Throughout the 1950s, big-budget musicals were de rigueur for Hollywood, and there was a sudden glut of epics that sported gigantic budgets, recognizable stars, and no small amount of studio hype. Such films were exhibited as touring roadshow productions, which was a great way for films to make fistfuls of cash. Roadshow epics were also, it should be noted, a concerted ploy by studios to distract audiences from the rising threat of television. Studios felt the need to invest a lot of money into musicals and epics, hoping the massive productions could draw people into theaters and keep the industry afloat.
One might logically predict, however, that Hollywood tried to ride the trend of epics for a little longer than was healthy, and foolish overspending eventually became common. The age of the "roadshow epic" pretty much came to a close with the release of the notorious bomb "Cleopatra" in 1963.
But then,...
One might logically predict, however, that Hollywood tried to ride the trend of epics for a little longer than was healthy, and foolish overspending eventually became common. The age of the "roadshow epic" pretty much came to a close with the release of the notorious bomb "Cleopatra" in 1963.
But then,...
- 6/3/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Note: This article discusses sexual misconduct and abuse.
As much as I roll my eyes at Joe Russo blaming Marvel's pandemic-era box office woes on the children, he's right about one thing: Hollywood, like the world at large, is at a crossroads at the time of this writing. Superhero films, which have been the bread and butter of the industry for most of the 21st century, are no longer a reliable draw. We also find ourselves in a curious place where franchise fatigue seems to be settling in, yet it remains challenging for anything that isn't based on an IP to find financial success. At the same time, the growing popularity of smaller and scrappier fare from studios like A24 could point to a way forward.
It's a lot like the 1960s, when you think about it. By the end of that decade, the American New Wave was in full swing.
As much as I roll my eyes at Joe Russo blaming Marvel's pandemic-era box office woes on the children, he's right about one thing: Hollywood, like the world at large, is at a crossroads at the time of this writing. Superhero films, which have been the bread and butter of the industry for most of the 21st century, are no longer a reliable draw. We also find ourselves in a curious place where franchise fatigue seems to be settling in, yet it remains challenging for anything that isn't based on an IP to find financial success. At the same time, the growing popularity of smaller and scrappier fare from studios like A24 could point to a way forward.
It's a lot like the 1960s, when you think about it. By the end of that decade, the American New Wave was in full swing.
- 5/17/2024
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
Is "Jaws" the greatest movie ever made? An impossible question to answer, but it's my favorite and the one I've rewatched the most as an adult. I've been lucky enough to see it in theaters a couple of times, including for the IMAX restoration in 2022. As gorgeous as "Jaws" looked in IMAX, the trailer for the restoration is downright uncanny. Almost 50-year-old footage is cut together with modern trailer editing rhythm, from the jumpiness to turning Chief Martin Brody's (Roy Scheider) "You're gonna need a bigger boat" line into the kind of funny stinger you might see in a Marvel Studios trailer.
Now, in the movie, that line happens right after the jump scare where the shark first appears, rearing up behind Brody as he's throwing chum off the stern of The Orca, Quint's (Robert Shaw) fishing boat. Brody's back is turned when the shark breaches the water,...
Now, in the movie, that line happens right after the jump scare where the shark first appears, rearing up behind Brody as he's throwing chum off the stern of The Orca, Quint's (Robert Shaw) fishing boat. Brody's back is turned when the shark breaches the water,...
- 4/14/2024
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
Steven Spielberg’s 1975 cult-classic film Jaws remains one of the greatest films of all time and is considered the definitive shark film by many, but fans would be shocked to know that he was not originally the director attached to the project. Indeed, it would be difficult to imagine another filmmaker stepping into the boat.
Jaws (1975)
How the famed filmmaker got the gig was quite an interesting one. Although he was not the first choice, he made the film his own even though it cost him so much mental and emotional stress.
Steven Spielberg Was Not The First Choice To Direct Jaws
In an interview for Laurent Bouzereau’s book Spielberg: The First Ten Years via Vanity Fair, director Steven Spielberg revealed how he snagged the project that was already in the hands of another creative.
“That was that, until I got a call from Dick asking me to come meet with him and David.
Jaws (1975)
How the famed filmmaker got the gig was quite an interesting one. Although he was not the first choice, he made the film his own even though it cost him so much mental and emotional stress.
Steven Spielberg Was Not The First Choice To Direct Jaws
In an interview for Laurent Bouzereau’s book Spielberg: The First Ten Years via Vanity Fair, director Steven Spielberg revealed how he snagged the project that was already in the hands of another creative.
“That was that, until I got a call from Dick asking me to come meet with him and David.
- 4/8/2024
- by Ariane Cruz
- FandomWire
What if Bruce, the mechanical shark in "Jaws," had actually worked? It's one of the biggest what-ifs in Hollywood history. While the movie's Great White Shark may have been "a perfect engine" (to quote Richard Dreyfuss' bespectacled scientist Matt Hooper), Bruce -- who got its moniker from Steven Spielberg's lawyer, Bruce Ramer -- was anything but. Because of this, Spielberg and editor Verna Fields were forced to reconfigure the film's raw footage to avoid showing "The Great White Turd" (as the movie's crew came to call it) as much as possible. What emerged was a triumph of minimalistic horror filmmaking where what you don't see is just as terrifying as what you do, if not more so.
But what if Spielberg had never gotten to direct one of his all-time best movies to begin with? It's easy to recognize in hindsight that ol' Stevie Boy was fated to adapt Peter Benchley's pulpy best-seller,...
But what if Spielberg had never gotten to direct one of his all-time best movies to begin with? It's easy to recognize in hindsight that ol' Stevie Boy was fated to adapt Peter Benchley's pulpy best-seller,...
- 4/7/2024
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
What Oscar records will be broken and which ones will remain intact at the 96th Academy Awards ceremony March 10. With a win, Billie Eilish, 22, and Finneas, 26, would become the youngest artists ever to win two Oscars before the age of 30. The pair won for James Bond theme “No Time to Die” in 2022, and are nominated this year for “What Was I Made For,” from “Barbie.” Only three individuals have clinched two Oscars before turning 30: Luise Rainer earned back to back Oscars by the time she was 28 for “The Great Ziegfeld” (1936) and “The Good Earth” (1937); Jodie Foster in 1989 for “The Accused” (age 26) and in 1992 for “The Silence of the Lambs” (29); and Hilary Swank in 2000 for “Boys Don’t Cry” (26) and in 2005 for “Million Dollar Baby” (29).
Meanwhile, Diane Warren faces a less enviable milestone with her 15th nomination for “The Fire Inside” from “Flamin’ Hot,” potentially tying with the late Alex North...
Meanwhile, Diane Warren faces a less enviable milestone with her 15th nomination for “The Fire Inside” from “Flamin’ Hot,” potentially tying with the late Alex North...
- 3/8/2024
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any individual contender. As other formal (and informal) polls suggest, competitions are fluid and subject to change based on buzz and events. Predictions are updated every Thursday.
Visit the prediction pages for the respective ceremonies via the links below:
Oscars | Emmys | Grammys | Tonys
2024 Oscars Predictions:
Best Picture
Weekly Commentary: Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster biopic “Oppenheimer,” narrating the saga of the father of the atomic bomb, is poised to sweep the Oscars. Having clinched every major guild and industry accolade – BAFTA, Critics Choice, Golden Globes, DGA, PGA, and SAG – it’s the first...
Visit the prediction pages for the respective ceremonies via the links below:
Oscars | Emmys | Grammys | Tonys
2024 Oscars Predictions:
Best Picture
Weekly Commentary: Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster biopic “Oppenheimer,” narrating the saga of the father of the atomic bomb, is poised to sweep the Oscars. Having clinched every major guild and industry accolade – BAFTA, Critics Choice, Golden Globes, DGA, PGA, and SAG – it’s the first...
- 3/7/2024
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Planet of the Apes is one of the most successful and durable science fiction franchises in Hollywood history. Starting in 1968 with the original film, the Apes series has generated more than $2.1 billion in box office grosses over the course of just nine movies, with a highly-anticipated 10th entry, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, due for release this May. The property has also spawned both a live-action and animated TV series, books, comics, video games, and toys – the latter produced in the wake of the first film’s success and arguably the template for future movie merchandising campaigns.
And yet, as we’ve seen over and over again with blockbuster pop culture milestones like Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, and numerous others, Hollywood at the beginning was loathe to touch the property. After publicist-turned-producer Arthur P. Jacobs secured the rights to the novel upon which the original film was based,...
And yet, as we’ve seen over and over again with blockbuster pop culture milestones like Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, and numerous others, Hollywood at the beginning was loathe to touch the property. After publicist-turned-producer Arthur P. Jacobs secured the rights to the novel upon which the original film was based,...
- 2/15/2024
- by Don Kaye
- Den of Geek
For most of us, the Planet of the Apes movies have always been around. Spanning five decades and ten movies – and counting – it’s hard to imagine a world without that race of hyper-intelligent monkeys and their everlasting war against man. We take this extended universe for granted, but it wasn’t always this way. It’s probably not hard to believe that at one time, the concept of a world populated by talking apes wasn’t thought of as a box office draw, and if it hadn’t been for the determination of a handful of true believers in the material, we may never have gotten one movie, let alone an entire franchise. So let’s go back in time a bit to a world without Dr. Zaius and the gang and find out Wtf Happened to Planet of the Apes?
We’re going back as far as 1963, when...
We’re going back as far as 1963, when...
- 1/31/2024
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
The Palm Beverly Hills has closed. Long the shorthand for industry power dining, it was for years run by Bruce Bozzi, the fourth generation in the family steakhouse business. A complicated court battle led to a 2020 sale to the hospitality firm Landry’s, whose brands include Del Frisco’s, Mastro’s and Morton’s. Below, Bozzi — husband of CAA co-chair Bryan Lourd and buzzy podcaster — sums up the storied, singular, nearly half-century run of the restaurant, which opened in West Hollywood in 1975 (where it was known for the many celebrity caricatures on the walls) and moved to Beverly Hills in 2014.
***
You won’t be able to tell the story of Hollywood without The Palm. It’s where on the same day you’d find Richard Zanuck in one booth, Bernie Brillstein in another and Mike Ovitz in a third. My favorite screen memory is Karen Walker in Will & Grace...
***
You won’t be able to tell the story of Hollywood without The Palm. It’s where on the same day you’d find Richard Zanuck in one booth, Bernie Brillstein in another and Mike Ovitz in a third. My favorite screen memory is Karen Walker in Will & Grace...
- 10/17/2023
- by Bruce Bozzi and As told to Gary Baum
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Film Independent is currently in the middle of a Matching Campaign to raise support for the next 30 years of filmmaker support. All donations make before or on September 15 will be doubled—dollar-for-dollar up to $100,000. To celebrate the campaign, we’re re-posting a few of our most popular blogs.
From Olivia Colman’s fraught sojourn to the Greek Isles in The Lost Daughter to Jessie Buckley’s terrifying trip up the M5 to the English countryside in Men and M. Night’s bummer beaches in Old, taking a little “me time” away from home is often the single biggest mistake any movie character could possibly make. Horror, psychological drama, comedy, mystery, rom-com. The genre hardly matters. In film, the simple act of taking a vacation is rarely the relaxing, restorative interlude one hopes that it might be, placing uneasy personalities in uncertain—even harrowing—circumstances.
So with Labor Day weekend upon...
From Olivia Colman’s fraught sojourn to the Greek Isles in The Lost Daughter to Jessie Buckley’s terrifying trip up the M5 to the English countryside in Men and M. Night’s bummer beaches in Old, taking a little “me time” away from home is often the single biggest mistake any movie character could possibly make. Horror, psychological drama, comedy, mystery, rom-com. The genre hardly matters. In film, the simple act of taking a vacation is rarely the relaxing, restorative interlude one hopes that it might be, placing uneasy personalities in uncertain—even harrowing—circumstances.
So with Labor Day weekend upon...
- 9/1/2023
- by Matt Warren
- Film Independent News & More
(Welcome to Tales from the Box Office, our column that examines box office miracles, disasters, and everything in between, as well as what we can learn from them.)
It happens every so often: two Hollywood movies come out around the same time, with a shockingly similar premise. There was "Top Gun" and "Iron Eagle" in 1986, "Dante's Peak" and "Volcano" in 1997, and in more recent times, "Hercules" and "The Legend of Hercules" in 2014. But the most infamous of these twin films battles took place in the summer of '98, when "Deep Impact" went up against "Armageddon" as the two asteroid disaster flicks battled it out for box office supremacy. Ultimately, Michael Bay's "Armageddon" came out on top.
It's not as though director Mimi Leder's "Deep Impact" was a failure — in fact, by many metrics, it was a gigantic success. It's just that it wasn't quite as big as Bay's bombastic spectacle starring Bruce Willis,...
It happens every so often: two Hollywood movies come out around the same time, with a shockingly similar premise. There was "Top Gun" and "Iron Eagle" in 1986, "Dante's Peak" and "Volcano" in 1997, and in more recent times, "Hercules" and "The Legend of Hercules" in 2014. But the most infamous of these twin films battles took place in the summer of '98, when "Deep Impact" went up against "Armageddon" as the two asteroid disaster flicks battled it out for box office supremacy. Ultimately, Michael Bay's "Armageddon" came out on top.
It's not as though director Mimi Leder's "Deep Impact" was a failure — in fact, by many metrics, it was a gigantic success. It's just that it wasn't quite as big as Bay's bombastic spectacle starring Bruce Willis,...
- 5/13/2023
- by Ryan Scott
- Slash Film
Tár writer/director Todd Field discusses a few of his favorite movies with Josh Olson and Joe Dante.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
You Only Live Twice (1967) – Dana Gould’s trailer commentary
Tár (2022)
Man With A Movie Camera (1929)
Battleship Potemkin (1925)
Koyaanisqatsi (1982)
The Big Parade (1925)
Lawrence Of Arabia (1962)
The Crowd (1928)
Star Wars (1977)
The Servant (1963)
Parasite (2019) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review, Dennis Cozzalio’s review
The Three Musketeers (1973) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
Figures In A Landscape (1970)
M (1931)
M (1951)
I Am Cuba (1964)
The Cranes Are Flying (1957) – Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review
Letter Never Sent (1960)
Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (1965)
Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid (1969)
The Towering Inferno (1974) – George Hickenlooper’s trailer commentary
The Great Waldo Pepper (1975)
The Sting (1973)
The World of Henry Orient (1964) – Larry Karaszewski’s trailer commentary
Thelma And Louise (1991)
Murmur Of The Heart (1971)
The Silent World (1956)
Opening Night (1977)
The Killing Of A Chinese Bookie (1976) – Larry Karaszewski’s...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
You Only Live Twice (1967) – Dana Gould’s trailer commentary
Tár (2022)
Man With A Movie Camera (1929)
Battleship Potemkin (1925)
Koyaanisqatsi (1982)
The Big Parade (1925)
Lawrence Of Arabia (1962)
The Crowd (1928)
Star Wars (1977)
The Servant (1963)
Parasite (2019) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review, Dennis Cozzalio’s review
The Three Musketeers (1973) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
Figures In A Landscape (1970)
M (1931)
M (1951)
I Am Cuba (1964)
The Cranes Are Flying (1957) – Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review
Letter Never Sent (1960)
Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (1965)
Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid (1969)
The Towering Inferno (1974) – George Hickenlooper’s trailer commentary
The Great Waldo Pepper (1975)
The Sting (1973)
The World of Henry Orient (1964) – Larry Karaszewski’s trailer commentary
Thelma And Louise (1991)
Murmur Of The Heart (1971)
The Silent World (1956)
Opening Night (1977)
The Killing Of A Chinese Bookie (1976) – Larry Karaszewski’s...
- 1/10/2023
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
The original "Planet of the Apes" remains one of the best sci-fi movies of all time. This is a movie with incredible makeup effects that hold up to this day, an air-tight script with poignant social commentary co-written by "The Twilight Zone" creator Rod Serling, and a stellar performance by Roddy McDowall.
Of course, the film is arguably best remembered for having one of the greatest and most memorable twist endings in all of cinema, which Tim Burton utterly failed to replicate. The ending of "Planet of the Apes" has been referenced and parodied to death for decades — though, if you somehow have remained unsullied until now, we will not ruin it. It is also an ending that is rather hard to top, though that didn't stop Twentieth Century Fox from trying.
One thing that makes the "Planet of the Apes" franchise so unique is that it is an extremely...
Of course, the film is arguably best remembered for having one of the greatest and most memorable twist endings in all of cinema, which Tim Burton utterly failed to replicate. The ending of "Planet of the Apes" has been referenced and parodied to death for decades — though, if you somehow have remained unsullied until now, we will not ruin it. It is also an ending that is rather hard to top, though that didn't stop Twentieth Century Fox from trying.
One thing that makes the "Planet of the Apes" franchise so unique is that it is an extremely...
- 1/8/2023
- by Rafael Motamayor
- Slash Film
The Jaws movie series is one of the greatest suspense thrillers. Produced and distributed by Universal Pictures, the series had a troubled production, owing to its over budget and behind schedule.
However, the series grabbed three Academy Awards, including best film editing, original dramatic score, and sound.
Viewers of Jaws movie can be stunned at the quality and realism of the film made in 1975. Directed by Steven Spielberg, cast of Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, and Richard Dreyfuss, the movie captures pure terror in scenes.
Many viewers believe that the original Jaws movie produced in 1975 is a classic film among all the Jaws series. “Jaws” was so successful that it led to three sequels.
The four films have earned nearly 800 million worldwide at the box office. Despite the success of these films, critics and audiences were largely dissatisfied with the sequels.
The original Jaws movie, directed by Steven Spielberg, is a...
However, the series grabbed three Academy Awards, including best film editing, original dramatic score, and sound.
Viewers of Jaws movie can be stunned at the quality and realism of the film made in 1975. Directed by Steven Spielberg, cast of Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, and Richard Dreyfuss, the movie captures pure terror in scenes.
Many viewers believe that the original Jaws movie produced in 1975 is a classic film among all the Jaws series. “Jaws” was so successful that it led to three sequels.
The four films have earned nearly 800 million worldwide at the box office. Despite the success of these films, critics and audiences were largely dissatisfied with the sequels.
The original Jaws movie, directed by Steven Spielberg, is a...
- 11/30/2022
- by Israr
- buddytv.com
In silver screen Westerns, fantasy paints over reality. Real-life figures of that era, from lawmen like Wyatt Earp to outlaws like Jesse James, are as much heroes of cinema as fictional ones like the Man with No Name.
"Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" is one of the most famous cases of the former. It's also an unusual Western; its focus is foremost on character and comedy, while shootouts are secondary. It has an unconventional structure, with both a half-hour long chase scene that sustains suspense all the way, mixed with leisurely, vignette-structured pacing of contemporary New Hollywood films. When the film debuted in 1969, Westerns were on their way out. Reflecting history and the genre's twilight, "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" end with the pair dying at the hands of the Bolivian army.
Screenwriter William Goldman was attracted to the story of Cassidy and Sundance because it was unusual for a cowboy,...
"Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" is one of the most famous cases of the former. It's also an unusual Western; its focus is foremost on character and comedy, while shootouts are secondary. It has an unconventional structure, with both a half-hour long chase scene that sustains suspense all the way, mixed with leisurely, vignette-structured pacing of contemporary New Hollywood films. When the film debuted in 1969, Westerns were on their way out. Reflecting history and the genre's twilight, "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" end with the pair dying at the hands of the Bolivian army.
Screenwriter William Goldman was attracted to the story of Cassidy and Sundance because it was unusual for a cowboy,...
- 10/24/2022
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
In a lot of ways, one of the reasons "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" remains such an enduring western is because it wasn't afraid to break some genre rules. Both screenwriter William Goldman and director George Roy Hill injected their own idiosyncrasies into this retelling of the two infamous outlaws. It's why the movie has just as many laughs as it does shootouts — fluctuating perfectly between slapstick and dryly delivered one-liners. Hill even went out of his way to remove some of its funnier moments after he decided the audience was laughing too much at a screening.
But such tonal shifts are exactly what makes "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" so unique and mold-breaking. Like the Burt Bacharach soundtracked bicycle montage scene in which he lulls away at "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" — which was actually written for the film. At worst jarringly anachronistic, the presence of...
But such tonal shifts are exactly what makes "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" so unique and mold-breaking. Like the Burt Bacharach soundtracked bicycle montage scene in which he lulls away at "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" — which was actually written for the film. At worst jarringly anachronistic, the presence of...
- 10/15/2022
- by Steven Ward
- Slash Film
If Steven Spielberg had his way in 1974, he would've left "Jaws" during preproduction and signed on to direct the prohibition-era comedy "Lucky Lady." If you're asking, "What the heck was 'Lucky Lady'," well, we'll get to that.
Let's skip back a year to 1973. Spielberg had just completed "The Sugarland Express" for producers Richard D. Zanuck and David Brown, and was hearing rumblings about one of the duo's latest acquisitions: a soon-to-be-published novel titled "Jaws" by Peter Benchley. Spielberg wanted the gig, but Zanuck and Brown had already assigned it to Dick Richards on the strength of his critically acclaimed directorial debut, "The Culpepper...
The post Steven Spielberg Worried Jaws Would Sink His Young Career appeared first on /Film.
Let's skip back a year to 1973. Spielberg had just completed "The Sugarland Express" for producers Richard D. Zanuck and David Brown, and was hearing rumblings about one of the duo's latest acquisitions: a soon-to-be-published novel titled "Jaws" by Peter Benchley. Spielberg wanted the gig, but Zanuck and Brown had already assigned it to Dick Richards on the strength of his critically acclaimed directorial debut, "The Culpepper...
The post Steven Spielberg Worried Jaws Would Sink His Young Career appeared first on /Film.
- 6/20/2022
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
“There are some fish that cannot be caught. It’s not that they are faster or stronger than other fish, they’re just touched by something extra.”
Tim Burton’s Big Fish will be available on 4K Ultra HD May 4th. Throughout his life Edward Bloom (Ewan McGregor) has always been a man of big appetites, enormous passions and tall tales. In his later years, portrayed by five-time Best Actor Oscar nominee Albert Finney, he remains a huge mystery to his son, William (Billy Crudup). Now, to get to know the real man, Will begins piecing together a true picture of his father from flashbacks of his amazing adventures in this marvel of a movie.
Disc Details & Bonus Material
4K Ultra HD Disc
Newly Remastered in 4K resolution from the original camera negative, with HDR10All-new Dolby Atmos audio + original theatrical 5.1 audio
Blu-ray Disc
Feature presented in HD, sourced from...
Tim Burton’s Big Fish will be available on 4K Ultra HD May 4th. Throughout his life Edward Bloom (Ewan McGregor) has always been a man of big appetites, enormous passions and tall tales. In his later years, portrayed by five-time Best Actor Oscar nominee Albert Finney, he remains a huge mystery to his son, William (Billy Crudup). Now, to get to know the real man, Will begins piecing together a true picture of his father from flashbacks of his amazing adventures in this marvel of a movie.
Disc Details & Bonus Material
4K Ultra HD Disc
Newly Remastered in 4K resolution from the original camera negative, with HDR10All-new Dolby Atmos audio + original theatrical 5.1 audio
Blu-ray Disc
Feature presented in HD, sourced from...
- 2/22/2021
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Universal City, California, April 17, 2020 – In 1975, acclaimed director Steven Spielberg created the first-ever summer blockbuster film and his first big hit, Jaws, the iconic and terrifying action-thriller that still makes audiences afraid to go in the water. Winner of three Academy Awards®, including Best Original Score, Jaws has become a cinematic touchstone for generations of moviegoers and one of the greatest and most influential films of all time. Universal Pictures Home Entertainment celebrates with the Jaws 45Th Anniversary Limited Edition available on 4K Ultra HD for the first time ever on June 2, 2020. This limited edition Combo Pack with lenticular packaging includes a 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and Digital code of the film along with over three hours of bonus features and a 44-page booklet with introductions, rare photos, storyboards and more from the archives. Dive into hours of bonus features including the making of Jaws, deleted scenes, outtakes from the set and much more!
- 4/17/2020
- by ComicMix Staff
- Comicmix.com
Although it may be difficult to believe, it's been nearly half a century since Steven Spielberg's Jaws (based on Peter Benchley's novel of the same name) took a bite out of theaters and forever changed cinema as we know it. To celebrate the movie's latest milestone, Universal is releasing Jaws on 4K Ultra HD in a special 45th anniversary limited edition on June 2nd, and we've been provided with the full list of bonus features fans can look forward to:
Press Release: Universal City, California, April 17, 2020 – In 1975, acclaimed director Steven Spielberg created the first ever summer blockbuster film and his first big hit, Jaws, the iconic and terrifying action-thriller that still makes audiences afraid to go in the water. Winner of three Academy Awards®, including Best Original Score, Jaws has become a cinematic touchstone for generations of moviegoers and one of the greatest and most influential films of all time.
Press Release: Universal City, California, April 17, 2020 – In 1975, acclaimed director Steven Spielberg created the first ever summer blockbuster film and his first big hit, Jaws, the iconic and terrifying action-thriller that still makes audiences afraid to go in the water. Winner of three Academy Awards®, including Best Original Score, Jaws has become a cinematic touchstone for generations of moviegoers and one of the greatest and most influential films of all time.
- 4/17/2020
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
The Hero Nation Index is a Monday round-up of news from Deadline’s coverage of the genre sector.
Get With It: The highest-grossing R-rated horror film in Hollywood history (if tallied by unadjusted international grosses) is It, the terrific 2017 release from Warner Bros and New Line Cinema that adapted the first half of Stephen King’s massive 1986 novel. After watching the must-see trailer for It: Chapter Two, I’d say it’s a good bet that record book will need revising again before Thanksgiving. The sequel opens on Sept. 6 and continues the saga of a group of childhood friends who confront a depraved supernatural predator that appears as a leering clown while gorging on the youth of Derry, Maine. It: Chapter Two has an impressive cast, too, led by James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain, Bill Hader, Finn Wolfhard, and Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise the Laughing Clown.
Get With It: The highest-grossing R-rated horror film in Hollywood history (if tallied by unadjusted international grosses) is It, the terrific 2017 release from Warner Bros and New Line Cinema that adapted the first half of Stephen King’s massive 1986 novel. After watching the must-see trailer for It: Chapter Two, I’d say it’s a good bet that record book will need revising again before Thanksgiving. The sequel opens on Sept. 6 and continues the saga of a group of childhood friends who confront a depraved supernatural predator that appears as a leering clown while gorging on the youth of Derry, Maine. It: Chapter Two has an impressive cast, too, led by James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain, Bill Hader, Finn Wolfhard, and Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise the Laughing Clown.
- 5/13/2019
- by Geoff Boucher
- Deadline Film + TV
Here’s something I never expected to see: I ran to the blaxploitation attraction Willie Dynamite because I like actress Diana Sands, and it’s her last picture in a too-short career. But the main character on view, a gaudy fur-wearing pimp, is played by none other than Roscoe Orman, well known to a couple of generations of kids as none other than ‘Gordon’ in the long-running TV show Sesame Street. It’s like watching MisterRogers play Hannibal Lecter!
Willie Dynamite
Blu-ray
Arrow Video
1974 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 102 min. / Street Date January 8, 2019 / Available from Arrow Video / 39.95
Starring: Roscoe Orman, Diana Sands, Thalmus Rasulala, Joyce Walker, Roger Robinson, George Murdock, Albert Hall, Norma Donaldson, Juanita Brown, Royce Wallace, Tol Avery, Robert DoQui, Slim Gaillard.
Cinematography: Frank Stanley
Film Editor: Aaron Stell
Original Music: J.J. Johnson
Written by Ron Cutler & Joe Keyes Jr.
Produced by Richard D. Zanuck, David Brown
Directed by Gilbert Moses...
Willie Dynamite
Blu-ray
Arrow Video
1974 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 102 min. / Street Date January 8, 2019 / Available from Arrow Video / 39.95
Starring: Roscoe Orman, Diana Sands, Thalmus Rasulala, Joyce Walker, Roger Robinson, George Murdock, Albert Hall, Norma Donaldson, Juanita Brown, Royce Wallace, Tol Avery, Robert DoQui, Slim Gaillard.
Cinematography: Frank Stanley
Film Editor: Aaron Stell
Original Music: J.J. Johnson
Written by Ron Cutler & Joe Keyes Jr.
Produced by Richard D. Zanuck, David Brown
Directed by Gilbert Moses...
- 1/8/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Charlton Heston didn’t hesitate when producer Arthur Jacobs asked him to star in a new sci-fi film as an astronaut who crashes on a planet ruled by talking apes. "I liked the idea of the talking monkeys and a different civilization," said the actor of 1968’s Planet of the Apes. No studio went wild for the idea until producer Richard D. Zanuck and Jacobs convinced 20th Century Fox to give it a go. "It ended up being one of their biggest hits," Thomas R. Burman, a makeup tech on the film, raves to Closer. "Second to The Sound of Music!" (Photo Credit: Getty Images) The movie spawned four sequels, a TV series, and a 2001 reboot that revived the franchise. Andy Serkis, who played the chimp Caesar in the new films, says the original movie’s impact has lasted 50 years because it felt "prophetic and truthful. It’s such an...
- 3/28/2018
- by Closer Staff
- Closer Weekly
Los Angeles – We can’t rebuild him, but we can honor him. Richard Anderson, best known for portraying Oscar Goldman, the aide de camp of Steve Austin (Lee Majors) in “The Six Million Man,” died on August 31st, 2017 at age 91. The versatile character actor was one of the few remaining performers that came up through the old studio system, in this case the dream factory known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Richard Anderson in Chicago, 2010
Photo credit: Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com
Richard Anderson was born in New Jersey, and was an Army veteran of World War II. He started out in the mailroom at MGM shortly after the end of the war, and became a contract player for the studio after Cary Grant took an interest in his career. His major film debut was “The Magnificent Yankee” (1950), followed by “Scaramouche” (1952) and “Forbidden Planet” (1956). He made 24 films for MGM. His...
Richard Anderson in Chicago, 2010
Photo credit: Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com
Richard Anderson was born in New Jersey, and was an Army veteran of World War II. He started out in the mailroom at MGM shortly after the end of the war, and became a contract player for the studio after Cary Grant took an interest in his career. His major film debut was “The Magnificent Yankee” (1950), followed by “Scaramouche” (1952) and “Forbidden Planet” (1956). He made 24 films for MGM. His...
- 9/2/2017
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Mark Harrison Aug 17, 2017
Anyone for monkey baseball? We examine the weird and wonderful unmade scripts of the Planet Of The Apes series
In 2006, screenwriters Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver were inspired by footage of domesticated chimpanzees who were unable to adjust to our lifestyles to write a sci-fi horror spec script that they called Genesis. Apparently, it was a while before the two of them realised that they were writing a Planet Of The Apes movie.
Their resultant pitch to 20th Century Fox led to 2011's Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes, the excellent, emotional prequel/reboot of the franchise that led to 2014's Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes and recent trilogy topper, War For The Planet Of The Apes. Together, the three films take Caesar from domestication to domination and have been huge critical and financial hits for the studio.
The development hell that plagued Fox's...
Anyone for monkey baseball? We examine the weird and wonderful unmade scripts of the Planet Of The Apes series
In 2006, screenwriters Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver were inspired by footage of domesticated chimpanzees who were unable to adjust to our lifestyles to write a sci-fi horror spec script that they called Genesis. Apparently, it was a while before the two of them realised that they were writing a Planet Of The Apes movie.
Their resultant pitch to 20th Century Fox led to 2011's Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes, the excellent, emotional prequel/reboot of the franchise that led to 2014's Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes and recent trilogy topper, War For The Planet Of The Apes. Together, the three films take Caesar from domestication to domination and have been huge critical and financial hits for the studio.
The development hell that plagued Fox's...
- 8/15/2017
- Den of Geek
Author: Cai Ross
The original Planet of The Apes movies occupied a curious netherworld of critical opinion. With each film, the budget was sawn in half, leading to a successive pattern of diminishing returns that led to a cheapening of its esteem. The spin-off TV show was quickly cancelled, further dulling the lustre and few people even remember the animated series that finally put the Apes to bed until a rude awakening in 2001.
However, for all their child-pleasing capers (the family-friendly G rating was a mandatory stipulation from the studios), the Apes movies deftly juggled important themes and arguments about slavery, free-will, nuclear war, vivisection, racism and oppression, and man’s innate capacity for cruelty. In pure storytelling terms, the circuitous plot links the first five movies (and the new post-Rise cycle) into a pleasing, if relentlessly pessimistic, self-perpetuating full-circle.
Enormous box office successes in their early stages, they spawned...
The original Planet of The Apes movies occupied a curious netherworld of critical opinion. With each film, the budget was sawn in half, leading to a successive pattern of diminishing returns that led to a cheapening of its esteem. The spin-off TV show was quickly cancelled, further dulling the lustre and few people even remember the animated series that finally put the Apes to bed until a rude awakening in 2001.
However, for all their child-pleasing capers (the family-friendly G rating was a mandatory stipulation from the studios), the Apes movies deftly juggled important themes and arguments about slavery, free-will, nuclear war, vivisection, racism and oppression, and man’s innate capacity for cruelty. In pure storytelling terms, the circuitous plot links the first five movies (and the new post-Rise cycle) into a pleasing, if relentlessly pessimistic, self-perpetuating full-circle.
Enormous box office successes in their early stages, they spawned...
- 7/12/2017
- by Cai Ross
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
This classy Fox production was considered the epitome of sick film subject matter in the pre- Psycho year of 1959, the true story of jazz-age thrill killers Leopold & Loeb. Dean Stockwell and Bradford Dillman are the nihilistic child murderers; Orson Welles stops the show with his portrayal of Clarence Darrow, going under a different name.
Compulsion
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1959 / B&W / 2:35 widescreen / 103 min. / Street Date March 7, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Orson Welles, Dean Stockwell, Diane Varsi, Bradford Dillman, E.G. Marshall, Richard Anderson, Robert F. Simon, Edward Binns, Gavid McLeod, Russ Bender, Peter Brocco.
Cinematography: William C. Mellor
Film Editor: William Reynolds
Original Music: Lionel Newman
Written by Richard Murphy from a novel by Meyer Levin
Produced by Richard D. Zanuck
Directed by Richard Fleischer
Movies about serial killers and psychos with exotic agendas were much different before Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, which hit America in 1960 like a thrown brick.
Compulsion
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1959 / B&W / 2:35 widescreen / 103 min. / Street Date March 7, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Orson Welles, Dean Stockwell, Diane Varsi, Bradford Dillman, E.G. Marshall, Richard Anderson, Robert F. Simon, Edward Binns, Gavid McLeod, Russ Bender, Peter Brocco.
Cinematography: William C. Mellor
Film Editor: William Reynolds
Original Music: Lionel Newman
Written by Richard Murphy from a novel by Meyer Levin
Produced by Richard D. Zanuck
Directed by Richard Fleischer
Movies about serial killers and psychos with exotic agendas were much different before Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, which hit America in 1960 like a thrown brick.
- 3/12/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
This summer, the latest Planet of the Apes film hits theaters. Join us as we take a look at this decade-spanning science fiction franchise and rank its films from worst to best.
The Planet of the Apes franchise started as a movie adaptation of the 1963 French novel entitled La Planète des Singes. That original 1968 film was a hit in theaters, and spawned 4 direct sequels. After many attempts to bring another Planet of the Apes film to theaters, Tim Burton finally put the pieces together with his 2001 “re-imagining” of the original film. In 2011, a new Planet of the Apes franchise started with Rise of the Planet of the Apes, which told a new story with similar themes and ideas. War of the Planet of the Apes is the latest film of the series, and will be released in theaters on July 14th of this year. War will be the 9th film...
The Planet of the Apes franchise started as a movie adaptation of the 1963 French novel entitled La Planète des Singes. That original 1968 film was a hit in theaters, and spawned 4 direct sequels. After many attempts to bring another Planet of the Apes film to theaters, Tim Burton finally put the pieces together with his 2001 “re-imagining” of the original film. In 2011, a new Planet of the Apes franchise started with Rise of the Planet of the Apes, which told a new story with similar themes and ideas. War of the Planet of the Apes is the latest film of the series, and will be released in theaters on July 14th of this year. War will be the 9th film...
- 3/8/2017
- by feeds@cinelinx.com (G.S. Perno)
- Cinelinx
Back in the early 1970s, while George Lucas was immortalizing the “cruising” culture of teens and their cars in “American Graffiti,” his future frequent collaborator Steven Spielberg was exploring a different kind. Nearly a decade before director William Friedkin created a scandal with the Al Pacino-starring “Cruising” (released 37 years ago today), the wunderkind filmmaker—who has won over generations of audiences by evoking a childlike sense of wonder—almost made his leap from TV to features with the most adult-themed project imaginable.
It all started with producer Philip D’Antoni, who had won an Oscar for the 1971 drug-bust saga “The French Connection” and was looking for a filmmaker to helm another New York City-set crime project. He had just bought the rights to the novel “Cruising,” written by The New York Times feature writer Gerald Walker, in which an undercover cop descends into the leather bars of Greenwich Village as he tracks a homosexual murderer.
It all started with producer Philip D’Antoni, who had won an Oscar for the 1971 drug-bust saga “The French Connection” and was looking for a filmmaker to helm another New York City-set crime project. He had just bought the rights to the novel “Cruising,” written by The New York Times feature writer Gerald Walker, in which an undercover cop descends into the leather bars of Greenwich Village as he tracks a homosexual murderer.
- 2/15/2017
- by Michael Gingold
- Indiewire
© 2015 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation..
The Producers Guild of America (PGA) announced today the motion picture nominations for the 28th Annual Producers Guild Awards. The categories are The Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures and The Award for Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures.
All 2017 Producers Guild Award winners will be announced on Saturday, January 28, 2017 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles. This year, the Producers Guild will present special honors to Tom Rothman (Milestone Award), James L. Brooks (Norman Lear Achievement Award in Television), Irwin Winkler (David O. Selznick Achievement Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures), the feature film Loving (Stanley Kramer Award), and Megan Ellison (Visionary Award).
The 2017 Producers Guild Awards Co-Chairs are Donald De Line and Amy Pascal. Sponsors of this year’s event include: Buick, Official Automotive Partner of the Awards, Delta Air Lines, Official Airline Partner of the PGA...
The Producers Guild of America (PGA) announced today the motion picture nominations for the 28th Annual Producers Guild Awards. The categories are The Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures and The Award for Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures.
All 2017 Producers Guild Award winners will be announced on Saturday, January 28, 2017 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles. This year, the Producers Guild will present special honors to Tom Rothman (Milestone Award), James L. Brooks (Norman Lear Achievement Award in Television), Irwin Winkler (David O. Selznick Achievement Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures), the feature film Loving (Stanley Kramer Award), and Megan Ellison (Visionary Award).
The 2017 Producers Guild Awards Co-Chairs are Donald De Line and Amy Pascal. Sponsors of this year’s event include: Buick, Official Automotive Partner of the Awards, Delta Air Lines, Official Airline Partner of the PGA...
- 1/10/2017
- by Melissa Thompson
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
By Darren Allison
I’ve always viewed “Cocoon” as the type of film that Steven Spielberg would have been very happy to have made. It has all the hallmarks of a Spielberg movie: a light hearted, warm, science fiction fantasy that is also extremely enjoyable and a perfect piece of innocent entertainment. It was, of course, Ron Howard who picked up the project, a relative newcomer in directorial terms. However, his stock was rising based on the very popular romantic comedy/fantasy “Splash” (1984) with Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah. It was certainly enough to attract the attention of producers Richard Zanuck and David Brown at 20th Century Fox who were happy to take on the ambitious Howard and his vision for the film.
Given that the film was targeted at teenage audiences amid the mid-80s trend for special effects- laden spectacles, “Cocoon” managed to capture the imagination of a much wider audience.
I’ve always viewed “Cocoon” as the type of film that Steven Spielberg would have been very happy to have made. It has all the hallmarks of a Spielberg movie: a light hearted, warm, science fiction fantasy that is also extremely enjoyable and a perfect piece of innocent entertainment. It was, of course, Ron Howard who picked up the project, a relative newcomer in directorial terms. However, his stock was rising based on the very popular romantic comedy/fantasy “Splash” (1984) with Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah. It was certainly enough to attract the attention of producers Richard Zanuck and David Brown at 20th Century Fox who were happy to take on the ambitious Howard and his vision for the film.
Given that the film was targeted at teenage audiences amid the mid-80s trend for special effects- laden spectacles, “Cocoon” managed to capture the imagination of a much wider audience.
- 7/6/2016
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Don Kaye May 23, 2019
How the insane Beneath the Planet of the Apes almost buried the series after two movies.
"In one of the countless billions of galaxies in the universe, lies a medium-sized star, and one of its satellites, a green and insignificant planet, is now dead."
With the original 1968 Planet of the Apes a huge smash at the box office -- it arguably saved 20th Century Fox from going bankrupt -- a meeting took place that included studio head Richard D. Zanuck, producer Arthur P. Jacobs, associate producer Mort Abrahams and Fox production exec Stan Hough. At some point the idea came up: why not make a sequel? As we’ve stated elsewhere, sequels at the time were not the big business they are today. But Planet of the Apes had clearly struck a nerve with audiences, and the open-ended nature of the movie’s ending offered the possibility of more material to explore.
How the insane Beneath the Planet of the Apes almost buried the series after two movies.
"In one of the countless billions of galaxies in the universe, lies a medium-sized star, and one of its satellites, a green and insignificant planet, is now dead."
With the original 1968 Planet of the Apes a huge smash at the box office -- it arguably saved 20th Century Fox from going bankrupt -- a meeting took place that included studio head Richard D. Zanuck, producer Arthur P. Jacobs, associate producer Mort Abrahams and Fox production exec Stan Hough. At some point the idea came up: why not make a sequel? As we’ve stated elsewhere, sequels at the time were not the big business they are today. But Planet of the Apes had clearly struck a nerve with audiences, and the open-ended nature of the movie’s ending offered the possibility of more material to explore.
- 5/28/2016
- Den of Geek
Bernard Kowalski’s Ssssssss joins 1954’s Phffft and Roger Corman’s Gas-s-s-s in the Onomatopoeic Movie Title Club. An unofficial remake of 1959’s The Alligator People, this 1973 shocker features mad doctor Strother Martin experimenting with a serum capable of turning men into snakes. Two years later producers Richard Zanuck and David Brown worked on another thriller with a bit more bite, Jaws.
- 4/25/2016
- by TFH Team
- Trailers from Hell
This summer, fans of the Jaws franchise will have three big reasons to choose the couch over the beach, as Universal Studios Home Entertainment will release Jaws 2, Jaws 3, and Jaws: The Revenge on respective Blu-rays.
All three Jaws sequels hit Blu-ray on June 14th, and we have a look at their special features details (courtesy of Blu-ray.com) and cover art (via Amazon) below. Will you be adding these films to your home media collection? Let us know in the comments section below.
Jaws 2: “Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water… Jaws 2 surfaces from the deep with even more terror and suspense! The resort town of Amity is still recovering from the events of Jaws four years earlier when Police Chief Brody (Roy Scheider) receives disturbing news of fresh attacks. As Brody tries to convince the locals of the nearby threat,...
All three Jaws sequels hit Blu-ray on June 14th, and we have a look at their special features details (courtesy of Blu-ray.com) and cover art (via Amazon) below. Will you be adding these films to your home media collection? Let us know in the comments section below.
Jaws 2: “Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water… Jaws 2 surfaces from the deep with even more terror and suspense! The resort town of Amity is still recovering from the events of Jaws four years earlier when Police Chief Brody (Roy Scheider) receives disturbing news of fresh attacks. As Brody tries to convince the locals of the nearby threat,...
- 4/8/2016
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Former 'Housewives of Beverly Hills' castmember Marisa Zanuck and her husband Dean are calling it quits after 13 years of marriage. Marisa filed the divorce docs in L.A. last month, but the writing's been on the wall for at least 3 years or so. Back in season 3 of 'Rhobh' she called Dean "not her type" ... but tried to blow it off, claiming Dean loved her loose lips. Guess not. Marisa wants she and Dean to have...
- 3/14/2016
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
On Saturday evening the Producers Guild of America (PGA) announced this year’s winning motion picture, television, and new media productions at the 27th Annual Producers Guild Awards ceremony at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles.
The Jerry Seinfeld-created web series, “Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee” won the Producers Guild Award for Outstanding Digital Series for the second year in a row.
The television program “Game of Thrones” (Season 5) and its producers David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, Bernadette Caulfield, Frank Doelger, Carolyn Strauss, Bryan Cogman, Lisa McAtackney, Chris Newman, and Greg Spence won the Norman Felton Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama.
Closing the evening, the film The Big Short and its producers Brad Pitt & Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner won the Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures. This category is one of the most eagerly-anticipated of season, as it is...
The Jerry Seinfeld-created web series, “Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee” won the Producers Guild Award for Outstanding Digital Series for the second year in a row.
The television program “Game of Thrones” (Season 5) and its producers David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, Bernadette Caulfield, Frank Doelger, Carolyn Strauss, Bryan Cogman, Lisa McAtackney, Chris Newman, and Greg Spence won the Norman Felton Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama.
Closing the evening, the film The Big Short and its producers Brad Pitt & Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner won the Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures. This category is one of the most eagerly-anticipated of season, as it is...
- 1/25/2016
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The unlikely – but true – story of how film journalist Roger Ebert and thrifty-budget cinematic showman Russ Meyer came to work together was always destined to become a film. Russ & Roger Go Beyond has been developing for a while and Josh Gad has locked in the role of Ebert. Will Ferrell was attached to this one first, after flirting with the idea last August. Since then, Michael Winterbottom has come aboard to direct, working on a new draft of the script with Partridge/Veep laugh-generating experts Neil and Rob Gibbons.Originally Written by Saturday Night Live and Simpsons veteran Christopher Cluess, the comedy focuses on Meyer's late 1960s desire to combine his pulp talents with big studio backing, hashing out a deal with 20th Century Fox boss Richard Zanuck to produce something for a low budget. Targeting soft-core tale Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls, Meyer approached Ebert, then a low-on-the-roster...
- 9/1/2015
- EmpireOnline
At least, that's a suggestion made by both Queen Latifah's Flavor Unit production partner, Shakim Compere, and producer Lili Zanuck (who, along with producing partner, the late ace Richard Zanuck, first approached Latifah with the Bessie Smith project, when she was just 22, because they truly felt that she was the only person who could fully embody Bessie). Zanuck is featured in an extensive profile of Queen Latifah published in Variety today, in which the magazine traces the Queen's professional career (with a little bit of the personal), through the present, and beyond. Towards the end of the piece, which summarizes what's next for Latifah, including producing 2 new unscripted series for...
- 8/18/2015
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Queen Latifah's "new" movie, HBO's Bessie, actually has been on her radar for more than 20 years. Latifah was best known as a rap artist in the 1990s when producers Richard D. Zanuck and Lili Fini Zanuck approached her about portraying the legendary Bessie Smith, "Empress of the Blues." The project already had gone through various twists and would go through a few more before finally resurfacing at HBO with Latifah as an executive producer and Pariah helmer Dee Reese…...
- 6/23/2015
- Deadline TV
"The shark isn't working!"
The above was a familiar cry during the making of Steven Spielberg's blockbuster classic Jaws. In an era before CGI, it was down to a giant mechanical great white (known as Bruce) to strike fear into audiences.
Unfortunately, the rubber recreation never quite functioned to the crew's wishes, leaving Spielberg to use John Williams's score and a point-of-view camera perspective to do most of the heavy lifting.
It proved to be a masterstroke - not seeing the beast made it ever-more terrifying, and when we did get a glimpse it was fast and violent.
As Jaws celebrates its 40th anniversary today, we look go behind the scenes with 14 classic pictures below.
1. Steven Spielberg makes a phone call beneath a terrifying piece of Jaws artwork
2. 'Bruce' takes a bite out of fishing boat Orca
3. and 4. Robert Shaw relaxes aboard the Orca, then surveys Bruce from the bow
5. Roy Scheider,...
The above was a familiar cry during the making of Steven Spielberg's blockbuster classic Jaws. In an era before CGI, it was down to a giant mechanical great white (known as Bruce) to strike fear into audiences.
Unfortunately, the rubber recreation never quite functioned to the crew's wishes, leaving Spielberg to use John Williams's score and a point-of-view camera perspective to do most of the heavy lifting.
It proved to be a masterstroke - not seeing the beast made it ever-more terrifying, and when we did get a glimpse it was fast and violent.
As Jaws celebrates its 40th anniversary today, we look go behind the scenes with 14 classic pictures below.
1. Steven Spielberg makes a phone call beneath a terrifying piece of Jaws artwork
2. 'Bruce' takes a bite out of fishing boat Orca
3. and 4. Robert Shaw relaxes aboard the Orca, then surveys Bruce from the bow
5. Roy Scheider,...
- 6/20/2015
- Digital Spy
"When I think of 'Jaws' I think about courage and stupidity. And I think of both of those things existing underwater." That's a quote from Steven Spielberg on his time directing the 1975 horror classic, which turns 40 this Saturday. Proving that sometimes greatness can spring from unimaginable misery, the film was famously a nightmare to shoot, with numerous production problems including the frequent malfunctioning of "Bruce," the collective name given to the film's trio of animatronic sharks. But don't take my word for it. Below are ten hellish behind-the-scenes straight from the mouths of those involved that will make you wonder how they managed to finish the film at all. 1. This is what happens when you hire a stuntman with no diving experience When husband-and-wife shark experts Ron and Valerie Taylor were commissioned to get footage of actual Great Whites attacking a cage (for the famous Richard Dreyfuss underwater sequence), the...
- 6/19/2015
- by Chris Eggertsen
- Hitfix
Jaws © 1975 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.
You’re gonna need a bigger boat this June when “TCM Presents: Jaws 40th Anniversary” comes to select U.S. cinemas, presented by Fathom Events, Turner Classic Movies (TCM) and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.
Originally released in 1975 and celebrating its 40th anniversary, this action-packed event will screen at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. on both Sunday, June 21 and Wednesday, June 24 for a second showing.
In addition to the feature, audiences will be treated to a special introduction by TCM host Ben Mankiewicz.
Tickets for the “TCM Presents: Jaws 40th Anniversary” can be purchased online by visiting www.FathomEvents.com, or at participating theater box offices. Fans throughout the U.S. will be able to enjoy the event in nearly 500 movie theaters through Fathom’s Digital Broadcast Network. For a complete list of theater locations visit the Fathom Events website (theaters and participants...
You’re gonna need a bigger boat this June when “TCM Presents: Jaws 40th Anniversary” comes to select U.S. cinemas, presented by Fathom Events, Turner Classic Movies (TCM) and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.
Originally released in 1975 and celebrating its 40th anniversary, this action-packed event will screen at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. on both Sunday, June 21 and Wednesday, June 24 for a second showing.
In addition to the feature, audiences will be treated to a special introduction by TCM host Ben Mankiewicz.
Tickets for the “TCM Presents: Jaws 40th Anniversary” can be purchased online by visiting www.FathomEvents.com, or at participating theater box offices. Fans throughout the U.S. will be able to enjoy the event in nearly 500 movie theaters through Fathom’s Digital Broadcast Network. For a complete list of theater locations visit the Fathom Events website (theaters and participants...
- 5/29/2015
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Queen Latifah stars as legendary blues singer Bessie Smith in the HBO Films drama "Bessie," which is directed by Dee Rees, from a screenplay penned by Rees, Christopher Cleveland & Bettina Gilois. With a story by Rees and Horton Foote, the film focuses on Smith's transformation from a struggling young singer into "The Empress of the Blues," one of the most successful recording artists of the 1920s. The premium cabler has announced will debut this spring, Saturday, May 16 at 8Pm. . "Bessie" is executive produced by Queen Latifah, Shakim Compere, Lili Fini Zanuck, Richard D. Zanuck, Shelby Stone and Randi Michel. Ron Schmidt produces. The cast...
- 5/13/2015
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Queen Latifah stars as legendary blues singer Bessie Smith in the HBO Films drama "Bessie," which is directed by Dee Rees, from a screenplay penned by Rees, Christopher Cleveland & Bettina Gilois. With a story by Rees and Horton Foote, the film focuses on Smith's transformation from a struggling young singer into "The Empress of the Blues," one of the most successful recording artists of the 1920s. The premium cabler has announced will debut this spring, Saturday, May 16 at 8Pm. . "Bessie" is executive produced by Queen Latifah, Shakim Compere, Lili Fini Zanuck, Richard D. Zanuck, Shelby Stone and Randi Michel. Ron Schmidt produces. The cast...
- 4/27/2015
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
There must be something fashionable to the idea right now of stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. Hollywood now has four Robin Hood movies in production, more than anyone really needs, perhaps even the poor. Tuesday Deadline reported that Warner Bros. had “quietly” put a new Robin Hood movie into production, this one being developed by the script writer for the upcoming Aquaman movie Will Beall. Deadline counts three others for it to storm the castle with: a family friendly swashbuckler from Disney called Nottingham & Hood, a Batman Begins style origin story aptly titled Robin Hood: Origins, and one from Sony that’s described as “Fast & Furious meets Mission: Impossible style reinvention of the tale.” With those four incredibly original ideas, anyone think this is the rich stealing from the poor?
Robin Hood isn’t the only Hollywood property currently with competing projects. A few weeks back,...
Robin Hood isn’t the only Hollywood property currently with competing projects. A few weeks back,...
- 4/23/2015
- by Brian Welk
- SoundOnSight
He’s more usually found developing his own projects, but The Trip’s Michael Winterbottom is being tempted by the infamous tale of another filmmaker. He’s in talks to direct Russ & Roger Go Beyond.Will Ferrell is attached to the film, written by Saturday Night Live and Simpsons veteran Christopher Cluess, which focuses on Russ Meyer's (Ferrell) late 1960s desire to combine his pulp talents with big studio backing, hashing out a deal with 20th Century Fox boss Richard Zanuck to produce something for a low budget.Targeting soft-core tale Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls, Meyer approached Roger Ebert, then a low-on-the-roster film critic for the Chicago Sun Times, who had written one of the few positive reviews of a Meyer film. Despite the seeming gulf between their sensibilities, they meshed well, producing a film that struggled with the ratings board (eventually landing an X) and sparking...
- 4/21/2015
- EmpireOnline
Queen Latifah stars as legendary blues singer Bessie Smith in the HBO Films drama "Bessie," which is directed by Dee Rees, from a screenplay penned by Rees, Christopher Cleveland & Bettina Gilois. With a story by Rees and Horton Foote, the film focuses on Smith's transformation from a struggling young singer into "The Empress of the Blues," one of the most successful recording artists of the 1920s. The premium cabler has announced will debut this spring, Saturday, May 16 at 8Pm. . "Bessie" is executive produced by Queen Latifah, Shakim Compere, Lili Fini Zanuck, Richard D. Zanuck, Shelby Stone and Randi Michel. Ron Schmidt produces. The cast...
- 4/13/2015
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Queen Latifah stars as legendary blues singer Bessie Smith in the HBO Films drama "Bessie," which is directed by Dee Rees, from a screenplay penned by Rees, Christopher Cleveland & Bettina Gilois. With a story by Rees and Horton Foote, the film focuses on Smith's transformation from a struggling young singer into "The Empress of the Blues," one of the most successful recording artists of the 1920s. The premium cabler has announced will debut this spring, Saturday, May 16 at 8Pm. . "Bessie" is executive produced by Queen Latifah, Shakim Compere, Lili Fini Zanuck, Richard D. Zanuck, Shelby Stone and Randi Michel. Ron Schmidt produces. The cast...
- 4/3/2015
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
On Saturday evening the Producers Guild of America (PGA) announced this year’s winning motion picture, television, and new media productions at the 26th Annual Producers Guild Awards ceremony at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles.
In what’s become a most interesting awards season, Birdman took home the big award of the night. The Oscars look to be a two horse race between Boyhood and Birdman from all appearances.
The other PGA nominees were American Sniper, Boyhood, Foxcatcher, Gone Girl, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Imitation Game, Nightcrawler, The Theory Of Everything and Whiplash.
The Screen Actors Guild Awards ceremony is Sunday, while the Directors Guild will announce it’s winners on Saturday, February 7.
The Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures:
Birdman (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Producers: Alejandro G. Iñárritu, John Lesher, James W. Skotchdopole
The Award for Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical...
In what’s become a most interesting awards season, Birdman took home the big award of the night. The Oscars look to be a two horse race between Boyhood and Birdman from all appearances.
The other PGA nominees were American Sniper, Boyhood, Foxcatcher, Gone Girl, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Imitation Game, Nightcrawler, The Theory Of Everything and Whiplash.
The Screen Actors Guild Awards ceremony is Sunday, while the Directors Guild will announce it’s winners on Saturday, February 7.
The Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures:
Birdman (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Producers: Alejandro G. Iñárritu, John Lesher, James W. Skotchdopole
The Award for Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical...
- 1/25/2015
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
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