This year’s races for Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress were over before they started. Robert Downey Jr. in “Oppenheimer” and Da’Vine Joy Randolph in “The Holdovers” took leads in the Gold Derby odds in their respective categories early in the season. They both went on to pick up Golden Globe, Critics Choice, BAFTA and SAG Awards. By the time the Oscars rolled around, there was a “near zero” chance of either of them losing.
In contrast, the lead acting contests provided considerably more suspense. Bradley Cooper in “Maestro,” Paul Giamatti in “The Holdovers” and Cillian Murphy in “Oppenheimer” were all looking strong at different point in the derby, before Murphy really exploded and ultimately won the Best Actor Oscar. And Lily Gladstone in “Killers of the Flower Moon” and Emma Stone in “Poor Things” kept trading the top spot in the Best Actress odds. Gladstone finally reclaimed...
In contrast, the lead acting contests provided considerably more suspense. Bradley Cooper in “Maestro,” Paul Giamatti in “The Holdovers” and Cillian Murphy in “Oppenheimer” were all looking strong at different point in the derby, before Murphy really exploded and ultimately won the Best Actor Oscar. And Lily Gladstone in “Killers of the Flower Moon” and Emma Stone in “Poor Things” kept trading the top spot in the Best Actress odds. Gladstone finally reclaimed...
- 3/27/2024
- by Tariq Khan
- Gold Derby
"This is a guy who's doing this for his own glory." Screen Daily has revealed the first promo trailer for a new documentary film titled Phantoms of the Sierra Madre, not to be confused with the renowned 1931 classic film The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. The doc will be premiering at the Cph:dox Film Festival in Copenhagen this month, which is why this trailer is out now for its unveiling soon. The film follows Danish screenwriter Lars K. Andersen as he follows his childhood hero Norwegian explorer Helge Ingstad, who in 1937 went on an expedition to Mexico to search for a lost Apache tribe. "Three men embark on a boyhood dream of a Western adventure in search of a lost Apache tribe in Mexico, but end up in a very different place than they had planned. A thought-provoking film about being out of place - and about realising it along the way.
- 3/4/2024
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Exclusive: It is only after Eric Roth invites you to sit on his front porch and discuss screenwriting and the thorny process of making great movies that you find yourself saying, wait, you wrote that one too? He’ll tell you you’re sitting in a chair where Nobel Laureates and Pulitzer winners held court — as if sitting with arguably the greatest and most successful living screenwriter isn’t intimidating enough — and there will be the occasional interruption as neighbors or passersby stop by this covered birdhouse looking repository at the edge of his lawn where Roth places books he’s read and admired, to help others revel in his lifelong love of words. They all want to talk about what they read and Roth is in no hurry to send them on their way.
You wonder why a writer, so unparalleled at distilling a massively successful book like Killers of the Flower Moon...
You wonder why a writer, so unparalleled at distilling a massively successful book like Killers of the Flower Moon...
- 1/15/2024
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
For the entirety of my twenties and a chunk of my thirties, I knew the inebriated pleasure of debating the most trivial subjects known to humankind via what we used to call the "bar argument." Oh sure, people still knock back beers and fiercely debate the Hegelian messaging of the "Airport" franchise, but there was a time, a glorious time, when an elbow-tipping blowhard could loudly assert as fact that "The White Shadow" was an "All in the Family" spinoff, and no one could pull a rectangular device out of their pocket to authoritatively prove they're utterly full of horse pucky. Short of pulling Norman Jewison out from behind the jukebox for a McLuhan-esque correction, this dolt could double and triple down, and all you could do was yell at them. We've lost so much.
The best bar arguments tended to revolve around song lyrics, but movie quotes ran a very close second.
The best bar arguments tended to revolve around song lyrics, but movie quotes ran a very close second.
- 12/24/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
It was late at night when I got to view Stay Out Stay Alive (2019) after a day of work. Rain was falling outside in a steady stream of tears from heaven and forest fire prevention. Reality television often puts ‘black ants’ and ‘red ants’ together to make what they think is a program that people will watch. A few of the human race like to see people fail in getting what they want or think they should have. What if that failure was the death of someone you had known for years? The old story of receiving a box with a push button in the post with instructions to push it and someone dies that is bothering you in your life. Would you do it? Well, these are the questions raised by Stay Out Stay Alive (2019).
Hollywood did this years ago with the non-genre gold standard (No pun intended) for greed,...
Hollywood did this years ago with the non-genre gold standard (No pun intended) for greed,...
- 8/10/2023
- by Terry Sherwood
- Horror Asylum
As Hollywood commemorates the life and career of the late William Friedkin, fans are sharing clips and memories of the “Exorcist” director’s famously unfiltered and foul-mouthed takes on cinema… including an expletive-laden strike at the DC film “Batman v. Superman.”
One clip that has gone viral on social media since news of Friedkin’s death broke came from a 2018 documentary “Friedkin Uncut,” a retrospective of the filmmaker’s career as told through his words and those of his collaborators and peers.
At the end of the documentary, Friedkin discusses his then-recent visit to the Venice Film Festival, where he premiered “The Devil & Father Amorth,” a documentary about Catholic priest and exorcist Gabriele Amorth.
While Friedkin loves traveling to Venice and presenting his films there, he says in the documentary that he does not like screening them in competition. While some of his films have been entered into competition at Venice,...
One clip that has gone viral on social media since news of Friedkin’s death broke came from a 2018 documentary “Friedkin Uncut,” a retrospective of the filmmaker’s career as told through his words and those of his collaborators and peers.
At the end of the documentary, Friedkin discusses his then-recent visit to the Venice Film Festival, where he premiered “The Devil & Father Amorth,” a documentary about Catholic priest and exorcist Gabriele Amorth.
While Friedkin loves traveling to Venice and presenting his films there, he says in the documentary that he does not like screening them in competition. While some of his films have been entered into competition at Venice,...
- 8/8/2023
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
Very few filmmakers have the distinction of creating a classic on their first effort. But John Huston, one of the greatest screenwriters and directors of the 20th century, did just that in 1941 with “The Maltese Falcon” and went on to create many classics by inventing, reinventing and reinvigorating genres.
Huston was born on August 5, 1906, in Nevada, Missouri. His father was the great actor Walter Huston, and young John developed an interest in the stage at a young age watching his father perform in vaudeville. He was a sickly child with an enlarged heart and kidney ailments but eventually overcame that to drop out of school at the age of 14 to become a professional boxer.
As a young adult, Huston wrote and sold several short stories, and made his way to Hollywood when “talking pictures” created a demand for writers. He took a short hiatus from Hollywood after the car he...
Huston was born on August 5, 1906, in Nevada, Missouri. His father was the great actor Walter Huston, and young John developed an interest in the stage at a young age watching his father perform in vaudeville. He was a sickly child with an enlarged heart and kidney ailments but eventually overcame that to drop out of school at the age of 14 to become a professional boxer.
As a young adult, Huston wrote and sold several short stories, and made his way to Hollywood when “talking pictures” created a demand for writers. He took a short hiatus from Hollywood after the car he...
- 7/29/2023
- by Susan Pennington, Zach Laws and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Every 10 years or so, Hollywood seems to fall head over heels in love with a writer. In the 1990s, studios couldn't stop turning John Grisham's legal drama/thriller novels into movies. Such was also the case with romance novelist Nicholas Sparks, starting with "Message in a Bottle" in 1999 and stretching on throughout the 2000s and a little beyond.
More recently, journalist and writer David Grann has quietly emerged as the hot new thing in Tinseltown. His book "Killers of the Flower Moon" is now a $200 million, three-hour epic directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, and the screen rights to his newest work, "The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny, and Murder," were acquired by Scorsese and DiCaprio before it was even published. Recent years have also seen Grann's book "The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon" and his New Yorker article...
More recently, journalist and writer David Grann has quietly emerged as the hot new thing in Tinseltown. His book "Killers of the Flower Moon" is now a $200 million, three-hour epic directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, and the screen rights to his newest work, "The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny, and Murder," were acquired by Scorsese and DiCaprio before it was even published. Recent years have also seen Grann's book "The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon" and his New Yorker article...
- 5/18/2023
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
Warner Bros. has already celebrated its centennial with a segment during the Academy Awards, the publication of a studio-supported book (Warner Bros.: 100 Years of Storytelling) and, most recently, a barrage of festivities emanating from Turner Classic Movies. TCM’s programming for all of April is being devoted to Warners films, and at the 14th annual TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood, running April 13-16, many studio masterpieces, some recently restored and remastered, will be shown on big screens around town. Here are 10 that this THR Hollywood history buff highly recommends.
Footlight Parade (1933)
Ninety years ago, during the depths of the Great Depression, Americans sought escape from their troubles with light movies like this backstage musical. Directed by Lloyd Bacon, starring James Cagney, Joan Blondell, Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler and highlighted by some of choreographer Busby Berkeley’s most kaleidoscopic dance numbers, it was a giant hit at the box office.
Footlight Parade (1933)
Ninety years ago, during the depths of the Great Depression, Americans sought escape from their troubles with light movies like this backstage musical. Directed by Lloyd Bacon, starring James Cagney, Joan Blondell, Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler and highlighted by some of choreographer Busby Berkeley’s most kaleidoscopic dance numbers, it was a giant hit at the box office.
- 4/12/2023
- by Scott Feinberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
It was announced today that controversial actor Robert Blake has died at the age of 89. His niece, Noreen Austin, confirmed that he died at his Los Angeles home after a longtime battle with heart disease. Blake was best known for his roles in Richard Brooks’ adaptation of Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood, David Lynch’s Lost Highway, and for starring in the 1970s detective series Baretta.
Robert Blake got his start as a child actor, appearing as Mickey in forty installments of MGM’s Our Gang short films. He also played Little Beaver in twenty-three installments of the Red Ryder film series. He also appeared in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre as a young Mexican boy who sells a lottery ticket to Humphrey Bogart. Although many child actors can’t transition to adult roles, Blake managed to pull it off. His biggest break came with In Cold Blood,...
Robert Blake got his start as a child actor, appearing as Mickey in forty installments of MGM’s Our Gang short films. He also played Little Beaver in twenty-three installments of the Red Ryder film series. He also appeared in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre as a young Mexican boy who sells a lottery ticket to Humphrey Bogart. Although many child actors can’t transition to adult roles, Blake managed to pull it off. His biggest break came with In Cold Blood,...
- 3/10/2023
- by Kevin Fraser
- JoBlo.com
Robert Blake, the Emmy-winning film and television star who participated in over half a century’s worth of Hollywood history, has died at the age of 89. The news was confirmed by the Associated Press.
Born in New Jersey in 1933, Blake began working in film as a child actor in the late 1930s. His first onscreen role came in the form of an uncredited appearance in Wilhelm Thiele’s 1939 film “Bridal Suite.” He continued to work steadily throughout the 1940s and 1950s, memorably appearing as a child selling lottery tickets who gets a drink thrown in his face in 1948’s “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.”
Blake was one of the first child stars to successfully transition into adult roles. After a string of guest spots on popular 1960s TV shows, he was working as a leading man by the end of the decade. He memorably played Perry in Richard Brooks’ 1967 adaptation of “In Cold Blood,...
Born in New Jersey in 1933, Blake began working in film as a child actor in the late 1930s. His first onscreen role came in the form of an uncredited appearance in Wilhelm Thiele’s 1939 film “Bridal Suite.” He continued to work steadily throughout the 1940s and 1950s, memorably appearing as a child selling lottery tickets who gets a drink thrown in his face in 1948’s “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.”
Blake was one of the first child stars to successfully transition into adult roles. After a string of guest spots on popular 1960s TV shows, he was working as a leading man by the end of the decade. He memorably played Perry in Richard Brooks’ 1967 adaptation of “In Cold Blood,...
- 3/10/2023
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
Actor Robert Blake, who starred in the 1970s cop show Baretta and was later acquitted of killing his wife in a high-profile murder trial, has died at the age of 89. He died on Thursday from heart disease, his niece tells our sister site Deadline.
Blake began his Hollywood career as a child actor, playing Mickey in MGM’s Our Gang shorts, later known as the Little Rascals. The young Blake also appeared in a Laurel and Hardy film and shared a scene with Humphrey Bogart in the 1948 classic The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.
More from TVLineShadow and Bone Stars Talk Six of Crows' Struggles,...
Blake began his Hollywood career as a child actor, playing Mickey in MGM’s Our Gang shorts, later known as the Little Rascals. The young Blake also appeared in a Laurel and Hardy film and shared a scene with Humphrey Bogart in the 1948 classic The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.
More from TVLineShadow and Bone Stars Talk Six of Crows' Struggles,...
- 3/10/2023
- by Dave Nemetz
- TVLine.com
Actor Robert Blake, a man with a long and complex legacy, has died, a representative for his son-in-law Gregg Hurwitz confirmed to Variety. The former child actor was best known for his Emmy-winning role as the cockatoo-owning undercover cop in the popular 1970s TV series “Baretta” and, more infamously, for his trial following the 2001 murder of his wife. He was 89.
As reported by the Associated Press, Blake died from heart disease on Thursday at his home in Los Angeles.
These two aspects of Blake’s legacy were inseparable in some ways, and the personal turmoil that made the latter at least circumstantially plausible (the case against Blake hinged on motive — he may have wanted to be free of his rocky marriage) fueled his acting.
Blake was acquitted of the murder charge, as well as of one count of soliciting murder, in his criminal trial in 2005, but in a civil trial later that year,...
As reported by the Associated Press, Blake died from heart disease on Thursday at his home in Los Angeles.
These two aspects of Blake’s legacy were inseparable in some ways, and the personal turmoil that made the latter at least circumstantially plausible (the case against Blake hinged on motive — he may have wanted to be free of his rocky marriage) fueled his acting.
Blake was acquitted of the murder charge, as well as of one count of soliciting murder, in his criminal trial in 2005, but in a civil trial later that year,...
- 3/10/2023
- by Carmel Dagan
- Variety Film + TV
John Huston is one of the most celebrated directors and screenwriters in Hollywood. Born on August 5, 1906, in Nevadaville, Colorado, he was the son of actor Walter Huston and Rhea Gore. He began his career as a journalist and later worked as an amateur boxer before entering movies.
Huston’s movies were often morally ambiguous, with elements of both comedy and tragedy. He rose to fame for movies such as “The Maltese Falcon” (1941), which starred Humphrey Bogart, “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre” (1948), starring Humphrey Bogart and Walter Huston, and “The African Queen” (1951), starring Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn. He also wrote many movies including “The Asphalt Jungle” (1950) and directed iconic movies such as “The Man Who Would Be King” (1975).
Huston was highly acclaimed by critics for his skillful direction in movies that explored complex themes such as greed and morality. Many of his movies featured actors who had trained under revered director Erich von Stroheim.
Huston’s movies were often morally ambiguous, with elements of both comedy and tragedy. He rose to fame for movies such as “The Maltese Falcon” (1941), which starred Humphrey Bogart, “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre” (1948), starring Humphrey Bogart and Walter Huston, and “The African Queen” (1951), starring Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn. He also wrote many movies including “The Asphalt Jungle” (1950) and directed iconic movies such as “The Man Who Would Be King” (1975).
Huston was highly acclaimed by critics for his skillful direction in movies that explored complex themes such as greed and morality. Many of his movies featured actors who had trained under revered director Erich von Stroheim.
- 2/19/2023
- by Movies Martin Cid Magazine
- Martin Cid Magazine - Movies
Actor/writer/director Ethan Hawke discusses a few of his favorite films with Josh Olson and Joe Dante.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Explorers (1985) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
The Verdict (1982)
The Color Of Money (1986) – Rod Lurie’s trailer commentary
Nobody’s Fool (1994)
Three Faces Of Eve (1957)
Mr. And Mrs. Bridge (1990)
North By Northwest (1959)
Torn Curtain (1966)
Psycho (1960) – John Landis’s trailer commentary
Frenzy (1972) – Joe Dante’s trailer commentary
Topaz (1969)
Boyhood (2014)
An Officer and a Gentleman (1982)
Blue Collar (1978) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
First Reformed (2017) – Glenn Erickson’s trailer commentary
Taxi Driver (1976) – Rod Lurie’s trailer commentary
The Left Handed Gun (1958)
Hombre (1967)
Hud (1963)
Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid (1969)
The Life And Times Of Judge Roy Bean (1972) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Buffalo Bill And The Indians, Or Sitting Bull’s History Lesson (1976) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
The Outrage (1964)
Rashomon (1950) – Brian Trenchard-Smith’s trailer commentary,...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Explorers (1985) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
The Verdict (1982)
The Color Of Money (1986) – Rod Lurie’s trailer commentary
Nobody’s Fool (1994)
Three Faces Of Eve (1957)
Mr. And Mrs. Bridge (1990)
North By Northwest (1959)
Torn Curtain (1966)
Psycho (1960) – John Landis’s trailer commentary
Frenzy (1972) – Joe Dante’s trailer commentary
Topaz (1969)
Boyhood (2014)
An Officer and a Gentleman (1982)
Blue Collar (1978) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
First Reformed (2017) – Glenn Erickson’s trailer commentary
Taxi Driver (1976) – Rod Lurie’s trailer commentary
The Left Handed Gun (1958)
Hombre (1967)
Hud (1963)
Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid (1969)
The Life And Times Of Judge Roy Bean (1972) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Buffalo Bill And The Indians, Or Sitting Bull’s History Lesson (1976) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
The Outrage (1964)
Rashomon (1950) – Brian Trenchard-Smith’s trailer commentary,...
- 10/4/2022
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
Gabe Polsky’s new acid Western “Butcher’s Crossing,” premiering at the Toronto Film Festival, takes place on the vast fertile plains of hubris, where if you stare far enough into the horizon, you can probably see your own uppance come.
Based on a novel by John Williams takes place in Kansas in 1874, where a young wide-eyed student named Will Andrews has abandoned his Ivy League education in favor of seeing the country and palling around with buffalo hunters. It’s a decision that old man McDonald, a fur trader and distant friend of the family, thinks is intensely ill-advised, so he warns him — in a tone so condescending it was practically guaranteed to have the opposite of its intended effect — that following this path will lead Will to soul-obliterating ruin.
Undeterred, Will proceeds to ally himself with the first semi-friendly person he meets, a hunter named Miller (Nicolas Cage), who...
Based on a novel by John Williams takes place in Kansas in 1874, where a young wide-eyed student named Will Andrews has abandoned his Ivy League education in favor of seeing the country and palling around with buffalo hunters. It’s a decision that old man McDonald, a fur trader and distant friend of the family, thinks is intensely ill-advised, so he warns him — in a tone so condescending it was practically guaranteed to have the opposite of its intended effect — that following this path will lead Will to soul-obliterating ruin.
Undeterred, Will proceeds to ally himself with the first semi-friendly person he meets, a hunter named Miller (Nicolas Cage), who...
- 9/10/2022
- by William Bibbiani
- The Wrap
Long before Martin Scorsese and Robert DeNiro, or Wes Anderson and Bill Murray, John Huston and Humphrey Bogart were one of the great director-actor combos of Hollywood's Golden Age. Their first collaboration, "The Maltese Falcon," gave the actor his big breakthrough and one of his defining roles as the cynical private eye, Sam Spade.
It made Bogart a star and five more films followed, with the partnership resulting in Bogie's only Oscar win, playing a booze-soaked riverboat captain in "The African Queen." In between, it was Huston's turn; he picked up the only Academy Awards of his long career for Best Director and Best Screenplay for "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre," often regarded as the duo's best film and Huston's masterpiece.
Adapted from the novel by B. Traven, "Sierre Madre" is a riveting study of greed, following three down-on-their-luck Americans in search of gold in Mexico. When they strike rich,...
It made Bogart a star and five more films followed, with the partnership resulting in Bogie's only Oscar win, playing a booze-soaked riverboat captain in "The African Queen." In between, it was Huston's turn; he picked up the only Academy Awards of his long career for Best Director and Best Screenplay for "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre," often regarded as the duo's best film and Huston's masterpiece.
Adapted from the novel by B. Traven, "Sierre Madre" is a riveting study of greed, following three down-on-their-luck Americans in search of gold in Mexico. When they strike rich,...
- 8/28/2022
- by Lee Adams
- Slash Film
It's perhaps no coincidence that John Huston's 1948 film "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" came out the same year that comic book publisher William Gaines took control of EC Comics and began to work the company away from its original moniker, Educational Comics, to a much more commercially viable model -- Entertaining Comics. Both "Treasure" and the books that came out of EC in the late-'40s had a lurid horror bent, exploring the darker recesses of the human soul.
"Treasure" is about a trio of men who trek into a forbidding, hot wilderness to look for gold. As soon as gold is struck, each of the three men begins to eyeball each other suspiciously, instantly paranoid of being double-crossed. There will be multiple opportunities for each of the men to dispose of another and take a larger share of gold. It's a tale of the corrupting power of greed,...
"Treasure" is about a trio of men who trek into a forbidding, hot wilderness to look for gold. As soon as gold is struck, each of the three men begins to eyeball each other suspiciously, instantly paranoid of being double-crossed. There will be multiple opportunities for each of the men to dispose of another and take a larger share of gold. It's a tale of the corrupting power of greed,...
- 8/24/2022
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
In the pantheon of great director-actor pairings, it is hard to match the six-film run of John Huston and Humphrey Bogart. The blustery filmmaker and his brutally handsome star confidently segued from the world-weary noir of "The Maltese Falcon" to the caustically funny misadventure of "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" and on to the rambunctiously romantic banter of "The African Queen." Over their first five films, Huston's style is refreshingly unfussy. He's not trying to knock the viewer out with bravura coups de cinema. Rather, he reads the emotion of his characters, and, if he's cast well, the camera always ends up in the right place, while every cut and transition flows mellifluously through to the final reel.
Huston made a lot of movies, and more than his share of stinkers, but he never misfired when collaborating with Bogie -- that is, until 1953, when they came together for the garishly cynical "Beat the Devil.
Huston made a lot of movies, and more than his share of stinkers, but he never misfired when collaborating with Bogie -- that is, until 1953, when they came together for the garishly cynical "Beat the Devil.
- 8/24/2022
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
There isn't a finer film about the self-destructive power of greed than John Huston's "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre." It's Huston at his rugged, fiercely unsentimental best. The tale of three down-on-their-luck Americans scrounging about a treacherous mountain region in search of gold features loads of quotable, hard-bitten dialogue and a boldly unflattering performance from Humphrey Bogart as the madly rapacious Fred C. Dobbs. Legendary author and film critic James Agee hailed it as "one of the best things Hollywood has done since it learned to talk." Three quarters of a century later, it still is.
But let's get back to Bogart, who dynamites his sympathetic, cynical hero image with his portrayal of a man who descends into full-on psychosis via his lust for a precious-metal mother lode. Audiences were stunned by the star's transformation, which may have played a role in the film's ho-hum box office performance.
But let's get back to Bogart, who dynamites his sympathetic, cynical hero image with his portrayal of a man who descends into full-on psychosis via his lust for a precious-metal mother lode. Audiences were stunned by the star's transformation, which may have played a role in the film's ho-hum box office performance.
- 8/23/2022
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
It’s a chicly austere and, at stray moments, provocative tabloid thriller in which Kate (Kate Bosworth) and Mikey (Emile Hirsch), as part of a mysterious contest, agree to spend 50 days living in a large bare white room. When they first walk in, they’re greeted by a Siri voice, British and female, who makes ritual pronouncements like “It is evening. Enjoy your stay in the Immaculate Room.” If they make it through all 50 days, they’ll get 5 million in prize money. It doesn’t sound all that hard, like two months of voluntary prison time minus the dirt and danger. And that’s the hook: Who wouldn’t do this for 5 million? But the fact that it sounds so do-able means the audience is asking from minute one: What’s the catch?
In a funny way, “The Immaculate Room” is a parable of boredom, which makes it a story for our time.
In a funny way, “The Immaculate Room” is a parable of boredom, which makes it a story for our time.
- 8/20/2022
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
In the opening scenes of John Huston's 1948 Academy Award winning film "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre," Fred Dobbs (Humphrey Bogart) is down on his luck. He's in Mexico looking for work in 1925, and can't seem to find any. He's reduced to asking for pesos in the street, and approaches a tall American man in a white suit and hat. The American gives him a coin. Dobbs can buy a meal and a lottery ticket. He'll be fine for maybe 12 hours.
"The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" eventually follows Dobbs into the wilderness -- to the mountain of the...
The post John Huston's Treasure of the Sierra Madre Cameo Was One Big Humphrey Bogart In-Joke appeared first on /Film.
"The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" eventually follows Dobbs into the wilderness -- to the mountain of the...
The post John Huston's Treasure of the Sierra Madre Cameo Was One Big Humphrey Bogart In-Joke appeared first on /Film.
- 8/4/2022
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
John Huston's 1948 classic "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" boasts one of the all-time great Humphrey Bogart roles. The Hollywood icon stars as Fred C. Dobbs, a drifter who struggles to make ends meet in 1920s Mexico. With the aid of a fellow American named Bob Curtin (Tim Holt) and a crusty prospector who goes by Howard (Walter Huston), Fred strikes it rich looking for gold in the Sierra Madre mountains. But as the three men fill their bags with gold dust, greed and paranoia begin to overtake Fred, making him as much a danger to his crew as the...
The post For One Star, The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre Was (Literally) Like Pulling Teeth appeared first on /Film.
The post For One Star, The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre Was (Literally) Like Pulling Teeth appeared first on /Film.
- 5/31/2022
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
From "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" to "Casablanca," the great Humphrey Bogart graced the silver screen with an array of performances that often see a hardened man unfurl by means of his inner demons. His Oscar-nominated turn in "The Caine Mutiny" is no different. The 1954 WWII naval drama, adapted from Herman Wouk's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, sees Bogart as Lt. Cmdr. Philip Francis Queeg, the newly appointed Captain aboard the Navy slack ship known as the Caine, whose petty narcissism and obstinate leadership cause tension among the crew. Bogart does career-best work here, especially in his closing scene, which most...
The post The Caine Mutiny's Most Infamous Scene Sparked a Bizarre Battle Behind the Scenes appeared first on /Film.
The post The Caine Mutiny's Most Infamous Scene Sparked a Bizarre Battle Behind the Scenes appeared first on /Film.
- 4/21/2022
- by Matthew Bilodeau
- Slash Film
With cinema immortalizing its performers no matter how big or small, it's no surprise that the beginnings of many movie stars can be found in the nooks and crannies of major films. Before she was running from alien robots in Michael Bay's "Transformers," Megan Fox could be caught dancing under a waterfall (at a concerning age 15) in Bay's "Bad Boys II." Reaching farther back, a young Robert Blake is visible selling a lottery ticket to Humphrey Bogart in "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre."
Overseas, the Hong Kong film industry made liberal use of numerous skilled performers in their expansive martial arts productions,...
The post This Was Jackie Chan's Favorite Part of Filming Enter The Dragon appeared first on /Film.
Overseas, the Hong Kong film industry made liberal use of numerous skilled performers in their expansive martial arts productions,...
The post This Was Jackie Chan's Favorite Part of Filming Enter The Dragon appeared first on /Film.
- 4/19/2022
- by Anya Stanley
- Slash Film
"Nobody puts one over on Fred C. Dobbs." In John Huston's 1948 classic "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre," Fred C. Dobbs is played by Humphrey Bogart in one of the many collaborations between the pair — Huston's crime noir "Key Largo," also starring Bogart, would drop the same year. The role of Dobbs, an everyman poisoned by the precious coinage metal, was perfect for the American actor, whose star was continuing to rise in the same decade that saw his performances in "The Maltese Falcon," "Casablanca," and "The Big Sleep." Ann M. Sperber's comprehensive biography "Bogart" captured his vibe...
The post Humphrey Bogart Wanted a Much Bloodier End to The Treasure of the Sierra Madre appeared first on /Film.
The post Humphrey Bogart Wanted a Much Bloodier End to The Treasure of the Sierra Madre appeared first on /Film.
- 4/12/2022
- by Anya Stanley
- Slash Film
Before the academy expanded the Best Picture race in 2010, the winner of that award almost always picked up the Best Director prize as well. But since then, these two awards have aligned at only seven of the dozen ceremonies. We thought that we’d see another case of double-dipping this year with Jane Campion winning for both directing and producing “The Power of the Dog.” But now it looks like “Coda” will claim the top prize of Best Picture, with Campion consoling herself with being the third woman to win Best Director.
Why the change?
When the decision was made to increase the number of nominees for Best Picture, it was also decided to bring back the preferential ballot that had been used by the academy until the mid 1940s. The rationale was that by ranking the nominees, the winner would be the film that had the broadest level of support.
Why the change?
When the decision was made to increase the number of nominees for Best Picture, it was also decided to bring back the preferential ballot that had been used by the academy until the mid 1940s. The rationale was that by ranking the nominees, the winner would be the film that had the broadest level of support.
- 3/27/2022
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
In a flagship deal for the Spanish-speaking world’s ever more global industry, Gonzalo Maza, co-writer of Sebastián Lelio’s Academy Award-winning “A Fantastic Woman,” has been tapped by production powerhouse El Estudio to adapt “Macario,” a novella written by the legendary B. Traven.
Traven’s 1927 novel, “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre,” was given a big screen makeover by John Huston in the 1948 film of the same name, starring Humphrey Bogart, which won three Academy Awards and is often described as Huston and Bogart’s finest work.
The announcement of the new film project was made by El Estudio on the eve of Mexico’s Day of the Dead. That seems no coincidence when it comes to “Macario,” a title which is a Mexico-set literary classic reflecting the pervasive presence of death in Mexican culture.
Coming after El Estudio has acquired the rights to “Macario” from the Traven estate,...
Traven’s 1927 novel, “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre,” was given a big screen makeover by John Huston in the 1948 film of the same name, starring Humphrey Bogart, which won three Academy Awards and is often described as Huston and Bogart’s finest work.
The announcement of the new film project was made by El Estudio on the eve of Mexico’s Day of the Dead. That seems no coincidence when it comes to “Macario,” a title which is a Mexico-set literary classic reflecting the pervasive presence of death in Mexican culture.
Coming after El Estudio has acquired the rights to “Macario” from the Traven estate,...
- 11/1/2021
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
John Huston’s classic “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre” (1948) echoes through Roderick MacKay’s feature debut “The Furnace” which premiered at last year’s Venice section Orizzonti, before heading on a festival tour with the final stop at Karlovy Vary, where we caught it. Both films are the stories of gold and greed, but the key difference between them are their milieus and the differences between the American and the Australian use of western genre tropes.
In America, westerns were created to preserve the myth of the hardy pioneers that fought the savage Natives for the land and have pushed the frontiers of the so-called civilised world from one ocean to another. Only in the New Hollywood era, the revisionist westerns appeared aimed at debunking the myths and used as the metaphorical canvas to expose the American imperial politics of the 20th century. In Australia, however, the western setting...
In America, westerns were created to preserve the myth of the hardy pioneers that fought the savage Natives for the land and have pushed the frontiers of the so-called civilised world from one ocean to another. Only in the New Hollywood era, the revisionist westerns appeared aimed at debunking the myths and used as the metaphorical canvas to expose the American imperial politics of the 20th century. In Australia, however, the western setting...
- 9/1/2021
- by Marko Stojiljković
- AsianMoviePulse
Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
The Hottest August (Brett Story)
Where better than New York City to make a structuralist film? Cities are iterative, their street grids diagrams of theme and variation, and New York most of all—with its streets and avenues named for numbers and letters and states and cities and presidents and Revolutionary War generals spanning an archipelago, intersecting at a million little data points at which to measure class, race, culture, history, architecture and infrastructure. And time, too—from this human density emerge daily and seasonal rituals, a set of biorhythms, reliable as the earth’s, against which to mark gradual shifts and momentary fashions. Summer is for lounging on fire escapes, always, and, today, for Mister Softee. Yesterday it was shaved ice.
The Hottest August (Brett Story)
Where better than New York City to make a structuralist film? Cities are iterative, their street grids diagrams of theme and variation, and New York most of all—with its streets and avenues named for numbers and letters and states and cities and presidents and Revolutionary War generals spanning an archipelago, intersecting at a million little data points at which to measure class, race, culture, history, architecture and infrastructure. And time, too—from this human density emerge daily and seasonal rituals, a set of biorhythms, reliable as the earth’s, against which to mark gradual shifts and momentary fashions. Summer is for lounging on fire escapes, always, and, today, for Mister Softee. Yesterday it was shaved ice.
- 8/6/2021
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Next month’s lineup at The Criterion Channel has been unveiled, featuring no shortage of excellent offerings. Leading the pack is a massive, 20-film retrospective dedicated to John Huston, featuring a mix of greatest and lesser-appreciated works, including Fat City, The Dead, Wise Blood, The Man Who Would Be King, and Key Largo. (The Treasure of the Sierra Madre will join the series on October 1.)
Also in the lineup is series on the works of Budd Boetticher (specifically his Randolph Scott-starring Ranown westerns), Ephraim Asili, Josephine Baker, Nikos Papatakis, Jean Harlow, Lee Isaac Chung (pre-Minari), Mani Kaul, and Michelle Parkerson.
The sparkling new restoration of La Piscine will also debut, along with Amores perros, Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s To the Ends of the Earth, Cate Shortland’s Lore, both Oxhide films, Moonstruck, and much more.
See the full list of August titles below and more on The Criterion Channel.
Abigail Harm,...
Also in the lineup is series on the works of Budd Boetticher (specifically his Randolph Scott-starring Ranown westerns), Ephraim Asili, Josephine Baker, Nikos Papatakis, Jean Harlow, Lee Isaac Chung (pre-Minari), Mani Kaul, and Michelle Parkerson.
The sparkling new restoration of La Piscine will also debut, along with Amores perros, Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s To the Ends of the Earth, Cate Shortland’s Lore, both Oxhide films, Moonstruck, and much more.
See the full list of August titles below and more on The Criterion Channel.
Abigail Harm,...
- 7/26/2021
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Steven Spielberg’s deliriously entertaining throwback remains a pure pleasure, a film drawn from forgotten serials and comics and brought brilliantly to life
It took almost no time – certainly not the 40 years since it was released – for Steven Spielberg’s Raiders of the Lost Ark to become the new standard of adventure films, surpassing the crude matinee serials that inspired it and shrewdly building on previous models like The Adventures of Robin Hood and John Huston/Humphrey Bogart team-ups The Treasure of the Sierra Madre and The African Queen. Its influence on the culture was immediate and widespread, most directly on knock-offs both skilled (Romancing the Stone) and not-so-skilled (Allan Quartermain and the Lost City of Gold), and across every commercial medium that could capitalize on it. (The Atari 2600 game Pitfall! was a personal favorite.)
Related: The Howling at 40: a horror movie that gave us something to chew on
Continue reading.
It took almost no time – certainly not the 40 years since it was released – for Steven Spielberg’s Raiders of the Lost Ark to become the new standard of adventure films, surpassing the crude matinee serials that inspired it and shrewdly building on previous models like The Adventures of Robin Hood and John Huston/Humphrey Bogart team-ups The Treasure of the Sierra Madre and The African Queen. Its influence on the culture was immediate and widespread, most directly on knock-offs both skilled (Romancing the Stone) and not-so-skilled (Allan Quartermain and the Lost City of Gold), and across every commercial medium that could capitalize on it. (The Atari 2600 game Pitfall! was a personal favorite.)
Related: The Howling at 40: a horror movie that gave us something to chew on
Continue reading.
- 6/12/2021
- by Scott Tobias
- The Guardian - Film News
Auteur! Auteur! Four of this year’s Best Director Oscar nominees — Chloe Zhao (“Nomadland”), Emerald Fennell (“Promising Young Woman”), Lee Isaac Chung (“Minari”) and Thomas Vinterberg (“Another Round”) — have a writing credit on their films. Zhao, Fennell and Chung reaped bids for their scripting efforts.
Over the past decade, the majority of the Oscar-winning directors were also nominated for their screenplays. Last year, Boon Joon-Ho won Best Director and shared in the Original Screenplay award with Han Jan for their work on the Best Picture champ “Parasite.”
Though writer/directors getting Oscar love is the norm these days, that wasn’t always the case. When nominations were announced for the first Academy Awards, Charlie Chaplin was cited for both Best Actor and Comedy Direction for his 1928 masterpiece “The Circus,” which he also wrote and produced. But the academy decided to withdraw his name from the competitive classes and decided “that...
Over the past decade, the majority of the Oscar-winning directors were also nominated for their screenplays. Last year, Boon Joon-Ho won Best Director and shared in the Original Screenplay award with Han Jan for their work on the Best Picture champ “Parasite.”
Though writer/directors getting Oscar love is the norm these days, that wasn’t always the case. When nominations were announced for the first Academy Awards, Charlie Chaplin was cited for both Best Actor and Comedy Direction for his 1928 masterpiece “The Circus,” which he also wrote and produced. But the academy decided to withdraw his name from the competitive classes and decided “that...
- 3/28/2021
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
After my recent article presenting “Five Reason Why Carey Mulligan Will Win the Best Actress Oscar for ‘Promising Young Woman,’” I was asked about my current prediction for Best Supporting Actor. To be more specific, I was asked how confident I am – and if I can provide similar analysis to make my case. Well, I’ve never been one to shy away from a Gold Derby challenge. And I’ll concede that I am far from 100% certain on this one. Many academy elitists may be reluctant to vote for someone better known for playful pranks than distinguished dramatics. Still, there’s a trajectory which could help him pull off the ultimate stunt this April. (And that’s no April Fool’s joke.)
Here are five reasons why Sacha Baron Cohen can win the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for “The Trial of the Chicago 7.”
1. He delivers the classic scene-stealing featured performance.
Here are five reasons why Sacha Baron Cohen can win the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for “The Trial of the Chicago 7.”
1. He delivers the classic scene-stealing featured performance.
- 2/23/2021
- by Tariq Khan
- Gold Derby
For more than 30 years, Aaron Sorkin has maintained a reputation as one of Hollywood’s best writers. His output is consistently topical and thought-provoking, and his unique brand of storytelling has brought him success in every medium. His name is easily associated with his work, which is filled with intelligent characters who expound liberal ideals with emotional heft and often engage in extended bouts of snappy dialogue.
Though his projects all bear his trademark style, each conveys its own distinct message. That is true of his latest film, Netflix’s “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” which is proving to be a career highlight. As its writer and director, he is on track to potentially score Oscar gold twice in one night. If he pulls off both wins, he will join an exclusive group of solo writer-directors that so far only includes John Huston (“The Treasure of the Sierra Madre...
Though his projects all bear his trademark style, each conveys its own distinct message. That is true of his latest film, Netflix’s “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” which is proving to be a career highlight. As its writer and director, he is on track to potentially score Oscar gold twice in one night. If he pulls off both wins, he will join an exclusive group of solo writer-directors that so far only includes John Huston (“The Treasure of the Sierra Madre...
- 2/5/2021
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
It is certainly not unusual for a long performance to win a Best Supporting Actor Oscar. The average screen time among winners in the category is 33 minutes and 45 seconds, and several even longer ones have been victorious in the past decade. However, awarding longer supporting male performances is not a recent trend. Here is a look at the 10 longest winners of all time. (And here’s the list of the 10 shortest winning performances for Best Supporting Actor.)
10. Walter Huston (“The Treasure of the Sierra Madre”)
55 minutes, 3 seconds (43.68% of the film)
On his fourth and final nomination in 1949, Walter Huston won his only Oscar for playing a wise, old prospector simply known as Howard. He broke the record for longest Best Supporting Actor-winning performance and held it for 16 years. His other nominated supporting role in “Yankee Doodle Dandy” is notably shorter, as is his Best Actor-nominated performance in “The Devil and Daniel Webster...
10. Walter Huston (“The Treasure of the Sierra Madre”)
55 minutes, 3 seconds (43.68% of the film)
On his fourth and final nomination in 1949, Walter Huston won his only Oscar for playing a wise, old prospector simply known as Howard. He broke the record for longest Best Supporting Actor-winning performance and held it for 16 years. His other nominated supporting role in “Yankee Doodle Dandy” is notably shorter, as is his Best Actor-nominated performance in “The Devil and Daniel Webster...
- 12/23/2020
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
John Huston directed his father Walter to an Oscar in 1948 for “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre” and his daughter Anjelica to one in 1985 for “Prizzi’s Honor.” Edoardo Ponti, 47, could well do the same for his mother, Sophia Loren, who shines in the acclaimed new Netflix drama “The Life Ahead.”
Ponti, the youngest of Loren’s two sons with her late husband, producer Carlo Ponti, is a graduate for USC School of Cinematic Arts and worked as an assistant with such directors as Michelangelo Antonioni and Robert Altman. He first directed his mother in his 2002 debut “Between Strangers.” Loren won the David di Donatello Award for their 2014 collaboration on “The Human Voice” based Jean Cocteau’s 1930 one-act play “The Human Voice.”
For “The Life Ahead,” Ponti and Ugo Chiti adapted Romain Gary’s 1975 novel “The Life Before Us,” which was also the source of the Oscar-winning 1977 French drama “Madame Rosa,...
Ponti, the youngest of Loren’s two sons with her late husband, producer Carlo Ponti, is a graduate for USC School of Cinematic Arts and worked as an assistant with such directors as Michelangelo Antonioni and Robert Altman. He first directed his mother in his 2002 debut “Between Strangers.” Loren won the David di Donatello Award for their 2014 collaboration on “The Human Voice” based Jean Cocteau’s 1930 one-act play “The Human Voice.”
For “The Life Ahead,” Ponti and Ugo Chiti adapted Romain Gary’s 1975 novel “The Life Before Us,” which was also the source of the Oscar-winning 1977 French drama “Madame Rosa,...
- 11/24/2020
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Spike Lee’s Vietnam treasure-hunt adventure drama “Da 5 Bloods” serves not just as a tribute to greats such as “Apocalypse Now” and “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre,” but as an unexpected memorial to the power of Chadwick Boseman’s presence.
So said the Oscar-winning director and his cinematographer, Newton Thomas Sigel, in a live-streamed talk with Variety’s Jazz Tangcay at the EnergaCamerimage Film Festival on Sunday. The one-hour chat covered what the Vietnam experience meant for Black Americans in the midst of the civil rights movement of the 60s, how war can bond soldiers for life and the importance of including all perspectives.
“Black people are not just one monolithic thing,” Lee said, recalling his mother’s advice while addressing his choice to include a Trump supporter among the four central characters in the story. “Da 5 Bloods” follows the former airborne GIs as they return to...
So said the Oscar-winning director and his cinematographer, Newton Thomas Sigel, in a live-streamed talk with Variety’s Jazz Tangcay at the EnergaCamerimage Film Festival on Sunday. The one-hour chat covered what the Vietnam experience meant for Black Americans in the midst of the civil rights movement of the 60s, how war can bond soldiers for life and the importance of including all perspectives.
“Black people are not just one monolithic thing,” Lee said, recalling his mother’s advice while addressing his choice to include a Trump supporter among the four central characters in the story. “Da 5 Bloods” follows the former airborne GIs as they return to...
- 11/18/2020
- by Will Tizard
- Variety Film + TV
The last time Romain Gary’s novel “The Life Before Us” was turned into a movie, the year was 1977, the film was “Madame Rosa” and the result was an Oscar win for Best Foreign Language Film and a Cesar Award for star Simone Signoret as the title character, a Holocaust survivor and former prostitute taking care of a young Algerian boy.
Gary’s book is now headed back to theater screens in a new, Italian-language adaptation titled “The Life Ahead,” directed by Edoardo Ponti and starring Ponti’s mother, who happens to be the legendary actress Sophia Loren in her first feature-film role in more than a decade. It’s easy enough to see why she came out of semi-retirement for the film – not only is it the third time she’s worked with her son, after 2002’s “Between Strangers” and the 2014 short “Human Voice,” but it’s one of...
Gary’s book is now headed back to theater screens in a new, Italian-language adaptation titled “The Life Ahead,” directed by Edoardo Ponti and starring Ponti’s mother, who happens to be the legendary actress Sophia Loren in her first feature-film role in more than a decade. It’s easy enough to see why she came out of semi-retirement for the film – not only is it the third time she’s worked with her son, after 2002’s “Between Strangers” and the 2014 short “Human Voice,” but it’s one of...
- 10/29/2020
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
For screenplay Oscars, auteurs have the advantage. Academy voters give creators extra points for controlling their visions. That’s why “The French Dispatch” (Searchlight) — written by three-time screenplay nominee Wes Anderson and collaborators Roman Coppola, Hugo Guinness, and Jason Schwartzman — is a strong contender in this race.
Anderson’s latest European ensemble threads three storylines about the French outpost of a Kansas newspaper. The comedy stars Anderson regulars Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, and Adrien Brody, plus newcomers Benicio del Toro, Jeffrey Wright, Elisabeth Moss, Léa Seydoux, and Timothée Chalamet. In 2015, Anderson’s “The Grand Budapest Hotel” scored nine Oscar nominations and won four tech Oscars after playing Berlin, a likely February launch pad for this movie with global appeal.
After winning Adapted Screenplay for “BlacKkKlansman,” Spike Lee was supposed to head the jury at Cannes 2020 and premiere his intense Vietnam drama “Da 5 Bloods” out of competition. Instead the movie,...
Anderson’s latest European ensemble threads three storylines about the French outpost of a Kansas newspaper. The comedy stars Anderson regulars Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, and Adrien Brody, plus newcomers Benicio del Toro, Jeffrey Wright, Elisabeth Moss, Léa Seydoux, and Timothée Chalamet. In 2015, Anderson’s “The Grand Budapest Hotel” scored nine Oscar nominations and won four tech Oscars after playing Berlin, a likely February launch pad for this movie with global appeal.
After winning Adapted Screenplay for “BlacKkKlansman,” Spike Lee was supposed to head the jury at Cannes 2020 and premiere his intense Vietnam drama “Da 5 Bloods” out of competition. Instead the movie,...
- 8/5/2020
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
For screenplay Oscars, auteurs have the advantage. Academy voters give creators extra points for controlling their visions. That’s why “The French Dispatch” (Searchlight) — written by three-time screenplay nominee Wes Anderson and collaborators Roman Coppola, Hugo Guinness, and Jason Schwartzman — is a strong contender in this race.
Anderson’s latest European ensemble threads three storylines about the French outpost of a Kansas newspaper. The comedy stars Anderson regulars Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, and Adrien Brody, plus newcomers Benicio del Toro, Jeffrey Wright, Elisabeth Moss, Léa Seydoux, and Timothée Chalamet. In 2015, Anderson’s “The Grand Budapest Hotel” scored nine Oscar nominations and won four tech Oscars after playing Berlin, a likely February launch pad for this movie with global appeal.
After winning Adapted Screenplay for “BlacKkKlansman,” Spike Lee was supposed to head the jury at Cannes 2020 and premiere his intense Vietnam drama “Da 5 Bloods” out of competition. Instead the movie,...
Anderson’s latest European ensemble threads three storylines about the French outpost of a Kansas newspaper. The comedy stars Anderson regulars Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, and Adrien Brody, plus newcomers Benicio del Toro, Jeffrey Wright, Elisabeth Moss, Léa Seydoux, and Timothée Chalamet. In 2015, Anderson’s “The Grand Budapest Hotel” scored nine Oscar nominations and won four tech Oscars after playing Berlin, a likely February launch pad for this movie with global appeal.
After winning Adapted Screenplay for “BlacKkKlansman,” Spike Lee was supposed to head the jury at Cannes 2020 and premiere his intense Vietnam drama “Da 5 Bloods” out of competition. Instead the movie,...
- 8/5/2020
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
After Spike Lee made a triumphant 2018 return to Cannes with “BlacKkKlansman,” which later won the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar, he was meant to premiere Vietnam drama “Da 5 Bloods” at Cannes 2020: It would have played out of competition as he presided over the Competition jury. Instead, the movie went straight to a June 12 Netflix release — but that low-key bow won’t keep him out of Oscar contention. While Covid-19 pushed back the Oscars 2021 calendar, this early contender is strong enough to last the next 10 months.
Cinephiles and critics (81 Metascore), hungry for a movie of substance, are praising Lee’s rip-roaring fable about four Big Red One infantrymen (led by Lee alumnae Delroy Lindo and Clarke Peters) who return to Saigon to dig up not only the remains of a fallen colleague (Chadwick Boseman), but also buried treasure. The movie references “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre,” “Scarface,” and “Apocalypse Now,...
Cinephiles and critics (81 Metascore), hungry for a movie of substance, are praising Lee’s rip-roaring fable about four Big Red One infantrymen (led by Lee alumnae Delroy Lindo and Clarke Peters) who return to Saigon to dig up not only the remains of a fallen colleague (Chadwick Boseman), but also buried treasure. The movie references “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre,” “Scarface,” and “Apocalypse Now,...
- 6/16/2020
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
After Spike Lee made a triumphant 2018 return to Cannes with “BlacKkKlansman,” which later won the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar, he was meant to premiere Vietnam drama “Da 5 Bloods” at Cannes 2020: It would have played out of competition as he presided over the Competition jury. Instead, the movie went straight to a June 12 Netflix release — but that low-key bow won’t keep him out of Oscar contention. While Covid-19 pushed back the Oscars 2021 calendar, this early contender is strong enough to last the next 10 months.
Cinephiles and critics (81 Metascore), hungry for a movie of substance, are praising Lee’s rip-roaring fable about four Big Red One infantrymen (led by Lee alumnae Delroy Lindo and Clarke Peters) who return to Saigon to dig up not only the remains of a fallen colleague (Chadwick Boseman), but also buried treasure. The movie references “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre,” “Scarface,” and “Apocalypse Now,...
Cinephiles and critics (81 Metascore), hungry for a movie of substance, are praising Lee’s rip-roaring fable about four Big Red One infantrymen (led by Lee alumnae Delroy Lindo and Clarke Peters) who return to Saigon to dig up not only the remains of a fallen colleague (Chadwick Boseman), but also buried treasure. The movie references “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre,” “Scarface,” and “Apocalypse Now,...
- 6/16/2020
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Stars: Delroy Lindo, Jonathan Majors, Clarke Peters, Norm Lewis, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Mélanie Thierry, Paul Walter Hauser, Jasper Pääkkönen, Johnny Nguyen, Lam Nguyen, Jean Reno, Chadwick Boseman, Van Veronica Ngo | Written by Spike Lee, Danny Bilson, Paul De Meo, Kevin Willmott | Directed by Spike Lee
Powerful, beautiful, violent and emotional. Spike Lee has continued his great run by crafting a film that can be enjoyed as an exciting piece of cinema as well as delivering a complex look at the world.
I can’t remember the last time I watched a film that was so relevant and hit home so hard, in fact I don’t think I’ve ever seen one as relevant as Da 5 Bloods. When you think back to 1989 and what Spike Lee had to say about the current times in Do The Right Thing it can only make you sad, heartbroken and angry to think...
Powerful, beautiful, violent and emotional. Spike Lee has continued his great run by crafting a film that can be enjoyed as an exciting piece of cinema as well as delivering a complex look at the world.
I can’t remember the last time I watched a film that was so relevant and hit home so hard, in fact I don’t think I’ve ever seen one as relevant as Da 5 Bloods. When you think back to 1989 and what Spike Lee had to say about the current times in Do The Right Thing it can only make you sad, heartbroken and angry to think...
- 6/15/2020
- by Alex Ginnelly
- Nerdly
With “Da 5 Bloods,” Spike Lee follows his long overdue Oscar win for “BlacKkKlansman” by revealing a side of the Vietnam story that’s seldom told. Through the Trojan horse of a treasure-hunt adventure movie, the director explores the mindset of Black soldiers who fought for their country at a time when African Americans were being oppressed at home. to claim the loot they were ordered to retrieve decades earlier, but stashed for themselves instead. The result is overlong and erratic, but also frequently surprising for a contemporary riff on the classic greed-doesn’t-pay parable “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.”
Entertainment journalists have taken to describing “Da 5 Bloods” as “timely” because its release coincides with the nationwide protests that spontaneously arose following the murder of George Floyd. That is true, but let’s be clear: Lee has always been ahead-of-his-timely. He reminded us of that a week ago...
Entertainment journalists have taken to describing “Da 5 Bloods” as “timely” because its release coincides with the nationwide protests that spontaneously arose following the murder of George Floyd. That is true, but let’s be clear: Lee has always been ahead-of-his-timely. He reminded us of that a week ago...
- 6/10/2020
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
Four war veterans return to south-east Asia to confront a ghost from their past in a shocking, incendiary blend of searing satire and action-movie drama
Spike Lee has shown up with an insurgent filmic uproar to match the uproar in the world. Da 5 Bloods is a paintball gun loaded with real bullets: a blast of satire and emotional agony about race and the American empire, the evergreen wound of Vietnam, African-American sacrifices on the field of battle, and the fact that black deaths matter.
It’s an outrageous action painting of a film, splattering moods, genres, ideas and archive clips all over the screen – with many a Brechtian-vaudeville alienation. It feels sometimes like an old-style war movie such as The Dirty Dozen but maybe Godard’s Le Petit Soldat, with playful riffs on Hollywood Vietnam standards and even John Huston’s The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. The movie...
Spike Lee has shown up with an insurgent filmic uproar to match the uproar in the world. Da 5 Bloods is a paintball gun loaded with real bullets: a blast of satire and emotional agony about race and the American empire, the evergreen wound of Vietnam, African-American sacrifices on the field of battle, and the fact that black deaths matter.
It’s an outrageous action painting of a film, splattering moods, genres, ideas and archive clips all over the screen – with many a Brechtian-vaudeville alienation. It feels sometimes like an old-style war movie such as The Dirty Dozen but maybe Godard’s Le Petit Soldat, with playful riffs on Hollywood Vietnam standards and even John Huston’s The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. The movie...
- 6/10/2020
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Composer Max Steiner, whose scores for “King Kong,” “Gone With the Wind” and “Casablanca” placed him in the movie-music pantheon, isn’t much discussed today. He seems to belong to that old-school, pre-synthesizer world of orchestral scoring from the ’30s, ’40s and ’50s.
But as author Steven C. Smith points out in his engrossing new biography of the three-time Oscar winner, “Music by Max Steiner” (Oxford University Press), the Austrian wunderkind pioneered the art of film scoring and ranks as “Hollywood’s most influential composer.”
His music essentially saved Rko’s “King Kong,” the 1933 giant-ape-wrecks-Manhattan fantasy, forcefully demonstrating the power of dramatic underscore to create mood, propel the action and provide emotional support (and disproving the widely held studio-executive theory that audiences of the time would “wonder where the music came from”).
Steiner went on to score some 300 films over a 35-year career, mostly for Rko and Warner Bros., although...
But as author Steven C. Smith points out in his engrossing new biography of the three-time Oscar winner, “Music by Max Steiner” (Oxford University Press), the Austrian wunderkind pioneered the art of film scoring and ranks as “Hollywood’s most influential composer.”
His music essentially saved Rko’s “King Kong,” the 1933 giant-ape-wrecks-Manhattan fantasy, forcefully demonstrating the power of dramatic underscore to create mood, propel the action and provide emotional support (and disproving the widely held studio-executive theory that audiences of the time would “wonder where the music came from”).
Steiner went on to score some 300 films over a 35-year career, mostly for Rko and Warner Bros., although...
- 6/5/2020
- by Jon Burlingame
- Variety Film + TV
Spike Lee is following in the footsteps of Martin Scorsese, Noah Baumbach, and Alfonso Cuaron by becoming the latest high profile auteur to partner with Netflix thanks to the upcoming war epic “Da 5 Bloods.” The project is Lee’s first since winning an Oscar for “BlacKkKlansman” and features an ensemble cast that includes Chadwick Boseman, Jonathan Majors, Delroy Lindo, Clarke Peters, Norm Lewis, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Mélanie Thierry, and Paul Walter Hauser, among others. Rumor has it “Da 5 Bloods” was lined up to debut in an out of competition slot at the 2020 Cannes Film Festival, where Spike Lee was set to serve as president of the competition jury. “BlacKkKlansman” won the Grand Prix at Cannes on its way to six Oscar nominations and $93 million at the global box office, making it one of Lee’s biggest hits to date.
The official synopsis for “Da 5 Bloods” from Netflix...
The official synopsis for “Da 5 Bloods” from Netflix...
- 5/18/2020
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
While there are no summer blockbusters coming to theaters–at least for the next few months–Netflix is soon unveiling one of their biggest movies of the year. After his Oscar-winning BlacKkKlansman, Spike Lee is back with Da 5 Bloods, a 154-minute epic which will arrive on June 12, and now the first trailer has landed.
Starring Delroy Lindo, Jonathan Majors, Clarke Peters, Norm Lewis, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Jean Reno, and Chadwick Boseman, the film follows four black war veterans who return to Vietnam to search for their missing commander and hopefully find treasure. Using a mix of archival footage, present-day, and flashbacks–seemingly all on different formats–the trailer has quite the epic scope with this riff on The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.
“I’ve always given homages to films I love in my films,” Lee tells Vanity Fair, revealing nods to Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now, as...
Starring Delroy Lindo, Jonathan Majors, Clarke Peters, Norm Lewis, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Jean Reno, and Chadwick Boseman, the film follows four black war veterans who return to Vietnam to search for their missing commander and hopefully find treasure. Using a mix of archival footage, present-day, and flashbacks–seemingly all on different formats–the trailer has quite the epic scope with this riff on The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.
“I’ve always given homages to films I love in my films,” Lee tells Vanity Fair, revealing nods to Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now, as...
- 5/18/2020
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Spike Lee has shared the first look at his upcoming Netflix film “Da 5 Bloods,” set to launch on the platform June 5, with Vanity Fair. The movie teams Lee with Chadwick Boseman, Jonathan Majors, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Delroy Lindo, and Clarke Peters, and centers on a group of African American Vietnam veterans who return to the country in search of the remains of their fallen leader, under the hope of possibly finding a buried treasure.
The first look in Vanity Fair reveals that the movie kicks off in 1968, as the five soldiers, while in the war-torn jungle of Vietnam, learn via radio broadcast that Martin Luther King Jr. has been assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. The assassination forces the group to face just how willing they are to fight on behalf of a country that doesn’t appear to care if they live or die.
The haunting consequences of war and...
The first look in Vanity Fair reveals that the movie kicks off in 1968, as the five soldiers, while in the war-torn jungle of Vietnam, learn via radio broadcast that Martin Luther King Jr. has been assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. The assassination forces the group to face just how willing they are to fight on behalf of a country that doesn’t appear to care if they live or die.
The haunting consequences of war and...
- 5/14/2020
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
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