Chicago – One of the peculiar secrets … since revealed … in the new Apple TV+ series “High Desert” is that the icon Bernadette Peters portrays two characters. One is the mother (Rosalyn) of main character Peggy, and the other is mysterious actor Ginger who somehow ended up in California desert country. New episodes drop every Wednesday.
“High Desert” features Peggy Newman (Patricia Arquette), an ex-heroin addict who lives in arid California and needs a life change. That is difficult, for besides her visits to a local methadone clinic she is just barely holding on as a performer in Pioneer Town, a rundown tourist attraction. The only thing she desperately wants to cling to is the house of her deceased mother (Bernadette Peters), but her sister Dianne (Christine Taylor) is intent on selling it. Peggy needs to raise some extra cash, so she comes up with a plan to become a private investigator,...
“High Desert” features Peggy Newman (Patricia Arquette), an ex-heroin addict who lives in arid California and needs a life change. That is difficult, for besides her visits to a local methadone clinic she is just barely holding on as a performer in Pioneer Town, a rundown tourist attraction. The only thing she desperately wants to cling to is the house of her deceased mother (Bernadette Peters), but her sister Dianne (Christine Taylor) is intent on selling it. Peggy needs to raise some extra cash, so she comes up with a plan to become a private investigator,...
- 5/29/2023
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – How has actor/singer/Broadway icon Bernadette Peters ended up in the arid lands of California? She is featured in the new Apple TV+ series “High Desert.” It has an ensemble cast led by Patricia Arquette as Peggy Newman, a recovering human being in an odd and spiritual place. The series begins streaming on May 17th.
Newman is an ex-heroin addict who realizes her life needs to begin again. That is difficult, for besides her visits to a local methadone clinic, she is just barely holding on as a performer in Pioneertown, a rundown tourist attraction. The only thing she desperately wants to cling to is the house of her deceased mother (Bernadette Peters), but her sister Dianne (Christine Taylor) is intent on selling it. Peggy needs to raise some extra cash, so she comes up with a plan to become a private investigator, in the office of Bruce...
Newman is an ex-heroin addict who realizes her life needs to begin again. That is difficult, for besides her visits to a local methadone clinic, she is just barely holding on as a performer in Pioneertown, a rundown tourist attraction. The only thing she desperately wants to cling to is the house of her deceased mother (Bernadette Peters), but her sister Dianne (Christine Taylor) is intent on selling it. Peggy needs to raise some extra cash, so she comes up with a plan to become a private investigator, in the office of Bruce...
- 5/17/2023
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Josh Olson shares his top 10 movies from his favorite movie year, 1992, with Joe Dante.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)
Star Wars (1977)
Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
After Dark, My Sweet (1990)
The Last Of The Mohicans (1992)
Thief (1981) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
Manhunter (1986) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
The Last Of The Mohicans (1936)
The Player (1992) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review
Popeye (1980)
Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull’s History Lesson (1976) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Quintet (1979)
HealtH (1980)
Come Back To the Five And Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (1982)
Secret Honor (1984)
The Graduate (1967) – Neil Labute’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review
Touch Of Evil (1958) – Howard Rodman’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairings, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Dead Alive a.k.a. Braindead (1992) – Mike Mendez’s trailer commentary
Meet The Feebles (1989) – Mike Mendez’s...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)
Star Wars (1977)
Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
After Dark, My Sweet (1990)
The Last Of The Mohicans (1992)
Thief (1981) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
Manhunter (1986) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
The Last Of The Mohicans (1936)
The Player (1992) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review
Popeye (1980)
Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull’s History Lesson (1976) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Quintet (1979)
HealtH (1980)
Come Back To the Five And Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (1982)
Secret Honor (1984)
The Graduate (1967) – Neil Labute’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review
Touch Of Evil (1958) – Howard Rodman’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairings, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Dead Alive a.k.a. Braindead (1992) – Mike Mendez’s trailer commentary
Meet The Feebles (1989) – Mike Mendez’s...
- 8/30/2022
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
Before anyone played a note of music at the seventh annual John Henry’s Friends Benefit at New York’s Town Hall, host and organizer Steve Earle walked onto the stage, beaming with excitement and anticipation. “This is going to be good,” he said. “I’ve asked friends to do this every year, but the bar is going to be high from here on out.”
That would have been true even if the bill for the night included just his longtime backing band the Dukes plus Rosanne Cash, Willie Nile,...
That would have been true even if the bill for the night included just his longtime backing band the Dukes plus Rosanne Cash, Willie Nile,...
- 12/14/2021
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
Buddy Van Horn, Director of Clint Eastwood’s ‘Any Which Way You Can’ and ‘The Dead Pool,’ Dies at 92
Wayne “Buddy” Van Horn, Clint Eastwood’s longtime stunt double and sometimes director, died on May 11, according to an obituary from the Los Angeles Times on Sunday. He was 92.
Van Horn served as stunt coordinator on Eastwood’s films from 1972 to 2011, including “The Enforcer,” “The Gauntlet” and “Sudden Impact.” He also served as second unit director on Eastwood’s “Magnum Force” before taking on full directing duties on 1980’s “Any Which Way You Can,” 1988’s “The Dead Pool,” the fifth and final appearance of Eastwood’s iconic character, “Dirty” Harry Callahan, and then 1989’s “Pink Cadillac.”
A skilled horseman from a young age, Van Horn loved to tell stories of riding his pony for miles in the valleys and canyons surrounding North Hollywood as a kid. His rugged skillset earned him a gig riding horses as an extra in westerns. However, on the set of his second film, Van Horn...
Van Horn served as stunt coordinator on Eastwood’s films from 1972 to 2011, including “The Enforcer,” “The Gauntlet” and “Sudden Impact.” He also served as second unit director on Eastwood’s “Magnum Force” before taking on full directing duties on 1980’s “Any Which Way You Can,” 1988’s “The Dead Pool,” the fifth and final appearance of Eastwood’s iconic character, “Dirty” Harry Callahan, and then 1989’s “Pink Cadillac.”
A skilled horseman from a young age, Van Horn loved to tell stories of riding his pony for miles in the valleys and canyons surrounding North Hollywood as a kid. His rugged skillset earned him a gig riding horses as an extra in westerns. However, on the set of his second film, Van Horn...
- 5/31/2021
- by Alex Noble
- The Wrap
Wayne “Buddy” Van Horn, longtime stunt double for Clint Eastwood and director of Eastwood’s films Any Which Way You Can, The Dead Pool and Pink Cadillac, died May 11, The Los Angeles Times reported. He was 92.
Van Horn was credited as the stunt coordinator on Eastwood’s films from 1972 to 2011, including 1976’s The Enforcer, 1977’s The Gauntlet and 1983’s Sudden Impact. He also served as second unit director on Eastwood’s Magnum Force and The Rookie. As an actor, Van Horn’s most prominent onscreen appeareance was as Marshal Jim Duncan in 1973’s High Plains Drifter. The film stars Eastwood as a mysterious Stranger who metes out justice in a corrupt frontier mining town. As Eastwood’s stunt double, Duncan was cast in the role to suggest that he and the Stranger could be the same person. Van Horn is the murdered Marshal who was planning to report a gold...
Van Horn was credited as the stunt coordinator on Eastwood’s films from 1972 to 2011, including 1976’s The Enforcer, 1977’s The Gauntlet and 1983’s Sudden Impact. He also served as second unit director on Eastwood’s Magnum Force and The Rookie. As an actor, Van Horn’s most prominent onscreen appeareance was as Marshal Jim Duncan in 1973’s High Plains Drifter. The film stars Eastwood as a mysterious Stranger who metes out justice in a corrupt frontier mining town. As Eastwood’s stunt double, Duncan was cast in the role to suggest that he and the Stranger could be the same person. Van Horn is the murdered Marshal who was planning to report a gold...
- 5/31/2021
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Buddy Van Horn, a stuntman who often doubled for Clint Eastwood and directed the actor in the films Any Which Way You Can, The Dead Pool and Pink Cadillac, died May 11, his family announced. He was 92.
Van Horn worked with Eastwood and his Malpaso Productions on nearly three dozen movies over more than four decades.
A charter member of the Stuntmen’s Association of Motion Pictures and member of the Stuntmen’s Hall of Fame, Van Horn began as Eastwood’s stunt double on Don Siegel’s Coogan’s Bluff (1968).
They were paired on other Siegel-helmed films like Two Mules for Sister ...
Van Horn worked with Eastwood and his Malpaso Productions on nearly three dozen movies over more than four decades.
A charter member of the Stuntmen’s Association of Motion Pictures and member of the Stuntmen’s Hall of Fame, Van Horn began as Eastwood’s stunt double on Don Siegel’s Coogan’s Bluff (1968).
They were paired on other Siegel-helmed films like Two Mules for Sister ...
- 5/31/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Buddy Van Horn, a stuntman who often doubled for Clint Eastwood and directed the actor in the films Any Which Way You Can, The Dead Pool and Pink Cadillac, died May 11, his family announced. He was 92.
Van Horn worked with Eastwood and his Malpaso Productions on nearly three dozen movies over more than four decades.
A charter member of the Stuntmen’s Association of Motion Pictures and member of the Stuntmen’s Hall of Fame, Van Horn began as Eastwood’s stunt double on Don Siegel’s Coogan’s Bluff (1968).
They were paired on other Siegel-helmed films like Two Mules for Sister ...
Van Horn worked with Eastwood and his Malpaso Productions on nearly three dozen movies over more than four decades.
A charter member of the Stuntmen’s Association of Motion Pictures and member of the Stuntmen’s Hall of Fame, Van Horn began as Eastwood’s stunt double on Don Siegel’s Coogan’s Bluff (1968).
They were paired on other Siegel-helmed films like Two Mules for Sister ...
- 5/31/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Wayne “Buddy” Van Horn, veteran stuntman who worked with Clint Eastwood on over 30 films and directed “Any Which Way You Can” and “The Dead Pool,” died May 11, according to an obituary notice in the Los Angeles Times. He was 92.
Sometimes credited as Wayne Van Horn, he started working with Eastwood as a stunt double in 1967, and continued working as a stunt coordinator on his films up until “J. Edgar” in 2011. He also directed three movies starring Eastwood: “Any Which Way You Can,” “The Dead Pool” and “Pink Cadillac.” 1980’s “Any Which Way You Can” was the sequel to James Fargo’s “Every Which Way but Loose,” and 1988’s “The Dead Pool” is the fifth and final film in the “Dirty Harry” series, also starring Patricia Clarkson, Liam Neeson and Jim Carrey in his first dramatic film role.
The longtime stuntman was “born on the back lot of Universal Studios,” according to his obit notice.
Sometimes credited as Wayne Van Horn, he started working with Eastwood as a stunt double in 1967, and continued working as a stunt coordinator on his films up until “J. Edgar” in 2011. He also directed three movies starring Eastwood: “Any Which Way You Can,” “The Dead Pool” and “Pink Cadillac.” 1980’s “Any Which Way You Can” was the sequel to James Fargo’s “Every Which Way but Loose,” and 1988’s “The Dead Pool” is the fifth and final film in the “Dirty Harry” series, also starring Patricia Clarkson, Liam Neeson and Jim Carrey in his first dramatic film role.
The longtime stuntman was “born on the back lot of Universal Studios,” according to his obit notice.
- 5/31/2021
- by Pat Saperstein
- Variety Film + TV
Oscar nominated screenwriter of One Night in Miami… and the writer/co-director of Pixar’s Soul, Kemp Powers discusses some of his favorite movies with hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Innerspace (1987)
The Goonies (1985)
Animal House (1978)
Soul (2020)
One Night In Miami… (2020)
Munich (2005)
12 Angry Men (1957)
The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
E.T. The Extraterrestrial (1982)
Gremlins (1984)
About Schmidt (2002)
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Little Women (2019)
Cornbread, Earl And Me (1975)
The Education Of Sonny Carson (1974)
Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling (1986)
Point Break (1991)
Point Break (2015)
Ghost (1990)
To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (1995)
Road House (1989)
Dirty Dancing (1987)
The Outsiders (1983)
Die Hard (1988)
Up (2009)
Monsters Inc. (2001)
Inside Out (2015)
Wall-e (2008)
Ratatouille (2007)
Van Nuys Blvd. (1979)
Mad Max (1979)
The Road Warrior (1981)
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985)
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
Happy Feet (2006)
Babe (1995)
Lorenzo’s Oil (1992)
Unforgiven (1992)
The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford (2007)
Tombstone (1993)
Invictus (2009)
Jersey Boys (2014)
Gran Torino...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Innerspace (1987)
The Goonies (1985)
Animal House (1978)
Soul (2020)
One Night In Miami… (2020)
Munich (2005)
12 Angry Men (1957)
The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
E.T. The Extraterrestrial (1982)
Gremlins (1984)
About Schmidt (2002)
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Little Women (2019)
Cornbread, Earl And Me (1975)
The Education Of Sonny Carson (1974)
Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling (1986)
Point Break (1991)
Point Break (2015)
Ghost (1990)
To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (1995)
Road House (1989)
Dirty Dancing (1987)
The Outsiders (1983)
Die Hard (1988)
Up (2009)
Monsters Inc. (2001)
Inside Out (2015)
Wall-e (2008)
Ratatouille (2007)
Van Nuys Blvd. (1979)
Mad Max (1979)
The Road Warrior (1981)
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985)
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
Happy Feet (2006)
Babe (1995)
Lorenzo’s Oil (1992)
Unforgiven (1992)
The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford (2007)
Tombstone (1993)
Invictus (2009)
Jersey Boys (2014)
Gran Torino...
- 4/13/2021
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
The fifth and final film in Eastwood’s “Dirty Harry” series is memorable for early career appearances by Liam Neeson and Jim Carrey. Directed by Buddy Van Horn whose remarkably long and action-packed career as a stunt man (beginning in 1951 with the Byron Haskin western Warpath) was sidetracked by three directorial jobs for Eastwood, including The Dead Pool, Pink Cadillac, and Any Which Way You Can. Versatile cinematographer Jack Green went on to provide the uniquely noirish western look for Eastwood’s Oscar-winning Unforgiven.
The post The Dead Pool appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
The post The Dead Pool appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
- 10/14/2020
- by TFH Team
- Trailers from Hell
John Prine, a revered, Grammy-winning folk-Americana singer-songwriter whose career spanned nearly a half-century, died today of complications from coronavirus. He was 73.
Prine — A member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame who last year was nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for the first time — had been hospitalized since March 26 with Covid-19 symptoms and been listed in critical condition for more than a week. Earlier his wife, Fiona, had announced that she also had coronavirus symptoms.
More from DeadlineAdam Schlesinger Dies: Coronavirus Claims Fountains Of Wayne Leader, Emmy And Grammy Winner At 52Uk's Channel 4 To Slash Content Budget By $185M As It Is Ravaged By Coronavirus PandemicNew York Drama Desk Awards To Announce Winners Online For A Season Shortened By Covid-19
A former mail carrier, Prine was discovered by Kris Kristofferson, who produced the singer’s folk-tinged self-titled debut album for Atlantic Records in 1971. The acclaimed record...
Prine — A member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame who last year was nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for the first time — had been hospitalized since March 26 with Covid-19 symptoms and been listed in critical condition for more than a week. Earlier his wife, Fiona, had announced that she also had coronavirus symptoms.
More from DeadlineAdam Schlesinger Dies: Coronavirus Claims Fountains Of Wayne Leader, Emmy And Grammy Winner At 52Uk's Channel 4 To Slash Content Budget By $185M As It Is Ravaged By Coronavirus PandemicNew York Drama Desk Awards To Announce Winners Online For A Season Shortened By Covid-19
A former mail carrier, Prine was discovered by Kris Kristofferson, who produced the singer’s folk-tinged self-titled debut album for Atlantic Records in 1971. The acclaimed record...
- 4/8/2020
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Up until late Saturday afternoon, the odds of Bruce Springsteen showing up at the annual Asbury Park charity concert Light of Day seemed pretty miniscule. He was a regular (unannounced) guest at the show – which raises money to fight Parkinson’s Disease – most every year from its inception in 2000 through 2015, but he missed the past four consecutive shows. This year, he was booked to host an equestrian event in Wellington, Florida 24 hours before the start of the Light of Day festivities. Making matters worse, a winter storm just happened to...
- 1/19/2020
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
Paul Barrere, the singer and guitarist for Little Feat that also had tracks on ten soundtracks, has died. He passed on Saturday from complications of liver disease at UCLA Hospital at age 71.
“It is with great sorrow that Little Feat must announce the passing of our brother guitarist, Paul Barrere, this morning at UCLA Hospital,” said a statement on the band’s official web page. “We ask for your kindest thoughts and best wishes to go out especially to his widow Pam and children Gabriel, Genevieve, and Gillian, and to all the fans who were his extended family.” The statement was signed by members Bill Payne, Sam Clayton, Fred Tackett, Kenny Gradney, and Gabe Ford
Little Feat is currently on tour, but Barrere was too ill to join them. He had auditioned as a bass player for the group when it was first formed, but in his words, “as a...
“It is with great sorrow that Little Feat must announce the passing of our brother guitarist, Paul Barrere, this morning at UCLA Hospital,” said a statement on the band’s official web page. “We ask for your kindest thoughts and best wishes to go out especially to his widow Pam and children Gabriel, Genevieve, and Gillian, and to all the fans who were his extended family.” The statement was signed by members Bill Payne, Sam Clayton, Fred Tackett, Kenny Gradney, and Gabe Ford
Little Feat is currently on tour, but Barrere was too ill to join them. He had auditioned as a bass player for the group when it was first formed, but in his words, “as a...
- 10/27/2019
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Paul Benjamin, who appeared in Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing, has died. Lee announced on Instagram that the veteran actor died June 28. The cause of death was not immediately known. Benjamin was 81.
Benjamin, who played one of the three wise Brooklyn “cornermen” in Lee’s 1989 film Do the Right Thing, began his career in 1969 as a bartender in Midnight Cowboy. He went to play small roles in Sidney Lumet’s The Anderson Tapes and Born to Win, then segued into more extensive TV work later in the 1970s.
He appeared as a death row inmate in a 1988 episode of In The Heat of the Night and also in the 1994 pilot episode of ER, which led to his recurring role of homeless man Al Ervin during the next few seasons. Benjamin also worked on the American Masters documentary of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Ralph Ellison, which aired on PBS, as...
Benjamin, who played one of the three wise Brooklyn “cornermen” in Lee’s 1989 film Do the Right Thing, began his career in 1969 as a bartender in Midnight Cowboy. He went to play small roles in Sidney Lumet’s The Anderson Tapes and Born to Win, then segued into more extensive TV work later in the 1970s.
He appeared as a death row inmate in a 1988 episode of In The Heat of the Night and also in the 1994 pilot episode of ER, which led to his recurring role of homeless man Al Ervin during the next few seasons. Benjamin also worked on the American Masters documentary of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Ralph Ellison, which aired on PBS, as...
- 7/5/2019
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
For most people, a simple handshake from John Prine could be considered a once-in-a-lifetime kind of gift. But for producer and engineer Matt Ross-Spang, his Prine prize came in the form of something a lot more permanent — and one that requires oil, not vodka and ginger ale, to keep chugging.
“Every day he would drive a different Cadillac to the studio,” says Ross-Spang, sitting at an East Nashville coffee shop and recalling Prine’s The Tree of Forgiveness sessions. Ross-Spang engineered the project alongside producer Dave Cobb, and he’d...
“Every day he would drive a different Cadillac to the studio,” says Ross-Spang, sitting at an East Nashville coffee shop and recalling Prine’s The Tree of Forgiveness sessions. Ross-Spang engineered the project alongside producer Dave Cobb, and he’d...
- 12/17/2018
- by Marissa R. Moss
- Rollingstone.com
Author: Cai Ross
The summer movie season of 1992 opened under a cloud; a dark cloud from the still-smouldering buildings that had burned to the ground during the La riots in April. Racial tension after the disastrous acquittal of Rodney King’s uniformed attackers had reached an all-time high and Hollywood appealed for calm.
Thus, in a touchingly bold demonstration of selfless generosity, Walter Hill’s unremarkable urban thriller, The Looters, was hastily withdrawn and held back until Christmas, re-christened Trespass (memorably starring two Bills – Paxton and Sadler – and a pair of Ices – T and Cube). Elsewhere, it was business as usual.
The Rodney King affair was briefly alluded to in Lethal Weapon 3, the second-biggest hit of the summer and one of only a handful of ‘sure things’ on the menu. Though there were mutterings about the dominance of sequels in the summer movie season, there were weird things afoot in most of the other returnees. Aside from Lethal Weapon 3 – which was essentially a watered down Lethal Weapon 2 with too much added Joe Pesci – the rest of the sequels veered off into strange tangents, with varying results.
Alien 3, for example strayed dangerously far from the template set down by the first two classics. Bravely, it has to be said, David Fincher tried to create a quasi-religious epic, following Scott’s horror movie and Cameron’s war film. Latterly, Fincher’s frustrations and behind-the-scenes interferences became legendary, but audiences didn’t click with his compromised vision and it became the first in a long line of Alien movies to fall a bit flat.
Another major sequel, Honey, I Blew Up The Baby was in fact the complete opposite of 1989’s Honey, I Shrunk The Kids, culminating in the spectacle of a 99 foot toddler stomping through Las Vegas. It was directed without enthusiasm by Grease director Randal Kleiser, reminding audiences once again why no one remembers who directed Grease.
It wasn’t just sequels that dared to be different. One of the strangest mainstream offerings of the year was Robert Zemeckis’s black comedy, Death Becomes Her, which might have been a delicious satire on America’s vain obsession with cosmetic surgery if only Bruce Willis had stopped shouting at everyone like he was trying to prevent a plane crash.
Back in the ‘90s, much more so than today, comedies were a vital part of the summer success story – an inexpensive sop for the grown-ups while their teenage kids watched things explode in Screen 7. There were high hopes for Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn’s Housesitter, which was only a medium-sized hit, despite the bit where Steve Martin sings ‘Tura Lura Lura’ to his dad, and the other bit when his falls over his couch.
Boomerang was a bigger hit and restored some credibility to Eddie Murphy’s career after the crippling one-two punches of Harlem Nights and Another 48 Hours. It was also responsible for one of the great ironic ‘First Dance At a Wedding’ songs, Boys II Men’s The End of The Road.
Nicolas Cage embarked on a three year long career as a romantic comedy star with the rather wonderful Honeymoon in Vegas, famed for its skydiving Elvis finale. Tom Hanks and his Big director Penny Marshall reteamed to great success with wartime baseball comedy A League of Their Own, which also saw Geena Davis giving a star performance and Madonna giving a bearable one. “There’s no crying in baseball!!!” was probably the most quoted line of the summer.
As with City Slickers in 1991, comedy provided the biggest sleeper hit of the summer: Sister Act, with Whoopi Goldberg excelling as a murder witness hiding out in a convent. As with City Slickers, an unwise sequel was hastily made and hastily forgotten. The original though, was the sixth biggest film of the year and is still going strong as a west-end show to this day.
It wasn’t just the many and varied comic tastes of adults that were appeased; semi-literate young people were also provided for by Encino Man (or California Man as we knew it, since we don’t know where Encino is. It’s in California). Noted for Brendan Fraser’s first stab at the big time, this grungy caveman caper will be of interest to young contemporary archeologists keen to investigate who or what Pauly Shore was.
Teenagers were also palmed off with a silly-sounding comedy called Buffy The Vampire Slayer, written by first-time screenwriter Joss Whedon. Starring Kristy Swanson as the eponymous heroine, but marketed as a vehicle for Beverly Hills 90210 heart-throb Luke Perry, the producers had hoped for a chunk of the Bill & Ted audience that Encino Man hadn’t swallowed up. Sadly, they had to make do with a long-running spin-off television show regularly cited as one of the greatest ever made. Gnarly.
The stalking killer thriller phenomenon that started with The Silence of The Lambs and Cape Fear echoed into 1992 with solid hits like Unlawful Entry and Single White Female. Even Patriot Games – a sort-of sequel to The Hunt For Red October with Harrison Ford rebooting Alec Baldwin’s Jack Ryan – for all its CIA espionage and partial understanding of “The Troubles” in Northern Ireland, was basically a slasher movie, with Sean Bean doing to Harrison Ford what Robert De Niro had done to Nick Nolte the year before. (Sean Bean dies, obviously).
Crimes against the Emerald Isle weren’t restricted to the gratuitous amounts of Clannad in Patriot Games. Tom Cruise’s Irish accent in Ron Howard’s Far and Away was the benchmark for all bad Irish accents until Brad Pitt graciously took the relay baton in The Devil’s Own. The film, shot in glorious 70mm was the biggest risk of the summer and proved to be the dampest squib, considering the star power of Cruise and (then-wife) Nicole Kidman. Despite looking ravishing, the script had all the depth of a bottle-cap. It desperately wanted to be a timeless classic in the David Lean tradition but held up against Unforgiven, which was released in August, Far & Away was shown up as the glorified Cbbc TV special it was.
Unforgiven came out of nowhere. Clint Eastwood’s previous movie, The Rookie, was somehow even worse than 1989’s Pink Cadillac. However, he’d been sitting on David Webb Peoples’ script for years until he was finally old enough to play William Munny. An extraordinary, mature and masterful critique of Western mythology, Unforgiven was hailed as Eastwood’s best work from the get-go, took the summer’s number five spot and would later win a handful of Oscars, including Pest Picture.
So who was the box office champion of Summer ’92? Well, that question was never in any doubt. Tim Burton’s Batman was the cultural phenomenon of 1989, redefining the parameters of box office limitations and merchandise licensing in a way not seen since Star Wars. Speculation as to who Batman would fight next and who would play him/her began immediately. Dustin Hoffman was touted to play The Penguin and Annette Bening was actually cast as Catwoman, before pregnancy forced her to drop out.
On the 19th of June, all was revealed when Batman Returns opened to a spectacular $45m weekend, $5m more than the original. Michael Keaton returned as The Caped Crusader (having split up with the creditably tight-lipped Vicki Vale), while not one but three villains put up their dukes. Danny DeVito played the Penguin as a deformed, subterranean leader of a gang of circus act drop-outs. Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman (perhaps her signature role) was transformed from a clumsy secretary into a vengeful whip-wielding dominatrix. Christopher Walken borrowed ‘Doc’ Emmett Brown’s hair to play new villain, Max Shreck.
Despite the enormous opening weekend, things took a downward turn almost immediately. Audiences expecting more of the same were treated to a dark, nose-bitingly violent combination of German Expressionism, kinky S&M and oversized rubber ducks. The box office the following week dropped by 40%, and there was further controversy when McDonalds had to deal with the ire of horrified parents across America, ‘tricked’ by their Batman Returns Happy Meals into taking their kids to watch Burton’s deranged fairy tale, pussy jokes et al.
The backlash (against what is now considered a unique high-water mark in the superhero genre), meant that Batman Returns wound up making $100m less than its predecessor and it placed third for the year, behind Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, a film so determined to give its audience a familiar experience that it simply changed the first film’s screen directions from Int. Kevin’S House – Night to Ext. New York – Night and reshot the entire script. (The box office crown for the year was taken eventually by Disney’s Aladdin.)
Warner Bros. took evasive action, hiring Joel Schumacher to sweeten the mix, which would help to restore Batman’s fortunes in 1995, before everything, literally absolutely everything went wrong in 1997 and the world had to wait for Christopher Nolan to finish attending Ucl, become a director and save the Dark Knight from the resultant ignominy.
Hollywood was given a crash course in the perils of straying too far from a winning formula in the summer of ’92. Sadly, for a while at least, it learned its lesson.
The post Tamed Aliens, Harmonic Nuns and a Leather Catsuit: Strange Tales from 1992’s Summer of Cinema appeared first on HeyUGuys.
The summer movie season of 1992 opened under a cloud; a dark cloud from the still-smouldering buildings that had burned to the ground during the La riots in April. Racial tension after the disastrous acquittal of Rodney King’s uniformed attackers had reached an all-time high and Hollywood appealed for calm.
Thus, in a touchingly bold demonstration of selfless generosity, Walter Hill’s unremarkable urban thriller, The Looters, was hastily withdrawn and held back until Christmas, re-christened Trespass (memorably starring two Bills – Paxton and Sadler – and a pair of Ices – T and Cube). Elsewhere, it was business as usual.
The Rodney King affair was briefly alluded to in Lethal Weapon 3, the second-biggest hit of the summer and one of only a handful of ‘sure things’ on the menu. Though there were mutterings about the dominance of sequels in the summer movie season, there were weird things afoot in most of the other returnees. Aside from Lethal Weapon 3 – which was essentially a watered down Lethal Weapon 2 with too much added Joe Pesci – the rest of the sequels veered off into strange tangents, with varying results.
Alien 3, for example strayed dangerously far from the template set down by the first two classics. Bravely, it has to be said, David Fincher tried to create a quasi-religious epic, following Scott’s horror movie and Cameron’s war film. Latterly, Fincher’s frustrations and behind-the-scenes interferences became legendary, but audiences didn’t click with his compromised vision and it became the first in a long line of Alien movies to fall a bit flat.
Another major sequel, Honey, I Blew Up The Baby was in fact the complete opposite of 1989’s Honey, I Shrunk The Kids, culminating in the spectacle of a 99 foot toddler stomping through Las Vegas. It was directed without enthusiasm by Grease director Randal Kleiser, reminding audiences once again why no one remembers who directed Grease.
It wasn’t just sequels that dared to be different. One of the strangest mainstream offerings of the year was Robert Zemeckis’s black comedy, Death Becomes Her, which might have been a delicious satire on America’s vain obsession with cosmetic surgery if only Bruce Willis had stopped shouting at everyone like he was trying to prevent a plane crash.
Back in the ‘90s, much more so than today, comedies were a vital part of the summer success story – an inexpensive sop for the grown-ups while their teenage kids watched things explode in Screen 7. There were high hopes for Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn’s Housesitter, which was only a medium-sized hit, despite the bit where Steve Martin sings ‘Tura Lura Lura’ to his dad, and the other bit when his falls over his couch.
Boomerang was a bigger hit and restored some credibility to Eddie Murphy’s career after the crippling one-two punches of Harlem Nights and Another 48 Hours. It was also responsible for one of the great ironic ‘First Dance At a Wedding’ songs, Boys II Men’s The End of The Road.
Nicolas Cage embarked on a three year long career as a romantic comedy star with the rather wonderful Honeymoon in Vegas, famed for its skydiving Elvis finale. Tom Hanks and his Big director Penny Marshall reteamed to great success with wartime baseball comedy A League of Their Own, which also saw Geena Davis giving a star performance and Madonna giving a bearable one. “There’s no crying in baseball!!!” was probably the most quoted line of the summer.
As with City Slickers in 1991, comedy provided the biggest sleeper hit of the summer: Sister Act, with Whoopi Goldberg excelling as a murder witness hiding out in a convent. As with City Slickers, an unwise sequel was hastily made and hastily forgotten. The original though, was the sixth biggest film of the year and is still going strong as a west-end show to this day.
It wasn’t just the many and varied comic tastes of adults that were appeased; semi-literate young people were also provided for by Encino Man (or California Man as we knew it, since we don’t know where Encino is. It’s in California). Noted for Brendan Fraser’s first stab at the big time, this grungy caveman caper will be of interest to young contemporary archeologists keen to investigate who or what Pauly Shore was.
Teenagers were also palmed off with a silly-sounding comedy called Buffy The Vampire Slayer, written by first-time screenwriter Joss Whedon. Starring Kristy Swanson as the eponymous heroine, but marketed as a vehicle for Beverly Hills 90210 heart-throb Luke Perry, the producers had hoped for a chunk of the Bill & Ted audience that Encino Man hadn’t swallowed up. Sadly, they had to make do with a long-running spin-off television show regularly cited as one of the greatest ever made. Gnarly.
The stalking killer thriller phenomenon that started with The Silence of The Lambs and Cape Fear echoed into 1992 with solid hits like Unlawful Entry and Single White Female. Even Patriot Games – a sort-of sequel to The Hunt For Red October with Harrison Ford rebooting Alec Baldwin’s Jack Ryan – for all its CIA espionage and partial understanding of “The Troubles” in Northern Ireland, was basically a slasher movie, with Sean Bean doing to Harrison Ford what Robert De Niro had done to Nick Nolte the year before. (Sean Bean dies, obviously).
Crimes against the Emerald Isle weren’t restricted to the gratuitous amounts of Clannad in Patriot Games. Tom Cruise’s Irish accent in Ron Howard’s Far and Away was the benchmark for all bad Irish accents until Brad Pitt graciously took the relay baton in The Devil’s Own. The film, shot in glorious 70mm was the biggest risk of the summer and proved to be the dampest squib, considering the star power of Cruise and (then-wife) Nicole Kidman. Despite looking ravishing, the script had all the depth of a bottle-cap. It desperately wanted to be a timeless classic in the David Lean tradition but held up against Unforgiven, which was released in August, Far & Away was shown up as the glorified Cbbc TV special it was.
Unforgiven came out of nowhere. Clint Eastwood’s previous movie, The Rookie, was somehow even worse than 1989’s Pink Cadillac. However, he’d been sitting on David Webb Peoples’ script for years until he was finally old enough to play William Munny. An extraordinary, mature and masterful critique of Western mythology, Unforgiven was hailed as Eastwood’s best work from the get-go, took the summer’s number five spot and would later win a handful of Oscars, including Pest Picture.
So who was the box office champion of Summer ’92? Well, that question was never in any doubt. Tim Burton’s Batman was the cultural phenomenon of 1989, redefining the parameters of box office limitations and merchandise licensing in a way not seen since Star Wars. Speculation as to who Batman would fight next and who would play him/her began immediately. Dustin Hoffman was touted to play The Penguin and Annette Bening was actually cast as Catwoman, before pregnancy forced her to drop out.
On the 19th of June, all was revealed when Batman Returns opened to a spectacular $45m weekend, $5m more than the original. Michael Keaton returned as The Caped Crusader (having split up with the creditably tight-lipped Vicki Vale), while not one but three villains put up their dukes. Danny DeVito played the Penguin as a deformed, subterranean leader of a gang of circus act drop-outs. Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman (perhaps her signature role) was transformed from a clumsy secretary into a vengeful whip-wielding dominatrix. Christopher Walken borrowed ‘Doc’ Emmett Brown’s hair to play new villain, Max Shreck.
Despite the enormous opening weekend, things took a downward turn almost immediately. Audiences expecting more of the same were treated to a dark, nose-bitingly violent combination of German Expressionism, kinky S&M and oversized rubber ducks. The box office the following week dropped by 40%, and there was further controversy when McDonalds had to deal with the ire of horrified parents across America, ‘tricked’ by their Batman Returns Happy Meals into taking their kids to watch Burton’s deranged fairy tale, pussy jokes et al.
The backlash (against what is now considered a unique high-water mark in the superhero genre), meant that Batman Returns wound up making $100m less than its predecessor and it placed third for the year, behind Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, a film so determined to give its audience a familiar experience that it simply changed the first film’s screen directions from Int. Kevin’S House – Night to Ext. New York – Night and reshot the entire script. (The box office crown for the year was taken eventually by Disney’s Aladdin.)
Warner Bros. took evasive action, hiring Joel Schumacher to sweeten the mix, which would help to restore Batman’s fortunes in 1995, before everything, literally absolutely everything went wrong in 1997 and the world had to wait for Christopher Nolan to finish attending Ucl, become a director and save the Dark Knight from the resultant ignominy.
Hollywood was given a crash course in the perils of straying too far from a winning formula in the summer of ’92. Sadly, for a while at least, it learned its lesson.
The post Tamed Aliens, Harmonic Nuns and a Leather Catsuit: Strange Tales from 1992’s Summer of Cinema appeared first on HeyUGuys.
- 6/23/2017
- by Cai Ross
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Author: Competitions
To mark the release of Clint Eastwood 40 Film Collection, out now, we’ve been given a copy of the boxset to give away on DVD.
For nearly 40 years, Clint Eastwood has called Warner Bros home. This essential collection contains the extraordinary films created during his partnership with the studio, where Eastwood opened Malpaso Productions in 1975. The deluxe boxset includes: Where Eagles Dare (1968), Kelly’s Heroes (1970), Dirty Harry (1971), Magnum Force (1973), The Enforcer (1976), The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976), The Gauntlet (1977), Every Which Way but Loose (1978), Bronco Billy (1980), Any Which Way You Can (1980), Honkytonk Man (1982), Firefox (1982), Sudden Impact (1983), City Heat (1984), Tightrope (1984), Pale Rider (1985), Heartbreak Ridge (1986), Bird (1988), The Dead Pool (1988), Pink Cadillac (1989), White Hunter, Black Heart (1990), The Rookie (1990), Unforgiven (1992), A Perfect World (1993), The Bridges of Madison County (1995), Absolute Power (1997), Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997), True Crime (1999), Space Cowboys (2000), Blood Work (2002), Mystic River (2003), Flags of Our Fathers (2006), Letters from Iwo Jima...
To mark the release of Clint Eastwood 40 Film Collection, out now, we’ve been given a copy of the boxset to give away on DVD.
For nearly 40 years, Clint Eastwood has called Warner Bros home. This essential collection contains the extraordinary films created during his partnership with the studio, where Eastwood opened Malpaso Productions in 1975. The deluxe boxset includes: Where Eagles Dare (1968), Kelly’s Heroes (1970), Dirty Harry (1971), Magnum Force (1973), The Enforcer (1976), The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976), The Gauntlet (1977), Every Which Way but Loose (1978), Bronco Billy (1980), Any Which Way You Can (1980), Honkytonk Man (1982), Firefox (1982), Sudden Impact (1983), City Heat (1984), Tightrope (1984), Pale Rider (1985), Heartbreak Ridge (1986), Bird (1988), The Dead Pool (1988), Pink Cadillac (1989), White Hunter, Black Heart (1990), The Rookie (1990), Unforgiven (1992), A Perfect World (1993), The Bridges of Madison County (1995), Absolute Power (1997), Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997), True Crime (1999), Space Cowboys (2000), Blood Work (2002), Mystic River (2003), Flags of Our Fathers (2006), Letters from Iwo Jima...
- 6/19/2017
- by Competitions
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
As the daughter of music legend Nat King Cole, Natalie Cole was never far from the shadow of his iconic legacy and presence. But, following a string of hits and Grammy Awards, she soon proved to be a musical powerhouse in her own right. As the death of Cole at the age of 65 leaves many in shock, fans are remembering the songbird for her incredible talent on stage. And like her father, she leaves behind a rich body of work, proving that she truly is "Unforgettable." Here's a look back at some of Cole's greatest hits and biggest moments: One...
- 1/1/2016
- by Jodi Guglielmi, @JodiGug3
- PEOPLE.com
The barkeeps and patrons of Matt’s Saloon in Prescott, Ariz. probably thought it was just another normal Friday night, but Sept. 29, 1989 — 26 years ago today — was not another normal night. What made it a rather unusual evening for the sleepy town was the presence of a rock star in Matt’s Saloon: Bruce Springsteen was playing an unannounced performance at the bar. He rolled into town on a motorcycle with some buddies and wound up in a jam session with the house band. Springsteen, wearing a leather vest and a bandana around his neck, played “I’m On Fire” from his 1984 album “Born In The U.S.A.,” but when the band asked him to play “Pink Cadillac,” the rock star said he couldn’t remember the words to his hit song, recalled Denny Orr, the rhythm guitarist for the house band. Orr also said that things “went nuts” in the bar...
- 9/29/2015
- by Emily Rome
- Hitfix
Lewis with Beverly D'Angelo and Clint Eastwood in the hit 1978 comedy Every Which Way But Loose.
Acclaimed character actor Geoffrey Lewis, and father of actress Juliette Lewis, has died at age 79 of natural causes. Lewis had a long and impressive list of major films and TV appearances to his credit. He was frequently cast by Clint Eastwood in the iconic actor's productions including High Plains Drifter, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, Every Which Way But Loose, Any Which Way You Can, Bronco Billy, Pink Cadillac and their last collaboration, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Although Lewis was often cast as earthy, hillbilly-types, he could also excel at playing sophisticated characters as well. Other major film credits include The Wind and the Lion, Heaven's Gate, The Lawmower Man, Maverick and the TV movie version of Salem's Lot. He primarily worked in television and had amassed a seemingly endless number of...
Acclaimed character actor Geoffrey Lewis, and father of actress Juliette Lewis, has died at age 79 of natural causes. Lewis had a long and impressive list of major films and TV appearances to his credit. He was frequently cast by Clint Eastwood in the iconic actor's productions including High Plains Drifter, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, Every Which Way But Loose, Any Which Way You Can, Bronco Billy, Pink Cadillac and their last collaboration, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Although Lewis was often cast as earthy, hillbilly-types, he could also excel at playing sophisticated characters as well. Other major film credits include The Wind and the Lion, Heaven's Gate, The Lawmower Man, Maverick and the TV movie version of Salem's Lot. He primarily worked in television and had amassed a seemingly endless number of...
- 4/8/2015
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Geoffrey Lewis was one of those character actors who was in just about everything, but first and foremost he was a father. Lewis died of natural causes on Tuesday, April 7.
Fans may know him from Clint Eastwood movies like "High Plains Drifter," "Every Which Way But Loose," "Pink Cadillac" and "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil." He has dozens of TV and film credits on his resume, and he was nominated for a Golden Globe award for his role in the TV series "Flo." Actress Juliette Lewis just knows him as Dad, and early Wednesday morning she posted a larger version of the photo shown above on Instagram with a caption that goes straight to the heart:
My dad. My dad my dad my dad my dad. My love my dad. My dad. My hero. My dad. My dad my love my loving father. My strength my might.
Fans may know him from Clint Eastwood movies like "High Plains Drifter," "Every Which Way But Loose," "Pink Cadillac" and "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil." He has dozens of TV and film credits on his resume, and he was nominated for a Golden Globe award for his role in the TV series "Flo." Actress Juliette Lewis just knows him as Dad, and early Wednesday morning she posted a larger version of the photo shown above on Instagram with a caption that goes straight to the heart:
My dad. My dad my dad my dad my dad. My love my dad. My dad. My hero. My dad. My dad my love my loving father. My strength my might.
- 4/8/2015
- by Gina Carbone
- Moviefone
Cinema Retro Has Received The Following Press Release
Britain will get personal insight into the life of Elvis Presley, the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, through the largest Elvis retrospective ever mounted in Europe, Elvis at The O2: The Exhibition of His Life. Opening at The O2, London on December 12, the nine month exhibition will showcase over 300 artifacts direct from the Presley family’s treasured Graceland Archives, some of which have never been exhibited outside of Graceland in Memphis. Tickets for the general public go on sale at 9:00 a.m. London time on Friday, November 7.
Elvis at The O2: The Exhibition of His Life chronicles the rise of the rock ‘n’ roll icon and how Elvis impacted popular culture around the world through his music, movies and personal style. From his humble beginnings to his meteoric rise to fame, the exhibition will explore Elvis mania that first...
Britain will get personal insight into the life of Elvis Presley, the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, through the largest Elvis retrospective ever mounted in Europe, Elvis at The O2: The Exhibition of His Life. Opening at The O2, London on December 12, the nine month exhibition will showcase over 300 artifacts direct from the Presley family’s treasured Graceland Archives, some of which have never been exhibited outside of Graceland in Memphis. Tickets for the general public go on sale at 9:00 a.m. London time on Friday, November 7.
Elvis at The O2: The Exhibition of His Life chronicles the rise of the rock ‘n’ roll icon and how Elvis impacted popular culture around the world through his music, movies and personal style. From his humble beginnings to his meteoric rise to fame, the exhibition will explore Elvis mania that first...
- 11/6/2014
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
In honor of the 2014 summer movie season, Team HitFix will be delivering a mini-series of articles flashing back to key summers from years past. There will be one each month, diving into the marquee events of the era, their impact on the writer and their implications on today's multiplex culture. We start today with a look back at the summer of 1989. In many ways, 1989 is a fascinating case study for the direction populist filmmaking was already in the process of taking. Never before had so many sequels descended upon the multiplex. Franchises were exploding in the wake of "Star Wars." Twenty-five years later, well, the more things change, the more they stay the same, I guess. As a 7-year-old living in small-town North Carolina, those franchises sucked me in that summer. It was a formidable few months for me, and so when we decided to crank out a Summer Movies Flashback series this year,...
- 4/30/2014
- by Kristopher Tapley
- Hitfix
Clint Eastwood Week with Alan Spencer! concludes at Trailers from Hell, with screenwriter Spencer introducing "The Dead Pool."The fifth and final film in Eastwood’s “Dirty Harry” series is memorable for early career appearances by Liam Neeson and Jim Carrey. Directed by Buddy Van Horn whose remarkably long and action-packed career as a stunt man (beginning in 1951 with the Byron Haskin western Warpath) was sidetracked by three directorial jobs for Eastwood, including Dead Pool, Pink Cadillac and Any Which Way You Can. Versatile cinematographer Jack Green went on to provide the uniquely noirish western look for Eastwood’s oscar-winning Unforgiven.
- 4/4/2014
- by Trailers From Hell
- Thompson on Hollywood
The fifth and final film in Eastwood’s “Dirty Harry” series is memorable for early career appearances by Liam Neeson and Jim Carrey. Directed by Buddy Van Horn whose remarkably long and action-packed career as a stunt man (beginning in 1951 with the Byron Haskin western Warpath) was sidetracked by three directorial jobs for Eastwood, including Dead Pool, Pink Cadillac and Any Which Way You Can. Versatile cinematographer Jack Green went on to provide the uniquely noirish western look for Eastwood’s oscar-winning Unforgiven.
The post The Dead Pool appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
The post The Dead Pool appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
- 4/4/2014
- by TFH Team
- Trailers from Hell
When people in the UK think of Bruce Springsteen they come up with little more than ‘Born In The USA’ and dancing with Courtney Cox. Maybe they say that his music is for flag-waving, working-class men or that he is a relic of the 1980′s.
Simply not true.
I want to show why he is more relevant and influential today than he has ever been. By looking at his legendary concerts, the E Street Band and the artists that hold Springsteen as one of their greatest influences, you will learn why a man in his mid 60’s is more relevant and important to modern music than you might think.
8. Great (And Some Not So Great) Artists Cover Him
Plenty of people cover an artist’s big hits but there is a depth to Springsteen’s work that many casual observers not have initially noticed. Many big acts have covered and...
Simply not true.
I want to show why he is more relevant and influential today than he has ever been. By looking at his legendary concerts, the E Street Band and the artists that hold Springsteen as one of their greatest influences, you will learn why a man in his mid 60’s is more relevant and important to modern music than you might think.
8. Great (And Some Not So Great) Artists Cover Him
Plenty of people cover an artist’s big hits but there is a depth to Springsteen’s work that many casual observers not have initially noticed. Many big acts have covered and...
- 5/1/2013
- by Terry Hearn
- Obsessed with Film
Warner Brothers has just dropped word on a two new collections dedicated to the work of American film icon Clint Eastwood. The two collections (one on DVD, the other on Blu-ray) will feature a new documentary by Eastwood biographer Richard Schickel, along with a copy of the new non-directed Eastwood film Trouble with the Curve.
A portion of the news release is below:
Burbank, Calif., February 11, 2013 – Clint Eastwood’s illustrious motion picture career has spanned more than half a century and touched generations of filmgoers. The filmmaker/actor has received five Academy Awards®and his films have grossed more than $2 billion at the domestic box office. This year marks the 38th anniversary of the relationship between Warner Bros., Clint Eastwood and Malpaso Productions, which has culminated in more than 40 films made for the studio. Now, in honor of Warner’s year-long 90th anniversary celebration, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment will release two new Eastwood Collections,...
A portion of the news release is below:
Burbank, Calif., February 11, 2013 – Clint Eastwood’s illustrious motion picture career has spanned more than half a century and touched generations of filmgoers. The filmmaker/actor has received five Academy Awards®and his films have grossed more than $2 billion at the domestic box office. This year marks the 38th anniversary of the relationship between Warner Bros., Clint Eastwood and Malpaso Productions, which has culminated in more than 40 films made for the studio. Now, in honor of Warner’s year-long 90th anniversary celebration, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment will release two new Eastwood Collections,...
- 2/12/2013
- by Nick Allen
- The Scorecard Review
This Must Be the Place
Directed by: Paolo Sorrentino
Cast: Sean Penn, Frances McDormand, Judd Hirsch, Harry Dean Stanton
Running Time: 1 hr 58 mins
Rating: R
Release Date: November 16, 2012
Plot: A former goth rocker named Cheyenne (Penn) living in Dublin travels to America to kill a former Nazi who humiliated his father decades ago.
Who’S It For? Though inhabitants of the art house might be able to something of it, this movie will be best enjoyed by Penn cynics. If you’ve ever laughed at one of his many unsubtle moments as an actor, here is a full film of Penn falling apart.
Overall
It seems like all Hollywood actors play the clown at least once. Such often undeniably bad decisions come in the shape of integrity-questioning comedies, like when Stallone did Rhinestone or Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot, or when Eastwood did Pink Cadillac (in which Eastwood actually...
Directed by: Paolo Sorrentino
Cast: Sean Penn, Frances McDormand, Judd Hirsch, Harry Dean Stanton
Running Time: 1 hr 58 mins
Rating: R
Release Date: November 16, 2012
Plot: A former goth rocker named Cheyenne (Penn) living in Dublin travels to America to kill a former Nazi who humiliated his father decades ago.
Who’S It For? Though inhabitants of the art house might be able to something of it, this movie will be best enjoyed by Penn cynics. If you’ve ever laughed at one of his many unsubtle moments as an actor, here is a full film of Penn falling apart.
Overall
It seems like all Hollywood actors play the clown at least once. Such often undeniably bad decisions come in the shape of integrity-questioning comedies, like when Stallone did Rhinestone or Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot, or when Eastwood did Pink Cadillac (in which Eastwood actually...
- 11/20/2012
- by Nick Allen
- The Scorecard Review
Clint Eastwood is the last, lonely representative of a mythical breed — the badass. Oh sure, there are other tough-guy actors out there (Stallone, Schwarzenegger and other assorted Expendables) but they're all a little too oiled, chiseled and ready for their Men's Health cover shoots. Eastwood is old-school; the kind of gunslinger who survived his shoot-outs not by having bigger biceps, but because he's leaner, meaner and smarter than the bad guy. Men fear his squint, not his heavy artillery or super powers.
But though he's made a permanent cigarillo-chomping, growling, feel-lucky-punk badass crater on all of pop culture (there's no Wolverine or Jason Statham without Clint), Eastwood hasn't always played it hard and flinty. He's been beat up, left for dead, stuck behind a desk and lost and confused on the range. Though he seemed keen to end his acting career as cantankerous and trigger-happy as it began — "Get off my lawn!
But though he's made a permanent cigarillo-chomping, growling, feel-lucky-punk badass crater on all of pop culture (there's no Wolverine or Jason Statham without Clint), Eastwood hasn't always played it hard and flinty. He's been beat up, left for dead, stuck behind a desk and lost and confused on the range. Though he seemed keen to end his acting career as cantankerous and trigger-happy as it began — "Get off my lawn!
- 9/18/2012
- by Elisabeth Rappe
- NextMovie
Aretha Franklin talks about her love for Whitney and how she was her cheerleader amid her goddaughter's struggles. The Queen of Soul was godmother to the Queen of Pop. Aretha Franklin, 69, reflects on Whitney Houston's troubled life and her attempt to make a comeback. "We were all aware of her challenges," Aretha told People. "And I was always rooting for her." And the "Pink Cadillac" songstress was hopeful that Whitney was on her way out of her problems. "Seeing previews for the new Sparkle movie I thought, boy she looks good, healthy, fresh and has that twinkle in her eyes!" she said. Despite Whitney's hardships, Aretha said she'll remember the pop icon as someone who possessed "the heart of a champion." More Whitney Houston News: Bobby Brown Will Attend Whitney Houston’s Funeral Whitney Houston’s Death Certificate Officially Filed ‘Bodyguard’ Co-Star Kevin Costner To Speak At Whitney Houston...
- 2/16/2012
- by HL Staff
- HollywoodLife
Supporting actor who seesawed from menacing villain to comic fool
Many of Clint Eastwood's hit films of the 1970s and 80s were made with a stock company of distinctive supporting actors. This kooky troupe included the elfin Sondra Locke, the wild-eyed Geoffrey Lewis and the effortlessly villainous Bill McKinney, who has died of cancer aged 80. Switching between westerns, comedies and thrillers, McKinney was seldom called upon for more than a few minutes of screen time but had the seasoned character actor's knack of making a memorable first impression. In Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974), the first of his seven films with Eastwood, he appears as a gibbering driver with a caged raccoon by his side and a boot full of white rabbits.
He was subsequently cast as the bloodthirsty Terrill, who oversees the massacre of Eastwood's family in The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976); as an oily, sex-crazed constable coolly ridiculed by Locke...
Many of Clint Eastwood's hit films of the 1970s and 80s were made with a stock company of distinctive supporting actors. This kooky troupe included the elfin Sondra Locke, the wild-eyed Geoffrey Lewis and the effortlessly villainous Bill McKinney, who has died of cancer aged 80. Switching between westerns, comedies and thrillers, McKinney was seldom called upon for more than a few minutes of screen time but had the seasoned character actor's knack of making a memorable first impression. In Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974), the first of his seven films with Eastwood, he appears as a gibbering driver with a caged raccoon by his side and a boot full of white rabbits.
He was subsequently cast as the bloodthirsty Terrill, who oversees the massacre of Eastwood's family in The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976); as an oily, sex-crazed constable coolly ridiculed by Locke...
- 12/8/2011
- by Chris Wiegand
- The Guardian - Film News
"Bill McKinney, the actor who played one of crazed mountain men in Deliverance and famously ordered one particularly unfortunate camper to 'squeal like a pig,' died Thursday at the age of 80." Michael O'Connell for the Hollywood Reporter: "A prolific artist up until his death, McKinney's career included dozens of film credits (including 7 Clint Eastwood titles) and appearances on television series such as In the Heat of the Night, Baywatch and Walker, Texas Ranger." But as O'Connell notes, McKinney will always be remembered for his role in Deliverance as "Mountain Man" — and didn't seem to mind. His own official site is Squeal like a pig.com, where you're greeted by the "man that Leonard Maltin described in his review of the movie Deliverance as, 'one of the most terrifying film villains in history.'"
"But it was his long association with Clint Eastwood after the two costarred together in 1974's...
"But it was his long association with Clint Eastwood after the two costarred together in 1974's...
- 12/2/2011
- MUBI
You know the motto. "If Ronnie Reagan can do it, so can any Hollywood A Lister!" Ok, maybe that's not a real motto. But from the looks of Republican candidates as of the last few decades, there's got to be a seriously similar one that those guys are running with.
For instance, back in 1988 George Hw Bush’s camp considered tapping Clint Eastwood for the vice pres position – that's according to newly released tapes aired by ABC News. In one recording, you can hear Bush’s former campaign chief and Secretary of State James Baker during a Q&A, which took place sometime after Bush had won the election, discussing the possible running mates.
The interviewer said: "[Bob] Dole, [Dan] Quayle, [Alan] Simpson, [Jack] Kemp - anyone else you remember being an important candidate?"
After a brief chuckle, Baker responded: "You don’t have Clint Eastwood - make my day."
As the interviewer laughed him off,...
For instance, back in 1988 George Hw Bush’s camp considered tapping Clint Eastwood for the vice pres position – that's according to newly released tapes aired by ABC News. In one recording, you can hear Bush’s former campaign chief and Secretary of State James Baker during a Q&A, which took place sometime after Bush had won the election, discussing the possible running mates.
The interviewer said: "[Bob] Dole, [Dan] Quayle, [Alan] Simpson, [Jack] Kemp - anyone else you remember being an important candidate?"
After a brief chuckle, Baker responded: "You don’t have Clint Eastwood - make my day."
As the interviewer laughed him off,...
- 10/15/2011
- by Ellen Thompson
- Celebsology
Stay off the streets and stay in with a movie…that takes to the streets.
Los Angelenos are aflutter with impending chaos. And, if you don’t live in Los Angeles, you probably don’t understand. (I live here and I’m not sure I fully understand.) But this weekend (July 15-17), the City of Los Angeles has gotten it in its mind to shut down the 405 Freeway, one of the central lifelines for the (frankly absurd) amount of traffic that hits Los Angeles on a daily basis. This means that, functionally, no one’s going anywhere this weekend and the entire West side of Los Angeles is going to be choked off by the cold, unrelenting hands of the Los Angeles Dot.
Naturally, this has become a bit of a cultural meme (surely confusing anyone who doesn’t live in Los Angeles) dubbed by internet pun genii as “Carmageddon.
Los Angelenos are aflutter with impending chaos. And, if you don’t live in Los Angeles, you probably don’t understand. (I live here and I’m not sure I fully understand.) But this weekend (July 15-17), the City of Los Angeles has gotten it in its mind to shut down the 405 Freeway, one of the central lifelines for the (frankly absurd) amount of traffic that hits Los Angeles on a daily basis. This means that, functionally, no one’s going anywhere this weekend and the entire West side of Los Angeles is going to be choked off by the cold, unrelenting hands of the Los Angeles Dot.
Naturally, this has become a bit of a cultural meme (surely confusing anyone who doesn’t live in Los Angeles) dubbed by internet pun genii as “Carmageddon.
- 7/14/2011
- by Danny
- Trailers from Hell
Drive Angry 3D
Directed by: Patrick Lussier
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Amber Heard, William Fichtner, Billy Burke
Running Time: 1 hr 44 mins
Rating: R
Release Date: February 25, 2011
Plot: A grandfather (Cage) escapes from hell and chases after the men who killed his daughter and kidnapped his granddaughter.
Who’S It For?: This proudly “R”-rated popcorn flick is best for those who enjoy making casual trips to the latest action or horror movie of the week (this one combines the two). Drive Angry could be the source of fun for fans of either genre if they leave their brains and expectations back in the garage.
Expectations: Though he’s become the new Samuel L. Jackson of movies, (seemingly being in every flick, ever) Nicolas Cage is a lot smarter than he acts (literally). Hopefully this would be a role in which he presents some his awareness to the ridiculousness, while contributing...
Directed by: Patrick Lussier
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Amber Heard, William Fichtner, Billy Burke
Running Time: 1 hr 44 mins
Rating: R
Release Date: February 25, 2011
Plot: A grandfather (Cage) escapes from hell and chases after the men who killed his daughter and kidnapped his granddaughter.
Who’S It For?: This proudly “R”-rated popcorn flick is best for those who enjoy making casual trips to the latest action or horror movie of the week (this one combines the two). Drive Angry could be the source of fun for fans of either genre if they leave their brains and expectations back in the garage.
Expectations: Though he’s become the new Samuel L. Jackson of movies, (seemingly being in every flick, ever) Nicolas Cage is a lot smarter than he acts (literally). Hopefully this would be a role in which he presents some his awareness to the ridiculousness, while contributing...
- 2/25/2011
- by Nick Allen
- The Scorecard Review
May31st is Memorial Day, but film fans might find another reason to celebrate, as it also happens to be Clint Eastwood's birthday. The granddaddy of all that is cool, quiet, and badass is turning 80 years old today. 80 years old. Ponder that for awhile, because it seems incredible, particularly since he's still as sharp, smart, and hardworking as ever. Sexy too! He may be 80 but he still has that incredible rakish smile, all the better because it was so rarely used on film.
After you're done honoring the sacrifices of our troops (don't think I mean that glibly), you might want to take two hours and celebrate Mr. Eastwood's birthday. TCM is hosting a marathon of Eastwood movies, beginning with his fresh-faced debut in The First Traveling Saleslady, continuing on through his trilogy with Sergio Leone, and finishing up with Magnum Force. Airing between is Richard Schickel's documentary The Eastwood Factor,...
After you're done honoring the sacrifices of our troops (don't think I mean that glibly), you might want to take two hours and celebrate Mr. Eastwood's birthday. TCM is hosting a marathon of Eastwood movies, beginning with his fresh-faced debut in The First Traveling Saleslady, continuing on through his trilogy with Sergio Leone, and finishing up with Magnum Force. Airing between is Richard Schickel's documentary The Eastwood Factor,...
- 5/31/2010
- by Elisabeth Rappe
- Cinematical
The actor and director is entering his ninth decade, What accounts for his astonishing professional longevity?
Gallery: 80 years of Clint in 80 pictures
Directors may occasionally be shown respect, perhaps even asked for their autograph, in America, but no one actually likes them. People may admire or envy James Cameron or Steven Spielberg or Francis Ford Coppola or Martin Scorsese, and a significantly smaller group of filmgoers may look forward to Woody Allen's next outing, but they don't have much of an emotional connection with them. This is what makes Clint Eastwood's career so singular.
Because he started out as an actor, and very quickly became an actor that a large segment of the population positively adored, in the same way that they adored Jimmy Cagney and Cary Grant and both Hepburns, Eastwood has long benefited from a personal relationship with the American people that no other living director can even dream of.
Gallery: 80 years of Clint in 80 pictures
Directors may occasionally be shown respect, perhaps even asked for their autograph, in America, but no one actually likes them. People may admire or envy James Cameron or Steven Spielberg or Francis Ford Coppola or Martin Scorsese, and a significantly smaller group of filmgoers may look forward to Woody Allen's next outing, but they don't have much of an emotional connection with them. This is what makes Clint Eastwood's career so singular.
Because he started out as an actor, and very quickly became an actor that a large segment of the population positively adored, in the same way that they adored Jimmy Cagney and Cary Grant and both Hepburns, Eastwood has long benefited from a personal relationship with the American people that no other living director can even dream of.
- 4/26/2010
- by Joe Queenan
- The Guardian - Film News
Clint Eastwood has been a Warner Brothers staple for 35 years and this new box set celebrates that fact. He started at the studio with 1968.s Where Eagles Dare and recently completed his 36th film for the studio, Invictus. Invictus hasn.t made it onto home video just yet so it is absent from this set. What you do get is a nineteen disc set that contains Where Eagles Dare, Kelly's Heroes, Dirty Harry, Magnum Force, The Enforcer, The Outlaw Josey Wales, The Gauntlet, Every Which Way But Loose, Bronco Billy, Any Which Way You Can, Honkytonk Man, Firefox, Sudden Impact, City Heat, Tightrope, Pale Rider, Heartbreak Ridge, Bird, The Dead Pool, Pink Cadillac, White Hunter, Black Heart,...
- 2/17/2010
- by Jeff Swindoll
- Monsters and Critics
DVD Links: DVD News | Release Dates | New Dvds | Reviews | RSS Feed
Clint Eastwood - 35 Films, 35 Years This massive collection contains 35 of Eastwood's films, all of which are listed directly below. The set is priced at $129.99 at Amazon right now.
Where Eagles Dare, Kelly's Heroes, Dirty Harry, Magnum Force, The Enforcer, The Outlaw Josey Wales, The Gauntlet, Every Which Way But Loose, Bronco Billy, Any Which Way You Can, Honkytonk Man, Firefox, Sudden Impact, City Heat, Tightrope, Pale Rider, Heartbreak Ridge, Bird, The Dead Pool, Pink Cadillac, White Hunter, Black Heart, The Rookie, Unforgiven, A Perfect World, The Bridges of Madison County, Absolute Power, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, True Crime, Space Cowboys, Blood Work, Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby, Letters from Iwo Jima and Gran Torino.
The special features are listed as: The Eastwood Factor - an intimate short film from Richard Schickel offering a rare personal...
Clint Eastwood - 35 Films, 35 Years This massive collection contains 35 of Eastwood's films, all of which are listed directly below. The set is priced at $129.99 at Amazon right now.
Where Eagles Dare, Kelly's Heroes, Dirty Harry, Magnum Force, The Enforcer, The Outlaw Josey Wales, The Gauntlet, Every Which Way But Loose, Bronco Billy, Any Which Way You Can, Honkytonk Man, Firefox, Sudden Impact, City Heat, Tightrope, Pale Rider, Heartbreak Ridge, Bird, The Dead Pool, Pink Cadillac, White Hunter, Black Heart, The Rookie, Unforgiven, A Perfect World, The Bridges of Madison County, Absolute Power, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, True Crime, Space Cowboys, Blood Work, Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby, Letters from Iwo Jima and Gran Torino.
The special features are listed as: The Eastwood Factor - an intimate short film from Richard Schickel offering a rare personal...
- 2/16/2010
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Welcome to another Western Wednesdays. Today is the very special installment that I promised last week in which I would reveal my favorite Western, the one that not even The Searchers can dethrone. Yes, my love belongs unreservedly to The Outlaw Josey Wales.
As popular legend goes, Clint Eastwood wasn’t respected as a director until Unforgiven. A hard look at his directorial credits through the 1970s and 1980s can speak as to why. But I believe The Outlaw Josey Wales was a really notable moment of his career, and it’s perplexing why he didn’t enjoy the kind of watershed approval he did in 1993.
I imagine it’s because he promptly went and made The Gauntlet. Sadly, Josey Wales kicked off a very dark period of his career that it’s polite to ignore, and if you know your tabloid romances, you know why. But would it have...
As popular legend goes, Clint Eastwood wasn’t respected as a director until Unforgiven. A hard look at his directorial credits through the 1970s and 1980s can speak as to why. But I believe The Outlaw Josey Wales was a really notable moment of his career, and it’s perplexing why he didn’t enjoy the kind of watershed approval he did in 1993.
I imagine it’s because he promptly went and made The Gauntlet. Sadly, Josey Wales kicked off a very dark period of his career that it’s polite to ignore, and if you know your tabloid romances, you know why. But would it have...
- 2/3/2010
- by Elisabeth Rappe
- The Flickcast
On February 16, 2010, Warner Bros. is planning to release a 19-disc collection of 35 films that were either acted, directed, or both, by Clint Eastwood. The package is entitled “Clint Eastwood: 35 Films, 35 Years at Warner Bros.,” and will contain features that span from 1968’s Where Eagles Dare to last year’s Gran Torino. The 35th film will be a short documentary by film critic Richard Schickel called “The Eastwood Factor,” which is a play on the original title for Invictus, which was “The Human Factor.”
“I’ve known Clint for most of the time he’s been at Warner Bros.,” said Schickel. “I was fortunate to be able to wander around the Warner lot with him and hear his reminiscences. To be able to show him in the places where he works and lives and feels most comfortable is, I think, a unique opportunity.”
The package has a beginning price of...
“I’ve known Clint for most of the time he’s been at Warner Bros.,” said Schickel. “I was fortunate to be able to wander around the Warner lot with him and hear his reminiscences. To be able to show him in the places where he works and lives and feels most comfortable is, I think, a unique opportunity.”
The package has a beginning price of...
- 12/1/2009
- by Nick Allen
- The Scorecard Review
So you've got The Dirty Harry Collection, The Man with No Name Trilogy and maybe one of the other previously released Clint Eastwood DVD box sets, but still you need more. More Clint. Well, you must be feeling pretty lucky, punk, because Warner Brothers have just announced plans to release a rather insane collection of Clint Eastwood's films early next year. Clint Eastwood: 35 Films 35 Years at Warner Bros will be a 19-disc set that covers all of his movies released through Warner Brothers between 1968 and 2008, starting with Where Eagles Dare and ending with Gran Torino. This is the kind of thing you usually only see years after someone has passed away, but we all know that Eastwood is still going strong. It's too bad they couldn't get this thing ready in time for Christmas though because I'm sure a lot of dads would probably love to see this under their tree.
- 11/30/2009
- by Sean
- FilmJunk
If you're lucky enough to be graced with cash or gift cards this Christmas, and you have a big hole on your DVD shelf where Clint Eastwood ought to be, Warner Bros will be happy to help you out. On February 16 they're releasing a massive, 19-disc collection Clint Eastwood: 35 Films, 35 Years at Warner Bros that celebrates the actor / director / producer. Included will be a booklet and a feature length documentary by Richard Schickel. The retail price will be a hefty $179.98.
Warners didn't release a complete list of those 35 films, but it spans the tender years of Where Eagles Dare all the way to 2008's Gran Torino. I imagine there will be some crossover with what you already own, like the entire Dirty Harry collection and The Outlaw Josey Wales. But most of his output from the late 1970s onward was done at Warner Bros, so all those films you've...
Warners didn't release a complete list of those 35 films, but it spans the tender years of Where Eagles Dare all the way to 2008's Gran Torino. I imagine there will be some crossover with what you already own, like the entire Dirty Harry collection and The Outlaw Josey Wales. But most of his output from the late 1970s onward was done at Warner Bros, so all those films you've...
- 11/30/2009
- by Elisabeth Rappe
- Cinematical
If you ever have a spare afternoon to kill in Nashville, you could do worse than to wander aimlessly into the Country Music Hall of Fame. While meandering around the Pink Cadillac owned by Elvis and videos of Wanda Jackson shaking her hips, you'll check out the fascinating life story of Hank Williams. Somehow, this figure distilled both a tragically sweet personal life up against some of the best artistry in the genre, let alone the music world as a whole. And now, according to Variety, the giant of country and western music is getting his own biopic. Marc Abraham - one of the producer's of Children of Men and the director of Flash of Genius - will be writing the project. His money quote here: He was the first real star who went down as the result of his lifestyle, succeeded by Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin and Kurt Cobain. He...
- 8/11/2009
- by Dr. Cole Abaius
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Chicago – Is it coincidental that Clint Eastwood’s beloved and uber-manly “Gran Torino” is hitting Blu-Ray and DVD just in time for shoppers looking for a great Father’s Day gift? Of course not. No one knows marketing like Warner Brothers and the well-timed and transferred “Gran Torino” should satisfy many a proud pop this season.
Blu-Ray Rating: 3.0/5.0 I’m a huge Clint Eastwood fan as an actor and director. “Mystic River”, “Million Dollar Baby”, “Unforgiven,” and “Letters From Iwo Jima” are some of the best films of the last twenty years. But he’s not perfect and when I saw “Gran Torino” in theaters, I thought it fell much closer to missteps like “Space Cowboys” and “Pink Cadillac” than his best.
Gran Torino was released on Blu-Ray on June 9th, 2009.
Photo credit: WB Watching it again on a very well-transferred Blu-Ray release and after months of near-glowing praise, I...
Blu-Ray Rating: 3.0/5.0 I’m a huge Clint Eastwood fan as an actor and director. “Mystic River”, “Million Dollar Baby”, “Unforgiven,” and “Letters From Iwo Jima” are some of the best films of the last twenty years. But he’s not perfect and when I saw “Gran Torino” in theaters, I thought it fell much closer to missteps like “Space Cowboys” and “Pink Cadillac” than his best.
Gran Torino was released on Blu-Ray on June 9th, 2009.
Photo credit: WB Watching it again on a very well-transferred Blu-Ray release and after months of near-glowing praise, I...
- 6/18/2009
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – With his second film in just a few months, Clint Eastwood makes one of his biggest missteps of his illustrious career as one of the more esteemed American directors in the history of the medium. Eastwood has made some undeniable masterpieces - “Mystic River”, “Million Dollar Baby”, “Unforgiven” - but he has been far from perfect, misfiring wildly with films like “Space Cowboys”, “The Rookie”, and “Pink Cadillac”. “Gran Torino” falls much closer to the latter category on Clint’s spectrum than the former.
Rating: 2.0/5.0 Eastwood stars in “Gran Torino” as Walt Kowalski, a bitter, cranky, snarling old man, who is mean to his priest, vicious to his family, and racist to everyone in his increasingly ethnic neighborhood. Walt could be Clint’s iconic ‘Dirty Harry’ character a few years down the road from when we last saw him and a bit more racist. (In fact, there were rumors...
Rating: 2.0/5.0 Eastwood stars in “Gran Torino” as Walt Kowalski, a bitter, cranky, snarling old man, who is mean to his priest, vicious to his family, and racist to everyone in his increasingly ethnic neighborhood. Walt could be Clint’s iconic ‘Dirty Harry’ character a few years down the road from when we last saw him and a bit more racist. (In fact, there were rumors...
- 12/19/2008
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
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