Powerful roles and memorable lines have been the hallmark of Clint Eastwood’s career. Cops, cowboys drifters, soldiers and, generally bad ass men’s men … he’s played them all.
The lines that stick with you? Dirty Harry: “You’ve got to ask yourself a question: ‘Do you feel lucky?’ Well, do ya, punk.” Josey Wales: “When I get to likin’ someone, they ain’t around long.” Bill Munny in Unforgiven: “It’s a hell of a thing, killin’ a man. Take away all he’s got, and all he’s ever gonna have.” And perhaps the most quoted of all, Harry Callahan in Sudden Impact: “Go ahead, make my day.”
Eastwood has a cop for so long he should be collecting a pension. He joined the force with Dirty Harry in 1971 and his last movie as a cop was A Perfect World in (1993). He made five...
The lines that stick with you? Dirty Harry: “You’ve got to ask yourself a question: ‘Do you feel lucky?’ Well, do ya, punk.” Josey Wales: “When I get to likin’ someone, they ain’t around long.” Bill Munny in Unforgiven: “It’s a hell of a thing, killin’ a man. Take away all he’s got, and all he’s ever gonna have.” And perhaps the most quoted of all, Harry Callahan in Sudden Impact: “Go ahead, make my day.”
Eastwood has a cop for so long he should be collecting a pension. He joined the force with Dirty Harry in 1971 and his last movie as a cop was A Perfect World in (1993). He made five...
- 4/4/2024
- by David Morgan
- Deadline Film + TV
Move over, "Jury Duty," there's another twist-filled jury story in town. This time it's "Juror No. 2," the upcoming movie from veteran filmmaker Clint Eastwood. Eastwood is in his 90s now, but age hasn't stopped the prolific actor-turned-filmmaker from working on new stories to bring to the silver screen. Though the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike means "Juror No. 2" has currently suspended filming, the Eastwood picture is still in the works -- and it sounds like it has the potential to be one of the most riveting movies he's made in a while.
When it comes to Eastwood the director, your mileage may vary. The nonagenarian star has certainly made some fantastic projects in his impressive lifetime, from Oscar winners "Unforgiven" and "Million Dollar Baby" to "Mystic River" and "The Bridges of Madison County." His most recent projects, though, including 2021's "Cry Macho" and "Richard Jewell," weren't wholeheartedly embraced by critics and audiences.
When it comes to Eastwood the director, your mileage may vary. The nonagenarian star has certainly made some fantastic projects in his impressive lifetime, from Oscar winners "Unforgiven" and "Million Dollar Baby" to "Mystic River" and "The Bridges of Madison County." His most recent projects, though, including 2021's "Cry Macho" and "Richard Jewell," weren't wholeheartedly embraced by critics and audiences.
- 9/17/2023
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
A number of great movies are leaving HBO Max at the end of March, so it’s time to prioritize these titles in your queue. Filmmaker James Gunn’s sequel/soft reboot “The Suicide Squad” will depart the streaming service on March 22 after first hitting HBO Max the same day it was released in theaters back in 2021. Similarly, “Space Jam: A New Legacy” was whisked away on March 1 after also getting a day-and-date release in 2021 (sorry/not sorry if you missed it).
You also only have until March 7 to stream “Just a Boy From Tupelo: Bringing Elvis to the Big Screen,” a short documentary on the making of the Oscar-nominated biopic “Elvis.”
Other noteworthy films leaving HBO Max this month include “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford,” “Contagion,” the extended version of “Dances with Wolves,” “Ghostbusters,” “Four Weddings and a Funeral,” “Love & Basketball” and “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping.
You also only have until March 7 to stream “Just a Boy From Tupelo: Bringing Elvis to the Big Screen,” a short documentary on the making of the Oscar-nominated biopic “Elvis.”
Other noteworthy films leaving HBO Max this month include “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford,” “Contagion,” the extended version of “Dances with Wolves,” “Ghostbusters,” “Four Weddings and a Funeral,” “Love & Basketball” and “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping.
- 3/3/2023
- by Adam Chitwood
- The Wrap
Exclusive: Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil, John Berendt’s 1994 bestselling book and Pulitzer Prize finalist is being developed into a new musical by playwright Taylor Mac, with music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown, choreography by Tanya Birl and Sarah O’Gleby and direction by Rob Ashford.
An invitation only industry reading will take place May 12 and 13 in New York.
Mac is the MacArthur Fellow, Pulitzer Prize Finalist, a Tony Nominee perhaps best known for the critically acclaimed Off Broadway production of A 24-Decade History of Popular Music.
Ashford is a Tony Award, Olivier Award, Emmy Award, Drama Desk Award and Outer Critics Circle Award-winning director and choreographer whose Broadway credits include Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Frozen, How To Succeed In Business, Promises, Promises, Evita, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Shrek, John Water’s Cry Baby, Curtains, and The Wedding Singer.
An invitation only industry reading will take place May 12 and 13 in New York.
Mac is the MacArthur Fellow, Pulitzer Prize Finalist, a Tony Nominee perhaps best known for the critically acclaimed Off Broadway production of A 24-Decade History of Popular Music.
Ashford is a Tony Award, Olivier Award, Emmy Award, Drama Desk Award and Outer Critics Circle Award-winning director and choreographer whose Broadway credits include Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Frozen, How To Succeed In Business, Promises, Promises, Evita, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Shrek, John Water’s Cry Baby, Curtains, and The Wedding Singer.
- 2/28/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Anthony Minghella's 1999 film "The Talented Mr. Ripley," based on the novel by Patricia Highsmith, is one of the best films of its year. Its title character, played by Matt Damon, is an intelligent, impulse-driven nerd who finds that lies can sometimes get him small things in his life. Soon, he learns that he has a talent for impersonation, fakery, and crime. He takes no glee in what he does, and spends the bulk of the film panicked and guilty, but manages to keep his wits enough to elude capture. By the end of the movie ... well, perhaps one should watch the film to find out.
The thing Tom Ripley wants more than anything is the company of Dickie Greenleaf (Jude Law) an old schoolmate who he wasn't friends with. Dickie's father (James Rebhorn) has hired Tom to find Dickie, who is currently wasting his father's fortune and generally being...
The thing Tom Ripley wants more than anything is the company of Dickie Greenleaf (Jude Law) an old schoolmate who he wasn't friends with. Dickie's father (James Rebhorn) has hired Tom to find Dickie, who is currently wasting his father's fortune and generally being...
- 11/12/2022
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Clint Eastwood's first film as a director was "Play Misty for Me" in 1971, in which he also starred. Eastwood would direct 12 additional features in which he also played the lead prior to "Bird" in 1988, his first film as a director in which he did not appear. "Bird," as this writer recalls, represented a shift in Eastwood's career. He was no longer the star and director of "tough guy" thrillers and Westerns, but a more thoughtful, soulful director. At age 58, Eastwood seemed to have entered a "mellowing out" phase, more interested in deconstructing his prior career as a tough guy. When he wasn't tearing down his image in films like "White Hunter, Black Heart" and "Unforgiven," he was leaning into calmer, sometimes downright gentle films like "The Bridges of Madison County" or "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil."
Now in his early 90s, Eastwood has directed 40 feature films,...
Now in his early 90s, Eastwood has directed 40 feature films,...
- 9/12/2022
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Josh Olson shares his top 10 movies from his favorite movie year, 1992, with Joe Dante.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)
Star Wars (1977)
Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
After Dark, My Sweet (1990)
The Last Of The Mohicans (1992)
Thief (1981) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
Manhunter (1986) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
The Last Of The Mohicans (1936)
The Player (1992) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review
Popeye (1980)
Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull’s History Lesson (1976) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Quintet (1979)
HealtH (1980)
Come Back To the Five And Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (1982)
Secret Honor (1984)
The Graduate (1967) – Neil Labute’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review
Touch Of Evil (1958) – Howard Rodman’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairings, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Dead Alive a.k.a. Braindead (1992) – Mike Mendez’s trailer commentary
Meet The Feebles (1989) – Mike Mendez’s...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)
Star Wars (1977)
Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
After Dark, My Sweet (1990)
The Last Of The Mohicans (1992)
Thief (1981) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
Manhunter (1986) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
The Last Of The Mohicans (1936)
The Player (1992) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review
Popeye (1980)
Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull’s History Lesson (1976) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Quintet (1979)
HealtH (1980)
Come Back To the Five And Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (1982)
Secret Honor (1984)
The Graduate (1967) – Neil Labute’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review
Touch Of Evil (1958) – Howard Rodman’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairings, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Dead Alive a.k.a. Braindead (1992) – Mike Mendez’s trailer commentary
Meet The Feebles (1989) – Mike Mendez’s...
- 8/30/2022
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
Patrika Darbo and Anna Maria Horsford will host the 12thAnnual Indie Series Awards on April 7, producers announced today.
Emmy-winning actress and four-time nominee Patrika Darbo is a veteran of over 35 years in film and television. She has guest starred on countless series including 9-1-1 Lonestar, The Big Bang Theory, The Middle, Devious Maids, Desperate Housewives, Dexter, Seinfeld, Roseanne and she was a series regular on the sit-com, Step by Step. She recently returned to the NBC daytime drama Days of our Lives in a role she originated in 1998.
As one of the most recognizable faces in Hollywood, Emmy-nominated actress Anna Maria Horsford continues to inspire audiences through cinema, television and theater. Her career and influence span generations, bringing to life some of our favorite characters including Thelma Frye on Amen, Mrs. Jones in Friday, Friday After Next, Dee Baxter on The Wayans Brothersor Vivienne Avant in The Bold and Beautiful.
Emmy-winning actress and four-time nominee Patrika Darbo is a veteran of over 35 years in film and television. She has guest starred on countless series including 9-1-1 Lonestar, The Big Bang Theory, The Middle, Devious Maids, Desperate Housewives, Dexter, Seinfeld, Roseanne and she was a series regular on the sit-com, Step by Step. She recently returned to the NBC daytime drama Days of our Lives in a role she originated in 1998.
As one of the most recognizable faces in Hollywood, Emmy-nominated actress Anna Maria Horsford continues to inspire audiences through cinema, television and theater. Her career and influence span generations, bringing to life some of our favorite characters including Thelma Frye on Amen, Mrs. Jones in Friday, Friday After Next, Dee Baxter on The Wayans Brothersor Vivienne Avant in The Bold and Beautiful.
- 3/12/2022
- by Unknown
- We Love Soaps
Clint Eastwood’s 5 Worst and 5 Best Movies as a Director, From ‘The Rookie’ to ‘Unforgiven’ (Photos)
[To clarify, in the best five, it’s Unforgiven as Clint Eastwood‘s best (making Bronco Billy fifth best), and on the worst list, it’s The Rookie as the worst (making Jersey Boys fifth worst)]
The Best
“Unforgiven” (1992): Clint Eastwood held on to screenwriter David Webb Peoples’ revisionist western until the time was right, and the result was an Oscar-bestowed turning point. Evocatively, suspensefully detailing a desperate widower’s reckoning with his savage past, it tracked powerfully as both a pungent deflating of merrily violent western myths and a scarily tense depiction of how, as Eastwood’s killer tells a scared young man, “We all have it comin,” kid.” By the end, each gunshot is Eastwood mercy-killing a genre he loves, and knocking us to our senses about bloody movie justice.
“Million Dollar Baby” (2004): A poor young female boxer (Hilary Swank) wants to fight. The trainer (Eastwood) reluctantly trains. Punches await, small, and huge. An unabashedly rich-in-feeling movie about toughness,...
The Best
“Unforgiven” (1992): Clint Eastwood held on to screenwriter David Webb Peoples’ revisionist western until the time was right, and the result was an Oscar-bestowed turning point. Evocatively, suspensefully detailing a desperate widower’s reckoning with his savage past, it tracked powerfully as both a pungent deflating of merrily violent western myths and a scarily tense depiction of how, as Eastwood’s killer tells a scared young man, “We all have it comin,” kid.” By the end, each gunshot is Eastwood mercy-killing a genre he loves, and knocking us to our senses about bloody movie justice.
“Million Dollar Baby” (2004): A poor young female boxer (Hilary Swank) wants to fight. The trainer (Eastwood) reluctantly trains. Punches await, small, and huge. An unabashedly rich-in-feeling movie about toughness,...
- 9/13/2021
- by Robert Abele
- The Wrap
LeBron James might be out of the NBA playoffs, but he’s still angling to be a big part of the summer entertainment season. That’s because HBO Max’s list of new releases for July 2021 is highlighted by a very special sequel.
Space Jam: A New Legacy premieres on July 16. will find LeBron teaming up with the Looney Tunes in a Warner Bros. IP-extravaganza. Can ‘Bron and the Looney Tunes beat the Goon Squad before Warner Bros.’ server steals LeBron “Bronny” Jr.’s soul (or something)? Let’s hope so. The two other major WB releases this month, No Sudden Move and Tom and Jerry in New York, both come to HBO Max on July 1.
HBO Max is also bringing some fun TV shows to its stream this month. The long-awaited Gossip Girl revival premieres on July 8. That will be followed by Mike White’s satirical limited series The White Lotus...
Space Jam: A New Legacy premieres on July 16. will find LeBron teaming up with the Looney Tunes in a Warner Bros. IP-extravaganza. Can ‘Bron and the Looney Tunes beat the Goon Squad before Warner Bros.’ server steals LeBron “Bronny” Jr.’s soul (or something)? Let’s hope so. The two other major WB releases this month, No Sudden Move and Tom and Jerry in New York, both come to HBO Max on July 1.
HBO Max is also bringing some fun TV shows to its stream this month. The long-awaited Gossip Girl revival premieres on July 8. That will be followed by Mike White’s satirical limited series The White Lotus...
- 7/1/2021
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
Summer is officially here and with it comes a surfeit of new movies and television shows available on HBO Max. Next month, the WarnerMedia streaming service will debut the long-awaited sequel to “Space Jam” with Lebron James taking the baton from Michael Jordan and the latest heist movie from Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh. But while those titles arrive, others depart, including “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It” and “In the Heights.”
Ahead, highlights of the month ahead on HBO Max, plus the full list of July programming.
“No Sudden Move” (July 1): Directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring Don Cheadle, Benicio Del Toro, David Harbour, Kieran Culkin, Jon Hamm, Ray Liotta, and “Uncut Gems” breakout Julia Fox, among others, the heist thriller is set in 1950s Detroit and “enters on a group of small-time criminals who are hired to steal what they think is a simple document. When their plan goes horribly wrong,...
Ahead, highlights of the month ahead on HBO Max, plus the full list of July programming.
“No Sudden Move” (July 1): Directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring Don Cheadle, Benicio Del Toro, David Harbour, Kieran Culkin, Jon Hamm, Ray Liotta, and “Uncut Gems” breakout Julia Fox, among others, the heist thriller is set in 1950s Detroit and “enters on a group of small-time criminals who are hired to steal what they think is a simple document. When their plan goes horribly wrong,...
- 6/23/2021
- by Christopher Rosen
- Gold Derby
John Lee Hancock wrote the screenplay for Warner Bros’ crime thriller The Little Things in 1992, around the time he penned A Perfect World and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, both for director Clint Eastwood. At the time an in-demand screenwriter, he hadn’t been a director yet, and the script, about a pair of cops who try to catch a serial killer, went through several iterations.
After Hancock found success as a director — his helming credits include The Rookie, The Blind Side, Saving Mr. Banks and later The Founder — the project eventually came around to him, but “it was kind of a dark movie and I had little kids at the time, and I didn’t necessarily want to live in that place for two years.”
His kids in college and with Hancock at the helm, The Little Things is now a big thing: The Warner Bros...
After Hancock found success as a director — his helming credits include The Rookie, The Blind Side, Saving Mr. Banks and later The Founder — the project eventually came around to him, but “it was kind of a dark movie and I had little kids at the time, and I didn’t necessarily want to live in that place for two years.”
His kids in college and with Hancock at the helm, The Little Things is now a big thing: The Warner Bros...
- 2/10/2021
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
Veteran character actor Richard Herd, best known for portraying Mr. Wilhelm on “Seinfeld,” died on Tuesday at his Los Angeles home of complications from cancer. He was 87.
The Boston native broke into show business as a stage actor in New York. He made his film debut in 1970’s “Hercules in New York.” Herd was hired as Richard Long’s replacement for the part of Watergate burglar James McCord in Alan J. Pakula’s “All the President’s Men.”
Herd’s big-screen credits included “The China Syndrome” (1979) “F.I.S.T.” (1979), “The Onion Field” (1979), “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” (1987) and “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” (1997). He portrayed Supreme Commander John in the 1983 NBC miniseries “V” and its sequel; the Klingon L’Kor on “Star Trek: The Next Generation”; Admiral William Noyce on “seaQuest 2032”; and Admiral Owen Paris on “Star Trek: Voyager” and “Star Trek: Renegades.”
Herd made 11 appearances on “Seinfeld” as Mr.
The Boston native broke into show business as a stage actor in New York. He made his film debut in 1970’s “Hercules in New York.” Herd was hired as Richard Long’s replacement for the part of Watergate burglar James McCord in Alan J. Pakula’s “All the President’s Men.”
Herd’s big-screen credits included “The China Syndrome” (1979) “F.I.S.T.” (1979), “The Onion Field” (1979), “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” (1987) and “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” (1997). He portrayed Supreme Commander John in the 1983 NBC miniseries “V” and its sequel; the Klingon L’Kor on “Star Trek: The Next Generation”; Admiral William Noyce on “seaQuest 2032”; and Admiral Owen Paris on “Star Trek: Voyager” and “Star Trek: Renegades.”
Herd made 11 appearances on “Seinfeld” as Mr.
- 5/26/2020
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Clint Eastwood might end up with a lump of box office coal after “Richard Jewell” sputtered in its domestic debut. Despite critical acclaim, the drama about the security guard falsely accused by the media for playing a part in the 1996 Olympics bombing ignited with a dismal $5 million from 2,502 theaters.
It’s a disappointing result for Eastwood, marking one of the worst nationwide openings of the 89-year-old’s directorial career. His only movie to endure a worse fate was 1980’s “Bronco Billy” with $3.7 million. Should “Richard Jewell” come in ahead of expectations by even $200,000, that would propel it just barely above 1997’s “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” ($5.2 million) and 1999’s “True Crime” ($5.2 million) in terms of Eastwood’s inaugural outings.
“It started out with so much promise in terms of awards season buzz,” said Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst at Comscore. “You’ve got a really high-profile...
It’s a disappointing result for Eastwood, marking one of the worst nationwide openings of the 89-year-old’s directorial career. His only movie to endure a worse fate was 1980’s “Bronco Billy” with $3.7 million. Should “Richard Jewell” come in ahead of expectations by even $200,000, that would propel it just barely above 1997’s “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” ($5.2 million) and 1999’s “True Crime” ($5.2 million) in terms of Eastwood’s inaugural outings.
“It started out with so much promise in terms of awards season buzz,” said Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst at Comscore. “You’ve got a really high-profile...
- 12/15/2019
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
“Richard Jewell” was a passion project for Clint Eastwood, but this weekend it became the Hollywood legend’s worst wide opening weekend in his directorial career with just $4.7 million.
Released by Warner Bros. on 2,502 screens, “Richard Jewell” was projected by trackers to earn a $9-10 million opening this weekend — instead, it is opening to half that amount. To find a wide release that low in Eastwood’s career, you have to go all the way back to 1997, when “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” grossed a $5.2 million opening.
Big opening weekends are rare for Eastwood’s films. His wide opening record came in January 2014 with an $89.2 million launch for “American Sniper” following a three-week limited release run. Below that are the wide openings for “Sully” ($35 million),”Gran Torino” ($29 million), and his hit film last year, “The Mule” ($18 million). For comparison, his 2005 Best Picture winner “Million Dollar Baby” opened wide to just $12 million.
Released by Warner Bros. on 2,502 screens, “Richard Jewell” was projected by trackers to earn a $9-10 million opening this weekend — instead, it is opening to half that amount. To find a wide release that low in Eastwood’s career, you have to go all the way back to 1997, when “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” grossed a $5.2 million opening.
Big opening weekends are rare for Eastwood’s films. His wide opening record came in January 2014 with an $89.2 million launch for “American Sniper” following a three-week limited release run. Below that are the wide openings for “Sully” ($35 million),”Gran Torino” ($29 million), and his hit film last year, “The Mule” ($18 million). For comparison, his 2005 Best Picture winner “Million Dollar Baby” opened wide to just $12 million.
- 12/15/2019
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
Sony/Columbia/Seven Bucks’ “Jumanji: The Next Level” is off to a robust start at the box office with a $60.1 million opening weekend from 4,227 screens, the highest opening ever in December for a Sony or comedy release.
This result also sets a new personal opening record for director Jake Kasdan and stars Jack Black and Kevin Hart, and surpasses the first five days of grosses for the film’s predecessor, “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.” That film opened on the Wednesday prior to Christmas in 2017, grossing $52.7 million in five days and $71.9 million after Christmas Day before going on to gross $404.5 million domestically and $962 million overall.
Globally, “The Next Level” has grossed $213 million with $85.7 million grossed from 52 overseas markets this weekend. So far, it is 33% ahead of the pace that “Welcome to the Jungle” grossed from the same group of markets.
Also Read: Knives In: Lionsgate Bounces Back in 2019 After Worst Box...
This result also sets a new personal opening record for director Jake Kasdan and stars Jack Black and Kevin Hart, and surpasses the first five days of grosses for the film’s predecessor, “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.” That film opened on the Wednesday prior to Christmas in 2017, grossing $52.7 million in five days and $71.9 million after Christmas Day before going on to gross $404.5 million domestically and $962 million overall.
Globally, “The Next Level” has grossed $213 million with $85.7 million grossed from 52 overseas markets this weekend. So far, it is 33% ahead of the pace that “Welcome to the Jungle” grossed from the same group of markets.
Also Read: Knives In: Lionsgate Bounces Back in 2019 After Worst Box...
- 12/15/2019
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
For a man who was so enraged at the administration of Barack Obama that he spent his 2012 Republican Convention speech lecturing an empty chair, Clint Eastwood has made a number of conventional, level-headed — one might even say liberal — political dramas. Films like “Invictus” and “J. Edgar” and “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.” But “Richard Jewell” isn’t one of those. It’s a movie by Clint the chair ranter.
Not that it looks like one. In “Richard Jewell,” Eastwood works in his standard mode of polished no-fuss classicism, and he takes a becalmed, just-the-facts-ma’am approach to telling the story of Richard Jewell (Paul Walter Hauser), the sad-sack security guard who discovered a pipe bomb at Centennial Olympic Park during the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games and, just days after being celebrated for his heroism, became the chief suspect in the case.
If you want to know what happened in the Richard Jewell saga,...
Not that it looks like one. In “Richard Jewell,” Eastwood works in his standard mode of polished no-fuss classicism, and he takes a becalmed, just-the-facts-ma’am approach to telling the story of Richard Jewell (Paul Walter Hauser), the sad-sack security guard who discovered a pipe bomb at Centennial Olympic Park during the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games and, just days after being celebrated for his heroism, became the chief suspect in the case.
If you want to know what happened in the Richard Jewell saga,...
- 12/14/2019
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
Cinematographer Jack N. Green is proof that nice guys sometimes finish first — even in Hollywood.
Born in 1939, the San Francisco native traveled a long-rising arc in his career, which includes distinguished stints shooting aerial sequences for documentaries and some of the most iconic films of the 1960s, eventually becoming director of photography on a run of Clint Eastwood movies and more recent comedies such as “The 40-Year-Old Virgin,” “Hot Tub Time Machine” and two “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” movies.
Green’s parents, Trudy and John Sr., had a shared fascination for photography and rigged up a home darkroom that made a strong artistic impact on their son.
Graduating from high school and barber college at 17, Green planned to make that job his career. But all that changed when he was befriended by shop regular Joe Dieves, a former World War II combat cameraman. Enamored of Dieves’ stories, Green soon joined him,...
Born in 1939, the San Francisco native traveled a long-rising arc in his career, which includes distinguished stints shooting aerial sequences for documentaries and some of the most iconic films of the 1960s, eventually becoming director of photography on a run of Clint Eastwood movies and more recent comedies such as “The 40-Year-Old Virgin,” “Hot Tub Time Machine” and two “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” movies.
Green’s parents, Trudy and John Sr., had a shared fascination for photography and rigged up a home darkroom that made a strong artistic impact on their son.
Graduating from high school and barber college at 17, Green planned to make that job his career. But all that changed when he was befriended by shop regular Joe Dieves, a former World War II combat cameraman. Enamored of Dieves’ stories, Green soon joined him,...
- 8/2/2019
- by James C. Udel
- Variety Film + TV
Kevin Spacey — who has been notoriously protective over keeping his private life a secret — came out as gay Sunday after actor Anthony Rapp accused the House of Cards star of inappropriate sexual advances when he was 14 years old.
Rapp, now 46, alleged that then-26-year-old Spacey invited him to his Manhattan apartment for a party in 1986. (They were both starring in hit Broadway plays at the time.) Rapp says he was the only teen at the party and spent most of the evening in a bedroom watching television. After the party ended, he said, Spacey came into the room, picked him...
Rapp, now 46, alleged that then-26-year-old Spacey invited him to his Manhattan apartment for a party in 1986. (They were both starring in hit Broadway plays at the time.) Rapp says he was the only teen at the party and spent most of the evening in a bedroom watching television. After the party ended, he said, Spacey came into the room, picked him...
- 10/30/2017
- by Maria Pasquini
- PEOPLE.com
Author: Competitions
To mark the release of Clint Eastwood 40 Film Collection, out now, we’ve been given a copy of the boxset to give away on DVD.
For nearly 40 years, Clint Eastwood has called Warner Bros home. This essential collection contains the extraordinary films created during his partnership with the studio, where Eastwood opened Malpaso Productions in 1975. The deluxe boxset includes: Where Eagles Dare (1968), Kelly’s Heroes (1970), Dirty Harry (1971), Magnum Force (1973), The Enforcer (1976), The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976), The Gauntlet (1977), Every Which Way but Loose (1978), Bronco Billy (1980), Any Which Way You Can (1980), Honkytonk Man (1982), Firefox (1982), Sudden Impact (1983), City Heat (1984), Tightrope (1984), Pale Rider (1985), Heartbreak Ridge (1986), Bird (1988), The Dead Pool (1988), Pink Cadillac (1989), White Hunter, Black Heart (1990), The Rookie (1990), Unforgiven (1992), A Perfect World (1993), The Bridges of Madison County (1995), Absolute Power (1997), Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997), True Crime (1999), Space Cowboys (2000), Blood Work (2002), Mystic River (2003), Flags of Our Fathers (2006), Letters from Iwo Jima...
To mark the release of Clint Eastwood 40 Film Collection, out now, we’ve been given a copy of the boxset to give away on DVD.
For nearly 40 years, Clint Eastwood has called Warner Bros home. This essential collection contains the extraordinary films created during his partnership with the studio, where Eastwood opened Malpaso Productions in 1975. The deluxe boxset includes: Where Eagles Dare (1968), Kelly’s Heroes (1970), Dirty Harry (1971), Magnum Force (1973), The Enforcer (1976), The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976), The Gauntlet (1977), Every Which Way but Loose (1978), Bronco Billy (1980), Any Which Way You Can (1980), Honkytonk Man (1982), Firefox (1982), Sudden Impact (1983), City Heat (1984), Tightrope (1984), Pale Rider (1985), Heartbreak Ridge (1986), Bird (1988), The Dead Pool (1988), Pink Cadillac (1989), White Hunter, Black Heart (1990), The Rookie (1990), Unforgiven (1992), A Perfect World (1993), The Bridges of Madison County (1995), Absolute Power (1997), Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997), True Crime (1999), Space Cowboys (2000), Blood Work (2002), Mystic River (2003), Flags of Our Fathers (2006), Letters from Iwo Jima...
- 6/19/2017
- by Competitions
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
His voice is indelibly laid down in minds of Australians who have watched his film career unfold over five decades: from Breaker Morant to The Man From Snowy River; from Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil to The Sum of Us. Jack Thompson’s skill as an actor is echoed in his abiding love of poetry and memories of the father who introduced him to it. The power of poetry, he says, keeps him centred in the here and now
Continue reading...
Continue reading...
- 2/24/2017
- by David Fanner and Lucy Clark
- The Guardian - Film News
There are many great sales online this week, but the folks at Amazon are treating us to something special: 3 Warner Archive Blu-rays for $35.
While this might not be the lowest that we’ve seen prices on these Blu-rays (the WB Shop has had 5 for $50 sales in the past that have included Warner Archive Blu-rays), it is certainly a good deal on great films.
It looks as though many of these discs are selling quickly, and the time out from when they’ll ship for some of the more popular titles is growing. Below you’ll find a list of the titles which are included in this promotion.
As always, these are affiliate links and will help support this site, should you choose to make any purchases through them.
42nd Street A Mighty Wind Beware The Batman: Dark Justice Season 1 Part 2 Big Sleep Body Snatchers Cat On A Hot Tin Roof...
While this might not be the lowest that we’ve seen prices on these Blu-rays (the WB Shop has had 5 for $50 sales in the past that have included Warner Archive Blu-rays), it is certainly a good deal on great films.
It looks as though many of these discs are selling quickly, and the time out from when they’ll ship for some of the more popular titles is growing. Below you’ll find a list of the titles which are included in this promotion.
As always, these are affiliate links and will help support this site, should you choose to make any purchases through them.
42nd Street A Mighty Wind Beware The Batman: Dark Justice Season 1 Part 2 Big Sleep Body Snatchers Cat On A Hot Tin Roof...
- 11/21/2016
- by Ryan Gallagher
- CriterionCast
In this episode of Off The Shelf, Ryan and Brian take a look at the new DVD and Blu-ray releases for the week of September 27th, 2016.
Subscribe in iTunes or RSS.
Links to Amazon 7th Victim, The/Shadows in the Dark An American Werewolf in London Beyond the Valley of the Dolls Bill & Ted’s Most Excellent Collection Blood Diner Central Intelligence Chopping Mall Dekalog Guyver Highlander : 30th Anniversary Howard Lovecraft And The Frozen Kingdom Hunt for the Wilderpeople Isle of the Dead/Bedlam Kamikaze ’89 Leopard Man, The/Ghost Ship, The Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil Milky Way Neon Demon Patterns The Shallows The Shape of Things to Come Slugs Two Films By Douglas Sirk Double Feature Valley of the Dolls Warcraft Credits Ryan Gallagher (Twitter / Website / Wish List) Brian Saur (Twitter / Website / Instagram / Wish List) Donate via PayPal...
Subscribe in iTunes or RSS.
Links to Amazon 7th Victim, The/Shadows in the Dark An American Werewolf in London Beyond the Valley of the Dolls Bill & Ted’s Most Excellent Collection Blood Diner Central Intelligence Chopping Mall Dekalog Guyver Highlander : 30th Anniversary Howard Lovecraft And The Frozen Kingdom Hunt for the Wilderpeople Isle of the Dead/Bedlam Kamikaze ’89 Leopard Man, The/Ghost Ship, The Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil Milky Way Neon Demon Patterns The Shallows The Shape of Things to Come Slugs Two Films By Douglas Sirk Double Feature Valley of the Dolls Warcraft Credits Ryan Gallagher (Twitter / Website / Wish List) Brian Saur (Twitter / Website / Instagram / Wish List) Donate via PayPal...
- 9/30/2016
- by Ryan Gallagher
- CriterionCast
Directors’ trademarks is a series of articles that examines the “signatures” that filmmakers leave behind in their work. This month, we’re examining the trademark style and calling signs of Clint Eastwood as director.
Clint Eastwood became an american film star in the 1960’s thanks to his acting performances in a number of western films. As he began to branch out with new roles in front of the camera, he sought out to have more creative input into the types of film projects that he would be involved in. One way he was able to accomplish this was by creating his own production company which eventually allowed him to work behind the camera as director. His first film as director was 1971’s Play Misty For Me, which was well received by critics and did well at the box office. HIs second film as director was High Plains Drifter (1973), in which he also starred.
Clint Eastwood became an american film star in the 1960’s thanks to his acting performances in a number of western films. As he began to branch out with new roles in front of the camera, he sought out to have more creative input into the types of film projects that he would be involved in. One way he was able to accomplish this was by creating his own production company which eventually allowed him to work behind the camera as director. His first film as director was 1971’s Play Misty For Me, which was well received by critics and did well at the box office. HIs second film as director was High Plains Drifter (1973), in which he also starred.
- 9/28/2016
- by feeds@cinelinx.com (G.S. Perno)
- Cinelinx
Kim McGuire, best known for playing Mona “Hatchet-Face” Malnorowski in the John Waters film “Cry-Baby,” has died. She was 60. The former actress became sick earlier this week, and was eventually admitted to a Florida hospital on Tuesday, her husband Gene told TMZ. She was diagnosed with pneumonia, but failed to respond to treatment, and died on Wednesday. McGuire was born in New Orleans in 1955. She originally intended to follow her father into practicing law, but found herself drawn to acting. Also Read: Lady Chablis, Famed Drag Performer in 'Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,' Dies at 59 “Cry-Baby,...
- 9/15/2016
- by Joe Otterson
- The Wrap
Variety is reporting that legendary drag performer The Lady Chablis has died at the age of 59. The heart and soul of Savannah’s famed Club One dance club and a mainstay of the Southern Lgbt entertainment scene, the “Grand Empress” rose to national prominence in the mid-’90s, when author John Berendt featured her in his bestselling non-fiction work Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil.
Berendt’s potent true-crime melodrama introduced readers to The Lady by noting “she had both hands on her hips and a sassy half-smile on her face,” a posture Chablis would replicate in Clint Eastwood’s 1997 adaptation of the book. Her only major film role, Chablis’ performance provides a light counterpoint to the film’s murder-laced plot, charismatically flirting with a fish-out-of-water John Cusack and deploying the iconic phrase, “Two tears in a bucket, motherfuck it” as an acknowledgement of the hardships ...
Berendt’s potent true-crime melodrama introduced readers to The Lady by noting “she had both hands on her hips and a sassy half-smile on her face,” a posture Chablis would replicate in Clint Eastwood’s 1997 adaptation of the book. Her only major film role, Chablis’ performance provides a light counterpoint to the film’s murder-laced plot, charismatically flirting with a fish-out-of-water John Cusack and deploying the iconic phrase, “Two tears in a bucket, motherfuck it” as an acknowledgement of the hardships ...
- 9/8/2016
- by William Hughes
- avclub.com
The Lady Chablis, the drag queen featured in the novel Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil who played herself in Clint Eastwood’s 1997 film version, has died. The news was posted on her Facebook page by Club One, the Savannah, Ga, room where she performed. She was 59. No cause of death was reported. Born Benjamin Knox on March 11, 1957, in Quincy, Fl, the performer used The Lady Chablis as a stage name for her comedy nightclub act. Her character was featured…...
- 9/8/2016
- Deadline
The Lady Chablis, the iconic nightclub performer best known for her turn in the 1997 film adaption of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, has died. She was 59. Club One, the Savannah, Georgia, hot spot where Chablis famously performed, announced her death on Facebook, Thursday. A friend, Cale Hall, further confirmed to the Associated Press that Chablis was suffering from pneumonia, and had been hospitalized for the past month. Chablis (née Benjamin Edward Knox) rose to prominence as the unlikely star of John Berendt's bestselling, 1994 non-fiction novel Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, which centered around Savannah and its inhabitants.
- 9/8/2016
- by Lindsay Kimble, @lekimble
- PEOPLE.com
The Lady Chablis, the iconic nightclub performer best known for her turn in the 1997 film adaption of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, has died. She was 59. Club One, the Savannah, Georgia, hot spot where Chablis famously performed, announced her death on Facebook, Thursday. A friend, Cale Hall, further confirmed to the Associated Press that Chablis was suffering from pneumonia, and had been hospitalized for the past month. Chablis (née Benjamin Edward Knox) rose to prominence as the unlikely star of John Berendt's bestselling, 1994 non-fiction novel Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, which centered around Savannah and its inhabitants.
- 9/8/2016
- by Lindsay Kimble, @lekimble
- PEOPLE.com
The Lady Chablis, drag performer famous for her role in “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,” died on Thursday. She was 59. According to Club One, a Savannah, Georgia club where she performed, she died surrounded by friends and family. The club wrote that Chablis was Club One’s very first entertainer, who officiated its grand opening in 1988. “Chablis always wanted to give the audience, be it 15 or 1,500, the best that she had,” the post stated. “With her declining health, she regretted that her body wouldn’t allow her to give more.” The cause of death was not...
- 9/8/2016
- by Beatrice Verhoeven
- The Wrap
Clint Eastwood's mint juleps 'n' murder epic is an easygoing pleasure. Kevin Spacey, John Cusack and a host of great performances guarantee interest, but maybe I have to go to the book to really understand what's going on. A solid 'A' for this one, Clint. The Savannah tourism board must bless you in their nightly prayers. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil Blu-ray The Warner Archive Collection 1997 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 155 min. / Street Date September 27, 2016 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store / 21.99 Starring John Cusack, Kevin Spacey, Jack Thompson, Irma P. Hall, Jude Law, Alison Eastwood, Paul Hipp, The Lady Chablis, Dorothy Loudon, Anne Haney, Kim Hunter, Geoffrey Lewis, Richard Herd, Jo Ann Pflug. Cinematography Jack N. Green Original Music Lennie Niehaus Written by John Lee Hancock from the book by John Berendt Produced by Clint Eastwood, Arnold Stiefel Directed by Clint Eastwood
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Clint Eastwood...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Clint Eastwood...
- 9/5/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
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Warner Bros has struggled with its blockbusters of late. But back in summer 1997 - Batman & Robin's year - it faced not dissimilar problems.
Earlier this year it was revealed that Warner Bros, following a string of costly movies that hadn’t hit box office gold (Pan, Jupiter Ascending, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., In The Heart Of The Sea), was restructuring its blockbuster movie business. Fewer films, fewer risks, more franchises, and more centering around movie universes seems to be the new approach, and the appointment of a new corporate team to oversee the Harry Potter franchise last week was one part of that.
In some ways, it marks the end of an era. Whilst it retains its relationships with key directing talent (Ben Affleck, Clint Eastwood, Christopher Nolan for instance), Warner Bros was, for the bulk of the 1990s in particular, the studio that the others were trying to mimic. It worked with the same stars and filmmakers time and time again, and under then-chiefs Terry Semel and Robert Daly, relationships with key talent were paramount.
Furthermore, the studio knew to leave that talent to do its job, and was also ahead of the pack in developing franchises that it could rely on to give it a string of hits.
However, whilst Warner Bros is having troubles now, its way of doing business was first seriously challenged by the failure of its slate in the summer of 1997. Once again, it seemed to have a line up to cherish, that others were envious of. But as film by film failed to click, every facet of Warner Bros’ blockbuster strategy suddenly came under scrutiny, and would ultimately fairly dramatically change. Just two summers later, the studio released The Matrix, and blockbuster cinema changed again.
But come the start of summer 1997? These are the movies that Warner Bros had lined up, and this is what happened…
February - National Lampoon’s Vegas Vacation
Things actually had got off to a decent enough start for the studio earlier in the year, so it's worth kicking off there. It brought Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo back together, for the fourth National Lampoon movie, and the first since 1989’s National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. Interestingly, it dropped the National Lampoon moniker in the Us, and instead released the eventual movie as Vegas Vacation. It was a belated sequel, back when belated sequels weren’t that big a thing.
The film was quickly pulled apart by reviewers, but it still just about clawed a profit. The production budget of $25m was eclipsed by the Us gross of $36m, and the movie would do comfortable business on video/DVD. Not a massive hit, then, but hardly a project that had a sense of foreboding about it.
Yet the problems were not far away.
May – Father's Day
Warner Bros had a mix of movies released in the Us in March and April 1997, including modest Wesley Snipes-headlined thriller Murder At 1600, and family flick Shiloh. But it launched its summer season with Father’s Day, an expensive packaged comedy from director Ivan Reitman, starring Robin Williams and Billy Crystal. It had hit written all over it.
Father’s Day was one of the movies packaged by the CAA agency, and its then-head, Mike Ovitz (listed regularly by Premiere magazine in the 1990s as one of the most powerful men in Hollywood, if not the most powerful man). That he brought together the stars, the director and the project, gave a studio a price tag, and the studio duly paid it. Given Warner Bros’ devotion to star talent (Mel Gibson, then one of the biggest movie stars in the world, and a major Warner Bros talent, was persuaded to film a cameo), it was a natural home for the film. It quickly did the deal. few questions asked.
That package, and CAA’s fees for putting it together, brought the budget for a fairly straightforward comedy to a then-staggering $85m. The problem, though, was that the film simply wasn’t very good. It’s one of those projects that looks great on paper, less great when exposed on a great big screen. Warner Bros has snapped it up, without - it seems - even properly reading the script.
Premiere magazine quoted a Warner Bros insider back in November 1997 as saying “when [CAA] calls and says ‘we have a package, Father’s Day, with Williams and Crystal and Reitman, we say ‘great’”, adding “we don’t scrutinise the production. When we saw the movie, it took the wind out of us. We kept reshooting and enhancing, but you can’t fix something that’s bad”.
And it was bad.
The movie would prove to be the first big misfire of the summer, grossing just $35m in the Us, and not adding a fat lot more elsewhere in the world. Warner Bros’ first film of the summer was a certified flop. More would soon follow.
May - Addicted To Love
A more modestly priced project was Addicted To Love, a romantic comedy starring Meg Ryan and Matthew Broderick. Just over a year later, Warner Bros would hit big when Meg Ryan reunited with Tom Hanks for Nora Ephron’s You’ve Got Mail. But here? The film was a modest success, at best.
Directed by Griffin Dunne (making his directorial debut), and put together in partnership with Miramax, Addicted To Love was based around the Robert Palmer song of the same name. But whilst it was sold as a romcom, the muddled final cut was actually a fair bit darker. There was an underlying nastiness to some moments in the film, and when the final box office was tallied, it came in lower than the usual returns for pictures from Ryan or Broderick. Counter-programming it against the release of The Lost World: Jurassic Park didn’t massively help in this instance either, especially as the Jurassic Park sequel would smash opening weekend records.
Addicted To Love ended up with $34.6m at the Us box office. It would eke out a small profit.
June - Batman & Robin
And this is when the alarm bells started to ring very, very loudly. Summer 1997 was supposed to be about a trio of sure-fire hit sequels: Batman 4, Jurassic Park 2 and Speed 2. Only one of those would ultimately bring home the box office bacon, the others being destroyed by critics, and ultimately leaving far more empty seats than anticipated in multiplexes.
Batman & Robin, it’s easy to forget, came off the back of 1995’s Joel Schumacher-steered Batman reboot, Batman Forever that year's biggest movie). It had one of the fastest-growing stars in the world in the Batsuit (George Clooney), and the McDonald’s deals were signed even before the script was typed up. You don’t need us to tell you that you could tell, something of a theme already in Warner Bros' summer of '97.
That said, Batman & Robin still gave Warner Bros a big opening, but in the infancy of the internet as we know it, poisonous word of mouth was already beginning to spread. The film’s negative cost Warner Bros up to $140m, before marketing and distribution costs, and it opened in the Us to a hardly-sniffy $42m of business (although that was down from previous Batman movies).
But that word of mouth still accelerated its departure from cinemas. It was then very rare for a film to make over 40% of its Us gross in its first weekend. But that’s just what Batman & Robin did, taking $107.3m in America, part of a worldwide total of $238.2m. This was the worst return for a Batman movie to date, and Warner Bros had to swiftly put the brakes on plans to get Batman Triumphant moving.
It would be eight years until Batman returned to the big screen, in Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins. Warner Bros would undergo big changes in the intervening period.
As for the immediate aftermath of Batman & Robin? Warner Bros co-chief Robert Daly would note at the end of '97 that “we’d have been better off with more action in the picture. The movie had to service too many characters”, adding that “the next Batman we do, in three years – and we have a deal with George Clooney to do it – will have one villain”.
Fortunately, Warner Bros’ one solid hit of the summer was just around the corner…
July - Contact
And breathe out.
Warner Bros bet heavily again on expensive talent here, with Robert Zemeckis bringing his adaptation of Carl Sagan’s Contact to the studio for his first film post-Forrest Gump. Warner Bros duly footed the $90m bill (back when that was still seen as a lot of money for a movie), a good chunk of which went to Jodie Foster. It invested heavily in special effects, and gave Zemeckis licence to make the film that he wanted.
The studio was rewarded with the most intelligent and arguably the best blockbuster of the summer. I’ve looked back at Contact in a lot more detail here, and it remains a fascinating film that’s stood the test of time (and arguably influenced Christopher Nolan’s more recent Interstellar).
Reviews were strong, it looked terrific, and the initial box office was good.
But then the problem hit. For whilst Contact was a solid hit for Warner Bros, it wasn’t a massively profitable one. Had Father’s Day and Batman & Robin shouldered the box office load there were supposed to, it perhaps wouldn’t have been a problem. But when they failed to take off, the pressure shifted to Contact.
The movie would gross $100.9m in the Us, and add another $70m overseas (this being an era were international box office rarely had the importance it has today). But once Warner Bros had paid its bills, there wasn’t a fat lot over for itself. Fortunately, the film still sells on disc and on-demand. Yet it wasn’t to be the massive hit the studio needed back in 1997.
July - One Eight Seven
From director Kevin Reynolds, the man who helmed Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves and Waterworld, came modestly-priced drama 187, starring Samuel L Jackson (in a strong performance). Warner Bros wouldn’t have had massive box office expectations for the film (although it can't have been unaware that the inspirational teacher sub-genre was always worth a few quid), and it shared production duties on the $20m movie with Mel Gibson’s Icon Productions. But still, it would have had its eye on a modest success. What it got in return was red ink.
The film’s not a bad one, and certainly worth seeking out. But poor reviews gave the film an uphill struggle from the off – smaller productions arriving mid-summer really needed critics on their side, as they arguably still do – and it opened to just $2.2m of business (the less edgy, Michelle Pfeiffer-headlined school drama Dangerous Minds had been a surprise hit not two years before).
By the time its run was done, 187 hadn’t even come close to covering its production costs, with just under $6m banked.
Warner Bros’ summer slate was running out of films. But at least it had one of its most reliable movie stars around the corner…
August - Conspiracy Theory
What could go wrong? Mel Gibson and Julia Roberts were two of the biggest movie stars in the world in 1997, at a time when movie stars still equated to box office gold. Director Richard Donner, one of Warner Bros’ favourite directors, had delivered the Lethal Weapons, Maverick, Superman, The Goonies and more for the studio. Put them altogether, with Patrick Stewart (coming to wider public consciousness at the time off the back of his Star Trek: The Next Generation work) as a villain, and it should have been a big hit.
Conspiracy Theory proved to be one of the more ambitious summer blockbusters of the era. It lacks a good first act, which would be really useful in actually setting up more of what’s going on. But Gibson played an edgy cab driver who believes in deep government conspiracies, and finds himself getting closer to the truth than those around him sometimes give him credit for.
Warner Bros was probably expecting another Lethal Weapon with the reunion of Gibson (who had to be persuaded to take Conspiracy Theory on) and Donner (it’s pretty much what it got with the hugely enjoyable Maverick a few years’ earlier), but instead it got a darker drama, with an uneasy central character that didn’t exactly play to the summer box office crowd.
The bigger problem, though, was that the film never quite worked as well as you might hope. Yet star power did have advantages. While no juggernaut, the film did decent business, grossing $137m worldwide off the back of an $80m budget ($40m of which was spent on the salaries for the talent before a single roll of film was loaded into a camera). That said, in the Us it knocked a genuine smash hit, Air Force One, off the top spot. Mind you in hindsight, that was probably the film that the studio wished it had made (the cockpit set of Warner Bros' own Executive Decision was repurposed for Air Force One, fact fans).
Still: Warner Bros did get Lethal Weapon 4 off Gibson and Donner a year later…
August - Free Willy 3: The Rescue
Yeah.
Warner Bros opened its third Free Willy film on the same day as Conspiracy Theory (can you imagine a studio opening two big films on the same day now), but it was clear that this was a franchise long past its best days (and its best days hardly bring back the fondest of memories).
Still, Free Willy movies were relatively modest in cost to put together, and Warner Bros presumably felt this was a simple cashpoint project. But in a year when lots of family movies did less business than expected (Disney’s Hercules, Fox’s Home Alone 3, Disney’s Mr Magoo), Free Willy 3 barely troubled the box office. It took in just over $3m in total, and Willy would not be seen on the inside of a cinema again.
August - Steel
Not much was expected from Steel, a superhero movie headlined by Shaquille O’Neal. Which was fortunate, because not much was had.
It had a mid-August release date in the Us, at a point when a mid-August release date was more of a dumping ground than anything else. And even though the budget was set at a relatively low $16m, the film – and it’s an overused time – pretty much bombed. It took $1.7m at the Us box office, and given that its appeal hinged on a major American sports star whose fame hardly transcended the globe, its international takings did not save it (it went straight to video in many territories).
It was a miserable end to what, for warner bros, had been a thoroughly miserable summer.
So what did hit big in summer 1997?
Summer 1997 was infamous for big films failing to take off in the way that had been expected – Hercules, Speed 2, and the aforementioned Warner Bros movies – but there were several bright spots. The big winner would be Barry Sonnenfeld’s light and sprightly sci-fi comedy Men In Black, starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones. Star power too helped score big hits for Harrison Ford (Air Force One), Julia Roberts (My Best Friend’s Wedding) and John Travolta (Face/Off).
This was also the summer that Nicolas Cage cemented his action movie credentials with Face/Off and Con Air. Crucially, though, the star movies that hit were the ones that veered on the side of 'good'. For the first of many years, the internet was blamed for this.
Oh, and later in the year, incidentally, Titanic would redefine just what constituted a box office hit...
What came next for Warner Bros?
In the rest of 1997, Warner Bros had a mix of projects that again enjoyed mixed fortunes. The standout was Curtis Hanson’s stunning adaptation of L.A. Confidential, that also proved to be a surprise box office success. The Devil’s Advocate didn’t do too badly either.
However, two of the studio’s key filmmakers failed to really deliver come the end of 1997. Clint Eastwood’s Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil failed to ignite (although many felt he was always on a hiding to nothing in trying to adapt that for the screen), and Kevin Costner’s The Postman would prove arguably the most expensive box office disappointment of the year. No wonder the studio rushed Lethal Weapon 4 into production for summer 1998. Oh, and it had The Avengers underway too (not that one), that would prove to be a 1998 disappointment.
The studio would eventually take action. The Daly-Semel management team, that had reigned for 15 years, would break up at the end of 1999, as its traditional way of doing business became less successful. The pair had already future projects that were director driven to an extent (Eyes Wide Shut), and it would still invest in movies with stars (Wild Wild West). But the immediate plan of action following the disappointment of summer 1997 – to get Batman 5 and Superman Lives made – would falter. It wouldn’t be until 1999’s The Matrix (a film that Daly and Semel struggled to get) and – crucially – 2001’s Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone that the studio would really get its swagger back...
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Movies Feature Simon Brew Warner Bros 16 Jun 2016 - 05:19 Conspiracy Theory Father's Day Addicted To Love Contact National Lampoon’s Vegas Vacation One Eight Seven Steel Batman & Robin Free Willy 3: The Rescue...
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Warner Bros has struggled with its blockbusters of late. But back in summer 1997 - Batman & Robin's year - it faced not dissimilar problems.
Earlier this year it was revealed that Warner Bros, following a string of costly movies that hadn’t hit box office gold (Pan, Jupiter Ascending, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., In The Heart Of The Sea), was restructuring its blockbuster movie business. Fewer films, fewer risks, more franchises, and more centering around movie universes seems to be the new approach, and the appointment of a new corporate team to oversee the Harry Potter franchise last week was one part of that.
In some ways, it marks the end of an era. Whilst it retains its relationships with key directing talent (Ben Affleck, Clint Eastwood, Christopher Nolan for instance), Warner Bros was, for the bulk of the 1990s in particular, the studio that the others were trying to mimic. It worked with the same stars and filmmakers time and time again, and under then-chiefs Terry Semel and Robert Daly, relationships with key talent were paramount.
Furthermore, the studio knew to leave that talent to do its job, and was also ahead of the pack in developing franchises that it could rely on to give it a string of hits.
However, whilst Warner Bros is having troubles now, its way of doing business was first seriously challenged by the failure of its slate in the summer of 1997. Once again, it seemed to have a line up to cherish, that others were envious of. But as film by film failed to click, every facet of Warner Bros’ blockbuster strategy suddenly came under scrutiny, and would ultimately fairly dramatically change. Just two summers later, the studio released The Matrix, and blockbuster cinema changed again.
But come the start of summer 1997? These are the movies that Warner Bros had lined up, and this is what happened…
February - National Lampoon’s Vegas Vacation
Things actually had got off to a decent enough start for the studio earlier in the year, so it's worth kicking off there. It brought Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo back together, for the fourth National Lampoon movie, and the first since 1989’s National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. Interestingly, it dropped the National Lampoon moniker in the Us, and instead released the eventual movie as Vegas Vacation. It was a belated sequel, back when belated sequels weren’t that big a thing.
The film was quickly pulled apart by reviewers, but it still just about clawed a profit. The production budget of $25m was eclipsed by the Us gross of $36m, and the movie would do comfortable business on video/DVD. Not a massive hit, then, but hardly a project that had a sense of foreboding about it.
Yet the problems were not far away.
May – Father's Day
Warner Bros had a mix of movies released in the Us in March and April 1997, including modest Wesley Snipes-headlined thriller Murder At 1600, and family flick Shiloh. But it launched its summer season with Father’s Day, an expensive packaged comedy from director Ivan Reitman, starring Robin Williams and Billy Crystal. It had hit written all over it.
Father’s Day was one of the movies packaged by the CAA agency, and its then-head, Mike Ovitz (listed regularly by Premiere magazine in the 1990s as one of the most powerful men in Hollywood, if not the most powerful man). That he brought together the stars, the director and the project, gave a studio a price tag, and the studio duly paid it. Given Warner Bros’ devotion to star talent (Mel Gibson, then one of the biggest movie stars in the world, and a major Warner Bros talent, was persuaded to film a cameo), it was a natural home for the film. It quickly did the deal. few questions asked.
That package, and CAA’s fees for putting it together, brought the budget for a fairly straightforward comedy to a then-staggering $85m. The problem, though, was that the film simply wasn’t very good. It’s one of those projects that looks great on paper, less great when exposed on a great big screen. Warner Bros has snapped it up, without - it seems - even properly reading the script.
Premiere magazine quoted a Warner Bros insider back in November 1997 as saying “when [CAA] calls and says ‘we have a package, Father’s Day, with Williams and Crystal and Reitman, we say ‘great’”, adding “we don’t scrutinise the production. When we saw the movie, it took the wind out of us. We kept reshooting and enhancing, but you can’t fix something that’s bad”.
And it was bad.
The movie would prove to be the first big misfire of the summer, grossing just $35m in the Us, and not adding a fat lot more elsewhere in the world. Warner Bros’ first film of the summer was a certified flop. More would soon follow.
May - Addicted To Love
A more modestly priced project was Addicted To Love, a romantic comedy starring Meg Ryan and Matthew Broderick. Just over a year later, Warner Bros would hit big when Meg Ryan reunited with Tom Hanks for Nora Ephron’s You’ve Got Mail. But here? The film was a modest success, at best.
Directed by Griffin Dunne (making his directorial debut), and put together in partnership with Miramax, Addicted To Love was based around the Robert Palmer song of the same name. But whilst it was sold as a romcom, the muddled final cut was actually a fair bit darker. There was an underlying nastiness to some moments in the film, and when the final box office was tallied, it came in lower than the usual returns for pictures from Ryan or Broderick. Counter-programming it against the release of The Lost World: Jurassic Park didn’t massively help in this instance either, especially as the Jurassic Park sequel would smash opening weekend records.
Addicted To Love ended up with $34.6m at the Us box office. It would eke out a small profit.
June - Batman & Robin
And this is when the alarm bells started to ring very, very loudly. Summer 1997 was supposed to be about a trio of sure-fire hit sequels: Batman 4, Jurassic Park 2 and Speed 2. Only one of those would ultimately bring home the box office bacon, the others being destroyed by critics, and ultimately leaving far more empty seats than anticipated in multiplexes.
Batman & Robin, it’s easy to forget, came off the back of 1995’s Joel Schumacher-steered Batman reboot, Batman Forever that year's biggest movie). It had one of the fastest-growing stars in the world in the Batsuit (George Clooney), and the McDonald’s deals were signed even before the script was typed up. You don’t need us to tell you that you could tell, something of a theme already in Warner Bros' summer of '97.
That said, Batman & Robin still gave Warner Bros a big opening, but in the infancy of the internet as we know it, poisonous word of mouth was already beginning to spread. The film’s negative cost Warner Bros up to $140m, before marketing and distribution costs, and it opened in the Us to a hardly-sniffy $42m of business (although that was down from previous Batman movies).
But that word of mouth still accelerated its departure from cinemas. It was then very rare for a film to make over 40% of its Us gross in its first weekend. But that’s just what Batman & Robin did, taking $107.3m in America, part of a worldwide total of $238.2m. This was the worst return for a Batman movie to date, and Warner Bros had to swiftly put the brakes on plans to get Batman Triumphant moving.
It would be eight years until Batman returned to the big screen, in Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins. Warner Bros would undergo big changes in the intervening period.
As for the immediate aftermath of Batman & Robin? Warner Bros co-chief Robert Daly would note at the end of '97 that “we’d have been better off with more action in the picture. The movie had to service too many characters”, adding that “the next Batman we do, in three years – and we have a deal with George Clooney to do it – will have one villain”.
Fortunately, Warner Bros’ one solid hit of the summer was just around the corner…
July - Contact
And breathe out.
Warner Bros bet heavily again on expensive talent here, with Robert Zemeckis bringing his adaptation of Carl Sagan’s Contact to the studio for his first film post-Forrest Gump. Warner Bros duly footed the $90m bill (back when that was still seen as a lot of money for a movie), a good chunk of which went to Jodie Foster. It invested heavily in special effects, and gave Zemeckis licence to make the film that he wanted.
The studio was rewarded with the most intelligent and arguably the best blockbuster of the summer. I’ve looked back at Contact in a lot more detail here, and it remains a fascinating film that’s stood the test of time (and arguably influenced Christopher Nolan’s more recent Interstellar).
Reviews were strong, it looked terrific, and the initial box office was good.
But then the problem hit. For whilst Contact was a solid hit for Warner Bros, it wasn’t a massively profitable one. Had Father’s Day and Batman & Robin shouldered the box office load there were supposed to, it perhaps wouldn’t have been a problem. But when they failed to take off, the pressure shifted to Contact.
The movie would gross $100.9m in the Us, and add another $70m overseas (this being an era were international box office rarely had the importance it has today). But once Warner Bros had paid its bills, there wasn’t a fat lot over for itself. Fortunately, the film still sells on disc and on-demand. Yet it wasn’t to be the massive hit the studio needed back in 1997.
July - One Eight Seven
From director Kevin Reynolds, the man who helmed Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves and Waterworld, came modestly-priced drama 187, starring Samuel L Jackson (in a strong performance). Warner Bros wouldn’t have had massive box office expectations for the film (although it can't have been unaware that the inspirational teacher sub-genre was always worth a few quid), and it shared production duties on the $20m movie with Mel Gibson’s Icon Productions. But still, it would have had its eye on a modest success. What it got in return was red ink.
The film’s not a bad one, and certainly worth seeking out. But poor reviews gave the film an uphill struggle from the off – smaller productions arriving mid-summer really needed critics on their side, as they arguably still do – and it opened to just $2.2m of business (the less edgy, Michelle Pfeiffer-headlined school drama Dangerous Minds had been a surprise hit not two years before).
By the time its run was done, 187 hadn’t even come close to covering its production costs, with just under $6m banked.
Warner Bros’ summer slate was running out of films. But at least it had one of its most reliable movie stars around the corner…
August - Conspiracy Theory
What could go wrong? Mel Gibson and Julia Roberts were two of the biggest movie stars in the world in 1997, at a time when movie stars still equated to box office gold. Director Richard Donner, one of Warner Bros’ favourite directors, had delivered the Lethal Weapons, Maverick, Superman, The Goonies and more for the studio. Put them altogether, with Patrick Stewart (coming to wider public consciousness at the time off the back of his Star Trek: The Next Generation work) as a villain, and it should have been a big hit.
Conspiracy Theory proved to be one of the more ambitious summer blockbusters of the era. It lacks a good first act, which would be really useful in actually setting up more of what’s going on. But Gibson played an edgy cab driver who believes in deep government conspiracies, and finds himself getting closer to the truth than those around him sometimes give him credit for.
Warner Bros was probably expecting another Lethal Weapon with the reunion of Gibson (who had to be persuaded to take Conspiracy Theory on) and Donner (it’s pretty much what it got with the hugely enjoyable Maverick a few years’ earlier), but instead it got a darker drama, with an uneasy central character that didn’t exactly play to the summer box office crowd.
The bigger problem, though, was that the film never quite worked as well as you might hope. Yet star power did have advantages. While no juggernaut, the film did decent business, grossing $137m worldwide off the back of an $80m budget ($40m of which was spent on the salaries for the talent before a single roll of film was loaded into a camera). That said, in the Us it knocked a genuine smash hit, Air Force One, off the top spot. Mind you in hindsight, that was probably the film that the studio wished it had made (the cockpit set of Warner Bros' own Executive Decision was repurposed for Air Force One, fact fans).
Still: Warner Bros did get Lethal Weapon 4 off Gibson and Donner a year later…
August - Free Willy 3: The Rescue
Yeah.
Warner Bros opened its third Free Willy film on the same day as Conspiracy Theory (can you imagine a studio opening two big films on the same day now), but it was clear that this was a franchise long past its best days (and its best days hardly bring back the fondest of memories).
Still, Free Willy movies were relatively modest in cost to put together, and Warner Bros presumably felt this was a simple cashpoint project. But in a year when lots of family movies did less business than expected (Disney’s Hercules, Fox’s Home Alone 3, Disney’s Mr Magoo), Free Willy 3 barely troubled the box office. It took in just over $3m in total, and Willy would not be seen on the inside of a cinema again.
August - Steel
Not much was expected from Steel, a superhero movie headlined by Shaquille O’Neal. Which was fortunate, because not much was had.
It had a mid-August release date in the Us, at a point when a mid-August release date was more of a dumping ground than anything else. And even though the budget was set at a relatively low $16m, the film – and it’s an overused time – pretty much bombed. It took $1.7m at the Us box office, and given that its appeal hinged on a major American sports star whose fame hardly transcended the globe, its international takings did not save it (it went straight to video in many territories).
It was a miserable end to what, for warner bros, had been a thoroughly miserable summer.
So what did hit big in summer 1997?
Summer 1997 was infamous for big films failing to take off in the way that had been expected – Hercules, Speed 2, and the aforementioned Warner Bros movies – but there were several bright spots. The big winner would be Barry Sonnenfeld’s light and sprightly sci-fi comedy Men In Black, starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones. Star power too helped score big hits for Harrison Ford (Air Force One), Julia Roberts (My Best Friend’s Wedding) and John Travolta (Face/Off).
This was also the summer that Nicolas Cage cemented his action movie credentials with Face/Off and Con Air. Crucially, though, the star movies that hit were the ones that veered on the side of 'good'. For the first of many years, the internet was blamed for this.
Oh, and later in the year, incidentally, Titanic would redefine just what constituted a box office hit...
What came next for Warner Bros?
In the rest of 1997, Warner Bros had a mix of projects that again enjoyed mixed fortunes. The standout was Curtis Hanson’s stunning adaptation of L.A. Confidential, that also proved to be a surprise box office success. The Devil’s Advocate didn’t do too badly either.
However, two of the studio’s key filmmakers failed to really deliver come the end of 1997. Clint Eastwood’s Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil failed to ignite (although many felt he was always on a hiding to nothing in trying to adapt that for the screen), and Kevin Costner’s The Postman would prove arguably the most expensive box office disappointment of the year. No wonder the studio rushed Lethal Weapon 4 into production for summer 1998. Oh, and it had The Avengers underway too (not that one), that would prove to be a 1998 disappointment.
The studio would eventually take action. The Daly-Semel management team, that had reigned for 15 years, would break up at the end of 1999, as its traditional way of doing business became less successful. The pair had already future projects that were director driven to an extent (Eyes Wide Shut), and it would still invest in movies with stars (Wild Wild West). But the immediate plan of action following the disappointment of summer 1997 – to get Batman 5 and Superman Lives made – would falter. It wouldn’t be until 1999’s The Matrix (a film that Daly and Semel struggled to get) and – crucially – 2001’s Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone that the studio would really get its swagger back...
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Movies Feature Simon Brew Warner Bros 16 Jun 2016 - 05:19 Conspiracy Theory Father's Day Addicted To Love Contact National Lampoon’s Vegas Vacation One Eight Seven Steel Batman & Robin Free Willy 3: The Rescue...
- 6/13/2016
- Den of Geek
The historic port city of Savannah in Chatham County, Ga. wants the film and TV production market to not only come, but to stay. The Savannah Economic Development Authority, commonly known as Seda, has created an incentive program unlike any other in the country; its sole purpose is to build a stable and sustainable entertainment production industry in Chatham County. Seda has been around since the 1920s and is not funded by taxpayer dollars. Through special constitutional provisions at its inception it was granted the right to issue bonds to businesses as part of a tax abatement plan to create sustainable, long-term, job-creating businesses in Chatham County. In 2011 they hired Sri International to conduct local research, seeking to diversify an already diverse economy that consists of the fourth largest and fastest-growing port in the nation, a tourism industry that attracts over 13 million visitors per year, a military, government, manufacturing, and academic sector,...
- 12/17/2015
- backstage.com
Didja ever notice how politically correct all the kids are now? It's like you can't make jokes about anyone anymore. What is the Deal with that?
No, Jerry Seinfeld didn't say that, but just wait.
The 61-year-old sitcom icon has been making the rounds lately, from Espn's "The Herd with Colin Cowherd" to NBC's "Late Night With Seth Meyers." complaining that he can't perform at colleges because they get so sensitive about certain jokes, like the one where he compares a typical smartphone user to a "gay French king."
And it's not just college campuses where political correctness chills humor, apparently. It's also the place where Seinfeld was once master of his domain: television. This week, Spike announced it would cut a joke from the June 18 broadcast of the Guys Choice awards ceremony, where Clint Eastwood made a quip about athletes who've tried acting, including "Jim Brown and Caitlyn Somebody.
No, Jerry Seinfeld didn't say that, but just wait.
The 61-year-old sitcom icon has been making the rounds lately, from Espn's "The Herd with Colin Cowherd" to NBC's "Late Night With Seth Meyers." complaining that he can't perform at colleges because they get so sensitive about certain jokes, like the one where he compares a typical smartphone user to a "gay French king."
And it's not just college campuses where political correctness chills humor, apparently. It's also the place where Seinfeld was once master of his domain: television. This week, Spike announced it would cut a joke from the June 18 broadcast of the Guys Choice awards ceremony, where Clint Eastwood made a quip about athletes who've tried acting, including "Jim Brown and Caitlyn Somebody.
- 6/12/2015
- by Gary Susman
- Moviefone
By Doug Oswald
I had no idea what to expect when I placed the DVD for “Scobie Malone” in my player. Scobie, played by Jack Thompson, makes his way through traffic on a sunny day in Sydney Australia as the movie credits begin. An Olivia Newton-John sound-alike sings the Scobie Malone title song. Scobie breaks the third wall by looking directly at the viewer as the title appears on-screen during his drive as an invitation to join him on his adventure. Scobie gives the thumbs up to a motorcycle cop during his drive. He winks, nods and flirts with pretty girls on the way to his swinging bachelor pad.
Scobie lives at “Sunrise Patios” and the entry sign proclaims Singles Only with a placard stating: No Vacancies. His bachelor pad is reached through the central courtyard containing a large patio and pool. A pretty girl in a bikini is changing...
I had no idea what to expect when I placed the DVD for “Scobie Malone” in my player. Scobie, played by Jack Thompson, makes his way through traffic on a sunny day in Sydney Australia as the movie credits begin. An Olivia Newton-John sound-alike sings the Scobie Malone title song. Scobie breaks the third wall by looking directly at the viewer as the title appears on-screen during his drive as an invitation to join him on his adventure. Scobie gives the thumbs up to a motorcycle cop during his drive. He winks, nods and flirts with pretty girls on the way to his swinging bachelor pad.
Scobie lives at “Sunrise Patios” and the entry sign proclaims Singles Only with a placard stating: No Vacancies. His bachelor pad is reached through the central courtyard containing a large patio and pool. A pretty girl in a bikini is changing...
- 6/9/2015
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Lewis with Beverly D'Angelo and Clint Eastwood in the hit 1978 comedy Every Which Way But Loose.
Acclaimed character actor Geoffrey Lewis, and father of actress Juliette Lewis, has died at age 79 of natural causes. Lewis had a long and impressive list of major films and TV appearances to his credit. He was frequently cast by Clint Eastwood in the iconic actor's productions including High Plains Drifter, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, Every Which Way But Loose, Any Which Way You Can, Bronco Billy, Pink Cadillac and their last collaboration, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Although Lewis was often cast as earthy, hillbilly-types, he could also excel at playing sophisticated characters as well. Other major film credits include The Wind and the Lion, Heaven's Gate, The Lawmower Man, Maverick and the TV movie version of Salem's Lot. He primarily worked in television and had amassed a seemingly endless number of...
Acclaimed character actor Geoffrey Lewis, and father of actress Juliette Lewis, has died at age 79 of natural causes. Lewis had a long and impressive list of major films and TV appearances to his credit. He was frequently cast by Clint Eastwood in the iconic actor's productions including High Plains Drifter, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, Every Which Way But Loose, Any Which Way You Can, Bronco Billy, Pink Cadillac and their last collaboration, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Although Lewis was often cast as earthy, hillbilly-types, he could also excel at playing sophisticated characters as well. Other major film credits include The Wind and the Lion, Heaven's Gate, The Lawmower Man, Maverick and the TV movie version of Salem's Lot. He primarily worked in television and had amassed a seemingly endless number of...
- 4/8/2015
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Character actor Geoffrey Lewis, known for his long working relationship with Clint Eastwood, a slew of roles in TV and film and as the father of actress Juliette Lewis, died April 7 at his home in Woodland Hills, CA. He was 79. Frequently appearing in Westerns during his early career, he is best known as a frequent fixture of Eastwood’s films. His appearances include Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil, Any Which Way You Can, Thunderbolt And Lightfoot, and High Plains…...
- 4/8/2015
- Deadline TV
Character actor Geoffrey Lewis, known for his long working relationship with Clint Eastwood, a slew of roles in TV and film and as the father of actress Juliette Lewis, died April 7 at his home in Woodland Hills, CA. He was 79. Frequently appearing in Westerns during his early career, he is best known as a frequent fixture of Eastwood’s films. His appearances include Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil, Any Which Way You Can, Thunderbolt And Lightfoot, and High Plains…...
- 4/8/2015
- Deadline
Western character actor Geoffrey Lewis died on Tuesday of natural causes in Woodland Hills, California, according to multiple media reports. He was 79. The father of actress Juliette Lewis, he had appeared alongside Clint Eastwood is numerous classics including “High Plains Drifter,” “Thunderbolt and Lightfoot,” “Every Which Way But Loose,” “Any Which Way You Can” and “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.” Lewis received a Golden Globe nomination for the 1980 series “Flo” and he appeared on dozens of other TV programs including “Barnaby Jones,” “Hawaii Five-o,” “Lou Grant,” “Little House on the Prairie,” “Falcon Crest” and “Murder, She Wrote.
- 4/8/2015
- by Debbie Emery
- The Wrap
Geoffrey Lewis, actor and father of Juliette Lewis, has died at the age of 79.
The San Diego-born star appeared frequently in Clint Eastwood movies and has worked on dozens of television shows throughout his career.
Among his Eastwood titles are High Plains Drifter, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, Every Which Way But Loose, Any Which Way You Can and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.
His other film credits include The Devil's Rejects, Heaven's Gate and Dillinger.
According to Variety, the actor passed away on Tuesday (April 7) of natural causes.
He is survived by wife Paula Hochhalter, and ten children including Juliette, Lightfield, Matthew and Deirdre, who have also taken up acting as a career.
The San Diego-born star appeared frequently in Clint Eastwood movies and has worked on dozens of television shows throughout his career.
Among his Eastwood titles are High Plains Drifter, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, Every Which Way But Loose, Any Which Way You Can and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.
His other film credits include The Devil's Rejects, Heaven's Gate and Dillinger.
According to Variety, the actor passed away on Tuesday (April 7) of natural causes.
He is survived by wife Paula Hochhalter, and ten children including Juliette, Lightfield, Matthew and Deirdre, who have also taken up acting as a career.
- 4/8/2015
- Digital Spy
He’s been a Hollywood star since his teens, when he starred in Class, Sixteen Candles and The Sure Thing, but thankfully John Cusack was never like the characters in David Cronenberg’s Maps To The Stars. A brutal satire about the players, wannabes and has-beens of Hollywood, Cusack plays Stafford Weiss, a self-help guru who peddles his therapies to the weak-minded. Father to the foul Benjie (Evan Bird), a rehab-hopping teen star of the ‘Bad Babysitter’ franchise, Stafford is just one of the soulless ghouls that haunts the Hollywood Hills in what is the Canadian Cronenberg’s first real foray into Tinseltown terrain.
For Cusack, it represents yet another impressive notch in a career that’s seen him work with Stephen Frears (The Grifters, High Fidelity), Woody Allen (Shadows and Fog, Bullets Over Broadway), Spike Jonze (Being John Malkovich), Terence Malick (The Thin Red Line) and Clint Eastwood (Midnight In The Garden of Good and Evil...
For Cusack, it represents yet another impressive notch in a career that’s seen him work with Stephen Frears (The Grifters, High Fidelity), Woody Allen (Shadows and Fog, Bullets Over Broadway), Spike Jonze (Being John Malkovich), Terence Malick (The Thin Red Line) and Clint Eastwood (Midnight In The Garden of Good and Evil...
- 2/2/2015
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
As BroadwayWorld previously reported, Rob Ashford helmed a June reading for Alfred Uhry's musical version of John Berendt's 1994 best selling book Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil. Producers Craig Haffner and and Anne Hamburger revealed intentions to take the new musical to London next, prior to a Broadway run. Now according to an Equity casting notice, the same team will helm a New York City workshop for the show on September 15-19.
- 8/28/2014
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
Author Carole Radziwill celebrated her 50th birthday, fittingly enough, with a Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil party on Tuesday's Real Housewives of New York City, and - in addition to real butterflies, chandeliers, lots of lace, mannequins and snake handlers - there were plenty of other surprises. "I never celebrated my birthday after my husband died," said Radziwill, who stated she initially wasn't looking forward to celebrating her 50th, "but I feel sexy and empowered and strong." Although New York's health department nixed the snakes, Heather Thomson, who planned Radziwill's birthday bash, was able to infuse NYC...
- 7/16/2014
- by Wade Rouse
- PEOPLE.com
Author Carole Radziwill celebrated her 50th birthday, fittingly enough, with a Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil party on Tuesday's Real Housewives of New York City, and – in addition to real butterflies, chandeliers, lots of lace, mannequins and snake handlers – there were plenty of other surprises.
"I never celebrated my birthday after my husband died," said Radziwill, who stated she initially wasn't looking forward to celebrating her 50th, "but I feel sexy and empowered and strong."
Although New York's health department nixed the snakes, Heather Thomson, who planned Radziwill's birthday bash, was able to infuse NYC with Southern...
"I never celebrated my birthday after my husband died," said Radziwill, who stated she initially wasn't looking forward to celebrating her 50th, "but I feel sexy and empowered and strong."
Although New York's health department nixed the snakes, Heather Thomson, who planned Radziwill's birthday bash, was able to infuse NYC with Southern...
- 7/16/2014
- by Wade Rouse
- People.com - TV Watch
Author Carole Radziwill celebrated her 50th birthday, fittingly enough, with a Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil party on Tuesday's Real Housewives of New York City, and - in addition to real butterflies, chandeliers, lots of lace, mannequins and snake handlers - there were plenty of other surprises. "I never celebrated my birthday after my husband died," said Radziwill, who stated she initially wasn't looking forward to celebrating her 50th, "but I feel sexy and empowered and strong." Although New York's health department nixed the snakes, Heather Thomson, who planned Radziwill's birthday bash, was able to infuse NYC...
- 7/16/2014
- by Wade Rouse
- PEOPLE.com
According to Deadline, Rob Ashford recently helmed a reading for Alfred Uhry's musical version of John Berendt's 1994 best selling book Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil. Producers Craig Haffner and and Anne Hamburger revealed intentions to take the new musical to London next, prior to a Broadway run. The cast for the reading included Tony Goldwyn, Leslie Uggams, Peter Cincotti, Jessica Molaskey, Michael Park and Jake Robinson. A workshop is reportedly set for September- casting has not yet been announced.
- 6/23/2014
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
Exclusive: The long-aborning musical adaptation of John Berendt’s Georgia-drenched best-seller Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil moved closer to reality with a reading last week overseen by Rob Ashford and cast that included Tony Goldwyn (Scandal), Leslie Uggams, Peter Cincotti, Jessica Molaskey, Michael Park and Jake Robinson (The Carrie Diaries, upcoming in HBO’s The Leftovers and NBC’s Odyssey). Alfred Uhry (Driving Miss Daisy) is the writer; composer and sound designer Mark Bennett is overseeing the the score, which will use standards and lesser-known songs from the American songbook, notably from such Johnny Mercer-lyrics as “In The Cool Cool Cool Of The Evening” […]...
- 6/23/2014
- Deadline
Michael Rosenbaum and the gang are taking a trip down memory lane in the all new side-splitting comedy Back In The Day and because I like you, you’re coming along for the ride. Recently, I sat down with Michael Rosenbaum, to talk about his experiences tackling his first feature as both the writer and director. Not only that, but he stars in the film as well. Michael is a buddy of mine, but we never talk shop so this was a real treat for me.
Back In The Day is the first feature film written and directed by Rosenbaum. He also stars in the film alongside Morena Baccarin Harland Williams, Sarah Colonna, Nick Swardson and Isaiah Mustafa. The film was acquired by Screen Media Films in early October, and will be making it’s way to theaters on January 17, 2014. Can’t wait that long? Well, you are in luck!
Back In The Day is the first feature film written and directed by Rosenbaum. He also stars in the film alongside Morena Baccarin Harland Williams, Sarah Colonna, Nick Swardson and Isaiah Mustafa. The film was acquired by Screen Media Films in early October, and will be making it’s way to theaters on January 17, 2014. Can’t wait that long? Well, you are in luck!
- 1/15/2014
- by Melissa Howland
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Clint Eastwood’s influence on John Lee Hancock’s work is pretty clear. Hancock wrote one of Eastwood’s best movies, A Perfect World , and one of his lesser pictures, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Since then Hancock has gone on to direct The Rookie, The Blindside, The Alamo, and Saving Mr. Banks. All of his movies have a workmanlike approach. The camerawork is never showy, always with its focus on character and story. The same goes for Eastwood’s films, so it’s no surprise that Hancock learned a few lessons from working with him. One important takeaway for Hancock was to keep a calm set. Saving Mr. Banks shows a very heated creative process, and when we asked Hancock what’s the best way to deal with those conditions, he discussed a lesson from the zen daddy himself, Mr. Eastwood: “Clint Eastwood was my film school. I...
- 12/23/2013
- by Jack Giroux
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Matthew Gratzner made his reputation as the visual effects supervisor on blockbuster movies like Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Hugo and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. Gratzner continued work on his feature-directing debut Hot Bath an’ a Stiff Drink, an 1890s-set western in production through mid-December. Gratzner added Frankie Muniz (Malcolm in the Middle) and Alison Eastwood (Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil) to an eclectic ensemble cast that includes Don Frye, Tanya Clarke and Grainger Hines.
- 11/27/2013
- Upcoming-Movies.com
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