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Jason Statham's 2011 action thriller The Mechanic is a remake of a classic Charles Bronson film of the same name and is now one of the most popular movies on Netflix. The Mechanic remains one of Jason Statham's highest-rated movies of his celebrated career and one of Statham's most successful film franchises. The film follows Statham's Arthur Bishop, an elite hitman or "mechanic" who is the best in the business. After Bishop's mentor Harry (Donald Sutherland) is murdered, Bishop goes on a one-man-army mission to avenge his death and make those responsible pay. It's a classic premise for Statham and one of his most immersive movies.

As of October 1, 2024, The Mechanic is available to stream on Netflix. Directed by Simon West and written by Richard Wenk, The Mechanic also features performances by Ben Foster, Tony Goldwyn, and David Leitch. With a Rotten Tomatoes critic score of 53%, The Mechanic is not...

Kim Kahana, the stunt performer, teacher, coordinator and war hero who played Chongo on the kids show Danger Island and doubled for Charles Bronson in several action films, has died. He was 94.

Kahana died Monday of natural causes at his home in Groveland, Florida, his wife, Sandy Kahana, told The Hollywood Reporter.

Kahana, 5-foot-7 and 150 pounds, taught stunts to many thousands of students since the mid-1970s in six-week courses that took place in Chatsworth, California, and Central Florida. Many went on to have thriving careers in show business.

He also had six different black belt degrees — he taught martial arts, too — and worked as a professional bodyguard protecting Hollywood types.

A native of Hawaii, Kahana appeared in his first film as a biker in the Marlon Brando-starring The Wild One (1953) and was an extra in other movies before he realized that stunt performers got paid more than he did.

Amazon Prime Video is the place to go for movies this month, with a plethora of original films as well as new library additions for just about every movie fan. The Emma Roberts-led original Space Cadet hits the streaming service aptly on the Fourth of July, for anyone looking for a fish-out-of-water style comedy. My Spy the Eternal City, the newest film in the Dave Bautista-led family action series also drops on July 18.

Action film fans are also in for a treat with recent films The Beekeeper and Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning coming to Prime Video in July.

As far as TV shows go, the most notable addition this month is the adult animated series Sausage Party: Foodtopia, a continuation of the 2016 film Sausage Party.

Here’s everything coming to Prime Video and Freevee in July – Amazon originals are designated with an asterisk.

New on Amazon Prime Video...

This July, beat the heat with the latest additions at Prime Video and Freevee!

It’s a light month for original series, films, and specials as we head into the summer lull, but there is still plenty to watch throughout the month: over 140 classic films between the two Amazon streamers will be added this month, from horrors such as the genre-changing “The Silence Of The Lambs” and last year’s newest “Evil Dead” franchise installment “Evil Dead Rise,” the first five films of the “Rocky” franchise, and comedies like “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” “Animal House,” “13 Going On 30,” and much, much more.

But after the majority of the film load drops on July 1, don’t forget to head back to the services’ additions throughout the month, including Season 2 of the critically acclaimed “Troppo,” the new “Legally Blonde“-like comedy “Space Cadet,” and a new documentary from award-winning documentary filmmaker Dawn Porter,...

Following The Film Stage’s collective top 50 films of 2023, as part of our year-end coverage, our contributors are sharing their personal top 10 lists.

In all honesty, the films of 2023 should take a backseat to the images we are seeing every day in Gaza, where journalists and average citizens have been recording and documenting a daily assault on their homes and livelihoods by the Idf. Whatever fakery we watched and enjoyed in the cinema this year should always be kept in perspective in importance with images that are real and actually happening right now. The Palestinians who have documented these important images have been targeted and killed with intent and purpose to silence what their photos and videos are showing and saying.

List of journalists who have been killed.

The below is of lesser note:

Best First Watches:

Angel’s Egg La belle noiseuse Centipede Horror Charley Varrick Coffy Crimson Gold...

Charles Bronson's career was defined by his roles in westerns and war movies, making him one of the most iconic tough guy actors in Hollywood history. Bronson starred in two of the greatest westerns ever made, including "The Magnificent Seven" and "Once Upon a Time in the West." He also appeared in two all-time great war movies, "The Great Escape" and "The Dirty Dozen," which defined subgenres within the war film genre.

Charles Bronson was a master of many genres, and he perfected the two genres that defined his career – westerns and war movies – within a single decade. Bronson is one of the most iconic “tough guy” actors in Hollywood history, and he starred in a wide range of different genre films throughout his storied career. Bronson’s career-defining role as Paul Kersey in the Death Wish franchise helped to popularize the vigilante thriller. He played a vengeful Vietnam War veteran in Mr. Majestyk,...

Walter Mirisch, the legendary independent-minded producer who is the only person to receive the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences’ Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, the Irving G. Thalberg Award and an Oscar for best picture, has died. He was 101.

The affable Mirisch, who served four terms as president of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences from 1973-77, died Friday in Los Angeles of natural causes, AMPAS announced.

“Walter was a true visionary, both as a producer and as an industry leader,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang said in a joint statement. “He had a powerful impact on the film community and the Academy, serving as our president and as an Academy governor for many years. His passion for filmmaking and the Academy never wavered, and he remained a dear friend and adviser.”

Survivors include his son Larry Mirisch, the owner of The Mirisch Agency,...

Charles Bronson is one of the most iconic movie stars in Hollywood history. With long-time directorial collaborators like Michael Winner and J. Lee Thompson, Bronson played all kinds of tough-as-nails roles across his decades-long acting career, including roguish cops, gunfighting cowboys, and war heroes.

Related: 10 Best Charles Bronson Movies, According To IMDb

Bronson brought plenty of iconic characters to life, from architect-turned-vigilante Paul Kersey in the Death Wish franchise to the titular melon-farming Vietnam War veteran in Mr. Majestyk to the mysterious gunslinger named after his signature harmonica in Once Upon a Time in the West. But, as with any sought-after Hollywood A-lister, Bronson turned down almost as many high-profile roles as he took on.

Happy Monday, dear readers! We have a brand new slate of home media releases to look forward to as we head into a new month, and there are some great films coming out on Tuesday that genre fans will definitely want to pick up. Rlje Films is finally releasing Horror Noire on both Blu-ray and DVD this week, and they’re also bringing home arguably the most talked-about horror film of 2020 as well: Rob Savage’s Host. Kino Lorber is showing some love to Dark Intruder with their new 2K Blu, and Code Red is giving us more reasons to fear the water with their Blu-ray for The Great Alligator.

Other releases for February 2nd include Satan’s Blood, Sky Sharks, Deadcon, and Hellkat.

Dark Intruder

Brand New 2K Master! Dark Intruder stars Leslie Nielsen (Forbidden Planet) as Brett Kingsford, an Occult expert who is brought in by police to help...

Liam Neeson continues the Charles Bronson phase of his lengthy career with Robert Lorenz’s action thriller representing the actor’s second starring effort in three months. Arriving shortly on the heels of Honest Thief, The Marksman is the sort of solid, unassuming programmer that Bronson pumped out with regularity in the ’70s and ’80s. Think of something like 1974’s Mr. Majestyk, except in this case the reluctant hero forced to deal with bad guys is an Arizona rancher rather than a Colorado melon farmer. In both cases, the star — and the film — gets the job done.

It’...

Liam Neeson continues the Charles Bronson phase of his lengthy career with Robert Lorenz’s action thriller representing the actor’s second starring effort in three months. Arriving shortly on the heels of Honest Thief, The Marksman is the sort of solid, unassuming programmer that Bronson pumped out with regularity in the ’70s and ’80s. Think of something like 1974’s Mr. Majestyk, except in this case the reluctant hero forced to deal with bad guys is an Arizona rancher rather than a Colorado melon farmer. In both cases, the star — and the film — gets the job done.

It’...

November can be a slow month for streaming services. Amazon, however, is entering into 2020’s penultimate month with some steam.

Amazon is really beefing up its TV library in November 2020. Both Community (which arrives on Nov. 8) and Scrubs (Nov. 14) will be added to Amazon Prime this month and in the process complete the streaming trifecta: Netflix, Amazon, Hulu. That’s pretty impressive stuff for both shows. And then on the film side of things, November 1 sees the arrival of The X-Files: I Want to Believe, Twilight, and the Underworld franchise. Somebody didn’t tell Amazon Spooky Season was over and bless them for it.

As for the originals, Alex Rider is the most intriguing TV series here. That is based on the British spy novel series and premieres on Nov. 13 on IMDb TV (which is available to all Prime subscribers). That will be followed by Steve McQueen’s Small Axe series on Nov.

Amazon Prime Video has a whole load of new content coming this November, and the best thing about the large haul is that all tastes are accounted for, so whatever you’re in the mood for, you’ll have a lot of options. From Christmas flicks to action films to some classic sci-fi and horror, subscribers will find much to enjoy from what’s hitting Prime next month.

Take a look at the full list below and scroll down further for our runthrough of the highlights:

Released November 1

28 Days Later (2003)

A Christmas Movie Christmas (2019)

A Christmas Switch (2018)

(2018) (Hallmark Movies Now)

Arizona Whirlwind (1944)

Article 99 (1992)

As Good As It Gets (1997)

Boyz N’ The Hood (1991)

Breathless (1983)

Country Strong (2011)

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

Dead Poets Society (1989)

Deja Vu (2006)

Did You Hear About The Morgans? (2009)

Firewalker (1986)

I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)

Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde (2003)

Marrying Father Christmas (2018) (Hallmark...

All streaming services go through a down period after the excitement of Spooky Season, it’s only natural. Thankfully with its list of new releases for November 2020, Hulu is making the best out of a barren pop culture landscape.

For starters, Hulu is premiering one of its major 2020 reboots this month as Animaniacs arrives on Nov. 20. Yakko, Wakko, Dot, and the rest of the Warner gang are set to return for this long-awaited revival of the animated classic. That’s about it as far as original series go but Hulu is also premiering original movies Greta, about climate activist Greta Thunberg on Nov. 13; and Run, a horror film starring Sarah Paulson, on Nov. 20.

Still, despite all the Animaniacs, Gretas, and Sarah Paulsons, the biggest hits this month might just be on the library content side of things. November 1 sees the arrival of some major TV properties. For starters, racy British...

Now that we’re just over halfway through October, it’s time to look ahead to what’s arriving on Hulu across November. And the penultimate month of the year is set to deliver a humungous haul of new movies and TV shows. In particular, fresh off their Huluween celebrations, the streaming service is celebrating Christmas early with a load of holiday-related titles dropping on November 1st.

Various films with Christmas in the name land that day – including Christmas in Compton, The Dog Who Saved Christmas and Once Upon a Time at Christmas – as well as a bunch of festive Food Network shows. A few more arrive on the 15th as well. But even if you’re not in the mood for holiday cheer until December, there’s still plenty to enjoy from what’s coming to Hulu in November.

Check out the full list below:

Released November 1

Skins: Complete...

Linda Cristal, the Golden Globe-winning actress who portrayed Victoria Cannon, the wife of Leif Erickson's character, on the 1967-71 NBC Western The High Chaparral, has died. She was 89.

Cristal died Saturday at her home in Beverly Hills, her son Jordan Wexler told The New York Times.

On the big screen, Cristal appeared with Jock Mahoney in The Last of the Fast Guns (1958), with John Wayne in The Alamo (1960), with James Stewart in John Ford's Two Rode Together (1961) and with Charles Bronson in Mr. Majestyk (1974).

In 1959, she won her first Golden Globe — as most promising ...

Linda Cristal, the Golden Globe-winning actress who portrayed Victoria Cannon, the wife of Leif Erickson's character, on the 1967-71 NBC Western The High Chaparral, has died. She was 89.

Cristal died Saturday at her home in Beverly Hills, her son Jordan Wexler told The New York Times.

On the big screen, Cristal appeared with Jock Mahoney in The Last of the Fast Guns (1958), with John Wayne in The Alamo (1960), with James Stewart in John Ford's Two Rode Together (1961) and with Charles Bronson in Mr. Majestyk (1974).

In 1959, she won her first Golden Globe — as most promising ...

Academy Award-nominated cinematographer Richard H. Kline died Tuesday in Los Angeles. He was 91.

Kline’s first Oscar nomination came for his work as director of photography on the 1968 musical “Camelot,” while his second came for the 1976 remake of epic “King Kong.”

Over the course of his career, Kline worked on films such as “Hang ’em High,” “The Boston Strangler,” “The Andromeda Strain,” “The Mechanic,” and “Battle for the Planet of the Apes.”

In between features, he shot shorts for the Three Stooges. “They were terrific fellows,” he told American Cinematographer. “Jules White was the main director, and what was really funny was his seriousness as a director — one would think he was directing Shakespeare.”

The recipient of the 20th annual Asc Outstanding Achievement Award also served as D.P. or cinematographer on “Soylent Green,” “Mr. Majestyk,” “The Fury,” “Who’ll Stop the Rain,” “Star Trek — The Motion Picture,” “Breathless,” “Body Heat,...

Richard H. Kline, the two-time Oscar-nominated cinematographer who shot such films as Camelot, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Body Heat and the 1976 remake of King Kong, has died. He was 91.

Kline died of natural causes on Tuesday in Los Angeles, his daughter Rija Kline Zucker told The Hollywood Reporter.

Kline collaborated with director Robert Wise on The Andromeda Strain (1971) and Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) and partnered with Richard Fleischer on The Boston Strangler (1968), Soylent Green (1973), The Don Is Dead (1973), Mr. Majestyk (1974) and Mandingo (1975).

He worked on more than 40 features ...

Richard H. Kline, the two-time Oscar-nominated cinematographer who shot such films as Camelot, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Body Heat and the 1976 remake of King Kong, has died. He was 91.

Kline died of natural causes on Tuesday in Los Angeles, his daughter Rija Kline Zucker told The Hollywood Reporter.

Kline collaborated with director Robert Wise on The Andromeda Strain (1971) and Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) and partnered with Richard Fleischer on The Boston Strangler (1968), Soylent Green (1973), The Don Is Dead (1973), Mr. Majestyk (1974) and Mandingo (1975).

He worked on more than 40 features ...

Director Curtis Harrington always offered up solid, unassuming genre fare on the small screen (How Awful about Allan, the wonderfully goofy Devil Dog: The Hound of Hell); and when he collaborated with noted scribe Robert Bloch (Psycho), the result was NBC’s The Dead Don’t Die (1975), an effective throwback to the Lewton/Turneur era beloved by both, shot through with a big dose of pulpy goodness.

Originally broadcast on January 14th as an NBC World Premiere Movie, Tddd didn’t stand a chance against the likes of the ABC Tuesday Movie of the Week or the ironclad CBS lineup of M*A*S*H/Hawaii Five-o, and Bloch is on the record as not being a fan. Oh well; I still dig its entertaining mashup of neo noir and old fashioned zombies even if he doesn’t. And you might too if that particular elixir peaks your interest.

Crack...

Exhumed Films is resurrecting some beloved horror favorites from the 1970s and ’80s and projecting them onto the big screen at Alamo Drafthouse Yonkers, including Friday the 13th Part III, starring my original horror crush and maybe yours, too, Jason Voorhees! And also, we have release details for Escape Room, Paperbacks From Hell, Ghastlies, and Mountain Fever, as well as information on the new book Godzilla Faq.

Exhumed Films' Guilty Pleasures IV Marathon: Press Release: "Exhumed Films Presents: Guilty Pleasures IV--in 3-D!

Exhumed Films is pleased to return to the Alamo Drafthouse Yonkers to present the fourth edition of The Guilty Pleasures Marathon, our annual assault of cinematic insanity. For this year’s marathon, we present some of the greatest 3-D films of all time, projected from original 35mm prints using state of the art technology! The 1970’s and 1980’s saw a resurgence of three-dimensional movies, particularly in the realm of genre cinema.

By David Kozlowski | 11 August 2017

Welcome to Issue #8 of The Lrm Weekend, a weekly column offering strong opinions about film, TV, comics, Star Wars, Marvel, DC, animation, and anime. We also want to hear from you, our awesome Lrm community! Share your feedback or ideas for future columns: @LRM_Weekend and we'll post your Tweets below!

Previous Issues: 8.4.17 | 7.28.17 | 7.21.17 | 7.14.17 | 7.7.17 | 6.30.17

Hey Lrm Weekenders, we've got a bunch of cool stuff for you this week. In our editorial we'll examine the big Disney streaming service announcement and what it means for Netflix. We'll also dive into the career of master crime writer Elmore Leonard, assess Chuck Norris' fighting skills, and have some fun with 80s Action movies. Looking forward to your comments and feedback!

Netflix Is Poised To Dominate And It's All Disney's Fault

Disney's big announcement, to pull their films from Netflix and launch their own streaming service by 2019, might look like...

By David Kozlowski | 4 August 2017

Welcome to Issue #7 of The Lrm Weekend, a weekly column offering strong opinions about film, TV, comics, Star Wars, Marvel, DC, animation, and anime. We also want to hear from you, our awesome Lrm community! Share your feedback or ideas for future columns: @LRM_Weekend and we'll post your Tweets below!

Previous Issues: 7.28.17 | 7.21.17 | 7.14.17 | 7.7.17 | 6.30.17 | 6.23.17

Hey Lrm Weekenders, you might notice a few changes to the column this week. As summer draws to a close we're moving some stuff around and tweaking our content to be a little more opinionated and provocative.

Each of our Lrm writers have super-strong opinions about film, TV, comics, and all of the big franchises and universes. So, going forward Lrm Weekend is going to amp-up our voices a bit more -- and we invite our readers to punch back whenever and wherever you disagree!

Audiences Are Tired Of Spectacle And Hollywood Doesn't Care.

By Darren Allison

Vocalion have the rare ability to continuously satisfy. Not only does the label re-connect us to the past with essential CD reissues, but also through re-recordings of long forgotten and often overlooked classics. Vocalion’s three latest CD releases continue to exemplify these principles, and all with a certain sense of style.

Themes from The Exorcist (1974) and Flashpoint (1975) are two albums from Ray Davies and the Button Down Brass. As albums, they formed part of an essential collective, an audio treasury that would find their way into the hands of young and enthusiastic kids, particularly of those who displayed an early interest and love of both cinema and TV. They were usually the affordable route; a few weeks pocket money would often result in one of these albums making it into the comforting domain of your bedroom. Sat alongside your Geoff Love compilations, they would provide countless hours of repeated enjoyment.

Bronson’s Loose Again!: On the Set with Charles Bronson is author Paul Talbot’s all-new companion volume to his acclaimed Bronson’s Loose!: The Making of the ‘Death Wish’ Films. His new book reveals more information on the Death Wish series and also details the complex histories behind eighteen other Charles Bronson movies. Documented herein are fascinating tales behind some of the finest Bronson films of the mid-1970s (including Hard Times and From Noon Till Three); his big-budget independent epics Love And Bullets and Cabo Blanco; his lesser-known, underrated dramas Borderline and Act Of Vengeance; his notorious sleaze/action Cannon Films classics of the 80s (including 10 To Midnight, Murphy’S Law and Kinjite: Forbidden Sunjects); the numerous unmade projects he was attached to; and his TV movies of the 90s (including The Sea Wolf). Exhaustively researched, the book features over three dozen exclusive, candid interviews including...

That’s right. Hulu. I’m here to tell you that there’s a cinematic streaming goldmine available on Hulu that includes recent hits, older classics, domestic releases, and foreign imports. It’s even home to hundreds of Criterion titles. Sure there’s plenty of filler and seemingly thousands of titles I’ve never heard of before, but I’m not here to talk about possible gems like Nocturnal Agony… I’m here to recommend some good movies to watch this month on Hulu. Pick of the Month: ’71 (2014) A young British soldier (Jack O’Connell) enters the street of 1971 Belfast in an attempt to keep the peace, but when a riot breaks out and he’s accidentally left behind what he finds is anything but peaceful. This is a crackerjack thriller that brings tension and suspense to what’s in some ways a modern(-ish) update of The Naked Prey. O...

By Don Stradley

Charles Bronson was 55 at the time of “St Ives” (1976). He was just a couple years past his star-making turn in “Death Wish”, and was enjoying a surprising run of success. I say surprising because Bronson had, after all, been little more than a craggy second banana for most of his career. Now, inexplicably, he had box office clout as a leading man. In fact, Bronson reigned unchallenged for a few years as the most popular male actor in international markets. Yes, even bigger than Eastwood, Newman, Reynolds, Redford, or any other 1970s star you can name. Many of Bronson’s movies were partly financed by foreign investors, for even if his movies didn’t score stateside, they still drew buckets of money in Prague or Madrid. Some have suggested that his popularity on foreign screens was due to how little he said in his movies (there was...

"When Russian mobsters kill his beloved dog, retired hit man John Wick returns to the game he played best - and brings bloody vengeance with him."

No, that's not the premise for a spoof of old Charles Bronson movies like Mr. Majestyk. It belongs to the new Keanu Reeves revenge thriller, John Wick. The early buzz on the film is quite positive, and I'm sure Lionsgate hopes that audiences are hungry to see Reeves back in bad-ass mode. The film's got a new TV spot.

Give it a look, right here:

The film has plenty of time before it's October 24th release. Let's see if it continues to gain momentum and land Reeves back in the A-list again.

Source: Lionsgate

Mario-f. Robles I take pride in the fact that whenever my daughter hears some kickass hard rock on the radio she asks, "Is that you, Dadda?" about 4 days ago...

To recall the cinema of Charles Bronson, one can’t get far without referencing his sterling epoch in 1970s era American film, a period eclipsed mightily by the star’s work with director Michael Winner. Kino Lorber resurrects one of the star’s lesser remembered titles, Mr. Majestyk, a 1974 action flick written by the great Elmore Leonard and directed by the illustrious Richard Fleischer, known for a varied career that included a penchant for true crime related titles (Compulsion; The Boston Strangler; 10 Rillington Place), and famed adaptations of pulpy novels, like Soylent Green and the infamous Mandingo. Unfortunately, Fleisher’s title opened one week prior to the juggernaut known as Death Wish back in July of 1974, and has perhaps been unfairly overshadowed ever since.

Bronson stars as Vince Majestyk, a humble melon farmer whose only desire is to harvest his crop of watermelons. A Vietnam veteran, Majestyk steps to in...

I think everyone remembers where they were August 31st, 2003 when they heard that Charles Bronson had died. I was visiting my brother in Atlanta when my nephew knocked on my door and informed me that CNN had announced his death. I collapsed into a sobbing heap. Bronson was my hero, my muse, my role model. Hollywood’s brightest star would shine no more. It’s hard to believe he’s been gone ten years.

Charles Bronson was the unlikeliest of movie stars. Of all the leading men in the history of Hollywood, Charles Bronson had the least range as an actor. He rarely emoted or even changed his expression, and when he did speak, his voice was a reedy whisper. But Charles Bronson could coast on presence, charisma, and silent brooding menace like no one’s business and he wound up the world’s most bankable movie star throughout most of the 1970’s.

When Elmore Leonard died this week at 87, he left behind a legacy of not only dozens of great crime and Western novels, but an array of taut and colorful film adaptations, including The Tall T, 3:10 to Yuma, Hombre, Get Shorty, Out of Sight, and Jackie Brown. But one could-have-been classic was never realized: Labrava. The details of the project are scattered to the wind, but we’ve pieced it together as well as we could from various books and periodicals: Nick Dawson’s Being Hal Ashby, Walter Mirisch’s I Thought We Were Making Movies, Not History, Paul Clarence Challen’s Get Dutch, and various articles in the Los Angeles Times, the Guardian, American Film, and Variety.In 1983, Academy Award–winning producer Walter Mirisch — a good friend of Elmore Leonard’s ever since he’d hooked up Charles Bronson with the author's 1974 Mr. Majestyk script — acquired the rights to Leonard’s latest novel,...

Elmore Leonard knew how to start a story.  My first Leonard novel was Glitz. I opened the paperback on a whim in the college bookstore where I worked as a clerk. It started, "The night Vincent was shot he saw it coming."  Forty-five minutes later, my boss poked me in the shoulder and said, "Get back to work." That's how you do it.Leonard died at 87, not long after suffering a stroke. He was spare, direct, and funny. He didn't waste your time or his. "I leave out the parts people skip," he said.  Leonard was prolific: 46 books, seven screenplays, two teleplays. He was catnip to TV and film producers looking for material; nearly two dozen of his novels and short stories became movies or shows, including Justified, Get Shorty, Be Cool, 52 Pick-Up (also adapted as The Ambassador), Mr. Majestyk, Hombre, The Tall T, Jackie Brown, 3:10 to...

So sad. Legendary crime novelist, Elmore Leonard, died three weeks after suffering a stroke. Keep reading for all the details.

Elmore Leonard, who is responsible for writing masterpieces such as Get Shorty, 3:10 to Yuma and Justified, passed away at the age of 87 at his home in Detroit, where he lived since 1934. He reportedly suffered a stroke three weeks before his death and had been hospitalized since then.

Elmore Leonard Dead — Hollywood Writer Dies At 87 After Suffering Stroke

“The post I dreaded to write, and you dreaded to read. Elmore passed away at 7:15 this morning from complications from his stroke. He was at home surrounded by his loving family,” Elmore’s researcher Gregg Sutter said on Facebook, according to TMZ.

Sadly, Gregg said that Elmore was feeling better each day and that he and Elmore’s family had hoped to have good news to share soon. Instead, he was...

Chicago – Elmore Leonard was so much a part of the entertainment landscape that many people don’t even realize the extent of his influence and reach on, of course, literature, but also film and television. The same man created the characters you love in “3:10 to Yuma,” “Get Shorty,” “Out of Sight,” and “Justified.”

He passed away from a stroke this morning, as revealed on his Facebook page. He was 87 and, according to the post, surrounded by those he loved.

Born in New Orleans, Leonard would forever be identified with Detroit, the city that became his home in 1934. His first story was published in 1951 and he began his career with a focus on Westerns. He published dozens of short stories in the ’50s, two of which were turned into hit films of the day, “The Tall T” and “3:10 to Yuma”. Over the years, 26 novels or short stories were turned into films or television programs,...

Elmore Leonard -- the legendary writer behind "Get Shorty," "3:10 to Yuma" and "Justified" -- has died, three weeks after suffering a stroke ... TMZ has learned. We're told Leonard passed away at his home in Detroit ... the city where he lived since 1934. E.L. is a legend -- dozens of his novels and short stories have been transformed into movies or TV shows ... including "Out of Sight," "Be Cool," "Hombre," "Mr. Majestyk" and "3:10 to Yuma.

American novelist and screenwriter Elmore Leonard passed away this morning at 7:15 a.m. from complications from a stroke. He was 87. Among Leonard's best-known works are "Get Shorty," "Out of Sight," "Hombre," "Mr. Majestyk" and "Rum Punch," which was filmed as Jackie Brown . Leonard's short stories include ones that became the films 3:10 to Yuma and The Tall T , as well as the current TV series on FX, "Justified."...

Elmore Leonard, the famed author of numerous gritty crime thrillers, has passed away at the age of 87 due to complications from a stroke. A Detroit native, known as "Dutch" amongst friends and family, Leonard leaves behind a tremendous legacy of work with more than 40 novels published, many of them adapted into films or TV shows. Among those adapted to the big screen are Joe Kidd with Clint Eastwood, Mr. Majestyk with Charles Bronson, Out Of Sight with George Clooney, 3:10 To Yuma...

Elmore Leonard -- the brilliant writer whose works served as the basis for "Justified" and "Get Shorty" -- is hospitalized after suffering a stroke last week. 87-year-old Leonard lives in Detroit, but it's unclear if that's where he's being treated. Leonard is a legend -- dozens of his novels and short stories have been transformed into movies or TV shows ... including "Out of Sight," "Be Cool," "Hombre," "Mr. Majestyk" and "3:10 to Yuma."Details surrounding Leonard's condition are unclear.

Deborah Kerr in the classic ghost story The Innocents, screenplay by Truman Capote.

The Anthology Film Archives in New York is holding a unique film festival throughout the month of September honoring screenwriters who were best known for their work as novelists. Here are the details:

On this calendar we are highlighting the screenwriting work of writers best known as novelists – including pulp novelists like Richard Matheson, Donald Westlake, and Elmore Leonard, cult figures such as Don Carpenter and John Fante, and such highly respected authors as Truman Capote and Joan Didion. Paying homage to the long tradition of novelists trying their hand at writing for the movies, we will present a selection of films based not on these writers’ novels, but on their original screenplays (which are sometimes adaptations of other novelists’ work).

From The Pen Of is programmed in close collaboration with author/musician Alan Licht.

Very special thanks to Alan Licht,...

Exclusive: United Talent Agency has signed prolific crime writer Elmore Leonard, who has retained a major Hollywood agency for the first time in his 60-year career. UTA will rep Leonard in film, TV, digital and allied rights. Leonard, who continues with literary agent Andrew Wylie, is eager to see more of his books adapted for the screen. He has written 45 Westerns and crime novels, and 40 short stories. His enthusiasm is understandable. Leonard’s 2002 short story Fire In The Hole was the basis for the superb FX series Justified, which stars Timothy Olyphant as deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens. Leonard told me in May 2010 that he’d sworn off writing screenplays in 1993 (his past scripts include the Charles Bronson film Mr. Majestyk) because he got tired of trying to please movie executives half as smart as he is about storytelling. But Justified provided a big spark, he is an active voice for series creator Graham Yost,...

Brian Trenchard-Smith gets suitable lengthy and (as always) very thorough with The Battle of the Bulge.

The flat plains of Spain make a visually inaccurate backdrop for this sprawling but none too accurate recreation of one of the major operations of World War II, which took place across the forests of Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg. It’s a nearly three hour Roadshow spectacle with the usual all star cast, efficiently showcased by director Ken Annakin.

Click through to watch and the read on to get a little bit of bonus content.

Now here’s a cool movie with a sprawling cast that even has some overlap to films from earlier this week, and Brian hits on a couple of actors in this commentary that we should have hit on Monday, when we weren’t singing the praises of Lee Marvin: Telly Savalas and one of the manliest manly men to ever live,...

On June 27, shooting for the film Freaky Deaky will begin, with a cast that could include Wiliam H. Macy, Brendan Fraser, Matt Dillon and Craig Robinson. All four actors are currently in talks to come onboard, and are diverse and different enough that we're not even sure how to make a joke about them. Maybe focus in on Brendan Fraser? It's early on a Friday and that's easy, right? Ok.

The film is based on the Elmore Leonard novel of the same name, and follows a crew of radicals from the 1960s who turn their skills to more capitalist ends and become rich by the 1980s. Freaky Deaky is being written and directed by Charles Matthau, son of legendary actor Walter Matthau, and will be set in 1974, around the time that the hippies decide to start making that cash. Additionally, given Fraser's involvement, we can probably expect some heavy green screen effects.

Recently I spent an entire weekend watching Charles Bronson films in an effort to document his very best kills. I, and at various times a rotating cadre of my friends, watched 20 movies over three days during what was dubbed Bronsothon. Needless to say, I waded through some really awful movies that weekend, but there were more than a few pleasant surprises. Among them were Mr. Majestyk, Death Wish 2, and The Mechanic. The Mechanic blew my mind because as much as it was a familiar Bronson shoot-em-up, it was also a fairly cerebral character study. It also had an ending I did not at all expect; I loved it. When I heard the upcoming Jason Statham film was a remake, I had to see it. The Mechanic is one Arthur Bishop (Statham), the world’s most effective hit man. His lethality is matched only by his machine-like adherence to routine. When...

Writer/director Charles Matthau, son of actor Walter Matthau, will adapt the 1988 crime novel "Freaky Deaky" by author Elmore Leonard.

Matthau will direct from his own script with actor William H. Macy attached to star.

To be set in 1974, premise of "Freaky Deaky" follows a radical 1960's couple who became activists, then 'explosives experts' for hire.

Several of Elmore's books have been adapted to film, including "Hombre" (1967), "Get Shorty" (1995), "Rum Punch" (aka "Jackie Brown") (1997) and "Out of Sight" (1998).

Other Elmore novels turned into films include "Mr. Majestyk" (Charles Bronson), "Valdez Is Coming" (Burt Lancaster), "52 Pick-Up" (Roy Scheider), "Stick" (Burt Reynolds), "The Moonshine War" (Alan Alda), "Last Stand at Saber River" (Tom Selleck), "Gold Coast" (David Caruso), "Glitz" (Jimmy Smits), "Cat Chaser" (Peter Weller), "Touch" (Christopher Walken), "Pronto" (Peter Falk), "Be Cool" (John Travolta) and the Toronto-lensed "Killshot" (Mickey Rourke).

"Freaky Deaky" starts shooting in 2011.

Click the images to enlarge...

Charles Matthau will direct an adaptation of Elmore Leonard’s crime novel “Freaky Deaky”. Matthau, son of Walter Matthau, also wrote the screenplay, which he will produce with Judd Rubin and Michael Meltzer for Myriad Pictures. “Freaky Deaky” tells the tale of two former lovers and extreme radicals with a penchant for bomb making who reunite to steal millions from a wealthy accomplice they believe framed them. Leonard has often cited the book as his favorite. I read a handful of Leonard’s novels years ago, and I never thought much of them in that regard. But while I was reading them I remember thinking that they would make good movies, which they do. “Get Shorty”, “Jackie Brown”, and “Out of Sight” were all good, and don’t get me started on his screenwriting like “Mr. Majestyk” (only Charles Bronson could make a watermelon farmer badass) and “3:10 to Yuma...

Charles Bronson was the unlikeliest of movie stars. Of all the leading men in the history of Hollywood, Charles Bronson had the least range as an actor. He rarely emoted or even changed his expression, and when he did speak, his voice was a reedy whisper. But Charles Bronson could coast on presence, charisma, and silent brooding menace like no one.s business and he wound up the world’s most bankable movie star throughout most of the 1970’s. Bronson did not rise quickly in the Hollywood ranks. His film debut was in 1951 and he spent the next two decades as a solid character actor with a rugged face, muscular physique and everyman ethnicity that kept him busy in supporting roles as indians, convicts, cowboys, boxers, and gangsters. It wasn’t until he was in his late 40’s, after the international success of Once Upon A Time In The West...

As I'm writing this, Intrada's release of Charles Bernstein Mr. Majestyk is already down to 150 copies. Or is it 100 copies? Man, these limited edition CDs are flying fast! Basically this is your last chance to get the music for this unusual picture about a renegade watermelon farmer who stands up for the small men in true Charles Bronson fashion.

In order to make up your mind, here's a short interview with composer Charles Bernstein who explains some of the finer details behind this unusual score. Do people love this score because of its unusual orchestration? Trumpet, nine violins, four cellos, three guitars, three keyboards, fender bass, drums, percussion and more exotic instruments such as the bouzouki and the harmonica... Or do they simply love Charles Bronson handing out justice? Let's find out!

How did you get to work on Mr. Majestyk?

I was hired by producer Walter Mirisch, probably on...

Since reporting on Borre back in August we've been eagerly waiting to hear more from the production about when we can expect to see the film that was originally skedded to appear in 2007. While we don't have an exact release date to share yet, we were given access to this spankin' new full length trailer - and the best part is it's subbed!

Somewhere, someplace lives a loner called Børre, a man in his early thirties. He's got a boring good for nothing job that he hates, and a Swedish grease ball pig boss he’d love to see drop dead on the spot. To escape the reality of his sad boring life, he finds comfort in his bong. His only friend is a Pac-Man loving, dope dealing, Lowriding wannabe-gangster named Ludo. Børre knows a lot about old porn flicks, and his greatest hero of all time is the great,...

Unfortunately, information on this is slim, but I do know they're working on the first cut of the film. It looks like an independent film which was originally supposed to drop last year, but now it's skedded for (hopefully) some time this year. "Somewhere, someplace lives a loner called Børre, a man in his early thirties. He got a boring, good for nothing job that he hates, and a Swedish grease ball pig boss he’d love to see drop dead on the spot.To escape the reality of his sad boring life, he finds comfort in his bong. His only friend is the Pac-Man loving dope dealing Lowriding wannabe-gangster, Ludo. Børre knows a lot about old porn flicks, and his greatest hero of all time is the great, one and only Charles Bronson… Mr. Majestyk! Every woman he ever cared for has disappeared from him, into the thin air.