When Akira Kurosawa, Shinobu Hashimoto, and Hideo Oguni were writing the screenplay for their 1954 epic "Seven Samurai," they couldn't have predicted its lasting influence on cinema. Not only did Kurosawa's masterful direction alter and revolutionize the way action sequences would be shot, but the premise became a reliable and lasting template that multiple other filmmakers would employ in the ensuing decades. For those unlucky enough to have never seen "Seven Samurai," the setup is simple: a remote farming village is regularly looted by passing bandits, leaving them destitute. Unable to withstand another attack, the villagers gather up their modest means and hire seven rogue samurai to protect them. The samurai know that the job won't pay, but each one has their own reasons for joining the cause. Using their cunning and limited means, the samurai repel the bandit attack.
Most recently, the "Seven Samurai" premise was transposed onto Zack Snyder's "Rebel Moon.
Most recently, the "Seven Samurai" premise was transposed onto Zack Snyder's "Rebel Moon.
- 5/21/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
There wasn't a more capable director of massive, widescreen Westerns working in Hollywood during the 1950s and '60s than John Sturges. Whether classical ("Gunfight at the O.K. Corral") or somewhat unconventional ("Bad Day at Black Rock"), Sturges could frame a mountainous expanse or stage a gunfight with the best of them. He thrived when working with big casts and specialized in discovering stirring nuances in characters that would've been walking cliches in more typical genre flicks.
Sturges was also efficient, which came in handy when managing expensive studio productions populated with big egos. His biggest challenge in this department might've been "The Magnificent Seven," the 1960 remake of Akira Kurosawa's masterpiece "Seven Samurai." Yul Brynner, then a hugely popular movie star (largely on the strength of his Academy Award-winning performance in "The King and I" and his portrayal of Ramses in Cecil B. DeMille's "The Ten Commandments"), controlled...
Sturges was also efficient, which came in handy when managing expensive studio productions populated with big egos. His biggest challenge in this department might've been "The Magnificent Seven," the 1960 remake of Akira Kurosawa's masterpiece "Seven Samurai." Yul Brynner, then a hugely popular movie star (largely on the strength of his Academy Award-winning performance in "The King and I" and his portrayal of Ramses in Cecil B. DeMille's "The Ten Commandments"), controlled...
- 4/28/2024
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Lynda Gravátt, the Harlem-born actress who starred on New York stages in such productions as 45 Seconds From Broadway, Doubt, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Old Settler and Intimate Apparel, has died. She was 76.
Gravátt died Friday at a hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey, her son David Gravátt told The Hollywood Reporter.
A founding member of Robert Alexander’s Living Stage at the famed Washington-based Arena Stage company, Gravátt received a 1999 Theatre World trophy for her performance as 1940s Harlem resident Quilly McGrath in The Old Settler and a Audelco prize in 2004 for her turn as the bossy landlady Mrs. Dickson in Intimate Apparel.
On Broadway in 2001, she stood by for Leslie Uggams as Ruby in August Wilson’s King Hedley II and portrayed Bessie James in Neil Simon’s 45 Seconds From Broadway, then appeared as Mrs. Muller in 2016 in the original Broadway production of John Patrick Shanley’s Doubt.
Gravátt died Friday at a hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey, her son David Gravátt told The Hollywood Reporter.
A founding member of Robert Alexander’s Living Stage at the famed Washington-based Arena Stage company, Gravátt received a 1999 Theatre World trophy for her performance as 1940s Harlem resident Quilly McGrath in The Old Settler and a Audelco prize in 2004 for her turn as the bossy landlady Mrs. Dickson in Intimate Apparel.
On Broadway in 2001, she stood by for Leslie Uggams as Ruby in August Wilson’s King Hedley II and portrayed Bessie James in Neil Simon’s 45 Seconds From Broadway, then appeared as Mrs. Muller in 2016 in the original Broadway production of John Patrick Shanley’s Doubt.
- 2/27/2024
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Steve McQueen is a name so cool that two famous people have to share it: the American actor and action film icon known for films like “The Great Escape” and “Bullitt” before he died in 1980, and the Oscar-winning British film director behind acclaimed dramas like “12 Years a Slave,” “Hunger,” and “Small Axe.” Now, McQueen the director has revealed that McQueen the actor was part of his formative filmgoing experiences.
In an interview with The Messenger to promote his documentary “Occupied City,” McQueen was asked about his favorite film starring the actor who shares his name. Although McQueen initially hesitated to share, he eventually revealed his favorite to be “The Magnificent Seven.” A western remake of Akira Kurosawa’s classic “Seven Samurai” from director John Sturges, the 1960 film focuses on a group of seven American gunslingers hired to protect a Mexican village from terrorizing bandits. McQueen played drifting gambler Vin in the film,...
In an interview with The Messenger to promote his documentary “Occupied City,” McQueen was asked about his favorite film starring the actor who shares his name. Although McQueen initially hesitated to share, he eventually revealed his favorite to be “The Magnificent Seven.” A western remake of Akira Kurosawa’s classic “Seven Samurai” from director John Sturges, the 1960 film focuses on a group of seven American gunslingers hired to protect a Mexican village from terrorizing bandits. McQueen played drifting gambler Vin in the film,...
- 12/29/2023
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
Shirley Anne Field, the British leading lady who starred alongside Laurence Olivier in The Entertainer, Albert Finney in Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, and Kenneth More in Man in the Moon — all in 1960 — has died. She was 87.
“It is with great sadness that we are sharing the news that Shirley Anne Field passed away peacefully on Sunday, Dec. 10, surrounded by her family and friends,” a spokesperson announced.
“Shirley Anne will be greatly missed and remembered for her unbreakable spirit and her amazing legacy spanning more than five decades on stage and screen.”
For her first Hollywood film, Field passed up John Schlesinger’s A Kind of Loving to star opposite Steve McQueen and Robert Wagner in the World War II drama The War Lover (1962). It was a decision she would regret, she explained in a 2009 interview.
“I finally had a chance to go to Hollywood and become a worldwide name.
“It is with great sadness that we are sharing the news that Shirley Anne Field passed away peacefully on Sunday, Dec. 10, surrounded by her family and friends,” a spokesperson announced.
“Shirley Anne will be greatly missed and remembered for her unbreakable spirit and her amazing legacy spanning more than five decades on stage and screen.”
For her first Hollywood film, Field passed up John Schlesinger’s A Kind of Loving to star opposite Steve McQueen and Robert Wagner in the World War II drama The War Lover (1962). It was a decision she would regret, she explained in a 2009 interview.
“I finally had a chance to go to Hollywood and become a worldwide name.
- 12/12/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Marisa Pavan, the Italian actress and twin sister of Pier Angeli who received an Oscar nomination for her performance as the daughter of Anna Magnani’s seamstress in the 1955 drama The Rose Tattoo, has died. She was 91.
Pavan died Wednesday in her sleep at her home in Gassin, France, near Saint-Tropez, Margaux Soumoy, who wrote Pavan’s 2021 biography, Drop the Baby; Put a Veil on the Broad!, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Pavan also portrayed the French queen Catherine de’ Medici in Diane (1956), starring Lana Turner; an Italian girl who had an affair years ago with a corporate exec (Gregory Peck) in The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit (1956); and the love interest of a former cop (Tony Curtis) investigating the murder of a priest in the film noir The Midnight Story (1957).
In Paramount’s The Rose Tattoo (1955), an adaptation of the Tennessee Williams play that won four Tony Awards, including best play,...
Pavan died Wednesday in her sleep at her home in Gassin, France, near Saint-Tropez, Margaux Soumoy, who wrote Pavan’s 2021 biography, Drop the Baby; Put a Veil on the Broad!, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Pavan also portrayed the French queen Catherine de’ Medici in Diane (1956), starring Lana Turner; an Italian girl who had an affair years ago with a corporate exec (Gregory Peck) in The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit (1956); and the love interest of a former cop (Tony Curtis) investigating the murder of a priest in the film noir The Midnight Story (1957).
In Paramount’s The Rose Tattoo (1955), an adaptation of the Tennessee Williams play that won four Tony Awards, including best play,...
- 12/6/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
In 1964 Barbra Streisand became a star when she opened the original Broadway production of “Funny Girl” as real-life actress, singer and comedian Fanny Brice. Despite rave reviews, she ended up losing the Tony for Best Actress in a Musical to Carol Channing for “Hello, Dolly!” But in 1968 Babs made her motion picture debut in a film adaptation of “Funny Girl” directed by William Wyler, reprising her role as Fanny. She went on to win the Oscar for Best Actress (famously in a tie with Katharine Hepburn for “The Lion in Winter”). In 1970 Eileen Heckart was Tony nominated for her featured performance as Mrs. Baker in “Butterflies are Free,” but lost to her co-star Blythe Danner. But in 1972 Heckart reprised her role in a film adaptation, which won her an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.
SEERay Richmond: Oprah discusses taking her ‘The Color Purple’ journey full circle following Thursday night world...
SEERay Richmond: Oprah discusses taking her ‘The Color Purple’ journey full circle following Thursday night world...
- 11/29/2023
- by Jeffrey Kare
- Gold Derby
Rock Brynner, the son of legendary actor Yul Brynner, who cut his own path as a writer, historian, novelist, playwright, bodyguard, and more, has died. He was 76. According to the New York Times, Rock passed away on Friday, October 13, at a hospice in Salisbury, Connecticut. His close friend, Maria Cuomo Cole, said the cause of death was due to complications of multiple myeloma. Born on December 23, 1946, in Manhattan, New York City, Rock had big shoes to fill, given that his father, Yul, was one of the world’s most iconic and well-respected actors, best known for his Tony and Oscar-winning turns in the stage and screen versions of the musical The King and I. He also starred in The Ten Commandments, The Magnificent Seven, Westworld, and the CBS TV series Anna and the King. However, Rock carved his own niche, embarking on a fascinating and varied career throughout his lifetime.
- 10/26/2023
- TV Insider
Rock Brynner, who escaped the shadow of his iconic actor father Yul Brynner to launch a multifaceted career, died Oct. 13 in Salisbury, Connecticut. He was 76 and was in hospice battling complications of multiple myeloma, according to family friend Maria Cuomo Cole.
Like many children of major celebrities, Rock Brynner tried to carve his own path. That included time spent as a road manager for The Band, bodyguard for Muhammad Ali, farmer, pilot, street performer, novelist, and professor of constitutional history at several universities.
Rock Brynner attended Yale, Trinity College Dublin, and Columbia, where he received a doctorate in American history in 1993 before teaching for more than a decade at Marist College, in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
His life was filled with intriguing stints in various roles. He wrote a one-man play based on French playwright Jean Cocteau’s addiction memoir, “Opium,” which he performed briefly on Broadway in 1970. Cocteau was Brynner’s godfather.
Like many children of major celebrities, Rock Brynner tried to carve his own path. That included time spent as a road manager for The Band, bodyguard for Muhammad Ali, farmer, pilot, street performer, novelist, and professor of constitutional history at several universities.
Rock Brynner attended Yale, Trinity College Dublin, and Columbia, where he received a doctorate in American history in 1993 before teaching for more than a decade at Marist College, in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
His life was filled with intriguing stints in various roles. He wrote a one-man play based on French playwright Jean Cocteau’s addiction memoir, “Opium,” which he performed briefly on Broadway in 1970. Cocteau was Brynner’s godfather.
- 10/25/2023
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
The Mill is a sci-fi mystery drama film directed by Sean King O’Grady from a screenplay by Jeffrey David Thomas. The Hulu film follows the story of a businessman who wakes up in an open-air prison cell with an old grist mill. He’s forced to work there but now he must find a way to escape before the birth of his child. The Mill stars Lil Rel Howrey in the lead role with Pat Healy and Karen Obilom starring in supporting roles. So, if you loved The Mill here are some similar movies you could watch next.
The Belko Experiment Credit – Orion Pictures
Synopsis: Welcome to Belko Industries, a normally calm workplace that’s about to devolve into a blood-soaked battle royale and a shocking case study of bone-crunching horror! When 80 Americans are suddenly locked in their office building in Bogotá, a mysterious voice on the intercom orders them...
The Belko Experiment Credit – Orion Pictures
Synopsis: Welcome to Belko Industries, a normally calm workplace that’s about to devolve into a blood-soaked battle royale and a shocking case study of bone-crunching horror! When 80 Americans are suddenly locked in their office building in Bogotá, a mysterious voice on the intercom orders them...
- 10/10/2023
- by Kulwant Singh
- Cinema Blind
What’s the first thing you think of when you picture Patrick Stewart? You can say Poop from The Emoji Movie all you want but we all know you immediately saw his bald head. Like Yul Brynner, Telly Savalas and Bruce Willis, the cueball look is one of Patrick Stewart’s trademarks. As it turns out, the 83-year-old actor has been perfecting it since he was a teenager.
Patrick Stewart opened up about his premature baldness in his new book, “Making It So: A Memoir”, available from Simon & Schuster. “By the age of nineteen, I was as bald on top as I am now.” But Stewart remained hopeful – at least where his career was concerned. “What I cared about, though, was dating. Attractive young women, I assumed, were not going to want to go out with a young bald guy–not like what’s become socially acceptable, even desirable,...
Patrick Stewart opened up about his premature baldness in his new book, “Making It So: A Memoir”, available from Simon & Schuster. “By the age of nineteen, I was as bald on top as I am now.” But Stewart remained hopeful – at least where his career was concerned. “What I cared about, though, was dating. Attractive young women, I assumed, were not going to want to go out with a young bald guy–not like what’s become socially acceptable, even desirable,...
- 10/5/2023
- by Mathew Plale
- JoBlo.com
The late, great Paul Reubens didn't just bring his chipper, friendly, well-dressed character Pee-wee Herman to television with "Pee-wee's Playhouse." He also brought total anarchy. In a children's television landscape dominated by poorly disguised toy commercials and wholesome live-action hosts, "Pee-wee's Playhouse" was a loud, chaotic, unapologetically strange (and sometimes controversial) TV series where anything can and, usually, did happen.
Hosted by Reubens, every episode featured Pee-wee Herman — decked out in a (let's be honest here) pretty stylish grey tailored suit and a little red bowtie — interacting with his anthropomorphic furniture, getting his wishes granted by strange deities, and getting visited by a cavalcade of friends. But these friends weren't the normal human beings who lived next door to Pee-wee in the hit film "Pee-wee's Big Adventure," who loved him or hated him, but never shared his kookiness. "Pee-wee's Playhouse" was populated by lovable goofballs just like Pee-wee himself,...
Hosted by Reubens, every episode featured Pee-wee Herman — decked out in a (let's be honest here) pretty stylish grey tailored suit and a little red bowtie — interacting with his anthropomorphic furniture, getting his wishes granted by strange deities, and getting visited by a cavalcade of friends. But these friends weren't the normal human beings who lived next door to Pee-wee in the hit film "Pee-wee's Big Adventure," who loved him or hated him, but never shared his kookiness. "Pee-wee's Playhouse" was populated by lovable goofballs just like Pee-wee himself,...
- 7/31/2023
- by William Bibbiani
- Slash Film
Rock Hudson was one of the biggest stars of the 1950’s and 60s: the most handsome leading man who romanced the likes of Elizabeth Taylor, Doris Day, Jane Wyman, Barbara Rush, Julie Andrews and Gina Lollobrigida on the silver screen. But he was living a secret life off-screen — he was gay.
The new Max/HBO documentary “Rock Hudson All That Heaven Allowed” examines his double life and the lengths that were taken to ensure his LGBTQ+ identity wasn’t revealed It wasn’t until 1985 did the truth make the headlines when he became the first famous Hollywood star to die of AIDs.
Barbara Rush, who appeared in three films with Hudson including 1954’s “Magnificent Obsession,” told me in a 2019 L.A. Times interview that it was no secret in Tinseltown that he was gay. “His agent [Henry Willson] decided that there had been enough about the rumors about Rock being gay.
The new Max/HBO documentary “Rock Hudson All That Heaven Allowed” examines his double life and the lengths that were taken to ensure his LGBTQ+ identity wasn’t revealed It wasn’t until 1985 did the truth make the headlines when he became the first famous Hollywood star to die of AIDs.
Barbara Rush, who appeared in three films with Hudson including 1954’s “Magnificent Obsession,” told me in a 2019 L.A. Times interview that it was no secret in Tinseltown that he was gay. “His agent [Henry Willson] decided that there had been enough about the rumors about Rock being gay.
- 6/30/2023
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
An action movie is created to excite and wow us, taking the audience on a rollercoaster ride to see if and how our protagonist — who may or may not be much of a hero — survives amid pure chaos. It’s also a genre that often strives to top itself. Many of our favorite films have found new ways to raise the bar, whether it be through the storytelling, cast, or sequences that completely change the game.
Den of Geek is celebrating 15 movies that looked forward, whether they were celebrated in their day as innovators or have been finally reevaluated years after release. All of these action movies were ahead of their time, whether it be through never-before-seen fight choreography and stunt work or advancements in special effects and storytelling.
Seven Samurai (1954)
Yeah, we all know that one film nerd who gets on your case about watching Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai at least once.
Den of Geek is celebrating 15 movies that looked forward, whether they were celebrated in their day as innovators or have been finally reevaluated years after release. All of these action movies were ahead of their time, whether it be through never-before-seen fight choreography and stunt work or advancements in special effects and storytelling.
Seven Samurai (1954)
Yeah, we all know that one film nerd who gets on your case about watching Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai at least once.
- 6/3/2023
- by John Saavedra
- Den of Geek
True Detective creator Nic Pizzolatto is going from dark alleyways to purple mountains majesty to write and executive produce The Magnificent Seven series reboot at Amazon Studios. Earlier this month, Amazon announced it would reboot several MGM properties under the Amazon Studios banner, including Robocop, Legally Blonde, Barbershop, Stargate, and more. Another title on the list is The Magnificent Seven, which Pizzolatto is saddling up to ride.
Initially, Pizzolatto wanted to make an original Western drama series for Amazon Studios. The project would have followed a former outlaw on a mission, assembling a gang while confronting his past as he and his partners stumble into trouble along their odyssey. As talks evolved, The Magnificent Seven series reboot entered the discussion. Amazon wants top talent working on its well-known Western property, and Pizzolatto is well acquainted with the property after writing the 2016 reboot.
Mark Johnson, who agreed to partner with Pizzolatto for his original Western drama,...
Initially, Pizzolatto wanted to make an original Western drama series for Amazon Studios. The project would have followed a former outlaw on a mission, assembling a gang while confronting his past as he and his partners stumble into trouble along their odyssey. As talks evolved, The Magnificent Seven series reboot entered the discussion. Amazon wants top talent working on its well-known Western property, and Pizzolatto is well acquainted with the property after writing the 2016 reboot.
Mark Johnson, who agreed to partner with Pizzolatto for his original Western drama,...
- 4/24/2023
- by Steve Seigh
- JoBlo.com
Actors John Wayne and Kirk Douglas had their fair share of disagreements over the course of their careers. However, that didn’t stop them from working together a few times. They represented entirely different political ideologies, which caused many of their fans to believe that they must have hated one another. Douglas once spoke about the respect that he had for Wayne, which was reciprocated by the Western movie star.
John Wayne and Kirk Douglas were in 3 movies together L-r: John Wayne and Kirk Douglas | FilmPublicityArchive/United Archives via Getty Images
Wayne and Douglas starred in three movies over their long-running careers. The first was Otto Preminger’s In Harm’s Way, which hit theaters in 1965. The story takes place during World War II, following the lives of several naval officers in Hawaii after Pearl Harbor. One of them gets another opportunity to prove himself when he gets promoted to Rear Admiral.
John Wayne and Kirk Douglas were in 3 movies together L-r: John Wayne and Kirk Douglas | FilmPublicityArchive/United Archives via Getty Images
Wayne and Douglas starred in three movies over their long-running careers. The first was Otto Preminger’s In Harm’s Way, which hit theaters in 1965. The story takes place during World War II, following the lives of several naval officers in Hawaii after Pearl Harbor. One of them gets another opportunity to prove himself when he gets promoted to Rear Admiral.
- 4/10/2023
- by Jeff Nelson
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
The Ten Commandments is one of those iconic movies that just about everyone has seen and many have made watching the epic film on TV a spring tradition every year. There have been other versions made over the years but none are anywhere near as popular as Cecil B. DeMille’s 1956 classic.
Charlton Heston starred as Moses in The Ten Commandments but what some people don’t know is that wasn’t his only part in the movie or that his son was also in it.
Charlton Heston as Moses holding the tablets in ‘The Ten Commandments’ movie | Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images Who Charlton Heston’s son played in the movie
DeMille chose Heston to play the part of Moses because the director believed he resembled Michelangelo’s statue of Moses in Rome, Italy. He also decided to cast Heston’s son in the movie before the child was even born.
Charlton Heston starred as Moses in The Ten Commandments but what some people don’t know is that wasn’t his only part in the movie or that his son was also in it.
Charlton Heston as Moses holding the tablets in ‘The Ten Commandments’ movie | Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images Who Charlton Heston’s son played in the movie
DeMille chose Heston to play the part of Moses because the director believed he resembled Michelangelo’s statue of Moses in Rome, Italy. He also decided to cast Heston’s son in the movie before the child was even born.
- 4/1/2023
- by Michelle Kapusta
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
A year ago, this sentence would have felt impossible: As predicted, Ke Huy Quan won an Oscar on Sunday night for his supporting actor performance in Everything Everywhere All at Once.
For many, Quan’s appearance in the Daniels-directed, genre-breaking, sci-fi action-comedy — an unlikely awards contender in its own right — was the sudden reintroduction of a child star who had disappeared into pop culture history after a promising debut in 1984’s Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and The Goonies a year later.
But on the strength of his role — or make that roles, given Eeaao’s multiversal nature — as the alternately sweet/badass/debonair Waymond Wang, Quan became virtually the only lock this season, picking up Critics Choice, Indie Spirit, Golden Globe, SAG, Gotham, National Society of Film Critics, L.A. Film Critics Association and New York Film Critics Circle awards on the way to the Dolby Theatre.
For many, Quan’s appearance in the Daniels-directed, genre-breaking, sci-fi action-comedy — an unlikely awards contender in its own right — was the sudden reintroduction of a child star who had disappeared into pop culture history after a promising debut in 1984’s Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and The Goonies a year later.
But on the strength of his role — or make that roles, given Eeaao’s multiversal nature — as the alternately sweet/badass/debonair Waymond Wang, Quan became virtually the only lock this season, picking up Critics Choice, Indie Spirit, Golden Globe, SAG, Gotham, National Society of Film Critics, L.A. Film Critics Association and New York Film Critics Circle awards on the way to the Dolby Theatre.
- 3/13/2023
- by Rebecca Sun
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The 2023 Oscar nominees for Best Actress are Cate Blanchett (“Tar”), Ana de Armas (“Blonde”), Andrea Riseborough (“To Leslie”), Michelle Williams (“The Fabelmans”), and Michelle Yeoh (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”). Our current odds indicate that Yeoh (82/25) will take the prize, followed in order by Blanchett (18/5), Williams (9/2), Riseborough (9/2), and de Armas (9/2).
Blanchett, who triumphed here in 2014 for “Blue Jasmine,” is the only past Oscar winner in this lineup. She now belongs to a group of 20 women with at least five Best Actress nominations apiece, with her previous unsuccessful bids having come for “Elizabeth” (1999), “Elizabeth: The Golden Age” (2008), and “Carol” (2016). She also has a supporting victory to her name for “The Aviator” (2005) as well as two more notices in that category for “Notes on a Scandal” (2007) and “I’m Not There” (2008). Her overall nomination total of eight is the one of the highest for an actress, behind Meryl Streep (21), Katharine Hepburn (12), and Bette Davis...
Blanchett, who triumphed here in 2014 for “Blue Jasmine,” is the only past Oscar winner in this lineup. She now belongs to a group of 20 women with at least five Best Actress nominations apiece, with her previous unsuccessful bids having come for “Elizabeth” (1999), “Elizabeth: The Golden Age” (2008), and “Carol” (2016). She also has a supporting victory to her name for “The Aviator” (2005) as well as two more notices in that category for “Notes on a Scandal” (2007) and “I’m Not There” (2008). Her overall nomination total of eight is the one of the highest for an actress, behind Meryl Streep (21), Katharine Hepburn (12), and Bette Davis...
- 3/10/2023
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
In 1966, Montreal-born William Shatner was cast in the role that would change his life, Capt. James Tiberius Kirk in NBC's sci-fi drama "Star Trek." Shatner would go on to play the starship captain for three seasons before reprising Kirk in a Saturday morning cartoon and then in several "Trek" movies throughout the 1970s, '80s, and '90s until Kirk's demise in 1994's "Star Trek Generations." There's no argument that Shatner — who celebrated his 91st birthday in March 2022 — will forever be associated with his "Trek" character. And while Kirk will always be his signature role, the truth is that it's one of many for an actor who first made his way to Hollywood in the 1950s after performing Shakespeare with the famed Stratford Festival in his native Canada.
In fact, Shatner has amassed a whopping 250 screen credits over the years. His roles have run the gamut, ranging from Ranger...
In fact, Shatner has amassed a whopping 250 screen credits over the years. His roles have run the gamut, ranging from Ranger...
- 2/15/2023
- by Brent Furdyk
- Slash Film
The first time Cecil B. DeMille parted the waters of the Red Sea, to film the 1923 version of The Ten Commandments, he did it at Seal Beach, CA, just 30 miles down the Pacific coast from Santa Monica. Three decades later, when Paramount Pictures decided to remake the Old Testament tale in Technicolor and VistaVision, the same director returned to do it again, only this time on location on the Sinai Peninsula with thousands of extras provided by the Egyptian army — no matter that the country’s military was rather busy with urgent geopolitical matters at the time. Both versions were massive hits, with the remake serving as the capper to DeMille’s illustrious career.
Related Story Take Two: Hammond And McCarthy Talk The Highs And Lows Of A Sundance That Was A Welcome Return To Normal Related Story Sphinx Head From Cecil B. DeMille's 'The Ten Commandments' Unearthed Related Story 'A.
Related Story Take Two: Hammond And McCarthy Talk The Highs And Lows Of A Sundance That Was A Welcome Return To Normal Related Story Sphinx Head From Cecil B. DeMille's 'The Ten Commandments' Unearthed Related Story 'A.
- 2/2/2023
- by Todd McCarthy
- Deadline Film + TV
Movie robots are inherently cool. They're brought to life by the best special effects available, like Phil Tippett's amazing stop-motion, or puppeteers inside detailed suits. From Kenny Baker within Lucasfilm's famous R2-D2 bucket to the pair of stuntmen, Frankie Carpenter and Frankie Darro, who brought Robby the Robot to life, there are a bunch of ways to pull it off.
But most movie robots require bearing a couple of things in mind. One is if the audience is supposed to empathize with them, which means comforting, funny voices — Tars, for example — or human-ish eyes, like Optimus Prime. The other is how close are they to falling into the uncanny valley. We're wired to notice when something doesn't look quite right, and some movie robots benefit from using that to scare the hell out of us. There's another level of robot movie power to discuss, and that's how...
But most movie robots require bearing a couple of things in mind. One is if the audience is supposed to empathize with them, which means comforting, funny voices — Tars, for example — or human-ish eyes, like Optimus Prime. The other is how close are they to falling into the uncanny valley. We're wired to notice when something doesn't look quite right, and some movie robots benefit from using that to scare the hell out of us. There's another level of robot movie power to discuss, and that's how...
- 1/27/2023
- by Margaret David
- Slash Film
Killer machines are a narrative trope about as old as machinery itself, but there’s something especially creepy about metallic killers when they’re roughly human-shaped. And as we’ve seen with the success of Blumhouse’s insanely popular M3GAN, the uncanny valley can still go a long way when it comes to attracting modern audiences.
With that in mind, we’ve decided to celebrate the home release of M3GAN with a list of six other memorable killer androids in horror movies. After all, these man-made movie monsters evolved alongside Hollywood’s understanding of technology, so we’ve seen some pretty interesting homicidal automatons over the years.
Obviously, this list is based on personal opinion, but we’ll still be following a couple of rules. First of all, we’ll be excluding cyborgs from the list, as their human bits make them a completely different kind of character. Second, we...
With that in mind, we’ve decided to celebrate the home release of M3GAN with a list of six other memorable killer androids in horror movies. After all, these man-made movie monsters evolved alongside Hollywood’s understanding of technology, so we’ve seen some pretty interesting homicidal automatons over the years.
Obviously, this list is based on personal opinion, but we’ll still be following a couple of rules. First of all, we’ll be excluding cyborgs from the list, as their human bits make them a completely different kind of character. Second, we...
- 1/26/2023
- by Luiz H. C.
- bloody-disgusting.com
Luigina “Gina” Lollobrigida, The Italian film actor who became one of the most famous stars in European cinema during the 1950s and ’60s, has died, Italian news outlet Lapresse reported Monday. She was 95.
According to Lapresse (via Variety), Lollobrigida died while in a clinic in Rome. No cause of death has been confirmed. Italy’s Minister of Agriculture and Lollobrigida’s grandnewphew Francesco Lollobrigida tweeted about her passing on Monday, calling her “one of the brightest stars of Italian cinematography and culture.”
Oggi è scomparsa #GinaLollobrigida, una delle stelle più luminose della cinematografia e della cultura italiana. Ineguagliabile fuoriclasse, icona di bellezza e versatilità, donna e professionista straordinaria. Continuerà a vivere e ispirare attraverso le sue opere. pic.twitter.com/fEW9gVFuEi
— Francesco Lollobrigida (@FrancescoLollo1) January 16, 2023
Born in 1927 as the daughter of a furniture manufacturer, Lollobrigida studied sculpture at Rome’s Academy of Fine Arts, and started her career with...
According to Lapresse (via Variety), Lollobrigida died while in a clinic in Rome. No cause of death has been confirmed. Italy’s Minister of Agriculture and Lollobrigida’s grandnewphew Francesco Lollobrigida tweeted about her passing on Monday, calling her “one of the brightest stars of Italian cinematography and culture.”
Oggi è scomparsa #GinaLollobrigida, una delle stelle più luminose della cinematografia e della cultura italiana. Ineguagliabile fuoriclasse, icona di bellezza e versatilità, donna e professionista straordinaria. Continuerà a vivere e ispirare attraverso le sue opere. pic.twitter.com/fEW9gVFuEi
— Francesco Lollobrigida (@FrancescoLollo1) January 16, 2023
Born in 1927 as the daughter of a furniture manufacturer, Lollobrigida studied sculpture at Rome’s Academy of Fine Arts, and started her career with...
- 1/16/2023
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
Italian film legend Gina Lollobrigida, who achieved international stardom during the 1950s and was dubbed “the most beautiful woman in the world” after the title of one of her movies, died in Rome on Monday, her agent said. She was 95.
The agent, Paola Comin, didn’t provide details. Lollobrigida had surgery in September to repair a thigh bone broken in a fall. She returned home and said she had quickly resumed walking.
A drawn portrait of the diva graced a 1954 cover of Time magazine, which likened her to a “goddess” in an article about Italian movie-making. More than a half-century later, Lollobrigida still turned heads with her brown, curly hair and statuesque figure, and preferred to be called an actress instead of the gender-neutral term actor.
Read More: Evel Knievel’s Son Robbie Dies At Age 60 After Pancreatic Cancer Battle
“Lollo,” as she was lovingly nicknamed by Italians, began making...
The agent, Paola Comin, didn’t provide details. Lollobrigida had surgery in September to repair a thigh bone broken in a fall. She returned home and said she had quickly resumed walking.
A drawn portrait of the diva graced a 1954 cover of Time magazine, which likened her to a “goddess” in an article about Italian movie-making. More than a half-century later, Lollobrigida still turned heads with her brown, curly hair and statuesque figure, and preferred to be called an actress instead of the gender-neutral term actor.
Read More: Evel Knievel’s Son Robbie Dies At Age 60 After Pancreatic Cancer Battle
“Lollo,” as she was lovingly nicknamed by Italians, began making...
- 1/16/2023
- by Brent Furdyk
- ET Canada
With her large, limpid brown eyes, statuesque figure, and seductively deep voice, she was one of the world’s best-known actresses and sex symbols in the 1950s and 1960s, especially in evergreen classics like “Come September” – but Gina Lollobrigida, who passed away at 95 on Monday, made waves beyond her onscreen prowess in other fields too, and figured in the headlines long after she walked off-stage.
And she had an Indian connection too.
Termed the “Mona Lisa of the 20th Century” and “The Most Beautiful Woman in the World”, Gina Lollobrigida was also more informally called “La Lollo” – a nickname also later adopted by Indian actress Karisma Kapoor.
And while the theme of one of her most famous films continues to strike a chord with Indians of the right age and can still be heard at weddings, Gina nearly became part of Bollywood’s first attempt at an international hit.
Tipped...
And she had an Indian connection too.
Termed the “Mona Lisa of the 20th Century” and “The Most Beautiful Woman in the World”, Gina Lollobrigida was also more informally called “La Lollo” – a nickname also later adopted by Indian actress Karisma Kapoor.
And while the theme of one of her most famous films continues to strike a chord with Indians of the right age and can still be heard at weddings, Gina nearly became part of Bollywood’s first attempt at an international hit.
Tipped...
- 1/16/2023
- by News Bureau
- GlamSham
And she had an Indian connection too.
Termed the "Mona Lisa of the 20th Century" and "The Most Beautiful Woman in the World", Gina Lollobrigida was also more informally called "La Lollo" – a nickname also later adopted by Indian actress Karisma Kapoor.
And while the theme of one of her most famous films continues to strike a chord with Indians of the right age and can still be heard at weddings, Gina nearly became part of Bollywood’s first attempt at an international hit.
Tipped for the role of an aristocratic, acrobatic thief in Krishna Shah’s "Shalimar" (1977), she walked out, after being royally upstaged by a younger and more daring Zeenat Aman at the "muhurat" in Bombay’s Turf Club.. Replaced by American actress Sylvia Miles, she missed being part of a colossal financial and critical flop.
But there were other, better films she can be seen in. Gina...
Termed the "Mona Lisa of the 20th Century" and "The Most Beautiful Woman in the World", Gina Lollobrigida was also more informally called "La Lollo" – a nickname also later adopted by Indian actress Karisma Kapoor.
And while the theme of one of her most famous films continues to strike a chord with Indians of the right age and can still be heard at weddings, Gina nearly became part of Bollywood’s first attempt at an international hit.
Tipped for the role of an aristocratic, acrobatic thief in Krishna Shah’s "Shalimar" (1977), she walked out, after being royally upstaged by a younger and more daring Zeenat Aman at the "muhurat" in Bombay’s Turf Club.. Replaced by American actress Sylvia Miles, she missed being part of a colossal financial and critical flop.
But there were other, better films she can be seen in. Gina...
- 1/16/2023
- by News Bureau
- GlamSham
Los Angeles, Jan 16 (Ians) Gina Lollobrigida, the 1950s Italian bombshell who starred in films including ‘Fanfan la Tulipe’, ‘Beat the Devil’, ‘Trapeze’ and ‘Buona Sera, Mrs Campbell’, has died. She was 95.
A generation of Indians will remember Lollobrigida from her sensational appearance at the 1978 International Film Festival of India (Iffi), where her flirty exchanges with Kabir Bedi were grist for the gossip magazine mill as well as politically incorrect comparisons between her physical attributes and those of Zeenat Aman.
Kabir Bedi, in his autobiography ‘Stories I Must Tell’, recalls a famous face-off Praveen Babi had with Lollobrigida at a party the Italian actress hosted in his honour for playing Sandokan in the famous Italian television series. The temperamental Indian actress was upset with Lollobrigida because she was apparently getting too comfortable with Bedi.
Lollobrigida also provided fodder for film magazines when it was rumoured that she was being cast by...
A generation of Indians will remember Lollobrigida from her sensational appearance at the 1978 International Film Festival of India (Iffi), where her flirty exchanges with Kabir Bedi were grist for the gossip magazine mill as well as politically incorrect comparisons between her physical attributes and those of Zeenat Aman.
Kabir Bedi, in his autobiography ‘Stories I Must Tell’, recalls a famous face-off Praveen Babi had with Lollobrigida at a party the Italian actress hosted in his honour for playing Sandokan in the famous Italian television series. The temperamental Indian actress was upset with Lollobrigida because she was apparently getting too comfortable with Bedi.
Lollobrigida also provided fodder for film magazines when it was rumoured that she was being cast by...
- 1/16/2023
- by News Bureau
- GlamSham
Gina Lollobrigida, the 1950s Italian bombshell who starred in films including ‘Fanfan la Tulipe’, ‘Beat the Devil’, ‘Trapeze’ and ‘Buona Sera, Mrs Campbell’, has died. She was 95. A generation of Indians will remember Lollobrigida from her sensational appearance at the 1978 International Film Festival of India (Iffi), where her flirty exchanges with Kabir Bedi were grist for the gossip magazine mill as well as politically incorrect comparisons between her physical attributes and those of Zeenat Aman.
Kabir Bedi, in his autobiography ‘Stories I Must Tell’, recalls a famous face-off Praveen Babi had with Lollobrigida at a party the Italian actress hosted in his honour for playing Sandokan in the famous Italian television series. The temperamental Indian actress was upset with Lollobrigida because she was apparently getting too comfortable with Bedi.
Lollobrigida also provided fodder for film magazines when it was rumoured that she was being cast by Krishna Shah in his Indo-American movie,...
Kabir Bedi, in his autobiography ‘Stories I Must Tell’, recalls a famous face-off Praveen Babi had with Lollobrigida at a party the Italian actress hosted in his honour for playing Sandokan in the famous Italian television series. The temperamental Indian actress was upset with Lollobrigida because she was apparently getting too comfortable with Bedi.
Lollobrigida also provided fodder for film magazines when it was rumoured that she was being cast by Krishna Shah in his Indo-American movie,...
- 1/16/2023
- by News Bureau
- GlamSham
Tributes are pouring in for Gina Lollobrigida, one of Europe’s biggest movie stars, who died on Monday at the age of 95.
A global sex symbol during the 1950s and ’60s, Lollobrigida worked with Hollywood heavyweights such as Humphrey Bogart, Frank Sinatra, Errol Flynn and Rock Hudson.
Sophia Loren was one of the first people to pay tribute to “La Lollo,” as the Italians called her. Loren said in a statement she “is deeply shaken and saddened” by the news of Lollobrigida’s death.
The two divas had parallel careers in Italy and Hollywood and were often considered rivals.
Italy’s Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano tweeted: “Adieu to a diva of the big screen, protagonist of half a century of Italian cinema. Your charm will remain eternal. Ciao Lollo.”
“Ciao Gina. With You the last diva has left us,” Tweeted actor director Giulio Base, whose wife, Filming Italy festival chief Tiziana Rocca,...
A global sex symbol during the 1950s and ’60s, Lollobrigida worked with Hollywood heavyweights such as Humphrey Bogart, Frank Sinatra, Errol Flynn and Rock Hudson.
Sophia Loren was one of the first people to pay tribute to “La Lollo,” as the Italians called her. Loren said in a statement she “is deeply shaken and saddened” by the news of Lollobrigida’s death.
The two divas had parallel careers in Italy and Hollywood and were often considered rivals.
Italy’s Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano tweeted: “Adieu to a diva of the big screen, protagonist of half a century of Italian cinema. Your charm will remain eternal. Ciao Lollo.”
“Ciao Gina. With You the last diva has left us,” Tweeted actor director Giulio Base, whose wife, Filming Italy festival chief Tiziana Rocca,...
- 1/16/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Gina Lollobrigida, the 1950s Italian bombshell who starred in films including “Fanfan la Tulipe,” “Beat the Devil,” “Trapeze” and “Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell,” has died. She was 95.
According to Italian news agency Lapresse, Lollobrigida died in a clinic in Rome. No cause of death has been cited. In September she had had surgery to repair a thigh bone broken in a fall, but she recovered and competed for a Senate seat in Italy’s elections held last year in September, though she did not win.
After resisting Howard Hughes’ offer to make movies in Hollywood in 1950, Lollobrigida starred with Gerard Philipe in the 1952 French swashbuckler “Fanfan la Tulipe,” a fest winner and popular favorite.
Her first American movie, shot in Italy, was John Huston’s 1953 film noir spoof “Beat the Devil,” in which she starred with Humphrey Bogart and Jennifer Jones. The same year she starred with Vittorio De Sica in Luigi Comencini’s “Bread,...
According to Italian news agency Lapresse, Lollobrigida died in a clinic in Rome. No cause of death has been cited. In September she had had surgery to repair a thigh bone broken in a fall, but she recovered and competed for a Senate seat in Italy’s elections held last year in September, though she did not win.
After resisting Howard Hughes’ offer to make movies in Hollywood in 1950, Lollobrigida starred with Gerard Philipe in the 1952 French swashbuckler “Fanfan la Tulipe,” a fest winner and popular favorite.
Her first American movie, shot in Italy, was John Huston’s 1953 film noir spoof “Beat the Devil,” in which she starred with Humphrey Bogart and Jennifer Jones. The same year she starred with Vittorio De Sica in Luigi Comencini’s “Bread,...
- 1/16/2023
- by Carmel Dagan and Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Gina Lollobrigida, the Italian film sensation whose exotic charms made her an international sex symbol of postwar cinema, has died, Italian news agency Ansa reported Monday. She was 95.
The dark-haired, independent beauty, of whom Humphrey Bogart once quipped, “She makes Marilyn Monroe look like Shirley Temple,” died in a clinic in Rome, her former lawyer Giulia Citani told Reuters.
For her first well-known English-speaking role, Lollobrigida appeared as Bogart’s wife in John Huston’s Beat the Devil (1953), shot on location in Italy. She starred as the glamorous queen in Solomon and Sheba (1959) and was there when Tyrone Power collapsed and died during production (Power was replaced by Yul Brynner).
Perhaps most famously, Lollobrigida stood out in Carol Reed’s Trapeze (1956) as Lola, a high-wire artist caught in a love triangle with Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis. The movie achieved a high degree of realism by having the actors perform most of their own stunts.
The dark-haired, independent beauty, of whom Humphrey Bogart once quipped, “She makes Marilyn Monroe look like Shirley Temple,” died in a clinic in Rome, her former lawyer Giulia Citani told Reuters.
For her first well-known English-speaking role, Lollobrigida appeared as Bogart’s wife in John Huston’s Beat the Devil (1953), shot on location in Italy. She starred as the glamorous queen in Solomon and Sheba (1959) and was there when Tyrone Power collapsed and died during production (Power was replaced by Yul Brynner).
Perhaps most famously, Lollobrigida stood out in Carol Reed’s Trapeze (1956) as Lola, a high-wire artist caught in a love triangle with Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis. The movie achieved a high degree of realism by having the actors perform most of their own stunts.
- 1/16/2023
- by Maureen Lee Lenker
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Italian actor Gina Lollobrigida has died aged 95.
The film star, who was a high profile figure in cinema throughout the 1950s and 1960s, died on Monday (16 January) in Rome. Her death was confirmed by Italian news agency Ansa.
Lollobrigida, whose biggest films included The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Beautiful But Dangerous, appeared on screen opposite stars such as Frank Sinatra, Humphrey Bogart and Rock Hudson.
She was often described as “the most beautiful woman in the world” and, before her death, was considered to be one of the last remaining stars from the Golden Age of cinema.
Born in Subiaco in 1927, the young Lollobrigida modelled and participated in a number of beauty contests before taking small roles in Italian cinema.
Despite being prevented from working in American films shot in the US until 1959 by a contract signed with film producer Howard Hughes, she went on to find success in European cinema throughout the 1950s.
The film star, who was a high profile figure in cinema throughout the 1950s and 1960s, died on Monday (16 January) in Rome. Her death was confirmed by Italian news agency Ansa.
Lollobrigida, whose biggest films included The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Beautiful But Dangerous, appeared on screen opposite stars such as Frank Sinatra, Humphrey Bogart and Rock Hudson.
She was often described as “the most beautiful woman in the world” and, before her death, was considered to be one of the last remaining stars from the Golden Age of cinema.
Born in Subiaco in 1927, the young Lollobrigida modelled and participated in a number of beauty contests before taking small roles in Italian cinema.
Despite being prevented from working in American films shot in the US until 1959 by a contract signed with film producer Howard Hughes, she went on to find success in European cinema throughout the 1950s.
- 1/16/2023
- by Isobel Lewis
- The Independent - Film
This writer remembers Easter Sunday mornings of childhood when all the candy-filled eggs were collected, sitting before the TV and devouring Cadbury treats as the sweeping fanfare of Cecil B. DeMille's "The Ten Commandments" filled the family room. Charlton Heston and Yul Brynner made big impressions with their booming voices, but what I remembered most was the swell of strings that would arise anytime Yvonne De Carlo's saintly Sephora would grace the screen. Years beyond that childhood, Elmer Bernstein's epic score is what remains in the memory.
Responsible for the oom-pah horns accompanying the "Ghostbusters" on their paranormal escapades and for the militant pomp of Ivan Reitman's "Stripes," Bernstein is as much associated with comedies as the more serious dramas, though you might not know that the guy who scored "The Man With the Golden Gun" is the same who worked on "Animal House." In short,...
Responsible for the oom-pah horns accompanying the "Ghostbusters" on their paranormal escapades and for the militant pomp of Ivan Reitman's "Stripes," Bernstein is as much associated with comedies as the more serious dramas, though you might not know that the guy who scored "The Man With the Golden Gun" is the same who worked on "Animal House." In short,...
- 11/19/2022
- by Anya Stanley
- Slash Film
Despite the cultural differences, there has been a long and fascinating dialog between Japanese and western cinema. Just take "Yurusarezaru Mono," or "Unforgiven" as it is known by its English title, a remake of Clint Eastwood's Oscar-winner focusing on a former samurai instead of a former gunslinger. "Unforgiven" was Eastwood's rumination on his "Man With No Name" persona, which he first established in "A Fistful of Dollars," Sergio Leone's unofficial remake of Akira Kurosawa's "Yojimbo" where Eastwood played a gunslinger instead of a samurai. Kurosawa was a big western fan and an admirer of John Ford; you can see elements of this in his seminal "Seven Samurai," not least the small band of protagonists steeling themselves against overwhelming odds.
That's before you get into the American remakes of Japanese films. You have Roland Emmerich's godawful "Godzilla" and the surge in J-horror rehashes after the success...
That's before you get into the American remakes of Japanese films. You have Roland Emmerich's godawful "Godzilla" and the surge in J-horror rehashes after the success...
- 11/15/2022
- by Lee Adams
- Slash Film
At this point, it would be hard not to know the story of "The Magnificent Seven," even if you've never seen the original 1960 Western classic. Of course, that's in large part due to the fact that the film itself was a remake of another classic, "Seven Samurai."
It's a story that's been told time and again, decade after decade: a small town is in trouble, being threatened by villains, and the townsfolk need to recruit hardened fighters to help them defend their land. Enter a group of misfit hired guns who protect the village, while at the same time helping the villagers learn how to protect themselves. You've seen the story repeated in "A Bug's Life," and "The Three Amigos," and even in an episode of "The Mandalorian."
But when it comes to Americanized versions of "Seven Samurai," it's hard to argue that anyone has done it better than director...
It's a story that's been told time and again, decade after decade: a small town is in trouble, being threatened by villains, and the townsfolk need to recruit hardened fighters to help them defend their land. Enter a group of misfit hired guns who protect the village, while at the same time helping the villagers learn how to protect themselves. You've seen the story repeated in "A Bug's Life," and "The Three Amigos," and even in an episode of "The Mandalorian."
But when it comes to Americanized versions of "Seven Samurai," it's hard to argue that anyone has done it better than director...
- 11/11/2022
- by Jeff Kelly
- Slash Film
John Sturges' 1960 western "The Magnificent Seven" was a Yul Brynner vehicle from the jump -- it was he and actor Anthony Quinn who had acquired the rights to remake Akira Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai" epic as a western. To fill out the rest of the hired guns tasked to protect a Mexican village, the "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral" filmmaker would reunite "Never So Few" stars Steve McQueen and Charles Bronson as, respectively, a drifter and a broke mercenary. Robert Vaughn would play a traumatized war veteran, while Brad Dexter and "German James Dean" Horst Buchholz would round out the crew. James Coburn was last to come aboard.
Speaking with Entertainment Weekly in 2001, Coburn revealed that he was one of the few cast members who had caught the original Kurosawa film beforehand. He would subsequently spend "a week straight" taking friends to see it:
"Cut to a year later,...
Speaking with Entertainment Weekly in 2001, Coburn revealed that he was one of the few cast members who had caught the original Kurosawa film beforehand. He would subsequently spend "a week straight" taking friends to see it:
"Cut to a year later,...
- 11/10/2022
- by Anya Stanley
- Slash Film
Steve McQueen is unimpeachably one of cinema history's coolest leading men. An actor known for awesome stunts and hard living, McQueen was seen as coolness personified during his heyday in the '60s. With roles in "The Great Escape," "The Cincinnati Kid," and "The Thomas Crown Affair" under his belt, he was one of the biggest stars in Hollywood.
But before McQueen was a certified megastar, he was a television actor waiting for his big break in movies. In his show, "Wanted Dead or Alive," he starred as a bounty hunter, which is properly cool on its own, but he sought movie stardom as the next step in his career.
Opportunity came to him in the shape of "The Magnificent Seven," a Western based off of Akira Kurosawa's 1954 masterpiece, "Seven Samurai." McQueen was offered a spot in the titular seven, a gang of gunslingers tasked with protecting a Mexican...
But before McQueen was a certified megastar, he was a television actor waiting for his big break in movies. In his show, "Wanted Dead or Alive," he starred as a bounty hunter, which is properly cool on its own, but he sought movie stardom as the next step in his career.
Opportunity came to him in the shape of "The Magnificent Seven," a Western based off of Akira Kurosawa's 1954 masterpiece, "Seven Samurai." McQueen was offered a spot in the titular seven, a gang of gunslingers tasked with protecting a Mexican...
- 11/1/2022
- by Matt Rainis
- Slash Film
As the old saying goes, "success has many fathers, failure is an orphan." John Carpenter's 1978 classic, "Halloween," is the very definition of a successful film: it made so much money that it held the record for the highest-grossing independent movie of all time for numerous years, and it became so influential that it not only kickstarted a boom of horror movies in the late '70s and early '80s, but solidified the subgenre known as the slasher film, creating a template that other successful movies like "Friday the 13th" and "Scream" utilized and riffed on.
All this success means that a number of folks over the decades have attempted to precisely define what made "Halloween" so special. Of course, like any work of art, "Halloween" was not cut from whole cloth, drawing as it did upon the storied history of other horror movies and media in general for inspiration.
All this success means that a number of folks over the decades have attempted to precisely define what made "Halloween" so special. Of course, like any work of art, "Halloween" was not cut from whole cloth, drawing as it did upon the storied history of other horror movies and media in general for inspiration.
- 10/23/2022
- by Bill Bria
- Slash Film
If one were to remove Akira Kurosawa's 1954 film "Seven Samurai" from cinema history, the entire medium would look different. "Seven Samurai" is one of the linchpins in action cinema, codifying the language of an entire genre. Additionally, its premise -- a helpless village is beset by bandits, requiring the starving citizens to hire a small, affordable, and ill-equipped gang of scrappy defenders -- is universally applicable to any genre. A keen observer might see the "Seven Samurai" story repeated frequently across film history; "Galaxy Quest," "A Bug's Life," "Battle Beyond the Stars," "The Invincible Six," and the fourth episode of "The Mandalorian" all repeat Kurosawa's film openly.
The most famous "Seven Samurai" retelling, however, is probably John Sturges' 1960 Western remake "The Magnificent Seven." The story between the "Sevens" is identical, with the samurai replaced by horse-riding cowboy archetypes, played by a cadre of internationally recognized movie stars. Charles Bronson,...
The most famous "Seven Samurai" retelling, however, is probably John Sturges' 1960 Western remake "The Magnificent Seven." The story between the "Sevens" is identical, with the samurai replaced by horse-riding cowboy archetypes, played by a cadre of internationally recognized movie stars. Charles Bronson,...
- 10/13/2022
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Marcel The Shell With Shoes On director/co-writer/co-editor Dean Fleischer-Camp discusses some of his favorite movies with hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Marcel The Shell With Shoes On (2022)
Marcel The Shell With Shoes On (2010)
The Gods Must Be Crazy (1980)
San Andreas (2015)
Airplane! (1980) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Ghost (1990)
Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure (1985)
Beetlejuice (1988) – Alex Kirschenbaum’s review
Batman (1989)
Edward Scissorhands (1990)
Batman Returns (1992) – Alex Kirschenbaum’s review
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Ed Wood (1994)
Mars Attacks (1996)
Sleepy Hollow (1999)
Planet of the Apes (2001)
The Witches of Eastwick (1987)
8 ½ (1963) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Westworld (1973) – Ed Neumeier’s trailer commentary
Robocop (1987) – Dan Ireland’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray and 4K Blu-ray reviews
Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983)
Alien (1979) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairings
Aliens (1986) – Glenn Erickson’s...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Marcel The Shell With Shoes On (2022)
Marcel The Shell With Shoes On (2010)
The Gods Must Be Crazy (1980)
San Andreas (2015)
Airplane! (1980) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Ghost (1990)
Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure (1985)
Beetlejuice (1988) – Alex Kirschenbaum’s review
Batman (1989)
Edward Scissorhands (1990)
Batman Returns (1992) – Alex Kirschenbaum’s review
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Ed Wood (1994)
Mars Attacks (1996)
Sleepy Hollow (1999)
Planet of the Apes (2001)
The Witches of Eastwick (1987)
8 ½ (1963) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Westworld (1973) – Ed Neumeier’s trailer commentary
Robocop (1987) – Dan Ireland’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray and 4K Blu-ray reviews
Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983)
Alien (1979) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairings
Aliens (1986) – Glenn Erickson’s...
- 7/19/2022
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
by Cláudio Alves
This past Sunday, the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League celebrated the 75th Annual Tony Awards. Considering past intersections of Tony gold and Oscar success, it's fun to speculate which honorees might one day reprise their roles on the big screen and play a part in a different sort of awards season. Not that repeating an acclaimed stage performance for film leads to a surefire triumph with the Academy. For every Yul Brynner in The King and I and Viola Davis in Fences, there's a Robert Preston in The Music Man and Bea Arthur in Mame. That latter film saw 2022's Lifetime Achievement Tony Award winner Angela Lansbury ditched by Warner Bros. in favor of Lucille Ball, despite having originated the role to great acclaim on stage and already being a film star. It was a move everyone involved grew to regret.
Thankfully, the studios didn't...
This past Sunday, the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League celebrated the 75th Annual Tony Awards. Considering past intersections of Tony gold and Oscar success, it's fun to speculate which honorees might one day reprise their roles on the big screen and play a part in a different sort of awards season. Not that repeating an acclaimed stage performance for film leads to a surefire triumph with the Academy. For every Yul Brynner in The King and I and Viola Davis in Fences, there's a Robert Preston in The Music Man and Bea Arthur in Mame. That latter film saw 2022's Lifetime Achievement Tony Award winner Angela Lansbury ditched by Warner Bros. in favor of Lucille Ball, despite having originated the role to great acclaim on stage and already being a film star. It was a move everyone involved grew to regret.
Thankfully, the studios didn't...
- 6/15/2022
- by Cláudio Alves
- FilmExperience
One of the most anticipated honors to be handed out Sunday at the 75th annual Tony Awards is Angela Lansbury’s Lifetime Achievement Award. The big question is: Why did it take so long?
Now 96, the beloved Lansbury has won five competitive Tony and was nominated for two more. She’s also one of the leading interpreters of the work of composers Stephen Sondheim and Jerry Herman. Her Broadway career is best described with the lyric from Herman’s 1966 musical “Mame: “You came, you saw, your conquered and absolutely nothing is the same…we think you’re just sensational!”
In fact, she’s been sensational since making her film debut at 18 in 1944’s “Gaslight,” received her first of three Oscar nominations — she earned an Honorary Oscar in 2013 — and starred for 12 seasons as mystery writer Jessica Fletcher on ‘Murder, She Wrote.” And she brought her musical talents to movie and TV...
Now 96, the beloved Lansbury has won five competitive Tony and was nominated for two more. She’s also one of the leading interpreters of the work of composers Stephen Sondheim and Jerry Herman. Her Broadway career is best described with the lyric from Herman’s 1966 musical “Mame: “You came, you saw, your conquered and absolutely nothing is the same…we think you’re just sensational!”
In fact, she’s been sensational since making her film debut at 18 in 1944’s “Gaslight,” received her first of three Oscar nominations — she earned an Honorary Oscar in 2013 — and starred for 12 seasons as mystery writer Jessica Fletcher on ‘Murder, She Wrote.” And she brought her musical talents to movie and TV...
- 6/10/2022
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
What do the 25th and 75th Tony Awards have in common? The landmark Stephen Sondheim/George Furth musical “Company,” Angela Lansbury and the beloved tuner “The Music Man.”
The gender-bender revival of “Company” is considered the front-runner for the Tony for Best Musical Revival as well as featured actress for Broadway legend Patti LuPone who brings down the house with “Ladies Who Lunch.” Elaine Stritch originated the LuPone’s character of Joanne; her rendition of “Ladies Who Lunch” is considered one of the indelible show-stopping numbers in Broadway history. Stritch was considered a shoo-in for lead actress but lost to Helen Gallagher for the revival of -the 1920s musical “No, No Nanette.” Go figure. Gallagher was good, but she wasn’t as great as Stritch.
The original “Company” waltzed into the Tony Awards — which took place at the Palace Theatre on March 28, 1971 — with a whopping 14 nominations and won six including Best Musical,...
The gender-bender revival of “Company” is considered the front-runner for the Tony for Best Musical Revival as well as featured actress for Broadway legend Patti LuPone who brings down the house with “Ladies Who Lunch.” Elaine Stritch originated the LuPone’s character of Joanne; her rendition of “Ladies Who Lunch” is considered one of the indelible show-stopping numbers in Broadway history. Stritch was considered a shoo-in for lead actress but lost to Helen Gallagher for the revival of -the 1920s musical “No, No Nanette.” Go figure. Gallagher was good, but she wasn’t as great as Stritch.
The original “Company” waltzed into the Tony Awards — which took place at the Palace Theatre on March 28, 1971 — with a whopping 14 nominations and won six including Best Musical,...
- 6/1/2022
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Among the chrome skyscrapers and beckoning show lights in Downtown Miami stands The Freedom Tower, a government building with a distinctive Mediterranean flair that processed Cuban refugees who fled the nearby Caribbean nation to pass the time between Fidel Castro and democracy.
Cuban-born actor Yul Vázquez was one of those thousands of exiles who found themselves in that immigrant wave’s Ellis Island, waiting for rations of powdered milk, cans of Spam and surplus eggs, holding his mother’s hand next to his sister.
Everyone in that tower thought the situation was temporary. That was in 1971. Fifty years have passed, and Vázquez has kept himself occupied, amassing over 60 combined roles in movies, television and theater.
“People say to me, ‘Yul, you never stop working!’ I always tell people that I have that Cuban exile mentality,” he told Variety. “My mother got here with two kids that didn’t speak English,...
Cuban-born actor Yul Vázquez was one of those thousands of exiles who found themselves in that immigrant wave’s Ellis Island, waiting for rations of powdered milk, cans of Spam and surplus eggs, holding his mother’s hand next to his sister.
Everyone in that tower thought the situation was temporary. That was in 1971. Fifty years have passed, and Vázquez has kept himself occupied, amassing over 60 combined roles in movies, television and theater.
“People say to me, ‘Yul, you never stop working!’ I always tell people that I have that Cuban exile mentality,” he told Variety. “My mother got here with two kids that didn’t speak English,...
- 4/11/2022
- by Mónica Marie Zorrilla
- Variety Film + TV
By Lee Pfeiffer
Few actors had the screen and stage presence of Yul Brynner. There never was an actor quite like him and there hasn't been since. Like most thespians, Brynner had his share of good movies as well as those that fell considerably short of their potential. Nevertheless, the man never gave a false performance. He came across as supremely self-confidant even when he must have suspected the material he was given proved to be far below his considerable talents. Much of his self-confidence seemed to stem from an inflated ego. Robert Vaughn once told me that when Brynner arrived on the set of "The Magnificent Seven" in Mexico, he was still firmly in the King of Siam mode that had seen him win an Oscar. Vaughn said he carried himself as though he were real life royalty at all times. You didn't chat with him casually. Rather, he would grant you an audience.
Few actors had the screen and stage presence of Yul Brynner. There never was an actor quite like him and there hasn't been since. Like most thespians, Brynner had his share of good movies as well as those that fell considerably short of their potential. Nevertheless, the man never gave a false performance. He came across as supremely self-confidant even when he must have suspected the material he was given proved to be far below his considerable talents. Much of his self-confidence seemed to stem from an inflated ego. Robert Vaughn once told me that when Brynner arrived on the set of "The Magnificent Seven" in Mexico, he was still firmly in the King of Siam mode that had seen him win an Oscar. Vaughn said he carried himself as though he were real life royalty at all times. You didn't chat with him casually. Rather, he would grant you an audience.
- 3/19/2022
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Normal 0 false false false En-gb X-none X-none
Cinema Retro continues covering films that are not currently available on home video in the U.S. or U.K.
By Brian Hannan
"Sanctuary" is an overheated melodrama that stands as a classic example of Hollywood’s offensive attitudes to women. Nobel prize-winning author William Faulkner could hardly blame the movies for sensationalising his misogynistic source material since, if anything, the movie took a softer line. The story is told primarily in flashback as headstrong southern belle Temple Drake (Lee Remick) attempts to mitigate the death sentence passed on her maid Nancy (Odetta). Given that such appeals are directed at Drake’s Governor father (Howard St John), and that the maid has been condemned for murdering Drake’s infant child, that’s a whole lot of story to swallow.
Worse is to follow. Drake takes up with Prohibition bootlegger Candy Man (Yves Montand...
Cinema Retro continues covering films that are not currently available on home video in the U.S. or U.K.
By Brian Hannan
"Sanctuary" is an overheated melodrama that stands as a classic example of Hollywood’s offensive attitudes to women. Nobel prize-winning author William Faulkner could hardly blame the movies for sensationalising his misogynistic source material since, if anything, the movie took a softer line. The story is told primarily in flashback as headstrong southern belle Temple Drake (Lee Remick) attempts to mitigate the death sentence passed on her maid Nancy (Odetta). Given that such appeals are directed at Drake’s Governor father (Howard St John), and that the maid has been condemned for murdering Drake’s infant child, that’s a whole lot of story to swallow.
Worse is to follow. Drake takes up with Prohibition bootlegger Candy Man (Yves Montand...
- 3/18/2022
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
You can find strange similarities between almost any two years for Oscar prognosticating. Just days away from the 28th Screen Actors Guild Awards and three weeks out from BAFTA and Critics Choice ceremonies, there are odd correlations between this year’s crop of nominees and the ceremony that rewarded the 1952 cinematic year.
Denis Villeneuve’s omission from best director for the sci-fi drama “Dune” was the most shocking when Oscar nominations were announced. Nevertheless, the film landed 10 nominations, including best picture, adapted screenplay and every technical category, the sixth film in history to achieve this feat.
In the current Oscar projections, the Warner Bros. adaptation of the famous series is projected to win anywhere between three and eight statuettes. However, if it manages to pick up more than five, it will surpass “The Bad and the Beautiful” (1952) as the most awarded film that was not nominated for best director.
Read...
Denis Villeneuve’s omission from best director for the sci-fi drama “Dune” was the most shocking when Oscar nominations were announced. Nevertheless, the film landed 10 nominations, including best picture, adapted screenplay and every technical category, the sixth film in history to achieve this feat.
In the current Oscar projections, the Warner Bros. adaptation of the famous series is projected to win anywhere between three and eight statuettes. However, if it manages to pick up more than five, it will surpass “The Bad and the Beautiful” (1952) as the most awarded film that was not nominated for best director.
Read...
- 2/22/2022
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Director Ron Underwood discusses a few of his favorite westerns with hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Pearl Harbor (2001)
Mighty Joe Young (1998)
Speechless (1994)
Heart and Souls (1993)
Stealing Sinatra (2003)
City Slickers (1991)
Tremors (1990) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Tourist Trap (1979) – David DeCoteau’s trailer commentary
The Seduction (1982)
Puppet Master (1989)
The Boondock Saints (1999)
Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd (1952)
Capricorn One (1977) – Larry Karaszewski’s trailer commentary
Panic In The Streets (1950) – John Landis’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairing
Back When We Were Grownups (2004)
Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell (2018)
Tremors: Shrieker Island (2020)
The Howling (1981) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairing
Red River (1948) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary
Johnny Guitar (1954) – Michael Lehmann’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
The Searchers (1956)
Seven Samurai (1954) – Brian Trenchard-Smith’s trailer commentary
The Magnificent Seven (1960) – Jesus Treviño’s trailer commentary
The Magnificent Seven (2016)
Westworld...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Pearl Harbor (2001)
Mighty Joe Young (1998)
Speechless (1994)
Heart and Souls (1993)
Stealing Sinatra (2003)
City Slickers (1991)
Tremors (1990) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Tourist Trap (1979) – David DeCoteau’s trailer commentary
The Seduction (1982)
Puppet Master (1989)
The Boondock Saints (1999)
Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd (1952)
Capricorn One (1977) – Larry Karaszewski’s trailer commentary
Panic In The Streets (1950) – John Landis’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairing
Back When We Were Grownups (2004)
Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell (2018)
Tremors: Shrieker Island (2020)
The Howling (1981) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairing
Red River (1948) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary
Johnny Guitar (1954) – Michael Lehmann’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
The Searchers (1956)
Seven Samurai (1954) – Brian Trenchard-Smith’s trailer commentary
The Magnificent Seven (1960) – Jesus Treviño’s trailer commentary
The Magnificent Seven (2016)
Westworld...
- 2/1/2022
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
As founder and president of Stardust Brands, Victoria Brynner has made a career out of connecting luxury fashion and beauty brands (Christian Dior, Louis Vuitton and Versace) with big-name stars (Johnny Depp, Catherine Deneuve) for content, campaigns and advertising projects.
While working from home during the Covid-19 pandemic, Victoria zeroed in on a long-held dream of launching of her own line. She knew it needed to be authentic and something she was qualified to do, and while pondering the options, something across the room caught her eye — a custom, high-end director’s chair that belonged to her late father,...
While working from home during the Covid-19 pandemic, Victoria zeroed in on a long-held dream of launching of her own line. She knew it needed to be authentic and something she was qualified to do, and while pondering the options, something across the room caught her eye — a custom, high-end director’s chair that belonged to her late father,...
- 10/7/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
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