Rochelle Oliver, who starred on Broadway in Lillian Hellman’s Toys in the Attic and Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and taught acting at New York’s respected Hb Studio since the 1970s, has died. She was 86.
Oliver died April 13, the Hb Studio announced. “Those who knew Rochelle will know what a luminous artist, sensitive and passionate teacher she was,” it said in an Instagram post. She died two days shy of her birthday.
For the big screen, Oliver starred in the Horton Foote-written 1918 (1985) and Courtship (1987) and appeared in such other films as The Happy Hooker (1975), Paul Mazursky‘s Next Stop, Greenwich Village (1976), John Sayles’ Lianna (1983), An Unremarkable Life (1989), Martin Brest’s Scent of a Woman (1992) and Woody Allen’s Hollywood Ending (2002).
She also recurred as Judge Grace Larkin on Law & Order from 1993-03.
A protégé of Uta Hagen — who also taught for decades at Hb and...
Oliver died April 13, the Hb Studio announced. “Those who knew Rochelle will know what a luminous artist, sensitive and passionate teacher she was,” it said in an Instagram post. She died two days shy of her birthday.
For the big screen, Oliver starred in the Horton Foote-written 1918 (1985) and Courtship (1987) and appeared in such other films as The Happy Hooker (1975), Paul Mazursky‘s Next Stop, Greenwich Village (1976), John Sayles’ Lianna (1983), An Unremarkable Life (1989), Martin Brest’s Scent of a Woman (1992) and Woody Allen’s Hollywood Ending (2002).
She also recurred as Judge Grace Larkin on Law & Order from 1993-03.
A protégé of Uta Hagen — who also taught for decades at Hb and...
- 5/7/2024
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The term "auteur theory" was first coined by American critic Andrew Sarris, a phrase he extrapolated from the essays published in Cahiers du Cinéma in the early 1950s by the founding members of the French New Wave. Auteur theory posited that a director stands as the final authorial voice behind a feature film, and not the writer, the editor, or any of the other filmmakers. While many critics over the years have objected to auteur theory (Pauline Kael famously hated it), the language of referring to a film's director as its "one author" has become the default used by pundits and journalists to this day.
Throughout the 2010s, there was a visible push-and-pull when it came to auteur theory. While plenty of striking, important directors put out unique, idiosyncratic works, massive studio franchise pictures stayed at the commercial fore, and individual directors were subservient to all-powerful Higher Ups. For the...
Throughout the 2010s, there was a visible push-and-pull when it came to auteur theory. While plenty of striking, important directors put out unique, idiosyncratic works, massive studio franchise pictures stayed at the commercial fore, and individual directors were subservient to all-powerful Higher Ups. For the...
- 12/24/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Hulu’s acclaimed “Only Murders in the Building,” currently vying for 11 Emmys, has gone all razzle dazzle in its third season. Make that rattle dazzle! Beleaguered Broadway director Oliver (Martin Short) was hoping for a comeback on the Great White Way with the mystery thriller “Death Rattle.” But when his leading man (Paul Rudd) is murdered, he decides to turn the straight play into a musical, “Death Rattle Dazzle!” And in the third episode, Meryl Streep’s nervous journeyman actress and Ashley Park’s leading lady performed the show-stopping ballad “Look for the Light” co-written by Sara Bareilles. One almost forgot the prime suspects in “Death Rattle Dazzle!” are the infant Pickwick triplets.
The 1959 multiple Tony winner “Redhead” also has a rather strange plot for a musical: a serial killer is stalking women in London in the 1880s during the time Jack the Ripper was terrorizing the city. Sounds like a real toe-tapper.
The 1959 multiple Tony winner “Redhead” also has a rather strange plot for a musical: a serial killer is stalking women in London in the 1880s during the time Jack the Ripper was terrorizing the city. Sounds like a real toe-tapper.
- 8/29/2023
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Inga Swenson, the two-time Tony-nominated singer and actress who as the dictatorial German cook Gretchen Kraus sparred with Robert Guillaume‘s character on the 1980s ABC sitcom Benson, has died. She was 90.
Swenson died Sunday night of natural causes in hospice care in Los Angeles, her son, Mark Harris, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Swenson also sparkled in two critically acclaimed 1962 films released seven weeks apart — as the mother of Helen Keller (Patty Duke) in Arthur Penn’s The Miracle Worker (1962) and as the wife of a U.S. senator with a dark secret (Don Murray) in Otto Preminger’s political thriller Advise & Consent (1962).
On the strength of those performances, the Nebraska native — no, she was not born in Germany — was cast in 1963 as the spinster Lizzy in 110 in the Shade, based on N. Richard Nash’s play The Rainmaker. She received a Tony nomination for best actress in a musical for that performance,...
Swenson died Sunday night of natural causes in hospice care in Los Angeles, her son, Mark Harris, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Swenson also sparkled in two critically acclaimed 1962 films released seven weeks apart — as the mother of Helen Keller (Patty Duke) in Arthur Penn’s The Miracle Worker (1962) and as the wife of a U.S. senator with a dark secret (Don Murray) in Otto Preminger’s political thriller Advise & Consent (1962).
On the strength of those performances, the Nebraska native — no, she was not born in Germany — was cast in 1963 as the spinster Lizzy in 110 in the Shade, based on N. Richard Nash’s play The Rainmaker. She received a Tony nomination for best actress in a musical for that performance,...
- 7/28/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Jerome Coopersmith, who received a Tony nomination for writing a 1965 Sherlock Holmes musical and penned more than two dozen episodes of the original Hawaii Five-o during the series’ first nine seasons, has died. He was 97.
Coopersmith died peacefully Friday in Rochester, New York, his family announced.
After earning a Purple Heart for his service during World War II, Coopersmith broke into television writing for quiz shows and historical programs. In the early 1950s, he and Horton Foote worked on the kids-focused Gabby Hayes Show and Johnny Jupiter, and the future Pulitzer Prize and Oscar winner behind To Kill a Mockingbird would become his mentor.
Coopersmith wrote 30 regular installments and two feature-length episodes of CBS’ Hawaii Five-o from 1968-76. Among those was the notable 1975 eighth-season installment Retire in Sunny Hawaii … Forever, which featured Helen Hayes in an Emmy-nominated guest-starring stint as the aunt of her real-life son, James MacArthur.
He then...
Coopersmith died peacefully Friday in Rochester, New York, his family announced.
After earning a Purple Heart for his service during World War II, Coopersmith broke into television writing for quiz shows and historical programs. In the early 1950s, he and Horton Foote worked on the kids-focused Gabby Hayes Show and Johnny Jupiter, and the future Pulitzer Prize and Oscar winner behind To Kill a Mockingbird would become his mentor.
Coopersmith wrote 30 regular installments and two feature-length episodes of CBS’ Hawaii Five-o from 1968-76. Among those was the notable 1975 eighth-season installment Retire in Sunny Hawaii … Forever, which featured Helen Hayes in an Emmy-nominated guest-starring stint as the aunt of her real-life son, James MacArthur.
He then...
- 7/27/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Although far from the first horror anthology, Creepshow quickly established itself as the quintessential one. After several stalled attempts to work together, George A. Romero and Stephen King — two undisputed masters in their respective fields, each in their prime — finally collaborated in 1982. With both creators having grown up on EC horror comics of the 1950s like Tales from the Crypt, The Vault of Horror, and The Haunt of Fear, it made sense that an homage to those works would bring the two titans of terror together.
Creepshow packs five tales (three originals and two adapted from existing King short stories) plus a wraparound that bookends the film in two hours flat. The Halloween-set framing story finds a disparaging father lambasting his son for reading horror comics before throwing away the latest issue of Creepshow. Beckoned by the silent host known as The Creep, the tales within the discarded comic serve as the anthology’s segments.
Creepshow packs five tales (three originals and two adapted from existing King short stories) plus a wraparound that bookends the film in two hours flat. The Halloween-set framing story finds a disparaging father lambasting his son for reading horror comics before throwing away the latest issue of Creepshow. Beckoned by the silent host known as The Creep, the tales within the discarded comic serve as the anthology’s segments.
- 6/27/2023
- by Alex DiVincenzo
- bloody-disgusting.com
George A. Romero is one of my favorite filmmakers, so of course his 1982 Stephen King collaboration Creepshow (watch it Here) is one of my favorite films… and I’m glad to hear that Scream Factory is set to give the classic anthology movie a 4K Uhd release on June 27th. Copies are available for pre-order on the Scream Factory website, and there are multiple options to choose from. You can buy the 4K Uhd copy of the movie on its own, in a bundle with exclusive posters, an exclusive slipcover, and a prism sticker, in another bundle that adds an enamel pin set into the mix, or in another bundle that adds on some lobby cards. There are limited numbers of these bundles available, so head over to Scream Factory Asap to get yours.
Directed by Romero from a screenplay by King, Creepshow has the following synopsis: Writer Stephen King and director George Romero.
Directed by Romero from a screenplay by King, Creepshow has the following synopsis: Writer Stephen King and director George Romero.
- 4/4/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
William Goldman’s international conspiracy thriller provides Dustin Hoffman with an outright ‘action man’ star vehicle. The public applauded supporting star Laurence Olivier, who with just a few gestures creates a terrifying villain: “Is it safe?” William Devane and Marthe Keller co-star. We wish Roy Scheider’s character could have continued in a series of crime thrillers — he brings genuine movie star charisma. The story is by William Goldman, from his own book.
Marathon Man 4K
4K Ultra-hd + Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1976 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 125 min. / Street Date February 28, 2023 / available through Kino Lorber / 39.95
Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Laurence Olivier, Roy Scheider, William Devane, Marthe Keller, Fritz Weaver, Richard Bright, Marc Lawrence, Lou Gilbert, Fred Stuthman, Jacques Marin, Litti Palfi Andor, Madge Kennedy, Treat Williams.
Cinematography: Conrad Hall
Production Designer: Richard Macdonald
Art Director: Jack De Shields
Film Editor: Jim Clark
Special Makeup Consultant: Dick Smith
Original Music: Michael Small
Written by...
Marathon Man 4K
4K Ultra-hd + Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1976 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 125 min. / Street Date February 28, 2023 / available through Kino Lorber / 39.95
Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Laurence Olivier, Roy Scheider, William Devane, Marthe Keller, Fritz Weaver, Richard Bright, Marc Lawrence, Lou Gilbert, Fred Stuthman, Jacques Marin, Litti Palfi Andor, Madge Kennedy, Treat Williams.
Cinematography: Conrad Hall
Production Designer: Richard Macdonald
Art Director: Jack De Shields
Film Editor: Jim Clark
Special Makeup Consultant: Dick Smith
Original Music: Michael Small
Written by...
- 2/14/2023
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
A couple months ago, we looked into the making of horror anthology Creepshow 2 with an episode of our Wtf Happened to This Horror Movie? video series. Now with the new episode of Wtf Happened to This Horror Movie?, we have circled back around to the first entry in the franchise. If you’re interested in finding out what went into the making of the 1982 George A. Romero / Stephen King classic Creepshow (watch it Here), check out the video embedded above!
Directed by Romero from a screenplay by King, Creepshow has the following synopsis:
Writer Stephen King and director George Romero. Like Dr. Frankenstein and his monster or Dracula and his blood-sucking harem, this is a team to be reckoned with. King’s works – Carrie, Cujo, The Shining, Salem’s Lot, Misery and many others – make him a legend of the silver scream. And the same holds true for Romero, whose...
Directed by Romero from a screenplay by King, Creepshow has the following synopsis:
Writer Stephen King and director George Romero. Like Dr. Frankenstein and his monster or Dracula and his blood-sucking harem, this is a team to be reckoned with. King’s works – Carrie, Cujo, The Shining, Salem’s Lot, Misery and many others – make him a legend of the silver scream. And the same holds true for Romero, whose...
- 11/11/2022
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Marvin J. Chomsky, a four-time Emmy-winning director whose credits include the seminal 1977 miniseries Roots, Holocaust and dozens of TV series including the original Star Trek and Hawaii Five-o, died Monday. He was 92.
His son, producer Peter Chomsky, told Deadline that his father died in his sleep but gave no other details.
Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2022: Photo Gallery
The elder Chomsky already was a veteran TV director when he scored an Emmy nomination for helming two episodes of the groundbreaking slavery saga Roots. He went on to win Emmys for directing the harrowing 1978 miniseries Holocaust, telefilms Attica (1980) and Inside the Third Reich (1982) and the Maximilian Schell-led miniseries Peter the Great (1986). He earned nominations for helming Evita Peron (1981), Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna (1986) and Billionaire Boys Club (1987), also scoring an Outstanding Miniseries nom as the latter’s supervising producer.
When he accepted his Emmy for Inside the Third Reich, Chomsky...
His son, producer Peter Chomsky, told Deadline that his father died in his sleep but gave no other details.
Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2022: Photo Gallery
The elder Chomsky already was a veteran TV director when he scored an Emmy nomination for helming two episodes of the groundbreaking slavery saga Roots. He went on to win Emmys for directing the harrowing 1978 miniseries Holocaust, telefilms Attica (1980) and Inside the Third Reich (1982) and the Maximilian Schell-led miniseries Peter the Great (1986). He earned nominations for helming Evita Peron (1981), Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna (1986) and Billionaire Boys Club (1987), also scoring an Outstanding Miniseries nom as the latter’s supervising producer.
When he accepted his Emmy for Inside the Third Reich, Chomsky...
- 3/29/2022
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
John Frankenheimer’s biggest production since Grand Prix turns the touchy subject of international terrorism into a frightening, outlandish story of a plot to kill thousands of spectators during one of America’s defining rituals, the Super Bowl. Black September operative Marthe Keller seduces disturbed Viet vet Bruce Dern into perpetrating the crime; Israeli agent Robert Shaw races to stop them. The super-crime is both outrageous and credible — making the show seem very modern, even prophetic. True to form, Frankenheimer filmed much of the movie’s final 40-minute suspense sequence during a real Super Bowl game.
Black Sunday
Blu-ray
Viavision [Imprint] 34
1977 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 143 min. / Street Date February 23, 2021 / Available from Viavision / 34.95 au
Starring: Robert Shaw, Bruce Dern, Marthe Keller, Bekim Fehmiu, Fritz Weaver, Steven Keats, Michael V. Gazzo, William Daniels, Walter Gotell.
Cinematography: John A. Alonzo
Film Editor: Tom Rolf
Original Music: John Williams
Written by Ernest Lehman, Kenneth Ross, Ivan Moffat...
Black Sunday
Blu-ray
Viavision [Imprint] 34
1977 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 143 min. / Street Date February 23, 2021 / Available from Viavision / 34.95 au
Starring: Robert Shaw, Bruce Dern, Marthe Keller, Bekim Fehmiu, Fritz Weaver, Steven Keats, Michael V. Gazzo, William Daniels, Walter Gotell.
Cinematography: John A. Alonzo
Film Editor: Tom Rolf
Original Music: John Williams
Written by Ernest Lehman, Kenneth Ross, Ivan Moffat...
- 4/10/2021
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
If you don’t yet have a subscription to the excellent horror streaming service Shudder, then you probably have not had a chance to see Creepshow, the original anthology series based on the classic 1982 movie written by Stephen King and the late George A. Romero.
Well, while we nevertheless strongly recommend that you check out Shudder if you’re a horror fan, you’re still in luck if you don’t: the entire first season of Creepshow will run on basic cable’s AMC network (which owns Shudder) next month. The show will premiere on Monday, May 4 and will air two episodes back to back, starting at 9:00 p.m. Et.
Now, the first season is comprised of just six episodes, but each episode contains two standalone tales of terror for a total of one dozen haunting stories, many of them written and/or directed by some of the genre’s more notable names.
Well, while we nevertheless strongly recommend that you check out Shudder if you’re a horror fan, you’re still in luck if you don’t: the entire first season of Creepshow will run on basic cable’s AMC network (which owns Shudder) next month. The show will premiere on Monday, May 4 and will air two episodes back to back, starting at 9:00 p.m. Et.
Now, the first season is comprised of just six episodes, but each episode contains two standalone tales of terror for a total of one dozen haunting stories, many of them written and/or directed by some of the genre’s more notable names.
- 4/15/2020
- by Don Kaye
- Den of Geek
They swim, they play, and they talk. They love George C. Scott and call him ‘pa.’ Mike Nichols’ paranoid sci-fi classic combines Lassie Go Home and The Manchurian Candidate. It works up a good guys versus bad guys conspiracy storyline — until the message arrives that what the adorable dolphins Fa and Bee really need, along with the rest of the natural planet, is for us greedy, murderous humans to just Go Away. Buck Henry’s screenplay overcomes aquatic clichés and cutesy animal traditions to come up with a crowd-pleasing winner.
The Day of the Dolphin
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1973 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 104 min. / Street Date February 18, 2020 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: George C. Scott, Trish Van Devere, Paul Sorvino, Fritz Weaver, Jon Korkes, Edward Herrmann, John Dehner, Severn Darden, Elizabeth Wilson.
Cinematography: William A. Fraker
Film Editor: Sam O’Steen
Production Designer: Richard Sylbert
Original Music: Georges Delerue
Written by Buck...
The Day of the Dolphin
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1973 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 104 min. / Street Date February 18, 2020 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: George C. Scott, Trish Van Devere, Paul Sorvino, Fritz Weaver, Jon Korkes, Edward Herrmann, John Dehner, Severn Darden, Elizabeth Wilson.
Cinematography: William A. Fraker
Film Editor: Sam O’Steen
Production Designer: Richard Sylbert
Original Music: Georges Delerue
Written by Buck...
- 3/28/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
The world trembles on the brink, and liberals are in charge! The nicest President you ever met gives the Soviet Premier an offer anybody could refuse, while technical glitches, not crazy people or radical politics, are blamed for starting WW3. Sidney Lumet’s taut, scary armageddon-outta-here thriller was weighed in the balance against a certain Stanley Kubrick film and found wanting, but unless you’re a stickler for technical details it really works up a buzz. The cast & crew list is a menu of committed liberal talent.
Fail Safe
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 1011
1964 / B&w / 1:85 widescreen / 112 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date January 28, 2020 / 39.95
Starring: Henry Fonda, Dan O’Herlihy, Walter Matthau, Frank Overton, Edward Binns, Fritz Weaver, Larry Hagman, William Hansen, Sorrell Booke, Hildy Parks, Janet Ward, Dom DeLuise, Dana Elcar.
Cinematography: Gerald Hirschfeld
Film Editor: Ralph Rosenblum
Written by Walter Bernstein from the book by Eugene Burdick,...
Fail Safe
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 1011
1964 / B&w / 1:85 widescreen / 112 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date January 28, 2020 / 39.95
Starring: Henry Fonda, Dan O’Herlihy, Walter Matthau, Frank Overton, Edward Binns, Fritz Weaver, Larry Hagman, William Hansen, Sorrell Booke, Hildy Parks, Janet Ward, Dom DeLuise, Dana Elcar.
Cinematography: Gerald Hirschfeld
Film Editor: Ralph Rosenblum
Written by Walter Bernstein from the book by Eugene Burdick,...
- 1/18/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
This four part, eight hour miniseries turns the fate of a family of German Jews into a sprawling drama that covers all the bases of the holocaust horror. It was strong stuff and a big Emmy winner, boosting the careers of James Woods and Michael Moriarty. His warped charisma as a psychotic Nazi is so good that he’s consistently more interesting than the courageous victims. As for Meryl Streep, she became an instant star — everybody remembered her from this. Although it’s been called ‘The Holocaust for Dummies,’ it’s a quality show. Looking from today’s perspective, after forty years of Political Correctness adjustments, I’m not sure any two viewers will react in quite the same way.
Holocaust
Blu-ray
CBS Television Studio / Paramount
1978 / Color / 1:78 widescreen / 7 hours, 36 min. / Street Date September 24, 2019 / 43.19
Starring: James Woods, Meryl Streep, Michael Moriarty, Joseph Bottoms, Rosemary Harris, Fritz Weaver, Tovah Feldshuh, Deborah Norton,...
Holocaust
Blu-ray
CBS Television Studio / Paramount
1978 / Color / 1:78 widescreen / 7 hours, 36 min. / Street Date September 24, 2019 / 43.19
Starring: James Woods, Meryl Streep, Michael Moriarty, Joseph Bottoms, Rosemary Harris, Fritz Weaver, Tovah Feldshuh, Deborah Norton,...
- 10/5/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Fritz Weaver, the courtly veteran of Broadway and the big screen who won a Tony Award and stood out in such films as Fail-Safe and The Day of the Dolphin, has died. He was 90.
Weaver died Saturday at home in Manhattan, The New York Times reported.
His sister was Mary Weaver Dodson, a four-time Emmy-nominated art director known for her work on Murder, She Wrote. She died in February.
Weaver received his Tony in 1970 for his performance as strict Catholic boarding school teacher Jerome Malley in Robert Marasco's long-running thriller Child's Play.
The 6-foot-3 Pittsburgh native made his Broadway debut in 1955's The Chalk Garden, for which he...
Weaver died Saturday at home in Manhattan, The New York Times reported.
His sister was Mary Weaver Dodson, a four-time Emmy-nominated art director known for her work on Murder, She Wrote. She died in February.
Weaver received his Tony in 1970 for his performance as strict Catholic boarding school teacher Jerome Malley in Robert Marasco's long-running thriller Child's Play.
The 6-foot-3 Pittsburgh native made his Broadway debut in 1955's The Chalk Garden, for which he...
- 11/28/2016
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Some very sad news is making the rounds today, as it has been reported that Fritz Weaver has passed away at the age of 90.
News of Fritz Weaver's passing was confirmed by Weaver's son-in-law, Bruce Ostler, according to The New York Times. In addition to winning a Tony award for his performance in 1970's Child’s Play, Weaver accumulated an impressive number of acting credits within the horror and sci-fi genres—on both the big and small screens—throughout his career.
Stephen King fans likely remember Weaver as Dexter Stanley from "The Crate" segment of Creepshow, where he starred alongside Hal Holbrook, Adrienne Barbeau, and the creepy creature unleashed from its prison.
Weaver also left his mark on a number of anthology series, including The Twilight Zone, Monsters, Tales From the Darkside, Night Gallery, and Tales of the Unexpected, in addition to appearances on Friday the 13th: The Series and The X-Files.
News of Fritz Weaver's passing was confirmed by Weaver's son-in-law, Bruce Ostler, according to The New York Times. In addition to winning a Tony award for his performance in 1970's Child’s Play, Weaver accumulated an impressive number of acting credits within the horror and sci-fi genres—on both the big and small screens—throughout his career.
Stephen King fans likely remember Weaver as Dexter Stanley from "The Crate" segment of Creepshow, where he starred alongside Hal Holbrook, Adrienne Barbeau, and the creepy creature unleashed from its prison.
Weaver also left his mark on a number of anthology series, including The Twilight Zone, Monsters, Tales From the Darkside, Night Gallery, and Tales of the Unexpected, in addition to appearances on Friday the 13th: The Series and The X-Files.
- 11/28/2016
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Fritz Weaver, an actor who transmitted an air of patrician assurance in roles that took him from a regular presence in Golden Age television dramas to Broadway stardom, prominent characters in films including Fail-Safe in 1964, and an Emmy nomination for NBC’s acclaimed 1978 drama series Holocaust, died Saturday at home in Manhattan. He was 90. In that mini-series, Weaver played Dr. Josef Weiss, a Jewish doctor sent first to the Warsaw ghetto and then to the…...
- 11/28/2016
- Deadline TV
Fritz Weaver, an actor who transmitted an air of patrician assurance in roles that took him from a regular presence in Golden Age television dramas to Broadway stardom, prominent characters in films including Fail-Safe in 1964, and an Emmy nomination for NBC’s acclaimed 1978 drama series Holocaust, died Saturday at home in Manhattan. He was 90. In that mini-series, Weaver played Dr. Josef Weiss, a Jewish doctor sent first to the Warsaw ghetto and then to the…...
- 11/28/2016
- Deadline
Cinema Retro hosted Fritz Weaver at a screening of "Fail Safe" at the Players club in New York City. Here Editor-in-Chief Lee Pfeiffer (L) and contributor Paul Scrabo present Weaver with marketing materials for "To Trap a Spy", the feature film made from an extended version of the "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." TV show pilot, "The Vulcan Affair". Weaver discussed how surprised he was at the level of interest there was in the fact that he was the first U.N.C.L.E. villain. (Photo: GeorgeAnn Muller).
By Lee Pfeiffer
Fritz Weaver, who won acclaim for his work in film, TV and on the Broadway stage, has passed away at age 90. Weaver was primarily a character actor but sometimes top-lined in stage productions.He played Sherlock Holmes in the 1960s Broadway musical production of "Baker Street". He won a Tony in 1970 for his performance in "Child's Play". Weaver also...
By Lee Pfeiffer
Fritz Weaver, who won acclaim for his work in film, TV and on the Broadway stage, has passed away at age 90. Weaver was primarily a character actor but sometimes top-lined in stage productions.He played Sherlock Holmes in the 1960s Broadway musical production of "Baker Street". He won a Tony in 1970 for his performance in "Child's Play". Weaver also...
- 11/28/2016
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Demon Seed (1977) was the latest in an ever growing subgenre of science fiction film: Technodoubt (okay, I just made that up). But as the world started to catch up with its imagination (Apple Computers was born in ’76), and technology raged forward like a silicon locomotive, Hollywood searched for ways to exploit mankind’s natural fear of progress. From the dangerously malfunctioning Hal in 2001 (1968), to the murderous androids of Westworld (’73), rich veins of cybernetic carnage were mined for maximum cinematic paranoia. Demon Seed upped the ante by downloading the menace right into the home.
Released in April by MGM, the film was not a commercial success by any means, but certainly drew attention from critics due to its unusual (and quite absurd) high concept story, a showcase performance from Julie Christie, and a piqued interest in director Donald Cammell. Regardless of the gateway, Demon Seed remains a unique genre treatise on dominance and loss.
Released in April by MGM, the film was not a commercial success by any means, but certainly drew attention from critics due to its unusual (and quite absurd) high concept story, a showcase performance from Julie Christie, and a piqued interest in director Donald Cammell. Regardless of the gateway, Demon Seed remains a unique genre treatise on dominance and loss.
- 10/24/2015
- by Scott Drebit
- DailyDead
'The Man from U.N.C.L.E.' 2015: Henry Cavill and Armie Hammer. 'The Man from U.N.C.L.E.' movie is a domestic box office bomb: Will it be saved by international filmgoers? Directed by Sherlock Holmes' Guy Ritchie and toplining Man of Steel star Henry Cavill and The Lone Ranger costar Armie Hammer, the Warner Bros. release The Man from U.N.C.L.E. has been a domestic box office disaster, performing about 25 percent below – already quite modest – expectations. (See also: “'The Man from U.N.C.L.E.' Movie: Bigger Box Office Flop Than Expected.”) This past weekend, the $80 million-budget The Man from U.N.C.L.E. collected a meager $13.42 million from 3,638 North American theaters, averaging $3,689 per site. After five days out, the big-screen reboot of the popular 1960s television series starring Robert Vaughn and David McCallum has taken in a mere $16.77 million. For comparison's sake:...
- 8/19/2015
- by Zac Gille
- Alt Film Guide
Tomorrow, Scream Factory's unleashing respective double feature Blu-rays of The Food of the Gods and Frogs, and Empire of the Ants and Jaws of Satan. We've been provided with three Blu-ray copies of each double feature to give away to Daily Dead readers.
The Food Of The Gods
"Legendary director Bert I. Gordon (The Amazing Colossal Man, Attack of the Puppet People) – the father of the "gigantic creature" genre – delivers this spine-tingling tale of ecology gone berserk. Based on H.G. Wells' classic horror novel, The Food of the Gods predicts a terrifying future where oversized animals are suddenly at the top of the food chain and ready to take over!
On a remote island, a mysterious substance is oozing from the ground. A farmer sees that it acts as a growth hormone and thinks his fortune is made. But when rats, chickens, worms and wasps begin sampling the potent substance,...
The Food Of The Gods
"Legendary director Bert I. Gordon (The Amazing Colossal Man, Attack of the Puppet People) – the father of the "gigantic creature" genre – delivers this spine-tingling tale of ecology gone berserk. Based on H.G. Wells' classic horror novel, The Food of the Gods predicts a terrifying future where oversized animals are suddenly at the top of the food chain and ready to take over!
On a remote island, a mysterious substance is oozing from the ground. A farmer sees that it acts as a growth hormone and thinks his fortune is made. But when rats, chickens, worms and wasps begin sampling the potent substance,...
- 5/26/2015
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
With Memorial Day behind us and summer just right around the corner, the horror and sci-fi home releases are really begin to heat up as we’ve got a bunch of great cult classics and new indie genre films to look forward to this Tuesday. Scream Factory is giving fans a double dose of double features with their The Food of the Gods/Frogs and Empire of the Ants/Jaws of Satan Blu-rays and we’ve also got the latest from Dark Sky Films- Let Us Prey- arriving on both Blu-ray and DVD on May 26th.
Anchor Bay is also bringing home Spike Lee’s Da Sweet Blood of Jesus this week, Vinegar Syndrome is giving the cult film Madman a high-def upgrade and Universal is keeping busy as well with their releases of Seventh Son, The Loft and the Orson Welles classic Touch of Evil too.
Anchor Bay is also bringing home Spike Lee’s Da Sweet Blood of Jesus this week, Vinegar Syndrome is giving the cult film Madman a high-def upgrade and Universal is keeping busy as well with their releases of Seventh Son, The Loft and the Orson Welles classic Touch of Evil too.
- 5/26/2015
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
Animal horror was big in the 1970s, and it’s not just the fault of Jaws. Environmental concerns carrying over from the previous decade were seeping into the American consciousness and, by extension, the American genre film.
Pesticides, pollution and ever-increasing concerns about nuclear power funneled their way into a slew of eco-horror movies in which mankind’s incessant tampering with the environment led Mother Nature to retaliate in the form killer animals, insects and fish, often mutated to gigantic size and always ready to kill. Titles like Grizzly and Night of the Lepus and Kingdom of the Spiders and The Swarm were de rigueur for ‘70s horror, and while the genre has never really gone away — every year sees a few new killer animal films (and that’s not counting the SyFy Channel nonsense like Crocosaurus) — it reached its zenith during that decade. Now as part of their Summer of Fear,...
Pesticides, pollution and ever-increasing concerns about nuclear power funneled their way into a slew of eco-horror movies in which mankind’s incessant tampering with the environment led Mother Nature to retaliate in the form killer animals, insects and fish, often mutated to gigantic size and always ready to kill. Titles like Grizzly and Night of the Lepus and Kingdom of the Spiders and The Swarm were de rigueur for ‘70s horror, and while the genre has never really gone away — every year sees a few new killer animal films (and that’s not counting the SyFy Channel nonsense like Crocosaurus) — it reached its zenith during that decade. Now as part of their Summer of Fear,...
- 5/22/2015
- by Patrick Bromley
- DailyDead
On May 26th, Scream Factory's unleashing nature-gone-wrong creature features, including the killer amphibians from Frogs, the giant rats from The Food of the Gods, the killer ants of Empire of the Ants, and the creepy king cobra from Jaws of Satan.
The Food Of The Gods
"Legendary director Bert I. Gordon (The Amazing Colossal Man, Attack of the Puppet People) – the father of the "gigantic creature" genre – delivers this spine-tingling tale of ecology gone berserk. Based on H.G. Wells' classic horror novel, The Food of the Gods predicts a terrifying future where oversized animals are suddenly at the top of the food chain and ready to take over!
On a remote island, a mysterious substance is oozing from the ground. A farmer sees that it acts as a growth hormone and thinks his fortune is made. But when rats, chickens, worms and wasps begin sampling the potent substance, they morph into bloodthirsty giants!
The Food Of The Gods
"Legendary director Bert I. Gordon (The Amazing Colossal Man, Attack of the Puppet People) – the father of the "gigantic creature" genre – delivers this spine-tingling tale of ecology gone berserk. Based on H.G. Wells' classic horror novel, The Food of the Gods predicts a terrifying future where oversized animals are suddenly at the top of the food chain and ready to take over!
On a remote island, a mysterious substance is oozing from the ground. A farmer sees that it acts as a growth hormone and thinks his fortune is made. But when rats, chickens, worms and wasps begin sampling the potent substance, they morph into bloodthirsty giants!
- 5/18/2015
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Long before he co-starred as James Dalton's memorable mentor and friend in Road House, Sam Elliott took on killer amphibians in 1972's Frogs, and with Scream Factory offering up two double doses of nature-gone-wrong creature features, Frogs is invading homes on Blu-ray this May along with the giant rats of The Food of the Gods, the killer ants of Empire of the Ants, and the creepy king cobra from Jaws of Satan.
Press release - "This spring, nature strikes back! On May 26, 2015 Scream Factory presents Food of the Gods and Frogs, two nature-gone-berserk shockers on Blu-ray for the first time. This release comes complete with bonus features, including new interviews with the films’ stars Belinda Balaski and Joan Van Ark.
The Food Of The Gods
Legendary director Bert I. Gordon (The Amazing Colossal Man, Attack of the Puppet People) – the father of the "gigantic creature" genre – delivers this spine-tingling tale of ecology gone berserk.
Press release - "This spring, nature strikes back! On May 26, 2015 Scream Factory presents Food of the Gods and Frogs, two nature-gone-berserk shockers on Blu-ray for the first time. This release comes complete with bonus features, including new interviews with the films’ stars Belinda Balaski and Joan Van Ark.
The Food Of The Gods
Legendary director Bert I. Gordon (The Amazing Colossal Man, Attack of the Puppet People) – the father of the "gigantic creature" genre – delivers this spine-tingling tale of ecology gone berserk.
- 4/1/2015
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Never mind The Terminator and Ed-209, what about Eve, Hector or Warbeast? Here's a pick of 15 less famous killer robots from the movies...
"They say Zapp Brannigan single-handedly saved the Octillion system from a horde of rampaging killbots!" enthused Leela in classic the Futurama episode, Love's Labour's Lost In Space.
It was, reflected the alcoholic, cigar-smoking robot Bender, "A grim day for Robotkind", before adding as an afterthought, "Eh, but we can always build more killbots."
Killer robots are a longstanding staple of science fiction cinema, and if we were to compile the list of the best and most celebrated, it would probably read pretty much like everyone else's - The Terminator, 2001: A Space Odyssey and the Sentinels from X-Men: Days Of Future Past would all get a mention.
But what about the less famous killer robots from film history - the ones that have been largely eclipsed by...
"They say Zapp Brannigan single-handedly saved the Octillion system from a horde of rampaging killbots!" enthused Leela in classic the Futurama episode, Love's Labour's Lost In Space.
It was, reflected the alcoholic, cigar-smoking robot Bender, "A grim day for Robotkind", before adding as an afterthought, "Eh, but we can always build more killbots."
Killer robots are a longstanding staple of science fiction cinema, and if we were to compile the list of the best and most celebrated, it would probably read pretty much like everyone else's - The Terminator, 2001: A Space Odyssey and the Sentinels from X-Men: Days Of Future Past would all get a mention.
But what about the less famous killer robots from film history - the ones that have been largely eclipsed by...
- 3/30/2015
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
Shoe Be Doo: McCarthy’s Magical Realism Has No Sole
Actor Thomas McCarthy has developed a solid reputation as an indie film director thanks to his first two films The Station Agent (2003) and The Visitor (2007). While his third outing, 2011’s Win Win, showcased a tendency for schmaltzy cliché, it’s a far cry from his most recent offering, The Cobbler. Headlining Adam Sandler, many expected this to be one of Sandler’s infrequent attempts at dramatic prowess, somewhere along the lines of his surprise turns in Punch Drunk Love, or even Spanglish…or even Men, Women & Children. Instead, McCarthy doggedly pursues a broad comedic tone, something that recalls old Jerry Lewis vehicles, except with a lethargic, bored star. Resolving a series of lazy dramatic conflicts, everyone involved coasts through this torporific exercise with grim determination.
A magical sewing machine that was inherited by one of his ancestors in the Lower...
Actor Thomas McCarthy has developed a solid reputation as an indie film director thanks to his first two films The Station Agent (2003) and The Visitor (2007). While his third outing, 2011’s Win Win, showcased a tendency for schmaltzy cliché, it’s a far cry from his most recent offering, The Cobbler. Headlining Adam Sandler, many expected this to be one of Sandler’s infrequent attempts at dramatic prowess, somewhere along the lines of his surprise turns in Punch Drunk Love, or even Spanglish…or even Men, Women & Children. Instead, McCarthy doggedly pursues a broad comedic tone, something that recalls old Jerry Lewis vehicles, except with a lethargic, bored star. Resolving a series of lazy dramatic conflicts, everyone involved coasts through this torporific exercise with grim determination.
A magical sewing machine that was inherited by one of his ancestors in the Lower...
- 3/12/2015
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Image Entertainment has dropped a new trailer for Adam Sandler’s next movie, The Cobbler. Directed by Tom McCarthy (The Visitor, The Station Agent), the film revolves around a lonely shoesmith named Max Simkin, who one day finds himself endowed with a mysterious gift.
Keeping in line with his profession, the film quaintly expands on the mantra ‘walking in someone else’s shoes.’ As a shoe repair man whose business has been in the family for generations, when Simkin stumbles across a magical item, he finds himself able to slip on another person’s shoes and actually become them. What’s not explained through this fantasy plotting, is what actually happens to the real person who owns the shoes. Sandler isn’t really becoming them is he? He’s just himself – in their bodies, right?
Regardless of the details, the second trailer delves into a few elements missed in the original preview.
Keeping in line with his profession, the film quaintly expands on the mantra ‘walking in someone else’s shoes.’ As a shoe repair man whose business has been in the family for generations, when Simkin stumbles across a magical item, he finds himself able to slip on another person’s shoes and actually become them. What’s not explained through this fantasy plotting, is what actually happens to the real person who owns the shoes. Sandler isn’t really becoming them is he? He’s just himself – in their bodies, right?
Regardless of the details, the second trailer delves into a few elements missed in the original preview.
- 2/18/2015
- by Gem Seddon
- We Got This Covered
Former funnyman Adam Sandler’s career spikes every few years or so. Making a name for himself through a string of genuinely funny flicks in the ’90s, he has recently settled into a malaise of terrible comedies (Grown Ups, Jack And Jill) that ensure he’ll never have to worry about bills ever again. Then, out of the blue he’ll deliver a corking performance (Punch Drunk Love) that hints at a sterling actor lurking beneath his shouty curmudgeon persona. The question is, which Sandler should we expect from The Cobbler?
For Thomas McCarthy’s latest, Sandler plays New York cobbler Max. A happy-go-lucky sort, he longs for more adventure in his life. Lo and behold, at that precise moment of realisation, he stumbles across a magical totem that enables him to slot into the lives of his customers. Yes, a clever play on stepping into someone else’s shoes.
For Thomas McCarthy’s latest, Sandler plays New York cobbler Max. A happy-go-lucky sort, he longs for more adventure in his life. Lo and behold, at that precise moment of realisation, he stumbles across a magical totem that enables him to slot into the lives of his customers. Yes, a clever play on stepping into someone else’s shoes.
- 11/12/2014
- by Gem Seddon
- We Got This Covered
Earlier this week, Scream Factory revealed they are releasing The Food of the Gods and Frogs next summer, and now the distributor has horror hounds looking forward to a creature feature season when school lets out, as four more titles have been brought onto the Blu-ray docket, pitting humans against a prehistoric reptile, a mutated octopus, killer ants, and a devilish king cobra.
From Scream Factory: “Since our announcement earlier this week of our double-bill of Food Of The Gods & Frogs went over so well with the majority, we thought it would be exciting/surprising if we followed it up and revealed Four more “Animal-Creature attack” films coming sometime next Summer for the first time on the blu-ray format! So without further ado…
– Bert I Gordon’s Empire Of The Ants (with “Dynasty’s” Joan Collins battling radioactive insects) will be paired with 1982’s devil-possessed cobra film Jaws Of Satan...
From Scream Factory: “Since our announcement earlier this week of our double-bill of Food Of The Gods & Frogs went over so well with the majority, we thought it would be exciting/surprising if we followed it up and revealed Four more “Animal-Creature attack” films coming sometime next Summer for the first time on the blu-ray format! So without further ado…
– Bert I Gordon’s Empire Of The Ants (with “Dynasty’s” Joan Collins battling radioactive insects) will be paired with 1982’s devil-possessed cobra film Jaws Of Satan...
- 10/16/2014
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
As we look in the rearview mirror of the summer blockbusters, September heralds the start of the fall movie season. Filled with Hollywood heavyweights and A-listers, here’s our Big list of the most anticipated movies coming to cinemas this autumn and during the holidays.
Our exhaustive list includes films that are playing at the upcoming Toronto Film Festival as well the ones that already have a theatrical release date. With the awards season on the horizon, we also added a few bonus films at the end to keep your eye out for in the months ahead.
Pull up a chair, grab a pen and paper and get ready for Wamg’s Guide to the 100+ Films This Fall And Holiday Season.
We kick it off with what’s showing in Toronto at the film festival that runs September 4 – 14.
Maps To The Stars – September 2014 – Toronto International Film Festival; UK & Ireland September...
Our exhaustive list includes films that are playing at the upcoming Toronto Film Festival as well the ones that already have a theatrical release date. With the awards season on the horizon, we also added a few bonus films at the end to keep your eye out for in the months ahead.
Pull up a chair, grab a pen and paper and get ready for Wamg’s Guide to the 100+ Films This Fall And Holiday Season.
We kick it off with what’s showing in Toronto at the film festival that runs September 4 – 14.
Maps To The Stars – September 2014 – Toronto International Film Festival; UK & Ireland September...
- 8/29/2014
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Acclaimed actors Chris Noth and Fritz Weaver join the cast of Lincoln's Favorite Shakespeare with John Douglas Thompson and Kathleen Chalfant. Tonight, August 14 at 4pm at the Fitzpatrick Main Stage, this noted quartet of actors are donating their performances to the event and will present scenes and soliloquies known and loved by Abraham Lincoln from the canon of Shakespeare with a reception immediately following at Chesterwood.
- 8/14/2014
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
The Toronto International Film Festival announced more selections Tuesday for the upcoming 2014 edition of the annual awards season kick-off. The majority of the festival's program was announced last month, but this group includes intriguing world premieres from notable directors such as Todd McCarthy ("The Cobbler") and Gina Prince-Bythewood ("Beyond the Lights"). A number of the titles revealed have screened at other festivals including the underrated "Infinitely Polar Bear" and "Laggies" from Sundance as well as Cannes players "Two Days, One Night," "The Search" and "Clouds of Sils Maria." And yes, the presence of "Sils Maria," which is a favorite of this particular writer, means Kristen Stewart will likely hit one of the festival's many red carpets. As you'd expect for Toronto, the world premieres feature some big names including Josh Hutcherson and Benicio Del Toro in "Escobar: Paradise Lost," Jean Dujardin in "The Connection (La French)," Dustin Hoffman in "Boychoir,...
- 8/12/2014
- by Gregory Ellwood
- Hitfix
Full disclosure: I am a frustrated Adam Sandler fan. Before you gasp in horror and dismiss everything I’ve ever written, hear me out. The operative word here is ‘frustrated.’ What is the cause of my discontentment? Well, about 95% of his film output, to be precise. I have exactly zero interest in Grown Ups, or its sequel. You could not pay me to invest time in Don’t Mess With The Zohan, and I have no intention of watching Blended, ever.
Punch-Drunk Love, however, is one of my favourite movies – largely due to Sandler’s performance – and I have a deep appreciation for Funny People. I even have a soft spot for Spanglish, since we’re sharing details. What do these films have in common? They require Sandler to act with real emotional depth – and that is something I have been waiting for him to do again since 2009. I...
Punch-Drunk Love, however, is one of my favourite movies – largely due to Sandler’s performance – and I have a deep appreciation for Funny People. I even have a soft spot for Spanglish, since we’re sharing details. What do these films have in common? They require Sandler to act with real emotional depth – and that is something I have been waiting for him to do again since 2009. I...
- 8/12/2014
- by Sarah Myles
- We Got This Covered
Tom McCarthy‘s (Win Win) next feature follow up The Cobbler was added to the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival line-up and with it we have some new images to share. The plot sounds somewhat similar to Sandler’s Click which had him in control of his life using a remote control; here he has the shoe on the other foot. Sorry.
Here’s the official synopsis for The Cobbler:
Max Simkin repairs shoes in the same New York shop that has been in his family for generations. Disenchanted with the grind of daily life, Max stumbles upon a magical heirloom that allows him to step into the lives of his customers and see the world in a new way. Sometimes walking in another man’s shoes is the only way one can discover who they really are. Starring Adam Sandler, Cliff “Method Man” Smith, Ellen Barkin, Melonie Diaz, Dan Stevens,...
Here’s the official synopsis for The Cobbler:
Max Simkin repairs shoes in the same New York shop that has been in his family for generations. Disenchanted with the grind of daily life, Max stumbles upon a magical heirloom that allows him to step into the lives of his customers and see the world in a new way. Sometimes walking in another man’s shoes is the only way one can discover who they really are. Starring Adam Sandler, Cliff “Method Man” Smith, Ellen Barkin, Melonie Diaz, Dan Stevens,...
- 8/12/2014
- by Graham McMorrow
- City of Films
The 2014 Toronto Film Festival, which begins Sept. 4, added seven Galas and 17 Special Presentations to its lineup, including a semi-serious Adam Sandler project from Tom McCarthy, the director of The Station Agent and The Visitor. In The Cobbler, Sandler plays a man who has the unique ability to walk in his customers’ shoes. The movie features Dustin Hoffman, who also stars in Boychoir, François Girard’s tale of an orphan’s steep learning curve at a prestigious music school. In Welcome to Me, Kristen Wiig plays a mentally unstable woman who wins the lottery and decides to sink her winnings into a talk show.
- 8/12/2014
- by Jeff Labrecque
- EW - Inside Movies
Expect to see a bevy of stars on the red carpet at the Toronto International Film Festival this September. Today, more Gala and Special Presentation titles were announced, with some star-studded projects in the mix. Now, Escobar: Paradise Lost, starring Benicio del Toro as the infamous drug lord, will have its world premiere at Tiff, as will The Forger, with John Travolta, Christopher Plummer and Tye Sheridan.
Other promising projects newly announced to be screening at Tiff are Win Win director Thomas McCarthy’s The Cobbler, which finds Adam Sandler taking on a rare dramatic role; Clouds of Sils Maria, which stars Juliette Binoche as an aging actress who confronts the young starlet (Chloe Grace Moretz) taking on the role that made her famous decades earlier; and Gemma Bovery, starring Gemma Arterton as the sensual object of a French food critic’s affection. Check out the full list of new...
Other promising projects newly announced to be screening at Tiff are Win Win director Thomas McCarthy’s The Cobbler, which finds Adam Sandler taking on a rare dramatic role; Clouds of Sils Maria, which stars Juliette Binoche as an aging actress who confronts the young starlet (Chloe Grace Moretz) taking on the role that made her famous decades earlier; and Gemma Bovery, starring Gemma Arterton as the sensual object of a French food critic’s affection. Check out the full list of new...
- 8/12/2014
- by Isaac Feldberg
- We Got This Covered
The 39th Toronto International Film Festival added another seven Galas and 17 Special Presentations to its September fest lineup running September 4 to 14. Here are the newcomers:
Galas
Boychoir François Girard, USA World Premiere
An orphaned 12-year-old boy is sent to prestigious music school where he struggles to join an elite group of world-class singers. No one expects this rebellious loner to succeed, least of all the school’s relentlessly-tough conductor who wages a battle of wills to bring out the boy’s extraordinary musical gift. Starring Dustin Hoffman, Kathy Bates, Josh Lucas, Kevin McHale, Eddie Izzard, Debra Winger and Garrett Wareing.
The Connection (La French) Cédric Jimenez, France/Belgium World Premiere
Marseille, 1975. Pierre Michel, a young police magistrate with a wife and children, has just been transferred to help crack down on the city’s organized crime. He decides to take on the French Connection, a Mafia-run operation that exports heroin all over the world.
Galas
Boychoir François Girard, USA World Premiere
An orphaned 12-year-old boy is sent to prestigious music school where he struggles to join an elite group of world-class singers. No one expects this rebellious loner to succeed, least of all the school’s relentlessly-tough conductor who wages a battle of wills to bring out the boy’s extraordinary musical gift. Starring Dustin Hoffman, Kathy Bates, Josh Lucas, Kevin McHale, Eddie Izzard, Debra Winger and Garrett Wareing.
The Connection (La French) Cédric Jimenez, France/Belgium World Premiere
Marseille, 1975. Pierre Michel, a young police magistrate with a wife and children, has just been transferred to help crack down on the city’s organized crime. He decides to take on the French Connection, a Mafia-run operation that exports heroin all over the world.
- 8/12/2014
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline
Acclaimed actors Chris Noth and Fritz Weaver join the cast of Lincoln's Favorite Shakespeare with John Douglas Thompson and Kathleen Chalfant. On August 14 at 4pm at the Fitzpatrick Main Stage, this noted quartet of actors are donating their performances to the event and will present scenes and soliloquies known and loved by Abraham Lincoln from the canon of Shakespeare with a reception immediately following at Chesterwood.
- 7/26/2014
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
Stars: Hal Holbrook, Leslie Nielsen, Adrienne Barbeau, Fritz Weaver, Leslie Nielsen, Carrie Nye, E.G. Marshall, Viveca Lindfors, Ed Harris, Ed Harris | Written by Stephen King | Directed by George A. Romero
Creepshow is an anthology of five stories, some written specifically for the film by Stephen King and others adapted from his own short stories. With tales that include a dead father rising on father’s day for a family reunion, macabre drownings, monsters in crates, a strange “green” infection you’ll never forget and cockroaches revenge every story has a suitably creepy and memorable end.
I could take a look at each story in the anthology but I’m sure that people who are reading this review will no doubt have already seen the film before, if not then you are in for a treat – this is a movie directed by George A. Romero, based on the writing of Stephen King,...
Creepshow is an anthology of five stories, some written specifically for the film by Stephen King and others adapted from his own short stories. With tales that include a dead father rising on father’s day for a family reunion, macabre drownings, monsters in crates, a strange “green” infection you’ll never forget and cockroaches revenge every story has a suitably creepy and memorable end.
I could take a look at each story in the anthology but I’m sure that people who are reading this review will no doubt have already seen the film before, if not then you are in for a treat – this is a movie directed by George A. Romero, based on the writing of Stephen King,...
- 11/17/2013
- by Paul Metcalf
- Nerdly
Demon Seed
Directed by Donald Cammell
Written by Dean R. Koontz
USA, 1977
Donald Cammell’s Demon Seed barely bypasses its routine silliness to become little more than an effective sci-fi-thriller/body-horror entry. Based on a novel of the same name by Dean R. Koontz, the film functions as a close relative to the later works of David Cronenbeg; a filmmaker who has put out countless films much aligned with this work from Cammell. Demon Seed suggests a slight removal from the gratuitousness put forth by Cronenberg, as the face of its horror is inhabited by an organic super-computer called Proteus, certainly not far removed from 2001’s Hal 9000. Both cold and calculated, Demon Seed details the negative implications surrounding man and his everlasting ambition; it’s always preposterous, but far from boring.
Julie Christie and Fritz Weaver play married doctors Susan and Alex Harris, their house reflecting the mood of Alex’s computer dominated work.
Directed by Donald Cammell
Written by Dean R. Koontz
USA, 1977
Donald Cammell’s Demon Seed barely bypasses its routine silliness to become little more than an effective sci-fi-thriller/body-horror entry. Based on a novel of the same name by Dean R. Koontz, the film functions as a close relative to the later works of David Cronenbeg; a filmmaker who has put out countless films much aligned with this work from Cammell. Demon Seed suggests a slight removal from the gratuitousness put forth by Cronenberg, as the face of its horror is inhabited by an organic super-computer called Proteus, certainly not far removed from 2001’s Hal 9000. Both cold and calculated, Demon Seed details the negative implications surrounding man and his everlasting ambition; it’s always preposterous, but far from boring.
Julie Christie and Fritz Weaver play married doctors Susan and Alex Harris, their house reflecting the mood of Alex’s computer dominated work.
- 10/5/2012
- by Ty Landis
- SoundOnSight
It has been a year since Sidney Lumet passed away on April 9, 2011. Here is our retrospective on the legendary filmmaker to honor his memory. Originally published April 15, 2011.
Almost a week after the fact, we, like everyone that loves film, are still mourning the passing of the great American master Sidney Lumet, one of the true titans of cinema.
Lumet was never fancy. He never needed to be, as a master of blocking, economic camera movements and framing that empowered the emotion and or exact punctuation of a particular scene. First and foremost, as you’ve likely heard ad nauseum -- but hell, it’s true -- Lumet was a storyteller, and one that preferred his beloved New York to soundstages (though let's not romanticize it too much, he did his fair share of work on studio film sets too as most TV journeyman and early studio filmmakers did).
His directing career stretched well over 50 years,...
Almost a week after the fact, we, like everyone that loves film, are still mourning the passing of the great American master Sidney Lumet, one of the true titans of cinema.
Lumet was never fancy. He never needed to be, as a master of blocking, economic camera movements and framing that empowered the emotion and or exact punctuation of a particular scene. First and foremost, as you’ve likely heard ad nauseum -- but hell, it’s true -- Lumet was a storyteller, and one that preferred his beloved New York to soundstages (though let's not romanticize it too much, he did his fair share of work on studio film sets too as most TV journeyman and early studio filmmakers did).
His directing career stretched well over 50 years,...
- 4/9/2012
- by Oliver Lyttelton
- The Playlist
Can you imagine Severus Snape reading "David Copperfield" out loud? This fantasy will come true when Alan Rickman joins a March 30 free reading of works by Charles Dickens presented by the Tipa (Towards International Peace Through the Arts) Project. Rickman (starring in Broadway's "Seminar" through April 1) will be joined by Tony-winning actors Fritz Weaver and Frances Sternhagen to celebrate Dickens' bicentennial. The Actor's Chapel, 239 W. 49th St., NYC. 2 p.m. Free. (212) 246-4651.
- 3/28/2012
- by help@backstage.com ()
- backstage.com
Like a lot of people, I've adored watching reruns of Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone and waited eagerly to hear the writer-producer-host's voice informing us that something eerily unexpected was about to happen. With his well-fitting suits and unsettlingly calm delivery, it seemed as if Serling was almost marveling at his ability to shock both his characters and his viewers.
If most of us knew him as a suave presence on the small screen, his daughter Anne has a far different memory of the man who wrote insightful and gut-wrenching television plays like Patterns and Requiem for a Heavyweight and the who adapted Seven Days in May and Planet of the Apes. Her genial father is sometimes tricky to reconcile with his sometimes grim public persona.
Serling was only 50 when he died in 1975, and his daughter was only 20. Nonetheless, the younger Serling has astonishingly vivid recollections of him and...
If most of us knew him as a suave presence on the small screen, his daughter Anne has a far different memory of the man who wrote insightful and gut-wrenching television plays like Patterns and Requiem for a Heavyweight and the who adapted Seven Days in May and Planet of the Apes. Her genial father is sometimes tricky to reconcile with his sometimes grim public persona.
Serling was only 50 when he died in 1975, and his daughter was only 20. Nonetheless, the younger Serling has astonishingly vivid recollections of him and...
- 2/8/2012
- by Dan Lybarger
- Aol TV.
Turner Classic Movies (TCM) has unveiled additional programming and events for the 2012 edition of the TCM Classic Film Festival, including a celebration of the 100th anniversary of Paramount Pictures. Robert Evans, longtime producer and former head of production for Paramount, is set to take part in the tribute, which will focus on the studio’s 1970s renaissance. In addition, the TCM Classic Film Festival is slated to include a look at The Noir Style, a tribute to legendary costume designer Travis Banton, a look at art deco in the movies, a collection of early cinematic rarities and much more.
TCM.s own Robert Osborne will once again serve as official host for the four-day, star-studded event, which will take pace Thursday, April 12 . Sunday, April 15, 2012, in Hollywood. Passes are on sale now through the official festival website: http://www.tcm.com/festival.
The Paramount Renaissance
The TCM Classic Film Festival will...
TCM.s own Robert Osborne will once again serve as official host for the four-day, star-studded event, which will take pace Thursday, April 12 . Sunday, April 15, 2012, in Hollywood. Passes are on sale now through the official festival website: http://www.tcm.com/festival.
The Paramount Renaissance
The TCM Classic Film Festival will...
- 12/19/2011
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The second season of the original series rolled to a close with this episode, featuring Burgess Meredith as a librarian who is sentenced to death for not paying his overdue fees in a timely fashion. The Twilight Zone, Episode #65: "The Obsolete Man" (original air date 6/2/61) The Plot: In a totalitarian society, "logic is an enemy and truth is a menace." Librarian Romney Wordsworth (Burgess Meredith) is facing the final 48 hours of his life; he has been charged with obsolescence, a crime worthy of the death sentence. The Goods: The episode is a grabber from its opening moment. The Chancellor (Fritz Weaver) stands at the top of a tall pyramid-shaped podium. Wordsworth is called in to face the charges against him in a...
- 9/3/2011
- Screen Anarchy
Marathon Man (1976) Direction: John Schlesinger Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Laurence Olivier, Roy Scheider, William Devane, Marthe Keller, Fritz Weaver, Richard Bright, Marc Lawrence Screenplay: William Goldman; from his own novel Oscar Movies Laurence Olivier, Marathon Man The deadliest sin a good-guy-vs.-bad-guy movie can commit is to — unintentionally — have us root for the evildoer. That is exactly what director John Schlesinger (Darling; Midnight Cowboy; Sunday, Bloody Sunday) and screenwriter William Goldman (adapting his own novel, reportedly with some help from Robert Towne) manage to do in the thrill-less "thriller" Marathon Man. Adding insult to injury, the villain I came to root for was a horrific Nazi war criminal, while the hero that bored me to tears was a pacifist Jew. Now, how could anyone manage to tip the scale toward such a monstrous character, especially when we have a Jewish hero fighting him? Well, ask Laurence Olivier, who has a grand...
- 2/15/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
This time, Moronic Mark takes on the best movie ever made in Alabama about killer snakes. Ok, it's the only movie made about killer snakes that was shot in Alabama, but it wasn't all that bad. It does have a good performance from Fritz Weaver and it's a better movie than that movie with Christina Applegate where she falls in love with James Marshall who got his hands amputated from a backhoe assault from bullies and he becomes a techno DJ. What was that movie called? Vibrations. Man, that movie sucked. Ok, I digressed...
- 2/2/2010
- by Moronic Mark
- HorrorYearbook
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