It’s a nearly perfect tale of identity swaps and royal intrigues: Ronald Colman’s voice is velvet smooth as the poet-rogue François Villon, who uses his wits when dealing with Basil Rathbone’s (very strangely played) Louis XI. The real charm comes with lady-in-waiting Frances Dee (swoon) and the peasant firebrand Ellen Drew (double swoon). And don’t forget the sophisticated, semi-satirical screenplay by Preston Sturges. The refreshing Blu-ray discovery comes with a commentary by Julie Kirgo.
If I Were King
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1938 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 101 min. / Street Date February 7, 2023 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95
Starring: Ronald Colman, Basil Rathbone, Frances Dee, Ellen Drew, C.V. France, Henry Wilcoxon, Heather Thatcher, Stanley Ridges, Alma Lloyd, Sidney Toler, John Miljan, Montagu Love, May Beatty, Henry Brandon, Darryl Hickman.
Cinematography: Theodore Sparkuhl
Costumer: Edith Head
Art Directors: Hans Drier, John Goodman
Film Editor: Hugh Bennett
Visual Effects: Gordon Jennings
Original Music:...
If I Were King
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1938 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 101 min. / Street Date February 7, 2023 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95
Starring: Ronald Colman, Basil Rathbone, Frances Dee, Ellen Drew, C.V. France, Henry Wilcoxon, Heather Thatcher, Stanley Ridges, Alma Lloyd, Sidney Toler, John Miljan, Montagu Love, May Beatty, Henry Brandon, Darryl Hickman.
Cinematography: Theodore Sparkuhl
Costumer: Edith Head
Art Directors: Hans Drier, John Goodman
Film Editor: Hugh Bennett
Visual Effects: Gordon Jennings
Original Music:...
- 2/18/2023
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
The words offbeat, personal and edgy used to be a draw for movie fare — we’d check out a new relationship picture based only on an actor or two that we liked. Bobby Roth’s semi-autobiographical buddy story has a good stab at the early ’80s art + singles scene in Los Angeles, with a dash of macho clichés — pals Peter Coyote and Nick Mancuso fight in public and somehow suffer while bedding fantastic women. But the overall vibe is one of honest sensitivity, aided by fine performances from Carole Laure, Kathryn Harrold and Carol Wayne. Plus music by Tangerine Dream.
Heartbreakers
Blu-ray
Fun City Editions
1984 / Color / 1:85 / 99 min. / Street Date August 30, 2022 / Available from Amazon, Available from Vinegar Syndrome
Starring: Peter Coyote, Nick Mancuso, Carole Laure, Max Gail, James Laurenson, Carol Wayne, Jamie Rose, Kathryn Harrold, George Morfogen, Jerry Hardin, Henry Sanders, Walter Olkewicz.
Cinematography: Michael Ballhaus
Production Designer: David Nichols...
Heartbreakers
Blu-ray
Fun City Editions
1984 / Color / 1:85 / 99 min. / Street Date August 30, 2022 / Available from Amazon, Available from Vinegar Syndrome
Starring: Peter Coyote, Nick Mancuso, Carole Laure, Max Gail, James Laurenson, Carol Wayne, Jamie Rose, Kathryn Harrold, George Morfogen, Jerry Hardin, Henry Sanders, Walter Olkewicz.
Cinematography: Michael Ballhaus
Production Designer: David Nichols...
- 8/13/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Normal 0 false false false En-us X-none X-none
By Hank Reineke
Just following Christmas of 1940, Box Office reported Paramount’s new thriller The Mad Doctor would hit cinemas on Valentine’s Day of 1941. The actual sneak-preview – and accompanying publicity push - of the film would take place ten days prior, February 4, at Los Angeles’s Paramount Theater. Then, on Saturday night, February 6, the studio would pull out all the stops, offering a proper premiere for their “blood-chilling drama.” The studio would celebrate the double-bill of The Mad Doctor and The Monster and the Girl as central to a “Spook Week” celebration. Saturday’s “hair-raising” program would not only feature the films but also a magician and Andy Kirk and his Harlem Orchestra… the latter performing their swinging “Spooks and Boogie Woogie” stage show.
The general release of The Mad Doctor, more fittingly described a “drama” than a horror film in industry trades,...
By Hank Reineke
Just following Christmas of 1940, Box Office reported Paramount’s new thriller The Mad Doctor would hit cinemas on Valentine’s Day of 1941. The actual sneak-preview – and accompanying publicity push - of the film would take place ten days prior, February 4, at Los Angeles’s Paramount Theater. Then, on Saturday night, February 6, the studio would pull out all the stops, offering a proper premiere for their “blood-chilling drama.” The studio would celebrate the double-bill of The Mad Doctor and The Monster and the Girl as central to a “Spook Week” celebration. Saturday’s “hair-raising” program would not only feature the films but also a magician and Andy Kirk and his Harlem Orchestra… the latter performing their swinging “Spooks and Boogie Woogie” stage show.
The general release of The Mad Doctor, more fittingly described a “drama” than a horror film in industry trades,...
- 4/12/2022
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Hello, dear readers! November is officially upon us, as well as a new week of Blu-ray and DVD releases, which means it’s time to make some room for more horror and sci-fi to fill your home entertainment shelves. One of this writer’s favorite indie genre movies of the year, Come True, is getting released to both Blu and DVD this week courtesy of Scream Factory, and Kino Lorber is showing some love to a pair of classic thrillers as well: The Spider Woman Strikes Back and The Mad Doctor. Other releases for November 2nd include The Banishing, Pig featuring Nicolas Cage, and The Spore.
The Banishing
From acclaimed genre director Chris Smith (Creep) comes the true story of the most haunted house in England. A young reverend, his wife and daughter move into a manor with a horrifying secret. When a vengeful spirit haunts the little girl and...
The Banishing
From acclaimed genre director Chris Smith (Creep) comes the true story of the most haunted house in England. A young reverend, his wife and daughter move into a manor with a horrifying secret. When a vengeful spirit haunts the little girl and...
- 11/1/2021
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
When did murder thrillers become horror pix? This one is horror only by association, and star Basil Rathbone would be a suave leading man if he wasn’t slaying wives left and right. He sets his sights on the rich, conveniently suicidal Ellen Drew, yes (sigh) that Ellen Drew. This atypical Paramount thriller has glamour to spare and also some unexpected sideways sexuality with the sinister Martin Kosleck, who almost steals the movie. But not our hearts — in that department it’s Ellen Forever and Ever.
The Mad Doctor
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1940 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 90 min. / Street Date November 2, 2021 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95
Starring: Basil Rathbone, Ellen Drew, John Howard, Barbara Jo Allen aka Vera Vague, Ralph Morgan, Martin Kosleck, Kitty Kelly, Sheila Ryan, Norma Varden, Max Wagner.
Cinematography: Ted Tetzlaff
Art Directors: Hans Dreier, Robert Usher
Film Editor: Archie Marshek
Original Music: Victor Young
Written by Howard J. Green...
The Mad Doctor
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1940 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 90 min. / Street Date November 2, 2021 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95
Starring: Basil Rathbone, Ellen Drew, John Howard, Barbara Jo Allen aka Vera Vague, Ralph Morgan, Martin Kosleck, Kitty Kelly, Sheila Ryan, Norma Varden, Max Wagner.
Cinematography: Ted Tetzlaff
Art Directors: Hans Dreier, Robert Usher
Film Editor: Archie Marshek
Original Music: Victor Young
Written by Howard J. Green...
- 10/30/2021
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
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You don’t have to be obsessed with nostalgia to appreciate the aesthetic of a vintage movie poster — but it definitely helps. Vintage movie posters are multi-functional as far as gift giving goes. They’re perfect for movie lovers, they’re collectible, and they add a bit of character to any room. Whether you’re shopping for a gift for your home or office, or buying a present for someone else, we gathered up a short list of Old Hollywood movie posters to purchase online.
The round up of posters feature Marilyn Monroe, Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Shirley MacLaine, Ed Begley Sr., and other unforgettable faces from Hollywood’s Golden Age. High quality...
You don’t have to be obsessed with nostalgia to appreciate the aesthetic of a vintage movie poster — but it definitely helps. Vintage movie posters are multi-functional as far as gift giving goes. They’re perfect for movie lovers, they’re collectible, and they add a bit of character to any room. Whether you’re shopping for a gift for your home or office, or buying a present for someone else, we gathered up a short list of Old Hollywood movie posters to purchase online.
The round up of posters feature Marilyn Monroe, Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Shirley MacLaine, Ed Begley Sr., and other unforgettable faces from Hollywood’s Golden Age. High quality...
- 5/24/2021
- by Latifah Muhammad
- Indiewire
Witness six noir heroes, doing what noir heroes do: one crooked gambler, one psycho, another psycho with access to a gun, a dope railroaded into a prison sentence, and an even bigger dope who doesn’t realize he’s poisoning himself. That’s only five, but the sixth is a cop, and not a particularly compromised one, the way we like ’em in noir. This third Columbia Noir Collection can boast big stars and some name directors, beautiful HD transfers and some fascinating short subjects as extras.
Columbia Noir #3
Region B Blu-ray
Powerhouse Indicator
1947-57 / B&w / 1:37 Academy, 1:85 widescreen / Street Date May 17, 2021 / available from Powerhouse Films UK / £49.99
Starring: Dick Powell, Lee J Cobb, Nina Foch, William Holden, Edmond O’Brien, Dorothy Malone, Glenn Ford, Broderick Crawford, Marie Windsor, and Vince Edwards.
Directed by Robert Rossen, Rudolph Maté, Henry Levin, Gordon Douglas, Edward Dmytryk, Irving Lerner
Powerhouse Indicator’s...
Columbia Noir #3
Region B Blu-ray
Powerhouse Indicator
1947-57 / B&w / 1:37 Academy, 1:85 widescreen / Street Date May 17, 2021 / available from Powerhouse Films UK / £49.99
Starring: Dick Powell, Lee J Cobb, Nina Foch, William Holden, Edmond O’Brien, Dorothy Malone, Glenn Ford, Broderick Crawford, Marie Windsor, and Vince Edwards.
Directed by Robert Rossen, Rudolph Maté, Henry Levin, Gordon Douglas, Edward Dmytryk, Irving Lerner
Powerhouse Indicator’s...
- 5/4/2021
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Isle of the Dead
Blu ray
Warner Archive
1945 / 1.33:1 / 72 min.
Starring Boris Karloff, Ellen Drew, Katherine Emery
Cinematography by Jack MacKenzie
Directed by Mark Robson
The Swiss symbolist Arnold Böcklin produced several versions of Isle of the Dead in the late 1800’s—none of them suggested a typical tourist attraction but more than a few artists used that gloomy seascape as a port of inspiration; Rachmaninov composed a symphony, Dalí produced a surrealist tribute, and Strindberg sketched the fragments of a play, Toten-Insel. There’s even a hint of the painting’s portentous cliffs in Welles’ Xanadu. In 1945, Val Lewton, Mr. Dark Shadows himself, conceived an entire film built around Böcklin’s haunted island.
Directed by Mark Robson, Isle of the Dead is thematically rich, even for a Lewton project; set in Greece at the end of the Balkan wars, a plague joins forces with the supernatural to wreak havoc...
Blu ray
Warner Archive
1945 / 1.33:1 / 72 min.
Starring Boris Karloff, Ellen Drew, Katherine Emery
Cinematography by Jack MacKenzie
Directed by Mark Robson
The Swiss symbolist Arnold Böcklin produced several versions of Isle of the Dead in the late 1800’s—none of them suggested a typical tourist attraction but more than a few artists used that gloomy seascape as a port of inspiration; Rachmaninov composed a symphony, Dalí produced a surrealist tribute, and Strindberg sketched the fragments of a play, Toten-Insel. There’s even a hint of the painting’s portentous cliffs in Welles’ Xanadu. In 1945, Val Lewton, Mr. Dark Shadows himself, conceived an entire film built around Böcklin’s haunted island.
Directed by Mark Robson, Isle of the Dead is thematically rich, even for a Lewton project; set in Greece at the end of the Balkan wars, a plague joins forces with the supernatural to wreak havoc...
- 3/30/2021
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
“I meet my old familiar enemy, Death. I’ve fought him before. I’ve won, often. Now he wins. Let him come for me.”
Boris Karloff in Isle Of The Dead (1945) will be coming to Blu-ray March 30th from Warner Archives. Ordering information can be found Here
Once you visit the Isle of the Dead, there’s no hope of returning to the land of the living. A small island off the coast of Greece holds a secret so dreadful that once you step onto its soil you must remain there forever. General Pherides (master of horror Boris Karloff) is one such a visitor. Going to the island to honor the grave of his late wife, Pherides discovers that it’s held in the grip of a terrifying plague – a sickness that enters the victim’s mind and drives them insane! Pherides leads the fight against the plague, but then falls prey to it himself.
Boris Karloff in Isle Of The Dead (1945) will be coming to Blu-ray March 30th from Warner Archives. Ordering information can be found Here
Once you visit the Isle of the Dead, there’s no hope of returning to the land of the living. A small island off the coast of Greece holds a secret so dreadful that once you step onto its soil you must remain there forever. General Pherides (master of horror Boris Karloff) is one such a visitor. Going to the island to honor the grave of his late wife, Pherides discovers that it’s held in the grip of a terrifying plague – a sickness that enters the victim’s mind and drives them insane! Pherides leads the fight against the plague, but then falls prey to it himself.
- 3/2/2021
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Universal Horror Collection Volume 5
Blu ray
1943, 1944, 1945, 1941 / 61, 61, 63, 64 min.
Starring Ellen Drew, John Carradine, Acquanetta
Cinematography by George Robinson, Jack MacKenzie, Maury Gertsman, Victor Milner
Directed by Edward Dmytryk, Reginald Le Borg, Harold Young, Stuart Heisler
The Universal Horror Collection Volume 5 should appeal to ape suit fans everywhere—and spoiler alert—one of the films in the set is genuinely good, a lyrical genre-buster that is as inventive as it is poignant.
That movie, The Monster and the Girl, shares space with a trio of bottom-rung potboilers concerning the misadventures of Paula Dupree, a beautiful circus performer with the bad habit of changing into a monster—though she’s not “changing” so much as reverting to her true nature; Paula is a deracinated gorilla given human form by a not-so-mad doctor The statuesque Aquanetta plays Paula and, except for some grunts and growls in her ape state, her’s is a completely mute performance.
Blu ray
1943, 1944, 1945, 1941 / 61, 61, 63, 64 min.
Starring Ellen Drew, John Carradine, Acquanetta
Cinematography by George Robinson, Jack MacKenzie, Maury Gertsman, Victor Milner
Directed by Edward Dmytryk, Reginald Le Borg, Harold Young, Stuart Heisler
The Universal Horror Collection Volume 5 should appeal to ape suit fans everywhere—and spoiler alert—one of the films in the set is genuinely good, a lyrical genre-buster that is as inventive as it is poignant.
That movie, The Monster and the Girl, shares space with a trio of bottom-rung potboilers concerning the misadventures of Paula Dupree, a beautiful circus performer with the bad habit of changing into a monster—though she’s not “changing” so much as reverting to her true nature; Paula is a deracinated gorilla given human form by a not-so-mad doctor The statuesque Aquanetta plays Paula and, except for some grunts and growls in her ape state, her’s is a completely mute performance.
- 9/24/2020
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
“It’S The Bunk!”
By Raymond Benson
In the year 1940, Hollywood screenwriter Preston Sturges elevated his career to become one of the first writer/director double threats since the silent days of Chaplin and Keaton. For a brief five years in the early 40s, his flame burned brightly as he churned out sophisticated screwball comedies that had great wit, intelligence, and a stock company of iconic supporting comic actors—the guys you always recognize but never know their names.
After winning an Oscar for writing The Great McGinty (1940), Sturges presented superb material through 1945. Short, smart, and hilarious, Christmas in July was his second directorial effort from a script based on his own unproduced stage play. Like most of Sturges’ works, the story concerns the Everyman who wants nothing more than to better himself—and if he must challenge authority and make some waves while he does it, then so be it.
By Raymond Benson
In the year 1940, Hollywood screenwriter Preston Sturges elevated his career to become one of the first writer/director double threats since the silent days of Chaplin and Keaton. For a brief five years in the early 40s, his flame burned brightly as he churned out sophisticated screwball comedies that had great wit, intelligence, and a stock company of iconic supporting comic actors—the guys you always recognize but never know their names.
After winning an Oscar for writing The Great McGinty (1940), Sturges presented superb material through 1945. Short, smart, and hilarious, Christmas in July was his second directorial effort from a script based on his own unproduced stage play. Like most of Sturges’ works, the story concerns the Everyman who wants nothing more than to better himself—and if he must challenge authority and make some waves while he does it, then so be it.
- 1/6/2020
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
At least the title Sounds Christmas-themed! Preston Sturges’ sweet trifle is as simple as a sit-com mix-up, but the charm is in the lovable characters (the core of Sturges’ formidable stock company) and the sincerity of all concerned. Ellen Drew is the most deserving fiancé ever to pine for a wedding ring, and Dick Powell an oh-so-earnest Dagwood Bumstead type who banks his future on a goofball coffee slogan contest — just try and figure out the meaning of his winning slogan. In his second film Sturges confirmed himself as Hollywood’s newest comedy genius writer-director — although William Demarest’s perpetually flustered character is so well written and played, we’d think that the actor was simply living the part.
Christmas in July
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1940 / B&w / 1:37 flat Academy / 67 min. / Street Date November 26, 2019 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Dick Powell, Ellen Drew, Raymond Walburn, Alexander Carr, William Demarest,...
Christmas in July
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1940 / B&w / 1:37 flat Academy / 67 min. / Street Date November 26, 2019 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Dick Powell, Ellen Drew, Raymond Walburn, Alexander Carr, William Demarest,...
- 12/10/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Coleen Gray in 'The Sleeping City' with Richard Conte. Coleen Gray after Fox: B Westerns and films noirs (See previous post: “Coleen Gray Actress: From Red River to Film Noir 'Good Girls'.”) Regarding the demise of her Fox career (the year after her divorce from Rod Amateau), Coleen Gray would recall for Confessions of a Scream Queen author Matt Beckoff: I thought that was the end of the world and that I was a total failure. I was a mass of insecurity and depended on agents. … Whether it was an 'A' picture or a 'B' picture didn't bother me. It could be a Western movie, a sci-fi film. A job was a job. You did the best with the script that you had. Fox had dropped Gray at a time of dramatic upheavals in the American film industry: fast-dwindling box office receipts as a result of competition from television,...
- 10/15/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Billy Wilder directed Sunset Blvd. with Gloria Swanson and William Holden. Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett movies Below is a list of movies on which Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder worked together as screenwriters, including efforts for which they did not receive screen credit. The Wilder-Brackett screenwriting partnership lasted from 1938 to 1949. During that time, they shared two Academy Awards for their work on The Lost Weekend (1945) and, with D.M. Marshman Jr., Sunset Blvd. (1950). More detailed information further below. Post-split years Billy Wilder would later join forces with screenwriter I.A.L. Diamond in movies such as the classic comedy Some Like It Hot (1959), the Best Picture Oscar winner The Apartment (1960), and One Two Three (1961), notable as James Cagney's last film (until a brief comeback in Milos Forman's Ragtime two decades later). Although some of these movies were quite well received, Wilder's later efforts – which also included The Seven Year Itch...
- 9/16/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Here’s one gift we didn’t expect to get this Christmas.
“This is the time of year when you have to order your holiday cards,” Ellen Degeneres explained while unveiling the card on her show. “Here’s the second one we’ve come up with...It says, ‘Happy Holidays...And a Shiny New Year.’”
The card features Ellen and wife Portia De Rossi copying Kim Kardashian’s naked cover shot for Paper. “Shiny New Year.” Get it? Like shiny new rear? Very clever, Ellen. Veeery clever.
News: Kris Humphries reacts to Kim Kardashian’s naked cover
Ellen Degeneres Show
Nailed it! Who knew Ellen and Portia had all that junk in the trunk?
While the brains behind Kim’s Paper photo shoot say she wasn’t Photoshopped (as in: All of that is her real butt!), we’re guessing Ellen and Portia won’t try to claim the same.
(For those who...
“This is the time of year when you have to order your holiday cards,” Ellen Degeneres explained while unveiling the card on her show. “Here’s the second one we’ve come up with...It says, ‘Happy Holidays...And a Shiny New Year.’”
The card features Ellen and wife Portia De Rossi copying Kim Kardashian’s naked cover shot for Paper. “Shiny New Year.” Get it? Like shiny new rear? Very clever, Ellen. Veeery clever.
News: Kris Humphries reacts to Kim Kardashian’s naked cover
Ellen Degeneres Show
Nailed it! Who knew Ellen and Portia had all that junk in the trunk?
While the brains behind Kim’s Paper photo shoot say she wasn’t Photoshopped (as in: All of that is her real butt!), we’re guessing Ellen and Portia won’t try to claim the same.
(For those who...
- 11/17/2014
- Entertainment Tonight
Neil Patrick Harris reportedly wasn't the first choice to host the Oscars.
Neil Patrick Harris has become one of Hollywood's go-to guys for hosting award shows, but the How I Met Your Mother star reportedly wasn't the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' first choice to host the 2015 Oscars.
News: Nph Set to Host the Oscars for the First Time
The 41-year-old actor will host the Academy Awards for the first time on Feb. 22, but according to The Hollywood Reporter, Neil was fourth on the Academy's wish list of potential emcees.
The news source reports that producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron were turned down by Ellen DeGeneres, Chris Rock and Julia Louis-Dreyfus before landing Nph.
Harris is a seasoned award show host, having emceed the Emmys twice and the Tony Awards four times, but he's had his eye on the Oscars for quite some time. In a video announcing the gig, Harris showed...
Neil Patrick Harris has become one of Hollywood's go-to guys for hosting award shows, but the How I Met Your Mother star reportedly wasn't the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' first choice to host the 2015 Oscars.
News: Nph Set to Host the Oscars for the First Time
The 41-year-old actor will host the Academy Awards for the first time on Feb. 22, but according to The Hollywood Reporter, Neil was fourth on the Academy's wish list of potential emcees.
The news source reports that producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron were turned down by Ellen DeGeneres, Chris Rock and Julia Louis-Dreyfus before landing Nph.
Harris is a seasoned award show host, having emceed the Emmys twice and the Tony Awards four times, but he's had his eye on the Oscars for quite some time. In a video announcing the gig, Harris showed...
- 10/22/2014
- Entertainment Tonight
Neil Patrick Harris is finally getting shot at hosting the biggest show of them all -- the Oscars.
Two-time Emmy host and four-time Tony host Neil Patrick Harris is finally getting shot at the biggest show of them all -- the Oscars.
Pics: Nph's Twins Turn Four!
The 41-year-old actor has been tapped to host the 87th Annual Academy Awards on February 22, after which he will be able to cross another item off his bucket list which includes performing with the Muppets, rapping with Snoop Dogg and juggling flaming torches, as seen in the video below.
Co-producer Neil Meron also confirmed the news via Twitter, writing:
we are so Thrilled that @ActuallyNPH will be our #Oscars host this year. Welcome to the #Oscars stage @craigzadan @TheAcademy
— Neil Meron (@neilmeron) October 15, 2014
Nph joins a long list of illustrious hosts, which includes Steve Martin, Jon Stewart, Billy Crystal and Ellen DeGeneres. Harris has a hard act to follow, as last...
Two-time Emmy host and four-time Tony host Neil Patrick Harris is finally getting shot at the biggest show of them all -- the Oscars.
Pics: Nph's Twins Turn Four!
The 41-year-old actor has been tapped to host the 87th Annual Academy Awards on February 22, after which he will be able to cross another item off his bucket list which includes performing with the Muppets, rapping with Snoop Dogg and juggling flaming torches, as seen in the video below.
Co-producer Neil Meron also confirmed the news via Twitter, writing:
we are so Thrilled that @ActuallyNPH will be our #Oscars host this year. Welcome to the #Oscars stage @craigzadan @TheAcademy
— Neil Meron (@neilmeron) October 15, 2014
Nph joins a long list of illustrious hosts, which includes Steve Martin, Jon Stewart, Billy Crystal and Ellen DeGeneres. Harris has a hard act to follow, as last...
- 10/15/2014
- Entertainment Tonight
I’m a big fan of Ellen DeGeneres and her understated, often brilliant humor. This was most evident when she hosted the 2001 Emmy Awards after the horrific events in New York and Washington that year. The show was postponed twice, and when it finally aired a couple of months later the big question was how it could be entertaining? Almost from the outset Ellen delivered. To paraphrase what she said, it was something like the terrorists could not break our spirit. Then she paused and deadpanned that only network executives could do that. It was funny, unexpected yet absolutely true. It related to the events just passed, but broke the ice and allowed the show to go on to its true purpose after the long delay. The Oscars Rate a B-Minus. I wish I could say Ellen’s performance last night rose to that occasion. Though it generally retained the...
- 3/3/2014
- by HollywoodNews.com
- Hollywoodnews.com
Johnny O’Clock
Written and directed by Robert Rossen
USA, 1947
Balancing plot and character must be a complex feat to pull off. It seems that, on a weekly basis, especially with the plethora of blogs and websites dedicated to film reviews, articles and podcasts discount various movies for their lack of character development, presenting overly convoluted plots and many similar faux pas. Carrying the precarious pressures of both screenwriting and directing can easily make the exercise of filmmaking all the more demanding, save perhaps for the few masters of both art forms (even then they would surely confess to experiencing some troubled waters). Robert Rossen, who would go on to direct All The King’s Men to Oscar victory in 1949, worked on a much smaller scale for 1947′s Johnny O’Clock.
Johnny O’Clock (Dick Powell) is an upper-lever employee at a local and legal gambling establishment operating under the...
Written and directed by Robert Rossen
USA, 1947
Balancing plot and character must be a complex feat to pull off. It seems that, on a weekly basis, especially with the plethora of blogs and websites dedicated to film reviews, articles and podcasts discount various movies for their lack of character development, presenting overly convoluted plots and many similar faux pas. Carrying the precarious pressures of both screenwriting and directing can easily make the exercise of filmmaking all the more demanding, save perhaps for the few masters of both art forms (even then they would surely confess to experiencing some troubled waters). Robert Rossen, who would go on to direct All The King’s Men to Oscar victory in 1949, worked on a much smaller scale for 1947′s Johnny O’Clock.
Johnny O’Clock (Dick Powell) is an upper-lever employee at a local and legal gambling establishment operating under the...
- 11/15/2013
- by Edgar Chaput
- SoundOnSight
Vivien Leigh: Legendary ‘Gone with the Wind’ and ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ star would have turned 100 today Vivien Leigh was perhaps the greatest film star that hardly ever was. What I mean is that following her starring role in the 1939 Civil War blockbuster Gone with the Wind, Leigh was featured in a mere eight* movies over the course of the next 25 years. The theater world’s gain — she was kept busy on the London stage — was the film world’s loss. But even if Leigh had starred in only two movies — Gone with the Wind and A Streetcar Named Desire — that would have been enough to make her a screen legend; one who would have turned 100 years old today, November 5, 2013. (Photo: Vivien Leigh ca. 1940.) Vivien Leigh (born Vivian Mary Hartley to British parents in Darjeeling, India) began her film career in the mid-’30s, playing bit roles in British...
- 11/6/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Updated: The bulk of syndicated daytime talk show premiered yesterday, including one of two new talkers, Warner Bros’ Bethenny, which debuted nationwide after a test on several Fox stations in summer 2012. Bethenny, hosted by Bethenny Frankel, opened with a 0.9/3 in households and 0.6/4 in women 25-54. That was in line with the debuts of the two new talk shows last fall that didn’t make it to second season: Jeff Probst (1.0, 0.7) and Ricki Lake (0.8, 0.4). The bright spot for Bethenny was its demo performance, which was up double digits from its lead-in and the time period’s average last September, while the show was down in households. But there was good news for Warner Bros as its other talker Ellen, whose host Ellen DeGeneres also produces Bethenny, topped all syndication talker openers for a second year in a row. Ellen drew a 3.1/8 in households and 1.8/11 in women 25-54. That was up a...
- 9/10/2013
- by NELLIE ANDREEVA
- Deadline TV
Randolph Scott Westerns, comedies, war dramas: TCM schedule on August 19, 2013 See previous post: “Cary Grant and Randolph Scott Marriages — And ‘Expect the Biographical Worst.’” 3:00 Am Badman’S Territory (1946). Director: Tim Whelan. Cast: Randolph Scott, George ‘Gabby’ Hayes, Ann Richards. Bw-98 mins. 4:45 Am Trail Street (1947). Director: Ray Enright. Cast: Randolph Scott, Robert Ryan, Anne Jeffreys. Bw-84 mins. 6:15 Am Return Of The Badmen (1948). Director: Ray Enright. Cast: Randolph Scott, Robert Ryan, Anne Jeffreys, George ‘Gabby’ Hayes, Jacqueline White, Steve Brodie, Tom Keene aka Richard Powers, Robert Bray, Lex Barker, Walter Reed, Michael Harvey, Dean White, Robert Armstrong, Tom Tyler, Lew Harvey, Gary Gray, Walter Baldwin, Minna Gombell, Warren Jackson, Robert Clarke, Jason Robards Sr., Ernie Adams, Lane Chandler, Dan Foster, John Hamilton, Kenneth MacDonald, Donald Kerr, Ida Moore, ‘Snub’ Pollard, Harry Shannon, Charles Stevens. Bw-90 mins. 8:00 Am Riding Shotgun (1954). Director: André De Toth. Cast: Randolph Scott, Wayne Morris,...
- 8/20/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Randolph Scott movies: From Westerns to Cary Grant / Irene Dunne comedy Handsome, granite-faced Randolph Scott is Turner Classic Movies’ next great choice in its "Summer Under the Stars" film series. Monday, August 19, 2013, is Randolph Scott Day, which begins and ends with Westerns. That shouldn’t be surprising, for although Scott was initially cast in a variety of roles and movie genres (including Westerns), he became exclusively a Western star in the late ’40s, sticking to that genre until his retirement in 1962 following the release of Sam Peckinpah’s elegiac Ride the High Country, which TCM will be showing on Monday evening. Joel McCrea at his very best and Mariette Hartley co-star. (See “On TCM: Randolph Scott Westerns.”) (Photo: Randolph Scott ca. 1945.) Many of Scott’s Westerns were routine fare, including Badman’s Territory (1946), which kicks off Randolph Scott Day. Some, however, have become classics of the genre, especially his late...
- 8/19/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Last year Brad listed his list of Top Ten Christmas Movies and in 2007 David listed the ten films he considered the Top Ten Deranged Christmas Flicks. Well, I had to throw my hat in the ring with a completely different list... a list for the holiday softies. So light the fire, warm the coco and grab a blanket... What follows is my list of the twelve best Christmas/Holiday movies to warm your heart. When you compare the twelve films that follow to the two lists I just mentioned, three of them can be found on Brad's top ten and two on David's list of Deranged Christmas Flicks, but perhaps the most interesting fact of them all is that all three lists share the exact same film in the #1 slot. Weird... right? So browse through these three pages where I say a few words about each film, offer up some clips and trailers and,...
- 12/14/2011
- by Bill Cody
- Rope of Silicon
Champagne For Caesar will play at the Vincentennial Vincent Price Film Festival in a 35mm print at 7:00pm tonight, Tuesday, May 24th at Brown Hall on the campus of Washington University followed by The Baron Of Arizona at 9:15. With introductions and a post-film discussion of .Champagne for Caesar. by Washington U. film & media lecturer Hunter Vaughan. Admission is free.
Many works of fiction have been said to be ahead of their time. In the world of motions pictures few are more prophetic than the 1950 comedy classic Champagne For Caesar. By that year, mind you, quiz shows were popular on radio and that young upstart television, but by the end of the decade these programs would inspire a national craze ( and a scandal later depicted in Robert Redford’s film Quiz Show ). Caesar foreshadows all this while showcasing some delightful performances by actors generally not known for big screen comedies.
Many works of fiction have been said to be ahead of their time. In the world of motions pictures few are more prophetic than the 1950 comedy classic Champagne For Caesar. By that year, mind you, quiz shows were popular on radio and that young upstart television, but by the end of the decade these programs would inspire a national craze ( and a scandal later depicted in Robert Redford’s film Quiz Show ). Caesar foreshadows all this while showcasing some delightful performances by actors generally not known for big screen comedies.
- 5/24/2011
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Given the success of Warner’s Archive program, we’re thrilled to see other studios scouring their vaults for content aimed at the discerning cinephile. Here’s a release showcasing the latest coming from MGM via Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment:
Los Angeles (April 14, 2011) – Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment is bringing even more classics to DVD in April through its unique “manufacturing on demand” (“Mod”). The newest group of films will be part of the MGM Limited Edition Collection and available through online retailers. The vast catalog ranges from 1980’s Defiance to 1965’s four-time Academy Award® nominated A Thousand Clowns.
Enjoy your favorite movies from across the decades including:
1950′s
● Davey Crockett, Scout (1950): A U.S. military scout is assigned to stop Indian attacks on a defenseless group of wagon trains making their way West. Stars George Montgomery, Ellen Drew, Noah Beery Jr. Directed by Lew Landers.
● Cloudburst...
Los Angeles (April 14, 2011) – Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment is bringing even more classics to DVD in April through its unique “manufacturing on demand” (“Mod”). The newest group of films will be part of the MGM Limited Edition Collection and available through online retailers. The vast catalog ranges from 1980’s Defiance to 1965’s four-time Academy Award® nominated A Thousand Clowns.
Enjoy your favorite movies from across the decades including:
1950′s
● Davey Crockett, Scout (1950): A U.S. military scout is assigned to stop Indian attacks on a defenseless group of wagon trains making their way West. Stars George Montgomery, Ellen Drew, Noah Beery Jr. Directed by Lew Landers.
● Cloudburst...
- 4/21/2011
- by Robert Greenberger
- Comicmix.com
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