For British rapper Skepta, music was just the beginning of his creative pursuits.
Earlier this year, the multi-hyphenate released his first short film, “Tribal Mark,” in the U.K., followed by a SXSW screening and premieres in L.A. and New York last month. The short follows Mark (Jude Carmichael), a teenaged Nigerian immigrant who is adapting to life in London when he is introduced to the world of the undercover Black Secret Service. Skepta appears in the film as an older Mark, once he has taken up his anti-hero alias of Tribal Mark.
Skepta co-directed the short with Dwight Okechukwu, his partner in production company 1Plus1, and hopes that it will draw attention to important social issues surrounding non-eu immigrants, including mental health and racial prejudice.
“Being the child of immigrants, when I come across other children of immigrants from around the world, I relate to them a lot.
Earlier this year, the multi-hyphenate released his first short film, “Tribal Mark,” in the U.K., followed by a SXSW screening and premieres in L.A. and New York last month. The short follows Mark (Jude Carmichael), a teenaged Nigerian immigrant who is adapting to life in London when he is introduced to the world of the undercover Black Secret Service. Skepta appears in the film as an older Mark, once he has taken up his anti-hero alias of Tribal Mark.
Skepta co-directed the short with Dwight Okechukwu, his partner in production company 1Plus1, and hopes that it will draw attention to important social issues surrounding non-eu immigrants, including mental health and racial prejudice.
“Being the child of immigrants, when I come across other children of immigrants from around the world, I relate to them a lot.
- 5/1/2024
- by Ellise Shafer
- Variety Film + TV
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross have, in less than 15 years, established themselves as the most exciting composers working in contemporary film.
Their first score was David Fincher’s masterpiece “The Social Network.” The score was a haunting, atmospheric triumph, and it won them Oscars, an even more impressive feat given the Academy’s historic anti-rock band bias. And what began as an exclusive collaboration with Fincher soon blossomed outward – they have worked with Pixar and Ken Burns, scored a prestige TV version of Alan Moore’s “Watchmen,” and an animated “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” movie. They can do it all, while remaining uniquely them.
They are unstoppable, too. This week “Challengers,” from Luca Guadagnino, is released alongside their soundtrack album. And they have a pair of scores still coming this year – for the big-budget Apple movie “The Gorge” and for Guadagnino’s “Queer,” starring Daniel Craig.
For the purposes of this list,...
Their first score was David Fincher’s masterpiece “The Social Network.” The score was a haunting, atmospheric triumph, and it won them Oscars, an even more impressive feat given the Academy’s historic anti-rock band bias. And what began as an exclusive collaboration with Fincher soon blossomed outward – they have worked with Pixar and Ken Burns, scored a prestige TV version of Alan Moore’s “Watchmen,” and an animated “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” movie. They can do it all, while remaining uniquely them.
They are unstoppable, too. This week “Challengers,” from Luca Guadagnino, is released alongside their soundtrack album. And they have a pair of scores still coming this year – for the big-budget Apple movie “The Gorge” and for Guadagnino’s “Queer,” starring Daniel Craig.
For the purposes of this list,...
- 4/27/2024
- by Drew Taylor
- The Wrap
According to The Wrap, Pruitt Taylor-Vince has been cast as Jonathan Kent in James Gunn’s Superman. I can’t say that’s who I expected to play Clark Kent’s adoptive human father in the movie, but I’ve always been a big fan of the actor, who has appeared in everything from The X-Files to Deadwood to The Walking Dead.
Pruitt Taylor-Vince will join the long line of actors who have brought Jonathan Kent to life in movies and television, including Glenn Ford in the original Superman movie, John Schneider in Smallville, Kevin Costner in Man of Steel, and many more. As I mentioned above, Taylor-Vince might not feel like the obvious choice for the role, but he’s a true talent and I hope fans give him a chance.
I was first introduced to Taylor-Vince in The X-Files, but the actor has appeared in a hell of a lot throughout his career,...
Pruitt Taylor-Vince will join the long line of actors who have brought Jonathan Kent to life in movies and television, including Glenn Ford in the original Superman movie, John Schneider in Smallville, Kevin Costner in Man of Steel, and many more. As I mentioned above, Taylor-Vince might not feel like the obvious choice for the role, but he’s a true talent and I hope fans give him a chance.
I was first introduced to Taylor-Vince in The X-Files, but the actor has appeared in a hell of a lot throughout his career,...
- 4/16/2024
- by Kevin Fraser
- JoBlo.com
Robert Downey Jr. is one of the biggest movie stars of our generation. The actor recently won his first Oscar for his role in Christopher Nolan’s monumental 2023 historical drama Oppenheimer. But, despite his many impressive movie roles, Downey Jr. will forever be Iron Man for Marvel fans.
The 59-year-old actor also won fans over after candidly talking about his battle with drug addiction and how he overcame it. However, long before the Iron Man actor was on his road to redemption, he played the role of a drug addict in a forgotten 1987 thriller. Playing the said role catapulted him further into the dark depths of addiction.
Image from “Sr.” | Robert Downey Jr. | Official Trailer | Netflix – YouTube Robert Downey Jr.’s Forgotten 1987 Movie Role Foreshadowed His Dark Future
Robert Downey Jr. who was recently praised by his Home for the Holidays director Jodie Foster, also starred in the 1987 drama film Less Than Zero.
The 59-year-old actor also won fans over after candidly talking about his battle with drug addiction and how he overcame it. However, long before the Iron Man actor was on his road to redemption, he played the role of a drug addict in a forgotten 1987 thriller. Playing the said role catapulted him further into the dark depths of addiction.
Image from “Sr.” | Robert Downey Jr. | Official Trailer | Netflix – YouTube Robert Downey Jr.’s Forgotten 1987 Movie Role Foreshadowed His Dark Future
Robert Downey Jr. who was recently praised by his Home for the Holidays director Jodie Foster, also starred in the 1987 drama film Less Than Zero.
- 4/9/2024
- by Disha Kandpal
- FandomWire
“The People’s Joker,” a scandalous IP-on-acid coming-out comic-book psychodrama, is a movie that has all the earmarks of an underground/ midnight/guerrilla-cinema sensation. Vera Drew, who directed and co-wrote it, plays the title character, a mentally fractured aspiring stand-up comedian who bills herself as Joker the Harlequin. She wears a green wig parted down the middle, white makeup with big jagged dark blotches around the eyes, a razory red lipstick grin, along with a purple jacket and fishnets that make her, in every way possible, a transgressive presence. Onstage, when she puts an inhaler up to her mouth and draws in a breath of Smylex, the feel-happy drug prescribed to her as a child, she’ll let out a cackle of laughter so derisive it sounds like she’s going to fracture her own rib. She’s the maniacal Joker of DC legend, as well as an outlaw parody of...
- 4/6/2024
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
Coming our way from Vertical, Tpc, and Sss Entertainment, the thriller Lazareth is set to receive a theatrical and VOD release on May 10th – and with that date just one month away, a trailer for the film has arrived online. You can watch it in the embed above.
Written and directed by Alec Tibaldi (Spiral Farm), Lazareth tells the following story: Following the death of their parents, Lee adopts her nieces, Imogen and Maeve, and raises them in a remote cabin as a deadly pandemic rages on around them. For over 10 years, the girls are raised to never leave the woods, avoid any and all interaction with outsiders, and ultimately rely on Lee as their only connection to the outside world. Lee has convinced the girls this is the key to survival in what is now an infectious and violent world. But when Imogen and Maeve discover an injured man in the nearby woods,...
Written and directed by Alec Tibaldi (Spiral Farm), Lazareth tells the following story: Following the death of their parents, Lee adopts her nieces, Imogen and Maeve, and raises them in a remote cabin as a deadly pandemic rages on around them. For over 10 years, the girls are raised to never leave the woods, avoid any and all interaction with outsiders, and ultimately rely on Lee as their only connection to the outside world. Lee has convinced the girls this is the key to survival in what is now an infectious and violent world. But when Imogen and Maeve discover an injured man in the nearby woods,...
- 4/4/2024
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Combining different iconic pop culture elements with almost nothing in common can be really difficult. But when it came to Deadpool, Wade Wilson said ‘hold my post-credit scenes’. Well, according to Marvel’s 2016 Ryan Reynolds installment, the movie featured an iconic scene by re-enacting a particular sequence from The Office, and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
Ryan Reynolds as and in Deadpool
Delighting the fandom and casual moviegoers with a particular moment of breaking the fourth wall, Deadpool created a connection between The Merc With The Mouth, Steve Carell’s mockumentary sitcom, and the man responsible for the best day off ever.
Ryan Reynold’s Deadpool and its Iconic Pop Culture Reference
Coming up with a story about the psychopathic, motor-mouth mercenary Wade Wilson, Marvel turned Ryan Reynolds’ 2016 installment of Deadpool into a blockbuster. Filled with double-meaning jokes and sarcasm, the movie eventually became a fan-favorite source of entertainment. Thereafter,...
Ryan Reynolds as and in Deadpool
Delighting the fandom and casual moviegoers with a particular moment of breaking the fourth wall, Deadpool created a connection between The Merc With The Mouth, Steve Carell’s mockumentary sitcom, and the man responsible for the best day off ever.
Ryan Reynold’s Deadpool and its Iconic Pop Culture Reference
Coming up with a story about the psychopathic, motor-mouth mercenary Wade Wilson, Marvel turned Ryan Reynolds’ 2016 installment of Deadpool into a blockbuster. Filled with double-meaning jokes and sarcasm, the movie eventually became a fan-favorite source of entertainment. Thereafter,...
- 4/3/2024
- by Krittika Mukherjee
- FandomWire
Born in 1963, Quentin Tarantino redefined independent cinema with his pulpy mix of violence, dark humor and pop culture, crafting several modern classics. But before he made history, he made a living as a video store clerk while penning spec scripts. He made his directorial debut with “Reservoir Dogs” (1992), a “Rashomon”-esque crime drama about a botched jewel heist. Two more of his scripts, “True Romance” (1993) and “Natural Born Killers” (1994), were later produced by Tony Scott and Oliver Stone, respectively.
He hit the Oscar jackpot just two years after his filmmaking debut with “Pulp Fiction” (1994), a multi-narrative, self-referential pastiche about a group of criminals whose lives intersect in surprising ways. After winning the Palme d’Or at Cannes, the indie hit went on to collect a screenwriting prize for Tarantino and Roger Avery, earning nominations in Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (John Travolta), Best Supporting Actor (Samuel L. Jackson), Best...
He hit the Oscar jackpot just two years after his filmmaking debut with “Pulp Fiction” (1994), a multi-narrative, self-referential pastiche about a group of criminals whose lives intersect in surprising ways. After winning the Palme d’Or at Cannes, the indie hit went on to collect a screenwriting prize for Tarantino and Roger Avery, earning nominations in Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (John Travolta), Best Supporting Actor (Samuel L. Jackson), Best...
- 3/22/2024
- by Zach Laws and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
This brisk romp doesn’t outstay its welcome, with Brosnan as a hitman and Godfather star James Caan in his last screen appearance
Back in the early 90s, the emergence of Quentin Tarantino sparked a mini-boom in crime thrillers, some good (Natural Born Killers), some less so (The Boondock Saints). Based on the novel Gun Monkeys, this new Pierce Brosnan vehicle is a throwback to that era in almost every way possible – and that’s largely at the root of what’s both good and bad about it.
We open with a flash-forward to a motor-vehicle graveyard in Florida where Brosnan, Aka hitman Charlie Swift, is hanging about looking shifty. An unseen antagonist orders him to put his hands in the air and take his shirt off. He complies, and then voiceover from Brosnan essentially follows the format of the record scratch meme. You’ll spend the next 90 minutes finding out,...
Back in the early 90s, the emergence of Quentin Tarantino sparked a mini-boom in crime thrillers, some good (Natural Born Killers), some less so (The Boondock Saints). Based on the novel Gun Monkeys, this new Pierce Brosnan vehicle is a throwback to that era in almost every way possible – and that’s largely at the root of what’s both good and bad about it.
We open with a flash-forward to a motor-vehicle graveyard in Florida where Brosnan, Aka hitman Charlie Swift, is hanging about looking shifty. An unseen antagonist orders him to put his hands in the air and take his shirt off. He complies, and then voiceover from Brosnan essentially follows the format of the record scratch meme. You’ll spend the next 90 minutes finding out,...
- 3/14/2024
- by Catherine Bray
- The Guardian - Film News
Don’t call it a career win because few would argue that Robert Downey, Jr. didn’t deliver one of his best performances ever as Lewis Strauss in Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer.” That immense talent was rewarded with his first Oscar in the Best Supporting Actor category at the 96th Academy Awards. One of the most popular actors of the past two decades and a three-time Oscar nominee overall, Downey, Jr. earned his first nomination 30 years ago for “Chaplin.”
Read More: 2024 Oscars Winners As They Are Announced [Winners List]
Best known to global audiences for his role as Tony Stark in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Downey, Jr.’s prolific resume includes ’80s teen classics such as “Less Than Zero” and “Back to School,” cult ’90s comedies such as “Soapdish,” and celebrated films such as “Natural Born Killers,” “Short Cuts,” “Richard III,” “Wonder Boys,” “Bowfinger,” “Good Night, and Good Luck,” “Zodiac,” “A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints,...
Read More: 2024 Oscars Winners As They Are Announced [Winners List]
Best known to global audiences for his role as Tony Stark in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Downey, Jr.’s prolific resume includes ’80s teen classics such as “Less Than Zero” and “Back to School,” cult ’90s comedies such as “Soapdish,” and celebrated films such as “Natural Born Killers,” “Short Cuts,” “Richard III,” “Wonder Boys,” “Bowfinger,” “Good Night, and Good Luck,” “Zodiac,” “A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints,...
- 3/11/2024
- by Gregory Ellwood
- The Playlist
Matt Sweeney, a pioneering special effects artist who was Oscar-nominated for his work on Ron Howard’s 1995 space epic Apollo 13, died February 19 of lung cancer at Burbank’s Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center. He was 75.
His death was announced by the Alliance of Special Effects & Pyrotechnic Operators board of directors. Sweeney was a founder and past president of the trade organization.
“A special effects guru, industry legend, Asepo founding member and past president, recipient of three technical achievement awards, and Oscar nominee, Matt is well recognized for his generous spirit and deep love of his craft,” the board said in a statement posted on social media. “He etched his marks on this crazy business in so many ways that will persist long after all of us are gone. He never quit, even after his retirement.”
Sweeney, whose roster of special effects credits stretches back to such 1980s hits as 9 to 5, The Goonies,...
His death was announced by the Alliance of Special Effects & Pyrotechnic Operators board of directors. Sweeney was a founder and past president of the trade organization.
“A special effects guru, industry legend, Asepo founding member and past president, recipient of three technical achievement awards, and Oscar nominee, Matt is well recognized for his generous spirit and deep love of his craft,” the board said in a statement posted on social media. “He etched his marks on this crazy business in so many ways that will persist long after all of us are gone. He never quit, even after his retirement.”
Sweeney, whose roster of special effects credits stretches back to such 1980s hits as 9 to 5, The Goonies,...
- 2/22/2024
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Matt Sweeney, the inventor and special effects artist who received an Oscar nomination for his work on Apollo 13 and three Technical Achievement Awards during his long career, has died. He was 75.
Sweeney died Monday at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank after a long battle with lung cancer, Dave Burle, who worked alongside Sweeney at his company for many years, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Sweeney also handled effects for films in the Lethal Weapon and Fast & Furious franchise and for 1941 (1979), 9 to 5 (1980), On Golden Pond (1981), Goonies (1985), The Color Purple (1985), The Lost Boys (1987), Big Top Pee-wee (1988), Arachnophobia (1990), Natural Born Killers (1994) and Galaxy Quest (1999), among many other movies.
Sweeney won his Technical Achievement Awards in 1987 for an Automatic Capsule Gun, which simulates bullet hits and is known as the “Sweeney Gun”; in 1998 for a Liquid Synthetic Air system, which mixes liquid nitrogen and liquid oxygen to produce safe,...
Sweeney died Monday at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank after a long battle with lung cancer, Dave Burle, who worked alongside Sweeney at his company for many years, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Sweeney also handled effects for films in the Lethal Weapon and Fast & Furious franchise and for 1941 (1979), 9 to 5 (1980), On Golden Pond (1981), Goonies (1985), The Color Purple (1985), The Lost Boys (1987), Big Top Pee-wee (1988), Arachnophobia (1990), Natural Born Killers (1994) and Galaxy Quest (1999), among many other movies.
Sweeney won his Technical Achievement Awards in 1987 for an Automatic Capsule Gun, which simulates bullet hits and is known as the “Sweeney Gun”; in 1998 for a Liquid Synthetic Air system, which mixes liquid nitrogen and liquid oxygen to produce safe,...
- 2/22/2024
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Emerald Fennell is sharing one of her favorite “complicated” sexy onscreen relationships ever, and it’s none other than the dark, obsessive dynamic found in Martin Scorsese’s “Cape Fear.” During Turner Classic Movie’s “Talking Pictures: A Movie Memories Podcast,” hosted by Ben Mankiewicz, “Saltburn” filmmaker Fennell revealed her twisted love for Robert De Niro and Juliette Lewis’ onscreen relationship in Scorsese’s 1991 film.
While Fennell noted that the 1962 original starring Robert Mitchum is her preferred iteration of the story (both films were adaptations of 1957 book “The Executioners” by John D. Macdonald), she cited the scene in Scorsese’s feature in which De Niro’s character stalks Lewis at her high school as a favorite.
“I was obsessed with the remake, because the scene where Robert De Niro comes to the high school to seduce Juliette Lewis, it’s one of the sexiest things I’ve ever seen, which is very complicated,...
While Fennell noted that the 1962 original starring Robert Mitchum is her preferred iteration of the story (both films were adaptations of 1957 book “The Executioners” by John D. Macdonald), she cited the scene in Scorsese’s feature in which De Niro’s character stalks Lewis at her high school as a favorite.
“I was obsessed with the remake, because the scene where Robert De Niro comes to the high school to seduce Juliette Lewis, it’s one of the sexiest things I’ve ever seen, which is very complicated,...
- 2/9/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Remember that scene in Natural Born Killers in which the Juliette Lewis character enters a Married… with Children-style sitcom, with Rodney Dangerfield playing her dad? Imagine a whole movie based on that concept, add tons of violence and gore — not to mention gags about Christ and Catholicism, a tray-full of crystal meth and, in one late sequence, a dog that gets decapitated by a shotgun blast — and you’ll get an idea of what’s in store while watching the Sundance Midnight selection, Krazy House.
As over-the-top as that already sounds, the film is even more exhausting to sit through — like a hard-r Saturday Night Live sketch that’s been taken way too far, to the point you’re just hoping that it stops. Relentless and off-putting, the English-language debut of Dutch hitmakers Steffen Haars and Flip van der Kuil is unlikely to land a wide audience in the U.
As over-the-top as that already sounds, the film is even more exhausting to sit through — like a hard-r Saturday Night Live sketch that’s been taken way too far, to the point you’re just hoping that it stops. Relentless and off-putting, the English-language debut of Dutch hitmakers Steffen Haars and Flip van der Kuil is unlikely to land a wide audience in the U.
- 1/25/2024
- by Jordan Mintzer
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Julian Senior, the veteran Warner Bros. marketing and publicity executive in Europe who enjoyed close relationships with filmmakers including Oscar winners Stanley Kubrick, Clint Eastwood, David Puttnam and Neil Jordan, has died. He was 85.
Senior died Jan. 1 of pneumonia and heart failure in a hospital near his home in Borehamwood, England, Conor Nolan, his friend and onetime Warner Bros. colleague, told The Hollywood Reporter.
A native of South Africa, Senior joined Warner Bros. in 1970 after an eight-year run at MGM, where he was an advertising and publicity consultant in its European Regional Office, and he stuck with the studio through 2000.
At the start, Senior helped mastermind the advertising and publicity campaign for the landmark Kubrick film A Clockwork Orange (1971), and he also worked with the famed director on The Shining (1980), Full Metal Jacket (1987) and Eyes Wide Shut (1999).
“He taught me how publicity, advertising and marketing operates,” Senior once said of Kubrick.
Senior died Jan. 1 of pneumonia and heart failure in a hospital near his home in Borehamwood, England, Conor Nolan, his friend and onetime Warner Bros. colleague, told The Hollywood Reporter.
A native of South Africa, Senior joined Warner Bros. in 1970 after an eight-year run at MGM, where he was an advertising and publicity consultant in its European Regional Office, and he stuck with the studio through 2000.
At the start, Senior helped mastermind the advertising and publicity campaign for the landmark Kubrick film A Clockwork Orange (1971), and he also worked with the famed director on The Shining (1980), Full Metal Jacket (1987) and Eyes Wide Shut (1999).
“He taught me how publicity, advertising and marketing operates,” Senior once said of Kubrick.
- 1/23/2024
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
When a magnificently gnarled Ed Harris, wearing stringy Argus Filch hair and chomping on a horned beetle in a moment of psychotic rage is far from the weirdest thing in a movie, you know you’re in for a wild experience. That’s what Brit director Rose Glass delivers in Love Lies Bleeding, a lesbian neo-noir drenched in brooding nightscapes, violent crime and more hardcore KStew cool than has ever been packaged in such a potent concentrate. Seriously, is there anyone who doesn’t want to watch Kristen Stewart flicking back a greasy shag, driving an old pickup and chain-smoking in grubby tank tops?
Glass instantly established herself as a singular talent with her 2021 debut, Saint Maud, an audacious shot of undiluted terror and spiraling insanity that announced an idiosyncratic new voice in horror. She follows with a swerve into romantic, sexual and physical obsession that fearlessly keeps upping the...
Glass instantly established herself as a singular talent with her 2021 debut, Saint Maud, an audacious shot of undiluted terror and spiraling insanity that announced an idiosyncratic new voice in horror. She follows with a swerve into romantic, sexual and physical obsession that fearlessly keeps upping the...
- 1/21/2024
- by David Rooney
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
On Monday night, the In Memoriam segment at the 2023 Emmy Awards reflected on some of Hollywood’s greatest losses in the past year. Among the tributes appeared Matthew Perry, Angus Cloud, Paul Reubens, Norman Lear, Barbara Walters, and dozens more. But the acknowledgments were also notably missing a number of figures.
The segment spanned nearly five full minutes as The War and Treaty and Charlie Puth delivered performances of “See You Again” and the Friends theme song, “I’ll Be There for You.” But not mentioned during that time were Jerry Springer,...
The segment spanned nearly five full minutes as The War and Treaty and Charlie Puth delivered performances of “See You Again” and the Friends theme song, “I’ll Be There for You.” But not mentioned during that time were Jerry Springer,...
- 1/16/2024
- by Larisha Paul
- Rollingstone.com
Peter Crombie, best known for his disturbed character Crazy Joe Davola on Seinfeld, has passed away at the age of 71. While no specific details have been released, it’s said that Crombie died after a brief illness.
A standout character, Crazy Joe first appeared in season four’s “The Pitch”, launching his mission of vengeance after not being invited to Kramer’s party. The five-episode arc during the season found him dating – and stalking – Elaine and later attacking Jerry during a taping of his namesake show. With a mixture of dark comedy and intensity, Peter Crombie undoubtedly made Crazy Joe a standout in the gallery of Seinfeld antagonists.
Outside of Seinfeld, Peter Crombie appeared on a wealth of TV shows throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s, including one-off stints on Perfect Strangers, As the World Turns, Law & Order, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, L.A. Law, N.Y.P.D. Blue, and more. His...
A standout character, Crazy Joe first appeared in season four’s “The Pitch”, launching his mission of vengeance after not being invited to Kramer’s party. The five-episode arc during the season found him dating – and stalking – Elaine and later attacking Jerry during a taping of his namesake show. With a mixture of dark comedy and intensity, Peter Crombie undoubtedly made Crazy Joe a standout in the gallery of Seinfeld antagonists.
Outside of Seinfeld, Peter Crombie appeared on a wealth of TV shows throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s, including one-off stints on Perfect Strangers, As the World Turns, Law & Order, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, L.A. Law, N.Y.P.D. Blue, and more. His...
- 1/13/2024
- by Mathew Plale
- JoBlo.com
Peter Crombie, the “Seinfeld” actor who played sitcom writer “Crazy” Joe Davola on the show’s fourth season, died Wednesday after an intestinal illness. He was 71.
Crombie’s ex-wife Nadine Kijner confirmed the news on social media.
“It is with shock and extreme sadness that I share my Ex-husband died this morning. Thank you for so many wonderful memories and being such a good man. Fly free into the Un-boundless source of light, Peter. May you be greeted with love by your parents, and Oliver,” Kijner wrote in a statement on Instagram, also posted to Facebook. “So so many people loved you because you were a kind, giving, caring and creative Soul.”
In the popular sitcom, “Crazy” Joe Davola was a psychopath who terrorizes Jerry Seinfeld, even going so far as to stalk him and dress up as a clown to frighten him.
“Jerry, Joe Davola … I know what you said about me,...
Crombie’s ex-wife Nadine Kijner confirmed the news on social media.
“It is with shock and extreme sadness that I share my Ex-husband died this morning. Thank you for so many wonderful memories and being such a good man. Fly free into the Un-boundless source of light, Peter. May you be greeted with love by your parents, and Oliver,” Kijner wrote in a statement on Instagram, also posted to Facebook. “So so many people loved you because you were a kind, giving, caring and creative Soul.”
In the popular sitcom, “Crazy” Joe Davola was a psychopath who terrorizes Jerry Seinfeld, even going so far as to stalk him and dress up as a clown to frighten him.
“Jerry, Joe Davola … I know what you said about me,...
- 1/13/2024
- by Valerie Wu
- Variety Film + TV
Peter Crombie, the actor who played “Crazy” Joe Davola on Seinfeld, has died at the age of 71.
TMZ first reported and The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that Crombie died January 10 following a brief illness, his ex-wife Nadine Kijner wrote on social media.
“It is with shock and extreme sadness that I share my Ex-husband died this morning,” Kijner wrote on Instagram. “Thank you for so many wonderful memories and being such a good man. Fly free into the Un-boundless source of light, Peter. May you be greeted with love by your parents,...
TMZ first reported and The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that Crombie died January 10 following a brief illness, his ex-wife Nadine Kijner wrote on social media.
“It is with shock and extreme sadness that I share my Ex-husband died this morning,” Kijner wrote on Instagram. “Thank you for so many wonderful memories and being such a good man. Fly free into the Un-boundless source of light, Peter. May you be greeted with love by your parents,...
- 1/13/2024
- by Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
Peter Crombie, best known for playing “Crazy” Joe Davola in season four of Seinfeld, has died. He was 71.
The actor’s ex-wife Nadine Kijner took to social media to share that Crombie died Wednesday morning. She told TMZ that he had a brief illness but didn’t share additional details.
“It is with shock and extreme sadness that I share my Ex-husband died this morning,” Kijner wrote on Instagram, followed by photos from their wedding day. “Thank you for so many wonderful memories and being such a good man. Fly free into the Un-boundless source of light, Peter. May you be greeted with love by your parents, and Oliver . So so many people loved you because you were a kind, giving, caring and creative Soul.”
In 1992, Crombie took on the recurring role of “Crazy” Joe Davola pn Seinfeld, where his character terrorizes and threatens Jerry during the plot line that spanned five episodes.
The actor’s ex-wife Nadine Kijner took to social media to share that Crombie died Wednesday morning. She told TMZ that he had a brief illness but didn’t share additional details.
“It is with shock and extreme sadness that I share my Ex-husband died this morning,” Kijner wrote on Instagram, followed by photos from their wedding day. “Thank you for so many wonderful memories and being such a good man. Fly free into the Un-boundless source of light, Peter. May you be greeted with love by your parents, and Oliver . So so many people loved you because you were a kind, giving, caring and creative Soul.”
In 1992, Crombie took on the recurring role of “Crazy” Joe Davola pn Seinfeld, where his character terrorizes and threatens Jerry during the plot line that spanned five episodes.
- 1/13/2024
- by Carly Thomas
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Actor Peter Crombie, best known to TV fans for playing deranged stalker “Crazy” Joe Davola on Seinfeld, has died at the age of 71, our sister site Deadline reports. He reportedly died on Wednesday following a short-lived illness.
Crombie appeared in films like Se7en, Natural Born Killers and Born on the Fourth of July, along with guest roles on Law & Order, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, L.A. Law, NYPD Blue and Walker: Texas Ranger. But his most famous role came in 1992 when he debuted as Joe Davola on a Season 4 episode of Seinfeld. Joe Davola was an intense writer who...
Crombie appeared in films like Se7en, Natural Born Killers and Born on the Fourth of July, along with guest roles on Law & Order, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, L.A. Law, NYPD Blue and Walker: Texas Ranger. But his most famous role came in 1992 when he debuted as Joe Davola on a Season 4 episode of Seinfeld. Joe Davola was an intense writer who...
- 1/13/2024
- by Dave Nemetz
- TVLine.com
Peter Crombie, who was a recurring and popular character as “Crazy Joe Davola” on Seinfeld, died Wednesday at age 71. Details on the death were not disclosed, but apparently he had a short-lived illness.
Crombie’s “Crazy Joe Davola” appeared in 5 episodes in season 4. His arc included stalking Jerry and dating Elaine at one point.
The actor had 35 credits, including the films My Dog Skip, Natural Born Killers, The Blob, Se7en, Rising Sun, and Born on the Fourth of July.
His TV resume included the TV miniseries House of Frankenstein, NYPD Blue, Walker, Texas Ranger, Diagnosis Murder, Law & Order, Perfect Strangers, Spenser: For Hire, L.A. Law, L.A. Firefighters” and others.
No details on survivors or memorial plans was immediately available.
Crombie’s “Crazy Joe Davola” appeared in 5 episodes in season 4. His arc included stalking Jerry and dating Elaine at one point.
The actor had 35 credits, including the films My Dog Skip, Natural Born Killers, The Blob, Se7en, Rising Sun, and Born on the Fourth of July.
His TV resume included the TV miniseries House of Frankenstein, NYPD Blue, Walker, Texas Ranger, Diagnosis Murder, Law & Order, Perfect Strangers, Spenser: For Hire, L.A. Law, L.A. Firefighters” and others.
No details on survivors or memorial plans was immediately available.
- 1/13/2024
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
When the NBC comedy series "Cheers" began in 1982, fans quickly fell in love with Ernie "Coach" Pantusso (Nicholas Colasanto). He was a retired baseball coach working at the bar with Sam Malone (Ted Danson) and Diane Chambers (Shelley Long). He wasn't exactly the sharpest knife in the condiments bar, but he had a good heart and gave sort of ridiculous yet profound advice. He was a beloved character and a staple of the show. However, when Colasanto passed away after a heart attack in 1985, Coach died in the show as well.
In season 4, we got a new bartender in the form of Woody Boyd, played by a very young Woody Harrelson. He had the same very naive and sweet quality that Coach had, though he was far younger. I mean, look at the picture above. He was a baby! Woody Boyd was a pen pal to Coach and had to...
In season 4, we got a new bartender in the form of Woody Boyd, played by a very young Woody Harrelson. He had the same very naive and sweet quality that Coach had, though he was far younger. I mean, look at the picture above. He was a baby! Woody Boyd was a pen pal to Coach and had to...
- 12/11/2023
- by Jenna Busch
- Slash Film
Actor Woody Harrelson made a name for himself by starring in the hit television series Cheers. But he figured the classic sitcom might be the peak of his career after he couldn’t find any more work.
Woody Harrelson couldn’t find acting work for years while starring in ‘Cheers’ Woody Harrelson | Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
Before he was known for his film career, Harrelson was recognized for his work as Woody Boyd in the 1980s sitcom Cheers. Ironically, the actor wasn’t completely sold on lending his talents to the small screen. But he auditioned for the role, anyway.
“I was 23, and I kind of had an idea that I didn’t want to do television because I generally didn’t like the quality,” Harrelson told The Hollywood Reporter in a 2017 interview.
Harrelson revealed that his Cheers audition successfully, and perhaps surprisingly, convinced the casting director that he suited the role.
Woody Harrelson couldn’t find acting work for years while starring in ‘Cheers’ Woody Harrelson | Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
Before he was known for his film career, Harrelson was recognized for his work as Woody Boyd in the 1980s sitcom Cheers. Ironically, the actor wasn’t completely sold on lending his talents to the small screen. But he auditioned for the role, anyway.
“I was 23, and I kind of had an idea that I didn’t want to do television because I generally didn’t like the quality,” Harrelson told The Hollywood Reporter in a 2017 interview.
Harrelson revealed that his Cheers audition successfully, and perhaps surprisingly, convinced the casting director that he suited the role.
- 11/15/2023
- by Antonio Stallings
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Following a string of commercial and critical successes that made Oliver Stone the most talked-about emergent American filmmaker of the late 1980s, 1994’s Natural Born Killers was the passion project that wiped out all the goodwill granted by the likes of 1986’s Platoon and 1991’s JFK. The extraordinary formal inventiveness of the latter carried over into this film, making it the second in what would become a loose aesthetic trilogy that would include the subsequent year’s Nixon. Fittingly, this is the rambunctious middle child of the three, eschewing its peers’ evocatively impressionistic approach to political history for a caustic present-day satire.
Admittedly, “satire” might be a generous assessment of this film’s bull-in-a-china-shop approach. Heavily reworking a more straightforward, Badlands-inspired screenplay by Quentin Tarantino, Stone warped the story of spree killers Mickey (Woody Harrelson) and Mallory Knox (Juliette Lewis) around a host of contemporary sensationalized crime stories like...
Admittedly, “satire” might be a generous assessment of this film’s bull-in-a-china-shop approach. Heavily reworking a more straightforward, Badlands-inspired screenplay by Quentin Tarantino, Stone warped the story of spree killers Mickey (Woody Harrelson) and Mallory Knox (Juliette Lewis) around a host of contemporary sensationalized crime stories like...
- 10/9/2023
- by Jake Cole
- Slant Magazine
It’s the year of color/black-and-white hybrid films, led by such Best Cinematography Oscar contenders shot on Kodak film as “Oppenheimer” (Universal), “Poor Things” (Searchlight), “Asteroid City” (Focus Features), and “Maestro” (Netflix). In addition, there are two other contenders of interest: “The Zone of Interest” (A24) contains a series of striking monochromatic moments, while the black-and-white “El Conde” (Netflix) offers a lone color sequence.
They are part of a great stylistic tradition of intermingling color and black-and-white to evoke heightened states of mind in such films as “The Wizard of Oz,” “A Matter of Life and Death,” “Bonjour Tristesse,” “Wings of Desire,” “JFK,” “Natural Born Killers,” and “Pleasantville.” It can be real or imaginary, but the aesthetic differences help drive the narratives.
By contrast, “A Haunting in Venice” (20th Century), shot by Kenneth Branaugh’s go-to cinematographer, Haris Zambarloukos, utilizes conventional black-and-white flashbacks to recap a mysterious murder. This...
They are part of a great stylistic tradition of intermingling color and black-and-white to evoke heightened states of mind in such films as “The Wizard of Oz,” “A Matter of Life and Death,” “Bonjour Tristesse,” “Wings of Desire,” “JFK,” “Natural Born Killers,” and “Pleasantville.” It can be real or imaginary, but the aesthetic differences help drive the narratives.
By contrast, “A Haunting in Venice” (20th Century), shot by Kenneth Branaugh’s go-to cinematographer, Haris Zambarloukos, utilizes conventional black-and-white flashbacks to recap a mysterious murder. This...
- 9/21/2023
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
Paul Thomas Anderson is praising Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” for bringing the film theatrical experience, well, back to theaters.
Anderson told AP News that the success of “Oppenheimer,” particularly on 70mm formats, is “healing” the theatergoing experience for audiences who’ve grown accustomed to digital not only through movies but also television. Nolan’s film follows J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) as he grapples with the creation and ramifications of the atomic bomb at Los Alamos.
“When a filmmaker as strong as Chris is pointing a finger at you and telling you where to go…you listen,” Anderson said, “and audiences have been rewarded for it. I know some film buffs who drove from El Paso to Dallas to see the film properly. That’s about 18 hours round trip.”
The “Boogie Nights” directed added, “I don’t think there’s anyone who could disagree: seeing ‘Oppenheimer’ on film is superior in every single way.
Anderson told AP News that the success of “Oppenheimer,” particularly on 70mm formats, is “healing” the theatergoing experience for audiences who’ve grown accustomed to digital not only through movies but also television. Nolan’s film follows J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) as he grapples with the creation and ramifications of the atomic bomb at Los Alamos.
“When a filmmaker as strong as Chris is pointing a finger at you and telling you where to go…you listen,” Anderson said, “and audiences have been rewarded for it. I know some film buffs who drove from El Paso to Dallas to see the film properly. That’s about 18 hours round trip.”
The “Boogie Nights” directed added, “I don’t think there’s anyone who could disagree: seeing ‘Oppenheimer’ on film is superior in every single way.
- 9/19/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Three-time Oscar winner Oliver Stone has courted controversy with a series of technically ambitious, rabble rousing political dramas, chronicling the highs and lows of American history. But how many of his titles remain classics? In honor of his birthday, let’s take a look back at all 20 of his films, ranked worst to best.
Born in 1946, Stone served in the Vietnam War before enrolling in NYU film school. He first came to prominence as a screenwriter, winning an Oscar for penning “Midnight Express” (Best Original Screenplay in 1978) before writing “Conan the Barbarian” (1982), “Scarface” (1983) and “Year of the Dragon” (1985). During this same period, he directed the low-budget horror films “Seizure” (1974) and “The Hand” (1981).
He emerged as a an A-list director when he was 40 years old with a pair of acclaimed war dramas released in 1986: “Salvador” and “Platoon.” Both earned him Best Original Screenplay nominations, while “Platoon,” which was based on...
Born in 1946, Stone served in the Vietnam War before enrolling in NYU film school. He first came to prominence as a screenwriter, winning an Oscar for penning “Midnight Express” (Best Original Screenplay in 1978) before writing “Conan the Barbarian” (1982), “Scarface” (1983) and “Year of the Dragon” (1985). During this same period, he directed the low-budget horror films “Seizure” (1974) and “The Hand” (1981).
He emerged as a an A-list director when he was 40 years old with a pair of acclaimed war dramas released in 1986: “Salvador” and “Platoon.” Both earned him Best Original Screenplay nominations, while “Platoon,” which was based on...
- 9/8/2023
- by Zach Laws and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Actor Woody Harrelson added another blockbuster to his long list of hit movies when he joined The Hunger Games. But he admitted that his ideas for his character needed to be toned down a couple of notches.
‘The Hunger Games’ director quickly disagreed with Woody Harrelson’s take on his character Woody Harrelson | Cindy Ord/WireImage
Harrelson ended up playing Haymitch Abernarthy in Hunger Games. His character was a former winner of the films’ contest where young boys and girls compete for survival. Jennifer Lawrence’s Katniss Everdeen would end up under Haymitch’s mentorship. In a resurfaced interview with The Huffington Post, Harrelson shared that Haymitch was one of the most unique roles he’s played.
“I think he is a pretty fine character. I can’t think of any other character I have played like him. He is quite a unique character. Also he’s interesting because he...
‘The Hunger Games’ director quickly disagreed with Woody Harrelson’s take on his character Woody Harrelson | Cindy Ord/WireImage
Harrelson ended up playing Haymitch Abernarthy in Hunger Games. His character was a former winner of the films’ contest where young boys and girls compete for survival. Jennifer Lawrence’s Katniss Everdeen would end up under Haymitch’s mentorship. In a resurfaced interview with The Huffington Post, Harrelson shared that Haymitch was one of the most unique roles he’s played.
“I think he is a pretty fine character. I can’t think of any other character I have played like him. He is quite a unique character. Also he’s interesting because he...
- 9/3/2023
- by Antonio Stallings
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
For as long as TV has existed, it has been used as a scapegoat for social and cultural issues. In a 1961 speech, FCC chairmen Newton Minow declared the format a "vast wasteland" of programming. In the 1970s, dozens of CBS affiliates chose not to show the historic episode of "Maude" that tackled abortion in reruns, caving to the pressure of critics who thought it would encourage viewers to do the same. The '80s saw the Satanic Panic, in which TV at large got swept up in a whirlwind of conspiracy, cited alongside metal music and board games as negative influences on the state of American children's souls.
Then there were the '90s. While the paranoid attitudes behind the Satanic Panic still raged on in some households, America became gripped by an unimaginable and seemingly new phenomenon: the school shooting. A few school shootings had happened before the 1990s,...
Then there were the '90s. While the paranoid attitudes behind the Satanic Panic still raged on in some households, America became gripped by an unimaginable and seemingly new phenomenon: the school shooting. A few school shootings had happened before the 1990s,...
- 9/2/2023
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
The Wolf episode of Wtf Happened to This Horror Movie? was Written and Narrated by Adam Walton, Edited by Juan Jimenez, Produced by Andrew Hatfield and John Fallon, and Executive Produced by Berge Garabedian.
If anybody ever had the acting chops in the 90s to convincingly play a publisher who gets bitten by a werewolf and then slowly starts to become one himself, it’s Jack Nicholson. This must have been exactly what producers Douglas Wick and Neal A. Machlis were thinking when casting their 1994 romantic horror movie and who better than the guy that convincingly played unhinged characters previously in both One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and The Shining? His past work as an actor was already impressive enough and his distinctive features and natural charm meant that he was perfect for the role. The movie sits snugly in the ‘so bad it’s actually pretty good...
If anybody ever had the acting chops in the 90s to convincingly play a publisher who gets bitten by a werewolf and then slowly starts to become one himself, it’s Jack Nicholson. This must have been exactly what producers Douglas Wick and Neal A. Machlis were thinking when casting their 1994 romantic horror movie and who better than the guy that convincingly played unhinged characters previously in both One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and The Shining? His past work as an actor was already impressive enough and his distinctive features and natural charm meant that he was perfect for the role. The movie sits snugly in the ‘so bad it’s actually pretty good...
- 8/25/2023
- by Adam Walton
- JoBlo.com
Maple Syrup Massacre is an editorial series where Joe Lipsett dissects the themes, conventions and contributions of new and classic Canadian horror films. Spoilers follow…
Fake Blood is a delicious curiousity: it’s a documentary about director Rob Grant and his frequent collaborator Mike Kovac, who also co-writes, exploring their responsibility in depicting cinematic violence.
Or at least that’s how it starts.
Over time the film slowly morphs into something different. As the two men embark on a mission to “experience” the kinds of violence depicted in their low budget films, they slowly become immersed in a narrative of their own making involving a “real-life” murderer named “John.”
Grant is well known in indie horror circles. In addition to directing under-the-radar gem Harpoon, he’s the editor of films like Knuckleball and this year’s Influencer.
In the film, Rob and Mike play themselves: a Vancouver filmmaker and actor,...
Fake Blood is a delicious curiousity: it’s a documentary about director Rob Grant and his frequent collaborator Mike Kovac, who also co-writes, exploring their responsibility in depicting cinematic violence.
Or at least that’s how it starts.
Over time the film slowly morphs into something different. As the two men embark on a mission to “experience” the kinds of violence depicted in their low budget films, they slowly become immersed in a narrative of their own making involving a “real-life” murderer named “John.”
Grant is well known in indie horror circles. In addition to directing under-the-radar gem Harpoon, he’s the editor of films like Knuckleball and this year’s Influencer.
In the film, Rob and Mike play themselves: a Vancouver filmmaker and actor,...
- 8/24/2023
- by Joe Lipsett
- bloody-disgusting.com
Two personal, stylish, and distinctive films celebrate major birthdays this month: “Risky Business” turned 40 August 5 and August 1 marked the 50th anniversary of the release of “American Graffiti.”
Two other personal, stylish, and distinctive films also celebrate their blockbuster success this August: “Barbie,” which is now $1 billion worldwide and counting, and “Oppenheimer,” which just crossed $600 million.
August is generally known for providing the dog days of summer box office. It’s the end of the road, kids are going back to school. There’s no time for a blockbuster to stretch its legs and no one’s in the mood for anything weighty. The current studio release calendar bears out that logic with “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,” “The Last Voyage of the Demeter,” “Gran Turismo,” “Blue Beetle,” and “Strays.”
“Apocalypse Now”Courtesy Everett Collection
History tells us it doesn’t have to be that way. Among the smarter films...
Two other personal, stylish, and distinctive films also celebrate their blockbuster success this August: “Barbie,” which is now $1 billion worldwide and counting, and “Oppenheimer,” which just crossed $600 million.
August is generally known for providing the dog days of summer box office. It’s the end of the road, kids are going back to school. There’s no time for a blockbuster to stretch its legs and no one’s in the mood for anything weighty. The current studio release calendar bears out that logic with “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,” “The Last Voyage of the Demeter,” “Gran Turismo,” “Blue Beetle,” and “Strays.”
“Apocalypse Now”Courtesy Everett Collection
History tells us it doesn’t have to be that way. Among the smarter films...
- 8/11/2023
- by Tom Brueggemann
- Indiewire
Actor Robert Swan, best known for roles in The Untouchables, Hoosiers, The Babe, and more, died on Wednesday. He was 78.
Swan died after a battle with liver cancer, a family friend confirmed to multipleoutlets.
Born in Chicago, Swan got his start in local theater — earning three Joseph Jefferson Award nominations — before his first film appearance in the 1980 film Somewhere in Time. He continued to work in film and television throughout his career, playing a Mountie captain in The Untouchables in 1987, and Deputy Napalatoni in 1994’s Natural Born Killers.
Two of his most high-profile roles came in sports movies. He played Rollin Butcher, the assistant coach to Gene Hackman’s Norman Dale in the 1986 high school basketball drama Hoosiers, and in 1992’s The Babe — which starred John Goodman in the titular role — he played Babe Ruth’s father, George Herman Ruth Sr.
Swan was also the founder of Harbor Country Opera,...
Swan died after a battle with liver cancer, a family friend confirmed to multipleoutlets.
Born in Chicago, Swan got his start in local theater — earning three Joseph Jefferson Award nominations — before his first film appearance in the 1980 film Somewhere in Time. He continued to work in film and television throughout his career, playing a Mountie captain in The Untouchables in 1987, and Deputy Napalatoni in 1994’s Natural Born Killers.
Two of his most high-profile roles came in sports movies. He played Rollin Butcher, the assistant coach to Gene Hackman’s Norman Dale in the 1986 high school basketball drama Hoosiers, and in 1992’s The Babe — which starred John Goodman in the titular role — he played Babe Ruth’s father, George Herman Ruth Sr.
Swan was also the founder of Harbor Country Opera,...
- 8/9/2023
- by Emerson Pearson
- ET Canada
Robert Swan, the actor best known for his roles in “Hoosiers,” “Rudy,” “The Untouchables” and “Natural Born Killers,” has died. He was 78.
The veteran character actor died peacefully in his sleep Wednesday in his Rolling Prairie, Indiana, home. His death comes after a long battle with cancer, Betty Hoeffner, a close friend of Swan’s, confirmed to TheWrap.
Swan delivered the memorable line “Coach stays” in “Hoosiers,” and was the one who said “I don’t approve of your methods” in “The Untouchables.”
Born in 1944, Swan’s first role was in the 1979 TV series “The Duke.” Throughout his career, the character actor appeared in several notable projects including “The Twilight Zone,” “Hoosiers,” “The Untouchables,” “All My Children,” the original version of “The Equalizer,” “The Babe” and “Rudy.” His most recent Hollywood role took place in 2012 when he portrayed the driver in the film “The Owner,” an online collaboration between 25 different actors.
The veteran character actor died peacefully in his sleep Wednesday in his Rolling Prairie, Indiana, home. His death comes after a long battle with cancer, Betty Hoeffner, a close friend of Swan’s, confirmed to TheWrap.
Swan delivered the memorable line “Coach stays” in “Hoosiers,” and was the one who said “I don’t approve of your methods” in “The Untouchables.”
Born in 1944, Swan’s first role was in the 1979 TV series “The Duke.” Throughout his career, the character actor appeared in several notable projects including “The Twilight Zone,” “Hoosiers,” “The Untouchables,” “All My Children,” the original version of “The Equalizer,” “The Babe” and “Rudy.” His most recent Hollywood role took place in 2012 when he portrayed the driver in the film “The Owner,” an online collaboration between 25 different actors.
- 8/9/2023
- by Kayla Cobb
- The Wrap
Robert Swan, “The Untouchables” actor and founder of Harbor Country Opera, has died of liver cancer. He was 78.
His death was confirmed by a family friend, who said his dream was to turn his award-winning screenplay about Samuel Johnson, the man first credited with creating the modern dictionary, into a movie.
Swan was known for his work in several feature films, including his role as a Mountie captain in Brian De Palma’s “The Untouchables” (1987), which starred Kevin Costner and landed Sean Connery an Oscar. He appeared in Oliver Stone and Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 “Natural Born Killers” as Deputy Napalatoni.
Additionally, he was featured in the 1984 Emmy-nominated Jane Fonda-led TV movie “The Dollmaker” and as a coach in the 1986 David Anspaugh-helmed feature “Hoosiers.” His further credits include “Backdraft,” “Somewhere in Time,” “Heart of Steel,” “The Twilight Zone,” “Stingray,” “Who’s That Girl,” “All My Children,” “Missing Persons” and “The Owner.
His death was confirmed by a family friend, who said his dream was to turn his award-winning screenplay about Samuel Johnson, the man first credited with creating the modern dictionary, into a movie.
Swan was known for his work in several feature films, including his role as a Mountie captain in Brian De Palma’s “The Untouchables” (1987), which starred Kevin Costner and landed Sean Connery an Oscar. He appeared in Oliver Stone and Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 “Natural Born Killers” as Deputy Napalatoni.
Additionally, he was featured in the 1984 Emmy-nominated Jane Fonda-led TV movie “The Dollmaker” and as a coach in the 1986 David Anspaugh-helmed feature “Hoosiers.” His further credits include “Backdraft,” “Somewhere in Time,” “Heart of Steel,” “The Twilight Zone,” “Stingray,” “Who’s That Girl,” “All My Children,” “Missing Persons” and “The Owner.
- 8/9/2023
- by McKinley Franklin
- Variety Film + TV
Robert Swan, the veteran character actor who appeared in key roles in the notable sports films Hoosiers, Rudy and The Babe, has died. He was 78.
Swan died Wednesday after a long battle with cancer at his home in Rolling Prairie, Indiana, his friend Betty Hoeffner told The Hollywood Reporter.
Swan also portrayed a Canadian Mountie in Brian De Palma’s The Untouchables (1987) and a bloodied deputy in Oliver Stone’s Natural Born Killers (1994) and was other lawmen in Who’s That Girl (1987) and Mo’ Money (1992).
In Hoosiers (1986), his character, the Indiana farmer Rollin Butcher, has two sons on the Hickory High School basketball team, and he’s one of the few people in town to welcome new coach Norman Dale (Gene Hackman). Later, he joins Coach Dale on the bench as a Huskers’ assistant.
Swan then reunited with Hoosiers director David Anspaugh to play a priest in another classic underdog sports flick,...
Swan died Wednesday after a long battle with cancer at his home in Rolling Prairie, Indiana, his friend Betty Hoeffner told The Hollywood Reporter.
Swan also portrayed a Canadian Mountie in Brian De Palma’s The Untouchables (1987) and a bloodied deputy in Oliver Stone’s Natural Born Killers (1994) and was other lawmen in Who’s That Girl (1987) and Mo’ Money (1992).
In Hoosiers (1986), his character, the Indiana farmer Rollin Butcher, has two sons on the Hickory High School basketball team, and he’s one of the few people in town to welcome new coach Norman Dale (Gene Hackman). Later, he joins Coach Dale on the bench as a Huskers’ assistant.
Swan then reunited with Hoosiers director David Anspaugh to play a priest in another classic underdog sports flick,...
- 8/9/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Say what you want about celebrity worship, but actors loom large in the popular imagination. Millions of people around the world suspend their disbelief to follow a story and invest in its characters, and some of this investment may go toward the actors themselves. Many of us like, respect, or find some common ground with specific performers. Our connections with them vary — background, talent, personality — but a consistent one is generation. So it is lamentable when we hear of an actor aging or even dying. Why? Because it means another part of our culture and zeitgeist is fading away.
We're just over halfway through 2023, and while we haven't seen a repeat of 2016 with its flurry of celebrity deaths, numerous actors from the screen and stage are passing on. Here are the actors who have died in 2023, so far.
Read more: The 14 Best Film Acting Debuts Of All Time
Earl Boen...
We're just over halfway through 2023, and while we haven't seen a repeat of 2016 with its flurry of celebrity deaths, numerous actors from the screen and stage are passing on. Here are the actors who have died in 2023, so far.
Read more: The 14 Best Film Acting Debuts Of All Time
Earl Boen...
- 8/8/2023
- by Jack Hawkins
- Slash Film
Stars: Johnny Berchtold, Kyle Gallner, Lupe Leon, Liza Weil, Billy Slaughter, Jordan Sherley, Morgana Shaw, Kanesha Washington | Written by Jack Stanley | Directed by Carter Smith
Not to be confused with the Spanish road trip horror of the same name, The Passenger, the new film from Carter Smith, opens with a woman, blood spurting from her eye socket crawling towards a young boy. It’s a nightmare and Randy is woken from it to start another tedious day at Burgers, Burgers, Burgers. He should have taken it as an omen and stayed home.
As they’re getting the diner ready to open one of the other employees starts harassing him, something that seems to be a regular occurrence. Benson watches in disgust before walking out to have a smoke. Then, as if something just snapped he pulls a shotgun from his car and goes back inside killing everyone except Randy whom he takes hostage.
Not to be confused with the Spanish road trip horror of the same name, The Passenger, the new film from Carter Smith, opens with a woman, blood spurting from her eye socket crawling towards a young boy. It’s a nightmare and Randy is woken from it to start another tedious day at Burgers, Burgers, Burgers. He should have taken it as an omen and stayed home.
As they’re getting the diner ready to open one of the other employees starts harassing him, something that seems to be a regular occurrence. Benson watches in disgust before walking out to have a smoke. Then, as if something just snapped he pulls a shotgun from his car and goes back inside killing everyone except Randy whom he takes hostage.
- 8/8/2023
- by Jim Morazzini
- Nerdly
Trauma Therapy: Psychosis, the final film of Heat, Saving Private Ryan and Natural Born Killers star Tom Sizemore, who died in March, has been given a release date and trailer. Quiver Distribution is set to release the feature theatrically, digitally and on demand Sept. 1.
Directed by Gary Barth, and written by Tom Malloy and David Josh Lawrence, Trauma Therapy: Psychosis — the sequel to 2019’s Trauma Therapy — sees Malloy return as Tobin Vance, a notorious self-help guru who has been exiled overseas. As the feds move in on his U.S. operation, Vance is building a new base in the remote outskirts of Kirkcaldy, Scotland. There, his stoic assistant Elizabeth (Hannah New), along with former student John (David Josh Lawrence), recruit a hopeful new group of lost souls for an intensive retreat to solve their deep-seated problems.
The film also features Pirates of the Caribbean’s Vince Lozano, Jamie Scott Gordon,...
Directed by Gary Barth, and written by Tom Malloy and David Josh Lawrence, Trauma Therapy: Psychosis — the sequel to 2019’s Trauma Therapy — sees Malloy return as Tobin Vance, a notorious self-help guru who has been exiled overseas. As the feds move in on his U.S. operation, Vance is building a new base in the remote outskirts of Kirkcaldy, Scotland. There, his stoic assistant Elizabeth (Hannah New), along with former student John (David Josh Lawrence), recruit a hopeful new group of lost souls for an intensive retreat to solve their deep-seated problems.
The film also features Pirates of the Caribbean’s Vince Lozano, Jamie Scott Gordon,...
- 8/3/2023
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Oliver Stone has joined Paul Schrader in praising Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” as an instant classic.
The “JFK” and “Natural Born Killers” director shared on Twitter that he finally saw the three-hour J. Robert Oppenheimer epic over the past weekend, saying he was “gripped by Chris Nolan’s narrative.” Stone also added that he was familiar with the source material, the nonfiction book “American Prometheus” by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, as he “once turned the project down because I couldn’t find my way to its essence. Nolan has found it.”
Since “Oppenheimer” opened on July 21, the film has already grossed $405 million globally and it continues to sell out across IMAX venues, with viewers flocking to Nolan’s preferred 70mm IMAX experience.
Two weeks ago, fellow filmmaker Paul Schrader praised “Oppenheimer” as “the best, most important film of this century.”
Stone, meanwhile in a Twitter thread continued, “His...
The “JFK” and “Natural Born Killers” director shared on Twitter that he finally saw the three-hour J. Robert Oppenheimer epic over the past weekend, saying he was “gripped by Chris Nolan’s narrative.” Stone also added that he was familiar with the source material, the nonfiction book “American Prometheus” by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, as he “once turned the project down because I couldn’t find my way to its essence. Nolan has found it.”
Since “Oppenheimer” opened on July 21, the film has already grossed $405 million globally and it continues to sell out across IMAX venues, with viewers flocking to Nolan’s preferred 70mm IMAX experience.
Two weeks ago, fellow filmmaker Paul Schrader praised “Oppenheimer” as “the best, most important film of this century.”
Stone, meanwhile in a Twitter thread continued, “His...
- 8/1/2023
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
“Yellowjackets” season two may have officially wrapped on Showtime, but meat is still on the menu. The Ten-time Emmy nominated series heads home to DVD this October.
Look for “Yellowjackets” season two on DVD on October 10, 2023, from Paramount Home Entertainment. The DVD features all 9 episodes of the second season, and exclusive bonus content.
The series was created by Ashley Lyle & Bart Nickerson (“Narcos”), described as being “equal parts survival epic, psychological horror story and coming-of-age drama.”
“Yellowjackets is the saga of a team of wildly talented high school girls soccer players who become the (un)lucky survivors of a plane crash deep in the remote northern wilderness. The series chronicles their descent from a complicated but thriving team to savage clans, while also tracking the lives they’ve attempted to piece back together nearly 25 years later, proving that the past is never really past and what began out in the wilderness is far from over.
Look for “Yellowjackets” season two on DVD on October 10, 2023, from Paramount Home Entertainment. The DVD features all 9 episodes of the second season, and exclusive bonus content.
The series was created by Ashley Lyle & Bart Nickerson (“Narcos”), described as being “equal parts survival epic, psychological horror story and coming-of-age drama.”
“Yellowjackets is the saga of a team of wildly talented high school girls soccer players who become the (un)lucky survivors of a plane crash deep in the remote northern wilderness. The series chronicles their descent from a complicated but thriving team to savage clans, while also tracking the lives they’ve attempted to piece back together nearly 25 years later, proving that the past is never really past and what began out in the wilderness is far from over.
- 7/24/2023
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
The From Dusk Till Dawn episode of Wtf Happened to This Horror Movie? was Written by Eric Walkuski, Narrated and Edited by Tyler Nichols, Produced by Lance Vlcek and John Fallon, and Executive Produced by Berge Garabedian.
Okay ramblers, let’s get rambling… In the mid-90s, there were few directors more exciting than Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez. Guys who clawed their ways into the movie business by sheer determination and talent, they wore their love for cinema on their sleeves and made no bones about it. They helped kickstart a wave of movie nerds who’d be calling their own shots and making millions for the studio system; suddenly it seemed like being able to endlessly quote Martin Scorsese or John Carpenter movies meant you might get a shot at sitting in the director’s chair. Naturally, the two gravitated toward each other, and to this day their...
Okay ramblers, let’s get rambling… In the mid-90s, there were few directors more exciting than Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez. Guys who clawed their ways into the movie business by sheer determination and talent, they wore their love for cinema on their sleeves and made no bones about it. They helped kickstart a wave of movie nerds who’d be calling their own shots and making millions for the studio system; suddenly it seemed like being able to endlessly quote Martin Scorsese or John Carpenter movies meant you might get a shot at sitting in the director’s chair. Naturally, the two gravitated toward each other, and to this day their...
- 7/14/2023
- by Eric Walkuski
- JoBlo.com
Most viewers went starry-eyed for “John Wick: Chapter 4” when it was released earlier this year. But Oliver Stone isn’t most viewers.
Speaking to Variety before receiving a lifetime achievement award from the Transilvania Film Festival, the two-time Best Director Oscar winner unloaded on the Keanu Reeves blockbuster, calling the film “disgusting beyond belief.”
“I saw ‘John Wick 4’ on the plane. Talk about volume. I think the film is disgusting beyond belief. Disgusting. I don’t know what people are thinking,” Stone said of the feature, which grossed more than $432 million worldwide after its release in March. “Maybe I was watching ‘G.I. Joe’ when I was a kid. But [John Wick] kills, what, three, four hundred people in the fucking movie. And as a combat veteran, I gotta tell you, not one of them is believable. I realize it’s a movie, but it’s become a video game more than a movie.
Speaking to Variety before receiving a lifetime achievement award from the Transilvania Film Festival, the two-time Best Director Oscar winner unloaded on the Keanu Reeves blockbuster, calling the film “disgusting beyond belief.”
“I saw ‘John Wick 4’ on the plane. Talk about volume. I think the film is disgusting beyond belief. Disgusting. I don’t know what people are thinking,” Stone said of the feature, which grossed more than $432 million worldwide after its release in March. “Maybe I was watching ‘G.I. Joe’ when I was a kid. But [John Wick] kills, what, three, four hundred people in the fucking movie. And as a combat veteran, I gotta tell you, not one of them is believable. I realize it’s a movie, but it’s become a video game more than a movie.
- 6/21/2023
- by Christopher Rosen
- Gold Derby
Oliver Stone settled into a sofa on the terrace of the Radisson Blu Hotel in Cluj, Romania, apologizing for the jetlag and gazing at a downcast sky that had briefly parted over the Transylvanian hillside. “Let’s see if we can find some blue,” he said, describing himself — despite ample evidence to the contrary — as a “hopeful” person. But after a week of steady downpours in this picturesque medieval city, the weather refused to cooperate. From the hotel terrace it was gray as far as the eye could see.
Stone was in Romania to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Transilvania Film Festival, which also programmed a small retrospective in honor of the three-time Academy Award-winning director including his latest film, the pro-nuclear-energy documentary “Nuclear Now,” which Variety’s Owen Gleiberman described as an “intensely compelling, must-see” doc after its premiere at the Venice Film Festival last year.
Before receiving the award,...
Stone was in Romania to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Transilvania Film Festival, which also programmed a small retrospective in honor of the three-time Academy Award-winning director including his latest film, the pro-nuclear-energy documentary “Nuclear Now,” which Variety’s Owen Gleiberman described as an “intensely compelling, must-see” doc after its premiere at the Venice Film Festival last year.
Before receiving the award,...
- 6/19/2023
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Four years after world premiering Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood to Cannes Film Festival, Quentin Tarantino returned to the festival last month with the tease of a secret screening. Considering the recent “death” of Leonardo DiCaprio’s Rick Dalton––for which Tarantino delivered a two-part, two-hour-plus eulogy to the fictional character (more on that below)––rumors swirled it may be the discussed extended cut of his 2019 feature. However, it turned out to be the 1977 Paul Schrader-scripted gem Rolling Thunder, a film that Tarantino wrote about extensively in “Cinema Speculation” and which he aims to recreate in his own vision for his forthcoming final feature The Movie Critic.
While at Cannes, he also took part in a 70-minute masterclass which has now been published in its entirety. While the on-stage French translation means it’s a bit briefer than a standard talk of this variety, it’s replete with a wealth of wisdom,...
While at Cannes, he also took part in a 70-minute masterclass which has now been published in its entirety. While the on-stage French translation means it’s a bit briefer than a standard talk of this variety, it’s replete with a wealth of wisdom,...
- 6/14/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
The man who directed a scene so bloody it was filmed in black and white to avoid an Nc-17 rating has some qualms with violence in film.
In an hourlong conversation at the Cannes Film Festival, Quentin Tarantino addressed some parts of his book “Cinema Speculation” and he teased his 10th and final film, “The Movie Critic.” As a serious grind-house fanatic, Tarantino discussed the place of violence in his own films and in classics like John Flynn’s “Rolling Thunder” and Martin Scorsese’s “Taxi Driver.”
On John Flynn’s “Rolling Thunder”
“It was the movie that made me start taking myself seriously as a film critic,” Tarantino said of “Rolling Thunder.”
Not that he was writing and publishing reviews on movies, but as he watched the film, he was able to note its nuances and form opinions on them. The moderators asked Tarantino about why he believed Flynn...
In an hourlong conversation at the Cannes Film Festival, Quentin Tarantino addressed some parts of his book “Cinema Speculation” and he teased his 10th and final film, “The Movie Critic.” As a serious grind-house fanatic, Tarantino discussed the place of violence in his own films and in classics like John Flynn’s “Rolling Thunder” and Martin Scorsese’s “Taxi Driver.”
On John Flynn’s “Rolling Thunder”
“It was the movie that made me start taking myself seriously as a film critic,” Tarantino said of “Rolling Thunder.”
Not that he was writing and publishing reviews on movies, but as he watched the film, he was able to note its nuances and form opinions on them. The moderators asked Tarantino about why he believed Flynn...
- 6/13/2023
- by Sophia Scorziello
- Variety Film + TV
The 22nd edition of the Transilvania International Film Festival kicked off Friday night in the city of Cluj-Napoca with the international premiere of Northern Comfort, a comedy directed by Icelandic filmmaker Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson, and with a tribute to the film’s star, Timothy Spall.
The famed British character actor, known for his roles in Mike Leigh’s Topsy-Turvy and Mr. Turner, Cameron Crowe’s Vanilla Sky, Edward Zwick’s The Last Samurai, Tom Hooper’s The King’s Speech and the Harry Potter films, received this year’s lifetime achievement award at the festival’s opening gala.
The Icelandic-uk-German co-production Northern Comfort is part of the massive Nordic Focus at the festival this year, with more than 40 films from Norway, Iceland, Denmark, Finland and Sweden, as well as live music performances and cine-concerts. Some of the Nordic highlights include Ruben Östlund’s 2022 Palm d’Or winner Triangle of Sadness, Lars von Trier...
The famed British character actor, known for his roles in Mike Leigh’s Topsy-Turvy and Mr. Turner, Cameron Crowe’s Vanilla Sky, Edward Zwick’s The Last Samurai, Tom Hooper’s The King’s Speech and the Harry Potter films, received this year’s lifetime achievement award at the festival’s opening gala.
The Icelandic-uk-German co-production Northern Comfort is part of the massive Nordic Focus at the festival this year, with more than 40 films from Norway, Iceland, Denmark, Finland and Sweden, as well as live music performances and cine-concerts. Some of the Nordic highlights include Ruben Östlund’s 2022 Palm d’Or winner Triangle of Sadness, Lars von Trier...
- 6/10/2023
- by Stjepan Hundic
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
In early 2022, Sophie Thatcher was everywhere. The Chicago native broke out as teenage Natalie on Yellowjackets, the buzziest new cable show at the time, and it led straight into a recurring role on The Book of Boba Fett. She was also the talk of Twitter since she reminded so many people of Juliette Lewis, circa Natural Born Killers, who she happened to be sharing a role with on Yellowjackets. Well, the creative team behind 21 Laps and 20th Century’s The Boogeyman took notice and offered Thatcher her first lead role in a studio film.
“I didn’t have to go through so many processes and have to prove myself again and always just prepare myself for rejection, which is totally a part of the job and a part of life. So this felt very refreshing to have people that believed in me and trusted me,” Thatcher tells The Hollywood Reporter.
“I didn’t have to go through so many processes and have to prove myself again and always just prepare myself for rejection, which is totally a part of the job and a part of life. So this felt very refreshing to have people that believed in me and trusted me,” Thatcher tells The Hollywood Reporter.
- 6/1/2023
- by Brian Davids
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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