Glen Powell has been attached to star in Paramount’s reimagining of Heaven Can Wait. More on the project below.
Glen Powell truly is the man of the moment. He’s only just coming off the unexpected success of Sony’s Anyone But You and about to headline the summer’s windiest blockbuster Twisters, but he’s now eyeing up a body-switch comedy.
The Hollywood Reporter reports that Powell will star in Paramount’s reimagining of Heaven Can Wait, based on Harry Segall’s play of the same name. The play was most famously adapted in 1978 and starred Warren Beatty as an NFL football player who suffers an unfortunate, untimely death but returns to Earth in the body of a recently murdered millionaire.
Warren Beatty also directed the film, which received nine Oscar nominations, winning Best Art Direction as it was called at the time. Segall’s play has also...
Glen Powell truly is the man of the moment. He’s only just coming off the unexpected success of Sony’s Anyone But You and about to headline the summer’s windiest blockbuster Twisters, but he’s now eyeing up a body-switch comedy.
The Hollywood Reporter reports that Powell will star in Paramount’s reimagining of Heaven Can Wait, based on Harry Segall’s play of the same name. The play was most famously adapted in 1978 and starred Warren Beatty as an NFL football player who suffers an unfortunate, untimely death but returns to Earth in the body of a recently murdered millionaire.
Warren Beatty also directed the film, which received nine Oscar nominations, winning Best Art Direction as it was called at the time. Segall’s play has also...
- 5/22/2024
- by Maria Lattila
- Film Stories
Glen Powell is to star in a reimagining of 'Heaven Can Wait'.The 35-year-old actor has been cast in a new take on the 1978 movie with Oscar-winning screenwriter Stephen Gaghan penning the project.Based on Harry Segall's 1930s stage play, the original movie starred Warren Beatty as an NFL quarterback who dies prematurely after mistakenly being taken to heaven by his guardian angel before returning to Earth in the body of a recently murdered millionaire.Beatty directed the film alongside Buck Henry and it was nominated for nine Academy Awards – including for Best Picture.Segall's play has also been adapted for the big screen in the 1941 picture 'Here Comes Mr. Jordan', in which the main character was a boxer, and then again in the 2001 comedy 'Down to Earth' that centred on a comedian played by Chris Rock.Glen's version is not thought to be a...
- 5/22/2024
- by Joe Graber
- Bang Showbiz
Just when you thought Glen Powell couldn't be more booked and busy, along comes word that he's adding another potential project to his To Do list. He's now attached to star in a new version of Heaven Can Wait for Paramount.
As originally reported by Puck's What I'm Hearing… newsletter and since confirmed by the likes of The Hollywood Reporter, Powell will play a man who dies prematurely due to an antsy angel and returns to Earth in the body of a recently murdered millionaire.
Stephen Gaghan, who wrote Traffic and wrote/directed Syriana, is on board to script this one.
Originally a 1938 play by Harry Segall, Heaven Can Wait was first turned into a 1941 film by Alexander Hall called Here Comes Mr. Jordan. That outing featured a boxer given a second chance. More famously, it has since crossed the paths of Warren Beatty and Chris Rock, who brought us 2001 comedy Down To Earth,...
As originally reported by Puck's What I'm Hearing… newsletter and since confirmed by the likes of The Hollywood Reporter, Powell will play a man who dies prematurely due to an antsy angel and returns to Earth in the body of a recently murdered millionaire.
Stephen Gaghan, who wrote Traffic and wrote/directed Syriana, is on board to script this one.
Originally a 1938 play by Harry Segall, Heaven Can Wait was first turned into a 1941 film by Alexander Hall called Here Comes Mr. Jordan. That outing featured a boxer given a second chance. More famously, it has since crossed the paths of Warren Beatty and Chris Rock, who brought us 2001 comedy Down To Earth,...
- 5/21/2024
- by James White
- Empire - Movies
Chalk up another project for Glen Powell. Recently, the Hit Man star was announced to be in talks for the new unknown J.J. Abrams project. He was also announced to star in the thriller Huntington, which puts him alongside Margaret Qualley and Ed Harris, as well as joining Anthony Mackie and Laura Dern for the legal drama titled Monsanto. The Hollywood Reporter has now revealed that Powell is now set to star in a reimagining of Warren Beatty’s Heaven Can Wait for Paramount. Stephen Gaghan, who won an Academy Award for his script for Steven Soderbergh’s 2000 crime film Traffic, has been tapped to pen the screenplay for this update.
The 1978 Warren Beatty film was based on Harry Segall’s play of the same name and garnered nominations for nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture; however, the movie would only post a win for Best Art Direction. In the original,...
The 1978 Warren Beatty film was based on Harry Segall’s play of the same name and garnered nominations for nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture; however, the movie would only post a win for Best Art Direction. In the original,...
- 5/21/2024
- by EJ Tangonan
- JoBlo.com
A remake of Heaven Can Wait is in early development at Paramount with Glen Powell, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
Stephen Gaghan, an Oscar winner for his script for Steven Soderbergh’s 2000 crime film Traffic, is writing the project for Powell to star. Based on Harry Segall’s play of the same name, the original 1978 movie Heaven Can Wait starred Warren Beatty and was nominated for nine Oscars including best picture, with the film notching a win for best art direction.
Heaven Can Wait centered on Beatty as an NFL quarterback who dies prematurely due to an antsy angel and returns to Earth in the body of a recently murdered millionaire. Beatty directed the film with Buck Henry and co-wrote the script with Elaine May.
Segall’s play Heaven Can Wait had previously been adapted for the 1941 feature Here Comes Mr. Jordan, with the lead character being a boxer, and...
Stephen Gaghan, an Oscar winner for his script for Steven Soderbergh’s 2000 crime film Traffic, is writing the project for Powell to star. Based on Harry Segall’s play of the same name, the original 1978 movie Heaven Can Wait starred Warren Beatty and was nominated for nine Oscars including best picture, with the film notching a win for best art direction.
Heaven Can Wait centered on Beatty as an NFL quarterback who dies prematurely due to an antsy angel and returns to Earth in the body of a recently murdered millionaire. Beatty directed the film with Buck Henry and co-wrote the script with Elaine May.
Segall’s play Heaven Can Wait had previously been adapted for the 1941 feature Here Comes Mr. Jordan, with the lead character being a boxer, and...
- 5/21/2024
- by Ryan Gajewski and Borys Kit
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
February––particularly its third week––is all about romance. Accordingly the Criterion Channel got creative with their monthly programming and, in a few weeks, will debut Interdimensional Romance, a series of films wherein “passion conquers time and space, age and memory, and even death and the afterlife.” For every title you might’ve guessed there’s a wilder companion: Alan Rudolph’s Made In Heaven, Soderbergh’s remake, and Resnais’ Love Unto Death. Mostly I’m excited to revisit Francis Ford Coppola’s Youth Without Youth, a likely essential viewing before Megalopolis.
February also marks Black History Month, and Criterion’s series will include work by Shirley Clarke (also subject of a standalone series), Garrett Bradley, Cheryl Dunye, and Julie Dash, while movies by Sirk, Minnelli, King Vidor, and Lang play in “Gothic Noir.” Greta Gerwig gets an “Adventures in Moviegoing” and can be seen in Mary Bronstein’s Yeast,...
February also marks Black History Month, and Criterion’s series will include work by Shirley Clarke (also subject of a standalone series), Garrett Bradley, Cheryl Dunye, and Julie Dash, while movies by Sirk, Minnelli, King Vidor, and Lang play in “Gothic Noir.” Greta Gerwig gets an “Adventures in Moviegoing” and can be seen in Mary Bronstein’s Yeast,...
- 1/11/2024
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
Just two years after Anita of “West Side Story” became the first non-white fictional character to inspire multiple Academy Award nominations, three others are on their way to earning the same distinction. As was the case in 1986, 30% of 2024’s female acting Oscar slots could be filled by stars of “The Color Purple,” the new version of which serves as an adaptation of the similarly titled stage musical rather than Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. If Fantasia Barrino, Danielle Brooks, and Taraji P. Henson all reap bids for their fresh takes on the parts for which Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey, and Margaret Avery were previously recognized, the overall list of doubly Oscar-nominated fictional characters will expand to include 20 examples.
In “The Color Purple,” Barrino executes the lead role of Celie Johnson, who she initially played on Broadway as a direct successor to 2006 Tony-winning originator Lachanze. As in the book and first film,...
In “The Color Purple,” Barrino executes the lead role of Celie Johnson, who she initially played on Broadway as a direct successor to 2006 Tony-winning originator Lachanze. As in the book and first film,...
- 11/14/2023
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
If you read our Gold Derby combined odds for Oscar Best Picture, you see that the race is over and “Everything Everywhere All at Once” is about to be crowned at the Academy Awards on March 12. But the favorite doesn’t always win the horserace. Upsets happen. The longshot comes in. Jaws drop. Calculations go awry. Something that no one could see coming winds up coming in. Chaos reigns.
And we love it.
If there is anything we’ve learned, it’s that there are no guarantees. Films that the majority think should have won, don’t. That’s particularly true in hindsight. “Citizen Kane,” widely regarded as the finest film of the 20th century, lost. So did the film many consider to be Martin Scorsese’s best, “Raging Bull.” “Moonlight” beat “La La Land.” “Crash” upset “Brokeback Mountain.” “Shakespeare in Love” upended “Saving Private Ryan.” “Chariots of Fire” snared the trophy over “Reds.
And we love it.
If there is anything we’ve learned, it’s that there are no guarantees. Films that the majority think should have won, don’t. That’s particularly true in hindsight. “Citizen Kane,” widely regarded as the finest film of the 20th century, lost. So did the film many consider to be Martin Scorsese’s best, “Raging Bull.” “Moonlight” beat “La La Land.” “Crash” upset “Brokeback Mountain.” “Shakespeare in Love” upended “Saving Private Ryan.” “Chariots of Fire” snared the trophy over “Reds.
- 2/25/2023
- by Ray Richmond
- Gold Derby
In the 125 years since the first play based on the life of 17th century author Cyrano de Bergerac premiered, the classic underdog tale’s eternal relevance has been proven time and time again. Its simple love triangle premise has served as the basis for many stage and screen adaptations, two of which captured the attention of Oscar voters. José Ferrer and Gérard Depardieu both earned academy recognition for their portrayals of de Bergerac, and now Peter Dinklage is gunning for a Best Actor bid for starring in the new film “Cyrano.” If he succeeds, the character will become one of only a handful in Oscars history to have inspired three nominations.
Dinklage, who bagged four Emmys during his eight-season tenure on “Game of Thrones,” first played de Bergerac during the Off-Broadway run of the stage musical from which his film derives. His potential Oscar nomination would come 71 years after Ferrer’s,...
Dinklage, who bagged four Emmys during his eight-season tenure on “Game of Thrones,” first played de Bergerac during the Off-Broadway run of the stage musical from which his film derives. His potential Oscar nomination would come 71 years after Ferrer’s,...
- 1/21/2022
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
TV director Dan Attias discusses his favorite cinematic moments with hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Sweet Smell of Success (1957) – John Landis’s trailer commentary
Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983)
White Dog (1982)
Silver Bullet (1985)
Witness (1985)
The Verdict (1982)
Scent Of A Woman (1992)
The Piano (1993)
The Pawnbroker (1965)
Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
True Romance (1993)
Infested (2002)
A History Of Violence (2005)
The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)
Gremlins (1984) – Glenn Erickson’s review, Tfh’s 30th anniversary links
It’s A Wonderful Life (1946) – Bill Duke’s trailer commentary, John Landis’s trailer commentary
Jaws (1975) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
Fast Times At Ridgemont High (1982) – Karyn Kusama’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Criterion review
Heaven Can Wait (1978)
Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941) – Glenn Erickson’s Criterion review
12 Angry Men (1957)
Dodes’ka-den (1970)
Memento (2000)
Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Other Notable Items
Phillips Club in NYC
Tfh Guru Alan Spencer
Sledge Hammer! TV series (1986-1988)
The Garland in...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Sweet Smell of Success (1957) – John Landis’s trailer commentary
Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983)
White Dog (1982)
Silver Bullet (1985)
Witness (1985)
The Verdict (1982)
Scent Of A Woman (1992)
The Piano (1993)
The Pawnbroker (1965)
Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
True Romance (1993)
Infested (2002)
A History Of Violence (2005)
The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)
Gremlins (1984) – Glenn Erickson’s review, Tfh’s 30th anniversary links
It’s A Wonderful Life (1946) – Bill Duke’s trailer commentary, John Landis’s trailer commentary
Jaws (1975) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
Fast Times At Ridgemont High (1982) – Karyn Kusama’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Criterion review
Heaven Can Wait (1978)
Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941) – Glenn Erickson’s Criterion review
12 Angry Men (1957)
Dodes’ka-den (1970)
Memento (2000)
Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Other Notable Items
Phillips Club in NYC
Tfh Guru Alan Spencer
Sledge Hammer! TV series (1986-1988)
The Garland in...
- 9/14/2021
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
Writer, director, producer Nicole Holofcener joins podcast hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante to discuss some of her favorite films.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Enough Said (2013)
True Romance (1993)
Coming Home (1978)
Bound for Glory (1976)
Hal (2018)
The Best Years Of Our Lives (1946)
The Cowboys (1972)
Harold And Maude (1971)
Conrack (1974)
Norma Rae (1979)
Midnight Cowboy (1969)
Miller’s Crossing (1990)
Naked (1993)
The Short And Curlies (1987)
Short Cuts (1993)
Nashville (1975)
McCabe and Mrs. Miller (1971)
Heaven Can Wait (1978)
Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941)
The Father (2020)
Carnal Knowledge (1971)
Sex, Lies And Videotape (1989)
Jaws (1975)
Abbott and Costello Meet The Mummy (1955)
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)
World Without End (1956)
Boogie Nights (1997)
Blue Velvet (1986)
Goodfellas (1990)
Adaptation (2002)
Synecdoche, New York (2008)
Lolita (1962)
The Shining (1980)
A Clockwork Orange (1971)
Dr. Strangelove (1964)
Paths of Glory (1957)
Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
12 Angry Men (1957)
A Serious Man (2009)
Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)
The Big Lebowski (1998)
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)
The Man Who Wasn’t There (2001)
Intolerable Cruelty (2003)
Capote (2005)
A History of Violence (2005)
The 400 Blows...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Enough Said (2013)
True Romance (1993)
Coming Home (1978)
Bound for Glory (1976)
Hal (2018)
The Best Years Of Our Lives (1946)
The Cowboys (1972)
Harold And Maude (1971)
Conrack (1974)
Norma Rae (1979)
Midnight Cowboy (1969)
Miller’s Crossing (1990)
Naked (1993)
The Short And Curlies (1987)
Short Cuts (1993)
Nashville (1975)
McCabe and Mrs. Miller (1971)
Heaven Can Wait (1978)
Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941)
The Father (2020)
Carnal Knowledge (1971)
Sex, Lies And Videotape (1989)
Jaws (1975)
Abbott and Costello Meet The Mummy (1955)
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)
World Without End (1956)
Boogie Nights (1997)
Blue Velvet (1986)
Goodfellas (1990)
Adaptation (2002)
Synecdoche, New York (2008)
Lolita (1962)
The Shining (1980)
A Clockwork Orange (1971)
Dr. Strangelove (1964)
Paths of Glory (1957)
Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
12 Angry Men (1957)
A Serious Man (2009)
Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)
The Big Lebowski (1998)
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)
The Man Who Wasn’t There (2001)
Intolerable Cruelty (2003)
Capote (2005)
A History of Violence (2005)
The 400 Blows...
- 3/16/2021
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
Helping you stay sane while staying safe… featuring Leonard Maltin, Dave Anthony, Miguel Arteta, John Landis, and Blaire Bercy from the Hollywood Food Coalition.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Plague (1979)
Target Earth (1954)
The Left Hand of God (1955)
A Lost Lady (1934)
Enough Said (2013)
Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941)
Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (1939)
Heaven Can Wait (1978)
Down to Earth (2001)
Down To Earth (1947)
The Commitments (1991)
Once (2007)
Election (1999)
About Schmidt (2002)
Sideways (2004)
Nebraska (2013)
The Man in the Moon (1991)
The 39 Steps (1935)
Casablanca (1942)
The Lady Vanishes (1938)
The Night Walker (1964)
Chuck and Buck (2000)
Cedar Rapids (2011)
Beatriz at Dinner (2017)
Duck Butter (2018)
The Good Girl (2002)
The Big Heat (1953)
Human Desire (1954)
Slightly French (1949)
Week-End with Father (1951)
Experiment In Terror (1962)
They Shoot Horses Don’t They? (1969)
Ray’s Male Heterosexual Dance Hall (1987)
Airport (1970)
Earthquake (1974)
Drive a Crooked Road (1954)
Pushover (1954)
Waves (2019)
Krisha (2015)
The Oblong Box (1969)
80,000 Suspects (1963)
Panic In The Streets (1950)
It Comes At Night (2017)
Children of Men (2006)
The Road (2009)
You Were Never Really Here...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Plague (1979)
Target Earth (1954)
The Left Hand of God (1955)
A Lost Lady (1934)
Enough Said (2013)
Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941)
Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (1939)
Heaven Can Wait (1978)
Down to Earth (2001)
Down To Earth (1947)
The Commitments (1991)
Once (2007)
Election (1999)
About Schmidt (2002)
Sideways (2004)
Nebraska (2013)
The Man in the Moon (1991)
The 39 Steps (1935)
Casablanca (1942)
The Lady Vanishes (1938)
The Night Walker (1964)
Chuck and Buck (2000)
Cedar Rapids (2011)
Beatriz at Dinner (2017)
Duck Butter (2018)
The Good Girl (2002)
The Big Heat (1953)
Human Desire (1954)
Slightly French (1949)
Week-End with Father (1951)
Experiment In Terror (1962)
They Shoot Horses Don’t They? (1969)
Ray’s Male Heterosexual Dance Hall (1987)
Airport (1970)
Earthquake (1974)
Drive a Crooked Road (1954)
Pushover (1954)
Waves (2019)
Krisha (2015)
The Oblong Box (1969)
80,000 Suspects (1963)
Panic In The Streets (1950)
It Comes At Night (2017)
Children of Men (2006)
The Road (2009)
You Were Never Really Here...
- 5/1/2020
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
The director of Arlington Road, The Mothman Prophecies, Pearl Jam’s Jeremy and many more reflects on his career and some of the movies that made him.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Arlington Road (1999)
The Mothman Prophecies (2002)
Firewall (2006)
The Orphanage (2007)
Nostalgia (2018)
Avatar (2009)
Titanic (1997)
Chef (2014)
The Laundromat (2019)
Honeymoon In Vegas (1992)
Demonlover (2003)
Under The Sand (2000)
Mulholland Dr. (2001)
Under The Skin (2013)
The Great Beauty (2013)
Slap Shot (1977)
Network (1976)
Straw Dogs (1971)
The Pawnbroker (1964)
Star Wars (1977)
The Exorcist (1973)
Jaws (1975)
The World’s Greatest Athlete (1973)
All The President’s Men (1976)
Liquid Sky (1982)
The Brother From Another Planet (1984)
City Of Hope (1991)
Stop Making Sense (1984)
Snowpiercer (2013)
The Flintstones (1994)
Matinee (1993)
Batman (1989)
Transformers (2007)
A History Of Violence (2005)
Heaven Can Wait (1978)
Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941)
Psycho (1960)
Psycho (1998)
Mandy (2018)
Phantom Thread (2017)
Magnolia (1999)
Boogie Nights (1997)
The Master (2012)
There Will Be Blood (2007)
The Mustang (2019)
Inherent Vice (2014)
The New World (2005)
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)
The Last Word (2017)
Cocaine Cowboys (2006)
The Burglar (1957)
What Lies Beneath...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Arlington Road (1999)
The Mothman Prophecies (2002)
Firewall (2006)
The Orphanage (2007)
Nostalgia (2018)
Avatar (2009)
Titanic (1997)
Chef (2014)
The Laundromat (2019)
Honeymoon In Vegas (1992)
Demonlover (2003)
Under The Sand (2000)
Mulholland Dr. (2001)
Under The Skin (2013)
The Great Beauty (2013)
Slap Shot (1977)
Network (1976)
Straw Dogs (1971)
The Pawnbroker (1964)
Star Wars (1977)
The Exorcist (1973)
Jaws (1975)
The World’s Greatest Athlete (1973)
All The President’s Men (1976)
Liquid Sky (1982)
The Brother From Another Planet (1984)
City Of Hope (1991)
Stop Making Sense (1984)
Snowpiercer (2013)
The Flintstones (1994)
Matinee (1993)
Batman (1989)
Transformers (2007)
A History Of Violence (2005)
Heaven Can Wait (1978)
Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941)
Psycho (1960)
Psycho (1998)
Mandy (2018)
Phantom Thread (2017)
Magnolia (1999)
Boogie Nights (1997)
The Master (2012)
There Will Be Blood (2007)
The Mustang (2019)
Inherent Vice (2014)
The New World (2005)
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)
The Last Word (2017)
Cocaine Cowboys (2006)
The Burglar (1957)
What Lies Beneath...
- 4/21/2020
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
Charles Laughton’s sole directorial effort, the 1955 suspense classic The Night of the Hunter is getting a modern remake from Universal Pictures, according to Variety. Amy Pascal’s (Spider-Man: Far From Home) Universal Pictures-based banner Pascal Pictures will produce along with Peter Gethers. The screenplay will be written by Matt Orton, best known for the Nazi-hunter film Operation Finale, based on Davis Grubb’s 1953 novel.
The original film is iconic, and Robert Mitchum’s portrayal of newly released prison convict Harry Powell is one of the greatest villains of the silver screen. This is the film which introduced the hand tattoos Love and Hate and the biblical battle fought just below the knuckles. It is the story of good and evil that goes back to when “Cain struck the blow that laid his brother low.” The inked-fingers had “veins that run straight to the soul of man.”
The book and...
The original film is iconic, and Robert Mitchum’s portrayal of newly released prison convict Harry Powell is one of the greatest villains of the silver screen. This is the film which introduced the hand tattoos Love and Hate and the biblical battle fought just below the knuckles. It is the story of good and evil that goes back to when “Cain struck the blow that laid his brother low.” The inked-fingers had “veins that run straight to the soul of man.”
The book and...
- 4/8/2020
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
Stuart Whitman, best known for his role in the TV western series Cimarron Strip and his Oscar-nominated turn in the drama The Mark, died in his home in Montecito, California. He was 92.
According to TMZ, Whitman had been in and out of the hospital as a result of skin cancer seeping into his bloodstream. He was surrounded by family at the time of his death.
More from DeadlineR.D. Call Dies: 'Into The Wild', 'Born On The Fourth Of July' Actor Was 70Earl Pomerantz Dies: 'Mary Tyler Moore Show' & 'Cheers' Writer, 'Major Dad' Producer Was 75Mart Crowley Dies: The Trailblazing 'Boys In The Band' Playwright Was 84
Whitman was born on February 1, 1928 in San Francisco before his family would move to Brooklyn. He went on to graduate from Hollywood High School and served in the United States Army in the Corps of Engineers.
According to TMZ, Whitman had been in and out of the hospital as a result of skin cancer seeping into his bloodstream. He was surrounded by family at the time of his death.
More from DeadlineR.D. Call Dies: 'Into The Wild', 'Born On The Fourth Of July' Actor Was 70Earl Pomerantz Dies: 'Mary Tyler Moore Show' & 'Cheers' Writer, 'Major Dad' Producer Was 75Mart Crowley Dies: The Trailblazing 'Boys In The Band' Playwright Was 84
Whitman was born on February 1, 1928 in San Francisco before his family would move to Brooklyn. He went on to graduate from Hollywood High School and served in the United States Army in the Corps of Engineers.
- 3/17/2020
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Jo March and Vito Corleone have nothing in common besides being iconic literary and film figures, but they may soon have some shared Oscar history. If Greta Gerwig wins Best Adapted Screenplay, as our odds are forecasting, “Little Women” would join “The Godfather” as two-time Oscar-winning source material.
Mario Puzo‘s seminal 1969 crime novel “The Godfather” is the only work thus far that has yielded multiple Best Adapted Screenplay victories. Along with Francis Ford Coppola, the author adapted his signature book into screenplays for “The Godfather” (1972) and “The Godfather Part II” (1974), and they became two of seven people to win the category a record two times. “The Godfather” is the only franchise to have multiple wins as well.
Harry Seagall‘s play “Heaven Can Wait” came close to producing two wins: Sidney Buchman and Seton I. Miller prevailed for their 1941 adaptation, “Here Comes Mr. Jordan,” but Warren Beatty and Elaine May lost for their 1978 version,...
Mario Puzo‘s seminal 1969 crime novel “The Godfather” is the only work thus far that has yielded multiple Best Adapted Screenplay victories. Along with Francis Ford Coppola, the author adapted his signature book into screenplays for “The Godfather” (1972) and “The Godfather Part II” (1974), and they became two of seven people to win the category a record two times. “The Godfather” is the only franchise to have multiple wins as well.
Harry Seagall‘s play “Heaven Can Wait” came close to producing two wins: Sidney Buchman and Seton I. Miller prevailed for their 1941 adaptation, “Here Comes Mr. Jordan,” but Warren Beatty and Elaine May lost for their 1978 version,...
- 1/28/2020
- by Joyce Eng
- Gold Derby
This may be the year for new cinephile converts to the cult of appreciation for the great Ernst Lubitsch. One of his last pictures but his first in color is this Production Code-defying tale of a serial philanderer and his relationship with the woman of his dreams, his wife. It’s stylized as a series of birthdays, and our hero is judged not by St. Peter but at the gates of Hades, by the fallen angel himself.
Heaven Can Wait
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 291
1943 / Color / 1:37 flat full frame / 112 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date August 21, 2018 / 39.95
Starring Gene Tierney, Don Ameche, Charles Coburn, Marjorie Main, Laird Cregar, Spring Byington, Allyn Joslyn, Eugene Pallette, Signe Hasso, Louis Calhern
Cinematography Edward Cronjager
Art Direction James Basevi, Leland Fuller
Film Editor Dorothy Spencer
Original Music Alfred Newman
Written by Samson Raphaelson from a play by Leslie Bush-Fekete
Produced and Directed by Ernst Lubitsch
Wait one second,...
Heaven Can Wait
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 291
1943 / Color / 1:37 flat full frame / 112 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date August 21, 2018 / 39.95
Starring Gene Tierney, Don Ameche, Charles Coburn, Marjorie Main, Laird Cregar, Spring Byington, Allyn Joslyn, Eugene Pallette, Signe Hasso, Louis Calhern
Cinematography Edward Cronjager
Art Direction James Basevi, Leland Fuller
Film Editor Dorothy Spencer
Original Music Alfred Newman
Written by Samson Raphaelson from a play by Leslie Bush-Fekete
Produced and Directed by Ernst Lubitsch
Wait one second,...
- 8/7/2018
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
David O. Selznick’s marvelous romantic fantasy ode to Jennifer Jones was almost wholly unappreciated back in 1948. It’s one of those peculiar pictures that either melts one’s heart or doesn’t. Backed by a music score adapted from Debussy, just one breathy “Oh Eben . . . “ will turn average romantics into mush.
Portrait of Jennie
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1948 / B&W w/ Color Insert / 1:37 flat Academy / 86 min. / Street Date October 24, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Jennifer Jones, Joseph Cotten, Ethel Barrymore, Lillian Gish, Cecil Kellaway, David Wayne, Albert Sharpe.
Cinematography: Joseph H. August
Production Designers: J. MacMillan Johnson, Joseph B. Platt
Original Music: Dimitri Tiomkin, also adapting themes from Claude Debussy; Bernard Herrmann
Written by Leonardo Bercovici, Peter Berneis, Paul Osborn, from the novella by Robert Nathan
Produced by David O. Selznick
Directed by William Dieterle
Once upon a time David O. Selznick’s Portrait of Jennie was an...
Portrait of Jennie
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1948 / B&W w/ Color Insert / 1:37 flat Academy / 86 min. / Street Date October 24, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Jennifer Jones, Joseph Cotten, Ethel Barrymore, Lillian Gish, Cecil Kellaway, David Wayne, Albert Sharpe.
Cinematography: Joseph H. August
Production Designers: J. MacMillan Johnson, Joseph B. Platt
Original Music: Dimitri Tiomkin, also adapting themes from Claude Debussy; Bernard Herrmann
Written by Leonardo Bercovici, Peter Berneis, Paul Osborn, from the novella by Robert Nathan
Produced by David O. Selznick
Directed by William Dieterle
Once upon a time David O. Selznick’s Portrait of Jennie was an...
- 10/10/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
This episode takes a look at Criterion from the artistic lens, as we talk film with illustrators Caitlin Kuhwald and Michele Rosenthal. Caitlin has designed covers for Amarcord, The Organizer, To Be or Not to Be, Here Comes Mr. Jordan, and many more. Michele has designed images inspired by her “Affection” of Criterion. We talk about the July announcements, Twin Peaks, Buena Vista Social Club, Trips to Italy, and all sorts of other topics.
Episode Notes
8:00 – July Announcements
32:00 – Newsletter Clue – Fire Walk With Me
38:30 – Buena Vista Social Club
42:30 – Jonathan Demme Rip
46:00 – Short Takes (Diabolique, A Taste of Honey, Woman of the Year)
54:00 – FilmStruck
Episode Links Criterion Now Facebook Group Criterion Close-Up 24 – With Caitlin Kuhwald Criterion Close-Up 34 – With Michele Rosenthal The Mean Magenta Will Eisner Sam Spratt (artist of The Lure poster) Episode Credits Aaron West: Twitter | Website | Letterboxd Caitlin Kuhwald: Website | Twitter | Instagram Michele...
Episode Notes
8:00 – July Announcements
32:00 – Newsletter Clue – Fire Walk With Me
38:30 – Buena Vista Social Club
42:30 – Jonathan Demme Rip
46:00 – Short Takes (Diabolique, A Taste of Honey, Woman of the Year)
54:00 – FilmStruck
Episode Links Criterion Now Facebook Group Criterion Close-Up 24 – With Caitlin Kuhwald Criterion Close-Up 34 – With Michele Rosenthal The Mean Magenta Will Eisner Sam Spratt (artist of The Lure poster) Episode Credits Aaron West: Twitter | Website | Letterboxd Caitlin Kuhwald: Website | Twitter | Instagram Michele...
- 5/1/2017
- by Aaron West
- CriterionCast
According to the movies, death looks a whole lot like the Dmv.Beetlejuice (1988)
Applying to grad school can feel a lot like limbo. Like being stuck in a waiting room, clutching a call number with wingdings on it, praying you dotted all your i’s correctly. You’d be forgiven for thinking your curriculum vitae was being weighed on a scale against the feather of Ma’at, Egyptian deity of minimum Gpa requirements. It feels just about as esoteric.
Divine judgement, like academia, has a bureaucratic bent to it; an adherence to policy and procedure at odds with any human tendency towards sense-making. That’s a particularly humorous metaphor: that complex administrative systems are as inscrutable and baffling as divine ones, that something so nefariously human could be otherworldly. It’s a relatable, “so taxes are like, literally hell, huh?” The joke’s longevity extends at least as far back as Virgil’s Aeneid, where...
Applying to grad school can feel a lot like limbo. Like being stuck in a waiting room, clutching a call number with wingdings on it, praying you dotted all your i’s correctly. You’d be forgiven for thinking your curriculum vitae was being weighed on a scale against the feather of Ma’at, Egyptian deity of minimum Gpa requirements. It feels just about as esoteric.
Divine judgement, like academia, has a bureaucratic bent to it; an adherence to policy and procedure at odds with any human tendency towards sense-making. That’s a particularly humorous metaphor: that complex administrative systems are as inscrutable and baffling as divine ones, that something so nefariously human could be otherworldly. It’s a relatable, “so taxes are like, literally hell, huh?” The joke’s longevity extends at least as far back as Virgil’s Aeneid, where...
- 3/21/2017
- by Meg Shields
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Just because a movie or a celebrity wins an Oscar, that doesn't mean the win was deserved. While the Academy Awards are seen as the capstone to awards season -- and one of the highest honors in the business -- we all know that stars and movies get snubbed or overlooked all the time.
What's worse is when we look back at what did win, and shake our heads in confusion and disbelief. So, with the 89th Academy Awards just around the corner, let's take a look back over the show's illustrious history at a few times the Academy voters clearly made a mistake.
Watch: 2017 Oscar Awards Nominees: 'La La Land' Leads With 14 Nominations
1. How Green Was My Valley wins Best Picture at the 14th Academy Awards in 1942
20th Century Fox
Beat Out: Citizen Kane, The Maltese Falcon, Blossoms in the Dust, Here Comes Mr. Jordan, Hold Back the Dawn, The Little Foxes, [link...
What's worse is when we look back at what did win, and shake our heads in confusion and disbelief. So, with the 89th Academy Awards just around the corner, let's take a look back over the show's illustrious history at a few times the Academy voters clearly made a mistake.
Watch: 2017 Oscar Awards Nominees: 'La La Land' Leads With 14 Nominations
1. How Green Was My Valley wins Best Picture at the 14th Academy Awards in 1942
20th Century Fox
Beat Out: Citizen Kane, The Maltese Falcon, Blossoms in the Dust, Here Comes Mr. Jordan, Hold Back the Dawn, The Little Foxes, [link...
- 2/24/2017
- Entertainment Tonight
Political terror scenarios were a bit simpler in the 1950s, and movies about them fairly rare. Frank Sinatra gives a strong performance as the villain John Baron, in a tense tale of presidential assassination by high-powered rifle. Suddenly Blu-ray The Film Detective 1954 / B&W / 1.75 widescreen / 75 min. / Street Date October 25, 2016 / 14.99 Starring Frank Sinatra, Sterling Hayden, James Gleason, Nancy Gates, Willis Bouchey, Cinematography Charles G. Clarke Art Direction Frank Sylos Film Editor John F. Schreyer Original Music David Raksin Written by Richard Sale Produced by Robert Bassler Directed by Lewis Allen
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Some disc companies do well by refurbishing movies in the Public Domain, using various methods to bring what were once bargain-bin eyesores nearer the level of releases made from prime source material in studio vaults. As I've reported with efforts by HD Cinema Classics and Vci, the results vary dramatically -- did the company do a professional job,...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Some disc companies do well by refurbishing movies in the Public Domain, using various methods to bring what were once bargain-bin eyesores nearer the level of releases made from prime source material in studio vaults. As I've reported with efforts by HD Cinema Classics and Vci, the results vary dramatically -- did the company do a professional job,...
- 10/8/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
In this episode of CriterionCast Chronicles, Ryan is joined by David Blakeslee, Arik Devens, Aaron West and Scott Nye to discuss the Criterion Collection releases for June 2016.
Subscribe in iTunes or RSS.
Episode Links Le amiche (1955) Amazon.com: Le amiche Le amiche: Friends—Italian Style Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941) Amazon.com: Here Comes Mr. Jordan Here Comes the Angel of Death La chienne (1931) Amazon.com: La chienne La chienne: He, She, and the Other Guy Fantastic Planet (1973) Amazon.com: Fantastic Planet Fantastic Planet: Gambous Amalga Dr. Strangelove, or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) Amazon.com: Dr. Strangelove, Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb Criterion Designs: Dr. Strangelove Clouds of Sils Maria (2014) Amazon.com: Clouds of Sils Maria iClouds of Sils Maria Episode Credits Ryan Gallagher (Twitter / Website) David Blakeslee (Twitter / Website) Aaron West (Twitter / Website) Arik Devens (Twitter / Website...
Subscribe in iTunes or RSS.
Episode Links Le amiche (1955) Amazon.com: Le amiche Le amiche: Friends—Italian Style Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941) Amazon.com: Here Comes Mr. Jordan Here Comes the Angel of Death La chienne (1931) Amazon.com: La chienne La chienne: He, She, and the Other Guy Fantastic Planet (1973) Amazon.com: Fantastic Planet Fantastic Planet: Gambous Amalga Dr. Strangelove, or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) Amazon.com: Dr. Strangelove, Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb Criterion Designs: Dr. Strangelove Clouds of Sils Maria (2014) Amazon.com: Clouds of Sils Maria iClouds of Sils Maria Episode Credits Ryan Gallagher (Twitter / Website) David Blakeslee (Twitter / Website) Aaron West (Twitter / Website) Arik Devens (Twitter / Website...
- 7/21/2016
- by Ryan Gallagher
- CriterionCast
Rushes collects news, articles, images, videos and more for a weekly roundup of essential items from the world of film.NEWSAnton Yelchin in Green RoomUnexpected and tragic news at the end of the weekend was that actor Anton Yelchin (Star Trek, Only Lovers Left Alive, Joe Dante's Burying the Ex, Green Room) was accidentally killed at his home.French New Wave director Éric Rohmer was intensely private, so details of his long, productive life have generally been slim. But now, as Richard Brody writes at the New Yorker, a 2014 biography by Antoine de Baecque and Noël Herpe has been translated into English, and makes for essential reading about one of cinema's greats.We won't get properly excited until, first, the cameras are rolling, and second, there's a hope of some kind of release date, but The Film Stage has gathered enough evidence to point towards what Terrence Malick's next film will be: Radegund,...
- 6/22/2016
- MUBI
★★★☆☆ Adapted from the stage play, Heaven Can Wait, Alexander Hall's 1941 Here Comes Mr. Jordan is notable mainly for its numerous remakes and its position as arguably the first supernatural comedy. Following his untimely demise, boxer Joe Pendleton (Robert Montgomery) is taken to heaven only to meet the eponymous angel Mr. Jordan (Claude Rains), who agrees to find Joe a recently-deceased body in which to live out his life. Things are complicated, however, when Joe occupies the murdered body of Bruce Farnsworth, a roundly despised corporate tycoon whose possession by Pendleton diverts his tarnished legacy on to a better path.
- 6/20/2016
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
In this episode of Off The Shelf, Ryan and Brian take a look at the new DVD and Blu-ray releases for Tuesday, June 14th, 2016.
Subscribe in iTunes or RSS.
Follow-Up Brian’s tweet about The Thing News Twilight Time – September/October Titles Arrow Video – September titles The Deadly Trackers Blue Sunshine Kino Lorber – Moving Violations, The Park Is Mine The Transformers: The Movie Scream Factory Sale Raising Cain The Thing Invasion Of The Body Snatchers Links to Amazon Airport: The Complete Collection Black Dog La Chienne Edvard Munch (1974) (Masters of Cinema) Gold Here Comes Mr. Jordan (The Criterion Collection) Jaws 2 Jaws 3 Jaws: The Revenge Nikkatsu Diamond Guys Vol. 2 Star Trek XI Star Trek Into Darkness Too Late for Tears Woman on the Run X-Files: The Event Series The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959) on Blu-ray Inserts (1975) on Blu-ray The Member of The Wedding (1952) on Blu-ray The Panic in Needle Park...
Subscribe in iTunes or RSS.
Follow-Up Brian’s tweet about The Thing News Twilight Time – September/October Titles Arrow Video – September titles The Deadly Trackers Blue Sunshine Kino Lorber – Moving Violations, The Park Is Mine The Transformers: The Movie Scream Factory Sale Raising Cain The Thing Invasion Of The Body Snatchers Links to Amazon Airport: The Complete Collection Black Dog La Chienne Edvard Munch (1974) (Masters of Cinema) Gold Here Comes Mr. Jordan (The Criterion Collection) Jaws 2 Jaws 3 Jaws: The Revenge Nikkatsu Diamond Guys Vol. 2 Star Trek XI Star Trek Into Darkness Too Late for Tears Woman on the Run X-Files: The Event Series The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959) on Blu-ray Inserts (1975) on Blu-ray The Member of The Wedding (1952) on Blu-ray The Panic in Needle Park...
- 6/16/2016
- by Ryan Gallagher
- CriterionCast
Part screwball comedy, part supernatural mystery, and part fable, Alexander Hall's Here Comes Mr. Jordan is one of the most enduring films of Hollywood's golden age between the Great Depression and the emergence of the new Hollywood in the '50s. This story of an up-and-comer who finds himself down-and-out at the hands of a mischievous agent of the hereafter is universally relatable, as it teaches the viewer about his own desires and expectations and just how silly it can be to try to plan away misery. As the old saying goes, life is what happens while we're busy making plans, and no one learns that lesson quite like Joe Pendleton. Pendleton is a boxer on the rise, the Flying Pug they call him (short for...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 6/16/2016
- Screen Anarchy
Part screwball comedy, part supernatural mystery, and part fable, Alexander Hall's Here Comes Mr. Jordan is one of the most enduring films of Hollywood's golden age between the Great Depression and the emergence of the new Hollywood in the '50s. This story of an up-and-comer who finds himself down-and-out at the hands of a mischievous agent of the hereafter is universally relatable, as it teaches the viewer about his own desires and expectations and just how silly it can be to try to plan away misery. As the old saying goes, life is what happens while we're busy making plans, and no one learns that lesson quite like Joe Pendleton. Pendleton is a boxer on the rise, the Flying Pug they call him (short for...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 6/16/2016
- Screen Anarchy
Every week we dive into the cream of the crop when it comes to home releases, including Blu-ray and DVDs, as well as recommended deals of the week. Check out our rundown below and return every Tuesday for the best (or most interesting) films one can take home. Note that if you’re looking to support the site, every purchase you make through the links below helps us and is greatly appreciated.
10 Cloverfield Lane (Dan Trachtenberg)
Forget the Cloverfield connection. The actors who were in this film didn’t even know what the title was until moments before the first trailer dropped. Producer J.J. Abrams used that branding as part of the wrapping for its promotional mystery box, but the movie stands perfectly alone from 2008’s found-footage monster picture. Hell, 10 Cloverfield Lane perhaps doesn’t even take place within the same fictional universe as that film — although a friend asked if it’s secretly a Super 8 sequel, and, honestly, you could think of it as one without contradicting anything in either movie. Whether the Cloverfield name fills you with wariness or enthusiasm, it would be unwise to burden Dan Trachtenberg‘s film with such prejudices. – Dan S. (full review)
45 Years (Andrew Haigh)
Andrew Haigh’s third feature as a director, 45 Years, is an excellent companion piece to its 2011 predecessor, Weekend. The latter examined the inception of a potential relationship between two men over the course of a weekend, whereas its successor considers the opposite extreme. Again sticking to a tight timeframe, the film chronicles the six days leading up to a couple’s 45th wedding anniversary. Though highly accomplished, Weekend nevertheless suffered from a tendency towards commenting on itself as a gay issues film, which at times overrode the otherwise compelling realism. Despite treating material arguably even more underrepresented in cinema – senior relationships – Haigh avoids this same self-reflexive pitfall in 45 Years, pulling off an incisive and emotionally ensnaring tour de force. – Giovanni M.C. (full review)
Here Comes Mr. Jordan (Alexander Hall)
A sophisticated supernatural Hollywood comedy whose influence continues to be felt, Here Comes Mr. Jordan stars the eminently versatile Robert Montgomery as a working-class boxer and amateur aviator whose plane crashes in a freak accident. He finds himself in heaven but is told, by a wry angel named Mr. Jordan (Claude Rains), that his death was a clerical error, and that he can return to Earth by entering the body of a corrupt (and about-to-be-murdered) financier—whose soul could use a transplant. Nominated for seven Oscars (it won two) and the inspiration for a sequel with Rita Hayworth and two remakes, Alexander Hall’s effervescent Here Comes Mr. Jordan is comic perfection. – Criterion.com
La Chienne (Jean Renoir)
Jean Renoir’s ruthless love triangle tale, his second sound film, is a true precursor to his brilliantly bitter The Rules of the Game, displaying all of the filmmaker’s visual genius and fully imbued with his profound humanity. Michel Simon cuts a tragic figure as an unhappily married cashier and amateur painter who becomes so smitten with a prostitute that he refuses to see the obvious: that she and her pimp boyfriend are taking advantage of him. Renoir’s elegant compositions and camera movements carry this twisting narrative—a stinging commentary on class and sexual divisions—to an unforgettably ironic conclusion. – Criterion.com
Also Arriving This Week
Eddie the Eagle (review)
Hello, My Name is Doris (review)
Get a Job (review)
Gold
Recommended Deals of the Week
Top Deal: A selection of Clint Eastwood and Steven Spielberg Blu-rays are under $10 this week.
All the President’s Men (Blu-ray) – $7.79
The American (Blu-ray) – $6.68
Amelie (Blu-ray) – $8.99
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (Blu-ray) – $7.88
Beginners (Blu-ray) – $6.11
Bone Tomahawk (Blu-ray) – $9.99
The Brothers Bloom (Blu-ray) – $9.99
The Cabin in the Woods (Blu-ray) – $9.99
Casino (Blu-ray) – $9.49
The Conformist (Blu-ray) – $14.49
Cloud Atlas (Blu-ray) – $7.99
Crimson Peak (Blu-ray) – $8.99
Dear White People (Blu-ray) – $9.99
The Deer Hunter (Blu-ray) – $10.61
Eastern Promises (Blu-ray) – $8.57
Ex Machina (Blu-ray) – $8.00
The Grand Budapest Hotel (Blu-ray) – $5.99
The Guest (Blu-ray) – $9.49
Hail, Caesar! (Blu-ray) – $12.99
Heat (Blu-ray) – $7.88
Holy Motors (Blu-ray) – $10.59
The Informant! (Blu-ray) – $8.07
Inglorious Basterds (Blu-ray) – $4.99
Interstellar (Blu-ray) – $5.00
The Iron Giant (Blu-ray pre-order) – $9.99
Jaws (Blu-ray) – $7.88
John Wick (Blu-ray) – $8.00
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (Blu-ray) – $9.69
Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter (Blu-ray) – $9.89
The Lady From Shanghai (Blu-ray) – $8.99
Looper (Blu-ray) – $7.88
Lost In Translation (Blu-ray) – $9.49
Macbeth (Blu-ray) – $11.99
Mad Max: Fury Road (Blu-ray) – $10.00
Magic Mike Xxl (Blu-ray) – $11.99
Magnolia (Blu-ray) – $9.19
The Man Who Wasn’t There (Blu-ray) – $9.49
Margaret (Blu-ray) – $9.49
Martha Marcy May Marlene (Blu-ray) – $6.99
The Master (Blu-ray) – $12.69
Michael Clayton (Blu-ray) – $7.98
Nebraska (Blu-ray) – $9.35
Never Let Me Go (Blu-ray) – $7.99
No Country For Old Men (Blu-ray) – $5.99
Non-Stop (Blu-ray) – $8.99
Obvious Child (Blu-ray) – $9.99
Pan’s Labyrinth (Blu-ray) – $7.99
ParaNorman (Blu-ray) – $7.98
Pariah (Blu-ray) – $9.98
Persepolis (Blu-ray) – $5.79
Prisoners (Blu-ray) – $10.49
Pulp Fiction (Blu-ray) – $8.48
Raging Bull: 30th Anniversary Edition (Blu-ray) – $10.19
Re-Animator (Blu-ray) – $9.99
Rio Bravo (Blu-ray) – $5.99
Road to Perdition (Blu-ray) – $8.99
The Searchers / Wild Bunch / How the West Was Won (Blu-ray) – $10.36
Sex, Lies, and Videotape (Blu-ray) – $5.88
Short Term 12 (Blu-ray) – $9.89
Shutter Island (Blu-ray) – $6.79
A Separation (Blu-ray) – $6.80
A Serious Man (Blu-ray) – $7.22
A Single Man (Blu-ray) – $6.00
The Social Network (Blu-ray) – $9.96
Spotlight (Blu-ray) – $9.99
Steve Jobs (Blu-ray) – $9.99
Straight Outta Compton (Blu-ray) – $10.00
Synecdoche, NY (Blu-ray) – $6.89
There Will Be Blood (Blu-ray) – $8.20
They Came Together (Blu-ray) – $9.99
The Tree of Life (Blu-ray) – $6.99
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (Blu-ray) – $5.52
Volver (Blu-ray) – $5.95
Where the Wild Things Are (Blu-ray) – $7.99
Whiplash (Blu-ray) – $9.99
The Witch (Blu-ray) – $14.96
The Wrestler (Blu-ray) – $7.00
See all Blu-ray deals.
What are you picking up this week?...
10 Cloverfield Lane (Dan Trachtenberg)
Forget the Cloverfield connection. The actors who were in this film didn’t even know what the title was until moments before the first trailer dropped. Producer J.J. Abrams used that branding as part of the wrapping for its promotional mystery box, but the movie stands perfectly alone from 2008’s found-footage monster picture. Hell, 10 Cloverfield Lane perhaps doesn’t even take place within the same fictional universe as that film — although a friend asked if it’s secretly a Super 8 sequel, and, honestly, you could think of it as one without contradicting anything in either movie. Whether the Cloverfield name fills you with wariness or enthusiasm, it would be unwise to burden Dan Trachtenberg‘s film with such prejudices. – Dan S. (full review)
45 Years (Andrew Haigh)
Andrew Haigh’s third feature as a director, 45 Years, is an excellent companion piece to its 2011 predecessor, Weekend. The latter examined the inception of a potential relationship between two men over the course of a weekend, whereas its successor considers the opposite extreme. Again sticking to a tight timeframe, the film chronicles the six days leading up to a couple’s 45th wedding anniversary. Though highly accomplished, Weekend nevertheless suffered from a tendency towards commenting on itself as a gay issues film, which at times overrode the otherwise compelling realism. Despite treating material arguably even more underrepresented in cinema – senior relationships – Haigh avoids this same self-reflexive pitfall in 45 Years, pulling off an incisive and emotionally ensnaring tour de force. – Giovanni M.C. (full review)
Here Comes Mr. Jordan (Alexander Hall)
A sophisticated supernatural Hollywood comedy whose influence continues to be felt, Here Comes Mr. Jordan stars the eminently versatile Robert Montgomery as a working-class boxer and amateur aviator whose plane crashes in a freak accident. He finds himself in heaven but is told, by a wry angel named Mr. Jordan (Claude Rains), that his death was a clerical error, and that he can return to Earth by entering the body of a corrupt (and about-to-be-murdered) financier—whose soul could use a transplant. Nominated for seven Oscars (it won two) and the inspiration for a sequel with Rita Hayworth and two remakes, Alexander Hall’s effervescent Here Comes Mr. Jordan is comic perfection. – Criterion.com
La Chienne (Jean Renoir)
Jean Renoir’s ruthless love triangle tale, his second sound film, is a true precursor to his brilliantly bitter The Rules of the Game, displaying all of the filmmaker’s visual genius and fully imbued with his profound humanity. Michel Simon cuts a tragic figure as an unhappily married cashier and amateur painter who becomes so smitten with a prostitute that he refuses to see the obvious: that she and her pimp boyfriend are taking advantage of him. Renoir’s elegant compositions and camera movements carry this twisting narrative—a stinging commentary on class and sexual divisions—to an unforgettably ironic conclusion. – Criterion.com
Also Arriving This Week
Eddie the Eagle (review)
Hello, My Name is Doris (review)
Get a Job (review)
Gold
Recommended Deals of the Week
Top Deal: A selection of Clint Eastwood and Steven Spielberg Blu-rays are under $10 this week.
All the President’s Men (Blu-ray) – $7.79
The American (Blu-ray) – $6.68
Amelie (Blu-ray) – $8.99
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (Blu-ray) – $7.88
Beginners (Blu-ray) – $6.11
Bone Tomahawk (Blu-ray) – $9.99
The Brothers Bloom (Blu-ray) – $9.99
The Cabin in the Woods (Blu-ray) – $9.99
Casino (Blu-ray) – $9.49
The Conformist (Blu-ray) – $14.49
Cloud Atlas (Blu-ray) – $7.99
Crimson Peak (Blu-ray) – $8.99
Dear White People (Blu-ray) – $9.99
The Deer Hunter (Blu-ray) – $10.61
Eastern Promises (Blu-ray) – $8.57
Ex Machina (Blu-ray) – $8.00
The Grand Budapest Hotel (Blu-ray) – $5.99
The Guest (Blu-ray) – $9.49
Hail, Caesar! (Blu-ray) – $12.99
Heat (Blu-ray) – $7.88
Holy Motors (Blu-ray) – $10.59
The Informant! (Blu-ray) – $8.07
Inglorious Basterds (Blu-ray) – $4.99
Interstellar (Blu-ray) – $5.00
The Iron Giant (Blu-ray pre-order) – $9.99
Jaws (Blu-ray) – $7.88
John Wick (Blu-ray) – $8.00
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (Blu-ray) – $9.69
Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter (Blu-ray) – $9.89
The Lady From Shanghai (Blu-ray) – $8.99
Looper (Blu-ray) – $7.88
Lost In Translation (Blu-ray) – $9.49
Macbeth (Blu-ray) – $11.99
Mad Max: Fury Road (Blu-ray) – $10.00
Magic Mike Xxl (Blu-ray) – $11.99
Magnolia (Blu-ray) – $9.19
The Man Who Wasn’t There (Blu-ray) – $9.49
Margaret (Blu-ray) – $9.49
Martha Marcy May Marlene (Blu-ray) – $6.99
The Master (Blu-ray) – $12.69
Michael Clayton (Blu-ray) – $7.98
Nebraska (Blu-ray) – $9.35
Never Let Me Go (Blu-ray) – $7.99
No Country For Old Men (Blu-ray) – $5.99
Non-Stop (Blu-ray) – $8.99
Obvious Child (Blu-ray) – $9.99
Pan’s Labyrinth (Blu-ray) – $7.99
ParaNorman (Blu-ray) – $7.98
Pariah (Blu-ray) – $9.98
Persepolis (Blu-ray) – $5.79
Prisoners (Blu-ray) – $10.49
Pulp Fiction (Blu-ray) – $8.48
Raging Bull: 30th Anniversary Edition (Blu-ray) – $10.19
Re-Animator (Blu-ray) – $9.99
Rio Bravo (Blu-ray) – $5.99
Road to Perdition (Blu-ray) – $8.99
The Searchers / Wild Bunch / How the West Was Won (Blu-ray) – $10.36
Sex, Lies, and Videotape (Blu-ray) – $5.88
Short Term 12 (Blu-ray) – $9.89
Shutter Island (Blu-ray) – $6.79
A Separation (Blu-ray) – $6.80
A Serious Man (Blu-ray) – $7.22
A Single Man (Blu-ray) – $6.00
The Social Network (Blu-ray) – $9.96
Spotlight (Blu-ray) – $9.99
Steve Jobs (Blu-ray) – $9.99
Straight Outta Compton (Blu-ray) – $10.00
Synecdoche, NY (Blu-ray) – $6.89
There Will Be Blood (Blu-ray) – $8.20
They Came Together (Blu-ray) – $9.99
The Tree of Life (Blu-ray) – $6.99
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (Blu-ray) – $5.52
Volver (Blu-ray) – $5.95
Where the Wild Things Are (Blu-ray) – $7.99
Whiplash (Blu-ray) – $9.99
The Witch (Blu-ray) – $14.96
The Wrestler (Blu-ray) – $7.00
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What are you picking up this week?...
- 6/14/2016
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
“A Heavenly Beginning”
By Raymond Benson
They must have done something right. Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941) has proven to be a timeless and universal movie that keeps on giving, and the welcome new release from the Criterion Collection attests to it.
The premise of the film has been around for a while. Most of our generation know the remake better—Heaven Can Wait (1978, starring Warren Beatty and Julie Christie)—which is a superb Oscar-nominated romantic comedy in its own right. Another remake in 2001, Down to Earth, starred Chris Rock.
But that’s not all. It wasn’t until I’d viewed the supplements on the new disk that I appreciated the fact that Mr. Jordan was indeed the first of several Hollywood pictures dealing with “heavenly” concepts—angels, the afterlife, and second chances. In a video discussion, critic Michael Sragow and filmmaker/distributor Michael Schlesinger reveal how the picture’s popularity actually began a trend of similar movies throughout the 1940s—A Guy Named Joe, Angel on My Shoulder, A Matter of Life and Death, It’s a Wonderful Life, and even Mr. Jordan’s direct sequel, Down to Earth (1947, not to be confused with the Chris Rock remake), which features both James Gleason and Edward Everett Horton again playing their roles from the first movie.
Here Comes Mr. Jordan was a major release and surprise hit from Columbia Pictures, a studio that always struggled to be one of the majors despite having director Frank Capra on their team in the ‘30s. Critically and popularly acclaimed, the picture successfully blends fantasy, romance, comedy, and intrigue, creating a delightful, and sometimes thought-provoking, piece of entertainment. It was nominated for Best Picture of 1941, Best Director (Alexander Hall), Best Actor (Robert Montgomery), Best Supporting Actor (James Gleason, and he steals the movie!), and Best B&W Cinematography. The film deservedly won the Oscar for Best Writing, Original Story, for Sidney Buchman and Seton I. Miller.
The story concerns Joe Pendleton (enthusiastically played by Montgomery in a stretch from his usual sophisticated tuxedo-clad characters) as a prizefighter with a heavy New Jersey accent who crashes in his private plane. His soul is saved by the Messenger (Horton), an angel whose job is to escort to Heaven the departing souls from his “territory.” In the mist-filled outskirts of Heaven, Mr. Jordan (benevolently portrayed by Claude Rains), a sort of St. Peter in a three-piece suit, checks in the new souls as they board another plane to take them to their afterlife homes. But Joe’s soul was accidentally taken before his body actually died—and therefore Mr. Jordan grants Joe a second chance. However, his consciousness must be placed into a recently deceased person—so Joe winds up inside a rich, corrupt banker’s body. Joe, in his new persona, sets about turning the banker’s life around for good, and he also attempts to continue his prizefighting. For the latter, he calls in his former manager, Corkle (Gleason) to train him. First, though, he’s got to convince Corkle that he’s really Joe inside the new man’s form. To complicate things, Joe falls in love with the daughter (Evelyn Keyes) of a man the banker destroyed financially and sent to prison. Joe also doesn’t know it yet, but he will have to jump bodies one more time before the story plays out.
The comedy and romance work like a charm, and the fantasy elements of Mr. Jordan are surprisingly effective. The movie is intelligently written and treats its subject matter with respect; and yet it has fun with the mechanics of death and the philosophical discourse of what we think the afterlife really is. The audience is tricked, in a way, into pleasantly enjoying a movie about death. What happens to Joe Pendleton at the end isn’t the norm for a romantic comedy. Technically it’s not a happy ending—and yet, it is. It’s a feel-good movie with a bittersweet center. This is a testament to the quality of writing in Here Comes Mr. Jordan.
The new 2K digital restoration looks fabulous. It has an uncompressed, monaural soundtrack. Along with the aforementioned video conversation about the film, the supplements include a long audio interview with Elizabeth Montgomery (daughter of Robert Montgomery, and, yes, the star of Bewitched) about her father and the movie; the Lux Radio Theatre radio adaptation starring Cary Grant (who was originally approached to star in the film—one can only imagine what it would have been like with Grant), Rains, Keyes, and Gleason; and a trailer. An essay by critic Farran Smith Nehme adorns the booklet.
A little gem from Hollywood released just prior to America’s entrance into World War II, Here Comes Mr. Jordan is a genuine classic, arguably superior to its many remakes and imitations. You will believe...
Click Here To Order From Amazon...
By Raymond Benson
They must have done something right. Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941) has proven to be a timeless and universal movie that keeps on giving, and the welcome new release from the Criterion Collection attests to it.
The premise of the film has been around for a while. Most of our generation know the remake better—Heaven Can Wait (1978, starring Warren Beatty and Julie Christie)—which is a superb Oscar-nominated romantic comedy in its own right. Another remake in 2001, Down to Earth, starred Chris Rock.
But that’s not all. It wasn’t until I’d viewed the supplements on the new disk that I appreciated the fact that Mr. Jordan was indeed the first of several Hollywood pictures dealing with “heavenly” concepts—angels, the afterlife, and second chances. In a video discussion, critic Michael Sragow and filmmaker/distributor Michael Schlesinger reveal how the picture’s popularity actually began a trend of similar movies throughout the 1940s—A Guy Named Joe, Angel on My Shoulder, A Matter of Life and Death, It’s a Wonderful Life, and even Mr. Jordan’s direct sequel, Down to Earth (1947, not to be confused with the Chris Rock remake), which features both James Gleason and Edward Everett Horton again playing their roles from the first movie.
Here Comes Mr. Jordan was a major release and surprise hit from Columbia Pictures, a studio that always struggled to be one of the majors despite having director Frank Capra on their team in the ‘30s. Critically and popularly acclaimed, the picture successfully blends fantasy, romance, comedy, and intrigue, creating a delightful, and sometimes thought-provoking, piece of entertainment. It was nominated for Best Picture of 1941, Best Director (Alexander Hall), Best Actor (Robert Montgomery), Best Supporting Actor (James Gleason, and he steals the movie!), and Best B&W Cinematography. The film deservedly won the Oscar for Best Writing, Original Story, for Sidney Buchman and Seton I. Miller.
The story concerns Joe Pendleton (enthusiastically played by Montgomery in a stretch from his usual sophisticated tuxedo-clad characters) as a prizefighter with a heavy New Jersey accent who crashes in his private plane. His soul is saved by the Messenger (Horton), an angel whose job is to escort to Heaven the departing souls from his “territory.” In the mist-filled outskirts of Heaven, Mr. Jordan (benevolently portrayed by Claude Rains), a sort of St. Peter in a three-piece suit, checks in the new souls as they board another plane to take them to their afterlife homes. But Joe’s soul was accidentally taken before his body actually died—and therefore Mr. Jordan grants Joe a second chance. However, his consciousness must be placed into a recently deceased person—so Joe winds up inside a rich, corrupt banker’s body. Joe, in his new persona, sets about turning the banker’s life around for good, and he also attempts to continue his prizefighting. For the latter, he calls in his former manager, Corkle (Gleason) to train him. First, though, he’s got to convince Corkle that he’s really Joe inside the new man’s form. To complicate things, Joe falls in love with the daughter (Evelyn Keyes) of a man the banker destroyed financially and sent to prison. Joe also doesn’t know it yet, but he will have to jump bodies one more time before the story plays out.
The comedy and romance work like a charm, and the fantasy elements of Mr. Jordan are surprisingly effective. The movie is intelligently written and treats its subject matter with respect; and yet it has fun with the mechanics of death and the philosophical discourse of what we think the afterlife really is. The audience is tricked, in a way, into pleasantly enjoying a movie about death. What happens to Joe Pendleton at the end isn’t the norm for a romantic comedy. Technically it’s not a happy ending—and yet, it is. It’s a feel-good movie with a bittersweet center. This is a testament to the quality of writing in Here Comes Mr. Jordan.
The new 2K digital restoration looks fabulous. It has an uncompressed, monaural soundtrack. Along with the aforementioned video conversation about the film, the supplements include a long audio interview with Elizabeth Montgomery (daughter of Robert Montgomery, and, yes, the star of Bewitched) about her father and the movie; the Lux Radio Theatre radio adaptation starring Cary Grant (who was originally approached to star in the film—one can only imagine what it would have been like with Grant), Rains, Keyes, and Gleason; and a trailer. An essay by critic Farran Smith Nehme adorns the booklet.
A little gem from Hollywood released just prior to America’s entrance into World War II, Here Comes Mr. Jordan is a genuine classic, arguably superior to its many remakes and imitations. You will believe...
Click Here To Order From Amazon...
- 6/13/2016
- by [email protected] (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
John Ford's best war movie does a flip-flop on the propaganda norm. It's about men that must hold the line in defeat and retreat, that are ordered to lay down a sacrifice play while someone else gets to hit the home runs. Robert Montgomery, John Wayne and Donna Reed are excellent, as is the recreation of the Navy's daring sideshow tactic in the Pacific Theater, the 'speeding coffin' Patrol Torpedo boats. They Were Expendable Blu-ray Warner Archive Collection 1945 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 135 min. / Street Date June 7, 2016 / available through the WBshop / 21.99 Starring Robert Montgomery, John Wayne, Donna Reed, Jack Holt, Ward Bond, Marshall Thompson, Cameron Mitchell, Paul Langton, Leon Ames, Donald Curtis, Murray Alper, Harry Tenbrook, Jack Pennick, Charles Trowbridge, Louis Jean Heydt, Russell Simpson, Blake Edwards, Tom Tyler. Cinematography Joseph H. August Production Designer Film Editor Douglass Biggs, Frank E. Hull Original Music Earl K. Brent, Herbert Stothart, Eric Zeisl Writing credits Frank Wead, Comdr. U.S.N. (Ret.), Based on the book by William L. White Produced and Directed by John Ford, Captain U.S.N.R.
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
They Were Expendable has always been appreciated, but hasn't been given a high roost in John Ford's filmography. Yet it's one of his most personal movies, and for a story set in the military service, his most serious. We're given plenty of service humor and even more sentimentality -- with a sing-along scene like those that would figure in the director's later cavalry pictures, no less. Yet the tone is heavier, more resolutely downbeat. The war had not yet ended as this show went before the cameras, yet Ford's aim is to commemorate the sacrifices, not wave a victory flag. By 1945 Hollywood was already rushing its last 'We're at War!' morale boosters out the gate and gearing up for production in a postwar world. Practically a pet project of legendary director John Ford, They Were Expendable is his personal tribute to the Navy. Typical for Ford, he chose for his subject not some glorious victory or idealized combat, but instead a thankless and losing struggle against an invader whose strength seemed at the time to be almost un-opposable. They Were Expendable starts at Pearl Harbor and traces the true story of an experimental Patrol Torpedo Boat unit run by Lt. John Brickley (Robert Montgomery), his ambitious second in command Lt. Ryan (John Wayne) and their five boat crews. The ambience is pure Ford family casting: the ever-present Ward Bond and Jack Pennick are there, along with youthful MGM newcomers Marshall Thompson (It! The Terror from Beyond Space and Cameron Mitchell (Garden of Evil, Blood and Black Lace) being treated as new members of the Ford acting family. Along the way Ryan meets nurse Sandy Davyss (Donna Reed). Despite their battle successes, the Pt unit suffers casualties and loses boats as the Philippine campaign rapidly collapses around them. Indicative of the unusual level of realism is the Wayne/Reed romance, which falls victim to events in a very un-glamorous way. There's nothing second-rate about this Ford picture. It is by far his best war film and is as deeply felt as his strongest Westerns. His emotional attachment to American History is applied to events only four years past. The pace is fast but Expendable takes its time to linger on telling character details. The entertainer that responds to the war announcement by singing "My Country 'tis of Thee" is Asian, perhaps even Japanese; she's given an unusually sensitive close-up at a time when all Hollywood references to the Japanese were negative, or worse. MGM gives Ford's shoot excellent production values, with filming in Florida more than adequate to represent the Philippines. Even when filming in the studio, Ford's show is free of the MGM gloss that makes movies like its Bataan look so phony. We see six real Pt boats in action. The basic battle effect to show them speeding through exploding shells appears to be accomplished by pyrotechnic devices - fireworks -- launched from the boat deck. Excellent miniatures represent the large Japanese ships they attack. MGM's experts make the exploding models look spectacular. Ford's sentimentality for Navy tradition and the camaraderie of the service is as strong as ever. Although we see a couple of battles, the film is really a series of encounters and farewells, with boats not coming back and images of sailors that gaze out to sea while waxing nostalgic about the Arizona lost at Pearl Harbor. The image of civilian boat builder Russell Simpson awaiting invasion alone with only a rifle and a jug of moonshine purposely references Ford's earlier The Grapes of Wrath. Simpson played an Okie in that film and Ford stresses the association by playing "Red River Valley" on the soundtrack; it's as if the invading Japanese were bankers come to boot Simpson off his land. Equally moving is the face of Jack Holt's jut-jawed Army officer. He'd been playing basically the same crusty serviceman character for twenty years; because audiences had never seen Holt in a 'losing' role the actor makes the defeat seem all the more serious. The irony of this is that in real life, immediately after Pearl Harbor, Holt was so panicked by invasion fears that he sold his Malibu beach home at a fraction of its value. Who bought it? According to Joel Siegel in his book The Reality of Terror, it was Rko producer Val Lewton. John Wayne is particularly good in this film by virtue of not being its star. His character turn as an impatient but tough Lieutenant stuck in a career dead-end is one of his best. The real star of the film is Robert Montgomery, who before the war was known mostly for light comedies like the delightful Here Comes Mr. Jordan. Montgomery's Brickley is a man of dignity and dedication trying to do a decent job no matter how hopeless or frustrating his situation gets. Whereas Wayne was a Hollywood soldier, Montgomery actually fought in Pt boats in the Pacific. When he stands exhausted in tropic shorts, keeping up appearances when everything is going wrong, he looks like the genuine article. Third-billed Donna Reed turns what might have been 'the girl in the picture' into something special. An Army nurse who takes care of Wayne's Ryan in a deep-tunnel dispensary while bombs burst overhead, Reed's Lt. Davyss is one of Ford's adored women living in danger, like Anne Bancroft's China doctor in 7 Women. A little earlier in the war, the films So Proudly We Hail and Cry 'Havoc' saluted the 'Angels of Bataan' that stayed on the job, were captured and interned by the Japanese. Expendable has none of the sensational subtext of the earlier films, where the nurses worry about being raped, etc.. We instead see a perfect girl next door (George Bailey thought so) bravely soldiering on, saying a rushed goodbye to Wayne's Lt. Ryan over a field telephone. Exactly what happens to her is not known. Even more than Clarence Brown's The Human Comedy this film fully established Ms. Reed's acting credentials. The quality that separates They Were Expendable from all but a few war films made during the fighting, is its championing of a kind of glory that doesn't come from gaudy victories. Hopelessly outnumbered and outgunned, the Navy, Army and Air Corps units in the Northern Philippines that weren't wiped out in the first attacks, had to be abandoned. The key scene sees Lt. Brickley asking his commanding officer for positive orders to attack the enemy. He's instead 'given the score' in baseball terms. In a ball club, some players don't get to hit home runs. The manager instead tells them to sacrifice, to lay down a bunt. Brickley's Pt squadron will be supporting the retreat as best it can and for long as it can, without relief or rescue. Half a year later, the U.S. was able to field an Army and a Navy that could take the offensive. Brickley's unit is a quiet study of honorable men at war, doing their best in the face of disaster. According to John Ford, Expendable could have been better, and I agree. He reportedly didn't hang around to help with the final cut and the audio mix, and the MGM departments finished the film without him. Although Ford's many thoughtful close-ups and beautifully drawn-out dramatic moments are allowed to play out, a couple of the battle scenes go on too long, making the constant peppering of flak bursts over the Pt boats look far too artificial. Real shell bursts aren't just a flash and smoke; if they were that close the wooden boats would be shattered by shrapnel. The overused effect reminds me of the 'Pigpen' character in older Peanuts cartoons, if he walked around accompanied by explosions instead of a cloud of dust. The music score is also unsubtle, reaching for upbeat glory too often and too loudly. The main march theme says 'Hooray Navy' even in scenes playing for other moods. Would Ford have asked for it to be dialed back a bit, or perhaps removed from some scenes altogether? That's hard to say. The director liked his movie scores to reflect obvious sentiments. But a few of his more powerful moments play without music. We're told that one of the un-credited writers on the film was Norman Corwin, and that Robert Montgomery directed some scenes after John Ford broke his leg on the set. They Were Expendable is one of the finest of war films and a solid introduction to classic John Ford. The Warner Archive Collection Blu-ray of They Were Expendable looks as good as the excellent 35mm copies we saw back at UCLA. This movie has always looked fine, but the previous DVDs were unsteady in the first reel, perhaps because of film shrinkage. The Blu-ray corrects the problem entirely. The B&W cinematography has some of the most stylized visuals in a war film. Emphasizing gloom and expressing the lack of security, many scenes are played in silhouette or with very low-key illumination, especially a pair of party scenes. Donna Reed appears to wear almost no makeup but only seems more naturally beautiful in the un-glamorous but ennobling lighting schemes. These the disc captures perfectly. Just as on the old MGM and Warners DVDs, the trailer is the only extra. We're told that MGM shoved the film out the door because victory-happy moviegoers were sick of war movies and wanted to see bright musicals instead. The trailer reflects the lack of enthusiasm -- it's basically two actor name runs and a few action shots. The feature has a choice of subtitles, in English, French and Spanish. On a scale of Excellent, Good, Fair, and Poor, They Were Expendable Blu-ray rates: Movie: Excellent Video: Excellent Sound: Excellent Supplements: DTS-hd Master Audio Deaf and Hearing Impaired Friendly? Yes; Subtitles: English, French, Spanish Packaging: Keep case Reviewed: June 6, 2016 (5135expe)
Visit DVD Savant's Main Column Page Glenn Erickson answers most reader mail: [email protected]
Text © Copyright 2016 Glenn Erickson...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
They Were Expendable has always been appreciated, but hasn't been given a high roost in John Ford's filmography. Yet it's one of his most personal movies, and for a story set in the military service, his most serious. We're given plenty of service humor and even more sentimentality -- with a sing-along scene like those that would figure in the director's later cavalry pictures, no less. Yet the tone is heavier, more resolutely downbeat. The war had not yet ended as this show went before the cameras, yet Ford's aim is to commemorate the sacrifices, not wave a victory flag. By 1945 Hollywood was already rushing its last 'We're at War!' morale boosters out the gate and gearing up for production in a postwar world. Practically a pet project of legendary director John Ford, They Were Expendable is his personal tribute to the Navy. Typical for Ford, he chose for his subject not some glorious victory or idealized combat, but instead a thankless and losing struggle against an invader whose strength seemed at the time to be almost un-opposable. They Were Expendable starts at Pearl Harbor and traces the true story of an experimental Patrol Torpedo Boat unit run by Lt. John Brickley (Robert Montgomery), his ambitious second in command Lt. Ryan (John Wayne) and their five boat crews. The ambience is pure Ford family casting: the ever-present Ward Bond and Jack Pennick are there, along with youthful MGM newcomers Marshall Thompson (It! The Terror from Beyond Space and Cameron Mitchell (Garden of Evil, Blood and Black Lace) being treated as new members of the Ford acting family. Along the way Ryan meets nurse Sandy Davyss (Donna Reed). Despite their battle successes, the Pt unit suffers casualties and loses boats as the Philippine campaign rapidly collapses around them. Indicative of the unusual level of realism is the Wayne/Reed romance, which falls victim to events in a very un-glamorous way. There's nothing second-rate about this Ford picture. It is by far his best war film and is as deeply felt as his strongest Westerns. His emotional attachment to American History is applied to events only four years past. The pace is fast but Expendable takes its time to linger on telling character details. The entertainer that responds to the war announcement by singing "My Country 'tis of Thee" is Asian, perhaps even Japanese; she's given an unusually sensitive close-up at a time when all Hollywood references to the Japanese were negative, or worse. MGM gives Ford's shoot excellent production values, with filming in Florida more than adequate to represent the Philippines. Even when filming in the studio, Ford's show is free of the MGM gloss that makes movies like its Bataan look so phony. We see six real Pt boats in action. The basic battle effect to show them speeding through exploding shells appears to be accomplished by pyrotechnic devices - fireworks -- launched from the boat deck. Excellent miniatures represent the large Japanese ships they attack. MGM's experts make the exploding models look spectacular. Ford's sentimentality for Navy tradition and the camaraderie of the service is as strong as ever. Although we see a couple of battles, the film is really a series of encounters and farewells, with boats not coming back and images of sailors that gaze out to sea while waxing nostalgic about the Arizona lost at Pearl Harbor. The image of civilian boat builder Russell Simpson awaiting invasion alone with only a rifle and a jug of moonshine purposely references Ford's earlier The Grapes of Wrath. Simpson played an Okie in that film and Ford stresses the association by playing "Red River Valley" on the soundtrack; it's as if the invading Japanese were bankers come to boot Simpson off his land. Equally moving is the face of Jack Holt's jut-jawed Army officer. He'd been playing basically the same crusty serviceman character for twenty years; because audiences had never seen Holt in a 'losing' role the actor makes the defeat seem all the more serious. The irony of this is that in real life, immediately after Pearl Harbor, Holt was so panicked by invasion fears that he sold his Malibu beach home at a fraction of its value. Who bought it? According to Joel Siegel in his book The Reality of Terror, it was Rko producer Val Lewton. John Wayne is particularly good in this film by virtue of not being its star. His character turn as an impatient but tough Lieutenant stuck in a career dead-end is one of his best. The real star of the film is Robert Montgomery, who before the war was known mostly for light comedies like the delightful Here Comes Mr. Jordan. Montgomery's Brickley is a man of dignity and dedication trying to do a decent job no matter how hopeless or frustrating his situation gets. Whereas Wayne was a Hollywood soldier, Montgomery actually fought in Pt boats in the Pacific. When he stands exhausted in tropic shorts, keeping up appearances when everything is going wrong, he looks like the genuine article. Third-billed Donna Reed turns what might have been 'the girl in the picture' into something special. An Army nurse who takes care of Wayne's Ryan in a deep-tunnel dispensary while bombs burst overhead, Reed's Lt. Davyss is one of Ford's adored women living in danger, like Anne Bancroft's China doctor in 7 Women. A little earlier in the war, the films So Proudly We Hail and Cry 'Havoc' saluted the 'Angels of Bataan' that stayed on the job, were captured and interned by the Japanese. Expendable has none of the sensational subtext of the earlier films, where the nurses worry about being raped, etc.. We instead see a perfect girl next door (George Bailey thought so) bravely soldiering on, saying a rushed goodbye to Wayne's Lt. Ryan over a field telephone. Exactly what happens to her is not known. Even more than Clarence Brown's The Human Comedy this film fully established Ms. Reed's acting credentials. The quality that separates They Were Expendable from all but a few war films made during the fighting, is its championing of a kind of glory that doesn't come from gaudy victories. Hopelessly outnumbered and outgunned, the Navy, Army and Air Corps units in the Northern Philippines that weren't wiped out in the first attacks, had to be abandoned. The key scene sees Lt. Brickley asking his commanding officer for positive orders to attack the enemy. He's instead 'given the score' in baseball terms. In a ball club, some players don't get to hit home runs. The manager instead tells them to sacrifice, to lay down a bunt. Brickley's Pt squadron will be supporting the retreat as best it can and for long as it can, without relief or rescue. Half a year later, the U.S. was able to field an Army and a Navy that could take the offensive. Brickley's unit is a quiet study of honorable men at war, doing their best in the face of disaster. According to John Ford, Expendable could have been better, and I agree. He reportedly didn't hang around to help with the final cut and the audio mix, and the MGM departments finished the film without him. Although Ford's many thoughtful close-ups and beautifully drawn-out dramatic moments are allowed to play out, a couple of the battle scenes go on too long, making the constant peppering of flak bursts over the Pt boats look far too artificial. Real shell bursts aren't just a flash and smoke; if they were that close the wooden boats would be shattered by shrapnel. The overused effect reminds me of the 'Pigpen' character in older Peanuts cartoons, if he walked around accompanied by explosions instead of a cloud of dust. The music score is also unsubtle, reaching for upbeat glory too often and too loudly. The main march theme says 'Hooray Navy' even in scenes playing for other moods. Would Ford have asked for it to be dialed back a bit, or perhaps removed from some scenes altogether? That's hard to say. The director liked his movie scores to reflect obvious sentiments. But a few of his more powerful moments play without music. We're told that one of the un-credited writers on the film was Norman Corwin, and that Robert Montgomery directed some scenes after John Ford broke his leg on the set. They Were Expendable is one of the finest of war films and a solid introduction to classic John Ford. The Warner Archive Collection Blu-ray of They Were Expendable looks as good as the excellent 35mm copies we saw back at UCLA. This movie has always looked fine, but the previous DVDs were unsteady in the first reel, perhaps because of film shrinkage. The Blu-ray corrects the problem entirely. The B&W cinematography has some of the most stylized visuals in a war film. Emphasizing gloom and expressing the lack of security, many scenes are played in silhouette or with very low-key illumination, especially a pair of party scenes. Donna Reed appears to wear almost no makeup but only seems more naturally beautiful in the un-glamorous but ennobling lighting schemes. These the disc captures perfectly. Just as on the old MGM and Warners DVDs, the trailer is the only extra. We're told that MGM shoved the film out the door because victory-happy moviegoers were sick of war movies and wanted to see bright musicals instead. The trailer reflects the lack of enthusiasm -- it's basically two actor name runs and a few action shots. The feature has a choice of subtitles, in English, French and Spanish. On a scale of Excellent, Good, Fair, and Poor, They Were Expendable Blu-ray rates: Movie: Excellent Video: Excellent Sound: Excellent Supplements: DTS-hd Master Audio Deaf and Hearing Impaired Friendly? Yes; Subtitles: English, French, Spanish Packaging: Keep case Reviewed: June 6, 2016 (5135expe)
Visit DVD Savant's Main Column Page Glenn Erickson answers most reader mail: [email protected]
Text © Copyright 2016 Glenn Erickson...
- 6/11/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
No, it's not the Warren Beatty remake of Here Comes Mr. Jordan, but the sublime Ernst Lubitsch comedy fantasy, his biggest commercial hit and generally considered the last of his films to exemplify the inimitable "Lubitsch touch". Feckless womanizer Don Ameche recounts his love life to urbane devil Laird Cregar at the gates of Hell in a sparkling rumination on life, death and the importance of the common man.
- 6/10/2016
- by TFH Team
- Trailers from Hell
Here's a sterling example of what Hollywood excelled at back in the golden age: Robert Montgomery, Evelyn Keyes, Claude Rains and Edward Everett Horton star in possibly the most magical of movies known as Film Blanc. A cosmic goof leaves a man with fifty years yet to live without a body -- so heavenly troubleshooters try to find him a new one. Here Comes Mr. Jordan Blu-ray The Criterion Collection 819 1941 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 94 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date June 14, 2016 / 39.95 Starring Robert Montgomery, Evelyn Keyes, Claude Rains, Rita Johnson, Edward Everett Horton, James Gleason. Cinematography Joseph Walker Art Direction Lionel Banks Film Editor Viola Lawrence Original Music Frederick Hollander Written by Sidney Buchman, Seton I. Miller from the play Heaven Can Wait by Harry Segall Produced by Everett Riskin Directed by Alexander Hall
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Some movies are so entertaining that it's best to tell people,...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Some movies are so entertaining that it's best to tell people,...
- 6/7/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Warren Beatty’s been talking about Howard Hughes as long as I’ve lived in Los Angeles. When I was in high school, one of the things I did was devour entire careers on home video as a way of educating myself about various filmmakers and eras. I was aware of Warren Beatty before that, certainly, and remember Heaven Can Wait in particular as a big commercial moment for Beatty. I loved that movie and the weird goofball guy who starred in it, but it was almost a decade later when I finally plunged headlong into his filmography and suddenly realized that I kind of adore Beatty. And why not? Look at that body of work in front of the camera first. He’s been relatively selective over the years, and considering what a giant movie star he was considered at one time, he never really became omnipresent like some of his peers.
- 5/18/2016
- by Drew McWeeny
- Hitfix
This time on the Newsstand, Ryan is joined by Aaron West and Mark Hurne to discuss a few pieces of Criterion Collection news.
Subscribe to The Newsstand in iTunes or via RSS
Contact us with any feedback.
Topics & Links FilmStruck Cat People Drawing Black Girl, Borom sarret, and other Ousmane Sembene films Documentary on Netflix Criterion UK Announcements July – Dr. Strangelove and Burroughs: The Movie June – Gilda, Here Comes Mr. Jordan, Overlord Episode Credits Ryan Gallagher (Twitter / Website) Aaron West (Twitter / Website) Mark Hurne (Twitter / Website)
Music for the show is from Fatboy Roberts’ Geek Remixed project.Donate via PayPal...
Subscribe to The Newsstand in iTunes or via RSS
Contact us with any feedback.
Topics & Links FilmStruck Cat People Drawing Black Girl, Borom sarret, and other Ousmane Sembene films Documentary on Netflix Criterion UK Announcements July – Dr. Strangelove and Burroughs: The Movie June – Gilda, Here Comes Mr. Jordan, Overlord Episode Credits Ryan Gallagher (Twitter / Website) Aaron West (Twitter / Website) Mark Hurne (Twitter / Website)
Music for the show is from Fatboy Roberts’ Geek Remixed project.Donate via PayPal...
- 5/5/2016
- by Ryan Gallagher
- CriterionCast
This time on the Newsstand, Ryan is joined by Arik Devens and Scott Nye to discuss the Criterion UK announcement, the June 2016 line-up, and a handful of other pieces of news.
Subscribe to The Newsstand in iTunes or via RSS
Contact us with any feedback.
Shownotes Blood Simple The Last Command coming to MoC Code Unknown replacement program Criterion Live at the Metrograph Criterion UK confirmed June Criterion Collection Line-up Links Le amiche (1955) La chienne (1931) Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941) Fantastic Planet (1973) Clouds of Sils Maria (2014) Dr. Strangelove, or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) Episode Credits Ryan Gallagher (Twitter / Website) Arik Devens (Twitter / Website) Scott Nye (Twitter / Website)
Music for the show is from Fatboy Roberts’ Geek Remixed project.Donate via PayPal...
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Shownotes Blood Simple The Last Command coming to MoC Code Unknown replacement program Criterion Live at the Metrograph Criterion UK confirmed June Criterion Collection Line-up Links Le amiche (1955) La chienne (1931) Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941) Fantastic Planet (1973) Clouds of Sils Maria (2014) Dr. Strangelove, or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) Episode Credits Ryan Gallagher (Twitter / Website) Arik Devens (Twitter / Website) Scott Nye (Twitter / Website)
Music for the show is from Fatboy Roberts’ Geek Remixed project.Donate via PayPal...
- 3/19/2016
- by Ryan Gallagher
- CriterionCast
Stanley Kubrick's dark comedy Dr. Strangelove and René Laloux's animated dazzler Fantastic Planet lead Criterion's pack of releases for June 2016. The former features Peter Sellers in multiple roles and is a stellar offering from the early 1960s. Released some 10 years later, the latter title is a beautiful slab of science fiction and no less a political commentary. Other planned releases include Jean Renoir's La chienne (1931), Alexander Hall's Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941), Michelangelo Antonioni's Le amiche (1955), and Olivier Assayas' Clouds of Sils Maria (2014). They all represent different eras of cinema, and are all worthy of closer, extended consideration. Read onward for all the details from Criterion's prepared statement. Le Amiche Blu-ray & DVD Editions This major early achievement by Michelangelo...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 3/17/2016
- Screen Anarchy
Our annual New Years present from the Criterion Collection has come one day early this year!
As usual, the Criterion Collection New Years Drawing from Jason Polan teases at a number of upcoming releases (announced, rumored, and unknown). I’ll do my best to gather the best guesses in this article, so feel free to comment below.
Here are links to the various drawings from the past few years
2010 – Criterion.com / CriterionCast.com 2011 – Criterion.com / CriterionCast.com 2012 – Criterion.com / CriterionCast.com 2013 – Criterion.com / CriterionCast.com 2014 – Criterion.com / CriterionCast.com 2015 – Criterion.com / CriterionCast.com
Let’s pick it apart below:
Part 1
A. Three Kings (IMDb) / Wim Wenders’s Kings of the Road (IMDb)
B. The Kid (IMDb / Criterion) / McCabe & Mrs. Miller (IMDb)
C. Fantastic Planet (IMDb)
D. Lone Wolf and Cub films
E. Valley of the Dolls (IMDb) / Bubble (IMDb)
Part 2
F. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb...
As usual, the Criterion Collection New Years Drawing from Jason Polan teases at a number of upcoming releases (announced, rumored, and unknown). I’ll do my best to gather the best guesses in this article, so feel free to comment below.
Here are links to the various drawings from the past few years
2010 – Criterion.com / CriterionCast.com 2011 – Criterion.com / CriterionCast.com 2012 – Criterion.com / CriterionCast.com 2013 – Criterion.com / CriterionCast.com 2014 – Criterion.com / CriterionCast.com 2015 – Criterion.com / CriterionCast.com
Let’s pick it apart below:
Part 1
A. Three Kings (IMDb) / Wim Wenders’s Kings of the Road (IMDb)
B. The Kid (IMDb / Criterion) / McCabe & Mrs. Miller (IMDb)
C. Fantastic Planet (IMDb)
D. Lone Wolf and Cub films
E. Valley of the Dolls (IMDb) / Bubble (IMDb)
Part 2
F. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb...
- 12/31/2015
- by Ryan Gallagher
- CriterionCast
Billy Wilder directed Sunset Blvd. with Gloria Swanson and William Holden. Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett movies Below is a list of movies on which Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder worked together as screenwriters, including efforts for which they did not receive screen credit. The Wilder-Brackett screenwriting partnership lasted from 1938 to 1949. During that time, they shared two Academy Awards for their work on The Lost Weekend (1945) and, with D.M. Marshman Jr., Sunset Blvd. (1950). More detailed information further below. Post-split years Billy Wilder would later join forces with screenwriter I.A.L. Diamond in movies such as the classic comedy Some Like It Hot (1959), the Best Picture Oscar winner The Apartment (1960), and One Two Three (1961), notable as James Cagney's last film (until a brief comeback in Milos Forman's Ragtime two decades later). Although some of these movies were quite well received, Wilder's later efforts – which also included The Seven Year Itch...
- 9/16/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
'The Audition' poster with Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro. Martin Scorsese short 'The Audition' pulled from Venice Film Festival No major international film festival is worth its mainstream U.S. media salt unless there's at least one screening featuring the latest work of a major Hollywood name. The Venice Film Festival is surely no exception, especially as it's the year's final internationally renowned European movie fest, held shortly before the fall – i.e., awards – movie season begins. Well, one work by a top Hollywood name will no longer be available at Venice: The Audition, a short film directed by and featuring veteran Martin Scorsese, has been pulled out. "We have just been informed by the production that due to unexpected technical problems the film could not be here in time," festival organizers said in a statement earlier today, Sat., Aug. 29, '15. According to The Hollywood Reporter,...
- 8/30/2015
- by Anna Robinson
- Alt Film Guide
'Hold Back the Dawn': Olivia de Havilland behind Charles Boyer and Paulette Goddard 'Hold Back the Dawn' 1941 movie: Olivia de Havilland steals show as small-town teacher in love Olivia de Havilland shines in Mitchell Leisen's melodrama Hold Back the Dawn, a sort of opening bracket for the director's World War II-era films. Adapted by Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett from Ketti Frings' semi-autobiographical story, Hold Back the Dawn stars Charles Boyer as George Iscovescu, a Romanian dancer unable to enter the U.S. from Mexico due to immigration quotas imposed at the onset of the European conflict. Paulette Goddard is his scheming former partner, Anita, who marries an American to gain entry into the country only to immediately leave the duped husband. George adopts the idea – a naïve small-town schoolteacher visiting a Mexican border town is his prey. As the unsuspecting teacher, Olivia de Havilland radiates understanding and sympathy.
- 5/7/2015
- by Doug Johnson
- Alt Film Guide
Robert Montgomery’s 1947 sophomore film, Ride the Pink Horse is an exciting film noir gem ripe for rediscovery, available on Blu-ray for the first time courtesy of Criterion’s digital restoration. Best known as a comedic actor and Oscar nominated for roles in Night Must Fall (1937) and Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941), Montgomery would eventually direct a handful of titles mostly neglected by the passage of time with the exception of his first directorial credit, the experimental noir Lady in the Lake (as the film is presented entirely from the point of view of its protagonist, as if we’re looking directly through his eyes), an adaptation of a Raymond Chandler novel. Lady premiered earlier in the very same year, and though it is often referenced for its structural technique, it’s his follow-up title that’s more impressive, as unique and off kilter as its enigmatic title.
Former GI Lucky...
Former GI Lucky...
- 3/17/2015
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Teresa Wright: Later years (See preceding post: "Teresa Wright: From Marlon Brando to Matt Damon.") Teresa Wright and Robert Anderson were divorced in 1978. They would remain friends in the ensuing years.[1] Wright spent most of the last decade of her life in Connecticut, making only sporadic public appearances. In 1998, she could be seen with her grandson, film producer Jonah Smith, at New York's Yankee Stadium, where she threw the ceremonial first pitch.[2] Wright also became involved in the Greater New York chapter of the Als Association. (The Pride of the Yankees subject, Lou Gehrig, died of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in 1941.) The week she turned 82 in October 2000, Wright attended the 20th anniversary celebration of Somewhere in Time, where she posed for pictures with Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour. In March 2003, she was a guest at the 75th Academy Awards, in the segment showcasing Oscar-winning actors of the past. Two years later,...
- 3/15/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
A quarter-century ago, Kevin Costner hit a double-play, following up "Bull Durham" with "Field of Dreams" and becoming king of the sports movie. Twenty-five years later, as "Field of Dreams" marks its 25th anniversary (it was released on April 21, 1989), Costner is back with "Draft Day." The movie's about football, not baseball, and Costner's character plays in the executive suite, not on the field, but his mere presence still offers a reminder of great sports movies past.
And after all, isn't nostalgia a key element of sports movies? "Field of Dreams" makes this explicit -- we long for the sports heroes of our childhood, for a supposed long-gone golden age of our preferred sport, as a way of connecting with our past and bridging the generational divide that separates us as adults from our parents. Sports movies offer more than just the drama of winners and losers, or the journey from dream to achievement,...
And after all, isn't nostalgia a key element of sports movies? "Field of Dreams" makes this explicit -- we long for the sports heroes of our childhood, for a supposed long-gone golden age of our preferred sport, as a way of connecting with our past and bridging the generational divide that separates us as adults from our parents. Sports movies offer more than just the drama of winners and losers, or the journey from dream to achievement,...
- 4/20/2014
- by Gary Susman
- Moviefone
Screwball comedy movies, rare screenings of epic box office disaster: Library of Congress’ Packard Theater in April 2014 (photo: Cary Grant and Irene Dunne in ‘The Awful Truth’) In April 2014, the Library of Congress’ Packard Campus Theater in Culpeper, Virginia, will celebrate Hollywood screwball comedy movies, from the Marx Brothers’ antics to Peter Bogdanovich’s early ’70s homage What’s Up, Doc?, a box office blockbuster starring Barbra Streisand and Ryan O’Neal. Additionally, the Packard Theater will present a couple of rarities, including an epoch-making box office disaster that led to the demise of a major studio. Among Packard’s April 2014 screwball comedies are the following: Leo McCarey’s Duck Soup (Saturday, April 5) — actually more zany, wacky, and totally insane than merely "screwball" — in which Groucho Marx stars as the recently (un)elected dictator of Freedonia, abetted by siblings Harpo Marx and Chico Marx, in addition to Groucho’s perennial foil,...
- 3/27/2014
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Shirley Temple, and Oscar movies: Library of Congress’ March 2014 screenings (photo: Philip Seymour Hoffman as Truman Capote in ‘Capote’) Tributes to the recently deceased Shirley Temple and Philip Seymour Hoffman, and several Academy Award-nominated and -winning films are among the March 2014 screenings at the Library of Congress’ Packard Campus Theater and, in collaboration with the Library’s National Audio-Visual Conservation Center, The State Theatre, both located in Culpeper, Virginia. The 1934 sentimental comedy-drama Little Miss Marker (March 6, Packard) is the movie that turned six-year-old Shirley Temple into a major film star. Temple would become the biggest domestic box-office draw of the mid-1930s, and, Tyrone Power, Alice Faye, Sonja Henie, Don Ameche, Loretta Young, and Madeleine Carroll notwithstanding, would remain 20th Century Fox’s top star until later in the decade. Directed by Alexander Hall (Here Comes Mr. Jordan, My Sister Eileen), Little Miss Marker — actually, a Paramount...
- 2/21/2014
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
The idea seemed simple enough: a remake of 1941's "Here Comes Mr. Jordan," a comedy about an athlete who, through a bureaucratic mix-up in heaven, is prematurely taken from his body and must be reincarnated in the flesh of a murdered tycoon. But the new version, 1978's "Heaven Can Wait," turned out to be a smash, one of the biggest hits of Warren Beatty's career and one of the sharpest and most beloved comedies of the 1970s. In 2001, Chris Rock remade the film as "Down to Earth," a movie that made no one forget the Beatty version.
In the 35 years since the release of "Heaven" (on June 2, 1978), Beatty has gone from leading man to institution, but it's been an awfully bumpy ride. As it has for the group of comic and dramatic all-stars he surrounded himself with, who've also had their share of hits and flops along the way.
In the 35 years since the release of "Heaven" (on June 2, 1978), Beatty has gone from leading man to institution, but it's been an awfully bumpy ride. As it has for the group of comic and dramatic all-stars he surrounded himself with, who've also had their share of hits and flops along the way.
- 6/28/2013
- by Gary Susman
- Moviefone
When I was a kid I was always drawn to stories with fantasy elements, like Harvey, Here Comes Mr. Jordan, On Borrowed Time and Death Takes a Holiday. Introducing unexplainable or mystical elements into a real-world setting is hard to resist, when it’s done right. If I had a 10-to-12-year-old child, I would take them to see The Odd Life of Timothy Green, because it traffics in that kind of everyday fantasy and plays it with sincerity. If it whets a young person’s appetite to see more of this kind of storytelling, that’s great. I’m only sorry it isn’t a better movie. Jennifer Garner and Joel Edgerton play a loving couple who want a baby more than...
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- 8/16/2012
- by Leonard Maltin
- Leonard Maltin's Movie Crazy
John Landis walks us through all the things we won’t see in the trailer for Heaven Can Wait.
No, it’s not the Warren Beatty remake of Here Comes Mr. Jordan, but the sublime Ernst Lubitsch comedy fantasy, his biggest commercial hit and generally considered the last of his films to exemplify the inimitable “Lubitsch touch”. Feckless womanizer Don Ameche recounts his love life to urbane devil Laird Cregar at the gates of Hell in a sparking rumination on life, death and the importance of the common man.
Click here to watch the trailer.
It’s July 4th and The Movie Orgy is looming, so let’s keep this short:
There’s an excellent Criterion edition of this film and, with it, a classic Criterion film essay that’s worth checking out:
Heaven Can Wait was different: with this film, Lubitsch achieved his greatest commercial success in the sound...
No, it’s not the Warren Beatty remake of Here Comes Mr. Jordan, but the sublime Ernst Lubitsch comedy fantasy, his biggest commercial hit and generally considered the last of his films to exemplify the inimitable “Lubitsch touch”. Feckless womanizer Don Ameche recounts his love life to urbane devil Laird Cregar at the gates of Hell in a sparking rumination on life, death and the importance of the common man.
Click here to watch the trailer.
It’s July 4th and The Movie Orgy is looming, so let’s keep this short:
There’s an excellent Criterion edition of this film and, with it, a classic Criterion film essay that’s worth checking out:
Heaven Can Wait was different: with this film, Lubitsch achieved his greatest commercial success in the sound...
- 7/4/2011
- by Danny
- Trailers from Hell
A week of laughs and loves and more laughs. Keep reading for a preview.
On Monday, July 4, John Landis celebrates his independence by declaring that Heaven Can Wait.
No, it’s not the Warren Beatty remake of Here Comes Mr. Jordan, but the sublime Ernst Lubitsch comedy fantasy, his biggest commercial hit and generally considered the last of his films to exemplify the inimitable “Lubitsch touch”. Feckless womanizer Don Ameche recounts his love life to urbane devil Laird Cegar at the gates of Hell in a sparking rumination on life, death and the importance of the common man.
On Wednesday, July 6, Mick Garris tells us all The Palm Beach Story.
The original title of this influential screwball comedy was Is Marriage Necessary?, but even though writer-director Preston Sturges was on a roll, he couldn’t get that one past the Hays Office. This was Joel McCrea’s second Sturges lead...
On Monday, July 4, John Landis celebrates his independence by declaring that Heaven Can Wait.
No, it’s not the Warren Beatty remake of Here Comes Mr. Jordan, but the sublime Ernst Lubitsch comedy fantasy, his biggest commercial hit and generally considered the last of his films to exemplify the inimitable “Lubitsch touch”. Feckless womanizer Don Ameche recounts his love life to urbane devil Laird Cegar at the gates of Hell in a sparking rumination on life, death and the importance of the common man.
On Wednesday, July 6, Mick Garris tells us all The Palm Beach Story.
The original title of this influential screwball comedy was Is Marriage Necessary?, but even though writer-director Preston Sturges was on a roll, he couldn’t get that one past the Hays Office. This was Joel McCrea’s second Sturges lead...
- 7/3/2011
- by Danny
- Trailers from Hell
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