamic, Irene Papas was the personification of Greek beauty on the cinema screen and on the theater stage, an international leading lady who radiated Greekness,” Minister Lina G. Mendoni said in a statement.
Hollywood & Media Deaths 2022: A Photo Gallery
Papas was a veteran of French and Italian cinema as well as Hollywood. During her nearly six-decade screen career, she starred with such screen legends as Gregory Peck, Kirk Douglas, Katharine Hepburn, Richard Burton, James Cagney, Maximilian Schell, David Niven,...
- 9/14/2022
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Greek stage and screen actor who appeared in The Guns of Navarone, Zorba the Greek and Captain Corelli’s Mandolin
It is apposite that Irene Papas, who has died aged 96, was at her peak when playing the heroines in film versions of classical Greek tragedies. Notwithstanding her many roles in a wide range of Hollywood, international and Greek films, including The Guns of Navarone (1961), Zorba the Greek (1964) and Z (1969), Papas always gave the impression that there was an Electra, Antigone or Clytemnestra bubbling beneath the surface.
She balanced expertly between theatrical tradition and the cinema closeup, her strong, expressive face being especially eloquent in moments of silent suffering.
It is apposite that Irene Papas, who has died aged 96, was at her peak when playing the heroines in film versions of classical Greek tragedies. Notwithstanding her many roles in a wide range of Hollywood, international and Greek films, including The Guns of Navarone (1961), Zorba the Greek (1964) and Z (1969), Papas always gave the impression that there was an Electra, Antigone or Clytemnestra bubbling beneath the surface.
She balanced expertly between theatrical tradition and the cinema closeup, her strong, expressive face being especially eloquent in moments of silent suffering.
- 9/14/2022
- by Ronald Bergan
- The Guardian - Film News
At a time when he was both his country’s most celebrated novelist and a journalist struggling to make ends meet, “Zorba the Greek” author Nikos Kazantzakis set sail for Japan on a formative journey that would shape the latter half of his career – and ultimately lead to his untimely death.
Based on the written account of his travels in the Far East, “Last Voyage,” by journalist and documentary filmmaker Aris Chatzistefanou, examines that journey while using it as a framework to explore how the period between the two World Wars shaped what would come to be known as the “Japanese Miracle.” Produced by Kyriakos Chatzistefanou for Moviementa Productions, the film premieres this week at the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival.
Greece’s greatest modern writer occupies a singular place in the country’s literary canon. But on his recent travels to Japan, Chatzistefanou was accompanied by “Japan-China: A Journal of Two Voyages,...
Based on the written account of his travels in the Far East, “Last Voyage,” by journalist and documentary filmmaker Aris Chatzistefanou, examines that journey while using it as a framework to explore how the period between the two World Wars shaped what would come to be known as the “Japanese Miracle.” Produced by Kyriakos Chatzistefanou for Moviementa Productions, the film premieres this week at the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival.
Greece’s greatest modern writer occupies a singular place in the country’s literary canon. But on his recent travels to Japan, Chatzistefanou was accompanied by “Japan-China: A Journal of Two Voyages,...
- 3/19/2022
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
At the Middleburg Film Festival this month, there were two rapturous standing ovations in the main theater of the Salamander Resort, where all the prominent films screen. One was for the best picture front-runner “Belfast” from Focus Features. The other was for Clifton Collins Jr.’s heartfelt turn as an aging equestrian hoping for his final championship run in “Jockey” from Sony Pictures Classics.
With more than 70 movie credits, the Los Angeles-born actor has been a staple at the movies for two decades. From his imprisoned corporal in “The Last Castle” (2001) to his Oscar-snubbed role as convicted murderer Perry Smith in Bennett Miller’s best picture-nominated debut, “Capote” (2005), opposite Philip Seymour Hoffman, Collins has been a true character actor, with no awards recognition to come his way.
“Jockey” debuted at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, which was virtual due to the pandemic. But movies often play differently in theaters.
With more than 70 movie credits, the Los Angeles-born actor has been a staple at the movies for two decades. From his imprisoned corporal in “The Last Castle” (2001) to his Oscar-snubbed role as convicted murderer Perry Smith in Bennett Miller’s best picture-nominated debut, “Capote” (2005), opposite Philip Seymour Hoffman, Collins has been a true character actor, with no awards recognition to come his way.
“Jockey” debuted at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, which was virtual due to the pandemic. But movies often play differently in theaters.
- 10/28/2021
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Mikis Theodorakis, the beloved Greek composer whose rousing music and life of political defiance won acclaim abroad and inspired millions at home, died Thursday. He was 96.
His death at his home in central Athens was announced on state television and followed multiple hospitalizations in recent years, mostly for heart treatment.
Theodorakis’ prolific career that started at age 17 produced a hugely varied body of work that ranged from somber symphonies and an anthem for the Palestinian Liberation Organization to popular television and the film scores for Serpico and Zorba the Greek.
But the towering man with trademark worker suits, hoarse voice ...
His death at his home in central Athens was announced on state television and followed multiple hospitalizations in recent years, mostly for heart treatment.
Theodorakis’ prolific career that started at age 17 produced a hugely varied body of work that ranged from somber symphonies and an anthem for the Palestinian Liberation Organization to popular television and the film scores for Serpico and Zorba the Greek.
But the towering man with trademark worker suits, hoarse voice ...
Mikis Theodorakis, the Greek composer of acclaimed scores for such films as Zorba the Greek, Z and Serpico, died today at his home in Athens of cardiac arrest. He was 96.
His death was announced on his website. A longtime and outspoken advocate for leftist causes whose opposition to the 1967–1974 Greek junta landed him in prison and then exile in Paris during the late 1960s and early ’70s, Theodorakis saw his considerable body of musical work both banned and celebrated in his home country.
In the wake of his death today, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis declared three days of national mourning. Theodorakis’ body will lie in state, according to a statement read on Greek state television today.
Though his musical compositions spanned the worlds of ballet, opera, symphonies and the theater, Theodorakis might best be remembered for 1964’s Zorba the Greek, directed by Michael Cacoyiannis and starring Anthony Quinn. In particular,...
His death was announced on his website. A longtime and outspoken advocate for leftist causes whose opposition to the 1967–1974 Greek junta landed him in prison and then exile in Paris during the late 1960s and early ’70s, Theodorakis saw his considerable body of musical work both banned and celebrated in his home country.
In the wake of his death today, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis declared three days of national mourning. Theodorakis’ body will lie in state, according to a statement read on Greek state television today.
Though his musical compositions spanned the worlds of ballet, opera, symphonies and the theater, Theodorakis might best be remembered for 1964’s Zorba the Greek, directed by Michael Cacoyiannis and starring Anthony Quinn. In particular,...
- 9/2/2021
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
The star from Sid & Nancy, Terminator 2, Candyman, Gattaca, Leaving Las Vegas and the new chiller The Dark And The Wicked takes us on a journey through some of his favorite foreign films.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Candyman (1992)
Frankenstein (1931)
Sid and Nancy (1986)
The Dark And The Wicked (2020)
The Wall of Mexico (2019)
La Dolce Vita (1961)
Il Bidone (1955)
Day For Night (1973)
The Good, The Bad And The Ugly (1967)
8 ½ (1963)
Le Cercle Rouge (1970)
Daredevils of the Red Circle (1939)
Rififi (1955)
Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Z (1969)
The Sleeping Car Murders (1965)
The Battle of Algiers (1966)
Burn! (1969)
Dr. Strangelove (1964)
The Italian Job (1969)
The Italian Job (2003)
The Magician (1958)
Wild Strawberries (1957)
Fanny and Alexander (1982)
Persona (1966)
The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
The Last House On The Left (1972)
The Virgin Spring (1960)
Paperhouse (1988)
The Strangers (2008)
The Monster (2016)
Andrei Rublev (1966)
Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)
Nostalghia (1983)
Son of Frankenstein (1939)
The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
Zorba The Greek (1964)
Pollyanna (1960)
Other Notable Items
Lon...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Candyman (1992)
Frankenstein (1931)
Sid and Nancy (1986)
The Dark And The Wicked (2020)
The Wall of Mexico (2019)
La Dolce Vita (1961)
Il Bidone (1955)
Day For Night (1973)
The Good, The Bad And The Ugly (1967)
8 ½ (1963)
Le Cercle Rouge (1970)
Daredevils of the Red Circle (1939)
Rififi (1955)
Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Z (1969)
The Sleeping Car Murders (1965)
The Battle of Algiers (1966)
Burn! (1969)
Dr. Strangelove (1964)
The Italian Job (1969)
The Italian Job (2003)
The Magician (1958)
Wild Strawberries (1957)
Fanny and Alexander (1982)
Persona (1966)
The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
The Last House On The Left (1972)
The Virgin Spring (1960)
Paperhouse (1988)
The Strangers (2008)
The Monster (2016)
Andrei Rublev (1966)
Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)
Nostalghia (1983)
Son of Frankenstein (1939)
The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
Zorba The Greek (1964)
Pollyanna (1960)
Other Notable Items
Lon...
- 12/15/2020
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
Hollywood has struck again, further perpetuating the idea that all Spanish accents are created equal, and every Hispanic is a Latino. Universal Pictures released the first trailer for “The 355” starring Jessica Chastain, Lupita Nyong’o, Diane Kruger, Penélope Cruz and Fan Bingbing. As the trailer unfolds, with action that’s a mix of “Ocean’s Eleven” and “The Bourne Identity,” the first look showcases all the protagonists’ ethnic backgrounds as a dangling carrot to our “woke” generation.
In a voiceover, Nyong’o describes the intelligence agencies the women work for — American (Chastain), British (Nyong’o), German (Kruger), Colombian (Cruz), Chinese (Fan). Furthermore, the film’s official synopsis describes Cruz’s Graciela as a “skilled Colombian psychologist,” alongside Kruger’s Marie (“badass German agent”).
The use of the American and British cultural identities allows for a broader interpretation of what each of the women’s characters is, and what they may look like.
In a voiceover, Nyong’o describes the intelligence agencies the women work for — American (Chastain), British (Nyong’o), German (Kruger), Colombian (Cruz), Chinese (Fan). Furthermore, the film’s official synopsis describes Cruz’s Graciela as a “skilled Colombian psychologist,” alongside Kruger’s Marie (“badass German agent”).
The use of the American and British cultural identities allows for a broader interpretation of what each of the women’s characters is, and what they may look like.
- 10/7/2020
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
We’ve got a big week of home media releases ahead of us, so I hope that your wallets are ready to suffer a whole lot of abuse this Tuesday, because there are a ton of must-own titles headed home that genre fans are definitely going to want to add to their collections. We have two new Vestron Video Collector’s Series releases to look forward to—David Cronenberg’s Shivers and Little Monsters (1989)—and for the first time ever, Wes Craven’s Vampire in Brooklyn is being released on Blu-ray.
If you’re a Stephen King fan, Paramount has assembled a 5-Movie Collection on Blu that includes both iterations of Pet Sematary, Silver Bullet, The Stand, and The Dead Zone. Kl Studio Classics is showing some love this Tuesday to the horror comedy The Ghost Breakers featuring Bob Hope, and Dark Sky Films is set to release Luz: The Flower of Evil this week,...
If you’re a Stephen King fan, Paramount has assembled a 5-Movie Collection on Blu that includes both iterations of Pet Sematary, Silver Bullet, The Stand, and The Dead Zone. Kl Studio Classics is showing some love this Tuesday to the horror comedy The Ghost Breakers featuring Bob Hope, and Dark Sky Films is set to release Luz: The Flower of Evil this week,...
- 9/14/2020
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
“My Fair Lady” vs. “Mary Poppins.” Audrey Hepburn vs. Julie Andrews. It could have been the biggest rivalry in Academy history, but with two of the classiest stars and two beloved musicals involved, this “rivalry” has just become a memorable side note to the 37th annual Academy Awards. The ceremony, which took place April 5, 1965, also saw a few firsts for the awards show. But when it came right down to it, Andrews got her sweet revenge (in spoonful of sugar style)!
Although it’s become one of her most iconic roles, Hepburn was a controversial choice for the role of Eliza Doolittle in “My Fair Lady.” Producer Jack Warner (reluctantly) kept much of the Broadway cast for the film version, but opted not to cast stage star Andrews, who originated the role of Eliza. He chose Hepburn based on her star power (hoping to recuperate the enormous cost of production), then against her wishes,...
Although it’s become one of her most iconic roles, Hepburn was a controversial choice for the role of Eliza Doolittle in “My Fair Lady.” Producer Jack Warner (reluctantly) kept much of the Broadway cast for the film version, but opted not to cast stage star Andrews, who originated the role of Eliza. He chose Hepburn based on her star power (hoping to recuperate the enormous cost of production), then against her wishes,...
- 2/5/2020
- by Susan Pennington
- Gold Derby
Now that one of Hollywood’s great studios, 20th Century Fox, has merged into another named Disney, let’s reflect, as a form of final tribute to a proud former stand-alone major, on one of Fox’s great legacies: its Oscars. Its track record with the Academy is far better than the studio that just swallowed it up.
Since 1937, when the fabled Pico Boulevard studio got its first-ever Best Picture nomination for In Old Chicago (a movie that also won Alice Brady only the second Best Supporting Actress Oscar ever given), there have been a remarkable 78 Best Picture nominations overall (by my count) and 12 wins beginning with the studio’s first Best Picture triumph in 1941 for How Green Was My Valley, a decision that still causes controversy even today since that venerable John Ford classic beat Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane, considered now by many to be the greatest movie of all time.
Since 1937, when the fabled Pico Boulevard studio got its first-ever Best Picture nomination for In Old Chicago (a movie that also won Alice Brady only the second Best Supporting Actress Oscar ever given), there have been a remarkable 78 Best Picture nominations overall (by my count) and 12 wins beginning with the studio’s first Best Picture triumph in 1941 for How Green Was My Valley, a decision that still causes controversy even today since that venerable John Ford classic beat Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane, considered now by many to be the greatest movie of all time.
- 3/20/2019
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
Among my predictions so far, two of the surest Oscar bets are that “The Favourite” and its director, Yorgos Lanthimos, will both make the ballot cut. Besides wooing the critics and earning an enviable 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, the bawdy art-house costume drama went from four venues to 34 this past weekend and has already grossed $1 million. Not bad on a budget of $15 million.
It doesn’t hurt that “The Favourite” ruled over the the British Independent Film Awards, winning a record 10 categories, including Best British Independent Film and Best Director.
Not since Stanley Kubrick or Alfred Hitchcock has a filmmaker exhibited such a rich vein of nasty black humor. Apparently, moviegoers are eager to witness the likes of Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz as 18th-century English cousins who viciously vie for the affections of Olivia Colman’s sickly Queen Anne. There is something quite satisfying about observing these ladies as they engage in naughty name-calling,...
It doesn’t hurt that “The Favourite” ruled over the the British Independent Film Awards, winning a record 10 categories, including Best British Independent Film and Best Director.
Not since Stanley Kubrick or Alfred Hitchcock has a filmmaker exhibited such a rich vein of nasty black humor. Apparently, moviegoers are eager to witness the likes of Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz as 18th-century English cousins who viciously vie for the affections of Olivia Colman’s sickly Queen Anne. There is something quite satisfying about observing these ladies as they engage in naughty name-calling,...
- 12/3/2018
- by Susan Wloszczyna
- Gold Derby
Decades before Hollywood got serious about the need for diversity, Anthony Quinn was diversity. This month marks the birthday of the Mexico-born, L.A.-raised actor who played Bedouins, Native Americans, Soviets — and even Mexicans and Americans in his 60-year career. He was the first Mexican-American to win an Oscar, for his supporting performance in “Viva Zapata!” (1952) and won another as French painter Gaugin in “Lust for Life” (1956). His two trademark performances were in “Zorba the Greek” (another Oscar nom) and as an Italian circus strongman in Fellini’s “La Strada.”
Antonio Rodolfo Oaxaca Quinn was born in Chihuahua, Mexico, on April 21, 1915, and began acting in 1936. His rise in Hollywood is especially remarkable considering the times. From 1929-36, the U.S.’ “Mexican Repatriation” program sent those of Mexican descent south of the border (even though many were U.S. citizens) out of fear they were taking jobs from whites. In...
Antonio Rodolfo Oaxaca Quinn was born in Chihuahua, Mexico, on April 21, 1915, and began acting in 1936. His rise in Hollywood is especially remarkable considering the times. From 1929-36, the U.S.’ “Mexican Repatriation” program sent those of Mexican descent south of the border (even though many were U.S. citizens) out of fear they were taking jobs from whites. In...
- 4/6/2018
- by Tim Gray
- Variety Film + TV
Above: UK one sheet for The Shout (Jerzy Skolimowski, UK, 1978)One of the greatest but perhaps less heralded of British actors, Sir Alan Bates (1934-2003) is being deservedly feted over the next week at the Quad Cinema in New York with the retrospective series Alan Bates: The Affable Angry Young Man. The title makes sense: before he had acted on film Bates was in the original West End and Broadway productions of Look Back in Anger, but he played not the disaffected anti-hero Jimmy Porter, made famous on film by Richard Burton, but the amiable Welsh lodger Cliff. Though a performer of great virility, intelligence and passion, he often played second fiddle to his more demonstrative co-stars—whether Anthony Quinn in Zorba the Greek (1964), Lynn Redgrave in Georgy Girl (1966), Julie Christie in Far From the Madding Crowd (1967) and The Go-Between (1971), or Jill Clayburgh in An Unmarried Woman (1978). Consequently, he is...
- 2/16/2018
- MUBI
Walter Lassally, who won an Academy Award in 1965 for his black-and-white cinematography on Zorba the Greek, has died. He was 90.
Lassally died Monday following complications from surgery on the Greek island of Crete, hospital officials told the Associated Press.
Lassally also shot three films in a row for British director Tony Richardson, concluding with the Oscar best picture winner Tom Jones (1963), and worked six times with American helmer James Ivory.
Lassally also did six films for Greek director Michael Cacoyannis, including the lively Zorba the Greek. The movie,...
Lassally died Monday following complications from surgery on the Greek island of Crete, hospital officials told the Associated Press.
Lassally also shot three films in a row for British director Tony Richardson, concluding with the Oscar best picture winner Tom Jones (1963), and worked six times with American helmer James Ivory.
Lassally also did six films for Greek director Michael Cacoyannis, including the lively Zorba the Greek. The movie,...
- 10/24/2017
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Cinematographer who won an Oscar for the 1964 film classic Zorba the Greek
The title of the cinematographer Walter Lassally’s 1987 autobiography, Itinerant Cameraman, could not have been more apt. Lassally, who has died aged 90, was born in Germany (he had a German father and a Polish mother), lived and worked in the UK, and made films in, among many other countries, Czechoslovakia and Greece.
It was the last of these, where he shot Zorba the Greek (1964), which won him best black-and-white cinematography Oscar, that meant the most to him. Known locally as “Walter the Greek”, Lassally lived for many years outside the city of Chania, on the island of Crete, near the beach that had served as location for the movie’s celebrated final scene, with Anthony Quinn and Alan Bates dancing to the music of Mikis Theodorakis. He shot six films with its Greek director Michael Cacoyannis, but he...
The title of the cinematographer Walter Lassally’s 1987 autobiography, Itinerant Cameraman, could not have been more apt. Lassally, who has died aged 90, was born in Germany (he had a German father and a Polish mother), lived and worked in the UK, and made films in, among many other countries, Czechoslovakia and Greece.
It was the last of these, where he shot Zorba the Greek (1964), which won him best black-and-white cinematography Oscar, that meant the most to him. Known locally as “Walter the Greek”, Lassally lived for many years outside the city of Chania, on the island of Crete, near the beach that had served as location for the movie’s celebrated final scene, with Anthony Quinn and Alan Bates dancing to the music of Mikis Theodorakis. He shot six films with its Greek director Michael Cacoyannis, but he...
- 10/24/2017
- by Ronald Bergan
- The Guardian - Film News
Many know actor Anthony Quinn for his indelible portrayals ranging from the title role in Zorba the Greek to his Oscar-winning takes on artist Paul Gauguin in Lust for Life and Mexican revolutionary Eufemio Zapata in Viva Zapata! What few know is that Quinn, who died in 2001, was a prolific sculptor and painter throughout his lifetime, selling a portrait to Douglas Fairbanks Sr. when he was just a teenager and later studying with legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Even fewer are aware of the notion that Quinn was clairvoyant — at least according to his onetime art dealer, Glenn Harte, whose...
- 7/6/2017
- by Jordan Riefe
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
On this day (April 21st) in history as it relates to showbiz...
Anthony Quinn
1904 Oscar winning cinematographer Daniel L Fapp (West Side Story and Desire Under the Elms, among many films) born in Kansas City
1914 Cinematographer Gilbert Taylor born in England. Though he was BAFTA nominated Oscar never bit despite high profile films and collaborations with famous directors. Credits include: Repulsion, The Omen, Dr Strangelove, Star Wars, Frenzy, Dracula (1979) and MacBeth
1915 Oscar's all time favorite Mexican actor Anthony Quinn born (Lust for Life, Viva Zapata, Wild is the Wind, Zorba the Greek, La Strada, etcetera)
1918 "The Red Baron," the famous German fighter pilot, shot down in World War I. Snoopy in Peanuts fantasizes about him repeatedly and he's also been a character in many films including Wings, Hell's Angels, and Darling Lili ...
Anthony Quinn
1904 Oscar winning cinematographer Daniel L Fapp (West Side Story and Desire Under the Elms, among many films) born in Kansas City
1914 Cinematographer Gilbert Taylor born in England. Though he was BAFTA nominated Oscar never bit despite high profile films and collaborations with famous directors. Credits include: Repulsion, The Omen, Dr Strangelove, Star Wars, Frenzy, Dracula (1979) and MacBeth
1915 Oscar's all time favorite Mexican actor Anthony Quinn born (Lust for Life, Viva Zapata, Wild is the Wind, Zorba the Greek, La Strada, etcetera)
1918 "The Red Baron," the famous German fighter pilot, shot down in World War I. Snoopy in Peanuts fantasizes about him repeatedly and he's also been a character in many films including Wings, Hell's Angels, and Darling Lili ...
- 4/21/2017
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
This past weekend, the American Society of Cinematographers awarded Greig Fraser for his contribution to Lion as last year’s greatest accomplishment in the field. Of course, his achievement was just a small sampling of the fantastic work from directors of photography, but it did give us a stronger hint at what may be the winner on Oscar night. Ahead of the ceremony, we have a new video compilation that honors all the past winners in the category at the Academy Awards
Created by Burger Fiction, it spans the stunning silent landmark Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans all the way up to the end of Emmanuel Lubezki‘s three-peat win for The Revenant. Aside from the advancements in color and aspect ration, it’s a thrill to see some of cinema’s most iconic shots side-by-side. However, the best way to experience the evolution of the craft is by...
Created by Burger Fiction, it spans the stunning silent landmark Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans all the way up to the end of Emmanuel Lubezki‘s three-peat win for The Revenant. Aside from the advancements in color and aspect ration, it’s a thrill to see some of cinema’s most iconic shots side-by-side. However, the best way to experience the evolution of the craft is by...
- 2/6/2017
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Pablo Larraín (Courtesy: Andrew Cowie/Afp)
By: Carson Blackwelder
Managing Editor
There’s one director this year that has a chance at being a major crossover success by having two separate films nominated in both the best picture and best foreign language film categories: Pablo Larraín. This filmmaker has Jackie as well as Neruda and could join an elite group of directors who been able to have films — or even one film — in both of these major categories.
Jackie, which stars Natalie Portman as Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, is considered a frontrunner in the Oscars race this year by this site’s namesake, The Hollywood Reporter’s Scott Feinberg. Neruda, which follows an inspector who hunts down Nobel Prize-winning Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, is Chile’s submission for best foreign language film this year and is considered a major threat in that contest. This would be a great feat — especially for someone who,...
By: Carson Blackwelder
Managing Editor
There’s one director this year that has a chance at being a major crossover success by having two separate films nominated in both the best picture and best foreign language film categories: Pablo Larraín. This filmmaker has Jackie as well as Neruda and could join an elite group of directors who been able to have films — or even one film — in both of these major categories.
Jackie, which stars Natalie Portman as Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, is considered a frontrunner in the Oscars race this year by this site’s namesake, The Hollywood Reporter’s Scott Feinberg. Neruda, which follows an inspector who hunts down Nobel Prize-winning Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, is Chile’s submission for best foreign language film this year and is considered a major threat in that contest. This would be a great feat — especially for someone who,...
- 11/17/2016
- by Carson Blackwelder
- Scott Feinberg
Viola Davis in ‘Fences’ (Courtesy: Paramount Pictures)
By: Carson Blackwelder
Managing Editor
Viola Davis just caused a major shakeup in the best actress and best supporting actress Oscar races by deciding to compete in the latter, rather than the former, for her role as Rose Maxson in Denzel Washington’s directorial debut, Fences. This is mostly surprising because the How to Get Away With Murder star won the lead actress Tony Award in 2010—but has this switcheroo ever happened before?
Over the course of awards show history, there have been a grand total of nine actors and actresses that have won both a Tony and an Oscar for the same role from the same source material—so let’s take a look through these historic wins.
When looking at the actresses who have accomplished this, there have been three. The first was Shirley Booth for the role of Lola in Come Back,...
By: Carson Blackwelder
Managing Editor
Viola Davis just caused a major shakeup in the best actress and best supporting actress Oscar races by deciding to compete in the latter, rather than the former, for her role as Rose Maxson in Denzel Washington’s directorial debut, Fences. This is mostly surprising because the How to Get Away With Murder star won the lead actress Tony Award in 2010—but has this switcheroo ever happened before?
Over the course of awards show history, there have been a grand total of nine actors and actresses that have won both a Tony and an Oscar for the same role from the same source material—so let’s take a look through these historic wins.
When looking at the actresses who have accomplished this, there have been three. The first was Shirley Booth for the role of Lola in Come Back,...
- 10/27/2016
- by Carson Blackwelder
- Scott Feinberg
This is the Pure Movies review of Chevalier, directed by Athina Rachel Tsangari and starring Vangelis Mourikis, Nikos Orphanos and Yorgos Pirpassopoulos. Written by Dr. Garth Twa. Greece is renowned for many things: it is the land of myth, of Dionysian revels, of octopuses hung like pantyhose on clotheslines to dry. It is the land of our first storytelling, birthplace of epics, of comedies, of tragedies; but not, until now, cinematic stories. As a film industry, there hasn’t been much to talk about except, of course, the exceptions, like Theodoros Angelopolous (Ulysses’ Gaze, 1995, Eternity and a Day, 1998—both won big at Cannes) and Costa-Gavras, who, really, made American movies, like Missing (1982) with Jack Lemmon, or Mad City (1997) with John Travolta, or French movies like Z (1969). ‘Greek’ films like Never On a Sunday (Jules Dassin, 1960) and Zorba the Greek (Michael Cacoyannis, 1964) were Greek fetishisation made palatable to tourists by having non-Greek lead actors being swarthy.
- 8/11/2016
- by Dr. Garth Twa
- Pure Movies
Chicago – The combining of icon Susan Sarandon and a “smother mother” from New Jersey is unbeatable, especially under the sure hand of writer/director Lorene Scafaria. The distinctive voice that brought us “Seeking a Friend for the End of the World,’ now is taking on mother/daughter relationships in “The Meddler.”
Lorene Scafaria is originally from New Jersey, and the film is somewhat autobiographical. Like Sarandon in the film, Scafaria’s mother moved to Los Angeles after her husband passed away, to be “closer” to her daughter. Prior to all that, Scafaria had graduated from Montclair State in New Jersey, and afterward moved to New York City to write plays.
After acting and writing in NYC, she made the West Coast move in the mid-2000s and landed the screen adaptation of “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist.” In 2012, her original screenplay “Seeking a Friend for the End of the World” was released,...
Lorene Scafaria is originally from New Jersey, and the film is somewhat autobiographical. Like Sarandon in the film, Scafaria’s mother moved to Los Angeles after her husband passed away, to be “closer” to her daughter. Prior to all that, Scafaria had graduated from Montclair State in New Jersey, and afterward moved to New York City to write plays.
After acting and writing in NYC, she made the West Coast move in the mid-2000s and landed the screen adaptation of “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist.” In 2012, her original screenplay “Seeking a Friend for the End of the World” was released,...
- 4/27/2016
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Very British Problems, the 1 million follower-plus @soverybritish Twitter feed turned best-selling book of Britons' daily woes, hits our small screens tonight (August 13).
Starring Jonathan Ross, James Corden and a variety of famous funny Brits moaning creatively in a Grumpy Old Men stylee, the Channel 4 series looks to bottle the retweet phenomenon for a non-social audience.
I meet its London-based creator Rob Temple to find out how that's going to work and, to be honest, exactly how it all got this far. Over a beer, not an under-heated cup of tea ("I don't even like tea," laughs Temple), I ask how the idea started. "Well, it started it in 2012, cause you told me to."
Now, this is sort of true. Full disclosure: I used to work with Rob. And I did implore him to start a Twitter feed, as despite having never seen it himself, his dry, pithy humour was clearly a good fit.
Starring Jonathan Ross, James Corden and a variety of famous funny Brits moaning creatively in a Grumpy Old Men stylee, the Channel 4 series looks to bottle the retweet phenomenon for a non-social audience.
I meet its London-based creator Rob Temple to find out how that's going to work and, to be honest, exactly how it all got this far. Over a beer, not an under-heated cup of tea ("I don't even like tea," laughs Temple), I ask how the idea started. "Well, it started it in 2012, cause you told me to."
Now, this is sort of true. Full disclosure: I used to work with Rob. And I did implore him to start a Twitter feed, as despite having never seen it himself, his dry, pithy humour was clearly a good fit.
- 8/13/2015
- Digital Spy
'The Fixer' movie with Alan Bates, Dirk Bogarde and Ian Holm (background) 'The Fixer' movie review: 1968 anti-Semitism drama wrecked by cast, direction, and writing In 1969, director John Frankenheimer declared that he felt "better about The Fixer than anything I've ever done in my life." Considering Frankenheimer's previous output – Seven Days in May, the much admired The Manchurian Candidate – it is hard to believe that the director was being anything but a good P.R. man for his latest release. Adapted from Bernard Malamud's National Book Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning novel (itself based on the real story of Jewish brick-factory worker Menahem Mendel Beilis), The Fixer is an overlong, overblown, and overwrought contrivance that, albeit well meaning, carelessly misuses most of the talent involved while sadistically abusing the patience – and at times the intelligence – of its viewers. John Frankenheimer overindulges in 1960s kitsch John Frankenheimer...
- 5/13/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Al Pacino stars as aging 1970s rocker Danny Collins, who can’t give up his hard-living ways.But when his manager (Christopher Plummer) uncovers a 40-year-old undelivered letter written to him by John Lennon, he decides to change course and embarks on a heartfelt journey to rediscover his family, find true love and begin a second act.
Recently, Al Pacino sat down with a small group of press to talk about taking on the role of Danny Collins, his relationship with Bobby Cannavale, and passing John Lennon in Central Park. Check it out below.
Inspired by a true story, Danny Collins co-stars Annette Bening and Jennifer Garner. Written and directed by Dan Fogelman (writer of Last Vegas and Crazy, Stupid, Love).
(Al Pacino starts out…)
Al Pacino: Dan wanted me to be in the picture. He saw me in the part, and that’s always kind of, to me, it’s always surprising.
Recently, Al Pacino sat down with a small group of press to talk about taking on the role of Danny Collins, his relationship with Bobby Cannavale, and passing John Lennon in Central Park. Check it out below.
Inspired by a true story, Danny Collins co-stars Annette Bening and Jennifer Garner. Written and directed by Dan Fogelman (writer of Last Vegas and Crazy, Stupid, Love).
(Al Pacino starts out…)
Al Pacino: Dan wanted me to be in the picture. He saw me in the part, and that’s always kind of, to me, it’s always surprising.
- 4/1/2015
- by Melissa Howland
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
There are just seven celebrities left in Strictly Come Dancing now, so it's about to get even more intense. But at least this week they get to go travelling - alright, not really, but everyone's dances will be inspired by countries around the world. But what does that mean? Well, we have the song and dance list right here so read on to find out...
Caroline Flack & Pasha Kovalev
Country: Turkey
Dance: Charleston
Song: 'Istanbul' - They Might Be Giants version
Frankie Bridge & Kevin Clifton
Country: USA
Dance: Jive
Song: 'Surfin' USA' - The Beach Boys
Jake Wood & Janette Manrara
Country: Greece
Dance: Argentine Tango
Song: 'Zorba the Greek'
Mark Wright & Karen Hauer
Country: USA
Dance: Salsa
Song: 'Viva Las Vegas' - Elvis Presley
Pixie Lott & Trent Whiddon
Country: Netherlands
Dance: Viennese Waltz
Song: 'Tulips from Amsterdam' - Max Bygraves
Simon Webbe & Kristina Rihanoff
Country: Austria...
Caroline Flack & Pasha Kovalev
Country: Turkey
Dance: Charleston
Song: 'Istanbul' - They Might Be Giants version
Frankie Bridge & Kevin Clifton
Country: USA
Dance: Jive
Song: 'Surfin' USA' - The Beach Boys
Jake Wood & Janette Manrara
Country: Greece
Dance: Argentine Tango
Song: 'Zorba the Greek'
Mark Wright & Karen Hauer
Country: USA
Dance: Salsa
Song: 'Viva Las Vegas' - Elvis Presley
Pixie Lott & Trent Whiddon
Country: Netherlands
Dance: Viennese Waltz
Song: 'Tulips from Amsterdam' - Max Bygraves
Simon Webbe & Kristina Rihanoff
Country: Austria...
- 11/26/2014
- Digital Spy
I wanted to do a little something extra special as wrap party for our very enjoyable and well attended 20 episode fifth season of Hit Me With Your Best Shot. So imma give out awards since awards are what we love best. The episode I liked reading everyone's takes on the most were -- can I say all? -- the Jamie Travis short films since I never get to hear opinions on those (or any short films really) and Under the Skin as it needs to be spoken of and contemplated. And by as many people as possible. Spread the good word.
But really I could just as easily call everything else "tied for third" because I always love to hear so many perspectives. But no season is perfect: Zorba the Greek turned out to be kind of a dud (I had never seen it so I blame the Oscars!). Two...
But really I could just as easily call everything else "tied for third" because I always love to hear so many perspectives. But no season is perfect: Zorba the Greek turned out to be kind of a dud (I had never seen it so I blame the Oscars!). Two...
- 9/4/2014
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Blu-ray Release Date: Aug. 12, 2014
Price: Blu-ray $29.95
Studio: Twilight Time
Anthony Quinn (l.) drinks to his health--not Hardy Kruger's--in The Secret of Santa Vittoria.
Producer-director Stanley Kramer’s 1969 wartime comedy The Secret of Santa Vittoria arrives on Blu-ray for the very first time from Twilight Time.
Set towards the close of World War II, the movie stars Anthony Quinn (Zorba the Greek) as the mayor of an Italian wine-making village that finds its age-old economy imperiled as the Nazis close in. Those nasty Germans are determined to plunder a million-bottle cache of valuable vino, while the villagers are just as determined to keep their treasure safe.
A warm-hearted comedy with dramatic touches, Santa Vittoria also features Anna Magnani (Bellisima), Virna Lisi (Queen Margot), Giancarlo Giannini (The Seduction of Mimi), and Hardy Kruger (Sundays and Cybèle) in the cast.
The film is supported by an Oscar-nominated score by Ernest Gold, which...
Price: Blu-ray $29.95
Studio: Twilight Time
Anthony Quinn (l.) drinks to his health--not Hardy Kruger's--in The Secret of Santa Vittoria.
Producer-director Stanley Kramer’s 1969 wartime comedy The Secret of Santa Vittoria arrives on Blu-ray for the very first time from Twilight Time.
Set towards the close of World War II, the movie stars Anthony Quinn (Zorba the Greek) as the mayor of an Italian wine-making village that finds its age-old economy imperiled as the Nazis close in. Those nasty Germans are determined to plunder a million-bottle cache of valuable vino, while the villagers are just as determined to keep their treasure safe.
A warm-hearted comedy with dramatic touches, Santa Vittoria also features Anna Magnani (Bellisima), Virna Lisi (Queen Margot), Giancarlo Giannini (The Seduction of Mimi), and Hardy Kruger (Sundays and Cybèle) in the cast.
The film is supported by an Oscar-nominated score by Ernest Gold, which...
- 7/16/2014
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
Presenting... for the first time ever a Smackdown Companion Podcast
A couple of months ago Joe suggested that we add a podcast segment or more conversation somehow to the Smackdown which by necessity has brief capsules from each panelist. And why not? There is always so much more to discuss after you've watched five Oscar-favored films from any given year.
So for this special tryout episode of the podcast (let us know if we should do it again for 1973) Nathaniel welcomes back the actress Melanie Lynskey, the original creator of the Smackdowns Brian Herrera (aka StinkyLulu), and regular podcast voices Joe Reid and Nick Davis. Our conversation ran long so it's in two segments.
Smackdown 1964 - A Companion Conversation Pt. 1
00:01 Introductions
01:00 Melanie on talking acting with other actors and one director's "witchcraft"
05:00 Zorba the Greek and undiagnosed cognitive disorders
11:45 Nick and Nathaniel share personal memories of...
A couple of months ago Joe suggested that we add a podcast segment or more conversation somehow to the Smackdown which by necessity has brief capsules from each panelist. And why not? There is always so much more to discuss after you've watched five Oscar-favored films from any given year.
So for this special tryout episode of the podcast (let us know if we should do it again for 1973) Nathaniel welcomes back the actress Melanie Lynskey, the original creator of the Smackdowns Brian Herrera (aka StinkyLulu), and regular podcast voices Joe Reid and Nick Davis. Our conversation ran long so it's in two segments.
Smackdown 1964 - A Companion Conversation Pt. 1
00:01 Introductions
01:00 Melanie on talking acting with other actors and one director's "witchcraft"
05:00 Zorba the Greek and undiagnosed cognitive disorders
11:45 Nick and Nathaniel share personal memories of...
- 7/2/2014
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
In reviews, podcasts and tweets, it has become common in recent years for me to lament the influx of British and Australian actors masquerading as Americans, all perpetrating the same flat, generic accents as if Americans all come from the same state, which is no state at all, but rather some nether-region dialect coaches call Mid-Atlantic or something. I take semi-feigned umbrage at this infiltration and I am, indeed, a bit irked that a good 75 percent of the Brits and Aussies are trapped by exhaustively studied, but ultimately affectless accent work that leads them to give robotic performances they'd never tolerate from themselves in their native tongues. Yes, I get my hackles up, but I know it isn't actually important. The rise in work for Aussie and British actors is largely linked to the expanding TV universe, and even if this most recent upfronts season saw an encouraging uptick in...
- 6/24/2014
- by Daniel Fienberg
- Hitfix
The Supporting Actress Smackdown of '64 is just 8 days away. So it's time to get your votes in on the nominees that year. Readers, collectively, are the sixth panelists, so grade the nominees (only the ones you've seen) from 1 to 5 hearts. Your votes count toward the smackdown win!
Lila Kedrova Zorba the Greek Gladys Cooper for My Fair Lady Dame Edith Evans The Chalk Garden
Agnes Moorhead Hush... Hush Sweet Charlotte
Grayson Hall Night of the Iguana
But before we here at Tfe get to that particular metaphorical musical-horror mishmash of films with one of the most senior lineups the Academy ever offered up in this category, let's meet our panelists for this 50th anniversary retrospective competition.
The Panel
Special Guest
Melanie Lynskey
Melanie Lynskey is an actor from New Zealand. She made her film debut in Peter Jackson's Heavenly Creatures (1994) and is currently starring in Joe Swanberg's...
Lila Kedrova Zorba the Greek Gladys Cooper for My Fair Lady Dame Edith Evans The Chalk Garden
Agnes Moorhead Hush... Hush Sweet Charlotte
Grayson Hall Night of the Iguana
But before we here at Tfe get to that particular metaphorical musical-horror mishmash of films with one of the most senior lineups the Academy ever offered up in this category, let's meet our panelists for this 50th anniversary retrospective competition.
The Panel
Special Guest
Melanie Lynskey
Melanie Lynskey is an actor from New Zealand. She made her film debut in Peter Jackson's Heavenly Creatures (1994) and is currently starring in Joe Swanberg's...
- 6/22/2014
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
'Year of the Month' will never have a ring to it. I know this but I love themes. Don't hate me because I'm thematical. This month we're having a 50th anniversary party for 1964... (next month it's 1989's 25th) which is a fancy way of counting down to Monday, June 30th's Supporting Actress Smackdown wherein we'll be looking at performances from Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte, The Chalk Garden, My Fair Lady, The Night of the Iquana and Zorba the Greek.
So get to watching those movies so you can vote in the reader ballot!
But before we get to all that: 1964's vintage in list form (we did this once before for 1983 if you remember) since you always want lists, yes? Let's savor 1964's aged cinematic crop....
Best Movies According To...
Oscar: Becket, Dr Strangelove, Mary Poppins, My Fair Lady* and Zorba the Greek were the best picture nominees. They sucked...
So get to watching those movies so you can vote in the reader ballot!
But before we get to all that: 1964's vintage in list form (we did this once before for 1983 if you remember) since you always want lists, yes? Let's savor 1964's aged cinematic crop....
Best Movies According To...
Oscar: Becket, Dr Strangelove, Mary Poppins, My Fair Lady* and Zorba the Greek were the best picture nominees. They sucked...
- 6/10/2014
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
I'm going to need a stiff drink tonight. (Should I blame the unpleasant Zorba the Greek?). Why is this week so hard? It's my birthday week!
In Contention loves How To Train Your Dragon 2 and ranks all of Dreamworks Animation. God there's some dross in there but Prince of Egypt is way way too low
Variety on Jonah Hill's blooming career and recent homophobic slur
Av Club looks back at Montgomery Clift in Red River (1948). My favorite Western
Gawker The Chicago Sun Times apologizes for a recent bit of transphobic nonsense regarding Laverne Cox (Orange is the New Black) that they Must have known was unwise. People will publish anything to get clicks these days.
Playbill Bradley Cooper in The Elephant Man on stage this fall
Scene Magazine interviews Jonathan Groff on his Looking / Frozen gay ascendance (great photos)
Metro a woman wants a divorce from her husband...
In Contention loves How To Train Your Dragon 2 and ranks all of Dreamworks Animation. God there's some dross in there but Prince of Egypt is way way too low
Variety on Jonah Hill's blooming career and recent homophobic slur
Av Club looks back at Montgomery Clift in Red River (1948). My favorite Western
Gawker The Chicago Sun Times apologizes for a recent bit of transphobic nonsense regarding Laverne Cox (Orange is the New Black) that they Must have known was unwise. People will publish anything to get clicks these days.
Playbill Bradley Cooper in The Elephant Man on stage this fall
Scene Magazine interviews Jonathan Groff on his Looking / Frozen gay ascendance (great photos)
Metro a woman wants a divorce from her husband...
- 6/4/2014
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
This week's 'Best Shot' film Zorba the Greek (1964) was a first-time watch for yours truly. Oscar chose it for us since it won Walter Lassally's the Best Cinematography (Black and White) statue in the year we happen to be celebrating this month. At one point in the picture Zorba (Anthony Quinn and Anthony Quinn's giant expressive face), catches his employer Basil (Alan Bates, in young, stuffy, super pretty mode) sipping at alcohol. Zorba, a man of big appetites, forcefully tilts the bottle higher to get more booze down his boss's throat.
Don't be delicate..."
He tells his boss. That's good advice if you're watching Zorba the Greek which is, and I cannot understand why no actressexuals warned me of this, a fairly reprehensible motion picture. If this series were called Hit Me With The Shot That Shows Your Feelings About This Movie, my choice would be a...
Don't be delicate..."
He tells his boss. That's good advice if you're watching Zorba the Greek which is, and I cannot understand why no actressexuals warned me of this, a fairly reprehensible motion picture. If this series were called Hit Me With The Shot That Shows Your Feelings About This Movie, my choice would be a...
- 6/4/2014
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Only three more episodes of Best Shot left before a three week hiatus or an early wrap. You decide with your participation!
Thanks to those who participated in Michelangelo Antonioni's mod frameable Blow-Up (1967), Bryan Singer's template setting X-Men (2000), and John Ford's earnest tearjerker How Green Was My Valley (1941) -- my entry was late icymi.
Tomorrow... Tuesday June 3rd - Zorba the Greek (1964)
Dance along with our 50th anniversary 1964-theme party for the month of June (we're going there for the Supporting Smackdown on the 30th and we're trying to be more conscious of time management). This smash hit with both the public and Oscar (3 Oscar wins including Cinematography) is strangely little discussed today despite seeping into pop culture. Plus, I've Never seen it. Don't judge. It's a huge gap in my '60s era Oscar knowledge.
[Amazon Instant]
Tuesday June 10th Orange is the New Black (2014) Season 2
A one-off experimental episode.
Thanks to those who participated in Michelangelo Antonioni's mod frameable Blow-Up (1967), Bryan Singer's template setting X-Men (2000), and John Ford's earnest tearjerker How Green Was My Valley (1941) -- my entry was late icymi.
Tomorrow... Tuesday June 3rd - Zorba the Greek (1964)
Dance along with our 50th anniversary 1964-theme party for the month of June (we're going there for the Supporting Smackdown on the 30th and we're trying to be more conscious of time management). This smash hit with both the public and Oscar (3 Oscar wins including Cinematography) is strangely little discussed today despite seeping into pop culture. Plus, I've Never seen it. Don't judge. It's a huge gap in my '60s era Oscar knowledge.
[Amazon Instant]
Tuesday June 10th Orange is the New Black (2014) Season 2
A one-off experimental episode.
- 6/2/2014
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
How Green Was My Valley's Best Shot?
I did not forget and I'm grateful to the Best Shot participants who are so faithful and who turned theirs in on time. I fell too behind but here is my choice...
Since I can't choose "every shot of the main street" which John Ford and his cinematographer Arthur C Miller shoot in so many narratively compelling and beautiful ways with any and all the characters, I selected this one, which contains none of the main characters. Unless you stop to consider that the main character is actually the town and its people. This shot is so elegiac, like the coal miners are attending yet another funeral when it fact it's meant to be a celebratory moment. And they're actually outside the local bar... which is right next to the church...which is just down the hill from the coal mine. For...
I did not forget and I'm grateful to the Best Shot participants who are so faithful and who turned theirs in on time. I fell too behind but here is my choice...
Since I can't choose "every shot of the main street" which John Ford and his cinematographer Arthur C Miller shoot in so many narratively compelling and beautiful ways with any and all the characters, I selected this one, which contains none of the main characters. Unless you stop to consider that the main character is actually the town and its people. This shot is so elegiac, like the coal miners are attending yet another funeral when it fact it's meant to be a celebratory moment. And they're actually outside the local bar... which is right next to the church...which is just down the hill from the coal mine. For...
- 5/30/2014
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
In five seasons we've never done a Best Picture winner for Hit Me With Your Best Shot . But not intentionally. So, here's the first. I asked all willing participants to watch the chosen film - in this case John Ford's 1941 film How Green Was My Valley - and choose what they think of as the Best Shot. (Next week we're looking at another major Oscar player Zorba the Greek to kick off June's "year of the month" which will be devoted to 1964 so please join us... especially if, like me, you've never seen it. Let's fill those gaps in our Oscar viewing, together!)
How Green Was My Valley is marvelous to look at. Though its reputation has been dulled by beating Citizen Kane to Best Picture that year it's easy to see why it won Best Cinematography for Arthur C Miller (not the playwright) among its 5 Oscars.
"How Green Was My Valley...
How Green Was My Valley is marvelous to look at. Though its reputation has been dulled by beating Citizen Kane to Best Picture that year it's easy to see why it won Best Cinematography for Arthur C Miller (not the playwright) among its 5 Oscars.
"How Green Was My Valley...
- 5/28/2014
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
When I announced that The Film Experience would be the new home of the long departed series Stinky Lulu's Smackdown last summer I figured you would be thrilled. It's our kind of party. I promised Stinky we'd do at least six smackdowns if we brought it back. With four battles already behind us -- pie throwing 1952, shady and sinister 1968, warm and kooky 1980, and troubled histrionic 2003-- let's wrap it up with four more.
Rather than announce at the end of each month, I figured we'd give you all four lineups in case you'd like more time to catch up over the hot months and cast your votes in the reader polling that accompanies each battle. Those votes count toward the final outcome, so more of you should join in.
These annums were chosen after comment reading, dvd searching, handwringing, and also to rope in prospective panelists (to be announced later...
Rather than announce at the end of each month, I figured we'd give you all four lineups in case you'd like more time to catch up over the hot months and cast your votes in the reader polling that accompanies each battle. Those votes count toward the final outcome, so more of you should join in.
These annums were chosen after comment reading, dvd searching, handwringing, and also to rope in prospective panelists (to be announced later...
- 5/5/2014
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
In the spirit of spring, Dino Rici’s tragicomedy Il Sorpasso from 1962 has been given a vibrant rebirth courtesy of Criterion. Rarely seen and largely forgotten in recent years, Il Sorpasso retains many structures of the classic road movie, seasoned with glimpses of the era’s growing sense of rebellious dissatisfaction. Over the years, it has proven to be an influential work; its descendant branches laced throughout any analysis of the classic film genre of wandering heroes. Artistically, Il Sorpasso may not rank among the best of the category, but its seductive amalgam of bildungsroman, social commentary and cautionary tale make for a compelling and infectious watch.
Il Sorpasso’s unlikely odyssey orbits around the burgeoning friendship between Bruno (Vittorio Gassman), a zesty 40 year old raconteur and Roberto (Jean-Louis Trintignant), a quiet, bookish law student half his age. Bruno dashes about the ancient streets of Rome in a battered Lancia...
Il Sorpasso’s unlikely odyssey orbits around the burgeoning friendship between Bruno (Vittorio Gassman), a zesty 40 year old raconteur and Roberto (Jean-Louis Trintignant), a quiet, bookish law student half his age. Bruno dashes about the ancient streets of Rome in a battered Lancia...
- 4/29/2014
- by David Anderson
- IONCINEMA.com
If you're an Oscar stats geek, you should check out the new blog 1:37:1 which responded to the recent debate about whether or not the number of Oscar-nominated films is shrinking due to the expanded Best Picture field with lots of charts. It's fascinating but requires concentration. Then a follow up specifically looking at the acting categories.
All was lost this year for male actors without Best Picture heatThe most interesting finding in the second article is how enormously rare it is for an acting category to feature only performances from Best Picture nominated films. It's happened only 10 times in Oscar's entire 86 year history and 2 of those times were this year alone including, for the first time ever, in a supporting category. That's a disturbing development if you're of the opinion (and you should be) that great performances can happen anywhere including within movies that aren't otherwise popular or great.
All was lost this year for male actors without Best Picture heatThe most interesting finding in the second article is how enormously rare it is for an acting category to feature only performances from Best Picture nominated films. It's happened only 10 times in Oscar's entire 86 year history and 2 of those times were this year alone including, for the first time ever, in a supporting category. That's a disturbing development if you're of the opinion (and you should be) that great performances can happen anywhere including within movies that aren't otherwise popular or great.
- 2/17/2014
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Since the Oscars introduced the supporting awards at the 9th annual ceremony in 1936, there have been only two years when all four acting winners hailed from outside the United States. The first was back in 1964 when the winners were three Brits -- Rex Harrison ("My Fair Lady"), Julie Andrews ("Mary Poppins") and Peter Ustinov ("Topkapi") -- and Russian-born Lila Kedrova ("Zorba the Greek"). And the second came at the 80th ceremony in 2007, when two Brits -- Daniel Day-Lewis ("There Will Be Blood") and Tilda Swinton ("Michael Clayton") -- were joined by Marion Cotillard ("La Vie en Rose"), who made Oscar history by giving the first French language performance to be so honored, and Javier Bardem ("No Country for Old Men"), the first Spanish actor to win an Oscar. Could this year mark the third time that happens? Australian Cate Blanchett ("Blue...
- 11/20/2013
- Gold Derby
The superb third film in Richard Linklater's series captures the melancholy of long-term romance
For those of us of a certain age, the screen love story that has slowly played out between Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke over the course of two decades – and now three movies – is part of the fabric of our cinematic lives.
In Before Sunrise, the actors (whose improvisations and revisions added much to an original script by Richard Linklater and Kim Krizan) played two sparky young travellers whose lives cross during a talk-filled night in Vienna. Nine years later, Delpy and Hawke were sharing screenwriting credits (and an Oscar nomination) for Before Sunset, wherein the couple meet for only the second time, their respective lives having moved on, but the brief encounter spark between them still clearly very much alive. That film ended on an ambiguous note – a teasing spine-tingler that left the audience...
For those of us of a certain age, the screen love story that has slowly played out between Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke over the course of two decades – and now three movies – is part of the fabric of our cinematic lives.
In Before Sunrise, the actors (whose improvisations and revisions added much to an original script by Richard Linklater and Kim Krizan) played two sparky young travellers whose lives cross during a talk-filled night in Vienna. Nine years later, Delpy and Hawke were sharing screenwriting credits (and an Oscar nomination) for Before Sunset, wherein the couple meet for only the second time, their respective lives having moved on, but the brief encounter spark between them still clearly very much alive. That film ended on an ambiguous note – a teasing spine-tingler that left the audience...
- 6/24/2013
- by Mark Kermode
- The Guardian - Film News
Tell us about the films you've seen in the past few days – and find out what our critics made of them
Did you visit the cinema this weekend? See anything good or bad? Maybe you opted to stay at home and watch movies on TV. Either way, we'd like to hear about your recent viewing in the comments thread below.
Here's what our critics had to say about recent releases:
Spring Breakers
Peter Bradshaw said: Spring Breakers is [Harmony] Korine's most technically competent and fluent movie … Korine has given us a violent pulp true romance … a preselected, pre-auditioned representation of youth and beauty … There is an undeniable directorial strut in Spring Breakers. Where, precisely, he is strutting to is another question. read more
A Late Quartet
Philip French said: A subtle, intelligent picture with a suitably resonant title, it quietly observes the internal dynamics of the Fugue String Quartet, an internationally...
Did you visit the cinema this weekend? See anything good or bad? Maybe you opted to stay at home and watch movies on TV. Either way, we'd like to hear about your recent viewing in the comments thread below.
Here's what our critics had to say about recent releases:
Spring Breakers
Peter Bradshaw said: Spring Breakers is [Harmony] Korine's most technically competent and fluent movie … Korine has given us a violent pulp true romance … a preselected, pre-auditioned representation of youth and beauty … There is an undeniable directorial strut in Spring Breakers. Where, precisely, he is strutting to is another question. read more
A Late Quartet
Philip French said: A subtle, intelligent picture with a suitably resonant title, it quietly observes the internal dynamics of the Fugue String Quartet, an internationally...
- 4/8/2013
- The Guardian - Film News
Written and directed by a Greek Cypriot, this flat, feelgood family story transposes the cliches of Zorba the Greek to the present day. The dull Alan Bates character becomes Harry, an anglicised Greek Cypriot multi-millionaire (Stephen Dillane) bankrupted by the current economic crisis; Anthony Quinn's Zorba becomes Spiros, his ebullient older brother and embodiment of the life-force (Georges Corraface). The widowed Harry and his three kids are rescued when they reopen the family fish-and-chips bar, make friends with the Turkish family running a kebab shop across the street, discover their eastern Mediterranean roots, turn their backs on capitalism and start dancing to the strains of a Mikis Theodorakis song in a suburban London street.
ComedyDramaPhilip French
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ComedyDramaPhilip French
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- 4/6/2013
- by Philip French
- The Guardian - Film News
Grindstone Pictures has picked up the rights to "Christ Recrucified," a 1948 novel by Nikos Kazantzakis ("The Last Temptation of Christ," "Zorba the Greek"), the company announced on Monday. Grindstone CEO Vincent Miller ("Gabriela") will produce the big-screen adaptation of the novel about a Greek village's attempt to stage a traditional and intense Passion Play -- a task so difficult, it is only done once every seven years. The movie, however, will take place in Mexico and will be retitled, "Christ Is Risen." Also read: 'The Bible' Producers: Obama-Devil Link 'Utter Nonsense' Manolios, the small...
- 3/18/2013
- by Greg Gilman
- The Wrap
So, um, as you probably already know, Skyfall—the acclaimed 23rd James Bond film, which has already raked in more than $1 billion worldwide—wasn't nominated for Best Picture as some of us 007 die-hards had not-so-secretly hoped and/or pipe-dreamed it might. It was, however, nominated in five other categories (Best Original Song, Best Original Score, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing and Best Cinematography), which is more than you can say of any previous Bond adventure: over the course of a half century, the Bond series has only garnered 7 total nominations, with just 2 wins in technical categories.
Previously… The Oscars To Feature A 50th Anniversary James Bond Tribute
Why no love for the world's greatest secret agent? I'm guessing The Academy has been secretly infiltrated by the dastardly criminal masterminds of Spectre and that, as we speak, Ernst Stavro Blofeld is evilly petting his white cat, cackling over this year's nominees.
Previously… The Oscars To Feature A 50th Anniversary James Bond Tribute
Why no love for the world's greatest secret agent? I'm guessing The Academy has been secretly infiltrated by the dastardly criminal masterminds of Spectre and that, as we speak, Ernst Stavro Blofeld is evilly petting his white cat, cackling over this year's nominees.
- 1/11/2013
- by Brett Warner
- Filmology
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