Frank Capra was a three-time Oscar winner who dominated the box office throughout the 1930s with his populist fables, nicknamed “Capra-corn.” Yet how many of these titles remain classics? Let’s take a look back at 12 of Capra’s greatest films, ranked worst to best.
Born in 1897 in Siciliy, Italy, Capra came to the United States with his family in 1903. His work often reflected an idealized vision of the American dream, perhaps spurned by his own experiences as an immigrant. Depression-era audiences lapped up his sweetly sentimental screwball comedies, which often centered on the plight of the common man.
He earned his first Oscar nomination for directing “Lady for a Day” (1933), and his loss was infamously embarrassing: when presented Will Rogers opened the envelope, he said, “Come up and get it, Frank!” Capra bounded to the stage, only to learned that Frank Lloyd (“Cavalcade”) has won instead.
No matter, because...
Born in 1897 in Siciliy, Italy, Capra came to the United States with his family in 1903. His work often reflected an idealized vision of the American dream, perhaps spurned by his own experiences as an immigrant. Depression-era audiences lapped up his sweetly sentimental screwball comedies, which often centered on the plight of the common man.
He earned his first Oscar nomination for directing “Lady for a Day” (1933), and his loss was infamously embarrassing: when presented Will Rogers opened the envelope, he said, “Come up and get it, Frank!” Capra bounded to the stage, only to learned that Frank Lloyd (“Cavalcade”) has won instead.
No matter, because...
- 5/10/2024
- by Zach Laws and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Gary Cooper was a two-time Oscar winner who starred in dozens of movies before his death in 1961, but how many of those titles remain classics? Let’s take a look back at 15 of his greatest films, ranked worst to best.
Born in 1901, Cooper got his start in silent movies, most notably the aerial drama “Wings” (1927), which won the very first Academy Award as Best Picture. He would collect his own statuette as Best Actor for another WWI film: the biographical drama “Sergeant York” (1941). Directed by Howard Hawks, it helped create Cooper’s screen persona of an ordinary man capable of extraordinary courage in the face of adversity.
He won a second Best Actor trophy for playing a similar character in Fred Zinnemann‘s western “High Noon” (1952), which cast him as a retired marshal who must stand up to a gang of killers arriving on the noon train. Cooper earned additional nominations for similarly idealistic,...
Born in 1901, Cooper got his start in silent movies, most notably the aerial drama “Wings” (1927), which won the very first Academy Award as Best Picture. He would collect his own statuette as Best Actor for another WWI film: the biographical drama “Sergeant York” (1941). Directed by Howard Hawks, it helped create Cooper’s screen persona of an ordinary man capable of extraordinary courage in the face of adversity.
He won a second Best Actor trophy for playing a similar character in Fred Zinnemann‘s western “High Noon” (1952), which cast him as a retired marshal who must stand up to a gang of killers arriving on the noon train. Cooper earned additional nominations for similarly idealistic,...
- 5/4/2024
- by Zach Laws and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
August isn't especially famous for its great movies. As months go, the eighth one on the calendar has often been a bit of a wasteland for Hollywood, as blockbusters peter off, kids have a lot less free time and money, and studio executives need to find somewhere to dump their proverbial dead bodies.
If you want a good example, you can pretty much throw a dart at any year after "Jaws" popularized the concept of summer blockbuster season. For example, let's take a look at 1993. 30 years ago, August was a month for dreck comedies like "Son of the Pink Panther," family film misfires like "Father Hood" and "Surf Ninjas," and the weird-ass "Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday."
But then again, there are exceptions to every rule. There were also a few excellent motion pictures in August 1993. The increasingly timeless classic "The Fugitive" came out that month, along with...
If you want a good example, you can pretty much throw a dart at any year after "Jaws" popularized the concept of summer blockbuster season. For example, let's take a look at 1993. 30 years ago, August was a month for dreck comedies like "Son of the Pink Panther," family film misfires like "Father Hood" and "Surf Ninjas," and the weird-ass "Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday."
But then again, there are exceptions to every rule. There were also a few excellent motion pictures in August 1993. The increasingly timeless classic "The Fugitive" came out that month, along with...
- 8/20/2023
- by William Bibbiani
- Slash Film
Alan Copeland, the songwriter, Grammy-winning arranger and ultra-smooth vocalist known for his many years with The Modernaires and performances on Your Hit Parade and The Red Skelton Hour, has died. He was 96.
Copeland died Dec. 28 in an assisted living facility in Sonora, California, his friend Bob Lehmann told The Hollywood Reporter.
As recently as this fall, Copeland was still singing and playing keyboards in a quartet called Now You Hazz Jazz. “It was his dream to play in a small group until the last curtain, that’s how he termed it,” said Lehmann, the drummer.
Copeland wrote or co-wrote songs including “Make Love to Me” — Jo Stafford’s version made it to No. 1 on the Billboard chart in 1954 — “Too Young to Know,” “High Society,” “This Must Be the Place, “Darling, Darling, Darling” and “While the Vesper Bells Were Ringing.”
After taking arranging lessons from Henry Mancini, he arranged vocals for...
Copeland died Dec. 28 in an assisted living facility in Sonora, California, his friend Bob Lehmann told The Hollywood Reporter.
As recently as this fall, Copeland was still singing and playing keyboards in a quartet called Now You Hazz Jazz. “It was his dream to play in a small group until the last curtain, that’s how he termed it,” said Lehmann, the drummer.
Copeland wrote or co-wrote songs including “Make Love to Me” — Jo Stafford’s version made it to No. 1 on the Billboard chart in 1954 — “Too Young to Know,” “High Society,” “This Must Be the Place, “Darling, Darling, Darling” and “While the Vesper Bells Were Ringing.”
After taking arranging lessons from Henry Mancini, he arranged vocals for...
- 1/7/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The legendary punk god joins us to talk about movies he finds unforgettable. Special appearance by his cat, Moon Unit.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Tapeheads (1988)
Rock ‘n’ Roll High School (1979) – Eli Roth’s trailer commentary
A Face In The Crowd (1957) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Meet John Doe (1941)
Bob Roberts (1992)
Bachelor Party (1984)
Dangerously Close (1986)
Videodrome (1983) – Mick Garris’s trailer commentary
F/X (1986)
Hot Rods To Hell (1967)
Riot On Sunset Strip (1967)
While The City Sleeps (1956) – Glenn Erickson’s trailer commentary
Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) – John Landis’s trailer commentary
Spider-Man (2002)
The Killing (1956) – Michael Lehmann’s trailer commentary
Serpent’s Egg (1977)
The Thin Man (1934)
Meet Nero Wolfe (1936)
The Hidden Eye (1945)
Eyes In The Night (1942)
Sudden Impact (1983) – Alan Spencer’s trailer commentary
Red Dawn (1984)
Warlock (1989)
The Dead Zone (1983) – Mick Garris’s trailer commentary
Secret Honor (1984)
The Player (1992) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary,...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Tapeheads (1988)
Rock ‘n’ Roll High School (1979) – Eli Roth’s trailer commentary
A Face In The Crowd (1957) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Meet John Doe (1941)
Bob Roberts (1992)
Bachelor Party (1984)
Dangerously Close (1986)
Videodrome (1983) – Mick Garris’s trailer commentary
F/X (1986)
Hot Rods To Hell (1967)
Riot On Sunset Strip (1967)
While The City Sleeps (1956) – Glenn Erickson’s trailer commentary
Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) – John Landis’s trailer commentary
Spider-Man (2002)
The Killing (1956) – Michael Lehmann’s trailer commentary
Serpent’s Egg (1977)
The Thin Man (1934)
Meet Nero Wolfe (1936)
The Hidden Eye (1945)
Eyes In The Night (1942)
Sudden Impact (1983) – Alan Spencer’s trailer commentary
Red Dawn (1984)
Warlock (1989)
The Dead Zone (1983) – Mick Garris’s trailer commentary
Secret Honor (1984)
The Player (1992) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary,...
- 6/22/2021
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
The stumbling block for political satire is that it’s almost always partisan — which is great if it flatters your views, and grating if it doesn’t. But not for Jon Stewart. In his first writing-directing gig since 2014’s docudrama Rosewater, the former late-night fixture ingeniously makes it impossible to take sides … since both sides totally suck. As host of The Daily Show between 1999 and 2015, Stewart knew that the only way to deal with the toxic mix of politics, media, and money afflicting the body politic was to resist. Or...
- 6/23/2020
- by Peter Travers
- Rollingstone.com
Frank Capra would’ve celebrated his 122nd birthday on May 18, 2019. The three-time Oscar winner dominated the box office throughout the 1930s with his populist fables, nicknamed “Capra-corn.” Yet how many of these titles remain classics? In honor of his birthday, take a look back at 12 of Capra’s greatest films, ranked worst to best.
Born in 1897 in Siciliy, Italy, Capra came to the United States with his family in 1903. His work often reflected an idealized vision of the American dream, perhaps spurned by his own experiences as an immigrant. Depression-era audiences lapped up his sweetly sentimental screwball comedies, which often centered on the plight of the common man.
SEEOscar Best Director Gallery: Every Winner In Academy Award History
He earned his first Oscar nomination for directing “Lady for a Day” (1933), and his loss was infamously embarrassing: when presented Will Rogers opened the envelope, he said, “Come up and get it,...
Born in 1897 in Siciliy, Italy, Capra came to the United States with his family in 1903. His work often reflected an idealized vision of the American dream, perhaps spurned by his own experiences as an immigrant. Depression-era audiences lapped up his sweetly sentimental screwball comedies, which often centered on the plight of the common man.
SEEOscar Best Director Gallery: Every Winner In Academy Award History
He earned his first Oscar nomination for directing “Lady for a Day” (1933), and his loss was infamously embarrassing: when presented Will Rogers opened the envelope, he said, “Come up and get it,...
- 5/18/2019
- by Zach Laws and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Gary Cooper would’ve celebrated his 118th birthday on May 7, 2019. The two-time Oscar winner starred in dozens of movies before his death in 1961, but how many of those titles remain classics? In honor of his birthday, let’s take a look back at 15 of his greatest films, ranked worst to best.
Born in 1901, Cooper got his start in silent movies, most notably the aerial drama “Wings” (1927), which won the very first Academy Award as Best Picture. He would collect his own statuette as Best Actor for another Wwi film: the biographical drama “Sergeant York” (1941). Directed by Howard Hawks, it helped create Cooper’s screen persona of an ordinary man capable of extraordinary courage in the face of adversity.
SEEOscar Best Actor Gallery: Every Winner in Academy Award History
He won a second Best Actor trophy for playing a similar character in Fred Zinnemann‘s western “High Noon” (1952), which cast him...
Born in 1901, Cooper got his start in silent movies, most notably the aerial drama “Wings” (1927), which won the very first Academy Award as Best Picture. He would collect his own statuette as Best Actor for another Wwi film: the biographical drama “Sergeant York” (1941). Directed by Howard Hawks, it helped create Cooper’s screen persona of an ordinary man capable of extraordinary courage in the face of adversity.
SEEOscar Best Actor Gallery: Every Winner in Academy Award History
He won a second Best Actor trophy for playing a similar character in Fred Zinnemann‘s western “High Noon” (1952), which cast him...
- 5/7/2019
- by Zach Laws and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
There have been at least four major “King Kong” movies — and another, “Godzilla vs. Kong,” is due early next year. And yet when fans of all ages think of the girl in the palm of the ape’s hand, they think not of Jessica Lange or Naomi Watts, but of the actress who first embodied her in 1933.
As we speak, New York’s popular indie house Film Forum is filling the next two weeks with movies that starred Fay Wray, the original Ann Darrow who tamed the giant ape. Also featured are movies written by Wray’s husband, Academy Award winner Robert Riskin. The program is done in conjunction with a new memoir by Victoria Riskin, the couples’ daughter and former president of the Writers Guild of America West.
“They were an early Hollywood power couple, each with a lasting legacy,” TCM’s Ben Mankiewicz said. “Wray is more easily identifiable,...
As we speak, New York’s popular indie house Film Forum is filling the next two weeks with movies that starred Fay Wray, the original Ann Darrow who tamed the giant ape. Also featured are movies written by Wray’s husband, Academy Award winner Robert Riskin. The program is done in conjunction with a new memoir by Victoria Riskin, the couples’ daughter and former president of the Writers Guild of America West.
“They were an early Hollywood power couple, each with a lasting legacy,” TCM’s Ben Mankiewicz said. “Wray is more easily identifiable,...
- 3/26/2019
- by Mary Murphy and Michele Willens
- The Wrap
Recently completing one of the longest shoots of his career with The Irishman, most other directors would consider that an accomplishment enough, but in between takes, Martin Scorsese somehow found time to construct a new curriculum as part of his “The Story of Movies” film course, produced with his company Film Foundation. This latest edition is “Portraits of America: Democracy on Film” and is free for students. However, if one would just like to follow along with their own personal screenings, the full list is available.
“We all need to make sense of what we’re seeing. For young people born into this world now, it’s absolutely crucial that they get guided,” Scorsese says (via IndieWire). “They have to learn how to sort the differences between art and pure commerce, between cinema and content, between the secrets of images that are individually crafted and the secrets of images that are mass-produced.
“We all need to make sense of what we’re seeing. For young people born into this world now, it’s absolutely crucial that they get guided,” Scorsese says (via IndieWire). “They have to learn how to sort the differences between art and pure commerce, between cinema and content, between the secrets of images that are individually crafted and the secrets of images that are mass-produced.
- 3/29/2018
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Ben Mortimer Nov 6, 2017
Director Paul King on the box office failure of Bunny And The Bull through to the heights of the new Paddington 2...
Returning to the world of Paddington following the huge success of the first movie is co-writer and director Paul King. It's a magical film he's fashioned too, and he spared us some time to chat about it. Here's how that conversation went...
See related The Flash season 4 episode 4 review: Elongated Journey Into The Night The Flash season 4 episode 3 review: Luck Be A Lady
I interviewed you about eight years ago for Bunny And The Bull at the McM Comic Con...
And look how well that went.
How things have progressed...
There was no suite then, was there?
There wasn’t much of a view, either.
No. I think we pretty much had to hitch to get there.
Pleased with the progress?
It’s been very nice.
Director Paul King on the box office failure of Bunny And The Bull through to the heights of the new Paddington 2...
Returning to the world of Paddington following the huge success of the first movie is co-writer and director Paul King. It's a magical film he's fashioned too, and he spared us some time to chat about it. Here's how that conversation went...
See related The Flash season 4 episode 4 review: Elongated Journey Into The Night The Flash season 4 episode 3 review: Luck Be A Lady
I interviewed you about eight years ago for Bunny And The Bull at the McM Comic Con...
And look how well that went.
How things have progressed...
There was no suite then, was there?
There wasn’t much of a view, either.
No. I think we pretty much had to hitch to get there.
Pleased with the progress?
It’s been very nice.
- 11/6/2017
- Den of Geek
It’s a wonder movie from the 1930s, a political fantasy that imagines a Utopia of peace and kindness hidden away in a distant mountain range — or in our daydreams. Sony’s new restoration is indeed impressive. Ronald Colman is seduced by a vision of a non-sectarian Heaven on Earth, while Savant indulges his anti-Frank Capra grumblings in his admiring but hesitant review essay.
Lost Horizon (1937)
80th Anniversary Blu-ray + HD Digital
Sony
1937 / B&W / 1:37 Academy / 133 min. / Street Date October 3, 2017 / 19.99
Starring: Ronald Colman, Jane Wyatt, Edward Everett Horton, John Howard, Thomas Mitchell, Margo, Isabel Jewell, H.B. Warner, Sam Jaffe, Noble Johnson, Richard Loo.
Cinematography: Joseph Walker
Film Editors: Gene Havelick, Gene Milford
Art Direction: Stephen Goosson
Musical director: Max Steiner
Original Music: Dimitri Tiomkin
Written by Robert Riskin from the novel by James Hilton
Produced and Directed by Frank Capra
Frank Capra had a way with actors and comedy...
Lost Horizon (1937)
80th Anniversary Blu-ray + HD Digital
Sony
1937 / B&W / 1:37 Academy / 133 min. / Street Date October 3, 2017 / 19.99
Starring: Ronald Colman, Jane Wyatt, Edward Everett Horton, John Howard, Thomas Mitchell, Margo, Isabel Jewell, H.B. Warner, Sam Jaffe, Noble Johnson, Richard Loo.
Cinematography: Joseph Walker
Film Editors: Gene Havelick, Gene Milford
Art Direction: Stephen Goosson
Musical director: Max Steiner
Original Music: Dimitri Tiomkin
Written by Robert Riskin from the novel by James Hilton
Produced and Directed by Frank Capra
Frank Capra had a way with actors and comedy...
- 10/10/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
The retrospective Frank Capra, The American Dreamer is showing April 10 - May 31, 2017 in the United Kingdom.Frank CapraFrank Capra has fallen badly out of fashion in recent decades. While still well-known for the extraordinary Depression-era purple patch that produced It Happened One Night (1934), Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936) and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), the critics have rarely been kind. His work is routinely derided as “Capra-corn” for its perceived sentimentality and “fairy tale” idealism while the man himself is written off in favour of contemporaries Howard Hawks, Preston Sturges and Ernst Lubitsch.Elliot Stein, writing in Sight & Sound in 1972, attacked Capra’s “fantasies of good will, which at no point conflict with middle-class American status quo values”, arguing that his “shrewdly commercial manipulative tracts” consist of little more than “philistine-populist notions and greeting-card sentiments”. Pauline Kael found him “softheaded,” Derek Malcolm a huckster hawking “cosily absurd fables.” To an extent,...
- 4/4/2017
- MUBI
This is the ultimate in screen sadism circa 1947, and it’s all in the debut film performance of Richard Widmark as a too-nasty-for-words hood who likes to shoot people in the stomach. Actually, Victor Mature is not bad in a grim story of a stool pigeon that tries to square himself with the law, and finds himself a target for mob murder.
Kiss of Death
Blu-ray
Twilight Time
1947 / B&W / 1:37 flat full frame / 98 min. / Street Date February 7, 2017 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store 29.95
Starring: Victor Mature, Brian Donlevy, Coleen Gray, Richard Widmark, Taylor Holmes, Karl Malden, Mildred Dunnock
Cinematography: Norbert Brodine
Art Direction: Leland Fuller, Lyle Wheeler
Film Editor: J. Watson Webb Jr.
Original Music: David Buttolph
Written by Ben Hecht, Charles Lederer, Eleazar Lipsky
Produced by Fred Kohlmar
Directed by Henry Hathaway
The older they get, the better they look. Henry Hathaway’s Kiss of Death is...
Kiss of Death
Blu-ray
Twilight Time
1947 / B&W / 1:37 flat full frame / 98 min. / Street Date February 7, 2017 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store 29.95
Starring: Victor Mature, Brian Donlevy, Coleen Gray, Richard Widmark, Taylor Holmes, Karl Malden, Mildred Dunnock
Cinematography: Norbert Brodine
Art Direction: Leland Fuller, Lyle Wheeler
Film Editor: J. Watson Webb Jr.
Original Music: David Buttolph
Written by Ben Hecht, Charles Lederer, Eleazar Lipsky
Produced by Fred Kohlmar
Directed by Henry Hathaway
The older they get, the better they look. Henry Hathaway’s Kiss of Death is...
- 2/28/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Apparently there’s an election happening somewhere at the moment. So what better time to test your knowledge of these campaign themed films.
Mr Smith Goes to Washington
The Best Man
Citizen Kane
Seven Days in May
Swing Vote
Bulworth
Bob Roberts
Election
The Manchurian Candidate
Dr Strangelove
Seven Days in May
Advise & Consent
The Candidate
The Campaign
The Contender
The Conquest
Meet John Doe
State of the Union
All the King's Men
The Great McGinty
Silver City
W.
The Ides of March
The American President
Three Days of the Condor
Taxi Driver
The Parallax View
The Candidate
Our Brand Is Crisis
State of Play
No
The Motorcycle Diaries
The Great McGinty
The Grapes of Wrath
Torchy Runs for Mayor
The Last Hurrah
Man of the Year
Napoleon Dynamite
Wag the Dog
Head of State
Continue reading...
Mr Smith Goes to Washington
The Best Man
Citizen Kane
Seven Days in May
Swing Vote
Bulworth
Bob Roberts
Election
The Manchurian Candidate
Dr Strangelove
Seven Days in May
Advise & Consent
The Candidate
The Campaign
The Contender
The Conquest
Meet John Doe
State of the Union
All the King's Men
The Great McGinty
Silver City
W.
The Ides of March
The American President
Three Days of the Condor
Taxi Driver
The Parallax View
The Candidate
Our Brand Is Crisis
State of Play
No
The Motorcycle Diaries
The Great McGinty
The Grapes of Wrath
Torchy Runs for Mayor
The Last Hurrah
Man of the Year
Napoleon Dynamite
Wag the Dog
Head of State
Continue reading...
- 10/28/2016
- by Aidan Mac Guill
- The Guardian - Film News
Frank Capra won his third Best Directing Oscar for this Kaufman and Hart adaptation. Star Jean Arthur is radiant, and relative newcomer James Stewart seems to have lifted his 'aw shucks' nice-guy personal from his role. With Lionel Barrymore, Ann Miller, Dub Taylor, Spring Byington and a terrific Edward Arnold. You Can't Take It with You Blu-ray + Digital HD Sony Pictures Home Entertainment 1938 / B&W / 1:37 flat / 126 min. / Street Date December 8, 2015 / 19.99 Starring Jean Arthur, Lionel Barrymore, James Stewart, Edward Arnold, Mischa Auer, Ann Miller, Spring Byington, Samuel S. Hinds, Donald Meek, H.B. Warner, Halliwell Hobbes, Dub Taylor, Mary Forbes, Lillian Yarbo, Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson. Cinematography Joseph Walker Art Direction Stephen Goosson Film Editor Gene Havlick Original Music Dimitri Tiomkin Written by Robert Riskin from the play by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart Produced and Directed by Frank Capra
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
One of Frank Capra's brightest, most entertaining features,...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
One of Frank Capra's brightest, most entertaining features,...
- 12/12/2015
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Gary Cooper movies on TCM: Cooper at his best and at his weakest Gary Cooper is Turner Classic Movies' “Summer Under the Stars” star today, Aug. 30, '15. Unfortunately, TCM isn't showing any Cooper movie premiere – despite the fact that most of his Paramount movies of the '20s and '30s remain unavailable. This evening's features are Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936), Sergeant York (1941), and Love in the Afternoon (1957). Mr. Deeds Goes to Town solidified Gary Cooper's stardom and helped to make Jean Arthur Columbia's top female star. The film is a tad overlong and, like every Frank Capra movie, it's also highly sentimental. What saves it from the Hell of Good Intentions is the acting of the two leads – Cooper and Arthur are both excellent – and of several supporting players. Directed by Howard Hawks, the jingoistic, pro-war Sergeant York was a huge box office hit, eventually earning Academy Award nominations in several categories,...
- 8/30/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Kristen Stewart, 'Camp X-Ray' star, to join cast of 'Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk' Kristen Stewart to join 'Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk' movie After putting away her Bella Swan wig and red (formerly brown) contact lenses, Kristen Stewart has been making a number of interesting career choices. Here are three examples: Stewart was a U.S. soldier who befriends an inmate (Peyman Moaadi) at the American Gulag, Guantanamo, in Peter Sattler's little-seen (at least in theaters) Camp X-Ray. She was one of Best Actress Oscar winner Julianne Moore's daughters in Wash Westmoreland and the recently deceased Richard Glatzer's Alzheimer's drama Still Alice. She was the personal assistant to troubled, aging actress Juliette Binoche in Olivier Assayas' Clouds of Sils Maria, which earned her a history-making Best Supporting Actress César. (Stewart became the first American actress to take home the French Academy Award.
- 4/4/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Jean Arthur films on TCM include three Frank Capra classics Five Jean Arthur films will be shown this evening, Monday, January 5, 2015, on Turner Classic Movies, including three directed by Frank Capra, the man who helped to turn Arthur into a major Hollywood star. They are the following: Capra's Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, You Can't Take It with You, and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington; George Stevens' The More the Merrier; and Frank Borzage's History Is Made at Night. One the most effective performers of the studio era, Jean Arthur -- whose film career began inauspiciously in 1923 -- was Columbia Pictures' biggest female star from the mid-'30s to the mid-'40s, when Rita Hayworth came to prominence and, coincidentally, Arthur's Columbia contract expired. Today, she's best known for her trio of films directed by Frank Capra, Columbia's top director of the 1930s. Jean Arthur-Frank Capra...
- 1/6/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
It Happened One Night
Directed by Frank Capra
Written by Robert Riskin
USA, 1934
When Frank Capra came upon the 1933 Samuel Hopkins Adams story “Night Bus,” he thought it would make a great film. He bought the property and took it to screenwriter Robert Riskin, with whom he had worked a few years prior on Platinum Blonde (1931). The script was set to be Capra’s next feature for Columbia, then a lower-rung studio where he was their preeminent director. The problem? Nobody wanted to make the film. Several top actors and actresses of the day turned down the picture, Robert Montgomery, Carole Lombard, and Myrna Loy among them. Clark Gable, not yet the caliber of star he would become, eventually accepted the male lead, and Claudette Colbert eventually (and reluctantly) took the female lead … under the condition that her $25,000 salary would be doubled, which it was. The film’s entire budget...
Directed by Frank Capra
Written by Robert Riskin
USA, 1934
When Frank Capra came upon the 1933 Samuel Hopkins Adams story “Night Bus,” he thought it would make a great film. He bought the property and took it to screenwriter Robert Riskin, with whom he had worked a few years prior on Platinum Blonde (1931). The script was set to be Capra’s next feature for Columbia, then a lower-rung studio where he was their preeminent director. The problem? Nobody wanted to make the film. Several top actors and actresses of the day turned down the picture, Robert Montgomery, Carole Lombard, and Myrna Loy among them. Clark Gable, not yet the caliber of star he would become, eventually accepted the male lead, and Claudette Colbert eventually (and reluctantly) took the female lead … under the condition that her $25,000 salary would be doubled, which it was. The film’s entire budget...
- 11/28/2014
- by Jeremy Carr
- SoundOnSight
It's unofficially 1941 Week. Here's Abstew on the year's greatest actress...
See anything you like?
Purrs Barbara Stanwyck's con artist Jean Harrington to Henry Fonda's smitten ale-heir-turned-Ophiologist Charles Pike in Preston Sturges' 1941 screwball classic, The Lady Eve. The question is asked as the contents of her wardrobe are on display (and the sultry delivery let's us know that Jean is hardly talking about the fuzzy slippers), but Stanwyck might have easily been asking movie-goers the same thing regarding her stellar body of work that year. In a quartet of successful films (The Lady Eve, Meet John Doe, You Belong to Me, and Ball of Fire), Stanwyck earned her second Oscar nomination, starred in a film Time magazine named one of the 100 greatest movies of all-time, and became one of the highest paid actresses in Hollywood. Unquestionably, 1941 would prove to be a peak Stanwyck year. ...
See anything you like?
Purrs Barbara Stanwyck's con artist Jean Harrington to Henry Fonda's smitten ale-heir-turned-Ophiologist Charles Pike in Preston Sturges' 1941 screwball classic, The Lady Eve. The question is asked as the contents of her wardrobe are on display (and the sultry delivery let's us know that Jean is hardly talking about the fuzzy slippers), but Stanwyck might have easily been asking movie-goers the same thing regarding her stellar body of work that year. In a quartet of successful films (The Lady Eve, Meet John Doe, You Belong to Me, and Ball of Fire), Stanwyck earned her second Oscar nomination, starred in a film Time magazine named one of the 100 greatest movies of all-time, and became one of the highest paid actresses in Hollywood. Unquestionably, 1941 would prove to be a peak Stanwyck year. ...
- 5/28/2014
- by abstew
- FilmExperience
The Supporting Actress Smackdown, 1941 Edition, hits these parts on Saturday May 31st (here's the full summer calendar). This month we'll be discussing Mary Astor in The Great Lie, Sara Allgood in How Green Was My Valley, Margaret Wycherly in Sergeant York, Teresa Wright and Patricia Collinge, both in The Little Foxes.
1941 winners: Gary Cooper, Joan Fontaine, Mary Astor & Donald Crisp. Note how the supporting actors used to win a plaque instead of a statue!
It's time to introduce our panel as we dive into that film year next week with little goodies strewn about the usual postings.
Remember You are part of the panel. So get your votes in by e-mailing Nathaniel with 1941 in the subject line and giving these supporting actresses their heart rankings (1 for awful to 5 for brilliant). Please only vote on the performances you've seen. The votes are averaged so it doesn't hurt a performance to be underseen.
1941 winners: Gary Cooper, Joan Fontaine, Mary Astor & Donald Crisp. Note how the supporting actors used to win a plaque instead of a statue!
It's time to introduce our panel as we dive into that film year next week with little goodies strewn about the usual postings.
Remember You are part of the panel. So get your votes in by e-mailing Nathaniel with 1941 in the subject line and giving these supporting actresses their heart rankings (1 for awful to 5 for brilliant). Please only vote on the performances you've seen. The votes are averaged so it doesn't hurt a performance to be underseen.
- 5/21/2014
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Glenn Beck is putting his faith in Hollywood – literally. The conservative radio host has been refurbishing the Studios at Las Colinas in Irving, Texas, according to The Hollywood Reporter, as the setting for at least one "faith-based" movie, as part of his new venture into film producing. He also has two other movies in the works – one set in ancient history and another THR describes as being set in modern history – and he has optioned several other films, as well.
Muse Criticize Glenn Beck, Rightwing 'Conspiracy Theory Subculture'
An...
Muse Criticize Glenn Beck, Rightwing 'Conspiracy Theory Subculture'
An...
- 4/16/2014
- Rollingstone.com
With a handful of performances around the nation, Broadway Records is excited to be releasing Meet John Doe Studio Cast Album. The Jonathan Larson Award-winning musical by Andrew Gerle and Ernie Sugarman is based on the 1941 Frank Capra film of the same title that starred Barbara Stanwyck and Gary Cooper. Broadway Records' recording captures the flashy, toe-tapping Big Band score in all of its glory and features some of modern musical theatre's favorite voices, namely Robert Cuccioli, Andrew Keenan-Bolger, and Heidi Blickenstaff.
- 12/4/2013
- by David Clarke
- BroadwayWorld.com
“A Life of Barbara Stanwyck” by Victoria Wilson ends abruptly in 1940. Still ahead are “The Lady Eve” and “Ball of Fire,” “Meet John Doe” and “Double Indemnity,” not to mention more than 40 other movies and four years as the matriarch of a sprawling 19th century ranch on the television series, “The Big Valley.”Yet the book, which takes Stanwyck from birth in 1907 to the age of 37 and stardom in a town she hated for the “pretense” of its “so self-important” people, is exactly 1000 pages long if you include its meticulous stage, film, radio and television chronologies and notes on sources. And it has a cast of thousands, with each director, actor or owner of a speakeasy Stanwyck encounters given not only his own backstory but the histories of the people with whom he has worked or played. Carole Lombard, for example, tended the “cows, chickens, ducks, pair of mules, goat,...
- 11/25/2013
- by Aljean Harmetz
- Thompson on Hollywood
Continuing our daily January countdown, here is the 10th out of 30 in our list of the 300 Greatest Films Ever Made. These are numbers 210-201.
210) Mean Streets (1973) Martin Scorsese USA
209) A Shot In The Dark (1964) Blake Edwards USA
208) Raise The Red Lantern (1991) Zhang Yimou China/ Hong Kong
207) Do The Right Thing (1989) Spike Lee USA
206) A Christmas Story (1983) Bob Clark USA
205) Meet John Doe (1941) Frank Capra USA
204) Breathless (1959) Jean Luc Goddard France
203) Jules & Jim (1961) Francois Truffaut France
202) The Life Of Brian (1979) Terry Jones British
201) Das Boot (1981) Wolfgang Petersen Germany
Numbers 200-191 coming next.
film cultureClassicslist300...
210) Mean Streets (1973) Martin Scorsese USA
209) A Shot In The Dark (1964) Blake Edwards USA
208) Raise The Red Lantern (1991) Zhang Yimou China/ Hong Kong
207) Do The Right Thing (1989) Spike Lee USA
206) A Christmas Story (1983) Bob Clark USA
205) Meet John Doe (1941) Frank Capra USA
204) Breathless (1959) Jean Luc Goddard France
203) Jules & Jim (1961) Francois Truffaut France
202) The Life Of Brian (1979) Terry Jones British
201) Das Boot (1981) Wolfgang Petersen Germany
Numbers 200-191 coming next.
film cultureClassicslist300...
- 1/11/2013
- by feeds@cinelinx.com (Rob Young)
- Cinelinx
As the nation prepares for the upcoming election, TCM rolls out a month-long program of classic films on politics, as well as the newly produced one-hour special "A Night at the Movies: Hollywood Goes to Washington," featuring interviewees Oliver Stone, Rob Reiner and many more talking about the treatment of politics in cinema, and examining films on political campaigns and (close to Stone's heart) conspiracies. The special premieres on Friday, October 5 at 8pm Eastern time. The series programming includes two Frank Capra classics, "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" and "Meet John Doe," starring Jimmy Stewart and Gary Cooper respectively, and, of course, Alan J. Pakula's paranoid masterpiece and politics-journalism hybrid "All the President's Men." A few notable films are missing from the list, including John Frankenheimer's "The Manchurian Candidate" and, oddly, Stone's "JFK." Toh-ers, as...
- 9/12/2012
- by Beth Hanna
- Thompson on Hollywood
Conservatives often complain that Hollywood is a hopeless miasma of liberalism, full of left-wingers who fill the screen with pinko propaganda, even though such content alienates half the audience and risks box office failure. (There's a whole news blog devoted to that proposition, Andrew Breitbart's Big Hollywood.) Yet a new list of the top conservative movies of the modern era not only finds plenty of mainstream Hollywood hits (so many that there's an even longer honorable-mention list on the side) but also plenty of films made by liberal directors and stars. Which suggests that ideology in movies is a much more ambiguous area than Hollywood's critics, from right or left, would acknowledge.
The list, made by Nile Gardiner at the Telegraph, is understandably Anglophilic; an American-made list might have swapped out "Chariots of Fire" for fellow sports-and-faith flick "The Blind Side," or gone with "Red Dawn" instead of fellow war-and-empire movie "Zulu.
The list, made by Nile Gardiner at the Telegraph, is understandably Anglophilic; an American-made list might have swapped out "Chariots of Fire" for fellow sports-and-faith flick "The Blind Side," or gone with "Red Dawn" instead of fellow war-and-empire movie "Zulu.
- 1/13/2012
- by Gary Susman
- Moviefone
Throughout the month of December, TV Editor Kate Kulzick and Film Editor Ricky D will review classic Christmas adaptions, posting a total of 13 each, one a day, until the 25th of December.
The catch: They will swap roles as Rick will take on reviews of classic television Christmas specials and Kate will take on Christmas movies. Today is day 8.
Meet John Doe (1941)
Screenplay by Robert Riskin
Story by Richard Connell and Robert Presnell, Sr.
Directed by Frank Capra
What’s it about?
A journalist, Ann Mitchell (Barbara Stanwyck) dreams up an article to save her job and winds up entangled with John Doe, her fictional creation, Long John Willoughby (Gary Cooper), the man hired to play him, and the men who seek to exploit them all.
How is it?
Capra’s Christmas classic It’s a Wonderful Life may have the holiday locked down, but this pleasing entry deserves a look as well.
The catch: They will swap roles as Rick will take on reviews of classic television Christmas specials and Kate will take on Christmas movies. Today is day 8.
Meet John Doe (1941)
Screenplay by Robert Riskin
Story by Richard Connell and Robert Presnell, Sr.
Directed by Frank Capra
What’s it about?
A journalist, Ann Mitchell (Barbara Stanwyck) dreams up an article to save her job and winds up entangled with John Doe, her fictional creation, Long John Willoughby (Gary Cooper), the man hired to play him, and the men who seek to exploit them all.
How is it?
Capra’s Christmas classic It’s a Wonderful Life may have the holiday locked down, but this pleasing entry deserves a look as well.
- 12/8/2011
- by Kate Kulzick
- SoundOnSight
Primus' new album "Green Naugahyde" draws on Les Claypool's filmic obsessions -- even veteran Westerns actor Lee Van Cleef gets a shout out in a song called, well, "Lee Van Cleef." "People always ask me who my heroes are, expecting me to say someone like Geddy Lee [from Rush]," Claypool told IFC. "But really, it's more people like Elia Kazan, Sergio Leone, Frank Capra, Terry Gilliam, and Jared Hess."
That might go a long way towards explaining why so many Primus songs seem to happily co-exist in the film world -- for instance, "Spegetti Western," or "Camelback Cinema." Or why so many Primus songs are based on peripheral characters -- "John the Fisherman," "Jerry Was a Race Car Driver," or, more recently, "Jilly's On Smack." "I love character actors," the singer/bassist said. "If I'm switching channels, and something with Slim Pickens is on, or Walter Brennan, I'm stuck. I have to watch it.
That might go a long way towards explaining why so many Primus songs seem to happily co-exist in the film world -- for instance, "Spegetti Western," or "Camelback Cinema." Or why so many Primus songs are based on peripheral characters -- "John the Fisherman," "Jerry Was a Race Car Driver," or, more recently, "Jilly's On Smack." "I love character actors," the singer/bassist said. "If I'm switching channels, and something with Slim Pickens is on, or Walter Brennan, I'm stuck. I have to watch it.
- 11/16/2011
- by IFC
- ifc.com
Below you will find a list of movie that Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz director Edgar Wright has never seen. Not long ago Wright went out and asked his friends and fans to recommend some movies they thought he may have missed over the last thirty years of his life. He got recommendations from Quentin Tarantino, Daniel Waters, Bill Hader, John Landis, Guillermo Del Toro, Joe Dante, Judd Apatow, Joss Whedon, Greg Mottola, Schwartzman, Doug Benson, Rian Johnson, Larry Karaszeski, Josh Olson, Harry Knowles and hundreds of fans on this blog.
From these recommendations, Wright created a master list of recommended films that were frequently mentioned. The director now wants the fans to choose which of the films on the list he should watch on the big screen.
Wright is holding a film event at the New Beverly Cinema in Los Angeles called Films Edgar Has Never Seen.
From these recommendations, Wright created a master list of recommended films that were frequently mentioned. The director now wants the fans to choose which of the films on the list he should watch on the big screen.
Wright is holding a film event at the New Beverly Cinema in Los Angeles called Films Edgar Has Never Seen.
- 10/18/2011
- by Venkman
- GeekTyrant
Edgar Wright's latest epic project [1] has him partnering with Quentin Tarantino, Judd Apatow, Joss Whedon, Bill Hader, Guillermo Del Toro, Joe Dante, Greg Mottola, Harry Knowles, Rian Johnson and, probably, several of you. Like all of us, Wright has a bunch of classic and cult films he's never seen. Unlike all of us, he has the means to see them for the first time on the big screen and will do just that in December [2] at the New Beverly Cinema in Los Angeles during Films Edgar Has Never Seen. The director of Shaun of the Dead and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World asked both his famous friends (some of which are listed above) and fans to send in their personal must see lists and, from those titles, Wright came up with one mega list from which he'll pick a few movies to watch December 9-16. After the jump check...
- 10/18/2011
- by Germain Lussier
- Slash Film
Robert here with my series Distant Relatives, which explores the connections between one classic and one contemporary film. This week we jump into the admittedly pointless but always fun Chaplin vs. Keaton debate and contrast it with the Pixar vs Dreamworks animation debate. The important thing is to remember that you can love all of these films and it's not a competition.
But if it were a competition (and it's not), we start with Chaplin and Pixar because they're the obvious frontrunners. By that I don't mean that they're better, but they have the name recognition, the marketing, the cultural branding. Chaplin built for himself an image that now almost a century after his first shorts, is still recognizable. Pixar meanwhile, in just over fifteen years in the feature business has introduced a slew of films and characters that have become iconic. While quality is mostly the cause, it doesn't...
But if it were a competition (and it's not), we start with Chaplin and Pixar because they're the obvious frontrunners. By that I don't mean that they're better, but they have the name recognition, the marketing, the cultural branding. Chaplin built for himself an image that now almost a century after his first shorts, is still recognizable. Pixar meanwhile, in just over fifteen years in the feature business has introduced a slew of films and characters that have become iconic. While quality is mostly the cause, it doesn't...
- 10/14/2011
- by Robert
- FilmExperience
Tuesday, DVD roundup day, is a fine day for taking a look at the new Summer 2011 issue of Cineaste, particularly since, among the online samplings this time around, DVD reviews outnumber all other types of articles combined.
To begin, Darragh O'Donoghue on Harun Farocki's Still Life (1997): "Five aphoristic essays on 17th-century Dutch still-life painting, of about three minutes each, bracket four documentary sequences of photographers creating modern still lifes for magazine advertisements. These two levels, though defined by opposites — stasis/motion, tell/show — are linked by visual motifs and rhymes, just as the modern products echo the subjects of the paintings. The documentary sequences have no commentary, mostly last ten to fifteen minutes, and take their cue from Farocki's earlier An Image (Ein bild, 1983). In that short, he recorded the shooting of a German Playboy centerfold spread, from the building of sets and the arrangement of props (including...
To begin, Darragh O'Donoghue on Harun Farocki's Still Life (1997): "Five aphoristic essays on 17th-century Dutch still-life painting, of about three minutes each, bracket four documentary sequences of photographers creating modern still lifes for magazine advertisements. These two levels, though defined by opposites — stasis/motion, tell/show — are linked by visual motifs and rhymes, just as the modern products echo the subjects of the paintings. The documentary sequences have no commentary, mostly last ten to fifteen minutes, and take their cue from Farocki's earlier An Image (Ein bild, 1983). In that short, he recorded the shooting of a German Playboy centerfold spread, from the building of sets and the arrangement of props (including...
- 6/7/2011
- MUBI
A classy dame. A dynamite broad. A tough cookie. The language is definitely un-pc…and yet, it seems not only proper but singularly apt when talking about Barbara Stanwyck. It was the language of the day when her star soared off into the ascent, and it would remain so her over the course of a 60-year career on stage, film, and TV, it would be criminal to clean it up for politeness’ sake. It was the kind of language she unabashedly used herself in her later years, describing herself frankly, bluntly, and with characteristic modesty – as was her wont – as “…a tough old broad from Brooklyn.”
And, kiddo (as she’d probably say), she was. She had to be.
She was four-year-old Ruby Stevens when a drunk pushed her mother off a streetcar killing her, and her father, unable to cope, ran off. She bounced from one foster home to another,...
And, kiddo (as she’d probably say), she was. She had to be.
She was four-year-old Ruby Stevens when a drunk pushed her mother off a streetcar killing her, and her father, unable to cope, ran off. She bounced from one foster home to another,...
- 4/3/2011
- by Bill Mesce
- SoundOnSight
Jean Arthur, Gary Cooper, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town Gary Cooper is the "star of the evening" on Turner Classic Movies. Frank Capra's messy Meet John Doe, which can never quite decide where it stands socially and politically, is on right now. The movie is made watchable by Cooper's and, especially, Barbara Stanwyck's performances. Mr. Deeds Goes to Town could've been just as messy as Meet John Doe, but perhaps because Robert Riskin was responsible for the screenplay, the characters come to life in a more believable manner, even if the film's social message is as idealistically absurd as ever. Cooper co-stars with the delightful Jean Arthur in this one. Stuart Heisler's Along Came Jones is a so-so comic Western, watchable just because of its two leads (Cooper and Loretta Young), but you should check out William Wyler's Oscar-nominated, Civil War-set Friendly Persuasion. The film itself is problematic; in fact,...
- 12/19/2010
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
It's A Wonderful Life is a Christmas tradition – and the film that has preserved Frank Capra's popularity. It is too easy to dismiss his work as sentimental, prudish and politically naive, argues Michael Newton. Many of his movies are still magical
Of all Hollywood directors, Frank Capra is the most loved and the least respected. From the early 1930s to the mid 40s, as the maker of such classic movies as It Happened One Night (1934), You Can't Take It with You (1938) and Mr Smith Goes to Washington (1939), he achieved fame, won Oscars and found huge audiences. Yet for every film-fan who warms to his work, there's a hard-nosed critic eager to pounce on this purveyor of "Capra-corn". He offers a personal vision, but it's one that has been judged suspect, offering up a sentimental and duplicitous Americanism. To those on the left, he has seemed a fascist; to those on the right,...
Of all Hollywood directors, Frank Capra is the most loved and the least respected. From the early 1930s to the mid 40s, as the maker of such classic movies as It Happened One Night (1934), You Can't Take It with You (1938) and Mr Smith Goes to Washington (1939), he achieved fame, won Oscars and found huge audiences. Yet for every film-fan who warms to his work, there's a hard-nosed critic eager to pounce on this purveyor of "Capra-corn". He offers a personal vision, but it's one that has been judged suspect, offering up a sentimental and duplicitous Americanism. To those on the left, he has seemed a fascist; to those on the right,...
- 12/18/2010
- The Guardian - Film News
Once Thanksgiving is over, It's a Wonderful Life season officially begins. But by the time director Frank Capra ventured to Bedford Falls, he had already made one of the greatest Christmas movies ever: Meet John Doe, which gets a "70th Anniversary Ultimate Collectors Edition" release this week from Vci Entertainment. And like many of Capra's little-guy-against-the-corporations movies, it feels more relevant than ever.
- 12/3/2010
- Movieline
Evergreen satire Meet John Doe shows the little people being used by the media to serve its own ends. Sounds familiar, says John Patterson
Sometimes I blame Frank Capra for Sharron Angle and Christine O'Donnell. Capra's evergreen 1939 melodrama in the form of a civics lesson, Mr Smith Goes To Washington, peddles the notion that our most desirable elected representative isn't the richest, canniest or best-connected professional politician, but the honest, untutored back-country hick with a love for the founding fathers – or, failing that, Jimmy Stewart himself.
It turns out that Capra, the director most closely associated with the 1930s, era of the Great Depression, had mixed feelings about The People whom the majority of his movies celebrate, and who are by and large depicted by him as dignified, funny, resilient and honest. The famous bus ride scene in his masterpiece It Happened One Night, when passengers take turns on verses...
Sometimes I blame Frank Capra for Sharron Angle and Christine O'Donnell. Capra's evergreen 1939 melodrama in the form of a civics lesson, Mr Smith Goes To Washington, peddles the notion that our most desirable elected representative isn't the richest, canniest or best-connected professional politician, but the honest, untutored back-country hick with a love for the founding fathers – or, failing that, Jimmy Stewart himself.
It turns out that Capra, the director most closely associated with the 1930s, era of the Great Depression, had mixed feelings about The People whom the majority of his movies celebrate, and who are by and large depicted by him as dignified, funny, resilient and honest. The famous bus ride scene in his masterpiece It Happened One Night, when passengers take turns on verses...
- 10/22/2010
- by John Patterson
- The Guardian - Film News
It seems like every time there's a new biography about a past Hollywood star or starlet, we get to know a little more about their sexual history and it involves both sexes. The recent discovery that Vivien Leigh had several female lovers adds her to an ever-growing list of talented actresses that were married to men but involved with women in the early days of Hollywood. While we know about several already (Marlene Dietrich, Tallulah Bankhead, Greta Garbo) there are several others who we can claim as well. Here's a small list of actresses with whom we share a kinship.
Spring Byington (1886 - 1971)
Most Famous For: Meet John Doe, Little Women
Romanced: Marjorie "Ma Kettle" Main, Maude Adams
Estelle Winwood (1883 - 1984)
Most Famous For: Quality Street, Camelot
Romanced: Tallulah Bankhead
Ona Munson (1903 - 1955)
Most Famous For: Gone With the Wind, The Hot Heiress
Romanced: Mercedes de Acosta
Joan Crawford (1905 - 1977)
Most Famous For: Mildred Pierce,...
Spring Byington (1886 - 1971)
Most Famous For: Meet John Doe, Little Women
Romanced: Marjorie "Ma Kettle" Main, Maude Adams
Estelle Winwood (1883 - 1984)
Most Famous For: Quality Street, Camelot
Romanced: Tallulah Bankhead
Ona Munson (1903 - 1955)
Most Famous For: Gone With the Wind, The Hot Heiress
Romanced: Mercedes de Acosta
Joan Crawford (1905 - 1977)
Most Famous For: Mildred Pierce,...
- 9/1/2010
- by dennis
- The Backlot
(Aamir Khan, above.)
by Terry Keefe
To fans of Bollywood, even the most casual ones, actor-producer-director Aamir Khan needs no introduction. He is one of Indian cinema's most popular actors, and consequently, he is also one of the biggest stars in the world. Here in the United States, he is perhaps still best known to foreign film fans as the star and producer of the extremely successful 2001 release Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India, the first feature shepherded by Khan's production company, Aamir Khan Productions. Khan isn't known for doing a tremendous amount of interviews, so the opportunity to speak with him recently was one that I jumped at. Khan was in the United States as part of the promotional tour for Peepli Live, the new feature which Khan has produced, but has opted not to star in.
Peepli Live, written and directed by first-time helmer and former journalist Anusha Rizvi,...
by Terry Keefe
To fans of Bollywood, even the most casual ones, actor-producer-director Aamir Khan needs no introduction. He is one of Indian cinema's most popular actors, and consequently, he is also one of the biggest stars in the world. Here in the United States, he is perhaps still best known to foreign film fans as the star and producer of the extremely successful 2001 release Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India, the first feature shepherded by Khan's production company, Aamir Khan Productions. Khan isn't known for doing a tremendous amount of interviews, so the opportunity to speak with him recently was one that I jumped at. Khan was in the United States as part of the promotional tour for Peepli Live, the new feature which Khan has produced, but has opted not to star in.
Peepli Live, written and directed by first-time helmer and former journalist Anusha Rizvi,...
- 8/13/2010
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
This week, nodule grits his teeth, goes up to his bedroom, assembles his voodoo dolls and picks out his best film clips having a pop at Pops
When it comes to letting you down – at the movies, at least – there really is no one quite like Dad. Cinema fathers are experts at inflicting a finely nuanced range of emotional injuries from mild embarrassment to outright pain and humiliation. Equipped with a Diy toolbox of blunt instruments such as emotional blackmail, bullying, and a short fuse, the bad dads of the big screen are liable to empty your bank account, chop your right hand off or simply forbid you from going out "in a whorehouse dress".
Even well-meaning attempts at damage control forever go awry. Whether blundering in on a special moment, trying it on with your friends, or coming home boozed up and brawling, some pops just can't seem to control themselves.
When it comes to letting you down – at the movies, at least – there really is no one quite like Dad. Cinema fathers are experts at inflicting a finely nuanced range of emotional injuries from mild embarrassment to outright pain and humiliation. Equipped with a Diy toolbox of blunt instruments such as emotional blackmail, bullying, and a short fuse, the bad dads of the big screen are liable to empty your bank account, chop your right hand off or simply forbid you from going out "in a whorehouse dress".
Even well-meaning attempts at damage control forever go awry. Whether blundering in on a special moment, trying it on with your friends, or coming home boozed up and brawling, some pops just can't seem to control themselves.
- 2/10/2010
- The Guardian - Film News
This week on Clip joint, put down your danish, throw away your pain au raisin and chow down on Joe Sommerlad's platter of the best doughnuts on film
In recent years, the doughnut has been edged out of the cinematic limelight. Perhaps it's to do with how strongly Homer Simpson is associated with the sugary buns. Perhaps it's a product of cop shows being a bigger staple on TV than on film. Perhaps it's even about increased health consciousness. But it's easy to forget just how pivotal a role this humble snack has played in great films over the years.
Scarfing down some deep-fried treats in a diner is one of the first things Bill Murray does when he realises he's doomed to repeat the same day over and over again in Groundhog Day. Jeff Goldblum's mutating mad scientist in The Fly eventually finds himself vomiting stomach acid on...
In recent years, the doughnut has been edged out of the cinematic limelight. Perhaps it's to do with how strongly Homer Simpson is associated with the sugary buns. Perhaps it's a product of cop shows being a bigger staple on TV than on film. Perhaps it's even about increased health consciousness. But it's easy to forget just how pivotal a role this humble snack has played in great films over the years.
Scarfing down some deep-fried treats in a diner is one of the first things Bill Murray does when he realises he's doomed to repeat the same day over and over again in Groundhog Day. Jeff Goldblum's mutating mad scientist in The Fly eventually finds himself vomiting stomach acid on...
- 2/4/2010
- The Guardian - Film News
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Based on Joseph Kesselring’s play, the black comedy is about a drama critic (Cary Grant) who must cope with his bizarre extended family on his wedding day, including his two spinster aunts who have an unusual habit of poisoning lonely old men.A filmmaker who effectively captured the mood of America going through the depression, he made movies which were immensely popular both with the masses and the classes. A creative tsunami behind films like It Happened One Night (1934), Mr. Deeds Goes To Town (1936), Lost Horizon (1937), You Can't Take It With You (1938), Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (1939), Meet John Doe (1941), Arsenic And Old Lace (1944) And It's A Wonderful Life (1946), he knew the pulse of a nation, rather a planet.
Based on Joseph Kesselring’s play, the black comedy is about a drama critic (Cary Grant) who must cope with his bizarre extended family on his wedding day, including his two spinster aunts who have an unusual habit of poisoning lonely old men.A filmmaker who effectively captured the mood of America going through the depression, he made movies which were immensely popular both with the masses and the classes. A creative tsunami behind films like It Happened One Night (1934), Mr. Deeds Goes To Town (1936), Lost Horizon (1937), You Can't Take It With You (1938), Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (1939), Meet John Doe (1941), Arsenic And Old Lace (1944) And It's A Wonderful Life (1946), he knew the pulse of a nation, rather a planet.
- 12/26/2009
- by NewsDesk
- DearCinema.com
The Online Film Critics Society, in our weekly survey, this week picked our favorite Christmas movies. It’s a Wonderful Life came out on top -- as some of you may know, I am not a fan of It's a Wonderful Life. My top five Christmas favorites, as I voted the Ofcs survey: A Christmas Story Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas Scrooged Meet John Doe It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie...
- 12/24/2009
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
By Michelle Orange
Samuel Johnson said it was the last refuge of scoundrels, and if that's true, then I predict a nation-wide crime wave and a week-long run on golden toothpicks and hairless cats, because at this time of year patriotism will not be denied. Refuse to partake of -- or at least acknowledge -- it at your political and gustatory peril. With that in mind, we offer a list of films that might satisfy those on the patriotic fence, those who prefer their patriotism (and their marshmallow salad) a little bittersweet. Like Mr. Johnson, I am not an American, and much of what I know about everything, including American patriotism, I learned at the movies; these films have taught me the most about the boons and the bummers involved in loving this country.
Glory (1989)
Many countries with historically subjugated populations have stories similar to that explored in 1989's "Glory...
Samuel Johnson said it was the last refuge of scoundrels, and if that's true, then I predict a nation-wide crime wave and a week-long run on golden toothpicks and hairless cats, because at this time of year patriotism will not be denied. Refuse to partake of -- or at least acknowledge -- it at your political and gustatory peril. With that in mind, we offer a list of films that might satisfy those on the patriotic fence, those who prefer their patriotism (and their marshmallow salad) a little bittersweet. Like Mr. Johnson, I am not an American, and much of what I know about everything, including American patriotism, I learned at the movies; these films have taught me the most about the boons and the bummers involved in loving this country.
Glory (1989)
Many countries with historically subjugated populations have stories similar to that explored in 1989's "Glory...
- 7/3/2008
- by Michelle Orange
- ifc.com
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