Actor Clint Eastwood added another successful movie to his long filmography as a director by shooting American Sniper. The film’s reception was a good thing for Eastwood, who was warned about messing up the story.
Clint Eastwood was told hell would be unleashed on him if he messed up ‘American Sniper’ Clint Eastwood | Jason Laveris/FilmMagic
Eastwood’s American Sniper was loosely based on the memoir of the same name that was written by real-life military veteran Chris Kyle. The film saw Bradley Cooper playing an expert military sniper who has difficulty adjusting to normal life after returning home from war. In an interview with Impulse Gamer, Eastwood stated that he was already in the midst of reading the memoir on his downtime.
“And I was curious about the story and the guy. So, they called me about it, and I said, ‘Well, gee, let me finish the next...
Clint Eastwood was told hell would be unleashed on him if he messed up ‘American Sniper’ Clint Eastwood | Jason Laveris/FilmMagic
Eastwood’s American Sniper was loosely based on the memoir of the same name that was written by real-life military veteran Chris Kyle. The film saw Bradley Cooper playing an expert military sniper who has difficulty adjusting to normal life after returning home from war. In an interview with Impulse Gamer, Eastwood stated that he was already in the midst of reading the memoir on his downtime.
“And I was curious about the story and the guy. So, they called me about it, and I said, ‘Well, gee, let me finish the next...
- 7/25/2023
- by Antonio Stallings
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Actor Carrie-Anne Moss had her first action role in the 1999 Matrix movie. But she took a lot of inspiration from original action star Clint Eastwood to play Trinity.
How Carrie-Anne Moss took inspiration from Clint Eastwood for Trinity Carrie-Anne Moss | Matthew Eisman/Getty Images
Clint Eastwood has a variety of films under his belt both as an actor and a director. But he was originally known as an action star. Eastwood played the action hero Rowdy Yates in the TV series Rawhide. From there, he moved on to characters who were more morally complex by starring in features like Fistful of Dollars. This was a conscious decision on Eastwood’s part, who didn’t want to play just a pure hero anymore.
“In Rawhide I did get awfully tired of playing the conventional white hat. The hero who kisses old ladies and dogs and was kind to everybody. I decided...
How Carrie-Anne Moss took inspiration from Clint Eastwood for Trinity Carrie-Anne Moss | Matthew Eisman/Getty Images
Clint Eastwood has a variety of films under his belt both as an actor and a director. But he was originally known as an action star. Eastwood played the action hero Rowdy Yates in the TV series Rawhide. From there, he moved on to characters who were more morally complex by starring in features like Fistful of Dollars. This was a conscious decision on Eastwood’s part, who didn’t want to play just a pure hero anymore.
“In Rawhide I did get awfully tired of playing the conventional white hat. The hero who kisses old ladies and dogs and was kind to everybody. I decided...
- 5/21/2023
- by Antonio Stallings
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Actor Hilary Swank was widely recognized for her award-winning performance in Clint Eastwood’s Million Dollar Baby. But while filming she once experienced an illness that almost became more severe than she initially realized.
How Hilary Swank had a death scare while filming ‘Million Dollar Baby’ Hilary Swank | Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
Million Dollar Baby remains one of actor Hilary Swank’s most coveted roles. It won Swanks her second Academy Award, having previous won one for the film Boys Don’t Cry. But Million Dollar Baby wasn’t her easiest film to get into, as the feature saw Swank pushing herself to her limits both mentally and physically. This was necessary since Swank was playing a boxer in the movie, and needed to adjust her body to the film’s demands.
But although that type of training could be hard on the body, Swank found herself experiencing the wrong kind of pain.
How Hilary Swank had a death scare while filming ‘Million Dollar Baby’ Hilary Swank | Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
Million Dollar Baby remains one of actor Hilary Swank’s most coveted roles. It won Swanks her second Academy Award, having previous won one for the film Boys Don’t Cry. But Million Dollar Baby wasn’t her easiest film to get into, as the feature saw Swank pushing herself to her limits both mentally and physically. This was necessary since Swank was playing a boxer in the movie, and needed to adjust her body to the film’s demands.
But although that type of training could be hard on the body, Swank found herself experiencing the wrong kind of pain.
- 5/9/2023
- by Antonio Stallings
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Actor Rachel McAdams is used to starring in movies about Time Travel. Apart from the romcom About Time, she starred in the much more somber Time Travel flick The Time Traveler’s Wife.
But she once revealed filming the movie had to be held up because of her co-stars’ hair.
Eric Bana had to wear a wig for ‘The Time Traveler’s Wife’ Eric Bana | Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images
Before the HBO Max adaptation starring Theo James, the famous book The Time Traveler’s Wife had a film adaptation that came out in 2009. The movie starred Eric Bana as Henry, who was unable to control his mysterious ability to time travel. McAdams starred as Bana’s love interest at the time.
Since the film would feature Bana’s character throughout various stages of his life, Bana had to play younger and older versions of himself. The actor used a traditional Hollywood make-up...
But she once revealed filming the movie had to be held up because of her co-stars’ hair.
Eric Bana had to wear a wig for ‘The Time Traveler’s Wife’ Eric Bana | Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images
Before the HBO Max adaptation starring Theo James, the famous book The Time Traveler’s Wife had a film adaptation that came out in 2009. The movie starred Eric Bana as Henry, who was unable to control his mysterious ability to time travel. McAdams starred as Bana’s love interest at the time.
Since the film would feature Bana’s character throughout various stages of his life, Bana had to play younger and older versions of himself. The actor used a traditional Hollywood make-up...
- 5/2/2023
- by Antonio Stallings
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Natalie Portman’s performance in the hit film Black Swan garnered a lot of critical acclaim from the film industry. But her acting also proved terrifying for Emily Blunt, who’d found herself in a film role not too dissimilar from Portman’s ballerina.
Natalie Portman went through extreme pain every day for ‘Black Swan’ Natalie Portman | Katharine Lotze/Getty Images
Natalie Portman won an Oscar for Best Actress for her role in the feature Black Swan. The film saw Portman famously portray a ballerina experiencing a psychological breakdown with the pressure of perfecting her craft. Embodying her character meant that Portman had to go through a period of extensive training that pushed herself to her limits.
“The physical discipline of it really helped prepare for the emotional side of the character because you get the sense of the sort of monastic lifestyle that is a ballet dancer’s lot,...
Natalie Portman went through extreme pain every day for ‘Black Swan’ Natalie Portman | Katharine Lotze/Getty Images
Natalie Portman won an Oscar for Best Actress for her role in the feature Black Swan. The film saw Portman famously portray a ballerina experiencing a psychological breakdown with the pressure of perfecting her craft. Embodying her character meant that Portman had to go through a period of extensive training that pushed herself to her limits.
“The physical discipline of it really helped prepare for the emotional side of the character because you get the sense of the sort of monastic lifestyle that is a ballet dancer’s lot,...
- 4/26/2023
- by Antonio Stallings
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Hangovers and regret make many an Oscar-winning cocktail, giving new meaning to the expression “breakfast of champions.” Andrea Riseborough’s successful 25th-hour campaign adds the British actress to a long line of performers who’ve been recognized by the academy for playing characters with substance abuse issues (or on the receiving end of someone else’s). Her role in the microbudget “To Leslie” exemplifies all the hallmarks of a classic movie drunk: She is charismatic but volatile, tender yet selfish.
See Andrea Riseborough (‘To Leslie’) on her marathon of prep to play ‘cycles of shame’
Inspired by a true story, the film is about a single West Texas mom who wins the lottery but finds herself homeless six years later. The Guardian’s Adrian Horton describes Riseborough’s performance as the kind of “intense, full-immersion transformation that would draw the respect of other actors.” Film critic Emanuel Levy once hypothesized,...
See Andrea Riseborough (‘To Leslie’) on her marathon of prep to play ‘cycles of shame’
Inspired by a true story, the film is about a single West Texas mom who wins the lottery but finds herself homeless six years later. The Guardian’s Adrian Horton describes Riseborough’s performance as the kind of “intense, full-immersion transformation that would draw the respect of other actors.” Film critic Emanuel Levy once hypothesized,...
- 2/27/2023
- by Ronald Meyer and Denton Davidson
- Gold Derby
Hangovers and regret make many an Oscar-winning cocktail, giving new meaning to the expression “breakfast of champions.” Andrea Riseborough’s successful 25th-hour campaign in 2023 adds the British actress to a long line of performers who’ve been recognized by the academy for playing characters with substance abuse issues (or on the receiving end of someone else’s). Her role in the microbudget “To Leslie” exemplifies all the hallmarks of a classic movie drunk: She is charismatic but volatile, tender yet selfish.
Inspired by a true story, the film is about a single West Texas mom who wins the lottery but finds herself homeless six years later. The Guardian’s Adrian Horton describes Riseborough’s performance as the kind of “intense, full-immersion transformation that would draw the respect of other actors.” Film critic Emanuel Levy once hypothesized, “Actors love to play dipsomaniacs because these roles allow them to have ‘big’ attention-grabbing scenes,...
Inspired by a true story, the film is about a single West Texas mom who wins the lottery but finds herself homeless six years later. The Guardian’s Adrian Horton describes Riseborough’s performance as the kind of “intense, full-immersion transformation that would draw the respect of other actors.” Film critic Emanuel Levy once hypothesized, “Actors love to play dipsomaniacs because these roles allow them to have ‘big’ attention-grabbing scenes,...
- 2/24/2023
- by Ronald Meyer and Denton Davidson
- Gold Derby
In "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," Brad Pitt's Benjamin Button and Cate Blanchett's Daisy Fuller come together and drift apart throughout, mimicking the ebb and flow of life's emotional journey. As director David Fincher explained to Emanuel Levy, "The universe conspires to make them who they are at exactly the right moment [...] And you kind of breathe a sigh of relief when they get together because now it can happen, exactly as it is supposed to." Which is strangely applicable to how "Benjamin Button" finally came to be made.
The project had been in development for decades. According to Reuters, as far back as the 1940s, William Faulkner tried his hand at adapting F. Scott Fitzgerald's short story about a man who ages in reverse, only for the project to be shelved by Jack Warner. In the '80s, former agent Ray Stark snapped up the...
The project had been in development for decades. According to Reuters, as far back as the 1940s, William Faulkner tried his hand at adapting F. Scott Fitzgerald's short story about a man who ages in reverse, only for the project to be shelved by Jack Warner. In the '80s, former agent Ray Stark snapped up the...
- 1/25/2023
- by Joe Roberts
- Slash Film
Girl Talk is a weekly look at women in film — past, present and future.
Susan Seidelman had just completed her first feature when the Cannes Film Festival came calling. In 1982, Seidelman wasn’t yet 30; she was only a few years out of film school and had only a single feature under her belt. But that didn’t matter to the world’s most well-regarded festival. They wanted Seidelman’s “Smithereens,” and the ensuing reception for the film — a punk-infused dark comedy about the bohemian underworld of New York City featuring a not entirely likable lead character — didn’t just change Seidelman’s life; it changed the way American independent cinema was received around the world.
“Smithereens,” shot guerilla-style around the city with a cast and crew made up of many of the filmmaker’s Nyu classmates, marked a sea change for Cannes: It was the first American independent feature had...
Susan Seidelman had just completed her first feature when the Cannes Film Festival came calling. In 1982, Seidelman wasn’t yet 30; she was only a few years out of film school and had only a single feature under her belt. But that didn’t matter to the world’s most well-regarded festival. They wanted Seidelman’s “Smithereens,” and the ensuing reception for the film — a punk-infused dark comedy about the bohemian underworld of New York City featuring a not entirely likable lead character — didn’t just change Seidelman’s life; it changed the way American independent cinema was received around the world.
“Smithereens,” shot guerilla-style around the city with a cast and crew made up of many of the filmmaker’s Nyu classmates, marked a sea change for Cannes: It was the first American independent feature had...
- 7/28/2016
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Photo: AMPAS The 2013 Oscar race feels like it has hardly begun and yet the calendar tells me we are knee deep in it. The Toronto Film Festival is now seen as a beacon that things are underway and out of it two films came away looking very strong and give us a good starting point to dig into some Oscar predictions before I kick off my official predictions next Monday, September 24. Before we begin, Nathaniel at the Film Experience takes a statistical look at the Toronto results and adds that, "10 of the 34 past winners have gone on to Best Picture nominations with 4 eventually winning the top prize (The King's Speech, Slumdog Millionaire, American Beauty and Chariots of Fire)." So there are your early odds as we move to... Silver Linings Playbook, which took home the audience prize at Toronto, and, just as importantly, was well-received by virtually every critic that saw it.
- 9/17/2012
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Many people have been waiting for the first critical reactions to Paul Thomas Anderson’s new film, The Master, ever since the secret screening that was held in Santa Monica about a month ago resulted in great word of mouth from the audience who were lucky enough to see it.
With the film having officially premiered at the Venice Film Festival, the first reviews are starting to pour in and thanks to Rotten Tomatoes, we are starting to get an early consensus of how the film is being received.
To put it simply, those who viewed it in Venice were almost all blown away, giving the film a score of 9.2/10 thus far. At the time of this article, there are 11 reviews posted, ten of which are positive.
Here are just a few of the things critics have said so far:
A bold, challenging, brilliantly acted drama that is a must for serious audiences.
With the film having officially premiered at the Venice Film Festival, the first reviews are starting to pour in and thanks to Rotten Tomatoes, we are starting to get an early consensus of how the film is being received.
To put it simply, those who viewed it in Venice were almost all blown away, giving the film a score of 9.2/10 thus far. At the time of this article, there are 11 reviews posted, ten of which are positive.
Here are just a few of the things critics have said so far:
A bold, challenging, brilliantly acted drama that is a must for serious audiences.
- 9/5/2012
- by Jeff Beck
- We Got This Covered
"Martin Scorsese's Hugo begins with a vertiginous descent that only gains speed as it follows a train and barrels into the station that will be its main setting," writes Phil Coldiron in Slant. "Leaving the tracks, it continues on its path through the concourse, moving past digital extras, the first of many ghostly presences, before seamlessly entering the realm of the real — that is, the soundstage. The worlds of Lumière (the train: the document of reality) and Méliès (the impossible camera: the spectacle of fantasy) come together, the latter used as a tool to try to restore the long-lost thrill of the former. This is the first moment of Scorsese's career that could accurately be described as Cameronian; it's also the first appearance of Hugo's exceptionally personal cinematic gambit."
"Like nearly all of Scorsese's films, Hugo can be taken as personal allegory," agrees Adam Cook. "It can also...
"Like nearly all of Scorsese's films, Hugo can be taken as personal allegory," agrees Adam Cook. "It can also...
- 11/25/2011
- MUBI
It's a sad moment to think that Rob Remley, a long-time international marketing executive, most recently at Warner Bros. and Lionsgate, and whom I knew when he was at New Line, is not going to grace us with his sweet self again. He and his his longtime companion, film professor and critic Emanuel Levy, and I saw each other at all the film festivals and events so often over the years after I met Emanuel on the dance floor at one Toronto party. HIs gentle and interested manner always made me feel so appreciated and understood. We always promised to…...
- 10/16/2011
- Sydney's Buzz
It's a sad moment to think that Rob Remley, a long-time international marketing executive, most recently at Warner Bros. and Lionsgate, and whom I knew when he was at New Line, is not going to grace us with his sweet self again. He and his his longtime companion, film professor and critic Emanuel Levy, and I saw each other at all the film festivals and events so often over the years after I met Emanuel on the dance floor at one Toronto party. HIs gentle and interested manner always made me feel so appreciated and understood. We always promised to see more of each other and so the years passed. Rob Remley was an accomplished dancer and film exec. He passed away on Tuesday, September 27,...
- 10/16/2011
- Sydney's Buzz
It's a sad moment to think that Rob Remley, a long-time international marketing executive, most recently at Warner Bros. and Lionsgate, and whom I knew when he was at New Line, is not going to grace us with his sweet self again. He and his his longtime companion, film professor and critic Emanuel Levy, and I saw each other at all the film festivals and events so often over the years after I met Emanuel on the dance floor at one Toronto party. HIs gentle and interested manner always made me feel so appreciated and understood. We always promised to see more of each other and so the years passed.
- 10/16/2011
- Sydney's Buzz
I am sad to report the death of Rob Remley, a long-time international marketing executive, most recently at Warner Bros. and Lionsgate, who changed careers after a stint as a lead dancer for Merce Cunningham. He died September 27 after a battle with cancer. Over the years I've enjoyed spending time with Remley and his longtime companion, film professor and critic Emanuel Levy, at countless screenings and film festivals, from Sundance to Cannes. Here's the Variety obit.
- 10/4/2011
- Thompson on Hollywood
Can fan expectations be any higher for the final chapter in the Harry Potter franchise? Now that the movie has premiered in London (see our video coverage of the Trafalgar Square event below), the first reviews are out. How close do critics think Deathly Hallows: Part 2 comes to those sky-high expectations? Much closer than even we dared hope.
"...this is an exciting and, to put it mildly, massively eventful finale that will grip and greatly please anyone who has been at all a fan of the series up to now."
— Todd McCarthy, The Hollywood Reporter
"Fans can rest assured... that their patience will be paid off fully, and some, in the final epic Harry Potter chapter."
— Elisa Roche, Daily Express
"...not only does justice to the whole series, but ends on a high and satisfying note an adventurous journey that began in 2001."
— Emanuel Levy, emanuellevy.com
"The effects have never been better,...
"...this is an exciting and, to put it mildly, massively eventful finale that will grip and greatly please anyone who has been at all a fan of the series up to now."
— Todd McCarthy, The Hollywood Reporter
"Fans can rest assured... that their patience will be paid off fully, and some, in the final epic Harry Potter chapter."
— Elisa Roche, Daily Express
"...not only does justice to the whole series, but ends on a high and satisfying note an adventurous journey that began in 2001."
— Emanuel Levy, emanuellevy.com
"The effects have never been better,...
- 7/8/2011
- by reelz reelz
- Reelzchannel.com
From red-carpet thrillers to insider accounts, the Guardian's film critic hands out his gongs to the best Oscars literature out there
Partly because Academy Award madness is almost upon us, partly because like all former PhD students I love a good reading list, and partly out of sheer nerdiness, I have compiled an arbitrary list of the top 10 Oscar-related books. This has involved the incidental pleasure of hanging out in the Humanities One reading room of the British Library, and also in the library of the excellent and under-appreciated Cinema Museum in Kennington, south London.
1) Robert Osborne – 80 Years of the Oscar: The Official History of the Academy Awards (2009)
A hefty, celebratory, coffee-table slab of a book, packed with stats and pictures like a book about sport. Very much the approved, authorised version.
2) Mason Wiley and Damien Bona – Inside Oscar: The Unofficial History of the Academy Awards (1977)
Notionally "unofficial" but in...
Partly because Academy Award madness is almost upon us, partly because like all former PhD students I love a good reading list, and partly out of sheer nerdiness, I have compiled an arbitrary list of the top 10 Oscar-related books. This has involved the incidental pleasure of hanging out in the Humanities One reading room of the British Library, and also in the library of the excellent and under-appreciated Cinema Museum in Kennington, south London.
1) Robert Osborne – 80 Years of the Oscar: The Official History of the Academy Awards (2009)
A hefty, celebratory, coffee-table slab of a book, packed with stats and pictures like a book about sport. Very much the approved, authorised version.
2) Mason Wiley and Damien Bona – Inside Oscar: The Unofficial History of the Academy Awards (1977)
Notionally "unofficial" but in...
- 2/24/2011
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
- 12/6/2010
- by Sasha Stone
- AwardsDaily.com
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