“Freeze mother bitches!” What’s the all-time best buddy cop movie ever made? 48 Hrs? Lethal Weapon? Beverly Hills Cop? Rush Hour? The Nice Guys? In terms of story and dramatic action, any one of these titles warrants serious consideration. But when it comes to the onscreen rapport and natural chemistry between two stars in a buddy cop movie, it’s hard to beat 1995’s Bad Boys – the directorial debut of the divisive filmmaker Michael Bay. Sure, Bay has earned a rightful rep as a bold and boisterous music-video director turned filmmaker who favors big, dumb, pyrotechnic excesses over quality cinematic storytelling.
However, Bay does deserve at least a modicum of credit for pairing the comedic talents of Will Smith and Martin Lawrence together as Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett – two immensely likable Miami narcotics officers who trade crackling banter and witty one-liners whose onscreen partnership drives the engagement and entertainment level.
However, Bay does deserve at least a modicum of credit for pairing the comedic talents of Will Smith and Martin Lawrence together as Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett – two immensely likable Miami narcotics officers who trade crackling banter and witty one-liners whose onscreen partnership drives the engagement and entertainment level.
- 6/5/2024
- by Jake Dee
- JoBlo.com
Bad Boys: Ride Or DieImage: Sony Pictures
Technically speaking, only the climax of Bad Boys: Ride Or Die takes place in an abandoned amusement park. But really, isn’t any movie that begins with the logo for Don Simpson/Jerry Bruckheimer Films situating itself in a long-neglected playground of cheaply conceived yet lavishly budgeted thrills?...
Technically speaking, only the climax of Bad Boys: Ride Or Die takes place in an abandoned amusement park. But really, isn’t any movie that begins with the logo for Don Simpson/Jerry Bruckheimer Films situating itself in a long-neglected playground of cheaply conceived yet lavishly budgeted thrills?...
- 6/4/2024
- by Jesse Hassenger
- avclub.com
Quentin Tarantino is a lover of cinema first and a filmmaker second. The maverick director has often been vocal about his favorite films of all time as well as his current favorites. Tarantino has also criticized the changing landscape of the industry, echoing the sentiments of Martin Scorsese, who went on a war against the likes of Marvel and DC.
One film that Tarantino was pleasantly surprised by and loved was Tom Cruise’s action blockbuster Top Gun: Maverick. A sequel to Tony Scott’s 1986 classic, Tarantino appreciated director Joseph Kosinski’s vision and the respect he showed for the original. Though the Pulp Fiction director had a problem with Val Kilmer’s scene in the film, he mentioned that it still worked.
Quentin Tarantino Expresses His Love For Top Gun: Maverick Tom Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick | Credits: Paramount Pictures Skydance/Tc Productions/New Republic Pictures/Don Simpson/Jerry Bruckheimer...
One film that Tarantino was pleasantly surprised by and loved was Tom Cruise’s action blockbuster Top Gun: Maverick. A sequel to Tony Scott’s 1986 classic, Tarantino appreciated director Joseph Kosinski’s vision and the respect he showed for the original. Though the Pulp Fiction director had a problem with Val Kilmer’s scene in the film, he mentioned that it still worked.
Quentin Tarantino Expresses His Love For Top Gun: Maverick Tom Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick | Credits: Paramount Pictures Skydance/Tc Productions/New Republic Pictures/Don Simpson/Jerry Bruckheimer...
- 5/29/2024
- by Nishanth A
- FandomWire
Top Gun: Maverick came more than three decades after the release of the first film starring Tom Cruise in the lead, and yet, it was as much of a resounding success as the original film from 1986. However, unlike a lot of stuff and people that were brought back from the first movie in this 2022 one, legendary filmmaker Tony Scott wasn’t one because of his devastating demise in 2012.
Top Gun: Maverick. | Credit: Paramount Pictures.
Since the younger Scott wasn’t there, Cruise reportedly decided to approach the older and equally legendary Scott brother, Ridley Scott, to helm the second movie in his Aviation film series. However, he was surprisingly not only met with a declined request by the iconic director, with the movie going to Joseph Kosinski instead, but was even met with his film being considered mediocre by Ridley!
Tom Cruise Reportedly Approached Ridley Scott for Top Gun:...
Top Gun: Maverick. | Credit: Paramount Pictures.
Since the younger Scott wasn’t there, Cruise reportedly decided to approach the older and equally legendary Scott brother, Ridley Scott, to helm the second movie in his Aviation film series. However, he was surprisingly not only met with a declined request by the iconic director, with the movie going to Joseph Kosinski instead, but was even met with his film being considered mediocre by Ridley!
Tom Cruise Reportedly Approached Ridley Scott for Top Gun:...
- 5/29/2024
- by Mahin Sultan
- FandomWire
As everyone knows, Tom Cruise leads an action-packed life akin to that of a movie star. The actor enjoys a good thrill, and he performs almost all of his own stunts. And it was his dedication that led him to accept one of his most prominent roles, Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell, in the 1986 action flick Top Gun.
So, in the case of this Paramount Pictures film, the actor had an unusual demand that ultimately saved the film from disaster. Well, after a less-than-ideal experience working with director Ridley Scott on the movie Legend, Cruise was understandably cautious about committing to a new project.
When producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer approached him with the script for Top Gun, Cruise liked it but felt that it “needed some work”.
Tom Cruise in a still from Top Gun I Paramount Pictures
Instead of immediately signing on to the project, Cruise made a bold...
So, in the case of this Paramount Pictures film, the actor had an unusual demand that ultimately saved the film from disaster. Well, after a less-than-ideal experience working with director Ridley Scott on the movie Legend, Cruise was understandably cautious about committing to a new project.
When producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer approached him with the script for Top Gun, Cruise liked it but felt that it “needed some work”.
Tom Cruise in a still from Top Gun I Paramount Pictures
Instead of immediately signing on to the project, Cruise made a bold...
- 5/24/2024
- by Siddhika Prajapati
- FandomWire
"Mike – there's a storm coming. Things are gonna get bad..." Sony Pictures has debuted a second & final trailer for Bad Boys: Ride or Die, the fourth Bad Boys movie after the previous #3 Bad Boys for Life from 2020. Dropping in theaters this June! This sequel is once again directed by Belgian-Moroccan action duo Adil & Bilall, who also directed Bad Boys for Life and Batgirl and Rebel. The world's favorite "Bad Boys" are back with their iconic mix of edge-of-your seat action and outrageous comedy but this time with a twist: Miami's finest are now on the run in Miami. This one is produced by Columbia Pictures in association with 2.0 Ent., Don Simpson / Jerry Bruckheimer Films, and also Westbrook Studios. Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, Paola Núñez, DJ Khaled, and Jacob Scipio reprise their roles from the previous film, with Tasha Smith taking over the role of Theresa Burnett from Theresa Randle,...
- 5/16/2024
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Top Gun was a major banner film in 1986. It catapulted Tom Cruise into the stratosphere of film stardom. Tony Scott became the go-to director for a lot of action films. The film would also make a star out of Maverick’s rival-turned-wingman, Val Kilmer. Also Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson became a huge powerhouse producing team in Hollywood. Paramount had an enormous hit on their hands, but this property didn’t actually become a franchise until 2022, when after careful planning and a treatment of love, they finally gave audiences the follow-up Top Gun: Maverick, which became a massive hit at the box office.
The story of Top Gun dates back to a magazine article from May 1983 from California Magazine. The article was titled Top Guns (which sounds like the title of an upcoming sequel in the franchise), and it was written by the late author Ehud Yonay. Yonay’s family,...
The story of Top Gun dates back to a magazine article from May 1983 from California Magazine. The article was titled Top Guns (which sounds like the title of an upcoming sequel in the franchise), and it was written by the late author Ehud Yonay. Yonay’s family,...
- 4/9/2024
- by EJ Tangonan
- JoBlo.com
Arnold Schwarzenegger still regrets losing a blockbuster film to Nicolas Cage in 1996. Cage starred alongside Sean Connery in the action thriller film, The Rock. The producers of the film, Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson, initially approached Schwarzenegger for the role of FBI chemical weapons specialist Stanley Godspeed. However, they came with a half-baked script to meet with the Predator star, who asked them to come back when they were completely done with the script.
The Terminator star Arnold Schwarzenegger lost one role to Nicolas Cage that he regrets even today
The film received critical acclaim and was even nominated for an Academy Award in the category of Best Sound. Schwarzenegger admitted that he missed out on a great opportunity but still believed that a completed script is crucial to commit to a role.
Nicolas Cage Accepted A Hit Movie Role That Arnold Schwarzenegger Turned Down Nicolas Cage appeared alongside Sean...
The Terminator star Arnold Schwarzenegger lost one role to Nicolas Cage that he regrets even today
The film received critical acclaim and was even nominated for an Academy Award in the category of Best Sound. Schwarzenegger admitted that he missed out on a great opportunity but still believed that a completed script is crucial to commit to a role.
Nicolas Cage Accepted A Hit Movie Role That Arnold Schwarzenegger Turned Down Nicolas Cage appeared alongside Sean...
- 4/6/2024
- by Hashim Asraff
- FandomWire
Netflix is continuing to roll out its celebration of iconic films, this time turning the page to 1984.
As part of the streaming platform’s “Milestone Movies: The Anniversary Collection,” Netflix has unveiled the 1984 films celebrating their 40-year anniversary in 2024 with classics like “Footloose” and “Sixteen Candles” alongside Oscar contenders “Amadeus” and “Iceman.”
The Milestone Movies hail from Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, and Sony — the distributors that license content to Netflix.
Starting today, April 1, 2024, Netflix subscribers can revisit Brian de Palma’s erotic noir “Body Double” and Kevin Bacon’s breakout performance in “Footloose.” How about a double feature? There’s also “Repo Man” and “Beverly Hills Cop,” streaming just in time for franchise reboot “Beverly Hills Cop: Axle F” out this summer.
In addition to the cinematic celebrations in your Netflix queue, in-person special screenings of select films will continue at the Paris Theater in New York and Los Angeles...
As part of the streaming platform’s “Milestone Movies: The Anniversary Collection,” Netflix has unveiled the 1984 films celebrating their 40-year anniversary in 2024 with classics like “Footloose” and “Sixteen Candles” alongside Oscar contenders “Amadeus” and “Iceman.”
The Milestone Movies hail from Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, and Sony — the distributors that license content to Netflix.
Starting today, April 1, 2024, Netflix subscribers can revisit Brian de Palma’s erotic noir “Body Double” and Kevin Bacon’s breakout performance in “Footloose.” How about a double feature? There’s also “Repo Man” and “Beverly Hills Cop,” streaming just in time for franchise reboot “Beverly Hills Cop: Axle F” out this summer.
In addition to the cinematic celebrations in your Netflix queue, in-person special screenings of select films will continue at the Paris Theater in New York and Los Angeles...
- 4/1/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Martin Lawrence and Will Smith play two Miami narcotics detectives, Marcus Burnett and Mike Lowery, in the Bad Boys franchise. The first film in the franchise was made in 1995 when Smith was still the young star from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. However, Lawrence was a major star at the time and it will surprise many fans to learn that he commanded a higher paycheck than Smith.
Martin Lawrence and Will Smith in Bad Boys
While Bad Boys received mixed reviews, Bad Boys II was a critical disappointment. However, audiences liked the third film, Bad Boys for Life, which resulted in Sony greenlighting a fourth film, set to be released in 2024 and titled Bad Boys: Ride or Die.
Will Smith’s Paycheck Was A Few Million Short Compared To That Of Martin Lawrence Martin Lawrence and Will Smith in Bad Boys for Life
Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, the producers of Bad Boys,...
Martin Lawrence and Will Smith in Bad Boys
While Bad Boys received mixed reviews, Bad Boys II was a critical disappointment. However, audiences liked the third film, Bad Boys for Life, which resulted in Sony greenlighting a fourth film, set to be released in 2024 and titled Bad Boys: Ride or Die.
Will Smith’s Paycheck Was A Few Million Short Compared To That Of Martin Lawrence Martin Lawrence and Will Smith in Bad Boys for Life
Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, the producers of Bad Boys,...
- 3/27/2024
- by Hashim Asraff
- FandomWire
"I don't know how high up this sh*t goes, but don't trust anybody... now clear my name." Sony Pictures has revealed the main official trailer for Bad Boys: Ride or Die, the fourth Bad Boys movie after Bad Boys for Life from 2020. This sequel is once again directed by Belgian-Moroccan action duo Adil & Bilall, who also directed Bad Boys for Life and Batgirl and Rebel. Opening in theaters this June, the world's favorite Bad Boys are back with their iconic mix of edge-of-your seat action and outrageous comedy but this time with a twist: Miami's finest are now on the run. Once again an action adventure through the crazy streets of Miami. This one is produced by Columbia Pictures in association with 2.0 Ent., Don Simpson / Jerry Bruckheimer Films, and also Westbrook Studios. Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, Paola Núñez, DJ Khaled, and Jacob Scipio reprise their roles from the previous film,...
- 3/26/2024
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
It's easy to take for granted just how radical the original "Beetlejuice" was. When Tim Burton made his now-classic paranormal comedy in 1988, he was responding to a decade of films that either had a music video polish and conservative bent (see: the collective works of producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer) or sought to recreate the success of Steven Spielberg's crowd-pleasers without the crucial ingredients that give them their artistic merit. "Beetlejuice," on the other hand, had none of that. Far from being saccharine or picture-perfect, it had a lo-fi hand-made quality and a fascination with the dead -- painting the afterlife as neither something ethereal nor grotesque but as monotonous and tedious as the world of the living.
Beneath all its supernatural escapades and weirdness, "Beetlejuice" is also a straightforward tale of clashing cultures. The film pits a recently deceased married couple from the fictional small town of Winter River,...
Beneath all its supernatural escapades and weirdness, "Beetlejuice" is also a straightforward tale of clashing cultures. The film pits a recently deceased married couple from the fictional small town of Winter River,...
- 2/28/2024
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
Two shady figures walk into a club, raising the suspicions of Detective Axel Foley. Foley needs help to deal with both men, but the pair of officers keeping an eye on him — Sergeant Taggart (John Ashton) and Detective Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) — don’t trust him. Furthermore, he’s in a public place, which means that his actions could harm civilians.
After his pleading convinces Taggart and Rosewood to help out, Axel approaches one of the potential troublemakers.
“Phillip!” Foley shouts, adopting the stagger and slurred speech patterns of a drunk man as he approaches the confused suspect. Foley continues the act even after the suspect pulls a gun and threatens the patrons, which allows him to get close enough to yank the weapon away.
You probably recognize the above scene as one of the standout moments of 1984’s Beverly Hills Cop, in which Foley shows off his keen detective...
After his pleading convinces Taggart and Rosewood to help out, Axel approaches one of the potential troublemakers.
“Phillip!” Foley shouts, adopting the stagger and slurred speech patterns of a drunk man as he approaches the confused suspect. Foley continues the act even after the suspect pulls a gun and threatens the patrons, which allows him to get close enough to yank the weapon away.
You probably recognize the above scene as one of the standout moments of 1984’s Beverly Hills Cop, in which Foley shows off his keen detective...
- 2/12/2024
- by Joe George
- Den of Geek
As Hollywood neared the midpoint of the 1980s, the industry had abandoned the risk-taking ethos of the 1970s and unabashedly embraced formula filmmaking. Stars still mattered, but the pitch was king. Studio executives keen on becoming their generation's Jack Warner, Daryl Zanuck and Louis B. Mayer were through humoring unpredictable auteurs like Martin Scorsese and Hal Ashby. They wanted can't-miss high-concept projects powered by high-wattage stars that could play for months on end in theaters because, despite the skyrocketing value of home video and pay cable channels, theatrical was still king.
"Beverly Hills Cop" traversed a rocky path from inception to production, but producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer doggedly developed and re-developed the project until they paired a 23-year-old comedy superstar with a once-hot director who'd two years prior gotten himself fired off "WarGames." The particulars of the fish-out-of-water plot shifted many times over the years (it was nearly...
"Beverly Hills Cop" traversed a rocky path from inception to production, but producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer doggedly developed and re-developed the project until they paired a 23-year-old comedy superstar with a once-hot director who'd two years prior gotten himself fired off "WarGames." The particulars of the fish-out-of-water plot shifted many times over the years (it was nearly...
- 1/30/2024
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
The heat is most definitely on in this episode of revisited, as we’re looking back on a quintessential piece of 1980s action / comedy movie-making, that helped to launch the career of American funnyman Eddie Murphy into the stratosphere. That’s right folk, with the much anticipated fourth entry in the series on the horizon, we’re taking a retrospective look at the Axel F infused goodness that is Beverly Hills Cop. Ok, well, I guess part four isn’t necessarily ‘much anticipated’ across the entire movie-world, but Eddie Murphy has had somewhat of a career resurgence in recent times and apart from a slightly tame and disappointing Coming 2 America, and the relative appeal of You People, he’s made a positive return the spotlight. Part four is currently slated, as per time of writing this video, for 2024 but there have been whispers about it possibly surfacing on Netflix,...
- 10/12/2023
- by Adam Walton
- JoBlo.com
1990’s Days of Thunder was the end of an era for Tom Cruise. It would be the last movie he’d make as part of his “youth” phase, which began with Risky Business. At the time, he was best known as the cocky young hot shot, but when this movie underperformed at the box office, Cruise took some time off and returned as a more seasoned leading man, with 1992’s A Few Good Men kicking off an unprecedented streak of hits. While Days of Thunder has a valued place in Tom Cruise’s filmography and remains a popular title, when it came out, the movie was considered such a disappointment that the movie’s two producers, Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckkeimer’s deal with Paramount Pictures came to a fractious end. So what happened?
“Top Gun on Wheels” – that’s what everyone called Days of Thunder in the summer of 1990. The studio.
“Top Gun on Wheels” – that’s what everyone called Days of Thunder in the summer of 1990. The studio.
- 8/22/2023
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
Watching it in 2023, one might find themselves a little baffled as to why Martin Brest's 1984 crime comedy "Beverly Hills Cop" was such a massive success. Made for a modest $13 million, "Beverly Hills Cop" caused a sensation, earning over $234 million domestically which is, when adjusted for inflation, closer to $700 million. It made Eddie Murphy a household name and more or less codified an emerging genre of R-rated buddy cop movies that would remain ascendant throughout the 1980s and into the 1990s. The success of "Beverly Hills Cop" might confuse people, however, as it seems wildly basic these days. The jokes are not particularly funny, and while Murphy is as charismatic as they come, his Snobs vs. Slobs shtick seems trite and tired.
It seems that "Beverly Hills Cop," however, was merely outstripped by its imitators. In the wave of imitators that spawned, filmmakers pushed the action and the humor to higher and higher degrees,...
It seems that "Beverly Hills Cop," however, was merely outstripped by its imitators. In the wave of imitators that spawned, filmmakers pushed the action and the humor to higher and higher degrees,...
- 8/5/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
When strolling through the Criterion Collection, one can be sure to find the work of many filmmaking auteurs like Hitchcock, Godard, Kurosawa, Fellini, Bergman, Truffaut… and Bay! That’s right, tell your friendly neighborhood cinema snob that Michael Bay has two films in the Criterion Collection and watch their heads explode like…well like a Michael Bay movie.
and one thing is for sure: Michael Bay knows how to blow stuff up real good! Story can often times seem secondary as long as they get the perfect shot…. which often features some of that sweet sweet product placement or that sweet sweet red white and blue. And with his epic fast paced use of movement and scale, Bay has become a genre unto himself, affectionately dubbed Bayhem. But with the Transformer movies in his rearview and an under-performing effort in 2022, its time we figure out just What Happened to Michael Bay!
and one thing is for sure: Michael Bay knows how to blow stuff up real good! Story can often times seem secondary as long as they get the perfect shot…. which often features some of that sweet sweet product placement or that sweet sweet red white and blue. And with his epic fast paced use of movement and scale, Bay has become a genre unto himself, affectionately dubbed Bayhem. But with the Transformer movies in his rearview and an under-performing effort in 2022, its time we figure out just What Happened to Michael Bay!
- 6/9/2023
- by Brad Hamerly
- JoBlo.com
Lary Simpson, who launched a career in entertainment law at Tri-Star Pictures before leaving legal practice to join older brother Don Simpson in motion picture production, died Jan. 25 of cancer at his home in Noank, Ct. He was 77.
His death was announced by his family.
After earning a law degree from California Western School of Law and serving in the U.S. Army, Simpson began his career in the entertainment business as an attorney in the legal department of Tri-Star. He later became an associate attorney at Bloom, Hergott, Deimer and Cook in Beverly Hills, where he represented producers, writers, actors and directors.
In 1995, Simpson left the practice of law to become a film producer, initially working with brother Don following the termination of the longstanding and successful partnership between Don and Jerry Bruckheimer. Simpson and Bruckheimer produced such 1980s blockbusters Top Gun, the first two Beverly Hills Cop pics, Flashdance and Days of Thunder,...
His death was announced by his family.
After earning a law degree from California Western School of Law and serving in the U.S. Army, Simpson began his career in the entertainment business as an attorney in the legal department of Tri-Star. He later became an associate attorney at Bloom, Hergott, Deimer and Cook in Beverly Hills, where he represented producers, writers, actors and directors.
In 1995, Simpson left the practice of law to become a film producer, initially working with brother Don following the termination of the longstanding and successful partnership between Don and Jerry Bruckheimer. Simpson and Bruckheimer produced such 1980s blockbusters Top Gun, the first two Beverly Hills Cop pics, Flashdance and Days of Thunder,...
- 4/18/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Lary Simpson, who executive produced the 2002 feature Bad Company, which starred Anthony Hopkins and Chris Rock and was developed by the famed production company that his late brother, Don Simpson, had launched with Jerry Bruckheimer, has died. He was 77.
Simpson died Jan. 25 at his home in Noank, Connecticut, after a brief battle with cancer, his attorney Tom Hunter announced.
Simpson began his career in entertainment as an attorney in the legal department of TriStar Pictures. He then became an associate attorney at Beverly Hills-based Bloom, Hergott, Diemer and Cook, where he represented producers, writers, actors and directors.
He left the law business in 1995 to become a film producer and initially worked with his older brother, who split with Bruckheimer that year after the pair had worked on blockbusters including Flashdance (1983), Beverly Hills Cop (1984), Bad Boys (1995) and Top Gun (1986).
The end of Simpson/Bruckheimer became public in December 1995; a month later,...
Simpson died Jan. 25 at his home in Noank, Connecticut, after a brief battle with cancer, his attorney Tom Hunter announced.
Simpson began his career in entertainment as an attorney in the legal department of TriStar Pictures. He then became an associate attorney at Beverly Hills-based Bloom, Hergott, Diemer and Cook, where he represented producers, writers, actors and directors.
He left the law business in 1995 to become a film producer and initially worked with his older brother, who split with Bruckheimer that year after the pair had worked on blockbusters including Flashdance (1983), Beverly Hills Cop (1984), Bad Boys (1995) and Top Gun (1986).
The end of Simpson/Bruckheimer became public in December 1995; a month later,...
- 4/18/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The makers of Flashdance hoped for a hit, but no one had a feeling it would become a generation-defining sensation.
The Paramount film marked the first collaboration of producers Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson, later known for blockbusters like Beverly Hills Cop and Top Gun. With a script co-written by Joe Eszterhas (Basic Instinct), Flashdance centered on Alex, a teenage welder in Pittsburgh who spends her nights performing at a cabaret bar but dreams of becoming a professional dancer.
Bruckheimer remembers the film’s team struggling to choose the lead, but that director Adrian Lyne was sold on newcomer Jennifer Beals. “The bosses at Paramount couldn’t make up their minds, so they brought all the secretaries in to view the screen tests, and they all picked Jennifer,” Bruckheimer tells The Hollywood Reporter.
Among the performers in the mix for the male lead of Nick, the steel mill owner who falls for employee Alex,...
The Paramount film marked the first collaboration of producers Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson, later known for blockbusters like Beverly Hills Cop and Top Gun. With a script co-written by Joe Eszterhas (Basic Instinct), Flashdance centered on Alex, a teenage welder in Pittsburgh who spends her nights performing at a cabaret bar but dreams of becoming a professional dancer.
Bruckheimer remembers the film’s team struggling to choose the lead, but that director Adrian Lyne was sold on newcomer Jennifer Beals. “The bosses at Paramount couldn’t make up their minds, so they brought all the secretaries in to view the screen tests, and they all picked Jennifer,” Bruckheimer tells The Hollywood Reporter.
Among the performers in the mix for the male lead of Nick, the steel mill owner who falls for employee Alex,...
- 4/14/2023
- by Ryan Gajewski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
One of the most high-profile releases in the spring of 1983 was “Flashdance,” starring Jennifer Beals, directed by Adrian Lyne, and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson. It marked Beals’ feature film debut, as well as Lyne’s second major feature following 1980’s “Foxes.” It was also one of Bruckheimer’s and Simpson’s earliest projects, coming soon after “American Gigolo.” Released 40 years ago on April 15, 1983, “Flashdance” took second place at the box office its opening weekend with four million dollars, but then it became the sensation of the spring movies, jumping up to first place the next weekend and staying there well into early May. By the end of its run, “Flashdance,” about a woman who works as both a welder and an exotic dancer and wants to get into ballet school, made more than $90 million in the United States and more than $200 million worldwide. Read on for our...
- 4/13/2023
- by Brian Rowe
- Gold Derby
When Adrian Lyne directed his second feature, “Flashdance,” he could scarcely have dreamed that decades later, the film, starring Jennifer Beals in the iconic role of Alex Owens (a young welder who dreams of being a professional dancer), would have, well, such legs.
In celebration of its 40th anniversary (technically on April 15), Paramount Home Entertainment has released a lovingly crafted 4K Ultra HD edition, in addition to launching a pair of special theatrical engagements later in the month. For any and all maniacs on the floor, it’s the kind of treatment the plucky feature has long deserved. For Lyne, it’s a bit odd but quite nice.
“Well, it’s strange,” Lyne said with a laugh during a recent interview with IndieWire. “I guess it’s flattering. I mean, it is flattering because the expectations for the film were zero. I couldn’t get anybody [from the studio] on the phone for...
In celebration of its 40th anniversary (technically on April 15), Paramount Home Entertainment has released a lovingly crafted 4K Ultra HD edition, in addition to launching a pair of special theatrical engagements later in the month. For any and all maniacs on the floor, it’s the kind of treatment the plucky feature has long deserved. For Lyne, it’s a bit odd but quite nice.
“Well, it’s strange,” Lyne said with a laugh during a recent interview with IndieWire. “I guess it’s flattering. I mean, it is flattering because the expectations for the film were zero. I couldn’t get anybody [from the studio] on the phone for...
- 4/12/2023
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
The investigative docuseries "The New York Times Presents" has examined some of the most high-profile stories in news and pop culture since its debut in 2019, ranging from Janet Jackson's Super Bowl wardrobe malfunction to the conservatorship of Britney Spears. The latest installment in the series, "Sin Eater: The Crimes of Anthony Pellicano," dives into the gritty work of "Hollywood Fixer" Anthony Pellicano, a private investigator that worked for some of Hollywood's top lawyers, musicians, comedians, actors, and more from the 1980s to the early 2000s.
Pellicano's unorthodox and often ruthless methods ultimately led to his downfall. In 2006, he was formally out of the business when he was arrested on charges of conspiring to wiretap and blackmail. After a trial that exposed his covert operation, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2008.
Before watching "Sin Eater: The Crimes of Anthony Pellicano," which hit FX and Hulu on March 10, here...
Pellicano's unorthodox and often ruthless methods ultimately led to his downfall. In 2006, he was formally out of the business when he was arrested on charges of conspiring to wiretap and blackmail. After a trial that exposed his covert operation, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2008.
Before watching "Sin Eater: The Crimes of Anthony Pellicano," which hit FX and Hulu on March 10, here...
- 3/10/2023
- by Alicia Geigel
- Popsugar.com
“You saved Hollywood’s ass.” That’s what Steven Spielberg told his fellow best picture nominee Tom Cruise at the Oscars Nominees Luncheon on Feb. 13, a remark that was captured in a now-viral video clip. And while Cruise’s star power and producing muscle played a major part in Top Gun: Maverick‘s success — it was the top-grossing film of 2022 and resuscitated theatrical distribution from a pandemic-driven coma — another key player was Jerry Bruckheimer, the producing giant who helped catapult the original Top Gun into cinemas nearly four decades ago. Now, at 79, Bruckheimer has earned his first Oscar nomination for best picture, proving that a box office megahit can compete in the Oscar race alongside the critical darlings — especially since Maverick managed to be both all at once.
After decades making movies, this is your first Oscar nom. Was this always a career goal for you?
I think anybody who...
After decades making movies, this is your first Oscar nom. Was this always a career goal for you?
I think anybody who...
- 3/7/2023
- by Tyler Coates
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Steven Spielberg thought he was done processing before shooting The Fabelmans, a movie loosely based on his youth as an amateur filmmaker and his parents’ complicated relationship. He’d done that during the script phase when working with writer Tony Kushner. Kristie Macosko Krieger, Spielberg’s longtime producing partner, still made sure to surround the filmmaker with his most trusted collaborators. Her instincts were right.
“He’d say, ‘I got it, I got it.’ But on set he broke down quite a bit. He was having memories flooding back from his childhood,” Krieger said at the Producers Guild of America’s annual Nominees Breakfast in Los Angeles on Saturday (an unexpected twist this year was a historic winter storm battering Southern California). “He was entrusting his life with us.”
Krieger was among the producers from all 10 films nominated for the PGA’s Darryl F. Zanuck Award speaking at the event,...
“He’d say, ‘I got it, I got it.’ But on set he broke down quite a bit. He was having memories flooding back from his childhood,” Krieger said at the Producers Guild of America’s annual Nominees Breakfast in Los Angeles on Saturday (an unexpected twist this year was a historic winter storm battering Southern California). “He was entrusting his life with us.”
Krieger was among the producers from all 10 films nominated for the PGA’s Darryl F. Zanuck Award speaking at the event,...
- 2/25/2023
- by Pamela McClintock
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Fabelmans producer Kristie Macosko Krieger was on a panel with her fellow Zanuck Awards nominees at the Producers Guild Awards nominee breakfast on Saturday. Krieger revealed that director Steven Spielberg was visibly emotional making his autobiographical film.
“On set, he broke down quite a bit,” Krieger said. “Sometimes it was joy. Sometimes it was sadness. Sometimes it was being able to have his parents back for a little bit of time.”
Spielberg cowrote the script with Tony Kushner. The Fabelman family moves to Arizona, where young Sammy Fabelman (Gabiel Labelle) develops his interest in filmmaking.
As Sammy grows up, he becomes more observant about the conflict between his parents and their eventual divorce. Krieger said she was aware of the importance of creating a protective environment for Spielberg.
“You definitely wanted to surround him with very trusted collaborators, people he felt safe to break down in front of,...
“On set, he broke down quite a bit,” Krieger said. “Sometimes it was joy. Sometimes it was sadness. Sometimes it was being able to have his parents back for a little bit of time.”
Spielberg cowrote the script with Tony Kushner. The Fabelman family moves to Arizona, where young Sammy Fabelman (Gabiel Labelle) develops his interest in filmmaking.
As Sammy grows up, he becomes more observant about the conflict between his parents and their eventual divorce. Krieger said she was aware of the importance of creating a protective environment for Spielberg.
“You definitely wanted to surround him with very trusted collaborators, people he felt safe to break down in front of,...
- 2/25/2023
- by Fred Topel
- Deadline Film + TV
Tom Whitlock, who wrote the lyrics for the rock anthem “Danger Zone” and the chart-topping love song “Take My Breath Away” for the original Top Gun, winning an Oscar in the process, has died. He was 68.
Whitlock died Saturday at a memory care center in Gallatin, Tennessee, a spokesperson at the Gorman-Scharpf Funeral Home in Springfield, Missouri, confirmed. He had Alzheimer’s disease, friends told the Springfield News Leader.
Whitlock wrote both Top Gun songs with Giorgio Moroder. Their relationship began when he fixed the brakes on the Italian composer’s Ferrari.
“Danger Zone,” performed by Kenny Loggins, was employed for the opening scene in the Tony Scott-directed, Tom Cruise-starring 1986 action movie, while “Take My Breath Away,” sung by Terri Nunn of Berlin, inspired the filmmakers to shoot additional scenes with Cruise and Kelly McGillis months later.
“Take My Breath Away” made it to No. 1 on the Billboard...
Whitlock died Saturday at a memory care center in Gallatin, Tennessee, a spokesperson at the Gorman-Scharpf Funeral Home in Springfield, Missouri, confirmed. He had Alzheimer’s disease, friends told the Springfield News Leader.
Whitlock wrote both Top Gun songs with Giorgio Moroder. Their relationship began when he fixed the brakes on the Italian composer’s Ferrari.
“Danger Zone,” performed by Kenny Loggins, was employed for the opening scene in the Tony Scott-directed, Tom Cruise-starring 1986 action movie, while “Take My Breath Away,” sung by Terri Nunn of Berlin, inspired the filmmakers to shoot additional scenes with Cruise and Kelly McGillis months later.
“Take My Breath Away” made it to No. 1 on the Billboard...
- 2/24/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The last time a movie was marketed with a this-sounds-so-wretchedly-over-the-top-not-to-mention-insane-it-could-almost-be-fun low/high concept, the results, to put it kindly, were mixed. “Snakes on a Plane,” which sounded like a title that Don Simpson scrawled in white powder on a table at 4:00 a.m., was a movie that wore its brain-deadness on both lapels. But 17 years ago, that title inspired mountains of online chatter, to the point that the filmmakers incorporated bits and pieces of the obsessive fan gabble into the movie, most famously the Samuel L. Jackson line, “I have had it with these mothefuckin’ snakes on this motherfuckin‘ plane!” The result was that “Snakes on a Plane” felt like the first piece of brazen Hollywood schlock that was crowdsourced. The audience went in thinking: It may be trash, but it’s our trash.
Yes, but it was trash. As the taking-off point for a knowingly debased action thriller,...
Yes, but it was trash. As the taking-off point for a knowingly debased action thriller,...
- 2/23/2023
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
Jerry Bruckheimer has seen it all. He remembers the go-go days at Paramount Pictures in the ’80s with his coked-up partner Don Simpson, which yielded the original “Beverly Hills Cop,” “Flashdance” and “Top Gun.” Simpson had incredible story instincts — he invented the “high-concept” movie — and networked Hollywood parties while ex New York ad-man Bruckheimer kept his head screwed on straight and made sure the visually stylish movies were delivered on time and on budget.
On his own in the ’90s and early 2000s, Bruckheimer was cock of the walk at the Disney studio, churning out high-testosterone, actioners from Bruce Willis vehicle “Armageddon” and Nic Cage in “Con Air” and “National Treasure” to Will Smith in “Enemy of the State” and the Johnny Depp “Pirates of the Caribbean” series, which proved that movies could string together VFX-heavy action sequences without worrying about the vagaries of plot. Over the decades Bruckheimer...
On his own in the ’90s and early 2000s, Bruckheimer was cock of the walk at the Disney studio, churning out high-testosterone, actioners from Bruce Willis vehicle “Armageddon” and Nic Cage in “Con Air” and “National Treasure” to Will Smith in “Enemy of the State” and the Johnny Depp “Pirates of the Caribbean” series, which proved that movies could string together VFX-heavy action sequences without worrying about the vagaries of plot. Over the decades Bruckheimer...
- 2/21/2023
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
When you revisit some of the biggest blockbusters of the past few decades, there's a huge chance that Jerry Bruckheimer was backing it up. The prolific producer built his production company with Don Simpson with hits like "Beverly Hills Cop," "Top Gun," and "Bad Boys," until his business partner sadly passed away in 1996. Since then, Bruckheimer continued his winning streak with "Con Air," "Armageddon," and countless others. If you saw that production logo lightning strike at the top of the film, you knew you were in for a ride.
Bruckheimer largely stuck to the world of television throughout the 2010s, after Disney had let him go for the commercial disappointments of "Prince of Persia" and "The Lone Ranger." He never stopped producing, but the release of last year's "Top Gun: Maverick" saw the Hollywood powerhouse make one hell of a return with the kind of big-screen action spectacle that made his career.
Bruckheimer largely stuck to the world of television throughout the 2010s, after Disney had let him go for the commercial disappointments of "Prince of Persia" and "The Lone Ranger." He never stopped producing, but the release of last year's "Top Gun: Maverick" saw the Hollywood powerhouse make one hell of a return with the kind of big-screen action spectacle that made his career.
- 1/25/2023
- by Matthew Bilodeau
- Slash Film
Jerry Bruckheimer is a Hollywood legend. His killer instinct, uniformly good taste and innate understand of what audiences desire has led to franchises like “Beverly Hills Cop” (with his late partner Don Simpson), “Pirates of the Caribbean,” “Bad Boys” (also with Simpson) and “National Treasure.” He’s also had just as many notable one-off favorites – “The Rock,” “Flashdance,” “American Gigolo,” the list goes on. And for a while it looked like “Top Gun” was following into that latter category, an all-timer but one that stood alone.
That is, until Bruckheimer launched, with Tom Cruise and director Joseph Kosinski and producer/writer Christopher McQuarrie, “Top Gun: Maverick.” Against all odds, it arrived 36 years after the original. And, perhaps most improbably, it led to Bruckheimer’s first Best Picture Oscar nomination. “Hope for the best but expect the worst,” Bruckheimer said about his outlook Tuesday. “And this time we got it. It’s fantastic.
That is, until Bruckheimer launched, with Tom Cruise and director Joseph Kosinski and producer/writer Christopher McQuarrie, “Top Gun: Maverick.” Against all odds, it arrived 36 years after the original. And, perhaps most improbably, it led to Bruckheimer’s first Best Picture Oscar nomination. “Hope for the best but expect the worst,” Bruckheimer said about his outlook Tuesday. “And this time we got it. It’s fantastic.
- 1/24/2023
- by Drew Taylor
- The Wrap
Prime Video today announced the exclusive at launch streaming premiere of Top Gun: Maverick, the sequel to the 1986 super-hit film Top Gun. With Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer reprising their roles as Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell and Admiral Tom respectively, Top Gun: Maverick follows Pete’s journey as a test pilot and flight instructor, who has been assigned to train a group of Top Gun graduates for a specialised mission.
Initially reluctant to take up the job, Maverick agrees, at the behest of his old colleague and friend Ice. But amidst a life-threatening mission, Maverick is forced to confront the ghosts from his past, when he encounters Lt. Bradley Bradshaw (Miles Teller), call sign: “Rooster,” the son of Maverick’s late friend and Radar Intercept Officer Lt. Nick Bradshaw, aka “Goose”.
Fans of the first film can expect to see Maverick back in the cockpit, putting on his aviator sunglasses and...
Initially reluctant to take up the job, Maverick agrees, at the behest of his old colleague and friend Ice. But amidst a life-threatening mission, Maverick is forced to confront the ghosts from his past, when he encounters Lt. Bradley Bradshaw (Miles Teller), call sign: “Rooster,” the son of Maverick’s late friend and Radar Intercept Officer Lt. Nick Bradshaw, aka “Goose”.
Fans of the first film can expect to see Maverick back in the cockpit, putting on his aviator sunglasses and...
- 12/19/2022
- by Glamsham Editorial
- GlamSham
The legendary producer Jerry Bruckheimer helped to usher Disney into the franchise age with the “Pirates of the Caribbean” series, a gung-ho historical epic chock full of charm that helped the House of Mouse keep up with the likes of “The Matrix” and “The Lord of the Rings.” The king of the high-concept blockbuster is all about what he once referred to as “the transportation business. We transport audiences from one place to another,” and the “National Treasure” movies, starring Nicolas Cage, are a perfect example of his ethos, albeit on a more family-friendly ethos than the work of his Don Simpson days.
The set-up of a ragtag group of adventurers hunting treasure and taking on bad guys is the stuff of old-school Hollywood dreams, so of course it was perfect for the small-screen treatment, courtesy of Disney+. And fans of the two movies (with a third in the works...
The set-up of a ragtag group of adventurers hunting treasure and taking on bad guys is the stuff of old-school Hollywood dreams, so of course it was perfect for the small-screen treatment, courtesy of Disney+. And fans of the two movies (with a third in the works...
- 12/14/2022
- by Kayleigh Donaldson
- The Wrap
Click here to read the full article.
Jerry Bruckheimer, the guest on this episode of The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast, is a producer of film and television who is one of the more fascinating and, to some degree, polarizing figures in Hollywood — and has been for decades.
The Guardian has written, “To those of tender sensibilities he is the devil incarnate, the man who helped destroy the movies, and an architect of our cultural stupidisation; but to those who sit in Hollywood’s counting houses he’s a man with his finger planted squarely on the moviegoing audience’s collective clitoris. He is money.” Indeed, Playboy called him “the most successful producer in history,” Variety submitted that he is “the only man in the business today to become famous strictly as a producer,” and The New York Times said he “could well be the most influential producer working today.
Jerry Bruckheimer, the guest on this episode of The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast, is a producer of film and television who is one of the more fascinating and, to some degree, polarizing figures in Hollywood — and has been for decades.
The Guardian has written, “To those of tender sensibilities he is the devil incarnate, the man who helped destroy the movies, and an architect of our cultural stupidisation; but to those who sit in Hollywood’s counting houses he’s a man with his finger planted squarely on the moviegoing audience’s collective clitoris. He is money.” Indeed, Playboy called him “the most successful producer in history,” Variety submitted that he is “the only man in the business today to become famous strictly as a producer,” and The New York Times said he “could well be the most influential producer working today.
- 12/8/2022
- by Scott Feinberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
On Tuesday, Paramount+ announced that this year’s smash hit action blockbuster “Top Gun: Maverick” will be soaring onto its streaming platform in the United States, Canada, Australia, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, and previously announced markets – the United Kingdom and Latin America — on December 22, 2022.
The film, directed by Joseph Kosinski serves as a sequel to 1986’s “Top Gun” and follows Pete “Maverick” Mitchell who is forced to confront his past, all while training an ambitious group of younger Top Gun graduates, including the son of his deceased best friend, for a dangerous mission.
“Top Gun: Maverick” was a colossal box office success, grossing over 1.486 billion worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing film of 2022 so far. It was the second film released during the Covid-19 pandemic to gross 1 billion, and the highest-grossing film of star Tom Cruise’s career.
The film also starred Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Glen Powell, Lewis Pullman,...
The film, directed by Joseph Kosinski serves as a sequel to 1986’s “Top Gun” and follows Pete “Maverick” Mitchell who is forced to confront his past, all while training an ambitious group of younger Top Gun graduates, including the son of his deceased best friend, for a dangerous mission.
“Top Gun: Maverick” was a colossal box office success, grossing over 1.486 billion worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing film of 2022 so far. It was the second film released during the Covid-19 pandemic to gross 1 billion, and the highest-grossing film of star Tom Cruise’s career.
The film also starred Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Glen Powell, Lewis Pullman,...
- 11/23/2022
- by Caillou Pettis
- Gold Derby
After decades in development, Beverly Hills Cop 4, which is officially titled Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley, is finally in production. Netflix is setting this up to be one of their big blockbusters for 2023, which is only fitting considering that the first Beverly Hills Cop was the biggest movie of 1984 (beating Ghostbusters at the box office), while Beverly Hills Cop II was another major hit, ranking in the top 3 movies of 1987. But what about Beverly Hills Cop 3? Not only was that movie not a box office hit, but it effectively ended the franchise for nearly thirty years. It was so bad that many thought it was the final nail in the coffin of Eddie Murphy’s career, only for the star to rebound in a big way two years later with The Nutty Professor.
So Wtf Happened to Beverly Hills Cop III? Plenty, with the behind-the-scenes shakeup radically changing the...
So Wtf Happened to Beverly Hills Cop III? Plenty, with the behind-the-scenes shakeup radically changing the...
- 11/9/2022
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
Studio script doctoring is remarkably lucrative work. According to a 2016 Hollywood Reporter survey, when a massively expensive film needs tweaking prior to or during shooting (or during last-second reshoots), A-list screenwriters who can deliver high-quality work within a tight window can pull down as much as 400,000 per week. Depending on the film and how broken the script is, that meter can run an awfully long time. That's some serious cheddar.
So let's say you're a rich spendthrift who loves horse racing like David Milch, the genius TV writer who created "NYPD Blue" and "Deadwood." Throughout his Emmy-winning career, Milch has poured a good deal of his earnings into many thoroughbreds, two of which won the coveted Breeders' Cup. He knows horses. But if you know horse people, you're aware that knowledge is far from omniscient. You lose more than you win. And if you're wagering a lot of money, as...
So let's say you're a rich spendthrift who loves horse racing like David Milch, the genius TV writer who created "NYPD Blue" and "Deadwood." Throughout his Emmy-winning career, Milch has poured a good deal of his earnings into many thoroughbreds, two of which won the coveted Breeders' Cup. He knows horses. But if you know horse people, you're aware that knowledge is far from omniscient. You lose more than you win. And if you're wagering a lot of money, as...
- 10/25/2022
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
There was perhaps no person who is more representative of comedy in the 1980s than Eddie Murphy. His time on "Saturday Night Live" was legendary, as was his run of movies that followed made him an international star. For a while, he was basically the undisputed funniest man on the planet.
When Murphy was cast as the lead in "Beverly Hills Cop," a classic comedy movie was bound to happen. Murphy was at the height of his powers, and the main character of "Beverly Hills Cop" suited his persona extremely well. Once Murphy arrived and started punching up the film's script, it was destined to be one of the funniest films around.
But the movie wasn't always going to be a fish-out-of-water comedy. It was originally intended to be a much darker take on the realities of policing a population of the extremely wealthy, according to the book "Wild and...
When Murphy was cast as the lead in "Beverly Hills Cop," a classic comedy movie was bound to happen. Murphy was at the height of his powers, and the main character of "Beverly Hills Cop" suited his persona extremely well. Once Murphy arrived and started punching up the film's script, it was destined to be one of the funniest films around.
But the movie wasn't always going to be a fish-out-of-water comedy. It was originally intended to be a much darker take on the realities of policing a population of the extremely wealthy, according to the book "Wild and...
- 10/10/2022
- by Matt Rainis
- Slash Film
Eddie Murphy turned 61 years old this year, which makes him roughly the same age John Wayne was when he played the out-to-pasture codger Rooster Cogburn in "True Grit." That film, and Wayne's subsequent Westerns, had an elegiac, one-last-ride feeling to them. Yes, the Duke's cancer was in remission at this point, but he still looked washed. When he finally succumbed to the disease on the eve of the 1980s, the book quietly closed on an outmoded era of Hollywood filmmaking. It was time. Of all the golden age stars, Wayne was uniquely unsuited to the coked-up, strip-club glitz pioneered by producing teams like Don Simpson/Jerry Bruckheimer and Jon Peters/Peter Guber.
Of all the big-screen '80s superstars, no one was more at home in this olio of excess than Eddie Murphy. His fast-talking, nimble-minded riffing was perfectly attuned to the hurtling energy of the decade's blockbuster action-comedies. Murphy...
Of all the big-screen '80s superstars, no one was more at home in this olio of excess than Eddie Murphy. His fast-talking, nimble-minded riffing was perfectly attuned to the hurtling energy of the decade's blockbuster action-comedies. Murphy...
- 9/21/2022
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Eddie Murphy was the surest of bets in the 1980s. At the age of 19, he single-handedly yanked "Saturday Night Live" back from the brink of cancellation after the departure of the original cast, and was all of 21 when he shot to big-screen stardom opposite Nick Nolte in Walter Hill's action-comedy classic, "48 Hrs." His second feature, "Trading Places," was also a critical and commercial hit, while his stand-up LP "Eddie Murphy: Comedian" went platinum. By 1984, Murphy was so hot, Paramount inserted him into the finished Dudley Moore comedy "Best Defense" in the hopes that he could enliven the deathly unfunny film with his ad-libbed brilliance. It didn't work, but no one held it against Murphy. The movie was just that bad.
There was no question that Murphy had turned into one of Hollywood's biggest stars overnight, but his first two hits had been two-handers. He had yet to carry a film on his own.
There was no question that Murphy had turned into one of Hollywood's biggest stars overnight, but his first two hits had been two-handers. He had yet to carry a film on his own.
- 9/11/2022
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
1984's "Beverly Hills Cop" contains a plot hook so good it seems like a no-brainer idea in hindsight: a streetwise Detroit policeman finds himself in a fish-out-of-water situation when he pursues a criminal to luxurious Beverly Hills, whereupon his blue-collar attitude clashes with the snooty, affluent natives.
Yet a study of the making of the film reveals that it had a fairly rocky transition from concept to screen, with the production going through several different directors, stars, and tonal approaches before landing on director Martin Brest and star Eddie Murphy. That could be due in part to the fact that the core concept for the movie wasn't so fleshed out upon conception.
Way before a series of screenwriters began work on what would eventually become "Beverly Hills Cop," then Paramount executive Michael Eisner had the simple notion to make a movie about a Los Angeles policeman, an idea that occurred...
Yet a study of the making of the film reveals that it had a fairly rocky transition from concept to screen, with the production going through several different directors, stars, and tonal approaches before landing on director Martin Brest and star Eddie Murphy. That could be due in part to the fact that the core concept for the movie wasn't so fleshed out upon conception.
Way before a series of screenwriters began work on what would eventually become "Beverly Hills Cop," then Paramount executive Michael Eisner had the simple notion to make a movie about a Los Angeles policeman, an idea that occurred...
- 9/9/2022
- by Bill Bria
- Slash Film
Long before "Beverly Hills Cop" became the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time (a record the film held for almost 20 years until "The Matrix Reloaded" claimed the crown), it was a problem project for Paramount. Birthed in 1975 by a young studio exec named Michael Eisner, the film was to be a fish-out-of-water actioner about a streetwise Detroit cop who busts up the ritzy Los Angeles neighborhood while trying to track down the murderer of his best friend. The film went through multiple drafts over many years before Daniel Petrie Jr. basically cracked the story in 1983.
Though the project was at last moving forward, something still wasn't right. Producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, red hot off the success of "Flashdance," were now shepherding the movie, and, despite their high studio profile, couldn't get a firm commitment from a leading man. Initially, they wanted Mickey Rourke for the part of Axel Foley,...
Though the project was at last moving forward, something still wasn't right. Producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, red hot off the success of "Flashdance," were now shepherding the movie, and, despite their high studio profile, couldn't get a firm commitment from a leading man. Initially, they wanted Mickey Rourke for the part of Axel Foley,...
- 9/7/2022
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
"The Rock," Michael Bay's gloriously over-the-top action hit from 1996, represents a transition stage for Nicolas Cage. Fresh off winning an Academy Award for "Leaving Las Vegas," Cage ventured into blockbuster territory in his follow-up project, then rode the success into nineties action movie stardom with "Con Air and "Face/Off" the following year. It turns out, however, that the already highly established action hero Arnold Schwarzenegger was initially offered Cage's part before turning it down based on the shoddy quality of its screenplay.
It's difficult to say at what point exactly in the writing process Don Simpson, the other of half of a...
The post A Half-Baked Script Wasn't Enough To Sell Arnold Schwarzenegger On The Rock appeared first on /Film.
It's difficult to say at what point exactly in the writing process Don Simpson, the other of half of a...
The post A Half-Baked Script Wasn't Enough To Sell Arnold Schwarzenegger On The Rock appeared first on /Film.
- 7/31/2022
- by Andrew Housman
- Slash Film
For a 19 million movie, there was a lot riding on Michael Bay's "Bad Boys."
The action-comedy marked the official return of producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, the ultimate style-over-substance duo, who, after knocking out era-defining blockbusters in "Flashdance," "Beverly Hills Cop" and "Top Gun," flamed out in 1990 when the wildly excessive "Days of Thunder" fell woefully short of box-office expectations. Rather than stake their comeback on one film, Simpson and Bruckheimer managed their risk via three modestly budgeted 1995 releases: "Bad Boys," "Crimson Tide" and "Dangerous Minds." But while they didn't need Bay's film to break the bank, the optics of...
The post How Michael Bay's Signature Shot Saved Bad Boys From Sony appeared first on /Film.
The action-comedy marked the official return of producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, the ultimate style-over-substance duo, who, after knocking out era-defining blockbusters in "Flashdance," "Beverly Hills Cop" and "Top Gun," flamed out in 1990 when the wildly excessive "Days of Thunder" fell woefully short of box-office expectations. Rather than stake their comeback on one film, Simpson and Bruckheimer managed their risk via three modestly budgeted 1995 releases: "Bad Boys," "Crimson Tide" and "Dangerous Minds." But while they didn't need Bay's film to break the bank, the optics of...
The post How Michael Bay's Signature Shot Saved Bad Boys From Sony appeared first on /Film.
- 6/17/2022
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Screenwriter Jack Epps Jr. took the assignment to write a movie called Top Gun in the mid-1980s for one reason: he wanted to fly in a fighter jet.
“I have my private pilot’s license that I got when I was an undergraduate at Michigan State, so as a private pilot, I said, ‘Well, that’d be fun,’” Epps tells Den of Geek during a recent Zoom chat. “At least I’ll get a jet ride out of it, if nothing else.’”
Epps and his writing partner, the late Jim Cash, got a lot more out of it than that out of Top Gun. The story of a rogue fighter pilot named Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, who joins the Navy’s elite Fighter Weapons School at Miramar base in southern California and must learn the hard way how to fly and fight as part of a team, Top Gun became...
“I have my private pilot’s license that I got when I was an undergraduate at Michigan State, so as a private pilot, I said, ‘Well, that’d be fun,’” Epps tells Den of Geek during a recent Zoom chat. “At least I’ll get a jet ride out of it, if nothing else.’”
Epps and his writing partner, the late Jim Cash, got a lot more out of it than that out of Top Gun. The story of a rogue fighter pilot named Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, who joins the Navy’s elite Fighter Weapons School at Miramar base in southern California and must learn the hard way how to fly and fight as part of a team, Top Gun became...
- 6/7/2022
- by Don Kaye
- Den of Geek
The striking if not really shocking success of “Top Gun: Maverick” is built around the simple fact that it’s an exquisitely executed blockbuster. It seems to have everything a commercial retro action movie would need: a prime movie star — one of the only ones left — who still knows how to fold a movie around his image; jaw-dropping aerial-combat sequences that blow away any hint of green-screen fakery (because those are real actors lifting off and flying); the kind of ’80s nostalgia that, at this point, is almost too potent to call mere nostalgia — it’s more like nostalgia for nostalgia; a story just good enough to pluck every carefully planted heartstring of authority-figure-vs.-cocky-upstart, Tom Cruise-is-old-but-still-master-of-the-game resonance; plus the haunting presence of Val Kilmer (though it would have been even better if they’d let him speak in his own damaged voice).
Of course, what good would an...
Of course, what good would an...
- 6/4/2022
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
Let’s get this out of the way: Top Gun was one of the most toxic blockbusters of the 1980s.
A project midwifed into existence when producer Jerry Bruckheimer spied a magazine photo spread of fighter jets and pitched a high-concept idea — “Star Wars on Earth” — to his even-higher producing partner Don Simpson, the No. 1 hit movie of 1986 was a lot of things. It’s a classic story of a hero’s journey, from arrogant young punk who doesn’t play by the the rules to older, slightly wiser but still-pissing-on-the-rulebook adult.
A project midwifed into existence when producer Jerry Bruckheimer spied a magazine photo spread of fighter jets and pitched a high-concept idea — “Star Wars on Earth” — to his even-higher producing partner Don Simpson, the No. 1 hit movie of 1986 was a lot of things. It’s a classic story of a hero’s journey, from arrogant young punk who doesn’t play by the the rules to older, slightly wiser but still-pissing-on-the-rulebook adult.
- 5/29/2022
- by David Fear
- Rollingstone.com
It’s not exactly subtle. Appearing in even the first teaser of Top Gun: Maverick—released an astonishing three years ago!—Tom Cruise’s fighter pilot is getting an epic dressing down from the boss. His superior, Radam. Chester “the Hammer” Cain, is sick and tired of Maverick’s hot shot ways and insubordination. And he’s here to put the younger man in his place. It’s a scene we’ve witnessed many times, including to iconic effect in the original Top Gun from 1986, and yet the Hammer’s critique of his fiftysomething naval officer is sharper here. More pointed. He is getting at something existential about the trajectory of a man’s life.
“You can’t get a promotion,” Harris’ rear admiral sneers, “you won’t retire, and despite your best efforts, you refuse to die. You should be at least a two-star admiral by now… or a senator.
“You can’t get a promotion,” Harris’ rear admiral sneers, “you won’t retire, and despite your best efforts, you refuse to die. You should be at least a two-star admiral by now… or a senator.
- 5/28/2022
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
This review of “Top Gun: Maverick” was first published on May 12, 2022, after its premiere at Cannes Film Festival.
The young pilots in “Top Gun: Maverick” are warned at one point about a steep aerial climb that will subject them to massive G-force. Their bodies will feel like they weigh 2000 pounds, they are told, with their skulls crushing their spines, and breathing will feel like an elephant is on their chests pressing down on their lungs.
It’s a sensation not unlike the film’s relentless onslaught in its mission to entertain, delight and move audiences; “Top Gun: Maverick” resembles an amusement-park ride in all the worst ways, in that every second feels designed to provoke a response. It’s as much an entertainment machine as a roller coaster.
Admittedly, roller coasters are fun, and while my brain was constantly pushing back against the clichés, the predictability, the propaganda, and the...
The young pilots in “Top Gun: Maverick” are warned at one point about a steep aerial climb that will subject them to massive G-force. Their bodies will feel like they weigh 2000 pounds, they are told, with their skulls crushing their spines, and breathing will feel like an elephant is on their chests pressing down on their lungs.
It’s a sensation not unlike the film’s relentless onslaught in its mission to entertain, delight and move audiences; “Top Gun: Maverick” resembles an amusement-park ride in all the worst ways, in that every second feels designed to provoke a response. It’s as much an entertainment machine as a roller coaster.
Admittedly, roller coasters are fun, and while my brain was constantly pushing back against the clichés, the predictability, the propaganda, and the...
- 5/27/2022
- by Alonso Duralde
- The Wrap
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