Welcome to The B-Side, from The Film Stage. Here we talk about movie directors! Not the movies that made them famous or kept them famous, but the ones that they made in between.
Today we speak to Nancy Savoca, the great filmmaker whose sophomore feature Dogfight is now available via Criterion. The digitally-restored, director-approved Blu-Ray includes new commentary from Savoca and producer Richard Guay, a new interview with Savoca and actor Lili Taylor conducted by filmmaker Mary Harron, and a great essay by film critic Christina Newland, among other features.
We speak with Savoca about Missing Movies, her mentors John Sayles and Maggie Renzi, her first film True Love, directing singular performers like River Phoenix and Lili Taylor, and the HBO creativity boom of the mid-to-late ‘90s (including Carl Franklin’s Laurel Avenue and Cher and Savoca’s If These Walls Could Talk), and lesser-seen gems of Savoca’s that...
Today we speak to Nancy Savoca, the great filmmaker whose sophomore feature Dogfight is now available via Criterion. The digitally-restored, director-approved Blu-Ray includes new commentary from Savoca and producer Richard Guay, a new interview with Savoca and actor Lili Taylor conducted by filmmaker Mary Harron, and a great essay by film critic Christina Newland, among other features.
We speak with Savoca about Missing Movies, her mentors John Sayles and Maggie Renzi, her first film True Love, directing singular performers like River Phoenix and Lili Taylor, and the HBO creativity boom of the mid-to-late ‘90s (including Carl Franklin’s Laurel Avenue and Cher and Savoca’s If These Walls Could Talk), and lesser-seen gems of Savoca’s that...
- 5/2/2024
- by Dan Mecca
- The Film Stage
Clockwise from bottom left: Halloween (Compass International Pictures); Hellbound: Hellraiser II (New World Pictures); Mandy (XYZ Films); Re-Animator (Empire Pictures); Chopping Mall (Concorde Pictures) (Screenshots: YouTube)Graphic: The A.V. Club
We’re halfway to Halloween, and even though October 31 is still six months away, there’s still one place...
We’re halfway to Halloween, and even though October 31 is still six months away, there’s still one place...
- 5/1/2024
- by Gil Macias
- avclub.com
On September 15, 1965, Irwin Allen whisked television viewers out of their living rooms on a journey to the outer reaches of space, where the Robinson family finds themselves marooned on a strange, not-entirely-hospitable planet thanks to the sabotage of their chief medical officer. For a nation dreaming of a seemingly impossible moon landing, "Lost in Space" was both wish fulfillment and cautionary tale; a part of us was enthralled by the notion of exploring the cosmos, but we were also terrified by the thought of aimlessly hurtling through a universe with no known end and no direction home.
Allen's series didn't dwell much on the more frightening aspects of the Robinsons' predicament. Unlike Gene Roddenberry's "Star Trek" (which would debut a year later), Allen employed a fairly rigid formula that found the Robinsons and the hunky Major Don West (Mark Goddard) having to outwit the generally inept scheming of Dr.
Allen's series didn't dwell much on the more frightening aspects of the Robinsons' predicament. Unlike Gene Roddenberry's "Star Trek" (which would debut a year later), Allen employed a fairly rigid formula that found the Robinsons and the hunky Major Don West (Mark Goddard) having to outwit the generally inept scheming of Dr.
- 4/22/2024
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Exclusive: The WGA East is honoring Tony Gilroy at the upcoming Writers Guild Awards with the Ian McLellan Hunter Award for Career Achievement.
With the award, which was established in 1992, the Andor creator will be following in the footsteps of his father Frank D. Gilroy, who was honored with the Hunter Award in 2011.
“Tony embodies the best of what it means to be a Writers Guild member. He is an extraordinary talent who has written some of the most thought-provoking and exciting screenplays of the last 30 years,” Lisa Takeuchi Cullen, President of the Writers Guild of America East, said in a statement. “He is also a staunch union ally, one of our most trusted voices when it comes to advocating for writers’ rights, and he gave one of the best damn speeches on the picket lines last summer. We all wish we were Tony, but short of that we are...
With the award, which was established in 1992, the Andor creator will be following in the footsteps of his father Frank D. Gilroy, who was honored with the Hunter Award in 2011.
“Tony embodies the best of what it means to be a Writers Guild member. He is an extraordinary talent who has written some of the most thought-provoking and exciting screenplays of the last 30 years,” Lisa Takeuchi Cullen, President of the Writers Guild of America East, said in a statement. “He is also a staunch union ally, one of our most trusted voices when it comes to advocating for writers’ rights, and he gave one of the best damn speeches on the picket lines last summer. We all wish we were Tony, but short of that we are...
- 2/27/2024
- by Katie Campione
- Deadline Film + TV
Acclaimed filmmaker John Sayles has revealed exactly what he thinks of former U.S. President Donald Trump’s wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.
Sayles wrote and directed the Oscar-nominated 1996 film “Lone Star,” a Western set in a Texas border town where Sheriff Sam Deeds (Chris Cooper) unearths long-buried secrets amid racial strife. Since the film was made, a U.S.-Mexico border wall, a pivotal part of Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and known colloquially as “Trump’s wall,” has been built.
In a new interview with The Guardian, Sayles admitted that he recently urinated on the wall.
“I don’t think we’ve made any progress on border issues since the movie was made. Back then, it didn’t have the same tension. The border patrol would just say no me hagas correr to illegal immigrants – don’t make me run – and deport them,” Sayles said. “I don...
Sayles wrote and directed the Oscar-nominated 1996 film “Lone Star,” a Western set in a Texas border town where Sheriff Sam Deeds (Chris Cooper) unearths long-buried secrets amid racial strife. Since the film was made, a U.S.-Mexico border wall, a pivotal part of Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and known colloquially as “Trump’s wall,” has been built.
In a new interview with The Guardian, Sayles admitted that he recently urinated on the wall.
“I don’t think we’ve made any progress on border issues since the movie was made. Back then, it didn’t have the same tension. The border patrol would just say no me hagas correr to illegal immigrants – don’t make me run – and deport them,” Sayles said. “I don...
- 2/27/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Robert M. Young, one of the pioneers of American independent cinema whose work began nearly 70 years ago, died Tuesday in Los Angeles. The news was announced via a Facebook post from his son Andy.
In a career that lasted from 1956 to 2011 he directed documentaries, narrative features, both independent and studio releases, and even episodes of “Battlestar: Gallactica.” Two of his films have recently been added to the Library of Congress Film Registry. “¡Alambrista!” (1977), as timely today as when it was made, about the life of undocumented Mexican immigrant won the Camera d’or for best first film at Cannes. “The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez” (1982), one of Young’s eight films with actor Edward James Olmos, produced by American Playhouse but released theatrically, has also been included. Both films are also part of the Criterion Collection.
Though perhaps not as well known as some pre-Sundance independent American directors like John Cassavetes,...
In a career that lasted from 1956 to 2011 he directed documentaries, narrative features, both independent and studio releases, and even episodes of “Battlestar: Gallactica.” Two of his films have recently been added to the Library of Congress Film Registry. “¡Alambrista!” (1977), as timely today as when it was made, about the life of undocumented Mexican immigrant won the Camera d’or for best first film at Cannes. “The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez” (1982), one of Young’s eight films with actor Edward James Olmos, produced by American Playhouse but released theatrically, has also been included. Both films are also part of the Criterion Collection.
Though perhaps not as well known as some pre-Sundance independent American directors like John Cassavetes,...
- 2/10/2024
- by Tom Brueggemann
- Indiewire
When you talk about John Sayles, do you talk about America? Watching and examining his beautiful tapestry of films, this reveals itself an easy question to ask and an easy question to answer. There may be no single filmmaker who has better captured the agony and ecstasy of the American experiment than Sayles. Yet his pictures never feel like homework. They’re funny, heartbreaking, and full of characters that are well-rounded and sharply drawn.
The Film Stage got the opportunity to speak with Sayles about his 1996 masterpiece Lone Star (now available on 4K and Blu-ray courtesy of the Criterion Collection), as well lesser-seen gems like Limbo, Go for Sisters, and Amigo.
Listen to an audio version of the interview below followed by a written version, edited for length and clarity.
The Film Stage: The reason we’re talking is because Lone Star, your great film from the mid-90s, is...
The Film Stage got the opportunity to speak with Sayles about his 1996 masterpiece Lone Star (now available on 4K and Blu-ray courtesy of the Criterion Collection), as well lesser-seen gems like Limbo, Go for Sisters, and Amigo.
Listen to an audio version of the interview below followed by a written version, edited for length and clarity.
The Film Stage: The reason we’re talking is because Lone Star, your great film from the mid-90s, is...
- 1/25/2024
- by Dan Mecca
- The Film Stage
“Forget the Alamo,” says Elizabeth Peña’s Pilar Cruz at the end of John Sayles’s 1996 neo-western noir Lone Star. After the unexpected discovery of a body unravels the countless fictions propping up a Texas border town’s unstable status quo, Pilar’s defiant statement casts off the weight of mythology altogether. And yet, with that memorable bit of closing dialogue, the legend of Sayles’s film had only just begun.
As indicated by the film’s induction into the Criterion Collection, Lone Star isn’t something so easily cast aside or forgotten. Sayles’s sprawling film fuses western iconography with the thrilling structure of a noir-like mystery as Frontera’s sheriff, Sam Deeds (Chris Cooper), probes the decades-old death of a man who once held his office. The investigation brings him into contact with an intergenerational and multiracial group of individuals who all have distinct reasons for putting up...
As indicated by the film’s induction into the Criterion Collection, Lone Star isn’t something so easily cast aside or forgotten. Sayles’s sprawling film fuses western iconography with the thrilling structure of a noir-like mystery as Frontera’s sheriff, Sam Deeds (Chris Cooper), probes the decades-old death of a man who once held his office. The investigation brings him into contact with an intergenerational and multiracial group of individuals who all have distinct reasons for putting up...
- 1/22/2024
- by Marshall Shaffer
- Slant Magazine
The term “literary” tends to be invoked to describe films with a grand narrative sweep, featuring a sizable cast and beholden to a dialogue-heavy script. A more holistic definition, though, might be one that highlights how the elements that make up a movie operate in such perfect harmony that they seem to flow from the same pen. On those terms, John Sayles’s Lone Star is among the most literary films ever made. Ostensibly a murder mystery set in a Texas border town, the 1996 neo-western blossoms into something far more complex: a reckoning with personal and historical skeletons that, true to the setting, are left exposed under harsh sunlight even as people struggle to hide them in the faintest sliver of shade.
The story sets into motion with the discovery of a skeleton belonging to Charlie Wade (Kris Kristofferson), Frontera’s racist, corrupt sheriff during the 1960s, who ruled the...
The story sets into motion with the discovery of a skeleton belonging to Charlie Wade (Kris Kristofferson), Frontera’s racist, corrupt sheriff during the 1960s, who ruled the...
- 1/22/2024
- by Jake Cole
- Slant Magazine
Image: Bleecker Street, Photo: David Apuzzo/Mainframe Pictures, The Criterion Collection, Vivien Killilea (Getty Images for TCM), Tristan Fewings/Getty Images for Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures UK (Getty Images), Apple, Melinda Sue Gordon (Universal Pictures), Graphic: The A.V. ClubI.S.S. review: Ariana DeBose’s sci-fi outing fails...
- 1/20/2024
- avclub.com
Welcome to The B-Side, from The Film Stage. Here we talk about movie directors! Not the movies that made them famous or kept them famous, but the ones that they made in between.
Today we’re honored to chat with iconic director John Sayles, whose essential crime epic Lone Star is now available from The Criterion Collection in both 4K Uhd + Blu-ray.
Our B-Sides today include Limbo, Amigo, and Go For Sisters. We also discuss Sayles’ parallel careers as a screenwriter and a novelist. He talks about the work he did on the Toshirô Mifune/Scott Glenn actioner The Challenge (director John Frankenheimer asking him to write new draft over a weekend before an impending strike); he discusses what he learned working for Roger Corman early in his career; which genre he’s still itching to direct; his love of the recent Godzilla Minus One; and the slew of scripts that never got made.
Today we’re honored to chat with iconic director John Sayles, whose essential crime epic Lone Star is now available from The Criterion Collection in both 4K Uhd + Blu-ray.
Our B-Sides today include Limbo, Amigo, and Go For Sisters. We also discuss Sayles’ parallel careers as a screenwriter and a novelist. He talks about the work he did on the Toshirô Mifune/Scott Glenn actioner The Challenge (director John Frankenheimer asking him to write new draft over a weekend before an impending strike); he discusses what he learned working for Roger Corman early in his career; which genre he’s still itching to direct; his love of the recent Godzilla Minus One; and the slew of scripts that never got made.
- 1/18/2024
- by Dan Mecca
- The Film Stage
John Sayles has made a career out of writing and directing some of the finest ensemble films of all time, movies like “Matewan,” “Eight Men Out,” and “Sunshine State” that create rich tapestries of American life filled with intimate detail and epic sweep. One of his most entertaining and sophisticated works, the 1996 contemporary Western “Lone Star,” is newly available in 4K and Blu-ray editions from Criterion, and it has, like most of Sayles’ movies, only improved with age. As a Texas sheriff investigates an old murder, the film becomes timeless and specifically of its era (particularly in the border crossing scenes conceived and shot before the wall that eventually went up in Sayles’ location), a complex consideration of cultural conflicts and generational divides that seem hardwired into the American consciousness.
It’s a great American epic, yet like all of the director’s films it was shot on a modest...
It’s a great American epic, yet like all of the director’s films it was shot on a modest...
- 1/16/2024
- by Jim Hemphill
- Indiewire
Criterion Collection cover for Lone Star; John SaylesPhoto: The Criterion Collection, Vivien Killilea (Getty Images for TCM)
John Sayles has been a fixture of American independent cinema for nearly 50 years. Like many indie filmmakers, Sayles began his career making monster movies before directing his microbudget debut, Return Of The Secaucus 7.
John Sayles has been a fixture of American independent cinema for nearly 50 years. Like many indie filmmakers, Sayles began his career making monster movies before directing his microbudget debut, Return Of The Secaucus 7.
- 1/16/2024
- by Matt Schimkowitz
- avclub.com
The film-maker and author, who died last week aged 74, will also be remembered by those lucky enough to know her as an unforgettable phrasemaker
A WhatsApp from Maggie Renzi, the producer of John Sayles’s Lone Star and most of his other films: “Cari has died.”
No need for a surname, there’s only one Cari in our lives. Maggie and John sat me next to Cari Beauchamp in a pizza restaurant in Cannes around 2001. For three hours that night I listened to this expansive Californian.
A WhatsApp from Maggie Renzi, the producer of John Sayles’s Lone Star and most of his other films: “Cari has died.”
No need for a surname, there’s only one Cari in our lives. Maggie and John sat me next to Cari Beauchamp in a pizza restaurant in Cannes around 2001. For three hours that night I listened to this expansive Californian.
- 12/19/2023
- by Mark Cousins
- The Guardian - Film News
Near the end of Matewan (1987), socialist union organizer Joe Kenehan (Chris Cooper), a guiding light and galvanizing force for a West Virginia town of striking coal miners under siege, attempts to console frustrated young Danny Radnor (Will Oldham), a nascent preacher and union man. Overwhelmed by the violence and hardships they’ve suffered, the boy gives into despair, declaring in rage and desperation that it’s every man for himself. Joe’s stirring reply is that they must all look after each other, no matter what. Though followed by a long-brewing scene of climatic violence, this quiet but deeply moving moment between […]
The post Cinema of Bread and Roses: An Interview with Maggie Renzi and John Sayles first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post Cinema of Bread and Roses: An Interview with Maggie Renzi and John Sayles first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 12/18/2023
- by Ruairí McCann
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Near the end of Matewan (1987), socialist union organizer Joe Kenehan (Chris Cooper), a guiding light and galvanizing force for a West Virginia town of striking coal miners under siege, attempts to console frustrated young Danny Radnor (Will Oldham), a nascent preacher and union man. Overwhelmed by the violence and hardships they’ve suffered, the boy gives into despair, declaring in rage and desperation that it’s every man for himself. Joe’s stirring reply is that they must all look after each other, no matter what. Though followed by a long-brewing scene of climatic violence, this quiet but deeply moving moment between […]
The post Cinema of Bread and Roses: An Interview with Maggie Renzi and John Sayles first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post Cinema of Bread and Roses: An Interview with Maggie Renzi and John Sayles first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 12/18/2023
- by Ruairí McCann
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For regular updates, sign up for our weekly email newsletter and follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSNotebook readers, rejoice—the Mubi Shop has launched anew in the US and UK, and you can finally broadcast your love for the world’s sharpest international film criticism via this stylish, crisply screen-printed Notebook tote bag, featuring a clapperboard calligram design. Also in the store is a Cannes Film Festival–themed print by Dutch artist and cartoonist Joost Swarte, which was commissioned for our limited-edition print broadsheet issue of Notebook, distributed in Cannes.Sundance announced its lineup last week, including new films from Jane Schoenbrun, Steven Soderbergh, Debra Granik, Yance Ford, Brett Story, and more. This will be the first Sundance under the directorship of Eugene Hernandez, formerly of Film at Lincoln Center.Keep that winter coat handy—the Berlinale has announced that Lupita Nyong’o will lead the jury.
- 12/13/2023
- MUBI
Mubi Picks at Posteritati is a series where we invite our favorite artists to the prestigious movie art gallery in New York City to discuss their favorite movie posters of all time.Following his entrancing, award-winning return to filmmaking with TÁR, now occupying a lauded place in the zeitgeist, filmmaker Todd Field stopped by Posteritati to share his selection of the best movie posters of all time, including designs for films by John Sayles, Krzysztof Kieślowski, and more. Watch the video to see these rare posters, and also to learn Field's favorite John Cassavetes film.
- 12/12/2023
- MUBI
Stan Rogow, the writer and Emmy-nominated producer who guided the Hilary Duff-starring Lizzie McGuire series and feature that spawned from the Disney Channel hit and partnered with John Sayles on several projects, has died. He was 75.
Rogow died Thursday at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, family spokesperson Scott Fisher told The Hollywood Reporter.
Early in his career, Rogow served as a producer on the pilot of the acclaimed NBC series Fame and shared an Emmy nomination for outstanding drama series in 1982 with William Blinn and two others.
The Brooklyn native was also an exec producer on the 2004-06 Discovery Kids sitcom Darcy’s Wild Life, starring Sara Paxton, and he co-created another show for the network, the 2005-07 adventure series Flight 29 Down, featuring Corbin Bleu.
Rogow produced Sayles-written The Clan of the Cave Bear (1986), starring Daryl Hannah, before they teamed to create the 1990 NBC drama Shannon’s Deal, starring...
Rogow died Thursday at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, family spokesperson Scott Fisher told The Hollywood Reporter.
Early in his career, Rogow served as a producer on the pilot of the acclaimed NBC series Fame and shared an Emmy nomination for outstanding drama series in 1982 with William Blinn and two others.
The Brooklyn native was also an exec producer on the 2004-06 Discovery Kids sitcom Darcy’s Wild Life, starring Sara Paxton, and he co-created another show for the network, the 2005-07 adventure series Flight 29 Down, featuring Corbin Bleu.
Rogow produced Sayles-written The Clan of the Cave Bear (1986), starring Daryl Hannah, before they teamed to create the 1990 NBC drama Shannon’s Deal, starring...
- 12/9/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Nearly two years have gone by since Scream Factory brought the “nature run amok” cult classic Alligator and its sequel Alligator II: The Mutation to Blu-ray in North America. Now 101 Films’ Black Label are set to Alligator a 4K release in the UK – and since 4K Uhd discs are region free, fans outside the UK will be able to enjoy this release as well! The release date is January 29th, and copies are available for pre-order through the 101 Films website. The Alligator 4K is accompanied by a fresh Blu-ray release of Alligator II: The Mutation, but if you’re outside the UK you might need a region free player to watch that one.
Here’s the information on the release:
101 Films presents cult classic creature feature Alligator (1980) on 4K Uhd, along with the TV cut and 1991 sequel Alligator II: The Mutation (1991) on Blu-ray, title 033 on the 101 Films Black Label.
Here’s the information on the release:
101 Films presents cult classic creature feature Alligator (1980) on 4K Uhd, along with the TV cut and 1991 sequel Alligator II: The Mutation (1991) on Blu-ray, title 033 on the 101 Films Black Label.
- 12/1/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Netflix is finally opening the doors to the newly restored Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood this week, and in a first-look preview ahead of its November 9 reopening, the streamer and its partner, the nonprofit American Cinematheque, highlighted some of the enhancements and a screening schedule through the end of 2023.
The Egyptian will reopen on Nov. 9 with a sold-out screening of David Fincher’s “The Killer,” followed by a Q&a with the director. Throughout November it will showcase a 70mm series that includes titles like Jacques Tati’s “Playtime,” Stanley Kubrick’s “Spartacus,” and Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Boogie Nights.”
Announced today were December screenings for “Days of Heaven,” “L’amour Fou,” “Don’t Look Now,” “Imitation of Life,” “Lone Star,” “It’s a Wonderful Life,” and a new Netflix film for good measure: a 70mm screening of Zack Snyder’s upcoming “Rebel Moon — Part One: A Child of Fire.”
The screenings of...
The Egyptian will reopen on Nov. 9 with a sold-out screening of David Fincher’s “The Killer,” followed by a Q&a with the director. Throughout November it will showcase a 70mm series that includes titles like Jacques Tati’s “Playtime,” Stanley Kubrick’s “Spartacus,” and Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Boogie Nights.”
Announced today were December screenings for “Days of Heaven,” “L’amour Fou,” “Don’t Look Now,” “Imitation of Life,” “Lone Star,” “It’s a Wonderful Life,” and a new Netflix film for good measure: a 70mm screening of Zack Snyder’s upcoming “Rebel Moon — Part One: A Child of Fire.”
The screenings of...
- 11/7/2023
- by Brian Welk
- Indiewire
Several more December screenings from the American Cinematheque and Netflix have joined the initial slate of programming at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood.
From Dec. 8 to 14, classic film buffs can catch the Los Angeles premiere of brand new restorations of “Days of Heaven” and “L’amour Fou.” Also featured is a 50th anniversary screening of “Don’t Look Now” with a 35mm Ib Tech print. A 35mm presentation of Douglas Sirk’s 1959 “Imitation of Life” will be followed by a Q&a with actor Susan Kohner along with a book signing by Foster Hirsch in connection with “Hollywood and the Movies of the Fifties.”
A new 4k restoration of “Lone Star” will include a Q&a with director John Sayles.
From Dec. 15 to Dec. 21, the theater will feature a 70mm run of Zack Snyder’s “Rebel Moon — Part One: A Child of Fire” ahead of its Netflix premiere. Just in time for Christmas,...
From Dec. 8 to 14, classic film buffs can catch the Los Angeles premiere of brand new restorations of “Days of Heaven” and “L’amour Fou.” Also featured is a 50th anniversary screening of “Don’t Look Now” with a 35mm Ib Tech print. A 35mm presentation of Douglas Sirk’s 1959 “Imitation of Life” will be followed by a Q&a with actor Susan Kohner along with a book signing by Foster Hirsch in connection with “Hollywood and the Movies of the Fifties.”
A new 4k restoration of “Lone Star” will include a Q&a with director John Sayles.
From Dec. 15 to Dec. 21, the theater will feature a 70mm run of Zack Snyder’s “Rebel Moon — Part One: A Child of Fire” ahead of its Netflix premiere. Just in time for Christmas,...
- 11/7/2023
- by Jazz Tangcay and Caroline Brew
- Variety Film + TV
“This is the only person to run a studio who knows how to make a movie,” director Allan Arkush exclaimed, hailing his former boss Roger Corman in front of a sold-out crowd at the Aero Theater in Santa Monica Saturday evening.
Now 97 years old, the unbelievably prolific Pope of Pop Cinema was the guest of honor at the genre-focused Beyond Fest, in partnership with American Cinematheque. Corman joined for a panel with Arkush, fellow directors Ron Howard, Joe Dante and Amy Holden Jones and producer Jon Davison — all of whom Corman helped launch into Hollywood under his independent production and distribution company New World Pictures, founded in 1970. After directing more than 45 features, Corman decided to create his own banner, which would go on to help jumpstart the careers of Jonathan Demme, Curtis Hanson and countless other talents.
“I made a picture for American International that made too much money, ‘The Wild Angels.
Now 97 years old, the unbelievably prolific Pope of Pop Cinema was the guest of honor at the genre-focused Beyond Fest, in partnership with American Cinematheque. Corman joined for a panel with Arkush, fellow directors Ron Howard, Joe Dante and Amy Holden Jones and producer Jon Davison — all of whom Corman helped launch into Hollywood under his independent production and distribution company New World Pictures, founded in 1970. After directing more than 45 features, Corman decided to create his own banner, which would go on to help jumpstart the careers of Jonathan Demme, Curtis Hanson and countless other talents.
“I made a picture for American International that made too much money, ‘The Wild Angels.
- 10/1/2023
- by J. Kim Murphy
- Variety Film + TV
The Gray House, a Civil War spy drama series that is being produced by Kevin Costner and Morgan Freeman, is the latest high-profile project to land an interim agreement from SAG-AFTRA.
The project managed to secure an interim agreement – by which the producers agree to the terms of the guild’s last counter-offer to the AMPTP – despite having international distribution through Paramount Global.
The actors guild has now handed out over 60 interim agreements to movies and series since the walkout earlier this month. Apple TV+’s Tehran became the most high-profile series to land one, after films such as The Watchers, which has involvement from Warner Bros. Discovery’s New Line, were also added to the list as well as Glenn Close’s The Summer Book and A24 films Mother Mary and I Dream Of Unicorns.
Paramount Global Content Distribution, which is run by Dan Cohen, is set to distribute six-part series The Gray House,...
The project managed to secure an interim agreement – by which the producers agree to the terms of the guild’s last counter-offer to the AMPTP – despite having international distribution through Paramount Global.
The actors guild has now handed out over 60 interim agreements to movies and series since the walkout earlier this month. Apple TV+’s Tehran became the most high-profile series to land one, after films such as The Watchers, which has involvement from Warner Bros. Discovery’s New Line, were also added to the list as well as Glenn Close’s The Summer Book and A24 films Mother Mary and I Dream Of Unicorns.
Paramount Global Content Distribution, which is run by Dan Cohen, is set to distribute six-part series The Gray House,...
- 7/24/2023
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
One of independent film’s key players, Ray Price, died July 16 at the age of 75 from heart failure after a long battle with cancer, his long-term partner Meg Madison confirmed.
Talking to Price about movies, past and present, was an exhilarating sport that could take a while. He knew his stuff — no one loved movies more — but more than anyone during the great indie decades of the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s, he was a respected innovator who thought outside the box. He began as an exhibitor in San Francisco and moved on to marketing, releasing, and distributing movies, leaning toward the outrageous in how he lured audiences to sample challenging fare.
“Ray, while being a defiantly singular individual, was also emblematic of a bygone age of independent film,” Magnolia Pictures co-ceo Eamonn Bowles wrote me in an email. “From theatre chain owner to distributor, exquisite marketer, and production exec, he...
Talking to Price about movies, past and present, was an exhilarating sport that could take a while. He knew his stuff — no one loved movies more — but more than anyone during the great indie decades of the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s, he was a respected innovator who thought outside the box. He began as an exhibitor in San Francisco and moved on to marketing, releasing, and distributing movies, leaning toward the outrageous in how he lured audiences to sample challenging fare.
“Ray, while being a defiantly singular individual, was also emblematic of a bygone age of independent film,” Magnolia Pictures co-ceo Eamonn Bowles wrote me in an email. “From theatre chain owner to distributor, exquisite marketer, and production exec, he...
- 7/21/2023
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Ray Price, a respected producer of indie filmmaking, died July 16 from heart failure after a long battle with cancer. The news was confirmed by his long-term partner Meg Madison. He was 75 years old.
Price launched his film career in 1972, managing the Berkeley storefront theater the Rialto, and went on to build with Allen Michaan Renaissance Theaters, an independent art film chain that became one of the largest (33 at its peak) in the Bay Area and was later sold to the Landmark Theatre circuit.
A tough negotiator and exacting exhibitor, under Price’s stewardship, Renaissance Theaters were renowned for redesigning marketing materials, from posters to press books — designs that fledgling distributors often adopted when the films hadn’t found success in other markets.
At a time when most top arthouse distributors focused on established auteurs from Europe and Asia, Renaissance Theaters exploded those norms by programming new American directors like Martin Scorsese and John Cassavetes.
Price launched his film career in 1972, managing the Berkeley storefront theater the Rialto, and went on to build with Allen Michaan Renaissance Theaters, an independent art film chain that became one of the largest (33 at its peak) in the Bay Area and was later sold to the Landmark Theatre circuit.
A tough negotiator and exacting exhibitor, under Price’s stewardship, Renaissance Theaters were renowned for redesigning marketing materials, from posters to press books — designs that fledgling distributors often adopted when the films hadn’t found success in other markets.
At a time when most top arthouse distributors focused on established auteurs from Europe and Asia, Renaissance Theaters exploded those norms by programming new American directors like Martin Scorsese and John Cassavetes.
- 7/21/2023
- The Wrap
Ray Price, an indie film producer and marketing veteran, died on July 16 of heart failure after battling cancer, his longterm partner Meg Madison confirmed. He was 75.
During his career in film, Price was president of Francis Ford Coppola’s production company American Zoetrope and First Look Pictures and a marketing and distribution exec for Landmark Theatres, Trimark Pictures and 2929 Entertainment. He also supported up-and-coming filmmakers like Tran Anh Hung (“The Scent of Green Papaya”), Gurinder Chadha (“Bhaji on The Beach”), Carl Franklin (“One False Move”), Allison Anders (“Gas Food Lodging”) and John Sayles (“The Secret of Roan Inish”).
“Ray, while being a defiantly singular individual, was also emblematic of a bygone age of independent film,” said Magnolia Pictures co-ceo Eamonn Bowles in a statement. “From theatre chain owner to distributor, exquisite marketer, and production exec, he always sought out novel ways of approaching things. He truly was a rebel...
During his career in film, Price was president of Francis Ford Coppola’s production company American Zoetrope and First Look Pictures and a marketing and distribution exec for Landmark Theatres, Trimark Pictures and 2929 Entertainment. He also supported up-and-coming filmmakers like Tran Anh Hung (“The Scent of Green Papaya”), Gurinder Chadha (“Bhaji on The Beach”), Carl Franklin (“One False Move”), Allison Anders (“Gas Food Lodging”) and John Sayles (“The Secret of Roan Inish”).
“Ray, while being a defiantly singular individual, was also emblematic of a bygone age of independent film,” said Magnolia Pictures co-ceo Eamonn Bowles in a statement. “From theatre chain owner to distributor, exquisite marketer, and production exec, he always sought out novel ways of approaching things. He truly was a rebel...
- 7/21/2023
- by Jordan Moreau
- Variety Film + TV
Ray Price, the respected indie film innovator who served as president of American Zoetrope and First Look Pictures and as a marketing and distribution executive for companies including Landmark Theatres and Trimark Pictures, has died. He was 75.
Price died Sunday at Whittier Hospital Medical Center from heart failure after a long battle with cancer, his longtime partner, Meg Madison, said.
Throughout his career, Price displayed an encyclopedic knowledge of film, mentored generations of executives and leaned toward the outrageous in the ways he lured audiences to sample challenging movies.
Along the way, he championed filmmakers including Carl Franklin (1992’s One False Move), Allison Anders (1992’s Gas Food Lodging), Tran Anh Hung (1993’s The Scent of Green Papaya), Gurinder Chadha (1993’s Bhaji on the Beach) and John Sayles (1994’s The Secret of Roan Inish).
“Ray, while being a defiantly singular individual, was also emblematic of a bygone age of independent film,...
Price died Sunday at Whittier Hospital Medical Center from heart failure after a long battle with cancer, his longtime partner, Meg Madison, said.
Throughout his career, Price displayed an encyclopedic knowledge of film, mentored generations of executives and leaned toward the outrageous in the ways he lured audiences to sample challenging movies.
Along the way, he championed filmmakers including Carl Franklin (1992’s One False Move), Allison Anders (1992’s Gas Food Lodging), Tran Anh Hung (1993’s The Scent of Green Papaya), Gurinder Chadha (1993’s Bhaji on the Beach) and John Sayles (1994’s The Secret of Roan Inish).
“Ray, while being a defiantly singular individual, was also emblematic of a bygone age of independent film,...
- 7/21/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The scene where Robert Shaw gets eaten in “Jaws” is one of the most thrilling moments in movie history. After all of Steven Spielberg’s virtuoso framing and cool ’70s Hitchcock scare tactics, the shark’s big-mouthed consumption of a man who fully deserves to be eaten had a shockingly raw “Look, there it is!” exploitation-film brazenness. (One not inaccurate way to describe “Jaws” would be to call it the greatest B-movie ever made.) “The Flood,” an alligator-attack movie that’s also a violent prison-break thriller, takes its cue from that scene. Set in a backwater Louisiana police station during a hurricane, the film isn’t shy about serving up its big, nasty human-torso-meets-jaws moments. It’s basically a slasher movie with teeth.
The alligator thriller, of course, was always a bargain-basement knockoff of “Jaws” — literally, since the alligators are inevitably slithering out of some basement somewhere. But it was...
The alligator thriller, of course, was always a bargain-basement knockoff of “Jaws” — literally, since the alligators are inevitably slithering out of some basement somewhere. But it was...
- 7/16/2023
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
Most film fans in the ‘80s got their first glimpse of John Cusack on the big screen as one of Anthony Michael Hall’s buddies who placed a bet that requires that their pal to secure a pair of Molly Ringwald’s panties in the John Hughes teen comedy “Sixteen Candles.” Hey, everyone has to start somewhere. Consider that his sister Joan was reduced to playing “Geek Girl” with an awkward brace around neck.
It was uphill from there as Cusack, with his ironically humorous takes on leading manhood, became one of the more in-demand male stars for the next two decades, working with such top-notch directors as John Sayles, Rob Reiner, Cameron Crowe, Stephen Frears, Spike Jonze, Woody Allen, Terrence Malick and Mike Newell. Somehow, Cusack has been under the radar when it comes to be nominated for major awards as a performer. But he has made considerable contributions...
It was uphill from there as Cusack, with his ironically humorous takes on leading manhood, became one of the more in-demand male stars for the next two decades, working with such top-notch directors as John Sayles, Rob Reiner, Cameron Crowe, Stephen Frears, Spike Jonze, Woody Allen, Terrence Malick and Mike Newell. Somehow, Cusack has been under the radar when it comes to be nominated for major awards as a performer. But he has made considerable contributions...
- 6/24/2023
- by Susan Wloszczyna, Misty Holland and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
In hindsight, it’s a story so simple a child could’ve come up with it. A story about a boy feeling lost and alone in the world. He befriends a small alien, similarly lost and alone in the world. Their bond is almost immediate, and in a few short days, they become the best of friends. But the alien doesn’t belong here, and the boy knows it. One day soon, that loveable creature will have to return home, and when he does, he won’t be coming back… The end.
It might not sound spectacular on paper, but with the right storyteller in charge, the result broke millions of hearts and earned hundreds of millions of dollars. When Steven Spielberg’s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial came out in June of 1982, the world was not quite prepared for just how much of a phenomenon the movie – and its title character – would become.
It might not sound spectacular on paper, but with the right storyteller in charge, the result broke millions of hearts and earned hundreds of millions of dollars. When Steven Spielberg’s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial came out in June of 1982, the world was not quite prepared for just how much of a phenomenon the movie – and its title character – would become.
- 6/21/2023
- by Eric Walkuski
- JoBlo.com
Despite what the splashy yacht parties in Cannes suggest, media companies really are trying to save money right now. Really!
Top execs at Warner Bros. Discovery, Disney, Netflix, Paramount Global, Amazon and NBCUniversal parent Comcast have all promised shareholders during recent quarterly earnings calls that they’ll be spending wisely amid the economic downturn. Sweeping layoffs and other cost-cutting strategies, including the removal of underperforming content from some streaming services, has been among the first orders of business in 2023.
But no matter how many jobs these Hollywood heavyweights cut, reaching an outlandish savings target (nearly $4 billion for the post-merger Warner Bros. Discovery) is going to require pinching pennies in more areas than staff headcount. While CFOs are shredding budgets to ribbons, TV’s latest FYC season poses another quandary: What is the cost vs. benefit of an Emmy this year? And does the statuette’s symbolic value go down if...
Top execs at Warner Bros. Discovery, Disney, Netflix, Paramount Global, Amazon and NBCUniversal parent Comcast have all promised shareholders during recent quarterly earnings calls that they’ll be spending wisely amid the economic downturn. Sweeping layoffs and other cost-cutting strategies, including the removal of underperforming content from some streaming services, has been among the first orders of business in 2023.
But no matter how many jobs these Hollywood heavyweights cut, reaching an outlandish savings target (nearly $4 billion for the post-merger Warner Bros. Discovery) is going to require pinching pennies in more areas than staff headcount. While CFOs are shredding budgets to ribbons, TV’s latest FYC season poses another quandary: What is the cost vs. benefit of an Emmy this year? And does the statuette’s symbolic value go down if...
- 6/20/2023
- by Jennifer Maas
- Variety Film + TV
Clockwise from left: Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, and Francis Ford Coppola.Photo: Silver Screen Collection, Murray Close (Getty Images)
Martin Scorsese’s recent musings about mortality—inspired by thoughts from director Akira Kurosawa a generation ago—inspire even more thoughts, and not just because Kurosawa’s Dreams, starring Scorsese as Vincent Van Gogh,...
Martin Scorsese’s recent musings about mortality—inspired by thoughts from director Akira Kurosawa a generation ago—inspire even more thoughts, and not just because Kurosawa’s Dreams, starring Scorsese as Vincent Van Gogh,...
- 6/19/2023
- by Luke Y. Thompson
- avclub.com
This episode of The Black Sheep was Written and Narrated by Andrew Hatfield, Edited by Brandon Nally, Produced by Lance Vlcek and John Fallon, and Executive Produced by Berge Garabedian.
The creature feature just isn’t explored enough anymore. Jaws was a monster of a success story and ended up having three sequels on its own and had a slew of imitators. 1980 would give us, in my humble opinion, one of the better ones with Alligator starring Robert Forster. It was successful too, making 6 and a half million on a 1.5-million-dollar budget. I know that’s not crazy money, but it was a hit and had a fun pedigree with it that remains very popular today. Its one of the movies that keeps selling well with new and old fans and so it recently got put on 4K. There weren’t as many creature flicks through the rest of the...
The creature feature just isn’t explored enough anymore. Jaws was a monster of a success story and ended up having three sequels on its own and had a slew of imitators. 1980 would give us, in my humble opinion, one of the better ones with Alligator starring Robert Forster. It was successful too, making 6 and a half million on a 1.5-million-dollar budget. I know that’s not crazy money, but it was a hit and had a fun pedigree with it that remains very popular today. Its one of the movies that keeps selling well with new and old fans and so it recently got put on 4K. There weren’t as many creature flicks through the rest of the...
- 4/18/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Michael Lerner, the character actor known from films like “Godzilla,” “Elf,” and “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” and who was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role in “Barton Fink,” has died, as per a report in Variety. He was 81 years old.
The news was broken by his nephew, actor Sam Lerner, a series regular on “The Goldbergs.” He wrote on his Instagram page that “it’s hard to put into words how brilliant my uncle Michael was, and how influential he was to me. His stories always inspired me and made me fall in love with acting. He was the coolest, most confident, talented guy, and the fact that he was my blood will always make me feel special.” He added, “Rip Michael, enjoy your unlimited Cuban cigars, comfy chairs, and endless movie marathon.”
A carousel of images included pictures of Lerner on set in various costumes over the years,...
The news was broken by his nephew, actor Sam Lerner, a series regular on “The Goldbergs.” He wrote on his Instagram page that “it’s hard to put into words how brilliant my uncle Michael was, and how influential he was to me. His stories always inspired me and made me fall in love with acting. He was the coolest, most confident, talented guy, and the fact that he was my blood will always make me feel special.” He added, “Rip Michael, enjoy your unlimited Cuban cigars, comfy chairs, and endless movie marathon.”
A carousel of images included pictures of Lerner on set in various costumes over the years,...
- 4/10/2023
- by Jordan Hoffman
- Gold Derby
On March 13, 1981, one of the best werewolf movies ever made – director Joe Dante’s The Howling (watch it Here) made its debut on theatre screens in the United States. 42 years later, we’re celebrating The Howling with the latest episode of our video series Wtf Happened to This Horror Movie? To find out all about it, check out the video embedded above!
Scripted by John Sayles and Terence H. Winkless, The Howling was loosely based on a novel by Gary Brandner. Here’s the synopsis for the adaptation: In Los Angeles, television journalist Karen White is traumatized in the course of aiding the police in their arrest of a serial murderer. Her doctor recommends that she attend an isolated psychiatric retreat led by Dr. George Waggner. But while Karen is undergoing therapy, her colleague Chris, investigates the bizarre circumstances surrounding her shock. When his work leads him to suspect the supernatural,...
Scripted by John Sayles and Terence H. Winkless, The Howling was loosely based on a novel by Gary Brandner. Here’s the synopsis for the adaptation: In Los Angeles, television journalist Karen White is traumatized in the course of aiding the police in their arrest of a serial murderer. Her doctor recommends that she attend an isolated psychiatric retreat led by Dr. George Waggner. But while Karen is undergoing therapy, her colleague Chris, investigates the bizarre circumstances surrounding her shock. When his work leads him to suspect the supernatural,...
- 3/13/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Nicolas Cage and Nicholas Hoult’s vampire drama Renfield is set to open the Overlook Film Festival with a world premiere.
And director Lee Cronin’s Evil Dead Rise, executive produced by Sam Raimi, will close the genre film festival, which unveiled its lineup on Tuesday. Evil Dead Rise stars Lily Sullivan, Alyssa Sutherland, Morgan Davies, Gabrielle Echols and Nell Fisher.
Universal’s Renfield horror comedy from director Chris McKay features a dynamic between Cage’s Dracula and Hoult’s tortured henchman and is set to hit theaters on April 14.
Overlook has also booked world premieres for Philip Barantini’s Accused, which stars Chaneil Kukar (Sex Education); Alexis Jacknow’s Clock, toplined by Dianna Agron, Jay Ali and Melora Hardin; Nick Kozakis’s Godless: The Eastfield Exorcism, an Aussie pic that stars Georgia Eyers, Dan Ewing, Tim Pocock, Eliza Matengu, John Wood and Rosie Traynor; Ariel Vida’s Trim Season...
And director Lee Cronin’s Evil Dead Rise, executive produced by Sam Raimi, will close the genre film festival, which unveiled its lineup on Tuesday. Evil Dead Rise stars Lily Sullivan, Alyssa Sutherland, Morgan Davies, Gabrielle Echols and Nell Fisher.
Universal’s Renfield horror comedy from director Chris McKay features a dynamic between Cage’s Dracula and Hoult’s tortured henchman and is set to hit theaters on April 14.
Overlook has also booked world premieres for Philip Barantini’s Accused, which stars Chaneil Kukar (Sex Education); Alexis Jacknow’s Clock, toplined by Dianna Agron, Jay Ali and Melora Hardin; Nick Kozakis’s Godless: The Eastfield Exorcism, an Aussie pic that stars Georgia Eyers, Dan Ewing, Tim Pocock, Eliza Matengu, John Wood and Rosie Traynor; Ariel Vida’s Trim Season...
- 2/28/2023
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
If you like betting on sports, then you are likely at least aware that you can purchase betting picks. However, most savvy punters understand that the tout industry is a scam. Instead, smart bettors make their own educated predictions based on the information they find at some solid sites like Match Center avvailable in many countries like Match Center Mexico, Match Center Peru and Match Center Colombia. If you want insight into how the world of selling sports picks works, then you should check out the 2005 movie Two for the Money starring Matthew McConaughey and Al Pacino.
You might not believe it, but Two for the Money is based on a true story. Of course, it isn’t the only film to depict real-life gambling stories. If you are intrigued by gambling, then grab yourself a bucket of popcorn and check out the following four movies which are based on real people and true events.
You might not believe it, but Two for the Money is based on a true story. Of course, it isn’t the only film to depict real-life gambling stories. If you are intrigued by gambling, then grab yourself a bucket of popcorn and check out the following four movies which are based on real people and true events.
- 2/17/2023
- by Martin Cid Magazine
- Martin Cid Magazine - Movies
Exclusive: John Cusack has signed with APA for representation after less than half a year with Gersh.
The signing of the iconic actor, writer and producer continues the agency’s momentum under the leadership of President Jim Osborne and Head of Global Talent Andrew Rogers, who came to APA from ICM Partners after the latter’s acquisition by CAA. APA has, in the last month alone, signed such notable talents as William H. Macy, Maria Bello, Donnie Yen and Grown-ish star Trevor Jackson. Big signings in the second half of 2022 included Regina Hall, Ken Jeong, Nathalie Emmanuel, Marc Maron, Michael Rainey Jr., Russell Hornsby and Michael Cera.
Cusack is a Golden Globe, WGA and BAFTA Award nominee who over the course of around four decades, has worked with a who’s who of directors including Rob Reiner, Spike Lee, Cameron Crowe, James Mangold, Lee Daniels, Clint Eastwood, Spike Jonze, Woody Allen,...
The signing of the iconic actor, writer and producer continues the agency’s momentum under the leadership of President Jim Osborne and Head of Global Talent Andrew Rogers, who came to APA from ICM Partners after the latter’s acquisition by CAA. APA has, in the last month alone, signed such notable talents as William H. Macy, Maria Bello, Donnie Yen and Grown-ish star Trevor Jackson. Big signings in the second half of 2022 included Regina Hall, Ken Jeong, Nathalie Emmanuel, Marc Maron, Michael Rainey Jr., Russell Hornsby and Michael Cera.
Cusack is a Golden Globe, WGA and BAFTA Award nominee who over the course of around four decades, has worked with a who’s who of directors including Rob Reiner, Spike Lee, Cameron Crowe, James Mangold, Lee Daniels, Clint Eastwood, Spike Jonze, Woody Allen,...
- 1/30/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Angela Bassett is now one of the most revered and respected actresses in Hollywood after multiple decades in the business. There were only two years between her breakthrough role in "Boyz n the Hood," to her Oscar-nominated role as Tina Turner in "What's Love Got to Do with It." Bassett not winning that year has long been considered one of the worst snubs in Oscar history. Despite Bassett's deserved stature in the industry, being tasked with finding substantial roles in 12 good movies was harder than anticipated. This goes to show that however talented and skilled a Black actress is, she will not necessarily get the opportunities for leading roles that she should rightfully have.
Despite this, Bassett has still worked with a wide range of filmmakers, including John Sayles, Wes Craven, John Singleton, Forest Whitaker, and Spike Lee, and has taken on a wide range of roles. She has worked with Laurence Fishburne three times,...
Despite this, Bassett has still worked with a wide range of filmmakers, including John Sayles, Wes Craven, John Singleton, Forest Whitaker, and Spike Lee, and has taken on a wide range of roles. She has worked with Laurence Fishburne three times,...
- 1/28/2023
- by Fiona Underhill
- Slash Film
Roger Deakins, a celebrated cinematographer known for his work with the Coen brothers, Martin Scorsese and more, will receive a career achievement award at the American Cinematheque’s second annual Tribute to the Crafts.
Deakins has garnered 15 Oscar nominations and two wins during his long career. Most recently, the director of photography received nominations from BAFTA and the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) for Sam Mendes’ latest film “Empire of Light.” Deakins has also collaborated with such filmmakers as John Sayles, Denis Villeneuve and Agnieszka Holland over the years.
American Cinematheque’s invitation-only Tribute to the Crafts is set for Feb. 9 at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica. The event is co-hosted by American Cinematheque Board members, producer Paula Wagner and Franklin Leonard, producer and founder-ceo of The Black List.
On Feb. 8, American Cinematheque will also host a double feature retrospective of the Deakins-lensed films “Fargo” (1996) and “The Man Who Wasn’t There...
Deakins has garnered 15 Oscar nominations and two wins during his long career. Most recently, the director of photography received nominations from BAFTA and the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) for Sam Mendes’ latest film “Empire of Light.” Deakins has also collaborated with such filmmakers as John Sayles, Denis Villeneuve and Agnieszka Holland over the years.
American Cinematheque’s invitation-only Tribute to the Crafts is set for Feb. 9 at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica. The event is co-hosted by American Cinematheque Board members, producer Paula Wagner and Franklin Leonard, producer and founder-ceo of The Black List.
On Feb. 8, American Cinematheque will also host a double feature retrospective of the Deakins-lensed films “Fargo” (1996) and “The Man Who Wasn’t There...
- 1/23/2023
- by Julia MacCary
- Variety Film + TV
Filmmaker Spike Lee is set to receive the Ian McClellan Hunter Award from the Writers Guild of America East at the Writers Guild Awards in March.
The kudo recognizes writers who have made significant contributions to film and TV through a body work that takes on timely issues and social concerns. Past recipients include Robert Benton, Tom Fontana, Geoffrey Ward, Andrew Bergman, John Sayles, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, John Waters, Richard Lagravenese, Nora Ephron and Walter Bernstein.
“For nearly forty years, Spike Lee has written and directed some of the most meaningful and creative films in cinema,” said WGA East president Michael Winship. “With a unique ability to challenge, entertain, and inform, his narratives spotlight the racism and bigotry that too often have defined the Black experience in America. Spike Lee is a moviemaker and storyteller greatly deserving to be honored with the WGA East’s Hunter Award for Career Achievement.
The kudo recognizes writers who have made significant contributions to film and TV through a body work that takes on timely issues and social concerns. Past recipients include Robert Benton, Tom Fontana, Geoffrey Ward, Andrew Bergman, John Sayles, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, John Waters, Richard Lagravenese, Nora Ephron and Walter Bernstein.
“For nearly forty years, Spike Lee has written and directed some of the most meaningful and creative films in cinema,” said WGA East president Michael Winship. “With a unique ability to challenge, entertain, and inform, his narratives spotlight the racism and bigotry that too often have defined the Black experience in America. Spike Lee is a moviemaker and storyteller greatly deserving to be honored with the WGA East’s Hunter Award for Career Achievement.
- 1/12/2023
- by William Earl
- Variety Film + TV
The Writers Guild of America East has named the latest recipient of its career achievement award: Spike Lee.
The Do the Right Thing and Da 5 Bloods filmmaker will receive the East Coast guild’s Ian McLellan Hunter Award at the 75th Annual Writers Guild Awards when their New York ceremony takes place at the Edison Ballroom on March 5. The award, established in 1992 in appreciation of the namesake British screenwriter (who wrote The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and famously put his name to the screenplay for Roman Holiday, which was actually co-penned by the then-blacklisted Dalton Trumbo), lauds a writer for the quality and breadth of their filmography. Nora Ephron, David Simon, John Waters and John Sayles have all been past recipients.
The award is generally given annually, but wasn’t bestowed in the past two years because the Writers Guild Awards went virtual due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Do the Right Thing and Da 5 Bloods filmmaker will receive the East Coast guild’s Ian McLellan Hunter Award at the 75th Annual Writers Guild Awards when their New York ceremony takes place at the Edison Ballroom on March 5. The award, established in 1992 in appreciation of the namesake British screenwriter (who wrote The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and famously put his name to the screenplay for Roman Holiday, which was actually co-penned by the then-blacklisted Dalton Trumbo), lauds a writer for the quality and breadth of their filmography. Nora Ephron, David Simon, John Waters and John Sayles have all been past recipients.
The award is generally given annually, but wasn’t bestowed in the past two years because the Writers Guild Awards went virtual due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
- 1/12/2023
- by Katie Kilkenny
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Spike Lee will be this year’s recipient of the WGA East’s Ian McLellan Hunter Award for Career Achievement.
The award, which will be presented March 5 at the 75th anniversary WGA Awards in New York City, is named after the famed writer who fronted for Dalton Trumbo and Ring Lardner Jr. during the Hollywood Blacklist before being blacklisted himself. In announcing Lee’s selection, the guild described him as “one of the greatest writer/directors in film history.”
“For nearly 40 years, Spike Lee has written and directed some of the most meaningful and creative films in cinema,” said WGA East President Michael Winship. “With a unique ability to challenge, entertain and inform, his narratives spotlight the racism and bigotry that too often have defined the Black experience in America.”
Lee began his storied career in the 1980s as a writer-director of such films as She’s Gotta Have It,...
The award, which will be presented March 5 at the 75th anniversary WGA Awards in New York City, is named after the famed writer who fronted for Dalton Trumbo and Ring Lardner Jr. during the Hollywood Blacklist before being blacklisted himself. In announcing Lee’s selection, the guild described him as “one of the greatest writer/directors in film history.”
“For nearly 40 years, Spike Lee has written and directed some of the most meaningful and creative films in cinema,” said WGA East President Michael Winship. “With a unique ability to challenge, entertain and inform, his narratives spotlight the racism and bigotry that too often have defined the Black experience in America.”
Lee began his storied career in the 1980s as a writer-director of such films as She’s Gotta Have It,...
- 1/12/2023
- by David Robb
- Deadline Film + TV
As was first reported by Variety, the Emmy-nominated director, producer, and writer, Catherine Cyran, passed away at the age of 59 on December 24, 2022, another tragic loss too soon from cancer.
Cyran's name may not be easily recognizable, but her legacy will live on in a varied career spanning multiple mediums and genres. After graduating from Harvard and working for the Royal Shakespeare Company for two years, Cyran got her start in the world of cinema under the tutelage of legendary B-movie producer Roger Corman, having gotten her start as an executive assistant. She would later go on to produce and write the screenplay for "Slumber Party Massacre III," "Dead Space" starring Bryan Cranston, "Uncaged" starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan, "Fire on the Amazon" with Sandra Bullock, the Independent Spirit Award-nominated "Kiss Me A Killer," and ghost-wrote "Frankenstein Unbound," Corman's last feature as a director.
Cyran's career path led her to develop the...
Cyran's name may not be easily recognizable, but her legacy will live on in a varied career spanning multiple mediums and genres. After graduating from Harvard and working for the Royal Shakespeare Company for two years, Cyran got her start in the world of cinema under the tutelage of legendary B-movie producer Roger Corman, having gotten her start as an executive assistant. She would later go on to produce and write the screenplay for "Slumber Party Massacre III," "Dead Space" starring Bryan Cranston, "Uncaged" starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan, "Fire on the Amazon" with Sandra Bullock, the Independent Spirit Award-nominated "Kiss Me A Killer," and ghost-wrote "Frankenstein Unbound," Corman's last feature as a director.
Cyran's career path led her to develop the...
- 1/2/2023
- by BJ Colangelo
- Slash Film
Writer/producer/showrunner David Kajganich discusses a few of his favorite films with hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
All The Fine Young Cannibals (1960)
Badlands (1973)
Bones And All (2022)
A Bigger Splash (2015)
Suspiria (2018)
Deathdream (1974) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Porky’s (1981)
A Christmas Story (1983)
Black Christmas (1974) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairings
Murder By Decree (1979) – Mick Garris’s trailer commentary
Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things (1972)
Black Vengeance a.k.a. Poor Pretty Eddie (1975)
The Poseidon Adventure (1972) – Robert Weide’s trailer commentary
Gremlins (1984) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review, Tfh’s Mogwai Madness
Picnic At Hanging Rock (1975)
The Last Wave (1977) – Brian Trenchard-Smith’s trailer commentary
Master And Commander: The Far Side Of The World (2003)
What Ever Happened To Baby Jane? (1962) – Dan Ireland’s trailer commentary
Dressed To Kill (1980) – Dennis Cozzalio’s Criterion review
The Last Picture Show (1971) – Mark Pellington’s trailer...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
All The Fine Young Cannibals (1960)
Badlands (1973)
Bones And All (2022)
A Bigger Splash (2015)
Suspiria (2018)
Deathdream (1974) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Porky’s (1981)
A Christmas Story (1983)
Black Christmas (1974) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairings
Murder By Decree (1979) – Mick Garris’s trailer commentary
Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things (1972)
Black Vengeance a.k.a. Poor Pretty Eddie (1975)
The Poseidon Adventure (1972) – Robert Weide’s trailer commentary
Gremlins (1984) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review, Tfh’s Mogwai Madness
Picnic At Hanging Rock (1975)
The Last Wave (1977) – Brian Trenchard-Smith’s trailer commentary
Master And Commander: The Far Side Of The World (2003)
What Ever Happened To Baby Jane? (1962) – Dan Ireland’s trailer commentary
Dressed To Kill (1980) – Dennis Cozzalio’s Criterion review
The Last Picture Show (1971) – Mark Pellington’s trailer...
- 11/22/2022
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
Some actors inhabit their roles so thoroughly that it turns audiences off. Jack Gleeson's turn as the abominable Joffrey Baratheon in HBO's adapted "Game of Thrones" series immediately comes to mind. Actors inhabiting the role of an unsavory character have to hit a Goldilocks zone between a believable performance and capturing a repulsive character "a little too well," but scratch the surface of revolted viewers and you'll find plenty who appreciate what the actor brought.
Such was the case for Michael Rooker, star of John McNaughton's grimy 1986 cult classic "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer" loosely based on convicted real-world serial killers Henry Lee Lucas and Ottis Toole (played by Tom Towles). The film's handling of its subject matter is so raw that controversy naturally emerged alongside its release; its graphic depiction of several murders earned "Henry" an X rating from the MPAA and solidified it as a...
Such was the case for Michael Rooker, star of John McNaughton's grimy 1986 cult classic "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer" loosely based on convicted real-world serial killers Henry Lee Lucas and Ottis Toole (played by Tom Towles). The film's handling of its subject matter is so raw that controversy naturally emerged alongside its release; its graphic depiction of several murders earned "Henry" an X rating from the MPAA and solidified it as a...
- 10/29/2022
- by Anya Stanley
- Slash Film
Exclusive: After starring opposite Kevin Costner on the first two season of Yellowstone, Danny Huston is boarding the multihyphenate’s Western epic Horizon, which is currently shooting in Utah.
Huston plays Dan Jenkins on Yellowstone. Other Horizon castmembers who’ve worked with Costner before are Jena Malone and Will Patton.
Along with Huston, the Horizon cast also includes Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Jamie Campbell Bower, Luke Wilson, Thomas Haden Church, Alejandro Edda, Tatanka Means, Michael Rooker, Isabelle Fuhrman, Ella Hunt, Abbey Lee, Wasé Chief, Michael Angarano, Tim Guinee, Tom Payne, Colin Cunningham, Scott Haze, Angus Macfadyen, Douglas Smith, Jon Beavers and Owen Crow Shoe.
As has been reported, the epic returns Costner to the Civil War backdrop he previously visited in his multi-Oscar-winning Dances With Wolves. The pic follows the 15-year span of pre- and post-Civil War expansion and settlement of the American West. Experienced through the eyes of many,...
Huston plays Dan Jenkins on Yellowstone. Other Horizon castmembers who’ve worked with Costner before are Jena Malone and Will Patton.
Along with Huston, the Horizon cast also includes Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Jamie Campbell Bower, Luke Wilson, Thomas Haden Church, Alejandro Edda, Tatanka Means, Michael Rooker, Isabelle Fuhrman, Ella Hunt, Abbey Lee, Wasé Chief, Michael Angarano, Tim Guinee, Tom Payne, Colin Cunningham, Scott Haze, Angus Macfadyen, Douglas Smith, Jon Beavers and Owen Crow Shoe.
As has been reported, the epic returns Costner to the Civil War backdrop he previously visited in his multi-Oscar-winning Dances With Wolves. The pic follows the 15-year span of pre- and post-Civil War expansion and settlement of the American West. Experienced through the eyes of many,...
- 10/27/2022
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Iconic action star Scott Adkins returns to discuss a few of his favorite comedies with Josh Olson and Joe Dante.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Day Shift (2022)
John Wick (2014)
Accident Man (2018)
Accident Man: Hitman’s Holiday (2022)
Deadpool (2016)
Rrr (2022)
The Evil Dead (1981) – Fede Alvarez’s trailer commentary
Evil Dead II: Dead By Dawn (1987) – Mike Mendez’s trailer commentary, Alex Kirschenbaum’s review
Army Of Darkness (1992)
Bubba Ho-Tep (2002) – Mick Garris’s trailer commentary
Snatched (2017)
Snatch (2000)
Citizen Kane (1941) – John Landis’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review
The Pink Panther (1963) – Dan Ireland’s trailer commentary
A Shot In The Dark (1964) – Dan Ireland’s trailer commentary
The Return of the Pink Panther (1975)
The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976)
Dumb And Dumber (1994)
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994)
Bad Trip (2020)
Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa (2013)
Airplane! (1980) – Glenn Erickson’s trailer commentary
Kentucky Fried Movie (1977) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
Rock ‘n’ Roll High School (1979) – Eli Roth’s trailer commentary
Zero Hour!
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Day Shift (2022)
John Wick (2014)
Accident Man (2018)
Accident Man: Hitman’s Holiday (2022)
Deadpool (2016)
Rrr (2022)
The Evil Dead (1981) – Fede Alvarez’s trailer commentary
Evil Dead II: Dead By Dawn (1987) – Mike Mendez’s trailer commentary, Alex Kirschenbaum’s review
Army Of Darkness (1992)
Bubba Ho-Tep (2002) – Mick Garris’s trailer commentary
Snatched (2017)
Snatch (2000)
Citizen Kane (1941) – John Landis’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review
The Pink Panther (1963) – Dan Ireland’s trailer commentary
A Shot In The Dark (1964) – Dan Ireland’s trailer commentary
The Return of the Pink Panther (1975)
The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976)
Dumb And Dumber (1994)
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994)
Bad Trip (2020)
Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa (2013)
Airplane! (1980) – Glenn Erickson’s trailer commentary
Kentucky Fried Movie (1977) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
Rock ‘n’ Roll High School (1979) – Eli Roth’s trailer commentary
Zero Hour!
- 10/18/2022
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
Matthew McConaughey has had one of the strangest career arcs of any actor working today. McConaughey rose to prominence in the 1990s thanks to his collaborations with great directors. Having worked with Richard Linklater, Joel Schumacher, Robert Zemeckis, John Sayles, and Steven Spielberg, McConaughey had no shortage of experienced filmmakers to draw inspiration from. He became the rare actor who could do comedic, dramatic, and action-heavy roles eually well.
However, the quality of McConaughey's work began to decline in the early 21st century. He starred in a series of disastrous romantic comedies that didn't showcase his range. There's only so much that an actor can bring to a role if it is not well written. However, McConaughey's career rebounded in the 2010s. He went back to starring in interesting projects, and even won an Academy Award for best actor for his moving performance in "Dallas Buyers Club." Shortly thereafter, he...
However, the quality of McConaughey's work began to decline in the early 21st century. He starred in a series of disastrous romantic comedies that didn't showcase his range. There's only so much that an actor can bring to a role if it is not well written. However, McConaughey's career rebounded in the 2010s. He went back to starring in interesting projects, and even won an Academy Award for best actor for his moving performance in "Dallas Buyers Club." Shortly thereafter, he...
- 10/6/2022
- by Liam Gaughan
- Slash Film
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