Expend4bles tops the not-so-coveted list of Razzie Award nominations this year, with seven chances to take home a dubious honor.
Tying for a close second were The Exorcist: Believer and Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, each receiving five noms.
“After strikes, lingerings of a worldwide plague and a general sense of universal agoraphobia, the decline of the cinematic experience goes without saying,” Razzie organizers said in announcing today’s nominations. “Thankfully, a doll pic and a bomb movie jump-started The Industry, which still left a trail of Pooh behind for the Razzies to pick up!”
This year’s acting contenders feature former Oscar winners Jon Voight, Russell Crowe and Dame Helen Mirren, as well as Razzie Repeat Offenders Sylvester Stallone, Megan Fox and Jennifer Lopez.
Results were determined by the votes of Razzie Members. Five top contenders were chosen in each of nine categories. The 44th annual Razzie “Winners” (for whom there will literally be no red carpet) will be unveiled on the now traditional “Oscar Eve,” Saturday, March 9.
Here the complete list of nominees for the 2024 Razzie Awards:
Worst Picture
The Exorcist: Believer
Expend4bles
Meg 2: The Trench
Shazam! Fury of the Gods
Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey
Worst Actor
Russell Crowe / The Pope’s Exorcist
Vin Diesel / Fast X
Chris Evans / Ghosted
Jason Statham / Meg 2: The Trench
Jon Voight / Mercy
Worst Actress
Ana de Armas / Ghosted
Megan Fox / Johnny & Clyde
Salma Hayek / Magic Mike’s Last Dance
Jennifer Lopez / The Mother
Dame Helen Mirren / Shazam! Fury of the Gods
Worst Supporting Actress
Kim Cattrall / About My Father
Megan Fox / Expend4bles
Bai Ling / Johnny & Clyde
Lucy Liu / Shazam! Fury of the Gods
Mary Stuart Masterson / Five Nights at Freddy’s
Worst Supporting Actor
Michael Douglas / Ant Man & The Wasp: Quantumania
Mel Gibson / Confidential Informant
Bill Murray / Ant Man & The Wasp: Quantumania
Franco Nero (as “The Pope”) The Pope’s Exorcist
Sylvester Stallone / Expend4ables
Worst Screen Couple
Any 2 “Merciless Mercenaries” / Expend4bles
Any 2 Money-Grubbing Investors Who Donated to the $400 Million
for Remake Rights to The Exorcist
Ana de Armas & Chris Evans (who flunked Screen Chemistry) Ghosted
Salma Hayek & Channing Tatum / Magic Mike’s Last Dance
Pooh & Piglet as Blood-Thirsty Slasher/Killers (!) in Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey
Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-off or Sequel
Ant Man & The Wasp: Quantumania
The Exorcist: Believer
Expend4bles
Indiana Jones and The Dial of…Still Beating a Dead Horse
Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey
Worst Director
Rhys Frake-Waterfield / Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey
David Gordon Green / The Exorcist: Believer
Peyton Reed / Ant Man & the Wasp: Quantumania
Scott Waugh / Expend4bles
Ben Wheatley / Meg 2: The Trench
Worst Screenplay
The Exorcist: Believer
Expend4bles
Indiana Jones and the Dial of…Can I go home now?
Shazam! Fury of the Gods
Winnie the Pooh: Blood & Honey
Nominations By Picture
Expend4bles: 7
The Exorcist: Believer: 5
Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey: 5
Shazam! Fury of the Gods: 4
Ant Man & The Wasp: Quantumania: 4
Meg 2: The Trench: 3
...
Tying for a close second were The Exorcist: Believer and Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, each receiving five noms.
“After strikes, lingerings of a worldwide plague and a general sense of universal agoraphobia, the decline of the cinematic experience goes without saying,” Razzie organizers said in announcing today’s nominations. “Thankfully, a doll pic and a bomb movie jump-started The Industry, which still left a trail of Pooh behind for the Razzies to pick up!”
This year’s acting contenders feature former Oscar winners Jon Voight, Russell Crowe and Dame Helen Mirren, as well as Razzie Repeat Offenders Sylvester Stallone, Megan Fox and Jennifer Lopez.
Results were determined by the votes of Razzie Members. Five top contenders were chosen in each of nine categories. The 44th annual Razzie “Winners” (for whom there will literally be no red carpet) will be unveiled on the now traditional “Oscar Eve,” Saturday, March 9.
Here the complete list of nominees for the 2024 Razzie Awards:
Worst Picture
The Exorcist: Believer
Expend4bles
Meg 2: The Trench
Shazam! Fury of the Gods
Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey
Worst Actor
Russell Crowe / The Pope’s Exorcist
Vin Diesel / Fast X
Chris Evans / Ghosted
Jason Statham / Meg 2: The Trench
Jon Voight / Mercy
Worst Actress
Ana de Armas / Ghosted
Megan Fox / Johnny & Clyde
Salma Hayek / Magic Mike’s Last Dance
Jennifer Lopez / The Mother
Dame Helen Mirren / Shazam! Fury of the Gods
Worst Supporting Actress
Kim Cattrall / About My Father
Megan Fox / Expend4bles
Bai Ling / Johnny & Clyde
Lucy Liu / Shazam! Fury of the Gods
Mary Stuart Masterson / Five Nights at Freddy’s
Worst Supporting Actor
Michael Douglas / Ant Man & The Wasp: Quantumania
Mel Gibson / Confidential Informant
Bill Murray / Ant Man & The Wasp: Quantumania
Franco Nero (as “The Pope”) The Pope’s Exorcist
Sylvester Stallone / Expend4ables
Worst Screen Couple
Any 2 “Merciless Mercenaries” / Expend4bles
Any 2 Money-Grubbing Investors Who Donated to the $400 Million
for Remake Rights to The Exorcist
Ana de Armas & Chris Evans (who flunked Screen Chemistry) Ghosted
Salma Hayek & Channing Tatum / Magic Mike’s Last Dance
Pooh & Piglet as Blood-Thirsty Slasher/Killers (!) in Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey
Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-off or Sequel
Ant Man & The Wasp: Quantumania
The Exorcist: Believer
Expend4bles
Indiana Jones and The Dial of…Still Beating a Dead Horse
Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey
Worst Director
Rhys Frake-Waterfield / Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey
David Gordon Green / The Exorcist: Believer
Peyton Reed / Ant Man & the Wasp: Quantumania
Scott Waugh / Expend4bles
Ben Wheatley / Meg 2: The Trench
Worst Screenplay
The Exorcist: Believer
Expend4bles
Indiana Jones and the Dial of…Can I go home now?
Shazam! Fury of the Gods
Winnie the Pooh: Blood & Honey
Nominations By Picture
Expend4bles: 7
The Exorcist: Believer: 5
Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey: 5
Shazam! Fury of the Gods: 4
Ant Man & The Wasp: Quantumania: 4
Meg 2: The Trench: 3
...
- 1/22/2024
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
The nominations for the 2024 Razzie Awards are here, and this year, there’s a lot of big names on this list.
The Razzies are given out each year to performers and movies that are deemed the “worst,” so it’s not exactly an honor to be nominated.
This year, the film Expend4bles leads the pack with 7 nominations.
By the way, if you don’t know, the Razzies are always announced one day before the Oscar nominations, which will be unveiled tomorrow (January 23).
Keep reading to find out more…
See the nominations for the Razzies below…
Worst Picture
The Exorcist: Believer
Expend4bles
Meg 2: The Trench
Shazam! Fury of the Gods
Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey
Worst Actor
Russell Crowe / The Pope’s Exorcist
Vin Diesel / Fast X
Chris Evans / Ghosted
Jason Statham / Meg 2: The Trench
Jon Voight / Mercy
Worst Actress
Ana de Armas / Ghosted
Megan Fox / Johnny & Clyde...
The Razzies are given out each year to performers and movies that are deemed the “worst,” so it’s not exactly an honor to be nominated.
This year, the film Expend4bles leads the pack with 7 nominations.
By the way, if you don’t know, the Razzies are always announced one day before the Oscar nominations, which will be unveiled tomorrow (January 23).
Keep reading to find out more…
See the nominations for the Razzies below…
Worst Picture
The Exorcist: Believer
Expend4bles
Meg 2: The Trench
Shazam! Fury of the Gods
Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey
Worst Actor
Russell Crowe / The Pope’s Exorcist
Vin Diesel / Fast X
Chris Evans / Ghosted
Jason Statham / Meg 2: The Trench
Jon Voight / Mercy
Worst Actress
Ana de Armas / Ghosted
Megan Fox / Johnny & Clyde...
- 1/22/2024
- by Just Jared
- Just Jared
Awards season is here, which means it is also time for the annual Golden Raspberry Awards. The Razzies, which aims to (dis)honor the least successful films of the year, has announced nominations for its 44th edition.
The most-nominated film is “Expend4bles,” the fourth entry in the action-packed, but critically underwhelming, “The Expendables” franchise. It received seven nominations. Tied for second place with five noms are “The Exorcist: Believer,” the revival of the classic horror series, and “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey,” a blood-soaked take on everyone’s favorite honey-loving bear. Two big-budget superhero movies, DC’s “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” and Marvel’s “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” both got four nominations.
Last year, Andrew Dominik’s “Blonde” led the competition with eight nominations, going on to bag the prize for worst picture. The group also felt compelled to issue an apology last year after nominating then-...
The most-nominated film is “Expend4bles,” the fourth entry in the action-packed, but critically underwhelming, “The Expendables” franchise. It received seven nominations. Tied for second place with five noms are “The Exorcist: Believer,” the revival of the classic horror series, and “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey,” a blood-soaked take on everyone’s favorite honey-loving bear. Two big-budget superhero movies, DC’s “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” and Marvel’s “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” both got four nominations.
Last year, Andrew Dominik’s “Blonde” led the competition with eight nominations, going on to bag the prize for worst picture. The group also felt compelled to issue an apology last year after nominating then-...
- 1/22/2024
- by J. Kim Murphy
- Variety Film + TV
Expend4bles leads the nominees for the Golden Raspberry Awards — aka the Razzies — which were unveiled Monday morning.
The film earned seven nominations for the Razzie Awards, which honor the worst of the year and are announced annually ahead of the Oscars noms announcement, which takes place Tuesday morning.
Expend4bles is one of five movies competing for “worst picture” of the year. The nominees in that category, along with the Razzies’ comments, are:
— The Exorcist: Believer: “a 50-years-later remake/rip-off that was horrifying in unintended ways”
— Expend4bles: “another installment of a franchise that’s fading faster than Razzie ‘winner’ Donald Trump’s mental acuity”
— Meg 2: The Trench: “a fishy tale about a snarky shark that flopped across all seven seas”
— Shazam! Fury of the Gods: “one of 2023’s several comic book movies failing to save the superhero genre”
— Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey: “a...
The film earned seven nominations for the Razzie Awards, which honor the worst of the year and are announced annually ahead of the Oscars noms announcement, which takes place Tuesday morning.
Expend4bles is one of five movies competing for “worst picture” of the year. The nominees in that category, along with the Razzies’ comments, are:
— The Exorcist: Believer: “a 50-years-later remake/rip-off that was horrifying in unintended ways”
— Expend4bles: “another installment of a franchise that’s fading faster than Razzie ‘winner’ Donald Trump’s mental acuity”
— Meg 2: The Trench: “a fishy tale about a snarky shark that flopped across all seven seas”
— Shazam! Fury of the Gods: “one of 2023’s several comic book movies failing to save the superhero genre”
— Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey: “a...
- 1/22/2024
- by Kimberly Nordyke
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Stars: Russell Crowe, Franco Nero, Ralph Ineson, Daniel Zovatto, Paloma Bloyd | Written by Michael Petroni, Evan Spiliotopoulos | Directed by Julius Avery
In 2020, Screen Gems acquired the rights to the story of Father Gabriele Amorth, the Italian priest who reportedly performed over 100,000 exorcisms for the Vatican. Ángel Gómez was originally hired as director, although the project would see changes in 2022, as Julius Avery took over directorial duties while Michael Petroni and Evan Spiliotopoulos would offer script revisions. Now, The Pope’s Exorcist sees a horror film made around the man apparently known as ‘the James Bond of exorcists.’
In 1987, an Italian village is visited by Father Amorth (Russell Crowe), the pope’s personal exorcist. His arrival involves investigating a man’s apparent possession by a demon, which Amorth taunts by claiming it could not even possess a pig. This is all part of the exorcist’s plan as, once the pig is possessed,...
In 2020, Screen Gems acquired the rights to the story of Father Gabriele Amorth, the Italian priest who reportedly performed over 100,000 exorcisms for the Vatican. Ángel Gómez was originally hired as director, although the project would see changes in 2022, as Julius Avery took over directorial duties while Michael Petroni and Evan Spiliotopoulos would offer script revisions. Now, The Pope’s Exorcist sees a horror film made around the man apparently known as ‘the James Bond of exorcists.’
In 1987, an Italian village is visited by Father Amorth (Russell Crowe), the pope’s personal exorcist. His arrival involves investigating a man’s apparent possession by a demon, which Amorth taunts by claiming it could not even possess a pig. This is all part of the exorcist’s plan as, once the pig is possessed,...
- 10/27/2023
- by James Rodrigues
- Nerdly
The Pope’s Exorcist Ending Explained: Directed by Julius Avery, ‘The Pope’s Exorcist’ is a gripping horror thriller that delves into the shadowy depths of the Vatican and the harrowing realm of demonic exorcism.
The main actor is Russell Crowe, and he plays Father Gabriele Amorth, who is like the boss of exorcisms at the Vatican.
He has to deal with a very scary situation where a young boy named Henry Vasquez gets taken over by a really bad spirit.
Father Gabriele, with the help of another local priest, Father Tomás Esquibel, tries to help the boy and his family. While they’re investigating, they find out about a secret plan that’s been hidden for a long time involving the Vatican Church.
If you’re interested in finding out what happens to Father Gabriele and the Vasquez family in this nail-biting situation, you’ll want to know about the ending of ‘The Pope’s Exorcist.
The main actor is Russell Crowe, and he plays Father Gabriele Amorth, who is like the boss of exorcisms at the Vatican.
He has to deal with a very scary situation where a young boy named Henry Vasquez gets taken over by a really bad spirit.
Father Gabriele, with the help of another local priest, Father Tomás Esquibel, tries to help the boy and his family. While they’re investigating, they find out about a secret plan that’s been hidden for a long time involving the Vatican Church.
If you’re interested in finding out what happens to Father Gabriele and the Vasquez family in this nail-biting situation, you’ll want to know about the ending of ‘The Pope’s Exorcist.
- 8/17/2023
- by Om Prakash Kaushal
- https://dailyresearchplot.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/new-sam
The Pope’s Exorcist is the latest horror film from director Julius Avery, starring Russell Crowe. With Alex Essoe, Franco Nero and Laurel Marsden. Based on the two memoirs written by Father Gabriele Amorth: An Exorcist Tells His Story and An Exorcist: More Stories.
An extravagant horror movie that goes absolutely nowhere, but turns out entertaining and amusing, in part thanks to Russell Crowe who somehow saves the day.
We are not going to get into controversies about the supposed “realism” of the proposal.
Within the genre, decent.
The Pope’s Exorcist Movie review
The best: Russell Crowe and his Italian accent speaking English. It is even “funny” that someone has taken this “seriously” which, apparently, has gone unnoticed.
The movie begins with a warning “be careful, he’s speaking in English”, so we must come to the logical conclusion: he’s possessed. Then there’s the good performance of the...
An extravagant horror movie that goes absolutely nowhere, but turns out entertaining and amusing, in part thanks to Russell Crowe who somehow saves the day.
We are not going to get into controversies about the supposed “realism” of the proposal.
Within the genre, decent.
The Pope’s Exorcist Movie review
The best: Russell Crowe and his Italian accent speaking English. It is even “funny” that someone has taken this “seriously” which, apparently, has gone unnoticed.
The movie begins with a warning “be careful, he’s speaking in English”, so we must come to the logical conclusion: he’s possessed. Then there’s the good performance of the...
- 5/3/2023
- by Martin Cid
- Martin Cid Magazine - Movies
Bad news for demons, good news for fans of ridiculous but entertaining horror schlock: Father Amorth, aka the Pope’s Exorcist, will return… in a sequel to The Pope’s Exorcist. It’s been a few weeks since Julius Avery as a Vespa-riding, one-liner grumbling, demon-busting Father Amorth – a real-life figure whose exploits inspired (how loosely depends on your own personal opinion on this whole ‘demons and exorcisms’ thing) the first film’s story – and it seems it’s been a hit for Screen Gems and Sony Pictures. Enough so that more Amorth looks to be on the horizon.
According to Bloody Disgusting, early development has begun on a sequel, expected to see Russell Crowe return in the lead role. And if you have a problem with that, take it up with his boss: The Pope. It’s clear that Crowe was having a blast playing a larger-than-life demon-slayer, his...
According to Bloody Disgusting, early development has begun on a sequel, expected to see Russell Crowe return in the lead role. And if you have a problem with that, take it up with his boss: The Pope. It’s clear that Crowe was having a blast playing a larger-than-life demon-slayer, his...
- 4/26/2023
- by Ben Travis
- Empire - Movies
There’s no shortage of new films hitting cinemas this weekend, but The Super Mario Bros. Movie is ready to butt-stomp the competition for another weekend of collecting gold coins at the box office. According to analysts, The Super Mario Bros. Movie is looking at $58M, with a nine-day $260M domestic total creeping toward $300M. Illumination‘s animated adventure in the Mushroom Kingdom grossed $9.4M on Thursday at 4,343 markets, -13% from Wednesday’s $10.7M. The Super Mario Bros. Movie recently crossed the $500M mark worldwide, becoming the biggest video game adaptation ever.
Renfield and The Pope’s Exorcist war for supernatural supremacy at the box office this weekend, though neither is conjuring dollars at cinemas as we’d assumed. Renfield sank its teeth into $900K in Thursday night previews, while The Pope’s Exorcist channeled $850K. The pair of genre films were projected to earn $8M-$10M. Renfield, starring Nicolas Cage as Dracula,...
Renfield and The Pope’s Exorcist war for supernatural supremacy at the box office this weekend, though neither is conjuring dollars at cinemas as we’d assumed. Renfield sank its teeth into $900K in Thursday night previews, while The Pope’s Exorcist channeled $850K. The pair of genre films were projected to earn $8M-$10M. Renfield, starring Nicolas Cage as Dracula,...
- 4/14/2023
- by Steve Seigh
- JoBlo.com
What if the Pope ... had an exorcist? Father Gabriele Amorth was a real priest who served as the exorcist of the Diocese of Rome, wrote a bunch of books, and founded the International Association of Exorcists. "The Exorcist" director William Friedkin even made a (not very good) documentary about him, called "The Devil and Father Amorth." Now, Father Amorth gets the Hollywood treatment with "The Pope's Exorcist," a biblically silly movie that has Russell Crowe playing the holy warrior.
Zipping around on a tiny Vespa and looking like he's cosplaying Orson Welles in "F is for Fake," Crowe's Amorth is a badass; a renegade; a rebel. He doesn't play by the church's rules, maaaan! And he's got a killer comeback to anyone who dares question his methods: "You have a problem with me, you take it up with my boss ... the Pope!" Hell yes! If there's a reason to see...
Zipping around on a tiny Vespa and looking like he's cosplaying Orson Welles in "F is for Fake," Crowe's Amorth is a badass; a renegade; a rebel. He doesn't play by the church's rules, maaaan! And he's got a killer comeback to anyone who dares question his methods: "You have a problem with me, you take it up with my boss ... the Pope!" Hell yes! If there's a reason to see...
- 4/14/2023
- by Chris Evangelista
- Slash Film
"The Vatican covered it up... We need to find out why." Sony Pictures has debuted the freaky official trailer for The Pope's Exorcist, the latest from Australian action director Julius Avery. In this exorcism movie - Russell Crowe is The Chief Exorcist of The Vatican. He plays the real-life figure Father Gabriele Amorth, a priest who worked for the Vatican and performed numerous exorcisms during his lifetime. He also wrote two memoirs – An Exorcist Tells His Story and An Exorcist: More Stories – which detailed his experiences battling Satan and demons. The Pope's Exorcist follows Amorth as he investigates a young boy's terrifying possession and ends up uncovering a centuries-old conspiracy the Vatican has desperately tried to keep hidden. The impressive cast also includes Franco Nero as The Pope (get a look at him in this!!), Laurel Marsden, River Hawkins, Pablo Raybould, Daniel Zovatto, Alex Essoe, and Ralph Ineson as the...
- 2/22/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
"If evil does not exist, what then is the role of the church?" Sony Pictures has unveiled a first look featurette for a new horror thriller film titled The Pope's Exorcist, the latest from Australian action director Julius Avery. In this exorcism movie - Russell Crowe is The Chief Exorcist of The Vatican. It's an examination of the real-life figure Father Gabriele Amorth, a priest who worked for the Vatican and performed more than 100,000 exorcisms in his lifetime. (He passed away in 2016 at the age of 91.) Amorth wrote two memoirs – An Exorcist Tells His Story and An Exorcist: More Stories – and detailed his experiences battling Satan and demons that had clutched people in their evil. The impressive cast also includes Franco Nero as The Pope (awesome!!), Laurel Marsden, River Hawkins, Pablo Raybould, Daniel Zovatto, Alex Essoe, and Ralph Ineson as the voice of the "Demon". They're trying to build up the buzz for this,...
- 2/21/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Veteran Bollywood actress, dancer and former MP Dr. Vyjayanthimala Bali was conferred the ‘Aditya Vikram Birla Kalashikhar Puraskar’ by the Sangit Kala Kendra, officials said here on Sunday.
The Skk President Rajashree Birla conferred the award on Dr Bali, 86, at a glittering function held here late on Saturday, attended by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Kumarmangalam Birla, Neerja Birla, Ananya Birla, Aryaman Birla and Vasavadatta Bajaj.
The annual award has been instituted in 1996 in memory of the Skk founder, the late Aditya Vikram Birla to perpetuate the rich legacy in the domain of performing arts.
Besides, two other maestros, Sattriya danseuse Dr Anwesa Mahanta of Assam and Kathakali exponent Kalamandalam Adithyan of Kerala were honoured with the ‘Aditya Vikram Birla Kalakiran Puraskar’.
Recalling her husband’s work, Rajashree Birla said that the late industrialist Aditya Vikram Birla had an amazingly positive outlook on life and said that the performing arts like music,...
The Skk President Rajashree Birla conferred the award on Dr Bali, 86, at a glittering function held here late on Saturday, attended by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Kumarmangalam Birla, Neerja Birla, Ananya Birla, Aryaman Birla and Vasavadatta Bajaj.
The annual award has been instituted in 1996 in memory of the Skk founder, the late Aditya Vikram Birla to perpetuate the rich legacy in the domain of performing arts.
Besides, two other maestros, Sattriya danseuse Dr Anwesa Mahanta of Assam and Kathakali exponent Kalamandalam Adithyan of Kerala were honoured with the ‘Aditya Vikram Birla Kalakiran Puraskar’.
Recalling her husband’s work, Rajashree Birla said that the late industrialist Aditya Vikram Birla had an amazingly positive outlook on life and said that the performing arts like music,...
- 11/20/2022
- by Glamsham Bureau
- GlamSham
“The New Pope,” like its jaunty predecessor, is a story built on gospels. Paolo Sorrentino’s inside look at the leadership of a fictionalized Catholic Church spends a lot of time listening to pontiffs pontificate, his camera slowly circling the central speaker or elevating him from a wide distance as he preaches from atop his papal pulpit. This season, it’s often the eponymous new pope, Sir John Brannox (played with nuanced delight by John Malkovich), who bounces between bloviating and imparting genuine wisdom.
But unlike plenty of real-life homilies, “The New Pope” knows which of its moments are honestly enlightening and which are empty, irrelevant gestures. Sorrentino, and his co-writers Umberto Contrarello and Stefano Bises, recognize the dual aspects of organized religion the Catholic Church historically will not: Faith is rooted in significance and absurdity. By acknowledging both, “The New Pope” honors and eviscerates its central subject.
The lengthy...
But unlike plenty of real-life homilies, “The New Pope” knows which of its moments are honestly enlightening and which are empty, irrelevant gestures. Sorrentino, and his co-writers Umberto Contrarello and Stefano Bises, recognize the dual aspects of organized religion the Catholic Church historically will not: Faith is rooted in significance and absurdity. By acknowledging both, “The New Pope” honors and eviscerates its central subject.
The lengthy...
- 1/13/2020
- by Ben Travers
- Indiewire
While it’s certainly not the first time Jude Law has bared himself — spiritually and physically — on camera, but usually he hasn’t stepped straight into papal robes after.
As a controversial new head of the Catholic Church in the new HBO series The Young Pope, Law strips down for not one but two scenes within the first minute.
Of the risqué depiction of his holiness, Law tells People: “What Paolo wanted to demonstrate early on was this idea of him being — you see the man, his naked form and then the costume, as it were, the outfit that he then puts on that,...
As a controversial new head of the Catholic Church in the new HBO series The Young Pope, Law strips down for not one but two scenes within the first minute.
Of the risqué depiction of his holiness, Law tells People: “What Paolo wanted to demonstrate early on was this idea of him being — you see the man, his naked form and then the costume, as it were, the outfit that he then puts on that,...
- 1/16/2017
- by Lanford Beard
- PEOPLE.com
Pope Francis Photo: Casa Rosada, licensed under Creative Commons
He's already known for his unconventional behaviour, but now Pope Francis is set to make his debut the silver screen. He will play himself in children's film Beyond The Sun, which is said to be spiritual in nature and based on the Gospels. It is understood to have been inspired by the Pope's request that filmmakers find innovative ways to present the story of Jesus Christ to young audiences.
Profits from the film, which is expected to be a hit with young Catholic viewers, will go to children's charities based in Argentina. Shooting will take place in Italy.
Despite what many commentators have suggested, Francis will not actually be the first pope to appear in a film. That honour goes to Pope Pius Xii, who appeared in Embezzled Heaven in 1958, also playing himself.
Pope Francis has often spoken about his love of film,...
He's already known for his unconventional behaviour, but now Pope Francis is set to make his debut the silver screen. He will play himself in children's film Beyond The Sun, which is said to be spiritual in nature and based on the Gospels. It is understood to have been inspired by the Pope's request that filmmakers find innovative ways to present the story of Jesus Christ to young audiences.
Profits from the film, which is expected to be a hit with young Catholic viewers, will go to children's charities based in Argentina. Shooting will take place in Italy.
Despite what many commentators have suggested, Francis will not actually be the first pope to appear in a film. That honour goes to Pope Pius Xii, who appeared in Embezzled Heaven in 1958, also playing himself.
Pope Francis has often spoken about his love of film,...
- 2/2/2016
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
To all cinephiles! This one is for you!
What a surprise was in store for us when we went to see “We Weren’t Just Bicycle Thieves. Neorealism” on its opening night of its qualifying run for Oscar submission in the documentary category.
The footage!
It took two and a half years to clear it all! The best scenes of Neorealistic cinema illustrate points on how Neorealism changed the lexicon and language of film in the same way that the Renaissance changed the visual language of art with linear perspective and its humanistic point of view.
The commentary!
Speaking about the influence of the Italian post-war Neorealism upon their filmmaking choices are Bertolucci, the Taviani Brothers, Scorsese, Olmi, Umberto Eco, Gabriel Garcia Marquez… the only reason Antonioni and Fellini did not speak was because they were no longer living when the movie was made. The interviews were not “talking heads”; they were conversations in which the great directors expressed their connections with Neorealism as they spoke to Carlo Lizzani.
Carlo Lizzani, the narrator and host of this documentary is an elegant 91 year old man who worked as scriptwriter, assistant director to every Neorealistic director and director in his own right. He starred in movies 1939-1954.
I loved him dancing in "Bitter Rice" (which he cowrote) with the women workers. That was the first Neorealistic movie I saw, dubbed on TV, when I was about eight. It was so puzzling to me, seeing this woman in a rice field with her skirt hiked up in a very provocative way, calling to someone with her words not matching her lips.
I really did not understand what sort of movie I was seeing… Similar to the first time I saw Chantal Akerman’s "Jane Dielman" which was rather Neorealistic too, though a product of the early ‘70s.
The production value!
The room, a fascinating “study” filled with objects of Neorealistic movies where the Lizzani seemed to belong was actually a room built from scratch by production designer Maurizio di Clemente within the walls of the oldest film school in Italy, Centro Sperimentale de Cine. When Lizzani opened windows, they looked out upon landscapes of these great Neorealistic movies. The technology of today was used in service of high art. Opening windows itself was a Neorealistic device.
The book!
You will want to read it all and show it off on your coffee table. Interviews, philosophic discussions, pictures and detailed listings of all the Neorealistic movies are splendidly displayed.
The education!
My view of cinema — both post war Italian cinema and today’s cinema shifted into an informed appreciation of how much Neorealism changed our vision of what a film could be.
Neorealism came to fruition with the rebirth of Italy after the war and lasted to 1954. Actually as Carlo Lizzani explains, it began in 1939 “with the first rumblings of an anti-fascist rebellion… as well as among many intellectuals and cineastes, increasingly unanimous in their refusal of so-called “White Telephone” cinema.”
“Before Neorealism, films were called ‘Bianchi Telefono’ after the white telephones that Hollywood movies showed in the so-called ‘White Telephone’ cinema for the way they featured Hollywood-style living rooms where that status symbol was invariably set center stage. It may have been a typical object in certain Hollywood mansions or Middle-European villa, but hardly in the average Italian home,” says Lizzani.
The interview!
Gianni Bozzacchi, the film’s director, writer and producer is a Renaissance man and his stories are funny, deeply moving and extremely interesting! This is someone you want to talk to for hours.
Watching this labor of love was an experience I will always treasure.
Rarely do we see a film about the art of film…Todd McCarthy’s "Visions of Light" comes to mind but others fade into PBS TV memories. This is a cinematic, highly technological and artistic feat. The Dp was Fabio Olmi the son of Ermanno Olmi.
After the screening, Bozzacchi stayed for a Q+A and the next day I continued to question him in the home of producer Jay Kanter where he was staying. After two and a half hours, I still wanted more. But the issue of condensing it all to a blog was weighing on me.
“Everything was planned and laid out in great detail, scripted and planned to the second so that filming 91 year old Lizanni for two hours a day took exactly 8 days to complete.”
Bozzacchi had previously made movies and in the ‘70s and ‘80s. He worked in Los Angeles with Greg Bautzer, who, for nearly 50 years, was one of the premier entertainment attorneys in Hollywood and with Kirk Kerkorian who needs no introduction. He wrote, directed and produced “I Love N.Y.” which was sold internationally by Walter Manley. It presold widely including to Australia where it played six weeks. But for the U.S. release, Manley edited it, and Bozzacchi moved away from it and took the DGA pseudonym, the credited name Alan Smithee.
Why did you leave filmmaking for so long?
I still remember that film, starring Christopher Plummer, Virna Lisi, Scott Baio, Jennifer O’Neill, but that was my last until “Neorealism”.
In 1986 I saw the industry was changing and I chose to step out in order to watch it as an outsider. What was ‘Show Business” was becoming a 'Business Show’. Marketing led to creating a show which led to creating a sales industry. “
“I decided to change direction and do only what I really wanted to do. I took ten years developing a big project ‘Oh Brave New World: The Renaissance’ for TV. It is now in pre-production. I thought of the Neorealism project and of The Enzo Ferrari story for which I now have a deal with Tribeca and Robert De Niro.
What did you do before you were a filmmaker?
I quit school at 13. From 1966 to 1974, at 20 I entered the jet set and became a photographer.
Elizabeth Taylor was shooting ‘The Comedians’ in Africa by Graham Greene. In Dahomy (today it’s Benin) they rebuilt part of Haiti. In the photo agency I worked no one wanted to go there, so I went. I knew Elizabeth Taylor’s face very well so I photographed her with light; no retouching was needed. After seeing a photo I took of her, Richard Burton said to me, ‘You want to join our family? Elizabeth needs you.’ I only spoke Roman, no English. I worked with her for 14 years and her two kids were my assistants. I also worked on 162 films as a special photographer, reading the scripts and shooting scenes for magazine layouts, working with “the making of the film” format.
It was when I stopped as a photographer in ‘75 that I began to think of producing films like the cult film “ China 9, Liberty 37” directed by Monte Hellman and starring Sam Peckinpah, Warren Oates and Fabio Testi and I wrote a book ExpoXed Memory about my life.
There is a relationship of all my projects to Neorealism, and of Neorealism to the Renaissance. All our projects are ready to go.
What are you doing in L.A.?
We have formed a new company with producer Jay Kanter and other partners who love film rather than the business of film. “We Weren’t Just Bicycle Thieves: Neorealismo” is the first to come out of the gate.
“The Listener” is the next project I will direct. It is based on the semi-autobiographical book, Operation Appia Way, by the Italian politician Giulio Andreotti. Andreotti served as Prime Minister of Italy seven terms since the restoration of democracy in 1946.
Yes he was the subject of Paolo Sorrentino’s film “Il Divo”. The book is about phone tapping, abuse of power and violations of personal privacy as is so often employed in politic, spying, etc. Andreotti had studied to be a priest but became a politician and this is about the birth of wire tapping which took place in the Roman catacombs and tapped the phones of Pope Pius Xii in conversations with Churchill, Churchill and the King of Italy, Mussolini and Hitler, Roosevelt and the Pope. The scenarios alternate between New York and Rome today and flashbacks to past times.
The production coordinator of “Neorealismo”, Julia Eleanora Rei, also has a project on Eleanora Duse and Gabriel D’Annunzio. Known as ‘Duse’, this Italian actress is known for her words of wit and wisdom, ‘The weaker partner in a marriage is the one who loves the most’ and ‘When we grow old, there can only be one regret – not to have given enough of ourselves’. She is also known for her long romantic involvement with the poet and writer, the controversial Gabriele D’Annunzio. They are now targeting a star for the film, although, says Bozzacchi, ‘Today the script is the star’.
What films are most important to you?
Those shown in this documentary, especially "Open City" where the scene of shooting down Anna Magnani still makes me feel angry.
Every week the Neorealistic filmmakers met in a café or restaurant. They did not have lots of money, had only one camera and not much film. But they created a way to tell a story very realistically, hiding the camera and shooting the people as they are.
Cary Grant pleaded De Sica to star in ‘The Bicycle Thief’, but he would have disrupted the Neorealist aspect; he was too recognizable. In the scene where three men stop the thief , other citizens joined in thinking it was real. If they saw it was Cary Grant, the scene never could have happened. The little boy in the film, played by Enzo Staiola, was scared the mob would turn on him.”
It was surprising to see Enzo Staiola in conversation during the movie. He said that ‘De Sica invented this whole story about how he made me cry. When I looked at him in surprise, he said: ‘Don’t worry, it’s just cinema…you’ll understand later’.
They also changed the way to shoot in sequence, called ‘piano sequenza’. Before a film was done in steps, with a storyboard, with cuts, three camera povs. Actors and the camera depended on the director. Now the camera follows the actor as he or she moves. This went from Rossellini to Fellini who always used the system; but Fellini, who shows a new reborn Italy, did not want direct sound. Fellini directs saying, ‘pick up drink’ or ‘turn right’ or ‘look left’ and then afterward he would add the sound. He showed Italy out of war time in ‘La Dolce Vita’.
What happened after ‘Neorealism’?
Pontecorvo was born in the time of Neorealism and he brought it to Algiers (‘Battle of Algiers’). He was going to make a doc there but then decided on fiction. He wrote notes on his hand.
Who were the French, German and U.S. adherents to Neorealism?
Truffaut and Melville, Wim Wenders with ‘American Friend’ and ‘Paris, Texas’, Coppola with ‘Apocalypse Now’. Cassavetes was a producer of Neorealism; he took it to his era. Scorsese did with ‘Taxi Driver’ and ‘Mean Streets’.
What do we see about Neorealism today?
If you really love movies, with all of today’s technology, you must bring in realism. With the new technology there will be a new wave of new realism. New filmmakers are very straight. Honesty and realism on the screen will come out. We’re at the sea floor now, coming back. Tell me a story that I can feel and see emotion…that is the legacy of Neorealism.
The final scene was great ...
There was a great sense of collaboration on this film.
What made that so related to Neorealism?
Neorealism also had the full participation of everyone. Directors heard and listened to the community. Clint Eastwood does this too. He would be great directing the Ferrari movie…depending on the script of course.
I love you story about the dog being an actor who allowed for transitions and covered discontinuities in film.
What about catering Italian style?
Take a look at the film's trailer Here.
What a surprise was in store for us when we went to see “We Weren’t Just Bicycle Thieves. Neorealism” on its opening night of its qualifying run for Oscar submission in the documentary category.
The footage!
It took two and a half years to clear it all! The best scenes of Neorealistic cinema illustrate points on how Neorealism changed the lexicon and language of film in the same way that the Renaissance changed the visual language of art with linear perspective and its humanistic point of view.
The commentary!
Speaking about the influence of the Italian post-war Neorealism upon their filmmaking choices are Bertolucci, the Taviani Brothers, Scorsese, Olmi, Umberto Eco, Gabriel Garcia Marquez… the only reason Antonioni and Fellini did not speak was because they were no longer living when the movie was made. The interviews were not “talking heads”; they were conversations in which the great directors expressed their connections with Neorealism as they spoke to Carlo Lizzani.
Carlo Lizzani, the narrator and host of this documentary is an elegant 91 year old man who worked as scriptwriter, assistant director to every Neorealistic director and director in his own right. He starred in movies 1939-1954.
I loved him dancing in "Bitter Rice" (which he cowrote) with the women workers. That was the first Neorealistic movie I saw, dubbed on TV, when I was about eight. It was so puzzling to me, seeing this woman in a rice field with her skirt hiked up in a very provocative way, calling to someone with her words not matching her lips.
I really did not understand what sort of movie I was seeing… Similar to the first time I saw Chantal Akerman’s "Jane Dielman" which was rather Neorealistic too, though a product of the early ‘70s.
The production value!
The room, a fascinating “study” filled with objects of Neorealistic movies where the Lizzani seemed to belong was actually a room built from scratch by production designer Maurizio di Clemente within the walls of the oldest film school in Italy, Centro Sperimentale de Cine. When Lizzani opened windows, they looked out upon landscapes of these great Neorealistic movies. The technology of today was used in service of high art. Opening windows itself was a Neorealistic device.
The book!
You will want to read it all and show it off on your coffee table. Interviews, philosophic discussions, pictures and detailed listings of all the Neorealistic movies are splendidly displayed.
The education!
My view of cinema — both post war Italian cinema and today’s cinema shifted into an informed appreciation of how much Neorealism changed our vision of what a film could be.
Neorealism came to fruition with the rebirth of Italy after the war and lasted to 1954. Actually as Carlo Lizzani explains, it began in 1939 “with the first rumblings of an anti-fascist rebellion… as well as among many intellectuals and cineastes, increasingly unanimous in their refusal of so-called “White Telephone” cinema.”
“Before Neorealism, films were called ‘Bianchi Telefono’ after the white telephones that Hollywood movies showed in the so-called ‘White Telephone’ cinema for the way they featured Hollywood-style living rooms where that status symbol was invariably set center stage. It may have been a typical object in certain Hollywood mansions or Middle-European villa, but hardly in the average Italian home,” says Lizzani.
The interview!
Gianni Bozzacchi, the film’s director, writer and producer is a Renaissance man and his stories are funny, deeply moving and extremely interesting! This is someone you want to talk to for hours.
Watching this labor of love was an experience I will always treasure.
Rarely do we see a film about the art of film…Todd McCarthy’s "Visions of Light" comes to mind but others fade into PBS TV memories. This is a cinematic, highly technological and artistic feat. The Dp was Fabio Olmi the son of Ermanno Olmi.
After the screening, Bozzacchi stayed for a Q+A and the next day I continued to question him in the home of producer Jay Kanter where he was staying. After two and a half hours, I still wanted more. But the issue of condensing it all to a blog was weighing on me.
“Everything was planned and laid out in great detail, scripted and planned to the second so that filming 91 year old Lizanni for two hours a day took exactly 8 days to complete.”
Bozzacchi had previously made movies and in the ‘70s and ‘80s. He worked in Los Angeles with Greg Bautzer, who, for nearly 50 years, was one of the premier entertainment attorneys in Hollywood and with Kirk Kerkorian who needs no introduction. He wrote, directed and produced “I Love N.Y.” which was sold internationally by Walter Manley. It presold widely including to Australia where it played six weeks. But for the U.S. release, Manley edited it, and Bozzacchi moved away from it and took the DGA pseudonym, the credited name Alan Smithee.
Why did you leave filmmaking for so long?
I still remember that film, starring Christopher Plummer, Virna Lisi, Scott Baio, Jennifer O’Neill, but that was my last until “Neorealism”.
In 1986 I saw the industry was changing and I chose to step out in order to watch it as an outsider. What was ‘Show Business” was becoming a 'Business Show’. Marketing led to creating a show which led to creating a sales industry. “
“I decided to change direction and do only what I really wanted to do. I took ten years developing a big project ‘Oh Brave New World: The Renaissance’ for TV. It is now in pre-production. I thought of the Neorealism project and of The Enzo Ferrari story for which I now have a deal with Tribeca and Robert De Niro.
What did you do before you were a filmmaker?
I quit school at 13. From 1966 to 1974, at 20 I entered the jet set and became a photographer.
Elizabeth Taylor was shooting ‘The Comedians’ in Africa by Graham Greene. In Dahomy (today it’s Benin) they rebuilt part of Haiti. In the photo agency I worked no one wanted to go there, so I went. I knew Elizabeth Taylor’s face very well so I photographed her with light; no retouching was needed. After seeing a photo I took of her, Richard Burton said to me, ‘You want to join our family? Elizabeth needs you.’ I only spoke Roman, no English. I worked with her for 14 years and her two kids were my assistants. I also worked on 162 films as a special photographer, reading the scripts and shooting scenes for magazine layouts, working with “the making of the film” format.
It was when I stopped as a photographer in ‘75 that I began to think of producing films like the cult film “ China 9, Liberty 37” directed by Monte Hellman and starring Sam Peckinpah, Warren Oates and Fabio Testi and I wrote a book ExpoXed Memory about my life.
There is a relationship of all my projects to Neorealism, and of Neorealism to the Renaissance. All our projects are ready to go.
What are you doing in L.A.?
We have formed a new company with producer Jay Kanter and other partners who love film rather than the business of film. “We Weren’t Just Bicycle Thieves: Neorealismo” is the first to come out of the gate.
“The Listener” is the next project I will direct. It is based on the semi-autobiographical book, Operation Appia Way, by the Italian politician Giulio Andreotti. Andreotti served as Prime Minister of Italy seven terms since the restoration of democracy in 1946.
Yes he was the subject of Paolo Sorrentino’s film “Il Divo”. The book is about phone tapping, abuse of power and violations of personal privacy as is so often employed in politic, spying, etc. Andreotti had studied to be a priest but became a politician and this is about the birth of wire tapping which took place in the Roman catacombs and tapped the phones of Pope Pius Xii in conversations with Churchill, Churchill and the King of Italy, Mussolini and Hitler, Roosevelt and the Pope. The scenarios alternate between New York and Rome today and flashbacks to past times.
The production coordinator of “Neorealismo”, Julia Eleanora Rei, also has a project on Eleanora Duse and Gabriel D’Annunzio. Known as ‘Duse’, this Italian actress is known for her words of wit and wisdom, ‘The weaker partner in a marriage is the one who loves the most’ and ‘When we grow old, there can only be one regret – not to have given enough of ourselves’. She is also known for her long romantic involvement with the poet and writer, the controversial Gabriele D’Annunzio. They are now targeting a star for the film, although, says Bozzacchi, ‘Today the script is the star’.
What films are most important to you?
Those shown in this documentary, especially "Open City" where the scene of shooting down Anna Magnani still makes me feel angry.
Every week the Neorealistic filmmakers met in a café or restaurant. They did not have lots of money, had only one camera and not much film. But they created a way to tell a story very realistically, hiding the camera and shooting the people as they are.
Cary Grant pleaded De Sica to star in ‘The Bicycle Thief’, but he would have disrupted the Neorealist aspect; he was too recognizable. In the scene where three men stop the thief , other citizens joined in thinking it was real. If they saw it was Cary Grant, the scene never could have happened. The little boy in the film, played by Enzo Staiola, was scared the mob would turn on him.”
It was surprising to see Enzo Staiola in conversation during the movie. He said that ‘De Sica invented this whole story about how he made me cry. When I looked at him in surprise, he said: ‘Don’t worry, it’s just cinema…you’ll understand later’.
They also changed the way to shoot in sequence, called ‘piano sequenza’. Before a film was done in steps, with a storyboard, with cuts, three camera povs. Actors and the camera depended on the director. Now the camera follows the actor as he or she moves. This went from Rossellini to Fellini who always used the system; but Fellini, who shows a new reborn Italy, did not want direct sound. Fellini directs saying, ‘pick up drink’ or ‘turn right’ or ‘look left’ and then afterward he would add the sound. He showed Italy out of war time in ‘La Dolce Vita’.
What happened after ‘Neorealism’?
Pontecorvo was born in the time of Neorealism and he brought it to Algiers (‘Battle of Algiers’). He was going to make a doc there but then decided on fiction. He wrote notes on his hand.
Who were the French, German and U.S. adherents to Neorealism?
Truffaut and Melville, Wim Wenders with ‘American Friend’ and ‘Paris, Texas’, Coppola with ‘Apocalypse Now’. Cassavetes was a producer of Neorealism; he took it to his era. Scorsese did with ‘Taxi Driver’ and ‘Mean Streets’.
What do we see about Neorealism today?
If you really love movies, with all of today’s technology, you must bring in realism. With the new technology there will be a new wave of new realism. New filmmakers are very straight. Honesty and realism on the screen will come out. We’re at the sea floor now, coming back. Tell me a story that I can feel and see emotion…that is the legacy of Neorealism.
The final scene was great ...
There was a great sense of collaboration on this film.
What made that so related to Neorealism?
Neorealism also had the full participation of everyone. Directors heard and listened to the community. Clint Eastwood does this too. He would be great directing the Ferrari movie…depending on the script of course.
I love you story about the dog being an actor who allowed for transitions and covered discontinuities in film.
What about catering Italian style?
Take a look at the film's trailer Here.
- 10/21/2015
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
The Cohen Film Collection announced recently that two major films by acclaimed director Costa-Gavras – Capital, the Oscar winner’s most recent feature, and Amen, his César-winning historical drama from 2002 – have been digitally remastered and will be released in deluxe Blu-ray and DVD editions on June 10, 2014. The Blu-rays will have SRPs of $34.98 each and the DVDs will have SRPs of $24.98 each.
Wamg invites you to enter to win one of 3 Prize Packs containing the two films on Blu-ray.
Enter Your Name And E-mail In Our Comments Section Below. We Will Contact You If You Are A Winner.
Official Rules:
1. You Must Be A Us Resident. Prize Will Only Be Shipped To Us Addresses. No P.O. Boxes. No Duplicate Addresses.
2. Winners Will Be Chosen From All Qualifying Entries. No Purchase Necessary. Prizes Will Not Be Substituted Or Exchanged.
Contest Ends – Tuesday, June 24th, 11:59p est.
Since his debut in 1965, the Greek-born,...
Wamg invites you to enter to win one of 3 Prize Packs containing the two films on Blu-ray.
Enter Your Name And E-mail In Our Comments Section Below. We Will Contact You If You Are A Winner.
Official Rules:
1. You Must Be A Us Resident. Prize Will Only Be Shipped To Us Addresses. No P.O. Boxes. No Duplicate Addresses.
2. Winners Will Be Chosen From All Qualifying Entries. No Purchase Necessary. Prizes Will Not Be Substituted Or Exchanged.
Contest Ends – Tuesday, June 24th, 11:59p est.
Since his debut in 1965, the Greek-born,...
- 6/10/2014
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
In a transparent attempt to piggyback on a major news event and use it as an excuse to talk about films, here are some of our favourite cinematic popes
Following news that Benedict XVI is to be the first pope to resign in 600 years, we introduce the only important matter for debate: what are the best on-screen portrayals of pontiffs? Here are a few of our favourites, including nominations from @guardianfilm Twitter followers @Lazslokovacs, @farah0912, @nigelfloyd, @pafster, @DulachG, @filipequintans and @FPSFilm.
1. Robbie Coltrane in The Pope Must Die
The film might not have been a classic, but Robbie Coltrane is certainly one of the most memorable movie popes.
Reading on mobile? Watch the clip on YouTube
2. Rex Harrison in The Agony and the Ecstasy
Rex Harrison is a remarkably shouty Pope Julius II, butting heads over the painting of the Sistine chapel with an even shoutier Michelangelo in Charlton Heston.
Following news that Benedict XVI is to be the first pope to resign in 600 years, we introduce the only important matter for debate: what are the best on-screen portrayals of pontiffs? Here are a few of our favourites, including nominations from @guardianfilm Twitter followers @Lazslokovacs, @farah0912, @nigelfloyd, @pafster, @DulachG, @filipequintans and @FPSFilm.
1. Robbie Coltrane in The Pope Must Die
The film might not have been a classic, but Robbie Coltrane is certainly one of the most memorable movie popes.
Reading on mobile? Watch the clip on YouTube
2. Rex Harrison in The Agony and the Ecstasy
Rex Harrison is a remarkably shouty Pope Julius II, butting heads over the painting of the Sistine chapel with an even shoutier Michelangelo in Charlton Heston.
- 2/11/2013
- by Adam Boult
- The Guardian - Film News
Experimental film-maker and artist whose creations had a playful, unpredictable quality
The experimental animator Robert Breer, who has died aged 84, made more than 40 highly inventive films in a career spanning some 50 years. His oeuvre combined abstraction, subversive collage, figurative work and simple mark-making, and took in a broad range of influences and reference points, including painting, kinetic art, early cinema and cartoons.
Breer was considered by some to be an anti-animator, as he often worked against the processes with which the craft is ordinarily associated. He explored movement between frames and within, and teased apart the lines between motion and stasis, working skilfully, sensitively and humorously, with variations in speed and repetition. In films such as Swiss Army Knife With Rats and Pigeons (1980), he combined many different styles of animation, as well as live action. Breer took a considered yet light-of-touch approach to his films, infusing them with life and spontaneity.
The experimental animator Robert Breer, who has died aged 84, made more than 40 highly inventive films in a career spanning some 50 years. His oeuvre combined abstraction, subversive collage, figurative work and simple mark-making, and took in a broad range of influences and reference points, including painting, kinetic art, early cinema and cartoons.
Breer was considered by some to be an anti-animator, as he often worked against the processes with which the craft is ordinarily associated. He explored movement between frames and within, and teased apart the lines between motion and stasis, working skilfully, sensitively and humorously, with variations in speed and repetition. In films such as Swiss Army Knife With Rats and Pigeons (1980), he combined many different styles of animation, as well as live action. Breer took a considered yet light-of-touch approach to his films, infusing them with life and spontaneity.
- 9/2/2011
- by William Fowler
- The Guardian - Film News
Dread Central is always on the lookout for intriguing new information to share with our readers. So when an email arrived informing us of a supernatural thriller that was the equivalent of "The DaVinci Code meets The Exorcist", of course we sat up and took notice.
The film being described is none other than director Joseph Tito's Death of the Virgin. It's been an official selection of the Toronto and Rome International Film Festivals. And if the trailer is any indication, this religious-themed horrific thriller certainly looks to be able to deliver on the whole DaVinci Code/Exorcist thing.
Starring Maria Grazia Cucinotta (Rite, The Postman (Il Postino), James Bond – The World is Not Enough), Daniel Baldock (Letters to Juliet, Pope Pius Xii, Pillars of the Earth, Go Go Tales), Linda Valadas (Novellas Morangos Com Acucar, Detective Maravilhas, Tu E Eu) and Natasha Allan (Take Your Place (Prenez Vos...
The film being described is none other than director Joseph Tito's Death of the Virgin. It's been an official selection of the Toronto and Rome International Film Festivals. And if the trailer is any indication, this religious-themed horrific thriller certainly looks to be able to deliver on the whole DaVinci Code/Exorcist thing.
Starring Maria Grazia Cucinotta (Rite, The Postman (Il Postino), James Bond – The World is Not Enough), Daniel Baldock (Letters to Juliet, Pope Pius Xii, Pillars of the Earth, Go Go Tales), Linda Valadas (Novellas Morangos Com Acucar, Detective Maravilhas, Tu E Eu) and Natasha Allan (Take Your Place (Prenez Vos...
- 9/1/2011
- by Doctor Gash
- DreadCentral.com
Linda Christian, international actress and Tyrone Power's second wife, died Friday (July 22) in Palm Springs, California. Christian, who was 87, had been suffering from colon cancer. Linda Christian was born Blanca Rosa Henrietta Stella Welter Vorhauer on November 13, 1923, in Tampico, Mexico, to a Dutch oil executive and his German-Mexican wife. As a young girl, she traveled the world with her parents, according to reports eventually becoming fluent in seven languages. Discovered by Errol Flynn while in Acapulco, Christian moved to Los Angeles where she began her film career in bit parts in Hollywood movies of the mid-1940s. Labeled "The Anatomic Bomb" by Life magazine, Christian eventually progressed to supporting roles in a handful of productions, among them Robert Florey's Tarzan and the Mermaids (1948) and Richard Fleischer's The Happy Time (1952). Leading roles, however, eluded her, while a reported seven-year MGM contract led nowhere. Though the first Bond girl...
- 7/23/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Cologne, Germany -- A not-so-happy holiday is the focus in the new project, "Home For Christmas" by award-winning Norwegian director Bent Hamer ("O'Horten").
Hamer has co-written the script, set in a tiny Norwegian town on Christmas Eve, with writer Levi Henriksen. Cologne-based Pandora Film, who produced "O'Horten," is on board, together with German European public broadcasters Zdf and Arte. The Nrw Film Board is backing the project with €400,000 ($560,000) in production subsidies. Hamer plans to shoot portions of the film in the Nrw region.
Also benefiting from Nrw's largesse is "Generation X" author Douglas Coupland, who has received backing to adapt his own novel "Eleanor Rigby" for the screen. The book tells the story of a lonely woman whose life is changed by an unexpected meeting with the son she gave up for adoption. Coupland is adapting his book for Cologne-based production house Tatfilm ("The Last King of Scotland").
Director Thomas Riedelsheimer,...
Hamer has co-written the script, set in a tiny Norwegian town on Christmas Eve, with writer Levi Henriksen. Cologne-based Pandora Film, who produced "O'Horten," is on board, together with German European public broadcasters Zdf and Arte. The Nrw Film Board is backing the project with €400,000 ($560,000) in production subsidies. Hamer plans to shoot portions of the film in the Nrw region.
Also benefiting from Nrw's largesse is "Generation X" author Douglas Coupland, who has received backing to adapt his own novel "Eleanor Rigby" for the screen. The book tells the story of a lonely woman whose life is changed by an unexpected meeting with the son she gave up for adoption. Coupland is adapting his book for Cologne-based production house Tatfilm ("The Last King of Scotland").
Director Thomas Riedelsheimer,...
- 6/29/2009
- by By Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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