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Movie Legend: Tony Danza nearly replaced Christopher Reeve as Superman for Superman III.

One of the easiest Movie Legends to create is the classic "Actor X was almost cast as Character Y," since there is really so little to it that you need to get it into the popular consciousness. For instance, for the old legend about whether Oj Simpson was nearly cast as the Terminator, losing the gig only because no one bought him as a killer, a lot of that Is true, which is that James Cameron noted that, "This was when everybody loved him, and ironically that was part of the problem—he was this likable, goofy, kind of innocent guy. Plus, frankly I wasn’t interested in an African-American man chasing around a white girl with a knife. It just felt wrong." However, that's the reason why Cameron never even really Considered Simpson for the role,...

Amazon has taken creative control of the James Bond franchise, wresting control from the Broccoli family, the family that has overseen the 007 movies for decades. There is some speculation as to what this means for the franchise, as many presume that Amazon, following the current filmmaking trends, will try to launch an expansive, multimedia cinematic universe. Some fear the onslaught of tiring over-commercialization that will no doubt be attached to Ian Fleming's noted spy, but others may be excited that a new James Bond movie is coming at all. 

The last Bond film, "No Time to Die," was released in 2021, and it brought the five-film Daniel Craig cycle to a definitive end. This means the next film will have to recast 007 with a new actor, and speculating which actor could potentially play James Bond -- in any generation, really -- is a speculative sport played by cineastes everywhere.

Courtesy of Eureka Entertainment

by James Cameron-wilson

The career and reputation of Douglas Sirk has undergone many mutations. Famous for directing lush melodramas in the 1950s, he was dismissed and belittled by many contemporary critics, until seeing a revival of sorts in the 1970s sparked by European writers and filmmakers, in particular Jean-Luc Godard and then subsequently by Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Later on, many notable directors doffed their hat to Sirk and paid homage to his 1950s’ soap operas, including Tarantino, Pedro Almodóvar, Wong Kar-wai, David Lynch, John Waters, Lars von Trier and in particular Todd Haynes, with his sumptuous imitation Far from Heaven, with Julianne Moore. When the Mexican director Guillermo del Toro accepted his Oscar for The Shape of Water, he even name-checked Douglas Sirk as an inspiration.

Sirk, the son of Danish parents, made his breakthrough as a stage director in 1920s’ Germany and then, when filmmakers...

Will Amazon’s 007 franchise ever take center stage again?

Thinking about this, I flashed back to a conversation with an actor friend telling me, “I’ve just been offered a big payday as the next James Bond but I can’t get over the feeling that his every line has been said before – and maybe better.”

I was talking with John Gavin who, instead of replacing Sean Connery, opted for a lower salary as Ambassador to Mexico. “Does the world really need another Bond?” he asked.

I thought of Gavin this week because his 1983 question is again being bandied about at all-powerful Amazon, which has seized control of the franchise after the 60-year reign of the Broccoli dynasty. Bond has endured 25 iterations grossing a total of $7.8 billion worldwide, with its most recent title three years ago appropriately titled No Time to Die.

Jeff Bezos is publicly asking “Who will be the next Bond?...

After Sean Connery had played James Bond in five feature films — "Dr. No," "From Russia with Love," "Goldfinger," "Thunderball," and "You Only Live Twice," he was ready to give the role a rest. The Cold War spy proved lucrative, but many felt it was time to take the series in a new direction. Connery stepped away from the role, and Australian actor George Lazenby inherited it, starring in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" in 1969.

But the film didn't work out for everyone. Lazenby decided to leave the series after only one film, acting on the advice of his agent. Also, when "Majesty's" was released, it disappointed at the box office, making literally half as much as "You Only Live Twice." If the 007 series was to continue, as the Bond muckety-mucks wanted, they would require yet another new actor to play James Bond. The next planned sequel was to be called "Diamonds Are Forever,...

The release of Ridley Scott’s Gladiator in 2000 saw audiences flocking to theaters to witness the might and spectacle of hand-to-hand combat in the Colosseum of Ancient Rome. Amidst the pageantry and savagery of Gladiator was the political intrigue that took place in the corridors of power and the struggle of its main protagonist against insurmountable odds, as he not only fights on the floor of the Colosseum but wages a crusade against the ruling powers of the Roman Empire. While entertaining, Scott’s big-budget Hollywood epic can trace much of its premise to Spartacus.

Released in 1960 and directed by Stanley Kubrick, Spartacus was one of many large-scale period pieces prominent in Hollywood at the time. Featuring an all-star cast that included Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier, Charles Laughton, Peter Ustinov, and Tony Curtis, the film is based on the real-life slave revolt that shook Rome to its foundations in the waning days of the republic.

More so than most other movie genres, thrillers are often judged based on their climaxes. A powerful ending can make or break a thriller. Since the genre is all about suspense and excitement, the ending is important as it offers a chance to pay off the tension of the entire movie. If a thriller's ending misses the mark, the tension can dissipate without any kind of cathartic release.

Many of the best thriller movies of all time are only held in such high regard because they wrap things up so perfectly. Thrillers often use twist endings, and these can be especially risky. Other thrillers try to leave their audiences with one last action sequence to provide a counterpoint to the preceding tension. Whatever technique is chosen, a good thriller can leave a lasting impression. Unfortunately, there are just as many thrillers with underwhelming endings that leave audiences disappointed.

Iconic: Psycho...

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Netflix has the biggest content library of any streaming service, and for that reason, many movies from the past are available on it. So, we thought about all the fans of old brilliant movies that are now characterized as classics and decided to compile a list of the best classic movies on Netflix that you should check out right now.

Scarface Credit – Universal Pictures

Scarface is a crime drama film directed by Brian De Palma from a screenplay by Oliver Stone. Based on the 1930 novel of the same name by Armitage Trail and its 1932 film adaptation, the 1983 film follows Tony Montana and his close friend Manny, who build a ruthless and successful drug empire in Miami. However as Tony’s power grows so do his enemies, but the biggest threat to his empire is his own paranoia. Scarface stars Al Pacino,...

Spoiler Alert: Spoilers follow for Spartacus

Quick Links Spartacus Set the Standard for Gladiator to Follow Spartacus Had a Surprising Political Allegory Spartacus Is a Perfect Appetizer Before Gladiator II

Swords-and-sandals epics have been crowd favorites for decades now, and the original Gladiators surprising success reminded audiences why. It was a rousingly old-fashioned blockbuster that delivered the goods in its action sequences while also delivering a strong emotional hook. Maximus, a former Roman general seeking revenge for the death of his family, rises through the ranks of the gladiatorial arena, and because the odds are so stacked against him, he gives the film the key ingredient to a great swords-and-sandals epic: a hero viewers could root for.

But maybe the most important film in the genre still stands as the standard-bearer today, even after 64 years. Without Stanley Kubricks Spartacus, Gladiator might not have even come to fruition; it simply codifies...

Netflix's Pedro Pramo is notable for several reasons. It is the first major adaptation of the classic 1955 Juan Rulfo novel a seminal masterpiece of Mexican literature that is widely considered to be the core influence on the development of magical realism since Carlos Velo's 1967 adaptation starring Psycho's John Gavin. The new movie is also the feature-length directorial debut of cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto, who has lensed a variety of well-known projects including Barbie, Brokeback Mountain, The Wolf of Wall Street, Amores Perros, and Broken Embraces.

Pedro Pramo

Director Rodrigo PrietoRelease Date November 6, 2024Writers Mateo GilCast Waldo Facco, Eduardo Humaran, Guillermo Nava, Paco Peralta, Tulio Villavicencio, Carlos Balderrama, Lorenzo Jacome, Jess Sida, Conrado Mercado, Jos Concepcin Macas, Martn Rodrguez Caas, Albida Villanueva, Jessica Toledo, Lorena Valds, Luis Rosete, Osvaldo Snchez, Doris Olimpia Araujo Delgado, Mariel, Fernanda Rivera, Ana Celeste, Ishbel Bautista, Gabriela Nez, Sarah Rovira, Santiago Colores, Ari Brickman,...

A horror masterpiece represents more than effective scares or some of the best movie monsters. When critics and audiences elevate a horror film to masterpiece status, they recognize how it transcends the horror genre's or subgenres' conventions to create something that resonates on multiple levels. These rare films combine technical excellence, thematic depth, and psychological complexity while still delivering the primal thrills that define horror.

These masterpieces are some of the best horror movies of all time, and they share certain qualities: impeccable craft, cultural relevance, and the ability to unsettle audiences long after viewing. Whether examining family trauma, societal breakdown, or human nature itself, these films elevate horror beyond simple shocks to create enduring works of cinema that continue to influence filmmakers and haunt viewers decades after their release.

Psycho A Revolutionary Thriller That Changed Cinema Forever

Psycho

Director Alfred HitchcockRelease Date September 8, 1960Studio(s) Universal PicturesCast Janet Leigh,...

Movie Legend: An American actor was cast to play James Bond, and even signed an official studio contract!

A key aspect of the iconic film, Back to the Future, is that when Marty McFly sees his mother as a teenager, he learns that all of these rules and beliefs that she had repeated to him his whole life were mostly just hogwash, and that his mother didn't believe in any of them when she was actually his age. That is a powerful lesson about how often "traditions" weren't actually traditions until they were long divorced from the original intent.

I mention this because of the longstanding tradition that James Bond can never be played by an American actor in an "official" Eon Productions James Bond film. Bond has been played by a Scottish actor, an Irish actor, an Australian actor, and three English actors, but never an American. That has...

Alfred Hitchcock is one of those filmmakers who is considered untouchable. The very idea of remaking a Hitchcock movie, or making a sequel to one of his films, often sounds like sacrilege, although that hasn't stopped people from doing it over the years. Many of Hitchcock's films are considered classics, and I think it's fair to say that one of his most-famous, most-beloved movies is 1960's "Psycho." Adapting the pulpy novel by Robert Bloch, Hitchcock created a brilliant thriller with a killer twist ending, and even if you've somehow never seen the film, you're probably very aware of the famous shower scene, where Janet Leigh's Marion Crane is stabbed to death. It's a scene considered groundbreaking and innovative for its quick editing, which convinces us we're watching Leigh get sliced and diced even though we never actually see the knife pierce her flesh.

Hitchcock shot "Psycho" for under $1 million,...

Alfred Hitchcock: The Iconic Film Collection will collect six of the Master of Suspense’s classics on 4K Ultra HD + Digital: Rear Window, To Catch a Thief, Vertigo, North By Northwest, Psycho, and The Birds.

Releasing on November 26 via Universal, the six-disc set is limited to 5,150. It’s housed in premium book-style packaging featuring artwork by Tristan Eaton along with photos, bios, and trivia.

In 1954’s Rear Window, “A wheelchair-bound photographer spies on his neighbors from his apartment window and becomes convinced one of them has committed murder.”

It’s written by John Michael Hayes (To Catch a Thief), based on Cornell Woolrich’s 1942 short story “It Had to Be Murder.” James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Wendell Corey, Thelma Ritter, and Raymond Burr star.

Rear Window special features:

Audio commentary by Hitchcock’s Rear Window: The Well-Made Film author John Fawell Rear Window Ethics – 2000 documentary Conversation with Screenwriter John Michael...

Even among the rich list of Hollywood icons throughout its history, Jimmy Stewart looms large, an actor who could seemingly do anything and do it well, from an early role as a cold-blooded killer in After the Thin Man to his crowd-favorite roles in Harvey and It's a Wonderful Life. Perhaps better than any other, Stewart effortlessly brought the sometimes quirky, often mild-mannered, and frequently more-than-they-appear-to-be characters he played to life, an actor moviegoers couldn't help but to root for. Nowhere is that more evident than in 1939's Destry Rides Again, where he plays a kindhearted lawman named Tom Jefferson Destry Jr., whose nonviolent approach to justice goes against conventional wisdom but succeeds nonetheless. The Western comedy film is among his best, with a whopping 96% on Rotten Tomatoes. In fact, one would have to be psycho to even attempt to replicate the magic Stewart brought to the role. Or at least appear in Psycho,...

Everyone remembers watching a movie on network TV channels and being annoyed by a voiceover cutting in over the credits to announce what is coming next. Now Apple TV+ has been called out on X/Twitter for going one step further and ruining the ending of Alfred Hitchcock classic Psycho by auto-minimizing the films final moments to promote The Big Bang Theory.

While it is one thing to cut out the end credits of a movie, something that every streaming platform does now, the problem with a movie like Psycho is that the film doesnt really have any end credits, so in order for Apple to get in their few seconds of self-promotion, they interrupt the chilling moment Antony Perkins Norman Bates stares directly into the camera, and the subsequent footage of Marion Cranes car being pulled out a filthy lake.

Psycho R HorrorDocumentaryMysteryThriller Where to Watchstreamrentbuy

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This August, Prime Video is bringing you a lot of entertainment with the highly anticipated Season 2 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, an all-new action-comedy film starring John Cena and Awkwafina titled Jackpot!, and an animated Batman series titled Batman: Caped Crusader. However, for the purposes of this article, we are only including the films that are coming to Prime Video this month and have a 90% or higher Rotten Tomatoes score. So, check out the 10 best films that are coming to Prime Video in August 2024 with a 90% or higher Rotten Tomatoes score.

Fargo (August 1)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%

Fargo is a dark comedy crime drama film written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. The 1996 film follows the story of Jerry, a sales manager who is under a huge debt. To repay his loan he hatches a plan to hire two henchmen to kidnap his wife and...

Historian Michael Taylor praises Spartacus' Roman battle scene's accuracy, rating it a 7/10. Spartacus won four Oscars, including Best Supporting Actor for Peter Ustinov. The film marked a significant achievement for director Stanley Kubrick and star Kirk Douglas.

The 1960 film Spartacus gets a review from a history expert. Starring Kirk Douglas as the titular Roman slave, the historical epic film follows the protagonist's journey as he trains to become a gladiator and leads a violent revolution against the Roman Republic, while his rival Crassus works to gain power through squashing this uprising. In addition to Douglas, Spartacus features a leading cast including Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons, Charles Laughton, Peter Ustinov, John Gavin, and Nina Foch.

In an Insider interview, historian Michael Taylor rates a Roman battle scene in Spartacus.

According to the historian, the basic setup of the battle scene in Spartacus, with separate "cohorts" and a "checkerboard formation" is accurate...

Major plot twists can lose their impact over time due to endless copycats and spoilers. Memorable twists from iconic films like Star Wars and Fight Club have been copied many times, lessening their original impact. Despite the widespread use of classic twist endings in modern cinema, the influence of groundbreaking films like Psycho and The Wizard of Oz remains significant.

A well-executed plot twist can take a movie to the next level, but the best twists can lose their impact over the years as countless other movies try to copy them. Unfortunately, bad plot twists are far more common than good ones. This means that when a movie comes up with a fresh and exciting idea, it inevitably spawns scores of copycats that never quite recapture the magic of the original.

A good plot twist can reframe everything that has happened up to that point, and audiences can never see...

I'm sure you all know the famous, then-shocking twist of Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho." Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) is set up as the film's protagonist; the opening scene is an intimate moment between her and lover Sam Loomis (John Gavin), who can't commit until he pays his debts. So, she impulsively steals $40,000 from her boss' client. Surely the movie will be about her on the run.

Well, it is for a while, but then she makes it to the Bates Motel. She chats up polite young innkeeper Norman (Anthony Perkins), but his elderly mother sure seems creepy. With an hour to go, Marion is murdered by a knife-wielding assailant in the motel shower (a scene so scary it left Leigh scared of showers). The film's second half becomes a new story about Sam and Marion's sister Lila (Vera Miles) investigating her disappearance. They stumble onto the truth -- that Marion was killed by Norman,...

Spoilers for "Psycho" to follow.

Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" created a watershed moment in American cinema when it was released in 1960, setting an unforgettable precedent for the slasher genre and the portrayal of shocking violence and complex psychosexual deviance on the big screen. There is a palpable edge to "Psycho" that has served as a blueprint for slasher-thrillers down the line, where the violence is sudden and shocking, with the examination into minds like that of Norman Bates' (Anthony Perkins) conveyed in unabashedly visceral and layered terms. Although "Psycho" is designed to keep us on the edge of our seats, as Hitchcock utilizes his mastery over suspense to sustain that sentiment throughout, the shower scene is still considered one of the most jarring scenes where a character dies when least expected.

Janet Leigh stars as Marion Crane, a woman on the run who takes shelter at the Bates Motel when...

Bong Joon-ho's films showcase his eclectic style and focus on social commentary, winning him multiple Oscars. Hitchcock's influence is evident in Bong's works, notably seen in the thriller Mother and the Oscar-winning Parasite. Bong's obsession with stairs, inspired by Psycho, is a recurring motif in his films, symbolizing class dynamics.

Bong Joon-ho has established himself as one of the most eclectic and imaginative filmmakers of his generation through several genre-bending films, most notably Bong’s Oscar-winning 2019 black comedy thriller film Parasite, which serves as the ultimate testament to Bong’s distinctive narrative and visual style and his emphasis on social commentary. While Bong, who won three Academy Awards for Parasite, has established himself as a uniquely exciting and innovative filmmaker, Bong’s films also reflect a broad variety of cinematic influences. These span multiple eras and genres, from Orson Welles’ 1958 film noir Touch of Evil to Martin Scorsese...

Playing James Bond is often viewed as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, coveted by actors worldwide. However, American actors have consistently been denied the chance to portray this iconic character on screen. Whether due to contractual constraints or the character’s British nationality, Bond has been portrayed by actors from various backgrounds, including Scottish, Irish, Australian, and English, but never American.

Despite this barrier, there have been moments when American actors nearly became James Bond, with some even signing contracts with the production house.

Clint Eastwood

Clint Eastwood in Bronco Billy

Clint Eastwood, renowned for his portrayal of iconic characters such as The Man with No Name and Dirty Harry, has etched his name in cinematic history with unforgettable performances. Yet, amidst his illustrious career, one notable role has remained conspicuously absent: that of Agent 007, James Bond.

Despite his charisma and undeniable talent, Eastwood’s journey to the world of Bond...

1960's Psycho is remembered for many things. It's arguably director Alfred Hitchcock's best movie and is certainly his most famous. Along with Peeping Tom, which came out the same year, it's regarded as the first slasher. Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates is one of the creepiest villains in screen history; the American Film Institute places him as the second-best villain ever, just behind Hannibal Lecter. Then there's that chilling shower scene with Janet Leigh and the twist of the finale. Lost in all of this is one of Psycho's best characters, Samuel Loomis. Played by John Gavin, Sam Loomis is one of the heroes of the film who takes Norman Bates down. When it finally came time to make Psycho II in 1983, Anthony Perkins was back, and so was Vera Miles as Lila Crane, but Gavin and his character were nowhere to be found. The actor had left...

Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 film "Psycho" famously employed a gimmick in its advertising to set it apart from the thrillers of the day. Movie posters and other print ads featured pictures of Hitchcock himself, pointing to his wristwatch, declaring that audiences watch "Psycho" from the very beginning, or face ejection from the theater. This came at a time when many theaters were still operating by a non-scheduled system, showing a well-moneyed "A" feature, followed by cartoons, shorts, newsreels, commercials, and a cheaper "B" feature. This is where we get the term "B movie" from. The cycle would then repeat. You could spend four or five hours in the theater if you wanted to. The entire loop would then repeat, and you could catch up with the movie on its second go-'round. This is where we get the phrase, "This is where we came in." 

Hitchcock, of course, was repeating the sensationalist gimmicks of William Castle,...

Filmmaker William Friedkin forever changed horror with 1973’s The Exorcist, which earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Director. He returned to the genre again in 1980 with the Giallo-like thriller Cruising and fearlessly got weird with gory folk horror The Guardian in 1990. Fearless perfectly encapsulates Friedkin’s style and his approach to life; he was never afraid to speak his mind or direct productions too peculiar or niche for mainstream audiences. The not-so-easily defined psychological thriller Bug, and its mixed initial reception, speaks to this.

That likely stemmed from Friedkin’s upbringing and his early career start in nonfiction. Bridging his path from his earlier work in commercials and documentaries to his seminal horror effort was television. It was a single episode of a popular anthology series from a horror master that kickstarted Friedkin’s career in fiction, and Friedkin never seemed to forget it.

While the acclaimed director continued to trailblaze in film,...

Baters

It’s nearly time to close out the month of July, which has been another scorching hot one for Trace and me. We kicked things off with Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013) to coincide with our coverage of The Red Door, then we talked about another sequel to celebrate the two-year anniversary of Adam Robitel’s Escape Room: Tournament of Champions (2021).

Now we’re up to a huge milestone: Alfred Hitchcock‘s Psycho (1960) aka one of the original slasher prototypes. In the iconic film, Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) steals $40K from her crappy job before stopping at the abandoned Bates Motel. There she meets young proprietor Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) who seems a little…off.

Unfortunately for Marion, soon afterward she’s brutally murdered in the shower by Mother, setting off a chain reaction as first private investigator Arbogast (Martin Balsam), then Marion’s lover Sam Loomis (John Gavin) and her...

For a long time, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service was the “lost” James Bond film. The sixth in the series, released in 1969, it came out at a time when tastes were changing and the initial Bond-mania of the mid-1960s had arguably peaked. It also didn’t help matters that Sean Connery had left the role following the previous movie, You Only Live Twice, and that producers Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman decided to go with an inexperienced unknown from Australia, George Lazenby, as the new 007.

Although the film did reasonably well at the box office, with 82 million in total receipts, that was still a drop-off from You Only Live Twice and a fairly steep fall from the heights of Goldfinger and Thunderball. Add to that the fact that Lazenby left the series after finishing his one picture—despite being offered a long-term contract—and you have a...

Tár writer/director Todd Field discusses a few of his favorite movies with Josh Olson and Joe Dante.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

You Only Live Twice (1967) – Dana Gould’s trailer commentary

Tár (2022)

Man With A Movie Camera (1929)

Battleship Potemkin (1925)

Koyaanisqatsi (1982)

The Big Parade (1925)

Lawrence Of Arabia (1962)

The Crowd (1928)

Star Wars (1977)

The Servant (1963)

Parasite (2019) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review, Dennis Cozzalio’s review

The Three Musketeers (1973) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary

Figures In A Landscape (1970)

M (1931)

M (1951)

I Am Cuba (1964)

The Cranes Are Flying (1957) – Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review

Letter Never Sent (1960)

Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (1965)

Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid (1969)

The Towering Inferno (1974) – George Hickenlooper’s trailer commentary

The Great Waldo Pepper (1975)

The Sting (1973)

The World of Henry Orient (1964) – Larry Karaszewski’s trailer commentary

Thelma And Louise (1991)

Murmur Of The Heart (1971)

The Silent World (1956)

Opening Night (1977)

The Killing Of A Chinese Bookie (1976) – Larry Karaszewski’s...

Click here to read the full article.

Stomp, the award-winning percussion, rhythm and comedy production created by Steve McNicholas and Luke Cresswell, will take its final off-Broadway bow this winter.

On Tuesday, producers announced the long-running show would close, with its final performance at the Orpheum Theatre set for Jan. 8, 2023. The closing is “due to declining ticket sales,” a spokesperson for the production told The Hollywood Reporter.

“We are so proud that the East Village and the Orpheum Theatre has been Stomp’s home for so many wonderful years and want to thank our producers and our amazing cast, crew and front-of-house staff, all of whom have worked so hard for so long to make the show such a success,” Cresswell and McNicholas said in a statement. “They have always given 100 percent to every audience, from the very beginning in 1994 to the post-lockdown audiences of 2022. We want to thank everyone...

Stomp, the percussive Off Broadway staple that has drawn tourists and locals to its East Village theater for nearly 30 years, will close on January 8, 2023, producers announced today.

The show, which combines percussion, movement, comedy and everyday objects transformed into musical instruments, will continue its North American and European tours.

Though producers didn’t specify a reason for the closure, New York tourism and the theater industry has yet to fully recover to pre-Covid levels. Stomp was among New York’s first stage productions to resume performances after the 15-month 2020-21 shutdown, resuming its drumbeats on Tuesday, July 20, 2021.

Stomp‘s team of producers said in a statement today, “We fell in love with Stomp when we first saw it in Europe and when we brought this hard-to-describe show here, we imagined that it would find an audience. We could not have imagined the remarkable success it would enjoy, becoming part of popular culture,...

Actor who played in Psycho and Spartacus – and almost became the next Bond

It must have been galling for the actor John Gavin, who has died aged 86, to have often been called “the poor man’s Rock Hudson”, but comparisons between the two actors were inevitable. Both were tall, dark, well built and handsome romantic leads. Both starred in glossy Ross Hunter productions during the 1950s and 60s, at the peaks of their careers. Moreover, both actors were favourites of the director Douglas Sirk, who gave them some of their finest roles. But Gavin could also claim to have worked with Alfred Hitchcock (in Psycho) and Stanley Kubrick (in Spartacus), which Hudson never did.

Both these films came out in 1960, when Gavin was at the height of his fame. In Spartacus, he played a muscular, youthful Julius Caesar, wary of opposition. In Psycho, he was Sam Loomis, boyfriend of Marion Crane...

John Gavin, Psycho actor, has died at age 86. His death was confirmed by Budd Burton Moss, the manager of Gavin’s wife, actress Constance Towers. A cause of death was not specified. John Gavin Dies At 86 Gavin began his acting career in a handful of B-movies in the 1950s before landing his first lead role for A Time […]

Source: uInterview

The post John Gavin, ‘Psycho’ Actor & Ronald Reagan’s Ambassador To Mexico, Dies At 86 appeared first on uInterview.

He’s fast on his feet, quick with a gun, and faster with the to-die-for beauties that only existed in the swinging ’60s. The superspy exploits of Oss 117 were too big for just one actor, so meet all three iterations of the man they called Hubert Bonisseur de La Bath . . . seriously.

Oss 117 Five Film Collection

Blu-ray

Oss 117 Is Unleashed; Oss 117: Panic in Bangkok; Oss 117: Mission For a Killer; Oss 117: Mission to Tokyo; Oss 117: Double Agent

Kl Studio Classics

1963-1968 / B&W and Color / 1:85 widescreen + 2:35 widescreen / 528 min. / Street Date September 26, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 59.95

Starring: Kerwin Matthews, Nadia Sanders, Irina Demick, Daniel Emilfork; Kerwin Matthews, Pier Angeli, Robert Hossein; Frederick Stafford, Mylène Demongeot, Perrette Pradier, Dominique Wilms, Raymond Pellegrin, Annie Anderson; Frederick Stafford, Marina Vlad, Jitsuko Yoshimura; John Gavin, Margaret Lee, Curd Jurgens, Luciana Paluzzi, Rosalba Neri, Robert Hossein, George Eastman.

Cinematography: Raymond Pierre Lemoigne...

On the day a U.S. appeals court lifted an injunction that blocked a Mississippi “religious freedom” law – i.e., giving Christian extremists the right to discriminate against gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgender people, etc. – not to mention the publication of a Republican-backed health care bill targeting the poor, the sick, the elderly, and those with “pre-existing conditions” – which would include HIV-infected people, a large chunk of whom are gay and bisexual men, so the wealthy in the U.S. can get a massive tax cut, Turner Classic Movies' 2017 Gay Pride or Lgbt Month celebration continues (into tomorrow morning, Thursday & Friday, June 22–23) with the presentation of movies by or featuring an eclectic – though seemingly all male – group: Montgomery Clift, Anthony Perkins, Tab Hunter, Dirk Bogarde, John Schlesinger, Tennessee Williams, Gore Vidal, Arthur Laurents, and Jerome Robbins. After all, one assumes that, rumors or no, the presence of Mercedes McCambridge in one...

Some like their comedy hot and some like it cold. Billy Wilder opted to step on the joke accelerator to see what top speed looked like. One of the most finely tuned comedies ever made, this political satire crams five hours’ worth of wit and sight gags into 115 minutes. The retirement-age James Cagney practically blows a fuse rattling through Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond’s high-pressure speeches, without slurring so much as a single syllable.

One, Two, Three

Blu-ray

Kl Studio Classics

1961 / B&W / 2:35 widescreen / 115 min. / Street Date May 30, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95

Starring James Cagney, Horst Buchholz, Pamela Tiffin, Arlene Francis,

Howard St. John, Hanns Lothar, Lilo Pulver

Cinematography Daniel L. Fapp

Production Designers Robert Stratil, Heinrich Weidemann

Art Direction Alexander Trauner

Film Editor Daniel Mandell

Original Music André Previn

Written by Billy Wilder, I.A.L. Diamond from the play by Ferenc Molnar

Produced and Directed by Billy Wilder

How...

It’s the most wonderful time of the year for film fans, with some of the best films of the year in theaters and lots of elaborate and thoroughly-researched books to read. This rundown has real variety, with new and recent texts covering cinema history, TV greats, and, of course, Star Wars. Note that one of this year’s finest books, The Oliver Stone Experience (Abrams Books), was covered by The Film Stage in September via an interview with author Matt Zoller Seitz. Make sure to check out Experience, and see below for another fine selection from the prolific Seitz.

Star Wars Year by Year: A Visual History, Updated Edition by Daniel Wallace (Dk Publishing)

It’s a fantastic idea: a book that offers a timeline not of the Star Wars story, but of the Star Wars phenomenon. This newly updated edition of the 2010 release now includes recent works like...

Mark Harrison Oct 14, 2016

With the question of who's playing James Bond in James Bond 25 unresolved, we look back at the casting conundrums 007 has faced before.

Since 1962, fewer men have played James Bond than have walked on the moon. Despite the relatively long turnaround of the role, the subject of who might follow in the footsteps of Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig in the future has fuelled many column inches and tabloid splashes.

It feels as if speculation about the seventh 007 in Eon Productions' long-lived spy franchise has been at fever pitch since this time last year, when Craig was doing the promotional rounds for Spectre and commented that he would rather “slash [his] wrists” than play Bond again. It's only after a year of constant reports on the subject that his far more optimistic comments at last weekend's New Yorker Festival...

The death of the visionary pianist/ improviser Paul Bley leaves a big hole in the jazz universe. Bley, a fearless improviser with grace, bite, humor, and knowledge, will be remembered for the ability to empty his self of all preconceptions and impediments before sitting down at the instrument, and for the ability to take his own specific approach and language and to morph it into something that works with whatever the environment and/or musicians that are in the ambient -- and for the ability to sit at any piano [and they all have different personalities] and except for being extremely stylized, he could pull out the personality of that particular piano while still sounding like himself.

Paul, though studied, was completely naturalistic and organic in his musical conception. He had a mindset that was always in the moment, and if so-called history ever came through in his playing, it was more a function of the...

Top Ten Scream Queens: Barbara Steele, who both emitted screams and made others do same, is in a category of her own. Top Ten Scream Queens Halloween is over until next year, but the equally bewitching Day of the Dead is just around the corner. So, dead or alive, here's my revised and expanded list of cinema's Top Ten Scream Queens. This highly personal compilation is based on how memorable – as opposed to how loud or how frequent – were the screams. That's the key reason you won't find listed below actresses featured in gory slasher films. After all, the screams – and just about everything else in such movies – are as meaningless as their plots. You also won't find any screaming guys (i.e., Scream Kings) on the list below even though I've got absolutely nothing against guys who scream in horror, whether in movies or in life. There are...

Most of us love the Trumbo-Douglas-Kubrick thinking man's leftist gladiator epic, and after several iffy disc presentations this exacting digital restoration follows through on the photochemical reconstruction done 25 years ago. It looks incredibly good, almost too good to be a Blu-ray. Kirk contributes a new featurette interview, telling us that this is the show he'll be remembered for. Spartacus Blu-ray + Digital HD Universal Studios Home Entertainment 1960 / Color / 2:20 widescreen / 197 min. / Street Date October 6, 2015 / 19.98 Starring Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier, Charles Laughton, Jean Simmons, Peter Ustinov, Tony Curtis, Woody Strode, John Gavin, Nina Foch, Herbert Lom, Charles McGraw, John Ireland, Nick Dennis, John Dall, Herbert Lom, Joanna Barnes, Harold J. Stone, Peter Brocco, John Hoyt, Richard Farnsworth, George Kennedy. Cinematography by Russell Metty Music by Alex North Edited by Robert Lawrence Produced by Kirk Douglas and Edward Lewis Screenplay by Dalton Trumbo Based on the novel by Howard Fast Produced by...

Spartacus

Written by Dalton Trumbo

Directed by Stanley Kubrick

USA, 1960

There is a lot to sift through when it comes to Spartacus, before even getting to the film itself. There is the controversial credit bestowed to previously blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo. There is the firing of original director Anthony Mann about three weeks into the shoot (some say he asked to leave), followed by the subsequently hasty hiring of Stanley Kubrick over the course of a weekend. There is then the ensuing animosity between the obstinate Kubrick and the headstrong star/producer Kirk Douglas. Finally, there is the film’s placement in popular culture, with ubiquitous spoofs and spinoffs. If one is able to look beyond the noise of its tumultuous production, however, Spartacus remains one of the finest epics to ever emerge from the Hollywood studio system.

Available now on a newly remastered Blu-ray from Universal, this latest home...

The ultimate gladiator action blockbuster, Spartacus returns in an all-new fully restored Blu-ray™ with Digital HD on October 6, 2015, from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.

Starring film legend Kirk Douglas as the defiant slave-turned-revolutionary, directed by acclaimed filmmaker Stanley Kubrick (The Shining, 2001: A Space Odyssey) and written by Oscar-winner Dalton Trumbo (Roman Holiday, The Brave One), Spartacus: Restored Edition celebrates the film’s 55th anniversary with a new extensive restoration of the 1991 reconstructed version of the film which features 12 additional minutes of footage.

The highly anticipated Blu-ray also includes two all-new bonus featurettes including a brand new interview with screen legend Kirk Douglas plus 7.1 audio for the first time ever.

The genre-defining epic from director Stanley Kubrick is the legendary tale of a bold gladiator (Kirk Douglas) who led a triumphant Roman slave revolt. Newly restored from large format 35mm original film elements, the action-packed spectacle won four Academy Awards,...

Ron Moody as Fagin in 'Oliver!' based on Charles Dickens' 'Oliver Twist.' Ron Moody as Fagin in Dickens musical 'Oliver!': Box office and critical hit (See previous post: "Ron Moody: 'Oliver!' Actor, Academy Award Nominee Dead at 91.") Although British made, Oliver! turned out to be an elephantine release along the lines of – exclamation point or no – Gypsy, Star!, Hello Dolly!, and other Hollywood mega-musicals from the mid'-50s to the early '70s.[1] But however bloated and conventional the final result, and a cast whose best-known name was that of director Carol Reed's nephew, Oliver Reed, Oliver! found countless fans.[2] The mostly British production became a huge financial and critical success in the U.S. at a time when star-studded mega-musicals had become perilous – at times downright disastrous – ventures.[3] Upon the American release of Oliver! in Dec. 1968, frequently acerbic The...

While the name Gabriel Figueroa may not be a familiar one to many, even those with a stronger affinity for filmmaking and the art behind it, New York’s own Film Forum is hoping to change that.

On June 5, the theater began a career spanning retrospective surrounding the work of iconic cinematographer and Mexican film industry legend Gabriel Figueroa. Taking a look at 19 of the photographer’s films, the series is running in conjunction with the new exhibition at El Museo del Barrio, entitled Under The Mexican Sky: Gabriel Figueroa – Art And Film.

Best known as a pioneer of Mexican cinema, primarily with his work alongside director Emilio Fernandez, Figueroa’s work was as varied as they come. His work with Fernandez is without a doubt this retrospective’s highlight, particularly films like Wildflower. One of the many times Mexican cinema’s “Big Four” worked together, the film saw the...

Imitation of Life

Written by William Hurlbut

Directed by John M. Stahl

USA, 1934

Written by Eleanore Griffin and Allan Scott

Directed by Douglas Sirk

USA, 1959

The debate about the necessity and worth of continual remakes rages on every year. Will the new version be as good as the original? Or even better? Should it have even been made to begin with? While we do seem to hear more about this recently, the concept of a remark is, of course, nothing new. Examples go back to the very dawn of cinema. What makes a remake particularly worthwhile, however, is when the films involved are dissimilar in certain aspects yet notably congruent in other areas: just enough to keep the basic premise or theme consistent, but varied enough to keep it up to date and original in one way or another. If both versions have their merits, a considerate comparison and contrast...

Audiences need a good reason to go to a movie theater these days, and a digital restoration of a great film classic is one of them. The 2015 TCM Classic Film Festival has landed four world premiere restorations set to play the fest from March 26-29, 2015 at Hollywood venues in Los Angeles. TCM will celebrate the film's 55th anniversary with a new print of Stanley Kubrick's glorious 1960 Roman epic "Spartacus," starring Kirk Douglas as the title rebel warrior, with Tony Curtis, Jean Simmons, Laurence Olivier, Charles Laughton, John Gavin and Peter Ustinov, who won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar in 1961. A restoration of Ron Howard's beloved 1995 space odyssey "Apollo 13," turning 20 next year, will also be playing the festival. Both are presented in collaboration with Universal Home Entertainment. TCM and Warner Bros. Classics will unveil a new print of William Dieterle's majestic 1939 Rko Production of Victor Hugo's "The Hunchback of Notre.

Turner Classic Movies (TCM) has landed four film restorations set to make their world premieres during the 2015 TCM Classic Film Festival, taking place March 26-29, 2015, in Hollywood. The movies, each from a different era in cinema history, including Ron Howard’s Apollo 13 (1995), Stanley Kubrick’s Spartacus (1960), William Dieterle’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939) and Charles Reisner and Buster Keaton’s Steamboat Bill Jr. (1928). The Keaton comedy will be accompanied by legendary silent film composer Carl Davis conducting the world premiere performance of his new score for the film.

Earlier this month, TCM announced that the theme for the 2015 TCM Classic Film Festival will be History According to Hollywood:

The Old West. Medieval England. Ancient Rome. Hollywood has found endless inspiration in re-creating historical moments and bringing to life the heroes and villains of the past, creating a form of time travel for audiences through the ages and around the world.

Top 100 horror movies of all time: Chicago Film Critics' choices (photo: Sigourney Weaver and Alien creature show us that life is less horrific if you don't hold grudges) See previous post: A look at the Chicago Film Critics Association's Scariest Movies Ever Made. Below is the list of the Chicago Film Critics's Top 100 Horror Movies of All Time, including their directors and key cast members. Note: this list was first published in October 2006. (See also: Fay Wray, Lee Patrick, and Mary Philbin among the "Top Ten Scream Queens.") 1. Psycho (1960) Alfred Hitchcock; with Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles, John Gavin, Martin Balsam. 2. The Exorcist (1973) William Friedkin; with Ellen Burstyn, Linda Blair, Jason Miller, Max von Sydow (and the voice of Mercedes McCambridge). 3. Halloween (1978) John Carpenter; with Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Pleasence, Tony Moran. 4. Alien (1979) Ridley Scott; with Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, John Hurt. 5. Night of the Living Dead (1968) George A. Romero; with Marilyn Eastman,...

Scariest movies ever made: The top 100 horror films according to the Chicago Film Critics (photo: Janet Leigh, John Gavin and Vera Miles in Alfred Hitchcock's 'Psycho') I tend to ignore lists featuring the Top 100 Movies (or Top 10 Movies or Top 20 Movies, etc.), no matter the category or criteria, because these lists are almost invariably compiled by people who know little about films beyond mainstream Hollywood stuff released in the last decade or two. But the Chicago Film Critics Association's list of the 100 Scariest Movies Ever Made, which came out in October 2006, does include several oldies — e.g., James Whale's Frankenstein and The Bride of Frankenstein — in addition to, gasp, a handful of non-American horror films such as Dario Argento's Suspiria, Werner Herzog's Nosferatu the Vampyre, and F.W. Murnau's brilliant Dracula rip-off Nosferatu. (Check out the full list of the Chicago Film Critics' top 100 horror movies of all time.