Lionsgate and American Zoetrope are releasing “Apocalypse Now Final Cut,” the third version of Francis Coppola’s 1979 war epic, to commemorate the film’s 40th anniversary. While multiple versions of any mainstream movie are unusual, everything about this movie was unorthodox.
On Oct. 14, 1969, Variety reported that Warner Bros. bought the script by John Milius, with Coppola to produce and George Lucas to direct. They envisioned a scrappy 16mm film for $2 million, to lense in San Francisco, Louisiana and Thailand.
The project remained in limbo until Coppola revived it. He told Variety in February 1976 that filming would begin in a month, on a $12 million budget, with United Artists aiming for an April 7, 1977 release. The movie finally opened Aug. 15, 1979, after endless shooting in the Philippines, on a budget of $30 million-plus.
At the Cannes world premiere in May 1979, Coppola stunned the press conference by comparing the prolonged production to America’s role in...
On Oct. 14, 1969, Variety reported that Warner Bros. bought the script by John Milius, with Coppola to produce and George Lucas to direct. They envisioned a scrappy 16mm film for $2 million, to lense in San Francisco, Louisiana and Thailand.
The project remained in limbo until Coppola revived it. He told Variety in February 1976 that filming would begin in a month, on a $12 million budget, with United Artists aiming for an April 7, 1977 release. The movie finally opened Aug. 15, 1979, after endless shooting in the Philippines, on a budget of $30 million-plus.
At the Cannes world premiere in May 1979, Coppola stunned the press conference by comparing the prolonged production to America’s role in...
- 8/23/2019
- by Tim Gray
- Variety Film + TV
It’s hard to know much exaggeration is used in movies about crazy Suth’un politics, when some of the serious movies resemble Julius Caesar with mint juleps. This true story is about an old-school populist Louisiana governor who falls for a nationally-known stripper, the famous Blaze Starr, and is told from the stripper’s Pov. Paul Newman is at his late-career best, and Lolita Davidovich lights up the screen. The governor can get away with most anything except what he wants to do most — pass some color-blind laws about hiring and voting.
Blaze
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1989 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 120 min. / Street Date April 6, 2018 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Paul Newman, Lolita Davidovich, Jerry Hardin, Gailard Sartain, Richard Jenkins, Jeffrey DeMunn, Robert Wuhl, Garland Bunting, Brandon Smith.
Cinematography: Haskell Wexler
Film Editor: Robert Leighton
Original Music: Bennie Wallace
From the book Blaze Starr: My Life as Told to Huey...
Blaze
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1989 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 120 min. / Street Date April 6, 2018 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Paul Newman, Lolita Davidovich, Jerry Hardin, Gailard Sartain, Richard Jenkins, Jeffrey DeMunn, Robert Wuhl, Garland Bunting, Brandon Smith.
Cinematography: Haskell Wexler
Film Editor: Robert Leighton
Original Music: Bennie Wallace
From the book Blaze Starr: My Life as Told to Huey...
- 4/21/2018
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
In the wake of the departure of Andrew Rodgers, the RiverRun International Film Festival has unveiled its new leader following a nationwide search.
Rob Davis was selected from a pool of 53 candidates after the festival hired Arts Consulting Group to conduct an executive search. He will start work as executive director at the festival in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on August 29.
Davis will relocate from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where for the past five years he served as chief development officer for American Public Media’s Classical South Florida network of public radio stations.
“The RiverRun International Film Festival has an outstanding reputation among the filmmaking community and as a significant cultural event in the South,” said Davis.
“I look forward to joining the RiverRun team and working with staff, board members, volunteers, donors and the community to build upon the festival’s exemplary successes and advance its mission.”
Davis has worked at the Fort Lauderdale Film Festival in various...
Rob Davis was selected from a pool of 53 candidates after the festival hired Arts Consulting Group to conduct an executive search. He will start work as executive director at the festival in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on August 29.
Davis will relocate from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where for the past five years he served as chief development officer for American Public Media’s Classical South Florida network of public radio stations.
“The RiverRun International Film Festival has an outstanding reputation among the filmmaking community and as a significant cultural event in the South,” said Davis.
“I look forward to joining the RiverRun team and working with staff, board members, volunteers, donors and the community to build upon the festival’s exemplary successes and advance its mission.”
Davis has worked at the Fort Lauderdale Film Festival in various...
- 7/11/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
The Star Wars franchise is going strong 38 years later. But what about the artists and filmmakers who helped make the 1977 original a hit?
In theatres all over the world in 1977, audiences thrilled at the sights and sounds of Star Wars. Harking back to a bygone age of Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers, it also pointed forward to the coming age of ubiquitous computers and special effects-led blockbusters.
But while the triumphant fanfare of John Williams' score gave Star Wars a confident swagger, its success was far from preordained. George Lucas reworked his script time and again; studios turned his concept down; even the production was rushed and torturous.
By now, the contribution George Lucas, John Williams and Star Wars' cast made to cinema is well documented. But what about some of the other artists, technicians and fellow filmmakers who helped to make the movie such a success? Here's...
In theatres all over the world in 1977, audiences thrilled at the sights and sounds of Star Wars. Harking back to a bygone age of Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers, it also pointed forward to the coming age of ubiquitous computers and special effects-led blockbusters.
But while the triumphant fanfare of John Williams' score gave Star Wars a confident swagger, its success was far from preordained. George Lucas reworked his script time and again; studios turned his concept down; even the production was rushed and torturous.
By now, the contribution George Lucas, John Williams and Star Wars' cast made to cinema is well documented. But what about some of the other artists, technicians and fellow filmmakers who helped to make the movie such a success? Here's...
- 4/22/2015
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
Was “Star Wars: Episode VII” almost directed by George Lucas?
According to a new USA Today interview with the creator of the popular science fiction franchise, he was developing a new trilogy and planning to release the first installment in May of this year before putting his company on the market. But then Disney approached him with $4 billion for Lucasfilm.
See photos: TheWrap’s 25 Most Anticipated Movies of 2015: From ‘Fifty Shades’ to ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Spectre’
“It’s better for me to get out at the beginning of a new thing and I can just remove myself,” Lucas said while promoting “Strange Magic,...
According to a new USA Today interview with the creator of the popular science fiction franchise, he was developing a new trilogy and planning to release the first installment in May of this year before putting his company on the market. But then Disney approached him with $4 billion for Lucasfilm.
See photos: TheWrap’s 25 Most Anticipated Movies of 2015: From ‘Fifty Shades’ to ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Spectre’
“It’s better for me to get out at the beginning of a new thing and I can just remove myself,” Lucas said while promoting “Strange Magic,...
- 1/13/2015
- by Greg Gilman
- The Wrap
While the Ewoks were dancing and Luke was looking at the ghost of his father, Obi Wan and Yoda did you ever stop to wonder what it would be like for the Jedi knight, his smuggler buddy and sister down the road? The Empire has fallen, blown to pieces by the rebels, and times are good. A sister has come to the terms with the fact Luke is her brother and she will settle for Han. Maybe we could go back to Jabba's lair and pick up a little of what he was smoking and keep this party going for another week or so. Well, if rumors mean anything, you may be getting more Han, Luke and Leia as Roger Friedman at Showbiz411 reports not only Harrison Ford will reprise his role as Han Solo, but Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill will return as sister and brother, Luke and Leia...
- 2/19/2013
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Los Angeles — There's no mistaking the similarities. A childhood on a dusty farm, a love of fast vehicles, a rebel who battles an overpowering empire – George Lucas is the hero he created, Luke Skywalker.
His filmmaking outpost, Skywalker Ranch, is so far removed from the Hollywood moviemaking machine he once despised, that it may as well be on the forest moon of Endor.
That's why this week's announcement that Lucas is selling the "Star Wars" franchise and the entire Lucasfilm business to The Walt Disney Co. for more than $4 billion is like a laser blast from outer space.
Lucas built his film operation in Marin County near San Francisco largely to avoid the meddling of Los Angeles-based studios. His aim was to finish the "Star Wars" series_ his way.
Today the enterprise has far surpassed the 68-year-old filmmaker's original goals. The ranch covers 6,100 acres and houses one of the industry's most acclaimed visual effects companies,...
His filmmaking outpost, Skywalker Ranch, is so far removed from the Hollywood moviemaking machine he once despised, that it may as well be on the forest moon of Endor.
That's why this week's announcement that Lucas is selling the "Star Wars" franchise and the entire Lucasfilm business to The Walt Disney Co. for more than $4 billion is like a laser blast from outer space.
Lucas built his film operation in Marin County near San Francisco largely to avoid the meddling of Los Angeles-based studios. His aim was to finish the "Star Wars" series_ his way.
Today the enterprise has far surpassed the 68-year-old filmmaker's original goals. The ranch covers 6,100 acres and houses one of the industry's most acclaimed visual effects companies,...
- 11/4/2012
- by AP
- Huffington Post
By now, everyone and their pet lizard knows that Disney has bought LucasFilm and is fast tracking work on an Episode VII, with an VIII and IX following in a third trilogy for arguably the most famous and profitable franchise of all time.
Disney is aiming for a 2015 release for Episode VII. We know that George Lucas has stepped down, and that Kathleen Kennedy is now the head of the company (and is producing the new trilogy), but Lucas will still be onboard as a consultant (and has written the treatments for the next three films). What will the movies be about? Most have speculated/hoped that it would be Timothy Zahn’s “Thrawn Trilogy,” but this looks to be untrue. According to E! Online, “it’s an original story.” It is entirely likely that this is the case, but it’s pretty impossible for Disney not to make three...
Disney is aiming for a 2015 release for Episode VII. We know that George Lucas has stepped down, and that Kathleen Kennedy is now the head of the company (and is producing the new trilogy), but Lucas will still be onboard as a consultant (and has written the treatments for the next three films). What will the movies be about? Most have speculated/hoped that it would be Timothy Zahn’s “Thrawn Trilogy,” but this looks to be untrue. According to E! Online, “it’s an original story.” It is entirely likely that this is the case, but it’s pretty impossible for Disney not to make three...
- 11/2/2012
- by Andy Greene
- FamousMonsters of Filmland
I’m actually quite shocked it has taken me as long as it has to write an article regarding the possible future of the Star Wars franchise. Close friends of mine know how big of a Star Wars geek I am and have even heard some of my excuses for the recent prequels (granted, not everything in those films is excusable). At the same time, I’m still trying to gather my thoughts and restrain my excitement regarding Disney’s recent purchase of the franchise. Keep in mind, this business deal includes everything Lucasfilms Ltd. had the rights to which means the Indiana Jones property is now a Disney title as well; everyone fails to talk about. But the real announcement that has the internet – fans and haters alike – buzzing is that ‘Episode VII’ will officially be released sometime in 2015! Since the announcement late Tuesday afternoon, no details have been...
- 11/2/2012
- by Michael Haffner
- Destroy the Brain
The Star Wars film universe has featured diverse characters such as Jedi Knights, space pirates and wookies, as well as droids, princesses, and farmboys. And several characters have featured in all six films, including Obi Wan Kenobi, the droids C-3Po and R2D2, as well as Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader. With Star Wars Episode VII slated to be released in 2015, the biggest question isn’t just what characters featured in the expanded universe will appear, or what original characters will be created, but what characters from the previous two trilogies will appear, if any.
Two obvious choices for a return appearance are, of course, C-3Po and R2D2. The lovable droids, inspired by characters in Akira Kurosawa’s The Hidden Fortress, have, as mentioned earlier, appeared in all six Star Wars films, including a “naked” appearance by C-3Po in The Phantom Menace. They provide great comic relief...
Two obvious choices for a return appearance are, of course, C-3Po and R2D2. The lovable droids, inspired by characters in Akira Kurosawa’s The Hidden Fortress, have, as mentioned earlier, appeared in all six Star Wars films, including a “naked” appearance by C-3Po in The Phantom Menace. They provide great comic relief...
- 11/2/2012
- by Andrew Edward Davies
- Obsessed with Film
The internet has seen few news days like those in the wake of the "Star Wars: Episode VII" news. Everyone everywhere was talking about Disney's purchase of Lucasfilm, the continuation of the saga, and where we would go from here.
With the fact of "Episode VII" out in the world, any word about what is in the purported treatments that Lucas drew up for the new trilogy became an extremely hot commodity.
Our first word story-wise may have just come from Dale Pollock, a George Lucas biographer, who claims to have read the outlines. Pollock told The Wrap that the next three installments concerned a 30- or 40-year-old Luke Skywalker and were the most thrilling of the series.
If the next installments do concern young—or not so young—Skywalker, we'd want to hear from the man himself. Thankfully, Entertainment Weekly got in touch with Mark Hamill to discuss the news.
With the fact of "Episode VII" out in the world, any word about what is in the purported treatments that Lucas drew up for the new trilogy became an extremely hot commodity.
Our first word story-wise may have just come from Dale Pollock, a George Lucas biographer, who claims to have read the outlines. Pollock told The Wrap that the next three installments concerned a 30- or 40-year-old Luke Skywalker and were the most thrilling of the series.
If the next installments do concern young—or not so young—Skywalker, we'd want to hear from the man himself. Thankfully, Entertainment Weekly got in touch with Mark Hamill to discuss the news.
- 11/1/2012
- by Kevin P. Sullivan
- MTV Movies Blog
As we’re getting used to a world in which George Lucas no longer controls Star Wars and yet, Disney promises, we are assured at least three more Star Wars films, our thoughts must inevitably turn to what those three films might be about. From The Wrap: The stories for “Star Wars” episodes seven, eight and nine, which George Lucas has outlined and the Walt Disney Company will produce and release, are “the most exciting” in the series, the filmmaker’s biographer told TheWrap on Wednesday. While researching his book, Dale Pollock, author of the unauthorized Lucas biography, “Skywalking: The Life And Films Of George Lucas,” was allowed to read the outlines to the 12 stories written by the filmmaker but was required to sign a confidentiality agreement. “It was originally a 12-part saga,” Pollock told TheWrap. “The three most exciting stories were 7, 8 and 9. They had propulsive action, really interesting new worlds,...
- 11/1/2012
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
Star Wars Episode 7 will reported follow the further adventures of Luke Skywalker. According to George Lucas's biographer Dale Pollock, the producer mapped out a 12-part story outline for a complete Star Wars narrative arc, with Episode 7, 8 and 9 focusing on Skywalker in his 30s and 40s. Pollock read Lucas's outline and interviewed the Star Wars creator at length in the '80s when he was researching his book Skywalking: The Life and Films of George Lucas, according to The Wrap. "The three most exciting stories were 7, 8 and 9," Pollock said. "They had propulsive action, really interesting new worlds, new characters. I remember thinking, 'I want to see these 3 movies.'" Pollock added in reference to Disney's $$4 billion purchase of the Star Wars saga and Lucasfilm: (more)...
- 11/1/2012
- by By Simon Reynolds
- Digital Spy
If you’re already sick of reading news about Star Wars — tough titty.
If you thought the hype/mania/media coverage surrounding the prequel films was a never-ending sprawl of rumor and discussion and backlash, then the late 90s/early 2000s will seem like a minor tremor compared to the pop culture megaquake that is Star Wars Episodes VII, VIII, IX.
We’re talking about — mind you this is coming from a diehard Star Wars fan since childhood (and I know I’m not alone here) — the biggest movies to come along since… well, since the prequels.
That’s how much Star Wars matters to the movies. Based on the internet reaction to Tuesday’s out-of-left-field announcement, you would think 1977 (the year A New Hope came out) was the birth year of cinema itself.
As of 2012, with Episode VII less than three years away, there’s gonna be a nauseating amount of speculation and hearsay.
If you thought the hype/mania/media coverage surrounding the prequel films was a never-ending sprawl of rumor and discussion and backlash, then the late 90s/early 2000s will seem like a minor tremor compared to the pop culture megaquake that is Star Wars Episodes VII, VIII, IX.
We’re talking about — mind you this is coming from a diehard Star Wars fan since childhood (and I know I’m not alone here) — the biggest movies to come along since… well, since the prequels.
That’s how much Star Wars matters to the movies. Based on the internet reaction to Tuesday’s out-of-left-field announcement, you would think 1977 (the year A New Hope came out) was the birth year of cinema itself.
As of 2012, with Episode VII less than three years away, there’s gonna be a nauseating amount of speculation and hearsay.
- 11/1/2012
- by Matt Granados
- LRMonline.com
Even though the bombshell that saw Disney purchase Star Wars has still yet to fully sink in, talk has already turned to what we can expect from the new trilogy, with George Lucas biographer Dale Pollock having his say on where the story could be leading. According to Pollock, Lucas’ original idea for the saga spanned twelve films, treatments for which he was allowed to read when researching his biography. ““It was originally a 12-part saga,” says Pollock. “The three most exciting stories were 7, 8 and 9. They...
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- 11/1/2012
- by George Wales
- TotalFilm
I just got home from the gym and out of the corner of my eye I could swear Espn's "SportsCenter" was on and they had someone dressed as Jabba the Hut. I don't know if this was a decision made now that Disney owns the Star Wars franchise (and also owns Espn), but it does show that Star Wars has found new life and I highly doubt the sell-outs at "SportsCenter" will be the last in the land of Mickey to exploit their new property. That said, speculation is now rampant as to what Disney will do now that they have purchased LucasFilm and already announced Star Wars: Episode VII is targeting a 2015 release. The comment made by Disney execs yesterday was, "What we're buying, is an extensive treatment for what would be the next trilogy." Yesterday I speculated we may have seen the end of the Skywalker story...
- 10/31/2012
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
The announcement of "Star Wars: Episode VII" is barely one day old, but the internet is already filled with enough rumors and speculation about its plot to fill the pages of an old "Starlog" magazine.
TheWrap spoke to Dale Pollock, the author of an unauthorized biography of George Lucas, who said he was given permission to read the "Episode VII," "Episode VIII" and "Episode IX" story treatments back in the 1980s.
"It was originally a 12-part saga," Pollock told TheWrap. "The three most exciting stories were 7, 8 and 9. They had propulsive action, really interesting new worlds, new characters. I remember thinking, 'I want to see these 3 movies.'"
As TheWrap notes, despite interviewing Lucas over 80 times, Pollock and the director no longer have a relationship, and Lucas wasn't pleased with the book. (Hence why it's unauthorized.)
How things have developed over the 29 years since Pollack read those treatments remains to be seen,...
TheWrap spoke to Dale Pollock, the author of an unauthorized biography of George Lucas, who said he was given permission to read the "Episode VII," "Episode VIII" and "Episode IX" story treatments back in the 1980s.
"It was originally a 12-part saga," Pollock told TheWrap. "The three most exciting stories were 7, 8 and 9. They had propulsive action, really interesting new worlds, new characters. I remember thinking, 'I want to see these 3 movies.'"
As TheWrap notes, despite interviewing Lucas over 80 times, Pollock and the director no longer have a relationship, and Lucas wasn't pleased with the book. (Hence why it's unauthorized.)
How things have developed over the 29 years since Pollack read those treatments remains to be seen,...
- 10/31/2012
- by The Huffington Post
- Huffington Post
The stories for "Star Wars" episodes seven, eight and nine, which George Lucas has outlined and the Walt Disney Company will produce and release, are "the most exciting" in the series, the filmmaker's biographer told TheWrap on Wednesday. While researching his book, Dale Pollock, author of the unauthorized Lucas biography, "Skywalking: The Life And Films Of George Lucas," was allowed to read the outlines to the 12 stories written by the filmmaker but was required to sign a confidentiality agreement.
- 10/31/2012
- by Sharon Waxman
- The Wrap
A tribute to Irv Letofsky
CORRECTED 11:40 a.m. PT Dec. 26
Irv Letofsky, a television critic for The Hollywood Reporter and a former editor of the Los Angeles Times Sunday Calendar section, died Sunday of liver cancer at his home in Los Angeles. He was 76.
Known in later years for his lively and succinct television reviews for The Reporter, Letofsky had been assistant city editor of the Minneapolis Tribune until 1976, when he joined the Times.
There he assembled a covey of investigative reporters who, as one recalled later, "ripped the face off the entertainment industry" with stories involving such things as profit withholding at major studios and the hiring of psychics to predict the future of television pilots.
Among them were Peter J. Boyer, who became a staff writer for the New Yorker and the New York Times and the author of several books; Dale Pollock, who produced "The Mighty Quinn" and "Mrs. Winterbourne"; Michael London, producer of "Sideways"; Bill Knoedelseder, executive producer with Letofsky of "All the Presidents' Movies"; Dennis McDougal, author of "Five Easy Decades", the Jack Nicholson biography; and Deborah Caulfield, author of "Smoked: The Inside Story of the Minnesota Tobacco Trial."
Letofsky left the Times in 1991 to join The Reporter as a television critic.
CORRECTED 11:40 a.m. PT Dec. 26
Irv Letofsky, a television critic for The Hollywood Reporter and a former editor of the Los Angeles Times Sunday Calendar section, died Sunday of liver cancer at his home in Los Angeles. He was 76.
Known in later years for his lively and succinct television reviews for The Reporter, Letofsky had been assistant city editor of the Minneapolis Tribune until 1976, when he joined the Times.
There he assembled a covey of investigative reporters who, as one recalled later, "ripped the face off the entertainment industry" with stories involving such things as profit withholding at major studios and the hiring of psychics to predict the future of television pilots.
Among them were Peter J. Boyer, who became a staff writer for the New Yorker and the New York Times and the author of several books; Dale Pollock, who produced "The Mighty Quinn" and "Mrs. Winterbourne"; Michael London, producer of "Sideways"; Bill Knoedelseder, executive producer with Letofsky of "All the Presidents' Movies"; Dennis McDougal, author of "Five Easy Decades", the Jack Nicholson biography; and Deborah Caulfield, author of "Smoked: The Inside Story of the Minnesota Tobacco Trial."
Letofsky left the Times in 1991 to join The Reporter as a television critic.
- 12/24/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Mark Burg and Oren Koules will be honored with the ShoWest Award of Excellence in Producing at the annual convention, which kicks off Monday at the Paris and Bally's hotels in Las Vegas.
The producers launched Lionsgate's Saw franchise in 2004.
Said Mitch Neuhauser, co-managing director of ShoWest, "Burg and Koules have successfully reinvented the modern-day horror film."
They will be honored Wednesday at the Lionsgate luncheon.
The success of the first "Saw" led to a distribution deal with Lionsgate and the subsequent formation of the pair's production company, Twisted Pictures. In 2005, Burg and Koules produced Saw II, which opened at No. 1 on Halloween weekend and became that year's top-grossing horror movie. The subsequent Saw III opened at No. 1 in North America, the U.K. and Australia during the weekend of Oct. 27. Saw IV is in preproduction.
Burg's early producing credits include Bull Durham and Can't Buy Me Love. He served for several years as president of Island Pictures, where he produced or executive produced such films as Toy Soldiers, Airheads, The Cure, Don't Be a Menace and The Gingerbread Man. Koules began his film career in the mid-1990s, when he partnered with Dale Pollock in Peak Prods.
The producers launched Lionsgate's Saw franchise in 2004.
Said Mitch Neuhauser, co-managing director of ShoWest, "Burg and Koules have successfully reinvented the modern-day horror film."
They will be honored Wednesday at the Lionsgate luncheon.
The success of the first "Saw" led to a distribution deal with Lionsgate and the subsequent formation of the pair's production company, Twisted Pictures. In 2005, Burg and Koules produced Saw II, which opened at No. 1 on Halloween weekend and became that year's top-grossing horror movie. The subsequent Saw III opened at No. 1 in North America, the U.K. and Australia during the weekend of Oct. 27. Saw IV is in preproduction.
Burg's early producing credits include Bull Durham and Can't Buy Me Love. He served for several years as president of Island Pictures, where he produced or executive produced such films as Toy Soldiers, Airheads, The Cure, Don't Be a Menace and The Gingerbread Man. Koules began his film career in the mid-1990s, when he partnered with Dale Pollock in Peak Prods.
Deliverance star Ned Beatty is to be honored with the Master Of Cinema Award at the upcoming RiverRun International Film Festival in North Carolina. The 68-year-old star, who has appeared in over 100 films, will be on hand to collect his award. Dale Pollock, the executive director of the festival, says, "The purpose of the Master Of Cinema award is to honor someone who has mastered their craft, and Ned Beatty is a master of what is almost a lost art. He is a true character actor, who can really register in any role, large or small, dramatic or humorous." The film festival takes place later this month in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
- 3/1/2006
- WENN
In the tradition of Bill and Ted and Wayne and Garth, meet the Deedles, a pair of surfer dude teen twin gremmie brahs (that's loser brothers in Deedlespeak) who get a chance to make a name for themselves when they're mistaken for park ranger recruits.
Very much a live-action cartoon, "Meet the Deedles" is innocuous and often amusing Disney fare, armed with enough pratfalls and scatological asides to keep the kids happy.
Given the scarcity of appropriate PG product out there, the picture could catch a bit of a wave, particularly with boys.
Debuting feature director Steve Boyum keeps the pace cranked for this fish-out-of-water story, in which the fish in question are Phil (Paul Walker) and Stew Deedle Steve Van Wormer), surfin' siblings who are forced to leave their beloved Hawaiian home when their dad Elton (Eric Braeden) sends them off to Camp Break Spirit in Wyoming to toughen them up.
Through a series of inevitable mishaps, the Deedles instead find themselves in Yellowstone National Park (although they keep referring to it as "Jellystone"), where the chief park ranger, Captain Pine (John Ashton), believes them to be experts in handling a prairie dog invasion threatening to put a damper on celebrations for Old Faithful's one billionth birthday.
Little do our heroes know -- and that's about what they know -- the
p-dog invasion was orchestrated by one Frank Slater (Dennis Hopper), a deranged former ranger determined to get back at his former employers by rerouting the famed geyser into another part of the park and renaming it New Faithful.
But quicker than you can say "Ore-ida!" and "Nutrageous!" (two of the brothers' pet expressions), the Deedles foil Slater's plans and the geezer geyser gushes once more.
What Jim Herzfeld's script may lack in overall originality, it makes up for inventive dialogue and situations, wisely using the sheltered innocence of his lead characters as the source of much of the humor. Unfortunately, things begin to get bogged down toward the end during the inevitable good-vs.-evil finale.
As Phil and Stew, Walker and Van Wormer keep the loopy sweetness of their TV-damaged characters intact, while old pros Ashton and Hopper avoid the easy temptation to go over the top, given the film's cartoony structure. As Ashton's stepdaughter and resident Jellystone babe, A.J. Langer plays a blossoming former tomboy effectively.
Shot extensively near Park City, Utah, the flora and fauna have been brightly captured by cinematographer David Hennings, and Steve Bartek's score ripples with the necessary surf guitar twang.
MEET THE DEEDLES
Buena Vista Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures presents a DIC Entertainment production
in association with Peak Prods.
Credits: Director: Steve Boyum; Screenwriter: Jim Herzfeld; Producers: Dale Pollock, Aaron Meyerson; Executive producers: Andy Heyward, Artie Ripp; Director of photography: David Hennings; Production designer: Stephen Storer; Editor: Alan Cody; Costume designers: Alexandra Welker and Karyn Wagner; Music: Steve Bartek; Music supervisor: Karen Glauber; Casting: Amy Lippens. Cast: Phil Deedle: Paul Walker; Stew Deedle: Steve Van Wormer; Captain Pine: John Ashton; Lt. Jesse Ryan: A. J. Langer; Nemo: Robert Englund; Mo: Megan Cavanagh; Elton Deedle: Eric Braeden; Frank Slater: Dennis Hopper. MPAA rating: PG. Color/stereo. Running time - 90 minutes.
Very much a live-action cartoon, "Meet the Deedles" is innocuous and often amusing Disney fare, armed with enough pratfalls and scatological asides to keep the kids happy.
Given the scarcity of appropriate PG product out there, the picture could catch a bit of a wave, particularly with boys.
Debuting feature director Steve Boyum keeps the pace cranked for this fish-out-of-water story, in which the fish in question are Phil (Paul Walker) and Stew Deedle Steve Van Wormer), surfin' siblings who are forced to leave their beloved Hawaiian home when their dad Elton (Eric Braeden) sends them off to Camp Break Spirit in Wyoming to toughen them up.
Through a series of inevitable mishaps, the Deedles instead find themselves in Yellowstone National Park (although they keep referring to it as "Jellystone"), where the chief park ranger, Captain Pine (John Ashton), believes them to be experts in handling a prairie dog invasion threatening to put a damper on celebrations for Old Faithful's one billionth birthday.
Little do our heroes know -- and that's about what they know -- the
p-dog invasion was orchestrated by one Frank Slater (Dennis Hopper), a deranged former ranger determined to get back at his former employers by rerouting the famed geyser into another part of the park and renaming it New Faithful.
But quicker than you can say "Ore-ida!" and "Nutrageous!" (two of the brothers' pet expressions), the Deedles foil Slater's plans and the geezer geyser gushes once more.
What Jim Herzfeld's script may lack in overall originality, it makes up for inventive dialogue and situations, wisely using the sheltered innocence of his lead characters as the source of much of the humor. Unfortunately, things begin to get bogged down toward the end during the inevitable good-vs.-evil finale.
As Phil and Stew, Walker and Van Wormer keep the loopy sweetness of their TV-damaged characters intact, while old pros Ashton and Hopper avoid the easy temptation to go over the top, given the film's cartoony structure. As Ashton's stepdaughter and resident Jellystone babe, A.J. Langer plays a blossoming former tomboy effectively.
Shot extensively near Park City, Utah, the flora and fauna have been brightly captured by cinematographer David Hennings, and Steve Bartek's score ripples with the necessary surf guitar twang.
MEET THE DEEDLES
Buena Vista Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures presents a DIC Entertainment production
in association with Peak Prods.
Credits: Director: Steve Boyum; Screenwriter: Jim Herzfeld; Producers: Dale Pollock, Aaron Meyerson; Executive producers: Andy Heyward, Artie Ripp; Director of photography: David Hennings; Production designer: Stephen Storer; Editor: Alan Cody; Costume designers: Alexandra Welker and Karyn Wagner; Music: Steve Bartek; Music supervisor: Karen Glauber; Casting: Amy Lippens. Cast: Phil Deedle: Paul Walker; Stew Deedle: Steve Van Wormer; Captain Pine: John Ashton; Lt. Jesse Ryan: A. J. Langer; Nemo: Robert Englund; Mo: Megan Cavanagh; Elton Deedle: Eric Braeden; Frank Slater: Dennis Hopper. MPAA rating: PG. Color/stereo. Running time - 90 minutes.
- 3/24/1998
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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