Movies That Made Me veteran guest and screenwriter Dan Waters discusses his favorite year of cinema (1989) with Josh Olson and Joe Dante.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
The Phantom Carriage (1921)
Love At First Bite (1979)
Hudson Hawk (1991)
Demolition Man (1993)
Heathers (1989)
Warlock (1989)
The Matrix (1999)
Johnny Mnemonic (1995)
Barry Lyndon (1975)
Jaws (1975)
Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
Nashville (1975)
Born On The Fourth Of July (1989)
Dead Poets Society (1989)
Driving Miss Daisy (1989)
Field Of Dreams (1989)
My Left Foot (1989)
Crimes And Misdemeanors (1989)
Do The Right Thing (1989)
Drugstore Cowboy (1989)
Sex Lies And Videotape (1989)
Easy Rider (1969)
Midnight Cowboy (1969)
The Wild Bunch (1969)
Apocalypse Now (1979)
All That Jazz (1979)
Hair (1979)
Alien (1979)
Fight Club (1999)
Office Space (1999)
Magnolia (1999)
The Sixth Sense (1999)
The Blair Witch Project (1999)
American Pie (1999)
The Iron Giant (1999)
All About My Mother (1999)
Being John Malkovich (1999)
The Breakfast Club (1985)
Pretty In Pink (1986)
Dr. Strangelove (1964)
Say Anything… (1989)
Miracle Mile (1989)
True Love (1989)
Powwow Highway (1989)
Lawrence Of Arabia (1962)
Southside With You...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
The Phantom Carriage (1921)
Love At First Bite (1979)
Hudson Hawk (1991)
Demolition Man (1993)
Heathers (1989)
Warlock (1989)
The Matrix (1999)
Johnny Mnemonic (1995)
Barry Lyndon (1975)
Jaws (1975)
Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
Nashville (1975)
Born On The Fourth Of July (1989)
Dead Poets Society (1989)
Driving Miss Daisy (1989)
Field Of Dreams (1989)
My Left Foot (1989)
Crimes And Misdemeanors (1989)
Do The Right Thing (1989)
Drugstore Cowboy (1989)
Sex Lies And Videotape (1989)
Easy Rider (1969)
Midnight Cowboy (1969)
The Wild Bunch (1969)
Apocalypse Now (1979)
All That Jazz (1979)
Hair (1979)
Alien (1979)
Fight Club (1999)
Office Space (1999)
Magnolia (1999)
The Sixth Sense (1999)
The Blair Witch Project (1999)
American Pie (1999)
The Iron Giant (1999)
All About My Mother (1999)
Being John Malkovich (1999)
The Breakfast Club (1985)
Pretty In Pink (1986)
Dr. Strangelove (1964)
Say Anything… (1989)
Miracle Mile (1989)
True Love (1989)
Powwow Highway (1989)
Lawrence Of Arabia (1962)
Southside With You...
- 2/21/2023
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
US filmmaker’s ‘Dead for A Dollar’ screens at the festival.
US director, writer and producer Walter Hill will receive the Glory to the Filmmaker award at the Venice International Film Festival, which runs from August 31 – September 10.
The award is dedicated to a personality who has made a particularly original contribution to the contemporary film industry.
It will be presented to Hill before the screening of his new film, Dead For A Dollar, which is playing out of competition at Venice.
Hill has made over twenty films, ranging from classic westerns to action thrillers and noir dramas. His credits include 48 Hrs.
US director, writer and producer Walter Hill will receive the Glory to the Filmmaker award at the Venice International Film Festival, which runs from August 31 – September 10.
The award is dedicated to a personality who has made a particularly original contribution to the contemporary film industry.
It will be presented to Hill before the screening of his new film, Dead For A Dollar, which is playing out of competition at Venice.
Hill has made over twenty films, ranging from classic westerns to action thrillers and noir dramas. His credits include 48 Hrs.
- 8/12/2022
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
Click here to read the full article.
Walter HIll, the iconic director of such films as The Warriors, 48 Hours and Red Heat, will be honored for his life’s work at the 2022 Venice International Film Festival. He will receive the Cartier Glory to the Filmmaker Award.
Hill will screen his new film, the Western Dead for a Dollar, starring Christoph Waltz, Willem Dafoe, Rachel Brosnahan and Benjamin Bratt, out of competition in Venice this year. Two-time Oscar winner Waltz plays bounty hunter Max Borlund, who is deep into Mexico where he encounters professional gambler and outlaw Joe Cribbens (Dafoe), his sworn enemy, whom Max sent to prison years before. Borlund is on a mission to find and return Rachel Kidd (Brosnahan), the hostage wife of a wealthy Santa Fe businessman. When Max discovers Kidd has actually fled an abusive marriage, he has to choose between finishing the job or...
Walter HIll, the iconic director of such films as The Warriors, 48 Hours and Red Heat, will be honored for his life’s work at the 2022 Venice International Film Festival. He will receive the Cartier Glory to the Filmmaker Award.
Hill will screen his new film, the Western Dead for a Dollar, starring Christoph Waltz, Willem Dafoe, Rachel Brosnahan and Benjamin Bratt, out of competition in Venice this year. Two-time Oscar winner Waltz plays bounty hunter Max Borlund, who is deep into Mexico where he encounters professional gambler and outlaw Joe Cribbens (Dafoe), his sworn enemy, whom Max sent to prison years before. Borlund is on a mission to find and return Rachel Kidd (Brosnahan), the hostage wife of a wealthy Santa Fe businessman. When Max discovers Kidd has actually fled an abusive marriage, he has to choose between finishing the job or...
- 8/12/2022
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Screenwriter Jeb Stuart joins hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante to discuss a few of his favorite movies.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Die Hard (1988)
The Fugitive (1993)
Sword of Sherwood Forest (1960) – Charlie Largent’s Blu-ray review
The Face of Fu Manchu (1965) – Charlie Largent’s Blu-ray review
The Detective (1968) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Dirty Harry (1971) – Alan Spencer’s trailer commentary, Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
Rear Window (1954) – John Landis’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Vertigo (1958) – Dan Ireland’s trailer commentary, Brian Trenchard-Smith’s review, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
North By Northwest (1959)
The Trouble With Harry (1955)
Casablanca (1942) – John Landis’s trailer commentary
Wait Until Dark (1967) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Switchback (1997)
Jeremiah Johnson (1972)
The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
The Getaway (1972) – Larry Karaszewski’s trailer commentary
The Thin Man (1934)
Another 48 Hrs (1990)
Commando (1985) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
The Long Riders (1980)
The Warriors...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Die Hard (1988)
The Fugitive (1993)
Sword of Sherwood Forest (1960) – Charlie Largent’s Blu-ray review
The Face of Fu Manchu (1965) – Charlie Largent’s Blu-ray review
The Detective (1968) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Dirty Harry (1971) – Alan Spencer’s trailer commentary, Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
Rear Window (1954) – John Landis’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Vertigo (1958) – Dan Ireland’s trailer commentary, Brian Trenchard-Smith’s review, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
North By Northwest (1959)
The Trouble With Harry (1955)
Casablanca (1942) – John Landis’s trailer commentary
Wait Until Dark (1967) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Switchback (1997)
Jeremiah Johnson (1972)
The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
The Getaway (1972) – Larry Karaszewski’s trailer commentary
The Thin Man (1934)
Another 48 Hrs (1990)
Commando (1985) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
The Long Riders (1980)
The Warriors...
- 3/8/2022
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
Wings actor David Schramm who is best known for playing Roy Biggs in the series Wings died in New York. No details about the cause of death have been released. He was 73.
Schramm was born in August 14, 1946 in Louisville, Kentucky and attended Julliard. In addition to playing the rival airline owner for eight seasons on the popular NBC series from the ’90s, Schramm was a member of John Houseman and Margot Harley’s The Acting Company in New York. The professional theater company includes a roster of legendary alumni including Kevin Kline, Patti LuPone and David Ogden Stier.
Schramm made his first Broadway appearance in 1973 with Three Sisters and...
Schramm was born in August 14, 1946 in Louisville, Kentucky and attended Julliard. In addition to playing the rival airline owner for eight seasons on the popular NBC series from the ’90s, Schramm was a member of John Houseman and Margot Harley’s The Acting Company in New York. The professional theater company includes a roster of legendary alumni including Kevin Kline, Patti LuPone and David Ogden Stier.
Schramm made his first Broadway appearance in 1973 with Three Sisters and...
- 3/29/2020
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
David Schramm, a stage actor who was also a star on the NBC comedy “Wings,” has died. He was 73.
Schramm was a founding member of New York’s The Acting Company, which announced the news of his death on Sunday.
He played Roy Biggins, the rival airline owner on “Wings,” and appeared in all 172 episodes between 1990 and 1997. Throughout his 40-year career, Schramm also appeared in the TV movie “The Dreamer of Oz: The L. Frank Baum Story” in 1990 and played Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara in the miniseries “Kennedy.” His film credits include “Let It Ride,” “Johnny Handsome” and “A Shock to the System.”
He graduated from New York City’s Julliard School and appeared in productions on and off-Broadway, at the New York Theatre Workshop, Pasadena Playhouse, George Street Playhouse, Washington D.C.’s Shakespeare Theatre Company and more. His theater credits include Alan Ayckbourn’s “Bedroom Face” and the 2009 revival of “Finian’s Rainbow.
Schramm was a founding member of New York’s The Acting Company, which announced the news of his death on Sunday.
He played Roy Biggins, the rival airline owner on “Wings,” and appeared in all 172 episodes between 1990 and 1997. Throughout his 40-year career, Schramm also appeared in the TV movie “The Dreamer of Oz: The L. Frank Baum Story” in 1990 and played Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara in the miniseries “Kennedy.” His film credits include “Let It Ride,” “Johnny Handsome” and “A Shock to the System.”
He graduated from New York City’s Julliard School and appeared in productions on and off-Broadway, at the New York Theatre Workshop, Pasadena Playhouse, George Street Playhouse, Washington D.C.’s Shakespeare Theatre Company and more. His theater credits include Alan Ayckbourn’s “Bedroom Face” and the 2009 revival of “Finian’s Rainbow.
- 3/29/2020
- by Jordan Moreau
- Variety Film + TV
Sound Mixer Richard Bryce Goodman Reflects on His Career, From ‘Death Race 2000’ to ‘Ford v Ferrari’
When Richard Bryce Goodman was a young man, his wide-ranging interests included photography, music and philosophy, but it was a present he received while growing up in Baltimore that seems to have had the biggest influence on his career arc.
“I had a darkroom from age 12 where friends and I used to make our own R&b mixes off Wwin radio with a fancy tape recorder that was given to me by a rich uncle,” says Goodman, an Academy Award-nominated sound mixer.
Goodman’s early training was eclectic. In the late ’60s, he attended London’s Slade School of Fine Art, gaining insight into moviemaking from the institution’s in-house film legend, Thorold Dickinson. Returning stateside, he earned a degree in fine art and philosophy from Bucknell University in 1970. He began shooting documentaries around the college’s art classes using a Bolex camera stocked with film short ends from the psych department.
“I had a darkroom from age 12 where friends and I used to make our own R&b mixes off Wwin radio with a fancy tape recorder that was given to me by a rich uncle,” says Goodman, an Academy Award-nominated sound mixer.
Goodman’s early training was eclectic. In the late ’60s, he attended London’s Slade School of Fine Art, gaining insight into moviemaking from the institution’s in-house film legend, Thorold Dickinson. Returning stateside, he earned a degree in fine art and philosophy from Bucknell University in 1970. He began shooting documentaries around the college’s art classes using a Bolex camera stocked with film short ends from the psych department.
- 2/28/2020
- by James C. Udel
- Variety Film + TV
Thanks to Supernatural, people get to see Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki kick ass every week as the demon-hunting Winchester brothers. While we love their onscreen bromance (literally), it's the bond they share outside of work that really tugs at our fandom hearts. The two actors have been close friends since the show premiered in 2005, and since then, they've seen each other through weddings, babies, and everything in between. So how exactly did these two meet? While the show is what obviously brought them together, their first interaction is actually a whole lot cuter than just two stars showing up on set. RelatedJared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles Have So Much in Common, They're Like Real Brothers During one of their previous Supernatural conventions in New Jersey, the duo was asked about their first impressions of each other, and their answers prove that fate stepped in to bring them together. "I was like,...
- 5/24/2017
- by Caitlin Hacker
- Popsugar.com
Stars: Michelle Rodriguez, Sigourney Weaver, Caitlin Gerard, Tony Shalhoub, Terry Chen, Anthony Lapaglia, Paul McGillion, Paul Lazenby, Ken Kirzinger, Zak Santiago, Caroline Chan, Adrian Hough | Written by Walter Hill, Denis Hamill | Directed by Walter Hill
Frank Kitchen is an assassin at the top of his game. When he’s double-crossed by a group of ruthless gangsters he falls into the hands of a rogue surgeon, known only as The Doctor, who transforms him into a woman against his will. Aided by a nurse with her own set of secrets, Frank the hitman becomes Tomboy the hitwoman and revenge is the first thing on her mind…
Tomboy (aka The Assignment), arrives on DVD and VOD here in the UK to little fanfare. Which, looking at the cast and crew, you’d think is surprising. The film is headlined by Michelle Rodriguez from the Fast & Furious franchise and Aliens’ Sigourney Weaver; with...
Frank Kitchen is an assassin at the top of his game. When he’s double-crossed by a group of ruthless gangsters he falls into the hands of a rogue surgeon, known only as The Doctor, who transforms him into a woman against his will. Aided by a nurse with her own set of secrets, Frank the hitman becomes Tomboy the hitwoman and revenge is the first thing on her mind…
Tomboy (aka The Assignment), arrives on DVD and VOD here in the UK to little fanfare. Which, looking at the cast and crew, you’d think is surprising. The film is headlined by Michelle Rodriguez from the Fast & Furious franchise and Aliens’ Sigourney Weaver; with...
- 4/7/2017
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
Salt and FireDear Danny,Funny you mention genre, as A Quiet Passion would seem to belong to my least favorite one: the biopic. Or not really, for directors create their own genres, great ones do, and Terence Davies is among the greatest now at work. His Emily Dickinson, splendidly embodied by Cynthia Nixon, is no genteel figurine reciting favorite verses but a sharp and unyielding intelligence twisting in a severe body and a severe era. Right from the start, refusing to move to one side or another when her seminary is divided according to faith, she will not give an inch. (“You are alone in your rebellion,” snaps the headmistress, crucifix looming in the background.) At her Massachusetts family home, words—not just the budding poetess’ stanzas, but bon mots, barbs, any curlicues of witty verbiage—are cherished cracks in staid domesticity, like the songs in Meet Me in St. Louis.
- 9/14/2016
- MUBI
If director Nishikant Kamat and John Abraham had their way they'd have named their next film after the film's hero Johnny Handsome. But the title was not available to them. Laughs John, "Yes, we did want to call the film Johnny Handsome. But that is the name of such a well-known Hollywood film. So we settled for Rocky Handsome." Johnny Handsome was a 1989 gangster film starring Mickey Rourke in the title role. Rocky Handsome is a remake of a 2010 Korean film The Man From Nowhere. And John says the Usp is his bonding with a 8-year old girl. "She is Diya Chalwad and she's a heart-breaker and a scene-stealer. People liked Salman Khan's bonding with the little girl in Bajrangi Bhaijaan. They'll like my bonding with Diya in Rocky Handsome."...
- 10/21/2015
- by Subhash K. Jha
- BollywoodHungama
After the comic romp in Welcome Back, audiences were supposed to go straight to John Abraham's action avatar in Nishikant Kamat's Rocky Handsome. While Welcome Back opened in the first week of September, Rocky Handsome was scheduled for the first week of October. But now Rocky Handsome will open on February 5. Explaining the reason for the change John said, "Rocky Handsome again has me and Shruti Haasan in the lead. It would've been a bit of an overdose especially considering that I had not been seen in any film for two years before Welcome Back." John Abraham is very confident about Rocky Handsome. "It doesn't matter when it is released. It is a very powerful story. It's got terrific action. But action on its own cannot attract audiences. Rocky Handsome also has a solid emotional content. People have liked the bond between the hero and the little girl in Bajrangi Bhaijaan.
- 10/5/2015
- by Subhash K. Jha
- BollywoodHungama
Songs On Screen: All week HitFix will be featuring tributes by writers to their favorite musical moments from TV and film. Check out all the entries in the series here. When we talk about underrated directors, it's hard not to mention Walter Hill. Hill is an underrated director, the way Michael Ritchie and Peter Yates were underrated directors, the way Roger Donaldson, Joe Dante, and Fred Schepisi are underrated directors. They’re all underrated because it’s only when you look at their filmographies that the numbers start to total up and you realize, boy, he directed a lot of really good movies. In Hill’s case, that list includes "The Warriors," "48 Hours," "The Long Riders," "Southern Comfort,: "Hard Times," "Trespass," and "Wild Bill." Some great. Some solid. (My personal favorite of those is Hard Times, a pulpy film about bare-knuckle boxers in the Great Depression.) There were clunkers...
- 6/25/2015
- by Michael Oates Palmer
- Hitfix
Lance Henriksen has been working steadily in the movies (and television) for decades now, and he has the elongated IMDb page to prove it. Even with nearly 200 titles to his name though he will most likely always be remembered for his work through the ’80s in films like The Terminator, Near Dark, Aliens, Pumpkinhead and more. Those films share something more than simple genre though — they’re also loaded with still memorable practical effects work. Granted, it was the ’80s, and CGI wasn’t exactly a known quantity, but the fact remains that nearly thirty years later we’re still impressed and affected by the scene in Aliens where Bishop (Henriksen) is grabbed by the alien queen, ripped in half and thrown along the floor. It’s accomplished with practical visual effects, and when the artists who crafted the scene (Alec Gillis and Tom Woodruff Jr. of StudioADI ) set out to make their own Kickstarter-funded movie this...
- 6/11/2014
- by Rob Hunter
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: July 16, 2013
Price: Blu-ray/DVD Combo $35.99
Studio: Warner
Sylvester Stallone means business in Bullet to the Head.
The great Walter Hill (The Driver, The Long Riders) returns to the feature film directing chair for the first time since the 2002 boxing drama Undisputed with the action thriller Bullet to the Head starring Sylvester Stallone.
Based on Alexis Nolent’s graphic novel Du Plomb Dans La Tete, Bullet to the Head tells the hard-hitting story of New Orleans hit man Jimmy Bonomo (Stallone), who teams up with a D.C. cop (Sung Kang) in an unlikely alliance to bring down the killers of their respective partners.
The latest project to bring Hill to the evocative streets of New Orleans (his Johnny Handsome and Hard Times are set there), Bullet to the Head also stars Sarah Shahi (TV’s Fairly Legal), Christian Slater (Freaky Deaky), and Jason Momoa (Conan the Barbarian).
Lean,...
Price: Blu-ray/DVD Combo $35.99
Studio: Warner
Sylvester Stallone means business in Bullet to the Head.
The great Walter Hill (The Driver, The Long Riders) returns to the feature film directing chair for the first time since the 2002 boxing drama Undisputed with the action thriller Bullet to the Head starring Sylvester Stallone.
Based on Alexis Nolent’s graphic novel Du Plomb Dans La Tete, Bullet to the Head tells the hard-hitting story of New Orleans hit man Jimmy Bonomo (Stallone), who teams up with a D.C. cop (Sung Kang) in an unlikely alliance to bring down the killers of their respective partners.
The latest project to bring Hill to the evocative streets of New Orleans (his Johnny Handsome and Hard Times are set there), Bullet to the Head also stars Sarah Shahi (TV’s Fairly Legal), Christian Slater (Freaky Deaky), and Jason Momoa (Conan the Barbarian).
Lean,...
- 5/30/2013
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
Welcome to The Best Movie You Never Saw, a column dedicated to examining films that have flown under the radar or gained traction throughout the years, earning them a place as a cult classic or underrated gem that was either before it.s time or has aged like a fine wine. This week we.ll be examining Johnny Handsome, a 1989 crime film that failed at the box office upon initial release, but has gained a significant following throughout the years and become well recognized for it.s noir...
- 5/9/2013
- by Paul Shirey
- JoBlo.com
There is a bit of a controversy going on over in America (where else?) that besides the Obamacare controversy, Obama gun control controversy, Obama is black controversy, North Korea controversy, the Iraq invasion controversy, Lincoln didn’t win the Oscar controversy, music/video pirating controversy, the immigrant controversy, bank bail out controversy, drone controversy, oil pipeline controversy, Ray-j controversy, baseball doping controversy, legalized marijuana controversy and FBI spying on the internet controversy some people still have the energy to be indignant at Morgan Freeman’s Ama (Ask Me Anything) interview on Reddit recently, claiming that it seems the interview itself was a hoax and that was not the 70 year old award-winning actor but some PR shill pretending to be Morgan Freeman.
Reddit’s Ama format has become quite popular as of late for celebrities to try and reach or get back new fans that have tuned out of the usual...
Reddit’s Ama format has become quite popular as of late for celebrities to try and reach or get back new fans that have tuned out of the usual...
- 4/15/2013
- by jay royston
- Obsessed with Film
As narrative, Bullet to the Head is amateurish. Villains awkwardly explain their plans for the benefit of the audience. Characterization is non-existent. Scenes are bridged by lame iMovie-style filter effects. Poorly Photoshopped stills are used to illustrate "backstory." The movie clunks along with no sense of dramatic tension or scope.
And yet in terms of how it handles light, movement, texture, and space, it's clearly the work of a master. Directing his first feature since Undisputed (2002), Walter Hill invests the film with all the hallmarks of his abstracted macho style: blunt comic-strip compositions; telephoto lenses that turn foreground objects into translucent smears on the frame; figures lit chiaroscuro against backdrops of neon; reflections rippling on water. Bullet in the Head may have a shaky sense of structure and plot, but it has a firm grip on action movie form.
Sylvester Stallone—looking more than a little like a gorilla taught...
And yet in terms of how it handles light, movement, texture, and space, it's clearly the work of a master. Directing his first feature since Undisputed (2002), Walter Hill invests the film with all the hallmarks of his abstracted macho style: blunt comic-strip compositions; telephoto lenses that turn foreground objects into translucent smears on the frame; figures lit chiaroscuro against backdrops of neon; reflections rippling on water. Bullet in the Head may have a shaky sense of structure and plot, but it has a firm grip on action movie form.
Sylvester Stallone—looking more than a little like a gorilla taught...
- 2/5/2013
- by Ignatiy Vishnevetsky
- MUBI
Walter Hill's reputation as a masterly director of existential thrillers and westerns is secure, though apart from co-producing Prometheus, his important work this century has been for TV, notably the style-setting pilot for Deadwood and the western mini-series Broken Trail.
Based on a French graphic novel, Bullet to the Head takes him back to New Orleans and settings and themes he explored to greater effect in Hard Times, Southern Comfort and Johnny Handsome. It's a moderately entertaining buddy movie in which a Korean-American cop from New York joins forces with ageing hitman Sylvester Stallone to pursue some local cops, but Alessandro Camon's script is indifferent, and Stallone's characteristic combination of preening posturing and gruff self-pity makes him an unsuitable Hill hero. Over 30 years ago, Stallone passed on appearing in two of Hill's early masterworks, The Driver and 48 Hrs. Hill and his admirers should count themselves fortunate.
ThrillerSylvester StalloneAction and adventurePhilip French
guardian.
Based on a French graphic novel, Bullet to the Head takes him back to New Orleans and settings and themes he explored to greater effect in Hard Times, Southern Comfort and Johnny Handsome. It's a moderately entertaining buddy movie in which a Korean-American cop from New York joins forces with ageing hitman Sylvester Stallone to pursue some local cops, but Alessandro Camon's script is indifferent, and Stallone's characteristic combination of preening posturing and gruff self-pity makes him an unsuitable Hill hero. Over 30 years ago, Stallone passed on appearing in two of Hill's early masterworks, The Driver and 48 Hrs. Hill and his admirers should count themselves fortunate.
ThrillerSylvester StalloneAction and adventurePhilip French
guardian.
- 2/3/2013
- by Philip French
- The Guardian - Film News
Walter Hill's 1975 debut "Hard Times" was shot in New Orleans, albeit one dressed for a '30s setting. He returned for 1989's "Johnny Handsome," so this week's new released "Bullet To The Head" is his third visit -- and the first after Hurricane Katrina's devastation. The disaster inevitably changed the city's on-screen charge. In 2002, Louisiana passed new legislation entitling productions that spend a minimum of $300,000 in the state to a tax credit equivalent to 30% of their budget. The program's budgetary efficiency has been questioned, but states constantly steal production from each other through these tactics. (E.g., Louisiana's budgetary incentives stole work away from the until-then booming Texas industry.) In Katrina's wake, the state's tax incentives had the unexpected side effect of offering financial bait to record the devastation. The first filmmaker I recall taking up the challenge was...
- 2/1/2013
- by Vadim Rizov
- Indiewire
Walter Hill needs no introduction. He’s written and directed some of the iconic and legendary films of the ‘80s and ‘90s — The Warriors, The Driver, 48 Hrs, Hard Times., Brewster’s Millions, The Drowning Pool. His fingerprints are on Alien and Aliens. He injected some fresh blood into the Western genre. You name it, he’s done it, and he’s inspired dozens of filmmakers and screenwriters, all of whom aim to use his hardboiled, gritty, and lean style.
Despite his successes – and films that are so beloved and recognized that they’re always on the verge of being remade – Hill’s output has slowed down. It’s a shame, as his films are exactly the kind of character driven, mature, and efficient action that moviegoers are craving. “A Bullet to the Head” is Hill’s first big screen production since 2002, and hopefully is a sign of a career resurgence...
Despite his successes – and films that are so beloved and recognized that they’re always on the verge of being remade – Hill’s output has slowed down. It’s a shame, as his films are exactly the kind of character driven, mature, and efficient action that moviegoers are craving. “A Bullet to the Head” is Hill’s first big screen production since 2002, and hopefully is a sign of a career resurgence...
- 1/24/2013
- by Elisabeth Rappe
- LRMonline.com
There's a sharp contrast between the colorful cartoon fish mural above the surface of an indoor Louisiana public pool and what's going on beneath the surface. At the deep end, Sylvester Stallone and Sung Kang dive into darkened waters for insert shots with an underwater camera for their new film, Bullet to the Head . In the scene, both men have just escaped from a hidden getaway house on the bayou and are swimming to safety. Bullet to the Head , the set of which ComingSoon.net had the opportunity to visit last year, marks the first theatrical film from director Walter Hill in over a decade. The man behind modern classics like 48 Hours and The Warriors , Hill previously shot in Louisiana for Hard Times , Southern Comfort and Johnny Handsome . "[New Orleans has]...
- 1/24/2013
- Comingsoon.net
Today, we're featuring Elizabeth McGovern in 1985. In 1981 McGovern earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Evelyn Nesbit in the film Ragtime.In 1984, she starred in Sergio Leone's gangster epic Once Upon a Time in America as Robert De Niro's romantic interest Deborah Gelly. In 1989 she played Mickey Rourke's girlfriend in Johnny Handsome, directed by Walter Hill, and the same year she appeared as a rebellious lesbian in Volker Schlndorff's thriller The Handmaid's Tale. Beginning in 2010, she portrayed Cora, Countess of Grantham in the British TV series Downton Abbey.
- 11/5/2012
- by Walter McBride
- BroadwayWorld.com
Check out the first excellent trailer for Bullet to the Head which brings Stallone back to best form - Get Carter form. The Walter Hill film opens via on February 1st, 2013 and also includes Game of Thrones and Conan the Barbarian star Jason Momoa, Christian Slater, Sarah Shahi, Sung Kang, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Jon Seda, Brian Van Holt and Holt McCallany. Director Hill of course helmed classic actioners like Johnny Handsome, Red Heat and Streets of Fire, so this fits his profile perfectly. The story tells of a cop and hitman who, after watching their respective partners die, band together with a purpose to take down their common enemy.
- 8/21/2012
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Check out the first excellent trailer for Bullet to the Head which brings Stallone back to best form - Get Carter form. The Walter Hill film opens via on February 1st, 2013 and also includes Game of Thrones and Conan the Barbarian star Jason Momoa, Christian Slater, Sarah Shahi, Sung Kang, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Jon Seda, Brian Van Holt and Holt McCallany. Director Hill of course helmed classic actioners like Johnny Handsome, Red Heat and Streets of Fire, so this fits his profile perfectly. The story tells of a cop and hitman who, after watching their respective partners die, band together with a purpose to take down their common enemy.
- 8/21/2012
- Upcoming-Movies.com
According to Moviehole, Mickey Rourke and Walter Hill may be teaming up to lead The Storm. The Josh Campbell-scripted thriller would have Hill behind the camera, Rourke in front, and would be set during Texas’ hurricane season.
The plot centers on an “inexperienced deputy, filling in for his incapacitated superior, who is forced to go head-to-head with a revenge-seeking criminal – back in town to get back at the sheriff who put him away a decade earlier.” Rourke’s role would be that of the “revenge-seeking criminal” named Press Gibson.
Though neither Rourke or Hill have signed on yet, talks are currently underway and it seems likely that both will end up joining. After all, this seems like something that is right up both Hill and Rourke’s alley, doesn’t it?
Plus, the two have worked together in the past on the 1989 film Johnny Handsome. The film was a bit of a disaster,...
The plot centers on an “inexperienced deputy, filling in for his incapacitated superior, who is forced to go head-to-head with a revenge-seeking criminal – back in town to get back at the sheriff who put him away a decade earlier.” Rourke’s role would be that of the “revenge-seeking criminal” named Press Gibson.
Though neither Rourke or Hill have signed on yet, talks are currently underway and it seems likely that both will end up joining. After all, this seems like something that is right up both Hill and Rourke’s alley, doesn’t it?
Plus, the two have worked together in the past on the 1989 film Johnny Handsome. The film was a bit of a disaster,...
- 6/22/2012
- by Matt Joseph
- We Got This Covered
Gary Oldman as Jackie Flannery in State Of Grace (Phil Joanou, 1990, USA):
Long considered one of the most talented actors in cinema, it’s very strange that his outstanding acting as the younger brother of Ed Harris’ local crime boss in this underrated film doesn’t get talked about nearly enough when discussing Oldman’s body of work. This is a must-see performance for all Oldman fans. For the record, State Of Grace is a far better Irish mob film than The Departed (Martin Scorsese, 2006, USA), primarily because it contains much better acting across the board. Oldman was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (Tomas Alfredson, 2011, UK/France).
Other notable Gary Oldman performances: Prick Up Your Ears (Stephen Frears, 1987, USA), Dracula (Francis Ford Coppola, 1992, USA), True Romance (Tony Scott, 1993, USA), Leon: The Professional (Luc Besson, 1994, France), Air Force One (Wolfgang Petersen, 1997, USA), The Contender (Rod Lurie,...
Long considered one of the most talented actors in cinema, it’s very strange that his outstanding acting as the younger brother of Ed Harris’ local crime boss in this underrated film doesn’t get talked about nearly enough when discussing Oldman’s body of work. This is a must-see performance for all Oldman fans. For the record, State Of Grace is a far better Irish mob film than The Departed (Martin Scorsese, 2006, USA), primarily because it contains much better acting across the board. Oldman was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (Tomas Alfredson, 2011, UK/France).
Other notable Gary Oldman performances: Prick Up Your Ears (Stephen Frears, 1987, USA), Dracula (Francis Ford Coppola, 1992, USA), True Romance (Tony Scott, 1993, USA), Leon: The Professional (Luc Besson, 1994, France), Air Force One (Wolfgang Petersen, 1997, USA), The Contender (Rod Lurie,...
- 5/31/2012
- by Terek Puckett
- SoundOnSight
He could have been another Brad Pitt. Instead he's doing one-man stage shows. Is it time for a rescue plan?
For some time now, I have belonged to a secret society known as the League of Rueful Val Kilmer Enthusiasts. It consists of men of a certain age who adore Tombstone and Heat, and who also have a soft spot for The Doors and The Ghost and the Darkness. And, of course, Top Gun. What unites the members of the league is our affection for the actor himself, mingled with regret that Kilmer did not become the intergalactically famous star we wanted him to be. We also resent the fact that he did not make more movies like Heat while he was young and athletic enough to pull it off.
Because now it is too late. Kilmer has reached the point in his career where he is performing in a one-man show called Citizen Twain,...
For some time now, I have belonged to a secret society known as the League of Rueful Val Kilmer Enthusiasts. It consists of men of a certain age who adore Tombstone and Heat, and who also have a soft spot for The Doors and The Ghost and the Darkness. And, of course, Top Gun. What unites the members of the league is our affection for the actor himself, mingled with regret that Kilmer did not become the intergalactically famous star we wanted him to be. We also resent the fact that he did not make more movies like Heat while he was young and athletic enough to pull it off.
Because now it is too late. Kilmer has reached the point in his career where he is performing in a one-man show called Citizen Twain,...
- 5/11/2012
- by Joe Queenan
- The Guardian - Film News
In her most recent column for Entertainment Weekly, columnist Libby Gelman-Waxner tackled the year’s first blockbuster, The Hunger Games, and the year’s most notorious bomb, John Carter: Taylor Kitsch’s nipples were simply no match for Jennifer Lawrence’s curves.
But these two spring tentpoles are just the beginning of the studios’ blockbuster season. The summer is loaded with comic-book heroes, and Libby is eager for more of your burning questions for her next “Ask Libby” column here in PopWatch. A few talking points: (1) Avengers or Dark Knight? (Or Spider-Man?) (2) Johnny Depp in Dark Shadows: Do...
But these two spring tentpoles are just the beginning of the studios’ blockbuster season. The summer is loaded with comic-book heroes, and Libby is eager for more of your burning questions for her next “Ask Libby” column here in PopWatch. A few talking points: (1) Avengers or Dark Knight? (Or Spider-Man?) (2) Johnny Depp in Dark Shadows: Do...
- 4/17/2012
- by EW staff
- EW.com - PopWatch
Bill O'Reilly attacked Joy Behar and actress Ellen Barkin on his Thursday show, accusing them of promoting lies about him on Behar's Hln show.
Barkin has been in the news lately for criticizing Fox News. During a recent appearance on Behar's show, she raised the issue again.
"I'm very flattered that I'm now on Bill O'Reilly's radar," she said. "Oh he called you a pinhead?" Behar asked. "Did he?" Barkin said. "I thought he called me a washed-up has-been, d-list celebrity, bitch, rich, whatever, you know, dumb."
O'Reilly took issue with this, calling it a "flat-out lie" and stressing that "I have never mentioned Ms. Barkin on this broadcast -- ever! -- and I would never call her names." He added, "we know Ms. Behar. We know what she does," and said that he has asked Behar, Barkin and Hln for written apologies.
Though O'Reilly has seemingly never mentioned Barkin on air,...
Barkin has been in the news lately for criticizing Fox News. During a recent appearance on Behar's show, she raised the issue again.
"I'm very flattered that I'm now on Bill O'Reilly's radar," she said. "Oh he called you a pinhead?" Behar asked. "Did he?" Barkin said. "I thought he called me a washed-up has-been, d-list celebrity, bitch, rich, whatever, you know, dumb."
O'Reilly took issue with this, calling it a "flat-out lie" and stressing that "I have never mentioned Ms. Barkin on this broadcast -- ever! -- and I would never call her names." He added, "we know Ms. Behar. We know what she does," and said that he has asked Behar, Barkin and Hln for written apologies.
Though O'Reilly has seemingly never mentioned Barkin on air,...
- 11/18/2011
- by Jack Mirkinson
- Huffington Post
Mention the name Walter Hill to a film freak of a certain age and you'll almost certainly be regaled with wild-eyed tales of manly, sweaty, frequently insane action flicks. The man hasn't done a feature since 2002's Undisputed, but he did direct some sections of great TV westerns like Broken Trail and Deadwood. So anyway, here's a very brief history lesson on Walter Hill: he wrote, directed, and/or produced films like The Getaway, Hard Times, The Driver, Alien, The Warriors, Southern Comfort, 48 Hours, Brewster's Millions, Streets of Fire, Extreme Prejudice, Red Heat, Aliens, Johnny Handsome, Trespass, Geronimo, Wild Bill, and Last Man Standing. That's a lot of testosterone. So here's the good news: Variety reports that Mr. Hill's Bullet to...
Read More...
Read More...
- 8/24/2011
- by Movies.com
- Movies.com
0:00 - Intro 4:05 - Headlines: Karl Urban is the New Judge Dredd, Sam Worthington to Star in Commando Remake, Terminator 3-D Animated Remake, Lights Camera Jackson: The-11 Year-Old Film Critic 20:35 - Review: The Expendables 57:45 - Review: Scott Pilgrim vs. The World 1:47:30 - Trailer Trash: Skyline, Enter the Void, Unstoppable 2:03:30 - Other Stuff We Watched: BBC's Sherlock, Man v Food: Season 3, Lock Up, 12th & Delaware, Marooned, Billion Dollar Brain, Cropsey, Johnny Handsome, Until the Light Takes Us, And the Pursuit of Happiness, The Last Lovecraft, Mad Monkey Kung Fu, Standard Operating Procedure, Spartan, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, Cobra 3:05:45 - Junk Mail: Film Junk Mega Mix, Favourite and Best Actors, Devil Trailer, Movies with Right Wing Agendas, Tiff Tips 3:26:20 - Twitter Poll: Why did Scott Pilgrim Fail at the Box Office? 3:31:30 - This...
- 8/16/2010
- by Sean
- FilmJunk
Hollywood films have always been rife with images of the disabled, frequently casting them as misunderstood pariahs, idiot henchmen, or occasionally malevolent geniuses, filled with wrath at their despised place in the world. But rarely is there anything like Johnny Handsome, a film which deftly avoids making any sort of statement about disability by avoiding making a statement on virtually anything at all, shoehorning its sarcastically named title character into a plot so conventional it’s virtually weightless. In fact, were it not for Mickey Rourke spending half of the movie looking like a grilled cheese sandwich gone terribly wrong, you probably wouldn’t give it a second thought. But the effect of his makeup is so strange, and so belabored upon, that you can’t help but feel that there’s some considerable distance between the intended and the achieved effect, and wonder exactly what the intended effect was.
- 7/29/2010
- by Anders Nelson
- JustPressPlay.net
Hey everyone! Sorry I was not around last week I took a mini vacay but now I am back! I am sure you all had plenty to read with Comic-Con and all! Anyways, there's not too much coming out this week but here's a few for you!
Clash of the Titans
If he is to save the life of the beautiful Princess Andromeda (Alexa Davalos), the valiant Perseus (Sam Worthington) -- born to a god but raised as a man -- must lead a team of intrepid warriors on a quest to battle a host of powerful, beastly enemies. This sweeping fantasy epic, a remake of the 1981 hit, also stars Liam Neeson as Zeus, Ralph Fiennes as Hades, Danny Huston as Poseidon and Gemma Arterton as Io.
Starring: Sam Worthington, Alexa Davalos
Director: Louis Leterrier
This was not as good as the first one in my opinion. Worth a watch though.
- 7/27/2010
- by Mars
- GeekTyrant
This week's DVD and Blu-ray releases seem to have an overabundance of testosterone starting with the two biggest titles Clash of the Titans starring Sam Worthington, and Repo Men starring Jude Law and Forest Whitaker. Also hitting stores today we have the latest Warner animated film Batman: Under the Red Hood, kung fu biopic Ip Man starring Donnie Yen, and the Dtv comedy Operation: Endgame starring Zach Galifianakis and Rob Corddry. Clearly the most anticipated title of the week, however, is the Blu-ray extended cut of Rambo -- now with 20% more throat ripping! Will you be buying or renting anything this week? Clash of the Titans (2010) [1] (+ Blu-ray [2]) Repo Men [3] (+ Blu-ray [4]) Operation: Endgame [5] (+ Blu-ray [6]) Vincere [7] Accidents Happen [8] (+ Blu-ray [9]) Ip Man [10] (+ Blu-ray [11]) The Job [12] Jesse Stone: No Remorse [13] Night of the Living Dead: Reanimated [14] Ray Bradbury's Chrysalis [15] Eclipse Series 22 Presenting Sacha Guitry: Criterion Collection [16] The Secret of the Grain:...
- 7/27/2010
- by Sean
- FilmJunk
Back when Mickey Rourke first started getting a career rebirth thanks to The Wrestler, he was attaching himself to almost every project that came along. One of them was the indie crime thriller St. Vincent, which would reunite him with his Johnny Handsome director Walter Hill. The project fell apart, but Hill is reassembling it with a new cast. Now stepping in for Rourke is Pierce Brosnan playing Vincent Novena, a hitman who goes deep undercover masquerading as a priest to get close enough...
- 5/14/2010
- by Dave Davis
- JoBlo.com
It has been known for awhile now that director Walter Hill (The Warriors, 48 Hrs.) will be reteaming with his Johnny Handsome star Mickey Rourke for St. Vincent, a film about a past-his-prime hitman with an angel and a devil on his shoulder, as he poses as a priest to get near his target and is subsequently struck with guilt and vulnerability as he takes the man’s confession.
Read more on A few more join Mickey Rourke for St. Vincent…...
Read more on A few more join Mickey Rourke for St. Vincent…...
- 12/31/2009
- by James Wallace
- GordonandtheWhale
Earlier this almost finished year, our own broheim Mr. Davis reported that Mickey Rourke would be re-teaming with his Johnny Handsome director Walter Hill (The Warriors, 48 Hrs.) for a hitman project known as St. Vincent. And now Rourke will be getting a little company in the forms of Gong Li, Ray Winstone, and Forest Whitaker! Synopsis: "Hitman Vincent Novena (Mickey Rourke) goes deep undercover portraying a priest to get close enough to kill his gangland traitor target. He soon...
- 12/31/2009
- by George Merchan
- JoBlo.com
Forest Whitaker, Ray Winstone, and Gong Li have joined Mickey Rourke in the cast of the mob movie St. Vincent.
St. Vincent stars Rourke as hitman Vincent Novena, who goes deep undercover portraying a priest in order to get close enough to kill his target. He soon discovers that playing the part of a good man is more dangerous than being a mob killer ever was. No good deed goes unpunished. The more Vincent opens up, the more vulnerable he becomes.
Director Walter Hill last teamed up with Rourke in 1986 to make Johnny Handsome, and also made such classics as 48 Hrs and The Warriors. Most recently, Hill directed the small-screen Western Broken Trail.
Next Showing:
Link | Posted 12/30/2009 by Jim
Forest Whitaker | Ray Winstone | Walter Hill | Mickey Rourke...
St. Vincent stars Rourke as hitman Vincent Novena, who goes deep undercover portraying a priest in order to get close enough to kill his target. He soon discovers that playing the part of a good man is more dangerous than being a mob killer ever was. No good deed goes unpunished. The more Vincent opens up, the more vulnerable he becomes.
Director Walter Hill last teamed up with Rourke in 1986 to make Johnny Handsome, and also made such classics as 48 Hrs and The Warriors. Most recently, Hill directed the small-screen Western Broken Trail.
Next Showing:
Link | Posted 12/30/2009 by Jim
Forest Whitaker | Ray Winstone | Walter Hill | Mickey Rourke...
- 12/30/2009
- by Jim Littler
- Reelzchannel.com
For my money, one of the best directors during the the late 70’s through the 80’s was Walter Hill. A tough director who made some of the leanest, meanest, toughest action thrillers during that period such as, The Driver, 48 Hours (and the sequel Another 48 Hours), the truly off-the-wall Extreme Prejudice, The Warriors, Hard Times, the western The Long Riders and several others. His output slowed down after a couple of big flops and Hollywood started ignoring macho action films for comic book superheroes. Since then Hill basically worked on cable TV series like the HBO western Deadwood and the western mini series The Broken Trail – still the highest rated cable movie ever. Now Hill is about to return to the big screen, after an 8 year absence, since his overlooked terrific prison boxing movie Undisputed with Wesley Snipes and Ving Rhames, with the thriller, St. Vincent, which was announced last week,...
- 12/29/2009
- by Sergio
- ShadowAndAct
Back at the peak of his "comeback" earlier this year, Mickey Rourke signed on to a new project with a fellow former 80s icon, planning to star in St. Vincent for director Walter Hill, who made Johnny Handsome with Rourke in 1986. Hill also directed classics like 48 Hrs and The Warriors, but like Rourke pre-Wrestler, hasn't had a hit in over a decade. Now another Johnny Handsome alum has jumped on board what might be Hill's comeback. Twitch Film is reporting that Forest Whitaker has also joined the cast of St. Vincent, joined by Gong Li and Ray Winstone. It's unclear how any of these people will fit into the main plot, which goes as follows: Hitman Vincent Novena (Mickey Rourke) goes deep undercover portraying a priest to get close enough to kill his gangland traitor target. He soon discovers that playing the part of a good man is more dangerous...
- 12/29/2009
- cinemablend.com
It's a "Johnny Handsome" reunion! Mickey Rourke had already announced that he was going to star in "St. Vincent" for director Walter Hill (who directed Rourke in 1989's "Johnny Handsome") and now another "Handome" co-star is joining the party: Forest Whitaker!
Details about Whitaker's role -- and that of other actors Gong Li and Ray Winstone haven't been released, but here's the synopsis for "St. Vincent:"
Hitman Vincent Novena (Mickey Rourke) goes deep undercover portraying a priest to get close enough to kill his gangland traitor target. He soon discovers that playing the part of a good man is more dangerous than being a mob killer ever was. No good deed goes unpunished. The more Vincent opens up, the more vulnerable he becomes ...
Like Rourke, Hill had a string of hits in the 1980s but then faded into obscurity. Will Whitaker and Rourke help the helmer turn it all around?...
Details about Whitaker's role -- and that of other actors Gong Li and Ray Winstone haven't been released, but here's the synopsis for "St. Vincent:"
Hitman Vincent Novena (Mickey Rourke) goes deep undercover portraying a priest to get close enough to kill his gangland traitor target. He soon discovers that playing the part of a good man is more dangerous than being a mob killer ever was. No good deed goes unpunished. The more Vincent opens up, the more vulnerable he becomes ...
Like Rourke, Hill had a string of hits in the 1980s but then faded into obscurity. Will Whitaker and Rourke help the helmer turn it all around?...
- 12/29/2009
- by Christina Warren
- AMC - Script to Screen
It's been quite a while since Walter Hill directed a film that could be called a total success, but I never stop pulling for the guy who directed The Warriors, 48 Hrs. and Streets of Fire. (Even if he also directed Another 48 Hrs. -- nasty stuff.) So I'll take any shred of positive news about his upcoming work, and this news is seriously positive. Hill is working on a film called St. Vincent that will reunite him with his Johnny Handsome star Mickey Rourke. Now he's added another Johnny Handsome alum, Forest Whitaker, and some other great cast members that should push the film up on my watch list. Twitch has the casting news. We don't know much more than the new cast members, among which are Gong Li and Ray Winstone. But that collection of talent is enough for me; now my hopes for the film are higher than ...
- 12/28/2009
- by Russ Fischer
- Slash Film
Back in the day Walter Hill was one of the heaviest hitters in Hollywood. Starting as an Ad on Bullitt and the original Thomas Crown Affair, Hill would go on to produce films like Alien, while writing and directing the likes of Streets of Fire, 48 Hours, Red Heat and The Warriors. A string of duds dropped Hill right out of the A-list, his most recent gig as writer or director coming with 2002's Undisputed, which he also produced.
In the middle of his A-list run, though, Hill directed a flop by the title of Johnny Handsome, a film headlined by Mickey Rourke which also feature Forest Whitaker in the cast. And with everything old in Hollywood becoming new again, the Hill / Rourke / Whitaker trio are getting back together and bringing a few interesting names with them.
That Rourke is set to headline Hill's upcoming St Vincent is not new, word...
In the middle of his A-list run, though, Hill directed a flop by the title of Johnny Handsome, a film headlined by Mickey Rourke which also feature Forest Whitaker in the cast. And with everything old in Hollywood becoming new again, the Hill / Rourke / Whitaker trio are getting back together and bringing a few interesting names with them.
That Rourke is set to headline Hill's upcoming St Vincent is not new, word...
- 12/23/2009
- Screen Anarchy
Cologne, Germany -- Despite fears of the coming economic apocalypse it was business as usual at the 2009 European Film Market, which wrapped up last week.
Attendance figures -- 6,300 compared with 6,443 last year -- defied the most dire predictions and while U.S. domestic deals were thin on the ground, international sales remained strong.
Graham King’s Gk Films had one of the few big U.S. deals out of Berlin, singing with Warner Bros. for North American rights on Martin Campbell’s Mel Gibson-starrer “Edge of Darkness.” Smaller domestic pick-ups included The Weinstein Company’s acquisition of Gilles Bourdos’ English-language debut “Afterwards” from Wild Bunch and Magnolia Pictures taking Thai action title “Ong Bak 2” from Sahamongkolfilm International for its Magnet Releasing genre label.
The bulk of the biz, however, was global. Fears the credit crunch would mash the international pre-sale business proved unfounded.
Summit International inked major territory sales...
Attendance figures -- 6,300 compared with 6,443 last year -- defied the most dire predictions and while U.S. domestic deals were thin on the ground, international sales remained strong.
Graham King’s Gk Films had one of the few big U.S. deals out of Berlin, singing with Warner Bros. for North American rights on Martin Campbell’s Mel Gibson-starrer “Edge of Darkness.” Smaller domestic pick-ups included The Weinstein Company’s acquisition of Gilles Bourdos’ English-language debut “Afterwards” from Wild Bunch and Magnolia Pictures taking Thai action title “Ong Bak 2” from Sahamongkolfilm International for its Magnet Releasing genre label.
The bulk of the biz, however, was global. Fears the credit crunch would mash the international pre-sale business proved unfounded.
Summit International inked major territory sales...
- 2/20/2009
- by By Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The last time Mickey Rourke and Walter Hill worked together, it was 1989 and the result was the underrated yet utterly bonkers and seedy revenge thriller, Johnny Handsome.A lot has happened to both men since then – Hill, one of the great lean’n’mean directors of the 1970s and 1980s, hasn’t directed a feature since 2002’s boxing drama Undisputed, choosing instead to focus on television; while Rourke has embarked on his latest and possibly greatest comeback, with his role in The Wrestler set to bag him some Oscar gold in a couple of weeks.So it’s heartening to see that one of the first gigs Rourke has booked since his return to prominence is St. Vincent, a hitman tale that will see his old mucker Walter get back behind the camera.The plot, which has echoes of Rourke’s previous movie, A Prayer For The Dying, will see...
- 2/9/2009
- EmpireOnline
I'm glad to hear Mickey Rourke being considered for more and more roles now that his first "comeback" movie has proven to be so successful. There's been the repeated reports of Rourke being in talks with the producers of Iron Man 2 to take part in the sequel, and now the actor has been signed onto an independent drama that will see Rourke as part hitman, part priest. Variety reports that Rourke has joined the cast of St. Vincent, a picture from Walter Hill, who worked with Rourke on Johnny Handsome in 1989. Rourke will star as a hitman who has to return to his New York neighborhood to finish a botched assignment. The drama finds the hit man forced to disguise himself as a priest, where he winds up taking the confessions of his intended victim. I like that Rourke is trying a variety of roles with his return, from...
- 2/8/2009
- cinemablend.com
With the right material, Walter Hill can play a blinder. Very often, however, the scripts he choses just aren’t up to the job - and I suppose the same can be said of Mickey Rourke. I’m definitely rooting for him in the Oscars and, before that, tonight’s BAFTAs.
They worked together in the late 80s, before each suffered a sad commercial and artistic struggle in the 90s. That time around they gave us the undervalued Johnny Handsome, a gangster fable about redemption, revenge and plastic surgery - somewhat prophetic, I feel. This time around they’ll bring us St. Vincent - another gangster fable about redemption and revenge, though apparently not this time tackling cosmetic operations.
The declared premised for the film tells us that it’s “about an assassin who masquerades as a priest in order to finish off a high level informant, only to undergo...
They worked together in the late 80s, before each suffered a sad commercial and artistic struggle in the 90s. That time around they gave us the undervalued Johnny Handsome, a gangster fable about redemption, revenge and plastic surgery - somewhat prophetic, I feel. This time around they’ll bring us St. Vincent - another gangster fable about redemption and revenge, though apparently not this time tackling cosmetic operations.
The declared premised for the film tells us that it’s “about an assassin who masquerades as a priest in order to finish off a high level informant, only to undergo...
- 2/8/2009
- by Brendon Connelly
- Slash Film
As much as we try to cover everything here at Cinematical, unfortunately some stories slip through the cracks. Here's a bunch of stuff we missed this week:
-- The first images of The Fallen, from Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen have arrived online ... except it's the toy version of the Transformer, which means it's a toy and not very interesting. But that's an image of the toy up above, and you can see two more below (courtesy of TF08).
Gallery: The Fallen
-- Robert Downey Jr., Tina Fey and Ben Stiller are in negotiations to lend their voices to a new animated superhero flick called Master Mind. This one, however, focuses on a brilliant superhero villain who loses purpose in life when he accidentally kills his good-guy nemesis. DreamWorks is currently eying a November 5, 2010 release for the film. [Hollywood Reporter]
-- Mickey Rourke has signed on to play a hit man who...
-- The first images of The Fallen, from Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen have arrived online ... except it's the toy version of the Transformer, which means it's a toy and not very interesting. But that's an image of the toy up above, and you can see two more below (courtesy of TF08).
Gallery: The Fallen
-- Robert Downey Jr., Tina Fey and Ben Stiller are in negotiations to lend their voices to a new animated superhero flick called Master Mind. This one, however, focuses on a brilliant superhero villain who loses purpose in life when he accidentally kills his good-guy nemesis. DreamWorks is currently eying a November 5, 2010 release for the film. [Hollywood Reporter]
-- Mickey Rourke has signed on to play a hit man who...
- 2/7/2009
- by Erik Davis
- Cinematical
Oscar nominee Mickey Rourke will star in indie action-thriller St. Vincent , directed by Walter Hill for Occpuant Films and Secret Handshake Entertainment. Production is slated to begin later this year. St. Vincent , written by Cameron Young, centers on a hit man returning to his former New York City neighborhood to finish off the botched killing of an informant. He's then forced to masquerade as a priest and finds himself taking the confessions of his target. Rourke and Hill worked together on 1989's Johnny Handsome .
- 2/7/2009
- Comingsoon.net
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