Few directors reach the sort of stardom where their names are thrown on billboards. A Nolan or a Tarantino or a Peele become brands in and of themselves, while the other 99% bubble quietly under the surface; reliable journeymen, gallantly plugging away at the nuts and bolts of what used to be the mid-budget feature scene. These are the filmmakers who not only set the pace, but who change the very language of a genre too, consistently firing out exciting, crowd-pleasing, attention-grabbing stuff, year after year, decade after decade. Creative puppet masters living behind the scenes; their movies aren’t as stylistically loud, but their generation-spanning oeuvres are just as (if not more) legendary.
Don Siegel, J. Lee Thompson, Mary Lambert, Renny Harlin, Jonathan Demme, Doug Liman, John Frankenheimer – even just picking a handful of names at random gives you a who’s-who of filmmakers responsible for some of the most...
Don Siegel, J. Lee Thompson, Mary Lambert, Renny Harlin, Jonathan Demme, Doug Liman, John Frankenheimer – even just picking a handful of names at random gives you a who’s-who of filmmakers responsible for some of the most...
- 5/22/2024
- by Ben Robins
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
"The Wicker Man" is the gold standard of occult horror. Police Sergeant Neil Howie (Edward Woodward), a God-fearing Englishman, arrives on the island of Summerisle to investigate the reported disappearance of a young girl. Howie soon discovers the islanders are pagans and spends the movie angrily berating them. Soon, it becomes clear the cultural differences are more sinister than the proper way to worship.
The islanders' crops are failing, so Lord Summerisle (Christopher Lee) has plotted a virgin sacrifice to appease their gods. No one ever said the virgin had to be a young girl; no, it's the unmarried Howie, who is burned to death in an excruciating sequence as the Summerisle villagers sing.
Despite being underserved by producer/distributor British Lion Films (to the point where Lee had to promote the film on his own time), "The Wicker Man" is now regarded as a horror classic. 2023 was the 50th anniversary of "The Wicker Man,...
The islanders' crops are failing, so Lord Summerisle (Christopher Lee) has plotted a virgin sacrifice to appease their gods. No one ever said the virgin had to be a young girl; no, it's the unmarried Howie, who is burned to death in an excruciating sequence as the Summerisle villagers sing.
Despite being underserved by producer/distributor British Lion Films (to the point where Lee had to promote the film on his own time), "The Wicker Man" is now regarded as a horror classic. 2023 was the 50th anniversary of "The Wicker Man,...
- 5/4/2024
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
During a Distribution Advocates podcast recording at Hot Docs, producer/director Amy Hobby announced a new documentary $200,000 grant called The Marketing Innovations Fund, which will go to independent distributors.
Hobby co-founded Distribution Advocates in 2020 alongside Abby Sun, Avril Speaks, Carlos Gutierrez and Karin Chien. The organization “works to collectively reclaim power for independent storytellers in the current systems of distribution and exhibition.”
The Marketing Innovations Fund launches in August and will provide grants between $5,000 and $50,000. That money will go to independent distributors working with film teams to supercharge audience growth for a wide range of docus. The grants are aimed at encouraging experimentation and innovation in reaching ticket buyers. The number of releases supported each year will vary and depend on applications. This year Fund money will help between four and 15 releases.
“Our goal is to inject much needed capital and resources into an anemic marketplace and ultimately to inspire...
Hobby co-founded Distribution Advocates in 2020 alongside Abby Sun, Avril Speaks, Carlos Gutierrez and Karin Chien. The organization “works to collectively reclaim power for independent storytellers in the current systems of distribution and exhibition.”
The Marketing Innovations Fund launches in August and will provide grants between $5,000 and $50,000. That money will go to independent distributors working with film teams to supercharge audience growth for a wide range of docus. The grants are aimed at encouraging experimentation and innovation in reaching ticket buyers. The number of releases supported each year will vary and depend on applications. This year Fund money will help between four and 15 releases.
“Our goal is to inject much needed capital and resources into an anemic marketplace and ultimately to inspire...
- 5/4/2024
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
As filmmakers start to incorporate more generative artificial intelligence into documentary production, leading to mounting concern over the use of “fake archival” materials, a group of producers is pushing ahead in their efforts to establish guardrails around the use of the technology in fact-based storytelling.
On Tuesday, leaders of the Archival Producers Alliance — a group of roughly 300 researchers and producers working in documentary internationally, including Oscar- and Emmy-winning filmmakers — presented their first draft of a set of proposed best practices for the use of generative AI in their field. (Archival producers find and license appropriate archival materials like historical photos and video footage for nonfiction projects.) During the session at the International Documentary Association’s biennial Getting Real Conference in Los Angeles, APA founders Rachel Antell and Jennifer Petrucelli (Crip Camp) and Stephanie Jenkins (Muhammad Ali) presented an initial outline for how filmmakers might handle consent, primary sources and transparency...
On Tuesday, leaders of the Archival Producers Alliance — a group of roughly 300 researchers and producers working in documentary internationally, including Oscar- and Emmy-winning filmmakers — presented their first draft of a set of proposed best practices for the use of generative AI in their field. (Archival producers find and license appropriate archival materials like historical photos and video footage for nonfiction projects.) During the session at the International Documentary Association’s biennial Getting Real Conference in Los Angeles, APA founders Rachel Antell and Jennifer Petrucelli (Crip Camp) and Stephanie Jenkins (Muhammad Ali) presented an initial outline for how filmmakers might handle consent, primary sources and transparency...
- 4/17/2024
- by Katie Kilkenny
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The 1973 folk horror movie "The Wicker Man" is a terrifying trip into the potential dangers of religious fanaticism, but it was also pretty perilous to film as well. Some of the actors felt like making the movie was almost as horrifying as the movie itself due to miserable, wet Scotland weather and the film's dramatic climax that ends in human sacrifice. Actor Edward Woodward wasn't actually burned alive, of course, though his character, Sergeant Howie is trapped inside a massive wicker man effigy and lit aflame, and it was still pretty scary filming that scene because fire can be unpredictable. Perhaps even more unpredictable, however? Goats. There may be no creature on this earth more unpredictable, and in proper goat fashion, one of them was a real problem on the set of the most pivotal scene in "The Wicker Man."
It's pretty close to impossible to make a folk horror...
It's pretty close to impossible to make a folk horror...
- 4/6/2024
- by Danielle Ryan
- Slash Film
When the National Press Club hosted a post-screening panel on the upcoming movie Anna, about Russian journalist and Vladimir Putin critic Anna Politkovskaya, the conversation — to not much of a surprise — led to Donald Trump and what his potential return to the White House would mean for democracy.
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-ca) and former CIA director John Brennan joined journalist Bob Woodward for the post-screening event Wednesday evening, and each chimed in on the potential impact of another Trump presidency.
Woodward, who released 20 audio interviews with Trump as part of The Trump Tapes in 2022, said, “I think an important question about Trump is, ‘Who is he?'”
“In the course of these interviews I asked him, ‘What’s the job of the president?’ And he said, ‘To protect the people.’ Now that’s a good answer. He did not protect the people [in the Covid crisis]. And if you get into this — I think...
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-ca) and former CIA director John Brennan joined journalist Bob Woodward for the post-screening event Wednesday evening, and each chimed in on the potential impact of another Trump presidency.
Woodward, who released 20 audio interviews with Trump as part of The Trump Tapes in 2022, said, “I think an important question about Trump is, ‘Who is he?'”
“In the course of these interviews I asked him, ‘What’s the job of the president?’ And he said, ‘To protect the people.’ Now that’s a good answer. He did not protect the people [in the Covid crisis]. And if you get into this — I think...
- 3/21/2024
- by Ted Johnson
- Deadline Film + TV
Two-time Academy Award winner Anthony Hopkins has signed on to star in Eyes in the Trees, a reimagining of H.G. Wells’ The Island of Dr. Moreau, which is co-written by “The Bay” and “Days of Our Lives” actor Mike Manning.
According to Deadline, Hopkins will portray a geneticist who has been isolated after the government stopped funding his research following the violent outbreak of one of his test subjects. Later, two renowned filmmakers and their crew embark on a journey of discovery, only to find their excursion turned into a fight for survival for themselves and the entire human race.
First published in 1896 by Wells, several adaptations of “The Island of Dr. Moreau” have since followed, including 1932’s “Island of Los Souls” and the a 1977 film “The Island of Dr. Moreau,” which starred actor Burt Lancaster. More recently, Marlon Brando and Val Kilmer starred in a 1996 film version heavily...
According to Deadline, Hopkins will portray a geneticist who has been isolated after the government stopped funding his research following the violent outbreak of one of his test subjects. Later, two renowned filmmakers and their crew embark on a journey of discovery, only to find their excursion turned into a fight for survival for themselves and the entire human race.
First published in 1896 by Wells, several adaptations of “The Island of Dr. Moreau” have since followed, including 1932’s “Island of Los Souls” and the a 1977 film “The Island of Dr. Moreau,” which starred actor Burt Lancaster. More recently, Marlon Brando and Val Kilmer starred in a 1996 film version heavily...
- 3/16/2024
- by Errol Lewis
- Soap Opera Network
On Jan. 12, screenwriter Simon Stephenson sent an email to the Writers Guild of America’s senior director of credits Lesley Mackey asking to set up a call to discuss an important matter. The CAA-repped writer, whose credits include Pixar’s “Luca” and StudioCanal’s “Paddington 2,” wrote, “I’ve encountered a credits-related issue on quite a high profile WGA-covered project.” According to the email exchange reviewed by Variety, a call between the two took place, and, in a follow-up missive, Stephenson wrote, “the evidence the holdovers screenplay has been plagiarised line-by-line from frisco is genuinely overwhelming – anybody who looks at even the briefest sample pretty much invariably uses the word ‘brazen.’”
Stephenson was referring to his own screenplay “Frisco,” a drama centered on a world-weary middle-aged children’s doctor and the 15-year-old patient he gets stuck looking after, and David Hemingson’s “The Holdovers” — a drama revolving around a...
Stephenson was referring to his own screenplay “Frisco,” a drama centered on a world-weary middle-aged children’s doctor and the 15-year-old patient he gets stuck looking after, and David Hemingson’s “The Holdovers” — a drama revolving around a...
- 3/9/2024
- by Tatiana Siegel
- Variety Film + TV
The 1996 version of The Island of Dr. Moreau, which was directed by John Frankenheimer (who replaced Richard Stanley after half a week of filming), is a well-known disaster, but that was just one of many cinematic adaptations H.G. Wells’ 1896 novel has received over the years. That novel has inspired the 1932 classic Island of Lost Souls, 1959’s Terror Is a Man, 1972’s The Twilight People, a 1977 film that actually kept the The Island of Dr. Moreau title, the Full Moon production Dr. Moreau’s House of Pain, and more. Now we can add another title to the list, as Deadline reports that Academy Award winner Anthony Hopkins has signed on to star in the The Island of Dr. Moreau reimagining Eyes in the Trees.
Timothy Woodward Jr., who most recently directed the horror comedy Til Death Do Us Part, will be directing Eyes in the Trees from a screenplay by...
Timothy Woodward Jr., who most recently directed the horror comedy Til Death Do Us Part, will be directing Eyes in the Trees from a screenplay by...
- 3/6/2024
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Exclusive: After taking on Sigmund Freud in Sony Pictures Classics’ Freud’s Last Session, Academy Award winner has been set to star in Eyes in the Trees, a reimagining of the classic H.G. Wells novel The Island of Dr. Moreau, from director Timothy Woodward Jr.
In the film, Hopkins portrays a geneticist who has been isolated after the government stopped funding his research following the violent outbreak of one of his test subjects. Later, two renowned filmmakers and their crew embark on a journey of discovery, only to find their excursion turned into a fight for survival for not just themselves, but the entire human race.
A seminal work of science fiction published in 1896, The Island of Dr. Moreau has inspired numerous screen adaptations over the years, including 1932’s Island of Lost Souls and 1977’s The Island of Dr. Moreau starring Burt Lancaster. Most famous among them is the 1996 film of the same name,...
In the film, Hopkins portrays a geneticist who has been isolated after the government stopped funding his research following the violent outbreak of one of his test subjects. Later, two renowned filmmakers and their crew embark on a journey of discovery, only to find their excursion turned into a fight for survival for not just themselves, but the entire human race.
A seminal work of science fiction published in 1896, The Island of Dr. Moreau has inspired numerous screen adaptations over the years, including 1932’s Island of Lost Souls and 1977’s The Island of Dr. Moreau starring Burt Lancaster. Most famous among them is the 1996 film of the same name,...
- 3/6/2024
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Joanne Woodward and her husband Paul Newman were one of Hollywood’s golden couples. Both together and separately the actors contributed to some of the most iconic films ever made. Although she has retreated from public life in recent years due to health concerns, her relevance remains strong. Allison Janney made a special point of thanking her when she won her Best Supporting Actress Oscar for “I, Tonya.”
Woodward started her career on the New York stage and studied at two of New York’s leading acting schools of the day — the Neighborhood Playhouse and the Actors Studio. Success then came to her quite quickly when she won an Oscar for “The Three Faces of Eve,” which was only her third film. She would go on to earn three more Oscar nominations as Best Actress in the subsequent years of her 40-year film career.
Her film career slowed down a...
Woodward started her career on the New York stage and studied at two of New York’s leading acting schools of the day — the Neighborhood Playhouse and the Actors Studio. Success then came to her quite quickly when she won an Oscar for “The Three Faces of Eve,” which was only her third film. She would go on to earn three more Oscar nominations as Best Actress in the subsequent years of her 40-year film career.
Her film career slowed down a...
- 2/23/2024
- by Robert Pius, Misty Holland and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
When Babe Paley meets Truman Capote for the first time in 1955 in the FX anthology series “Feud: Capote vs. The Swans,” it is the story of Ann Woodward that the famous writer tells in order to captivate her and her luminous friends. As Tom Hollander relishes one of Capote’s many rich monologues, we see Demi Moore as Woodward playing out two versions of the gruesome tale of the death of her husband – one in which she mistakenly shoots him, thinking he’s a burglar, the other in which she commits an act of intention homicide.
When, by the end of the premiere episode, Capote publishes his infamous excerpt from the unfinished novel “Answered Prayers” in “Esquire” in 1975, it is Woodward who takes her own life. While not one of the most prominent characters in the show, Woodward and her demise demonstrate the stakes of the feud at the heart of the series’ title.
When, by the end of the premiere episode, Capote publishes his infamous excerpt from the unfinished novel “Answered Prayers” in “Esquire” in 1975, it is Woodward who takes her own life. While not one of the most prominent characters in the show, Woodward and her demise demonstrate the stakes of the feud at the heart of the series’ title.
- 2/15/2024
- by David Buchanan
- Gold Derby
More than 13 years after government minister Jeremy Hunt stood up in Parliament to announce the abolition of the UK Film Council (UKFC), the body held its first reunion.
Around 80 former staff members – who worked for the organisation at some point over its existence from creation by Tony Blair’s Labour government in 2000 to final unwinding in 2011 – came together at London’s Century Club on Wednesday evening (January 31).
A speech from John Woodward – who served as UKFC chief executive throughout its existence – gave the event its focal point. While wishing to avoid “nostalgia”, which he defined as a classical Greek word...
Around 80 former staff members – who worked for the organisation at some point over its existence from creation by Tony Blair’s Labour government in 2000 to final unwinding in 2011 – came together at London’s Century Club on Wednesday evening (January 31).
A speech from John Woodward – who served as UKFC chief executive throughout its existence – gave the event its focal point. While wishing to avoid “nostalgia”, which he defined as a classical Greek word...
- 2/2/2024
- ScreenDaily
Being one of Truman Capote’s Swans may have looked glamorous from the outside, but underneath the shiny exterior of high society life, all was not what it seemed.
Perhaps none were more troubled than Ann Woodward, a former showgirl who shot and killed her husband in 1955. She told the police that she presumed her husband was a burglar, and the shooting was ruled accidental by a grand jury. That wasn’t enough to stop rumors from swirling about the circumstances of her husband’s death, including gossip that came from Capote himself.
“In truth, I didn’t really know anything about Ann going into this outside of just this very kind of externalized idea of Truman having written about this woman,” Demi Moore, who plays Woodward in FX’s Feud: Capote vs. The Swans, told Deadline. “Until I really started to dive in, I didn’t know anything about her.
Perhaps none were more troubled than Ann Woodward, a former showgirl who shot and killed her husband in 1955. She told the police that she presumed her husband was a burglar, and the shooting was ruled accidental by a grand jury. That wasn’t enough to stop rumors from swirling about the circumstances of her husband’s death, including gossip that came from Capote himself.
“In truth, I didn’t really know anything about Ann going into this outside of just this very kind of externalized idea of Truman having written about this woman,” Demi Moore, who plays Woodward in FX’s Feud: Capote vs. The Swans, told Deadline. “Until I really started to dive in, I didn’t know anything about her.
- 2/1/2024
- by Katie Campione
- Deadline Film + TV
Released by a train crash, a mysterious creature rampages through a small Ohio town. The military is on its trail, the local authorities are overwhelmed, and a group of local kids… who planned to spend their summer making a zombie movie… take it upon themselves to figure out what’s going on. That’s the set-up for director J.J. Abrams’ 2011 film Super 8 (watch it Here) – and it’s time for it to be Revisited.
Like many aspiring filmmakers, J.J. Abrams started making movies at a young age, casting his friends and shooting on Super 8 film. As a teenager, he was able to participate in a young filmmakers’ festival in Los Angeles. Newspaper coverage of that festival caught the attention of one of Abrams’ heroes, another director who had gotten started making Super 8 movies when he was young: Steven Spielberg. Although Abrams and Spielberg didn’t meet at that time,...
Like many aspiring filmmakers, J.J. Abrams started making movies at a young age, casting his friends and shooting on Super 8 film. As a teenager, he was able to participate in a young filmmakers’ festival in Los Angeles. Newspaper coverage of that festival caught the attention of one of Abrams’ heroes, another director who had gotten started making Super 8 movies when he was young: Steven Spielberg. Although Abrams and Spielberg didn’t meet at that time,...
- 1/30/2024
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Babe Paley, Slim Keith and C.Z. Guest are a few of the iconic jet-set women who conjure images of wealth, glamour, high society … and Truman Capote. Known as “The Swans,” they dominated New York society, with the acclaimed author of Breakfast at Tiffany’s a part of their inner circle.
Ryan Murphy’s second installment of his Feud anthology, FX’s Feud: Capote vs. The Swans centers on the author’s complex relationship with the socialites, which was upended with his 1975 Esquire article “La Côte Basque, 1965.” Capote’s exposure of their secrets — including intimating that Babe Paley’s husband, CBS’ Bill Paley, had an affair with the wife of New York’s governor — led to a fallout and Capote’s subsequent tumble off the Manhattan social ladder.
“Everything had to have a feeling of wealth and glamour. Everything was perfectly groomed and polished,” says Lou Eyrich, the series’ costume designer,...
Ryan Murphy’s second installment of his Feud anthology, FX’s Feud: Capote vs. The Swans centers on the author’s complex relationship with the socialites, which was upended with his 1975 Esquire article “La Côte Basque, 1965.” Capote’s exposure of their secrets — including intimating that Babe Paley’s husband, CBS’ Bill Paley, had an affair with the wife of New York’s governor — led to a fallout and Capote’s subsequent tumble off the Manhattan social ladder.
“Everything had to have a feeling of wealth and glamour. Everything was perfectly groomed and polished,” says Lou Eyrich, the series’ costume designer,...
- 1/28/2024
- by Cathy Whitlock
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Willa, Astrakan Film and Cold Iron Pictures are set to join Argonauts Productions to produce “The Boy With the Light Blue Eyes,” a coming-of-age queer Greek tragedy.
Written by Thanasis Neofotistos and Grigoris Skarakis, and to be directed by Neofotistos as his debut feature, “The Boy With the Light Blue Eyes” follows teenager Peter as he navigates the suffocating confines of his superstitious and traditional Greek village community.
Peter is born with light blue eyes in a village that considers them a threat, but only his mother knows. She decides to cover their color with a mask at all times, claiming a threatening eye condition. In this blissful ignorance, Peter and his best friend Aemon embark on an adventure through which Peter learns the painful truth about his eyes and the lies he has been told.
The project participated in Cannes Focus CoPro, and the script has been developed through the Mediterranean Film Institute,...
Written by Thanasis Neofotistos and Grigoris Skarakis, and to be directed by Neofotistos as his debut feature, “The Boy With the Light Blue Eyes” follows teenager Peter as he navigates the suffocating confines of his superstitious and traditional Greek village community.
Peter is born with light blue eyes in a village that considers them a threat, but only his mother knows. She decides to cover their color with a mask at all times, claiming a threatening eye condition. In this blissful ignorance, Peter and his best friend Aemon embark on an adventure through which Peter learns the painful truth about his eyes and the lies he has been told.
The project participated in Cannes Focus CoPro, and the script has been developed through the Mediterranean Film Institute,...
- 1/23/2024
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Oscar-winning legend Paul Newman appeared in dozens of films throughout his lengthy career, but how many of those titles are classics? Let’s take a look back at 20 of Newman’s greatest movies, ranked worst to best.
For years Newman was the perpetual Oscar bridesmaid, racking up failed Best Actor nominations for “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” (1958), “The Hustler” (1961), “Hud” (1963), “Cool Hand Luke” (1967), “Absence of Malice” (1981), and “The Verdict” (1982), as well as a Best Picture bid for producing “Rachel, Rachel” (1968). The Academy handed him an Honorary Award in 1985, only to give him a competitive prize the very next year for “The Color of Money” (1986). He scored subsequent bids in lead for “Nobody’s Fool” (1994) and supporting for “Road to Perdition” (2002).
The actor enjoyed a lengthy career behind the camera as well, winning the Golden Globe and competing at the Directors Guild Awards for helming “Rachel, Rachel,” which brought his wife,...
For years Newman was the perpetual Oscar bridesmaid, racking up failed Best Actor nominations for “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” (1958), “The Hustler” (1961), “Hud” (1963), “Cool Hand Luke” (1967), “Absence of Malice” (1981), and “The Verdict” (1982), as well as a Best Picture bid for producing “Rachel, Rachel” (1968). The Academy handed him an Honorary Award in 1985, only to give him a competitive prize the very next year for “The Color of Money” (1986). He scored subsequent bids in lead for “Nobody’s Fool” (1994) and supporting for “Road to Perdition” (2002).
The actor enjoyed a lengthy career behind the camera as well, winning the Golden Globe and competing at the Directors Guild Awards for helming “Rachel, Rachel,” which brought his wife,...
- 1/19/2024
- by Zach Laws and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
A home where Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward once lived in the early 1960s is set to hit the market in Beverly Hills to the tune of $7.99 million.
Woodward (who turned 93 this year) and Newman were photographed in the house a few years after their marriage in 1958 by the New York Daily News. In the shots, the young couple were captured snuggling on a couch, hanging out and enjoying drinks at the home’s bar, relaxing in an armchair and chatting on the telephone. In one photo, Newman goofed around, sitting on the tricycle of one of their daughters.
Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward in their rented Beverly Hills home in 1962.
The estate is currently owned by Taylor Anne Crichton, daughter of the late author Michael Crichton, and is nestled high up in Beverly Hills, not far from Mulholland Drive.
Set on 1.2 acres of lush green landscaping, the gated Colonial...
Woodward (who turned 93 this year) and Newman were photographed in the house a few years after their marriage in 1958 by the New York Daily News. In the shots, the young couple were captured snuggling on a couch, hanging out and enjoying drinks at the home’s bar, relaxing in an armchair and chatting on the telephone. In one photo, Newman goofed around, sitting on the tricycle of one of their daughters.
Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward in their rented Beverly Hills home in 1962.
The estate is currently owned by Taylor Anne Crichton, daughter of the late author Michael Crichton, and is nestled high up in Beverly Hills, not far from Mulholland Drive.
Set on 1.2 acres of lush green landscaping, the gated Colonial...
- 12/9/2023
- by Degen Pener
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A classic film that not only endures but continues to inspire half a century later is a true marvel. Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, The Wicker Man helped popularize the folk horror genre that continues to flourish with the likes of Midsommar, The Witch, and The Ritual. Its impact extends beyond cinema, from inspiring Radiohead (“Burn the Witch”) and Iron Maiden (“The Wicker Man”) songs to being included in the 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony.
In the film, Sergeant Neil Howie travels from the mainland to the Scottish island of Summerisle to investigate the disappearance of a young girl. The devout Christian is appalled to learn that the islanders practice a form of paganism characterized by blasphemous beliefs, degeneracy, doublespeak, and peculiar customs. Like The Bride of Frankenstein, the namesake doesn’t show up until the final moments of the film, but it leaves an indelible impression long after the credits roll.
In the film, Sergeant Neil Howie travels from the mainland to the Scottish island of Summerisle to investigate the disappearance of a young girl. The devout Christian is appalled to learn that the islanders practice a form of paganism characterized by blasphemous beliefs, degeneracy, doublespeak, and peculiar customs. Like The Bride of Frankenstein, the namesake doesn’t show up until the final moments of the film, but it leaves an indelible impression long after the credits roll.
- 11/3/2023
- by Alex DiVincenzo
- bloody-disgusting.com
Robin Hardy’s folk horror classic The Wicker Man introduces its protagonist, Sergeant Neil Howie (Edward Woodward), in only a few short scenes that sketch him as a devout Christian and religious conservative. As he takes the sacrament and sings hymns in a small Scottish church, he appears to be in his element but nonetheless uncomfortable. He’s a man who looks petrified to touch any surface of the material world lest it corrupt his being.
One quickly knows everything about how Howie regards the world. This allows The Wicker Man, as written by Anthony Shaffer, to swiftly upend the man’s sense of reality when the police officer flies out to the remote Hebridean town of Summerisle to investigate a missing persons case and discovers that all of the hamlet’s residents practice a pre-Christian form of paganism.
The film lays the town’s practices out in the open,...
One quickly knows everything about how Howie regards the world. This allows The Wicker Man, as written by Anthony Shaffer, to swiftly upend the man’s sense of reality when the police officer flies out to the remote Hebridean town of Summerisle to investigate a missing persons case and discovers that all of the hamlet’s residents practice a pre-Christian form of paganism.
The film lays the town’s practices out in the open,...
- 10/18/2023
- by Jake Cole
- Slant Magazine
Chicago – As the leaves begin to crunch beneath our feet, the Fall 2023 Chicago Humanities Festival – ongoing since September – will kick into gear in October with an amazing line-up of celebrity and talkback events. For a complete list and guide to the Festival, click Chicago Humanities.
Photographer Joe Arce has captured Exclusive Portraits beforehand with some of the celebrity attendees. They are pictured below with a link to their event (Click the headline name) and a short description. The 2023 Fall Chicago Humanities Festival takes place through November 17th.
Keegan-michael Key, October 5th
Keegan-Michael Key
Photo credit: Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com
An Evening With Keegan-michael Key and Elle Key is connected to their critically acclaimed podcast of the same name. Plus they are sharing their new book “The History of Sketch Comedy: A Journey Through the Art and Craft of Humor.” The book will take readers on a...
Photographer Joe Arce has captured Exclusive Portraits beforehand with some of the celebrity attendees. They are pictured below with a link to their event (Click the headline name) and a short description. The 2023 Fall Chicago Humanities Festival takes place through November 17th.
Keegan-michael Key, October 5th
Keegan-Michael Key
Photo credit: Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com
An Evening With Keegan-michael Key and Elle Key is connected to their critically acclaimed podcast of the same name. Plus they are sharing their new book “The History of Sketch Comedy: A Journey Through the Art and Craft of Humor.” The book will take readers on a...
- 10/2/2023
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Image Source: Everett Collection
It's been nearly five years since "The Equalizer 2" hit theaters, and on Sept. 1, Denzel Washington is returning to the big screen as Robert McCall in the action-packed "The Equalizer 3." The film, which also stars Dakota Fanning, is the third installment of the film series featuring Washington and the fifth in the Equalizer franchise, which includes the 1985 and 2021 TV shows. The original show premiered in 1985 and starred Edward Woodward as Robert McCall, a former covert operations officer turned private detective who uses his specialized training and skills to solve the problems of his clients and bring perpetrators to justice.
After the first "Equalizer" TV series ended in 1989, it inspired the 2014 film adaptation with Washington, as well as the reboot series featuring Queen Latifah as Robyn McCall, a woman version of the famous vigilante. Unlike the previous films in the Equalizer film series, "The Equalizer 3...
It's been nearly five years since "The Equalizer 2" hit theaters, and on Sept. 1, Denzel Washington is returning to the big screen as Robert McCall in the action-packed "The Equalizer 3." The film, which also stars Dakota Fanning, is the third installment of the film series featuring Washington and the fifth in the Equalizer franchise, which includes the 1985 and 2021 TV shows. The original show premiered in 1985 and starred Edward Woodward as Robert McCall, a former covert operations officer turned private detective who uses his specialized training and skills to solve the problems of his clients and bring perpetrators to justice.
After the first "Equalizer" TV series ended in 1989, it inspired the 2014 film adaptation with Washington, as well as the reboot series featuring Queen Latifah as Robyn McCall, a woman version of the famous vigilante. Unlike the previous films in the Equalizer film series, "The Equalizer 3...
- 9/1/2023
- by Alicia Geigel
- Popsugar.com
What happens when you combine a Christian nationalist musician and a disgraced former state representative-turned-pastor accused of domestic terrorism? According to local lawmakers and faith leaders in Washington state, it’s a recipe for “bigotry” cloaked “in religious language.”
Controversy has erupted in Spokane after Mayor Nadine Woodward appeared at a “Let Us Worship” event on Aug. 20, hosted by Christian singer Sean Feucht with special guest Matt Shea, a former state representative in Washington accused of domestic terrorism. The mayor’s appearance alongside Shea, as well as comments made by...
Controversy has erupted in Spokane after Mayor Nadine Woodward appeared at a “Let Us Worship” event on Aug. 20, hosted by Christian singer Sean Feucht with special guest Matt Shea, a former state representative in Washington accused of domestic terrorism. The mayor’s appearance alongside Shea, as well as comments made by...
- 8/28/2023
- by Nikki McCann Ramirez
- Rollingstone.com
In a summer of many misses, “Sound of Freedom” has become a major and unlikely box office hit, making a sequel seem a foregone conclusion. But who exactly holds the rights to tackle a new outing? Well, it’s complicated.
A representative for producer Mike Ilitch Jr. told Variety that her client signed a deal with Tim Ballard, the anti-human trafficking activist who is the subject of the breakout film, “for exclusive life rights” and that the pair recently began developing a follow-up. Ilitch Jr., the son of Mike Ilitch, billionaire owner of Little Caesars Pizza, wasn’t going to stop there. He also planned a scripted series and a docuseries about Ballard’s various missions rescuing children from sexual exploitation.
The “Sound of Freedom” franchise plan also included leveraging an unnamed Ballard nonprofit and other nongovernmental organizations “to provide targeted resources, specific calls to action and further real-life and...
A representative for producer Mike Ilitch Jr. told Variety that her client signed a deal with Tim Ballard, the anti-human trafficking activist who is the subject of the breakout film, “for exclusive life rights” and that the pair recently began developing a follow-up. Ilitch Jr., the son of Mike Ilitch, billionaire owner of Little Caesars Pizza, wasn’t going to stop there. He also planned a scripted series and a docuseries about Ballard’s various missions rescuing children from sexual exploitation.
The “Sound of Freedom” franchise plan also included leveraging an unnamed Ballard nonprofit and other nongovernmental organizations “to provide targeted resources, specific calls to action and further real-life and...
- 8/23/2023
- by Tatiana Siegel
- Variety Film + TV
A new filing in Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago documents case revealed that a key witness to the prosecution retracted several false statements given to investigators after switching from an attorney paid for by the former president’s Pac to a public defender. The retraction enabled the Justice Department to level additional charges against Trump, his longtime aide Walt Nauta, and indict a second Mar-a-Lago employee in July.
According to the Tuesday filing, the director of information technology for Mar-a-Lago — identified as Yuscil Taveras by various outlets — “repeatedly denied or claimed...
According to the Tuesday filing, the director of information technology for Mar-a-Lago — identified as Yuscil Taveras by various outlets — “repeatedly denied or claimed...
- 8/23/2023
- by Nikki McCann Ramirez
- Rollingstone.com
Utopia has acquired U.S. distribution rights to “Another Body,” the SXSW Special Jury Award-winning documentary exploring the growing threat of online deepfake pornography.
“Another Body,” which is presented by the Oscar-winning Impact Partners, tells the story of a college student’s search for answers and justice after she discovers deepfake pornography of herself circulating online. The film marks the feature debut of Sophie Compton and Reuben Hamlyn, who also produced alongside Elizabeth Woodward at U.S.-based banner Willa. The doc will also be released by Willa via its newly launched distribution division focusing on impact content.
Utopia and Willa are planning a theatrical run this fall in New York, Los Angeles and across key markets in the U.S., with a day-and-date roll out on digital streaming platforms. The release will include events with special guests and Q&As, and a network of audience engagement partners. Woodward previously...
“Another Body,” which is presented by the Oscar-winning Impact Partners, tells the story of a college student’s search for answers and justice after she discovers deepfake pornography of herself circulating online. The film marks the feature debut of Sophie Compton and Reuben Hamlyn, who also produced alongside Elizabeth Woodward at U.S.-based banner Willa. The doc will also be released by Willa via its newly launched distribution division focusing on impact content.
Utopia and Willa are planning a theatrical run this fall in New York, Los Angeles and across key markets in the U.S., with a day-and-date roll out on digital streaming platforms. The release will include events with special guests and Q&As, and a network of audience engagement partners. Woodward previously...
- 8/18/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Sam Lipman-Stern was 14, he’d just dropped out of ninth grade, and he needed a job stat. There wasn’t a host of options for an underage kid in New Jersey in terms of gainful employment, and his main interests at the time — skating, graffiti, filming his friends on his camcorder — weren’t necessarily gateways to a paying gig. But his parents told him that if he left high school, he would need to work, full stop. And then Sam heard about the Civic Development Group.
The telemarketing firm, commonly referred to as CDG,...
The telemarketing firm, commonly referred to as CDG,...
- 8/13/2023
- by David Fear
- Rollingstone.com
The Emmy backstage press room is not necessarily known for its hard-hitting journalism. As the winners take to the mic, beaming from ear to ear as they clutch their brand new statuettes, they’re expecting softballs. And most of the time that’s what they get. Every once in a while, things get heated: I still remember, years ago, “Mad About You” star Helen Hunt getting testy with a reporter who dared ask about the end of the show.
Keeping that in mind, there I was once again backstage last year in the press room when I realized that no one else was going to ask a similar question to the “Ted Lasso” cast and producers. Having won back-to-back Emmys for outstanding comedy, “Ted Lasso” was on a roll. And yet, there were already signals that “Ted Lasso” might wrap after a third and final season. So, I asked star Jason Sudeikis that question.
Keeping that in mind, there I was once again backstage last year in the press room when I realized that no one else was going to ask a similar question to the “Ted Lasso” cast and producers. Having won back-to-back Emmys for outstanding comedy, “Ted Lasso” was on a roll. And yet, there were already signals that “Ted Lasso” might wrap after a third and final season. So, I asked star Jason Sudeikis that question.
- 8/10/2023
- by Michael Schneider
- Variety Film + TV
Like the teenager shown at the beginning of the film, The Appointment simply vanished one day. This British, made-for-tv rarity was essentially the pilot for a potential series of telefilms called A Step in the Wrong Direction. The first and only project produced by First Principle Film — formed by Tom Sachs, Ken Julian, and Lindsey C. Vickers — was financed by the National Coal Board Pension Fund. And Vickers would have helmed several more episodes after The Appointment, but alas, plans for a whole series fizzled out. The first entry, however, had already been completed. The film was instead released on home video in 1982, only to then fall through the cracks in the years that followed.
Those lucky enough to have grown up with video shops might have spotted The Appointment on Betamax or VHS, but digitized copies were, for the longest time, the only way of watching this hidden gem.
Those lucky enough to have grown up with video shops might have spotted The Appointment on Betamax or VHS, but digitized copies were, for the longest time, the only way of watching this hidden gem.
- 7/28/2023
- by Paul Lê
- bloody-disgusting.com
‘Girls Of The Sun’ filmmaker Eva Husson will direct the five-part series
Nicola Shindler’s Quay Street Productions is teaming with Tanya Seghatchian and John Woodward’s UK outfit Brightstar to produce a five-part series called Playdate based on Alex Dahl’s novel of the same name for Disney+ UK. French filmmaker Eva Husson, whose credits include Cannes 2021 title Girls Of The Sun, will direct.
Playdate tells the story of a mother-of-two whose world is turned upside down when she agrees to let her nine-year-old daughter have a sleepover at her new best friend’s house. When she goes to...
Nicola Shindler’s Quay Street Productions is teaming with Tanya Seghatchian and John Woodward’s UK outfit Brightstar to produce a five-part series called Playdate based on Alex Dahl’s novel of the same name for Disney+ UK. French filmmaker Eva Husson, whose credits include Cannes 2021 title Girls Of The Sun, will direct.
Playdate tells the story of a mother-of-two whose world is turned upside down when she agrees to let her nine-year-old daughter have a sleepover at her new best friend’s house. When she goes to...
- 6/27/2023
- by Marian McHugh Broadcast
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Disney+ is moving into the contemporary UK thriller space with the greenlight of a series based on Alex Dahl’s parents-worst-nightmare novel Playdate.
The Power of the Dog and It’s a Sin producers Tanya Seghatchian, John Woodward and Nicola Shindler are combining to produce the five-parter, which comes from the decorated trio’s Brightstar and Quay Street Productions and will commence filming in the UK and France over the summer. Palme d’Or nominee Eva Husson is directing and Hijack’s Catherine Moulton is writing. Casting is yet to be announced.
In Playdate, a seemingly ordinary decision turns the world of Elisa, mum to two young kids, upside down. When Elisa’s nine-year-old daughter asks to go on an overnight playdate with her new best friend, Elisa agrees. But when she says goodnight to her daughter, she has no idea that she is about to be thrust into every parent’s worst nightmare,...
The Power of the Dog and It’s a Sin producers Tanya Seghatchian, John Woodward and Nicola Shindler are combining to produce the five-parter, which comes from the decorated trio’s Brightstar and Quay Street Productions and will commence filming in the UK and France over the summer. Palme d’Or nominee Eva Husson is directing and Hijack’s Catherine Moulton is writing. Casting is yet to be announced.
In Playdate, a seemingly ordinary decision turns the world of Elisa, mum to two young kids, upside down. When Elisa’s nine-year-old daughter asks to go on an overnight playdate with her new best friend, Elisa agrees. But when she says goodnight to her daughter, she has no idea that she is about to be thrust into every parent’s worst nightmare,...
- 6/27/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
A new season of The Wicker Man is upon us. The classic 1973 horror film, which is arguably the best-known of three British films from its era that embody “folk horror” (the others being Witchfinder General and Blood on Satan’s Claw), is returning to UK cinemas for one night on June 21 in a special new 4K remastered version of the “Final Cut,” complete with re-edited footage deleted from the original, troubled theatrical release.
Following that, the three existing versions of the film (The Wicker Man may rival Blade Runner in the department of different cuts), all in 4K Uhd, will be released in an exclusive 50th anniversary collector’s edition on Sept. 4. The five-disc set will also contain a bevy of goodies, including new essays, an EP of music, and plenty of other bonus content.
Despite a turbulent production and initial release, The Wicker Man has only grown in stature over...
Following that, the three existing versions of the film (The Wicker Man may rival Blade Runner in the department of different cuts), all in 4K Uhd, will be released in an exclusive 50th anniversary collector’s edition on Sept. 4. The five-disc set will also contain a bevy of goodies, including new essays, an EP of music, and plenty of other bonus content.
Despite a turbulent production and initial release, The Wicker Man has only grown in stature over...
- 6/20/2023
- by Don Kaye
- Den of Geek
Kelley Kali’s Jagged Mind is a unique kind of erotic thriller. Not only does the film focus on a lesbian couple, Kali and writer Allyson Morgan broach a subject rarely seen in queer cinema: domestic abuse. The film approaches its weighty topic with urgency and graveness, but the distinct genre elements make everything more digestible.
Much like its basis, Morgan’s short film First Date, Jagged Mind shows the lengths some people will go to to be with the person they love. Or more accurately, the person they are obsessed with. Unlike other thrillers, though, this one features a time loop. The audience is thrown in head first as the main character, Billie (played by Maisie Richardson-Sellers), almost immediately experiences another blackout. Billie is clueless apart from a troubling sense of déjà vu, however viewers will quickly figure out what (or who) is behind this strange malady.
Relationship woes...
Much like its basis, Morgan’s short film First Date, Jagged Mind shows the lengths some people will go to to be with the person they love. Or more accurately, the person they are obsessed with. Unlike other thrillers, though, this one features a time loop. The audience is thrown in head first as the main character, Billie (played by Maisie Richardson-Sellers), almost immediately experiences another blackout. Billie is clueless apart from a troubling sense of déjà vu, however viewers will quickly figure out what (or who) is behind this strange malady.
Relationship woes...
- 6/14/2023
- by Paul Lê
- bloody-disgusting.com
Hulu got a taste of great things to come with 20th Digital Studio’s “Bite Size Halloween,” and now, one of the first films in their nine-horror feature partnership is here: “Jagged Mind,” a queer psychological thriller starring Maisie Richardson-Sellers and Shannon Woodward. While the film has its world premiere at the American Black Film Festival on June 14–June 18 in Miami Beach, viewers all across the U.S. will be able to watch it on Hulu on Thursday, June 15. You can watch Jagged Mind with a 30-Day Free Trial of Hulu.
How to Watch ‘Jagged Mind’ When: Wednesday, June 14, 2023 Where: Hulu Stream: Watch with a 30-Day Free Trial of Hulu. 30-Day Free Trial$7.99+ / month hulu.com About ‘Jagged Mind’
Maisie Richardson-Sellers and Shannon Woodward lead the cast of “Jagged Mind,” the latest horror collaboration between 20th Digital Studio and Hulu Originals.
Written by Allyson Morgan and helmed by “I’m...
How to Watch ‘Jagged Mind’ When: Wednesday, June 14, 2023 Where: Hulu Stream: Watch with a 30-Day Free Trial of Hulu. 30-Day Free Trial$7.99+ / month hulu.com About ‘Jagged Mind’
Maisie Richardson-Sellers and Shannon Woodward lead the cast of “Jagged Mind,” the latest horror collaboration between 20th Digital Studio and Hulu Originals.
Written by Allyson Morgan and helmed by “I’m...
- 6/14/2023
- by Ashley Steves
- The Streamable
Documentarian Emily Wachtel met Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward when she was two years old. They were neighbors in Westport. Conn, the dearest of family friends. “I knew them my whole life,” says Wachtel. “They are the reason I am in film.”
Wachtel, producer of CNN Films for Max’s six-part docuseries “The Last Movie Stars,” which paints a sweeping, intimate, romantic portrait of the life, love and careers of Newman and Woodward, describes her childhood with the famed couple as if something out of a suburban New England dream.
“They were incredible people,” says Wachtel. “I was so young when I met them, and I didn’t understand what a movie star was at the time. But part of that is because they were so real. They’d pick you up to go to birthday parties, Joanne made sweaters. They had this big, beautiful barn on the property and...
Wachtel, producer of CNN Films for Max’s six-part docuseries “The Last Movie Stars,” which paints a sweeping, intimate, romantic portrait of the life, love and careers of Newman and Woodward, describes her childhood with the famed couple as if something out of a suburban New England dream.
“They were incredible people,” says Wachtel. “I was so young when I met them, and I didn’t understand what a movie star was at the time. But part of that is because they were so real. They’d pick you up to go to birthday parties, Joanne made sweaters. They had this big, beautiful barn on the property and...
- 6/10/2023
- by Malina Saval
- Variety Film + TV
Curated by the IndieWire Crafts team, Craft Considerations is a platform for filmmakers to talk about recent work we believe is worthy of awards consideration. In partnership with HBO, for this edition, we look at how the team behind “White House Plumbers” found a way to marry comedy, history, and the paranoid atmosphere of 1970s political thrillers.
There’s a scene in Episode 4 of “White House Plumbers” where Howard Hunt (Woody Harrelson), one of the masterminds behind the Watergate break-in, receives a call from reporter Bob Woodward. It’s the other side of the exact phone call dramatized from Woodward’s perspective in “All the President’s Men” — the 1976 movie about how Woodward and Carl Bernstein’s reporting helped bring down Hunt, his partner-in-crime G. Gordon Liddy (Justin Theroux), and the Nixon White House.
“I like to think of [‘White House Plumbers’] as existing almost in parallel to ‘All the President’s Men,’” said director...
There’s a scene in Episode 4 of “White House Plumbers” where Howard Hunt (Woody Harrelson), one of the masterminds behind the Watergate break-in, receives a call from reporter Bob Woodward. It’s the other side of the exact phone call dramatized from Woodward’s perspective in “All the President’s Men” — the 1976 movie about how Woodward and Carl Bernstein’s reporting helped bring down Hunt, his partner-in-crime G. Gordon Liddy (Justin Theroux), and the Nixon White House.
“I like to think of [‘White House Plumbers’] as existing almost in parallel to ‘All the President’s Men,’” said director...
- 5/31/2023
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
This story about “The Last Movie Stars” originally appeared in the Race Begins issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine.
As actor-director Ethan Hawke was working on “The Last Movie Stars,” he showed a rough cut of the six-part Max docuseries about Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward to his mom. She told him, “Well, you managed to make two of the greatest icons of my life completely human. Though I’m not sure if anybody’s gonna like that.” Although “The Last Movie Stars” is chock-full of clips from Newman and Woodward films, the series beautifully folds in themes of family, betrayal, aging, grief and healing. We spoke with Hawke about his labor of love.
Ethan Hawke (Getty Images)
The series is so artful and impressionistic, but it’s also impressive as an act of profile journalism. What was that like for you?
Years ago I wrote a profile of Kris Kristofferson for Rolling Stone,...
As actor-director Ethan Hawke was working on “The Last Movie Stars,” he showed a rough cut of the six-part Max docuseries about Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward to his mom. She told him, “Well, you managed to make two of the greatest icons of my life completely human. Though I’m not sure if anybody’s gonna like that.” Although “The Last Movie Stars” is chock-full of clips from Newman and Woodward films, the series beautifully folds in themes of family, betrayal, aging, grief and healing. We spoke with Hawke about his labor of love.
Ethan Hawke (Getty Images)
The series is so artful and impressionistic, but it’s also impressive as an act of profile journalism. What was that like for you?
Years ago I wrote a profile of Kris Kristofferson for Rolling Stone,...
- 5/29/2023
- by Joe McGovern
- The Wrap
Gurinder Chadha revealed that Harrison Ford had an unknowing effect on her ability to get UK hit film Bend it Like Beckham off the ground when she made it two decades ago. At the time, the director was struggling to get financing from any of the UK public film funding bodies so she could make her now treasured film about a young British-Indian girl with a talent for soccer but whose family wouldn’t permit her to play.
Speaking at the annual Winston Baker International Film Finance Forum in Cannes, in partnership with the Marché du Film, she told delegates how difficult it was to get the film off the ground.
“I had been struggling to make this film because I really believed the world was changing at this point and I believed that my cultural paradigm was relevant and I was fresh and new to British film makers,” she said.
Speaking at the annual Winston Baker International Film Finance Forum in Cannes, in partnership with the Marché du Film, she told delegates how difficult it was to get the film off the ground.
“I had been struggling to make this film because I really believed the world was changing at this point and I believed that my cultural paradigm was relevant and I was fresh and new to British film makers,” she said.
- 5/25/2023
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
50 years after its release and filmmakers, including Ari Aster, Mark Jenkin, Ben Wheatley, and Robert Eggers, continue to draw direct inspiration from Robin Hardy’s folk horror freak-out The Wicker Man. To celebrate its half-a-century milestone, the film has been given a 4K restoration and will hit theaters in the U.S. beginning on July 7. Ahead of the release, a new trailer has now arrived for the film starring Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee, and Britt Ekland.
This restoration was scanned in 4K by Silver Salt Restoration UK, from the original 35mm negative. A second-generation 35mm intermediate positive produced in 1973 was used to replace a small section with unrepairable damage in the original negative. The additional footage is sourced from 35mm prints, which are the only known sources for this material. Colour grading and restoration were completed by Silver Salt Restoration UK who dedicated over 500 hours to fix physical damage to the 35mm negative,...
This restoration was scanned in 4K by Silver Salt Restoration UK, from the original 35mm negative. A second-generation 35mm intermediate positive produced in 1973 was used to replace a small section with unrepairable damage in the original negative. The additional footage is sourced from 35mm prints, which are the only known sources for this material. Colour grading and restoration were completed by Silver Salt Restoration UK who dedicated over 500 hours to fix physical damage to the 35mm negative,...
- 5/12/2023
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
In All the President’s Men, the iconic 1976 film about how reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein broke the Watergate scandal and brought down the entire Richard Nixon presidency, Woodward’s inside source, nicknamed Deep Throat, famously says, “Forget the myths the media’s created about the White House. The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand.”
The new HBO miniseries White House Plumbers takes five hours conveying this idea that William Goldman’s Oscar-winning Atpm script got across in a couple of sentences.
The new HBO miniseries White House Plumbers takes five hours conveying this idea that William Goldman’s Oscar-winning Atpm script got across in a couple of sentences.
- 5/1/2023
- by Alan Sepinwall
- Rollingstone.com
In Hollywood history, no Oscar-winning couple has earned greater admiration than Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. The actors who were married for 50 years before Newman’s death in 2008 are the subject of the six-part CNN Films/HBO Max documentary series The Last Movie Stars, directed by Ethan Hawke, himself a four-time Oscar nominee.
“I’ve dedicated my life to this profession, and they are kind of the high-water mark of what can be achieved,” Hawke said as he appeared along with his filmmaking team at Deadline’s Contenders Television: Documentary + Unscripted event. “A lot of the stories of great artists — a lot of them end tragically. So it was really fun to study two people who continued to develop, and they became better at their craft and became better citizens and better parents.”
The Woodward-Newman love affair was not uncomplicated. When they first met and fell passionately for each other,...
“I’ve dedicated my life to this profession, and they are kind of the high-water mark of what can be achieved,” Hawke said as he appeared along with his filmmaking team at Deadline’s Contenders Television: Documentary + Unscripted event. “A lot of the stories of great artists — a lot of them end tragically. So it was really fun to study two people who continued to develop, and they became better at their craft and became better citizens and better parents.”
The Woodward-Newman love affair was not uncomplicated. When they first met and fell passionately for each other,...
- 4/29/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
The horror film “Jagged Mind,” starring Maisie Richardson-Sellers and Shannon Woodward, from 20th Digital Studio and Hulu Originals will world premiere at the American Black Film Festival in Miami Beach.
The festival runs June 14 to June 18. The film will debut exclusively on Hulu on June 15 and on Disney+ (via Star) internationally at a later date.
Directed by Kelley Kali (“I’m Fine (Thanks for Asking)”), “Jagged Mind” is about a woman plagued by blackouts and strange visions that lead her to discover she’s stuck in a series of time loops, possibly related to her mysterious new girlfriend. Richardson-Sellers stars as “Billie,” alongside Woodward as her girlfriend “Alex”.
Kali was tapped to direct this feature based off the short film “First Date,” which was included in the first season of 20th Digital Studio’s “Bite Size Halloween.” The feature, now titled “Jagged Mind,” is written by Allyson Morgan (“Sitting”). “Jagged Mind...
The festival runs June 14 to June 18. The film will debut exclusively on Hulu on June 15 and on Disney+ (via Star) internationally at a later date.
Directed by Kelley Kali (“I’m Fine (Thanks for Asking)”), “Jagged Mind” is about a woman plagued by blackouts and strange visions that lead her to discover she’s stuck in a series of time loops, possibly related to her mysterious new girlfriend. Richardson-Sellers stars as “Billie,” alongside Woodward as her girlfriend “Alex”.
Kali was tapped to direct this feature based off the short film “First Date,” which was included in the first season of 20th Digital Studio’s “Bite Size Halloween.” The feature, now titled “Jagged Mind,” is written by Allyson Morgan (“Sitting”). “Jagged Mind...
- 4/20/2023
- by William Earl
- Variety Film + TV
Donald Trump may have stumbled onto a novel copyright issue.
On Jan. 30, the ever-litigious Trump sued Bob Woodward and his publisher Simon & Schuster over the public release of audio recordings from their interviews for Woodward’s book, aptly titled The Trump Tapes. More than eight hours of excerpts from the interviews were published in October as an audiobook, and Trump says he’s entitled to all or most of those profits because he only granted Woodward permission to use his responses in a book. The former president asked for a court order declaring that he owns the copyright to the recordings or, at least, to his responses to the questions in the back-and-forth.
Woodward, in his motion for dismissal, argues that Trump’s claim fails because he hasn’t obtained the requisite copyright registration. While few courts have addressed interview ownership, he also argues it’s “obvious that ownership vests in the journalist,...
On Jan. 30, the ever-litigious Trump sued Bob Woodward and his publisher Simon & Schuster over the public release of audio recordings from their interviews for Woodward’s book, aptly titled The Trump Tapes. More than eight hours of excerpts from the interviews were published in October as an audiobook, and Trump says he’s entitled to all or most of those profits because he only granted Woodward permission to use his responses in a book. The former president asked for a court order declaring that he owns the copyright to the recordings or, at least, to his responses to the questions in the back-and-forth.
Woodward, in his motion for dismissal, argues that Trump’s claim fails because he hasn’t obtained the requisite copyright registration. While few courts have addressed interview ownership, he also argues it’s “obvious that ownership vests in the journalist,...
- 4/17/2023
- by Winston Cho
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Movie star John Wayne rightfully received a lot of criticism for racist statements that he made over the years. His harmful words ultimately overshadowed his monumental career in Western and war movies. So much so, that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences asked Wayne to present the Oscar for Best Actress on March 26, 1958.
John Wayne said racist statements in his 1971 Playboy interview John Wayne | Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Wayne said racist statements in his 1971 Playboy interview that will always haunt his memory. He wasn’t very fond of Native Americans, calling them selfish for not sharing their land. The actor didn’t think white folks did anything wrong by taking the country.
Additionally, Wayne had negative statements about Black people. Perhaps the most infamous part of the interview saw him admit, “I believe in white supremacy until the Blacks are educated to a point of responsibility.”
These...
John Wayne said racist statements in his 1971 Playboy interview John Wayne | Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Wayne said racist statements in his 1971 Playboy interview that will always haunt his memory. He wasn’t very fond of Native Americans, calling them selfish for not sharing their land. The actor didn’t think white folks did anything wrong by taking the country.
Additionally, Wayne had negative statements about Black people. Perhaps the most infamous part of the interview saw him admit, “I believe in white supremacy until the Blacks are educated to a point of responsibility.”
These...
- 3/26/2023
- by Jeff Nelson
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
A sign of a great historical film is one that makes the audience forget they know how it will end. The ship isn’t going to stay afloat in “Titanic.” Woodward and Bernstein will figure out how to bust open the story of Watergate in “All the President’s Men.” King George will address the nation in “The King’s Speech.” But all those movies leave their viewers enthralled by the stories’ twists and dynamic characters, making the certainty of the outcome secondary to what they’re watching unfold. Director Ben Affleck’s “Air” never quite does that — mostly due to choices in the script and direction — but it controls enough of the audience’s attention and provokes enough wonderment to deliver a solidly entertaining two hours.
In 1984, Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon) oversees scouting basketball talent for Nike sponsorship. At the time, the sneaker company was primarily known as shoes for runners with its basketball division dwindling.
In 1984, Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon) oversees scouting basketball talent for Nike sponsorship. At the time, the sneaker company was primarily known as shoes for runners with its basketball division dwindling.
- 3/19/2023
- by Rob Dean
- The Wrap
In 1962, Loretta McLaughlin, a reporter at the Boston Record-American, noticed a small item buried on page five of a local paper. It detailed the murder of a woman who had been found strangled in her apartment. Something about this seems familiar to McLaughlin, who digs through some old clippings and finds a story about a widow who’d also been strangled in a different neighborhood. The details of the crimes are oddly similar. She’s been itching to get away from the lifestyle desk and get her hands on a good,...
- 3/18/2023
- by David Fear
- Rollingstone.com
On March 12, once the curtain comes down on the 95th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre, the must-stop afterparty will just be getting started for Oscar nominees — winners and losers alike. This year marks the 65th anniversary of the Governors Ball, but it wasn’t always a coveted invitation — or even a tradition. The first Academy Awards statuettes were handed out in 1929 at a banquet in the Blossom Room of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, but the annual banquet was discontinued during the war years and, by 1958, the ceremony had migrated farther down Hollywood Boulevard to the Pantages Theatre. This meant that once the show was over, the stars were left to fend for themselves. So that year, the Academy charged actor and future California senator George Murphy with chairing a post-Oscars dinner dance, which would take place at the Beverly Hilton hotel. Its venue has changed over the years, but...
- 3/12/2023
- by Gregg Kilday
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
“Mike Judge’s Beavis and Butt-Head” returns to Paramount+ for its second season, beginning with two episodes on Thursday, April 20.
According to Paramount+, Beavis and Butt-Head will “triumphantly return as two guys who like things that are cool and don’t like things that suck.” Ahead of the Season 2 premiere, fans can check out “Beavis and Butt-head Do the Universe,” the 1996 movie “Beavis and Butt-Head Do America” and the remastered versions of the original MTV series all on Paramount+.
Judge executive produces the series alongside Lew Morton, Michael Rotenberg, Chris Prynoski, Shannon Prynoski, Ben Kalina and Antonio Canobbio for Titmouse.
Watch below for the “Beavis and Butt-Head” teaser.
Also in today’s TV news:
Casting
Mattel announced Melissa Benoist will voice heroine Teela in “Masters of the Universe: Revolution,” a sequel to Netflix’s “Masters of the Universe: Revelation.”
Benoist joins the cast after her run as Supergirl in CW...
According to Paramount+, Beavis and Butt-Head will “triumphantly return as two guys who like things that are cool and don’t like things that suck.” Ahead of the Season 2 premiere, fans can check out “Beavis and Butt-head Do the Universe,” the 1996 movie “Beavis and Butt-Head Do America” and the remastered versions of the original MTV series all on Paramount+.
Judge executive produces the series alongside Lew Morton, Michael Rotenberg, Chris Prynoski, Shannon Prynoski, Ben Kalina and Antonio Canobbio for Titmouse.
Watch below for the “Beavis and Butt-Head” teaser.
Also in today’s TV news:
Casting
Mattel announced Melissa Benoist will voice heroine Teela in “Masters of the Universe: Revolution,” a sequel to Netflix’s “Masters of the Universe: Revelation.”
Benoist joins the cast after her run as Supergirl in CW...
- 3/9/2023
- by Charna Flam and Julia MacCary
- Variety Film + TV
Joanne Woodward is an iconic American actress, known for her many award-winning performances. She has starred in films such as The Three Faces of Eve, Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams and Rachel, Rachel, which earned her an Academy Award for Best Actress in 1968. Woodward has also appeared in numerous television shows and plays.
Joanne Woodward. By 20th Century Fox – ebay, Pd-us, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=42415613
In addition to acting, Joanne Woodward has been the spokesperson for several charitable organizations throughout her career. She was a founding member of the The Screen Actors Guild’s Women’s Committee and was the co-founder of the Ethel Walker School in Connecticut. Woodward has also served on the board of directors of several charities including The Wolf Conservation Center and The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation.
Joanne Woodward is considered one of the most influential actresses of all time; she was nominated for 9 Emmy Awards,...
Joanne Woodward. By 20th Century Fox – ebay, Pd-us, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=42415613
In addition to acting, Joanne Woodward has been the spokesperson for several charitable organizations throughout her career. She was a founding member of the The Screen Actors Guild’s Women’s Committee and was the co-founder of the Ethel Walker School in Connecticut. Woodward has also served on the board of directors of several charities including The Wolf Conservation Center and The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation.
Joanne Woodward is considered one of the most influential actresses of all time; she was nominated for 9 Emmy Awards,...
- 2/28/2023
- by Movies Martin Cid Magazine
- Martin Cid Magazine - Movies
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