It is no secret that men dominate most industries, especially the film industry. But after a summer of Greta Gerwig 's record breaking 'Barbie', here are 24 female filmmakers that have broken the mold and succeeded in an industry of men. Lina Wertmüller Lina Wertmüller was born in Italy in 1928. She studied theater at the Faculty of Arts in Rome. At the very beginning of her career, she became close to the highly acclaimed filmmaker Federico Fellini and was his assistant on ‘8 ½’ (1963). ‘The Basilisks’ (1961) was her first feature and she made her mark with the clandestine love affair tale of ‘The Seduction of Mimi’ (1972). Not long after, her most acclaimed work, ‘Seven Beauties’ (1975), premiered. The film follows the life of a not very successful crook who essentially makes his living out of "protecting" his seven sisters, who is arrested for murder and ends up in the army...
- 9/18/2024
- by Julia Maia
- Hollywood Insider - Substance & Meaningful Entertainment
The new musical Swept Away is debuting on Broadway next month and composers The Avett Brothers have unveiled the show’s marquee!
Seth and Scott Avett stepped out in New York City recently for the unveiling of the marquee at the Longacre Theatre on 48th Street.
Swept Away is finally heading to Broadway after regional runs at Berkeley Repertory Theatre near San Francisco in early 2022 and at Arena Stage in Washington D.C. in winter 2023.
The story is billed as a “spellbinding tale” of shipwreck, salvation and brotherhood set on the high seas. The musical follows four survivors of an 1888 shipwreck who are trying to stay alive. The cast features Tony winner John Gallagher Jr., Tony nominee Stark Sands, Adrian Blake Enscoe, and Wayne Duvall.
Preview performances begin on October 29 ahead of an official opening night performance on November 19. Get your tickets now!
Seth and Scott Avett stepped out in New York City recently for the unveiling of the marquee at the Longacre Theatre on 48th Street.
Swept Away is finally heading to Broadway after regional runs at Berkeley Repertory Theatre near San Francisco in early 2022 and at Arena Stage in Washington D.C. in winter 2023.
The story is billed as a “spellbinding tale” of shipwreck, salvation and brotherhood set on the high seas. The musical follows four survivors of an 1888 shipwreck who are trying to stay alive. The cast features Tony winner John Gallagher Jr., Tony nominee Stark Sands, Adrian Blake Enscoe, and Wayne Duvall.
Preview performances begin on October 29 ahead of an official opening night performance on November 19. Get your tickets now!
- 9/11/2024
- by Just Jared
- Just Jared
Italy’s Minerva Pictures has boarded Giovanni Dota’s High Stakes – A Night on the Ward which plays in Venice’s Giornate degli Autori sidebar.
The Italian comedy is set in a Naples hospital and centres on two nurses who bet their Christmas vacation whether a desperately ill patient will survive the night.
The film stars Carlo Buccirosso and Lino Musella. It is produced through Italian International Film with Rai Cinema. I Wonder Pictures is handling Italian distribution.
It plays in the Venetian Nights section of the Giornate degli Autori.
Giovanni Dota worked as an assistant director on Gomorrah. His...
The Italian comedy is set in a Naples hospital and centres on two nurses who bet their Christmas vacation whether a desperately ill patient will survive the night.
The film stars Carlo Buccirosso and Lino Musella. It is produced through Italian International Film with Rai Cinema. I Wonder Pictures is handling Italian distribution.
It plays in the Venetian Nights section of the Giornate degli Autori.
Giovanni Dota worked as an assistant director on Gomorrah. His...
- 8/28/2024
- ScreenDaily
John Gallagher Jr., Stark Sands, Adrian Blake Enscoe and Wayne Duvall will star in Broadway’s upcoming Avett Brothers musical Swept Away, reprising their acclaimed performances from the show’s previous runs at California’s Berkeley Repertory and Washington D.C.’ Arena Stage.
The casting, though expected, was confirmed today by producers Matthew Masten, Sean Hudock, and Madison Wells Live.
Previews begin Tuesday, October 29, at Broadway’s Longacre Theatre. Opening night is Tuesday, November 19.
Also returning from the show’s run at Arena Stage include ensemble members Hunter Brown, Matt DeAngelis, Cameron Johnson, Brandon Kalm, Michael J. Mainwaring, Orville Mendoza, Tyrone L. Robinson, and John Sygar. New to the cast are Josh Breckenridge, Rico LeBron, John Michael Finley, Chase Peacock, Robert Pendilla, and David Rowen.
Swept Away features music from folk-rock band The Avett Brothers, a book by John Logan, direction by Michael Mayer and choreography by David Neumann (Hadestown).
The musical tells the story of four men stranded in the Atlantic Ocean following a 19th Century shipwreck.
Gallagher made his Broadway breakthrough in the hit musical Spring Awakening, and Sands has appeared in Kinky Boots and To Kill A Mockingbird, among others. Enscoe is best known for Apple TV+’s Dickinson, and Duval appeared on Broadway in 1984.
The Swept Away creative team includes set designer Rachel Hauck, costume designer Susan Hilferty, lighting designer Kevin Adams, sound designer John Shivers, music arranger & orchestrator Chris Miller, music arranger & orchestrator/music supervisor Brian Usifer, and music director Will Van Dyke.
Wagner Johnson Productions serve as Executive Producers.
The casting, though expected, was confirmed today by producers Matthew Masten, Sean Hudock, and Madison Wells Live.
Previews begin Tuesday, October 29, at Broadway’s Longacre Theatre. Opening night is Tuesday, November 19.
Also returning from the show’s run at Arena Stage include ensemble members Hunter Brown, Matt DeAngelis, Cameron Johnson, Brandon Kalm, Michael J. Mainwaring, Orville Mendoza, Tyrone L. Robinson, and John Sygar. New to the cast are Josh Breckenridge, Rico LeBron, John Michael Finley, Chase Peacock, Robert Pendilla, and David Rowen.
Swept Away features music from folk-rock band The Avett Brothers, a book by John Logan, direction by Michael Mayer and choreography by David Neumann (Hadestown).
The musical tells the story of four men stranded in the Atlantic Ocean following a 19th Century shipwreck.
Gallagher made his Broadway breakthrough in the hit musical Spring Awakening, and Sands has appeared in Kinky Boots and To Kill A Mockingbird, among others. Enscoe is best known for Apple TV+’s Dickinson, and Duval appeared on Broadway in 1984.
The Swept Away creative team includes set designer Rachel Hauck, costume designer Susan Hilferty, lighting designer Kevin Adams, sound designer John Shivers, music arranger & orchestrator Chris Miller, music arranger & orchestrator/music supervisor Brian Usifer, and music director Will Van Dyke.
Wagner Johnson Productions serve as Executive Producers.
- 8/20/2024
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Music icon Madonna is no stranger to the film side of entertainment. The singer would crossover into movies on many occasions, including starring in a variety of projects like Body of Evidence, A League of Their Own and Dick Tracy. For a time, she would even be married to director Guy Ritchie, who she made a film with called Swept Away. In the past few years, Madonna had been reportedly developing a biopic about herself in which she would be in the rare position to both write and direct. Early last year, the project would not come together and she scrapped the project just ahead of her world tour.
Deadline is now reporting that the 80s pop icon teased on her Instagram that the project is once again in development. Madonna posted a slideshow that featured a series of pictures of her working on a typewriter and her table is littered with screenplay pages.
Deadline is now reporting that the 80s pop icon teased on her Instagram that the project is once again in development. Madonna posted a slideshow that featured a series of pictures of her working on a typewriter and her table is littered with screenplay pages.
- 7/17/2024
- by EJ Tangonan
- JoBlo.com
While its often the world premieres that get the most buzz out of any major film festival, look to their restorations lineup (if they are smart enough to have one), and a treasure trove of classics sure to be better than most premieres await. Ahead of their official lineup being unveiled on July 23, the Venice Classics slate is here, featuring films by Michelangelo Antonioni, Fritz Lang, Frederick Wiseman, Howard Hawks, Nagisa Ōshima, Anthony Mann, Lina Wertmüller, and many more.
“The programme of Venice Classics includes the commemoration of several important anniversaries.” said Festival artistic director Alberto Barbera. “First and foremost, the centennial of the birth of Marcello Mastroianni, the most beloved and celebrated Italian actor in the world, whom we will see in The Night (La notte), one of Michelangelo Antonioni’s finest films. It has been fifty years since the death of Vittorio De Sica, who in The Gold of Naples...
“The programme of Venice Classics includes the commemoration of several important anniversaries.” said Festival artistic director Alberto Barbera. “First and foremost, the centennial of the birth of Marcello Mastroianni, the most beloved and celebrated Italian actor in the world, whom we will see in The Night (La notte), one of Michelangelo Antonioni’s finest films. It has been fifty years since the death of Vittorio De Sica, who in The Gold of Naples...
- 7/5/2024
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
A musical about Betty Boop is the latest to join Broadway’s 2024-2025 season.
Helmed by director and choreographer Jerry Mitchell, Boop! The Betty Boop Musical will open on Broadway in April 2025. The show is slated to open at a Shubert Theatre, but the exact theater and dates have not yet been announced.
In addition to Mitchell, who has won Tony Awards for choreographing the 2004 revival of La Cage aux Folles and Kinky Boots, the musical features music by David Foster, a 16-time Grammy Award winner, and lyrics by Susan Birkenhead (Jelly’s Last Jam). The book is by Bob Martin, a Tony Award winner for The Drowsy Chaperone.
Casting has also not yet been announced. However, the musical premiered in Chicago last year, with Jasmine Amy Rogers, who played Gretchen Wieners in the national tour of Mean Girls, in the lead role.
The musical, based on the animated character created by Max Fleischer,...
Helmed by director and choreographer Jerry Mitchell, Boop! The Betty Boop Musical will open on Broadway in April 2025. The show is slated to open at a Shubert Theatre, but the exact theater and dates have not yet been announced.
In addition to Mitchell, who has won Tony Awards for choreographing the 2004 revival of La Cage aux Folles and Kinky Boots, the musical features music by David Foster, a 16-time Grammy Award winner, and lyrics by Susan Birkenhead (Jelly’s Last Jam). The book is by Bob Martin, a Tony Award winner for The Drowsy Chaperone.
Casting has also not yet been announced. However, the musical premiered in Chicago last year, with Jasmine Amy Rogers, who played Gretchen Wieners in the national tour of Mean Girls, in the lead role.
The musical, based on the animated character created by Max Fleischer,...
- 6/27/2024
- by Caitlin Huston
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Madison Wells will produce a documentary focusing on the public and private life of Jacinda Ardern, the trailblazing Prime Minister of New Zealand who helped introduce strict gun laws following the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings. She also led her country through the Covid pandemic and grappled with issues such as child poverty and climate change.
The feature-length film is currently untitled. It follows Ardern from the moment she receives the Labour Party nomination to the birth of her child to her resignation in 2023, when she was at the height of her power and popularity. The filmmakers are promising a movie that provides a “very raw and personal point of view of politics in our time,” as well as a feature that comes with Arden’s support. It’s Madison Wells’ first feature documentary.
Commented Madison Wells CEO and the film’s producer Gigi Pritzker, “We are so proud that our first...
The feature-length film is currently untitled. It follows Ardern from the moment she receives the Labour Party nomination to the birth of her child to her resignation in 2023, when she was at the height of her power and popularity. The filmmakers are promising a movie that provides a “very raw and personal point of view of politics in our time,” as well as a feature that comes with Arden’s support. It’s Madison Wells’ first feature documentary.
Commented Madison Wells CEO and the film’s producer Gigi Pritzker, “We are so proud that our first...
- 6/20/2024
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Tony Talk: Our extremely early 2025 Tony Awards predictions for ‘Gypsy,’ ‘Sunset Boulevard’ and more
Welcome to Tony Talk, a column in which Gold Derby contributing theater editors Sam Eckmann and David Buchanan offer Tony Awards analysis. Even though the 2024 Tony Awards are barely in the rearview mirror, we cannot help but offer our extremely early takes on the state of the 2025 race with over two dozen musicals, plays and revivals already announced.
Sam Eckmann: David, I know we just finished covering the 2024 Tony Awards… but I’m already thinking about next season! Would you care to join me on a far-too-early look at what productions might tickle Tony voters’ fancies for the 2025 ceremony? A whopping 15 new musicals debuted during the 2023-2024 Broadway season, but the 2024-2025 season is already threatening to rival those numbers. So far we have confirmed bows for “A Wonderful World,” “Death Becomes Her,” “Maybe Happy Ending,” “Redwood,” “Smash,” “Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends,” “Swept Away,” and “Tammy Faye.” That’s already 8 new tuners,...
Sam Eckmann: David, I know we just finished covering the 2024 Tony Awards… but I’m already thinking about next season! Would you care to join me on a far-too-early look at what productions might tickle Tony voters’ fancies for the 2025 ceremony? A whopping 15 new musicals debuted during the 2023-2024 Broadway season, but the 2024-2025 season is already threatening to rival those numbers. So far we have confirmed bows for “A Wonderful World,” “Death Becomes Her,” “Maybe Happy Ending,” “Redwood,” “Smash,” “Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends,” “Swept Away,” and “Tammy Faye.” That’s already 8 new tuners,...
- 6/19/2024
- by David Buchanan and Sam Eckmann
- Gold Derby
Swept Away, the new musical featuring the music of folk-rock band The Avett Brothers, will begin performances at Broadway’s Longacre Theatre on Tuesday, October 29 with an opening set for Tuesday, November 19.
The announcement was made today by producers Matthew Masten, Sean Hudock, and Madison Wells Live.
Broadway casting will be announced at a later date. Throughout the musical’s development, the cast has included Broadway favorites John Gallagher Jr. and Stark Sands, both of whom were introduced onstage (along with cast mates Adrian Blake Enscoe and Wayne Duvall) at a recent Avett Brothers concert. The quartet was introduced as “the cast of the soon-to-be-officially Broadway show.”
Swept Away features a book by Tony Award winner John Logan (Red, Moulin Rouge! The Musical), direction by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer (Spring Awakening, American Idiot) and choreography by Tony Award nominee David Neumann (Hadestown).
The Swept Away creative team also includes music arranger & orchestrator Chris Miller,...
The announcement was made today by producers Matthew Masten, Sean Hudock, and Madison Wells Live.
Broadway casting will be announced at a later date. Throughout the musical’s development, the cast has included Broadway favorites John Gallagher Jr. and Stark Sands, both of whom were introduced onstage (along with cast mates Adrian Blake Enscoe and Wayne Duvall) at a recent Avett Brothers concert. The quartet was introduced as “the cast of the soon-to-be-officially Broadway show.”
Swept Away features a book by Tony Award winner John Logan (Red, Moulin Rouge! The Musical), direction by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer (Spring Awakening, American Idiot) and choreography by Tony Award nominee David Neumann (Hadestown).
The Swept Away creative team also includes music arranger & orchestrator Chris Miller,...
- 6/18/2024
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Swept Away, a musical with a score by the Avett Brothers, will come to Broadway’s Longacre Theatre this fall.
The musical, which follows four survivors of a shipwreck in 1888 trying to stay alive, including a young man and his older brother, the captain and the first mate, will start performances Oct. 29, with an opening night on Nov. 19. The production had previous runs at Berkeley Repertory Theatre and Arena Stage in Washington D.C.
The musical features a book by John Logan (Red, Moulin Rouge! The Musical), direction by Michael Mayer (Spring Awakening, American Idiot) and choreography by Tony Award nominee David Neumann (Hadestown). Matthew Masten, Sean Hudock and Madison Wells Live are the producers.
Broadway casting will be announced at a later date. The Avett Brothers initially announced the move to Broadway during a concert at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens. At that time, the band brought out John Gallagher Jr.,...
The musical, which follows four survivors of a shipwreck in 1888 trying to stay alive, including a young man and his older brother, the captain and the first mate, will start performances Oct. 29, with an opening night on Nov. 19. The production had previous runs at Berkeley Repertory Theatre and Arena Stage in Washington D.C.
The musical features a book by John Logan (Red, Moulin Rouge! The Musical), direction by Michael Mayer (Spring Awakening, American Idiot) and choreography by Tony Award nominee David Neumann (Hadestown). Matthew Masten, Sean Hudock and Madison Wells Live are the producers.
Broadway casting will be announced at a later date. The Avett Brothers initially announced the move to Broadway during a concert at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens. At that time, the band brought out John Gallagher Jr.,...
- 6/18/2024
- by Caitlin Huston
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Folk-rock band the Avett Brothers have announced that their musical, Swept Away, will be headed to Broadway this fall. The musical, set in 1888, follows four sailers, including two brothers, who are struck by a violent storm that tanks their ship near the coast by New Bedford, Massachusetts. It centers on “a young man in search of adventure, his big brother who has sworn to protect him, a captain at the end of a long career at sea, and a worldly first mate who has fallen from grace,” the musical questions...
- 5/20/2024
- by Kalia Richardson
- Rollingstone.com
Swept Away, the musical with music and lyrics by roots rock band The Avett Brothers, will arrive on Broadway this fall following previous stagings at California’s Berkeley Repertory Theatre and Washington’s Arena Stage.
Although the Broadway production will be at a Shubert theater, a venue and specific production dates are yet to be released.
The Broadway staging was announced by The Avett Brothers during a concert Friday at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens.
Swept Away features a book by Tony Award winner John Logan, direction by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer and choreography by Tony Award nominee David Neumann (Hadestown).
The synopsis: Set in 1888, Swept Away follows four survivors – a young man in search of adventure, his big brother who has sworn to protect him, a captain at the end of a long career at sea, and a worldly...
Although the Broadway production will be at a Shubert theater, a venue and specific production dates are yet to be released.
The Broadway staging was announced by The Avett Brothers during a concert Friday at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens.
Swept Away features a book by Tony Award winner John Logan, direction by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer and choreography by Tony Award nominee David Neumann (Hadestown).
The synopsis: Set in 1888, Swept Away follows four survivors – a young man in search of adventure, his big brother who has sworn to protect him, a captain at the end of a long career at sea, and a worldly...
- 5/20/2024
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Spoiler alert: the film is not "Swept Away."
Given the filmmaking tear that Guy Ritchie has been on of late, the notion of scribbling out screenplays on napkins isn't terribly wild. Since 2021, he's plopped four movies in theaters, with a fifth on the way in 2025. Okay, guys like Steven Spielberg and Woody Allen have worked at a similarly furious clip for stretches of their careers, but Ritchie's flurry of films is peculiar because they're the kinds of star-studded B-movies that Hollywood doesn't make anymore. And he seems to be having a ball making them ... though audiences aren't exactly turning out in droves to watch them.
While Ritchie, like the vast majority of screenwriters, prefers to bang out his scripts on a computer, there was a time when he employed a less conventional approach. He wasn't as prolific at this point of his career, and there was a very good reason for this.
Given the filmmaking tear that Guy Ritchie has been on of late, the notion of scribbling out screenplays on napkins isn't terribly wild. Since 2021, he's plopped four movies in theaters, with a fifth on the way in 2025. Okay, guys like Steven Spielberg and Woody Allen have worked at a similarly furious clip for stretches of their careers, but Ritchie's flurry of films is peculiar because they're the kinds of star-studded B-movies that Hollywood doesn't make anymore. And he seems to be having a ball making them ... though audiences aren't exactly turning out in droves to watch them.
While Ritchie, like the vast majority of screenwriters, prefers to bang out his scripts on a computer, there was a time when he employed a less conventional approach. He wasn't as prolific at this point of his career, and there was a very good reason for this.
- 4/29/2024
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Left to right: Wrath of Man (United Artists), Sherlock Holmes (Warner Bros.), Guy Ritchie (Shutterstock), Lock, Stock, And Two Smoking Barrels (Universal Pictures), The Gentlemen (Miramax)Graphic: The A.V. Club
Guy Ritchie’s two-and-a-half-decade career as a filmmaker has been a bit of a mixed bag, and that’s being generous.
Guy Ritchie’s two-and-a-half-decade career as a filmmaker has been a bit of a mixed bag, and that’s being generous.
- 4/23/2024
- by Cindy White
- avclub.com
Reader, you have been lied to! Film history is littered with unfairly maligned classics, whether critics were too eager to review the making of rather than the finished product, or they suffered from underwhelming ad campaigns or general disinterest. Let’s revise our takes on some of these films from the wrongheaded to the correct opinion.
Earlier this year, the Criterion Channel launched a series devoted to films that have won Golden Raspberry Awards, or “Razzies,” prizes ostensibly created to recognize the worst that cinema has to offer. The idea of streaming’s most respected curator of film art showcasing a selection of Razzie winners was one whose time was long overdue, given the Razzies’ astonishingly reliable tendency to be on the wrong side of history; the list of nominations from any given year is typically more useful as a guide for suggested viewing than as an indication of what to avoid.
Earlier this year, the Criterion Channel launched a series devoted to films that have won Golden Raspberry Awards, or “Razzies,” prizes ostensibly created to recognize the worst that cinema has to offer. The idea of streaming’s most respected curator of film art showcasing a selection of Razzie winners was one whose time was long overdue, given the Razzies’ astonishingly reliable tendency to be on the wrong side of history; the list of nominations from any given year is typically more useful as a guide for suggested viewing than as an indication of what to avoid.
- 4/4/2024
- by Jim Hemphill
- Indiewire
It’s been 25 years since Guy Ritchie, a young English filmmaker with a predilection for gangsters, violence, and profanity, made his directorial debut with Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. The chaotic crime comedy made him an instant star, and in the ensuing quarter century, he’s become a commercial success who critics can’t entirely make up their minds about. Some have always seen him as a wannabe Quentin Tarantino with more style than substance, but for us avid defenders, his giddy carnage and kinetic aesthetic has remained endlessly watchable. While there are lows, as those of us who sat through Swept Away can attest to, in the Ritchie oeuvre, there is a reason he’s endured. The only surprise is that it’s taken him this long to take advantage of the Peak TV era (even if it is starting to wane).
- 3/9/2024
- by Kayleigh Donaldson
- Primetimer
The Criterion Collection is known for their dedication to championing classic and contemporary movies we should all be seeing, showcasing them with exquisite transfers and film school-level special features. But when it comes to their streaming service The Criterion Channel, the catalog is a bit looser. And it got weird and worse(?) this month, as they added a 14-title retrospective of the Golden Raspberry Awards. Titled “And the Razzie Goes To…”, Criterion’s grouping compiles 14 movies that come complete with bees, turkey time and whatever the hell Tom Green was doing for the duration of Freddy Got Fingered.
Here is the full list of Razzie flicks now available on The Criterion Channel: Cruising (1980), Heaven’s Gate (1980), Xanadu (1980), Querelle (1982), Under the Cherry Moon (1986), Ishtar (1987), Cocktail (1988), Showgirls (1995), Barb Wire (1996), The Blair Witch Project (1999), Freddy Got Fingered (2001), Swept Away (2002), Gigli (2003), and The Wicker Man (2006). That’s more than 80 Razzie nominations, ranging from Showgirls’s...
Here is the full list of Razzie flicks now available on The Criterion Channel: Cruising (1980), Heaven’s Gate (1980), Xanadu (1980), Querelle (1982), Under the Cherry Moon (1986), Ishtar (1987), Cocktail (1988), Showgirls (1995), Barb Wire (1996), The Blair Witch Project (1999), Freddy Got Fingered (2001), Swept Away (2002), Gigli (2003), and The Wicker Man (2006). That’s more than 80 Razzie nominations, ranging from Showgirls’s...
- 3/2/2024
- by Mathew Plale
- JoBlo.com
Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
And the Razzie Goes to . . .
As much as we hate to give Razzies any sort of promotion, The Criterion Channel has a new series to show just how wrong the execrable organization has been over the past decades. Launching today, they are spotlighting comedic gems like Tom Green’s Freddy Got Fingered, Elaine May’s Ishtar, and Neil Labute’s The Wicker Man, alongside Cruising, Heaven’s Gate, Xanadu, Querelle, Under the Cherry Moon, Cocktail, Showgirls, Barb Wire, The Blair Witch Project, Swept Away and Gigli.
Where to Stream: The Criterion Channel
BlackBerry (Matt Johnson)
In BlackBerry, the rise of a blue-chip tech company sets the stage for the dissolution of a longstanding friendship. Sound familiar? Just wait ‘til you hear the score.
And the Razzie Goes to . . .
As much as we hate to give Razzies any sort of promotion, The Criterion Channel has a new series to show just how wrong the execrable organization has been over the past decades. Launching today, they are spotlighting comedic gems like Tom Green’s Freddy Got Fingered, Elaine May’s Ishtar, and Neil Labute’s The Wicker Man, alongside Cruising, Heaven’s Gate, Xanadu, Querelle, Under the Cherry Moon, Cocktail, Showgirls, Barb Wire, The Blair Witch Project, Swept Away and Gigli.
Where to Stream: The Criterion Channel
BlackBerry (Matt Johnson)
In BlackBerry, the rise of a blue-chip tech company sets the stage for the dissolution of a longstanding friendship. Sound familiar? Just wait ‘til you hear the score.
- 3/1/2024
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
There is, a critic will argue, a great deal of value in finding and discussing the worst films of the year. All the films released in a given epoch are a reflection of the trends and ideas that produced them, and scoring the bottom of the barrel for the worst filmmaking, the worst ideas, and the most misguided thinking will provide a valuable analysis of where we are as a society. Worst-of lists are important and vital and should be written with enthusiasm. They also let critics blow off steam a little bit; we don't have the luxury to skip bad movies or avoid talking about the ones we hate. It's our job.
The Golden Raspberries, or the Razzies for short, however, lost sight of that value a while back. The annual Razzies announcement is usually a snarky affair that only serves to pick on the year's least popular blockbusters,...
The Golden Raspberries, or the Razzies for short, however, lost sight of that value a while back. The annual Razzies announcement is usually a snarky affair that only serves to pick on the year's least popular blockbusters,...
- 2/15/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Some apotheosis of film culture has been reached with Freddy Got Fingered‘s addition to the Criterion Channel. Three years after we interviewed Tom Green about his consummate film maudit, it’s appearing on the service’s Razzie-centered program that also includes the now-admired likes of Cruising, Heaven’s Gate, Querelle, and Ishtar; the still-due likes of Under the Cherry Moon; and the more-contested Gigli, Swept Away, and Nicolas Cage-led Wicker Man. In all cases it’s an opportunity to reconsider one of the lamest, thin-gruel entities in modern culture.
A Jane Russell retro features von Sternberg’s Macao, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and Raoul Walsh’s The Tall Men and The Revolt of Mamie Stover; streaming premieres will be held for Yuen Woo-ping’s Dreadnaught, Claire Simon’s Our Body, Ellie Foumbi’s Our Father, the Devil, the recently restored Sepa: Our Lord of Miracles, and The Passion of Rememberance.
A Jane Russell retro features von Sternberg’s Macao, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and Raoul Walsh’s The Tall Men and The Revolt of Mamie Stover; streaming premieres will be held for Yuen Woo-ping’s Dreadnaught, Claire Simon’s Our Body, Ellie Foumbi’s Our Father, the Devil, the recently restored Sepa: Our Lord of Miracles, and The Passion of Rememberance.
- 2/14/2024
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
At best, Guy Ritchie's reputation errors on the side of eclectic. The British-born director has embraced a multitude of genres, breathing new life into crime thrillers in the early days of his career before banking a hard left to experiment with historical fiction, romance, and war. The films got bigger, and slicker, as Ritchie progressed as a filmmaker. He's worked hard to launch franchises, to build heightened worlds that run on intrigue and irreverence above all. And though not every project has worked out in Ritchie's favor, his sure-footed style has always been a heady joy to watch.
Sure, Ritchie's over-the-top style is at times easy to poke fun at. He's more or less made the same movie over and over, regardless of genre. "Sherlock Holmes" is not unlike "The Man from U.N.C.L.E," nor is "Snatch" all that far off from "RockNRolla." But there's something...
Sure, Ritchie's over-the-top style is at times easy to poke fun at. He's more or less made the same movie over and over, regardless of genre. "Sherlock Holmes" is not unlike "The Man from U.N.C.L.E," nor is "Snatch" all that far off from "RockNRolla." But there's something...
- 1/21/2024
- by Lyvie Scott
- Slash Film
Britney Spears isn’t about to be outdone by Taylor Swift again, as her 2002 flick Crossroads is returning to theaters. Ok, we have to admit here and now that she will once again be outdone by Taylor Swift…
While 2023 might seem like an odd choice for a re-release of Crossroads – 21st anniversaries aren’t typically celebrated on the big screen… – it is meant to coincide with the release of Britney Spears’ upcoming memoir, “The Woman in Me”. But this re-release of Crossroads, which will play on October 23rd and 25th, will also have it in theaters at the same time as Taylor Swift shakes it off with her Eras Tour concert movie, due out on October 13th. But will Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour have two bonus sing-alongs like Crossroads? We don’t think so!
Of course, the showdown between Britney Spears – who we hope is on the rebound – and...
While 2023 might seem like an odd choice for a re-release of Crossroads – 21st anniversaries aren’t typically celebrated on the big screen… – it is meant to coincide with the release of Britney Spears’ upcoming memoir, “The Woman in Me”. But this re-release of Crossroads, which will play on October 23rd and 25th, will also have it in theaters at the same time as Taylor Swift shakes it off with her Eras Tour concert movie, due out on October 13th. But will Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour have two bonus sing-alongs like Crossroads? We don’t think so!
Of course, the showdown between Britney Spears – who we hope is on the rebound – and...
- 9/22/2023
- by Mathew Plale
- JoBlo.com
Exclusive: Swept Away, the Broadway-aimed musical with music and lyrics by roots rock band The Avett Brothers, has announced principal cast for its fall-winter 2023 production at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., with John Gallagher, Jr. (Spring Awakening), Stark Sands (& Juliet), Adrian Blake Enscoe (TV’s Dickinson), and Wayne Duvall will play the four survivors of a whaling ship disaster.
The casting, announced by Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater, reunites the principals from the musical’s 2022 Berkeley Repertory Theatre world premiere.
The four actors will be making their Arena Stage debuts.
“One of our favorite things at Arena Stage is finding new artists and audiences for the stories we are blessed to help tell,” said Edgar Dobie, Arena Stage Executive Producer and President of the Corporation. “Swept Away allows us to offer a welcoming embrace to The Avett Brothers...
The casting, announced by Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater, reunites the principals from the musical’s 2022 Berkeley Repertory Theatre world premiere.
The four actors will be making their Arena Stage debuts.
“One of our favorite things at Arena Stage is finding new artists and audiences for the stories we are blessed to help tell,” said Edgar Dobie, Arena Stage Executive Producer and President of the Corporation. “Swept Away allows us to offer a welcoming embrace to The Avett Brothers...
- 6/23/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Adriana Chiesa, the pioneering Italian sales agent who has been a fixture at Cannes for 40 years, has sold her film library to Italy’s Minerva Pictures.
The 85-title Acek library comprises a broad mix of prominent works by revered directors such as Lina Wertmuller’s “Swept Away” (pictured) and “Summer Night With Greek Profile, Almond Eyes and a Scent of Basil” and cult movies including Lamberto Bava’s gonzo horror “Macabro,” revenge Western “Garringo” by Rafael Romero Merchant, and Asia Argento’s directorial debut, “Scarlet Diva,” on which Chiesa and Minerva chief Gianluca Curti jointly served as executive producers.
“I am particularly happy because I know that Gianluca appreciates the value of my library and will carry on its legacy with all the love and respect that it deserves,” Chiesa told Variety. She added that she will now continue her production activity, making documentaries such as “Water and Sugar: Carlo...
The 85-title Acek library comprises a broad mix of prominent works by revered directors such as Lina Wertmuller’s “Swept Away” (pictured) and “Summer Night With Greek Profile, Almond Eyes and a Scent of Basil” and cult movies including Lamberto Bava’s gonzo horror “Macabro,” revenge Western “Garringo” by Rafael Romero Merchant, and Asia Argento’s directorial debut, “Scarlet Diva,” on which Chiesa and Minerva chief Gianluca Curti jointly served as executive producers.
“I am particularly happy because I know that Gianluca appreciates the value of my library and will carry on its legacy with all the love and respect that it deserves,” Chiesa told Variety. She added that she will now continue her production activity, making documentaries such as “Water and Sugar: Carlo...
- 5/16/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
Air (Ben Affleck)
Sonny Vaccaro knows his basketball. As played with reliable conviction by Matt Damon, the head scout in Nike’s dwindling hoops division has a keen eye for the next great players, attending high school all-star tournaments around the country and scanning for potential endorsements. But Sonny is also a gambler, and on the tail end of his trips he jets over to Las Vegas to lock in a couple parlays, betting on NBA money lines and spreads before throwing all his winnings away at the craps table a minute later. You get the sense this has become his beleaguered ritual. At some point those basketball instincts and his penchant to go for broke will align and finally pay off.
Air (Ben Affleck)
Sonny Vaccaro knows his basketball. As played with reliable conviction by Matt Damon, the head scout in Nike’s dwindling hoops division has a keen eye for the next great players, attending high school all-star tournaments around the country and scanning for potential endorsements. But Sonny is also a gambler, and on the tail end of his trips he jets over to Las Vegas to lock in a couple parlays, betting on NBA money lines and spreads before throwing all his winnings away at the craps table a minute later. You get the sense this has become his beleaguered ritual. At some point those basketball instincts and his penchant to go for broke will align and finally pay off.
- 5/12/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
As his new film, "The Covenant", opens in theaters, there's no better time to remind the doubters that Guy Ritchie's a great filmmaker and his Sherlock Holmes movies are awesome!
With the release of his newest film, Guy Ritchie demands to be taken seriously. How could it not? The British director, best known for Cockney gangster fare, has helmed a war film set in Afghanistan that deals with the trauma of the battlefield and the American military's hypocrisy towards the residents of the land it occupied. All that and he's put his name in the title: "Guy Ritchie's The Covenant." It's all very stern stuff, the kind of thing that's easy to mock. Indeed, Ritchie isn't a director who has necessarily commanded critical adoration over the decades. He's made a lot of money and can easily be counted as one of the most influential British directors of his time.
With the release of his newest film, Guy Ritchie demands to be taken seriously. How could it not? The British director, best known for Cockney gangster fare, has helmed a war film set in Afghanistan that deals with the trauma of the battlefield and the American military's hypocrisy towards the residents of the land it occupied. All that and he's put his name in the title: "Guy Ritchie's The Covenant." It's all very stern stuff, the kind of thing that's easy to mock. Indeed, Ritchie isn't a director who has necessarily commanded critical adoration over the decades. He's made a lot of money and can easily be counted as one of the most influential British directors of his time.
- 4/21/2023
- by Kayleigh Donaldson
- Slash Film
What can one say about the career of Guy Ritchie? The guy was nearly as essential to the rejuvenation of the British film scene in the ’90s as Danny Boyle. His feature debut Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels and immediate follow-up Snatch endure in the cultural parlance to this day. What followed was a series of unfortunate events. A misbegotten Swept Away remake starring then-wife Madonna. An underseen, overambitious existential gangster epic starring Jason Statham (Revolver). Then a “comeback” movie (RocknRolla) that underwhelmed. Cue a successful rescue by Robert Downey Jr. and Arthur Conan Doyle. Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes films were hits that brought him back into the Hollywood fold. Nowadays the filmmaker is an elder-statesman-of-sorts: equal parts independent director and company man, he offers up an Aladdin for every Wrath of Man.
Which brings us to Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant, an oddly titled (how many remember the Renny Harlin teen thriller?...
Which brings us to Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant, an oddly titled (how many remember the Renny Harlin teen thriller?...
- 4/18/2023
- by Dan Mecca
- The Film Stage
Elizabeth Banks is an American actress. She is best known for her roles in Pitch Perfect, Hunger Games and Cocaine Bear.
Elizabeth Banks Biography: Early Life, Age, Family, Education
Elizabeth Banks, originally named Elizabeth Mitchell, was born on February 10, 1974 (Elizabeth Banks: Age 49) in Pittsfield, Massachusetts to Ann and Mark Mitchell. She is the oldest of her three siblings. Banks tried out for the school play after breaking her leg in Little League, which is what started her acting career.
In 1992, Banks graduated from Pittsfield High School. She then went on to graduate from the University of Pennsylvania in 1966 with a major in communications and a minor in theater arts. Banks finished her schooling with an Mfa degree from the American Conservatory Theater in 1998.
Elizabeth Banks Biography: Career
When Banks joined the Screen Actors Guild, she changed her last name from Mitchell to Banks because of another actress was already named Elizabeth Mitchell.
Elizabeth Banks Biography: Early Life, Age, Family, Education
Elizabeth Banks, originally named Elizabeth Mitchell, was born on February 10, 1974 (Elizabeth Banks: Age 49) in Pittsfield, Massachusetts to Ann and Mark Mitchell. She is the oldest of her three siblings. Banks tried out for the school play after breaking her leg in Little League, which is what started her acting career.
In 1992, Banks graduated from Pittsfield High School. She then went on to graduate from the University of Pennsylvania in 1966 with a major in communications and a minor in theater arts. Banks finished her schooling with an Mfa degree from the American Conservatory Theater in 1998.
Elizabeth Banks Biography: Career
When Banks joined the Screen Actors Guild, she changed her last name from Mitchell to Banks because of another actress was already named Elizabeth Mitchell.
- 4/2/2023
- by Hailey Schipper
- Uinterview
For 25 years, I have never been much of a Guy Ritchie fan. I found the in-your-face-and-over-the-top crime dramas that made his reputation — “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels,” “Snatch,” “Revolver,” and “RocknRolla” — to be empty-flashy exercises in the too-muchness of genre kinetics, overly infatuated with their post-Tarantino cutthroat cool. It was clear that Ritchie had talent, but the way just about every shot in his movies was designed to remind you of that turned the films into layer cakes that were more frosting than cake. After a while, he dropped the badass glitz and settled into a more conventional career, and some of those movies were okay. I confess that I enjoyed his remake of “Swept Away”, and he had fun applying what was left of his high-froth Add style to the Robert Downey Jr. “Sherlock Holmes” franchise. Yet I could never escape the feeling that Guy Ritchie had...
- 3/1/2023
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
With the weather getting cooler (at least in some parts of the country) and Halloween just around the corner, it’s beginning to feel a little more like fall. And what’s better than grabbing a cup of cider, cuddling underneath your favorite blanket and watching hours and hours of movies? You’re right, nothing.
This month, HBO has a great mixture of new movies, from this summer’s sleeper hit “Elvis” to earlier-this-year’s sci-fi disaster movie “Moonfall” to a true gem of 1980s cinema, and some great spooky season starter movies.
Below you’ll find some of the very best new movies streaming on HBO Max this month.
“Elvis” Warner Bros.
There’s very little middle ground when it comes to “Elvis,” Baz Luhrmann’s extravagant musical biopic. Either you fall in love with its aesthetic, which depicts Elvis (as portrayed by “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood...
This month, HBO has a great mixture of new movies, from this summer’s sleeper hit “Elvis” to earlier-this-year’s sci-fi disaster movie “Moonfall” to a true gem of 1980s cinema, and some great spooky season starter movies.
Below you’ll find some of the very best new movies streaming on HBO Max this month.
“Elvis” Warner Bros.
There’s very little middle ground when it comes to “Elvis,” Baz Luhrmann’s extravagant musical biopic. Either you fall in love with its aesthetic, which depicts Elvis (as portrayed by “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood...
- 9/18/2022
- by Drew Taylor
- The Wrap
Cinematography retrospectives are the way to go—more than a thorough display of talent, it exposes the vast expanse a Dp will travel, like an education in form and business all the same. Accordingly I’m happy to see the Criterion Channel give a 25-film tribute to James Wong Howe, whose career spanned silent cinema to the ’70s, populated with work by Howard Hawks, Michael Curtz, Samuel Fuller, Alexander Mackendrick, Sydney Pollack, John Frankenheimer, and Raoul Walsh.
Further retrospectives are granted to Romy Schneider (recent repertory sensation La piscine among them), Carlos Saura (finally a chance to see Peppermint frappe!), the British New Wave, and groundbreaking distributor Cinema 5, who brought to U.S. shores everything from The Man Who Fell to Earth and Putney Swope to Pumping Iron and Scenes from a Marriage.
September also yields streaming premieres for the recently restored Bronco Bullfrog, Ang Lee’s Pushing Hands,...
Further retrospectives are granted to Romy Schneider (recent repertory sensation La piscine among them), Carlos Saura (finally a chance to see Peppermint frappe!), the British New Wave, and groundbreaking distributor Cinema 5, who brought to U.S. shores everything from The Man Who Fell to Earth and Putney Swope to Pumping Iron and Scenes from a Marriage.
September also yields streaming premieres for the recently restored Bronco Bullfrog, Ang Lee’s Pushing Hands,...
- 8/22/2022
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
If the first few days of this year’s Cannes Film Festival were dominated by tech problems and a lack of clear themes, by the weekend a message had emerged from the world filmmakers gathered here – one of global income inequality and the bruising legacy of racial discrimination.
Two of the biggest standing ovations went to a pair of films in competition that used vastly differing styles to examine income inequality both in the United States and around the world.
James Gray’s “Armageddon Time” is a coming-of-age story based on the director’s memories of a childhood growing up in Queens, New York, but the director took a genre mostly known for sentiment and used it to cast a sharp eye on the rise of a gulf between rich and poor in the United States. The character who is essentially the young Gray (Banks Repeta) has privilege that he takes for granted,...
Two of the biggest standing ovations went to a pair of films in competition that used vastly differing styles to examine income inequality both in the United States and around the world.
James Gray’s “Armageddon Time” is a coming-of-age story based on the director’s memories of a childhood growing up in Queens, New York, but the director took a genre mostly known for sentiment and used it to cast a sharp eye on the rise of a gulf between rich and poor in the United States. The character who is essentially the young Gray (Banks Repeta) has privilege that he takes for granted,...
- 5/22/2022
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Accomplished screenwriter and avid movie watcher, Daniel Waters breaks down his ‘Best of the Best of 2021’ list with hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Drive My Car (2021)
A History of Violence (2005)
Larry Crowne (2011)
The Vanishing (1988)
Don’t Look Up (2021)
Gunpowder Milkshake (2021)
Gerry (2002)
Swept Away (1974)
Swept Away (2002)
The Tender Bar (2021)
Riders Of Justice (2021)
Another Round (2020)
The Worst Person In The World (2021)
Pig (2021)
Dune (1984) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Dune (2021)
Fifty Shades Freed (2018)
Den of Thieves (2018)
Copshop (2021)
Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) – Neil Marshall’s trailer commentary
Magnum Force (1973) – Alan Spencer’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairing
The Driver (1978)
Memoria (2021)
Berberian Sound Studio (2012)
The Power of the Dog (2021)
Old Henry (2021)
The Village (2004)
The Sixth Sense (1999)
Annette (2021)
Titane (2021)
Zola (2021)
The Killing of Two Lovers (2021)
Who You Think I Am (2021)
Barb and Star Go To Vista Del Mar (2021)
Josie and the Pussycats (2001)
Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Drive My Car (2021)
A History of Violence (2005)
Larry Crowne (2011)
The Vanishing (1988)
Don’t Look Up (2021)
Gunpowder Milkshake (2021)
Gerry (2002)
Swept Away (1974)
Swept Away (2002)
The Tender Bar (2021)
Riders Of Justice (2021)
Another Round (2020)
The Worst Person In The World (2021)
Pig (2021)
Dune (1984) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Dune (2021)
Fifty Shades Freed (2018)
Den of Thieves (2018)
Copshop (2021)
Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) – Neil Marshall’s trailer commentary
Magnum Force (1973) – Alan Spencer’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairing
The Driver (1978)
Memoria (2021)
Berberian Sound Studio (2012)
The Power of the Dog (2021)
Old Henry (2021)
The Village (2004)
The Sixth Sense (1999)
Annette (2021)
Titane (2021)
Zola (2021)
The Killing of Two Lovers (2021)
Who You Think I Am (2021)
Barb and Star Go To Vista Del Mar (2021)
Josie and the Pussycats (2001)
Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy...
- 3/29/2022
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
On last Friday’s 11th episode of “RuPaul’s Drag Race 14,” the bottom seven queens that failed to impress during the “Snatch Game” were thrown into the storm of a “Lipsync Lalaparuza Smackdown” to determine which of them would be sent home. Over the course of the night, the seven queens faced off in six lipsync head-to-heads. Because that many performances in one episode is a treat (think: gold chocolate bar sweet) we wanted to know which of the six was Your favorite. Scroll down for the complete poll results, which are mostly inconclusive as it would appear we as an audience are split!
See‘The Pit Stop’ for ‘Drag Race 14’ episode 11: Monet gets ‘lipsync guru’ Silky Nutmeg Ganache’s opinions
In the first round, Daya Betty bested Jasmine Kennedie after choosing the one song from the list that she thought she could embody the emotion of, “Respect.” As Daya suspected,...
See‘The Pit Stop’ for ‘Drag Race 14’ episode 11: Monet gets ‘lipsync guru’ Silky Nutmeg Ganache’s opinions
In the first round, Daya Betty bested Jasmine Kennedie after choosing the one song from the list that she thought she could embody the emotion of, “Respect.” As Daya suspected,...
- 3/22/2022
- by John Benutty
- Gold Derby
In Friday’s 11th episode of “RuPaul’s Drag Race 14,” the bottom seven queens that failed to impress during the “Snatch Game” were thrown into the storm of a “Lipsync Lalaparuza Smackdown” to determine which of them would be sent home. Over the course of the night, the seven queens faced off in six lipsync head-to-heads and we want to know which was Your favorite.
Below, vote for the performance you thought was the overall best of the bunch in our “Lalaparuza” poll.
See ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ winners list
In the first round, Daya bested Jasmine after choosing the one song from the list that she thought she could embody the emotion of, “Respect.” As Daya suspected, the song did not fit with Jasmine’s dancer background, but Daya’s ability to remain at the front of the stage, often in front of Jasmine altogether, likely clinched her the win.
Below, vote for the performance you thought was the overall best of the bunch in our “Lalaparuza” poll.
See ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ winners list
In the first round, Daya bested Jasmine after choosing the one song from the list that she thought she could embody the emotion of, “Respect.” As Daya suspected, the song did not fit with Jasmine’s dancer background, but Daya’s ability to remain at the front of the stage, often in front of Jasmine altogether, likely clinched her the win.
- 3/19/2022
- by John Benutty
- Gold Derby
Michael Mayer on Beanie Feldstein as Fanny Brice in the Broadway revival of Funny Girl that he is directing: “She’s a wonderful singer and very funny and charming and warm and not Barbra Streisand.”
In the second instalment with a very engaged Single All The Way director, Michael Mayer, we discuss composer Anton Sanko (The Seagull with Nico Muhly and Mikhaël Hers’ Amanda); songs by Whitney Houston and Britney Spears; Karl Ove Knausgaard's My Struggle and The Morning Star, and working with John Logan on the world première of Swept Away at the Berkeley Rep.
Nick (Philemon Chambers) with Peter (Michael Urie) in Michael Mayer’s Single All The Way, screenplay by Chad Hodges.
Michael is also scheduled to direct two upcoming Broadway productions - Beanie Feldstein in Funny Girl with Jane Lynch as her mother and the Neil Diamond musical - and then Jeanine Tesori's Grounded at The Metropolitan Opera,...
In the second instalment with a very engaged Single All The Way director, Michael Mayer, we discuss composer Anton Sanko (The Seagull with Nico Muhly and Mikhaël Hers’ Amanda); songs by Whitney Houston and Britney Spears; Karl Ove Knausgaard's My Struggle and The Morning Star, and working with John Logan on the world première of Swept Away at the Berkeley Rep.
Nick (Philemon Chambers) with Peter (Michael Urie) in Michael Mayer’s Single All The Way, screenplay by Chad Hodges.
Michael is also scheduled to direct two upcoming Broadway productions - Beanie Feldstein in Funny Girl with Jane Lynch as her mother and the Neil Diamond musical - and then Jeanine Tesori's Grounded at The Metropolitan Opera,...
- 1/4/2022
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
If you weren’t around at the time, it’s hard to communicate just what a splashy, dominating place the Italian filmmaker Lina Wertmüller occupied during the 1970s. Wertmüller, who died on Thursday at 93, was far from the first celebrated woman director — just think of Agnès Varda, Shirley Clarke, Elaine May, Lois Weber, Ida Lupino, Dorothy Arzner, or Barbara Loden. But apart from the infamous Leni Riefenstahl, it’s fair to say that Wertmüller was the first woman filmmaker to become a household name. She was the first to receive an Academy Award nomination for best director, the first to adorn the cover of major magazines, the first to rule and own the zeitgeist.
And rule it she did. “Swept Away,” Wertmüller’s controversial 1974 drama about a wealthy snob (Mariangela Melato) and one of her lowly yacht crew members (Giancarlo Giannini), who wind up swapping roles after the two are stranded on a desert island,...
And rule it she did. “Swept Away,” Wertmüller’s controversial 1974 drama about a wealthy snob (Mariangela Melato) and one of her lowly yacht crew members (Giancarlo Giannini), who wind up swapping roles after the two are stranded on a desert island,...
- 12/10/2021
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
Lina Wertmüller, the legendary Italian filmmaker and the first woman to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director, has died at the age of 93. According to Italian press (via Variety), the writer and director died “peacefully at home, next to her daughter and loved ones.” Wertmüller’s career jump-started in 1963 when she directed her feature directorial debut “The Basilisk” and served as an assistant director on Federico Fellini’s “8½.” The director went on to helm acclaimed films such as “Seven Beauties,” “Swept Away,” and “The Seduction of Mimi.” For her work on “Seven Beauties,” she became the first woman Oscar nominee for Best Director. The drama was also Oscar nominated for Best Original Screenplay and earned Wertmüller a nomination at the Directors Guild of America Awards.
Across her career, Wertmüller won Best Director at the Locarno Film Festival (for “The Basilisk”), competed twice for the Palme d...
Across her career, Wertmüller won Best Director at the Locarno Film Festival (for “The Basilisk”), competed twice for the Palme d...
- 12/9/2021
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Wertmüller’s best director Oscar nomination came for 1977 film Seven Beauties,
Italian filmmaker Lina Wertmüller, the first woman to be nominated for a best director Oscar, has died aged 93.
Wertmüller died peacefully at home in Rome today (Dec 9) according to reports in the Italian press.
Wertmüller’s best director Oscar nomination came for 1977 film Seven Beauties, which starred regular collaborator Giancarlo Giannini as an Italian man who does everything he can to survive in a concentration camp.
She lost out to John G Avildsen for Rocky, and a woman would not be nominated again in the category until Jane Campion in 1994 for The Piano.
Italian filmmaker Lina Wertmüller, the first woman to be nominated for a best director Oscar, has died aged 93.
Wertmüller died peacefully at home in Rome today (Dec 9) according to reports in the Italian press.
Wertmüller’s best director Oscar nomination came for 1977 film Seven Beauties, which starred regular collaborator Giancarlo Giannini as an Italian man who does everything he can to survive in a concentration camp.
She lost out to John G Avildsen for Rocky, and a woman would not be nominated again in the category until Jane Campion in 1994 for The Piano.
- 12/9/2021
- by Orlando Parfitt
- ScreenDaily
Lina Wertmüller, the Italian filmmaker who made history in 1977 when she became the first woman to be nominated for the Best Director Oscar, has died at the age of 93.
Her passing was widely reported in the Italian press including in La Republica, which noted that she died at home in her birthplace of Rome.
Born in 1928, Wertmüller described her childhood as adventurous, being expelled from 15 different Catholic schools. A love of comic books was a key influence in her getting into the entertainment business, particularly Flash Gordon, and she became determined to work in film and theater from a young age.
After graduating from drama school in Rome, she began producing plays and worked in a variety of roles including as a set designer, publicist and puppeteer; the latter saw her spend years touring with an avant-garde puppet group.
In the 1960s she set her sights on film and through...
Her passing was widely reported in the Italian press including in La Republica, which noted that she died at home in her birthplace of Rome.
Born in 1928, Wertmüller described her childhood as adventurous, being expelled from 15 different Catholic schools. A love of comic books was a key influence in her getting into the entertainment business, particularly Flash Gordon, and she became determined to work in film and theater from a young age.
After graduating from drama school in Rome, she began producing plays and worked in a variety of roles including as a set designer, publicist and puppeteer; the latter saw her spend years touring with an avant-garde puppet group.
In the 1960s she set her sights on film and through...
- 12/9/2021
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
Lina Wertmüller, the first woman to score a Best Director nomination at the Academy Awards, died on Thursday in Italy. She was 93.
Wertmüller’s death was reported in the Italian press. According to a friend, the writer and director died “peacefully at home, next to her daughter and loved ones.”
Born in Rome, Wertmüller claimed she was expelled from dozens of Catholic schools as a child and developed an early love of comic books (especially “Flash Gordon”) and Soviet theater. Through friends, she was introduced to legendary film director Federico Fellini who quickly became her mentor.
Fellini hired Wertmüller as an assistant director on “8½” in 1963, the same year in which she made her directorial feature debut with “The Basilisks,” which went on to win her her first award for Best Director at the Locarno film festival.
In 1972 she made her Cannes debut with “The Seduction of Mimi,” a satirization of the male libido,...
Wertmüller’s death was reported in the Italian press. According to a friend, the writer and director died “peacefully at home, next to her daughter and loved ones.”
Born in Rome, Wertmüller claimed she was expelled from dozens of Catholic schools as a child and developed an early love of comic books (especially “Flash Gordon”) and Soviet theater. Through friends, she was introduced to legendary film director Federico Fellini who quickly became her mentor.
Fellini hired Wertmüller as an assistant director on “8½” in 1963, the same year in which she made her directorial feature debut with “The Basilisks,” which went on to win her her first award for Best Director at the Locarno film festival.
In 1972 she made her Cannes debut with “The Seduction of Mimi,” a satirization of the male libido,...
- 12/9/2021
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
Lina Wertmüller, the masterful Italian filmmaker who created a sensation in the 1970s with her earthy mix of sex and politics seen in such classics as Seven Beauties, Swept Away and The Seduction of Mimi, has died. She was 93.
Wertmüller, the first woman to receive an Oscar nomination for best director (for 1975’s Seven Beauties), died on Thursday in Rome, the Italian Film Archive told The Hollywood Reporter.
In October 2019, she was given an honorary Oscar at the Governors Awards.
“She would like to change the Oscar to a feminine name,” Isabella Rossellini said, translating as Wertmüller accepted her statuette. “She would like to call ...
Wertmüller, the first woman to receive an Oscar nomination for best director (for 1975’s Seven Beauties), died on Thursday in Rome, the Italian Film Archive told The Hollywood Reporter.
In October 2019, she was given an honorary Oscar at the Governors Awards.
“She would like to change the Oscar to a feminine name,” Isabella Rossellini said, translating as Wertmüller accepted her statuette. “She would like to call ...
- 12/9/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Lina Wertmüller, the masterful Italian filmmaker who created a sensation in the 1970s with her earthy mix of sex and politics seen in such classics as Seven Beauties, Swept Away and The Seduction of Mimi, has died. She was 93.
Wertmüller, the first woman to receive an Oscar nomination for best director (for 1975’s Seven Beauties), died on Thursday in Rome, the Italian Film Archive told The Hollywood Reporter.
In October 2019, she was given an honorary Oscar at the Governors Awards.
“She would like to change the Oscar to a feminine name,” Isabella Rossellini said, translating as Wertmüller accepted her statuette. “She would like to call ...
Wertmüller, the first woman to receive an Oscar nomination for best director (for 1975’s Seven Beauties), died on Thursday in Rome, the Italian Film Archive told The Hollywood Reporter.
In October 2019, she was given an honorary Oscar at the Governors Awards.
“She would like to change the Oscar to a feminine name,” Isabella Rossellini said, translating as Wertmüller accepted her statuette. “She would like to call ...
- 12/9/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
In 2019, the Avett Brothers announced that their music would be featured in a new musical originally slated to debut in June 2020. A year-plus pandemic later, the folk-rock group is premiering the title track to Swept Away.
Written by John Logan and directed by Michael Mayer — both Tony Award winners — Swept Away‘s music draws from the North Carolina band’s catalog, and in particular the Avett Brothers’ 2004 LP Mignonette. The musical is set in 1888 and tells the tale of a shipwrecked crew, including two brothers, as they struggle to survive...
Written by John Logan and directed by Michael Mayer — both Tony Award winners — Swept Away‘s music draws from the North Carolina band’s catalog, and in particular the Avett Brothers’ 2004 LP Mignonette. The musical is set in 1888 and tells the tale of a shipwrecked crew, including two brothers, as they struggle to survive...
- 6/15/2021
- by Joseph Hudak
- Rollingstone.com
Actor David Morse joins Josh and Joe to talk about his favorite movies.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
The Slaughter Rule (2002)
Dancer In The Dark (2000)
A History Of Violence (2005)
The Indian Runner (1991)
Inside Moves (1980) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Death Wish (1974) – Darren Bousman’s trailer commentary
The Virtuoso (2021)
The Crossing Guard (1995)
Prototype (1983)
Cry in the Wild: The Taking of Peggy Ann (1991)
Seven Beauties (1975)
Swept Away (1974)
Mimic (1997)
Hannibal (2001)
Mean Streets (1973)
Taxi Driver (1976) – Rod Lurie’s trailer commentary
The Godfather Part II (1974) – Katt Shea’s trailer commentary
Being There (1979) – Alan Spencer’s trailer commentary
The Ghost of Peter Sellers (2018)
A Shot In The Dark (1964) – Dan Ireland’s trailer commentary
Midnight Cowboy (1969) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Papillon (1973)
Straight Time (1978) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
Straw Dogs (1971) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
Wait Until Dark (1967) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Catch 22 (1970) – Larry Karaszewski’s trailer commentary
Desperate Hours (1990)
The Bounty...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
The Slaughter Rule (2002)
Dancer In The Dark (2000)
A History Of Violence (2005)
The Indian Runner (1991)
Inside Moves (1980) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Death Wish (1974) – Darren Bousman’s trailer commentary
The Virtuoso (2021)
The Crossing Guard (1995)
Prototype (1983)
Cry in the Wild: The Taking of Peggy Ann (1991)
Seven Beauties (1975)
Swept Away (1974)
Mimic (1997)
Hannibal (2001)
Mean Streets (1973)
Taxi Driver (1976) – Rod Lurie’s trailer commentary
The Godfather Part II (1974) – Katt Shea’s trailer commentary
Being There (1979) – Alan Spencer’s trailer commentary
The Ghost of Peter Sellers (2018)
A Shot In The Dark (1964) – Dan Ireland’s trailer commentary
Midnight Cowboy (1969) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Papillon (1973)
Straight Time (1978) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
Straw Dogs (1971) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
Wait Until Dark (1967) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Catch 22 (1970) – Larry Karaszewski’s trailer commentary
Desperate Hours (1990)
The Bounty...
- 5/18/2021
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
All 2021 Academy Awards nominees for Best Original Song will be performed during the preshow, which begins at 6:30 p.m. Et — not during the main show, which begins 90 minutes later.
The pre-show and main ceremony will be broadcast on ABC, as well as available to stream on Hulu Live TV, YouTubeTV, AT&T TV, FuboTV and on ABC.com (with provider authentication). The awards for Best Song and Best Score will be given out during the main show.
Leslie Odom Jr., a double nominee for acting and songwriting for “One Night in Miami,” will perform the end-titles theme he co-penned for the film, “Speak Now.” Diane Warren and singer Laura Pausini will join forces again for “Io Si (Seen),” which they co-wrote for “The Life Ahead.” “Fight for You” will be performed by the singer/co-writer H.E.R., who performed the old-school-soul throwback anthem over the end credits for “Judas and the Black Messiah.
The pre-show and main ceremony will be broadcast on ABC, as well as available to stream on Hulu Live TV, YouTubeTV, AT&T TV, FuboTV and on ABC.com (with provider authentication). The awards for Best Song and Best Score will be given out during the main show.
Leslie Odom Jr., a double nominee for acting and songwriting for “One Night in Miami,” will perform the end-titles theme he co-penned for the film, “Speak Now.” Diane Warren and singer Laura Pausini will join forces again for “Io Si (Seen),” which they co-wrote for “The Life Ahead.” “Fight for You” will be performed by the singer/co-writer H.E.R., who performed the old-school-soul throwback anthem over the end credits for “Judas and the Black Messiah.
- 4/25/2021
- by Jem Aswad
- Variety Film + TV
The Roots will rerelease their 1995 album Do You Want More?!!!??! as a deluxe reissue complete with previously unreleased songs, remixes, alternate versions, and more.
The Do You Want More?!!!??! reissue, due out March 12th as a three-lp, four-lp, or digital deluxe collection, is available to preorder now via Geffen/UMe. Ahead of the reissue’s release, the hip-hop group has shared the digitally unavailable “Street Mix” version of the album ballad “Silent Treatment.”
Among the unreleased tracks on the deluxe reissues are “Proceed II Feat. Roy Ayers”, “Proceed III”, “Proceed...
The Do You Want More?!!!??! reissue, due out March 12th as a three-lp, four-lp, or digital deluxe collection, is available to preorder now via Geffen/UMe. Ahead of the reissue’s release, the hip-hop group has shared the digitally unavailable “Street Mix” version of the album ballad “Silent Treatment.”
Among the unreleased tracks on the deluxe reissues are “Proceed II Feat. Roy Ayers”, “Proceed III”, “Proceed...
- 2/5/2021
- by Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
[This October is "Gialloween" on Daily Dead, as we celebrate the Halloween season by diving into the macabre mysteries, bloody kills, and eccentric characters found in some of our favorite giallo films! Keep checking back on Daily Dead this month for more retrospectives on classic, cult, and altogether unforgettable gialli, and visit our online hub to catch up on all of our Gialloween special features!]
One of the defining subgenres of the Italian horror movement, the giallo film was a staple of the country’s cinema from the late 1960s through the early ’80s, when it more or less died off. For the uninitiated, the giallo is born out of a series of cheap pulp crime paperbacks published in Italy as far back as the late 1920s and known for their yellow—or, in Italian, giallo—covers. As a movie subgenre, the giallo finds its roots in the thrillers of Alfred Hitchcock and Michael Powell's Peeping Tom. Mario Bava's 1963 film The Girl Who Knew Too Much (aka The Evil Eye) is widely considered to be the first giallo, as it meets many of the criteria and includes a number of the tropes that have come to be associated with the genre.
And what are those tropes exactly? I won't pretend to know all...
One of the defining subgenres of the Italian horror movement, the giallo film was a staple of the country’s cinema from the late 1960s through the early ’80s, when it more or less died off. For the uninitiated, the giallo is born out of a series of cheap pulp crime paperbacks published in Italy as far back as the late 1920s and known for their yellow—or, in Italian, giallo—covers. As a movie subgenre, the giallo finds its roots in the thrillers of Alfred Hitchcock and Michael Powell's Peeping Tom. Mario Bava's 1963 film The Girl Who Knew Too Much (aka The Evil Eye) is widely considered to be the first giallo, as it meets many of the criteria and includes a number of the tropes that have come to be associated with the genre.
And what are those tropes exactly? I won't pretend to know all...
- 10/12/2020
- by Patrick Bromley
- DailyDead
A television series based on Guy Ritchie’s 2019 “The Gentlemen” action-comedy film is in the works. Deadline reported that Ritchie will direct, write, and executive produce the upcoming series from Miramax TV. Ivan Atkinson and Marv Davies, who produced the 2019 film, are on board to executive produce.
Plot details weren’t provided by the publication but the original film centered on marijuana kingpin Mickey Pearson (played by Matthew McConaughey) and his efforts to divest himself from his criminal business, resulting in a variety of plotting and blackmail attempts from his would-be successors.
Casting details for the series are also under wraps. The 2019 “The Gentlemen” film starred McConaughey alongside Charlie Hunnam, Henry Golding, Michelle Dockery, Jeremy Strong, Eddie Marsan, and Hugh Grant, among others.
“Miramax Television is thrilled to break new creative ground in our partnership with Guy Ritchie on ‘The Gentlemen,’” Marc Helwig, Miramax’s head of worldwide television, said in a statement.
Plot details weren’t provided by the publication but the original film centered on marijuana kingpin Mickey Pearson (played by Matthew McConaughey) and his efforts to divest himself from his criminal business, resulting in a variety of plotting and blackmail attempts from his would-be successors.
Casting details for the series are also under wraps. The 2019 “The Gentlemen” film starred McConaughey alongside Charlie Hunnam, Henry Golding, Michelle Dockery, Jeremy Strong, Eddie Marsan, and Hugh Grant, among others.
“Miramax Television is thrilled to break new creative ground in our partnership with Guy Ritchie on ‘The Gentlemen,’” Marc Helwig, Miramax’s head of worldwide television, said in a statement.
- 10/2/2020
- by Tyler Hersko
- Indiewire
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