For over a decade, Roger Moore had the task of living up to everything that Sean Connery had put in place as 007. And while some will defend Moore forever, we can’t forget the clown costumes, slide whistles, gondola chases, and so much more that pushed James Bond into an uncharted level of ridiculousness. Perhaps all of this could have been prevented had Timothy Dalton not been so green, turning down On Her Majesty’s Secret Service because he was in his mid-20s. That’s all hypothetical, of course, but Timothy Dalton would go on to reinvent James Bond in a way that may not have sat with contemporary audiences but marked a true challenge for what it meant to carry the torch. Dalton played 007 just twice; and with that, we’d challenge you to name just as many worthwhile post-Bond movies from the underappreciated actor (who we’re...
- 5/31/2024
- by Mathew Plale
- JoBlo.com
Help! us explore the many ways in which John, Paul, George and Ringo have influenced film, then and now
With Magical Mystery Tour getting the bells-and-whistles reissue treatment this week, here's a look back at the multifaceted and often downright bizarre impact the Beatles have made on the moving image.
1) The Beatles as Oscar-winners
Let It Be was filmed in January 1969, but remained unreleased until May 1970, by which point the band had officially announced its split. The Beatles were keen to see the film buried; they had little desire to return to this testing period in their career or to air some of the more fractious moments it contains – most famously the tiff between Paul and George ("I'll play, you know, whatever you want me to play or I won't play at all"). And yet, ultimately, they're probably happy they did. In April 1971 the Beatles picked up their one and only Academy award,...
With Magical Mystery Tour getting the bells-and-whistles reissue treatment this week, here's a look back at the multifaceted and often downright bizarre impact the Beatles have made on the moving image.
1) The Beatles as Oscar-winners
Let It Be was filmed in January 1969, but remained unreleased until May 1970, by which point the band had officially announced its split. The Beatles were keen to see the film buried; they had little desire to return to this testing period in their career or to air some of the more fractious moments it contains – most famously the tiff between Paul and George ("I'll play, you know, whatever you want me to play or I won't play at all"). And yet, ultimately, they're probably happy they did. In April 1971 the Beatles picked up their one and only Academy award,...
- 10/10/2012
- The Guardian - Film News
Brooklyn Close-Up, a monthly series at BAMcinématek, opens tonight with The Warriors (1979) and James Hughes spoke with Walter Hill recently for the Voice. Hill: "[T]his vaguely futuristic, science-fiction movie — why was it so audience-friendly? I don't exactly have the answer. I wish I did." Hughes: "Disturbing to admirers of the film is the specter of a remake, which was at one time attached to director Tony Scott, who planned to move the action to contemporary La. Its future remains unclear. 'I have no idea what the studio plans are,' Hill says. 'They don't call me. The producer tells me they've spent five times as much in developing a sequel as we did to make the movie. I made my version. Somebody else wants to take a shot at it, good luck.'"
On Saturday, Hill will be at MoMA for a screening of another of his landmark works: "His most underappreciated and airtight film,...
On Saturday, Hill will be at MoMA for a screening of another of his landmark works: "His most underappreciated and airtight film,...
- 10/31/2011
- MUBI
Long before The Life of Brian, George Harrison funded an award-winning film stuffed with British talent – so why has it taken 40 years to surface?
In 1979 George Harrison purchased, almost on a whim, what Terry Jones would later call "the most expensive movie ticket of all time". After a single reading of the script of Monty Python's Life of Brian, he mortgaged his own luxury mansion and sank the resultant funds into a project that had been abandoned, days before shooting started, by its original backer, Bernie Delfont of Emi. Why did he do it? "Because I liked the script and I wanted to see the movie," said Harrison later. A Beatle can do that.
From that almost informal exchange of favours between good friends sprang arguably the most interesting British production company of the 1980s, Handmade Films, backed by Harrison and his producing partner Denis O'Brien. Handmade gave us Brian and Withnail & I,...
In 1979 George Harrison purchased, almost on a whim, what Terry Jones would later call "the most expensive movie ticket of all time". After a single reading of the script of Monty Python's Life of Brian, he mortgaged his own luxury mansion and sank the resultant funds into a project that had been abandoned, days before shooting started, by its original backer, Bernie Delfont of Emi. Why did he do it? "Because I liked the script and I wanted to see the movie," said Harrison later. A Beatle can do that.
From that almost informal exchange of favours between good friends sprang arguably the most interesting British production company of the 1980s, Handmade Films, backed by Harrison and his producing partner Denis O'Brien. Handmade gave us Brian and Withnail & I,...
- 10/31/2011
- by John Patterson
- The Guardian - Film News
Flipside
Not just one film this week, an entire label. Since 2009, the BFI's Flipside offshoot has been digging up some of the lesser known titles of British cinema, some even too obscure to have even the cultiest of cult followings.
Now they are reissuing their first nine releases in dual format editions, containing both DVD and Blu-ray, so now there really is no excuse not to check out this rather wonderful imprint. There's Richard Lester's The Bed Sitting Room, a Spike Milligan-scripted post-apocalyptic comedy that sees Britain populated by a dozen or so oddballs after a nuclear incident. And there's Peter Watkins's stunning Privilege, which, for 1967, was ludicrously ahead of its time in predicting how packaged and cynical pop music was to become. These films were often made outside, or more accurately below, the major studios or even the established indies; director Lindsay Shonteff regularly remortgaged his...
Not just one film this week, an entire label. Since 2009, the BFI's Flipside offshoot has been digging up some of the lesser known titles of British cinema, some even too obscure to have even the cultiest of cult followings.
Now they are reissuing their first nine releases in dual format editions, containing both DVD and Blu-ray, so now there really is no excuse not to check out this rather wonderful imprint. There's Richard Lester's The Bed Sitting Room, a Spike Milligan-scripted post-apocalyptic comedy that sees Britain populated by a dozen or so oddballs after a nuclear incident. And there's Peter Watkins's stunning Privilege, which, for 1967, was ludicrously ahead of its time in predicting how packaged and cynical pop music was to become. These films were often made outside, or more accurately below, the major studios or even the established indies; director Lindsay Shonteff regularly remortgaged his...
- 10/21/2011
- by Phelim O'Neill
- The Guardian - Film News
I had to fight the urge to turn off Little Malcolm several times when I was watching it for review. However, seeing as how I'm a professional (ha!), I soldiered on and ultimately realized just how successful this film is in attaining its goal. Little Malcolm was made in 1974, right at the tail end of the age of the hippie and Swinging London in the UK. The film uses John Hurt's Malcolm Scrawdyke as an analogue for the lingering strains of student activism that were beginning to turn to fascism in that time. BFI Flipside has, yet again, brought to my attention a British film that truly crystallizes the atmosphere in England in the 1970's. Their presentation is dark and murky, but always filmlike...
- 10/21/2011
- Screen Anarchy
Cinema Retro has received the following press release from the British Film Institute regarding their popular series of "Flipside" DVD titles:
BFI 12.00 Normal 0 false false false En-us X-none X-none MicrosoftInternetExplorer4
'Every time BFI Flipside releases a newly discovered film I always go and get it. It's like finding lost treasure.' Nicolas Winding Refn (Award-winning director of Drive)
'The Flipside is Britain's most far-out DVD label - bold film choices, gorgeous transfers, imaginative extras. Every release a revelation.' Kim Newman
'Flipside provides a window onto a time in British cinema when real film artists stalked our land.' Ben Wheatley (Award-winning director of Kill List)
Launched in May 2009, the BFI’s Flipside label has dedicated itself to unveiling the hidden history of British cinema, drawing upon materials preserved by the BFI National Archive. To date, the series has published over 60 films (features and shorts), and has met with universal acclaim,...
BFI 12.00 Normal 0 false false false En-us X-none X-none MicrosoftInternetExplorer4
'Every time BFI Flipside releases a newly discovered film I always go and get it. It's like finding lost treasure.' Nicolas Winding Refn (Award-winning director of Drive)
'The Flipside is Britain's most far-out DVD label - bold film choices, gorgeous transfers, imaginative extras. Every release a revelation.' Kim Newman
'Flipside provides a window onto a time in British cinema when real film artists stalked our land.' Ben Wheatley (Award-winning director of Kill List)
Launched in May 2009, the BFI’s Flipside label has dedicated itself to unveiling the hidden history of British cinema, drawing upon materials preserved by the BFI National Archive. To date, the series has published over 60 films (features and shorts), and has met with universal acclaim,...
- 10/6/2011
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Insomuch as I've yet to be disappointed by a BFI Flipside release, I thought it only fitting that I keep on passing along the good news when a new one is announced. This one has perhaps the best title of the lot, Little Malcolm & His Struggle Against the Eunuchs. Directed by Stuart Cooper (Overlord) and shot by John Alcott (The Shining, A Clockwork Orange), the film is filled to the brim with talent, not least of whom are stars John Hurt and David Warner. That is about the extent of my knowledge about the film, however, so I'll let the press release take you the rest of the way. Little Malcolm is scheduled for release on 24 October.George Harrison presentsLittle Malcolm and his Struggle...
- 9/9/2011
- Screen Anarchy
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