Paul Mazursky's 1986 comedy "Down and Out in Beverly Hills" is a sharp indictment of ultra-moneyed yuppie culture, which was running rampant during the Reagan administration. Culturally speaking, the mid 1980s saw a redoubled effort to enrich the already-wealthy and encourage rich people to become obsessed with conspicuous consumption. Many, many films and TV shows about Beverly Hills were released at this time, delving deep into the cockroach nest where America's wealthy classes gathered and cannibalized each other.
Prominent among these was Mazursky's film about a rich family, the Whitemans, that recently became wealthy thanks to a wire hanger manufacturing empire. The family are all empty and unhappy. Matriarch Barbara (Bette Midler) is attempting to fill her emptiness with increasingly strange renditions of New Age spirituality, while patriarch Dave (Richard Dreyfuss) is filling his own emptiness by having an affair with the family's live-in maid, Carmen (Elizabeth Peña). Their child...
Prominent among these was Mazursky's film about a rich family, the Whitemans, that recently became wealthy thanks to a wire hanger manufacturing empire. The family are all empty and unhappy. Matriarch Barbara (Bette Midler) is attempting to fill her emptiness with increasingly strange renditions of New Age spirituality, while patriarch Dave (Richard Dreyfuss) is filling his own emptiness by having an affair with the family's live-in maid, Carmen (Elizabeth Peña). Their child...
- 9/21/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Disney didn't exactly have a banner year (by Disney standards anyhow) in 2023. None of the studio's films topped $1 billion last year which, again, is not the marker for success. However, for a studio with as many reliable franchises as Disney has, it's notable, particularly when movies like "The Marvels" and "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" flopped so badly. In any event, the Mouse House is having a real bounce-back year in 2024, with "Inside Out 2" literally ranking as one of the biggest movies of all-time at this point. Yet, oddly enough, it's R-rated movies that are truly leading the way for the traditionally family-friendly company at the moment.
This past weekend, Disney held the number one and number two spots at the box office, with "Deadpool & Wolverine" reclaiming the top spot in its fifth weekend with $18.3 million. Meanwhile, last weekend's champion "Alien: Romulus" landed at number two with $16.2 million.
This past weekend, Disney held the number one and number two spots at the box office, with "Deadpool & Wolverine" reclaiming the top spot in its fifth weekend with $18.3 million. Meanwhile, last weekend's champion "Alien: Romulus" landed at number two with $16.2 million.
- 8/26/2024
- by Ryan Scott
- Slash Film
A little while back, we ran a special Wtf episode about the 1979 Disney movie, The Black Hole, an uncommonly adult film for the family-friendly studio. It kicked off an experiment for the studio to move into adult fare, eventually spawning no less than three subsidiaries that produced some of the most influential movies of the 80s, 90s and 2000s. These off-shoots paved the way for Disney’s place as the most powerful motion picture studio in the world, with them owning Lucasfilm, Pixar and the MCU. This summer, the Mouse House released an uncommonly bold MCU movie, Deadpool & Wolverine, which sported an R-rating, and has done blockbuster business. Many are wondering if perhaps this could have the way for Disney to tackle some adult fare, but it wouldn’t be the first time, and maybe now is the time to bring back Touchstone Pictures.
So, what’s Touchstone Pictures...
So, what’s Touchstone Pictures...
- 8/24/2024
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
Bobby Banas, who played Jets member Joyboy in 1961’s West Side Story, appeared in other film musicals and had a long career as a choreographer, died Monday. He was 90.
His official Instagram account posted the news but did not provide other details. “Fly on, Joyboy,” it read in part. “I know the dance party up above is going to be amazing.”
Born on September 22, 1933, in New York City, Banas performed as Kangaroo in the original 1954 Broadway production of Peter Pan before landing dancer roles in such film musicals as The King and I and Carousel and the early rock ‘n’ roll pic Rock Around the Clock, all in 1956. He went on to work in The Girl Most Likely, Damn Yankees, Li’l Abner and a TV production of Annie Get Your Gun later that decade.
His most famous role would come in the Best Picture Oscar-winning musical West Side Story, playing the Jets’ Joyboy.
His official Instagram account posted the news but did not provide other details. “Fly on, Joyboy,” it read in part. “I know the dance party up above is going to be amazing.”
Born on September 22, 1933, in New York City, Banas performed as Kangaroo in the original 1954 Broadway production of Peter Pan before landing dancer roles in such film musicals as The King and I and Carousel and the early rock ‘n’ roll pic Rock Around the Clock, all in 1956. He went on to work in The Girl Most Likely, Damn Yankees, Li’l Abner and a TV production of Annie Get Your Gun later that decade.
His most famous role would come in the Best Picture Oscar-winning musical West Side Story, playing the Jets’ Joyboy.
- 7/30/2024
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Bobby Banas, the actor, dancer and choreographer who played Joyboy in West Side Story and worked in such other famed movie musicals as Bye Bye Birdie, The Unsinkable Molly Brown and Mary Poppins, has died. He was 90.
Banas died Monday of pneumonia at an assisted living facility in Encino, his son, director and photographer Eden Tyler Banas, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Banas received newfound attention when a clip of him leading five others in a dance number to the song “The Nitty Gritty” on a 1964 episode of CBS’ The Judy Garland Show found its way on YouTube. It has since been viewed many millions of times.
Banas’ Joyboy was a member of the Jets in West Side Story (1959). Later, the performer was bowled over by a kiss from Marilyn Monroe in Let’s Make Love (1960), played a chimney sweep in Mary Poppins (1964) and danced in a nightclub with Ann-Margret in Made in Paris...
Banas died Monday of pneumonia at an assisted living facility in Encino, his son, director and photographer Eden Tyler Banas, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Banas received newfound attention when a clip of him leading five others in a dance number to the song “The Nitty Gritty” on a 1964 episode of CBS’ The Judy Garland Show found its way on YouTube. It has since been viewed many millions of times.
Banas’ Joyboy was a member of the Jets in West Side Story (1959). Later, the performer was bowled over by a kiss from Marilyn Monroe in Let’s Make Love (1960), played a chimney sweep in Mary Poppins (1964) and danced in a nightclub with Ann-Margret in Made in Paris...
- 7/30/2024
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Bleecker Street’s new comedy “The Fabulous Four” finds Bette Midler doing what she does best: broad comedy with a touch of poignancy peeking out from just beneath the surface.
It’s a quality that characterizes many of Midler’s most memorable performances in films like “The First Wives Club,” “Down and Out in Beverly Hills,” and “That Old Feeling,” and according to Midler, it’s been part of her approach since the beginning.
“When I worked live, starting from the time I was 19, I was very much aware of the melancholy underneath certain kinds of scenes,” Midler told IndieWire in a recent interview. “There’s a musical term for it: contrapuntal. ‘Miss M’ is loud and boisterous on the outside, but there’s an undercurrent of despair because it’s very hard to be a human being.”
In “The Fabulous Four,” Midler plays a widow who surprises her friends...
It’s a quality that characterizes many of Midler’s most memorable performances in films like “The First Wives Club,” “Down and Out in Beverly Hills,” and “That Old Feeling,” and according to Midler, it’s been part of her approach since the beginning.
“When I worked live, starting from the time I was 19, I was very much aware of the melancholy underneath certain kinds of scenes,” Midler told IndieWire in a recent interview. “There’s a musical term for it: contrapuntal. ‘Miss M’ is loud and boisterous on the outside, but there’s an undercurrent of despair because it’s very hard to be a human being.”
In “The Fabulous Four,” Midler plays a widow who surprises her friends...
- 7/22/2024
- by Jim Hemphill
- Indiewire
In a time when any comment can be taken as being offensive, every public figure has to be careful. Whether you agree with that or not, the situation is like that, and one has to be careful what comes out of their mouth. In light of that, there is a profound confusion when public figures come out and openly do something stupid. And we’re not referring to situations that can be misinterpreted, that can go either way, but about situations when a public figure openly says stupid things and offensive things. How can this happen? Having an opinion is one thing, but being blatantly offensive towards others and slandering them based on their race, gender, religion… why? How?
Well, we’ve recently reported about Michael Richards’ old outburst, and we are now “honored” to report on another, more recent incident that happened in Massachusetts. The incident involves famous actor Richard Dreyfuss,...
Well, we’ve recently reported about Michael Richards’ old outburst, and we are now “honored” to report on another, more recent incident that happened in Massachusetts. The incident involves famous actor Richard Dreyfuss,...
- 5/28/2024
- by Arthur S. Poe
- Fiction Horizon
M3GAN (Universal Pictures), Taken 3 (20th Century Studios), Paddington 2 (Warner Bros.), Cloverfield (Paramount Pictures)Graphic: The A.V. Club (AP)
Historically and annually speaking, January is a bad month for Hollywood movies. It’s a “dump month,” that time of year when the major studios offload the projects in which they have no faith.
Historically and annually speaking, January is a bad month for Hollywood movies. It’s a “dump month,” that time of year when the major studios offload the projects in which they have no faith.
- 1/19/2024
- by A.V. Club Staff
- avclub.com
Herman “Hy” Levine, a 48-year veteran of the film industry who rose through the marketing ranks at Universal and Disney, died Dec. 27 in Rockville, Md. after suffering from pancreatic cancer. He was 87.
Levine was an executive Disney from 1986 to 1998, rising to the rank of Vice President of Co-Op Advertising at the time when the studio began stepping up its movie output under CEO Michael Eisner after a particularly fallow period in the early 1980s. In his position, Levine was responsible for print and outdoor advertising on all Disney features, including those that fell under the Touchstone and Hollywood Pictures banners.
Among the films Levine helped launch were such animated megahits as “The Lion King,” “Aladdin” and “The Little Mermaid” as well as live-action titles such as “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?,” “Down and Out in Beverly Hills” and “Beaches.” Levine worked closely with then film marketing chief Bob Levin as...
Levine was an executive Disney from 1986 to 1998, rising to the rank of Vice President of Co-Op Advertising at the time when the studio began stepping up its movie output under CEO Michael Eisner after a particularly fallow period in the early 1980s. In his position, Levine was responsible for print and outdoor advertising on all Disney features, including those that fell under the Touchstone and Hollywood Pictures banners.
Among the films Levine helped launch were such animated megahits as “The Lion King,” “Aladdin” and “The Little Mermaid” as well as live-action titles such as “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?,” “Down and Out in Beverly Hills” and “Beaches.” Levine worked closely with then film marketing chief Bob Levin as...
- 1/2/2024
- by Cynthia Littleton
- Variety Film + TV
Disney’s reputation is notoriously squeaky clean.
The beloved company has provided family-friendly fun for decades, with live-action favorites and animated classics spanning back to the 1930s.
As a powerful force in the industry and one of Hollywood’s biggest studios, the company expanded its reach over the years with film distribution companies, like Touchstone Pictures, Miramax, Searchlight Pictures and Buena Vista Distribution.
The movies often featured more adult themes than one would expect from the company. Because they are published by subsidiaries, the titles are all only indirectly Disney-related – but they still fall under the major studio’s umbrella anyway.
Find out which R-rated movies reside within the Disney brand…
The Woman in the Window (2021)
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Starring: Amy Adams, Gary Oldman, Anthony Mackie
Plot summary: An agoraphobic woman begins to spy on her new neighbors, and is witness to a crime in their apartment.
Down and Out in Beverly Hills...
The beloved company has provided family-friendly fun for decades, with live-action favorites and animated classics spanning back to the 1930s.
As a powerful force in the industry and one of Hollywood’s biggest studios, the company expanded its reach over the years with film distribution companies, like Touchstone Pictures, Miramax, Searchlight Pictures and Buena Vista Distribution.
The movies often featured more adult themes than one would expect from the company. Because they are published by subsidiaries, the titles are all only indirectly Disney-related – but they still fall under the major studio’s umbrella anyway.
Find out which R-rated movies reside within the Disney brand…
The Woman in the Window (2021)
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Starring: Amy Adams, Gary Oldman, Anthony Mackie
Plot summary: An agoraphobic woman begins to spy on her new neighbors, and is witness to a crime in their apartment.
Down and Out in Beverly Hills...
- 12/5/2023
- by Just Jared
- Just Jared
Disney’s reputation is notoriously squeaky clean.
The beloved company has provided family-friendly fun for decades, with live-action favorites and animated classics spanning back to the 1930s.
As a powerful force in the industry and one of Hollywood’s biggest studios, the company expanded its reach over the years with film distribution companies, like Touchstone Pictures, Miramax, Searchlight Pictures and Buena Vista Distribution.
The movies often featured more adult themes than one would expect from the company. Because they are published by subsidiaries, the titles are all only indirectly Disney-related – but they still fall under the major studio’s umbrella anyway.
Find out which R-rated movies reside within the Disney brand…
The Woman in the Window (2021)
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Starring: Amy Adams, Gary Oldman, Anthony Mackie
Plot summary: An agoraphobic woman begins to spy on her new neighbors, and is witness to a crime in their apartment.
Down and Out in Beverly Hills...
The beloved company has provided family-friendly fun for decades, with live-action favorites and animated classics spanning back to the 1930s.
As a powerful force in the industry and one of Hollywood’s biggest studios, the company expanded its reach over the years with film distribution companies, like Touchstone Pictures, Miramax, Searchlight Pictures and Buena Vista Distribution.
The movies often featured more adult themes than one would expect from the company. Because they are published by subsidiaries, the titles are all only indirectly Disney-related – but they still fall under the major studio’s umbrella anyway.
Find out which R-rated movies reside within the Disney brand…
The Woman in the Window (2021)
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Starring: Amy Adams, Gary Oldman, Anthony Mackie
Plot summary: An agoraphobic woman begins to spy on her new neighbors, and is witness to a crime in their apartment.
Down and Out in Beverly Hills...
- 11/13/2023
- by Just Jared
- Just Jared
Exclusive: Veteran actor Richard Dreyfuss, best known for his Oscar-winning turn in The Goodbye Girl, has signed with Innovative Artists for representation.
Dreyfuss made his name starring in many of the most influential films of the New Hollywood period, including George Lucas’s pre-Star Wars, hangout pic American Graffiti alongside Steven Spielberg’s Jaws, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Other credits include The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, Down and Out in Beverly Hills, and What About Bob?
Dreyfuss won the Best Actor Oscar in 1978 for his performance as Elliot Garfield in Herbert Ross’ popular romantic comedy The Goodbye Girl. At the time, Dreyfuss became the youngest man (age 30) to win an Oscar for Best Actor. That year Dreyfuss beat out Woody Allen, who was nominated for Manhattan, and John Travolta for Saturday Night Fever.
The film, written by Neil Simon, follows an unemployed dancer and her 10-year-old daughter who,...
Dreyfuss made his name starring in many of the most influential films of the New Hollywood period, including George Lucas’s pre-Star Wars, hangout pic American Graffiti alongside Steven Spielberg’s Jaws, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Other credits include The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, Down and Out in Beverly Hills, and What About Bob?
Dreyfuss won the Best Actor Oscar in 1978 for his performance as Elliot Garfield in Herbert Ross’ popular romantic comedy The Goodbye Girl. At the time, Dreyfuss became the youngest man (age 30) to win an Oscar for Best Actor. That year Dreyfuss beat out Woody Allen, who was nominated for Manhattan, and John Travolta for Saturday Night Fever.
The film, written by Neil Simon, follows an unemployed dancer and her 10-year-old daughter who,...
- 4/20/2023
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
In 1988 Tom Cruise was arguably the biggest star in the world. Top Gun came out in 1986 and was the year’s top-grossing movie. It wasn’t only a hit – it was a cultural phenomenon, and Cruise became a rare kind of movie star. He was a sex symbol for the ladies, but the guys liked him too. Speaking personally, having been born in 1981, I vividly remember owning the VHS tape of Top Gun and playing it on a loop. Cruise was my first concept of a movie star; to kids like me, he was like a cool Big Brother-type figure. He was the guy we all wanted to be with him riding motorcycles, rocking fantastic hair and an attitude which was never too threatening while blasting awesome 80s rock music and having the girls go crazy for him. He was the man, and if any movie ever cemented his big-screen stardom,...
- 3/19/2023
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
Oscar winner plays 911 operator trying to reach hiker trapped on Appalachian Trail.
Richard Dreyfuss and Annie Malee have been announced as the leads in the contained thriller Abandonment for Storyboard Media and Malee Movies, with Storyboard handling sales.
The Oscar-winning Dreyfuss portrays a 911 dispatch operator racing against time to save an injured hiker on the Appalachian Trail.
Annie Malee plays the hiker and wrote the screenplay, which is described as The Guilty meets The Revenant. Malee also produces through her Malee Movies, and Storyboard Media’s Elisabeth Costa de Beauregard Segel serves as executive producer.
The producers are targeting an autumn release on the project,...
Richard Dreyfuss and Annie Malee have been announced as the leads in the contained thriller Abandonment for Storyboard Media and Malee Movies, with Storyboard handling sales.
The Oscar-winning Dreyfuss portrays a 911 dispatch operator racing against time to save an injured hiker on the Appalachian Trail.
Annie Malee plays the hiker and wrote the screenplay, which is described as The Guilty meets The Revenant. Malee also produces through her Malee Movies, and Storyboard Media’s Elisabeth Costa de Beauregard Segel serves as executive producer.
The producers are targeting an autumn release on the project,...
- 2/27/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Joachim Trier, writer/director of the multi-Oscar nominated film The Worst Person in the World, discusses his favorite movies with hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
A History of Violence (2005)
Gremlins (1984) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review, Tfh’s retrospective links
Innerspace (1987) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
The Worst Person In The World (2021)
Back To The Future (1985)
Hiroshima Mon Amour (1959)
Hour of the Wolf (1968)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) – John Landis’s trailer commentary, Dennis Cozzalio’s review
Mirror (1975)
Stalker (1979) – Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review
Soylent Green (1973)
Dr. Strangelove (1964) – Michael Lehmann’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review
Last Year At Marienbad (1961)
The Hunt (1959)
Remonstrance (1972)
Don’t Look Now (1973) – John Landis’s trailer commentary
Bad Timing (1980) – Bernard Rose’s trailer commentary
Walkabout (1971) – Larry Karaszewski’s trailer commentary
Performance (1970) – Mark Goldblatt’s trailer commentary
Drive My Car (2021)
491 (1964)
The Seventh Seal (1957)
Persona (1966)
The Wild Strawberries...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
A History of Violence (2005)
Gremlins (1984) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review, Tfh’s retrospective links
Innerspace (1987) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
The Worst Person In The World (2021)
Back To The Future (1985)
Hiroshima Mon Amour (1959)
Hour of the Wolf (1968)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) – John Landis’s trailer commentary, Dennis Cozzalio’s review
Mirror (1975)
Stalker (1979) – Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review
Soylent Green (1973)
Dr. Strangelove (1964) – Michael Lehmann’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review
Last Year At Marienbad (1961)
The Hunt (1959)
Remonstrance (1972)
Don’t Look Now (1973) – John Landis’s trailer commentary
Bad Timing (1980) – Bernard Rose’s trailer commentary
Walkabout (1971) – Larry Karaszewski’s trailer commentary
Performance (1970) – Mark Goldblatt’s trailer commentary
Drive My Car (2021)
491 (1964)
The Seventh Seal (1957)
Persona (1966)
The Wild Strawberries...
- 3/15/2022
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
Saturday marks a sad day for music fans with the passing of Little Richard at the age of 87. Long regarded as one of the modern architects of rock and roll, as well as other genres including R&b, hip-hop, and soul, the artist also known as Richard Wayne Penniman has influenced everyone from Mick Jagger to Brian Wilson to Ava DuVernay.
Following news of the musician’s death, celebrity tributes poured out on social media from his greatest admirers, including Spike Lee, who shared a black-and-white, vintage commercial touting Air Jordans for Nike from 1991. It features Lee himself, plus Michael Jordan, and Little Richard. Watch below.
Also below, check out other celebrity tributes honoring the legendary artist, whose greatest hits included “Tutti Frutti,” “Good Golly Miss Molly,” “Long Tall Sally,” “Rip It Up,” “The Girl Can’t Help It,” and many more.
Spike Lee’s next film, “Da 5 Bloods,” will...
Following news of the musician’s death, celebrity tributes poured out on social media from his greatest admirers, including Spike Lee, who shared a black-and-white, vintage commercial touting Air Jordans for Nike from 1991. It features Lee himself, plus Michael Jordan, and Little Richard. Watch below.
Also below, check out other celebrity tributes honoring the legendary artist, whose greatest hits included “Tutti Frutti,” “Good Golly Miss Molly,” “Long Tall Sally,” “Rip It Up,” “The Girl Can’t Help It,” and many more.
Spike Lee’s next film, “Da 5 Bloods,” will...
- 5/9/2020
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Little Richard, the wild singer/pianist/songwriter who was one of rock ‘n’ roll’s pioneers, has died at age 87. His death was confirmed by his son, but the cause was not initially given.
Later in the morning, Little Richard agent Dick Alen told People that the rock icon died from bone cancer.
“Little Richard passed away this morning from bone cancer in Nashville. He was living with his brother in Nashville,” Alen said in a statement. “He was battling for a good while, many years. I last spoke to him about two or three weeks ago. I knew he wasn’t well but he never really got into it, he just would say ‘I’m not well.’ He’s been suffering for many years with various aches and pains. He just wouldn’t talk about it much.”
Little Richard’s catalog of hits is still performed by many bar bands to this day,...
Later in the morning, Little Richard agent Dick Alen told People that the rock icon died from bone cancer.
“Little Richard passed away this morning from bone cancer in Nashville. He was living with his brother in Nashville,” Alen said in a statement. “He was battling for a good while, many years. I last spoke to him about two or three weeks ago. I knew he wasn’t well but he never really got into it, he just would say ‘I’m not well.’ He’s been suffering for many years with various aches and pains. He just wouldn’t talk about it much.”
Little Richard’s catalog of hits is still performed by many bar bands to this day,...
- 5/9/2020
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
The Haunted Comedy is a genre that probably reached its height in the 1940s with movies like Abbott and Costello's Hold that Ghost.
There was another wave of them during the 1980s with Haunted Honeymoon starring Gene Wilder and Gilda Radner, and High Spirits with Steve Guttenberg and Daryl Hannah.
To be clear, a haunted comedy is not the same as the horror comedies of the 90s like the Scream spoofs of the Scary Movie franchise.
Ghost Light is a comedy first, and one that deals with the goofy antics of the theater crowd.
Tempting Fate Review: Mistakes Were Made!
It's through their idiosyncracies and superstitions that the haunting gets explored.
If you didn't know, one of those superstitions is that the play, Macbeth, is cursed. You can't say the title lest the entire production get cursed.
Quoting lines before the production is also verboten, especially when noting the witches incantations.
There was another wave of them during the 1980s with Haunted Honeymoon starring Gene Wilder and Gilda Radner, and High Spirits with Steve Guttenberg and Daryl Hannah.
To be clear, a haunted comedy is not the same as the horror comedies of the 90s like the Scream spoofs of the Scary Movie franchise.
Ghost Light is a comedy first, and one that deals with the goofy antics of the theater crowd.
Tempting Fate Review: Mistakes Were Made!
It's through their idiosyncracies and superstitions that the haunting gets explored.
If you didn't know, one of those superstitions is that the play, Macbeth, is cursed. You can't say the title lest the entire production get cursed.
Quoting lines before the production is also verboten, especially when noting the witches incantations.
- 6/17/2019
- by Carissa Pavlica
- TVfanatic
Every week, IndieWire asks a select handful of film and TV critics two questions and publishes the results on Monday. (The answer to the second, “What is the best film in theaters right now?”, can be found at the end of this post.)
This week’s question: In dubious honor of “Sleepless,” a new Jamie Foxx vehicle that’s been adapted from Frederic Jardin’s “Sleepless Night,” what is the best American remake of a foreign-language film?
Joshua Rothkopf (@joshrothkopf), Time Out New York
Long before I knew and appreciated Jean Renoir, I was in love with “Down and Out in Beverly Hills,” a 1986 comedy based on “Boudu Saved from Drowning” that peppered the flow with some truly eye-opening ideas for Hollywood: class warfare, unequal police treatment, a neurotic dog with its own therapist. The movie holds up beautifully — it’s one of Nick Nolte’s quietest performances, and one...
This week’s question: In dubious honor of “Sleepless,” a new Jamie Foxx vehicle that’s been adapted from Frederic Jardin’s “Sleepless Night,” what is the best American remake of a foreign-language film?
Joshua Rothkopf (@joshrothkopf), Time Out New York
Long before I knew and appreciated Jean Renoir, I was in love with “Down and Out in Beverly Hills,” a 1986 comedy based on “Boudu Saved from Drowning” that peppered the flow with some truly eye-opening ideas for Hollywood: class warfare, unequal police treatment, a neurotic dog with its own therapist. The movie holds up beautifully — it’s one of Nick Nolte’s quietest performances, and one...
- 1/17/2017
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Remembering Curtis Hanson, Jon Polito, Bill Nunn and More Reel-Important People We Lost in September
Reel-Important People is a monthly column that highlights those individuals in or related to the movies that have left us in recent weeks. Below you'll find names big and small and from all areas of the industry, though each was significant to the movies in his or her own way. Edward Albee (1928-2016) - Playwright. He's best known for writing the play Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, which was turned into the classic 1966 movie. Other movies adapted from his plays include A Delicate Balance and The Ballad of Sad Cafe. He died on September 16. (Nyt) Alexis Arquette (1969-2016) - Transgender Actress. Her movies include Last Exit to Brooklyn, Pulp Fiction, Down and Out in Beverly Hills, The Wedding Singer (see...
Read More...
Read More...
- 10/4/2016
- by Christopher Campbell
- Movies.com
“Game over, man, game over!” It’s rare for a sequel to live up to the original film, but James Cameron managed to fulfill expectations with Aliens (July 18, 1986). This summer marks the 30th Anniversary of the action-packed sci-fi classic, so “stop your grinnin’ and drop your linen.”
Tune-in Saturday, July 23, to an exclusive Aliens YouTube live stream Q&A with the filmmakers and cast from San Diego Comic-Con! Submit your questions in the comments below for a chance to get them answered. #Aliens30th
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Aliens (1986), San Diego Comic-Con will host an Aliens reunion on Saturday, July 23. Attendees include director James Cameron, producer Gale Anne Hurd, Sigourney Weaver, Bill Paxton, Lance Henriksen, Paul Reiser, Michael Biehn, and Carrie Henn.
Subscribe to Fox Movies and follow on https://www.facebook.com/AlienAnthology so you don’t miss this exclusive live event.
The terror continues in James Cameron...
Tune-in Saturday, July 23, to an exclusive Aliens YouTube live stream Q&A with the filmmakers and cast from San Diego Comic-Con! Submit your questions in the comments below for a chance to get them answered. #Aliens30th
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Aliens (1986), San Diego Comic-Con will host an Aliens reunion on Saturday, July 23. Attendees include director James Cameron, producer Gale Anne Hurd, Sigourney Weaver, Bill Paxton, Lance Henriksen, Paul Reiser, Michael Biehn, and Carrie Henn.
Subscribe to Fox Movies and follow on https://www.facebook.com/AlienAnthology so you don’t miss this exclusive live event.
The terror continues in James Cameron...
- 7/27/2016
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
“The Streetwalker And The Sucker”
By Raymond Benson
Fans of Fritz Lang’s film noir of 1945, Scarlet Street, may do well to take a look at this little French gem from 1931. Lang’s film was a Hollywood remake of La Chienne, which was based on a novel by Georges de La Fouchardière (it was also adapted into a stage play by André Mouëzy-Éon). More significantly, La Chienne was the second—and first feature length—sound film by the great Jean Renoir.
Renoir had done well in the silent era, but the invention of talkies presented the filmmaker with a larger palette of tools with which to craft some of his greatest works. Beginning with La Chienne, Renoir became France’s premiere director, a position he held for a decade.
La Chienne translates as “The Bitch,” and viewers may question which woman in the picture the title is referring to—the lead, Lulu, a beautiful blonde “street woman” (a con artist and often a prostitute), who serves as the femme fatale of the story (and wonderfully played by Janie Marèze)... or the wife of our protagonist, such a shrew of a woman that there’s no wonder why we sympathize with the poor schmuck, Maurice (portrayed by the brilliant Michel Simon), a banker and part-time painter who does everything he can to get away from his marriage and set up Lulu as his mistress. Of course, Lulu is really being played by her lover and pimp, the nasty Andre (played by real-life Parisian gangster Georges Flamant, who was also an amateur actor). Maurice is merely the mark, the sucker who is seduced by lust and led to his ruin.
Unlike Scarlet Street, La Chienne is more melodrama than film noir. Renoir handles the material well without making it overwrought, and he succeeds in developing fine character studies of the three leads. Those familiar with the director’s later masterpieces such as Grand Illusion (1937) and The Rules of the Game (1939) will find this early work fascinating. Renoir’s signature mise-en-scène is easily identifiable, even in its baby steps. Also impressive are the street scenes shot on location—this was the real Paris of 1931, displayed in glorious black and white.
Michel Simon, like Renoir, was one of France’s biggest film artists. Originally Swiss, Simon made French silent films and later had a long run as an actor in talkies. He has a distinctive Bassett Hound face, perfect for betraying first the joy and then the pain Lulu puts him through. According to Renoir scholar Christopher Faulkner, who talks about the movie in one of the disk’s supplements, apparently Simon fell in love with the actress playing Lulu off-screen. But, like in the film, Janie Marèze was seeing Flamant, and this relationship was encouraged by Renoir. Not long after production was completed, Marèze was killed in an automobile accident with Flamant at the wheel. At the funeral, Simon allegedly threatened Renoir with a gun, but he must have calmed down, for Simon starred in a subsequent Renoir feature, the excellent Boudu Saved from Drowning (1932; incidentally, this was remade in Hollywood in 1986 as Down and Out in Beverly Hills).
The Criterion Collection’s release features a new, restored 4K digital transfer that looks so pristine and sharp you might think the film was made last week. There’s an uncompressed monaural soundtrack and a new English subtitles translation. Supplements include an introduction to the film by Renoir himself, shot in 1961; the aforementioned interview with Faulkner on the movie; a sparkling new restoration of Renoir’s first sound film, the short On purge bébé (also 1931), a comic bauble based on a one-act play by Georges Feydeau and also starring Michel Simon; and a ninety-five minute 1967 French TV program featuring a conversation between Renoir and Simon. An essay by film scholar Ginette Vincendeau adorns the booklet.
A fine, notable release, and a must for lovers of European cinema.
Click Here To Order From Amazon...
By Raymond Benson
Fans of Fritz Lang’s film noir of 1945, Scarlet Street, may do well to take a look at this little French gem from 1931. Lang’s film was a Hollywood remake of La Chienne, which was based on a novel by Georges de La Fouchardière (it was also adapted into a stage play by André Mouëzy-Éon). More significantly, La Chienne was the second—and first feature length—sound film by the great Jean Renoir.
Renoir had done well in the silent era, but the invention of talkies presented the filmmaker with a larger palette of tools with which to craft some of his greatest works. Beginning with La Chienne, Renoir became France’s premiere director, a position he held for a decade.
La Chienne translates as “The Bitch,” and viewers may question which woman in the picture the title is referring to—the lead, Lulu, a beautiful blonde “street woman” (a con artist and often a prostitute), who serves as the femme fatale of the story (and wonderfully played by Janie Marèze)... or the wife of our protagonist, such a shrew of a woman that there’s no wonder why we sympathize with the poor schmuck, Maurice (portrayed by the brilliant Michel Simon), a banker and part-time painter who does everything he can to get away from his marriage and set up Lulu as his mistress. Of course, Lulu is really being played by her lover and pimp, the nasty Andre (played by real-life Parisian gangster Georges Flamant, who was also an amateur actor). Maurice is merely the mark, the sucker who is seduced by lust and led to his ruin.
Unlike Scarlet Street, La Chienne is more melodrama than film noir. Renoir handles the material well without making it overwrought, and he succeeds in developing fine character studies of the three leads. Those familiar with the director’s later masterpieces such as Grand Illusion (1937) and The Rules of the Game (1939) will find this early work fascinating. Renoir’s signature mise-en-scène is easily identifiable, even in its baby steps. Also impressive are the street scenes shot on location—this was the real Paris of 1931, displayed in glorious black and white.
Michel Simon, like Renoir, was one of France’s biggest film artists. Originally Swiss, Simon made French silent films and later had a long run as an actor in talkies. He has a distinctive Bassett Hound face, perfect for betraying first the joy and then the pain Lulu puts him through. According to Renoir scholar Christopher Faulkner, who talks about the movie in one of the disk’s supplements, apparently Simon fell in love with the actress playing Lulu off-screen. But, like in the film, Janie Marèze was seeing Flamant, and this relationship was encouraged by Renoir. Not long after production was completed, Marèze was killed in an automobile accident with Flamant at the wheel. At the funeral, Simon allegedly threatened Renoir with a gun, but he must have calmed down, for Simon starred in a subsequent Renoir feature, the excellent Boudu Saved from Drowning (1932; incidentally, this was remade in Hollywood in 1986 as Down and Out in Beverly Hills).
The Criterion Collection’s release features a new, restored 4K digital transfer that looks so pristine and sharp you might think the film was made last week. There’s an uncompressed monaural soundtrack and a new English subtitles translation. Supplements include an introduction to the film by Renoir himself, shot in 1961; the aforementioned interview with Faulkner on the movie; a sparkling new restoration of Renoir’s first sound film, the short On purge bébé (also 1931), a comic bauble based on a one-act play by Georges Feydeau and also starring Michel Simon; and a ninety-five minute 1967 French TV program featuring a conversation between Renoir and Simon. An essay by film scholar Ginette Vincendeau adorns the booklet.
A fine, notable release, and a must for lovers of European cinema.
Click Here To Order From Amazon...
- 6/12/2016
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Lousy Smarch is almost here and the debut schedules for all the movies and series that will be hitting Netflix in March have arrived. We also have the Amazon Prime folks covered as well! The second season of Marvel’s Daredevil and the premieres of the fourth season of House of Cards and the first season of the new comedy Flaked, with Will Arnett hit the small screen. Did you forget about the premiere of the Judd Apatow-produced Pee-wee’s Big Holiday? We didn’t.
On the Amazon Prime front, check out below to see what you’ll be able to stream for free and what’s going to have a cost. Let’s watch!
All Title Dates are Subject to Change
Netflix U.S. Release Dates Only
Available 3/1
Adult Beginners (2015)
Ahora o Nunca (2015)
Aldnoah.Zero: Season 2
American Pie Presents: Beta House (2007)
American Pie Presents: The Naked Mile...
On the Amazon Prime front, check out below to see what you’ll be able to stream for free and what’s going to have a cost. Let’s watch!
All Title Dates are Subject to Change
Netflix U.S. Release Dates Only
Available 3/1
Adult Beginners (2015)
Ahora o Nunca (2015)
Aldnoah.Zero: Season 2
American Pie Presents: Beta House (2007)
American Pie Presents: The Naked Mile...
- 2/23/2016
- by Graham McMorrow
- City of Films
March 2016 is a sad month for some Netflix subscribers.
Say goodbye to '90s films "American Pie" (1999), "Hackers" (1995), Mel Gibson's "Hamlet" (1990), "Indecent Proposal" (1993) and "Jumanji" (1995) in March. Also disappearing: Will Smith movies "Hitch" (2005) and "Men in Black II" (2002), as well as oodles of TEDTalks that are all expiring next month.
Here's the complete list of what's leaving Netflix streaming in March.
Leaving March 1, 2016
"Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet the Wolfman" (2000)
"American Pie" (1999)
"American Wedding" (2003)
"Atlantis: The Lost Empire" (2001)
"The Babysitters" (2007)
"The Chosen One" (2010)
"Down and Out in Beverly Hills" (1986)
"Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights" (1992)
"Gone in 60 Seconds" (2000)
"Hackers" (1995)
"Hamlet" (1990)
"Hannie Caulder" (1971)
"Hardball" (2001)
"Hart's War" (2002)
"Hitch" (2005)
"Indecent Proposal" (1993)
"Johnny Dangerously" (1984)
"Jumanji" (1995)
"Masters of the Universe" (1987)
"Men in Black II" (2002)
"The Monster Squad" (1987)
"Not Another Teen Movie" (2001)
"Paycheck" (2003)
"Switchmas" (2013)
"The United States of Leland" (2003)
"Wings" (1927)
Leaving March 2, 2016
"Stevie Nicks: In Your Dreams" (2013)
Leaving March 3, 2016
"Night Catches Us" (2010)
Leaving March 4, 2016
"Getting...
Say goodbye to '90s films "American Pie" (1999), "Hackers" (1995), Mel Gibson's "Hamlet" (1990), "Indecent Proposal" (1993) and "Jumanji" (1995) in March. Also disappearing: Will Smith movies "Hitch" (2005) and "Men in Black II" (2002), as well as oodles of TEDTalks that are all expiring next month.
Here's the complete list of what's leaving Netflix streaming in March.
Leaving March 1, 2016
"Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet the Wolfman" (2000)
"American Pie" (1999)
"American Wedding" (2003)
"Atlantis: The Lost Empire" (2001)
"The Babysitters" (2007)
"The Chosen One" (2010)
"Down and Out in Beverly Hills" (1986)
"Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights" (1992)
"Gone in 60 Seconds" (2000)
"Hackers" (1995)
"Hamlet" (1990)
"Hannie Caulder" (1971)
"Hardball" (2001)
"Hart's War" (2002)
"Hitch" (2005)
"Indecent Proposal" (1993)
"Johnny Dangerously" (1984)
"Jumanji" (1995)
"Masters of the Universe" (1987)
"Men in Black II" (2002)
"The Monster Squad" (1987)
"Not Another Teen Movie" (2001)
"Paycheck" (2003)
"Switchmas" (2013)
"The United States of Leland" (2003)
"Wings" (1927)
Leaving March 2, 2016
"Stevie Nicks: In Your Dreams" (2013)
Leaving March 3, 2016
"Night Catches Us" (2010)
Leaving March 4, 2016
"Getting...
- 2/23/2016
- by Sharon Knolle
- Moviefone
"Eckhart saw Hell too. He said: The only thing that burns in Hell is the part of you that won't let go of life, your memories, your attachments. They burn them all away. But they're not punishing you, he said. They're freeing your soul. So, if you're frightened of dying and you're holding on, you'll see devils tearing your life away. But if you've made your peace, then the devils are really angels, freeing you from the earth." -- Louis (Danny Aiello) in "Jacob's Ladder" I first viewed "Jacob's Ladder" on VHS several years after its release in theaters, when it received a lukewarm response from audiences (it grossed around $26 million by the end of its run) and received a polarizing response from critics: Roger Ebert called it "powerfully written, directed and acted" while The Washington Post's Hal Hinson charged it with being "garbled and cliched." My initial reaction to...
- 12/31/2015
- by Chris Eggertsen
- Hitfix
HitFix's recent spate of "Best Year in Film History" pieces inevitably spurred some furious debate among our readers, with some making compelling arguments for years not included in our pieces (2007 and 1968 were particularly popular choices) and others openly expressing their bewilderment at the inclusion of others (let's just say 2012 took a beating). In the interest of giving voice to your comments, below we've rounded up a few of the most thoughtful, passionate, surprising and occasionally incendiary responses to our pieces, including my own (I advocated for The Year of Our Lynch 2001, which is obviously the best). Here we go... Superstar commenter "A History of Matt," making an argument for 1968: The Graduate. Bullit. The Odd Couple. The Lion in Winter. Planet of the Apes. The Thomas Crown Affair. Funny Girl. Rosemary's Baby. And of course, 2001, A Space Odyssey. And that's only a taste of the greatness of that year. "Lothar the Flatulant,...
- 5/2/2015
- by Chris Eggertsen
- Hitfix
The Academy Award winning actor and star of "American Graffiti," "Jaws" and "The Goodbye Girl" attended the Belgrade International Film Festival as one of its guests of honor. Among the event's many changes and novelties that include several brand new competition programs, the festival has created the Victor Lifetime Achievement Award and Dreyfuss was the first recipient of this brand new recognition. In honor of the achievement, the festival not only screened seven of his most important films such as the above-mentioned three -- as well as "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead," "Dillinger," "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," "Postcards from the Edge" and "Down and Out in Beverly Hills" in the recently inaugurated new building of the renowned Yugoslav Film Archives -- but the institution also recognized the actor’s invaluable body of work by honoring him with its famed Golden Seal. Read More:...
- 3/11/2015
- by Tara Karajica
- Indiewire
Leonard Nimoy will be remembered for many things. Foremost is creating an iconic character known the world over, but his contributions to the world of entertainment go far beyond what he achieved in front of the camera. He was also a writer, an artist and a director. As a filmmaker, he actually helmed two of the biggest hits of the 1980s, "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home" and "Three Men and a Baby." If moviegoers should have any regrets for Nimoy it's that he only made a few more films after those blockbusters. But his legacy lives on in many ways. It certainly lives on with me. When you talk to most "Star Trek" fans, they are either of the age where they became fans of the franchise during its initial 60s run, when it was syndicated in the 70s or when it returned to television with "Star Trek: The Next Generation.
- 2/27/2015
- by Gregory Ellwood
- Hitfix
Who doesn't love to laugh? Whether your taste runs to R-rated raunch, classic yuks or witty British humor, you'll find something hilarious to stream on Netflix.
Right now, there are movies starring Robin Williams, Walter Matthau, Jack Black, Goldie Hawn and a nice selection of films showcasing the comedy chops of Joan Cusack. (Availability subject to change, so get streaming now!)
1. "The Addams Family" (1991) PG-13
Everyone's favorite macabre family is wonderfully portrayed by Anjelica Huston as Morticia, Raul Julia as Gomez, Christopher Lloyd as Uncle Fester and Christina Ricci as Wednesday. Spooky fun, just in time for Halloween.
2. "The Bad News Bears" (1976) PG
Walter Matthau is a grumpy hoot as a reluctant little league coach, Tatum O'Neal is great as the tomboy pitcher and the Bears (including a young Jackie Earle Haley) are perfectly, awfully bad.
3. "Bernie" (2011) PG-13
Jack Black stars in the real-life story of a mortician who ends...
Right now, there are movies starring Robin Williams, Walter Matthau, Jack Black, Goldie Hawn and a nice selection of films showcasing the comedy chops of Joan Cusack. (Availability subject to change, so get streaming now!)
1. "The Addams Family" (1991) PG-13
Everyone's favorite macabre family is wonderfully portrayed by Anjelica Huston as Morticia, Raul Julia as Gomez, Christopher Lloyd as Uncle Fester and Christina Ricci as Wednesday. Spooky fun, just in time for Halloween.
2. "The Bad News Bears" (1976) PG
Walter Matthau is a grumpy hoot as a reluctant little league coach, Tatum O'Neal is great as the tomboy pitcher and the Bears (including a young Jackie Earle Haley) are perfectly, awfully bad.
3. "Bernie" (2011) PG-13
Jack Black stars in the real-life story of a mortician who ends...
- 10/23/2014
- by Sharon Knolle
- Moviefone
Sad news to report as actress Elizabeth Peña, known for early roles in films like ‘La Bamba,’ ‘Down and Out in Beverly Hills,’ and ‘*batteries not included,’ has died. Ms. Peña was 55, according to her nephew. Peña had recently wrapped an excellent first season of the El Rey Network series ‘Matador.’The news first broke at Latino Review, written by Peña’s nephew that the beloved actress had passed away at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles last night.In his article he writes:Tonight, my family is heartbroken. There’s now a void that will never be filled. All we can do now is […]...
- 10/16/2014
- by April Neale
- Monsters and Critics
Elizabeth Peña, the TV and movie actress, died on Tuesday after a brief illness. She was 55.
Elizabeth Peña Dies
Peña’s manager confirmed her untimely death to CNN. Details on the illness that took her life have not been revealed.
On Modern Family, Peña proved to be a scene stealer playing the mom of Gloria (Sofia Vergara), Pilar, in the show’s 2013 season. She’s also had memorable guest-starring roles on Major Crimes, Prime Suspect, Ghost Whisperer, Without a Trace, NCIS and more. Peña’s most recent leading role on a TV show was as Maritza Sandoval in Matador.
Peña, who had her first film role in 1979, has been in tens of moves. Over the decades, she’s appeared in They All Laughed, Down and Out in Beverly Hills, La Bamba, Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home, Rush Hour, Tortilla Soup and voiced the part of Mirage in The Incredibles.
Elizabeth Peña Dies
Peña’s manager confirmed her untimely death to CNN. Details on the illness that took her life have not been revealed.
On Modern Family, Peña proved to be a scene stealer playing the mom of Gloria (Sofia Vergara), Pilar, in the show’s 2013 season. She’s also had memorable guest-starring roles on Major Crimes, Prime Suspect, Ghost Whisperer, Without a Trace, NCIS and more. Peña’s most recent leading role on a TV show was as Maritza Sandoval in Matador.
Peña, who had her first film role in 1979, has been in tens of moves. Over the decades, she’s appeared in They All Laughed, Down and Out in Beverly Hills, La Bamba, Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home, Rush Hour, Tortilla Soup and voiced the part of Mirage in The Incredibles.
- 10/16/2014
- Uinterview
Actress Elizabeth Peña has passed away from natural causes at the age of 55, CNN reports. Peña had a prolific acting career that spanned more than three decades, starring in features such as Down and Out in Beverly Hills, Jacob’s Ladder, Lone Star, La Bamba, Rush Hour, and The Incredibles. Most recently she was seen playing the mother of Sofia Vergara’s character Gloria on Modern Family. Today, her co-stars and other admirers in the Hollywood community took to Twitter to pay their respects:.
- 10/16/2014
- by Anna Silman
- Vulture
Hollywood actress Elizabeth Peña had died, aged 55.
Peña's nephew Mario-Francisco Robles confirmed that she passed away on Tuesday (October 14) in an obituary for Latino Review.
In a career spanning almost 40 years, Peña appeared in a number of movies and television roles after her big break in Spanish-language film El Super.
She went on to star in Down and Out in Beverly Hills, La Bamba and Blue Steel in the '80s, before making noteworthy appearances in Rush Hour, Jacob's Ladder, Resurrection Blvd and also voicing Mirage in The Incredibles.
More recently, Peña played Gloria's (Sofia Vergara) mother in Modern Family and finished up work on El Rey Network's action series Matador.
"We are deeply saddened by the passing of our friend and colleague, Elizabeth Peña," the El Rey Network said in a statement.
"She was a role model, a truly extraordinary performer and an inspiration in every sense of the word.
Peña's nephew Mario-Francisco Robles confirmed that she passed away on Tuesday (October 14) in an obituary for Latino Review.
In a career spanning almost 40 years, Peña appeared in a number of movies and television roles after her big break in Spanish-language film El Super.
She went on to star in Down and Out in Beverly Hills, La Bamba and Blue Steel in the '80s, before making noteworthy appearances in Rush Hour, Jacob's Ladder, Resurrection Blvd and also voicing Mirage in The Incredibles.
More recently, Peña played Gloria's (Sofia Vergara) mother in Modern Family and finished up work on El Rey Network's action series Matador.
"We are deeply saddened by the passing of our friend and colleague, Elizabeth Peña," the El Rey Network said in a statement.
"She was a role model, a truly extraordinary performer and an inspiration in every sense of the word.
- 10/16/2014
- Digital Spy
Actress Elizabeth Pena died October 14 of natural causes after brief illness. She was 55.
Pena received an Independent Spirit Award for her work in John Sayles’ Lone Star. She was perhaps best known for her roles in La Bamba and Down And Out In Beverly Hills, and for a recurring role in Modern Family as Pilar, the mother of Sofia Vergara‘s character. She also recently played the mother of the principal character in the recently wrapped first season of El Rey Network‘s Matador, and recently appeared in TNT’s Major Crimes.
The El Rey Network issued a statement about Pena’s death: “We are deeply saddened by the passing of our friend and colleague, Elizabeth Peña. She was a role model, a truly extraordinary performer and an inspiration in every sense of the word. Our thoughts are with Elizabeth’s family and friends during this difficult time. She will be deeply missed.
Pena received an Independent Spirit Award for her work in John Sayles’ Lone Star. She was perhaps best known for her roles in La Bamba and Down And Out In Beverly Hills, and for a recurring role in Modern Family as Pilar, the mother of Sofia Vergara‘s character. She also recently played the mother of the principal character in the recently wrapped first season of El Rey Network‘s Matador, and recently appeared in TNT’s Major Crimes.
The El Rey Network issued a statement about Pena’s death: “We are deeply saddened by the passing of our friend and colleague, Elizabeth Peña. She was a role model, a truly extraordinary performer and an inspiration in every sense of the word. Our thoughts are with Elizabeth’s family and friends during this difficult time. She will be deeply missed.
- 10/16/2014
- by David Bloom
- Deadline
Elizabeth Peña has passed away. The actress, with a professional career spanning nearly 40 years, left us on the night of October 14 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. She had recently wrapped work on the first season of the El Rey Network's action series, Matador, where she played the title character's mother Maritza.
Born in Elizabeth, New Jersey and raised by her Cuban immigrant parents, Peña was destined for a career in the arts. Her father, Mario, was a playwright, director, actor, and designer in their native Cuba, who opened up the Latin American Theatre Ensemble after establishing a life for he and his family in New York. As a teen, Peña began making a name for herself as a formidable young actress in the New York theatre scene. She attended, and graduated from, the High School of Performing Arts and began her professional film career in 1978 with León Ichaso's El Super.
Born in Elizabeth, New Jersey and raised by her Cuban immigrant parents, Peña was destined for a career in the arts. Her father, Mario, was a playwright, director, actor, and designer in their native Cuba, who opened up the Latin American Theatre Ensemble after establishing a life for he and his family in New York. As a teen, Peña began making a name for herself as a formidable young actress in the New York theatre scene. She attended, and graduated from, the High School of Performing Arts and began her professional film career in 1978 with León Ichaso's El Super.
- 10/15/2014
- by Mario-Francisco Robles
- LRMonline.com
If you’re looking for some good movies to watch this three-day holiday weekend, I’d like to suggest a double shot of Paul Mazursky, the under-appreciated filmmaker who died Monday. A whole marathon of his work is in order, really, especially if you’ve never seen Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice or Harry and Tonto or Next Stop, Greenwich Village (come at least for Bill Murray’s first film appearance and a great early Christopher Walken) or An Unmarried Woman (a terrific feminist classic) or the crazy Alex in Wonderland (come at least for the Fellini scene). But two of my favorites are his big releases in the mid-80s, Moscow on the Hudson and Down and Out in Beverly Hills, and I think they make a perfect double feature for Independence Day. First up is Moscow on the Hudson, which in early 1984 led the wave of comedies involving immigration and migration to New York City (see...
- 7/2/2014
- by Christopher Campbell
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Mazursky and Jill Clayburgh on the set of An Unmarried Woman (1978)
Paul Mazursky, one of the most acclaimed and prolific filmmakers to come of age in the 1960s, has died from cardiac arrest. He was 84 years old. Mazursky originally worked as an actor in films, appearing in such movies as "The Blackboard Jungle". However, with the revolutionary freedoms that came into movie-making in the mid-1960s, Mazursky turned to screenwriting and directing. His first screenplay was for the Peter Sellers hippie comedy "I Love You, Alice B. Toklas!". He made his directorial debut with "Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice" in 1969. The film starred Natalie Wood and Robert Culp as a hip, privileged couple who contemplate wife swapping with their best friends, played by Elliott Gould and Dyan Cannon, both of whom rose to stardom because of the film. Like most of Mazursky's films, the movie viewed social significant issues- in this case,...
Paul Mazursky, one of the most acclaimed and prolific filmmakers to come of age in the 1960s, has died from cardiac arrest. He was 84 years old. Mazursky originally worked as an actor in films, appearing in such movies as "The Blackboard Jungle". However, with the revolutionary freedoms that came into movie-making in the mid-1960s, Mazursky turned to screenwriting and directing. His first screenplay was for the Peter Sellers hippie comedy "I Love You, Alice B. Toklas!". He made his directorial debut with "Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice" in 1969. The film starred Natalie Wood and Robert Culp as a hip, privileged couple who contemplate wife swapping with their best friends, played by Elliott Gould and Dyan Cannon, both of whom rose to stardom because of the film. Like most of Mazursky's films, the movie viewed social significant issues- in this case,...
- 7/2/2014
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
He was a visionary in terms of independent filmmaking with a series of pioneering works beginning in the late ’60s. Sometimes referred to as the ‘Woody Allen of the West Coast’, Paul Mazursky was nominated for five Oscars, mostly for his writing. Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, Harry And Tonto (which won an Oscar for star Art Carny in 1974), Moscow On The Hudson, An Unmarried Woman, Down And Out In Beverly Hills were among his many accomplishments. His last significant work was Enemies A Love Story in 1989, the story of a Holocaust survivor who finds himself involved with three women – his current wife, a passionate married woman, and his long-vanished wife whom he thought was killed during the war. Mazursky has spent the last couple of decades acting in small roles, but there was a time when he was considered one of the most important filmmakers working, and for good reason.
- 7/2/2014
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Paul Mazursky, the innovative and versatile director who showed the absurdity of modern life in such movies as Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice and An Unmarried Woman, has died. He was 84. The filmmaker died of pulmonary cardiac arrest Monday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, said Mazursky's spokeswoman Nancy Willen. As a talented writer, actor, producer and director, Mazursky racked up five Oscar nominations, mostly for writing such films as Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice and Enemies, A Love Story. He also created memorable roles for the likes of Art Carney, Jill Clayburgh and Natalie Wood. Later in life, Mazursky acted...
- 7/2/2014
- by Associated Press
- PEOPLE.com
Paul Mazursky, the innovative and versatile director who showed the absurdity of modern life in such movies as Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice and An Unmarried Woman, has died. He was 84. The filmmaker died of pulmonary cardiac arrest Monday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, said Mazursky's spokeswoman Nancy Willen. As a talented writer, actor, producer and director, Mazursky racked up five Oscar nominations, mostly for writing such films as Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice and Enemies, A Love Story. He also created memorable roles for the likes of Art Carney, Jill Clayburgh and Natalie Wood. Later in life, Mazursky acted...
- 7/2/2014
- by Associated Press
- PEOPLE.com
Paul Mazursky, a five-time Oscar-nominee who wrote and directed admired movies from Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice to Down and Out in Beverly Hills, died Monday of pulmonary cardiac arrest, according to a family spokesperson. He was 84.
Mazursky was a successful actor in the 1950s, starring in many television series, as well as Blackboard Jungle and Stanley Kubrick’s first film, Fear and Desire. He segued into writing, scripting episodes of The Danny Kaye Show and The Monkees. He also wrote the 1968 Peter Sellers film, I Love You, Alice B. Toklas, and then made his directorial debut on Bob & Carol, which...
Mazursky was a successful actor in the 1950s, starring in many television series, as well as Blackboard Jungle and Stanley Kubrick’s first film, Fear and Desire. He segued into writing, scripting episodes of The Danny Kaye Show and The Monkees. He also wrote the 1968 Peter Sellers film, I Love You, Alice B. Toklas, and then made his directorial debut on Bob & Carol, which...
- 7/1/2014
- by Jeff Labrecque
- EW - Inside Movies
Filmmaker Paul Mazursky, the five-time Oscar nominee most famous for films such as "Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice," "Down and Out in Beverly Hills" and "An Unmarried Woman," has passed away. According to a family spokesperson, he died of pulmonary cardiac arrest Monday in Los Angeles. He was 84. Mazursky's last theatrical release came nearly 20 years ago with the Chazz Palminteri adaptation "Faithful" but he has maintained a guest actor presence in film and television ever since. (And before -- in fact, a young Mazursky can be seen all the way back in Stanley Kubrick's 1953 film "Fear and Desire.") Younger audiences may know him as Norm from HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm" or his appearances on ABC's "Once and Again," but he established a long and distinguished career writing and directing relationship dramas and comedies and had been a singular voice throughout. Four of Mazursky's five Oscar nominations came for his work on the page.
- 7/1/2014
- by Kristopher Tapley
- Hitfix
Paul Mazursky, the colorful writer-director who masterfully mingled the funny and the forlorn in such modern classics as Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, An Unmarried Woman and Down and Out in Beverly Hills, has died. He was 84. A five-time Oscar nominee whose influential oeuvre also includes the touchstone films Harry and Tonto (1974), Next Stop, Greenwich Village (1976) and Enemies: A Love Story (1989), Mazursky died Monday in Los Angeles of pulmonary cardiac arrest. List The Hollywood Reporter Reveals Hollywood's 100 Favorite Films "A true raconteur, Paul brought humor and spirit to the many Guild meetings he
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- 7/1/2014
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The prolific Oscar-nominated screenwriter and director whose films include Harry And Tonto, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice and Down And Out In Beverly Hills, died yesterday in Los Angeles of pulmonary cardiac arrest. Paul Mazursky was 84. Born 1930 in Brooklyn as Irwin Mazursky, he was a graduate of Brooklyn College and made his cinema debut in Stanley Kubrick’s feature Fear And Desire. When he wasn’t acting, Mazursky was a stand-up comic in New York and at the Gate of Horn in Chicago. After befriending Pauls Sills and Barbara Harris, Marzursky appeared in the west coast company of Second City. Writing […]...
- 7/1/2014
- Deadline
Two-time Oscar-nominated actress and multiple Grammy Award-winning singer Bette Midler will perform for the first time on the Oscars, show producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron announced today.
“We are thrilled to have Bette perform on the Oscars for the very first time,” said Zadan and Meron. “We believe she will make our Oscar telecast an especially moving evening.”
Midler received Oscar nominations for Actress in a Leading Role for “For the Boys” and The Rose.”
She has recorded 13 studio albums, the first of which, 1972’s “The Divine Miss M,” sold over a million copies and earned her a Grammy for Best New Artist. Midler has gone on to sell over 30 million albums worldwide and win two additional Grammys for the songs “The Rose” (Best Female Pop Vocal Performance) and “Wind Beneath My Wings” (Record of the Year). She has been honored with three Emmy® Awards and a special Tony...
“We are thrilled to have Bette perform on the Oscars for the very first time,” said Zadan and Meron. “We believe she will make our Oscar telecast an especially moving evening.”
Midler received Oscar nominations for Actress in a Leading Role for “For the Boys” and The Rose.”
She has recorded 13 studio albums, the first of which, 1972’s “The Divine Miss M,” sold over a million copies and earned her a Grammy for Best New Artist. Midler has gone on to sell over 30 million albums worldwide and win two additional Grammys for the songs “The Rose” (Best Female Pop Vocal Performance) and “Wind Beneath My Wings” (Record of the Year). She has been honored with three Emmy® Awards and a special Tony...
- 2/20/2014
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Two-time Oscar-nominated actress and multiple Grammy Award-winning singer Bette Midler will perform for the first time on the Oscars, show producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron announced today. The Oscars, hosted by Ellen DeGeneres, will air on Sunday, March 2, live on ABC. "We are thrilled to have Bette perform on the Oscars for the very first time," said Zadan and Meron. "We believe she will make our Oscar telecast an especially moving evening." Midler received Oscar nominations for Actress in a Leading Role for For the Boys and The Rose The First Wives Club , Down and Out in Beverly Hills and Ruthless People . Last year Midler portrayed the late Hollywood agent Sue Mengers in the hit Broadway production, "I'll Eat You Last: A Chat with Sue...
- 2/19/2014
- Comingsoon.net
Two-time Oscar-nominated actress and multiple Grammy Award-winning singer Bette Midler will perform for the first time on the Oscars, show producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron announced today. The Oscars, hosted by Ellen DeGeneres, will air on Sunday, March 2, live on ABC. "We are thrilled to have Bette perform on the Oscars for the very first time," said Zadan and Meron. "We believe she will make our Oscar telecast an especially moving evening." Midler received Oscar nominations for Actress in a Leading Role for For the Boys and The Rose The First Wives Club , Down and Out in Beverly Hills and Ruthless People . Last year Midler portrayed the late Hollywood agent Sue Mengers in the hit Broadway production, "I'll Eat You Last: A Chat with Sue...
- 2/19/2014
- Comingsoon.net
Screenwriter and director Paul Mazursky has been named recipient of the 2014 Screen Laurel Award by the Writers Guild of America, West, the Wgaw announced on Tuesday. Over the course of a 60-year career in movies, Mazursky has been nominated for 10 WGA Awards and five Oscars. His screenplays include “An Unmarried Woman,” “Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice,” “Enemies, A Love Story,” “Down and Out in Beverly Hills” and “Harry and Tonto.” Also read: Paul Mazursky: A 50-Year Independent Streak The Screen Laurel Award is a lifetime-achievement award for work in motion pictures. Past winners include Barry Levinson, Steven Zailian,...
- 1/7/2014
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
The great Paul Mazursky is getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame December 13 (all together now: “Doesn’t he Have one already??!) and there’s a premature sense of the valedictory hanging over the occasion. Ok, maybe the director of “Harry and Tonto,” “An Unmarried Woman,” “Down and Out in Beverly Hills" and “Enemies: A Love Story” hasn’t been front and center recently. But that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been acting up.Actually, the last movie Mazursky directed came out in 2006 -- “Yippee!” a documentary about the annual pilgrimage to Uman, a town in the Ukraine where the famous Hasidic leader Rabbi Nachman is buried. Nachman, who lived in the late 1700s and is associated with the more celebratory aspects of Hasidim, told his followers, “if you celebrate Rosh Hashanah at my grave, you'll have a year of joy.” So people return there year after year.
- 12/12/2013
- by John Anderson
- Thompson on Hollywood
New York, Dec 25: Singer-actress Bette Midler was offended when she was first offered the role of a grandmother in comedy show "Parental Guidance". But she took it up later.
Midler, 67, known for acting in movie like "The Rose", "Down and Out in Beverly Hills" and "For The Boys", took up the role because it was young at heart, reports nypost.com.
"I was totally offended. I didn't think grandmother parts would come so soon," Midler said.
"I was up for playing a fun grandma... Grandparents are not quite the same as they used to be. People are fighting tooth and nail to stay fit," she added.
Ians...
Midler, 67, known for acting in movie like "The Rose", "Down and Out in Beverly Hills" and "For The Boys", took up the role because it was young at heart, reports nypost.com.
"I was totally offended. I didn't think grandmother parts would come so soon," Midler said.
"I was up for playing a fun grandma... Grandparents are not quite the same as they used to be. People are fighting tooth and nail to stay fit," she added.
Ians...
- 12/25/2012
- by Amith Ostwal
- RealBollywood.com
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