Reader, you have been lied to! Film history is littered with unfairly maligned classics, whether critics were too eager to review the making of rather than the finished product, or they suffered from underwhelming ad campaigns or general disinterest. Let’s revise our takes on some of these films from wrongheaded to the correct opinion.
When “Madhouse,” a comedy about a happily married couple besieged by out of control house guests, was released in early 1990, it met with immediate hostility from critics. How hostile were they? So hostile that “Madhouse” is currently in the select group of movies sitting uncomfortably at 0% on Rotten Tomatoes, not a single positive review to its name.
The irony is that not only is “Madhouse” not bad, it’s great. And not only great, but all-time great, a comedy so flawless in its construction and so precise in its timing that it ranks alongside the best work of Howard Hawks,...
When “Madhouse,” a comedy about a happily married couple besieged by out of control house guests, was released in early 1990, it met with immediate hostility from critics. How hostile were they? So hostile that “Madhouse” is currently in the select group of movies sitting uncomfortably at 0% on Rotten Tomatoes, not a single positive review to its name.
The irony is that not only is “Madhouse” not bad, it’s great. And not only great, but all-time great, a comedy so flawless in its construction and so precise in its timing that it ranks alongside the best work of Howard Hawks,...
- 3/10/2025
- by Jim Hemphill
- Indiewire
The 2017 biographical drama film Stronger is based on a true story and details the life of Jeff Bauman before and after the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013. Bauman was near the finish line when the two bombs detonated, and he recounted his experiences in his 2014 memoir Stronger, which he co-wrote with Bret Witter. The book was used as the source material for the film adaptation.
Stronger stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Bauman and Tatiana Maslany as Erin Hurley, Bauman's girlfriend. Other cast members include Miranda Richardson, Clancy Brown, Carlos Sanz, Richard Lane Jr., Lenny Clarke, Frankie Shaw, Jimmy LeBlanc, Jessica Lundy, Patty O'Neil, and Cassandra Cato-Louis. Most of the characters in Stronger are based on real people, but the story mainly focuses on Bauman, his recovery following the domestic terrorist attack, and his relationship with Erin.
The 2013 Real-Life Boston Marathon Bombing Tragedy Explained
On April 15, 2013, Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev placed two homemade...
Stronger stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Bauman and Tatiana Maslany as Erin Hurley, Bauman's girlfriend. Other cast members include Miranda Richardson, Clancy Brown, Carlos Sanz, Richard Lane Jr., Lenny Clarke, Frankie Shaw, Jimmy LeBlanc, Jessica Lundy, Patty O'Neil, and Cassandra Cato-Louis. Most of the characters in Stronger are based on real people, but the story mainly focuses on Bauman, his recovery following the domestic terrorist attack, and his relationship with Erin.
The 2013 Real-Life Boston Marathon Bombing Tragedy Explained
On April 15, 2013, Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev placed two homemade...
- 6/15/2023
- by Sarah Little
- ScreenRant
In today’s casting roundup, CBS’s “The Inspectors” is seeking stylish men and women to portray models and fashionistas in its upcoming season. There are also roles available on Cmt’s hit series “Nashville," as well as an episode of a series about evil women, and a 10-episode YouTube Red sequel to “The Karate Kid!” “The Inspectors”CBS’s “The Inspectors,” a primetime crime drama following Amanda Wainwright (played by Jessica Lundy), “a single-mom Us Postal Inspector who investigates and solves crimes dealing with consumer fraud, the internet, and Us Mail,” is currently casting background roles. A male actor, aged 18–40, is wanted to portray a male model (a unique hairstyle or man bun is preferred). There are also roles available for female talent, aged 18–35, clothing size 4 or smaller, to portray stylish women. All talent must be able to provide their own high fashion wardrobe and shoes. The production will shoot Oct.
- 9/27/2017
- backstage.com
Wacky sci-fi comedy starring Harland Williams as a computer geek who gets the chance to fly to Mars when a real astronaut gets injured. He's determined to impress hot first officer Jessica Lundy and veteran commander William Sadler, but with less brains and experience than the mission chimpanzee, his efforts goes down like a you-know-what in a spacesuit. Houston, you definitely have a problem.
- 8/26/2014
- Sky Movies
TBS knows they have a huge event coming up, the 25 year anniversary of Seinfeld. The classic adult comedy about nothing become a massive hit a couple of seasons after it premiered on July 5th of 1989. Now TBS will be celebrating the show that they have kept on air since it ended 16 years ago. Starting June 30th the network will start airing what they consider to be the 25 best episodes in the normal time slot. This will end on July 5th, the actual day marking the 25th series anniversary. Here are the episodes and when they air.
Monday, June 30
6 p.m. – “The Pen” – Jerry accepts a gift his parents wanted him to refuse.
6:30 p.m. – “The Bizzaro Jerry” – Elaine’s soon-to-be former beau has two friends who resemble George and Kramer.
7 p.m. – “The Jimmy” – Jerry suspects his dentist and hygienist are living out their fantasies at his expense.
7:30 p.
Monday, June 30
6 p.m. – “The Pen” – Jerry accepts a gift his parents wanted him to refuse.
6:30 p.m. – “The Bizzaro Jerry” – Elaine’s soon-to-be former beau has two friends who resemble George and Kramer.
7 p.m. – “The Jimmy” – Jerry suspects his dentist and hygienist are living out their fantasies at his expense.
7:30 p.
- 6/26/2014
- by Sarah Peel
- Boomtron
Let’s face it. We can’t hide it. We all have those movies that we like that others would shun. These are guilty pleasures: the ones that aren’t that great but we love for some reason or another. Here are mine. Be sure to list yours in the comments, if you’d like.
Last Action Hero (1993)
Rotten Tomatoes: 38%
Actors: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Austin O’Brien, F. Murray Abraham, Art Carney, Charles Dance
Director: John McTiernan/Writers: Shane Black and David Arnott
Here’s the thing: I will defend this movie’s concept till Doomsday. A movie about a kid with a magic ticket that gets pulled into an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie? Genius concept. Yes, the kid is annoying. Yes, the movie doesn’t reach the heights of a McTiernan/Black team-up as well as one might think. It’s interesting to note that McTiernan isn’t working as much...
Last Action Hero (1993)
Rotten Tomatoes: 38%
Actors: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Austin O’Brien, F. Murray Abraham, Art Carney, Charles Dance
Director: John McTiernan/Writers: Shane Black and David Arnott
Here’s the thing: I will defend this movie’s concept till Doomsday. A movie about a kid with a magic ticket that gets pulled into an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie? Genius concept. Yes, the kid is annoying. Yes, the movie doesn’t reach the heights of a McTiernan/Black team-up as well as one might think. It’s interesting to note that McTiernan isn’t working as much...
- 12/20/2011
- by Zack Parks
- GeekTyrant
O'Neill runs show on ABC Hewitt pilot
Ed O'Neill has been tapped to co-star in ABC's untitled Jennifer Love Hewitt comedy pilot. Meanwhile, Connie Britton has come on board NBC's comedy pilot My 11:30, Jessica Lundy, Peter Mackenzie and Ashley Johnson have been tapped to star in Fox's comedy pilot Sweden, OH; Victoria Jackson has landed a lead role on ABC's comedy pilot I Married Sofia; and Blair Brown has joined the WB Network's drama pilot Dark Shadows. The untitled Jennifer Love Hewitt comedy, from Touchstone TV, stars Hewitt as an on-air reporter on a sports TV show and a single mom. O'Neill will play the show's executive producer. His credits include the features The Bone Collector and The Spanish Prisoner and the series Married ... With Children and L.A. Dragnet. He is repped by ICM.
- 4/2/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Film review: 'A Little Harmless Sex'
The title of Rick Rosenthal's comedy-drama is a tip-off that the film, yet another tale of relationship and sexual angst amongst thirtysomething yuppies, is too cute by far.
A talented and good-looking cast do their best to enliven the material, but "Just a Little Harmless Sex" will only have minor appeal to its targeted demographic. One of its more interesting gimmicks is that the women's dialogue was written by a female screenwriter (Marti Noxon), while the men's was written by a male (Roger Mills).
The film centers around a group of friends who are thrown into crisis mode by Alan (Robert Mailhouse) and Laura's (Alison Eastwood) marital division, which is precipitated when he is arrested for having oral sex with a hooker. (It was, of course, a big misunderstanding). Alan and Laura attempt to bury their sorrow by drinking heavily and hanging out with their best friends: he with Danny (Jonathan Silverman), a misogynist divorcee who hits on every woman in sight, and Brent (William Ragsdale), a bachelor who can't seem to perpetuate a relationship; and she with the uninhibited Terrianne (Jessica Lundy), Danny's ex-wife who is embarrassed about her inability to achieve orgasm, and the demure Allison (Kimberly Williams), who harbors secret fantasies of being an exotic dancer.
Mostly taking place during one long evening, "Just a Little Harmless Sex" features the kind of endless, frank kibitzing about sex and relationships that is so prevalent in today's indie films. Its endless talkiness, which includes a fair amount of ribald wit, is occasionally interrupted by such embarrassing sequences as Allison's impromptu striptease at a local bar and Danny and Brent's falling all over themselves trying to score with Laura's sexy mother (the still amazingly beautiful Lauren Hutton).
The film is most effective when it stays on the lighter side of its subject; when it attempts to dig deeper into the complexities of male and female relationships, the results are less insightful than mawkish.
JUST A LITTLE HARMLESS SEX
Phaedra Cinema
Director-producer: Rick Rosenthal
Screenwriters: Marti Noxon, Roger Mills
Director of photography: Bruce Surtees
Editor: James Austin Stewart
Production designer: Amy Danger
Costume designer: Kelly Ztrick
Associate producer: Jen Miller
Co-producer: James Beardsley
Producer: Deborah Capogrosso
Music: Tito Larriva
Color/stereo
Cast:
Laura: Alison Eastwood
Alan: Robert Mailhouse
Brent: William Ragsdale
Danny: Jonathan Silverman
Allison: Kimberly Williams
Terrianne: Jessica Lundy
Elaine: Lauren Hutton
Marilyn: Rachel Hunter
Running time -- 98 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
A talented and good-looking cast do their best to enliven the material, but "Just a Little Harmless Sex" will only have minor appeal to its targeted demographic. One of its more interesting gimmicks is that the women's dialogue was written by a female screenwriter (Marti Noxon), while the men's was written by a male (Roger Mills).
The film centers around a group of friends who are thrown into crisis mode by Alan (Robert Mailhouse) and Laura's (Alison Eastwood) marital division, which is precipitated when he is arrested for having oral sex with a hooker. (It was, of course, a big misunderstanding). Alan and Laura attempt to bury their sorrow by drinking heavily and hanging out with their best friends: he with Danny (Jonathan Silverman), a misogynist divorcee who hits on every woman in sight, and Brent (William Ragsdale), a bachelor who can't seem to perpetuate a relationship; and she with the uninhibited Terrianne (Jessica Lundy), Danny's ex-wife who is embarrassed about her inability to achieve orgasm, and the demure Allison (Kimberly Williams), who harbors secret fantasies of being an exotic dancer.
Mostly taking place during one long evening, "Just a Little Harmless Sex" features the kind of endless, frank kibitzing about sex and relationships that is so prevalent in today's indie films. Its endless talkiness, which includes a fair amount of ribald wit, is occasionally interrupted by such embarrassing sequences as Allison's impromptu striptease at a local bar and Danny and Brent's falling all over themselves trying to score with Laura's sexy mother (the still amazingly beautiful Lauren Hutton).
The film is most effective when it stays on the lighter side of its subject; when it attempts to dig deeper into the complexities of male and female relationships, the results are less insightful than mawkish.
JUST A LITTLE HARMLESS SEX
Phaedra Cinema
Director-producer: Rick Rosenthal
Screenwriters: Marti Noxon, Roger Mills
Director of photography: Bruce Surtees
Editor: James Austin Stewart
Production designer: Amy Danger
Costume designer: Kelly Ztrick
Associate producer: Jen Miller
Co-producer: James Beardsley
Producer: Deborah Capogrosso
Music: Tito Larriva
Color/stereo
Cast:
Laura: Alison Eastwood
Alan: Robert Mailhouse
Brent: William Ragsdale
Danny: Jonathan Silverman
Allison: Kimberly Williams
Terrianne: Jessica Lundy
Elaine: Lauren Hutton
Marilyn: Rachel Hunter
Running time -- 98 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 6/14/1999
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Film review: 'RocketMan'
A surprisingly delightful family comedy starring Canadian funny man Harland Williams, Disney's "RocketMan" has plenty of slapstick and silly humor for kids, while its satire of the space program is inspired enough to engage their elders.
Looking to easily achieve orbit its opening weekend, director Stuart Gillard's often-hilarious space odyssey has a good chance to draw healthy crowds for several weeks and successfully complete its mission.
Playing a NASA software engineer who against all odds joins the crew of the first manned mission to Mars, Williams starts off in turbo-nerd mode and rarely slows down. Following in the footsteps of Pee-wee Herman and Ace Ventura, Williams' lead character has that oblivious-but-talkative geek personality that draws one into a very goofy scenario.
Much of the credit for "RocketMan"'s crowd-pleasing entertainment value goes to Williams, but Gillard, screenwriters Craig Mazin and Greg Erb and a shipshape supporting cast have a lot of fun spoofing NASA and such movies as "The Right Stuff" and "Apollo 13".
Not unlike the studio's surprise summer hit "George of the Jungle", "RocketMan" is continually saved from being swamped by juvenile humor with snappy lines and partly serious physical action. Not every gag works, of course, but there are more than enough that do, and the actual landing on and exploration of Mars is just convincing enough to make the final reels exciting.
Call it "The Nutty Astronaut". Fred Z. Randall (Williams) has programmed the computer for a Mars lander with glitches that come out in training. Called in to fix the problem, the star-struck Randall is soon a dark-horse candidate to join the mission, but he has to outperform and otherwise drive a rival (Blake Boyd) crazy in a wacky sequence of physical endurance tests.
With the help of a fatherly ex-astronaut (Beau Bridges), Randall wins the endorsement of the mission flight director (Jeffrey DeMunn) and NASA's big cheese (James Pickens Jr.). In a shuttle-like craft on its way to Mars, the lead causes havoc in the routines of his fellow travelers -- a straight-laced space veteran (William Sadler), a voluptuous mission specialist (Jessica Lundy) and Ulysses the chimp.
By the end, some audiences will be cheering as "RocketMan" gives Randall the chance to be a hero, win the girl, and save the mission. Along with homages to classic science-fiction cinema -- including a cute Fred Astaire-meets-Stanley Kubrick moment -- "RocketMan" is a winning combination of believable and fanciful visual styles.
The same can be said for Williams ("Down Periscope"), who animates his fairly plain person into a comic whirlwind, including several imitations and a horrific shriek in one memorable scene. Indeed, "RocketMan" is loaded with dumb but harmless stuff, and one is amazed that NASA was so cooperative.
Kudos to Gillard and crew. The well-realized production boasts superb cinematography by Steven Poster, nifty production design by Roy Forge Smith and super costumes by Daniel Orlandi.
ROCKETMAN
Buena Vista Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures presents
In association with Caravan Pictures
A Roger Birnbaum/Gold/Miller production
A Stuart Gillard film
Director Stuart Gillard
Producer Roger Birnbaum
Screenwriters Craig Mazin, Greg Erb
Executive producers Jon Turteltaub, Oren Aviv, Jonathan Glickman
Director of photography Steven Poster
Production designer Roy Forge Smith
Editor William D. Gordean
Music Michael Tavera
Costume designer Daniel Orlandi
Casting Rick Montgomery, Dan Parada
Color/stereo
Cast:
Fred Z. Randall Harland Williams
Julie Ford Jessica Lundy
"Wild Bill" Overbeck William Sadler
Paul Wick Jeffrey DeMunn
Ben Stevens James Pickens Jr.
Bud Mesbitt Beau Bridges
Gordon A. Peacock Blake Boyd
Running time -- 94 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
Looking to easily achieve orbit its opening weekend, director Stuart Gillard's often-hilarious space odyssey has a good chance to draw healthy crowds for several weeks and successfully complete its mission.
Playing a NASA software engineer who against all odds joins the crew of the first manned mission to Mars, Williams starts off in turbo-nerd mode and rarely slows down. Following in the footsteps of Pee-wee Herman and Ace Ventura, Williams' lead character has that oblivious-but-talkative geek personality that draws one into a very goofy scenario.
Much of the credit for "RocketMan"'s crowd-pleasing entertainment value goes to Williams, but Gillard, screenwriters Craig Mazin and Greg Erb and a shipshape supporting cast have a lot of fun spoofing NASA and such movies as "The Right Stuff" and "Apollo 13".
Not unlike the studio's surprise summer hit "George of the Jungle", "RocketMan" is continually saved from being swamped by juvenile humor with snappy lines and partly serious physical action. Not every gag works, of course, but there are more than enough that do, and the actual landing on and exploration of Mars is just convincing enough to make the final reels exciting.
Call it "The Nutty Astronaut". Fred Z. Randall (Williams) has programmed the computer for a Mars lander with glitches that come out in training. Called in to fix the problem, the star-struck Randall is soon a dark-horse candidate to join the mission, but he has to outperform and otherwise drive a rival (Blake Boyd) crazy in a wacky sequence of physical endurance tests.
With the help of a fatherly ex-astronaut (Beau Bridges), Randall wins the endorsement of the mission flight director (Jeffrey DeMunn) and NASA's big cheese (James Pickens Jr.). In a shuttle-like craft on its way to Mars, the lead causes havoc in the routines of his fellow travelers -- a straight-laced space veteran (William Sadler), a voluptuous mission specialist (Jessica Lundy) and Ulysses the chimp.
By the end, some audiences will be cheering as "RocketMan" gives Randall the chance to be a hero, win the girl, and save the mission. Along with homages to classic science-fiction cinema -- including a cute Fred Astaire-meets-Stanley Kubrick moment -- "RocketMan" is a winning combination of believable and fanciful visual styles.
The same can be said for Williams ("Down Periscope"), who animates his fairly plain person into a comic whirlwind, including several imitations and a horrific shriek in one memorable scene. Indeed, "RocketMan" is loaded with dumb but harmless stuff, and one is amazed that NASA was so cooperative.
Kudos to Gillard and crew. The well-realized production boasts superb cinematography by Steven Poster, nifty production design by Roy Forge Smith and super costumes by Daniel Orlandi.
ROCKETMAN
Buena Vista Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures presents
In association with Caravan Pictures
A Roger Birnbaum/Gold/Miller production
A Stuart Gillard film
Director Stuart Gillard
Producer Roger Birnbaum
Screenwriters Craig Mazin, Greg Erb
Executive producers Jon Turteltaub, Oren Aviv, Jonathan Glickman
Director of photography Steven Poster
Production designer Roy Forge Smith
Editor William D. Gordean
Music Michael Tavera
Costume designer Daniel Orlandi
Casting Rick Montgomery, Dan Parada
Color/stereo
Cast:
Fred Z. Randall Harland Williams
Julie Ford Jessica Lundy
"Wild Bill" Overbeck William Sadler
Paul Wick Jeffrey DeMunn
Ben Stevens James Pickens Jr.
Bud Mesbitt Beau Bridges
Gordon A. Peacock Blake Boyd
Running time -- 94 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
- 10/10/1997
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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