Forty-nine years ago, a front-page headline in Nashville’s Tennessean proclaimed “Marty’s a Mandolin Pro at 15,” heralding Marty Stuart’s teenaged role in Lester Flatt’s late-period band Nashville Grass. Stuart would also tour with Johnny Cash and achieve mainstream country success before establishing himself and his longtime band, the Superlatives, as stalwarts of the musically expansive Americana landscape.
Now a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, Stuart’s efforts to honor country’s traditions while injecting his music with the rock & roll he began playing as...
Now a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, Stuart’s efforts to honor country’s traditions while injecting his music with the rock & roll he began playing as...
- 5/19/2023
- by Stephen L. Betts
- Rollingstone.com
Sometimes great movies and TV shows have the most unlikely sources of inspiration. Nick Park and Aardman Animations' masterpiece "Chicken Run" was based on John Sturges' classic Pow adventure "The Great Escape," while "Logan" director James Mangold pitched the film as "'Little Miss Sunshine" with Wolverine and Charles Xavier (via Empire). When it came time to screen episodes of his iconic and wildly influential HBO series "The Sopranos" at the Museum of Modern Art, creator David Chase paired it with an unlikely inspiration: the 1940 Laurel and Hardy classic "Saps at Sea."
You might think that "Goodfellas" or "Public Enemy" or "Carlito's Way" might have been a more appropriate pick, but Chase has a good explanation for his choice (via Vanity Fair):
"I really like comedy. There's always a choice, when you're writing: you can either go for the joke or you can go for the story, the important stuff.
You might think that "Goodfellas" or "Public Enemy" or "Carlito's Way" might have been a more appropriate pick, but Chase has a good explanation for his choice (via Vanity Fair):
"I really like comedy. There's always a choice, when you're writing: you can either go for the joke or you can go for the story, the important stuff.
- 9/4/2022
- by Lee Adams
- Slash Film
The sports agency Excel Sports Management, representing talent, brands and properties, has hired Ryan Holcomb as its first-ever Head of Content.
Holcomb will be LA-based as he join the agency’s media division, Excel Media, which has recently put out docuseries highlighting the careers of two Excel clients, Joe Montana (Peacock’s Cool Under Pressure) and Derek Jeter (ESPN’s The Captain). His brief at the company will be to drive the creation and development of original content and programming for Excel and its clients.
“Ryan brings a wealth of knowledge in the content space and an understanding of how to shape an idea to make it interesting to both platforms and viewers,” said Excel Sports Management’s Founder and President, Jeff Schwartz. “We are seeing exponential growth in the opportunities for athletes to connect with fans and the world beyond their sport through compelling stories and shared interests. With...
Holcomb will be LA-based as he join the agency’s media division, Excel Media, which has recently put out docuseries highlighting the careers of two Excel clients, Joe Montana (Peacock’s Cool Under Pressure) and Derek Jeter (ESPN’s The Captain). His brief at the company will be to drive the creation and development of original content and programming for Excel and its clients.
“Ryan brings a wealth of knowledge in the content space and an understanding of how to shape an idea to make it interesting to both platforms and viewers,” said Excel Sports Management’s Founder and President, Jeff Schwartz. “We are seeing exponential growth in the opportunities for athletes to connect with fans and the world beyond their sport through compelling stories and shared interests. With...
- 7/28/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Excel Sports Management has a new head of content: Ryan Holcomb.
The sports agency that reps talent, brands and properties has tapped Holcomb to join its media division, Excel Media, to spearhead development of original content and programming for the firm and its clients. He’ll be based in Los Angeles.
Holcomb segues to the newly-created post from the World Surf League where he served as executive vp of Wsl Studios. During his tenure, he led Wsl’s content division developing programming, concepts and running branded content. His credits there included ABC’s The Ultimate Surfer, and developing and setting up a seven-part series about the Wsl’s Championship Tour at Apple TV+, in partnership with Box to Box Productions. Holcomb is an executive producer of that series, Make or Break, which is currently available on the streamer with a second season on the horizon.
Excel Sports Management has a new head of content: Ryan Holcomb.
The sports agency that reps talent, brands and properties has tapped Holcomb to join its media division, Excel Media, to spearhead development of original content and programming for the firm and its clients. He’ll be based in Los Angeles.
Holcomb segues to the newly-created post from the World Surf League where he served as executive vp of Wsl Studios. During his tenure, he led Wsl’s content division developing programming, concepts and running branded content. His credits there included ABC’s The Ultimate Surfer, and developing and setting up a seven-part series about the Wsl’s Championship Tour at Apple TV+, in partnership with Box to Box Productions. Holcomb is an executive producer of that series, Make or Break, which is currently available on the streamer with a second season on the horizon.
- 7/28/2022
- by Chris Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The title card that opens writer-director Eugene Ashe’s Sylvie’s Love (now streaming on Amazon) informs us that we’re in New York City, in 1962. That announcement quickly becomes superfluous, however — as soon as you hear Nancy Wilson’s version of “The Nearness of You” over vintage yellow cabs whizzing by old-school cafeterias, cigar shops and the Canadian Club sign in Times Square, along with the sight of Tessa Thompson looking positively radiant in a radioactively blue evening gown, you know exactly where and when you are. If nothing else,...
- 12/24/2020
- by David Fear
- Rollingstone.com
Hank Williams Jr., Marty Stuart, and songwriter Dean Dillon are the 2020 class of inductees into the Country Music Hall of Fame. The Country Music Association made the announcement on Wednesday morning.
Williams will fill the “Veterans Era Artist” slot, Stuart will be inducted as the “Modern Era Artist,” and Dillon in the “Songwriter” category, which rotates every three years with the “Non-Performer” and “Recording and/or Touring Musician” inductees.
Williams’ induction comes nearly 60 years after his father — the still influential Hank Williams — was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Williams will fill the “Veterans Era Artist” slot, Stuart will be inducted as the “Modern Era Artist,” and Dillon in the “Songwriter” category, which rotates every three years with the “Non-Performer” and “Recording and/or Touring Musician” inductees.
Williams’ induction comes nearly 60 years after his father — the still influential Hank Williams — was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
- 8/12/2020
- by Joseph Hudak
- Rollingstone.com
Normal 0 false false false En-us X-none X-none
“A Gorgeous Nice Mess”
By Raymond Benson and Doug Gerbino
Nobody wants the legacy of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy to disappear. Young people may have heard of the comic duo, but few have seen them these days. This is understandably disturbing to cinephiles or those of us of an older generation who have admired since childhood the genius on display when the pair performed in front of the camera. While Rhi Entertainment issued a fabulous DVD set in 2011 (10 disks in the U.S.) that contained most of Laurel and Hardy’s output for Hal Roach after sound kicked in, a new Blu-ray treasure chest has just been released by MVDvisual that contains stunning restorations in high definition of a respectable number of titles.
Laurel and Hardy—The Definitive Restorations could be a holy grail for members of Sons of the Desert, the...
“A Gorgeous Nice Mess”
By Raymond Benson and Doug Gerbino
Nobody wants the legacy of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy to disappear. Young people may have heard of the comic duo, but few have seen them these days. This is understandably disturbing to cinephiles or those of us of an older generation who have admired since childhood the genius on display when the pair performed in front of the camera. While Rhi Entertainment issued a fabulous DVD set in 2011 (10 disks in the U.S.) that contained most of Laurel and Hardy’s output for Hal Roach after sound kicked in, a new Blu-ray treasure chest has just been released by MVDvisual that contains stunning restorations in high definition of a respectable number of titles.
Laurel and Hardy—The Definitive Restorations could be a holy grail for members of Sons of the Desert, the...
- 7/10/2020
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
” Well, here’s another nice mess you’ve gotten me into.”
The comedy films of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy have been beloved around the world since they were first released between 1927 and 1940. So beloved that many of the available copies are blurred dupes printed from worn-out negatives. Now, the best of their short comedies and two of their finest features have been fully restored. They look and sound as spectacular as when they were first released..
Features
* New! 2K and 4K transfers from the finest original 35mm materials in the world.
* World Premieres! Laurel and Hardy’s legendary 1927 silent “pie fight” film The Battle Of The Century makes its video debut after being “lost” for 90 years! The only reel of L&h bloopers and out-takes, That’S That!
* Classic short comedies Berth Marks, Brats, Hog Wild, Come Clean, One Good Turn, Helpmates, The Music Box (the legendary Academy Award...
The comedy films of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy have been beloved around the world since they were first released between 1927 and 1940. So beloved that many of the available copies are blurred dupes printed from worn-out negatives. Now, the best of their short comedies and two of their finest features have been fully restored. They look and sound as spectacular as when they were first released..
Features
* New! 2K and 4K transfers from the finest original 35mm materials in the world.
* World Premieres! Laurel and Hardy’s legendary 1927 silent “pie fight” film The Battle Of The Century makes its video debut after being “lost” for 90 years! The only reel of L&h bloopers and out-takes, That’S That!
* Classic short comedies Berth Marks, Brats, Hog Wild, Come Clean, One Good Turn, Helpmates, The Music Box (the legendary Academy Award...
- 3/3/2020
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Musicianship was the theme of the evening for the second of Marty Stuart’s three Artist-in-Residence performances at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on Wednesday. Titled “Psychedelic Jam-Bo-Ree” and featuring a multi-generational cast of guests, the emphasis felt tilted slightly more “jam” than “psych,” with Stuart and his band the Fabulous Superlatives flexing their instrumental chops.
In a way, the show was akin to Stuart’s annual Late Night Jam, held each June at the Ryman Auditorium during Cma Fest. That show mirrors the format of an old radio program,...
In a way, the show was akin to Stuart’s annual Late Night Jam, held each June at the Ryman Auditorium during Cma Fest. That show mirrors the format of an old radio program,...
- 9/19/2019
- by Jon Freeman
- Rollingstone.com
Marty Stuart has lined up three all-star evenings with entirely different themes for his stint as the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s Artist-in-Residence, which begins September 11th in Nashville. Joining the singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist throughout the series of intimate shows are fellow performers including Chris and Morgan Stapleton, Old Crow Medicine Show, John Prine, and Emmylou Harris.
The first of the three evenings, titled “The Pilgrim,” will take place September 11th and celebrate the 20th anniversary of Stuart’s album The Pilgrim. Joining him for the evening...
The first of the three evenings, titled “The Pilgrim,” will take place September 11th and celebrate the 20th anniversary of Stuart’s album The Pilgrim. Joining him for the evening...
- 6/19/2019
- by Jon Freeman
- Rollingstone.com
Stan And Ollie is a moving love letter to beloved comedians Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy (portrayed by Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly). The film focuses on the dynamics of the duo’s 1953 comeback tour through the music halls of England, which took place amid Ollie’s deteriorating health. With the exception of a look at the filming of Way Out West, one of Laurel and Hardy’s most beloved comedies, director Jon Baird and screenwriter Jeff Pope resist the temptation to show too many re-creations of old movies and imitators of old stars. Fortunately for fans of the pair, that tour featured re-creations of many of their routines, songs and gags and there is plenty on screen to enjoy.
Stand And Ollie is one of the great human dramas of Hollywood, though little of it actually takes place in tinseltown. There’s a 15-minute opening set there in...
Stand And Ollie is one of the great human dramas of Hollywood, though little of it actually takes place in tinseltown. There’s a 15-minute opening set there in...
- 1/24/2019
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Oliver Hardy would’ve celebrated his 127th birthday on January 18, 2019. The actor became a Hollywood legend after pairing up with Stan Laurel to form the comedic duo Laurel and Hardy. Together, the pair produced 79 shorts and 27 features. Yet how many of those titles are classics? In honor of his birthday, let’s take a look back at 10 of Laurel and Hardy’s best feature films, ranked worst to best.
SEEJohn C. Reilly Interview: ‘Stan and Ollie’
Laurel and Hardy were already established comedians in their own right before they teamed up for a series of shorts produced by Hal Roach (of “The Little Rascals” fame). One of their most famous, “The Music Box” (1934), won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short (Comedy).
Their first official foray into features was a cameo appearance in “The Hollywood Revue of 1929” (1929), a musical variety meant to introduce MGM’s silent movie stars to sound.
SEEJohn C. Reilly Interview: ‘Stan and Ollie’
Laurel and Hardy were already established comedians in their own right before they teamed up for a series of shorts produced by Hal Roach (of “The Little Rascals” fame). One of their most famous, “The Music Box” (1934), won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short (Comedy).
Their first official foray into features was a cameo appearance in “The Hollywood Revue of 1929” (1929), a musical variety meant to introduce MGM’s silent movie stars to sound.
- 1/18/2019
- by Zach Laws and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Steve Coogan and John C Reilly excel in this bittersweet film about the twilight years of the great double act
Like the comedy greats to whom this winningly warm film pays tribute, Jon S Baird’s affectionate drama balances humour and pathos, laughter and tears. Set in Laurel and Hardy’s twilight years, it’s more melancholy love story than slapstick showbiz reminiscence. Philomena co-writer Jeff Pope’s inventive script (inspired by Aj Marriot’s factual account of Stan and Ollie’s post-war British theatre tours) paints the performers as an odd couple, professionally joined at the hip yet sometimes separated at the heart. Superb headline performances from Steve Coogan and John C Reilly are matched by equally sparkling supporting turns from Nina Arianda and Shirley Henderson as Stan and Ollie’s combative wives, providing what an astute promoter dubs “two double acts for the price of one!”
We first...
Like the comedy greats to whom this winningly warm film pays tribute, Jon S Baird’s affectionate drama balances humour and pathos, laughter and tears. Set in Laurel and Hardy’s twilight years, it’s more melancholy love story than slapstick showbiz reminiscence. Philomena co-writer Jeff Pope’s inventive script (inspired by Aj Marriot’s factual account of Stan and Ollie’s post-war British theatre tours) paints the performers as an odd couple, professionally joined at the hip yet sometimes separated at the heart. Superb headline performances from Steve Coogan and John C Reilly are matched by equally sparkling supporting turns from Nina Arianda and Shirley Henderson as Stan and Ollie’s combative wives, providing what an astute promoter dubs “two double acts for the price of one!”
We first...
- 1/13/2019
- by Mark Kermode, Observer film critic
- The Guardian - Film News
It could have been a standard by-the-numbers origin-story biopic — instead, Stan & Ollie looks at the legendary screen duo of Stan Laurel (Steve Coogan) and Oliver Hardy (John C. Reilly) as their career winds down. The emphasis here is on the way the funny bits in their lives come tinged with melancholy — not a bad thing, really, when you’ve actors like these who can deftly balance both comedy and tragedy. Taking a swerve taking from the cocaine cowboys of Filth, director Jon S. Baird seems to have an instinctive grasp...
- 12/27/2018
- by Peter Travers
- Rollingstone.com
“Stan & Ollie” marks the third feature for Jon S. Baird, after the 2008 racial drama “Cass” and the 2013 “Filth,” with James McAvoy as a bipolar junkie cop. There’s nothing in those earlier films similar to “Stan & Ollie,” which opens Dec. 28 in the U.S., but he proved the perfect match for the funny, sweet film about friendship.
The Scotland-born Baird admits, “On paper, I was not the logical choice for this. But I had been a huge fan since I was a kid; I used to dress up as Stan Laurel for the school dress party. And I loved the script by Jeff Pope.
“Jeff and I thought it was important to show them at height of career, but then to concentrate on the ’50s, the time of their biggest challenges.”
The film starts with a brief prologue in 1937, when comedy team Stan Laurel & Oliver Hardy were at their height,...
The Scotland-born Baird admits, “On paper, I was not the logical choice for this. But I had been a huge fan since I was a kid; I used to dress up as Stan Laurel for the school dress party. And I loved the script by Jeff Pope.
“Jeff and I thought it was important to show them at height of career, but then to concentrate on the ’50s, the time of their biggest challenges.”
The film starts with a brief prologue in 1937, when comedy team Stan Laurel & Oliver Hardy were at their height,...
- 12/7/2018
- by Tim Gray
- Variety Film + TV
“Stan & Ollie” marks the third feature for Jon S. Baird, after the 2008 racial drama “Cass” and the 2013 “Filth,” with James McAvoy as a bipolar junkie cop. There’s nothing in those earlier films similar to “Stan & Ollie,” which opens Dec. 28 in the U.S., but he proved the perfect match for the funny, sweet film about friendship.
The Scotland-born Baird admits, “On paper, I was not the logical choice for this. But I had been a huge fan since I was a kid; I used to dress up as Stan Laurel for the school dress party. And I loved the script by Jeff Pope.
“Jeff and I thought it was important to show them at height of career, but then to concentrate on the ’50s, the time of their biggest challenges.”
The film starts with a brief prologue in 1937, when comedy team Stan Laurel & Oliver Hardy were at their height,...
The Scotland-born Baird admits, “On paper, I was not the logical choice for this. But I had been a huge fan since I was a kid; I used to dress up as Stan Laurel for the school dress party. And I loved the script by Jeff Pope.
“Jeff and I thought it was important to show them at height of career, but then to concentrate on the ’50s, the time of their biggest challenges.”
The film starts with a brief prologue in 1937, when comedy team Stan Laurel & Oliver Hardy were at their height,...
- 12/6/2018
- by Tim Gray
- Variety Film + TV
After a string of supporting roles, including an Oscar-nominated turn in “Chicago,” John C. Reilly relished being the lead in the “Stan and Ollie,” playing legendary screen comedian Oliver Hardy opposite Steve Coogan as Stan Laurel. Early reviews have hailed his performance as one of the best of his lengthy career.
But Reilly demurs. “Saying something is my greatest or my worst, I’m not in the business of that. I just try to provide things for the world and I want everything to be my greatest thing. I want every effort that I make, I want to put my whole heart into it. It’s like choosing between your children or something, it’s a cruel thing to do.”
Surely, it’s at least his most transformative role, though? Reilly spent three to four hours in the make-up chair daily to physically transform himself into Hardy. Again, however, he was coy.
But Reilly demurs. “Saying something is my greatest or my worst, I’m not in the business of that. I just try to provide things for the world and I want everything to be my greatest thing. I want every effort that I make, I want to put my whole heart into it. It’s like choosing between your children or something, it’s a cruel thing to do.”
Surely, it’s at least his most transformative role, though? Reilly spent three to four hours in the make-up chair daily to physically transform himself into Hardy. Again, however, he was coy.
- 12/4/2018
- by Jacob Sarkisian
- Gold Derby
There’s a clever moment midway through “Stan & Ollie” in which aging slapstick duo Stan Laurel (Steve Coogan) and Oliver Hardy (John C. Reilly) get into a fight. As they stand in the middle of a public reception celebrating their work, the fracas registers to the surrounding crowd as a bit. Much of “Stan & Ollie” explores explores that disconnect: Even as the men grow distant from the happier moments of their Hollywood careers, their chemistry chases them everywhere.
Director Jon S. Baird’s bittersweet little movie follows the pair through a farewell tour across the U.K. and Ireland, where they engage in a series of lively stage shows that rekindles their talent. The ensuing showbiz dramedy follows a genial trajectory, falling short of injecting much ingenuity into the story beyond the uncanny ability to resurrect Laurel and Hardy onscreen. Yet for much of its running time, that’s sufficient.
Director Jon S. Baird’s bittersweet little movie follows the pair through a farewell tour across the U.K. and Ireland, where they engage in a series of lively stage shows that rekindles their talent. The ensuing showbiz dramedy follows a genial trajectory, falling short of injecting much ingenuity into the story beyond the uncanny ability to resurrect Laurel and Hardy onscreen. Yet for much of its running time, that’s sufficient.
- 10/21/2018
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Considering everything that's been happening on the planet in the last several months, you'd have thought we're already in November or December – of 2117. But no. It's only June. 2017. And in some parts of the world, that's the month of brides, fathers, graduates, gays, and climate change denial. Beginning this evening, Thursday, June 1, Turner Classic Movies will be focusing on one of these June groups: Lgbt people, specifically those in the American film industry. Following the presentation of about 10 movies featuring Frank Morgan, who would have turned 127 years old today, TCM will set its cinematic sights on the likes of William Haines, James Whale, George Cukor, Mitchell Leisen, Dorothy Arzner, Patsy Kelly, and Ramon Novarro. In addition to, whether or not intentionally, Claudette Colbert, Colin Clive, Katharine Hepburn, Douglass Montgomery (a.k.a. Kent Douglass), Marjorie Main, and Billie Burke, among others. But this is ridiculous! Why should TCM present a...
- 6/2/2017
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Just back from the 2017 TCM Classic Movie Festival with a few thoughts and thoughts about thoughts. I certainly held my reservations about this year’s edition, and though I ultimately ended up tiring early of flitting about from theater to theater like a mouse in a movie maze (it happens to even the most fanatically devoted of us on occasion, or so I’m told), there were, as always, several things I learned by attending Tcmff 2017 as well.
1) TCM Staffers Are Unfailingly Polite And Helpful
Thankfully I wasn’t witness, as I have been in past years, to any pass holders acting like spoiled children because they had to wait in a long queue or, heaven forbid, because they somehow didn’t get in to one of their preferred screenings. Part of what makes the Tcmff experience as pleasant as it often is can be credited to the tireless work...
1) TCM Staffers Are Unfailingly Polite And Helpful
Thankfully I wasn’t witness, as I have been in past years, to any pass holders acting like spoiled children because they had to wait in a long queue or, heaven forbid, because they somehow didn’t get in to one of their preferred screenings. Part of what makes the Tcmff experience as pleasant as it often is can be credited to the tireless work...
- 4/15/2017
- by Dennis Cozzalio
- Trailers from Hell
“It’s the most wonderful time/Of the year…” – Andy Williams
Well, yes and no. There is, after all, still about a week and a half to go before we can put the long national, annual nightmare of the tax season behind us. But it’s also film festival season, which for me specifically means the onset of the 2017 TCM Classic Film Festival, the eighth iteration of what has become a perennial moviegoing event. More and more people flock to Hollywood Boulevard each year from all reaches of the country, and from other countries, to revel in the history of Hollywood and international filmmaking, celebrate their favorite stars (including, this year, beloved TCM host Robert Osborne, who died earlier this year and whose presence has been missed at the festival for the past two sessions) and enjoy a long-weekend-sized bout of nostalgia for the movie culture being referred to when...
Well, yes and no. There is, after all, still about a week and a half to go before we can put the long national, annual nightmare of the tax season behind us. But it’s also film festival season, which for me specifically means the onset of the 2017 TCM Classic Film Festival, the eighth iteration of what has become a perennial moviegoing event. More and more people flock to Hollywood Boulevard each year from all reaches of the country, and from other countries, to revel in the history of Hollywood and international filmmaking, celebrate their favorite stars (including, this year, beloved TCM host Robert Osborne, who died earlier this year and whose presence has been missed at the festival for the past two sessions) and enjoy a long-weekend-sized bout of nostalgia for the movie culture being referred to when...
- 4/6/2017
- by Dennis Cozzalio
- Trailers from Hell
Comedy is very subjective but a great comedy will stand the test of time and continue to make generation after generation laugh. Some people like their humor dry, while some like it shocking and offensive. Whatever your taste, good humor will always be out there. Here are 20 great comedies that will no doubt continue to be appreciated in the future.
20. Fargo: The Cohen Brothers funniest black comedy may not be for everyone's taste, because it is quite violent. However, underneath all that is a droll observation on the human condition, highlighted by a winning performance from Frances McDormand as a very likeable and very pregnant police chief. Her character police chief Marge Gunderson is kind, clever and compassionate. She’s a much more admirable role model than all the recent ‘badass female’ clichés we’ve been inundated with lately. Another standout here is William H. Macy as a two-bit schemer who's plan utterly backfires.
20. Fargo: The Cohen Brothers funniest black comedy may not be for everyone's taste, because it is quite violent. However, underneath all that is a droll observation on the human condition, highlighted by a winning performance from Frances McDormand as a very likeable and very pregnant police chief. Her character police chief Marge Gunderson is kind, clever and compassionate. She’s a much more admirable role model than all the recent ‘badass female’ clichés we’ve been inundated with lately. Another standout here is William H. Macy as a two-bit schemer who's plan utterly backfires.
- 9/24/2016
- by feeds@cinelinx.com (Rob Young)
- Cinelinx
Since any New York City cinephile has a nearly suffocating wealth of theatrical options, we figured it’d be best to compile some of the more worthwhile repertory showings into one handy list. Displayed below are a few of the city’s most reliable theaters and links to screenings of their weekend offerings — films you’re not likely to see in a theater again anytime soon, and many of which are, also, on 35mm. If you have a chance to attend any of these, we’re of the mind that it’s time extremely well-spent.
Film Society of Lincoln Center
The release of Carol (our coverage can be found here) brings “Todd Haynes: The Other Side of Dreams,” which will pair the director’s work with his personal favorites. Safe and Imitation of Life show on Friday; on Saturday, see “Todd Haynes: Rarities” — which brings Dottie Gets Spanked,...
Film Society of Lincoln Center
The release of Carol (our coverage can be found here) brings “Todd Haynes: The Other Side of Dreams,” which will pair the director’s work with his personal favorites. Safe and Imitation of Life show on Friday; on Saturday, see “Todd Haynes: Rarities” — which brings Dottie Gets Spanked,...
- 11/20/2015
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Newly restored HD versions of two classic Laurel and Hardy comedies relive all their petty, pratfall-based glories – and a streak of surreal mischief
Showing as part of the extended celebration of the 125th anniversary of Stan Laurel’s birth, this Laurel and Hardy double bill arrives in cinemas in high-definition, following an extensive restoration. While the duo’s petty, pratfall-based humour might not be as inventive as that of their contemporaries – Chaplin, Keaton and Lloyd – there’s a glorious streak of surreal mischief displayed here.
In Way Out West, which sees the duo charged with delivering the deeds of a gold mine to the daughter of a dead prospector, Stan repeatedly baffles Ollie by using his own thumb as a cigar lighter. In Towed in a Hole, in which the pair star as a couple of itinerant fish salesmen, Ollie boots a bucket at Stan’s head, only to have...
Showing as part of the extended celebration of the 125th anniversary of Stan Laurel’s birth, this Laurel and Hardy double bill arrives in cinemas in high-definition, following an extensive restoration. While the duo’s petty, pratfall-based humour might not be as inventive as that of their contemporaries – Chaplin, Keaton and Lloyd – there’s a glorious streak of surreal mischief displayed here.
In Way Out West, which sees the duo charged with delivering the deeds of a gold mine to the daughter of a dead prospector, Stan repeatedly baffles Ollie by using his own thumb as a cigar lighter. In Towed in a Hole, in which the pair star as a couple of itinerant fish salesmen, Ollie boots a bucket at Stan’s head, only to have...
- 10/22/2015
- by Wendy Ide
- The Guardian - Film News
It's fitting that Clint Eastwood and John Wayne both have the same birthday week. (Wayne, who died in 1979, was born May 26, 1907, while Eastwood turns 85 on May 31). After all, these two all-American actors' careers span the history of that most American of movie genres, the western.
Both iconic actors were top box office draws for decades, both seldom stretched from their familiar personas, and both played macho, conservative cowboy heroes who let their firearms do most of the talking. Each represented one of two very different strains of western, the traditional and the revisionist.
As a birthday present to Hollywood's biggest heroes of the Wild West, here are the top 57 westerns you need to see.
57. 'Meek's Cutoff' (2010)
Indie filmmaker Kelly Reichardt and her frequent leading lady, Michelle Williams, are the talents behind this sparse, docudrama about an 1845 wagon train whose Oregon Trail journey goes horribly awry. It's an intense...
Both iconic actors were top box office draws for decades, both seldom stretched from their familiar personas, and both played macho, conservative cowboy heroes who let their firearms do most of the talking. Each represented one of two very different strains of western, the traditional and the revisionist.
As a birthday present to Hollywood's biggest heroes of the Wild West, here are the top 57 westerns you need to see.
57. 'Meek's Cutoff' (2010)
Indie filmmaker Kelly Reichardt and her frequent leading lady, Michelle Williams, are the talents behind this sparse, docudrama about an 1845 wagon train whose Oregon Trail journey goes horribly awry. It's an intense...
- 5/26/2015
- by Gary Susman
- Moviefone
Way Out Westerns! kicks off this week at Trailers from Hell, with John Landis introducing Laurel and Hardy's 1937 comedy "Way Out West."Often cited (by Stan Laurel himself) as a quintessential Laurel and Hardy vehicle, this modest western spoof showcases their gently abusive relationship with a minimum of dialog. The music score by Marvin Hatley was Oscar nominated! Although the team remains popular with the baby boomer generation, present day kids are woefully unfamiliar with L & H.
- 11/4/2013
- by Trailers From Hell
- Thompson on Hollywood
Our daily countdown continues with part 14 out of 30, in our list of the 300 Greatest Films Ever Made. These are numbers 170-161.
170) Way Out West (1937) James Horne USA
169) Topper (1937) Norman McCleod USA
168) Giant (1958) George Stevens USA
167) The Golem (1920) Paul Waggoner German Silent
166) Little Caesar (1930) Mervyn LeRoy USA
165) The Mummy (1932) Karl Freund USA
164) The Man Who Would Be King (1975) John Houston USA
163) Gigi (1958) Vincent Minnelli USA
162) Goldfinger (1964) Guy Hamilton USA
161) The Caine Mutiny (1954) Edward Dmyrky USA
Numbers 160-151 coming next.
film cultureClassicslist300...
170) Way Out West (1937) James Horne USA
169) Topper (1937) Norman McCleod USA
168) Giant (1958) George Stevens USA
167) The Golem (1920) Paul Waggoner German Silent
166) Little Caesar (1930) Mervyn LeRoy USA
165) The Mummy (1932) Karl Freund USA
164) The Man Who Would Be King (1975) John Houston USA
163) Gigi (1958) Vincent Minnelli USA
162) Goldfinger (1964) Guy Hamilton USA
161) The Caine Mutiny (1954) Edward Dmyrky USA
Numbers 160-151 coming next.
film cultureClassicslist300...
- 1/15/2013
- by feeds@cinelinx.com (Rob Young)
- Cinelinx
Each week we ask readers to tell us about venues close to their hearts. Today, a lost art deco cinema in Northern Ireland
Location
The exuberantly characterful Tonic cinema, first opened in 1936, was ensconced on a prime site near the centre of one of Northern Ireland's more prosperous coastal towns. Its prestigious location would, however, eventually work against it, as would the advent of the video cassette recorder.
The building
"Everything is art deco now", Anjelica Huston told Jack Nicholson's none-too-cerebral hitman in Prizzi's Honor, to which Nicholson replied, "Art who?" But we lucky patrons of the Tonic knew about art deco. The Tonic's elegant curves, its assertive buttresses and long smooth flanks, were as familiar to us as the waves on the shores of nearby Belfast Lough.
Split between lowly stalls and exalted circle, there were seats for 2,500 people, making this Northern Ireland's biggest as well as its most beautiful cinema.
Location
The exuberantly characterful Tonic cinema, first opened in 1936, was ensconced on a prime site near the centre of one of Northern Ireland's more prosperous coastal towns. Its prestigious location would, however, eventually work against it, as would the advent of the video cassette recorder.
The building
"Everything is art deco now", Anjelica Huston told Jack Nicholson's none-too-cerebral hitman in Prizzi's Honor, to which Nicholson replied, "Art who?" But we lucky patrons of the Tonic knew about art deco. The Tonic's elegant curves, its assertive buttresses and long smooth flanks, were as familiar to us as the waves on the shores of nearby Belfast Lough.
Split between lowly stalls and exalted circle, there were seats for 2,500 people, making this Northern Ireland's biggest as well as its most beautiful cinema.
- 12/11/2012
- by Guardian readers
- The Guardian - Film News
We've been enjoying your responses to our My favourite film series, for which Guardian writers have selected the movies they hold closest to their hearts.
Here's a roundup of how you responded in week six, when the selections were Way Out West, Double Indemnity, Tampopo, Back to the Future and Kes
Commence to dancing! For in the sixth week of our My favourite film series you achieved something pretty much unheard of – a Guardian article that provoked absolutely no dissenting opinion whatsoever. Just 156 comments worth of awe and affection for Laurel and Hardy with the odd smattering of praise for Jonathan Glancey's take on their "happily inconsequential" classic Way Out West. Debate be damned! We could get used to this.
"Strung between songs and a creaking plot are gags aplenty and a gloriously wayward score," said Glancey of James W Horne's collaboration with the pair, which sees the boys pop...
Here's a roundup of how you responded in week six, when the selections were Way Out West, Double Indemnity, Tampopo, Back to the Future and Kes
Commence to dancing! For in the sixth week of our My favourite film series you achieved something pretty much unheard of – a Guardian article that provoked absolutely no dissenting opinion whatsoever. Just 156 comments worth of awe and affection for Laurel and Hardy with the odd smattering of praise for Jonathan Glancey's take on their "happily inconsequential" classic Way Out West. Debate be damned! We could get used to this.
"Strung between songs and a creaking plot are gags aplenty and a gloriously wayward score," said Glancey of James W Horne's collaboration with the pair, which sees the boys pop...
- 12/13/2011
- The Guardian - Film News
The acclaimed, eccentric director of Women in Love and The Devils died this week, prompting tributes from the press and former colleagues
The big story
Ken Russell died this week, leaving behind a body of work that shocked and surprised, teased and titillated. He was, said Xan Brooks in our early news story a man of "wild drama, gaudy conflagrations and operatic flourishes", a "juggler of high and low culture who invariably courted controversy".
Russell's career path - from his documentary work for the 1960s BBC series Monitor, to the short films he made at home in later years - was hard to map. His most infamous and innovative works - The Devils, Altered States - flashed by in the wake of semi-hits Women in Love (which won him an Oscar in 1971) and Tommy. He was, said friends an "iconoclast" (Venessa Redgrave). "Fearless, eccentric and silly" (Melvyn Bragg). "Capable of...
The big story
Ken Russell died this week, leaving behind a body of work that shocked and surprised, teased and titillated. He was, said Xan Brooks in our early news story a man of "wild drama, gaudy conflagrations and operatic flourishes", a "juggler of high and low culture who invariably courted controversy".
Russell's career path - from his documentary work for the 1960s BBC series Monitor, to the short films he made at home in later years - was hard to map. His most infamous and innovative works - The Devils, Altered States - flashed by in the wake of semi-hits Women in Love (which won him an Oscar in 1971) and Tommy. He was, said friends an "iconoclast" (Venessa Redgrave). "Fearless, eccentric and silly" (Melvyn Bragg). "Capable of...
- 12/1/2011
- by Henry Barnes
- The Guardian - Film News
In our writers' favourite film series, Jonathan Glancey is bewitched by the silver-screen sorcery of Laurel and Hardy's 1937 classic
Love this review or is it just another fine mess? Post your own take here or enjoy a little comedy tit-for-tat below
Mary Roberts's father has died, leaving the deed of a gold mine to the innocent young Southern belle (played by Rosina Lawrence), who is working as a skivvy in Mickey Finn's Palace, a raucous saloon bar in Brushwood Gulch. Stan and Ollie have been charged with delivering this precious document to her. They are readily gulled into giving it to Lola Marcel (Sharon Lynne), a hard, bottle-blonde vaudeville singer pretending to be Mary. Realising their mistake, they set about – calamitously, of course – getting it back.
Not much of a plot, I suppose, but enough to spin Way Out West into an hour-long feature film I have watched time and again.
Love this review or is it just another fine mess? Post your own take here or enjoy a little comedy tit-for-tat below
Mary Roberts's father has died, leaving the deed of a gold mine to the innocent young Southern belle (played by Rosina Lawrence), who is working as a skivvy in Mickey Finn's Palace, a raucous saloon bar in Brushwood Gulch. Stan and Ollie have been charged with delivering this precious document to her. They are readily gulled into giving it to Lola Marcel (Sharon Lynne), a hard, bottle-blonde vaudeville singer pretending to be Mary. Realising their mistake, they set about – calamitously, of course – getting it back.
Not much of a plot, I suppose, but enough to spin Way Out West into an hour-long feature film I have watched time and again.
- 11/28/2011
- by Jonathan Glancey
- The Guardian - Film News
Tonight at the Museum of the Moving Image in New York: The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus (1968), featuring the Stones, of course, but also The Who, John and Yoko, Jethro Tull, Marianne Faithfull and Taj Mahal. Director Michael Lindsay-Hogg will be on hand "for a post-screening discussion and book signing of his captivating new memoir Luck and Circumstance: A Coming of Age in Hollywood, New York, and Points Beyond. Lindsay-Hogg takes us through an extraordinary life including boyhood encounters with Marion Davies, William Randolph Hearst, Olivia De Havilland, Humphrey Bogart, Henry Miller, and a prolific career in the worlds of film, television, and music."
Through February 12, the Whitney Museum is presenting Three Landscapes, "a little-known triple screen film installation by Roy Lichtenstein, unseen since its showing at the Los Angeles County Museum in 1971 as part of the groundbreaking exhibition Art and Technology. The result of a short residency at Universal Studios in Hollywood,...
Through February 12, the Whitney Museum is presenting Three Landscapes, "a little-known triple screen film installation by Roy Lichtenstein, unseen since its showing at the Los Angeles County Museum in 1971 as part of the groundbreaking exhibition Art and Technology. The result of a short residency at Universal Studios in Hollywood,...
- 10/26/2011
- MUBI
Comedy is very subjective, so this list may not represent your favorite comedic moments in cinema. Time Out London has compiled their list of the 100 Best Comedies Of All Time, and did it in a unique manner. 200 people that work in, with, or around comedy were surveyed to find out their top ten comedies. Then those lists were averaged to get the top 100.
The cool thing about the list is that the mag also included thet top ten of each person surveyed, including Edgar Wright, Dan Aykroyd and The Office creator, Steven Merchant. Below is the top 100 and a few other top ten lists. To check out all the lists visit Time Out London.
100. Sister Act (1992)
99. Carry on Screaming (1966)
98. Brazil (1985)
97. Swingers (1996)
96. BASEketball (1998)
95. The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976)
94. Midnight Run (1988)
93. Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
92. Nuts in May (1976)
91. Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004)
90. Mean Girls (2004)
89. The Great Dictator (1940)
88. Arthur (1981)
87. A Fish Called Wanda...
The cool thing about the list is that the mag also included thet top ten of each person surveyed, including Edgar Wright, Dan Aykroyd and The Office creator, Steven Merchant. Below is the top 100 and a few other top ten lists. To check out all the lists visit Time Out London.
100. Sister Act (1992)
99. Carry on Screaming (1966)
98. Brazil (1985)
97. Swingers (1996)
96. BASEketball (1998)
95. The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976)
94. Midnight Run (1988)
93. Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
92. Nuts in May (1976)
91. Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004)
90. Mean Girls (2004)
89. The Great Dictator (1940)
88. Arthur (1981)
87. A Fish Called Wanda...
- 9/15/2011
- by Tiberius
- GeekTyrant
From time to time, major organizations such as the AFI give us lists of the best movies of all time. There's some kind of grand countdown from 100 to 1 and then we debate for a few days over how low this one was ranked or why was another ranked too high. And most of the time, we rarely get a glimpse behind the process. Time Out London has just released their list of the 100 Best Comedies Of All Time but have done it in a fun and uniquely transparent way. They surveyed over 200 people who work in, with, or around comedy and asked them for their top tens. Then they averaged all those lists together to come up with the top 100. The best part, though, is that all the lists are public. So instead of just listing the 100 best comedies of all time, we can also find out which ten comedies...
- 9/15/2011
- by Germain Lussier
- Slash Film
The Cinematheque has lots of great stuff. This weekend is no exception.
A bit last minute on this announcement, but, since we love the American Cinematheque here in Los Angeles so much, it’s still worth noting for those of you without plans this weekend. They’re always screening movies — real, interesting movies — the way they were meant to be seen. And this weekend they’ve got several events worth considering.
Tonight, at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood, they screen two Laurel and Hardy shorts alongside one of their features, Way Out West.
In what half of their fans consider their best feature, Stan and Ollie travel, well, out west to deliver the deed to a gold mine to the daughter of its late owner. Naturally, they don’t reckon with perennial nemesis Jimmy Finlayson trying to snatch it for himself. Endlessly entertaining, with Rosina Lawrence, Sharon Lynne, Stanley Fields,...
A bit last minute on this announcement, but, since we love the American Cinematheque here in Los Angeles so much, it’s still worth noting for those of you without plans this weekend. They’re always screening movies — real, interesting movies — the way they were meant to be seen. And this weekend they’ve got several events worth considering.
Tonight, at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood, they screen two Laurel and Hardy shorts alongside one of their features, Way Out West.
In what half of their fans consider their best feature, Stan and Ollie travel, well, out west to deliver the deed to a gold mine to the daughter of its late owner. Naturally, they don’t reckon with perennial nemesis Jimmy Finlayson trying to snatch it for himself. Endlessly entertaining, with Rosina Lawrence, Sharon Lynne, Stanley Fields,...
- 6/17/2011
- by Danny
- Trailers from Hell
The fabulous Tilda Swinton is now a half century old young timeless -- old, young... these concepts are too limited when it comes to the greats. But fact: On November 5th, 1960 Tilda Swinton first came into the world. So a tribute is most definitely in order.
50 Appropriate Ways
to Celebrate Swintonian Greatness
Be a genius.Dye your hair white blonde... or bright red.Be colorful.Imagine you have deep Scottish roots.Create an eccentric personal film festival.Attend any film festival near you.Have tremendous commitment to your art. Exhibit tremendous loyalty to your friends.Watch a Derek Jarman film immediately. (This should have been first. Just pretend you did it first.)
Stand naked in front of the mirror with your goodies tucked. Say "Same person. No different at all. Just a different sex"That's right. Watch Orlando (1993) again. It's so good.Break the fourth wall with Jimmy Sommerville blasting behind you as soundtrack.
50 Appropriate Ways
to Celebrate Swintonian Greatness
Be a genius.Dye your hair white blonde... or bright red.Be colorful.Imagine you have deep Scottish roots.Create an eccentric personal film festival.Attend any film festival near you.Have tremendous commitment to your art. Exhibit tremendous loyalty to your friends.Watch a Derek Jarman film immediately. (This should have been first. Just pretend you did it first.)
Stand naked in front of the mirror with your goodies tucked. Say "Same person. No different at all. Just a different sex"That's right. Watch Orlando (1993) again. It's so good.Break the fourth wall with Jimmy Sommerville blasting behind you as soundtrack.
- 11/7/2010
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Tony Bennett Buy: iTunes.com Genre: Jazz Song: It's So Peaceful in the Country Album: The Beat of My Heart Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits) Buy: iTunes.com Genre: Pop Song: Water of Love Album: Dire Straits Charlie Haden Buy: iTunes.com Genre: Bluegrass/Jazz Song: Shenandoah Album: Rambling Boy (Bonus Track Version) David Crosby Buy: iTunes.com Genre: Rock Song: Laughing Album: If I Could Only Remember My Name Mae West Buy: iTunes.com Genre: Jazz Song: Nervous Album: Way Out West Dinah Washington Buy: iTunes.com Genre: Jazz Song: I Concentrate on You Album: What a Difference a Day Makes Isaac Hayes Buy: iTunes.com Genre: R&B/Soul Song: Walk On By Album: Hot Buttered Soul - Ep (Remastered) Claude Debussy (Performed by Glenn Gould) Buy: iTunes.com Genre: Classical Song: Rhapsody No. 1 (Version for Clarinet and Piano) Album: Glenn Gould: Works by Berg, Krenek, Webern, Ravel & Debussy Jim Reeves Buy: iTunes.
- 8/13/2010
- by Phil Ramone and Danielle Evin
- Huffington Post
Day 10 – Friday
Friday has to be one of my favourite days at Eiff.
It began with Superhero Me at the Cameo – a.k.a. the comfiest cinema in the universe. Enveloped in its cozy red seats, we were swept away on a magical journey of cheap spandex, a novice superhero named Sos, and a network of eccentrics. Superhero Me is a documentary from Steve Sale, a first-time filmmaker who wondered – “Long before Kick-Ass!” - what it would be like to become a superhero.
Quickly taking action, he shot his forays into real life comic book filmmaking on home video equipment, camera phones, and whatever else he could get his hands on. It’s an enjoyable romp, with a poignant message to be found in later scenes with an Orlando-based superhero named Master Legend. Unfortunately it was ill-projected, so we missed the subtitles while he spoke with an Italian vigilante and some other details.
Friday has to be one of my favourite days at Eiff.
It began with Superhero Me at the Cameo – a.k.a. the comfiest cinema in the universe. Enveloped in its cozy red seats, we were swept away on a magical journey of cheap spandex, a novice superhero named Sos, and a network of eccentrics. Superhero Me is a documentary from Steve Sale, a first-time filmmaker who wondered – “Long before Kick-Ass!” - what it would be like to become a superhero.
Quickly taking action, he shot his forays into real life comic book filmmaking on home video equipment, camera phones, and whatever else he could get his hands on. It’s an enjoyable romp, with a poignant message to be found in later scenes with an Orlando-based superhero named Master Legend. Unfortunately it was ill-projected, so we missed the subtitles while he spoke with an Italian vigilante and some other details.
- 6/29/2010
- by Nicola Balkind
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
You may have heard about this already but it took me days to process. For just when it seem liked Tilda Swinton had scaled all available Mt. Awesome peaks, she went and invented a new way to be awesome. Her latest project is named after Federico Fellini's masterpiece and it's way cooler than any other derivative thereof.
Here's the description of the 8½ Foundation from the official siteWhat great movies would you give to a child on their 8½ birthday?
8½ is a great age to fall in love with cinema, and so the 8½ Foundation aims to give all children an 8½th birthday, glimpses into new worlds and cultures, into magic and the heights imagination can take you to. The Foundation is holding a flash-mob style kick off on June 26th in Edinburgh where Tilda (and anyone else who shows up) will perform a Laurel & Hardy dance. No joke. Here's the dance.
Here's the description of the 8½ Foundation from the official siteWhat great movies would you give to a child on their 8½ birthday?
8½ is a great age to fall in love with cinema, and so the 8½ Foundation aims to give all children an 8½th birthday, glimpses into new worlds and cultures, into magic and the heights imagination can take you to. The Foundation is holding a flash-mob style kick off on June 26th in Edinburgh where Tilda (and anyone else who shows up) will perform a Laurel & Hardy dance. No joke. Here's the dance.
- 6/18/2010
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
London, June 15 – Oscar winner Tilda Swinton is set to organise a “flash mob” event inspired by Laurel and Hardy’s routine from Way Out West during the upcoming Edinburgh International Film Festival.
Swinton is collaborating with former festival director Mark Cousins for the stunt to promote a new trust the duo are setting up in a bid to get youngsters interested in films.
They want hundreds of volunteers to learn Stan and Ollie’s routine and perform in Festival Square later this month shortly before they go public with plans for their 81/2 Foundation at the Filmhouse cinema.
The move would.
Swinton is collaborating with former festival director Mark Cousins for the stunt to promote a new trust the duo are setting up in a bid to get youngsters interested in films.
They want hundreds of volunteers to learn Stan and Ollie’s routine and perform in Festival Square later this month shortly before they go public with plans for their 81/2 Foundation at the Filmhouse cinema.
The move would.
- 6/15/2010
- by News
- RealBollywood.com
We can all agree that the recent Ghostbusters and Glee flash mobs were a little bit adorable, but is the fad played out? Not if Tilda Swinton has anything to say about it. She's planning a flash dance on June 26 to The Avalon Boy's "At the Ball" in order to promote her new 8 1/2 Foundation, explaining, "It's a song from Laurel and Hardy's funniest film Way Out West. In the film, Stan and Ollie do a wee dance, which is rubbish compared to Cyd Charisse or Gene Kelly, or any trained dancer, and yet it's one of the most charming, amusing, gentle, child-like musical numbers in the whole of cinema history." Book your trip to Edinburgh now! [Indiewire]...
- 6/14/2010
- Movieline
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