Hit video game franchise Just Cause has gotten a new lease on life.
The video game from Square Enix and Avalanche Studios has landed at Universal Pictures with Blue Beetle director Ángel Manuel Soto set to helm the adaptation.
Kelly McCormick and David Leitch, the producing duo behind the studio’s The Fall Guy and Nobody, will produce through their 87North banner. The company has a first-look deal with Universal.
Also producing are Dmitri M. Johnson, Mike Goldberg and Timothy I. Stevenson of Story Kitchen. The team is already involved in the video game space with adaptations of the Tomb Raider and Sonic the Hedgehog titles.
Since its 2006 debut, the video game puts players on deadly missions as Rico Rodriguez, an operative who is a regime change specialist. Armed with a grappling hook and wingsuit, he goes on race-against-time missions to stop The Black Hand, a lethal mercenary group.
A...
The video game from Square Enix and Avalanche Studios has landed at Universal Pictures with Blue Beetle director Ángel Manuel Soto set to helm the adaptation.
Kelly McCormick and David Leitch, the producing duo behind the studio’s The Fall Guy and Nobody, will produce through their 87North banner. The company has a first-look deal with Universal.
Also producing are Dmitri M. Johnson, Mike Goldberg and Timothy I. Stevenson of Story Kitchen. The team is already involved in the video game space with adaptations of the Tomb Raider and Sonic the Hedgehog titles.
Since its 2006 debut, the video game puts players on deadly missions as Rico Rodriguez, an operative who is a regime change specialist. Armed with a grappling hook and wingsuit, he goes on race-against-time missions to stop The Black Hand, a lethal mercenary group.
A...
- 5/29/2024
- by Borys Kit
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: After successfully launching the Extraction film franchise at Netflix, director Sam Hargrave has his eyes set on another potential franchise with a piece of IP that is revving its engines to get out the gate. Sources tell Deadline that Skydance and Mattel Films have closed a deal with Hargrave to direct a live-action movie based on Matchbox, Mattel’s iconic real-world die-cast toy vehicle line. David Coggeshall and Jonathan Tropper are penning the script.
Skydance’s David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Don Granger will produce alongside Robbie Brenner for Mattel Films. The project will be shepherded by Aimee Rivera for Skydance and Elizabeth Bassin and Andrew Scannell for Mattel Films.
The iconic Matchbox brand was invented in 1953 by automotive enthusiast Jack Odell to solve a challenge for his daughter, who was allowed to take a toy to school only if it was small enough to fit in a matchbox.
Skydance’s David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Don Granger will produce alongside Robbie Brenner for Mattel Films. The project will be shepherded by Aimee Rivera for Skydance and Elizabeth Bassin and Andrew Scannell for Mattel Films.
The iconic Matchbox brand was invented in 1953 by automotive enthusiast Jack Odell to solve a challenge for his daughter, who was allowed to take a toy to school only if it was small enough to fit in a matchbox.
- 5/7/2024
- by Justin Kroll
- Deadline Film + TV
Skydance Sports, the media company’s Jv with the NFL, has made some key appointments to its creative and production leadership across film and television, hiring Nancy Cotton and Sandino Moya-Smith as, respectively, EVP, Television, and SVP, Feature Film. Both were previously at Amazon MGM.
Danette Trosclair was promoted to EVP, Production, moving from Skydance Television to oversee all physical production for the Skydance Sports’ slate of scripted series including production, finance, and post-production.
As EVP, Television — a newly created role — Cotton will lead development and production of the sports studio’s scripted series across broadcast, cable and streaming platforms. She will be responsible for sourcing material and shepherding series through development, packaging, production and beyond.
Cotton and Trosclair will report to Jason Reed, Head of Skydance Sports.
Moya-Smith will be responsible for bringing in feature projects to the studio and overseeing the films throughout every phase from inception to release.
Danette Trosclair was promoted to EVP, Production, moving from Skydance Television to oversee all physical production for the Skydance Sports’ slate of scripted series including production, finance, and post-production.
As EVP, Television — a newly created role — Cotton will lead development and production of the sports studio’s scripted series across broadcast, cable and streaming platforms. She will be responsible for sourcing material and shepherding series through development, packaging, production and beyond.
Cotton and Trosclair will report to Jason Reed, Head of Skydance Sports.
Moya-Smith will be responsible for bringing in feature projects to the studio and overseeing the films throughout every phase from inception to release.
- 4/10/2024
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Sherwood Schwartz's 1963 sitcom "Gilligan's Island" was a high-concept series that, thanks to the gods of syndication, remained in the public consciousness for decades after it went off the air. The show's impeccable theme song, written by Schwartz and George Wyle, may be the best theme in television history, as it handily explains the premise using a hummable sea shanty: five tourists boarded the S.S. Minnow -- manned by Captain Jonas Grumby (Alan Hale) and his first mate Gilligan (Bob Denver) -- for a three-hour tour off the coast of Honolulu. When the tiny ship hit some bad weather, the seven characters landed on a desert island, stranded. The series followed their merry attempts to survive.
"Gilligan's Island" ran for 98 episodes, ending its initial run in 1967, but reruns continued to air well into the 1990s. Yes, there was a time when "Gilligan's Island" was a reliable TV staple, occupying...
"Gilligan's Island" ran for 98 episodes, ending its initial run in 1967, but reruns continued to air well into the 1990s. Yes, there was a time when "Gilligan's Island" was a reliable TV staple, occupying...
- 2/8/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Director Denny Tedesco previously scored a hit among music fans with his 2008 film “The Wrecking Crew,” a documentary about the battalion of 1960s studio musicians whose names were little known even among the cognoscenti, until these unknown soldiers started to quietly get their due decades later. Although it took another 15 years after that film to come to fruition, Tedesco had an easy go-to for an unofficial sequel. “Immediate Family” focuses on a smaller cadre of players that soon came to dominate the L.A. recording scene and who were, for a time, known collectively as the Section. One thing the earlier movie had that this one doesn’t was a sense of injustice corrected, because let’s face it — in the 1970s, everybody knew their names.
Well, let’s not exaggerate — maybe not quite everyone was devoted to fondling LP packaging and devouring it for information, even in the physical media era.
Well, let’s not exaggerate — maybe not quite everyone was devoted to fondling LP packaging and devouring it for information, even in the physical media era.
- 12/20/2023
- by Chris Willman
- Variety Film + TV
Jonathan Glazer’s unusual Holocaust film The Zone Of Interest opens in four theaters in New York and LA today as Cord Jefferson’s satirical comedy American Fiction debuts in seven, the latest trenchant specialty offerings in a fall market full of strong titles as year-end approaches and the awards season clicks into high gear after Golden Globe nominations this week.
From A24, The Zone of Interest premiered at Cannes (Deadline review here), winning the Grand Prix, and the Fipresci Prize. The (actual) commandant of Auschwitz, Rudolf Höss (Christian Friedel) and his wife Hedwig strive to build a dream life for their growing family in a lovely villa and garden whose back wall abuts the concentration camp. The film opens with the family picnicking and frolicking on a lush riverbank, then trekking happily home.
From A24, The Zone of Interest premiered at Cannes (Deadline review here), winning the Grand Prix, and the Fipresci Prize. The (actual) commandant of Auschwitz, Rudolf Höss (Christian Friedel) and his wife Hedwig strive to build a dream life for their growing family in a lovely villa and garden whose back wall abuts the concentration camp. The film opens with the family picnicking and frolicking on a lush riverbank, then trekking happily home.
- 12/15/2023
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
In The Wrecking Crew, Denny Tedesco lovingly chronicled a legendary collective of musicians, his father among them, who appeared on countless studio recordings in the 1960s, revered within the business but unsung in the public sphere. By contrast, the names of the four players he profiles in his new documentary appeared on nearly every record they worked on. Other musicians sought them out, fan bases were born, and careers flourished. And, it turns out, besides being extraordinary musical talents, they’re exceptionally charismatic interview subjects — sincere, soulful and effortlessly funny raconteurs.
Receiving a one-night theatrical release Dec. 12, three days before it’s available on demand, Immediate Family is an affectionate and insightful group portrait and a sweet jolt of nostalgia for boomers — but more than that, it’s time well spent with delightful subjects who played crucial roles in shaping the popular music of a ground-shifting era.
As Billy Bob Thornton...
Receiving a one-night theatrical release Dec. 12, three days before it’s available on demand, Immediate Family is an affectionate and insightful group portrait and a sweet jolt of nostalgia for boomers — but more than that, it’s time well spent with delightful subjects who played crucial roles in shaping the popular music of a ground-shifting era.
As Billy Bob Thornton...
- 12/12/2023
- by Sheri Linden
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Hulu remains one of the best value-for-money streamers out there in September, 2023, with a massive list of movie and TV additions coming to the service this month.
The big Hulu Original show this month is The Other Black Girl, and you’ll be able to binge the complete series when it arrives on September 13! The Other Black Girl is based on the New York Times bestselling novel of the same name, and focuses on Nella, who is an editorial assistant and the only Black girl at Wagner Books. When the company brings new girl Hazel aboard, Nella is delighted to finally see the staff hires at Wagner becoming more diverse, but everything is not as it seems, and things soon take a sinister turn. We will be watching!
Elsewhere on Hulu, the award-winning movie The Banshees of Inisherin lands on September 4, while the season two premieres of Welcome to Wrexham...
The big Hulu Original show this month is The Other Black Girl, and you’ll be able to binge the complete series when it arrives on September 13! The Other Black Girl is based on the New York Times bestselling novel of the same name, and focuses on Nella, who is an editorial assistant and the only Black girl at Wagner Books. When the company brings new girl Hazel aboard, Nella is delighted to finally see the staff hires at Wagner becoming more diverse, but everything is not as it seems, and things soon take a sinister turn. We will be watching!
Elsewhere on Hulu, the award-winning movie The Banshees of Inisherin lands on September 4, while the season two premieres of Welcome to Wrexham...
- 9/1/2023
- by Kirsten Howard
- Den of Geek
While he probably hoped “Blue Beetle” would have had a bigger opening weekend, it doesn’t appear director Angel Manuel Soto is struggling to find a new project. In fact, he’s already lined up “The Wrecking Crew” as his next film, with two massive stars in the lead roles.
According to THR, Angel Manuel Soto is set to direct “The Wrecking Crew, a new film that is expected to star Dave Bautista and Jason Momoa.
Continue reading ‘The Wrecking Crew’: Dave Bautista & Jason Momoa To Star In New Comedy From ‘Blue Beetle’ Director at The Playlist.
According to THR, Angel Manuel Soto is set to direct “The Wrecking Crew, a new film that is expected to star Dave Bautista and Jason Momoa.
Continue reading ‘The Wrecking Crew’: Dave Bautista & Jason Momoa To Star In New Comedy From ‘Blue Beetle’ Director at The Playlist.
- 8/22/2023
- by Charles Barfield
- The Playlist
Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy franchise) and Jason Momoa (Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom) are teaming with Blue Beetle director Ángel Manuel Soto on The Wrecking Crew, the buddy action comedy that they’ve set up at MGM, Deadline can confirm.
Bautista and Momoa were both in talks for the film, scripted by Warrior creator Jonathan Tropper, long before the SAG-AFTRA strike. Tropper’s deal was negotiated and closed, and his script submitted, prior to the WGA strike began in early May.
Plot details are under wraps for now, but Bautista and Momoa sold the pitch to MGM following a four-bidder battle in the fall 2021, as we were first to report. Jeffrey Fierson, Momoa’s collaborator on the Netflix/Discovery Canada series Frontier, will produce.
Bautista has been seen this year in M. Night Shyamalan’s Knock at the Cabin, as well as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,...
Bautista and Momoa were both in talks for the film, scripted by Warrior creator Jonathan Tropper, long before the SAG-AFTRA strike. Tropper’s deal was negotiated and closed, and his script submitted, prior to the WGA strike began in early May.
Plot details are under wraps for now, but Bautista and Momoa sold the pitch to MGM following a four-bidder battle in the fall 2021, as we were first to report. Jeffrey Fierson, Momoa’s collaborator on the Netflix/Discovery Canada series Frontier, will produce.
Bautista has been seen this year in M. Night Shyamalan’s Knock at the Cabin, as well as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,...
- 8/21/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Dave Bautista, Jason Momoa to Team for ‘Wrecking Crew’ From ‘Blue Beetle’ Director Ángel Manuel Soto
Blue Beetle director Ángel Manuel Soto has lined up another feature: He’s set to helm The Wrecking Crew, an MGM project that is expected to star Dave Bautista and Jason Momoa. Both stars were in talks for the film before the actors strike commenced last month, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
Wrecking Crew has a script from Jonathan Tropper, the creator of the TV series Warrior. He penned the script and closed his deal before the writers strike began in June. Jeffrey Fierson, who worked with Momoa on the TV series Frontier, is producing the film.
Wrecking Crew is described as a buddy comedy, with other details kept under wraps.
Bautista was recently in theaters with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, while Momoa played the antagonist in this summer’s Fast X and has Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom due out in December.
Soto, meanwhile, just launched Blue Beetle into cinemas,...
Wrecking Crew has a script from Jonathan Tropper, the creator of the TV series Warrior. He penned the script and closed his deal before the writers strike began in June. Jeffrey Fierson, who worked with Momoa on the TV series Frontier, is producing the film.
Wrecking Crew is described as a buddy comedy, with other details kept under wraps.
Bautista was recently in theaters with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, while Momoa played the antagonist in this summer’s Fast X and has Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom due out in December.
Soto, meanwhile, just launched Blue Beetle into cinemas,...
- 8/21/2023
- by Aaron Couch
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Coming off a number one debut this weekend for “Blue Beetle,” director Ángel Manuel Soto has found his next studio project and will direct “The Wrecking Crew” at MGM, TheWrap has exclusively learned.
“The Wrecking Crew” was written by Jonathan Topper prior to the WGA strike. Additionally, Topper’s deal was negotiated and closed prior to the WGA strike.
Plot details are being kept under wraps, but the project is being described as a buddy action movie.
Dave Bautista, Jason Momoa are being eyed to headline “The Wrecking Crew” and both were in talks to star prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike. The duo initially set up the project in 2021, and after a bidding war, the project landed at MGM.
Ángel Manuel Soto is a director, producer, and screenwriter known for bold telling stories that highlight diverse characters from a variety of backgrounds. Most recently, Soto directed “Blue Beetle,” a...
“The Wrecking Crew” was written by Jonathan Topper prior to the WGA strike. Additionally, Topper’s deal was negotiated and closed prior to the WGA strike.
Plot details are being kept under wraps, but the project is being described as a buddy action movie.
Dave Bautista, Jason Momoa are being eyed to headline “The Wrecking Crew” and both were in talks to star prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike. The duo initially set up the project in 2021, and after a bidding war, the project landed at MGM.
Ángel Manuel Soto is a director, producer, and screenwriter known for bold telling stories that highlight diverse characters from a variety of backgrounds. Most recently, Soto directed “Blue Beetle,” a...
- 8/21/2023
- by Umberto Gonzalez
- The Wrap
Magnolia Pictures announced on Thursday that they had acquired of North American rights to “Immediate Family,” director Denny Tedesco’s follow-up to his 2008 documentary “The Wrecking Crew,” which was also released by Magnolia.
While “The Wrecking Crew” followed the first wave of studio musicians in the 1960s, “Immediate Family” picks up where that film left off and highlights the talents of session musicians from the ’70s, with commentary from music legends Carole King, James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, Keith Richards, Don Henley, Stevie Nicks, David Crosby, Jackson Browne, Lyle Lovett and Phil Collins.
“Denny Tedesco has given us another extremely entertaining glimpse behind the musical curtain of some of the most memorable songs of our time,” said Magnolia Pictures co-CEOs Eamonn Bowles and Dori Begley in a statement. “The musical talent of these studio players is rivaled by their incredibly engaging personalities and hilarious stories.”
“Immediate Family” tracks the rise and...
While “The Wrecking Crew” followed the first wave of studio musicians in the 1960s, “Immediate Family” picks up where that film left off and highlights the talents of session musicians from the ’70s, with commentary from music legends Carole King, James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, Keith Richards, Don Henley, Stevie Nicks, David Crosby, Jackson Browne, Lyle Lovett and Phil Collins.
“Denny Tedesco has given us another extremely entertaining glimpse behind the musical curtain of some of the most memorable songs of our time,” said Magnolia Pictures co-CEOs Eamonn Bowles and Dori Begley in a statement. “The musical talent of these studio players is rivaled by their incredibly engaging personalities and hilarious stories.”
“Immediate Family” tracks the rise and...
- 7/27/2023
- by Dessi Gomez
- The Wrap
Magnolia Pictures has acquired North American rights to “Immediate Family,” director Denny Tedesco’s follow-up to his acclaimed documentary “The Wrecking Crew.”
That earlier film, which Magnolia also released, followed the first wave of studio musicians in the ’60s. “Immediate Family” takes up the story where “The Wrecking Crew” ended, taking a deep dive through some of the most famous and influential session musicians from the 1970s.
To that end, the new documentary includes commentary from the likes of Carole King, James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, David Crosby, Jackson Browne, Lyle Lovett, Keith Richards, Don Henley, Stevie Nicks, and Phil Collins. Magnolia will release the film theatrically in December.
In addition to talking to those music legends, “Immediate Family” tracks the rise and collaborations of session musicians Danny Kortchmar, Leland Sklar, Russ Kunkel, and Waddy Wachtel as they help craft some of the decade’s most enduring hits.
The filmmakers say...
That earlier film, which Magnolia also released, followed the first wave of studio musicians in the ’60s. “Immediate Family” takes up the story where “The Wrecking Crew” ended, taking a deep dive through some of the most famous and influential session musicians from the 1970s.
To that end, the new documentary includes commentary from the likes of Carole King, James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, David Crosby, Jackson Browne, Lyle Lovett, Keith Richards, Don Henley, Stevie Nicks, and Phil Collins. Magnolia will release the film theatrically in December.
In addition to talking to those music legends, “Immediate Family” tracks the rise and collaborations of session musicians Danny Kortchmar, Leland Sklar, Russ Kunkel, and Waddy Wachtel as they help craft some of the decade’s most enduring hits.
The filmmakers say...
- 7/27/2023
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
CBS is unlikely to be uttering the words “thank you Chuck Norris” anytime soon after handing over some Walker, Texas Ranger dough to the octogenarian action star.
More than five years after Norris sued the network and the studio for more than $30 million over profits from the eight seasons-plus of the procedural, lawyers and spokespeople for both sides say “the parties have resolved the dispute.”
CBS and Norris’ attorney John V. Berlinski are being as tight-lipped about the confidential settlement as the laconic Sergeant Cordell Walker himself, Norris pocketed a healthy sum in the end, I hear.
Sony Pictures TV was originally a defendant in the January 31, 2018-filed breach-of-contract lawsuit, but the studio was dismissed from the matter last year.
Litigated though the darkest days of the pandemic and with arbitration, the initial complaint from Norris’ Top Kick Productions alleged that Sony and CBS engaged in “self-dealing” that “cost Top...
More than five years after Norris sued the network and the studio for more than $30 million over profits from the eight seasons-plus of the procedural, lawyers and spokespeople for both sides say “the parties have resolved the dispute.”
CBS and Norris’ attorney John V. Berlinski are being as tight-lipped about the confidential settlement as the laconic Sergeant Cordell Walker himself, Norris pocketed a healthy sum in the end, I hear.
Sony Pictures TV was originally a defendant in the January 31, 2018-filed breach-of-contract lawsuit, but the studio was dismissed from the matter last year.
Litigated though the darkest days of the pandemic and with arbitration, the initial complaint from Norris’ Top Kick Productions alleged that Sony and CBS engaged in “self-dealing” that “cost Top...
- 7/25/2023
- by Dominic Patten
- Deadline Film + TV
Barbenheimer has swept not only the nation but the globe, with Barbie seeing green in its pink-filled world at a $337 million worldwide opening and its quasi-competitor Oppenheimer proving to be one of Christopher Nolan’s strongest debuts, with the movies collectively grossing over a half-billion dollars. And while the internet was abuzz with the striking differences between the films that happened to be out on the same weekend, two major names — Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary — got in on the fun, planning their own Barbenheimer double feature. Hm, maybe Tarantino should have played Mr. Pink…
As confirmed by the Twitter account for Tarantino and Avary’s podcast, The Video Archives, the duo spent an afternoon catching the meme-worthy Barbenheimer double feature, hitting Christopher Nolan’s movie before wrapping up their day with some lighter fare courtesy of Greta Gerwig, helping Barbie have the best opening weekend for a female director ever.
As confirmed by the Twitter account for Tarantino and Avary’s podcast, The Video Archives, the duo spent an afternoon catching the meme-worthy Barbenheimer double feature, hitting Christopher Nolan’s movie before wrapping up their day with some lighter fare courtesy of Greta Gerwig, helping Barbie have the best opening weekend for a female director ever.
- 7/24/2023
- by Mathew Plale
- JoBlo.com
Starting his career in an uncredited role in as a henchman in the Dean Martin/ Matt Helm movie The Wrecking Crew, Chuck Norris really burst onto the scene fighting Bruce Lee in a Roman Coliseum in The Way of the Dragon. Since then, Chuck Norris has had a career filled with action scenes, loud guns, and roundhouse kicks. He was a mainstay of 1980s action films and was even brought in as a sort of savior for the others in The Expendables 2. While he’s mostly retired now, everyone still knows who he is, and Chuck Norris jokes have honored him for years. After a solid deep dive of the man’s movies, here are what we consider the best Chuck Norris movies:
The Octagon (1980)
Starting off a decade of plenty for Mr. Norris, The Octagon is one of those films that feels very much like he owns it.
The Octagon (1980)
Starting off a decade of plenty for Mr. Norris, The Octagon is one of those films that feels very much like he owns it.
- 6/11/2023
- by Emilie Black
- JoBlo.com
There’s three things you can usually expect to see in a Quentin Tarantino film: Fire, guns, and feet. But the alleged podophile has to make it all feel natural — which is why he apparently told Margot Robbie not to wash her feet during her sole-heavy scene in Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood.
In the 2019 flick, set in ’60s Los Angeles, Robbie plays a fictionalized version of the late actress Sharon Tate just as her career is taking off. She stops by the theater to see herself in the real-life movie The Wrecking Crew, gleefully kicking off her go-go boots and propping her feet up on the chair in front of her — dirt and all.
Speaking about her most memorable looks in a new Vogue video interview, Robbie explained that although taking off her boots was always in the script, the dirty feet was a spur-of-the-moment decision from Tarantino...
In the 2019 flick, set in ’60s Los Angeles, Robbie plays a fictionalized version of the late actress Sharon Tate just as her career is taking off. She stops by the theater to see herself in the real-life movie The Wrecking Crew, gleefully kicking off her go-go boots and propping her feet up on the chair in front of her — dirt and all.
Speaking about her most memorable looks in a new Vogue video interview, Robbie explained that although taking off her boots was always in the script, the dirty feet was a spur-of-the-moment decision from Tarantino...
- 5/25/2023
- by Abby Jones
- Consequence - Film News
It’s ironic but unavoidable that the greatest annual celebration of film should be a television special — but that’s just how it is. March often means Oscar season, a time for cinephiles to boot up that small screen you use for movies and use it to see if they win any awards during a telecast.
If you don’t have TV service anymore, Hulu has you covered with a pre-Oscars telecast as well as two red carpet specials before and after the main event. Though the ceremony itself won’t be livestreamed on Hulu, it will be added the next morning, like regular ABC programming. Awards viewership has been in general decline over the past several years, but next-day streaming gives curious viewers a chance to join the conversation and boost those Oscar ratings after the live show. It’s also a chance for superfans to pause and rewind...
If you don’t have TV service anymore, Hulu has you covered with a pre-Oscars telecast as well as two red carpet specials before and after the main event. Though the ceremony itself won’t be livestreamed on Hulu, it will be added the next morning, like regular ABC programming. Awards viewership has been in general decline over the past several years, but next-day streaming gives curious viewers a chance to join the conversation and boost those Oscar ratings after the live show. It’s also a chance for superfans to pause and rewind...
- 2/17/2023
- by Proma Khosla
- Indiewire
The Monkees, The Beach Boys, and The Byrds worked with the same group of musicians. Despite this, The Monkees’ Micky Dolenz felt only his group took heat for it. Notably, the musicians in question worked on one of The Beach Boys’ most famous albums.
The Monkees | Michael Ochs Archives / Stringer The Monkees’ Mike Nesmith revealed to the press that the Prefab Four didn’t record their own music
Bobby Hart co-wrote many of The Monkees’ songs. In his 2015 book Psychedelic Bubble Gum: Boyce & Hart, The Monkees, and Turning Mayhem Into Miracles, Hart discussed an incident that changed the trajectory of the Prefab Four’s career.
“During that first Monkees’ tour, an increasingly confrontational Michael Nesmith stoked the media fire in a Saturday Evening Post interview: ‘Tell the world we’re synthetic because, damn it, we are,'” Hart quoted. “‘Tell them The Monkees are wholly man-made overnight, and that millions...
The Monkees | Michael Ochs Archives / Stringer The Monkees’ Mike Nesmith revealed to the press that the Prefab Four didn’t record their own music
Bobby Hart co-wrote many of The Monkees’ songs. In his 2015 book Psychedelic Bubble Gum: Boyce & Hart, The Monkees, and Turning Mayhem Into Miracles, Hart discussed an incident that changed the trajectory of the Prefab Four’s career.
“During that first Monkees’ tour, an increasingly confrontational Michael Nesmith stoked the media fire in a Saturday Evening Post interview: ‘Tell the world we’re synthetic because, damn it, we are,'” Hart quoted. “‘Tell them The Monkees are wholly man-made overnight, and that millions...
- 2/13/2023
- by Matthew Trzcinski
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Bill Pitman, a guitarist whose work as part of the legendary recording session group The Wrecking Crew made an invaluable contribution to countless radio hits, TV series and films, died yesterday at his home in La Quinta, California. He was 102.
His death was announced to The New York Times by wife Janet Pitman, who told the publication her husband died after four weeks of hospice care following a fall that fractured his spine.
Pitman’s guitar playing was ubiquitous, if largely anonymous, for decades beginning in the 1950s. Just a sampling of the songs he played on: The Beach Boys’ “Good Vibrations,” Frank Sinatra’s “Strangers in the Night,” Barbra Streisand’s “The Way We Were, The Ronettes’ “Be My Baby” and The Monkees’ “Papa Gene’s Blues.” He played the ukelele on the B.J. Thomas hit “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head” from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,...
His death was announced to The New York Times by wife Janet Pitman, who told the publication her husband died after four weeks of hospice care following a fall that fractured his spine.
Pitman’s guitar playing was ubiquitous, if largely anonymous, for decades beginning in the 1950s. Just a sampling of the songs he played on: The Beach Boys’ “Good Vibrations,” Frank Sinatra’s “Strangers in the Night,” Barbra Streisand’s “The Way We Were, The Ronettes’ “Be My Baby” and The Monkees’ “Papa Gene’s Blues.” He played the ukelele on the B.J. Thomas hit “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head” from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,...
- 8/12/2022
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
We’ve all read the commentaries on the Academy’s shortcomings when it comes to diversity. But what’s revealing is the movies the 8,500 voters actually nominated for Best Picture. Even long-running, well-reviewed hits like “The Farewell” and “Hustlers” didn’t resonate with enough Academy voters, accessible as they were. It reminds us of who these industry insiders are: Mostly white males over 60, many of whom — like writing branch member Stephen King — vote with their own taste rather than consider what they might be missing.
“For me, the diversity issue — as it applies to individual actors and directors, anyway — did not come up,” King tweeted. “That said, I would never consider diversity in matters of art. Only quality. It seems to me that to do otherwise would be wrong.” King drew a hailstorm of criticism.
The Academy has raised the percentage of people of color to 16, international members to 20, and women to 32. However,...
“For me, the diversity issue — as it applies to individual actors and directors, anyway — did not come up,” King tweeted. “That said, I would never consider diversity in matters of art. Only quality. It seems to me that to do otherwise would be wrong.” King drew a hailstorm of criticism.
The Academy has raised the percentage of people of color to 16, international members to 20, and women to 32. However,...
- 1/16/2020
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
We’ve all read the commentaries on the Academy’s shortcomings when it comes to diversity. But what’s revealing is the movies the 8,500 voters actually nominated for Best Picture. Even long-running, well-reviewed hits like “The Farewell” and “Hustlers” didn’t resonate with enough Academy voters, accessible as they were. It reminds us of who these industry insiders are: Mostly white males over 60, many of whom — like writing branch member Stephen King — vote with their own taste rather than consider what they might be missing.
“For me, the diversity issue — as it applies to individual actors and directors, anyway — did not come up,” King tweeted. “That said, I would never consider diversity in matters of art. Only quality. It seems to me that to do otherwise would be wrong.” King drew a hailstorm of criticism.
The Academy has raised the percentage of people of color to 16, international members to 20, and women to 32. However,...
“For me, the diversity issue — as it applies to individual actors and directors, anyway — did not come up,” King tweeted. “That said, I would never consider diversity in matters of art. Only quality. It seems to me that to do otherwise would be wrong.” King drew a hailstorm of criticism.
The Academy has raised the percentage of people of color to 16, international members to 20, and women to 32. However,...
- 1/16/2020
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Director Denny Tedesco scored with his 2008 film “The Wrecking Crew,” his critically praised documentary on the legendary session musicians of the ‘60s who performed with everyone from the Beach Boys and Phil Spector to Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley — so it makes perfect sense that he’s begun work on a film about legendary 1970s session musicians called “Immediate Family.”
This crew, which backed Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor, Jackson Browne, Warren Zevon and countless others, includes guitarists Danny Kortchmar and Waddy Wachtel, bassist Leland Sklar, drummer Russ Kunkel and others.
Kortchmar, Sklar and Kunkel made up three-quarters of The Section, known for their studio and live work in support of some of the top selling singer/songwriters and solo singers of the era, as well as their own instrumental albums. (They were later joined by Wachtel.) Individually or together, in addition to the artists listed above, the musicians worked with Carole King,...
This crew, which backed Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor, Jackson Browne, Warren Zevon and countless others, includes guitarists Danny Kortchmar and Waddy Wachtel, bassist Leland Sklar, drummer Russ Kunkel and others.
Kortchmar, Sklar and Kunkel made up three-quarters of The Section, known for their studio and live work in support of some of the top selling singer/songwriters and solo singers of the era, as well as their own instrumental albums. (They were later joined by Wachtel.) Individually or together, in addition to the artists listed above, the musicians worked with Carole King,...
- 1/14/2020
- by Jem Aswad
- Variety Film + TV
Some viewers might have assumed that Carol Kaye, the legendary studio bassist who was part of the so-called Wrecking Crew in the 1960s, would be flattered by having a character loosely modeled on her, “Carole Keen,” introduced in the latest season of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” Noting that the real-life Kaye is now 84, Esquire praised the homage and wrote, “Hopefully she’s binging ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ Season Three proudly, along with the rest of us.”
Well, no. Anyone who knows Kaye’s history of taking issue with documentaries that involve her knew that she probably wouldn’t suffer a fictional portrayal any more lightly. And indeed that has turned out to be the case, as Kaye has vented about “Mrs. Maisel” in an interview with the New York Post.
“A lot of people are saying, ‘That must be you. I love it!’ But I am not a cartoon — and...
Well, no. Anyone who knows Kaye’s history of taking issue with documentaries that involve her knew that she probably wouldn’t suffer a fictional portrayal any more lightly. And indeed that has turned out to be the case, as Kaye has vented about “Mrs. Maisel” in an interview with the New York Post.
“A lot of people are saying, ‘That must be you. I love it!’ But I am not a cartoon — and...
- 1/3/2020
- by Chris Willman
- Variety Film + TV
Chicago – An entire decade is biting the dust in the switch from 2019 to 2020, with an America that can experience the anarchy of our current times reflected in the movies. What better time to unleash the 10 Best Films of 2019, as selected by Über Critic Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com.
I begin (switching now to first person), by ranking the 25th best film through the 11th, with the option to click on the highlighted titles for reviews or associated interviews… 25th - Midway (A WW2 film that was inside the cockpit), 24th - Toy Story 4, 23rd - The Kingmaker (a cautionary tale of power), 22nd - The Current War, 21st - Where’D You Go, Bernadette (a misunderstood tale of lost genius), 20th - Dolemite Is My Name (a hilarious and heart filled comeback for Eddie Murphy), 19th - Wild Rose (three chords and the truth), 18th - Clemency (multi-layered death row...
I begin (switching now to first person), by ranking the 25th best film through the 11th, with the option to click on the highlighted titles for reviews or associated interviews… 25th - Midway (A WW2 film that was inside the cockpit), 24th - Toy Story 4, 23rd - The Kingmaker (a cautionary tale of power), 22nd - The Current War, 21st - Where’D You Go, Bernadette (a misunderstood tale of lost genius), 20th - Dolemite Is My Name (a hilarious and heart filled comeback for Eddie Murphy), 19th - Wild Rose (three chords and the truth), 18th - Clemency (multi-layered death row...
- 12/31/2019
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Quentin Tarantino’s masterful projection of 1960s La may rewrite history, but is saturated with his love of the era
This article contains spoilersThe year’s 50 best films
Not much stands between us and the Netflix-inspired bonfire of the cinemagoing experience: even titans such as Martin Scorsese have succumbed, caught between the pressing needs of escalating production budgets and shrinking box-office expectations. To give him his due, Quentin Tarantino is not going down without a fight. This is a director who prizes the actual projection of celluloid on large silver screens – and, in fact, one of the most enjoyable sequences in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood follows starlet Sharon Tate into a movie-theatre showing of the spy comedy The Wrecking Crew, in which she appeared opposite Dean Martin. From the lobby cards to the upholstery to the glittering beams of light, Tarantino offers a lovingly detailed homage to...
This article contains spoilersThe year’s 50 best films
Not much stands between us and the Netflix-inspired bonfire of the cinemagoing experience: even titans such as Martin Scorsese have succumbed, caught between the pressing needs of escalating production budgets and shrinking box-office expectations. To give him his due, Quentin Tarantino is not going down without a fight. This is a director who prizes the actual projection of celluloid on large silver screens – and, in fact, one of the most enjoyable sequences in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood follows starlet Sharon Tate into a movie-theatre showing of the spy comedy The Wrecking Crew, in which she appeared opposite Dean Martin. From the lobby cards to the upholstery to the glittering beams of light, Tarantino offers a lovingly detailed homage to...
- 12/12/2019
- by Andrew Pulver
- The Guardian - Film News
Considering that he’s a cinematic purist who enjoys final cut no matter the budget, it’s tempting to assume that Quentin Tarantino wouldn’t be a fan of augmenting his films after they come out; he seems like the kind of guy who’d think the picture is the picture, and that each frame goes directly into the canon once it’s beamed out of the projection booth. But as Tarantino fans well know by now, that has never really been the case with him.
“Kill Bill” was katana-sliced in half, precipitating an ongoing debate as to whether or not it’s one film or two. “Death Proof” was presented both as the second part of “Grindhouse,” and also as a self-contained experience (where it was somehow much easier to appreciate). “Inglourious Basterds” was cut down after Cannes, making it easy to dismiss the film’s big premiere as a glorified test screening,...
“Kill Bill” was katana-sliced in half, precipitating an ongoing debate as to whether or not it’s one film or two. “Death Proof” was presented both as the second part of “Grindhouse,” and also as a self-contained experience (where it was somehow much easier to appreciate). “Inglourious Basterds” was cut down after Cannes, making it easy to dismiss the film’s big premiere as a glorified test screening,...
- 10/25/2019
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Frontrunners are already forming in the Oscar race for Best Supporting Actress race, according to early predictions at Gold Derby. While many films in contention have not yet been released, some were seen recently at the Toronto, Venice and/or Telluride Film Festivals. We’ve confirmed most category placements with studios or campaigners, but some decisions are still outstanding.For example, Gold Derby lists Jennifer Lopez (“Hustlers”) in both lead and supporting races in our prediction center and the placement fates of all three “Bombshell” actresses — Margot Robbie, Charlize Theron and Nicole Kidman — have yet to be determined.
Here are the current top 10 supporting actress picks according to racetrack odds based upon our users’ predictions as of Sept. 17:
1. Laura Dern: No one does fierce, feisty and whip-smart better than Dern (witness her work on the second season of HBO’s “Big Little Lies”). She plays the crackerjack lawyer...
Here are the current top 10 supporting actress picks according to racetrack odds based upon our users’ predictions as of Sept. 17:
1. Laura Dern: No one does fierce, feisty and whip-smart better than Dern (witness her work on the second season of HBO’s “Big Little Lies”). She plays the crackerjack lawyer...
- 9/17/2019
- by Susan Wloszczyna
- Gold Derby
Alexander Mackendrick’s exhilarating pirate adventure mixes accurate history with a fine story of innocence corrupting the corrupt: Anthony Quinn’s pirate goes soft for a 12 year-old girl, and jeopardizes his highly insecure professional standing. James Coburn is superb as the first mate trying to keep the skullduggery on course with a passel of interfering kids on board. And young Deborah Baxter offers an un-sentimentalized portrait of the ordinary magic of childhood. No Summer Magic this! Region-Free German disc.
A High Wind in Jamaica
Blu-ray Caution This May be Region B only see below
Explosive Media GmbH
1965 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 106 min. / Street Date July 20, 2018 / Sturm über Jamaika / Available at Amazon.de
11.99 Euros Starring: Anthony Quinn, James Coburn, Deborah Baxter, Dennis Price, Lila Kedrova, Nigel Davenport, Isabel Dean, Kenneth J. Warren, Gert Fröbe, Vivienne Ventura
Cinematography: Douglas Slocombe
Art Director: John Hoesli
Film Editor: Derek York
Original Music: Larry Adler
Written by Stanley Mann,...
A High Wind in Jamaica
Blu-ray Caution This May be Region B only see below
Explosive Media GmbH
1965 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 106 min. / Street Date July 20, 2018 / Sturm über Jamaika / Available at Amazon.de
11.99 Euros Starring: Anthony Quinn, James Coburn, Deborah Baxter, Dennis Price, Lila Kedrova, Nigel Davenport, Isabel Dean, Kenneth J. Warren, Gert Fröbe, Vivienne Ventura
Cinematography: Douglas Slocombe
Art Director: John Hoesli
Film Editor: Derek York
Original Music: Larry Adler
Written by Stanley Mann,...
- 8/31/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Frontrunners are already forming for the Oscar Best Actor race, according to early predictions at Gold Derby. While most films in contention have not yet been released, enough teaser trailers are out there, ranging from “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” and “The Irishman” to “Little Women” and “Ford v Ferrari” to provide some sense of what at least feels like a worthy contender. We’ve confirmed category placements with studios or campaigners, but — as awards season veterans know — such labels can change later. And once the fall film fests commence, the standings will likely rapidly shift.
Here are the current top 10 supporting actress picks on the Gold Derby site, in order, as of Aug. 16:
1. Laura Dern: No one does fierce, feisty and whip-smart better than Dern (witness her work on the second season of HBO’s “Big Little Lies”). She plays the crackerjack lawyer who represents Scarlett Johansson...
Here are the current top 10 supporting actress picks on the Gold Derby site, in order, as of Aug. 16:
1. Laura Dern: No one does fierce, feisty and whip-smart better than Dern (witness her work on the second season of HBO’s “Big Little Lies”). She plays the crackerjack lawyer who represents Scarlett Johansson...
- 8/19/2019
- by Susan Wloszczyna
- Gold Derby
(The following piece isn’t so much a review as a gathering of thoughts and observations about that new movie everyone is talking about and can’t seem to stop talking about. As such, it assumes that the reader is familiar with the film and already knows what it is to which the writer-director is building and is no respecter of spoilers in talking about what happens in and around the controversial ending. So, if you haven’t seen the movie yet and would like to keep certain surprises intact, best to stop reading now and come back to this one later.)
There’s plenty to enjoy about the leisurely pace that characterizes Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in… Hollywood, and in the anticipation leading up to its release it was wonderful to consider getting excited about a big summer movie that wasn’t a special-effects extravaganza directed...
There’s plenty to enjoy about the leisurely pace that characterizes Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in… Hollywood, and in the anticipation leading up to its release it was wonderful to consider getting excited about a big summer movie that wasn’t a special-effects extravaganza directed...
- 8/18/2019
- by Dennis Cozzalio
- Trailers from Hell
By Mark Cerulli
Forty eight years ago, United Artists continued their series of highly profitable Bond double features by releasing arguably the biggest 00 double bill of them all – Thunderball and You Only Live Twice. Both films had coined money on their initial releases, with Thunderball being the highest-grossing 007 film of that era – in fact, of many eras, right up until Skyfall in 2012. Thunderball earned a stunning $141 Million worldwide (over one billion dollars in today’s money), a number that must have had UA’s finance department humming the Bond theme at 727 Seventh Avenue. You Only Live Twice pulled in over $111 Million worldwide, its profits squeezed perhaps by a competing Bond film, the over-the-top comedy, Casino Royale with Peter Sellers, David Niven, Terence Cooper and Woody Allen as various Bonds or an Italian spy knockoff starring Sean Connery’s younger brother, Neil. (More on that later.)
Throughout the 60s, 70s and into the early 80s,...
Forty eight years ago, United Artists continued their series of highly profitable Bond double features by releasing arguably the biggest 00 double bill of them all – Thunderball and You Only Live Twice. Both films had coined money on their initial releases, with Thunderball being the highest-grossing 007 film of that era – in fact, of many eras, right up until Skyfall in 2012. Thunderball earned a stunning $141 Million worldwide (over one billion dollars in today’s money), a number that must have had UA’s finance department humming the Bond theme at 727 Seventh Avenue. You Only Live Twice pulled in over $111 Million worldwide, its profits squeezed perhaps by a competing Bond film, the over-the-top comedy, Casino Royale with Peter Sellers, David Niven, Terence Cooper and Woody Allen as various Bonds or an Italian spy knockoff starring Sean Connery’s younger brother, Neil. (More on that later.)
Throughout the 60s, 70s and into the early 80s,...
- 8/8/2019
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Warning: Spoilers for Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood are below.
Quentin Tarantino‘s Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood is a fairytale only he could have envisioned.
The film, opened Friday, is set in the backdrop of 1969 Los Angeles and the horrific murders of Sharon Tate and her three friends by four members of the Manson Family.
Set in Hollywood, Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt play Rick Dalton and his stuntman Cliff Booth, respectively, and chronicles the ups and downs of an acting career that is taking a downward spiral for Dalton.
While the film includes fictionalized versions of real people such as Tate,...
Quentin Tarantino‘s Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood is a fairytale only he could have envisioned.
The film, opened Friday, is set in the backdrop of 1969 Los Angeles and the horrific murders of Sharon Tate and her three friends by four members of the Manson Family.
Set in Hollywood, Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt play Rick Dalton and his stuntman Cliff Booth, respectively, and chronicles the ups and downs of an acting career that is taking a downward spiral for Dalton.
While the film includes fictionalized versions of real people such as Tate,...
- 7/30/2019
- by Alexia Fernandez
- PEOPLE.com
Bruce Lee’s daughter, Shannon Lee, says it was “disheartening” to see Quentin Tarantino depict her father in “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood” as “an arrogant a–hole who was full of hot air.”
In the film, (spoilers follow), Brad Pitt’s stuntman character, Cliff Booth, trades cocky insults with Bruce Lee (Mike Moh), and the two agree to an informal, best two-out-of-three rounds fight on the set of “The Green Hornet” TV show. Lee easily knocks Booth down in the first round, but in the second, Booth slams Lee into a car, stunning him. The fight is interrupted before the third round.
Shannon Lee said it’s disheartening to see her father portrayed as an arrogant blowhard, because in truth, as an Asian-American in 1960s Hollywood, he had to work much harder to succeed than Booth and Rick Dalton (Leonardo Dicaprio), the fictional, white protagonists of the film.
In the film, (spoilers follow), Brad Pitt’s stuntman character, Cliff Booth, trades cocky insults with Bruce Lee (Mike Moh), and the two agree to an informal, best two-out-of-three rounds fight on the set of “The Green Hornet” TV show. Lee easily knocks Booth down in the first round, but in the second, Booth slams Lee into a car, stunning him. The fight is interrupted before the third round.
Shannon Lee said it’s disheartening to see her father portrayed as an arrogant blowhard, because in truth, as an Asian-American in 1960s Hollywood, he had to work much harder to succeed than Booth and Rick Dalton (Leonardo Dicaprio), the fictional, white protagonists of the film.
- 7/29/2019
- by Tim Molloy
- The Wrap
Debra Tate, sister to actress Sharon Tate, played by Margot Robbie in Quentin Tarantino’s latest film, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, was very involved in the process of helping Robbie become the iconic actress. She loaned Robbie her sister’s jewelry and perfume, and was very supportive of Robbie’s portrayal.
Tarantino even invited Debra to the set on the day they filmed a scene in which Tate goes to the movies to see the most recent film she acted in, The Wrecking Crew. In the scene, she arrives at the theater and explains that she’s in the movie. The theater owner invites her in to watch, and the girl at the ticket booth asks to first take her picture in front of the movie poster. While all this was happening, Debra was sitting inside the theatre so she would not be seen by paparazzi. She was...
Tarantino even invited Debra to the set on the day they filmed a scene in which Tate goes to the movies to see the most recent film she acted in, The Wrecking Crew. In the scene, she arrives at the theater and explains that she’s in the movie. The theater owner invites her in to watch, and the girl at the ticket booth asks to first take her picture in front of the movie poster. While all this was happening, Debra was sitting inside the theatre so she would not be seen by paparazzi. She was...
- 7/29/2019
- by Jessica Fisher
- GeekTyrant
[Editor’s note: The following post contains spoilers for “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.”]
Quentin Tarantino’s good guys might not always win, but the filmmaker has never been interested in letting bad guys prosper. Tarantino’s particular brand of revisionist history and righteous anger has long been occupied with righting monumental wrongs, wrapped in uproarious violence that barely conceals his apparent contempt for the darker chapters of modern history.
With “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” however, finds Tarantino entering new territory. The movie combines his two modes of vengeance story — imaginative riffs on historical tragedies and personal tales of reprisal — into his most emotional movie yet.
In Tarantino’s fictional universe, Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie) doesn’t just live through the August 1969 murders that rocked Hollywood; she isn’t even subjected to the terror of the Manson Family breaking into her house and upending everything she loves. Instead, the “family” members go to the house next door to her infamous residence on Cielo Drive,...
Quentin Tarantino’s good guys might not always win, but the filmmaker has never been interested in letting bad guys prosper. Tarantino’s particular brand of revisionist history and righteous anger has long been occupied with righting monumental wrongs, wrapped in uproarious violence that barely conceals his apparent contempt for the darker chapters of modern history.
With “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” however, finds Tarantino entering new territory. The movie combines his two modes of vengeance story — imaginative riffs on historical tragedies and personal tales of reprisal — into his most emotional movie yet.
In Tarantino’s fictional universe, Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie) doesn’t just live through the August 1969 murders that rocked Hollywood; she isn’t even subjected to the terror of the Manson Family breaking into her house and upending everything she loves. Instead, the “family” members go to the house next door to her infamous residence on Cielo Drive,...
- 7/29/2019
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Spencer Mullen Jul 29, 2019
Supernatural, The Lord of The Rings, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, and more in today's daily Link Tank!
Here are five T-shirts that are perfect for fans of the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
"In the darkest depths of the Internet lies the one t-shirt to rule them all… Ok, maybe not the darkest depths, but you get the gist. Lord of the Rings fans are without a doubt some of the most die-hard “nerds” around. And while the trilogy is exciting, action-packed, and full of long descriptions of mythic scenery, it is also undeniably witty. It’s probably why any time a Lotr fan spots a punny piece of fan flare, they have to buy it."
Read more at Inverse.
Here's how the cast and writer of Supernatural feel about the show's final season.
"We talked earlier this week about what will happen in the...
Supernatural, The Lord of The Rings, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, and more in today's daily Link Tank!
Here are five T-shirts that are perfect for fans of the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
"In the darkest depths of the Internet lies the one t-shirt to rule them all… Ok, maybe not the darkest depths, but you get the gist. Lord of the Rings fans are without a doubt some of the most die-hard “nerds” around. And while the trilogy is exciting, action-packed, and full of long descriptions of mythic scenery, it is also undeniably witty. It’s probably why any time a Lotr fan spots a punny piece of fan flare, they have to buy it."
Read more at Inverse.
Here's how the cast and writer of Supernatural feel about the show's final season.
"We talked earlier this week about what will happen in the...
- 7/29/2019
- Den of Geek
“Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood,” as its name suggests, is a fantasy rooted not in a faraway land in time, but in a city millions live in at a time still within living memory. It depicts a piece of Hollywood history as Quentin Tarantino would have liked it to be. All the good stuff from the real ’60s is there — Khj radio, 75-cent movie theaters, margaritas at Casa Vega — and all the ugly realities are pushed to the background or erased entirely, replaced with more good stuff forged from nostalgia.
That fond, almost elegiac depiction of a time gone by extends to how Tarantino and his production designer, Barbara Ling, went about portraying the 1969 Los Angeles that Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) inhabit. There’s no smog, you’re more likely to see a pretty girl in denim shorts than a homeless man, and all...
That fond, almost elegiac depiction of a time gone by extends to how Tarantino and his production designer, Barbara Ling, went about portraying the 1969 Los Angeles that Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) inhabit. There’s no smog, you’re more likely to see a pretty girl in denim shorts than a homeless man, and all...
- 7/29/2019
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
David Crow Jul 27, 2019
Debra Tate, sister of Sharon Tate, reveals Margot Robbie brought her to tears in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
Ever since Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, there has been a media scrutiny about whether the film did right by Sharon Tate, and the actor portraying her, Margot Robbie, given her relatively small amount of dialogue. One person who loves the film’s depiction of Sharon, however, is her sister Debra Tate. Speaking to Vanity Fair earlier this week, the woman who has kept the memory of her lost sister alive for 50 years revealed she was brought to tears the first time she saw Robbie as Sharon.
“She made me cry because she sounded just like Sharon,” Debra said of the day she came to the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood set. It was during the...
Debra Tate, sister of Sharon Tate, reveals Margot Robbie brought her to tears in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
Ever since Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, there has been a media scrutiny about whether the film did right by Sharon Tate, and the actor portraying her, Margot Robbie, given her relatively small amount of dialogue. One person who loves the film’s depiction of Sharon, however, is her sister Debra Tate. Speaking to Vanity Fair earlier this week, the woman who has kept the memory of her lost sister alive for 50 years revealed she was brought to tears the first time she saw Robbie as Sharon.
“She made me cry because she sounded just like Sharon,” Debra said of the day she came to the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood set. It was during the...
- 7/27/2019
- Den of Geek
(Spoiler warning: Don’t read this if you don’t want to know anything about “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood.)
If you’ve seen a Quentin Tarantino movie, you know he has an encyclopedic knowledge of cinema from Golden Age to grindhouse. He always sprinkles little tributes to the movies that inspired him throughout his stories, and in “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood,” you can see a trailer for one of the classic grindhouse films of that era.
Midway through the film, Sharon Tate, played by Margot Robbie, decides on a whim to see herself on the big screen in the Bruin Theatre in Westwood. Playing at the cinema is “The Wrecking Crew,” the comedy she starred in alongside Dean Martin. In it, she plays Freya Carlson, the seemingly klutzy partner of Dean Martin’s secret agent character Matt Helm. As we see in a flashback in “Once Upon a Time…...
If you’ve seen a Quentin Tarantino movie, you know he has an encyclopedic knowledge of cinema from Golden Age to grindhouse. He always sprinkles little tributes to the movies that inspired him throughout his stories, and in “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood,” you can see a trailer for one of the classic grindhouse films of that era.
Midway through the film, Sharon Tate, played by Margot Robbie, decides on a whim to see herself on the big screen in the Bruin Theatre in Westwood. Playing at the cinema is “The Wrecking Crew,” the comedy she starred in alongside Dean Martin. In it, she plays Freya Carlson, the seemingly klutzy partner of Dean Martin’s secret agent character Matt Helm. As we see in a flashback in “Once Upon a Time…...
- 7/27/2019
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
Quentin Tarantino‘s latest film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood famously centers around the tragic murder of Sharon Tate, which has many people questioning how martial arts legend Bruce Lee (played by Mike Moh) factors into the plot.
Mike Moh‘s performance as the martial arts legend was first glimpsed at in the trailer for the film, which also gave first looks at Margot Robbie’s turn as Tate, who was killed by the followers of Charles Manson on the night of Aug. 8, 1969 at the age of 26. Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt round out the cast, playing fictional characters Rick Dalton and Cliff Booth,...
Mike Moh‘s performance as the martial arts legend was first glimpsed at in the trailer for the film, which also gave first looks at Margot Robbie’s turn as Tate, who was killed by the followers of Charles Manson on the night of Aug. 8, 1969 at the age of 26. Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt round out the cast, playing fictional characters Rick Dalton and Cliff Booth,...
- 7/26/2019
- by Eric Todisco
- PEOPLE.com
(The following contains zero spoilers about “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood” and refers only to the true history of Bruce Lee, Roman Polanski, and Sharon Tate.)
For a brief time after the murders of his pregnant wife, Sharon Tate, and some of their closest friends, director Roman Polanski believed that Bruce Lee may have killed them.
It’s a strange chapter in the dark saga of the Manson family and Tate, played by Margot Robbie in Quentin Tarantino’s new film “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood.”
Also Read: Quentin Tarantino's Films Ranked, From Least to Most Tarantino
People who spotted Bruce Lee (played by Mike Moh) in the trailer for “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” likely had a mix of surprise and confusion. What did the martial arts master, who died tragically at 32, have to do with Sharon Tate, Roman Polanski, and the Manson family’s murder...
For a brief time after the murders of his pregnant wife, Sharon Tate, and some of their closest friends, director Roman Polanski believed that Bruce Lee may have killed them.
It’s a strange chapter in the dark saga of the Manson family and Tate, played by Margot Robbie in Quentin Tarantino’s new film “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood.”
Also Read: Quentin Tarantino's Films Ranked, From Least to Most Tarantino
People who spotted Bruce Lee (played by Mike Moh) in the trailer for “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” likely had a mix of surprise and confusion. What did the martial arts master, who died tragically at 32, have to do with Sharon Tate, Roman Polanski, and the Manson family’s murder...
- 7/26/2019
- by Tim Molloy
- The Wrap
To fully appreciate some of the allusions and inspirations that propel Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” you should consider doing some homework — or streaming some other movies.
Of course, you don’t have to be familiar with any of the following titles to enjoy Tarantino’s 1969-set fact-and-fiction mashup about Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio), an actor flailing in professional limbo after the cancellation of his TV Western “Bounty Law”; Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt), Dalton’s long-time stunt double and close confidant; and Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie), a rising star and Dalton’s next-door neighbor. But you can enhance your enjoyment by having some knowledge of the stories behind the story.
“The Bandit” (2016)
Jesse Moss’ entertaining and insightful documentary is putatively about the making of 1977’s “Smokey and the Bandit,” but more interestingly concerned with the personal and professional bonds between superstar Burt Reynolds and stuntman-turned-filmmaker Hal Needham.
Of course, you don’t have to be familiar with any of the following titles to enjoy Tarantino’s 1969-set fact-and-fiction mashup about Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio), an actor flailing in professional limbo after the cancellation of his TV Western “Bounty Law”; Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt), Dalton’s long-time stunt double and close confidant; and Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie), a rising star and Dalton’s next-door neighbor. But you can enhance your enjoyment by having some knowledge of the stories behind the story.
“The Bandit” (2016)
Jesse Moss’ entertaining and insightful documentary is putatively about the making of 1977’s “Smokey and the Bandit,” but more interestingly concerned with the personal and professional bonds between superstar Burt Reynolds and stuntman-turned-filmmaker Hal Needham.
- 7/25/2019
- by Joe Leydon
- Variety Film + TV
Thanks to Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” we return to Tinseltown in a loving, nostalgic, 50-year time capsule. Looking back on the landscape of 1969 definitely offers retro eye candy. But the facelifts to both Hollywood Blvd. and Westwood Village were not easy to pull off for production designer Barbara Ling.
“It’s getting harder to shoot period in La because of what they tear down,” said Ling, who previously did a ’60s La makeover for Oliver Stone’s “The Doors.” “La was never a preservation city, and they keep tearing down these glass towers. But La has always been about rebuilding itself. They say it’s even tougher to find little corners to build facades on top of.”
The biggest challenge was getting permission to restore parts of Hollywood Blvd., which bringing in director Tarantino to convince the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. “We had to submit a plan,...
“It’s getting harder to shoot period in La because of what they tear down,” said Ling, who previously did a ’60s La makeover for Oliver Stone’s “The Doors.” “La was never a preservation city, and they keep tearing down these glass towers. But La has always been about rebuilding itself. They say it’s even tougher to find little corners to build facades on top of.”
The biggest challenge was getting permission to restore parts of Hollywood Blvd., which bringing in director Tarantino to convince the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. “We had to submit a plan,...
- 7/25/2019
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is Quentin Tarantino’s wistful yet hollow love letter to a long lost Tinseltown.
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Quentin Tarantino’s ninth feature film, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, is a triumph of production design (courtesy of Barbara Ling): every little detail has been given lavish attention in order to transport the viewer back to Los Angeles circa 1969. Both the Golden Age of Hollywood and the counter-culture were in the process of crashing and burning, their participants either desperately trying to hold onto the person nearest them or switch from one aesthetic to the other in a bid for relevancy. Tarantino’s film vividly captures both the beauty and squalor of it all, from the lavish homes on the infamous Cielo Drive to the dusty decrepitude of the now equally notorious Spahn Ranch.
If you recognize those two locations, you know where this...
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Quentin Tarantino’s ninth feature film, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, is a triumph of production design (courtesy of Barbara Ling): every little detail has been given lavish attention in order to transport the viewer back to Los Angeles circa 1969. Both the Golden Age of Hollywood and the counter-culture were in the process of crashing and burning, their participants either desperately trying to hold onto the person nearest them or switch from one aesthetic to the other in a bid for relevancy. Tarantino’s film vividly captures both the beauty and squalor of it all, from the lavish homes on the infamous Cielo Drive to the dusty decrepitude of the now equally notorious Spahn Ranch.
If you recognize those two locations, you know where this...
- 7/25/2019
- Den of Geek
Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” marks the director’s summary statement about the importance of the dream factory in countering life’s failure and disappointment. And, without hesitation, his go-to cinematographer, Robert Richardson, thinks that it’s Tarantino’s most emotional movie. The challenge was finding the right look for depicting 1969 at the end of the golden age and the rise of the counter culture in Hollywood.
“When Quentin goes, ‘I want to feel retro but I want to be contemporary,’ I tried to weave time periods,” said Richardson, the three-time Oscar winner who’s made half a dozen movies with Tarantino. That meant shooting in Kodak 35mm (mostly anamorphic) with Panavision cameras and lenses (including the new T Series for extreme close-ups and greater contrast and resolution). They discussed 65mm but that proved too difficult and costly with the use of zooms; they also shot...
“When Quentin goes, ‘I want to feel retro but I want to be contemporary,’ I tried to weave time periods,” said Richardson, the three-time Oscar winner who’s made half a dozen movies with Tarantino. That meant shooting in Kodak 35mm (mostly anamorphic) with Panavision cameras and lenses (including the new T Series for extreme close-ups and greater contrast and resolution). They discussed 65mm but that proved too difficult and costly with the use of zooms; they also shot...
- 7/22/2019
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” production designer Barbara Ling shared gorgeous behind-the-scenes photos, and revealed how Quentin Tarantino’s personal collections inspired the look of the film. In an interview with Architectural Digest, the designer said she took a lot of material from the filmmaker’s wealth of posters, 1960s cinema, and old-school Los Angeles restaurant connections. Loosely based around the Charles Manson/Sharon Tate murders, the movie stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, and Al Pacino, among others, and is set in 1960s Los Angeles.
“It’s Quentin’s love letter to the city he grew up in,” said Ling, a fellow L.A.-native and longtime production designer, whose credits include 1991’s “Fried Green Tomatoes” and “The Doors”, as well as both Joel Shumacher Batman films from the mid-’90s; “Batman Forever” and “Batman & Robin.”
Ling visited Tarantino’s personal cinema once a week, where...
“It’s Quentin’s love letter to the city he grew up in,” said Ling, a fellow L.A.-native and longtime production designer, whose credits include 1991’s “Fried Green Tomatoes” and “The Doors”, as well as both Joel Shumacher Batman films from the mid-’90s; “Batman Forever” and “Batman & Robin.”
Ling visited Tarantino’s personal cinema once a week, where...
- 7/21/2019
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
Quentin Tarantino is curating a film series inspired by his new movie “Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood” that will air later this month on the Sony Movie Channel, Sony Pictures Television announced Monday.
The film series is titled “Swinging Sixties, a Movie Marathon,” which will include nine films from the Columbia Pictures library that were released from 1958 to 1970. All of the movies were handpicked by Tarantino, and each film served as a specific influence on his latest movie, which follows an actor during a changing Hollywood in 1969.
Films such as “Easy Rider,” “Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice,” “Hammerhead” and more will begin airing on the Sony Movie Channel starting July 21, with two films airing each night until July 25.
Also Read: Critics Love 'Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood' - but Saying Why Might Spoil Everything
Tarantino will also hold conversations with film writer and historian Kim...
The film series is titled “Swinging Sixties, a Movie Marathon,” which will include nine films from the Columbia Pictures library that were released from 1958 to 1970. All of the movies were handpicked by Tarantino, and each film served as a specific influence on his latest movie, which follows an actor during a changing Hollywood in 1969.
Films such as “Easy Rider,” “Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice,” “Hammerhead” and more will begin airing on the Sony Movie Channel starting July 21, with two films airing each night until July 25.
Also Read: Critics Love 'Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood' - but Saying Why Might Spoil Everything
Tarantino will also hold conversations with film writer and historian Kim...
- 7/16/2019
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Exclusive: Quentin Tarantino has teamed with Sony Pictures Television on Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and Quentin Tarantino Present the Swinging Sixties. It’s a series of 10 films personally curated by Tarantino, including Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice and Easy Rider — all of which served as a specific influence in the creation of his upcoming 1969-set film.
The 10 films from the Columbia Pictures library, dating from 1958-70, will air over consecutive nights in more than 80 territories worldwide beginning about one week before Sony’s July 26 theatrical release of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood in each market. Interstitial segments featuring specially created conversations between Tarantino and film writer and historian Kim Morgan will accompany each film, along with a first look at scenes from Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
The film series will premiere in the U.S. on Sony Movie Channel from July 21-25, with two films airing...
The 10 films from the Columbia Pictures library, dating from 1958-70, will air over consecutive nights in more than 80 territories worldwide beginning about one week before Sony’s July 26 theatrical release of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood in each market. Interstitial segments featuring specially created conversations between Tarantino and film writer and historian Kim Morgan will accompany each film, along with a first look at scenes from Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
The film series will premiere in the U.S. on Sony Movie Channel from July 21-25, with two films airing...
- 7/15/2019
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
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