Drake knows how to throw a party!
The rapper celebrated his 31st birthday on Monday night at West Hollywood hot spot Poppy, and a slew of his celebrity friends showed up to party. Et has learned that the star-studded guest list included Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, G-Eazy Jamie Foxx, Kelly Rowland and Hailey Baldwin, who was recently romantically linked to Drake.
Other stars seen entering the nightclub were Lamar Odom, Usain Bolt and Halsey. Going all out, the venue's signage was even changed from "Poppy" to "Papi" as a tribute to Drake, who sometimes goes by Champagne Papi.
Watch: Yolanda Hadid Responds to Romance Rumors Between Daughter Bella and Drake
An eyewitness at the invitation-only event tells Et that the party was sports and Bar Mitzvah-themed, and included photos and videos of Drake as a child displayed on monitors. The dress code for the soiree was semi-formal and guests were treated to pizza and Dippin' Dots, as they...
The rapper celebrated his 31st birthday on Monday night at West Hollywood hot spot Poppy, and a slew of his celebrity friends showed up to party. Et has learned that the star-studded guest list included Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, G-Eazy Jamie Foxx, Kelly Rowland and Hailey Baldwin, who was recently romantically linked to Drake.
Other stars seen entering the nightclub were Lamar Odom, Usain Bolt and Halsey. Going all out, the venue's signage was even changed from "Poppy" to "Papi" as a tribute to Drake, who sometimes goes by Champagne Papi.
Watch: Yolanda Hadid Responds to Romance Rumors Between Daughter Bella and Drake
An eyewitness at the invitation-only event tells Et that the party was sports and Bar Mitzvah-themed, and included photos and videos of Drake as a child displayed on monitors. The dress code for the soiree was semi-formal and guests were treated to pizza and Dippin' Dots, as they...
- 10/24/2017
- Entertainment Tonight
Before we dive into Night 3 of The Voice’s Season 13 Battles, perhaps we should address a mini-controversy: Am I grading on a curve? On one hand, maybe, since I’m comparing, say, Davon Fleming to Dave Crosby and not Bruno Mars. On the other, not really. The reason I end up handing out so many decent-to-good grades isn’t a curve, it’s that none of these singers are really D or F bad. The Voice doesn’t trot out William Hung types, so I kind of have no need for failing grades. That settled, let’s move on to Monday’s battles,...
- 10/24/2017
- TVLine.com
As The Voice’s Season 13 Blind Auditions drew to a close Tuesday, coach Miley Cyrus made a big to-do about her hopes of rounding out the show’s first-ever all-female team. But the chatter might have been just a distraction technique, as she was stealthily assembling the season’s strongest lineup, including standouts Ashland Craft and Moriah Formica. Do you think Miley’s got the crew to beat? Before you size up the coaches’ rosters in the comments, let’s review the final group of singers advancing to next week’s Battles and see if the erstwhile Hannah Montana managed to make Voice herstory.
- 10/11/2017
- TVLine.com
It's mommy and me time!
Vanessa Lachey took a break from practicing her Dancing With the Stars routines to host the launch of L.O.L Surprise! in Hollywood on Sept. 29. The mom of three made the day extra special by bringing along her 3-year-old daughter, Brooklyn.
Photo: Rachel Murray/Getty Images
It seemed to be all about family for Hollywood's finest this week. Brooke Burke Charvet brought her husband, David Charvet, and two of their kids to the launch of the new safe ride app, Chrysler and Kango, at iPic Westwood and Tuck Room Tavern in Los Angeles on Oct. 2. The night's VIP guests got to watch a stand-up set from Heather McDonald, who also brought her fam to the event, as well as a special screening of The Lego Ninjago Movie.
Photo: Chris Delmas
Pics: Celebs & Their Cute Kids
And James Corden hosted a private, family-friendly Xbox playdate event at the Microsoft Lounge in Venice...
Vanessa Lachey took a break from practicing her Dancing With the Stars routines to host the launch of L.O.L Surprise! in Hollywood on Sept. 29. The mom of three made the day extra special by bringing along her 3-year-old daughter, Brooklyn.
Photo: Rachel Murray/Getty Images
It seemed to be all about family for Hollywood's finest this week. Brooke Burke Charvet brought her husband, David Charvet, and two of their kids to the launch of the new safe ride app, Chrysler and Kango, at iPic Westwood and Tuck Room Tavern in Los Angeles on Oct. 2. The night's VIP guests got to watch a stand-up set from Heather McDonald, who also brought her fam to the event, as well as a special screening of The Lego Ninjago Movie.
Photo: Chris Delmas
Pics: Celebs & Their Cute Kids
And James Corden hosted a private, family-friendly Xbox playdate event at the Microsoft Lounge in Venice...
- 10/5/2017
- Entertainment Tonight
Kourtney Kardashian made the most of Paris Fashion Week with her beau in the city of love.
The reality star, 38, stepped out at L’Arc nightclub with boyfriend Younes Bendjima on Sunday for a birthday bash celebrating 1Oak owner Richie Akiva.
The couple was photographed leaving the Plaza Hotel to go to dinner, with Kardashian donning a crop top and bustier paired with straight-leg trousers and black pointy-toe pumps. Bendjima kept things casual in a yellow T-shirt and jeans.
The star-studded event was also attended by models Naomi Campbell, Jordan Dunn, Taylor Hill, Joan Smalls and Doutzen Kroes, who hung out in the VIP section.
The reality star, 38, stepped out at L’Arc nightclub with boyfriend Younes Bendjima on Sunday for a birthday bash celebrating 1Oak owner Richie Akiva.
The couple was photographed leaving the Plaza Hotel to go to dinner, with Kardashian donning a crop top and bustier paired with straight-leg trousers and black pointy-toe pumps. Bendjima kept things casual in a yellow T-shirt and jeans.
The star-studded event was also attended by models Naomi Campbell, Jordan Dunn, Taylor Hill, Joan Smalls and Doutzen Kroes, who hung out in the VIP section.
- 10/2/2017
- by Stephanie Petit
- PEOPLE.com
Jamie Foxx was among the slew of guests at the Bootsy Bellows “Red, White & Bootsy” at Nobu Malibu on July 4. He was joined by fellow Oscar winner Leonardo DiCaprio as the pair hung out at the Casper VIP table. “Twilight” star Taylor Lautner stuck to the all white clothing requirement at the annual Independence Day bash, as guests were decked out in Pacsun jean jackets. Guests also enjoyed specialty sips by Absolut Elyx, Perrier Jouet, and Avion Tequila. John Terzian and Brian Toll with The h.wood Group hosted the celebrity and model-filled event. NFL star Odell Beckham Jr. was also.
- 7/7/2017
- by Debbie Emery
- The Wrap
Two films by Marcel Carné are playing on Mubi in the United States as part of the series Marcel Carné, Arletty, Jean Gabin: Le jour se lève (1939), from June 7 - July 7, and Air of Paris (1954), from June 8 - July 8, 2017.Marcel Carné’s 1937 film Drôle de drame (Bizarre, Bizarre) feels anomalous when placed next to his classic dramas. Unlike the sincere emotion, heartbreak, and despair which characterize his poetic realist works, Drôle de drame is a lighthearted and rather frivolous comedy of manners. The film depicts a series of absurd events caused by a need to maintain appearances, following meek botanist Irwin Molyneux (Michel Simon) as he lives a double life, writing crime novels in secret. When his cousin, the bishop Bedford (Louis Jouvet), accuses Molyneux of having killed his wife, the married couple go into hiding rather than rectify the mistake. Molyneux emerges with his novelist persona in order...
- 6/8/2017
- MUBI
That bad boy of (mostly) French cinema Walerian Borowczyk has been converting doubters into fans for sixty years, even though his pictures were never easy to see. Before he took a headlong leap into soft-core epics, he made some of the most creative and influential short films of his time — and they eventually became more erotic as well.
The Walerian Borowczyk Short Film Collection
Blu-ray
Olive Films
1959-1984 / B&W and Color / 1:66, 1:78 and 1:37 flat Academy / 144 min. / Street Date April 25, 2017 / available through the Olive Films website / 24.95
Directed by Walerian Borowczyk
This release brings back memories of traveling short subject shows, usually several reels’ worth of experimental films that would tour college campuses. Even in High School I’d drag my girlfriend to the University of Riverside, where huge crowds looking for the ‘In’ place to be would stare in attention at hours of abstract visuals, expressing their approval...
The Walerian Borowczyk Short Film Collection
Blu-ray
Olive Films
1959-1984 / B&W and Color / 1:66, 1:78 and 1:37 flat Academy / 144 min. / Street Date April 25, 2017 / available through the Olive Films website / 24.95
Directed by Walerian Borowczyk
This release brings back memories of traveling short subject shows, usually several reels’ worth of experimental films that would tour college campuses. Even in High School I’d drag my girlfriend to the University of Riverside, where huge crowds looking for the ‘In’ place to be would stare in attention at hours of abstract visuals, expressing their approval...
- 5/13/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
The rare period piece that feels observed rather than pretended, Stéphane Brizé’s “A Woman’s Life” finds the prolific French filmmaker applying his ruggedly naturalistic style — used to great effect in last year’s blue-collar drama, “The Measure of a Man” — to some very different source material. Adapted from Guy de Maupassant’s 1883 debut novel, Brizé’s latest is less a well-furnished historical saga than it is a selective simulation of life in the middle of the 19th Century; de Maupassant may have died before the invention of narrative cinema, but it’s easy enough to imagine him watching this doggedly matter-of-fact drama without the slightest bit of confusion. Merchant Ivory fans might find themselves feeling restless, but anyone who appreciated the quotidian rigor of Terence Davies’ “A Quiet Passion” will find a lot to love about this epic of asceticism.
Spanning decades with the speed of a pebble...
Spanning decades with the speed of a pebble...
- 5/6/2017
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Robert Keeling Apr 25, 2017
Saluting the movie characters who make an impression, the minute they appear on the screen...
One thing that unites all of cinema’s most iconic characters is that they were able to make a memorable first impression. Whether it’s bursting onto the scene in a flurry of noise or slowly skulking their way into shot, there’s a fine art to ensuring a character makes an instant impact on screen. An iconic entrance is not just about a momentary impact however, it can also emphasise a character’s importance and help to cement their influence over the rest of the movie.
See related Westworld episode 10 review: The Bicameral Mind Westworld episode 9 review: The Well-Tempered Clavier
There are any number of contributory factors that can be blended together in order to make an entrance truly memorable. These include the accompanying music, the choice of camera shot, the...
Saluting the movie characters who make an impression, the minute they appear on the screen...
One thing that unites all of cinema’s most iconic characters is that they were able to make a memorable first impression. Whether it’s bursting onto the scene in a flurry of noise or slowly skulking their way into shot, there’s a fine art to ensuring a character makes an instant impact on screen. An iconic entrance is not just about a momentary impact however, it can also emphasise a character’s importance and help to cement their influence over the rest of the movie.
See related Westworld episode 10 review: The Bicameral Mind Westworld episode 9 review: The Well-Tempered Clavier
There are any number of contributory factors that can be blended together in order to make an entrance truly memorable. These include the accompanying music, the choice of camera shot, the...
- 4/16/2017
- Den of Geek
Containing multitudes is a time-honored cinematic tradition.
Sure, featuring a single actor as more than one character in your movie smells a bit like a gimmick—but at the end of the day, it’s an efficient and often effective means of showcasing the versatility of a performer. And that can hardly be faulted. We caught a whiff of it with Split this year, though McAvoy might be disqualified for being a Legion of One rather than a cast with a shared face. Personally, I had no idea the trend cast such a wide-reaching historical net — I’d stupidly assumed it was something made possible by the advent of modern makeup and digital tech. Again, stupidly.
Be it gimmick or something more nuanced (or both!) — it’s particularly fascinating that it has such a long standing history as a marketing device. Film quality aside, the main draw is often the performative tour-de-force itself. Some...
Sure, featuring a single actor as more than one character in your movie smells a bit like a gimmick—but at the end of the day, it’s an efficient and often effective means of showcasing the versatility of a performer. And that can hardly be faulted. We caught a whiff of it with Split this year, though McAvoy might be disqualified for being a Legion of One rather than a cast with a shared face. Personally, I had no idea the trend cast such a wide-reaching historical net — I’d stupidly assumed it was something made possible by the advent of modern makeup and digital tech. Again, stupidly.
Be it gimmick or something more nuanced (or both!) — it’s particularly fascinating that it has such a long standing history as a marketing device. Film quality aside, the main draw is often the performative tour-de-force itself. Some...
- 4/13/2017
- by Meg Shields
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Horror icons are reimagined as popsicles in Freddy in Space's new enamel pins from Pin & Seller, and we have a look at all six collectibles and their release details in today's second Horror Highlights. We also have news on Charlie Sheen's upcoming appearances at Wizard Worlds in Minneapolis, Des Moines, and Philadelphia, as well as release details for The Follower and lineup info on both the fifth annual Philip K. Dick Science Fiction Film Festival and this year's Sci-Fi-London Film Festival.
Freddy in Space's Horror Popsicle Pins: From Freddy in Space: “Freddy in Space horror popsicle pins are now available through Pin & Seller. Can grab individuals or sets of three!”
Depicting horror icons as popsicles, these handmade enamel pins from Freddy in Space are now available as a set of three for $30.00 or as individual items priced at $12.00 apiece from Pin & Seller on Etsy. To learn more, visit:
https://www.
Freddy in Space's Horror Popsicle Pins: From Freddy in Space: “Freddy in Space horror popsicle pins are now available through Pin & Seller. Can grab individuals or sets of three!”
Depicting horror icons as popsicles, these handmade enamel pins from Freddy in Space are now available as a set of three for $30.00 or as individual items priced at $12.00 apiece from Pin & Seller on Etsy. To learn more, visit:
https://www.
- 4/13/2017
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
On this day in history as it relates to showbiz
1519 Catherine de Medici, Queen consort, born. She's been played in movies and TV by Kerry Fox, Megan Follows, Françoise Rosay, Maria Palmer, and many more but none so brilliantly as Virna Lisi in her Cannes winning performance in the sensational French epic Queen Margot (1994)
1570 Guy Fawkes born in England. V for Vendetta's "V" wears his face as a mask.
1743 Founding Father Thomas Jefferson born in Virginia. He's been played in movies and TV by actors like Nick Nolte, Jerry O'Connell, Stephen Dillane, Sam Waterston, Ken Howard, and many more...
1519 Catherine de Medici, Queen consort, born. She's been played in movies and TV by Kerry Fox, Megan Follows, Françoise Rosay, Maria Palmer, and many more but none so brilliantly as Virna Lisi in her Cannes winning performance in the sensational French epic Queen Margot (1994)
1570 Guy Fawkes born in England. V for Vendetta's "V" wears his face as a mask.
1743 Founding Father Thomas Jefferson born in Virginia. He's been played in movies and TV by actors like Nick Nolte, Jerry O'Connell, Stephen Dillane, Sam Waterston, Ken Howard, and many more...
- 4/13/2017
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Don Rickles’ many famous friends and fans are taking to social media in the wake of his death to mourn and share memories of the beloved comedian.
The legendary insult comic died on Thursday, with his longtime representative Paul Shefrin telling People in a statement: “Emmy-Award winning iconic comedian Don Rickles passed away at his home Los Angeles this morning (Thursday) as a result of kidney failure.”
“Rickles would have turned 91 on May 8. Rickles also had great success as an actor and best-selling author,” he continued. “He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Barbara, as well as their daughter...
The legendary insult comic died on Thursday, with his longtime representative Paul Shefrin telling People in a statement: “Emmy-Award winning iconic comedian Don Rickles passed away at his home Los Angeles this morning (Thursday) as a result of kidney failure.”
“Rickles would have turned 91 on May 8. Rickles also had great success as an actor and best-selling author,” he continued. “He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Barbara, as well as their daughter...
- 4/6/2017
- by Mike Miller
- PEOPLE.com
Guillaume Gallienne and Guillaume Canet are Paul Cézanne and Émile Zola in Danièle Thompson's Cézanne Et Moi
Where else can you find Édouard Manet (Nicolas Gob), Camille Pissarro (Romain Cottard), Guy de Maupassant (Félicien Juttner), Baptistin Baille (Pierre Yvon), Auguste Renoir (Alexandre Kouchner), Ambroise Vollard (Laurent Stocker), Francisco Oller (Pablo Cisneros), Achille Empéraire (Romain Lancry), Père Tanguy (Christian Hecq), Frédéric Bazille (Patrice Tepasso), the great Sabine Azéma as Paul Cézanne's mother, and Glasgow's own Freya Mavor (Joann Sfar's The Lady In The Car With Glasses And A Gun) as the mother to Zola's children - all in one film?
Danièle Thompson on Jean-Marie Dreujou: "He's a wonderful cinematographer." Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Déborah François (of Régis Roinsard's Populaire) is Hortense, Cézanne's wife, Alice Pol is Zola's wife Alexandrine, and his mother Émilie is played by Isabelle Candelier. Back and forth in time we jump, from...
Where else can you find Édouard Manet (Nicolas Gob), Camille Pissarro (Romain Cottard), Guy de Maupassant (Félicien Juttner), Baptistin Baille (Pierre Yvon), Auguste Renoir (Alexandre Kouchner), Ambroise Vollard (Laurent Stocker), Francisco Oller (Pablo Cisneros), Achille Empéraire (Romain Lancry), Père Tanguy (Christian Hecq), Frédéric Bazille (Patrice Tepasso), the great Sabine Azéma as Paul Cézanne's mother, and Glasgow's own Freya Mavor (Joann Sfar's The Lady In The Car With Glasses And A Gun) as the mother to Zola's children - all in one film?
Danièle Thompson on Jean-Marie Dreujou: "He's a wonderful cinematographer." Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Déborah François (of Régis Roinsard's Populaire) is Hortense, Cézanne's wife, Alice Pol is Zola's wife Alexandrine, and his mother Émilie is played by Isabelle Candelier. Back and forth in time we jump, from...
- 3/24/2017
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Kodak Black's watching stacks of cash disappear while he's stuck in jail -- every canceled show is a $50k hit to his wallet. The rapper's been forced to postpone or cancel 4 concerts since getting locked up Tuesday for violating house arrest, and there will be 2 more before he gets his day in court. Besides forfeiting his fat paychecks, Kodak's missing out on the nightly backstage perks listed on his riders ... which we obtained. Highlights include:...
- 3/4/2017
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
Orlando Bloom was cheery as can be before announcing his split with Katy Perry.
The 40-year-old actor happily posed for selfies with fans as Gary Clark Jr. entertained the crowd during intermission at the Film Independent Spirit Awards at the Santa Monica Pier in Los Angeles on Feb. 25.
Watch: Orlando Bloom and Katy Perry ‘Taking Respectful, Loving Space’ After One Year of Dating
Getty Images
Andy Samberg paid tribute to the stars still alive while impersonating Eddie Vedder singing Pearl Jam's "Alive" inside the event, where Perrier-Jouët, the official champagne partner of Film Independent Spirit Awards, toasted to this year's nominees and winners with its finest cuvée, Belle Époque Rosé.
On Feb. 26, Justin Bieber spent his day off surprising his friend DJ Tay James at the launch party of his fashion concept line in collaboration with Diamond Supply Co in Los Angeles. The pop star looked casual as he strolled up to the party, giving...
The 40-year-old actor happily posed for selfies with fans as Gary Clark Jr. entertained the crowd during intermission at the Film Independent Spirit Awards at the Santa Monica Pier in Los Angeles on Feb. 25.
Watch: Orlando Bloom and Katy Perry ‘Taking Respectful, Loving Space’ After One Year of Dating
Getty Images
Andy Samberg paid tribute to the stars still alive while impersonating Eddie Vedder singing Pearl Jam's "Alive" inside the event, where Perrier-Jouët, the official champagne partner of Film Independent Spirit Awards, toasted to this year's nominees and winners with its finest cuvée, Belle Époque Rosé.
On Feb. 26, Justin Bieber spent his day off surprising his friend DJ Tay James at the launch party of his fashion concept line in collaboration with Diamond Supply Co in Los Angeles. The pop star looked casual as he strolled up to the party, giving...
- 3/4/2017
- Entertainment Tonight
Exclusive: New series to introduce sci-fi elements and touch on both migrant crisis and rise of populist politics.
French director Bruno Dumont will present his plans for the second season of his hybrid spoof police procedural TV series Li’l Quinquin at the European Film Market (Efm) this week (Feb 9-17). Paris-based Doc & Film International is handling sales.
Like the first series, it will be set in Dumont’s trademark setting of the Opal Coast in northern France and its surrounding countryside.
Entitled Coincoin And The Extra-humans, the drama will revisit the life of social misfit Quinquin who is now grown up and goes by the nickname of CoinCoin.
He spends his time loafing about the area and attending meetings of the Nationalist Party with his friend Fatso. His childhood sweetheart Eve has now left him for a woman
Like the previous series, it will play with the conventions of TV drama. In what appears...
French director Bruno Dumont will present his plans for the second season of his hybrid spoof police procedural TV series Li’l Quinquin at the European Film Market (Efm) this week (Feb 9-17). Paris-based Doc & Film International is handling sales.
Like the first series, it will be set in Dumont’s trademark setting of the Opal Coast in northern France and its surrounding countryside.
Entitled Coincoin And The Extra-humans, the drama will revisit the life of social misfit Quinquin who is now grown up and goes by the nickname of CoinCoin.
He spends his time loafing about the area and attending meetings of the Nationalist Party with his friend Fatso. His childhood sweetheart Eve has now left him for a woman
Like the previous series, it will play with the conventions of TV drama. In what appears...
- 2/6/2017
- ScreenDaily
Et has details on what some of your favorite celebs were up to recently that might have flown under your radar.
Throughout the evening of Madonna's ultra-vip charity event at Miami's Art Basel on Dec. 2, guests were urged by the hostess to take advantage of the ever-flowing Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque at their tables to help them dig deeper into their pockets to contribute to the cause.
Read: Madonna Jokingly Offers to Remarry Sean Penn for Charity: 'I'm Still in Love With You'
Madonna's celeb friends like Ariana Grande, Sean Penn, Chris Rock, Alex Rodriguez, Dave Chappelle, Karolina Kurkova, and David Blaine participated in the auction where over $7.5 million funds were raised. James Corden served as Master of Ceremonies and kicked off the night saying, "let's toast with Perrier-Jouët for Raising Malawi," at Madonna's star-studded charity bash with cuvées provided by the iconic champagne house.
The day before on the opposite coast, [link...
Throughout the evening of Madonna's ultra-vip charity event at Miami's Art Basel on Dec. 2, guests were urged by the hostess to take advantage of the ever-flowing Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque at their tables to help them dig deeper into their pockets to contribute to the cause.
Read: Madonna Jokingly Offers to Remarry Sean Penn for Charity: 'I'm Still in Love With You'
Madonna's celeb friends like Ariana Grande, Sean Penn, Chris Rock, Alex Rodriguez, Dave Chappelle, Karolina Kurkova, and David Blaine participated in the auction where over $7.5 million funds were raised. James Corden served as Master of Ceremonies and kicked off the night saying, "let's toast with Perrier-Jouët for Raising Malawi," at Madonna's star-studded charity bash with cuvées provided by the iconic champagne house.
The day before on the opposite coast, [link...
- 12/10/2016
- Entertainment Tonight
Misery is constant and humor is fleeting in the world of A Woman’s Life (Une Vie), an emotionally overcast period drama from French filmmaker Stéphane Brizé (The Measure of a Man). Shot in square-shaped academy ratio, it recalls — in a certain aesthetic and thematic light — the Danish Dogme films of the mid ‘90s, but without the pitch-black misanthropic wit that made that collective famous. Based on Guy de Maupassant’s 1883 novel of the same name (Tolstoy apparently loved it), it follows the endlessly unfortunate life of Jeanne Le Perthuis des Vaud, heiress to the fortune of a wealthy farming family in France in the 19th Century.
Judith Chemla stars as our doomed heroine, at first a wistful young pixie living in the family château who spends her days frolicking around and contemplating rain and skies and the like. Her blissful bourgeois existence is rocked, however, when she is wed...
Judith Chemla stars as our doomed heroine, at first a wistful young pixie living in the family château who spends her days frolicking around and contemplating rain and skies and the like. Her blissful bourgeois existence is rocked, however, when she is wed...
- 9/6/2016
- by Rory O'Connor
- The Film Stage
Horror Highlights: What We Become Blu-ray, Six Scary Stories, Feed The Devil, The Turning, Hell Town
The Danish horror thriller What We Become will arrive on Blu-ray / DVD courtesy of Scream Factory on October 18th. Also: the info on the Us e-book, paperback, and hardcover release of Six Scary Stories book anthology, featuring an introduction by Stephen King, the VOD release of Feed the Devil, release detailsfor Mickey Neilson’s upcoming novel The Turning, and the cable and Digital HD release of Hell Town.
Blu-ray Release Date Announced for What We Become: From Facebook: “We are proud to announce that we have a new IFC Midnight film planned for release on Blu-ray & DVD this Oct: The chilling Danish import What We Become.
The Johansson family—mom, dad, their rebellious teenage son, and young daughter—are looking forward to a quiet summer in their idyllic suburban town. But in the blink of an eye, things go from blissful to berserk when a horrifying plague tears through the community.
Blu-ray Release Date Announced for What We Become: From Facebook: “We are proud to announce that we have a new IFC Midnight film planned for release on Blu-ray & DVD this Oct: The chilling Danish import What We Become.
The Johansson family—mom, dad, their rebellious teenage son, and young daughter—are looking forward to a quiet summer in their idyllic suburban town. But in the blink of an eye, things go from blissful to berserk when a horrifying plague tears through the community.
- 7/12/2016
- by Tamika Jones
- DailyDead
It's the time-honored tale of the cuckolded lover, his heartless woman and 'the other guy,' told in terms that Émile Zola would endorse. Jean Renoir's first full-length talkie is a little masterpiece of social observation and indifference to sentimental niceties. Michel Simon is terrific as the clerk who has a tough time with illicit love. La chienne Blu-ray The Criterion Collection 818 1931 / B&W / 1:19 flat full frame / 96 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date June 14, 2016 / 39.95 Starring Michel Simon, Janie Marèse, Georges Flamant, Magdeleine Bérubet, Roger Gaillard. Cinematography Theodore Sparkuhl Film Editor Marguerite Renoir Written by Jean Renoir, André Mouézy-Éon from the book by Georges de la Fouchardière Produced by Pierre Braunberger, Roger Richebé Directed by Jean Renoir
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
We American film students learned about Jean Renoir's La chienne only in the context of its remake. It's an earlier version of the book by Georges de la Fouchardière, that was also adapted for Fritz Lang's 1945 noir Scarlet Street. Renoir's film has never been readily available here in the States, an oversight now corrected with Criterion's new Blu-ray. The good news is that the French restoration of this tale of vice and virtue is beyond good -- the movie looks absolutely new. The even better news is that the movie is a revelation, the equal of Renoir's Boudu Saved from Drowning. This is the kind of movie that might suffer in a bad presentation -- the ability to soak up its atmosphere and detail makes all the difference. Yes, the title does translate as The Bitch, a straight-up vulgarism. The story parallels most of the same events of the Lang version. A puppet theater prologue tells us that story has no moral, no lesson to be learned. Company cashier clerk Maurice Legrand (Michel Simon) is a meek, henpecked husband and a Sunday painter. Maurice's wife Adèle (Magdaleine Bérubet) harangues him about her beloved first husband, to whom he'll never measure up; work colleagues make fun of the meek Maurice behind his back. Late at night Maurice meets Lucienne Pelletier (Janie Marèse), who he does not realize is the sometime-prostitute of Dédé (Georges Flamant), a vain, brutish punk who takes the money she squeezes from the men she meets and beds. He beats her for good measure, but she seems to enjoy it. Maurice has soon installed Lucienne in a love nest. He tells Adèle that he's thrown his paintings away, but instead puts them on the walls of Lucienne's apartment. She and Dédé have the mistaken impression that Maurice is rich, but he keeps her by stealing money from his wife, and eventually, the office safe. Then something unusual happens. Dédé tries to sell Maurice's paintings as the work of Lucienne, and has success. She is soon signing his paintings as a supposedly well-known American artist named Clara Wood. Critic Langelard (Alexandre Rignault of Eyes without a Face) promotes 'Clara's' art because she offers him sexual favors. Dédé makes much better money pimping Lucienne in the art world, than he did on the street. Far too naturalistic, 'earthy' and sordid for anything Hollywood might have produced in 1931, Renoir's La chienne turns a 'way of all flesh' tale into a sharp criticism of society. The milquetoast Maurice Legrand is too naïve to realize that he's being had by Lucienne, a femme fatale well versed in hooking wealthy, vulnerable clients. Lucienne herself is a romantic fool, hopelessly in love, or lust, with a man who treats her like dirt. The more abuse Dédé dishes out, she just comes back for more. When Maurice declares his desire to take Lucienne away, she laughs in his face without a shred of sympathy or basic respect. Stories like this do not have happy endings, and La chienne's main task is to imply that the art world is as big a racket as prostitution. 'Clara Wood's' paintings become big sellers because Dédé pimps Lucienne to a critic willing to praise them for sex. The art dealer and the critic collude to tout 'Clara's' paintings to new clients, one of whom we see getting quality time with the artist as well. As director Renoir was of course the son of the famous painter Auguste Renoir, it's easy to see a personal connection in the critical view of Art as a business. Renoir used live location audio, adding greatly to the film's realism. As there was not as yet any audio mixing for French films, the tracks are beautifully miked to pick up ambient sounds. We even hear the clacking of Lucienne's shoes on the cobblestoned streets. Theodor Sparkuhl's night exteriors are every bit as sophisticated as later low-key, deep focus work in '30s poetic realism and '40s film noir. The rain we see in some scenes may be real as well. The film isn't about crime and retribution, but the grand ironies of 'the oldest story,' a foolish love that leads to murder. The tale turns comic when Maurice has to deal with a man from Adèle's past, who turns up unexpectedly and then figures in the even more ironic ending. The three main characters are just terrific. Michel Simon is a very different character than his bohemian Boudu from the following year. The actor is also far thinner than we're used to seeing him, in films made just a few years later. Janie Marèse is as dangerous a female as ever hooked a man. Lucienne's unreasoning, limitless love for Dédé makes her pure poison for a defenseless fellow like Maurice. Georges Flamant also demonstrates great skill as a thorough, unrepentant louse. Comparing La chienne with Lang's Scarlet Street sets the difference between the humanist and determinist filmmakers in strong relief. Both Renoir and Lang see the events as an unstoppable consequence of human nature, but Renoir's view is much warmer. Maurice lives in a full spectrum of human interaction, even if most people take him for a fool. But he's essentially a warm and accepting person, and his one moment of violent rage is fully understandable. When all is said and done, with his life ruined, Maurice can still laugh at the absurdity of it all. Life goes on, somehow. Lang's version is a chilly noir thesis that makes its innocent hero (Edward G. Robinson) a more innocent victim, not only of Joan Bennett's cheap tart, but of his employers and society itself. His rich boss doesn't even have to hide the fancy woman he keeps on the side, whereas Robinson's wife keeps him around mainly to wash dishes. As one expects from Lang, the plot twists are sharper, wickedly ironic and cruelly merciless. Lang doesn't believe in 'live and let live'.' Haunted by what he's done, his poor hero goes insane. Life does not go on. Renoir's film has a music theme under the titles but I believe the rest of its music is organic, always with a source in the scenes. The beautifully filmed murder takes place with a ballad singer entertaining in the street. Unable to protest when his wife compares him unfavorably to her first husband, the long-lost soldier, Maurice instead sings a mocking children's song about a soldier who went to war and didn't come back. [When we screened La chienne, my wife jumped up immediately at the sound of the song. It has a nearly identical Spanish counterpart, "Mambrú Se Fue A La Guerra." Mambrú went to war, and if he comes back it'll only be at Easter and Christmas. Most likely, it'll be never. To my mind it's a great children's song because it reflects the reality of war glory. There's the Sunday Savant culture lesson for you.] The Criterion Collection's Blu-ray of La chienne is simply terrific -- it looks much better than many expensively restored American movies from this year. The producer must have kept the picture and audio masters in perfect conditions. The rich images display a modulated granularity that heavy digital processing would surely have removed. Being from 1931 the sound does carry a light surface noise. The extras explain that a few lines recorded on location are weak, but I didn't notice as I of course was reading the English subtitles. It's a welcome disc indeed. Christopher Faulkner hosts the 25-minute overview featurette. He covers the love triangle that developed among the actors during filming, and the sad fate of the film's star Janie Marèse. Faulkner places the film in Jean Renoir's career, explaining that in the 1920s the director was often adjudged a dilettante. He had to prove himself before the producers would let him do a sound feature. Here in its entirety is Renoir's short (50 minute) film On purge bébé from the same year, a talkie Renoir was obliged to film to prove he could handle sound. The title translates as Baby's Laxative -- it's a comedy from a play by George Feydeau, about a manufacturer of chamber pots whose son is constipated! Michel Simon is a visitor to the house, where Baby's parents carry on a marriage squabble suitable for a music hall farce. Playing a small supporting part is a young Fernandel. On purge bébé must have been kept in the same magic film can as the main feature, for it is fully restored and just as perfect. Jean Renoir offers one of those introductions filmed for French TV in the early '60. Much rarer is a 90-minute 1967 TV show hosted by Jacques Rivette, in which both Jean Renoir and Michel Simon reminisce about their careers and La chienne. The precise, informative insert essay is by Ginette Vincendeau; and the attractive cover art is by 'Blutch.' Criterion's disc producer is Elizabeth Pauker. On a scale of Excellent, Good, Fair, and Poor, La chienne Blu-ray rates: Movie: Excellent Video: Excellent very surprisingly so Sound: Excellent Supplements: Introduction to the film from 1961 by director Jean Renoir, New interview with Renoir scholar Christopher Faulkner, New restoration of On purge bébé (1931), Jean Renoir le patron: 'Michel Simon' a 95-minute 1967 French television program featuring a conversation between Renoir and Simon, directed by Jacques Rivette, Essay by film scholar Ginette Vincendeau. Deaf and Hearing-impaired Friendly? Yes; Subtitles: English Packaging: Keep case Reviewed: June 12, 2016 (5139chie)
Visit DVD Savant's Main Column Page Glenn Erickson answers most reader mail: dvdsavant@mindspring.com
Text © Copyright 2016 Glenn Erickson...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
We American film students learned about Jean Renoir's La chienne only in the context of its remake. It's an earlier version of the book by Georges de la Fouchardière, that was also adapted for Fritz Lang's 1945 noir Scarlet Street. Renoir's film has never been readily available here in the States, an oversight now corrected with Criterion's new Blu-ray. The good news is that the French restoration of this tale of vice and virtue is beyond good -- the movie looks absolutely new. The even better news is that the movie is a revelation, the equal of Renoir's Boudu Saved from Drowning. This is the kind of movie that might suffer in a bad presentation -- the ability to soak up its atmosphere and detail makes all the difference. Yes, the title does translate as The Bitch, a straight-up vulgarism. The story parallels most of the same events of the Lang version. A puppet theater prologue tells us that story has no moral, no lesson to be learned. Company cashier clerk Maurice Legrand (Michel Simon) is a meek, henpecked husband and a Sunday painter. Maurice's wife Adèle (Magdaleine Bérubet) harangues him about her beloved first husband, to whom he'll never measure up; work colleagues make fun of the meek Maurice behind his back. Late at night Maurice meets Lucienne Pelletier (Janie Marèse), who he does not realize is the sometime-prostitute of Dédé (Georges Flamant), a vain, brutish punk who takes the money she squeezes from the men she meets and beds. He beats her for good measure, but she seems to enjoy it. Maurice has soon installed Lucienne in a love nest. He tells Adèle that he's thrown his paintings away, but instead puts them on the walls of Lucienne's apartment. She and Dédé have the mistaken impression that Maurice is rich, but he keeps her by stealing money from his wife, and eventually, the office safe. Then something unusual happens. Dédé tries to sell Maurice's paintings as the work of Lucienne, and has success. She is soon signing his paintings as a supposedly well-known American artist named Clara Wood. Critic Langelard (Alexandre Rignault of Eyes without a Face) promotes 'Clara's' art because she offers him sexual favors. Dédé makes much better money pimping Lucienne in the art world, than he did on the street. Far too naturalistic, 'earthy' and sordid for anything Hollywood might have produced in 1931, Renoir's La chienne turns a 'way of all flesh' tale into a sharp criticism of society. The milquetoast Maurice Legrand is too naïve to realize that he's being had by Lucienne, a femme fatale well versed in hooking wealthy, vulnerable clients. Lucienne herself is a romantic fool, hopelessly in love, or lust, with a man who treats her like dirt. The more abuse Dédé dishes out, she just comes back for more. When Maurice declares his desire to take Lucienne away, she laughs in his face without a shred of sympathy or basic respect. Stories like this do not have happy endings, and La chienne's main task is to imply that the art world is as big a racket as prostitution. 'Clara Wood's' paintings become big sellers because Dédé pimps Lucienne to a critic willing to praise them for sex. The art dealer and the critic collude to tout 'Clara's' paintings to new clients, one of whom we see getting quality time with the artist as well. As director Renoir was of course the son of the famous painter Auguste Renoir, it's easy to see a personal connection in the critical view of Art as a business. Renoir used live location audio, adding greatly to the film's realism. As there was not as yet any audio mixing for French films, the tracks are beautifully miked to pick up ambient sounds. We even hear the clacking of Lucienne's shoes on the cobblestoned streets. Theodor Sparkuhl's night exteriors are every bit as sophisticated as later low-key, deep focus work in '30s poetic realism and '40s film noir. The rain we see in some scenes may be real as well. The film isn't about crime and retribution, but the grand ironies of 'the oldest story,' a foolish love that leads to murder. The tale turns comic when Maurice has to deal with a man from Adèle's past, who turns up unexpectedly and then figures in the even more ironic ending. The three main characters are just terrific. Michel Simon is a very different character than his bohemian Boudu from the following year. The actor is also far thinner than we're used to seeing him, in films made just a few years later. Janie Marèse is as dangerous a female as ever hooked a man. Lucienne's unreasoning, limitless love for Dédé makes her pure poison for a defenseless fellow like Maurice. Georges Flamant also demonstrates great skill as a thorough, unrepentant louse. Comparing La chienne with Lang's Scarlet Street sets the difference between the humanist and determinist filmmakers in strong relief. Both Renoir and Lang see the events as an unstoppable consequence of human nature, but Renoir's view is much warmer. Maurice lives in a full spectrum of human interaction, even if most people take him for a fool. But he's essentially a warm and accepting person, and his one moment of violent rage is fully understandable. When all is said and done, with his life ruined, Maurice can still laugh at the absurdity of it all. Life goes on, somehow. Lang's version is a chilly noir thesis that makes its innocent hero (Edward G. Robinson) a more innocent victim, not only of Joan Bennett's cheap tart, but of his employers and society itself. His rich boss doesn't even have to hide the fancy woman he keeps on the side, whereas Robinson's wife keeps him around mainly to wash dishes. As one expects from Lang, the plot twists are sharper, wickedly ironic and cruelly merciless. Lang doesn't believe in 'live and let live'.' Haunted by what he's done, his poor hero goes insane. Life does not go on. Renoir's film has a music theme under the titles but I believe the rest of its music is organic, always with a source in the scenes. The beautifully filmed murder takes place with a ballad singer entertaining in the street. Unable to protest when his wife compares him unfavorably to her first husband, the long-lost soldier, Maurice instead sings a mocking children's song about a soldier who went to war and didn't come back. [When we screened La chienne, my wife jumped up immediately at the sound of the song. It has a nearly identical Spanish counterpart, "Mambrú Se Fue A La Guerra." Mambrú went to war, and if he comes back it'll only be at Easter and Christmas. Most likely, it'll be never. To my mind it's a great children's song because it reflects the reality of war glory. There's the Sunday Savant culture lesson for you.] The Criterion Collection's Blu-ray of La chienne is simply terrific -- it looks much better than many expensively restored American movies from this year. The producer must have kept the picture and audio masters in perfect conditions. The rich images display a modulated granularity that heavy digital processing would surely have removed. Being from 1931 the sound does carry a light surface noise. The extras explain that a few lines recorded on location are weak, but I didn't notice as I of course was reading the English subtitles. It's a welcome disc indeed. Christopher Faulkner hosts the 25-minute overview featurette. He covers the love triangle that developed among the actors during filming, and the sad fate of the film's star Janie Marèse. Faulkner places the film in Jean Renoir's career, explaining that in the 1920s the director was often adjudged a dilettante. He had to prove himself before the producers would let him do a sound feature. Here in its entirety is Renoir's short (50 minute) film On purge bébé from the same year, a talkie Renoir was obliged to film to prove he could handle sound. The title translates as Baby's Laxative -- it's a comedy from a play by George Feydeau, about a manufacturer of chamber pots whose son is constipated! Michel Simon is a visitor to the house, where Baby's parents carry on a marriage squabble suitable for a music hall farce. Playing a small supporting part is a young Fernandel. On purge bébé must have been kept in the same magic film can as the main feature, for it is fully restored and just as perfect. Jean Renoir offers one of those introductions filmed for French TV in the early '60. Much rarer is a 90-minute 1967 TV show hosted by Jacques Rivette, in which both Jean Renoir and Michel Simon reminisce about their careers and La chienne. The precise, informative insert essay is by Ginette Vincendeau; and the attractive cover art is by 'Blutch.' Criterion's disc producer is Elizabeth Pauker. On a scale of Excellent, Good, Fair, and Poor, La chienne Blu-ray rates: Movie: Excellent Video: Excellent very surprisingly so Sound: Excellent Supplements: Introduction to the film from 1961 by director Jean Renoir, New interview with Renoir scholar Christopher Faulkner, New restoration of On purge bébé (1931), Jean Renoir le patron: 'Michel Simon' a 95-minute 1967 French television program featuring a conversation between Renoir and Simon, directed by Jacques Rivette, Essay by film scholar Ginette Vincendeau. Deaf and Hearing-impaired Friendly? Yes; Subtitles: English Packaging: Keep case Reviewed: June 12, 2016 (5139chie)
Visit DVD Savant's Main Column Page Glenn Erickson answers most reader mail: dvdsavant@mindspring.com
Text © Copyright 2016 Glenn Erickson...
- 6/14/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Cad, bounder, dastard... look those words up in an old casting directory and you'll probably find a picture of George Sanders. Albert Lewin's best movie is a class-act period piece with terrific acting from Sanders, Angela Lansbury, Ann Dvorak, John Carradine, Warren William and many more, and a powerful '40s picture that most people haven't discovered, now handsomely restored. The Private Affairs of Bel Ami Blu-ray Olive Films 1947 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 112 min. / Street Date May 24, 2016 / available through the Olive Films website / 29.95 Starring George Sanders, Angela Lansbury, Ann Dvorak, John Carradine, Warren William, Susan Douglas, Albert Bassermann, Frances Dee, Marie Wilson, Katherine Emery, Richard Fraser. Cinematography Russell Metty Film Editor Joseph Albrecht Original Music Darius Milhaud Assistant Director Robert Aldrich Production Design Gordon Wiles Written by from the novel by Guy de Maupassant Produced by David L. Loew Written Directed by Albert Lewin
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson...
- 5/14/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Close-Up is a column that spotlights films now playing on Mubi. Mauvais sang is playing April 2 - May 1 and Mr. X, a Vision of Leos Carax April 3 - May 3, 2016 in the United States.When lighting cigarettes, characters in Mauvais sang (1986) never shield the flame from wind. The smoke doesn't dissipate, but slithers away in tendrils. The air hangs, heated by an overpassing Halley's Comet that turns the cobblestone streets into a fire-walk. The male characters conduct their business shirtless, sometimes wrestling with a homoeroticism more Greek than closeted. A city-wide suicide spree, exacerbated but maybe not caused by the AIDS-like retrovirus "Stbo", leaves alive only thieves, fare-hoppers, vandals, gangsters. They inhabit Jean-Pierre Melville's exsanguinated Paris, designed as a hermetic MGM backlot. Red leaks down the walls. Holed up in an old butcher's shop, three thieves plan their last big score: stealing a serum to Stbo. The money will allow...
- 3/30/2016
- by Mike Opal
- MUBI
Among the crown jewels of Scream Factory’s ever-growing library of classic horror titles on Blu-ray (and some not-so-classic) are their Vincent Price Collection boxed sets, collecting many of the icon’s greatest films including most of the Roger Corman “Poe cycle”, as well as other goodness like the Dr. Phibes movies and the brilliant Witchfinder General. Not only do these collections celebrate one of the greatest icons the genre has ever known, but also honor a kind of old-school horror of which we don’t see enough anymore.
But by the recently released Vincent Price Collection III, the third collection of Price movies on Blu-ray, Scream Factory has had to dig up some fairly esoteric titles, not all of which can be considered horror. Unfortunately, Theater of Blood is still nowhere to be found on Blu-ray and Kino Lorber has the rights for anthologies like Tales of Terror and Twice Told Tales,...
But by the recently released Vincent Price Collection III, the third collection of Price movies on Blu-ray, Scream Factory has had to dig up some fairly esoteric titles, not all of which can be considered horror. Unfortunately, Theater of Blood is still nowhere to be found on Blu-ray and Kino Lorber has the rights for anthologies like Tales of Terror and Twice Told Tales,...
- 3/8/2016
- by Patrick Bromley
- DailyDead
Shout Factory opens the crypt once more, for the last remaining UA and Aip fright movies starring our favorite gentleman of horror. The label lays on the extras, with Steve Haberman commentaries and episodes of Science Fiction Theater. Now where are the Vincent Price cooking shows? The Vincent Price Collection III Master of the World, The Tower of London, Diary of a Madman, An Evening with Edgar Allan Poe, Cry of the Banshee Blu-ray Scream (Shout!) Factory 1961-72 / B&W + Color / 1:85 & 1:66 widescreen / 420 min. / Street Date February 16, 2016 / 69.97 Starring Vincent Price Directed by William Witney, Roger Corman, Reginald Le Borg, Kenneth Johnson, Gordon Hessler.
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Scream Factory now brings us Part Three of its Vincent Price collection, pretty much emptying the closet over at MGM. Not counting his twilight feature The Whales of August every Vincent Price film under the MGM banner will soon be out on Blu-ray.
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Scream Factory now brings us Part Three of its Vincent Price collection, pretty much emptying the closet over at MGM. Not counting his twilight feature The Whales of August every Vincent Price film under the MGM banner will soon be out on Blu-ray.
- 2/27/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
William Cameron Menzies. William Cameron Menzies movies on TCM: Murderous Joan Fontaine, deadly Nazi Communists Best known as an art director/production designer, William Cameron Menzies was a jack-of-all-trades. It seems like the only things Menzies didn't do was act and tap dance in front of the camera. He designed and/or wrote, directed, produced, etc., dozens of films – titles ranged from The Thief of Bagdad to Invaders from Mars – from the late 1910s all the way to the mid-1950s. Among Menzies' most notable efforts as an art director/production designer are: Ernst Lubitsch's first Hollywood movie, the Mary Pickford star vehicle Rosita (1923). Herbert Brenon's British-set father-son drama Sorrell and Son (1927). David O. Selznick's mammoth production of Gone with the Wind, which earned Menzies an Honorary Oscar. The Sam Wood movies Our Town (1940), Kings Row (1942), and For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943). H.C. Potter's Mr. Lucky...
- 1/28/2016
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
David Bowie in 'The Hunger' with Catherine Deneuve. David Bowie movies: Iconic singer memorable as fast-aging vampire in 'The Hunger,' Nikola Tesla in 'The Prestige' Singer and sometime actor David Bowie, one of the iconic figures of the English-language music scene of the second half of the 20th century, died of cancer yesterday, Jan. 10, '16. Bowie (born David Robert Jones in the London suburb of Brixton) had turned 69 on Jan. 8. His son, filmmaker Duncan Jones (Moon), has confirmed Bowie's death on Twitter. Bowie was seen in only a couple of dozen movies during his four-decade show business career. Among his most memorable film roles were those in the titles listed below. The Man Who Fell to Earth Directed by Nicolas Roeg (Walkabout, Don't Look Now) from a screenplay by Paul Mayersberg (based on a novel by Walter Tevis), The Man Who Fell to Earth...
- 1/11/2016
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
28 December 1971: Tom Hutchinson talks to Sean Connery about his love/hate affair with James Bond
Sean Connery ordered a Perrier water because he had been drinking heavily the night before and, mortal, had not been able to make a James Bond-like with one leap he was free escape from the clutches of the resulting hangover. He watched the elegant back of Kenneth Tynan disappearing into the further recesses of the restaurant. “K-k-kenneth (sic) f-f-fucking T-t-tynan,” he mimicked. “Spends his life criticising plays from a position of lofty principle and then dives into a show like “Oh, Calcutta!” which isn’t half so well presented as Raymond’s Revuebar where I was the other night. Even though the Revuebar champagne is so bloody pricey…
‘Of course the films will go on, but who’ll play me?’
Continue reading...
Sean Connery ordered a Perrier water because he had been drinking heavily the night before and, mortal, had not been able to make a James Bond-like with one leap he was free escape from the clutches of the resulting hangover. He watched the elegant back of Kenneth Tynan disappearing into the further recesses of the restaurant. “K-k-kenneth (sic) f-f-fucking T-t-tynan,” he mimicked. “Spends his life criticising plays from a position of lofty principle and then dives into a show like “Oh, Calcutta!” which isn’t half so well presented as Raymond’s Revuebar where I was the other night. Even though the Revuebar champagne is so bloody pricey…
‘Of course the films will go on, but who’ll play me?’
Continue reading...
- 12/28/2015
- by Tom Hutchinson
- The Guardian - Film News
By Hank Reineke
On the eve of the November 1963 release of Twice Told Tales, the British actor Sebastian Cabot would tell a reporter from the Copley News Service, “They’ve been after me to do more of the horror pictures with Vincent Price. I wouldn’t mind that a bit, though I must say I wouldn’t want to do them exclusively.” He intimated that he and his co-star had discussed a possible future pairing in “a light comedy” motion-picture. Alas, it was not to be; the two actors would not work together again. Cabot, of course, would soldier on and enjoy success as both a television personality and a recognizable voice-over actor. Following the passing of Boris Karloff in 1969, Vincent Price would reign as the big-screen’s uncontested “King of Horror.” Cabot’s estimation of Price as an actor “extremely adept” at light-comedy was incisive. Throughout his long and fabled career,...
On the eve of the November 1963 release of Twice Told Tales, the British actor Sebastian Cabot would tell a reporter from the Copley News Service, “They’ve been after me to do more of the horror pictures with Vincent Price. I wouldn’t mind that a bit, though I must say I wouldn’t want to do them exclusively.” He intimated that he and his co-star had discussed a possible future pairing in “a light comedy” motion-picture. Alas, it was not to be; the two actors would not work together again. Cabot, of course, would soldier on and enjoy success as both a television personality and a recognizable voice-over actor. Following the passing of Boris Karloff in 1969, Vincent Price would reign as the big-screen’s uncontested “King of Horror.” Cabot’s estimation of Price as an actor “extremely adept” at light-comedy was incisive. Throughout his long and fabled career,...
- 12/3/2015
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
facebook
twitter
google+
The Returned series 2 arrives on More4 in the UK tonight, Friday the 16th of October. We spoke to its creators and cast…
Fabrice Gobert, the French creator of supernatural drama The Returned, speaks good English. An inevitability of using a second language though, is the odd grammatical slip. One such slip made by Gobert at the press launch for The Returned series two is too perfect to let pass by. A pitfall of writing fantasy TV, Gobert said, is that “you can lost yourself”.
Add a capital letter to the ‘l’ word, and you can say that again.
During its enviably long run, Lost became both the high and low benchmark for atmospheric, existentially fraught TV dramas. Its early seasons gripped viewers, but its later runs frustrated many by failing to achieve the perfect ratio of mysteries to answers. That’s the tricky challenge The Returned is facing in series two.
google+
The Returned series 2 arrives on More4 in the UK tonight, Friday the 16th of October. We spoke to its creators and cast…
Fabrice Gobert, the French creator of supernatural drama The Returned, speaks good English. An inevitability of using a second language though, is the odd grammatical slip. One such slip made by Gobert at the press launch for The Returned series two is too perfect to let pass by. A pitfall of writing fantasy TV, Gobert said, is that “you can lost yourself”.
Add a capital letter to the ‘l’ word, and you can say that again.
During its enviably long run, Lost became both the high and low benchmark for atmospheric, existentially fraught TV dramas. Its early seasons gripped viewers, but its later runs frustrated many by failing to achieve the perfect ratio of mysteries to answers. That’s the tricky challenge The Returned is facing in series two.
- 10/16/2015
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
Before his medical emergency on Tuesday, Lamar Odom had already had a long, difficult period of personal and professional struggle.
Odom – who was found unconscious at a Nevada brothel and rushed to a hospitalize Tuesday afternoon – has had a painful journey between the time ex Khloé Kardashian filed for divorce in December 2013 and when the couple signed the papers in July.
In the midst of battling a serious substance abuse problem, the former NBA star, 35, was found with cocaine and opiates in his system, according to a source.
Though the exes have been in and out of touch in the...
Odom – who was found unconscious at a Nevada brothel and rushed to a hospitalize Tuesday afternoon – has had a painful journey between the time ex Khloé Kardashian filed for divorce in December 2013 and when the couple signed the papers in July.
In the midst of battling a serious substance abuse problem, the former NBA star, 35, was found with cocaine and opiates in his system, according to a source.
Though the exes have been in and out of touch in the...
- 10/15/2015
- by Christina Dugan, @Christina_Dugan
- People.com - TV Watch
Hammer horror fans are in for a treat, as respective collections of five William Castle films and five Hammer horror movies are coming out on Blu-ray in August, and The Incredible Two-Headed Transplant has been set to come out on Blu-ray.
The William Castle and Hammer horror collections will respectively come out on DVD August 18th from Mill Creek. The Incredible Two-Headed Transplant, meanwhile, is slated for release later this year by Kino Lorber. Stay tuned to Daily Dead for further updates.
From Mill Creek: "Iconic horror director William Castle created a simple, but winning formula for his films: a little comedy, a lot of scares, a preposterous gimmick, and a clear sense that fright films should be fun. This even meant Castle would, like Alfred Hitchcock, appear in his trailers and even the movies themselves. Though his career spanned 35 years and included everything from westerns to crime thrillers, he'll...
The William Castle and Hammer horror collections will respectively come out on DVD August 18th from Mill Creek. The Incredible Two-Headed Transplant, meanwhile, is slated for release later this year by Kino Lorber. Stay tuned to Daily Dead for further updates.
From Mill Creek: "Iconic horror director William Castle created a simple, but winning formula for his films: a little comedy, a lot of scares, a preposterous gimmick, and a clear sense that fright films should be fun. This even meant Castle would, like Alfred Hitchcock, appear in his trailers and even the movies themselves. Though his career spanned 35 years and included everything from westerns to crime thrillers, he'll...
- 7/31/2015
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
French director Bruno Dumont’s forensic-thriller farce features one of the funniest and weirdest scenes of the year
You can keep your Scandi noir. What about northern French forensic-thriller farce? This is the latest film from that quite extraordinary French director, Bruno Dumont. He has decided to vacate his creative heartland of fierce social realism in favour of acid black comedy – an epic designed originally to be shown on TV in four 50-minute parts – starring Bernard Pruvost and Philippe Jore as Van Der Weyden and Carpentier, two incompetent rural cops on the trail of a serial killer who leaves body parts inside barnyard animals.
Continue reading...
You can keep your Scandi noir. What about northern French forensic-thriller farce? This is the latest film from that quite extraordinary French director, Bruno Dumont. He has decided to vacate his creative heartland of fierce social realism in favour of acid black comedy – an epic designed originally to be shown on TV in four 50-minute parts – starring Bernard Pruvost and Philippe Jore as Van Der Weyden and Carpentier, two incompetent rural cops on the trail of a serial killer who leaves body parts inside barnyard animals.
Continue reading...
- 7/9/2015
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Message De Salutations: Prix Suisse / Remerciements / Mort Ou Vif by Jean-Luc Godard (world premiere 13.03.2015)[Message Of Greetings: Prix Suisse / My Thanks / Dead Or Alive] by Jean-Luc Godard (world premiere March 13th, 2015)On Friday, March 13th, 2015, in Geneva, Switzerland, Jean-Luc Godard was awarded the 2015 “Prix d’honneur du cinéma suisse” with its corresponding allotment of 30,000 Swiss francs (at present = €28189,46 Eur or $29,909.52 Usd), on the basis of being a “visionary filmmaker,” “a virtuoso of film-editing,” whose “avant-garde” works have done much to inspire the young. A remarkable laurel, given that Godard is, at 84, the greatest filmmaker in the history of the cinema since Renoir, and I can’t name another Swiss director besides Anne-Marie Miéville. Of course he didn’t attend, citing, for the ump-teenth time in so-many years, health reasons; regular right-hand-man / Dp / one-man technical wizard / Jlg-ambassador Fabrice Aragno appeared in Godard's stead to accept the award.Of course, the health reasons cited were only so evident as the 5-minute film* that Godard stars in,...
- 3/18/2015
- by Craig Keller
- MUBI
Marc Allégret: From André Gide lover to Simone Simon mentor (photo: Marc Allégret) (See previous post: "Simone Simon Remembered: Sex Kitten and Femme Fatale.") Simone Simon became a film star following the international critical and financial success of the 1934 romantic drama Lac aux Dames, directed by her self-appointed mentor – and alleged lover – Marc Allégret.[1] The son of an evangelical missionary, Marc Allégret (born on December 22, 1900, in Basel, Switzerland) was to have become a lawyer. At age 16, his life took a different path as a result of his romantic involvement – and elopement to London – with his mentor and later "adoptive uncle" André Gide (1947 Nobel Prize winner in Literature), more than 30 years his senior and married to Madeleine Rondeaux for more than two decades. In various forms – including a threesome with painter Théo Van Rysselberghe's daughter Elisabeth – the Allégret-Gide relationship remained steady until the late '20s and their trip to...
- 2/28/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
A Day in the Country
Written and directed by Jean Renoir
France, 1936
Jean Renoir’s A Day in the Country comes at a curious point in the director’s career. In 1936, he had several exceptional silent films to his credit, as well as such classics of early French sound cinema as La Chienne (1931), Boudu Saved from Drowning (1932), and The Crime of Monsieur Lange (1936), among others. But he had still not yet achieved his singular place on world cinema’s pre-war stage. That he would do just a year later, with La Grande Illusion (1937). As noted on the new Criterion Blu-ray, A Day in the Country was “conceived as a short feature…[and] nearly finished production in 1936 when Renoir was called away for The Lower Depths. Shooting was abandoned then, but the film was completed with the existing footage by Renoir’s team and released in its current form in 1946, after the...
Written and directed by Jean Renoir
France, 1936
Jean Renoir’s A Day in the Country comes at a curious point in the director’s career. In 1936, he had several exceptional silent films to his credit, as well as such classics of early French sound cinema as La Chienne (1931), Boudu Saved from Drowning (1932), and The Crime of Monsieur Lange (1936), among others. But he had still not yet achieved his singular place on world cinema’s pre-war stage. That he would do just a year later, with La Grande Illusion (1937). As noted on the new Criterion Blu-ray, A Day in the Country was “conceived as a short feature…[and] nearly finished production in 1936 when Renoir was called away for The Lower Depths. Shooting was abandoned then, but the film was completed with the existing footage by Renoir’s team and released in its current form in 1946, after the...
- 2/17/2015
- by Jeremy Carr
- SoundOnSight
Simone Simon in 'La Bête Humaine' 1938: Jean Renoir's film noir (photo: Jean Gabin and Simone Simon in 'La Bête Humaine') (See previous post: "'Cat People' 1942 Actress Simone Simon Remembered.") In the late 1930s, with her Hollywood career stalled while facing competition at 20th Century-Fox from another French import, Annabella (later Tyrone Power's wife), Simone Simon returned to France. Once there, she reestablished herself as an actress to be reckoned with in Jean Renoir's La Bête Humaine. An updated version of Émile Zola's 1890 novel, La Bête Humaine is enveloped in a dark, brooding atmosphere not uncommon in pre-World War II French films. Known for their "poetic realism," examples from that era include Renoir's own The Lower Depths (1936), Julien Duvivier's La Belle Équipe (1936) and Pépé le Moko (1937), and particularly Marcel Carné's Port of Shadows (1938) and Daybreak (1939).[11] This thematic and...
- 2/6/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
'Cat People' 1942 actress Simone Simon Remembered: Starred in Jacques Tourneur's cult horror movie classic (photo: Simone Simon in 'Cat People') Pert, pouty, pretty Simone Simon is best remembered for her starring roles in Jacques Tourneur's cult horror movie Cat People (1942) and in Jean Renoir's French film noir La Bête Humaine (1938). Long before Brigitte Bardot, Mamie Van Doren, Ann-Margret, and (for a few years) Jane Fonda became known as cinema's Sex Kittens, Simone Simon exuded feline charm in a film career that spanned a quarter of a century. From the early '30s to the mid-'50s, she seduced men young and old on both sides of the Atlantic – at times, with fatal results. During that period, Simon was featured in nearly 40 movies in France, Italy, Germany, Britain, and Hollywood. Besides Jean Renoir, in her native country she worked for the likes of Jacqueline Audry...
- 2/6/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Life of Quinquin: Dumont’s Foray into Miniseries Format Filled with His Brand of Peculiar Humor
Provocative auteur Bruno Dumont lets loose his comedic side with a four part miniseries, Li’l Quinquin, shown as one long piece at the Cannes Film Festival. While it apparently will be released in English speaking territories in the same fashion, its purposeful structure does make it seem better served to be viewed in more than one sitting, where its bizarre weirdness has a better chance of really sinking in. But one has to remember that we’re talking about Dumont here, the director who grapples with existential ennui usually through the lens of religious discord or the bleak isolation of rural settings. So the project is indeed the most comedic offering of the director’s oeuvre, following last year’s captivating look at sculptor Camille Claudel starring Juliette Binoche. Yet it’s not...
Provocative auteur Bruno Dumont lets loose his comedic side with a four part miniseries, Li’l Quinquin, shown as one long piece at the Cannes Film Festival. While it apparently will be released in English speaking territories in the same fashion, its purposeful structure does make it seem better served to be viewed in more than one sitting, where its bizarre weirdness has a better chance of really sinking in. But one has to remember that we’re talking about Dumont here, the director who grapples with existential ennui usually through the lens of religious discord or the bleak isolation of rural settings. So the project is indeed the most comedic offering of the director’s oeuvre, following last year’s captivating look at sculptor Camille Claudel starring Juliette Binoche. Yet it’s not...
- 1/1/2015
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Translators introduction: This article by Mireille Latil Le Dantec, the first of two parts, was originally published in issue 40 of Cinématographe, September 1978. The previous issue of the magazine had included a dossier on "La qualité française" and a book of a never-shot script by Jean Grémillon (Le Printemps de la Liberté or The Spring of Freedom) had recently been published. The time was ripe for a re-evaluation of Grémillon's films and a resuscitation of his undervalued career. As this re-evaluation appears to still be happening nearly 40 years later—Grémillon's films have only recently seen DVD releases and a 35mm retrospective begins this week at Museum of the Moving Image in Queens—this article and its follow-up gives us an important view of a French perspective on Grémillon's work by a very perceptive critic doing the initial heavy-lifting in bringing the proper attention to the filmmaker's work.
Filmmaker maudit?...
Filmmaker maudit?...
- 11/30/2014
- by Ted Fendt
- MUBI
By Fred Blosser
Stories about domineering fathers and neglected offspring are at least as old as the Bible and Shakespeare. Gilles Legrand’s “You Will Be My Son” (2012) is a worthy addition to the genre.
Paul de Marseul (Niels Arestrup) is distressed to learn that his friend Francois Amelot (Patrick Chesnais) has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Paul is the wealthy owner of a French vineyard, and Francois has served for more than 30 years as his estate manager: “a fancy name for winemaker,” Francois comments. When Francois announces that he’s too weak from his illness to begin the new production season, Paul’s son Martin (Lorant Deutsch) steps up, eager to take on the responsibility. He handles sales for the company, and he knows Francois’ routine through years of observation. But Paul has no faith in Martin’s abilities as a vintner, and the two men moreover have a strained personal relationship.
Stories about domineering fathers and neglected offspring are at least as old as the Bible and Shakespeare. Gilles Legrand’s “You Will Be My Son” (2012) is a worthy addition to the genre.
Paul de Marseul (Niels Arestrup) is distressed to learn that his friend Francois Amelot (Patrick Chesnais) has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Paul is the wealthy owner of a French vineyard, and Francois has served for more than 30 years as his estate manager: “a fancy name for winemaker,” Francois comments. When Francois announces that he’s too weak from his illness to begin the new production season, Paul’s son Martin (Lorant Deutsch) steps up, eager to take on the responsibility. He handles sales for the company, and he knows Francois’ routine through years of observation. But Paul has no faith in Martin’s abilities as a vintner, and the two men moreover have a strained personal relationship.
- 11/26/2014
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Projects range from a film about centenarians to documentaries about renowned hunger striker Bobby Sands, Winnie Mandela, Ratko Mladic and Madonna’s backing dancers.Scroll down for full list of projects
Idfa (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam) has unveiled the 50 titles that will be presented at its international co-finance and production market, the Idfa Forum (Nov 24-26).
At the market, filmmakers and producers will present their documentary projects to commissioning editors from international television stations and other financiers with the aim of completing finance for their documentary projects.
A total of 50 projects have been selected for the upcoming Idfa Forum, including new projects by Heddy Honigmann, Janus Metz and Vitaly Mansky.
The Idfa 2014 programme contains 17 documentaries that were presented as projects at previous editions of the Idfa Forum.
Projects selected for this year’s Idfa Forum will be pitched in a variety of settings: the central pitches in the main auditorium of the Compagnietheater, the round table...
Idfa (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam) has unveiled the 50 titles that will be presented at its international co-finance and production market, the Idfa Forum (Nov 24-26).
At the market, filmmakers and producers will present their documentary projects to commissioning editors from international television stations and other financiers with the aim of completing finance for their documentary projects.
A total of 50 projects have been selected for the upcoming Idfa Forum, including new projects by Heddy Honigmann, Janus Metz and Vitaly Mansky.
The Idfa 2014 programme contains 17 documentaries that were presented as projects at previous editions of the Idfa Forum.
Projects selected for this year’s Idfa Forum will be pitched in a variety of settings: the central pitches in the main auditorium of the Compagnietheater, the round table...
- 10/14/2014
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
The following exchange took place between critics Michael Pattison and Neil Young over email between 4 and 8 August, not long after Li’l Quinquin screened at Wrocław’s New Horizons International Film Festival—following its world-premiere at Cannes earlier this year, and now playing at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Set in a village in northern France and originally made in four parts for transmission on French television, Bruno Dumont’s latest work is 200 minutes in length and chronicles an unorthodox murder investigation conducted by Capt Van der Weyden (Bernard Pruvost) under the watchful eyes of a rambunctious kid known only by his nickname, Li'l Quinquin (Alane Delhaye).
Spoiler Warning: this exchange reveals and discusses significant plot details of Li’l Quinquin
Michael Pattison: You remarked on Twitter earlier that you were still thinking about Li’l Quinquin a day after seeing it—that, having slept on it, the film...
Set in a village in northern France and originally made in four parts for transmission on French television, Bruno Dumont’s latest work is 200 minutes in length and chronicles an unorthodox murder investigation conducted by Capt Van der Weyden (Bernard Pruvost) under the watchful eyes of a rambunctious kid known only by his nickname, Li'l Quinquin (Alane Delhaye).
Spoiler Warning: this exchange reveals and discusses significant plot details of Li’l Quinquin
Michael Pattison: You remarked on Twitter earlier that you were still thinking about Li’l Quinquin a day after seeing it—that, having slept on it, the film...
- 9/10/2014
- by Neil Young
- MUBI
Warner Bros. Pictures/NBC
Casting Harry Potter had to have been a little bit like playing Russian Roulette. You’re bringing in a group of largely untested child actors, and praying to the Cinema God that not only will they commit to an eight film series, but that they’ll grow into talented individuals and not get beaten by an ugly stick on their way through puberty. They dodged a bullet with the main trio, with Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint all turning out perfectly fine. They’ve got good heads on their shoulders and seem remarkably mature in their ability to pick roles that will work for them as adults.
But what about the rest of the cast? Because they weren’t just casting Harry, Ron, and Hermione — they had a school full of students to fill. So what happens to the actors who are part of such a huge franchise,...
Casting Harry Potter had to have been a little bit like playing Russian Roulette. You’re bringing in a group of largely untested child actors, and praying to the Cinema God that not only will they commit to an eight film series, but that they’ll grow into talented individuals and not get beaten by an ugly stick on their way through puberty. They dodged a bullet with the main trio, with Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint all turning out perfectly fine. They’ve got good heads on their shoulders and seem remarkably mature in their ability to pick roles that will work for them as adults.
But what about the rest of the cast? Because they weren’t just casting Harry, Ron, and Hermione — they had a school full of students to fill. So what happens to the actors who are part of such a huge franchise,...
- 7/18/2014
- by Audrey Fox
- Obsessed with Film
Richard Ayoade shot to fame as Moss in The It Crowd but it was Submarine, his debut behind the camera, that won him critical acclaim. As his new film, The Double, is released, he talks about pride, performing and giving up his pop dreams
The premise of Fyodor Dostoevsky's 1846 novella The Double is simple but ingenious: a man lives an entirely unremarkable existence until one day his exact doppelganger shows up. This incongruous situation fast becomes insufferable for two reasons: first, the new guy is slick where he is stammering, popular where he's forgettable, Day-Glo to his beige; and, second, because no one else notices any likeness at all between the pair of them.
The Double, it's said, is meant as an allegory: the straight man is Dostoevsky in real life, shy and often awkward; the arriviste is the author 2.0, the person he sometimes wished he was, who is quick-witted and irresistible to women.
The premise of Fyodor Dostoevsky's 1846 novella The Double is simple but ingenious: a man lives an entirely unremarkable existence until one day his exact doppelganger shows up. This incongruous situation fast becomes insufferable for two reasons: first, the new guy is slick where he is stammering, popular where he's forgettable, Day-Glo to his beige; and, second, because no one else notices any likeness at all between the pair of them.
The Double, it's said, is meant as an allegory: the straight man is Dostoevsky in real life, shy and often awkward; the arriviste is the author 2.0, the person he sometimes wished he was, who is quick-witted and irresistible to women.
- 3/23/2014
- by Tim Lewis
- The Guardian - Film News
Reece Shearsmith has said that The League of Gentlemen could return one day, but has seemingly ruled out an imminent comeback.
The actor and writer told Digital Spy and other journalists that he, Mark Gatiss, Steve Pemberton and Jeremy Dyson were wary of not ruining the legacy of the show.
The team previously confirmed that they had turned down approaches from the BBC for a comeback, and quizzed on the possibility of going with Netflix or doing a Kickstarter, Shearsmith said: "I don't know really, they [the BBC] make our things, so I can't really moan about it...
"But as far as a new League thing goes, we did some sketches last year for charity. Me, Mark and Steve did for the first time in eight years. We did some sketches on stage.
"It was great and there was a good response and we were surprised. I thought no-one would remember it,...
The actor and writer told Digital Spy and other journalists that he, Mark Gatiss, Steve Pemberton and Jeremy Dyson were wary of not ruining the legacy of the show.
The team previously confirmed that they had turned down approaches from the BBC for a comeback, and quizzed on the possibility of going with Netflix or doing a Kickstarter, Shearsmith said: "I don't know really, they [the BBC] make our things, so I can't really moan about it...
"But as far as a new League thing goes, we did some sketches last year for charity. Me, Mark and Steve did for the first time in eight years. We did some sketches on stage.
"It was great and there was a good response and we were surprised. I thought no-one would remember it,...
- 3/6/2014
- Digital Spy
Actor and director who brought dark good looks and a commanding presence to his roles
Austrian by birth, Swiss by circumstance and international by reputation, Maximilian Schell, who has died aged 83, was a distinguished actor, director, writer and producer. However, he will be best remembered as an actor, especially for his Oscar-winning performance in Stanley Kramer's Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) – an early highlight among scores of television and movie appearances. He also directed opera, worked tirelessly in the theatre and made six feature films, including Marlene (1984) - a tantalising portrait of Dietrich, his co-star in Judgment, who is heard being interviewed but not seen, except in movie extracts.
Schell courted controversy and much of his work, including The Pedestrian (1973), dealt with the second world war, its attendant crimes and the notion of collective guilt. In 1990, when he was offered a special award for his contributions to German film, he refused to accept it.
Austrian by birth, Swiss by circumstance and international by reputation, Maximilian Schell, who has died aged 83, was a distinguished actor, director, writer and producer. However, he will be best remembered as an actor, especially for his Oscar-winning performance in Stanley Kramer's Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) – an early highlight among scores of television and movie appearances. He also directed opera, worked tirelessly in the theatre and made six feature films, including Marlene (1984) - a tantalising portrait of Dietrich, his co-star in Judgment, who is heard being interviewed but not seen, except in movie extracts.
Schell courted controversy and much of his work, including The Pedestrian (1973), dealt with the second world war, its attendant crimes and the notion of collective guilt. In 1990, when he was offered a special award for his contributions to German film, he refused to accept it.
- 2/3/2014
- by Brian Baxter
- The Guardian - Film News
Maximilian Schell movie director (photo: Maximilian Schell and Maria Schell) (See previous post: “Maximilian Schell Dies: Best Actor Oscar Winner for ‘Judgment at Nuremberg.’”) Maximilian Schell’s first film as a director was the 1970 (dubbed) German-language release First Love / Erste Liebe, adapted from Igor Turgenev’s novella, and starring Englishman John Moulder-Brown, Frenchwoman Dominique Sanda, and Schell in this tale about a doomed love affair in Czarist Russia. Italian Valentina Cortese and British Marius Goring provided support. Directed by a former Best Actor Oscar winner, First Love, a movie that could just as easily have been dubbed into Swedish or Swahili (or English), ended up nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award. Three years later, nominated in that same category was Schell’s second feature film as a director, The Pedestrian / Der Fußgänger, in which a car accident forces a German businessman to delve deep into his past.
- 2/2/2014
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Leos Carax followed his short film Strangulation Blues (1980) with the tragic Boy Meets Girl in 1984. Starring Denis Lavant and Mireille Perrier, Carax’s first feature announced a new and exciting presence in both French and World cinema. Boy Meets Girl premiered in May 1984 at the Cannes Film Festival in the Independent Critics Week section, certainly a great venue to premiere a film and quite an impressive place to show a first feature as well. This film introduced many of the themes and cinematic problems that Carax would continually return to in his later films, such as a chance encounter between two people, failed romance, meditation on silent and contemporary cinema, and poetic treatments of Carax’s own biography.
Boy Meets Girl is an intense depiction of a social outsider and the way this outsider relates to the world around him. Alex (Lavant) is a tiny and timid Parisian. His screen...
Boy Meets Girl is an intense depiction of a social outsider and the way this outsider relates to the world around him. Alex (Lavant) is a tiny and timid Parisian. His screen...
- 10/26/2013
- by Cody Lang
- SoundOnSight
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.