More’s hopelessly vain out-of-work actor is joined by a blue chip cast in a zippy tale that does unfortunately rather show its age
Before Richard E Grant’s Withnail, there was Kenneth More’s Chick Byrd. In Alvin Rakoff’s 1964 British drama, Byrd is an out-of-work actor whose breezy, cynical exuberance masks increasing terror of permanent unemployment and, like Withnail, he is desperate for his agent to call, stunned by his flatmate booking a glamorous film job and stuck living in a scuzzy boarding house in Camden Town (although exteriors were shot in Paddington).
After being fired from his job in provincial rep, Chick has come back down to London to try his luck, meeting up with all the old faces, the familiar parade of ageing thespian losers hanging round West End pubs and cafes during the day and mooching desolately past theatres with huge hoardings showing rave reviews for successful actors.
Before Richard E Grant’s Withnail, there was Kenneth More’s Chick Byrd. In Alvin Rakoff’s 1964 British drama, Byrd is an out-of-work actor whose breezy, cynical exuberance masks increasing terror of permanent unemployment and, like Withnail, he is desperate for his agent to call, stunned by his flatmate booking a glamorous film job and stuck living in a scuzzy boarding house in Camden Town (although exteriors were shot in Paddington).
After being fired from his job in provincial rep, Chick has come back down to London to try his luck, meeting up with all the old faces, the familiar parade of ageing thespian losers hanging round West End pubs and cafes during the day and mooching desolately past theatres with huge hoardings showing rave reviews for successful actors.
- 3/12/2024
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
On Sunday, October 15, 2023, at 9:45 Pm, BBC Four will present “Play of the Month,” featuring a play written by William Shakespeare. The production stars Maggie Smith, Frank Finlay, Charles Gray, and Christopher Gable.
“Play of the Month” is a television program that showcases theatrical productions, bringing classic plays to the small screen. In this episode, viewers can look forward to a performance of a Shakespearean play, although the specific play is not mentioned in the description.
The cast, including Maggie Smith and Frank Finlay, promises to deliver a compelling and engaging rendition of the Shakespearean work, offering audiences a chance to enjoy the beauty of the Bard’s timeless storytelling.
For those who appreciate classic literature and the art of live performance, “Play of the Month” on BBC Four is an opportunity to experience the magic of Shakespeare’s work brought to life by a talented cast. Don’t miss...
“Play of the Month” is a television program that showcases theatrical productions, bringing classic plays to the small screen. In this episode, viewers can look forward to a performance of a Shakespearean play, although the specific play is not mentioned in the description.
The cast, including Maggie Smith and Frank Finlay, promises to deliver a compelling and engaging rendition of the Shakespearean work, offering audiences a chance to enjoy the beauty of the Bard’s timeless storytelling.
For those who appreciate classic literature and the art of live performance, “Play of the Month” on BBC Four is an opportunity to experience the magic of Shakespeare’s work brought to life by a talented cast. Don’t miss...
- 10/9/2023
- by Posts UK
- TV Everyday
Richard Dreyfuss doesn’t get it, but most grouchy, self-proclaimed keepers of the old Hollywood guard never do when it comes to creating an industry that gives a chance for everyone to thrive.
It was Sept. 8, 2020, and I was one week into my job as the awards editor for Variety when the Academy dropped its bombshell news that as part of its Aperture 2025 initiative, the organization was introducing new representation and inclusion requirements for submitting in the best picture category. There are four standards, and a film must meet only two in order to be eligible. So naturally, the news designed to promote and encourage diversity in the Hollywood system was met with divisive reactions. Some, such as Viggo Mortensen, said, “It’s about exclusion, which is discrimination.”
Others like comedian and actor Andy Samberg pointed out the apparent loopholes in the Academy’s gesture: “The parameters if you look at them closely…...
It was Sept. 8, 2020, and I was one week into my job as the awards editor for Variety when the Academy dropped its bombshell news that as part of its Aperture 2025 initiative, the organization was introducing new representation and inclusion requirements for submitting in the best picture category. There are four standards, and a film must meet only two in order to be eligible. So naturally, the news designed to promote and encourage diversity in the Hollywood system was met with divisive reactions. Some, such as Viggo Mortensen, said, “It’s about exclusion, which is discrimination.”
Others like comedian and actor Andy Samberg pointed out the apparent loopholes in the Academy’s gesture: “The parameters if you look at them closely…...
- 5/8/2023
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
To celebrate the 4k restoration of The Three Musketeers & The Four Musketeers both available from 8th May, we are giving away two pairs of the films on Blu-Ray.
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1970s swashbuckling classic, Studiocanal are delighted to announce a brand-new 4K restoration of the star-studded The Three Musketeers. Directed by Richard Lester,the film will be available to own on 4K Uhd for the very first time, on Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital from May 8. To accompany the release, the equally thrilling sequel, The Four Musketeers, has also enjoyed the same 4k treatmentand will be available to own on the same day.
Starring Oliver Reed (Women in Love), Richard Chamberlain (The Towering Inferno) and Frank Finlay (Othello) as the titular Musketeers with Michael York (Logan’s Run) as D’Artagnan, The Three Musketeers and The Four Musketeers boast exceptional supporting casts featuring many of the most lauded stars...
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1970s swashbuckling classic, Studiocanal are delighted to announce a brand-new 4K restoration of the star-studded The Three Musketeers. Directed by Richard Lester,the film will be available to own on 4K Uhd for the very first time, on Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital from May 8. To accompany the release, the equally thrilling sequel, The Four Musketeers, has also enjoyed the same 4k treatmentand will be available to own on the same day.
Starring Oliver Reed (Women in Love), Richard Chamberlain (The Towering Inferno) and Frank Finlay (Othello) as the titular Musketeers with Michael York (Logan’s Run) as D’Artagnan, The Three Musketeers and The Four Musketeers boast exceptional supporting casts featuring many of the most lauded stars...
- 5/7/2023
- by Competitions
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Later in life, Raquel Welch would occasionally acknowledge that Richard Lester’s The Three Musketeers (1973) and The Four Musketeers (1974) provided her with the best reviews of her career. And it’s hard to argue. Prior to those successful, and slyly subversive, reworkings of Alexandre Dumas’ most famous novel, Welch was known as the sex symbol of the ’60s. She was the redhead in the fur bikini of One Million Years B.C. (1966); the poster image that was so iconic her figure became the primary sales pitch for a movie about dinosaurs!
The bombshell persona opened the doors of Hollywood, but for a woman who was already a mother of two at the time and had to change her name to hide her Bolivian heritage, it was a mirage. She ran with it throughout the ‘60s, leaving a legacy that lingered on in movies which ranged from The Shawshank Redemption (1994) to Belfast...
The bombshell persona opened the doors of Hollywood, but for a woman who was already a mother of two at the time and had to change her name to hide her Bolivian heritage, it was a mirage. She ran with it throughout the ‘60s, leaving a legacy that lingered on in movies which ranged from The Shawshank Redemption (1994) to Belfast...
- 2/18/2023
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
It’s Labor vs. Capital, in basic terms! Sean Connery is the tough, embittered miner looking to strike back against the bosses, and Richard Harris the underdog who sees a way out by becoming an agent provocateur for the Pinkertons. An admirable true-life history lesson, Walter Bernstein & Martin Ritt’s downer of a drama didn’t grab the public’s imagination. But there’s no better vision of the time and place, thanks to James Wong Howe’s realistic, nearly monochromatic cinematography.
The Molly Maguires
Blu-ray
Viavision [Imprint] 172
1970 / Color / 2:39 widescreen / 124 min. / Street Date October 26, 2022 / Available from Viavision / au 34.95
Starring: Sean Connery, Richard Harris, Samantha Eggar, Frank Finlay, Anthony Zerbe, Philip Bourneuf, Anthony Costello, Bethel Leslie, Brendan Dillon.
Cinematography: James Wong Howe
Art Director: Tambi Larsen
Costumes designed by: Dorothy Jeakins
Film Editor: Frank Bracht
Original Music: Henry Mancini
Written by Walter Bernstein suggested by a book by Arthur H. Lewis
Produced by Walter Bernstein,...
The Molly Maguires
Blu-ray
Viavision [Imprint] 172
1970 / Color / 2:39 widescreen / 124 min. / Street Date October 26, 2022 / Available from Viavision / au 34.95
Starring: Sean Connery, Richard Harris, Samantha Eggar, Frank Finlay, Anthony Zerbe, Philip Bourneuf, Anthony Costello, Bethel Leslie, Brendan Dillon.
Cinematography: James Wong Howe
Art Director: Tambi Larsen
Costumes designed by: Dorothy Jeakins
Film Editor: Frank Bracht
Original Music: Henry Mancini
Written by Walter Bernstein suggested by a book by Arthur H. Lewis
Produced by Walter Bernstein,...
- 12/6/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
A new episode of the Best Horror Movie You Never Saw video series has just been released, and with this one we’re looking back at a film that was made by one of the legendary “masters of horror”. The master in question is Tobe Hooper, the director who brought us The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Funhouse, and the Hooper movie we’re recommending today is his 1985 “space vampires” sci-fi horror movie Lifeforce (watch it Here). To find out all about Lifeforce, check out the video embedded above!
Directed by Hooper from a screenplay by Dan O’Bannon and Don Jakoby and based on the novel The Space Vampires by Colin Wilson, Lifeforce has the following synopsis: A mission to investigate Halley’s Comet discovers an even stranger phenomenon: an alien spacecraft! Following a deadly confrontation, the aliens arrive on Earth, where their seductive leader begins a terrifying campaign to...
Directed by Hooper from a screenplay by Dan O’Bannon and Don Jakoby and based on the novel The Space Vampires by Colin Wilson, Lifeforce has the following synopsis: A mission to investigate Halley’s Comet discovers an even stranger phenomenon: an alien spacecraft! Following a deadly confrontation, the aliens arrive on Earth, where their seductive leader begins a terrifying campaign to...
- 11/29/2022
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
December is not quite here yet, but for some of us, it’s already beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Thanksgiving is over, and the grimness of Black Friday too. So with the passing of those uniquely American traditions, the biggest holiday event for millions of film lovers is on the horizon. And some want to start celebrating now.
For that reason, we’ve collected the below streaming guide of holiday favorites, old and new, so you know exactly where to find your favorite Christmas movies this year. We’ve generally based this on where they’re available to watch without an additional surcharge on top of a subscription. In other words, we’re leaving off that most of these movies will be available to rent on demand for a fee from Amazon, Apple, or your other preferred video on demand platform. We also have based this list on American streaming service libraries.
For that reason, we’ve collected the below streaming guide of holiday favorites, old and new, so you know exactly where to find your favorite Christmas movies this year. We’ve generally based this on where they’re available to watch without an additional surcharge on top of a subscription. In other words, we’re leaving off that most of these movies will be available to rent on demand for a fee from Amazon, Apple, or your other preferred video on demand platform. We also have based this list on American streaming service libraries.
- 11/25/2022
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
Actor, writer and director Diane Morgan was in her teens when she first tried her hand at improv, an experience which first gave the “very shy, very quiet” 15-year-old a chance to step out of her shell and play a different character.
“I think my whole world opened up, basically,” says Morgan of that moment, ahead of receiving Variety and the Edinburgh TV Festival’s 2022 Outstanding Achievement Award. “I’d always been completely invisible and then, suddenly, I was the funny one.”
So it was unsurprising when Morgan decided she would try to pursue it professionally, even if it wasn’t the most obvious choice for a girl from Bolton. “I always thought I’d make a career out of it, even though everyone was telling me I wouldn’t make a career out of it and that it was insane,” she recalls. “Because I was from Bolton, and, you know,...
“I think my whole world opened up, basically,” says Morgan of that moment, ahead of receiving Variety and the Edinburgh TV Festival’s 2022 Outstanding Achievement Award. “I’d always been completely invisible and then, suddenly, I was the funny one.”
So it was unsurprising when Morgan decided she would try to pursue it professionally, even if it wasn’t the most obvious choice for a girl from Bolton. “I always thought I’d make a career out of it, even though everyone was telling me I wouldn’t make a career out of it and that it was insane,” she recalls. “Because I was from Bolton, and, you know,...
- 8/25/2022
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
This month’s home media releases are off to a fun start as a few of my favorite movies from 2020 are headed to Blu-ray and DVD this week—Paul W.S. Anderson’s Monster Hunter and Josh Ruben’s Scare Me. Beyond that, we have a pair of titles from Vinegar Syndrome that genre fans are going to want to pick up on Tuesday—Cthulhu Mansion and Dark Tower—and there are a few other titles being released on March 2nd, too, including Where is She?, Vampire Virus, and the Nicolas Cage Collection.
Cthulhu Mansion
After a drug deal gone wrong, a group of punks attempt to flee a local amusement park by taking a mysterious old magician named Chandu (Frank Finlay; Lifeforce) and his beautiful daughter hostage. While trying to evade the police, the punks force Chandu to take them to his secluded mansion where they plan to seek...
Cthulhu Mansion
After a drug deal gone wrong, a group of punks attempt to flee a local amusement park by taking a mysterious old magician named Chandu (Frank Finlay; Lifeforce) and his beautiful daughter hostage. While trying to evade the police, the punks force Chandu to take them to his secluded mansion where they plan to seek...
- 3/1/2021
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
Filmmakers/authors discuss the movies they wish more people were familiar with.
Movies Referenced In This Episode
Eurocrime! The Italian Cop and Gangster Films That Ruled the ’70s (2012)
Live Like A Cop, Die Like A Man (1976)
Island of Lost Souls (1932)
Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley’s Island of Dr. Moreau (2014)
Top Gun (1986)
Water Power (1977)
Taxi Driver (1976)
In Fabric (2018)
A Climax of Blue Power (1974)
Forced Entry (1975)
Once Upon A Time In America (1984)
Nashville Girl (1976)
Ms .45 (1981)
Act of Vengeance a.k.a. Rape Squad (1974)
High Plains Drifter (1973)
Design For Living (1933)
Trouble In Paradise (1932)
Melody (1971)
Oliver! (1968)
Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
That’ll Be The Day (1973)
Stardust (1974)
The Errand Boy (1961)
Looney Tunes: Back In Action (2003)
The Bellboy (1960)
Which Way To The Front? (1970)
Hardly Working (1980)
A Night In Casablanca (1946)
The Cocoanuts (1929)
Duck Soup (1933)
Boeing Boeing (1965)
Confessions of a Young American Housewife (1974)
Cockfighter (1974)
The Second Civil War (1997)
I, A Woman (1965)
The Devil At Your Heels (1981)
The...
Movies Referenced In This Episode
Eurocrime! The Italian Cop and Gangster Films That Ruled the ’70s (2012)
Live Like A Cop, Die Like A Man (1976)
Island of Lost Souls (1932)
Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley’s Island of Dr. Moreau (2014)
Top Gun (1986)
Water Power (1977)
Taxi Driver (1976)
In Fabric (2018)
A Climax of Blue Power (1974)
Forced Entry (1975)
Once Upon A Time In America (1984)
Nashville Girl (1976)
Ms .45 (1981)
Act of Vengeance a.k.a. Rape Squad (1974)
High Plains Drifter (1973)
Design For Living (1933)
Trouble In Paradise (1932)
Melody (1971)
Oliver! (1968)
Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
That’ll Be The Day (1973)
Stardust (1974)
The Errand Boy (1961)
Looney Tunes: Back In Action (2003)
The Bellboy (1960)
Which Way To The Front? (1970)
Hardly Working (1980)
A Night In Casablanca (1946)
The Cocoanuts (1929)
Duck Soup (1933)
Boeing Boeing (1965)
Confessions of a Young American Housewife (1974)
Cockfighter (1974)
The Second Civil War (1997)
I, A Woman (1965)
The Devil At Your Heels (1981)
The...
- 3/3/2020
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
Why do crime caper films have so much appeal? Are we all closet criminals, eager to watch less timid souls risk life and limb to get the big payout and live happily ever after? Peter Yates’ stylish re-telling of England’s Great Train Robbery makes for an excitingly detailed, nonsense-free heist straight from real life, with a just-the-facts clarity. The show begins with an influential car chase — straight through the heart of London.
Robbery
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1967 / Color / 1:66 widescreen / 110 min. / Street Date May 21, 2019 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Stanley Baker, Joanna Pettet, James Booth, Frank Finlay, Barry Foster, William Marlowe, Clinton Greyn, George Sewell, Glynn Edwards, Julie Ege.
Cinematography: Douglas Slocombe
Film Editor: Reginald Beck
Original Music: Johnny Keating
Written by Edward Boyd, George Markstein, Peter Yates, from a story by Gerald Wilson
Produced by Stanley Baker, Michael Deeley
Directed by Peter Yates
I’d always heard about Peter Yates’ Robbery,...
Robbery
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1967 / Color / 1:66 widescreen / 110 min. / Street Date May 21, 2019 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Stanley Baker, Joanna Pettet, James Booth, Frank Finlay, Barry Foster, William Marlowe, Clinton Greyn, George Sewell, Glynn Edwards, Julie Ege.
Cinematography: Douglas Slocombe
Film Editor: Reginald Beck
Original Music: Johnny Keating
Written by Edward Boyd, George Markstein, Peter Yates, from a story by Gerald Wilson
Produced by Stanley Baker, Michael Deeley
Directed by Peter Yates
I’d always heard about Peter Yates’ Robbery,...
- 5/7/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
“A Great Train Robbery”
By Raymond Benson
In 1963, bandits robbed a Royal Mail train in England and got away with over two million pounds. Most of the gang was eventually caught and incarcerated, but the heist had been meticulously planned and cleverly executed. Hence, it was known as the “Great Train Robbery.”
In 1967, Peter Yates made a movie loosely based on the robbery itself, but everything else in the picture was fictionalized, including the characters involved. Robbery, Yates’ third feature film, is a tight, gritty, and realistic heist picture that is sure to please fans of Yates’ next title, Bullitt (with Steve McQueen). In fact, apparently McQueen wanted Yates to direct Bullitt because of the exciting car chase in the first fifteen minutes of Robbery. One can see the similarities between this one and the iconic sequence in Bullitt, although the earlier one takes place in London, and McQueen’s in San Francisco.
By Raymond Benson
In 1963, bandits robbed a Royal Mail train in England and got away with over two million pounds. Most of the gang was eventually caught and incarcerated, but the heist had been meticulously planned and cleverly executed. Hence, it was known as the “Great Train Robbery.”
In 1967, Peter Yates made a movie loosely based on the robbery itself, but everything else in the picture was fictionalized, including the characters involved. Robbery, Yates’ third feature film, is a tight, gritty, and realistic heist picture that is sure to please fans of Yates’ next title, Bullitt (with Steve McQueen). In fact, apparently McQueen wanted Yates to direct Bullitt because of the exciting car chase in the first fifteen minutes of Robbery. One can see the similarities between this one and the iconic sequence in Bullitt, although the earlier one takes place in London, and McQueen’s in San Francisco.
- 5/7/2019
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
When is a private eye parody not a parody? Stephen Frears’ first feature strikes a delicate balance — its nearly absurd hardboiled lingo outdoes the spoofs, but the story and characters are pitched 100% straight. Albert Finney Is Eddie Ginley, surrounded by a pack of exciting, imaginatively cast actors.
Gumshoe
Blu-ray
Powerhouse Indicator
1971 / Color / 1:66 widescreen / 88 min. / / Street Date March 19, 2018 / available from Powerhouse Films UK / £15.99
Starring: Albert Finney, Billie Whitelaw, Frank Finlay, Janice Rule, Carolyn Seymour, Fulton Mackay, George Innes, George Silver, Bill Dean, Wendy Richard, Maureen Lipman, Neville Smith, Oscar James.
Cinematography: Chris Menges
Film Editor: Charles Rees
Original Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber
Written by Neville Smith
Produced by Michael Medwin, Albert Finney
Directed by Stephen Frears
At first one thinks it’s a parody, and not a very good one. Then we wonder if Albert Finney is simply taking his Humphrey Bogart imitation out for a walk, as when he...
Gumshoe
Blu-ray
Powerhouse Indicator
1971 / Color / 1:66 widescreen / 88 min. / / Street Date March 19, 2018 / available from Powerhouse Films UK / £15.99
Starring: Albert Finney, Billie Whitelaw, Frank Finlay, Janice Rule, Carolyn Seymour, Fulton Mackay, George Innes, George Silver, Bill Dean, Wendy Richard, Maureen Lipman, Neville Smith, Oscar James.
Cinematography: Chris Menges
Film Editor: Charles Rees
Original Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber
Written by Neville Smith
Produced by Michael Medwin, Albert Finney
Directed by Stephen Frears
At first one thinks it’s a parody, and not a very good one. Then we wonder if Albert Finney is simply taking his Humphrey Bogart imitation out for a walk, as when he...
- 4/10/2018
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
April is kicking off with an eclectic assortment of genre-related home entertainment releases, with Adam Robitel’s Insidious: The Last Key leading the charge on both Blu-ray and DVD (there’s also a nifty Insidious 4-pack hitting DVD as well). Shout! Factory is putting out the stellar revenge thriller Sweet Virginia this week, and Severin Films is keeping busy with a double dose of Jess Franco with their Blu-rays for Sinfonia Erotica and The Sadist of Notre Dame.
Other notable releases for April 3rd include A Study in Terror, A Place in Hell, 4/20 Massacre, and 12 Feet Deep.
4/20 Massacre (Film Chest, DVD)
Over 4/20 weekend, five young women have decided to celebrate their friend's birthday by taking a camping trip to a secluded part of a nearby national park. However, their fun is quickly snubbed out when they stumble upon an illegal marijuana grow operation hidden in the greenery and protected by a bloodthirsty maniac.
Other notable releases for April 3rd include A Study in Terror, A Place in Hell, 4/20 Massacre, and 12 Feet Deep.
4/20 Massacre (Film Chest, DVD)
Over 4/20 weekend, five young women have decided to celebrate their friend's birthday by taking a camping trip to a secluded part of a nearby national park. However, their fun is quickly snubbed out when they stumble upon an illegal marijuana grow operation hidden in the greenery and protected by a bloodthirsty maniac.
- 4/3/2018
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
In the mid-60s, thanks to the Inner London Education Authority’s policy of subsidised matinees for schools, I was privileged to see the National Theatre’s production of Othello with Laurence Olivier and Frank Finlay (obituary, 2 February). Olivier’s performance I found artificial and overstated (my ignorance, not his fault) but Finlay’s Iago seized my attention and imagination.
I still recall with a frisson the moment when his Iago revealed his true, infernal nature. In the final scene Othello attempts to kill Iago, uttering the words “If that thou be’st a devil I cannot kill thee.” Finlay’s Iago doubled over, then slowly straightened up and extended the blood-stained hand he had taken from the wound and delivered the line “I bleed, sir, but not killed.” I went on to a career in theatre.
Continue reading...
I still recall with a frisson the moment when his Iago revealed his true, infernal nature. In the final scene Othello attempts to kill Iago, uttering the words “If that thou be’st a devil I cannot kill thee.” Finlay’s Iago doubled over, then slowly straightened up and extended the blood-stained hand he had taken from the wound and delivered the line “I bleed, sir, but not killed.” I went on to a career in theatre.
Continue reading...
- 2/5/2016
- by Bruce Holman
- The Guardian - Film News
Frank Finlay, the British actor known for his performances on stage and screen, including his Oscar-nominated turn as Iago across from Laurence Olivier in 1965's Othello, passed away from heart failure this Saturday. His son, David, shared the news on Facebook. Finlay was 89.On film, Finlay starred in Richard Lester's adaptations of The Three Musketeers (1973) and Four Musketeers (1974), as well as Richard Eyre’s The Ploughman’s Lunch (1983), and Roman Polanski's The Pianist (2002). Finlay spent much of his career onstage, performing during the early days of the the English Stage Company at the Royal Court and Laurence Olivier's National Theatre Company. On television, he starred in the BBC's six-part series Casanova (1971), as well as several filmed theater productions on the network. Though Finlay received the Cbe (Commander Order of the British Empire) in 1984, he was never knighted. "Perhaps I haven't been high-profile enough," Finlay joked to the...
- 2/1/2016
- by Jackson McHenry
- Vulture
Tributes from peers and admirers are pouring in today for celebrated English stage, screen and television actor Frank Finlay, who died this weekend in his Weybridge, Surrey home from heart failure following a short illness. He was 89. “We are very saddened to announce that Frank died today 30 January 2016 at home surrounded by his family,” read a message posted to his official site. “He was a fine actor and will be very much missed by his friends and family.” An actor…...
- 2/1/2016
- Deadline TV
Tributes from peers and admirers are pouring in today for celebrated English stage, screen and television actor Frank Finlay, who died this weekend in his Weybridge, Surrey home from heart failure following a short illness. He was 89. “We are very saddened to announce that Frank died today 30 January 2016 at home surrounded by his family,” read a message posted to his official site. “He was a fine actor and will be very much missed by his friends and family.” An actor…...
- 2/1/2016
- Deadline
Frank Finlay, the British actor known for his Oscar-nominated work as Iago in Othello and 1975's The Three Musketeers, has died, according to his website. He was 89. "We are very saddened to announce that Frank died today 30th January 2016 at home surrounded by his family," the statement read. "He was a fine actor and will be very much missed by his friends and family." Finlay, who was preceded in death by his wife of 50 years, Doreen Shepherd, had over 100 credits to his name and last appeared in the U.K.'s television mini-series Four Seasons in 2009. Notable roles include Casanova...
- 2/1/2016
- by Lindsay Kimble, @lekimble
- PEOPLE.com
Frank Finlay, the British actor known for his Oscar-nominated work as Iago in Othello and 1975's The Three Musketeers, has died, according to his website. He was 89. "We are very saddened to announce that Frank died today 30th January 2016 at home surrounded by his family," the statement read. "He was a fine actor and will be very much missed by his friends and family." Finlay, who was preceded in death by his wife of 50 years, Doreen Shepherd, had over 100 credits to his name and last appeared in the U.K.'s television mini-series Four Seasons in 2009. Notable roles include Casanova...
- 2/1/2016
- by Lindsay Kimble, @lekimble
- PEOPLE.com
By Todd Garbarini
Update: Producer Ilya Salkind now also slated to appear.
Richard Lester’s film The Four Musketeers is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. With an all-star cast that includes Oliver Reed, Faye Dunaway, Raquel Welch, Richard Chamberlain, Michael York, and Sir Christopher Lee, the film will be shown on Tuesday, September 29th, 2015 at 7:00 pm as a special tribute to Sir Christopher as well as part of the theatre's Anniversary Classics series. Actors Richard Chamberlain and Michael York are scheduled to appear at the screening and take part in a Q & A and discussion on the making of the film.
From the press release:
Last year the Anniversary Classics series presented a successful 40th anniversary screening of The Three Musketeers, director Richard Lester's stylish and entertaining retelling of Alexandre Dumas' classic novel. Join us this year to see Lester's stirring conclusion of the tale, The Four Musketeers...
Update: Producer Ilya Salkind now also slated to appear.
Richard Lester’s film The Four Musketeers is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. With an all-star cast that includes Oliver Reed, Faye Dunaway, Raquel Welch, Richard Chamberlain, Michael York, and Sir Christopher Lee, the film will be shown on Tuesday, September 29th, 2015 at 7:00 pm as a special tribute to Sir Christopher as well as part of the theatre's Anniversary Classics series. Actors Richard Chamberlain and Michael York are scheduled to appear at the screening and take part in a Q & A and discussion on the making of the film.
From the press release:
Last year the Anniversary Classics series presented a successful 40th anniversary screening of The Three Musketeers, director Richard Lester's stylish and entertaining retelling of Alexandre Dumas' classic novel. Join us this year to see Lester's stirring conclusion of the tale, The Four Musketeers...
- 9/1/2015
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Glenda Jackson: Actress and former Labour MP. Two-time Oscar winner and former Labour MP Glenda Jackson returns to acting Two-time Best Actress Academy Award winner Glenda Jackson set aside her acting career after becoming a Labour Party MP in 1992. Four years ago, Jackson, who represented the Greater London constituency of Hampstead and Highgate, announced that she would stand down the 2015 general election – which, somewhat controversially, was won by right-wing prime minister David Cameron's Conservative party.[1] The silver lining: following a two-decade-plus break, Glenda Jackson is returning to acting. Now, Jackson isn't – for the time being – returning to acting in front of the camera. The 79-year-old is to be featured in the Radio 4 series Emile Zola: Blood, Sex and Money, described on their website as a “mash-up” adaptation of 20 Emile Zola novels collectively known as "Les Rougon-Macquart."[2] Part 1 of the three-part Radio 4 series will be broadcast daily during an...
- 7/2/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
From spoofs to point-and-click adventure games, here are 10 of the most memorable unusual incarnations of Sherlock Holmes...
We don’t know a great deal about the content of the 90-minute Sherlock special set to air later this year, but one thing has emerged from the set photos and tantalising titbits of information we’ve seen so far. Sherlock Holmes and John Watson will be in nineteenth-century garb, pitching them back into the setting of the legendary detective’s original adventures: 1895, to be precise. Why that happens is as yet unclear, but all will be revealed.
For those still craving their Holmes fix in the meantime, the new film Mr. Holmes offers us Ian McKellen’s take on the character, musing upon an old case as he looks back on his long career from the vantage point of retirement. Jonny Lee Miller’s ultra-modern, Us-based Sherlock will be entering his fourth...
We don’t know a great deal about the content of the 90-minute Sherlock special set to air later this year, but one thing has emerged from the set photos and tantalising titbits of information we’ve seen so far. Sherlock Holmes and John Watson will be in nineteenth-century garb, pitching them back into the setting of the legendary detective’s original adventures: 1895, to be precise. Why that happens is as yet unclear, but all will be revealed.
For those still craving their Holmes fix in the meantime, the new film Mr. Holmes offers us Ian McKellen’s take on the character, musing upon an old case as he looks back on his long career from the vantage point of retirement. Jonny Lee Miller’s ultra-modern, Us-based Sherlock will be entering his fourth...
- 6/29/2015
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
In celebration of Sound on Sight’s 7th anniversary, writers were asked to come up with articles that present their childhood favorites in the realm of films, TV shows, books or games.
I chose films and anyone who has any familiarity with my writing knows I am virtually incapable of writing an article about a single film so I’m going to focus on a number of movies I saw in my youth.
Growing up in suburban Cincinnati, Ohio, I was fortunate enough to have my own room and my own TV set.
My family didn’t go out to the cinema very often so my introduction to movies was primarily through television.
The household cable television was limited to the family room and the parental restrictions that went with that so a far as movie watching went, it was mostly just me in my room where there were no...
I chose films and anyone who has any familiarity with my writing knows I am virtually incapable of writing an article about a single film so I’m going to focus on a number of movies I saw in my youth.
Growing up in suburban Cincinnati, Ohio, I was fortunate enough to have my own room and my own TV set.
My family didn’t go out to the cinema very often so my introduction to movies was primarily through television.
The household cable television was limited to the family room and the parental restrictions that went with that so a far as movie watching went, it was mostly just me in my room where there were no...
- 11/29/2014
- by Terek Puckett
- SoundOnSight
‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ sequel could get killed by Paramount (photo: James Stewart and Donna Reed in ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’) What would the world be like if any one individual human being had never been born? In most cases, the world would quite possibly be an infinitely better place, but the overwhelming majority of (delusional) humans want to feel good about themselves and their place on our overpopulated, fast-rotting planet. Hence movies such as Frank Capra’s 1946 sentimental fantasy drama It’s a Wonderful Life, released the year after the end of World War II — which reportedly left about 60 million human beings dead (plus countless other non-humans), in addition to millions more maimed, homeless, and/or psychologically destroyed. Starring James Stewart as Small Town America family man George Bailey, who almost kills himself but is prevented from doing so by an angel with way too much time in his hands,...
- 11/22/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Stars: Steve Railsback, Mathilda May, Peter Firth, Frank Finlay, Patrick Stewart, Michael Gothard | Written by Dan O’Bannon | Directed by Tobe Hooper
Based on a book by Colin Wilson known as Space Vampires and adapted by Dan O’Bannon for the silver screen Lifeforce is one of the most unique versions of the vampire legend ever put to screen. Featuring enough nudity to keep any eighties teenage boy happy Tobe Hooper created an epic sci-fi horror that not only pays homage to Hammer but also creates a truly unique experience. Much loved by the fans who have discovered it and looked back on with fondness by the people who starred in it and worked on it behind the scenes, Lifeforce is one of the treasures of the horror world that should be truly loved.
Arrow Video have paid respect to Lifeforce in the best way, giving it a re-mastering that...
Based on a book by Colin Wilson known as Space Vampires and adapted by Dan O’Bannon for the silver screen Lifeforce is one of the most unique versions of the vampire legend ever put to screen. Featuring enough nudity to keep any eighties teenage boy happy Tobe Hooper created an epic sci-fi horror that not only pays homage to Hammer but also creates a truly unique experience. Much loved by the fans who have discovered it and looked back on with fondness by the people who starred in it and worked on it behind the scenes, Lifeforce is one of the treasures of the horror world that should be truly loved.
Arrow Video have paid respect to Lifeforce in the best way, giving it a re-mastering that...
- 11/17/2013
- by Paul Metcalf
- Nerdly
We got a brilliant, kaleidoscopic entertainment that evoked the National's past and opened up possibilities for the future
I count myself fortunate to have been part of the audience at Saturday night's celebration of the National theatre's 50th birthday. I don't know how it looked to viewers on BBC 2 or in cinemas at home and abroad. But, sitting in the Olivier, what we got was a brilliant kaleidoscopic entertainment that not only evoked the National's past but also, through astute recasting, opened up possibilities for the future.
Obviously it was moving to see legendary actors, either through archival footage or live performance, repeating past successes. There was a white-haired Joan Plowright, filmed at the Old Vic only last month, sternly replying to her accusers as Shaw's Saint Joan. There, too, was Maggie Smith – seen one moment on film rolling a wine glass across her forehead as the affectedly sexy Myra in Coward's Hay Fever,...
I count myself fortunate to have been part of the audience at Saturday night's celebration of the National theatre's 50th birthday. I don't know how it looked to viewers on BBC 2 or in cinemas at home and abroad. But, sitting in the Olivier, what we got was a brilliant kaleidoscopic entertainment that not only evoked the National's past but also, through astute recasting, opened up possibilities for the future.
Obviously it was moving to see legendary actors, either through archival footage or live performance, repeating past successes. There was a white-haired Joan Plowright, filmed at the Old Vic only last month, sternly replying to her accusers as Shaw's Saint Joan. There, too, was Maggie Smith – seen one moment on film rolling a wine glass across her forehead as the affectedly sexy Myra in Coward's Hay Fever,...
- 11/4/2013
- by Michael Billington
- The Guardian - Film News
Network Distributing is pleased to announce the next batch of titles within “The British Film” range which will be available in the UK later this year. Each feature once again benefits from a new transfer, an instant play facility and will be presented in special slim-line space-saving packaging. Some of the highlights from October are a documentary about the body narrated by Vanessa Redgrave with music from Roger Waters, more gems from the vaults from Ealing Studios, classic horror, British musicals and a courtroom drama starring Richard Attenborough.
7 October
The Body £9.99
Vanessa Redgrave and Frank Finlay narrate an intimate and innovative documentary from the seventies about the human body cut to music from Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters. Commentary by poet and playwright Adrian Mitchell.
The Final Programme £9.99
Cult director Robert Fuest’s dystopian sci-fi thriller. Robert Finch stars as Jerry Cornelius, a Nobel Prize winning physicist and playboy who...
7 October
The Body £9.99
Vanessa Redgrave and Frank Finlay narrate an intimate and innovative documentary from the seventies about the human body cut to music from Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters. Commentary by poet and playwright Adrian Mitchell.
The Final Programme £9.99
Cult director Robert Fuest’s dystopian sci-fi thriller. Robert Finch stars as Jerry Cornelius, a Nobel Prize winning physicist and playboy who...
- 10/28/2013
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
In the world of horror cinema, the best way to fight a monster–be it supernatural, human, or natural one–is with a character that possesses special knowledge and skills. These experts, recruited into battle by other characters or colliding with the conflict intentionally, are the savants of the horror world.
Examples of savant characters include David Warner’s bat expert Phillip Payne in Nightwing, Zelda Rubinstein’s spiritual medium Tangina in Poltergeist, Matthew McConaughey’s dragon slayer Denton Van Zan in Reign of Fire, Lin Shaye’s paranormal investigator Elise Rainier in Insidious, and Otto Jespersen’s monster killer Hans in Trollhunter.
This article, divided into three sections based on what type of monstrous force is being fought, focuses on the greatest savant characters the horror genre has to offer.
****
Vs. The Supernatural
Peter Cushing as Doctor Van Helsing in Horror of Dracula and The Brides of Dracula: In these two Hammer films,...
Examples of savant characters include David Warner’s bat expert Phillip Payne in Nightwing, Zelda Rubinstein’s spiritual medium Tangina in Poltergeist, Matthew McConaughey’s dragon slayer Denton Van Zan in Reign of Fire, Lin Shaye’s paranormal investigator Elise Rainier in Insidious, and Otto Jespersen’s monster killer Hans in Trollhunter.
This article, divided into three sections based on what type of monstrous force is being fought, focuses on the greatest savant characters the horror genre has to offer.
****
Vs. The Supernatural
Peter Cushing as Doctor Van Helsing in Horror of Dracula and The Brides of Dracula: In these two Hammer films,...
- 10/19/2013
- by Terek Puckett
- SoundOnSight
★★☆☆☆ Lifeforce (1985), director Tobe Hooper's foray into space-based terror, is very much a product of its time. Starring Steve Railsback, Peter Firth, Mathilda May and Frank Finlay (as well as a brief surprise appearance by future Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Patrick Stewart), Lifeforce is one of those films with an unmistakable 1980s air which stands up surprisingly well after nearly thirty years - well, almost. Whilst exploring the farthest reaches of space, the crew of the space shuttle Churchill discover a massive 150 mile-long alien spaceship hidden within the corona of Halley's Comet and decide to board.
Though the ship initially seems devoid of life the Churchill's crew soon find out what inhabited it, with potentially devastating results for not only them but the entire human race. Lifeforce falls into a group of films that everyone remembers, but which no-one can be sure they actually saw. Made in the wake of...
Though the ship initially seems devoid of life the Churchill's crew soon find out what inhabited it, with potentially devastating results for not only them but the entire human race. Lifeforce falls into a group of films that everyone remembers, but which no-one can be sure they actually saw. Made in the wake of...
- 10/15/2013
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
Director: Tobe Hooper. Review: Adam Wing. I'm ashamed to admit this, but I'd never even heard of Lifeforce before it dropped through my letterbox. Quite how this 80's favourite passed me by remains a mystery, but thanks to Arrow Video, I can now enjoy the fully-restored deluxe Blu-ray edition in the comfort of my own home. Originally released back in 1986, Lifeforce was directed by American horror maestro Tobe Hooper (The Texas Chain Saw Massacre) hot off the heels of Poltergeist. Known for pushing the envelope, for his 1986 release, Lifeforce, Hooper decided to adapt Colin Wilson's novel The Space Vampires and in doing so, created a horror/sci-fi with a massive cult following. Who else feels a little silly now? That'll be just me then. The opening act borrows heavily from Ridley Scott's sci-fi masterpiece - both films were written by Dan O'Bannon - but with Hooper at the...
- 10/3/2013
- 24framespersecond.net
We have some amazing things we're about to announce for Cinelinx, and we've been working our tails off in order to get them done. While this is great, it unfortunately means that I haven't kept up with my press releases like I should have been. There's been a few things going on in the Indie world, so I've decided to bring them all together, News Bits style, for your enjoyment. Come inside for casting news on Kickback, a new trailer for Entity, and a North American release date for Silent Cry!
Here at Cinelinx we like to talk about all aspects of filmmaking and movie news. To that end, we have Indie Beat where we highlight some of the latest news, trailers, and PR releases from the indie filmmaker scene. So if you're an independent filmmaker and want some coverage on our site, be sure to drop us a line at jordan@cinelinx.
Here at Cinelinx we like to talk about all aspects of filmmaking and movie news. To that end, we have Indie Beat where we highlight some of the latest news, trailers, and PR releases from the indie filmmaker scene. So if you're an independent filmmaker and want some coverage on our site, be sure to drop us a line at jordan@cinelinx.
- 7/9/2013
- by feeds@cinelinx.com (Jordan Maison)
- Cinelinx
Thriller goes to Us, Benelux and Scandinavia.
Music Video Distribution has acquired North American rights to Julian Richards thriller Silent Cry.
Additional deals have closed with Zeno Pictures for Benelux and Njuta for Scandinavia.
Emily Woof, Douglas Henshall, Kevin Whately, Clive Russell and Frank Finlay star in the urban chase thriller about corruption and murder in the medical world.
Simon Lubert wrote the script, producers are Peter La Terriere and Tim Dennison. Executive producers are Keith Hayley and Robert Bevan.
Screen Media Ventures handles sales.
Music Video Distribution has acquired North American rights to Julian Richards thriller Silent Cry.
Additional deals have closed with Zeno Pictures for Benelux and Njuta for Scandinavia.
Emily Woof, Douglas Henshall, Kevin Whately, Clive Russell and Frank Finlay star in the urban chase thriller about corruption and murder in the medical world.
Simon Lubert wrote the script, producers are Peter La Terriere and Tim Dennison. Executive producers are Keith Hayley and Robert Bevan.
Screen Media Ventures handles sales.
- 7/8/2013
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Director Tobe Hooper made quite a name for himself in the 70′s and 80′s with horror films like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, The Funhouse, Salem’s Lot and Poltergeist. I’m sure he surprised many fans following up a “family friendly” blockbuster like Poltergeist with a sci-fi film that was anything but. Based on the novel The Space Vampires by Colin Wilson, Lifeforce is a strange tale of intergalactic visitors who seduce and destroy everything in their path.
On a voyage to study Haley’s Comet, a space crew headed by Colonel Tom Carlsen (Steve Railsback) discover a space vessel inhabited by giant bat-like creatures and decide to take a specimen back to Earth. When a shuttle is sent from Earth to retrieve the team, they discover the crew is missing and the shuttle they were in is burned to a crisp. The rescue team stumbles upon the source...
On a voyage to study Haley’s Comet, a space crew headed by Colonel Tom Carlsen (Steve Railsback) discover a space vessel inhabited by giant bat-like creatures and decide to take a specimen back to Earth. When a shuttle is sent from Earth to retrieve the team, they discover the crew is missing and the shuttle they were in is burned to a crisp. The rescue team stumbles upon the source...
- 6/20/2013
- by Derek Botelho
- DailyDead
There's so much to like about the 1985 science fiction / horror / action-packed apocalypse flick Lifeforce that one finds it very easy to overlook the film's numerous problems. I mean, why worry about boring stuff like editorial cohesion and tonal consistency when you have a flick jam-packed with spaceships, vampires, lasers, mass murder, and one of the most gorgeous naked ladies to ever grace the silver screen? No movie geek worth their stripes could dismiss Tobe Hooper's Lifeforce without admitting that there's some pretty amazing stuff on display in this adorably weird movie. Or if not amazing then at least novel, diverting, and audacious. The movie does borrow from a ton of other sci-fi films, but it has also inspired a few moments in films like Species, The Hidden, and 28 Days Later, so it all seems fair in the end.
Look, the movie is based on a novel called The Space Vampires,...
- 6/4/2013
- by Scott Weinberg
- FEARnet
One of the true pioneers of adult and erotic cinema, Tinto Brass is renown as one of Europe’s leading figures in softcore erotic filmmaking, earning a worldwide reputation for his blend of art and extremity. After joining the Italian film industry in the early 1960’s Brass worked alongside the likes of Federico Fellini and Roberto Rossellini, before directing his debut solo feature in 1963. However it was not until 1976 that Brass would gain worldwide recognition, when Penthouse publisher Bob Guccione chose him to direct the infamous Caligula. Despite numerous editing and post-production issues, which caused Brass to disown the film, it made millions at the box office and ultimately gained him global notoriety.
And now Arrow Video bring us The Key and All Ladies Do It in two dual format editions including brand new uncut and uncensored versions of each film, which have been painstakingly restored for Blu-ray and DVD.
And now Arrow Video bring us The Key and All Ladies Do It in two dual format editions including brand new uncut and uncensored versions of each film, which have been painstakingly restored for Blu-ray and DVD.
- 5/19/2013
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
While we’e been covering many of the Scream Factory releases for our Us readers, Arrow Video has been releasing horror classics in the UK for a while now and they recently announced their next set of Blu-ray releases. Take a look at release details, cover art, and bonus features for The Fall of the House of Usher, Lifeforce, Deranged, and Squirm. We’ve also included details for Motel Hell, which we covered earlier this week.
Motel Hell: “It takes all kinds of critters to make Farmer Vincent fritters!” cackle the brother-and-sister team behind the finest smoked meats in the county. They also run the friendly Motel Hello (the ‘o’ in the neon sign sometimes goes on the blink), and no matter how many times you’ve seen Psycho or The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, you can be sure that everything will be perfectly above board here as Vincent...
Motel Hell: “It takes all kinds of critters to make Farmer Vincent fritters!” cackle the brother-and-sister team behind the finest smoked meats in the county. They also run the friendly Motel Hello (the ‘o’ in the neon sign sometimes goes on the blink), and no matter how many times you’ve seen Psycho or The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, you can be sure that everything will be perfectly above board here as Vincent...
- 5/4/2013
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
Feature Aliya Whiteley 13 Mar 2013 - 06:59
Aliya salutes one of Hollywood's most suave and talented actors - the great Louis Jourdan...
Traditionally Hollywood works in boxes. It finds a box, and then it places an actor in it. The box of the French lover has been filled by quite a few stars over the years: Charles Boyer, Maurice Chevalier, Yves Montand, Pepe Le Pew, Alain Delon, and even Gerard Depardieu for one moment in the madly entertaining Green Card.
Louis Jourdan was the most classically handsome of these actors (yes, even more debonair than the skunk). He had a smile that the camera loved and a way of cocking his head and crossing his legs that exuded style. Most well known for Vincent Minnelli’s chocolate-box love affair with France, Gigi, he brought a sense of humour to the film that kept it fresh, but it was a retread of his standard role.
Aliya salutes one of Hollywood's most suave and talented actors - the great Louis Jourdan...
Traditionally Hollywood works in boxes. It finds a box, and then it places an actor in it. The box of the French lover has been filled by quite a few stars over the years: Charles Boyer, Maurice Chevalier, Yves Montand, Pepe Le Pew, Alain Delon, and even Gerard Depardieu for one moment in the madly entertaining Green Card.
Louis Jourdan was the most classically handsome of these actors (yes, even more debonair than the skunk). He had a smile that the camera loved and a way of cocking his head and crossing his legs that exuded style. Most well known for Vincent Minnelli’s chocolate-box love affair with France, Gigi, he brought a sense of humour to the film that kept it fresh, but it was a retread of his standard role.
- 3/12/2013
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
By Allen Gardner
Killer Joe (Lionsgate) William Friedkin’s film of Tracy Letts’ off-Broadway hit about a family of Texas trailer park cretins (Emile Hirsch, Juno Temple, Thomas Haden Church, Gina Gershon) who hire a cop-cum-hitman (Matthew McConaughey) to take out their troublesome mother, then foolishly cross him, is a stinging satire, given double-barreled audacity by Friedkin’s sure, and fearless, directorial hand. Earning its Nc-17 rating in spades, “Killer Joe” reminds us that daring, frank material like this is why movies exist in the first place. McConaughey gives the performance of his career, hopefully redefined after this. Also available on Blu-ray disc. Bonuses: Featurettes; Commentary by Friendkin; Trailer. Widescreen. Dolby and DTS-hd 5.1 surround.
The Dark Knight Rises (Warner Bros.) Christopher Nolan’s coda to his “Batman” trilogy finds Christian Bale returning as a brooding Bruce Wayne/Caped Crusader, this time faced with a hulking villain (Tom Hardy) with respiratory...
Killer Joe (Lionsgate) William Friedkin’s film of Tracy Letts’ off-Broadway hit about a family of Texas trailer park cretins (Emile Hirsch, Juno Temple, Thomas Haden Church, Gina Gershon) who hire a cop-cum-hitman (Matthew McConaughey) to take out their troublesome mother, then foolishly cross him, is a stinging satire, given double-barreled audacity by Friedkin’s sure, and fearless, directorial hand. Earning its Nc-17 rating in spades, “Killer Joe” reminds us that daring, frank material like this is why movies exist in the first place. McConaughey gives the performance of his career, hopefully redefined after this. Also available on Blu-ray disc. Bonuses: Featurettes; Commentary by Friendkin; Trailer. Widescreen. Dolby and DTS-hd 5.1 surround.
The Dark Knight Rises (Warner Bros.) Christopher Nolan’s coda to his “Batman” trilogy finds Christian Bale returning as a brooding Bruce Wayne/Caped Crusader, this time faced with a hulking villain (Tom Hardy) with respiratory...
- 1/8/2013
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
Outstanding Blu-ray presentations of two all-action classics, featuring the best of British are available to purchase right now. Arrow Video are proud to announce the release of The Wild Geese and Who Dares Win, available to buy on Blu-ray from 8th October 2012.
We have three copies of each Blu-ray to give away to our readers…
The Wild Geese (Arrow Video)
Available to buy on Blu-ray from 8th October 2012
British film legends Richard Burton (Where Eagles Dare; Cleopatra), Roger Moore (James Bond) and Richard Harris (Gladiator; Unforgiven) head up an all-star cast in the much-revered, all-action adventure film, The Wild Geese, coming to Blu-ray for the first time in October.
A high octane, thrill-ride directed by veteran action and western director Andrew V. McLaglen (The Sea Wolves; Chisum) and edited by John Glen (the director of the Bond movies For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy, A View To A Kill, The Living Daylights...
We have three copies of each Blu-ray to give away to our readers…
The Wild Geese (Arrow Video)
Available to buy on Blu-ray from 8th October 2012
British film legends Richard Burton (Where Eagles Dare; Cleopatra), Roger Moore (James Bond) and Richard Harris (Gladiator; Unforgiven) head up an all-star cast in the much-revered, all-action adventure film, The Wild Geese, coming to Blu-ray for the first time in October.
A high octane, thrill-ride directed by veteran action and western director Andrew V. McLaglen (The Sea Wolves; Chisum) and edited by John Glen (the director of the Bond movies For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy, A View To A Kill, The Living Daylights...
- 10/9/2012
- by Matt Holmes
- Obsessed with Film
Stage and screen actor known for his roles in The Three Musketeers and Young Winston
In 1971 the actor Simon Ward, who has died after a long illness aged 70, was plucked from virtual obscurity by the director Richard Attenborough to play Winston Churchill in the film Young Winston, supported by actors of longstanding reputation including Robert Shaw, Anne Bancroft and John Mills. After the film's release a year later, Ward found himself a star on several continents. "That was a frightening role," he recalled. "You were playing someone whom everyone had very strong feelings about. As a movie, it had the most extraordinary mixture of adventure – the fighting, riding, running up and down mountains – and some wonderful dialogue scenes shot at Shepperton."
Swashbuckling and tongue-in-cheek slapstick were added to the mix when Ward, known for his aristocratic looks and high cheekbones, was cast as the Duke of Buckingham in Richard Lester's The Three Musketeers...
In 1971 the actor Simon Ward, who has died after a long illness aged 70, was plucked from virtual obscurity by the director Richard Attenborough to play Winston Churchill in the film Young Winston, supported by actors of longstanding reputation including Robert Shaw, Anne Bancroft and John Mills. After the film's release a year later, Ward found himself a star on several continents. "That was a frightening role," he recalled. "You were playing someone whom everyone had very strong feelings about. As a movie, it had the most extraordinary mixture of adventure – the fighting, riding, running up and down mountains – and some wonderful dialogue scenes shot at Shepperton."
Swashbuckling and tongue-in-cheek slapstick were added to the mix when Ward, known for his aristocratic looks and high cheekbones, was cast as the Duke of Buckingham in Richard Lester's The Three Musketeers...
- 7/23/2012
- by Anthony Hayward
- The Guardian - Film News
For moviegoers growing up in the last 20-30 years, big is the new normal. I’m talking about those big-budget, over-produced, effects/action-packed extravaganzas that are as expected and routine an arrival as a commuter bus, and never more so than during the summer months. Come a rise in temperatures, there’s an almost ceaseless parade of these megabuck behemoths through multiplexes starting in May and continuing until the kids go back to school, one rolling out almost every week.
Consider these May-August releases and their eye-popping price tags:
5/4: Marvel’s The Avengers — $220 million
5/11: Dark Shadows — $150 million
5/18: Battleship — $209 million
5/25: Men in Black 3 — $250 million
6/8: Prometheus — $120-130 million
7/3: The Amazing Spider-Man — $220 million
7/20: The Dark Knight Rises — $250 million
7/31: Total Recall — $200 million
8/5: The Expendables 2 — $100 million
For those of you who haven’t been keeping count, that’s a little over $1.7 billion in productions...
Consider these May-August releases and their eye-popping price tags:
5/4: Marvel’s The Avengers — $220 million
5/11: Dark Shadows — $150 million
5/18: Battleship — $209 million
5/25: Men in Black 3 — $250 million
6/8: Prometheus — $120-130 million
7/3: The Amazing Spider-Man — $220 million
7/20: The Dark Knight Rises — $250 million
7/31: Total Recall — $200 million
8/5: The Expendables 2 — $100 million
For those of you who haven’t been keeping count, that’s a little over $1.7 billion in productions...
- 6/29/2012
- by Bill Mesce
- SoundOnSight
Actress Joyce Redman, Oscar nominated for both Tom Jones and Othello, died in Kent, England, earlier today. The Newcastle-born Redman, who was either 93 or 96, had been suffering from pneumonia. Film lovers will remember her as Tom Jones‘ Mrs. Waters, stealing the movie while “sexting” — as in, sex while eating — Albert Finney. Mostly a stage and television performer, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art-trained Redman appeared in only a handful of movies. Yet, her brief film career was notable because of her two Best Supporting Actress Academy Award nominations. In fact, Redman brought "Oscar luck" to her movies and fellow players: Best Picture Oscar winner Tom Jones (1963) earned five nominations in the acting categories (Joyce Redman, Albert Finney, Diane Cilento, Dame Edith Evans, Hugh Griffith), while the filmed version of Britain’s National Theatre presentation of Othello (1965) earned four (Joyce Redman as Emilia, Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith, Frank Finlay). Regarding the nominations for the Othello actors,...
- 5/11/2012
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
The play Barrymore, which in 1997 earned Christopher Plummer a Tony Award for his portrayal of legendary stage and screen star John Barrymore, will be shown at movie houses in Canada in May. Screenings in the United States and elsewhere will follow in October. Could that possibly mean a third Oscar nomination for Plummer, this year's Best Supporting Actor winner for Mike Mills' Beginners? Unless Academy rules have changed in that regard — and Barrymore gets shown for a week in the Los Angeles area — that's certainly a possibility. Filmed plays — Barrymore was filmed with multiple high-definition cameras last year — have earned Academy recognition in the past. For instance, a 1965 filmed version of Britain's National Theatre presentation of Othello earned acting nods for Laurence Olivier, Frank Finlay, Maggie Smith, and Joyce Redman. In 1975, James Whitmore was shortlisted in the Best Actor category for the Theatrovision production of his one-man show Give 'em Hell,...
- 3/14/2012
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
If there is one famous literary character that has made such an impact on film and television, it has to be Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle’s immortal detective. Holmes has generated such a fascination for filmmakers; he is probably more popular, and certainly more prolific, than Dracula and James Bond put together. The number of Holmes films produced since the pioneering days of the silent era is so extensive it’s unlikely the Great Detective will ever be absent from our screens for very long.
Within the last couple of years, Holmes has become fashionable again thanks to Robert Downey Jr’s cinematic reinvention of the role in two successful Guy Ritchie movies and the excellent TV series Sherlock, which effectively transports Holmes (brilliantly played by Benedict Cumberbatch) to modern day London. Oddly enough the concept is not a new one considering Holmes, like Dracula, is a man of his time...
Within the last couple of years, Holmes has become fashionable again thanks to Robert Downey Jr’s cinematic reinvention of the role in two successful Guy Ritchie movies and the excellent TV series Sherlock, which effectively transports Holmes (brilliantly played by Benedict Cumberbatch) to modern day London. Oddly enough the concept is not a new one considering Holmes, like Dracula, is a man of his time...
- 2/13/2012
- Shadowlocked
The more I think about horror and explore the genre more thoroughly, the more I really realize I've always been a big horror fan whether I knew it way back when or not. I'm one of probably a jillion people who make it a point to reread A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens every year at holiday time (and watch several different versions of the film production). However, this year might be the first I gave it much thought as a potential horror film. I know a lot of people would argue with me there, but really. This story (along with many others from the Victorian and pre-Victorian eras) has several strong elements of horror about it. I'm a bit surprised that I never considered the matter in more depth before, especially since the cast of characters is riddled with ghosts.
However, I'm thinking my missing it for so long...
However, I'm thinking my missing it for so long...
- 12/15/2011
- by Shannon Hilson
- MoreHorror
Rather shamelessly packaged to fool you into thinking these are in some way tied-in to the new Paul W.S. Anderson version, this duo of 70s classics have been released onto pin-sharp Blu-ray for the very first time. Enjoy some of the richest production values and costume design that 70s cinema had to offer – all as you’ve never seen it before (even on the big screen, I’d wager) as Blu-rays, here and here.
These are a truly odd and unique pair of films. They were produced by the father-and-son team of Alexander and Ilya Salkind who decided (very much as they did with their later Superman franchise) to produce both films back-to-back. This doesn’t seem especially unusual these days, but it was revolutionary back in the early seventies! The Three Musketeers finishes with a teaser trailer for the following year’s The Four Musketeers and the only other...
These are a truly odd and unique pair of films. They were produced by the father-and-son team of Alexander and Ilya Salkind who decided (very much as they did with their later Superman franchise) to produce both films back-to-back. This doesn’t seem especially unusual these days, but it was revolutionary back in the early seventies! The Three Musketeers finishes with a teaser trailer for the following year’s The Four Musketeers and the only other...
- 10/4/2011
- by John Ashbrook
- Obsessed with Film
Each week within this column we strive to pair the latest in theatrical releases to the worthwhile titles currently available on Netflix Instant Watch.
This week Captain Jack returns to theaters to face off against – well, no one really…That’s right. Not one single studio feature wanted to do battle with Pirates 4 at the box office. Happily a trio of new features will be opening in limited release, including the latest from Woody Allen, an African-American ensemble dramedy, and documentary about the power of slam poetry. And as always, if you’re keen to take the gasps, laughs, love, and real-world drama home – we’ve got you covered.
—
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
In this high seas adventure, Captain Jack (Johnny Depp) joins forces with his old foe Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) to uncover the legendary Fountain of Youth. But these unlikely allies find a new enemy...
This week Captain Jack returns to theaters to face off against – well, no one really…That’s right. Not one single studio feature wanted to do battle with Pirates 4 at the box office. Happily a trio of new features will be opening in limited release, including the latest from Woody Allen, an African-American ensemble dramedy, and documentary about the power of slam poetry. And as always, if you’re keen to take the gasps, laughs, love, and real-world drama home – we’ve got you covered.
—
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
In this high seas adventure, Captain Jack (Johnny Depp) joins forces with his old foe Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) to uncover the legendary Fountain of Youth. But these unlikely allies find a new enemy...
- 5/19/2011
- by Kristy Puchko
- The Film Stage
Oh, Arnie. I know you think there's some sort of magic left in the rusted hyperalloy combat chassis that once served so well.
To be honest, I'm at least a little encouraged you aren't returning to the late-90's doldrums, the period that began with Junior and Eraser and continued until you managed to convince Calee-forn-yah that you would make a suitable head of state government. Perhaps, locked away in that muddled mess of metallic mechanisms and bastard children, there's a decent film to be made.
But Justin Lin as the director? Didn't we try this when producers handed Terminator: Salvation over to McG, who deserves some kind of medal, say a hand grenade, for finding a way to be so inept he is best compared to Bret "insert expletive" Ratner.
Screw it, let's go ahead and do another one. But first, here are 5 bloated corpses I'd rather give...
To be honest, I'm at least a little encouraged you aren't returning to the late-90's doldrums, the period that began with Junior and Eraser and continued until you managed to convince Calee-forn-yah that you would make a suitable head of state government. Perhaps, locked away in that muddled mess of metallic mechanisms and bastard children, there's a decent film to be made.
But Justin Lin as the director? Didn't we try this when producers handed Terminator: Salvation over to McG, who deserves some kind of medal, say a hand grenade, for finding a way to be so inept he is best compared to Bret "insert expletive" Ratner.
Screw it, let's go ahead and do another one. But first, here are 5 bloated corpses I'd rather give...
- 5/18/2011
- by Dustin Rowles
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