The dust still hasn’t settled on the 96th annual Academy Award nominations due to the uproar over the “Barbie” snubs for Best Actress for Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig for Best Director. They still earned Oscar nominations for the cultural phenomena that was the No. 1 film of 2023 with an international box office of $1.4 billion. Robbie and Gerwig received noms as producer for the Best Picture nominee and Gerwig also was garnered a nomination for co-writing the adapted screenplay. But the film is about female empowerment, so it’s beyond ironic it was Ken (Ryan Gosling), not Barbie, who received Oscar recognition.
Gosling wasn’t happy: “Against all odds with nothing but a couple of soulless, scantily clad, and thankfully crotchless dolls, made us laugh, they broke our hearts, they pushed the culture and made history. Their work should be recognized along with the other very deserving nominees.”
America Ferrera,...
Gosling wasn’t happy: “Against all odds with nothing but a couple of soulless, scantily clad, and thankfully crotchless dolls, made us laugh, they broke our hearts, they pushed the culture and made history. Their work should be recognized along with the other very deserving nominees.”
America Ferrera,...
- 1/25/2024
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Netflix’s “Nyad” tells the remarkable true story of swimmer Diana Nyad and her quest to swim from Cuba to Florida while in her sixties. Annette Bening stars in the titular role while Jodie Foster turns in a key supporting performance as Nyad’s coach, Bonnie Stoll. “Nyad,” which is out in US theaters on Oct. 20 before heading to Netflix on November 2, could well earn Bening a fifth Oscar nomination for her title role as the impressive swimmer. But, before that, let’s take a look back at Bening’s four Oscar races to date.
Bening first found herself on the academy’s radar in 1991 for her role in “The Grifters,” Stephen Frears‘ crime thriller about a conman (John Cusack) who finds himself torn between his mother (Anjelica Huston) and girlfriend (Bening), both of whom are con-artists themselves. Bening had something of a rocky road on the way to the...
Bening first found herself on the academy’s radar in 1991 for her role in “The Grifters,” Stephen Frears‘ crime thriller about a conman (John Cusack) who finds himself torn between his mother (Anjelica Huston) and girlfriend (Bening), both of whom are con-artists themselves. Bening had something of a rocky road on the way to the...
- 10/20/2023
- by Jacob Sarkisian
- Gold Derby
The Wolf episode of Wtf Happened to This Horror Movie? was Written and Narrated by Adam Walton, Edited by Juan Jimenez, Produced by Andrew Hatfield and John Fallon, and Executive Produced by Berge Garabedian.
If anybody ever had the acting chops in the 90s to convincingly play a publisher who gets bitten by a werewolf and then slowly starts to become one himself, it’s Jack Nicholson. This must have been exactly what producers Douglas Wick and Neal A. Machlis were thinking when casting their 1994 romantic horror movie and who better than the guy that convincingly played unhinged characters previously in both One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and The Shining? His past work as an actor was already impressive enough and his distinctive features and natural charm meant that he was perfect for the role. The movie sits snugly in the ‘so bad it’s actually pretty good...
If anybody ever had the acting chops in the 90s to convincingly play a publisher who gets bitten by a werewolf and then slowly starts to become one himself, it’s Jack Nicholson. This must have been exactly what producers Douglas Wick and Neal A. Machlis were thinking when casting their 1994 romantic horror movie and who better than the guy that convincingly played unhinged characters previously in both One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and The Shining? His past work as an actor was already impressive enough and his distinctive features and natural charm meant that he was perfect for the role. The movie sits snugly in the ‘so bad it’s actually pretty good...
- 8/25/2023
- by Adam Walton
- JoBlo.com
“The Last Voyage of the Demeter,” which spotlights the doomed ship in Bram Stoker’s oft-adapted 1897 novel, is the second Dracula film released in 2023 after “Renfield.” Both take generous liberties with the source material, which brings up the question: Out of the 200-some films about the famous Count, which ones are the most faithful?
Here’s our ranking of some of the most popular, and a few lesser-known, Dracula adaptations.
Universal
8. Renfield (2023)
Pretty much the only thing this horror comedy has in common with the novel is Nicholas Hoult as the bug-eating title character and a delightfully campy Nicolas Cage as his bloodthirsty boss. The movie brings them both into the 21st century, makes Renfield an ass-kicking hero and swaps out Lucy and Mina for Awkwafina’s incorruptible cop.
Miramax
7. Dracula 2000 (2000)
The film begins with a shot of the wrecked Demeter and footprints in the sand as Dracula heads to town.
Here’s our ranking of some of the most popular, and a few lesser-known, Dracula adaptations.
Universal
8. Renfield (2023)
Pretty much the only thing this horror comedy has in common with the novel is Nicholas Hoult as the bug-eating title character and a delightfully campy Nicolas Cage as his bloodthirsty boss. The movie brings them both into the 21st century, makes Renfield an ass-kicking hero and swaps out Lucy and Mina for Awkwafina’s incorruptible cop.
Miramax
7. Dracula 2000 (2000)
The film begins with a shot of the wrecked Demeter and footprints in the sand as Dracula heads to town.
- 8/12/2023
- by Sharon Knolle
- The Wrap
Historically, the character of Renfield is known for doting on Dracula. So it's only fitting that "Renfield," the new film by Chris McKay starring Nicholas Hoult as the titular servant and Nicolas Cage as the world's preeminent vampire, loves all things "Dracula."
Dracula is one of the most consistently popular fictional characters, turning up in numerous books, films, TV shows, and other media since his debut in Bram Stoker's 1897 novel. While "Renfield," being a Universal Picture, is most reverent toward the original cycle of Universal Horror films (of which Tod Browning's 1931 "Dracula" is often considered the start), there is obviously a wealth of other Draculas that followed.
"Renfield" is not only well aware of these progenitors but McKay, Hoult, and Cage were eager to pay homage to as many of them as possible within their movie. These tributes run the gamut from acting as creative inspiration for certain...
Dracula is one of the most consistently popular fictional characters, turning up in numerous books, films, TV shows, and other media since his debut in Bram Stoker's 1897 novel. While "Renfield," being a Universal Picture, is most reverent toward the original cycle of Universal Horror films (of which Tod Browning's 1931 "Dracula" is often considered the start), there is obviously a wealth of other Draculas that followed.
"Renfield" is not only well aware of these progenitors but McKay, Hoult, and Cage were eager to pay homage to as many of them as possible within their movie. These tributes run the gamut from acting as creative inspiration for certain...
- 4/11/2023
- by Bill Bria
- Slash Film
a series by Christopher James looking at the 'Gay Best Friend' trope
Even before officially coming out, Nathan Lane (left) wasn't afraid to play gay in "Frankie and Johnny," pictured here with Kate Nelligan and Al Pacino.Especially in the early days, the inauthenticity of the “Gay Best Friend” trope came from straight actors mincing about to sell the part. The role is able to gain a whole lot of authenticity when a queer person is either writing or acting the part. In the case of Frankie and Johnny, both the writer and performer of the 'gay best friend' were gay, though both were not out. Theater legend (and out gay playwright) Terence McNally adapted his Off-Broadway play Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune into a movie in 1991. He was able to get A-List talent to take the titular roles for film, with Michelle Pfeiffer and Al Pacino headlining.
Even before officially coming out, Nathan Lane (left) wasn't afraid to play gay in "Frankie and Johnny," pictured here with Kate Nelligan and Al Pacino.Especially in the early days, the inauthenticity of the “Gay Best Friend” trope came from straight actors mincing about to sell the part. The role is able to gain a whole lot of authenticity when a queer person is either writing or acting the part. In the case of Frankie and Johnny, both the writer and performer of the 'gay best friend' were gay, though both were not out. Theater legend (and out gay playwright) Terence McNally adapted his Off-Broadway play Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune into a movie in 1991. He was able to get A-List talent to take the titular roles for film, with Michelle Pfeiffer and Al Pacino headlining.
- 4/12/2021
- by Christopher James
- FilmExperience
Dorothea G. Petrie, who won Emmys for producing “Love Is Never Silent” and ‘Caroline?,” died peacefully at her home in Los Angeles on Tuesday, her family announced. She was 95.
Petrie began her career in New York as an actress and talent agent before putting it on hold to raise four children. She ended her hiatus in 1979 by writing the story for, and producing, the CBS film “Orphan Train,” starring Jill Eikenberry. She went on to produce “Angel Dusted” starring Jean Stapleton for NBC, “License to Kill” with Denzel Washington for CBS and “Picking Up the Pieces” starring Margot Kidder for CBS.
In 1986, she won an Emmy for producing NBC’s Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation “Love is Never Silent,” which also won an Emmy for director Joseph Sargent and nominations for stars Mare Winningham and Phillis Frelich. Petrie next produced “Foxfire,” the eight-time Emmy nominated film for Hallmark and CBS.
Petrie began her career in New York as an actress and talent agent before putting it on hold to raise four children. She ended her hiatus in 1979 by writing the story for, and producing, the CBS film “Orphan Train,” starring Jill Eikenberry. She went on to produce “Angel Dusted” starring Jean Stapleton for NBC, “License to Kill” with Denzel Washington for CBS and “Picking Up the Pieces” starring Margot Kidder for CBS.
In 1986, she won an Emmy for producing NBC’s Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation “Love is Never Silent,” which also won an Emmy for director Joseph Sargent and nominations for stars Mare Winningham and Phillis Frelich. Petrie next produced “Foxfire,” the eight-time Emmy nominated film for Hallmark and CBS.
- 11/26/2020
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Dorothea G. Petrie, who won an Emmy award for the Hallmark drama Love is Never Silent, died at her home in Los Angeles on Tuesday, November 24 at age 95. Her family confirmed the death, which they said was by natural causes.
Petrie began her career in New York as an actress and talent agent before putting it on hold to raise four children. She ended her hiatus in 1979 by writing the story and producing the CBS film Orphan Train, starring Jill Eikenberry. She went on to produce Angel Dusted starring Jean Stapleton for NBC, License to Kill with a young Denzel Washington for CBS, and Picking Up the Pieces starring Margot Kidder for CBS.
In 1986, she won an Emmy for producing NBC’s Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation Love is Never Silent, which also won an Emmy for director Joseph Sargent and nominations for stars Mare Winningham and Phillis Frelich. Petrie next produced Foxfire,...
Petrie began her career in New York as an actress and talent agent before putting it on hold to raise four children. She ended her hiatus in 1979 by writing the story and producing the CBS film Orphan Train, starring Jill Eikenberry. She went on to produce Angel Dusted starring Jean Stapleton for NBC, License to Kill with a young Denzel Washington for CBS, and Picking Up the Pieces starring Margot Kidder for CBS.
In 1986, she won an Emmy for producing NBC’s Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation Love is Never Silent, which also won an Emmy for director Joseph Sargent and nominations for stars Mare Winningham and Phillis Frelich. Petrie next produced Foxfire,...
- 11/26/2020
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
The Supporting Actress Smackdown series picks an Oscar vintage -- 1991 this time -- and explores.
The Nominees Oscar went with two sentimental favourite veterans (Jessica Tandy and Diane Ladd) and three first-timers who were having hard-to-ignore years. This shortlist was full of characters: a chatterbox octogenarian, an agressively needy video store owner, a sexually mercurial teenager, a monstrous southern matriarch, and a proto-feminist in the deep south.
The Panel Here to talk about the performances and films are, in alpha order, entertainment journalist Mark Harris ("Pictures at a Revolution", "Five Came Back"), Tony winning actress Nikki M James (The Book of Mormon, The Good Fight), Tony nominated actor Rory O'Malley (The Book of Mormon, Hamilton), Vanity Fair's deputy editor Katey Rich, Drama Desk winning actor Nick Westrate (Casa Valentina, Turn: Washington's Spies), and your host at The Film Experience, Nathaniel R. Let's begin...
1991
Supporting Actress Smackdown + Podcast
The...
The Nominees Oscar went with two sentimental favourite veterans (Jessica Tandy and Diane Ladd) and three first-timers who were having hard-to-ignore years. This shortlist was full of characters: a chatterbox octogenarian, an agressively needy video store owner, a sexually mercurial teenager, a monstrous southern matriarch, and a proto-feminist in the deep south.
The Panel Here to talk about the performances and films are, in alpha order, entertainment journalist Mark Harris ("Pictures at a Revolution", "Five Came Back"), Tony winning actress Nikki M James (The Book of Mormon, The Good Fight), Tony nominated actor Rory O'Malley (The Book of Mormon, Hamilton), Vanity Fair's deputy editor Katey Rich, Drama Desk winning actor Nick Westrate (Casa Valentina, Turn: Washington's Spies), and your host at The Film Experience, Nathaniel R. Let's begin...
1991
Supporting Actress Smackdown + Podcast
The...
- 7/26/2020
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
We Highly suggest rewatching the 1991 films before the next Smackdown. And send in your votes with "1991" in the subject line before Saturday July 25th. There's so much to discuss with this quintet and we already recorded a great podcast so it will arrive as scheduled on Sunday July 26th.
1991
Diane Ladd, Rambling Rose -rent on Amazon Juliette Lewis, Cape Fear - free w/ Showtime or DirectTV Kate Nelligan, The Prince of Tides - rent on Amazon Mercedes Ruehl, The Fisher King - free on Pluto Jessica Tandy, Fried Green Tomatoes - free on Direct TV
After those events we're going to try to hit a few more years to close out this super-sized quarantine-plagued season. Whooohoo. If you like what you're seeing please consider a donation on the sidebar (right hand) since we do incur costs with all these rentals for panelists and time and whatnot.
xo...
1991
Diane Ladd, Rambling Rose -rent on Amazon Juliette Lewis, Cape Fear - free w/ Showtime or DirectTV Kate Nelligan, The Prince of Tides - rent on Amazon Mercedes Ruehl, The Fisher King - free on Pluto Jessica Tandy, Fried Green Tomatoes - free on Direct TV
After those events we're going to try to hit a few more years to close out this super-sized quarantine-plagued season. Whooohoo. If you like what you're seeing please consider a donation on the sidebar (right hand) since we do incur costs with all these rentals for panelists and time and whatnot.
xo...
- 7/17/2020
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Lynn Cohen, best known for her role as Magda on HBO's Sex and the City, died Friday morning, her representative confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter. She was 86.
Cohen began her acting career in regional theater, appearing on New York stages since the late 1970s. She made her screen debut in the 1983 film Without a Trace, which starred Kate Nelligan and Judd Hirsch, and went on to appear on TV shows such as NYPD Blue, Law and Order, Damages and Nurse Jackie.
She joined the cast of Sex and the City as Miranda's housekeeper in 2000 and reprised her role ...
Cohen began her acting career in regional theater, appearing on New York stages since the late 1970s. She made her screen debut in the 1983 film Without a Trace, which starred Kate Nelligan and Judd Hirsch, and went on to appear on TV shows such as NYPD Blue, Law and Order, Damages and Nurse Jackie.
She joined the cast of Sex and the City as Miranda's housekeeper in 2000 and reprised her role ...
- 2/15/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Lynn Cohen, best known for her role as Magda on HBO's Sex and the City, died Friday morning, her representative confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter. She was 86.
Cohen began her acting career in regional theater, appearing on New York stages since the late 1970s. She made her screen debut in the 1983 film Without a Trace, which starred Kate Nelligan and Judd Hirsch, and went on to appear on TV shows such as NYPD Blue, Law and Order, Damages and Nurse Jackie.
She joined the cast of Sex and the City as Miranda's housekeeper in 2000 and reprised her role ...
Cohen began her acting career in regional theater, appearing on New York stages since the late 1970s. She made her screen debut in the 1983 film Without a Trace, which starred Kate Nelligan and Judd Hirsch, and went on to appear on TV shows such as NYPD Blue, Law and Order, Damages and Nurse Jackie.
She joined the cast of Sex and the City as Miranda's housekeeper in 2000 and reprised her role ...
- 2/15/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Scream Factory Presents Dracula On Blu-ray™ November 26, 2019 Starring Frank Langella, Sir Laurence Olivier, Donald Pleasence and Kate Nelligan, with a Score By John Williams Dracula comes to Blu-ray™ Scream Factory-style on November 26, dripping with exquisite new bonus features (full list below) and a new 4K scan of the original best available film …
The post “Dracula” on Blu November 26 from Scream appeared first on Hnn | Horrornews.net.
The post “Dracula” on Blu November 26 from Scream appeared first on Hnn | Horrornews.net.
- 10/25/2019
- by Adrian Halen
- Horror News
Brian Oliver’s New Republic Pictures, the company that co-financed and produced “Rocketman,” is developing a female ensemble comedy “Inward Bound.”
The announcement comes on the heels of Universal’s “Good Boys” becoming the first R-rated comedy to open in first place at the North American box office in three years, as well as the biggest opening for an original comedy this year.
“There is a large theatrical market for ensemble comedies, especially one as funny and, yes, as raunchy as ‘Inward Bound,'” Oliver said. “It’s got a great set of roles for talent and we’re eager to see this on the big screen.”
Written by stand-up comedian Stefanie Kahn, the “Inward Bound” script follows a divorced mother’s trip to a “romance rehab” staffed by hunky guides to service more than the women’s camping needs. Brought into New Republic Pictures by head of development John Hilary Shepherd,...
The announcement comes on the heels of Universal’s “Good Boys” becoming the first R-rated comedy to open in first place at the North American box office in three years, as well as the biggest opening for an original comedy this year.
“There is a large theatrical market for ensemble comedies, especially one as funny and, yes, as raunchy as ‘Inward Bound,'” Oliver said. “It’s got a great set of roles for talent and we’re eager to see this on the big screen.”
Written by stand-up comedian Stefanie Kahn, the “Inward Bound” script follows a divorced mother’s trip to a “romance rehab” staffed by hunky guides to service more than the women’s camping needs. Brought into New Republic Pictures by head of development John Hilary Shepherd,...
- 8/19/2019
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Aooowww — Woo! Jack Nicholson summons his inner dog — and dons the makeup and scary contact lenses — to go the Larry Talbot route. Unfortunately, his moon-howling nighttime life isn’t as interesting as the dog-eat-dog infighting in the publishing house where he works – where feral instincts and sharp lupine senses are a major aid to ‘getting a leg up’ on the competition. I know, cheap metaphors are the ruin of promising writers.
Wolf
All-Region Blu-ray
Indicator
1994 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 125 min. / Street Date November 20, 2017 / £14.99
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Michelle Pfeiffer, James Spader, Kate Nelligan, Christopher Plummer, Richard Jenkins, Eileen Atkins, David Hyde Pierce, Om Puri, Ron Rifkin, Prunella Scales, David Schwimmer, Michael Raynor.
Cinematography: Giuseppe Rotunno
Film Editor: Sam O’Steen
Production Design: Bo Welch, Jim Dultz
Makeup Effects: Rick Baker
Original Music: Ennio Morricone
Written by Jim Harrison, Wesley Strick
Produced by Douglas Wick
Directed by Mike Nichols
I think my mother...
Wolf
All-Region Blu-ray
Indicator
1994 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 125 min. / Street Date November 20, 2017 / £14.99
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Michelle Pfeiffer, James Spader, Kate Nelligan, Christopher Plummer, Richard Jenkins, Eileen Atkins, David Hyde Pierce, Om Puri, Ron Rifkin, Prunella Scales, David Schwimmer, Michael Raynor.
Cinematography: Giuseppe Rotunno
Film Editor: Sam O’Steen
Production Design: Bo Welch, Jim Dultz
Makeup Effects: Rick Baker
Original Music: Ennio Morricone
Written by Jim Harrison, Wesley Strick
Produced by Douglas Wick
Directed by Mike Nichols
I think my mother...
- 11/28/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
On May 25, 1979, a misty summer morning in New York City, 6-year-old Etan Patz begged his mother, Julie, to let him walk the few blocks to school alone. She relented, and the last time she saw him alive he was walking away from her.
Etan’s mysterious disappearance struck fear both in his New York City neighborhood and the country as a whole, as the little boy became a leading face for the search for missing children everywhere.
In February, decades after he became the first-ever “milk carton kid,” a jury finally convicted Etan’s killer though his body was never found.
Etan’s mysterious disappearance struck fear both in his New York City neighborhood and the country as a whole, as the little boy became a leading face for the search for missing children everywhere.
In February, decades after he became the first-ever “milk carton kid,” a jury finally convicted Etan’s killer though his body was never found.
- 2/14/2017
- by Adam Carlson
- PEOPLE.com
The chase is on: a mix of icy ruthlessness and warm romanticism enliven Ken Follett's novel of pre-invasion esponage intrigue. Kate Nelligan heats up the screen with Donald Sutherland, the 'seventies most unlikely sex star. Plus a lush and wondrous music score by Miklos Rozsa. Eye of the Needle Blu-ray Twilight Time 1981 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 112 min. / Street Date September 13, 2016 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store29.95 Starring Donald Sutherland, Kate Nelligan, Christopher Cazenove, Ian Bannen, Philip Martin Brown, Bill Nighy, Stephen MacKenna, Sam Kydd. Cinematography Alan Hume Original Music Miklos Rozsa Written by Stanley Mann based on the novel by Ken Follett Produced by Stephen Friedman Directed by Richard Marquand
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
We're all familiar with this kind of thriller -- over shots of fresh-faced troops moving off to war, a portentous scrolling text tells us about the desperate situation of London -- and the Free World -- as Hitler's Luftwaffe threatens.
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
We're all familiar with this kind of thriller -- over shots of fresh-faced troops moving off to war, a portentous scrolling text tells us about the desperate situation of London -- and the Free World -- as Hitler's Luftwaffe threatens.
- 10/25/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
David Hare’s “Plenty” returned Sunday to the Public Theater, the scene of its American debut in 1982. Back then, both the play and its leading actress, Kate Nelligan, took on the instant status of greatness, an impression reinforced the following year when the staging, directed by David Hare, transferred to Broadway. There was something revolutionary about the play and its character, Susan Traherne. Hare played with time like few writers before him, the scenes not performed in chronological order. Equally challenging, theatergoers who’d been mesmerized by plays about women named Martha and Hedda were more than shocked by Susan’s disintegration.
- 10/23/2016
- by Robert Hofler
- The Wrap
Michael Caine young. Michael Caine movies: From Irwin Allen bombs to Woody Allen classic It's hard to believe that Michael Caine has been around making movies for nearly six decades. No wonder he's had time to appear – in roles big and small and tiny – in more than 120 films, ranging from unwatchable stuff like the Sylvester Stallone soccer flick Victory and Michael Ritchie's adventure flick The Island to Brian G. Hutton's X, Y and Zee, Joseph L. Mankiewicz's Sleuth (a duel of wits and acting styles with Laurence Olivier), and Alfonso Cuarón's Children of Men. (See TCM's Michael Caine movie schedule further below.) Throughout his long, long career, Caine has played heroes and villains and everything in between. Sometimes, in his worst vehicles, he has floundered along with everybody else. At other times, he was the best element in otherwise disappointing fare, e.g., Philip Kaufman's Quills.
- 8/6/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Glenda Jackson: Actress and former Labour MP. Two-time Oscar winner and former Labour MP Glenda Jackson returns to acting Two-time Best Actress Academy Award winner Glenda Jackson set aside her acting career after becoming a Labour Party MP in 1992. Four years ago, Jackson, who represented the Greater London constituency of Hampstead and Highgate, announced that she would stand down the 2015 general election – which, somewhat controversially, was won by right-wing prime minister David Cameron's Conservative party.[1] The silver lining: following a two-decade-plus break, Glenda Jackson is returning to acting. Now, Jackson isn't – for the time being – returning to acting in front of the camera. The 79-year-old is to be featured in the Radio 4 series Emile Zola: Blood, Sex and Money, described on their website as a “mash-up” adaptation of 20 Emile Zola novels collectively known as "Les Rougon-Macquart."[2] Part 1 of the three-part Radio 4 series will be broadcast daily during an...
- 7/2/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
"The Silence of the Lambs" This is definitely my favorite Best Picture-winning horror movie featuring Chris Isaak in a supporting role. Let's just think about the glamor of 1991 for a minute: "Point Break" occurred. Kate Nelligan was in whatever movie she wanted. CeCe Peniston was a reigning pop star, which is important because her last name has "penis" in it. And "Silence of the Lambs" was an ominous and unconventional movie that everyone agreed was fantastic. Anthony Hopkins is in "Silence of the Lambs" for less than 20 minutes but his performance lingers far after the credits roll. Jodie Foster is charismatic and august as Clarice Starling, who is no mood for fava beans by the time the movie is over. "Rain Man" I keep pretending I'm incapable of enjoying Tom Cruise in movies anymore, yet "Rain Man" is about as timeless and likable as a 1988 drama is allowed to be.
- 5/27/2015
- by Louis Virtel
- Hitfix
Milos Forman was looking for the best writer to adapt the hippie anti-war musical Hair for the big screen. The Czech filmmaker already had a growing U.S. following in the wake of The Firemen’s Ball and Taking Off when 1975’s One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest took home five Oscars including best film and best director. And while Michael Weller had zero experience as a screenwriter, he did have a reputation for plays that cast a gimlet eye on the generation that came of age in the era of protest against the Vietnam War and for civil rights. His works included Moonchildren (1971), Loose Ends (1979) and Spoils Of War (1988), which interwove the intensely felt political and personal obsessions of Baby Boomers on the cusp of adulthood.
For Forman, Weller would write two of the most underrated films of their time, Hair (1979) and, two years later, Ragtime. Like his...
For Forman, Weller would write two of the most underrated films of their time, Hair (1979) and, two years later, Ragtime. Like his...
- 12/29/2014
- by Jeremy Gerard
- Deadline
Horror cinema has a long tradition of creating iconic characters and none more so than those borne in the early days of the genre: characters such as Frankenstein’s monster, the Mummy, the Creature from the Black Lagoon and, of course, Dracula – the king of horror. A character who, despite his many cinematic deaths, always returns to the silver screen for one more bite of flesh… As he does this week in Dracula Untold, which features Luke Evans as the evil Vlad Tepes.
With that in mind we thought we’d rundown the ten best unforgettable Dracula performances in cinema. Check them out below and let us know in the comments if you agree or disagree!
Christopher Lee – Dracula (1958)
Dracula (1958) is the first in the series of Hammer Horror films. Directed by Terence Fisher, Dracula (1958) stars Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Melissa Stribling, Carol Marsh and Michael Gough. Retitled Horror of Dracula...
With that in mind we thought we’d rundown the ten best unforgettable Dracula performances in cinema. Check them out below and let us know in the comments if you agree or disagree!
Christopher Lee – Dracula (1958)
Dracula (1958) is the first in the series of Hammer Horror films. Directed by Terence Fisher, Dracula (1958) stars Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Melissa Stribling, Carol Marsh and Michael Gough. Retitled Horror of Dracula...
- 10/1/2014
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
“He has walked through centuries untouched by time.” Such is life for Dracula, but his dogged pursuer Van Helsing is always looking to leave him with time’s permanent scar of death. The fanged fiend and his resourceful hunter have been portrayed by numerous actors over the decades, with Frank Langella and Laurence Olivier having played the duo in 1979. Now their portrayal of Dracula vs. Van Helsing is going to a higher definition with Universal Studios Home Entertainment’s Blu-ray release of 1979′s Dracula.
Dracula (1979) is getting its first North American Blu-ray release on September 2nd, flying into the night with a batch of bonus features that includes a feature-length commentary track.
Directed by John Badham, Dracula (1979) stars Frank Langella as the titular Count, Laurence Olivier as Abraham Van Helsing, Kate Nelligan as Lucy, Donald Pleasence as Dr. Jack Seward (Lucy’s father), Jan Francis as Mina, and Trevor Eve as Jonathan Harker.
Dracula (1979) is getting its first North American Blu-ray release on September 2nd, flying into the night with a batch of bonus features that includes a feature-length commentary track.
Directed by John Badham, Dracula (1979) stars Frank Langella as the titular Count, Laurence Olivier as Abraham Van Helsing, Kate Nelligan as Lucy, Donald Pleasence as Dr. Jack Seward (Lucy’s father), Jan Francis as Mina, and Trevor Eve as Jonathan Harker.
- 6/26/2014
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
While he’ll always be best known for his 1928 silent masterpiece, The Passion of Joan Arc (or for his atmospheric 1932 horror film, Vampyr), Danish auteur Carl Theodor Dreyer had a rich and varied filmography that ranged from 1919-1964. Criterion has remastered a 1925 comedy from the director, Master of the House, the first of his films to be adapted from a play (Tyrant’s Fall by Sven Rindom) rather than a novel. A prescient treatise on domestic issues, the film was enormously popular upon release, but it would be the last comedic venture for Dreyer (the only other being 1920’s The Parson’s Widow). Known to enthusiasts of Dreyer, it’s a title that’s been overshadowed by the director’s notoriously somber works, therefore making it ripe for rediscovery.
A harried yet unquestionably doting wife, Ida Frandsen (Astrid Holm) waits hand and foot on her three children as she goes...
A harried yet unquestionably doting wife, Ida Frandsen (Astrid Holm) waits hand and foot on her three children as she goes...
- 4/22/2014
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
‘Prisoners’ movie weekend box office: Best ‘serious’ (non-musical) Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal opening in years (photo: Hugh Jackman in ‘Prisoners’) The nearly two-and-a-half-hour thriller Prisoners, directed by Denis Villeneuve, and starring Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal, will easily top the North American box office this weekend, September 20-22, 2013. Currently playing at 3,260 locations, Prisoners took in $7.01 million on Friday, according to studio estimates found at Box Office Mojo. Budgeted at a reported $46 million — not including marketing and distribution expenses — the Warner Bros. release is expected to collect around $21 million by Sunday evening, as per Deadline.com. How does that compare to previous Hugh Jackman weekend debuts? Setting aside Tom Hooper’s "event musical" Les Misérables and action movies such as The Wolverine, the R-rated Prisoners may turn out to be Jackman’s strongest opening in an "adult (non-musical) film." For comparison’s sake, Baz Luhrmann’s Australia, co-starring Nicole Kidman,...
- 9/22/2013
- by Zac Gille
- Alt Film Guide
We've seen Michelle Pfeiffer sing, we've seen her slink around Gotham City, and we've seen her as a drug lord's trophy wife, but now we'll get to see her as a mafia badass.
From "Dangerous Liaisons" to "Dangerous Minds," the Oscar-winning actress gets dangerous yet again in this week's "The Family" alongside Robert De Niro. Pfeiffer's Maggie Blake may look like a sweet little blonde lady, but don't judge a mob boss's wife by her cover -- she'll blow up your convenience store if you make fun of her French.
Pfeiffer has been on both the big and small screen for the last 34 years, but there are still a handful of facts you probably didn't know about her, such as her penchant for oil painting. Check out 20 little-known tidbits below about the actress below.
1. Pfeiffer's first job as a performer was playing Alice from "Alice in Wonderland" at Disneyland's...
From "Dangerous Liaisons" to "Dangerous Minds," the Oscar-winning actress gets dangerous yet again in this week's "The Family" alongside Robert De Niro. Pfeiffer's Maggie Blake may look like a sweet little blonde lady, but don't judge a mob boss's wife by her cover -- she'll blow up your convenience store if you make fun of her French.
Pfeiffer has been on both the big and small screen for the last 34 years, but there are still a handful of facts you probably didn't know about her, such as her penchant for oil painting. Check out 20 little-known tidbits below about the actress below.
1. Pfeiffer's first job as a performer was playing Alice from "Alice in Wonderland" at Disneyland's...
- 9/13/2013
- by Erin Whitney
- Moviefone
Actor best known for his role as the rugged and handsome captain in The Onedin Line
James Onedin, the protagonist of the long-running BBC television series The Onedin Line, gained his splendid name from a sea nymph. After the programme's creator, Cyril Abraham, had read about mythological figure Ondine, he transposed the "e", thus making her a man. And what a man: Peter Gilmore, who played Onedin in 91 episodes from 1971 to 1980, had tousled hair, flinty eyes, hollow cheeks, mutton-chop sideburns racing across his cheek, lips pulled severely down, chin thrust indomitably forward to face down the brewing gale. He has died aged 81.
The sea captain did not so much talk as emit salty barks that brooked no demur. In 1972, while filming, Gilmore was buzzed by speedboats from the Royal Naval College. Still in character as Onedin, he yelled irascibly at the tyro sailors: "Taxpayers' money! Where are your guns? What...
James Onedin, the protagonist of the long-running BBC television series The Onedin Line, gained his splendid name from a sea nymph. After the programme's creator, Cyril Abraham, had read about mythological figure Ondine, he transposed the "e", thus making her a man. And what a man: Peter Gilmore, who played Onedin in 91 episodes from 1971 to 1980, had tousled hair, flinty eyes, hollow cheeks, mutton-chop sideburns racing across his cheek, lips pulled severely down, chin thrust indomitably forward to face down the brewing gale. He has died aged 81.
The sea captain did not so much talk as emit salty barks that brooked no demur. In 1972, while filming, Gilmore was buzzed by speedboats from the Royal Naval College. Still in character as Onedin, he yelled irascibly at the tyro sailors: "Taxpayers' money! Where are your guns? What...
- 2/7/2013
- by Stuart Jeffries
- The Guardian - Film News
By Harvey Chartrand
Frank Langella played an aging writer in Starting Out in the Evening (2007). Who would have figured this for typecasting?
In his superb memoir, Dropped Names: Famous Men and Women As I Knew Them (HarperCollins), Langella reveals that he is an incomparable memoirist and storyteller, recalling his encounters with scores of luminaries from the world of entertainment in a career spanning half a century. All of these luminaries are deceased and the cast of characters is listed “by order of disappearance”. Just as well, as many of the revelations are quite shocking.
Langella must be the most sociable and congenial actor on the planet, as the busyness of his social and professional lives and the breadth and depth of his friendships, romantic liaisons and acquaintances are very impressive indeed. He met Marilyn Monroe in 1953. She stepped out of a limousine and said “hi” to the adolescent from Bayonne,...
Frank Langella played an aging writer in Starting Out in the Evening (2007). Who would have figured this for typecasting?
In his superb memoir, Dropped Names: Famous Men and Women As I Knew Them (HarperCollins), Langella reveals that he is an incomparable memoirist and storyteller, recalling his encounters with scores of luminaries from the world of entertainment in a career spanning half a century. All of these luminaries are deceased and the cast of characters is listed “by order of disappearance”. Just as well, as many of the revelations are quite shocking.
Langella must be the most sociable and congenial actor on the planet, as the busyness of his social and professional lives and the breadth and depth of his friendships, romantic liaisons and acquaintances are very impressive indeed. He met Marilyn Monroe in 1953. She stepped out of a limousine and said “hi” to the adolescent from Bayonne,...
- 7/13/2012
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
One thing's for sure: The frosting on her birthday cake will be like buttah. As Barbra Streisand turns 70 on Tuesday, you'd think her reputation would be secure. She's conquered every medium, she's one of only a dozen or so members of the Egot club (people who've won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony), and she's one of the most popular and best-selling singers of all time. Still, despite her two Oscars, her Hollywood career has never gotten its due. In part, that's because, in 44 years of screen acting, she's made just 18 movies. Young audiences who know her only as Ben Stiller's exuberant mother from the "Fockers" movies can't be blamed for not knowing that she was once a groundbreaking dramatic and comic star, a reliably funny and sexy leading lady, a pioneering jill-of-all-trades filmmaker, or a celebrated (and reviled) movie diva. She's made just six movies in the last 30 years,...
- 4/24/2012
- by Gary Susman
- Moviefone
Chicago – Marilyn Monroe will never go away. The iconic actress of a long-gone era is the subject of a new film, “My Week with Marilyn,” directed by Simon Curtis. Ms. Monroe is portrayed during a in collaboration with Sir Lawrence Olivier, and their characters are played with sublime grace by Michelle Williams and Kenneth Branagh.
Director Simon Curtis was tapped to bring these actors – plus Julia Ormond, Eddie Redmayne, Emma Watson and Dame Judi Dench – to occupy another time and place with the image of Marilyn Monroe. Curtis was able to fully interpret the Adrian Hodges screenplay adaptation, in addition to balancing the public image and private dread of the Monroe essence. Admirers of both Monroe and Olivier will be transported.
She Wants to Loved By You: Michelle Williams as Marilyn Monroe in ‘My Week with Marilyn’
Photo credit: The Weinstein Company
British born Simon Curtis has risen through the...
Director Simon Curtis was tapped to bring these actors – plus Julia Ormond, Eddie Redmayne, Emma Watson and Dame Judi Dench – to occupy another time and place with the image of Marilyn Monroe. Curtis was able to fully interpret the Adrian Hodges screenplay adaptation, in addition to balancing the public image and private dread of the Monroe essence. Admirers of both Monroe and Olivier will be transported.
She Wants to Loved By You: Michelle Williams as Marilyn Monroe in ‘My Week with Marilyn’
Photo credit: The Weinstein Company
British born Simon Curtis has risen through the...
- 11/21/2011
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
It occurred to me when completing the Best Supporting Actress page -- now with "How'd they get nominated?" theorizing, Polls and Trivia -- that "The Wisdom of Crowds" might be in order for this category in terms of predictions. It's the only category that seems ripe for an upset, given both the nature of the category (the most frequently upsettable as it were) and the unfortunate turning of the tide against Melissa Leo. I say unfortunate because I think that Melissa Leo is absolute aces in The Fighter and far less deserving performances win Oscars every year! She'd be my personal winner in a year that didn't contain something as untoppable as Jacki Weaver's "Smurf" my first pencilled in candidate for Best of the Decade in 2020 when we pretend that the Oscars are only held once a decade.
So humor me by voting on this poll and explain yourself in the comments.
So humor me by voting on this poll and explain yourself in the comments.
- 2/22/2011
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
By George D. Allen
Recently, I wrote an article for the Movies Unlimited home blog, MovieFanFare, offering my quickly selected picks for 10 “desert island” movies, those films which, were I forced to choose, I felt (in those moments writing the article, anyway) I would be carting along with me to enjoy during my eternal vacation/banishment on said remote locale.
Now, monsterfans, wipe those memories of Stephen King’s gruesome short story “Survivor Type” from your mind and assume all of your other creature comforts are as normal as they could possibly be (so that you don’t have to worry about minor concerns like hacking off your own body parts for food!), and pick those 10 masterworks of the horror genre you’re going to be forced to live with for the rest of your days. I completed my own “Rorschach test” in this regard below. It was tough. I...
Recently, I wrote an article for the Movies Unlimited home blog, MovieFanFare, offering my quickly selected picks for 10 “desert island” movies, those films which, were I forced to choose, I felt (in those moments writing the article, anyway) I would be carting along with me to enjoy during my eternal vacation/banishment on said remote locale.
Now, monsterfans, wipe those memories of Stephen King’s gruesome short story “Survivor Type” from your mind and assume all of your other creature comforts are as normal as they could possibly be (so that you don’t have to worry about minor concerns like hacking off your own body parts for food!), and pick those 10 masterworks of the horror genre you’re going to be forced to live with for the rest of your days. I completed my own “Rorschach test” in this regard below. It was tough. I...
- 3/1/2010
- by Movies Unlimited
- FamousMonsters of Filmland
Last week, presumably due to a technical error, there was no 99p rental on iTunes. Now i’ll be honest, based on the suspect selections of recent weeks, it was nice to get a week off. I also considered the possibility that Apple had maybe decided to stop it altogether.
I thought that would be a great shame. Then it came back this week, and i had to watch Carl Reiner’s Fatal Instinct…
Ned (Armand Assante) is a police officer, and a lawyer. He believes greatly in the justice system, which is why he has no trouble defending the criminals that he arrests. His wife, Lana (Kate Nelligan), presumably feeling neglected due to her husbands time consuming dual role, is having an affair with her mechanic, Frank (Christopher McDonald). Upon discovering a clause in Ned’s life insurance that pays triple if a particular, highly unlikely accident occurs, enlists...
I thought that would be a great shame. Then it came back this week, and i had to watch Carl Reiner’s Fatal Instinct…
Ned (Armand Assante) is a police officer, and a lawyer. He believes greatly in the justice system, which is why he has no trouble defending the criminals that he arrests. His wife, Lana (Kate Nelligan), presumably feeling neglected due to her husbands time consuming dual role, is having an affair with her mechanic, Frank (Christopher McDonald). Upon discovering a clause in Ned’s life insurance that pays triple if a particular, highly unlikely accident occurs, enlists...
- 11/11/2009
- by Barry Steele
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Chicago – The Blu-Ray Round-Up is back with this week’s collection of HD titles that may not get the buzz of something like the latest Sandra Bullock romantic comedy or what Sam Raimi brought back from Hell but could be just what you’re looking for at the mall this weekend. A few modern horror movies, a notable box office bust, and a beloved BBC show highlight this week’s list. Pick your favorite.
“Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein,” “Wolf,” and “Red Dwarf: Back To Earth - The Director’s Cut” was released on October 6th, 2009.
“Waterworld” will be released on October 20th, 2009.
“Red Dwarf: Back To Earth - The Director’s Cut”
Photo credit: BBC
Synopsis: “Back To Earth takes place after “Series X.” Kochanski’s dead and the crew are hurled through a portal and discover they’re just characters from a TV series. Knowing they...
“Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein,” “Wolf,” and “Red Dwarf: Back To Earth - The Director’s Cut” was released on October 6th, 2009.
“Waterworld” will be released on October 20th, 2009.
“Red Dwarf: Back To Earth - The Director’s Cut”
Photo credit: BBC
Synopsis: “Back To Earth takes place after “Series X.” Kochanski’s dead and the crew are hurled through a portal and discover they’re just characters from a TV series. Knowing they...
- 10/15/2009
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Jbara originated the roles of 'Jackie Elliot' ('Dad') for the Broadway production of Billy Elliot, for which he won the Tony®, Outer Critics Circle, and Drama Desk Awards for Best/Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical, 'André Thibault' in the Broadway musical Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Drama Desk nomination), 'Squash Bernstein' in Victor/Victoria, starring Julie Andrews and the role of the dimwitted catcher,'Sohovik' in the Broadway revival of Damn Yankees! starring Bebe Neuwirth, Victor Garber and Jerry Lewis. Jbara was the second actor to star on Broadway as 'Billy Flynn' in the Tony Award winning revival of Chicago. Off-Broadway credits include 'Chick Clark' in Wonderful Town for City Center Encores!, the Broadway revival of Born Yesterday with Ed Asner and Madeline Kahn, Serious Money with Alec Baldwin and Kate Nelligan, Privates On Parade with Jim Dale and Simon Jones, Forever Plaid, Das Barbecu and Have I Got A Girl For You!
- 10/11/2009
- BroadwayWorld.com
Jbara originated the roles of 'Jackie Elliot' ('Dad') for the Broadway production of Billy Elliot, for which he won the Tony®, Outer Critics Circle, and Drama Desk Awards for Best/Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical, 'André Thibault' in the Broadway musical Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Drama Desk nomination), 'Squash Bernstein' in Victor/Victoria, starring Julie Andrews and the role of the dimwitted catcher,'Sohovik' in the Broadway revival of Damn Yankees! starring Bebe Neuwirth, Victor Garber and Jerry Lewis. Jbara was the second actor to star on Broadway as 'Billy Flynn' in the Tony Award winning revival of Chicago. Off-Broadway credits include 'Chick Clark' in Wonderful Town for City Center Encores!, the Broadway revival of Born Yesterday with Ed Asner and Madeline Kahn, Serious Money with Alec Baldwin and Kate Nelligan, Privates On Parade with Jim Dale and Simon Jones, Forever Plaid, Das Barbecu and Have I Got A Girl For You!
- 10/11/2009
- BroadwayWorld.com
Kate Nelligan, Nia Long and Amber Valletta have joined the cast of the Sandra Bullock starrer Premonition for Hyde Park Entertainment, MGM and TriStar Pictures. Helmed by Mennan Yapo, the film centers on a housewife (Bullock) whose husband dies in a car crash and who is shocked when he appears alive the next day. Julian McMahon already has boarded the project as the husband. Nelligan will play the mother of Bullock's character, while Long will play her best friend. Valletta is set to play the mistress of McMahon's character. The film, which is under way in Shreveport, La., is being financed by Hyde Park. TriStar will distribute.
Revisiting the exciting milieu of Warner Bros.' 1993 boxoffice smash "The Fugitive", but with one notable difference in the absence of superstar Harrison Ford as the wily good guy on the run, "U.S. Marshals" is a satisfying action extravaganza with Oscar winner Tommy Lee Jones returning as the tough, relentless Chief Deputy Marshal Samuel Gerard.
Stuart Baird ("Executive Action") marshals his troops with finesse, and debut screenwriter John Pogue has come up with inventive ways to pay homage to writer Roy Huggins' characters and the original film.
Produced by Arnold and Anne Kopelson, the wide release won't chase down the big numbers of its predecessor, but it's a sure-fire winner worldwide and should not escape the attention of video renters.
The success of "The Fugitive" was rightly recognized as the dual attraction of Ford's heroic doctor on a quest to clear his name and the professionalism of Jones' driven bogyman to the bad guys. Diverging from the original premise, "U.S. Marshals" lacks the first film's simple, dynamic structure and the strong emotional bonds one forms with the desperate "runner."
Instead, there's a big question as to whose side the current film's fugitive is on. Seen first in a spectacular curtain-raising traffic accident that lands him in the hospital, tow truck driver Sheridan (Wesley Snipes) is battered but in for far worse when the police find a concealed weapon in his truck. Seems the gun was used in a double homicide.
In short order he's put on a prisoner transport plane, and before one can say "Con Air" ten times, an assassin among the convicts tries to shoot him and causes a nasty crash landing instead. Also on board is Gerard, and he helps rescue the survivors after the plane lands on a rural road, flattens a bunch of telephone poles, skids off the road, flips over and lands upside down in the Ohio River.
The plane crash is the analog of the first film's knockout train-and-bus wreck, whose jump-off-the-dam scene is replayed with Sheridan swinging off a building in a move that would have Quasimodo demanding a stunt double. Overall, from the early tracking of the enigmatic Sheridan through the woods near the plane crash to the climactic rounds of cat-and-mouse pursuits and surprise gun battles in New York, Baird and crew successfully keep the tension high despite some confusing plot points.
Sheridan is both a runner and shooter, as Gerard finds out in one point-blank encounter, but it's a bit frustrating the way the audience is kept in the dark about his true identity and how he connects to the murders that one is initially led to believe he knows nothing about. Indeed, the focus is squarely on Gerard and his team, including returnees from the first film Joe Pantoliano, Daniel Roebuck and Tom Wood.
As such, "U.S. Marshals" is a showcase for Jones, and he comes through with another convincing, grounded performance. He's hurt but doesn't take it personally when he's shot at, yet he has an emotional side that comes out when one of his comrades is killed. With a more potent motive for risking life and limb than in the first film, Gerard also makes a mistake or two in figuring out who is the real bad guy.
Kate Nelligan is elegantly authoritative as Gerard's boss. While government agent Robert Downey Jr. is a bit too devious-looking from the outset, the actor has several fine moments playing the outsider on Team U.S. Marshals.
Well mounted in all regards, the elaborate production has a rugged physicality and mostly believable sequences, with the solid contributions of mechanical-effects supervisor Mike Meinardus, visual effects-designer Peter Donen and stunt coordinator Gary Davis.
U.S. MARSHALS
Warner Bros.
A Kopelson Entertainment/Keith Barish production
Director: Stuart Baird
Producers: Arnold Kopelson, Anne Kopelson
Based on characters created by: Roy Huggins
Screenwriter: John Pogue
Executive producers: Keith Barish, Roy Huggins
Co-executive producer: Wolfgang Glattes
Music: Jerry Goldsmith
Director of photography: Andrzej Bartkowiak
Production designer: Maher Ahmad
Editor: Terry Rawlings
Color/stereo
Cast:
Gerard: Tommy Lee Jones
Sheridan: Wesley Snipes
John Royce: Robert Downey Jr.
Renfro: Joe Pantoliano
Walsh: Kate Nelligan
Marie: Irene Jacob
Biggs: Daniel Roebuck
Newman: Tom Wood
Running time -- 131 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
Stuart Baird ("Executive Action") marshals his troops with finesse, and debut screenwriter John Pogue has come up with inventive ways to pay homage to writer Roy Huggins' characters and the original film.
Produced by Arnold and Anne Kopelson, the wide release won't chase down the big numbers of its predecessor, but it's a sure-fire winner worldwide and should not escape the attention of video renters.
The success of "The Fugitive" was rightly recognized as the dual attraction of Ford's heroic doctor on a quest to clear his name and the professionalism of Jones' driven bogyman to the bad guys. Diverging from the original premise, "U.S. Marshals" lacks the first film's simple, dynamic structure and the strong emotional bonds one forms with the desperate "runner."
Instead, there's a big question as to whose side the current film's fugitive is on. Seen first in a spectacular curtain-raising traffic accident that lands him in the hospital, tow truck driver Sheridan (Wesley Snipes) is battered but in for far worse when the police find a concealed weapon in his truck. Seems the gun was used in a double homicide.
In short order he's put on a prisoner transport plane, and before one can say "Con Air" ten times, an assassin among the convicts tries to shoot him and causes a nasty crash landing instead. Also on board is Gerard, and he helps rescue the survivors after the plane lands on a rural road, flattens a bunch of telephone poles, skids off the road, flips over and lands upside down in the Ohio River.
The plane crash is the analog of the first film's knockout train-and-bus wreck, whose jump-off-the-dam scene is replayed with Sheridan swinging off a building in a move that would have Quasimodo demanding a stunt double. Overall, from the early tracking of the enigmatic Sheridan through the woods near the plane crash to the climactic rounds of cat-and-mouse pursuits and surprise gun battles in New York, Baird and crew successfully keep the tension high despite some confusing plot points.
Sheridan is both a runner and shooter, as Gerard finds out in one point-blank encounter, but it's a bit frustrating the way the audience is kept in the dark about his true identity and how he connects to the murders that one is initially led to believe he knows nothing about. Indeed, the focus is squarely on Gerard and his team, including returnees from the first film Joe Pantoliano, Daniel Roebuck and Tom Wood.
As such, "U.S. Marshals" is a showcase for Jones, and he comes through with another convincing, grounded performance. He's hurt but doesn't take it personally when he's shot at, yet he has an emotional side that comes out when one of his comrades is killed. With a more potent motive for risking life and limb than in the first film, Gerard also makes a mistake or two in figuring out who is the real bad guy.
Kate Nelligan is elegantly authoritative as Gerard's boss. While government agent Robert Downey Jr. is a bit too devious-looking from the outset, the actor has several fine moments playing the outsider on Team U.S. Marshals.
Well mounted in all regards, the elaborate production has a rugged physicality and mostly believable sequences, with the solid contributions of mechanical-effects supervisor Mike Meinardus, visual effects-designer Peter Donen and stunt coordinator Gary Davis.
U.S. MARSHALS
Warner Bros.
A Kopelson Entertainment/Keith Barish production
Director: Stuart Baird
Producers: Arnold Kopelson, Anne Kopelson
Based on characters created by: Roy Huggins
Screenwriter: John Pogue
Executive producers: Keith Barish, Roy Huggins
Co-executive producer: Wolfgang Glattes
Music: Jerry Goldsmith
Director of photography: Andrzej Bartkowiak
Production designer: Maher Ahmad
Editor: Terry Rawlings
Color/stereo
Cast:
Gerard: Tommy Lee Jones
Sheridan: Wesley Snipes
John Royce: Robert Downey Jr.
Renfro: Joe Pantoliano
Walsh: Kate Nelligan
Marie: Irene Jacob
Biggs: Daniel Roebuck
Newman: Tom Wood
Running time -- 131 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
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