Daniel Sackheim’s intriguing landscapes of Los Angeles evoke a time of classic film of the Film Noir period. His landscapes of Downtown Los Angeles, Hollywood Blvd, the distant pier of Santa Monica create a moody scene iridescent of classics like Double Indemnity; Mildred Pierce, The Third Man, and Shadow of a Doubt. The seductive tones of a bygone era are visually stimulating creating a mood of mystery that captured the eyes of audiences when The Maltese Falcon was first released.
Sackheim’s directing credits include Lovecraft Country, Game of Thrones, True Detective, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, and Ozark to name a few. Having been a director for many years before delving into photography, he says his eye tends to land on a cinematic sensibility naturally. This perspective then informs his approach to photographic storytelling.
“There is not so much one specific film, though there are iconic images from...
Sackheim’s directing credits include Lovecraft Country, Game of Thrones, True Detective, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, and Ozark to name a few. Having been a director for many years before delving into photography, he says his eye tends to land on a cinematic sensibility naturally. This perspective then informs his approach to photographic storytelling.
“There is not so much one specific film, though there are iconic images from...
- 3/18/2024
- by Robert Lang
- Deadline Film + TV
Cate Blanchett failed to land among this year’s nominees in the Best Supporting Actress race, but the two-time Oscar winner made history anyway with the 94th Academy Awards nominations. By starring in two Best Picture nominees, “Don’t Look Up” and “Nightmare Alley,” Blanchett has been credited in nine movies nominated for the Oscars’ top picture prize. That makes her the only actress ever credited in that many Best Picture nominees, surpassing a record previously held by Olivia de Havilland.
Blanchett’s first role in a Best Picture nominee came for “Elizabeth,” the 1998 film that also gave Blanchett her first Best Actress nomination. Her other Best Picture nominees before this year included all three films in the “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, “The Aviator”, “Babel,” and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.” The twosome of “Don’t Look Up” and “Nightmare Alley” marks the first time Blanchett has appeared in...
Blanchett’s first role in a Best Picture nominee came for “Elizabeth,” the 1998 film that also gave Blanchett her first Best Actress nomination. Her other Best Picture nominees before this year included all three films in the “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, “The Aviator”, “Babel,” and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.” The twosome of “Don’t Look Up” and “Nightmare Alley” marks the first time Blanchett has appeared in...
- 2/10/2022
- by Christopher Rosen
- Gold Derby
David Lean would’ve celebrated his 112th birthday on March 25, 2020. The Oscar-winning director became famous for a series of visual striking, technically ambitious epics, but how many of those titles remain classics? In honor of his birthday, let’s take a look back at all 16 of his films, ranked worst to best.
Born in 1908, Lean cut his teeth as a film editor, cutting a number of prominent movies including “49th Parallel” (1941) and “One of Our Aircraft Is Missing” (1942) for his contemporary, Michael Powell. He transitioned into directing, working alongside acclaimed playwright Noel Coward with “In Which We Serve” (1942). The WWII Naval epic was a joint venture for the two, with Coward (who also wrote and starred) handling the acting scenes and Lean tackling the action sequences.
He earned his first Oscar nominations for writing and directing “Brief Encounter” (1945), a big screen version of Coward’s play about two strangers (Trevor Howard...
Born in 1908, Lean cut his teeth as a film editor, cutting a number of prominent movies including “49th Parallel” (1941) and “One of Our Aircraft Is Missing” (1942) for his contemporary, Michael Powell. He transitioned into directing, working alongside acclaimed playwright Noel Coward with “In Which We Serve” (1942). The WWII Naval epic was a joint venture for the two, with Coward (who also wrote and starred) handling the acting scenes and Lean tackling the action sequences.
He earned his first Oscar nominations for writing and directing “Brief Encounter” (1945), a big screen version of Coward’s play about two strangers (Trevor Howard...
- 3/3/2020
- by Zach Laws and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Exclusive: It’s official. Ford v Ferrari’s co-stars Christian Bale and Matt Damon have decided to buck the dismal odds of actors going against each other in the same category and will be campaigned by 20th Century Fox and Disney in the Lead Actor category at the Academy Awards and other contests including Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice, SAG and BAFTA.
Ever since the well-received film premiered in Telluride I have been asking the consultants on the film if the two stars — both leads in my opinion — would be competing in the same category for awards consideration. But I always got the response that no decision had been made regarding importing one of them into Supporting Actor so they would not have to face each other — a common practice now despite billing or the size of the role. Some pundits speculated that they could be split as Bale, who plays tempestuous test driver Ken Miles,...
Ever since the well-received film premiered in Telluride I have been asking the consultants on the film if the two stars — both leads in my opinion — would be competing in the same category for awards consideration. But I always got the response that no decision had been made regarding importing one of them into Supporting Actor so they would not have to face each other — a common practice now despite billing or the size of the role. Some pundits speculated that they could be split as Bale, who plays tempestuous test driver Ken Miles,...
- 10/21/2019
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
Sam Rockwell (‘Three Billboards’) would be sixth Best Supporting Actor Oscar champ to beat a co-star
“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” ended a 26-year drought in Best Supporting Actor, producing two nominees, Woody Harrelson and Sam Rockwell, from the same film for the first time since “Bugsy” (1991) stars Harvey Keitel and Ben Kingsley lost to Jack Palance (“City Slickers”). By all appearances, it’s smooth sailing for Rockwell for the win, which would be the sixth time a Best Supporting Actor winner defeated a co-star in 18 dual duels.
“Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” (1939) stars Harry Carey and Claude Rains were the first co-stars to be nominated against each other in Best Supporting Actor, but they lost to Thomas Mitchell for “Stagecoach.” It would be another 32 years — with seven pairs of double nominees in between — before a Best Supporting Actor champ, Ben Johnson, beat a co-star, Jeff Bridges, for 1971’s “The Last Picture Show.”
Three years later, Robert De Niro prevailed over fellow “The Godfather Part II...
“Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” (1939) stars Harry Carey and Claude Rains were the first co-stars to be nominated against each other in Best Supporting Actor, but they lost to Thomas Mitchell for “Stagecoach.” It would be another 32 years — with seven pairs of double nominees in between — before a Best Supporting Actor champ, Ben Johnson, beat a co-star, Jeff Bridges, for 1971’s “The Last Picture Show.”
Three years later, Robert De Niro prevailed over fellow “The Godfather Part II...
- 2/22/2018
- by Joyce Eng
- Gold Derby
The Western is the quintessential American movie genre. Its iconography has been seared into our collective conscious: the solitary cowboy riding the endless frontier, towns struggling to survive in a lawless land, the quick-drawing gunfighter. Generations of filmmakers have engaged with those symbols, building an entire cinematic language on a genre that began with the simple premise of good “white hats” vs. bad “black hats.” In doing so, they have created mythologies, torn down legends and subverted what it means to be an American.
My exposure to the West began in the living room of my parents’ house. My father, a Sephardic Jew born and raised in Greece, shared with me the movies he loved as a child. Over the years my enthusiasm for the genre only grew as I became a history buff, a lover of myths, and eventually a filmmaker. In interviews, I’m often asked to name my favorite Western,...
My exposure to the West began in the living room of my parents’ house. My father, a Sephardic Jew born and raised in Greece, shared with me the movies he loved as a child. Over the years my enthusiasm for the genre only grew as I became a history buff, a lover of myths, and eventually a filmmaker. In interviews, I’m often asked to name my favorite Western,...
- 12/14/2017
- by Jared Moshé
- Indiewire
Oscar night will be here before you know it! It's time for your daily Oscar trivia. Today's is Biblical epic style... sort of.
So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
-Genesis 1:21
Oscar's favorite sea-faring and/or sea-creature adventures are after the jump but soon we will have to add The Shape of Water (now opening December 1st -- one week earlier than as originally planned) to this list. Where do you think it will land in the following list:
Oscar's Dozen Favorite
Sea-faring or Sea-creature Movies
01 Titanic (1997) - 14 nominations | 11 wins including Best Picture
02 Life of Pi (2012) - 11 nominations including Best Picture | 4 wins
03 Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) - 8 nominations | 1 win for Best Picture (and...
So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
-Genesis 1:21
Oscar's favorite sea-faring and/or sea-creature adventures are after the jump but soon we will have to add The Shape of Water (now opening December 1st -- one week earlier than as originally planned) to this list. Where do you think it will land in the following list:
Oscar's Dozen Favorite
Sea-faring or Sea-creature Movies
01 Titanic (1997) - 14 nominations | 11 wins including Best Picture
02 Life of Pi (2012) - 11 nominations including Best Picture | 4 wins
03 Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) - 8 nominations | 1 win for Best Picture (and...
- 11/3/2017
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Now restored to perfection, this genuine classic hasn’t been seen intact for way over sixty years. Michael Curtiz and Robert Rossen adapt Jack London’s suspenseful allegory in high style, with a superb quartet of actors doing some of their best work: Robinson, Garfield, Lupino and newcomer Alexander Knox.
The Sea Wolf
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1941 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 100 min. uncut! / Street Date October 10, 2017 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Edward G. Robinson, Alexander Knox, Ida Lupino, John Garfield, Gene Lockhart, Barry Fitzgerald. Stanley Ridges, David Bruce, Francis McDonald, Howard Da Silva, Frank Lackteen, Ralf Harolde
Cinematography: Sol Polito
Film Editor: George Amy
Art Direction: Anton Grot
Special Effects: Byron Haskin, Hans F. Koenekamp
Original Music: Erich Wolfgang Korngold
Written by Robert Rosson, from the novel by Jack London
Produced by Hal B. Wallis, Henry Blanke
Directed by Michael Curtiz
Chopping up films for television was once the...
The Sea Wolf
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1941 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 100 min. uncut! / Street Date October 10, 2017 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Edward G. Robinson, Alexander Knox, Ida Lupino, John Garfield, Gene Lockhart, Barry Fitzgerald. Stanley Ridges, David Bruce, Francis McDonald, Howard Da Silva, Frank Lackteen, Ralf Harolde
Cinematography: Sol Polito
Film Editor: George Amy
Art Direction: Anton Grot
Special Effects: Byron Haskin, Hans F. Koenekamp
Original Music: Erich Wolfgang Korngold
Written by Robert Rosson, from the novel by Jack London
Produced by Hal B. Wallis, Henry Blanke
Directed by Michael Curtiz
Chopping up films for television was once the...
- 10/14/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
(See previous post: Fourth of July Movies: Escapism During a Weird Year.) On the evening of the Fourth of July, besides fireworks, fire hazards, and Yankee Doodle Dandy, if you're watching TCM in the U.S. and Canada, there's the following: Peter H. Hunt's 1776 (1972), a largely forgotten film musical based on the Broadway hit with music by Sherman Edwards. William Daniels, who was recently on TCM talking about 1776 and a couple of other movies (A Thousand Clowns, Dodsworth), has one of the key roles as John Adams. Howard Da Silva, blacklisted for over a decade after being named a communist during the House Un-American Committee hearings of the early 1950s (Robert Taylor was one who mentioned him in his testimony), plays Benjamin Franklin. Ken Howard is Thomas Jefferson, a role he would reprise in John Huston's 1976 short Independence. (In the short, Pat Hingle was cast as John Adams; Eli Wallach was Benjamin Franklin.) Warner...
- 7/5/2017
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
History-focused 28th edition of documentary and factual content event runs June 19-22 in La Rochelle.
Upcoming documentaries exploring the life of Mikhail Gorbachev, the space race and Jackie Kennedy’s anti-segregationist work will be among the projects being presented at this year’s Sunny Side of the Doc (Ssd) this year.
The 28th edition of the documentary and factual content market and conference, running June 19-22 on the historic docks of the picturesque French port town of La Rochelle, is putting the onus on history this year.
The focus is in keeping with Ssd’s four-year cycle alternating the annual theme between history, science, human interest and wildlife. But the fact the history theme falls this year is also timely, comments founding director Yves Jeanneau.
“The phrase ‘reinventing history’ sums up what’s going on at the moment. We’re witnessing a renewal and rejuvenation in the way history is being told, both in terms...
Upcoming documentaries exploring the life of Mikhail Gorbachev, the space race and Jackie Kennedy’s anti-segregationist work will be among the projects being presented at this year’s Sunny Side of the Doc (Ssd) this year.
The 28th edition of the documentary and factual content market and conference, running June 19-22 on the historic docks of the picturesque French port town of La Rochelle, is putting the onus on history this year.
The focus is in keeping with Ssd’s four-year cycle alternating the annual theme between history, science, human interest and wildlife. But the fact the history theme falls this year is also timely, comments founding director Yves Jeanneau.
“The phrase ‘reinventing history’ sums up what’s going on at the moment. We’re witnessing a renewal and rejuvenation in the way history is being told, both in terms...
- 6/20/2017
- ScreenDaily
Edgar G. Ulmer movies on TCM: 'The Black Cat' & 'Detour' Turner Classic Movies' June 2017 Star of the Month is Audrey Hepburn, but Edgar G. Ulmer is its film personality of the evening on June 6. TCM will be presenting seven Ulmer movies from the mid-1930s to the mid-1960s, including his two best-known efforts: The Black Cat (1934) and Detour (1945). The Black Cat was released shortly before the officialization of the Christian-inspired Production Code, which would castrate American filmmaking – with a few clever exceptions – for the next quarter of a century. Hence, audiences in spring 1934 were able to witness satanism in action, in addition to other bizarre happenings in an art deco mansion located in an isolated area of Hungary. Sporting a David Bowie hairdo, Boris Karloff is at his sinister best in The Black Cat (“Do you hear that, Vitus? The phone is dead. Even the phone is dead”), ailurophobic (a.
- 6/7/2017
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Looking for something to celebrate today? On this day in history as it relates to showbiz...
1874 Oscar nominee Henry Travers (Mrs Miniver) was born in England
1908 Future Oscar winner, "Henry Higgins" and "Dr Dolittle" himself Sir Rex Harrison is born
1922 Fw Murnau's silent classic Nosferatu premieres in its home country of Germany. On the same day in Italy the future super controversial auteur Pier Paolo Pasolini (120 Days of Sodom, The Gospel According to St Matthew) is born
1936 Dean Stockwell is born in California. He will go on to have an epically lengthy career starting as a child star in the 40s and still working occasionally today. On the same day the '35 Oscars were held with Mutiny on the Bounty taking Best Picture and Bette Davis winning her first Oscar for Dangerous. Oscar was already doing "sorry about last time" awards as that one was obviously for her far superior work in Of Human Bondage.
1874 Oscar nominee Henry Travers (Mrs Miniver) was born in England
1908 Future Oscar winner, "Henry Higgins" and "Dr Dolittle" himself Sir Rex Harrison is born
1922 Fw Murnau's silent classic Nosferatu premieres in its home country of Germany. On the same day in Italy the future super controversial auteur Pier Paolo Pasolini (120 Days of Sodom, The Gospel According to St Matthew) is born
1936 Dean Stockwell is born in California. He will go on to have an epically lengthy career starting as a child star in the 40s and still working occasionally today. On the same day the '35 Oscars were held with Mutiny on the Bounty taking Best Picture and Bette Davis winning her first Oscar for Dangerous. Oscar was already doing "sorry about last time" awards as that one was obviously for her far superior work in Of Human Bondage.
- 3/5/2017
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
The Daily Beast Michael Musto talks to an anonymous Oscar voter about who they're voting for. They're very unhappy with Meryl Streep's 20th and La La Land's 14
/Film Barry Jenkins chooses movies from the Criterion Collection -wonderful. (And people forget how obsessed people were with La Haine when it came out)
Variety ABC picked up a pilot starring Toni Collette. Please let it be good. Miss her so much. Totally the best actress that directors aren't using which I will Never understand
Cinematic Corner Sati falls for The Handmaiden
Film School Rejects on Stranger Things SAG acceptance speech and season two
Mnpp Jason lets Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) take him on a train of thought and it is a joy as is that movie or at least Gable and Franchot Tone in it
Village Voice Bilge Ebiri's 10 favorites from Sundance include Where is Kyra? and Mudbound
World...
/Film Barry Jenkins chooses movies from the Criterion Collection -wonderful. (And people forget how obsessed people were with La Haine when it came out)
Variety ABC picked up a pilot starring Toni Collette. Please let it be good. Miss her so much. Totally the best actress that directors aren't using which I will Never understand
Cinematic Corner Sati falls for The Handmaiden
Film School Rejects on Stranger Things SAG acceptance speech and season two
Mnpp Jason lets Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) take him on a train of thought and it is a joy as is that movie or at least Gable and Franchot Tone in it
Village Voice Bilge Ebiri's 10 favorites from Sundance include Where is Kyra? and Mudbound
World...
- 2/1/2017
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Red deserts, sweaty brows, scalding sand and swimsuits. Nowhere does summer quite like Australia – and nowhere is it captured better than on film. But how well do you know your classics?
They’re A Weird Mob
Puberty Blues
Age of Consent
The Daughter
These Final Hours
On the Beach
Blackrock
All Men Are Liars
The Overlanders
The Sundowners
The Back of Beyond
Mutiny on the Bounty
Welcome to Woop Woop
Priscilla: Queen of the Desert
Muriel’s Wedding
Red Dog
Road Games
Fair Game
Long Weekend
Dead Calm
The Killing of Angel Street
Newsfront
Heatwave
The Year of Living Dangerously
Wake in Fright
Sunday Too Far Away
The Water Diviner
The Man From Snowy River
The Man From Snowy River
The Water Diviner
Australia
The Silver Brumby
Goldstone
Dead Heart
Babe: Pig in the City
Mystery Road
Bungala Boys
Bra Boys
The Coolangatta Gold
The Four Minute Mile
Crocodile Dundee...
They’re A Weird Mob
Puberty Blues
Age of Consent
The Daughter
These Final Hours
On the Beach
Blackrock
All Men Are Liars
The Overlanders
The Sundowners
The Back of Beyond
Mutiny on the Bounty
Welcome to Woop Woop
Priscilla: Queen of the Desert
Muriel’s Wedding
Red Dog
Road Games
Fair Game
Long Weekend
Dead Calm
The Killing of Angel Street
Newsfront
Heatwave
The Year of Living Dangerously
Wake in Fright
Sunday Too Far Away
The Water Diviner
The Man From Snowy River
The Man From Snowy River
The Water Diviner
Australia
The Silver Brumby
Goldstone
Dead Heart
Babe: Pig in the City
Mystery Road
Bungala Boys
Bra Boys
The Coolangatta Gold
The Four Minute Mile
Crocodile Dundee...
- 1/10/2017
- by Luke Buckmaster
- The Guardian - Film News
‘La La Land’ and ‘Moonlight’ (Courtesy: Dale Robinette; David Bornfriend/A24)
By: Carson Blackwelder
Managing Editor
Nothing is certain at the Oscars, and that absolutely applies to the best picture and best director categories. While it is common for films to win both of these trophies in a given year, sometimes they can go to two different works. There’s a chance that La La Land and Moonlight could split these categories at the upcoming ceremony — but how often does that happen?
Both of these films are considered frontrunners in both the best picture and best director category at the upcoming Oscars. This site’s namesake, The Hollywood Reporter’s Scott Feinberg, lists La La Land — written and directed by Damien Chazelle — and Moonlight — written and directed by Barry Jenkins — as the top two contenders in both categories in his latest check-in on the race. The two films have been...
By: Carson Blackwelder
Managing Editor
Nothing is certain at the Oscars, and that absolutely applies to the best picture and best director categories. While it is common for films to win both of these trophies in a given year, sometimes they can go to two different works. There’s a chance that La La Land and Moonlight could split these categories at the upcoming ceremony — but how often does that happen?
Both of these films are considered frontrunners in both the best picture and best director category at the upcoming Oscars. This site’s namesake, The Hollywood Reporter’s Scott Feinberg, lists La La Land — written and directed by Damien Chazelle — and Moonlight — written and directed by Barry Jenkins — as the top two contenders in both categories in his latest check-in on the race. The two films have been...
- 12/24/2016
- by Carson Blackwelder
- Scott Feinberg
The New York Film Critics Circle was founded way back in 1935 when the Oscars were just 8 years old themselves. In their first year they agreed but disagreed with the Nyfcc choosing The Informer and Oscar following suit with a Best Picture nomination for that but the eventual prize to Mutiny on the Bounty. Not much has really changed since. The Nyfcc aesthetics aren't anti-Oscar but they're just as likely to go slightly left of field with a more challenging option as their #1 as they are to pre-stamp a future winner.
Here's what they chose this year...
Here's what they chose this year...
- 12/1/2016
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
The studios often save the dog days of August for their weakest performers and sure enough, this weekend proved the rule. (In the past, “The Butler” and “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “Straight Outta Compton” did strong business in August.) Yes, “Suicide Squad” grossed over $20 million, as it became the first non-animated film to have a three-peat at number one since “Dead Pool.” But three weak new releases— “Ben-Hur” (Paramount), “War Dogs” (Warner Bros.) and “Kubo and the Two Strings” (Focus) —opened to less than $15-million.
Making it even more challenging for this trio of weak domestic performers to make their money back: None are scheduled to open in China, which is increasingly the second and sometimes biggest single territory for theatrical grosses. That’s a big deal in a studio world increasingly shifting its focus on a sure thing.
The Top Ten
1. Suicide Squad (Warner Bros.) Week 3 – Last weekend...
Making it even more challenging for this trio of weak domestic performers to make their money back: None are scheduled to open in China, which is increasingly the second and sometimes biggest single territory for theatrical grosses. That’s a big deal in a studio world increasingly shifting its focus on a sure thing.
The Top Ten
1. Suicide Squad (Warner Bros.) Week 3 – Last weekend...
- 8/22/2016
- by Tom Brueggemann
- Indiewire
"Batman v. Superman": potential blockbuster or "Cleopatra Redux".
By Lee Pfeiffer
The heavily-hyped Warner Brothers super hero epic "Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice" is one of the most heavily promoted films in years. It's also one of the most expensive. Variety estimates that the film's $250 million production budget plus ancillary marketing costs will make it necessary for the movie to gross $800 worldwide just to break even. You read that right: $800 million. One industry analyst says that anything less than a gross of $1 billion will be considered a disappointment. Warner Brothers contends that those figures don't take into consideration ancillary revenues from video and merchandising. Fair enough, but if a film bombs, generally speaking, the merchandise and video sales do, too. If you doubt it, how many people did you see walking around with "Waterworld" or "Howard the Duck" T shirts? Veteran screenwriter William Goldman once said of the film industry "Nobody knows anything.
By Lee Pfeiffer
The heavily-hyped Warner Brothers super hero epic "Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice" is one of the most heavily promoted films in years. It's also one of the most expensive. Variety estimates that the film's $250 million production budget plus ancillary marketing costs will make it necessary for the movie to gross $800 worldwide just to break even. You read that right: $800 million. One industry analyst says that anything less than a gross of $1 billion will be considered a disappointment. Warner Brothers contends that those figures don't take into consideration ancillary revenues from video and merchandising. Fair enough, but if a film bombs, generally speaking, the merchandise and video sales do, too. If you doubt it, how many people did you see walking around with "Waterworld" or "Howard the Duck" T shirts? Veteran screenwriter William Goldman once said of the film industry "Nobody knows anything.
- 3/19/2016
- by [email protected] (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
The best picture doesn’t always win Best Picture. Sometimes the best film of the year gets robbed. Cinelinx looks at the movies which should have won Best Picture but didn’t.
Whenever the Best Picture winner is announced at the Oscars, sometimes we say, “Yeah, that deserved to win,” but then again, sometimes we say, “Huh? Are they kidding me?!” There are a lot of backstage politics and extenuating factors in Hollywood that can determine which film wins the big trophy. The worthiest film doesn’t always take the statue home. Going back over the 88-year history of the Academy Awards, we look at which films didn’t really deserve to win and the ones which rightfully should have won.
The Best Pictures and the Better Pictures:
1927-8: The Winner-Wings
What should have won: Sunrise (Sunrise was given a special award for Artistic Quality of Production, but it...
Whenever the Best Picture winner is announced at the Oscars, sometimes we say, “Yeah, that deserved to win,” but then again, sometimes we say, “Huh? Are they kidding me?!” There are a lot of backstage politics and extenuating factors in Hollywood that can determine which film wins the big trophy. The worthiest film doesn’t always take the statue home. Going back over the 88-year history of the Academy Awards, we look at which films didn’t really deserve to win and the ones which rightfully should have won.
The Best Pictures and the Better Pictures:
1927-8: The Winner-Wings
What should have won: Sunrise (Sunrise was given a special award for Artistic Quality of Production, but it...
- 2/19/2016
- by [email protected] (Rob Young)
- Cinelinx
By Patrick Shanley
Managing Editor
The Big Short, which won the PGA Awards’ best picture prize over the weekend, may earn Plan B Entertainment founder, and the film’s star, Brad Pitt and co-presidents Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner their second best picture Oscars in just three years. The trio collaborated on 2014’s best picture winner, 12 Years a Slave, and Plan B also produced last year’s best picture nominee, Selma, earning Kleiner and Gardner Oscar noms, as well.
Founded in 2001 by Pitt alongside then-wife Jennifer Aniston and Brad Grey, Plan B has become one of the most successful production companies in Hollywood today, and nominations have been stacking up for its members. After Aniston and Pitt’s divorce in 2006, and Grey’s departure to Paramount, Pitt became the sole owner of the company and enlisted Gardner to be his president. Both Gardner and Pitt also earned best picture nominations...
Managing Editor
The Big Short, which won the PGA Awards’ best picture prize over the weekend, may earn Plan B Entertainment founder, and the film’s star, Brad Pitt and co-presidents Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner their second best picture Oscars in just three years. The trio collaborated on 2014’s best picture winner, 12 Years a Slave, and Plan B also produced last year’s best picture nominee, Selma, earning Kleiner and Gardner Oscar noms, as well.
Founded in 2001 by Pitt alongside then-wife Jennifer Aniston and Brad Grey, Plan B has become one of the most successful production companies in Hollywood today, and nominations have been stacking up for its members. After Aniston and Pitt’s divorce in 2006, and Grey’s departure to Paramount, Pitt became the sole owner of the company and enlisted Gardner to be his president. Both Gardner and Pitt also earned best picture nominations...
- 1/26/2016
- by Patrick Shanley
- Scott Feinberg
Solid, old-school man-versus-nature adventure melodrama, with a simmering green awareness; rollicking, smart, breathtaking, and sobering. I’m “biast” (pro): generally really like Ron Howard’s films; love Chris Hemsworth and Ben Whishaw
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
I have not read the source material
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
In the Heart of the Sea is no Moby Dick. But then, it isn’t trying to be, even if it is based on one real incident that inspired, in part, Herman Melville’s classic American novel. Instead, director Ron Howard has made a film that is solid, old-school man-versus-nature adventure melodrama, as much Mutiny on the Bounty as Cast Away, as much Jaws (and well, wasn’t Moby Dick the original Jaws?) as The Perfect Storm. But The Perfect Storm was underlain with hints of a larger hubris that all of humanity, not just individual people,...
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
I have not read the source material
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
In the Heart of the Sea is no Moby Dick. But then, it isn’t trying to be, even if it is based on one real incident that inspired, in part, Herman Melville’s classic American novel. Instead, director Ron Howard has made a film that is solid, old-school man-versus-nature adventure melodrama, as much Mutiny on the Bounty as Cast Away, as much Jaws (and well, wasn’t Moby Dick the original Jaws?) as The Perfect Storm. But The Perfect Storm was underlain with hints of a larger hubris that all of humanity, not just individual people,...
- 12/9/2015
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
By Patrick Shanley
Managing Editor
Director Tom McCarthy’s true story drama about Boston Globe reporters investigating the local Catholic archdiocese and the surrounding child molestation scandal, Spotlight, is a serious Oscar contender, particularly for its star-studded cast.
The film, which won the best ensemble performance award at this month’s Gotham Awards and the Robert Altman award at the Independent Spirit Awards, boasts serious contenders in the best supporting actor category led by performances from last year’s best actor nominee Michael Keaton and former Oscar-nom Mark Ruffalo.
It seems likely that both Keaton and Ruffalo will receive nominations this year, which would be quite a feat in itself as no film has had two of its actors nominated in the best supporting actor category since Harvey Keitel and Ben Kingsley both earned noms for 1991’s Bugsy (though the supporting actress category has had a number of films with...
Managing Editor
Director Tom McCarthy’s true story drama about Boston Globe reporters investigating the local Catholic archdiocese and the surrounding child molestation scandal, Spotlight, is a serious Oscar contender, particularly for its star-studded cast.
The film, which won the best ensemble performance award at this month’s Gotham Awards and the Robert Altman award at the Independent Spirit Awards, boasts serious contenders in the best supporting actor category led by performances from last year’s best actor nominee Michael Keaton and former Oscar-nom Mark Ruffalo.
It seems likely that both Keaton and Ruffalo will receive nominations this year, which would be quite a feat in itself as no film has had two of its actors nominated in the best supporting actor category since Harvey Keitel and Ben Kingsley both earned noms for 1991’s Bugsy (though the supporting actress category has had a number of films with...
- 11/30/2015
- by Patrick Shanley
- Scott Feinberg
By Patrick Shanley
Managing Editor
Room, the winner of the audience award at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, tells the story of a young mother (Brie Larson) and her five-year-old son (Jacob Tremblay) who are held captive in a single room in which the boy has spent his entire life. The film’s set (the room, itself) is one of the major characters in the film, creating a “claustrophobic and upsetting nature,” as film critic Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter noted in his review.
The set is currently on display just outside of the Landmark Theater in Los Angeles.
The set will very likely produce a nomination for the production design Oscar, which may seem like an unusual accomplishment for a film that is so narrow in its scope and focus. However, given the track record of similarly “self-contained” films with the Academy, the possibility of Room...
Managing Editor
Room, the winner of the audience award at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, tells the story of a young mother (Brie Larson) and her five-year-old son (Jacob Tremblay) who are held captive in a single room in which the boy has spent his entire life. The film’s set (the room, itself) is one of the major characters in the film, creating a “claustrophobic and upsetting nature,” as film critic Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter noted in his review.
The set is currently on display just outside of the Landmark Theater in Los Angeles.
The set will very likely produce a nomination for the production design Oscar, which may seem like an unusual accomplishment for a film that is so narrow in its scope and focus. However, given the track record of similarly “self-contained” films with the Academy, the possibility of Room...
- 11/20/2015
- by Patrick Shanley
- Scott Feinberg
Maureen O'Hara: Queen of Technicolor. Maureen O'Hara movies: TCM tribute Veteran actress and Honorary Oscar recipient Maureen O'Hara, who died at age 95 on Oct. 24, '15, in Boise, Idaho, will be remembered by Turner Classic Movies with a 24-hour film tribute on Friday, Nov. 20. At one point known as “The Queen of Technicolor” – alongside “Eastern” star Maria Montez – the red-headed O'Hara (born Maureen FitzSimons on Aug. 17, 1920, in Ranelagh, County Dublin) was featured in more than 50 movies from 1938 to 1971 – in addition to one brief 1991 comeback (Chris Columbus' Only the Lonely). Maureen O'Hara and John Wayne Setting any hint of modesty aside, Maureen O'Hara wrote in her 2004 autobiography (with John Nicoletti), 'Tis Herself, that “I was the only leading lady big enough and tough enough for John Wayne.” Wayne, for his part, once said (as quoted in 'Tis Herself): There's only one woman who has been my friend over the...
- 10/29/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Charles Brackett ca. 1945: Hollywood diarist and Billy Wilder's co-screenwriter (1936–1949) and producer (1945–1949). Q&A with 'Charles Brackett Diaries' editor Anthony Slide: Billy Wilder's screenwriter-producer partner in his own words Six-time Academy Award winner Billy Wilder is a film legend. He is renowned for classics such as The Major and the Minor, Double Indemnity, Sunset Blvd., Witness for the Prosecution, Some Like It Hot, and The Apartment. The fact that Wilder was not the sole creator of these movies is all but irrelevant to graduates from the Auteur School of Film History. Wilder directed, co-wrote, and at times produced his films. That should suffice. For auteurists, perhaps. But not for those interested in the whole story. That's one key reason why the Charles Brackett diaries are such a great read. Through Brackett's vantage point, they offer a welcome – and unique – glimpse into the collaborative efforts that resulted in...
- 9/25/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Olivia de Havilland on Turner Classic Movies: Your chance to watch 'The Adventures of Robin Hood' for the 384th time Olivia de Havilland is Turner Classic Movies' “Summer Under the Stars” star today, Aug. 2, '15. The two-time Best Actress Oscar winner (To Each His Own, 1946; The Heiress, 1949) whose steely determination helped to change the way studios handled their contract players turned 99 last July 1. Unfortunately, TCM isn't showing any de Havilland movie rarities, e.g., Universal's cool thriller The Dark Mirror (1946), the Paramount comedy The Well-Groomed Bride (1947), or Terence Young's British-made That Lady (1955), with de Havilland as eye-patch-wearing Spanish princess Ana de Mendoza. On the other hand, you'll be able to catch for the 384th time a demure Olivia de Havilland being romanced by a dashing Errol Flynn in The Adventures of Robin Hood, as TCM shows this 1938 period adventure classic just about every month. But who's complaining? One the...
- 8/3/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Legendary composer Ennio Morricone is set to do the score for Quentin Tarantino's "The Hateful Eight," marking his return to the genre after four decades away from a sound he made iconic in Sergio Leone's "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly," "Once Upon a Time in the West" and "A Fistful of Dollars"
Morricone has worked on such famous films as "The Untouchables," "The Thing," "The Mission," "In the Line of Fire," "Cinema Paradiso," "Days of Heaven," "Bugsy" "Disclosure" and "Casualties of War". He previously worked with Tarantino on "Inglorious Basterds" and "Django Unchained".
The revelation was just one of a number of reveals during the Hall H panel at Comic Con for the new Tarantino film. Kurt Russell, Tim Roth, Bruce Dern and Jennifer Jason Leigh were all on hand to show off seven minutes of footage from the film and talk about the new film's presentation.
Morricone has worked on such famous films as "The Untouchables," "The Thing," "The Mission," "In the Line of Fire," "Cinema Paradiso," "Days of Heaven," "Bugsy" "Disclosure" and "Casualties of War". He previously worked with Tarantino on "Inglorious Basterds" and "Django Unchained".
The revelation was just one of a number of reveals during the Hall H panel at Comic Con for the new Tarantino film. Kurt Russell, Tim Roth, Bruce Dern and Jennifer Jason Leigh were all on hand to show off seven minutes of footage from the film and talk about the new film's presentation.
- 7/12/2015
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
San Diego - Quentin Tarantino returned to Comic-Con Saturday after a triumphant "debut" for "Django Unchained" in 2012. Actually, the Oscar-winning filmmaker has been to the convention many times, but usually just as an attendee.* Today Tarantino was on hand to talk about his upcoming thriller "The Hateful Eight" and begin what will clearly be a significant publicity push to inform moviegoers of its roadshow release (more on that later). *Tarantino revealed he was at Comic-Con two years ago, but wore a mask to disguise himself. He spent his time filling out the holes in his comic book collection on the convention floor. Along with Tarantino the Hall H panel featured a majority of "The Hateful Eight" cast including Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Demian Bichir, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen and Bruce Dern. Longtime Tarantino collaborator Samuel L. Jackson couldn't make it in person, but was a part of...
- 7/11/2015
- by Gregory Ellwood
- Hitfix
'Father of the Bride': Steve Martin and Kimberly Williams. Top Five Father's Day Movies? From giant Gregory Peck to tyrant John Gielgud What would be the Top Five Father's Day movies ever made? Well, there have been countless films about fathers and/or featuring fathers of various sizes, shapes, and inclinations. In terms of quality, these range from the amusing – e.g., the 1950 version of Cheaper by the Dozen; the Oscar-nominated The Grandfather – to the nauseating – e.g., the 1950 version of Father of the Bride; its atrocious sequel, Father's Little Dividend. Although I'm unable to come up with the absolute Top Five Father's Day Movies – or rather, just plain Father Movies – ever made, below are the first five (actually six, including a remake) "quality" patriarch-centered films that come to mind. Now, the fathers portrayed in these films aren't all heroic, loving, and/or saintly paternal figures. Several are...
- 6/22/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
This week marks the 10th anniversary of the release of "Crash" (on May 6, 2005), an all-star movie whose controversy came not from its provocative treatment of racial issues but from its Best Picture Oscar victory a few months later, against what many critics felt was a much more deserving movie, "Brokeback Mountain."
The "Crash" vs. "Brokeback" battle is one of those lingering disputes that makes the Academy Awards so fascinating, year after year. Moviegoers and critics who revisit older movies are constantly judging the Academy's judgment. Even decades of hindsight may not always be enough to tell whether the Oscar voters of a particular year got it right or wrong. Whether it's "Birdman" vs. "Boyhood," "The King's Speech" vs. "The Social Network," "Saving Private Ryan" vs. "Shakespeare in Love" or even "An American in Paris" vs. "A Streetcar Named Desire," we're still confirming the Academy's taste or dismissing it as hopelessly off-base years later.
The "Crash" vs. "Brokeback" battle is one of those lingering disputes that makes the Academy Awards so fascinating, year after year. Moviegoers and critics who revisit older movies are constantly judging the Academy's judgment. Even decades of hindsight may not always be enough to tell whether the Oscar voters of a particular year got it right or wrong. Whether it's "Birdman" vs. "Boyhood," "The King's Speech" vs. "The Social Network," "Saving Private Ryan" vs. "Shakespeare in Love" or even "An American in Paris" vs. "A Streetcar Named Desire," we're still confirming the Academy's taste or dismissing it as hopelessly off-base years later.
- 5/6/2015
- by Gary Susman
- Moviefone
Above: Us three-sheet poster for The Private Life of Henry VIII (Alexander Korda, UK, 1933).
The great Charles Laughton may not have been the prettiest of movie stars, but he had a presence that many matinee idols would have killed for (as the current retrospective running at Film Forum will attest). In an era in which glamor was everything, studio marketers may have struggled with how to present Laughton’s unconventional looks and his larger-than-life portrayals of larger-than-life characters (so many monsters, murderers, tyrants, or simply overbearing fathers) to the public. In most of the posters for his most famous film, The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939), he is all but a silhouette, a spoiler alert to his monstrous transformation as Quasimodo. And in some posters for The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933), the film for which he won his first Oscar, Henry is made to look more like the Hans Holbein...
The great Charles Laughton may not have been the prettiest of movie stars, but he had a presence that many matinee idols would have killed for (as the current retrospective running at Film Forum will attest). In an era in which glamor was everything, studio marketers may have struggled with how to present Laughton’s unconventional looks and his larger-than-life portrayals of larger-than-life characters (so many monsters, murderers, tyrants, or simply overbearing fathers) to the public. In most of the posters for his most famous film, The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939), he is all but a silhouette, a spoiler alert to his monstrous transformation as Quasimodo. And in some posters for The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933), the film for which he won his first Oscar, Henry is made to look more like the Hans Holbein...
- 2/21/2015
- by Adrian Curry
- MUBI
Actress Movita Castaneda — the second of Marlon Brando’s three wives, who appeared in such films as Mutiny on the Bounty opposite Clark Gable and Fort Apache with John Wayne — has died. She was believed to be 98. Castaneda died Thursday in a Los Angeles rehabilitation center after suffering a neck injury, a family friend told the Los Angeles Times. Castaneda played Tehani, a beautiful Tahitian who marries one of the insurgent sailors, in the 1935 version of Mutiny on the Bounty. The film was remade in 1962 with Brando, then Castaneda’s husband, playing the Gable role of Fletcher Christian. In
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- 2/17/2015
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
By Anjelica Oswald
Managing Editor
With the DGA Award in hand, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu has become a frontrunner in the best director Oscar race for Birdman.
Only seven winners of the DGA Award have not won the best director Oscar in the 66 years that the Directors Guild of America has given the award. The most recent case was two years ago, when Ben Affleck wasn’t even nominated for the best director Oscar for Argo, which won best picture.
No American has won for best director since 2011 and if Inarritu, who is from Mexico, takes the Oscar this year, the trend will continue. Inarritu could become the second Latin American director to win for best director, following Alfonso Cuaron’s win last year.
In the 86 years since the Academy Awards’ inception, 89 Oscars have been given for best director. Twenty-six awards (29 percent) went to non-American born directors.
At the first annual...
Managing Editor
With the DGA Award in hand, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu has become a frontrunner in the best director Oscar race for Birdman.
Only seven winners of the DGA Award have not won the best director Oscar in the 66 years that the Directors Guild of America has given the award. The most recent case was two years ago, when Ben Affleck wasn’t even nominated for the best director Oscar for Argo, which won best picture.
No American has won for best director since 2011 and if Inarritu, who is from Mexico, takes the Oscar this year, the trend will continue. Inarritu could become the second Latin American director to win for best director, following Alfonso Cuaron’s win last year.
In the 86 years since the Academy Awards’ inception, 89 Oscars have been given for best director. Twenty-six awards (29 percent) went to non-American born directors.
At the first annual...
- 2/11/2015
- by Anjelica Oswald
- Scott Feinberg
By Anjelica Oswald
Managing Editor
Birdman has claimed a number of principal awards this season, including the top awards from the Directors Guild of America, Producers Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild, and is one of the lead contenders in the best picture race.
The film has received nine nominations, including a supporting actor, supporting actress and leading actor nomination. Though the film probably won’t land Oscars in the supporting categories, Michael Keaton has situated himself as a frontrunner in the leading actor category, along with The Theory of Everything’s Eddie Redmayne.
Of the 86 films to win best picture, 36 (42 percent) won without procuring a single Oscar in the acting categories. Seven of those 36 won before the supporting acting categories were implemented at the ninth annual Academy Awards, and 11 of the 36 won without any acting nominations.
If Birdman wins for best picture but Keaton loses to Redmayne, Alejandro...
Managing Editor
Birdman has claimed a number of principal awards this season, including the top awards from the Directors Guild of America, Producers Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild, and is one of the lead contenders in the best picture race.
The film has received nine nominations, including a supporting actor, supporting actress and leading actor nomination. Though the film probably won’t land Oscars in the supporting categories, Michael Keaton has situated himself as a frontrunner in the leading actor category, along with The Theory of Everything’s Eddie Redmayne.
Of the 86 films to win best picture, 36 (42 percent) won without procuring a single Oscar in the acting categories. Seven of those 36 won before the supporting acting categories were implemented at the ninth annual Academy Awards, and 11 of the 36 won without any acting nominations.
If Birdman wins for best picture but Keaton loses to Redmayne, Alejandro...
- 2/10/2015
- by Anjelica Oswald
- Scott Feinberg
It’s December. And you know what that means? It means for every popcorn blockbuster, we get about three Oscar bait movies that are made solely to appease that body of somewhat stodgy Academy voters. Don’t get me wrong – a good portion of the Best Picture winners in history are still some of the greatest films ever made – “The Godfather” (Parts I and II), “Schindler’s List,” etc. But what about those historically good movies that got the nomination, but didn’t take home the prize? What about those popular movies that carried fan support, but lost out to a smaller, most of the time better, film? Well, here they are. This list focuses on those films that may or may not have been produced as Oscar bait, but earned the recognition of “Best Picture nominee,” only to walk away without the big prize. As usual, not in order of worst to best.
- 1/1/2015
- by Joshua Gaul
- SoundOnSight
By Anjelica Oswald
Managing Editor
On Dec. 12, the Academy released a shortlist of 79 songs in contention for best original song at the 87th Academy Awards, but it’s not so easy to predict which songs will be announced as nominees on Jan. 15. You can’t turn to potential best picture nominees — or best animated features, for that matter — to predict which songs make the final cut. Though a number of best picture nominees have also been nominated for best original song, there’s not much correlation between the two.
The original song category was first introduced at the 7th Annual Academy Awards, and the winner was “The Continental” from 1934’s The Gay Divorcee, also nominated for best picture.
Nineteen of the 80 Oscar-winning songs have come from best picture nominees. They are as follows:
“The Continental” — The Gay Divorcee (1934) “Over the Rainbow” — The Wizard of Oz (1939) “Swinging on a Star” — Going My Way...
Managing Editor
On Dec. 12, the Academy released a shortlist of 79 songs in contention for best original song at the 87th Academy Awards, but it’s not so easy to predict which songs will be announced as nominees on Jan. 15. You can’t turn to potential best picture nominees — or best animated features, for that matter — to predict which songs make the final cut. Though a number of best picture nominees have also been nominated for best original song, there’s not much correlation between the two.
The original song category was first introduced at the 7th Annual Academy Awards, and the winner was “The Continental” from 1934’s The Gay Divorcee, also nominated for best picture.
Nineteen of the 80 Oscar-winning songs have come from best picture nominees. They are as follows:
“The Continental” — The Gay Divorcee (1934) “Over the Rainbow” — The Wizard of Oz (1939) “Swinging on a Star” — Going My Way...
- 12/22/2014
- by Anjelica Oswald
- Scott Feinberg
Honorary Oscars have bypassed women: Angela Lansbury, Lauren Bacall among rare exceptions (photo: 2013 Honorary Oscar winner Angela Lansbury and Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award winner Angelina Jolie) September 4, 2014, Introduction: This four-part article on the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Honorary Awards and the dearth of female Honorary Oscar winners was originally posted in February 2007. The article was updated in February 2012 and fully revised before its republication today. All outdated figures regarding the Honorary Oscars and the Academy's other Special Awards have been "scratched out," with the updated numbers and related information inserted below each affected paragraph or text section. See also "Honorary Oscars 2014 addendum" at the bottom of this post. At the 1936 Academy Awards ceremony, groundbreaking film pioneer D.W. Griffith, by then a veteran with more than 500 shorts and features to his credit — among them the epoch-making The Birth of a Nation and Intolerance — became the first individual to...
- 9/4/2014
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
I was glued to the Twitter application of my iPhone Sunday night waiting for the reactions to Bennett Miller's "Foxcatcher" to roll in as the film bowed in Competition at the Cannes Film Festival. It was interesting to watch the first wave of knee-jerks, all of them just a touch muted, I assume because Miller is not a filmmaker whose movies hit you right away. They kind of seep into you the more you spin away from them, and I got the feeling "Foxcatcher" is absolutely one such example. We were all more or less expecting something special out of Steve Carell here. From photos and that early trailer that slipped out last fall, it was clear he had undergone a transformation for the role of multimillionaire murderer John du Pont, both physically and professionally. And indeed, all indications are that it is a career-altering portrayal. Here's one juicy...
- 5/20/2014
- by Kristopher Tapley
- Hitfix
Wally Pfister recently made the move from Dp to Director, with his sci-fi film Transcendence. As Cinematographer, he has notched up an impressive body of work, shooting Christopher Nolan’s entire output (apart from Following) as well as the rightly admired Moneyball and Transcendence is beautifully shot, if nothing else.
But directorial debuts can be a tricky business, even where the director in question has plenty of background in film-making. Take David Goyer for example – fantastic writer, but steps into the director’s chair for Blade Trinity and kills the franchise stone dead. Jan De Bont, by comparison, shot Die Hard, The Hunt for Red October and Black Rain, before directing Speed to pretty much universal acclaim. Sure, his follow up efforts have tanked, but his debut was a corker.
Here are six of the best directorial debuts.
1. Charles Laughton – Night of the Hunter
It is an enduring mystery and...
But directorial debuts can be a tricky business, even where the director in question has plenty of background in film-making. Take David Goyer for example – fantastic writer, but steps into the director’s chair for Blade Trinity and kills the franchise stone dead. Jan De Bont, by comparison, shot Die Hard, The Hunt for Red October and Black Rain, before directing Speed to pretty much universal acclaim. Sure, his follow up efforts have tanked, but his debut was a corker.
Here are six of the best directorial debuts.
1. Charles Laughton – Night of the Hunter
It is an enduring mystery and...
- 4/30/2014
- by Dave Roper
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
This cautionary tale of artificial intelligence suffers from telling an overly familiar story, while the life drains out of 'digitized Oz' Johnny Depp
One of the things that tell us that Johnny Depp has ascended to the first rank of movie stars is that he gets to speak in his own peculiar, hybridised accent. A lot of movie actors from the Golden era forged their own unique vocal patents, from Cary Grants transatlantic mockney to Kate Hepburns high society bray; towards the end of his career, Brando slipped in and out of the British accent he first perfected for Mutiny on the Bounty as if donning a favored pair of slippers. Depp, ever the Brando fan, seems to be following similar course. In his new movie Transcendence, which was directed by Christopher Nolans cinematographer Wally Pfister, and produced by Nolan, Depp plays Dr Will Castor, a rockstar AI scientist with tortoise-shell glasses,...
One of the things that tell us that Johnny Depp has ascended to the first rank of movie stars is that he gets to speak in his own peculiar, hybridised accent. A lot of movie actors from the Golden era forged their own unique vocal patents, from Cary Grants transatlantic mockney to Kate Hepburns high society bray; towards the end of his career, Brando slipped in and out of the British accent he first perfected for Mutiny on the Bounty as if donning a favored pair of slippers. Depp, ever the Brando fan, seems to be following similar course. In his new movie Transcendence, which was directed by Christopher Nolans cinematographer Wally Pfister, and produced by Nolan, Depp plays Dr Will Castor, a rockstar AI scientist with tortoise-shell glasses,...
- 4/17/2014
- by Tom Shone
- The Guardian - Film News
The 85-year history of the Academy Awards is rife with statistical oddities, and one that has the potential to play out this Sunday is among the most intriguing: a split between the films that win Best Picture and Best Director.
Though conventional wisdom has long held that only one film will walk away with both prizes on Oscar night, many pundits are predicting that the awards will instead go to two different movies this year, with "Gravity" director Alfonso Cuaron expected to snag the Best Director statuette, while "12 Years a Slave" (or "American Hustle," depending on where your loyalties lie) is the favorite to win Best Picture.
While such a split has occurred just 22 times since the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences started handing out trophies in 1929, four of the first five ceremonies produced a divide between the Best Director and Best Picture prizes. "Wings," dubbed the original...
Though conventional wisdom has long held that only one film will walk away with both prizes on Oscar night, many pundits are predicting that the awards will instead go to two different movies this year, with "Gravity" director Alfonso Cuaron expected to snag the Best Director statuette, while "12 Years a Slave" (or "American Hustle," depending on where your loyalties lie) is the favorite to win Best Picture.
While such a split has occurred just 22 times since the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences started handing out trophies in 1929, four of the first five ceremonies produced a divide between the Best Director and Best Picture prizes. "Wings," dubbed the original...
- 2/26/2014
- by Katie Roberts
- Moviefone
Seasons of Bette. Episode 2. Nomination #1
As a sidebar to Anne Marie's "A Year With Kate" series (which I hope you're all enjoying as much as I am - see why I comissioned it?), I'm investigating each of Bette Davis's Oscar nominated performances as they appear within the Katharine Hepburn timeline. They're the two titan actresses of Old Hollywood so why not pair them even if indirectly? We previously looked at Of Human Bondage (1934) due to its write-in votes at the Oscars but technically-speaking Nomination #1 arrived the following year in�Dangerous (1935).�
This second Oscar hopeful is so like the first it's as if someone yelled "Do over! And get the nomination this time."�
Again Bette Davis is pursued by a lanky gentleman and failed artist -- 1934's sap was Gone With the Wind's Leslie Howard and 1935 brings us Mutiny on the Bounty's Franchot Tone. They both do it...
As a sidebar to Anne Marie's "A Year With Kate" series (which I hope you're all enjoying as much as I am - see why I comissioned it?), I'm investigating each of Bette Davis's Oscar nominated performances as they appear within the Katharine Hepburn timeline. They're the two titan actresses of Old Hollywood so why not pair them even if indirectly? We previously looked at Of Human Bondage (1934) due to its write-in votes at the Oscars but technically-speaking Nomination #1 arrived the following year in�Dangerous (1935).�
This second Oscar hopeful is so like the first it's as if someone yelled "Do over! And get the nomination this time."�
Again Bette Davis is pursued by a lanky gentleman and failed artist -- 1934's sap was Gone With the Wind's Leslie Howard and 1935 brings us Mutiny on the Bounty's Franchot Tone. They both do it...
- 2/25/2014
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Amazon has two great deals going on right now for a couple of impressive Blu-ray collections. The first is the Bond 50: The Complete 23 Film Collection, which also includes Skyfall along with over 120 hours of extras, including "World of Bond", "Being Bond", "Designing 007: Fifty Years of Bond Style" and "Skyfall Videoblogs" for only $119.99, which is 60% off the $300 list price. This week's deal also includes three HD digital copies of past Bond movies. If you're interested, click here to buy it. Next is the Best of Warner Bros 50 Film Collection, which includes the following 50 titles along with Ultraviolet digital copies of each with the * noting Best Picture winners. Grand Hotel* (1932) Mutiny on the Bounty* (1935) Wizard of Oz (1939) Gone with The Wind* (1939) Maltese Falcon, The (1941) Mrs. Miniver* (1942) Casablanca* (1942) Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The (1948) Streetcar Named Desire, A (1951) American in Paris, An* (1951) Singin' in the Rain (1952) Gigi* (1958) North By Northwest (1959) Ben-Hur...
- 2/19/2014
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Clark Gable really was the King of Hollywood in the 1930s, starring in three Best Picture winners: "It Happened One Night" (1934), "Mutiny on the Bounty" (1935) and "Gone With the Wind" (1939). But which of these films won him his only Best Actor Oscar? Think you know the answer? Then take our quiz below. The rest of the questions aren't as easy as this one unless you are a real Oscar buff. When you are finished, take more quizzes here and see if you can reign as our ultimate kudos quiz champ. One of our posters -- jscanc24 -- has a perfect track record, getting all 127 questions correct. And two posters -- James Sanchez and aminamin -- have missed just one apiece. Check out the full list of our leading achievers. Where do you rank on our leaderboard? -Break- -Insertquiz-...
- 1/29/2014
- Gold Derby
Miscasting in films has always been a problem. A producer hires an actor thinking that he or she is perfect for a movie role only to find the opposite is true. Other times a star is hired for his box office draw but ruins an otherwise good movie because he looks completely out of place.
There have been many humdinger miscastings. You only have to laugh at John Wayne’s Genghis Khan (with Mongol moustache and gun-belt) in The Conqueror (1956), giggle at Marlon Brando’s woeful upper class twang as Fletcher Christian in Mutiny on the Bounty (1962) and cringe at Dick Van Dyke’s misbegotten cockney accent in Mary Poppins (1964). But as hilarious as these miscastings are, producers at the time didn’t think the same way, until after the event. At least they add a bit of camp value to a mediocre or downright awful movie.
In rare cases,...
There have been many humdinger miscastings. You only have to laugh at John Wayne’s Genghis Khan (with Mongol moustache and gun-belt) in The Conqueror (1956), giggle at Marlon Brando’s woeful upper class twang as Fletcher Christian in Mutiny on the Bounty (1962) and cringe at Dick Van Dyke’s misbegotten cockney accent in Mary Poppins (1964). But as hilarious as these miscastings are, producers at the time didn’t think the same way, until after the event. At least they add a bit of camp value to a mediocre or downright awful movie.
In rare cases,...
- 1/24/2014
- Shadowlocked
The 1963 version of Cleopatra is deemed a terrible movie, mostly by people who have never seen or who only have vague memories of it.
Lee,
You do a fantastic job with your reviews in general, but occasionally you do one that resonates with me, and I like to send you a quick note on those occasions. Your review of The Adventurers is one of those times.
You ask: "How, after all, could a film by a major director and featuring a big all-star cast go so completely wrong? The answer is: it didn't. The Adventurers is not high art, but it doesn't deserve its place in the Razzie book of ten worst films of all time."
With that passage, you hit the nail on the head, in my opinion. I watched this movie a couple of years ago and concur with your review. No way this is one of the worst films of all time.
Lee,
You do a fantastic job with your reviews in general, but occasionally you do one that resonates with me, and I like to send you a quick note on those occasions. Your review of The Adventurers is one of those times.
You ask: "How, after all, could a film by a major director and featuring a big all-star cast go so completely wrong? The answer is: it didn't. The Adventurers is not high art, but it doesn't deserve its place in the Razzie book of ten worst films of all time."
With that passage, you hit the nail on the head, in my opinion. I watched this movie a couple of years ago and concur with your review. No way this is one of the worst films of all time.
- 11/5/2013
- by [email protected] (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Shirley Jones: From book to film A few weeks ago, Shirley Jones, 79, made headlines following the publication of her book of memoirs, concisely titled Shirley Jones: A Memoir. But why the headlines? Does Shirley Jones twerk like Miley Cyrus? Nope. (And that may explain why the release of Jones’ book wasn’t selected as CNN.com’s Top Story of the Day.) So, were The Media and The People interested in Jones’ Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for Elmer Gantry, or maybe they were curious about her work in several major 1950s musicals and 1960s comedies? Are you crazy? Who gives a damn about that? The Answer: Let’s just say that the furor had something to do with sweet and innocent all-American bare breasts and three-ways. Keep that in mind next time you watch Oklahoma! (Photo: Shirley Jones ca. 1955.) (On TCM: “Shirley Jones Movies: Innocent Virgins and Sex Workers Galore.
- 8/28/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Before we get to the new releases, Amazon is offering deals on a selection of Warner Home Video Blu-ray Digibook packs which range from $11.49-$17.99 including The Shawshank Redemption, Poltergeist and an excellent choice in Mutiny on the Bounty starring Charles Laughton and Clark Gable, which, in my opinion, is vastly superior to the 1962 Marlon Brando version. Cabaret Camelot Driving Miss Daisy Elvis on Tour Guys and Dolls The Jazz Singer Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) Poltergeist The Shawshank Redemption A Star is Born (1976) With the deals out of the way, here are this week's new releases and new release dates.
To the Wonder After seeing To the Wonder at the Toronto Film Festival last year I called it "a cinematic tone poem", others will find some sort of narrative value in it and others will simply call it a lovely screen saver. It's a beautiful film as is every Terrence Malick film,...
To the Wonder After seeing To the Wonder at the Toronto Film Festival last year I called it "a cinematic tone poem", others will find some sort of narrative value in it and others will simply call it a lovely screen saver. It's a beautiful film as is every Terrence Malick film,...
- 8/6/2013
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
The History of Aspect Ratio
In this 18-minute educational video by FilmmakerIQ, John Hess details the history of the cinematic aspect ratio, from 4:3 to 16:9, 1.85:1 to 2.39:1.
Here is a timeline of each aspect ratio as well as some notable films that utilized them.
Original Silent Film (1892) - 1.33:1
- Established by William Dickson and Thomas Edison Academy Ratio (1932) - 1.37:1
- All sound films from 1932 to 1955 were shot in Academy ratio Cinerama (1952) - 2.59:1
- This is Cinerama, The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm CinemaScope (1953) - 2.35:1
- The Robe, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, The Seven Year Itch VistaVision (1954) - 1.85:1
- White Christmas, To Catch a Thief, North by Northwest Todd-ao (1955) - 2.20:1
- Oklahoma!, Cleopatra, The Sound of Music MGM Camera 65 (1957) - 2.76:1
- Raintree County, Ben-Hur Ultra Panavision 70 (1957) - 2.76:1
- How the West Was Won, It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World,...
In this 18-minute educational video by FilmmakerIQ, John Hess details the history of the cinematic aspect ratio, from 4:3 to 16:9, 1.85:1 to 2.39:1.
Here is a timeline of each aspect ratio as well as some notable films that utilized them.
Original Silent Film (1892) - 1.33:1
- Established by William Dickson and Thomas Edison Academy Ratio (1932) - 1.37:1
- All sound films from 1932 to 1955 were shot in Academy ratio Cinerama (1952) - 2.59:1
- This is Cinerama, The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm CinemaScope (1953) - 2.35:1
- The Robe, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, The Seven Year Itch VistaVision (1954) - 1.85:1
- White Christmas, To Catch a Thief, North by Northwest Todd-ao (1955) - 2.20:1
- Oklahoma!, Cleopatra, The Sound of Music MGM Camera 65 (1957) - 2.76:1
- Raintree County, Ben-Hur Ultra Panavision 70 (1957) - 2.76:1
- How the West Was Won, It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World,...
- 7/10/2013
- Hollywonk
Book by a Harvard scholar argues that Us producers in the 1930s 'collaborated' with the Nazis with cuts to films and self-censorship
The author of a controversial book causing a stir in Hollywood for exposing collaboration between the major studios and Nazi Germany in the runup to the second world war has defended his claims to the Observer.
Harvard scholar Ben Urwand, who spent a decade sifting through German and American archives, said: "I want to bring out a hidden episode in Hollywood history and an episode that has not been reported accurately."
Urwand's interpretation of the relationship is disputed by other scholars of the period. He claims that Hollywood studio chiefs, many of them recent eastern European Jewish refugees, enthusiastically worked with Hitler's censors to alter films or even cancel productions entirely in order to protect access to the German film market. "In the 1930s the Hollywood studios not...
The author of a controversial book causing a stir in Hollywood for exposing collaboration between the major studios and Nazi Germany in the runup to the second world war has defended his claims to the Observer.
Harvard scholar Ben Urwand, who spent a decade sifting through German and American archives, said: "I want to bring out a hidden episode in Hollywood history and an episode that has not been reported accurately."
Urwand's interpretation of the relationship is disputed by other scholars of the period. He claims that Hollywood studio chiefs, many of them recent eastern European Jewish refugees, enthusiastically worked with Hitler's censors to alter films or even cancel productions entirely in order to protect access to the German film market. "In the 1930s the Hollywood studios not...
- 6/29/2013
- by Edward Helmore
- The Guardian - Film News
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