A Place in the Sun (1951) - News Poster

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Showbiz History: Inspirational Bette, Presidential Meryl, and Favourite Joe

Showbiz History: Inspirational Bette, Presidential Meryl, and Favourite Joe
4 random things that happened on this day, February 21st, in showbiz history...

The Globes weren't crazy about A Streetcar Named Desire

1952 9th annual Golden Globes are held with An American in Paris and A Place in the Sun both winning before battling it out at the Oscars. The Globes weren't that into A Streetcar Named Desire so the only one of the acting wins shared by the two shows was Kim Hunter as "Stellaaaaaa!" I had the pleasure of speaking about this competition on the "And the Runner Up Is..." podcast. And speaking of podcasts, 1951 is one of the few remaining years for the Supporting Actress Smackdown final season. 

1981 Prince performs on Saturday Night Live for the first time. Charlene Tilton (Dallas) was the host and he sang "Party Up" from the album "Dirty Mind"...
See full article at FilmExperience »

Peter Bart: Forgotten Classics And Sixties Softies Revived Amid Pandemic Purgatory

Peter Bart: Forgotten Classics And Sixties Softies Revived Amid Pandemic Purgatory
Now that we’re entering Year 2 of our pandemic purgatory, here’s at least one positive takeaway: We’re coming to terms with our past — our movie past, that is. Two films circa 1951 and 1966 represent a personal case in point. Miracle In Milan (1951) starts with a lost baby and an operatic cop, but it’s touching and absurdist. Lawrence of Arabia (1962) delivers an empathetic protagonist with a Trumpian addiction to violence that seems relevant.

The fact that films like these are being re-visited and debated tells us something about our post-viral culture: A vacancy sign hangs over what passes for the movie scene. But viewing classic movies demands qualities I am deficient in –- patience, for example.

Pre-streamer filmmakers were leisurely in their pacing, which by today’s standards seems gratifying, yet soporific. “Leave lots of string between the pearls,” Billy Wilder used to advise his acolytes, which translates into
See full article at Deadline »

‘The Violent Heart’ Review: An Old-Fashioned Melodrama with Big Twists (and an Excellent Mary J. Blige)

‘The Violent Heart’ Review: An Old-Fashioned Melodrama with Big Twists (and an Excellent Mary J. Blige)
Good movies can get away with murder, while bad movies can’t get away with anything. Classic Hollywood melodramas — often soldered together by strained coincidences and Shakespearian twists of fate — depended on that eternal truth of high-key storytelling almost as much as they did on the celluloid required to shoot them. Douglas Sirk and George Stevens linger in the collective imagination because they knew how to swing for the fences without making audiences cry foul.

Director Kerem Sanga may not be working at quite the same level, but his stirring new film pays effective tribute to the likes of “Magnificent Obsession” and “A Place in the Sun” through its vivid self-belief that audiences will buy anything so long as they get enough bang for their buck.

For the majority of its running time, “The Violent Heart” appears to have more in common with the sullen indie romances of today than
See full article at Indiewire »

Showbiz History: Cabaret, Mannequin, The Wedding Singer

Showbiz History: Cabaret, Mannequin, The Wedding Singer
7 random things that happened on this day, February 13th, in showbiz history...

1972 Bob Fosse's film version of Cabaret is released in theaters becoming an immmediate sensation. We hope you've read Team Experience's super deep dive of this movie -- we love it so. A year later at the Oscars it looks like a sweeper only to lose Best Picture to The Godfather. It retains the record of most Oscars ever won by a movie that didn't win Best Picture with 8 statues in total. The only movie that's come close to tying that record was Gravity (2013) which fell one short. Four films are tied for third in this particular "loser" trivia with 6 wins: Star Wars, A Place in the Sun, and two very recent ones: La La Land, and Mad Max Fury Road...  
See full article at FilmExperience »

‘French Exit’ Film Review: Michelle Pfeiffer Brings Life to Eccentric Black Comedy

‘French Exit’ Film Review: Michelle Pfeiffer Brings Life to Eccentric Black Comedy
“French Exit,” which closed last fall’s (mostly virtual) 2020 New York Film Festival, takes a lot of cues from its lead character — an eccentric, rich widow played with delicious zeal by Michelle Pfeiffer. The look is elegant and classy, but underneath things get pretty dark and twisted.

Still, the film wears its weirdness more lightly than the character. Frances Price (Pfeiffer) may be defiantly unconventional, thumbing her nose at social norms and the usual modes of parenting, but the movie tries to be dark and odd in a more beguiling way; it undercuts its polished stateliness with quiet black humor, though in the process it sometimes struggles to find the right tone for its polished, deadpan fatalism.

The result is a showcase for Pfeiffer’s sly but all-consuming embrace of a woman barely able to give a moment’s thought to anybody but herself, and one who surrounds herself with
See full article at The Wrap »

Ben Halpern, Veteran Universal Publicist, Dies at 99

Ben Halpern, Veteran Universal Publicist, Dies at 99
Ben Halpern, a longtime United Artists and Universal film and TV publicist, died on Saturday. He was 99.

Born in 1921 on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, Halpern was the fourth and youngest child of Jewish immigrants from Tarnopol, central Europe. As a small child, he enjoyed exploring the city on his own, collecting film scraps from projectionists to make slide shows for his siblings. He also loved going g to all of the theaters in his neighborhood with his parents.

This growing interest in cinema led Halpern to New York University’s nascent film school, where he left shortly after to enlist in the Army Air Corps. He was a sergeant in the Photographic Unit that trained soldiers how to shoot and develop film for aerial reconnaissance. He was also a recipient of a sharpshooter medal during his time as a publications editor. In 1945, Halpern graduated from New York University
See full article at Variety »

Josh Hartnett Confirms He and Tamsin Egerton Welcomed Baby No. 3

Josh Hartnett Confirms He and Tamsin Egerton Welcomed Baby No. 3
Josh Hartnett is a father of three. The Pearl Harbor alum confirmed the news in a new interview with Mr. Porter, which notes that he and longtime love Tamsin Egerton welcomed a third child in late 2019. The private couple, who met on the set of The Lovers, officially became parents in 2015 when their first child, a daughter, was born. Two years later, the duo then welcomed their second child together. In his interview with Mr. Porter, Hartnett explains that while there are certain projects he's proud of in his career, the thing he's "most proud of" in his life is his family. "The thing I am most proud of is that I'm a father of three and I have a good relationship with my partner...
See full article at E! Online »

Ben Halpern Dies: Former United Artists & Universal Publicist Was 99

Ben Halpern Dies: Former United Artists & Universal Publicist Was 99
Longtime film and TV publicist Ben Halpern passed away peacefully on Jan. 16 at his home, surrounded by his family. He was three weeks shy of his 100th birthday.

Born in New York City, Halpern was the fourth and youngest child of Jewish immigrants from Central Europe. As a small child growing up on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, he enjoyed wandering into all the theaters in his neighborhood, collecting film scraps from projectionists to make slide shows for his brother and sisters.

The live of cinema led Halpern to New York University’s nascent film school, which he left to enlist in the Army Air Corps during World War II. As a sergeant in the Photographic Unit, he was charged with training soldiers to shoot and develop film for aerial reconnaissance. He was also a publications editor and winner of a sharpshooter medal.After the war, Halpern graduated from
See full article at Deadline »

Best Supporting Actress Oscar winners: Who holds the record for the longest performance?

Best Supporting Actress Oscar winners: Who holds the record for the longest performance?
While it is rare for a long performance to win a Best Supporting Actress Oscar, a fair amount of them have. The average screen time for winners in the category is 28 minutes and five seconds, with over one third of them surpassing 30 minutes. Here is a look at the 10 longest winners of all time. (And here’s the list of the 10 shortest winning performances for Best Supporting Actress.)

10. Katina Paxinou (“For Whom the Bell Tolls”)

43 minutes, 41 seconds (26.46% of the film)

The Greek theatre actress made history in 1944 with her debut film role as anti-fascist guerrilla fighter Pilar. She triumphed at the first ever Golden Globes ceremony and set a new record for longest performance to win in the Best Supporting Actress Oscar category, which she went on to hold for eight years.

9. Kim Hunter (“A Streetcar Named Desire”)

44 minutes, 52 seconds (35.97% of the film)

While Hunter’s role as abused wife
See full article at Gold Derby »

Shooting has wrapped on Alessandro Gassmann’s new work Il silenzio grande - Production / Funding - Italy/Poland

Shooting has wrapped on Alessandro Gassmann’s new work Il silenzio grande - Production / Funding - Italy/Poland
Massimiliano Gallo, Margherita Buy and Marina Confalone lead the cast of this Paco Cinematografica and Amazon Prime Video production, co-produced by Poland. A chaotic, dysfunctional family with all its conflicts, misunderstandings and silences forms the basis of Alessandro Gassmann’s latest feature film Il silenzio grande, on which shooting wrapped this Friday. Following on from Razzabastarda and The Prize, the well-known actor is once again stepping behind the camera, this time with a screenplay based on the homonymous stage production by Maurizio De Giovanni, which has been adapted for the big screen by the very same De Giovanni, together with Andrea Ozza and Gassmann. The story is as follows: once a luxurious home and now a creaking old mansion straight out of the pages of a ghost story, Villa Primic has been put up for sale. It was a painful decision, made by Signora Primic (Rose) and supported by Massimiliano and.
See full article at Cineuropa »

‘French Exit’ Trailer: Michelle Pfeiffer Sparks Oscar Buzz with Azazel Jacobs’ Dark Comedy

‘French Exit’ Trailer: Michelle Pfeiffer Sparks Oscar Buzz with Azazel Jacobs’ Dark Comedy
Michelle Pfeiffer has been Oscar nominated three times, and a fourth nom could follow in 2021 thanks to her well-reviewed leading turn in Azazel Jacobs’ “French Exit.” Adapted by Patrick deWitt from his own novel of the same name, the dark comedy casts Pfeiffer as a penniless widow who moves to Paris with her son (Lucas Hedges) and cat, who may or may not be her reincarnated husband. The supporting cast includes Valerie Mahaffey, Imogen Poots, and Danielle Macdonald.

In his review out of the New York Film Festival, IndieWire senior film critic David Ehrlich wrote, “‘French Exit’ is never in a hurry to get anywhere, but Pfeiffer’s lush and crumbling turn always gives it a sense of direction. Her Frances is like an old bird of paradise who’s spent its entire life in a mahogany cage, and suddenly has to migrate halfway across the world to die in style.
See full article at Indiewire »

‘French Exit’ Review: The Discreet Smarm of the Bourgeoisie [NYFF]

‘French Exit’ Review: The Discreet Smarm of the Bourgeoisie [NYFF]
Azazel Jacobs’ previous film, The Lovers, establishes its overarching and consistent tone from the time the opening studio logo appears. A self-consciously melodramatic piece of score cues the audience to recognize Jacobs’ perspective. He humorously heightens the stakes for an otherwise mundane story of aging lovers and their affairs. His follow-up feature, an adaptation of […]

The post ‘French Exit’ Review: The Discreet Smarm of the Bourgeoisie [NYFF] appeared first on /Film.
See full article at Slash Film »

Soulmates Sneak Peek: A Professor Gets a Pretty, Law-Breaking Surprise

Soulmates Sneak Peek: A Professor Gets a Pretty, Law-Breaking Surprise
A mild-mannered college professor gets a most unexpected — and unwanted — surprise in this exclusive sneak peek from Episode 2 of AMC’s Soulmates.

The six-episode anthology series’ premiere established that in the year 2023, scientists identify in the human body the “soul particle,” which opens the door for the company Soul Connex to test and pair people with their soulmate, whomever and wherever that person might be. (Episode 1, starring Succession‘s Sarah Snook, earned an average reader grade of “B.”)

More from TVLineSoulmates: Grade the Premiere of Anthology SeriesDaryl/Carol Walking Dead Spinoff OrderedThe Walking Dead: World Beyond Recap: Where There's Smoke,
See full article at TVLine.com »

A Slimmer Oscar Race Is Good News for Michelle Pfeiffer and ‘French Exit’ — NYFF

A Slimmer Oscar Race Is Good News for Michelle Pfeiffer and ‘French Exit’ — NYFF
New York Film Festival closing-night selection “French Exit” is that rare gem of 2020: a high-profile new movie that nobody has seen. Released by Sony Pictures Classics, it is a close collaboration between two old friends, author-turned-screenwriter Patrick DeWitt and director Azazel Jacobs (“The Lovers”). The director lured Michelle Pfeiffer and Lucas Hedges to star in this comedy confection, adapted by DeWitt from his novel about a once-wealthy widow who leans on her handsome 20-something son for support. When she decamps to Paris with wads of cash after selling off all her worldly goods, it’s understood that her son will accompany her, leaving behind his one-time fiancee (Imogen Poots).

“What’s special about the film,” said NYFF head programmer Dennis Lim at Friday’s virtual press conference, “was its unusual, unpredictable tone. It’s surreal and dark and deadpan, and also heartfelt, as some changes happen moment to moment.
See full article at Indiewire »

A Slimmer Oscar Race Is Good News for Michelle Pfeiffer and ‘French Exit’ — NYFF

A Slimmer Oscar Race Is Good News for Michelle Pfeiffer and ‘French Exit’ — NYFF
New York Film Festival closing-night selection “French Exit” is that rare gem of 2020: a high-profile new movie that nobody has seen. Released by Sony Pictures Classics, it is a close collaboration between two old friends, author-turned-screenwriter Patrick DeWitt and director Azazel Jacobs (“The Lovers”). The director lured Michelle Pfeiffer and Lucas Hedges to star in this comedy confection, adapted by DeWitt from his novel about a once-wealthy widow who leans on her handsome 20-something son for support. When she decamps to Paris with wads of cash after selling off all her worldly goods, it’s understood that her son will accompany her, leaving behind his one-time fiancee (Imogen Poots).

“What’s special about the film,” said NYFF head programmer Dennis Lim at Friday’s virtual press conference, “was its unusual, unpredictable tone. It’s surreal and dark and deadpan, and also heartfelt, as some changes happen moment to moment.
See full article at Thompson on Hollywood »

A Place in the Sun

A Place in the Sun
A bona fide film classic, George Stevens’ movie is less revered as an excellent adaptation of Theodore Dreiser than for its intense, almost hallucinatory romantic scenes between Montgomery Clift and Elizabeth Taylor. A guileless poor boy tries to succeed above his economic background and entangles himself between two very different women. I guess the Academy wasn’t ready to take the glamorous young MGM beauty seriously: both Clift and their co-star Shelley Winters received acting nominations, but not Liz. Stevens’ first ‘fifties picture is perhaps the most balanced of his ‘heavy’ and ‘important’ works, a tragedy that’s too deeply felt to be merely ponderous.

A Place in the Sun

Blu-ray

Viavision [Imprint] 8

1951 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 122 min. / Street Date August, 2020 /

Starring: Montgomery Clift, Elizabeth Taylor, Shelley Winters, Anne Revere, Keefe Brasselle, Fred Clark, Raymond Burr, Walter Sande, Ted de Corsia, Kathleen Freeman, Kasey Rogers, Douglas Spencer, Ian Wolfe.

Cinematography: William C. Mellor
See full article at Trailers from Hell »

Monty @ 100: The influential peak of "A Place in the Sun"

Monty @ 100: The influential peak of
We're watching all 17 of Montgomery Clift's films for his centennial. Here's Juan Carlos...

After starring in The Search, Red River, The Heiress, and The Big Lift, all but one of them either a critical or commercial success, Montgomery Clift reached an even great peak in 1951 with George Stevens’ A Place in the Sun. It was the adaptation of a novel and play, both called An American Tragedy, that were in turn inspired by the real-life murder of Grace Brown by Chester Gillette in 1906. The story, already made into a 1931 pre-Code drama as An American Tragedy, took on a life of its own in its 1951 form. A Place in the Sun's now classic tale of doomed romance and class divide proved a crucial success in the careers of all of its key players, winning six Oscars in a tight battle for Best Picture with An American in Paris.

Shelley Winters
See full article at FilmExperience »

AMC’s ‘Soulmates’ Is Smartest When Not Trying to Be ‘Black Mirror’: TV Review

AMC’s ‘Soulmates’ Is Smartest When Not Trying to Be ‘Black Mirror’: TV Review
“What if a new piece of tech could tell you who your soulmate is?” isn’t exactly fresh territory for science fiction. The idea that love could (should?) boil down to a science is an appealing, if unnerving, fantasy. “Soulmates,” the latest iteration of this concept, doesn’t work too hard to explain how such a game-changing technology became possible in its near future world. Instead, it imagines what the arrival of a foolproof soulmate “test” would do to the shift people’s perspectives on what “true love” means, challenge those already in relationships and make the world an irrevocably different place. From co-creators Brett Goldstein (“Ted Lasso”) and Will Bridges (writer of “Black Mirror” episode “U.S.S. Callister”), each of the six episodes focuses on an entirely different story and set of relationships. The chapters that work best, by a mile, are the ones that remain as firmly
See full article at Variety »

The Cat and the Canary & The Ghost Breakers

The Cat and the Canary & The Ghost Breakers
The Cat and the Canary

& The Ghost Breakers

Blu ray

Kino Lorber

1939, 1940 / 72, 83 min.

Starring Bob Hope, Paulette Goddard

Cinematography by Charles B. Lang

Directed by Elliott Nugent, George Marshall

Bob Hope’s brand of comedy may have been extinct by the sixties but it was alive and kicking in the pages of God Save the Mark, Donald E. Westlake’s comic crime novel about a schnook on the run for a murder he didn’t commit. Published in 1967, Westlake’s farce resembles one of Hope’s own movies; the pace is frenetic and the patter is as snappy as the comedian’s in his prime—a golden age exemplified by his one-two punch from 1939 and 1940, The Cat and the Canary and The Ghost Breakers. Those films present Hope in excelsis but in the hands of directors Elliott Nugent and George Marshall they serve as master classes in the tricky art of the scare comedy.
See full article at Trailers from Hell »

Liev Schreiber To Lead Hemingway Adaptation ‘Across The River And Into The Trees’, Film To Shoot In Venice Next Month

Liev Schreiber To Lead Hemingway Adaptation ‘Across The River And Into The Trees’, Film To Shoot In Venice Next Month
Exclusive: Spotlight and Ray Donovan star Liev Schreiber is attached to lead cast on the feature adaptation of Ernest Hemingway’s Venice-set novel, Across The River And Into The Trees.

Also aboard to star are emerging Italian actress Matilda De Angelis (The Prize), Laura Morante (Cherry On The Cake), Javier Camara (Truman) and Oscar-nominated Italian actor Giancarlo Giannini (Seven Beauties).

Six-time Golden Globe nominee Schreiber will play Colonel Richard Cantwell, Hemingway’s semi-autobiographical lead character who is an American officer serving in Italy right after World War II, facing up to the news of his terminal illness with stoic disregard. Determined to spend his weekend in quiet solitude, he commandeers a military driver to facilitate a simple duck hunting trip and a visit to his old haunts in Venice. As his plans begin to unravel, a chance encounter with a young countess begins to kindle in him the hope of renewal.
See full article at Deadline »
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