Veteran British actor known for his many and varied film, TV and stage roles in a career that spanned more than 70 years
There was something grand, large, embracing about the actor Joss Ackland, who has died aged 95. He was a fixture in British films for several decades and a stalwart of the Old Vic, the Royal Shakespeare Company – he played Falstaff in the opening RSC production of Henry IV, Parts One and Two, in the new Barbican Centre in 1982 – and the West End stage.
He appeared in more than 100 films, and countless TV plays and series, usually, in later years, white-haired and bearded, but always with energy and force, whether as the cuckolded husband, Jock Delves Broughton, in Michael Radford’s White Mischief (1987) with Greta Scacchi and Charles Dance, or as the drug-running heavy in Lethal Weapon 2 (1989) with Mel Gibson and Danny Glover.
There was something grand, large, embracing about the actor Joss Ackland, who has died aged 95. He was a fixture in British films for several decades and a stalwart of the Old Vic, the Royal Shakespeare Company – he played Falstaff in the opening RSC production of Henry IV, Parts One and Two, in the new Barbican Centre in 1982 – and the West End stage.
He appeared in more than 100 films, and countless TV plays and series, usually, in later years, white-haired and bearded, but always with energy and force, whether as the cuckolded husband, Jock Delves Broughton, in Michael Radford’s White Mischief (1987) with Greta Scacchi and Charles Dance, or as the drug-running heavy in Lethal Weapon 2 (1989) with Mel Gibson and Danny Glover.
- 11/20/2023
- by Michael Coveney
- The Guardian - Film News
Veteran British actor Joss Ackland, best known for his roles in the films Lethal Weapon 2 and White Mischief, has died. He was 95. Ackland passed on Sunday, November 19, with his representative, Paul Pearson, confirming the death. “Joss was a long-term client and great friend who remained lucid, erudite and mischievous to the very end. He died peacefully with his family this morning,” Pearson said in a statement. Born on February 29, 1928, in London, England, Ackland trained at London’s Central School of Speech and Drama before making his professional stage debut at 17 years old, starring in the 1945 production of The Hasty Heart. He became a regular at the Old Vic Theatre, appearing alongside the likes of Maggie Smith, Judi Dench, and Tom Courtenay. Ackland starred in several British television shows throughout the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, including opposite Alec Guinness in the 1979 adaptation of Tinker Sailor Soldier Spy. He also appeared...
- 11/20/2023
- TV Insider
Joss Ackland Photo: UniFrance Stage, screen and television star Joss Ackland has died at the age of 95.
A statement said that the star, whose credits include everything from Watership Down to A Zed & Two Noughts and Bill And Ted's Bogus Journey, died peacefully.
It added: “With his distinctive voice and commanding presence, Ackland brought a unique intensity and gravitas to his roles.”
“He will be remembered as one of Britain’s most talented and beloved actors.”
The London-born star began his film career in 1950 in Seven Days To Noon and work right up until recent years.
Among those paying tribute on social media was singer Elaine Paige.
She tweeted: "So very sad to hear actor Joss Ackland, who created the role of Juan Perón alongside me as Eva Perón in [the] original production of Evita, has died. A brilliant actor and a simply wonderful person. So kind & supportive. Rip dear Joss.
A statement said that the star, whose credits include everything from Watership Down to A Zed & Two Noughts and Bill And Ted's Bogus Journey, died peacefully.
It added: “With his distinctive voice and commanding presence, Ackland brought a unique intensity and gravitas to his roles.”
“He will be remembered as one of Britain’s most talented and beloved actors.”
The London-born star began his film career in 1950 in Seven Days To Noon and work right up until recent years.
Among those paying tribute on social media was singer Elaine Paige.
She tweeted: "So very sad to hear actor Joss Ackland, who created the role of Juan Perón alongside me as Eva Perón in [the] original production of Evita, has died. A brilliant actor and a simply wonderful person. So kind & supportive. Rip dear Joss.
- 11/20/2023
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Joss Ackland, a veteran character actor known for his work on stage as well as screens big and small, has died. Ackland was 95 and familiar to film fans for the likes of Lethal Weapon 2, Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey, The Hunt For Red October. "It is with great sadness that I can confirm the passing of my great friend and long-term client Joss Ackland," :a[the actor's manager Paul Pearson told The Wrap]{href='https://www.thewrap.com/joss-ackland-lethal-weapon-2-actor-dies-at-95/' }. "He died of old age this morning with his family around. He was lucid, erudite, and mischievous to the end. I loved him deeply and for me, he is the reason we have the word magnificent in the dictionary."
Ackland was born in Ladbroke Grove, London on 29 February 1928. He studied at the Central School of Speech and Drama and made his stage debut at the age of 17 in a production of The Hasty Heart.
Ackland was born in Ladbroke Grove, London on 29 February 1928. He studied at the Central School of Speech and Drama and made his stage debut at the age of 17 in a production of The Hasty Heart.
- 11/20/2023
- by James White
- Empire - Movies
Joss Ackland, the British actor known for Lethal Weapon 2, Mighty Ducks and White Mischief, has died. He was 95.
Ackland died peacefully of old age, surrounded by his family Sunday morning, his longtime rep and friend Paul Pearson told The Hollywood Reporter. “He was lucid, erudite and mischievous to the end,” the rep added. “I loved him deeply, and, for me, he is the reason we have the word Magnificent in the dictionary.”
The actor was described as a “beloved father,” in a family statement obtained by BBC. It read, “With his distinctive voice and commanding presence, Ackland brought a unique intensity and gravitas to his role. He will be remembered as one of Britain’s most talented and beloved actors.”
In addition to his film roles in Lethal Weapon 2, Mighty Ducks and White Mischief, Ackland was known for parts in The Hunt for Red October, Daisies in December...
Ackland died peacefully of old age, surrounded by his family Sunday morning, his longtime rep and friend Paul Pearson told The Hollywood Reporter. “He was lucid, erudite and mischievous to the end,” the rep added. “I loved him deeply, and, for me, he is the reason we have the word Magnificent in the dictionary.”
The actor was described as a “beloved father,” in a family statement obtained by BBC. It read, “With his distinctive voice and commanding presence, Ackland brought a unique intensity and gravitas to his role. He will be remembered as one of Britain’s most talented and beloved actors.”
In addition to his film roles in Lethal Weapon 2, Mighty Ducks and White Mischief, Ackland was known for parts in The Hunt for Red October, Daisies in December...
- 11/20/2023
- by Christy Piña
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Joss Ackland, a familiar face to eighties and nineties movie fans, is dead at 95. According to Variety, the actor died of natural causes. Famous for playing the loathsome South African villain in Lethal Weapon 2, Ackland had a long and distinguished career in film, TV and on-stage. Arguably, his most memorable screen moment came at the climax of Lethal Weapon 2 when, after pumping Mel Gibson’s Riggs full of bullets, he taunts Danny Glover’s Murtagh by boasting “diplomatic immunity,” to which Murtagh, in a crowd-pleasing moment, cocks his head and blows the bad guy away.
Ackland also made for a memorable bad guy in Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey, where he played the villain, De Nomolos. He was also in The Hunt for Red October, K-19: The Widowmaker, and played Emilio Esteves’s kindly former coach in The Mighty Ducks. He also famously appeared in the Pet Shop...
Ackland also made for a memorable bad guy in Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey, where he played the villain, De Nomolos. He was also in The Hunt for Red October, K-19: The Widowmaker, and played Emilio Esteves’s kindly former coach in The Mighty Ducks. He also famously appeared in the Pet Shop...
- 11/20/2023
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
British actor Joss Ackland has died at the age of 95, his family said in a statement. No cause or location were given.
The stage and screen actor had been in more than 100 movies and TV series, among them the films White Mischief and 1989’s Lethal Weapon 2.
The family statement said: “With his distinctive voice and commanding presence, Ackland brought a unique intensity and gravitas to his role. He will be remembered as one of Britain’s most talented and beloved actors.”
Born in 1928 in London’s Ladbroke Grove area, Ackland grew up in Kilburn, North London.
He appeared in dozens of films throughout the 1980s and 1990s, including The Mighty Ducks and Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey.
He was awarded a Cbe in 2000 for his services to acting.
No information on survivors or memorial plans was immediately available.
The stage and screen actor had been in more than 100 movies and TV series, among them the films White Mischief and 1989’s Lethal Weapon 2.
The family statement said: “With his distinctive voice and commanding presence, Ackland brought a unique intensity and gravitas to his role. He will be remembered as one of Britain’s most talented and beloved actors.”
Born in 1928 in London’s Ladbroke Grove area, Ackland grew up in Kilburn, North London.
He appeared in dozens of films throughout the 1980s and 1990s, including The Mighty Ducks and Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey.
He was awarded a Cbe in 2000 for his services to acting.
No information on survivors or memorial plans was immediately available.
- 11/19/2023
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Joss Ackland, a longtime stage and screen actor best known for his roles in “Lethal Weapon 2” and “White Mischief,” has died at age 95.
Ackland, who amassed more than 130 credits, also enjoyed parts in films such as “Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey,” “The Hunt for Red October” and the TV movie “Shadowlands.” His death was confirmed in a statement by his family. They said, “With his distinctive voice and commanding presence, Ackland brought a unique intensity and gravitas to his roles.”
“He will be remembered as one of Britain’s most talented and beloved actors.”
Ackland’s manager Paul Pearson told TheWrap, “It is with great sadness that I can confirm the passing of my great friend and long-term client Joss Ackland. He died of old age this morning with his family around. He was lucid, erudite, and mischievous to the end.”
“I loved him deeply and for me, he...
Ackland, who amassed more than 130 credits, also enjoyed parts in films such as “Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey,” “The Hunt for Red October” and the TV movie “Shadowlands.” His death was confirmed in a statement by his family. They said, “With his distinctive voice and commanding presence, Ackland brought a unique intensity and gravitas to his roles.”
“He will be remembered as one of Britain’s most talented and beloved actors.”
Ackland’s manager Paul Pearson told TheWrap, “It is with great sadness that I can confirm the passing of my great friend and long-term client Joss Ackland. He died of old age this morning with his family around. He was lucid, erudite, and mischievous to the end.”
“I loved him deeply and for me, he...
- 11/19/2023
- by Stephanie Kaloi
- The Wrap
Joss Ackland, the veteran British stage and screen actor who was known for starring in “White Mischief” and “Lethal Weapon 2,” died on Sunday. He was 95.
“Joss was a long term client and great friend who remained lucid, erudite and mischievous to the very end, he died peacefully with his family this morning,” said his rep, Paul Pearson.
In Richard Donner’s “Lethal Weapon 2,” his villainous diplomat character notably utters the line “Diplomatic immunity!” before being shot by cop Roger Murtaugh, played by Danny Glover.
With over 130 film and television credits, Ackland appeared in a wide range of projects, including “K-19: The Widowmaker,” “Bill & Ted” and “The Hunt for Red October,” where he starred alongside Sean Connery and Alec Baldwin. His television work includes “Shadowlands,” where he played C.S. Lewis, and “Midsomer Murders.”
Ackland was made a Cbe for services to drama in 2001. He earned two BAFTA nominations...
“Joss was a long term client and great friend who remained lucid, erudite and mischievous to the very end, he died peacefully with his family this morning,” said his rep, Paul Pearson.
In Richard Donner’s “Lethal Weapon 2,” his villainous diplomat character notably utters the line “Diplomatic immunity!” before being shot by cop Roger Murtaugh, played by Danny Glover.
With over 130 film and television credits, Ackland appeared in a wide range of projects, including “K-19: The Widowmaker,” “Bill & Ted” and “The Hunt for Red October,” where he starred alongside Sean Connery and Alec Baldwin. His television work includes “Shadowlands,” where he played C.S. Lewis, and “Midsomer Murders.”
Ackland was made a Cbe for services to drama in 2001. He earned two BAFTA nominations...
- 11/19/2023
- by Caroline Brew
- Variety Film + TV
Many will remember Ackland best on the big screen as plummy defenders of the realm, but this supremely polished star could also handle action, comedy – and a lot of cold war Soviets
Joss Ackland’s elegant bearing, natural aplomb and English theatrical training meant that he never lacked for work on stage or screen, largely playing authority and establishment figures — although these movie roles were a bit ironised and sent up in the parts he got offered in the 90s and 00s (to his reported chagrin).
But growing up, I was aware of him only via that rich, mellifluous voice of his, like melted butterscotch, in an inordinate number of TV ads: his tones were received pronunciation with a dash of naughtiness and insinuation, that of a TV newsreader or bishop who loved to savour a fine wine, or a decent cigar.
Joss Ackland’s elegant bearing, natural aplomb and English theatrical training meant that he never lacked for work on stage or screen, largely playing authority and establishment figures — although these movie roles were a bit ironised and sent up in the parts he got offered in the 90s and 00s (to his reported chagrin).
But growing up, I was aware of him only via that rich, mellifluous voice of his, like melted butterscotch, in an inordinate number of TV ads: his tones were received pronunciation with a dash of naughtiness and insinuation, that of a TV newsreader or bishop who loved to savour a fine wine, or a decent cigar.
- 11/19/2023
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
British veteran actor also starred in the Hunt for Red October and the TV version of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Joss Ackland: a life in pictures
British actor Joss Ackland has died at the age of 95, his family have said in a statement.
He appeared in films such as White Mischief, on TV playing Cs Lewis in Shadowlands and in many stage productions including as Juan Perón in Evita.
Joss Ackland: a life in pictures
British actor Joss Ackland has died at the age of 95, his family have said in a statement.
He appeared in films such as White Mischief, on TV playing Cs Lewis in Shadowlands and in many stage productions including as Juan Perón in Evita.
- 11/19/2023
- by Tom Ambrose
- The Guardian - Film News
For years, all I could remember was a figure in the woods stabbing someone. It was so simple, and so cold. No fancy camera work. No overdramatic score. None of the sound effects you’re accustomed to hearing during these moments. Just the hollow sound of a knife entering and departing its destination over and over.
A quick Google search and I had my answer. The movie was 1995’s Citizen X. An HBO made-for-tv movie that must have been aired constantly at the time. They were very proud of this one, as they should have been. It’s a strange, sweeping movie. Part political and historical drama and part grizzly crime film. After re-watching, I realized there was a reason it stuck with me.
Citizen X is one of the most underrated serial killer movies ever made.
(Unfortunately) Based on a True Story
Based on Robert Cullen’s book The Killer Department,...
A quick Google search and I had my answer. The movie was 1995’s Citizen X. An HBO made-for-tv movie that must have been aired constantly at the time. They were very proud of this one, as they should have been. It’s a strange, sweeping movie. Part political and historical drama and part grizzly crime film. After re-watching, I realized there was a reason it stuck with me.
Citizen X is one of the most underrated serial killer movies ever made.
(Unfortunately) Based on a True Story
Based on Robert Cullen’s book The Killer Department,...
- 10/11/2023
- by Mike Holtz
- bloody-disgusting.com
In 1989 Orion Pictures, along with Nelson Entertainment released Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure. The film was widely loved, and still is, to this day by both critics and fans alike. Because the film was so popular, spawned tons of merchandise and even had two spinoff shows…a sequel was inevitable.
This isn’t just any sequel, it’s Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey. At the time regarded as a love it or hate it film and was considered a box office failure. So let’s go to hell, visit heaven, build some evil and good robots and face off in the Battle of Bands as we check out Bill & Ted’s bonkers follow up on this episode of Revisited.
As stated earlier, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure was released in February 1989 and became a huge success. People couldn’t get enough of the two brain dead yet incredibly...
This isn’t just any sequel, it’s Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey. At the time regarded as a love it or hate it film and was considered a box office failure. So let’s go to hell, visit heaven, build some evil and good robots and face off in the Battle of Bands as we check out Bill & Ted’s bonkers follow up on this episode of Revisited.
As stated earlier, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure was released in February 1989 and became a huge success. People couldn’t get enough of the two brain dead yet incredibly...
- 10/7/2023
- by Ric Solomon
- JoBlo.com
Typically, Hollywood rewards sequels that are more or less similar -- if not complete retreads -- of the original. Ivan Reitman's "Ghostbusters 2" is, beat for beat, very similar to his "Ghostbusters." James Cameron's "Terminator 2: Judgement Day" has the exact same premise as his "The Terminator." A short span of brainstorming can produce myriad other examples.
As such, it's something of a minor miracle that Pete Hewitt's "Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey" is as bonkers as it is, and its predecessor was already plenty wild. In the previous film, Stephen Herek's "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure" (1989), the title characters were given a time-traveling phone booth from the future so that they may kidnap various historical figures and present them as their high school history final. If they failed, they would flunk out of history, be separated into different schools, and they'd have to break up their band Wyld Stallyns.
As such, it's something of a minor miracle that Pete Hewitt's "Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey" is as bonkers as it is, and its predecessor was already plenty wild. In the previous film, Stephen Herek's "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure" (1989), the title characters were given a time-traveling phone booth from the future so that they may kidnap various historical figures and present them as their high school history final. If they failed, they would flunk out of history, be separated into different schools, and they'd have to break up their band Wyld Stallyns.
- 1/15/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
“The only true wisdom comes in knowing that you know nothing.”
-Socrates
There’s a reason screenwriters Ed Solomon and Chris Matheson made a point of highlighting that quote in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989), the classic science fiction comedy adventure that kicked off a most bodacious series of joyous cinematic quests. Like another surprisingly insightful comedy about a different kind of pop culture-fanatic airhead, Being There (1979), the Bill & Ted franchise celebrates the simple wisdom embedded deep within our heroes’ blissful ignorance.
Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey (1991), thanks to its absolutely wild metaphysical adventure, incredible creatures (see below), comic ingenuity, heavy stakes, one-of-a-kind adversaries, and killer metal soundtrack, remains the favorite franchise entry of this critic. The saga returned last month, just in time to serve as something of a warm and fuzzy hug for one of the worst years in recent American history, with the reunion movie its stars never expected to materialize,...
-Socrates
There’s a reason screenwriters Ed Solomon and Chris Matheson made a point of highlighting that quote in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989), the classic science fiction comedy adventure that kicked off a most bodacious series of joyous cinematic quests. Like another surprisingly insightful comedy about a different kind of pop culture-fanatic airhead, Being There (1979), the Bill & Ted franchise celebrates the simple wisdom embedded deep within our heroes’ blissful ignorance.
Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey (1991), thanks to its absolutely wild metaphysical adventure, incredible creatures (see below), comic ingenuity, heavy stakes, one-of-a-kind adversaries, and killer metal soundtrack, remains the favorite franchise entry of this critic. The saga returned last month, just in time to serve as something of a warm and fuzzy hug for one of the worst years in recent American history, with the reunion movie its stars never expected to materialize,...
- 9/14/2020
- by Alex Kirschenbaum
- Trailers from Hell
Welcome to this review of All Elite Wrestling: Double Or Nothing, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and we lost Hana Kimura, Shad Gaspard and Larry Csonka. Shad and Larry have GoFundMe pages you can donate to here and here. When I was Pam Grier, my sweet, black ass always loved to watch half-naked people grab each other real hard and I’m doing that now as Double Or Nothing begins…now.
Match #1: Best Friends defeated Private Party
My Opinion: 3.4 out of 5 – This was a sparkly match. Sparkly is the word I’m sticking with…sparkly out the ass. While no Steiners/Road Warriors clash of maniacs frenzy, this was an encouraging sign for Aew’s tag division, as Pp did better than they have in the past, while the BFs line-danced their way to the win.
Match #2: Brian Cage defeated Darby Allin, Colt Cabana, Orange Cassidy,...
Match #1: Best Friends defeated Private Party
My Opinion: 3.4 out of 5 – This was a sparkly match. Sparkly is the word I’m sticking with…sparkly out the ass. While no Steiners/Road Warriors clash of maniacs frenzy, this was an encouraging sign for Aew’s tag division, as Pp did better than they have in the past, while the BFs line-danced their way to the win.
Match #2: Brian Cage defeated Darby Allin, Colt Cabana, Orange Cassidy,...
- 5/25/2020
- by Nathan Favel
- Nerdly
Minor Spoilers
Villains have long been dandies. Dressing loud is an established method of implying wealth and standing, particularly for ‘new money’. In a modern day context, this largely began with real life gangsters echoing the obnoxious outfits of Hollywood gangsters like Edward G. Robinson in Little Caesar (1931), James Cagney in The Public Enemy (1931) and Paul Muni in Scarface (1932). Conversely the actors’ looks in these movies was also drawn from real life crooks – Al Capone, for example, long known for his love of matching silk pocket squares and neckties. It is a chicken and egg situation as to which came first: the dandy gangster gangster or the dandy movie gangster. However, by and large this idea of demonstrating status via clothing has remained in place since the 1920s, with notable ‘black suit’ exceptions during the 1990s as the criminal fraternity became increasingly white collar and preferred to remain behind the scenes.
Villains have long been dandies. Dressing loud is an established method of implying wealth and standing, particularly for ‘new money’. In a modern day context, this largely began with real life gangsters echoing the obnoxious outfits of Hollywood gangsters like Edward G. Robinson in Little Caesar (1931), James Cagney in The Public Enemy (1931) and Paul Muni in Scarface (1932). Conversely the actors’ looks in these movies was also drawn from real life crooks – Al Capone, for example, long known for his love of matching silk pocket squares and neckties. It is a chicken and egg situation as to which came first: the dandy gangster gangster or the dandy movie gangster. However, by and large this idea of demonstrating status via clothing has remained in place since the 1920s, with notable ‘black suit’ exceptions during the 1990s as the criminal fraternity became increasingly white collar and preferred to remain behind the scenes.
- 4/3/2020
- by Lord Christopher Laverty
- Clothes on Film
Emilio Estevez is back on the ice!
On Thursday, Disney+ announced the 57-year-old actor will be reprising his role of coach Gordon Bombay — which he played in The Mighty Ducks film franchise — in the upcoming TV series based on the sports trilogy.
Along with the exciting news, Disney+ shared several production shots of Estevez hitting the hockey rink once more as the beloved coach.
“No. Chill,” social media posts from the streaming service read. “#EmilioEstevez is Back as Gordon Bombay! Check out this photo from production on The Mighty Ducks, an Original Series coming soon to #DisneyPlus.”
Centered around a ragtag hockey team,...
On Thursday, Disney+ announced the 57-year-old actor will be reprising his role of coach Gordon Bombay — which he played in The Mighty Ducks film franchise — in the upcoming TV series based on the sports trilogy.
Along with the exciting news, Disney+ shared several production shots of Estevez hitting the hockey rink once more as the beloved coach.
“No. Chill,” social media posts from the streaming service read. “#EmilioEstevez is Back as Gordon Bombay! Check out this photo from production on The Mighty Ducks, an Original Series coming soon to #DisneyPlus.”
Centered around a ragtag hockey team,...
- 2/14/2020
- by Gabrielle Chung
- PEOPLE.com
The Ducks are making a comeback!
Disney+ has officially announced a TV series based on the 1990s film trilogy The Mighty Ducks, with Gilmore Girls and Parenthood alumna Lauren Graham in the lead role as Alex, while Brady Noon (Broadwalk Empire) will portray her son Evan.
The 10-episode original series begins production this month in Vancouver and will premiere later this year.
The show’s logline reads, “In present day Minnesota, the Mighty Ducks have evolved from scrappy underdogs to an ultra-competitive, powerhouse youth hockey team. After 12-year-old Evan (Noon) is unceremoniously cut from the Ducks, he and his mom...
Disney+ has officially announced a TV series based on the 1990s film trilogy The Mighty Ducks, with Gilmore Girls and Parenthood alumna Lauren Graham in the lead role as Alex, while Brady Noon (Broadwalk Empire) will portray her son Evan.
The 10-episode original series begins production this month in Vancouver and will premiere later this year.
The show’s logline reads, “In present day Minnesota, the Mighty Ducks have evolved from scrappy underdogs to an ultra-competitive, powerhouse youth hockey team. After 12-year-old Evan (Noon) is unceremoniously cut from the Ducks, he and his mom...
- 2/12/2020
- by Eric Todisco
- PEOPLE.com
Secret agent Michael Caine must take on both the kidnappers of his son and his own suspect Army Intelligence colleagues in Don Siegel’s efficiently filmed, curiously tame suspense thriller. Delphine Seyrig is enticing and Donald Pleasance an unlikeable security bureaucrat, while the capable Janet Suzman and John Vernon fill out a top-flight cast that performs well in thriller surprisingly lacking in dramatic impact.
The Black Windmill
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1974 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 106 min. / Street Date December 4, 2018 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Michael Caine, Donald Pleasence, Janet Suzman, Delphine Seyrig, John Vernon, Clive Revill, Joss Ackland, Catherine Schell, Joseph O’Conor, Hermoine Baddeley, John Rhys-Davies
Cinematography: Ousama Rawi
Film Editor: Antony Gibbs
Original Music: Roy Budd
Written by Leigh Vance, from the novel Five Days to a Killing by Clive Egleton
Produced and Directed by Don Siegel
Something seems wrong from the first with The Black Windmill: the...
The Black Windmill
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1974 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 106 min. / Street Date December 4, 2018 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Michael Caine, Donald Pleasence, Janet Suzman, Delphine Seyrig, John Vernon, Clive Revill, Joss Ackland, Catherine Schell, Joseph O’Conor, Hermoine Baddeley, John Rhys-Davies
Cinematography: Ousama Rawi
Film Editor: Antony Gibbs
Original Music: Roy Budd
Written by Leigh Vance, from the novel Five Days to a Killing by Clive Egleton
Produced and Directed by Don Siegel
Something seems wrong from the first with The Black Windmill: the...
- 1/5/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Irish character actor Derrick O’Connor, who portrayed the villain in Lethal Weapon 2 and appeared in three of Terry Gilliam’s films among numerous other credits, has died. O’Connor died Friday of pneumonia in Santa Barbara, his publicist Jane Ayer announced. He was 77.
O’Connor’s decades-long career included memorable film performances in Lethal Weapon 2, roles in Gilliam’s films Time Bandits, Brazil and Jabberwocky, as Thomas Aquinas opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger in End of Days, as an aspiring buccaneer in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest and in John Boorman’s Hope and Glory.
Widely regarded as a superb actor, O’Connor was noted for often paring down – or fully eliminating – his lines in a scene in order to emphasize the physical aspects of his role – a skill that earned him the admiration of many who directed him, especially Terry Gilliam. In Gilliam’s Time Bandits,...
O’Connor’s decades-long career included memorable film performances in Lethal Weapon 2, roles in Gilliam’s films Time Bandits, Brazil and Jabberwocky, as Thomas Aquinas opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger in End of Days, as an aspiring buccaneer in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest and in John Boorman’s Hope and Glory.
Widely regarded as a superb actor, O’Connor was noted for often paring down – or fully eliminating – his lines in a scene in order to emphasize the physical aspects of his role – a skill that earned him the admiration of many who directed him, especially Terry Gilliam. In Gilliam’s Time Bandits,...
- 7/3/2018
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves will reprise their roles as time-trekking bandmates in a third installment of the “Bill & Ted” franchise. International sales for “Bill & Ted Face the Music” are underway courtesy of Bloom at the Cannes Film Festival, which launches Tuesday night. The film, now in pre-production, reunites the leads following “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure” (1989) and “Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey” (1991).
“We couldn’t be more excited to get the whole band back together again,” said Winter and Reeves in a statement. All three entries in the trilogy came from screenwriters Chris Matheson and Ed Soloman, and the stars describe this long-awaited script as “amazing.” “Galaxy Quest” and “Red 2” director Dean Parisot — winner of a 1988 Live Action Short Film Oscar for “The Appointments of Dennis Jennings” — will oversee production, rounding out the Winter- and Reeves-dubbed “dream team.” Fellow Academy Award recipient Steven Soderbergh is set to executive produce,...
“We couldn’t be more excited to get the whole band back together again,” said Winter and Reeves in a statement. All three entries in the trilogy came from screenwriters Chris Matheson and Ed Soloman, and the stars describe this long-awaited script as “amazing.” “Galaxy Quest” and “Red 2” director Dean Parisot — winner of a 1988 Live Action Short Film Oscar for “The Appointments of Dennis Jennings” — will oversee production, rounding out the Winter- and Reeves-dubbed “dream team.” Fellow Academy Award recipient Steven Soderbergh is set to executive produce,...
- 5/8/2018
- by Jenna Marotta
- Indiewire
Do you love The Mighty Ducks? According to The Hollywood Reporter, ABC is developing a TV show based on the Disney movies.The '90s trilogy followed the ups and downs of The Mighty Ducks, a children's hockey team competing in Minnesota. The cast included Emilio Estevez, Joshua Jackson, and Joss Ackland. The movies were previously adapted as an animated TV show for ABC in 1996.Read More…...
- 1/23/2018
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
The AppleThe musical possesses a unique form of power rarely afforded to other Hollywood genres. In the words of film scholar Rick Altman, “The musical invites us to forget familiar notions of plot, psychological motivation, and causal relationships.” In contrast to other commercial genres, the musical is almost one-of-a-kind in its ability to arrest time and space, to suspend disbelief, to defy our lived understanding of human relationships and even the very conventions of filmgoing. In what other mainstream genre can fictional characters get away with looking into the camera lens so often? Dramatic logic is replaced in the Hollywood musical by spectacle and raw emotional appeal, with singing as the defining device for such purely cinematic priorities.But what happens to the musical when singing is taken out of it? This was the conundrum of the short-lived disco musical, a sub-genre that ended as soon as it began.Popular...
- 7/10/2017
- MUBI
By Tim Greaves
Writer Derek Pykett (whose excellent book " MGM British Studios: Hollywood in Borehamwood" was reviewed here earlier this year) has turned his hand to directing; setting up and playing host to a dozen intimate interviews with some of Britain's most respected and beloved thesps, the results are now available on DVD with "From Stage to Screen", a privately produced, limited edition 6-disc box set.
With each performer given their own ‘episode’ and a total running time of 15 hours, there's so much material here that it'll take the average viewer a number of sittings to get through it all. Beyond starting with disc one and working through methodically, where one begins is probably going to be proportionate to the level of esteem in which the viewer holds each particular actor or actress represented within the set; I confess that at the time of writing I still have a fair bit to get through.
Writer Derek Pykett (whose excellent book " MGM British Studios: Hollywood in Borehamwood" was reviewed here earlier this year) has turned his hand to directing; setting up and playing host to a dozen intimate interviews with some of Britain's most respected and beloved thesps, the results are now available on DVD with "From Stage to Screen", a privately produced, limited edition 6-disc box set.
With each performer given their own ‘episode’ and a total running time of 15 hours, there's so much material here that it'll take the average viewer a number of sittings to get through it all. Beyond starting with disc one and working through methodically, where one begins is probably going to be proportionate to the level of esteem in which the viewer holds each particular actor or actress represented within the set; I confess that at the time of writing I still have a fair bit to get through.
- 8/12/2016
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Cinema Retro has received the following press announcement:
For the first time on DVD a brand new series of relaxed, intimate, face to face interviews with some of Britain’s finest, much loved actors, who share with us moments from their lives and work in theatre, television and films.
With careers that span over seven decades, we hear stories about the greatest theatres (The National; The Old Vic; The Royal Shakespeare Company); the theatrical knights (Olivier; Gielgud; Richardson); the bright lights of Broadway, and the most celebrated movie directors of the twentieth century (Spielberg; Fellini; Huston; Chaplin; Visconti; Lean).
Featuring an extensive archive of rare photographs and film trailers, it is a nostalgic trip down memory lane in the company of highly respected actors who have given us some unforgettable performances.
Joss Ackland, Michael Medwin, Vera Day, Julian Glover, Michael Craig, Roy Dotrice, Sarah Miles, Lee Montague, Michael Jayston, Derren Nesbitt,...
For the first time on DVD a brand new series of relaxed, intimate, face to face interviews with some of Britain’s finest, much loved actors, who share with us moments from their lives and work in theatre, television and films.
With careers that span over seven decades, we hear stories about the greatest theatres (The National; The Old Vic; The Royal Shakespeare Company); the theatrical knights (Olivier; Gielgud; Richardson); the bright lights of Broadway, and the most celebrated movie directors of the twentieth century (Spielberg; Fellini; Huston; Chaplin; Visconti; Lean).
Featuring an extensive archive of rare photographs and film trailers, it is a nostalgic trip down memory lane in the company of highly respected actors who have given us some unforgettable performances.
Joss Ackland, Michael Medwin, Vera Day, Julian Glover, Michael Craig, Roy Dotrice, Sarah Miles, Lee Montague, Michael Jayston, Derren Nesbitt,...
- 8/4/2016
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
From the mid sixties to the mid seventies, omnibus (or anthology, or portmanteau if you’re really fancy) horror films were big business. And Amicus Productions ruled the roost. Between ’65 and ’74 they released seven such films, starting with Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors (not to be confused with Dr. Tongue’s Evil House of Pancakes) and culminating with From Beyond the Grave. Today’s film lands in the middle, The House that Dripped Blood (1971) showcasing a company just starting to hit their stride with anthologies.
Popularity of the omnibus format has ebbed and flowed throughout the last 50 years; after Amicus stopped making them, George Romero and Stephen King collaborated on one of the finest, Creepshow (1982), which didn’t so much kick start a revival as have everyone afraid to compete. Throughout the late ‘80s and ‘90s there were pockets of inspiration, Tales from the Hood (1995) and of course HBO...
Popularity of the omnibus format has ebbed and flowed throughout the last 50 years; after Amicus stopped making them, George Romero and Stephen King collaborated on one of the finest, Creepshow (1982), which didn’t so much kick start a revival as have everyone afraid to compete. Throughout the late ‘80s and ‘90s there were pockets of inspiration, Tales from the Hood (1995) and of course HBO...
- 4/23/2016
- by Scott Drebit
- DailyDead
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Some bad guys just want to collect antiques, or sand down a nice coffee table. Presenting our pick of 9 affable action movie villains...
Villains come in all shapes and sizes, from the hulking and formidable, like Bane in The Dark Knight Rises, to the more lithe and cunning, like the maniacal Scorpio in Dirty Harry. The most memorable villains almost always have one thing in common, though: whether they're blessed with brains, brawn or both, they're intimidating and powerful in some way. They're a worthy foil for the hero (or heroine) of the piece.
So what happens when a villain comes across as, well, just plain nice? Sure, they may have the henchmen, the money, the gadgets and the guns. But some villains seem just too easy-going and friendly to be properly intimidating. This isn't to say the performances are bad; in some cases, they're scene-stealingly brilliant.
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Some bad guys just want to collect antiques, or sand down a nice coffee table. Presenting our pick of 9 affable action movie villains...
Villains come in all shapes and sizes, from the hulking and formidable, like Bane in The Dark Knight Rises, to the more lithe and cunning, like the maniacal Scorpio in Dirty Harry. The most memorable villains almost always have one thing in common, though: whether they're blessed with brains, brawn or both, they're intimidating and powerful in some way. They're a worthy foil for the hero (or heroine) of the piece.
So what happens when a villain comes across as, well, just plain nice? Sure, they may have the henchmen, the money, the gadgets and the guns. But some villains seem just too easy-going and friendly to be properly intimidating. This isn't to say the performances are bad; in some cases, they're scene-stealingly brilliant.
- 3/31/2016
- Den of Geek
Ron Moody as Fagin in 'Oliver!' based on Charles Dickens' 'Oliver Twist.' Ron Moody as Fagin in Dickens musical 'Oliver!': Box office and critical hit (See previous post: "Ron Moody: 'Oliver!' Actor, Academy Award Nominee Dead at 91.") Although British made, Oliver! turned out to be an elephantine release along the lines of – exclamation point or no – Gypsy, Star!, Hello Dolly!, and other Hollywood mega-musicals from the mid'-50s to the early '70s.[1] But however bloated and conventional the final result, and a cast whose best-known name was that of director Carol Reed's nephew, Oliver Reed, Oliver! found countless fans.[2] The mostly British production became a huge financial and critical success in the U.S. at a time when star-studded mega-musicals had become perilous – at times downright disastrous – ventures.[3] Upon the American release of Oliver! in Dec. 1968, frequently acerbic The...
- 6/19/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Mel Gibson and Danny Glover are back as wise-cracking, crime-busting partners Riggs and Murtaugh in this blistering, all-action sequel. This time they tangle with evil South Africans - headed by slimy Joss Ackland - running drugs under the shelter of diplomatic immunity. Joe Pesci makes a big impression as Leo Getz, a snitch who never shuts up ("Whatever you want - Leo Getz!"...
- 9/1/2014
- Sky Movies
The Mighty Ducks, the '90s ice hockey kids movie franchise, might be revived for a fourth movie, according to producer Jordan Kerner.
During an extensive discussion about the 20th anniversary of D2: The Mighty Ducks with Time, Kerner said that Disney has approached him about a follow-up movie, but said that he was still trying to find the right story to tell.
"There have been a number of times that we have discussed with the studio the idea of either bringing it back and bringing it back possibly with one or two of the guys who are now in their thirties as the coaches, and having a few more of them be their friends in their lives and having the kids come back," said Kerner.
"And I've been pitched a story two or three times. It hasn't been the right story yet, but the idea of doing that is...
During an extensive discussion about the 20th anniversary of D2: The Mighty Ducks with Time, Kerner said that Disney has approached him about a follow-up movie, but said that he was still trying to find the right story to tell.
"There have been a number of times that we have discussed with the studio the idea of either bringing it back and bringing it back possibly with one or two of the guys who are now in their thirties as the coaches, and having a few more of them be their friends in their lives and having the kids come back," said Kerner.
"And I've been pitched a story two or three times. It hasn't been the right story yet, but the idea of doing that is...
- 6/10/2014
- Digital Spy
Feature Seb Patrick 5 Mar 2014 - 05:55
As Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure turns 25, Seb takes a look back at the duo's outings...
There’s an urban legend that posits that the execrable 1996 Pauly Shore vehicle Bio-Dome was originally written as a third Bill & Ted film, before being turned down by Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter and so repurposed with new characters. The rumour has been heavily debunked by many, including Winter himself; but frankly, it says a lot about a person if they believe it ever might have been true in the first place. Specifically, what it says is that that person hasn’t watched, or paid attention to, either of the Bill & Ted films.
What the rumour does play to is a range of assumptions about Bill and Ted: that they’re stoners, or slackers, or surfer dudes. That they’re completely lame-brained idiots who fail to understand anything about the world around them,...
As Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure turns 25, Seb takes a look back at the duo's outings...
There’s an urban legend that posits that the execrable 1996 Pauly Shore vehicle Bio-Dome was originally written as a third Bill & Ted film, before being turned down by Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter and so repurposed with new characters. The rumour has been heavily debunked by many, including Winter himself; but frankly, it says a lot about a person if they believe it ever might have been true in the first place. Specifically, what it says is that that person hasn’t watched, or paid attention to, either of the Bill & Ted films.
What the rumour does play to is a range of assumptions about Bill and Ted: that they’re stoners, or slackers, or surfer dudes. That they’re completely lame-brained idiots who fail to understand anything about the world around them,...
- 3/4/2014
- by sarahd
- Den of Geek
Television director who worked on Doctor Who for 16 years and was at the helm when the Daleks made their first appearance
Christopher Barry, who has died aged 88, directed many notable television series, ranging from science fiction to historical dramas and literary adaptations. At the heart of his work was a 16-year association with Doctor Who.
It began in 1963, with the inaugural appearance of the Daleks – the metallic creatures who would become the most enduring monsters in the show's history. Of Barry's remaining stories with the first Doctor, William Hartnell, The Romans (1965) was an exercise in knockabout comedy, and The Savages (1966, though now lost) a thoughtful morality tale.
When ill health compelled Hartnell to hand over the part of the Doctor to Patrick Troughton, Barry worked closely with the incoming actor, who was initially unsure how to play the part. The resulting adventure, The Power of the Daleks (1966, though again lost...
Christopher Barry, who has died aged 88, directed many notable television series, ranging from science fiction to historical dramas and literary adaptations. At the heart of his work was a 16-year association with Doctor Who.
It began in 1963, with the inaugural appearance of the Daleks – the metallic creatures who would become the most enduring monsters in the show's history. Of Barry's remaining stories with the first Doctor, William Hartnell, The Romans (1965) was an exercise in knockabout comedy, and The Savages (1966, though now lost) a thoughtful morality tale.
When ill health compelled Hartnell to hand over the part of the Doctor to Patrick Troughton, Barry worked closely with the incoming actor, who was initially unsure how to play the part. The resulting adventure, The Power of the Daleks (1966, though again lost...
- 2/17/2014
- by Toby Hadoke
- The Guardian - Film News
The Mighty Ducks - 10.25am, ITV
Emilio Estevez stars as Gordon Bombay, a lawyer who's forced to coach a youth hockey team as part of his community service. This Disney favourite also features Joss Ackland and a young Joshua Jackson among its supporting players.
Toy Story - 3.15pm, BBC One
Pixar's first theatrically released film gets dusted off for Christmas, and this is the perfect opportunity to revisit the debut adventure of Woody and Buzz Lightyear or introduce it to the uninitiated.
A Christmas Carol - 4.30pm, BBC One
In this 3D performance capture retelling of Charles Dickens's classic festive tale, Jim Carrey takes on the role of bitter old coot Ebenezer Scrooge for director Robert Zemeckis. Colin Firth, Robin Wright, Bob Hoskins and Gary Oldman join Carrey in the all-star cast.
Jane Eyre - 8.30pm, BBC Two
Mia Wasikowska is Jane Eyre and Michael Fassbender is Mr Rochester...
Emilio Estevez stars as Gordon Bombay, a lawyer who's forced to coach a youth hockey team as part of his community service. This Disney favourite also features Joss Ackland and a young Joshua Jackson among its supporting players.
Toy Story - 3.15pm, BBC One
Pixar's first theatrically released film gets dusted off for Christmas, and this is the perfect opportunity to revisit the debut adventure of Woody and Buzz Lightyear or introduce it to the uninitiated.
A Christmas Carol - 4.30pm, BBC One
In this 3D performance capture retelling of Charles Dickens's classic festive tale, Jim Carrey takes on the role of bitter old coot Ebenezer Scrooge for director Robert Zemeckis. Colin Firth, Robin Wright, Bob Hoskins and Gary Oldman join Carrey in the all-star cast.
Jane Eyre - 8.30pm, BBC Two
Mia Wasikowska is Jane Eyre and Michael Fassbender is Mr Rochester...
- 12/23/2013
- Digital Spy
The Mighty Ducks - 10.25am, ITV
Emilio Estevez stars as Gordon Bombay, a lawyer who's forced to coach a youth hockey team as part of his community service. This Disney favourite also features Joss Ackland and a young Joshua Jackson among its supporting players.
Toy Story - 3.15pm, BBC One
Pixar's first theatrically released film gets dusted off for Christmas, and this is the perfect opportunity to revisit the debut adventure of Woody and Buzz Lightyear or introduce it to the uninitiated.
A Christmas Carol - 4.30pm, BBC One
In this 3D performance capture retelling of Charles Dickens's classic festive tale, Jim Carrey takes on the role of bitter old coot Ebenezer Scrooge for director Robert Zemeckis. Colin Firth, Robin Wright, Bob Hoskins and Gary Oldman join Carrey in the all-star cast.
Jane Eyre - 8.30pm, BBC Two
Mia Wasikowska is Jane Eyre and Michael Fassbender is Mr Rochester...
Emilio Estevez stars as Gordon Bombay, a lawyer who's forced to coach a youth hockey team as part of his community service. This Disney favourite also features Joss Ackland and a young Joshua Jackson among its supporting players.
Toy Story - 3.15pm, BBC One
Pixar's first theatrically released film gets dusted off for Christmas, and this is the perfect opportunity to revisit the debut adventure of Woody and Buzz Lightyear or introduce it to the uninitiated.
A Christmas Carol - 4.30pm, BBC One
In this 3D performance capture retelling of Charles Dickens's classic festive tale, Jim Carrey takes on the role of bitter old coot Ebenezer Scrooge for director Robert Zemeckis. Colin Firth, Robin Wright, Bob Hoskins and Gary Oldman join Carrey in the all-star cast.
Jane Eyre - 8.30pm, BBC Two
Mia Wasikowska is Jane Eyre and Michael Fassbender is Mr Rochester...
- 12/23/2013
- Digital Spy
‘The Thief and the Cobbler’: Original version of Richard Williams’ animated film has first public screening at the Academy The first public screening of the original version of Richard Williams’ The Thief and the Cobbler will be held at the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences’ Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, December 10, 2013. Williams will be in attendance to introduce the recently reconstructed original workprint from 1992. The Thief and the Cobbler will be accompanied by Richard Williams’s 1972 Oscar-winning animated short A Christmas Carol, adapted from Charles Dickens’ 1843 novella. Featuring animation by Ken Harris and Abe Levitow, among others, A Christmas Carol has, according to the Academy’s website, "a distinctive and dark tone" inspired by John Leech’s engraved illustrations of the Dickens’ tale. In conjunction with the screenings, the Academy’s public exhibition “Richard Williams: Master of Animation,” featuring film clips,...
- 11/27/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
The actor, who is 82, plays a Roman orator in the new film, following the announcement of a break from acting in 2012
• O'Toole interviewed in 2007
Two months ago, Jack Nicholson was reported to have retired from acting, only for Tom Cruise to coax him away from the hearth for a new movie. And now it comes to light that Peter O'Toole, who last year bade "the profession a dry-eyed and profoundly grateful farewell", has thrown off his slippers for swords and sandals drama Katherine of Alexandria.
The film, written and directed by Michael Redwood, chronicles the clash between Katherine and the emperor Constantine the Great. The cast also includes Brit veterans Joss Ackland, Steven Berkoff and Edward Fox.
O'Toole plays Corenlius Gallus, the palace orator, whose verse on the death of Julius Caesar is considered a benchmark of satire. At the time of his retirement, O'Toole was reported to be working...
• O'Toole interviewed in 2007
Two months ago, Jack Nicholson was reported to have retired from acting, only for Tom Cruise to coax him away from the hearth for a new movie. And now it comes to light that Peter O'Toole, who last year bade "the profession a dry-eyed and profoundly grateful farewell", has thrown off his slippers for swords and sandals drama Katherine of Alexandria.
The film, written and directed by Michael Redwood, chronicles the clash between Katherine and the emperor Constantine the Great. The cast also includes Brit veterans Joss Ackland, Steven Berkoff and Edward Fox.
O'Toole plays Corenlius Gallus, the palace orator, whose verse on the death of Julius Caesar is considered a benchmark of satire. At the time of his retirement, O'Toole was reported to be working...
- 11/26/2013
- by Catherine Shoard
- The Guardian - Film News
Odd List Ryan Lambie Simon Brew 24 Oct 2013 - 06:46
Another 25 unsung greats come under the spotlight, as we provide our pick of the underappreciated films of 1995...
The year covered in this week's underrated movie rundown was significant for a number of reasons. It was the year that saw the release of Toy Story - the groundbreaking movie that would cement Pixar's reputation as an animation studio, and set the tempo for CG family movies for the next 18 years and counting. It was the year that saw James Bond (played by Pierce Brosnan for the first time) emerge for GoldenEye after a six-year break. It was also the year of Michael Mann's Heat, Dogme 95, and the moment where Terry Gilliam scored a much-deserved hit with 12 Monkeys.
As ever, we're focusing on a few of the lesser-known films from this particular year, and we've had to think carefully about what's made the cut and what hasn't.
Another 25 unsung greats come under the spotlight, as we provide our pick of the underappreciated films of 1995...
The year covered in this week's underrated movie rundown was significant for a number of reasons. It was the year that saw the release of Toy Story - the groundbreaking movie that would cement Pixar's reputation as an animation studio, and set the tempo for CG family movies for the next 18 years and counting. It was the year that saw James Bond (played by Pierce Brosnan for the first time) emerge for GoldenEye after a six-year break. It was also the year of Michael Mann's Heat, Dogme 95, and the moment where Terry Gilliam scored a much-deserved hit with 12 Monkeys.
As ever, we're focusing on a few of the lesser-known films from this particular year, and we've had to think carefully about what's made the cut and what hasn't.
- 10/22/2013
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
Blu-ray Release Date: Dec. 10, 2013
Price: Blu-ray $Tba
Studio: Twilight Time
Malcolm McDowell is Harry Flashman in 1975's Royal Flash.
The 1975 British comedy-adventure film Royal Flash, adapted by George MacDonald Fraser from his novel (the second in the popular 12-book series, The Flashman Papers), offers a tale about that energetic cad, Harry Flashman (Malcolm McDowell, A Clockwork Orange), taking reluctant if opportunistic part in 19th-century history.
In the movie, Flashman is drawn into a plot to impersonate a prince engineered by the fearsome Otto von Bismarck (Oliver Reed, Tommy) and must utilize all his wily talents to emerge unscathed.
Directed by Richard Lester (A Hard Day’s Night, Petulia), the film also stars Alan Bates (Women in Love), Florinda Balkan, Britt Ekland, Joss Ackland (The House that Dripped Blood) and a young Bob Hoskins (Made in Dagenham) in one of his earliest film roles (albeit, a small one).
As supplier Twilight...
Price: Blu-ray $Tba
Studio: Twilight Time
Malcolm McDowell is Harry Flashman in 1975's Royal Flash.
The 1975 British comedy-adventure film Royal Flash, adapted by George MacDonald Fraser from his novel (the second in the popular 12-book series, The Flashman Papers), offers a tale about that energetic cad, Harry Flashman (Malcolm McDowell, A Clockwork Orange), taking reluctant if opportunistic part in 19th-century history.
In the movie, Flashman is drawn into a plot to impersonate a prince engineered by the fearsome Otto von Bismarck (Oliver Reed, Tommy) and must utilize all his wily talents to emerge unscathed.
Directed by Richard Lester (A Hard Day’s Night, Petulia), the film also stars Alan Bates (Women in Love), Florinda Balkan, Britt Ekland, Joss Ackland (The House that Dripped Blood) and a young Bob Hoskins (Made in Dagenham) in one of his earliest film roles (albeit, a small one).
As supplier Twilight...
- 9/12/2013
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: Feb. 26, 2013
Price: DVD $19.95
Studio: Hen’s Tooth
Ingrid Pitt vamps in The House That Dripped Blood.
British horror legends Christopher Lee (The Lord of the Rings trilogy) and the late Peter Cushing (Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope) star in the 1970 British horror film The House That Dripped Blood, which has long been out-of-print on DVD.
Here’s the set-up: A Scotland Yard Inspector’s (John Holloway) search for a missing film star (John Pertwee) leads him to a haunted house. The house sets the framework for four separate tales of terror.
All four stories center on the mysterious fates of tenants who have leased the mansion over the years: A writer’s murderous creation comes to life; a wax figure leads to a fatal argument between two men; a young girl becomes obsessed with witchcraft; and a film star buys a cape that adds...
Price: DVD $19.95
Studio: Hen’s Tooth
Ingrid Pitt vamps in The House That Dripped Blood.
British horror legends Christopher Lee (The Lord of the Rings trilogy) and the late Peter Cushing (Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope) star in the 1970 British horror film The House That Dripped Blood, which has long been out-of-print on DVD.
Here’s the set-up: A Scotland Yard Inspector’s (John Holloway) search for a missing film star (John Pertwee) leads him to a haunted house. The house sets the framework for four separate tales of terror.
All four stories center on the mysterious fates of tenants who have leased the mansion over the years: A writer’s murderous creation comes to life; a wax figure leads to a fatal argument between two men; a young girl becomes obsessed with witchcraft; and a film star buys a cape that adds...
- 12/13/2012
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
"Now that's a real badge, I'm a real cop, and this is a real f*cking gun!"
Shane Black is making headlines today as the co-writer and director of Marvel Studios' latest superhero movie, Iron Man 3, but back in the late '80s and early '90s Black made headlines for being the hottest screenwriter in Hollywood. Black sold his first screenplay — Lethal Weapon — at the age of 23 for $250,000 and was the highest paid screenwriter in the business less than a decade later. Tonight, we're going to revisit Black's early success with the one-two punch of Lethal Weapon and Lethal Weapon 2.
The first movie introduces homicide detective Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover), a by-the-book family man on the verge of retirement. Much to his chagrin, Murtaugh is partnered with suicidal narcotics officer Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) to investigate an apparent suicide that puts them on the scent of a heroin-smuggling ring.
Shane Black is making headlines today as the co-writer and director of Marvel Studios' latest superhero movie, Iron Man 3, but back in the late '80s and early '90s Black made headlines for being the hottest screenwriter in Hollywood. Black sold his first screenplay — Lethal Weapon — at the age of 23 for $250,000 and was the highest paid screenwriter in the business less than a decade later. Tonight, we're going to revisit Black's early success with the one-two punch of Lethal Weapon and Lethal Weapon 2.
The first movie introduces homicide detective Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover), a by-the-book family man on the verge of retirement. Much to his chagrin, Murtaugh is partnered with suicidal narcotics officer Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) to investigate an apparent suicide that puts them on the scent of a heroin-smuggling ring.
- 12/8/2012
- by BrentJS Sprecher
- Reelzchannel.com
The Guardian's season of British cult classics continues with a moving family drama set in Liverpool and an offbeat tale of twin zoologists obsessed with death
Sick of Twilight? Can't bear the thought of Skyfall? In what can only be described as an inspired bit of counter-programming, the Guardian brings you the second in our series of British cult classics double bills, in conjuction with the BFI. The absolute acme of 1980s British auteurist cinema, Distant Voices, Still Lives and A Zed & Two Noughts couldn't be more different to the current breed of blockbuster: both intensely personal, inward-looking, and defiantly unconventional.
That's not to say these two films run on similar tracks; they themselves are practically polar opposites. Distant Voices was the 1988 feature debut of Terence Davies, the intensely neurotic Liverpudlian who would go on to make The House of Mirth and The Deep Blue Sea. Davies had already acquired...
Sick of Twilight? Can't bear the thought of Skyfall? In what can only be described as an inspired bit of counter-programming, the Guardian brings you the second in our series of British cult classics double bills, in conjuction with the BFI. The absolute acme of 1980s British auteurist cinema, Distant Voices, Still Lives and A Zed & Two Noughts couldn't be more different to the current breed of blockbuster: both intensely personal, inward-looking, and defiantly unconventional.
That's not to say these two films run on similar tracks; they themselves are practically polar opposites. Distant Voices was the 1988 feature debut of Terence Davies, the intensely neurotic Liverpudlian who would go on to make The House of Mirth and The Deep Blue Sea. Davies had already acquired...
- 11/16/2012
- by Andrew Pulver
- The Guardian - Film News
D3: The Mighty Ducks
Directed by Robert Lieberman
Written by Steven Brill, Jim Burnstein, and Kenneth Johnson
Starring Emilio Estevez, Jeffrey Nordling, Joshua Jackson
The drum I will keep beating throughout the entirety of this podcast, throughout however many years the show runs for, the one you will beg me to stop harping on (though I never, ever will) is internal logic. I don’t care what kind of movie you’re making, I don’t care if the audience is meant to be 5 or 50: you need to have internal logic in your story. If not, the story falls apart. Even great movies that are implausible manage to make audiences forget those implausibilities while it’s taking place. But movies that don’t try to make audiences focus on what’s truly important, movies that don’t have internal logic and don’t care, are the ones I dislike most of all.
Directed by Robert Lieberman
Written by Steven Brill, Jim Burnstein, and Kenneth Johnson
Starring Emilio Estevez, Jeffrey Nordling, Joshua Jackson
The drum I will keep beating throughout the entirety of this podcast, throughout however many years the show runs for, the one you will beg me to stop harping on (though I never, ever will) is internal logic. I don’t care what kind of movie you’re making, I don’t care if the audience is meant to be 5 or 50: you need to have internal logic in your story. If not, the story falls apart. Even great movies that are implausible manage to make audiences forget those implausibilities while it’s taking place. But movies that don’t try to make audiences focus on what’s truly important, movies that don’t have internal logic and don’t care, are the ones I dislike most of all.
- 4/7/2012
- by Josh Spiegel
- SoundOnSight
Many months after David Seidler stood on stage at the Academy Awards clasping the Oscar for Original Screenplay we can experience The King’s Speech as the writer first envisaged, with a sharper political edge and a deeper exploration of the personalities circling the central relationship of the reluctant King and his antipodean, unqualified, speech therapist.
Though the spectres of Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush haunt the first moments of the play, and never truly leave the stage, Adrian Noble’s direction allows the play’s central themes to flourish at a brisk pace, setting the sad and perilous state of the monarchy up against the dark and uncertain future with an exceptional central performance from Charles Edwards whose external timidity and volcanic internal anger are perfectly balanced as he is buffeted between duty and desire. His transformation, the discovery of his voice, is deftly handled with a sympathetic and...
Though the spectres of Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush haunt the first moments of the play, and never truly leave the stage, Adrian Noble’s direction allows the play’s central themes to flourish at a brisk pace, setting the sad and perilous state of the monarchy up against the dark and uncertain future with an exceptional central performance from Charles Edwards whose external timidity and volcanic internal anger are perfectly balanced as he is buffeted between duty and desire. His transformation, the discovery of his voice, is deftly handled with a sympathetic and...
- 4/6/2012
- by Jon Lyus
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
The King's Speech opened on the 22nd March at Wyndham's Theatre. Check out these pictures of the cast taking their bow on the press night, plus the after-show party featuring Charles Edwards as King George VI, Jonathan Hyde as Lionel Logue, Emma Fielding as Queen Elizabeth, Ian McNeice as Winston Churchill, Michael Feast as Cosmo Lang, and Joss Ackland as King George V.
- 3/28/2012
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
The inspirational voice coach Elizabeth Pursey has died aged 89. Elizabeth had a long teaching association with the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. From the late 1970s, she also worked on many significant films, including The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988) with Daniel Day-Lewis, who so valued her guidance in pre-production that she was brought in to work with the film's other actors during its shoot in France.
She was born Elizabeth Watson in Ramsgate. Her family moved to Ilford, east London, where she attended Ursuline high school. She gained a place at Rada but her father's declining health, after sustaining serious injuries in the first world war, meant that she did not take up the offer. Elizabeth wanted to join the Land Army during the second world war, but instead worked on a production line.
She returned to the Ursulines as a teacher, most notably at St Angela's school in Forest Gate,...
She was born Elizabeth Watson in Ramsgate. Her family moved to Ilford, east London, where she attended Ursuline high school. She gained a place at Rada but her father's declining health, after sustaining serious injuries in the first world war, meant that she did not take up the offer. Elizabeth wanted to join the Land Army during the second world war, but instead worked on a production line.
She returned to the Ursulines as a teacher, most notably at St Angela's school in Forest Gate,...
- 2/20/2012
- The Guardian - Film News
At Guildford's Yvonne Arnaud theatre, playwright David Seidler has much more room to explore the story's historical background than the cinema version allowed
Watching David Seidler's play induces a strong sense of deja vu. That's not simply because it was the source of a hugely successful, Oscar-winning film. It is also because Seidler's perfectly enjoyable play taps into our recollections of other, more resonant works.
Until I saw it on stage, I had not realised how much Seidler's piece owed to Alan Bennett's The Madness of George III. In both we see an embattled royal subjected to all kinds of curative humiliations by a rogue outsider: in Bennett's play it was a bluff Lincolnshire parson whereas in Seidler's it is a tough Aussie speech specialist in the shape of Lionel Logue. I was also reminded of Tom Murphy's outstanding 1983 play, The Gigli Concert, in which a charlatan...
Watching David Seidler's play induces a strong sense of deja vu. That's not simply because it was the source of a hugely successful, Oscar-winning film. It is also because Seidler's perfectly enjoyable play taps into our recollections of other, more resonant works.
Until I saw it on stage, I had not realised how much Seidler's piece owed to Alan Bennett's The Madness of George III. In both we see an embattled royal subjected to all kinds of curative humiliations by a rogue outsider: in Bennett's play it was a bluff Lincolnshire parson whereas in Seidler's it is a tough Aussie speech specialist in the shape of Lionel Logue. I was also reminded of Tom Murphy's outstanding 1983 play, The Gigli Concert, in which a charlatan...
- 2/11/2012
- by Michael Billington
- The Guardian - Film News
Rather shamelessly packaged to fool you into thinking these are in some way tied-in to the new Paul W.S. Anderson version, this duo of 70s classics have been released onto pin-sharp Blu-ray for the very first time. Enjoy some of the richest production values and costume design that 70s cinema had to offer – all as you’ve never seen it before (even on the big screen, I’d wager) as Blu-rays, here and here.
These are a truly odd and unique pair of films. They were produced by the father-and-son team of Alexander and Ilya Salkind who decided (very much as they did with their later Superman franchise) to produce both films back-to-back. This doesn’t seem especially unusual these days, but it was revolutionary back in the early seventies! The Three Musketeers finishes with a teaser trailer for the following year’s The Four Musketeers and the only other...
These are a truly odd and unique pair of films. They were produced by the father-and-son team of Alexander and Ilya Salkind who decided (very much as they did with their later Superman franchise) to produce both films back-to-back. This doesn’t seem especially unusual these days, but it was revolutionary back in the early seventies! The Three Musketeers finishes with a teaser trailer for the following year’s The Four Musketeers and the only other...
- 10/4/2011
- by John Ashbrook
- Obsessed with Film
A little over a year ago, we brought you word that Keanu Reeves (The Matrix) was hinting that he’d like to reprise his role as “Ted” Theodore Logan for a third, most excellent adventure with his buddy, Bill S. Preston, Esquire (Alex Winter). At the time Reeves said that they were trying to get part 3 greenlit and when he was asked if he was joking or not, the actor said “I’m not”.
I think most people (including myself) brushed it off as a bit of a pipe dream, due to collective nostalgia for two of the best sci-fi/time travel comedy films that have ever graced the screen, and simply thought it was cool that Reeves even acknowledged those two fun, fan favorite films from his early days, especially considering the huge career he’s had since then.
While recently speaking with MTV about his latest film Henry’s Crime,...
I think most people (including myself) brushed it off as a bit of a pipe dream, due to collective nostalgia for two of the best sci-fi/time travel comedy films that have ever graced the screen, and simply thought it was cool that Reeves even acknowledged those two fun, fan favorite films from his early days, especially considering the huge career he’s had since then.
While recently speaking with MTV about his latest film Henry’s Crime,...
- 4/6/2011
- by Jason Moore
- ScifiMafia
Diplomatic immunity! Mark revisits the 1989 sequel, Lethal Weapon 2. But how does it compare to the classic original? And has Patsy Kensit improved?
It's a scene that could only have been written in the 80s. In truth, there have been many great bathroom-based sequences put to celluloid, but if there is a better one than the standout scene in Lethal Weapon 2, I haven't seen it yet.
The sequence in which Sergeant Murtaugh is trapped on a booby-trapped loo, trading jokes and sentiments with Riggs, is the one that Lethal Weapon 2 will always be remembered for, and rightly so. For in that one moment, the film's over-the-top, hyperreal sensibility is laid bare for the viewer, and it's a master class in suspense, entertainment and emotion.
For here is one of the series' many touching buddy moments between its two leads, and it works a treat, juxtaposing the ridiculousness of...
It's a scene that could only have been written in the 80s. In truth, there have been many great bathroom-based sequences put to celluloid, but if there is a better one than the standout scene in Lethal Weapon 2, I haven't seen it yet.
The sequence in which Sergeant Murtaugh is trapped on a booby-trapped loo, trading jokes and sentiments with Riggs, is the one that Lethal Weapon 2 will always be remembered for, and rightly so. For in that one moment, the film's over-the-top, hyperreal sensibility is laid bare for the viewer, and it's a master class in suspense, entertainment and emotion.
For here is one of the series' many touching buddy moments between its two leads, and it works a treat, juxtaposing the ridiculousness of...
- 11/15/2010
- Den of Geek
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