If Chris Marker and Preston Sturges ever made a film together, it might have looked something like Grand Tour, a sweeping tale that moves from Rangoon to Manila, via Bangkok, Saigon and Osaka, as it weaves the stories of two disparate lovers towards a fateful reunion. The stowaways could scarcely be more Sturgian: he the urbane man on the run, she the intrepid woman trying to track him down. Their scenes are set in 1917 and shot in a classical studio style, yet they’re delivered within a contemporary travelogue––as if we are not only following their epic romance but a director’s own wanderings.
Grand Tour, which delivered much-needed magic to this year’s Cannes Film Festival lineup, is directed by the one and only Miguel Gomes, the Portuguese filmmaker behind The Tsugua Diaries (an entertaining Covid joint from 2021), Arabian Nights (his epic 2015 triptych), and Tabu (a breakout from...
Grand Tour, which delivered much-needed magic to this year’s Cannes Film Festival lineup, is directed by the one and only Miguel Gomes, the Portuguese filmmaker behind The Tsugua Diaries (an entertaining Covid joint from 2021), Arabian Nights (his epic 2015 triptych), and Tabu (a breakout from...
- 5/24/2024
- by Rory O'Connor
- The Film Stage
Whether you like Quentin Tarantino's wild and idiosyncratic approach to filmmaking or not, it's hard to deny that his work has made an immeasurable contribution to the development of pop culture as we know it today. But none of this would be the case if Tarantino weren't arguably one of the biggest movie buffs in the modern film industry. So if you haven't seen these 20 movies personally recommended by Quentin Tarantino, we suggest you do so as soon as possible!
20 Great Movies Tarantino Recommends Watching
20. Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein
19. Apocalypse Now
18. The Bad News Bears
17. Black Sabbath
16. Dazed and Confused
15. Deep Red
14. Easy Rider
13. Enter the Void
12. Frances Ha
11. The Great Escape
10. Mad Max: Fury Road
9. Rio Bravo
8. The Skin I Live In
7. The Social Network
6. Sorcerer
5. There Will Be Blood
4. Top Gun: Maverick
3. Toy Story 3
2. Unfaithfully Yours
1. West Side Story
The filmmaker's oeuvre is characterized by...
20 Great Movies Tarantino Recommends Watching
20. Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein
19. Apocalypse Now
18. The Bad News Bears
17. Black Sabbath
16. Dazed and Confused
15. Deep Red
14. Easy Rider
13. Enter the Void
12. Frances Ha
11. The Great Escape
10. Mad Max: Fury Road
9. Rio Bravo
8. The Skin I Live In
7. The Social Network
6. Sorcerer
5. There Will Be Blood
4. Top Gun: Maverick
3. Toy Story 3
2. Unfaithfully Yours
1. West Side Story
The filmmaker's oeuvre is characterized by...
- 5/16/2024
- by louise.everitt@startefacts.com (Louise Everitt)
- STartefacts.com
Much has been made about the smoky sexiness of Luca Guadagnino's "Challengers," notably the brief threesome scene near the beginning of the movie. While the scene is plenty sexy, it constitutes the bulk of the on-screen physicality of "Challengers," and it is, perhaps disappointingly, relegated to about 90 seconds of tongue kissing; Guadagnino's film is not the bisexual throuple film the ad campaign would have you believe it is.
Instead, it's a soapy, recognizably classical love triangle about three bitter souls who were never able to get over that fateful make-out session. The three players involved were promising tennis champions in high school. There's Tashi (Zendaya), the hotshot celebrity that is already being courted by marketers. There's Patrick (Josh O'Connor), the rough-hewn, stubble-encrusted stud. And there's Art (Mike Faist), the talented jokester whose magic shell quickly hardens into a crunchy layer of jealousy. "Challengers" follows them, via flashbacks, through their...
Instead, it's a soapy, recognizably classical love triangle about three bitter souls who were never able to get over that fateful make-out session. The three players involved were promising tennis champions in high school. There's Tashi (Zendaya), the hotshot celebrity that is already being courted by marketers. There's Patrick (Josh O'Connor), the rough-hewn, stubble-encrusted stud. And there's Art (Mike Faist), the talented jokester whose magic shell quickly hardens into a crunchy layer of jealousy. "Challengers" follows them, via flashbacks, through their...
- 4/26/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Settle in, Mother Scratchers! We’re going back to the salad days of Joel and Ethan Coen‘s fabled partnership for the duo’s unconventional comedy about an unlikely courtship, unwanted house guests, a cigar-chomping pale rider, the best deals on furniture in the Southwestern portion of the United States, and baby stealing! Slap your ass, and don’t forget the Huggies because we’re revisiting the Coen Brothers’ 1987 crime comedy Raising Arizona.
The dynamic duo of Joel and Ethan Coen made the Hollywood scene in 1984 with the neo-noir crime drama Blood Simple. Featuring John Getz, Francis McDormand, and Dan Hedaya, Blood Simple helped define the brothers as a creative team to watch, with critics taking a shine to the thriller’s harsh Texas setting, twisting plot, and hypnotic characters. Not all filmmakers come out of the gate swinging, but the Coens delivered a haymaker for film buffs craving something dark,...
The dynamic duo of Joel and Ethan Coen made the Hollywood scene in 1984 with the neo-noir crime drama Blood Simple. Featuring John Getz, Francis McDormand, and Dan Hedaya, Blood Simple helped define the brothers as a creative team to watch, with critics taking a shine to the thriller’s harsh Texas setting, twisting plot, and hypnotic characters. Not all filmmakers come out of the gate swinging, but the Coens delivered a haymaker for film buffs craving something dark,...
- 3/26/2024
- by Steve Seigh
- JoBlo.com
Like most movies, The Invisible Man travelled a long and winding road to the silver screen, and perhaps longer and more winding than most. As biographer James Curtis put it in his book James Whale: A New World of Gods and Monsters, “The gestation of The Invisible Man was the lengthiest and most convoluted of all of James Whale’s films. It involved four directors, nine writers, six treatments, and ten separate screenplays—all for a film that emerged very much in harmony with the book on which it was based.” It was first suggested as a possible follow-up to Dracula (1931), perhaps as a vehicle for new star Bela Lugosi, but was dropped in favor of Frankenstein (1931) due to the complicated special effects it would require. After Frankenstein was an even bigger success, both director James Whale and star Boris Karloff were immediately attached to The Invisible Man and several...
- 12/21/2023
- by Brian Keiper
- bloody-disgusting.com
Remembering ‘Remember the Night’: A Christmas movie classic with Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray
Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray sizzled as the duplicitous lovers in Billy Wilder’s exceptional 1944 film noir “Double Indemnity.” But that classic based on James M. Cain’s novel wasn’t their first pairing. Four years earlier, they played very different lovers in “Remember the Night,” which was penned by the brilliant Preston Sturges and directed by Mitchell Leisen. The exquisite holiday film, ironically released in January of 1940, has become a Christmas favorite thanks to TCM, streaming services and DVDs.
MacMurray stars as Jack, a young New York City assistant district attorney. Stanwyck’s Lee has seen her share of bad breaks is on trial before Christmas for shoplifting a bracelet at a jewelry store. MacMurray decides to bail her out of jail for the holidays and ends up taking her back to his Indiana family farm where she is warmly welcomed by his mother and aunt. His mother (Beulah Bondi...
MacMurray stars as Jack, a young New York City assistant district attorney. Stanwyck’s Lee has seen her share of bad breaks is on trial before Christmas for shoplifting a bracelet at a jewelry store. MacMurray decides to bail her out of jail for the holidays and ends up taking her back to his Indiana family farm where she is warmly welcomed by his mother and aunt. His mother (Beulah Bondi...
- 12/11/2023
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Among the myriad reasons we could call the Criterion Channel the single greatest streaming service is its leveling of cinematic snobbery. Where a new World Cinema Project restoration plays, so too does Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight. I think about this looking at November’s lineup and being happiest about two new additions: a nine-film Robert Bresson retro including L’argent and The Devil, Probably; and a one-film Hype Williams retro including Belly and only Belly, but bringing as a bonus the direct-to-video Belly 2: Millionaire Boyz Club. Until recently such curation seemed impossible.
November will also feature a 20-film noir series boasting the obvious and the not. Maybe the single tightest collection is “Women of the West,” with Johnny Guitar and The Beguiled and Rancho Notorious and The Furies only half of it. Lynch/Oz, Irradiated, and My Two Voices make streaming premieres; Drylongso gets a Criterion Edition; and joining...
November will also feature a 20-film noir series boasting the obvious and the not. Maybe the single tightest collection is “Women of the West,” with Johnny Guitar and The Beguiled and Rancho Notorious and The Furies only half of it. Lynch/Oz, Irradiated, and My Two Voices make streaming premieres; Drylongso gets a Criterion Edition; and joining...
- 10/24/2023
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
These last few years the Criterion Channel have made October viewing much easier to prioritize, and in the spirit of their ’70s and ’80s horror series we’ve graduated to––you guessed it––”’90s Horror.” A couple of obvious classics stand with cult favorites and more unknown entities (When a Stranger Calls Back and Def By Temptation are new to me). Three more series continue the trend: “Technothrillers” does what it says on the tin, courtesy the likes of eXistenZ and Demonlover; “Art-House Horror” is precisely the kind of place to host Cure, Suspiria, Onibaba; and “Pre-Code Horror” is a black-and-white dream. Phantom of the Paradise, Unfriended, and John Brahm’s The Lodger are added elsewhere.
James Gray is the latest with an “Adventures in Moviegoing” series populated by deep cuts and straight classics. Stonewalling and restorations of Trouble Every Day and The Devil, Probably make streaming debuts, while Flesh for Frankenstein,...
James Gray is the latest with an “Adventures in Moviegoing” series populated by deep cuts and straight classics. Stonewalling and restorations of Trouble Every Day and The Devil, Probably make streaming debuts, while Flesh for Frankenstein,...
- 9/28/2023
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
The awards team at Amazon, as the parent company of MGM, a division of which includes Orion, may have an unexpected awards contender on its hands with Cord Jefferson’s feature directorial debut American Fiction, an adaptation for Orion of Percival Everett’s 2001 novel Erasure. The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival’s Princess Alexandra Theatre on Friday night.
A sharp and witty look at American racial dynamics — a Black academic (played engrossingly by the great Jeffrey Wright) grows frustrated that the only “Black books” that seem to find a wide (and white) audience are those that tread on stereotypes. So, he writes one himself under a pseudonym. The film plays like a Preston Sturges or Mel Brooks classic, packed with jokes as well as biting social commentary and often had the audience laughing out loud.
Amazon seemed to be waiting to see how the...
A sharp and witty look at American racial dynamics — a Black academic (played engrossingly by the great Jeffrey Wright) grows frustrated that the only “Black books” that seem to find a wide (and white) audience are those that tread on stereotypes. So, he writes one himself under a pseudonym. The film plays like a Preston Sturges or Mel Brooks classic, packed with jokes as well as biting social commentary and often had the audience laughing out loud.
Amazon seemed to be waiting to see how the...
- 9/9/2023
- by Scott Feinberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Director James Mangold drew from classic films, both contemporary and from the studio era, for the latest Indiana Jones film, “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.” This latest — and last — turn for Harrison Ford’s famed archaeologist gave Mangold many features to pull inspiration from, starting with 1981’s “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” as directed by Steven Spielberg.
“When we talk about the ‘Raiders’ film, and even Steven’s work in general, which has always been a big influence on me, you have to kind of understand that Steven himself is highly influenced and inspired by the classical, Golden Age, Hollywood style,” Mangold told TheWrap. “So you’re talking about a compendium of influences.”
But when it came to crafting the character of Helena, played by “Fleabag” star Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Mangold went back to the 1940s screwball world of director Preston Sturges. “I had very much in mind Barbara Stanwyck...
“When we talk about the ‘Raiders’ film, and even Steven’s work in general, which has always been a big influence on me, you have to kind of understand that Steven himself is highly influenced and inspired by the classical, Golden Age, Hollywood style,” Mangold told TheWrap. “So you’re talking about a compendium of influences.”
But when it came to crafting the character of Helena, played by “Fleabag” star Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Mangold went back to the 1940s screwball world of director Preston Sturges. “I had very much in mind Barbara Stanwyck...
- 6/26/2023
- by Kristen Lopez
- The Wrap
Flying saucers and alien invasion movies were the trend in the 1950s. UFO sightings in Washington State in 1947 and the famous crash near Roswell, New Mexico in 1948 had ignited a fever for all things alien. The movies soon followed the public interest with films like The Thing from Another World (1951), The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), War of the Worlds (1953), This Island Earth (1955), Earth vs. The Flying Saucers (1956), Invasion of the Saucer-Men (1957), and many more of varying levels of quality. Many of these science fiction/horror hybrids were aimed toward an audience of children and teenagers and often featured young people, but few placed the viewer so deeply in the child’s perspective as the 1953 classic Invaders from Mars.
In many ways, Invaders from Mars walked so that Invasion of the Body Snatchers could run just three years later. Much of this is due to its extremely low budget and independent production.
In many ways, Invaders from Mars walked so that Invasion of the Body Snatchers could run just three years later. Much of this is due to its extremely low budget and independent production.
- 5/30/2023
- by Brian Keiper
- bloody-disgusting.com
This year, all the Oscar-contending directors are nominated for original screenplay: the Daniels, Todd Field, Martin McDonagh, Ruben Östlund and Steven Spielberg (writing with Tony Kushner).
This is the first time it’s happened in AMPAS history.
The only year that came close was 2017, when all five helmers had written or co-written their scripts, though they didn’t all get writing noms.
So here’s Film History 101.
In Hollywood lore, Preston Sturges is often credited as the first scribe to become a hyphenate, as writer-director of the 1940 “The Great McGinty.” But as with all Hollywood “facts,” there is only an element of truth here.
In the next few years, he was joined by some heavyweights: Orson Welles (“Citizen Kane”) and John Huston (“The Maltese Falcon”) in 1941; Leo McCarey (co-writer of “Going My Way”); Billy Wilder (writing with Raymond Chandler) for “Double Indemnity” in 1944; and Joseph L. Mankiewicz (“Dragonwyck”), 1946.
However, a writer-director wasn’t an innovation.
This is the first time it’s happened in AMPAS history.
The only year that came close was 2017, when all five helmers had written or co-written their scripts, though they didn’t all get writing noms.
So here’s Film History 101.
In Hollywood lore, Preston Sturges is often credited as the first scribe to become a hyphenate, as writer-director of the 1940 “The Great McGinty.” But as with all Hollywood “facts,” there is only an element of truth here.
In the next few years, he was joined by some heavyweights: Orson Welles (“Citizen Kane”) and John Huston (“The Maltese Falcon”) in 1941; Leo McCarey (co-writer of “Going My Way”); Billy Wilder (writing with Raymond Chandler) for “Double Indemnity” in 1944; and Joseph L. Mankiewicz (“Dragonwyck”), 1946.
However, a writer-director wasn’t an innovation.
- 3/3/2023
- by Tim Gray
- Variety Film + TV
Recently, I was pondering a question: who is the most recently celebrated filmmaker who wasn't also a writer? This is a much more difficult question to answer than you might think. Think of all the great auteurs of today from Barry Jenkins to Céline Sciamma to Bong Joon-ho. They all write their own material. They may work with co-writers, but when it comes to the act of putting words on the page, they have to be involved. All five of the Oscar nominees for Best Director this year also wrote their films' screenplays.
While writer-directors are the norm today, they were a rarity prior to the New Hollywood era of filmmaking. Directing and screenwriting were isolated positions that the studios hired separately and signed to contracts. You basically had Preston Sturges, Charles Chaplin, and Billy Wilder, and that was kind of it. It wasn't until the prevalence of the auteur...
While writer-directors are the norm today, they were a rarity prior to the New Hollywood era of filmmaking. Directing and screenwriting were isolated positions that the studios hired separately and signed to contracts. You basically had Preston Sturges, Charles Chaplin, and Billy Wilder, and that was kind of it. It wasn't until the prevalence of the auteur...
- 2/26/2023
- by Mike Shutt
- Slash Film
It’s a nearly perfect tale of identity swaps and royal intrigues: Ronald Colman’s voice is velvet smooth as the poet-rogue François Villon, who uses his wits when dealing with Basil Rathbone’s (very strangely played) Louis XI. The real charm comes with lady-in-waiting Frances Dee (swoon) and the peasant firebrand Ellen Drew (double swoon). And don’t forget the sophisticated, semi-satirical screenplay by Preston Sturges. The refreshing Blu-ray discovery comes with a commentary by Julie Kirgo.
If I Were King
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1938 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 101 min. / Street Date February 7, 2023 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95
Starring: Ronald Colman, Basil Rathbone, Frances Dee, Ellen Drew, C.V. France, Henry Wilcoxon, Heather Thatcher, Stanley Ridges, Alma Lloyd, Sidney Toler, John Miljan, Montagu Love, May Beatty, Henry Brandon, Darryl Hickman.
Cinematography: Theodore Sparkuhl
Costumer: Edith Head
Art Directors: Hans Drier, John Goodman
Film Editor: Hugh Bennett
Visual Effects: Gordon Jennings
Original Music:...
If I Were King
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1938 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 101 min. / Street Date February 7, 2023 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95
Starring: Ronald Colman, Basil Rathbone, Frances Dee, Ellen Drew, C.V. France, Henry Wilcoxon, Heather Thatcher, Stanley Ridges, Alma Lloyd, Sidney Toler, John Miljan, Montagu Love, May Beatty, Henry Brandon, Darryl Hickman.
Cinematography: Theodore Sparkuhl
Costumer: Edith Head
Art Directors: Hans Drier, John Goodman
Film Editor: Hugh Bennett
Visual Effects: Gordon Jennings
Original Music:...
- 2/18/2023
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
NYC Weekend Watch is our weekly round-up of repertory offerings.
Film Forum
A Preston Sturges retrospective continues, with The Palm Beach Story, The Lady Eve, and Sullivan’s Travels all playing on 35mm this weekend.
Roxy Cinema
35mm showings of Happiness and Welcome to the Dollhouse begin a Todd Solondz retro; the Leonard Cohen concert film Bird on a Wire screens this Saturday, as does Jonas Mekas’ Scenes from the Life of Andy Warhol.
Museum of Modern Art
Always a highlight of the repertory year, To Save and Project presents the best in restored cinema; a Guillermo del Toro retrospective of his features and inspirations has its final weekend, marking your last chance to see Puss In Boots at MoMA.
Museum of the Moving Image
A series on awards-snubbed films continues with Sirk, Ray, and McCarey; the rare Greek feature My Friend, Lefterakis screens this Sunday.
IFC Center
28 Days Later,...
Film Forum
A Preston Sturges retrospective continues, with The Palm Beach Story, The Lady Eve, and Sullivan’s Travels all playing on 35mm this weekend.
Roxy Cinema
35mm showings of Happiness and Welcome to the Dollhouse begin a Todd Solondz retro; the Leonard Cohen concert film Bird on a Wire screens this Saturday, as does Jonas Mekas’ Scenes from the Life of Andy Warhol.
Museum of Modern Art
Always a highlight of the repertory year, To Save and Project presents the best in restored cinema; a Guillermo del Toro retrospective of his features and inspirations has its final weekend, marking your last chance to see Puss In Boots at MoMA.
Museum of the Moving Image
A series on awards-snubbed films continues with Sirk, Ray, and McCarey; the rare Greek feature My Friend, Lefterakis screens this Sunday.
IFC Center
28 Days Later,...
- 1/27/2023
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Exclusive: Deadline hears that Warner Bros. Television is developing a limited series about Buster Keaton that has Oscar and Emmy winner Rami Malek playing the vaudeville-turned-silent comedy movie star.
Matt Reeves’ 6th & Idaho Productions, Malek and David Weddle are producing, and we understand that The Batman director is set to helm. Three-time Emmy winner Ted Cohen is in negotiations to write and serve as an executive producer on the project. James Curtis’ Buster Keaton: A Filmmaker’s Life is being eyed as the source material for the series, with negotiations underway by the studio to secure the book.
Daniel Pipski and Rafi Crohn from 6th & Idaho are also EPs.
The project is being primed to be shopped to streamers and networks; 6th & Idaho are under an overall deal at Warner Bros, as Deadline first told you. Reeves is also working on his Batman HBO Max spinoff series at Warners,...
Matt Reeves’ 6th & Idaho Productions, Malek and David Weddle are producing, and we understand that The Batman director is set to helm. Three-time Emmy winner Ted Cohen is in negotiations to write and serve as an executive producer on the project. James Curtis’ Buster Keaton: A Filmmaker’s Life is being eyed as the source material for the series, with negotiations underway by the studio to secure the book.
Daniel Pipski and Rafi Crohn from 6th & Idaho are also EPs.
The project is being primed to be shopped to streamers and networks; 6th & Idaho are under an overall deal at Warner Bros, as Deadline first told you. Reeves is also working on his Batman HBO Max spinoff series at Warners,...
- 1/20/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
More than four decades after the New Hollywood films of the ’60s and ’70s hit screens and became enshrined as a near-mythological period of artistic excellence in American cinema, the era’s attributes also become increasingly contrasted with current American cinema.
Nonconformity, provocation and experimentation were mainstream. Today, those qualities aren’t selling movie tickets but instead driving streamer subscriptions. And the big hits are all characterized by the packaged goods franchise hits that dominate box office to the almost total exclusion of personal cinema.
Which is a long explanation of why awards season is more essential than ever.
As someone who lived through and loved the New Hollywood films and filmmakers, this is the time of year when the hunger for the ambitious telling of difficult stories is sated.
In addition to Todd Field’s wonderful and already much-celebrated “Tár,” which has evoked positive comparisons to the best of New Hollywood giant Stanley Kubrick,...
Nonconformity, provocation and experimentation were mainstream. Today, those qualities aren’t selling movie tickets but instead driving streamer subscriptions. And the big hits are all characterized by the packaged goods franchise hits that dominate box office to the almost total exclusion of personal cinema.
Which is a long explanation of why awards season is more essential than ever.
As someone who lived through and loved the New Hollywood films and filmmakers, this is the time of year when the hunger for the ambitious telling of difficult stories is sated.
In addition to Todd Field’s wonderful and already much-celebrated “Tár,” which has evoked positive comparisons to the best of New Hollywood giant Stanley Kubrick,...
- 1/10/2023
- by Steven Gaydos
- Variety Film + TV
Mitchell Leisen’s great Christmas-time tale has a brilliant screenplay by Preston Sturges and letter-perfect performances by Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray, threading the needle between light cynicism and well-earned sentiment. Sturges’ celebration of ‘country values’ is sincere and heartfelt, as is his affection for the supporting cast. The presentation includes two radio broadcasts plus a star-studded Paramount short subject for war bonds.
Remember the Night
Region B Blu-ray
Powerhouse Indicator
1940 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 94 min. / / Street Date December 19, 2022 / available from Powerhouse Films UK / £18.99
Starring: Barbara Stanwyck, Fred MacMurray, Beulah Bondi, Elizabeth Patterson, Sterling Holloway, Julius Tannen, Virginia Brissac, Fred ‘Snowflake’ Toones, Charles Arnt, Paul Guilfoyle.
Cinematography: Ted Tetzlaff
Art Directors: Hans Drier, Roland Anderson
Costumes: Edith Head
Film Editor: Doane Harrison
Original Music: Friedrich Hollander
Written by Preston Sturges
Produced by
Directed by Mitchell Leisen
The 1940 feature Remember the Night made its comeback a few years ago just as...
Remember the Night
Region B Blu-ray
Powerhouse Indicator
1940 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 94 min. / / Street Date December 19, 2022 / available from Powerhouse Films UK / £18.99
Starring: Barbara Stanwyck, Fred MacMurray, Beulah Bondi, Elizabeth Patterson, Sterling Holloway, Julius Tannen, Virginia Brissac, Fred ‘Snowflake’ Toones, Charles Arnt, Paul Guilfoyle.
Cinematography: Ted Tetzlaff
Art Directors: Hans Drier, Roland Anderson
Costumes: Edith Head
Film Editor: Doane Harrison
Original Music: Friedrich Hollander
Written by Preston Sturges
Produced by
Directed by Mitchell Leisen
The 1940 feature Remember the Night made its comeback a few years ago just as...
- 12/17/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Holidays loom, but don’t fear TBS marathons of A Christmas Story. If, like me, you once enacted some good and let studio classics stream on Criterion during family Christmas, you know the trip home will be easier with December’s additions. (People at Criterion: please don’t report me for logging into multiple devices.) As family arrives, drinks are downed, and questions about what you’ve been up to are stumbled through it’ll be nice to stream their “Screwball Comedy Classics” series—25 titles meeting some deep cuts (10 via Venmo if you’ve recently watched It Happens Every Spring).
Personally I’m most excited about the 11 movies in “Snow Westerns,” going as far back as The Secret of Convict Lake, as recently as Ravenous, with the likes of Wellman, Peckinpah, and Corbucci in-between. I personally cannot stand soccer but I appreciate the World Cup giving occasion for a series...
Personally I’m most excited about the 11 movies in “Snow Westerns,” going as far back as The Secret of Convict Lake, as recently as Ravenous, with the likes of Wellman, Peckinpah, and Corbucci in-between. I personally cannot stand soccer but I appreciate the World Cup giving occasion for a series...
- 11/22/2022
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
The history of cinema is a history of famous mustaches.
From Charlie Chaplin's legendary toothbrush to Burt Reynold's iconic cookie duster, to Groucho Marx's painted-on whiskers and Borat's silly soup strainer, you'll find beloved movie stars wearing fabulous facial hair throughout the entirety of the motion picture art form.
But as much as we all love stupendous stubble, there's one place you won't find any lip bristles, and that's on Henry Fonda's face in Sergio Leone's classic spaghetti western "Once Upon a Time in the West." That's because the minute that Fonda, one of the most respected and beloved actors in Hollywood, arrived on set, Leone told him to take the damn thing off, and to change his eyes while he was at it.
It's not that Sergio Leone didn't stan a 'stache, he just had much more insidious plans for the movie star — plans that...
From Charlie Chaplin's legendary toothbrush to Burt Reynold's iconic cookie duster, to Groucho Marx's painted-on whiskers and Borat's silly soup strainer, you'll find beloved movie stars wearing fabulous facial hair throughout the entirety of the motion picture art form.
But as much as we all love stupendous stubble, there's one place you won't find any lip bristles, and that's on Henry Fonda's face in Sergio Leone's classic spaghetti western "Once Upon a Time in the West." That's because the minute that Fonda, one of the most respected and beloved actors in Hollywood, arrived on set, Leone told him to take the damn thing off, and to change his eyes while he was at it.
It's not that Sergio Leone didn't stan a 'stache, he just had much more insidious plans for the movie star — plans that...
- 11/17/2022
- by William Bibbiani
- Slash Film
One of the most enjoyable South Korean action movies in recent years, 2017’s “The Outlaws” was a deft mix of brutal gang-warfare thrills and Keystone Cops comedics. It provided an ideal vehicle for Ma Dong-seok aka Don Lee (“Train to Busan” and “Eternals”) as the police investigator whose hit-first-ask-permission-later methods regularly got the job done while infuriating his superiors.
That burly protagonist and his sidekicks are back in “The Roundup,” which despite a different directorial (newbie Lee Sang-yong replacing the prior edition’s Kang Yoon-seong) and writing crew, maintains the original’s strengths. It arguably kicks them up a notch further, . Pre-sold to most offshore territories, it’s currently playing U.S. and Canadian theaters as a Capelight Pictures release.
After a prologue showing the abduction of a wealthy young Korean in Ho Chi Minh City, we re-encounter our ham-fisted hero in 2008, four years after the earlier film’s events.
That burly protagonist and his sidekicks are back in “The Roundup,” which despite a different directorial (newbie Lee Sang-yong replacing the prior edition’s Kang Yoon-seong) and writing crew, maintains the original’s strengths. It arguably kicks them up a notch further, . Pre-sold to most offshore territories, it’s currently playing U.S. and Canadian theaters as a Capelight Pictures release.
After a prologue showing the abduction of a wealthy young Korean in Ho Chi Minh City, we re-encounter our ham-fisted hero in 2008, four years after the earlier film’s events.
- 6/4/2022
- by Dennis Harvey
- Variety Film + TV
The latest in our series of writers highlighting lesser-seen gems is a recommendation of Whit Stillman’s acerbic Jane Austen adaptation
Though the novels of Jane Austen positively drip with witticisms, catty descriptive asides and zingy ironies, their film versions all too often tend to soft-sell the comedy. Emma Thompson’s elegant adaptation of Sense and Sensibility was wry and knowing, though only the most hopeful of high-school English teachers would argue for it as genuinely side-splitting; Joe Wright’s take on Pride and Prejudice played up swooning romance over barbed interplay. Both the Paltrow- and Taylor-Joy-starring iterations of Emma are light, pastel-hued baubles, but more feathery than they are genuinely funny; the laughs only came with a rewrite as drastic as Amy Heckerling’s Clueless.
Love & Friendship, then, is a delicious rarity: an Austen interpretation taken on by an established, distinctive comic film-maker, bent to his cockeyed sensibility even as it honours the zesty,...
Though the novels of Jane Austen positively drip with witticisms, catty descriptive asides and zingy ironies, their film versions all too often tend to soft-sell the comedy. Emma Thompson’s elegant adaptation of Sense and Sensibility was wry and knowing, though only the most hopeful of high-school English teachers would argue for it as genuinely side-splitting; Joe Wright’s take on Pride and Prejudice played up swooning romance over barbed interplay. Both the Paltrow- and Taylor-Joy-starring iterations of Emma are light, pastel-hued baubles, but more feathery than they are genuinely funny; the laughs only came with a rewrite as drastic as Amy Heckerling’s Clueless.
Love & Friendship, then, is a delicious rarity: an Austen interpretation taken on by an established, distinctive comic film-maker, bent to his cockeyed sensibility even as it honours the zesty,...
- 5/10/2022
- by Guy Lodge
- The Guardian - Film News
The romantic comedy as we know it has been through four phases. It was born with “It Happened One Night” (1934), and the glory of the classic romantic-comedy period (Hepburn and Tracy and so on) was the ’30s and ’40s, though it extended into the ’50s with a movie like “Pillow Talk.” The form enjoyed a cultural resurgence starting in 1989 and ’90, with the release of “When Harry Met Sally” and “Pretty Woman.” You could call that the Age of Nora Ephron, since she kind of ruled over it; the fact that that era spawned the term “rom-com” says a lot about how love comedies, in their born-again popularity, were becoming a kind of consumer product. The third phase was the Matthew McConaughey/Kate Hudson era, when the sheer cheesiness of so many studio rom-coms became its own reward; the films were turning into guilty pleasures. Then there’s the phase we...
- 2/10/2022
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
Jennifer Lopez knows a thing or three about media harassment and being in the public eye 24/7, but that only makes the far-fetched romantic comedy Marry Me seem even less tolerable or redeemable than it might have looked on paper. In its opening minutes, this slickly made, music-drenched concoction serves up a premise so massively implausible — that one of the hottest female singers on the planet would replace her cheating macho fiancé in front of a live TV audience with an ineffectual single dad math teacher in his 50s — that it can never recover. It is, in two words, perfectly preposterous.
Lopez, whose last feature was the far more provocative Hustlers three years ago, plays Kat Valdez, a not unconvincing version of the star herself; she’s a sizzling entertainer at the peak of her powers whose half-her-age singer-partner Bastian (Colombian musician Maluma) has the bright idea to get it on...
Lopez, whose last feature was the far more provocative Hustlers three years ago, plays Kat Valdez, a not unconvincing version of the star herself; she’s a sizzling entertainer at the peak of her powers whose half-her-age singer-partner Bastian (Colombian musician Maluma) has the bright idea to get it on...
- 2/10/2022
- by Todd McCarthy
- Deadline Film + TV
Every once in a while a movie studio would ruin what might have been a masterpiece — and Preston Sturges’ last-released Paramount comedy suffered exactly that. “Triumph Over Pain” was supposed to be something new, a daring blend of comedy and tragedy. Studio politics intervened and tried to turn it into a straight comedy. Disc producer Constantine Nasr oversees two extras that explain what happened in full detail; it’s a fascinating story of a brillant and successful writer-director at odds with his studio bosses. Joel McCrea, Betty Field and William Demarest star — and the show is still entertaining despite its problems.
The Great Moment
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1944 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 83 min. / Great without Glory, Immortal Secret, Morton the Magnificent, Triumph over Pain / Street Date February 1, 2022 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95
Starring: Joel McCrea, Betty Field, Harry Carey, William Demarest, Louis Jean Heydt, Julius Tannen, Edwin Maxwell, Porter Hall, Franklin Pangborn,...
The Great Moment
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1944 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 83 min. / Great without Glory, Immortal Secret, Morton the Magnificent, Triumph over Pain / Street Date February 1, 2022 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95
Starring: Joel McCrea, Betty Field, Harry Carey, William Demarest, Louis Jean Heydt, Julius Tannen, Edwin Maxwell, Porter Hall, Franklin Pangborn,...
- 1/18/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Writer-director Rawson Marshall Thurber makes movies that are so impeccably crafted and deliriously funny that it’s easy to take them for granted; like the classical Hollywood directors of the 1940s to whom he often pays homage, Thurber employs an elegant but invisible style in which an immense amount of effort goes into making his films look effortless. This is particularly true of his latest release, Red Notice, a caper movie of enormous scale that nevertheless remains light on its feet, fast and funny and romantic in the way Ernst Lubitsch and Preston Sturges movies used to be while still delivering […]
The post “97% of the Film Has No Green Screen in It”: Writer-Director Rawson Marshall Thurber on Red Notice first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “97% of the Film Has No Green Screen in It”: Writer-Director Rawson Marshall Thurber on Red Notice first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 11/11/2021
- by Jim Hemphill
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
‘Hand of God’ Filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino Honored With Variety Creative Impact in Screenwriting Award
Film history is filled with examples of screenwriters whose subsequent dazzling directorial careers have often eclipsed their brilliant roots as writers. Preston Sturges, Billy Wilder and Sam Peckinpah are only three of the American wordsmiths-turned-helmers that come to mind. This year’s Variety Creative Impact in Screenwriting honoree, Italian auteur Paolo Sorrentino, has more than two decades of great screenwriting on his resume and he’s never lost his love for the scribe’s journey.
Sorrentino will appear in conversation with Variety features editor Malina Saval at an event on Oct. 17 at the Mill Valley Film Festival.
“I love writing much more than I love directing and this is probably due to my personality and my temperament,” says Sorrentino on a Zoom chat from his home in Rome where he’s prepping his next film, the Jennifer Lawrence-starrer “Mob Girl.”
No matter what accolades he gains as a helmer,...
Sorrentino will appear in conversation with Variety features editor Malina Saval at an event on Oct. 17 at the Mill Valley Film Festival.
“I love writing much more than I love directing and this is probably due to my personality and my temperament,” says Sorrentino on a Zoom chat from his home in Rome where he’s prepping his next film, the Jennifer Lawrence-starrer “Mob Girl.”
No matter what accolades he gains as a helmer,...
- 10/7/2021
- by Steven Gaydos
- Variety Film + TV
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“Tomorrow’S News Today!”
By Raymond Benson
One wonders if Bond villain Elliot Carver ever saw the 1944 comedy-fantasy, It Happened Tomorrow. Carver’s evil plot involved making bad news happen so that his newspapers could scoop the headlines before other media outlets even learned about the events. “Tomorrow’s News Today!” was his slogan.
In the fanciful and entertaining It Happened Tomorrow, a newspaper man receives tomorrow’s news today, allowing him to write the piece and get it ready to go to the presses before the incident occurs.
French filmmaker René Clair had come to Hollywood in the early 1940s after working for a time in the U.K. He made a handful of pictures for different studios, namely I Married a Witch (1942) and And Then There Were None (1945). In-between those notable titles came It Happened Tomorrow, which was based on an...
“Tomorrow’S News Today!”
By Raymond Benson
One wonders if Bond villain Elliot Carver ever saw the 1944 comedy-fantasy, It Happened Tomorrow. Carver’s evil plot involved making bad news happen so that his newspapers could scoop the headlines before other media outlets even learned about the events. “Tomorrow’s News Today!” was his slogan.
In the fanciful and entertaining It Happened Tomorrow, a newspaper man receives tomorrow’s news today, allowing him to write the piece and get it ready to go to the presses before the incident occurs.
French filmmaker René Clair had come to Hollywood in the early 1940s after working for a time in the U.K. He made a handful of pictures for different studios, namely I Married a Witch (1942) and And Then There Were None (1945). In-between those notable titles came It Happened Tomorrow, which was based on an...
- 6/4/2021
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Auteur! Auteur! Four of this year’s Best Director Oscar nominees — Chloe Zhao (“Nomadland”), Emerald Fennell (“Promising Young Woman”), Lee Isaac Chung (“Minari”) and Thomas Vinterberg (“Another Round”) — have a writing credit on their films. Zhao, Fennell and Chung reaped bids for their scripting efforts.
Over the past decade, the majority of the Oscar-winning directors were also nominated for their screenplays. Last year, Boon Joon-Ho won Best Director and shared in the Original Screenplay award with Han Jan for their work on the Best Picture champ “Parasite.”
Though writer/directors getting Oscar love is the norm these days, that wasn’t always the case. When nominations were announced for the first Academy Awards, Charlie Chaplin was cited for both Best Actor and Comedy Direction for his 1928 masterpiece “The Circus,” which he also wrote and produced. But the academy decided to withdraw his name from the competitive classes and decided “that...
Over the past decade, the majority of the Oscar-winning directors were also nominated for their screenplays. Last year, Boon Joon-Ho won Best Director and shared in the Original Screenplay award with Han Jan for their work on the Best Picture champ “Parasite.”
Though writer/directors getting Oscar love is the norm these days, that wasn’t always the case. When nominations were announced for the first Academy Awards, Charlie Chaplin was cited for both Best Actor and Comedy Direction for his 1928 masterpiece “The Circus,” which he also wrote and produced. But the academy decided to withdraw his name from the competitive classes and decided “that...
- 3/28/2021
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options—not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves–each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit platforms. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
Another Round (Thomas Vinterberg)
Superlatives are fatuous, but Mads Mikkelsen’s final dance in Another Round was possibly one of the finest scenes of the year. It is here that Thomas Vinterberg tips his hand: in turns devastating and rambunctious, his latest neither glorifies nor condemns the magic––and sorrows––of day-drinking, but conjures a surprisingly sober study of a midlife crisis, climaxing in this moment of blissful catharsis. As a character-defining moment, it’s up there with Denis Lavant’s pirouettes at the end of Claire Denis’ Beau Travail. – Leonardo G.
Where to Stream: Hulu
Audrey (Helena Coan)
Despite her status as one of the most iconic movie stars in history,...
Another Round (Thomas Vinterberg)
Superlatives are fatuous, but Mads Mikkelsen’s final dance in Another Round was possibly one of the finest scenes of the year. It is here that Thomas Vinterberg tips his hand: in turns devastating and rambunctious, his latest neither glorifies nor condemns the magic––and sorrows––of day-drinking, but conjures a surprisingly sober study of a midlife crisis, climaxing in this moment of blissful catharsis. As a character-defining moment, it’s up there with Denis Lavant’s pirouettes at the end of Claire Denis’ Beau Travail. – Leonardo G.
Where to Stream: Hulu
Audrey (Helena Coan)
Despite her status as one of the most iconic movie stars in history,...
- 3/19/2021
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
The doings of the international art world often seem arcane and over the top, but never moreso than as depicted in The Man Who Sold His Skin. This is a madly dramatic and engrossing melodrama about a political refugee whose unique predicament bundles with it issues pertaining to personal and political identity, the Middle East quagmire, romantic rejection and the outer limits of art world presumption and extravagance. Tunisia’s shortlisted submission in the International Feature Oscar race is a very tasty couscous of fine ingredients and flat-out entertaining enough to warrant significant international exposure.
Tunisian director-screenwriter Kaouther Ben Hania’s follow-up to her 2017 Cannes Un Certain Regard selection Beauty And The Dogs is notable for its gutsy narrative moves, rich visuals and sheer drive, which marks her, along with her notably resourceful and elegant Lebanese cinematographer Christopher Aoun, as talents who should emerge even more decisively before long.
The...
Tunisian director-screenwriter Kaouther Ben Hania’s follow-up to her 2017 Cannes Un Certain Regard selection Beauty And The Dogs is notable for its gutsy narrative moves, rich visuals and sheer drive, which marks her, along with her notably resourceful and elegant Lebanese cinematographer Christopher Aoun, as talents who should emerge even more decisively before long.
The...
- 3/8/2021
- by Todd McCarthy
- Deadline Film + TV
The Criterion Channel has unveiled their March 2021 lineup, which includes no shortage of remarkable programming. Highlights from the slate include eight gems from Preston Sturges, Elaine May’s brilliant A New Leaf, a series featuring Black Westerns, Ann Hui’s Boat People, the new restoration of Ousmane Sembène’s Mandabi.
They will also add films from their Essential Fellini boxset, series on Dirk Bogarde and Nelly Kaplan, and Luchino Visconti’s The Damned and Death in Venice, and more. In terms of recent releases, there’s also Matthew Rankin’s The Twentieth Century and Claire Denis’ Let the Sunshine In.
Check out the lineup below, along with the teaser for the Black Westerns series. For weekly streaming updates across all services, bookmark this page.
The Adventurer, Charles Chaplin, 1917
Bandini, Bimal Roy, 1963
Behind the Screen, Charles Chaplin, 1916
Black Jack, Ken Loach, 1979
Black Rodeo, Jeff Kanew, 1972
Blood Simple, Joel and Ethan Coen,...
They will also add films from their Essential Fellini boxset, series on Dirk Bogarde and Nelly Kaplan, and Luchino Visconti’s The Damned and Death in Venice, and more. In terms of recent releases, there’s also Matthew Rankin’s The Twentieth Century and Claire Denis’ Let the Sunshine In.
Check out the lineup below, along with the teaser for the Black Westerns series. For weekly streaming updates across all services, bookmark this page.
The Adventurer, Charles Chaplin, 1917
Bandini, Bimal Roy, 1963
Behind the Screen, Charles Chaplin, 1916
Black Jack, Ken Loach, 1979
Black Rodeo, Jeff Kanew, 1972
Blood Simple, Joel and Ethan Coen,...
- 2/26/2021
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
The 2019 Best Picture Oscar winner “Green Book” is back in the conversation as the film’s star Viggo Mortensen starts rolling out his directorial debut “Falling,” where he plays a gay man taking care of his homophobic, ailing father. In “Green Book,” he played the driver of Dr. Don Shirley, the concert pianist played by Mahershala Ali, and some complained that the film played into white savior tropes. Shirley’s family publicly criticized the film as a misrepresentation of their relative, while other critics have condemned “Green Book” as simply the story of a bigot’s (in this case Mortensen’s character) redemption.
But Mortensen has continued to defend the film, and has insisted that it will “stand the test of time” in a new interview with The Film Stage (via The Playlist).
“The dumbass in that story was the white guy,” Mortensen said. “There was a steep learning curve for the character I played.
But Mortensen has continued to defend the film, and has insisted that it will “stand the test of time” in a new interview with The Film Stage (via The Playlist).
“The dumbass in that story was the white guy,” Mortensen said. “There was a steep learning curve for the character I played.
- 2/13/2021
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
The director of Palmer helps us kick off our new season by walking us through some of his favorite movies.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Bloodhounds Of Broadway (1989)
Salvador (1986)
True Believer (1989)
Palmer (2021)
Wonder Wheel (2017)
A Face In The Crowd (1957)
On The Waterfront (1954)
No Time For Sergeants (1958)
The Confidence Man (2018)
Lolita (1962)
Dr. Strangelove (1964)
The Ghost Of Peter Sellers (2018)
The Marrying Man (1991)
The Ruling Class (1972)
The Krays (1990)
Let Him Have It (1991)
The Changeling (1980)
On The Border (1998)
Murder By Decree (1979)
Bigger Than Life (1956)
The Night of the Iguana (1964)
Fat City (1972)
Angel (1984)
Animal House (1978)
My Science Project (1985)
Lucía (1968)
Paper Moon (1973)
Sullivan’s Travels (1941)
The Great McGinty (1940)
I Married A Witch (1942)
Do The Right Thing (1989)
Raging Bull (1980)
Once Upon A Time In America (1984)
The Rider (2017)
The Mustang (2019)
Nomadland (2020)
Murmur of the Heart (1971)
Sweet Smell Of Success (1957)
Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (1939)
Apocalypse Now (1979)
The Conversation (1974)
The Godfather (1972)
The Godfather Part III (1990)
The Magnificent Ambersons...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Bloodhounds Of Broadway (1989)
Salvador (1986)
True Believer (1989)
Palmer (2021)
Wonder Wheel (2017)
A Face In The Crowd (1957)
On The Waterfront (1954)
No Time For Sergeants (1958)
The Confidence Man (2018)
Lolita (1962)
Dr. Strangelove (1964)
The Ghost Of Peter Sellers (2018)
The Marrying Man (1991)
The Ruling Class (1972)
The Krays (1990)
Let Him Have It (1991)
The Changeling (1980)
On The Border (1998)
Murder By Decree (1979)
Bigger Than Life (1956)
The Night of the Iguana (1964)
Fat City (1972)
Angel (1984)
Animal House (1978)
My Science Project (1985)
Lucía (1968)
Paper Moon (1973)
Sullivan’s Travels (1941)
The Great McGinty (1940)
I Married A Witch (1942)
Do The Right Thing (1989)
Raging Bull (1980)
Once Upon A Time In America (1984)
The Rider (2017)
The Mustang (2019)
Nomadland (2020)
Murmur of the Heart (1971)
Sweet Smell Of Success (1957)
Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (1939)
Apocalypse Now (1979)
The Conversation (1974)
The Godfather (1972)
The Godfather Part III (1990)
The Magnificent Ambersons...
- 2/2/2021
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
The Notebook Primer introduces readers to some of the most important figures, films, genres, and movements in film history.Speaking after her tragic death at the age of 33, President Franklin D. Roosevelt testified to the legacy of Carole Lombard. “She is and always will be a star,” he stated in 1942, “one that we shall never forget, nor cease to be grateful to.” Although the president’s words were at least in part influenced by Lombard’s recent patriotic zeal (she died in a plane crash after traveling to sell war bonds), his comments resonated throughout the country, especially Hollywood, where the actress’s impact had been progressively pronounced for years. Her films were like a breath of fresh air to Depression-era audiences, adding silver screen levity to individuals seeking a brief reprieve from day-to-day hardship. By contrast, Lombard’s cinematic sphere was often one of glamour, romance, and, above all,...
- 1/6/2021
- MUBI
Sony Classics’ “The Father” is an act of daring; it could have gone wrong in so many ways, but it works like gangbusters.
The film marks the movie debut of writer-director Florian Zeller, whose background is as a novelist and playwright; in many cases, that would send warning signals.
What’s more, it all takes place in one location, the apartment of Anthony (Anthony Hopkins), so it might have turned out to be a photographed stage play. Third, it toys with the audience, keeping them off-balance about what is real and what’s not.
Those are potential danger areas, but the film is so good that it defies all logic.
Movie adaptations of plays, from Eugene O’Neill to Neil Simon, usually look like filmed theater, and that’s Ok; they’re still enjoyable. But it’s magic when a filmmaker can set his movie in one space, yet it seems like pure cinema.
The film marks the movie debut of writer-director Florian Zeller, whose background is as a novelist and playwright; in many cases, that would send warning signals.
What’s more, it all takes place in one location, the apartment of Anthony (Anthony Hopkins), so it might have turned out to be a photographed stage play. Third, it toys with the audience, keeping them off-balance about what is real and what’s not.
Those are potential danger areas, but the film is so good that it defies all logic.
Movie adaptations of plays, from Eugene O’Neill to Neil Simon, usually look like filmed theater, and that’s Ok; they’re still enjoyable. But it’s magic when a filmmaker can set his movie in one space, yet it seems like pure cinema.
- 12/18/2020
- by Tim Gray
- Variety Film + TV
Review: Billy Wilder's "Five Graves To Cairo" (1943) Starring Franchot Tone; Blu-ray Special Edition
By Raymond Benson
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“Billy Wilder Goes To War”
By Raymond Benson
In 1943, Hollywood churned out dozens of war films in support of the U.S. involvement in the global conflict raging at the time. Many were cheaply made rush jobs, others were good “B” pictures, and a select group were “A” level, excellent pieces of celluloid that are now classics. All were essentially propaganda pictures made to lift the spirits of the American people and the troops who were able to see them. Rah Rah, Let’s Go Get ‘Em!
Billy Wilder, an Austrian Jew who had fled Germany as the Nazis gained power, settled in Hollywood in 1933 after a brief stint in France. He immediately found work as a talented screenwriter, ultimately earning his first Oscar nomination for co-writing Ninotchka (1939). As war heated up in the 1940s, Wilder then became, after the likes of Preston Sturges,...
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“Billy Wilder Goes To War”
By Raymond Benson
In 1943, Hollywood churned out dozens of war films in support of the U.S. involvement in the global conflict raging at the time. Many were cheaply made rush jobs, others were good “B” pictures, and a select group were “A” level, excellent pieces of celluloid that are now classics. All were essentially propaganda pictures made to lift the spirits of the American people and the troops who were able to see them. Rah Rah, Let’s Go Get ‘Em!
Billy Wilder, an Austrian Jew who had fled Germany as the Nazis gained power, settled in Hollywood in 1933 after a brief stint in France. He immediately found work as a talented screenwriter, ultimately earning his first Oscar nomination for co-writing Ninotchka (1939). As war heated up in the 1940s, Wilder then became, after the likes of Preston Sturges,...
- 10/17/2020
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
It’s debatable whether Ethan Hawke has ever given a better performance in his long and impressive career than his turn as abolitionist John Brown in the Showtime miniseries The Good Lord Bird. He’s certainly not given a bigger one.
Brown was a passionate, bordering-on-unhinged opponent of slavery who led the battle through both “bleeding Kansas” and an attempt to rob a federal armory in Harpers Ferry, Virginia. Hawke embodies him underneath a wild, scraggly beard and an even wilder expression in his eyes. This version of Brown — a supporting character in the wild,...
Brown was a passionate, bordering-on-unhinged opponent of slavery who led the battle through both “bleeding Kansas” and an attempt to rob a federal armory in Harpers Ferry, Virginia. Hawke embodies him underneath a wild, scraggly beard and an even wilder expression in his eyes. This version of Brown — a supporting character in the wild,...
- 9/25/2020
- by Alan Sepinwall
- Rollingstone.com
The Lady Eve
Blu ray
Criterion
1941/ 94 min.
Starring Barbara Stanwyck, Henry Fonda, William Demarest
Cinematography by Victor Milner
Directed by Preston Sturges
In The Lady Eve a wealthy ophiologist named Charlie Pike and a sexy card shark named Jean Harrington fall in love. It’s a rapid-fire romance fueled by equal portions of love and lust and when the affair crashes and burns, director Preston Sturges simply restarts the movie: Jean reintroduces herself to Charlie as a British socialite named Eve and la affaire d’amour begins anew. The brazenness of her charade is part and parcel of Sturges’s own impudent take on the Human Comedy – the result is a screwball work of art.
Henry Fonda is Charlie and Barbara Stanwyck plays Jean – they meet aboard a cruise ship where Jean’s father, an avuncular but remorseless con man played by Charles Coburn, has pigeonholed Charlie as a sucker par excellence.
Blu ray
Criterion
1941/ 94 min.
Starring Barbara Stanwyck, Henry Fonda, William Demarest
Cinematography by Victor Milner
Directed by Preston Sturges
In The Lady Eve a wealthy ophiologist named Charlie Pike and a sexy card shark named Jean Harrington fall in love. It’s a rapid-fire romance fueled by equal portions of love and lust and when the affair crashes and burns, director Preston Sturges simply restarts the movie: Jean reintroduces herself to Charlie as a British socialite named Eve and la affaire d’amour begins anew. The brazenness of her charade is part and parcel of Sturges’s own impudent take on the Human Comedy – the result is a screwball work of art.
Henry Fonda is Charlie and Barbara Stanwyck plays Jean – they meet aboard a cruise ship where Jean’s father, an avuncular but remorseless con man played by Charles Coburn, has pigeonholed Charlie as a sucker par excellence.
- 7/25/2020
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
If you’re looking to dive into the best of independent and foreign filmmaking, The Criterion Channel has announced their August 2020 lineup. The impressive slate includes retrospectives dedicated to Mia Hansen-Løve, Bill Gunn, Stephen Cone, Terry Gilliam, Wim Wenders, Alain Delon, Bill Plympton, Les Blank, and more.
In terms of new releases, they also have Kleber Mendonça Filho and Juliano Dornelles’ Bacurau, the fascinating documentary John McEnroe: In the Realm of Perfection, the Kenyan LGBTQ drama Rafiki, and more. There’s also a series on Australian New Wave with films by Gillian Armstrong, Bruce Beresford, David Gulpilil, and Peter Weir, as well as one on bad vacations with Joanna Hogg’s Unrelated, Ben Wheatley’s Sightseers, and more.
See the lineup below and explore more on their platform. One can also see our weekly streaming picks here.
25 Ways to Quit Smoking, Bill Plympton, 1989
The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T, Roy Rowland,...
In terms of new releases, they also have Kleber Mendonça Filho and Juliano Dornelles’ Bacurau, the fascinating documentary John McEnroe: In the Realm of Perfection, the Kenyan LGBTQ drama Rafiki, and more. There’s also a series on Australian New Wave with films by Gillian Armstrong, Bruce Beresford, David Gulpilil, and Peter Weir, as well as one on bad vacations with Joanna Hogg’s Unrelated, Ben Wheatley’s Sightseers, and more.
See the lineup below and explore more on their platform. One can also see our weekly streaming picks here.
25 Ways to Quit Smoking, Bill Plympton, 1989
The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T, Roy Rowland,...
- 7/24/2020
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
I had the chance to speak to Tom Sturges, the son of director Preston Sturges, to converse about the comically inclined films of his auteur father whose works came to define American cinema and sentiments of the 1940s. For the occasion of the Criterion Collection’s re-release of the 1941 classic The Lady Eve on Blu-ray (which is also a newly restored 4K digital transfer), Sturges shared illuminating asides about how his father’s personal experiences shaped some aspects of the film (which are also detailed in his 2019 publication Preston Sturges: The Last Years of Hollywood’s First Writer-Director).…...
- 7/17/2020
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
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“Pratfalls And A Zoom Supplement”
By Raymond Benson
The brilliance of Preston Sturges’ brilliant screwball comedy aside, what is striking about the new Blu-ray edition of the filmmaker’s 1941 The Lady Eve from The Criterion Collection is the supplement that is a Zoom conversation between Tom Sturges (Preston’s son), filmmakers Peter Bogdanovich, James L. Brooks, and Ron Shelton, and critics Leonard Maltin, Kenneth Turan, and Susan King. While it’s unclear if this is the first acknowledgment of the Covid-19 pandemic in the production of home video supplementary features, this reviewer found the inclusion to be revelatory. How amazing it is to see these personages in the Brady Bunch-style squares all discussing Sturges and the film, and mirroring what many of us are doing while working at home. At one point, Brooks’ internet connection fails and his image freezes. All the others...
“Pratfalls And A Zoom Supplement”
By Raymond Benson
The brilliance of Preston Sturges’ brilliant screwball comedy aside, what is striking about the new Blu-ray edition of the filmmaker’s 1941 The Lady Eve from The Criterion Collection is the supplement that is a Zoom conversation between Tom Sturges (Preston’s son), filmmakers Peter Bogdanovich, James L. Brooks, and Ron Shelton, and critics Leonard Maltin, Kenneth Turan, and Susan King. While it’s unclear if this is the first acknowledgment of the Covid-19 pandemic in the production of home video supplementary features, this reviewer found the inclusion to be revelatory. How amazing it is to see these personages in the Brady Bunch-style squares all discussing Sturges and the film, and mirroring what many of us are doing while working at home. At one point, Brooks’ internet connection fails and his image freezes. All the others...
- 7/16/2020
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
The stumbling block for political satire is that it’s almost always partisan — which is great if it flatters your views, and grating if it doesn’t. But not for Jon Stewart. In his first writing-directing gig since 2014’s docudrama Rosewater, the former late-night fixture ingeniously makes it impossible to take sides … since both sides totally suck. As host of The Daily Show between 1999 and 2015, Stewart knew that the only way to deal with the toxic mix of politics, media, and money afflicting the body politic was to resist. Or...
- 6/23/2020
- by Peter Travers
- Rollingstone.com
“Irresistible” is the second film written and directed by Jon Stewart, but unlike the first, the deadly serious and surprisingly accomplished true-life Iranian prison drama “Rosewater” (2014), this one comes straight out of Stewart’s satirical-political wheelhouse. Set shortly after the 2016 presidential election, it’s a close-to-the-bone tall tale — slightly exaggerated but still basically plausible — of what happens when America’s two ruling political parties descend upon the rural heartland of Deerlaken, Wisconsin, to take over a small-town election for mayor.
At the center of the movie is a cynical sharpie of a campaign consultant, Gary Zimmer (Steve Carell), who combines the philosophy of a liberal, the high-maintenance fussiness of an East Coast lifestyle elitist, and the do-what-it-takes amorality of a corporate sociopath. He’s just coming off his time as “the grand consigliere” of Hillary Clinton’s failed presidential bid, and like most Democrats he’s in a slight state...
At the center of the movie is a cynical sharpie of a campaign consultant, Gary Zimmer (Steve Carell), who combines the philosophy of a liberal, the high-maintenance fussiness of an East Coast lifestyle elitist, and the do-what-it-takes amorality of a corporate sociopath. He’s just coming off his time as “the grand consigliere” of Hillary Clinton’s failed presidential bid, and like most Democrats he’s in a slight state...
- 6/22/2020
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
John Hughes’ breakthrough writing-directing hit still carries a glow that defuses its rougher edges, making it one of the best of ’80s Teen comedies. Even the savvy Soraya Roberts cuts it some slack, thanks to the authentic presence and fine performance of Molly Ringwald. Hughes’ amusing script comes up with at least ten moments that would have made Preston Sturges laugh, and his perfect casting for personalities young and old makes his direction look inspired. With great turns by Anthony Michael Hall, Haviland Morris, Debbie Pollack, Gedde Watanabe, Paul Dooley, and Michael Schoeffling.
Sixteen Candles
Special Collector’s Edition Blu-ray
Arrow Video
1984 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 94, 92 min. / Street Date April 14, 2020 / Available from Arrow Video / 18.99
Starring: Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, Justin Henry, Michael Schoeffling, Haviland Morris, Gedde Watanabe, Paul Dooley, Carlin Glynn, Blanche Baker, Edward Andrews, Carole Cook, Max Showalter, John Cusack, Debbie Pollack, Joan Cusack, Brian Doyle-Murray, Jami Gertz, John Kapelos,...
Sixteen Candles
Special Collector’s Edition Blu-ray
Arrow Video
1984 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 94, 92 min. / Street Date April 14, 2020 / Available from Arrow Video / 18.99
Starring: Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, Justin Henry, Michael Schoeffling, Haviland Morris, Gedde Watanabe, Paul Dooley, Carlin Glynn, Blanche Baker, Edward Andrews, Carole Cook, Max Showalter, John Cusack, Debbie Pollack, Joan Cusack, Brian Doyle-Murray, Jami Gertz, John Kapelos,...
- 6/6/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Destry Rides Again
Blu ray
Criterion
1939 / 1.33:1/ 95 min.
Starring Marlene Dietrich, James Stewart
Cinematography by Hal Mohr
Directed by George Marshall
America’s favorite boy next door meets the Weimar Republic’s preeminent vamp in George Marshall’s Destry Rides Again. James Stewart plays Tom Destry, the self-effacing straight-shooter who cleans up a lawless backwater burg without firing a shot – almost. Marlene Dietrich is Frenchy, a world-weary chanteuse who rules the roost at the town’s only waterhole, the Last Chance saloon. Their relationship is more heated than the volatile town itself but after the final punch is thrown their bond is deeper than any typical Hollywood romance.
Marshall’s comic horse opera was released by Universal in 1939 and like so many of that studio’s horror films of the era, it opens with a slow pan over a moonlit graveyard with more than its fair share of tombstones. Instead...
Blu ray
Criterion
1939 / 1.33:1/ 95 min.
Starring Marlene Dietrich, James Stewart
Cinematography by Hal Mohr
Directed by George Marshall
America’s favorite boy next door meets the Weimar Republic’s preeminent vamp in George Marshall’s Destry Rides Again. James Stewart plays Tom Destry, the self-effacing straight-shooter who cleans up a lawless backwater burg without firing a shot – almost. Marlene Dietrich is Frenchy, a world-weary chanteuse who rules the roost at the town’s only waterhole, the Last Chance saloon. Their relationship is more heated than the volatile town itself but after the final punch is thrown their bond is deeper than any typical Hollywood romance.
Marshall’s comic horse opera was released by Universal in 1939 and like so many of that studio’s horror films of the era, it opens with a slow pan over a moonlit graveyard with more than its fair share of tombstones. Instead...
- 5/23/2020
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
In any other year, this space would be reserved for a preview of potential summer hits: Black Widow, A Quiet Place Part II, Top Gun: Maverick, Wes Anderson’s A-list comedy The French Dispatch. Now the pandemic has chased these films deep into the fall and next winter, when audiences might feel safer about crowding into a cineplex. Other films were sheltered in place and shuffled into next year. So scratch the chance to see F9, the latest chapter in the Fast & Furious franchise, in 2020; ditto Jungle Cruise, starring the Rock and Emily Blunt,...
- 5/12/2020
- by Peter Travers
- Rollingstone.com
A never ending mission to save the world featuring Ron Perlman, Peter Ramsey, James Adomian, Will Menaker, and Blaire Bercy from the Hollywood Food Coalition.
Please support the Hollywood Food Coalition. Text “Give” to 323.402.5704 or visit https://hofoco.org/donate!
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Karado: The Kung Fu Flash a.k.a. Karado: The Kung Fu Cat a.k.a. The Super Kung Fu Kid (1974)
Sullivan’s Travels (1941)
The Best Years Of Our Lives (1946)
Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (1939)
Nobody’s Fool (1994)
The Hustler (1961)
Elmer Gantry (1960)
Mean Dog Blues (1978)
Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse (2018)
Mona Lisa (1986)
The Crying Game (1992)
The Hairdresser’s Husband (1990)
Ridicule (1996)
Man on the Train (2002)
The Girl on the Bridge (1999)
Pale Flower (1964)
Out of the Past (1947)
The Lunchbox (2013)
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)
The Last Boy Scout (1991)
Raw Deal (1986)
Commando (1985)
The Masque of the Red Death (1964)
The Last Man On Earth (1964)
Invasion of the Body Snatchers...
Please support the Hollywood Food Coalition. Text “Give” to 323.402.5704 or visit https://hofoco.org/donate!
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Karado: The Kung Fu Flash a.k.a. Karado: The Kung Fu Cat a.k.a. The Super Kung Fu Kid (1974)
Sullivan’s Travels (1941)
The Best Years Of Our Lives (1946)
Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (1939)
Nobody’s Fool (1994)
The Hustler (1961)
Elmer Gantry (1960)
Mean Dog Blues (1978)
Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse (2018)
Mona Lisa (1986)
The Crying Game (1992)
The Hairdresser’s Husband (1990)
Ridicule (1996)
Man on the Train (2002)
The Girl on the Bridge (1999)
Pale Flower (1964)
Out of the Past (1947)
The Lunchbox (2013)
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)
The Last Boy Scout (1991)
Raw Deal (1986)
Commando (1985)
The Masque of the Red Death (1964)
The Last Man On Earth (1964)
Invasion of the Body Snatchers...
- 4/24/2020
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
We already got details on The Criterion Collection’s major release this July–a seven-disc Bruce Lee box set–but that’s not all of the cinematic goodness they will be serving up this summer.
They’ve now unveiled the rest of their July releases, some of which are Blu-ray upgrades, including the Abbas Kiarostami masterpiece Taste of Cherry and their first Netflix release, Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story.
Also in the lineup is the Preston Sturges classic screwball comedy The Lady Eve, starring Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda as well as Byron Haskin’s Technicolor adaptation of H. G. Wells’s The War of the Worlds. Check out full details on all the releases below.
Taste of Cherry
The first Iranian film to win the Palme d’Or, this austere, emotionally complex drama by the great Abbas Kiarostami follows the middle-aged Mr. Badii (Homayoun Ershadi) as he drives around...
They’ve now unveiled the rest of their July releases, some of which are Blu-ray upgrades, including the Abbas Kiarostami masterpiece Taste of Cherry and their first Netflix release, Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story.
Also in the lineup is the Preston Sturges classic screwball comedy The Lady Eve, starring Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda as well as Byron Haskin’s Technicolor adaptation of H. G. Wells’s The War of the Worlds. Check out full details on all the releases below.
Taste of Cherry
The first Iranian film to win the Palme d’Or, this austere, emotionally complex drama by the great Abbas Kiarostami follows the middle-aged Mr. Badii (Homayoun Ershadi) as he drives around...
- 4/15/2020
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
When a neighbour offered up DVDs of a trio of classic films, our writer discovered that amid the laughter they forced him to think about sexual, social and political attitudes
Read all the What I’m really watching choicesThe best arts and entertainment during self-isolation
How to fill the evenings in these desolate times? A colleague told me she will be delving into her BFI playlist of Ingmar Bergman and Werner Herzog. I hope to emulate her ambition, but I was even more thrilled when a kindly cineaste neighbour turned up at my door with DVDs of a trio of Hollywood comedies: Design for Living (1933) directed by Ernst Lubitsch and two Preston Sturges classics, The Lady Eve (1941) and Hail the Conquering Hero (1944).
For a few happy hours, I was able to suspend the feelings of dread and boredom we are all currently experiencing. Watching them on successive evenings, I was struck by several things.
Read all the What I’m really watching choicesThe best arts and entertainment during self-isolation
How to fill the evenings in these desolate times? A colleague told me she will be delving into her BFI playlist of Ingmar Bergman and Werner Herzog. I hope to emulate her ambition, but I was even more thrilled when a kindly cineaste neighbour turned up at my door with DVDs of a trio of Hollywood comedies: Design for Living (1933) directed by Ernst Lubitsch and two Preston Sturges classics, The Lady Eve (1941) and Hail the Conquering Hero (1944).
For a few happy hours, I was able to suspend the feelings of dread and boredom we are all currently experiencing. Watching them on successive evenings, I was struck by several things.
- 4/13/2020
- by Michael Billington
- The Guardian - Film News
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