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Robert Aldrich's 1967 film "The Dirty Dozen" is often cited as one of the most masculine movies ever made. Set in 1944, it follows the travails of Major John Reisman (Lee Marvin) as he is assigned to lead a 12-man platoon of ex-convicts and ultra-violent Army near-dropouts. Reisman is tasked with training up some of the worst and most horrible people in the Army, get them up to snuff, and lead them on a secret mission into a Nazi stronghold in France. The soldiers are all awful in one way or another, so their mission to kill Nazi higher-ups offers them something violently heroic to do with their tempers. The Dirty Dozen included notable actors like Charles Bronson, John Cassavetes, Telly Savalas, Jim Brown, and Donald Sutherland. Ernest Borgnine played a fellow general.

"The Dirty Dozen" was a huge success, earning over $45 million at the box office on a $5.3 million budget.

There’s something grossly alluring about the grime and gore of World War I. The world’s first massively mechanized battlefields killed around 40 million people and left countless more permanently changed. It brought forth massive innovations in both civilian and military technology while wholesale destroying immense swathes of critical farmland. Yet, driven by an innate sense of morbid curiosity, audiences still clamor for World War I films.

People crave the inherent pathos of the so-called “War to End All Wars,” and immersion reigns supreme. It’s certainly not as popular as World War II in cinemas, but the former Great War still commands attention. Its brutality is its appeal, and its films epitomise a widespread fascination with mortality and pain. While many of the war’s most acclaimed cinematic spawns cling to heart-stopping sound design and relentless violence, one stands out for its surprising and seemingly impossible restraint.

Russell Mulcahy...

Casting

Cold War thriller “Whispers of Freedom” has set its principal cast, Variety has learned. “Masters of the Air” alum Cameron Ashplant will play the film’s lead, young East German Chris Gueffroy, while Darragh Cowley (who also appeared in “Masters of the Air”) co-stars as his close friend Christian Gaudian.

Set in 1980s East Germany, the film is written and directed by Brandon Ashplant. It follows Chris and Christian as they try to escape the isolated Eastern bloc state. Wendy Makkena (“A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”) joins as Chris’s mother Karin and Paul Freeman (“Raiders of the Lost Ark”) as East German leader Erich Honecker. Wolf Kahler (“The Great Escaper”) joins in a supporting role as Bruno Kabát.

“Whispers of Freedom” goes into production next month. It is produced by Jonathan Tammuz and Golden Goat Films.

Documentary

BBC Storyville has acquired documentary “We Will Dance Again” (working...

If nothing else, the Indiana Jones movies are great for watching Nazis get punched. Hitler's Germany makes for good, easy-to-despise villains, and the Third Reich's obsession with the occult dovetails easily into Indy's signature search for mystic artifacts. The franchise is always at its best with Nazis as the antagonists, a fact that the upcoming Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny acknowledges.

But Raiders of the Lost Ark wasn't the first movie to feature Harrison Ford kicking Nazi butt. 1978's Force 10 from Navarone is regarded as a minor entry on his resume. But not only does it prominently feature the Third Reich as its villains, but a surprising number of actors went on to play Nazis in Indiana Jones movies. Having found a mother lode, Ford apparently didn't forget about them when Dr. Jones needed a few sparring partners.

Related: Indiana Jones 5 Reveals a Better Look at...

Director John Sturges’ final feature is a handsome production that fumbles and stumbles in unexpected ways. Michael Caine and especially Donald Sutherland lead an impossible commando mission to kidnap Winston Churchill right from English soil. Tom Mankiewicz’s dialogue is witty but the tone is all over the place. We don’t know whether it’s the script, the direction or the editing that muffs so many potential bravura moments. On the other hand, every scene with Sutherland and Jenny Agutter is gold. [Imprint] gives us both a theatrical cut and a more satisfying extended cut.

The Eagle Has Landed

Region Free Blu-ray

Viavision [Imprint] 193

1976 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 135 + 151 min. / Street Date December 28, 2023 / Available from / au 69.95

Starring: Michael Caine, Donald Sutherland, Robert Duvall, Jenny Agutter, Donald Pleasence, Anthony Quayle, Jean Marsh, Sven-Bertil Taube, John Standing, Judy Geeson, Treat Williams, Larry Hagman, Joachim Hansen, David Gilliam, Siegfried Rauch, Wolf Kahler, Roy Marsden, Ferdy Mayne.

4K discs are selling like hotcakes so it’s only natural for studios to give Home Theater fanatics the biggest vintage blockbusters. George Lucas and Steven Spielberg’s hyper-efficient, no-loitering juggernaut is a return to the joys of serial action thrills, one ‘did you see that?’ bravura sequence after another. Harrison Ford’s Indiana Jones is pitted against Paul Freeman’s villainous Belloq, and the might of Jehovah combats the Nazis. Accept the proposition that Adolf Hitler was ‘nuts about the occult’ and everything else will make logical sense. The picture hasn’t dated at all — it overflows with Gee-Whiz excitement that makes Marvel exploits play like weak tea.

Raiders of the Lost Ark 4K

4K Ultra HD + Digital / Steelbook

Paramount

1981 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 115 min. / Street Date June 14, 2022 / Available from / 30.99

Starring: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, Ronald Lacey, John Rhys-Davies, Denholm Elliott, Alfred Molina, Wolf Kahler, Anthony Chinn, Pat Roach,...

"The mind can be a precarious thing... It can either serve or deceive." The Talash Video Centre and Digital Boulevard have released the official trailer for a peculiar new sci-fi project titled Cognition, the first film made by filmmaker Ravi Ajit Chopra. Cognition is a 27 minute short dystopian sci-fi drama / thriller about a son confronting his past trauma. Journeying through the symbolic landscape of the subconscious mind, the story follows an unbreakable bond between father and son.... A bond that transcends space and time. This uncompromising short fuses two distant worlds in a hallucinogenic roller-coaster ride through the darkest chasms of the mind. Starring Andrew Scott, Jeremy Irvine, Lucy Russell, Wolf Kahler, Milo Panni, and Georgia Sandle. The making of this short film has been a labour of love for the team involved - watch a featurette about Ravi's family video shop "Talash Video Centre" and about the making of the film.

I've got a slick trailer here for a new upcoming spy thriller called Damascus Cover, which stars Jonathan Rhys Meyers. It looks like a decent, well-made film with a story that will have plenty of twists and turns and nefarious characters..

Ari Ben-Sion (Meyers), haunted by the death of his son, is assigned by the Mossad to smuggle a chemical weapons scientist out of Syria. Within days his mission goes wrong. To survive Ari reaches out to a deep cover agent code named, The Angel. He soon discovers that he is a pawn in a much bigger plan.

I'll give the film a shot because I enjoy watching spy thrillers. The cast also includes Olivia Thirlby, John Hurt, Navid Negahban, Tsahi Halevi, Jürgen Prochnow, Igal Naor and Wolf Kahler.

The movie was helmed by Daniel Zelik Berk, who is a producer making his feature directorial debut. The movie will be...

"Lying to everyone is difficult - but my life depends on keeping the two worlds separate." Vertical Ent. has debuted the first official trailer for a spy thriller titled Damascus Cover, starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers as an undercover agent working for the Mossad. He is sent to Syria to smuggle a chemical weapons scientist out of the country, but encounters many problems along the way including love and treason. The cast also includes Olivia Thirlby, John Hurt (before he passed away), Navid Negahban, Tsahi Halevi, Jürgen Prochnow, Igal Naor and Wolf Kahler. This looks like a fairly typical spy romance mystery thriller, with some big twists and nefarious characters. I'm curious, but not completely sold on it yet. Take a look below. Here's the first official trailer (+ poster) for Daniel Zelik Berk's Damascus Cover, direct from YouTube: Ari Ben-Sion (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), haunted by the death of his son,...

Stanley Kubrick’s contribution to great cinema of the 1970s offers his vision of what an epic should be. Transported by images that recall great paintings of the period, and Kubrick’s new approaches to low-light cinematography, we witness a rogue’s progress through troubled times. And even Ryan O’Neal is good!

Barry Lyndon

Blu-ray

The Criterion Collection 897

1975 / Color / 1:66 widescreen / 185 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date October 17, 2017 / 39.95

Starring: Ryan O’Neal, Marisa Berenson, Patrick Magee, Hardy Krüger, Steven Berkoff, Gay Hamilton, Marie Kean, Diana Körner, Murray Melvin, Frank Middlemass, André Morell, Arthur O’Sullivan, Godfrey Quigley, Leonard Rossiter, Philip Stone, Leon Vitali Leon Vitali, Wolf Kahler, Ferdy Mayne, George Sewell, Michael Hordern (narrator).

Cinematography: John Alcott

Editor: Tony Lawson

Production design: Ken Adam

Conductor & Musical Adaptor: Leonard Rosenman

Written by Stanley Kubrick from the novel by William Makepeace Thackeray

Produced and Directed by Stanley Kubrick

The...

"Thunderball" co-stars Martine Beswick and Luciana Paluzzi.

Hammer and "Live and Let Die" actress Madeleine Smith.

By Mark Mawston

The London Film Convention, organized by Thomas Bowington was quite literally a Who’s Who of heroes and villains from the small and silver screen. The actual Who came in the shape of a Dr. himself in the guise of Sylvester McCoy, along with Who assistants Katy Manning who played Jo and Bernard Cribbins from both the Amicus film version and the TV version. There was also a rare appearance from Garial Woolf. The other key cult British film genres-the Carry On films, James Bond and Hammer horror- were all represented too, with many of the star guests appearing in all three: from the Carry On Films we had Fenella Fielding, Anita Harris and Amanda Barrie, from Hammer and Bond we had Maddie Smith, Valerie Leon, Martine Beswick, Eunice Gayson, John Wyman,...

From early Bond to 21st century sci-fi, here's Ryan's pick of 11 unforgettable villain pairings from action cinema history...

You're generally lucky if a movie has one genuinely great villain in it, let alone two. This is probably because creating a villain takes great acting and writing - it's one thing to create a preening character who stomps around a story doing unpleasant things, but creating a villain who's three-dimensional, witty, scary and above all memorable requires considerable skill.

Every so often, a movie comes along which gives us not one, but two classic villains, with the personality of one complementing the other. A familiar dynamic was once laid out by Steven Spielberg: one is smart and eloquent , while the other is the tougher, more violent of the pair. It's a template that we've seen time and again in cinema, but it's only occasionally that both characters leap from the screen.

While it may be some time before we see a new film from "retired" director Steven Soderbergh, his latest experiment on the website Extension765.com may be the closest thing we get. The filmmaker posted a new black and white "silent" cut of the 1981 classic Raiders of the Lost Ark, which has absolutely no dialogue, but does feature music from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross scores for The Social Network and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Earlier this year, he cut together mash-ups of both the original version of Psycho and the 1998 remake on the website.

Click on the image below to watch the 115-minute video in its entirety, then take a look at Steven Soderbergh's statement about why he made Raiders of the Lost Ark a silent film.

"(Note: This posting is for educational purposes only.)

I'm assuming the phrase "staging" came out of the theatre world,...

Paramount Home Media Distribution is releasing Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones & the Temple of Doom and Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade for the first time as individual Blu-ray's starting today, December 17, giving fans a chance to enjoy these Harrison Ford classics in high-definition. We have a giveaway lined up where fans can not only win a copy of the Raiders of the Lost Ark Blu-ray, but we're also giving away a hat and whip set! These prizes will be gone in an instant, so don't hesitate to enter this giveaway today. In addition, we have a clip from the Raiders of the Lost Ark Blu-ray featuring the iconic boulder scene.

Winners Receive:

Raiders of the Lost Ark Blu-ray

Raiders of the Lost Ark hat and whip set

Here's How To Win!

Just "Like" (fan) the MovieWeb Facebook page (below) and then leave a comment below telling us why these prizes must be yours!

For the first time ever, the first three films in the Indiana Jones saga will be available individually in high definition when they arrive on Digital HD November 19, 2013 and on Blu-ray with a digital copy available through iTunes December 17, 2013 from Lucasfilm Ltd. and Paramount Home Media Distribution. Relive all your favorite moments from the greatest adventure of all time-from the deserts of Egypt to the jungles of South America-as everyone's favorite archaeologist travels the globe thwarting evil villains to retrieve history's most famous artifacts.

Under the supervision of director Steven Spielberg and sound designer Ben Burtt, Raiders of the Lost Ark was painstakingly restored in 2012 with careful attention to preserving the original look, sound and feel of the iconic film. Own this meticulously restored version of the cinematic classic that started it all, as well as previously remastered versions of Indiana Jones & the Temple of Doom and Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade,...

While it isn't certain if fans will ever get to see Indiana Jones 5, Jeremy Coon (Napoleon Dynamite) is bringing another Indiana Jones story to the big screen. The producer has optioned Alan Eisenstock's book Raiders!, which tells the true story of two Mississippi kids who made a shot-for-shot remake of Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Over the course of seven years, Mississippi friends Chris Strompolos and Eric Zala set out to make a shot-for-shot remake of the 1981 classic, starting production at age 11 and finishing when they were 18. The film, entitled Raiders of the Lost Ark - The Adaptation, wrapped production in 1989, and was forgotten about until filmmaker Eli Roth got a hold of a copy. He relayed it to Steven Spielberg, who congratulated the young filmmakers on their work.

Jeremy Coon is producing alongside Chris Strompolos and Eric Zala, who are now in their early 40s, although no screenwriter has been attached.

John Rhys-Davies talks Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures Blu-ray, in stores now!

John Rhys-Davies has had an illustrious career, appearing in such iconic films as Shogun, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, and The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, while also voicing many of today's most popular animated series. But he will perhaps be most remembered for his role as Sallah, loyal best friend and sidekick to the greatest adventurer of all-time, Indiana Jones.

Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures Blu-ray will be arriving in stores this Tuesday, September 18th, and to celebrate, we caught up with John Rhys-Davies to reminisce about Indy and Sallah's past adventures, as well as look to the future.

Sallah first appeared in Raiders of the Lost Ark, where he helps Indiana Jones get the Ark of the Covenant safely on a steamship, away from the Nazis. He then returned to help Indy in his quest to find the Holy Grail,...

Due to the extraordinary response for the newly re-mastered Raiders of the Lost Ark during its one-week IMAX engagement, Paramount Pictures Corporation, a division of Viacom, Inc., has announced that the film will have an extended theatrical run beginning Friday, September 14.

The unforgettable and beloved film from director Steven Spielberg and executive producer George Lucas will play in more than 300 digital theaters across the United States and Canada. Tickets can be purchased now. Check your local listings for participating locations and showtimes.

"The re-mastering efforts by Steven, George and their team were incredible and the movie's hugely successful run in IMAX last week was a sure sign that audiences were excited to see the film again on the big screen. We are thrilled that audiences will have that chance again as part of this extended theatrical run," said Rob Moore, Vice Chairman of Paramount Pictures.

Raiders of the Lost Ark...

Chicago – For the first time ever, Indy’s in IMAX! In this HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 25 pairs of run-of-engagement, anytime movie passes up for grabs for the special, one-week theatrical return of “Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark”! Also, the “Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures” Blu-ray box set releases on Sept. 18, 2012!

This theatrical engagement runs Sept. 7, 2012 through Sept. 14, 2012! Pick your own showing! These anytime movie passes are valid Monday, Sept. 10, 2012 through Thursday, Sept. 13, 2012 at select AMC theatres in the Chicago and Chicagoland area. These showings are open to paying customers, so seating is first-come, first-served for our winners.

“Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark,” which hit theatres in 1981 and won four Oscars, stars Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Alfred Molina, Paul Freeman, Ronald Lacey, John Rhys-Davies, Denholm Elliott, Wolf Kahler, Anthony Higgins, Vic Tablian, Don Fellows, William Hootkins and Bill Reimbold from director...

Earlier today, Paramount Home Media Distribution announced that Raiders of the Lost Ark will finally make its IMAX debut September 7, with a limited one-week theatrical run. The studio has just debuted the new poster for this very special event, where fans can relive Harrison Ford's first adventure as Indiana Jones in the stunning IMAX format. Take a look at this one-sheet, and clickHere to watch the trailer.

Raiders of the Lost Ark was released June 1st, 1981 and stars Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, Ronald Lacey, John Rhys-Davies, Denholm Elliott, Alfred Molina, Wolf Kahler. The film is directed by Steven Spielberg.

Paramount Home Media Distribution and IMAX announced today that the 1981 classic Raiders of the Lost Ark will be released in IMAX theaters for the first time, with a limited one-week engagement starting September 7. The studio also released a trailer for this special event, which leads into the Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures Blu-ray set arriving September 18. Take a look at the trailer and check out the full press release with all the official details.

Raiders Of The Lost Ark - IMAX Trailer

The cinematic classic that introduced the world to Indiana Jones is ready to embark on a new adventure when director Steven Spielberg and executive producer George Lucas' unforgettable Raiders of the Lost Ark is released for an exclusive one-week engagement in select IMAX theaters beginning September 7, 2012. The film has undergone a complete restoration for the IMAX exclusive one-week release and subsequent debut on Blu-ray. Tickets and a...

To celebrate the upcoming release of Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures Blu-ray, Paramount Home Entertainment has brought a whole bunch of snakes to the San Diego Convention Center, where they are allowing fans to reenact the infamous Well of Souls scene, which found Indy (Harrison Ford) coming face-to-face with a cobra. We have video of this exciting exhibit, which you can check out right now!

Indiana Jones Snake Pit @ Comic-Con 2012

Indiana Jones - "Why'd It Have To Be Snakes?"

Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures Blu-ray Trailer 2

Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures Blu-ray Trailer

Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures Blu-ray: Comic-Con 2012See All 9 Photos »

The world's greatest archeologist and adventurer Dr. Henry "Indiana" Jones' fears came true at Comic-Con 2012 in San Diego, as throngs of live snakes greeted fans of the iconic franchise. Attendees at the Lucasfilm booth were given the opportunity to pose for photos in front of a pit of live,...

We've always been big supporters of what Jamie Benning has done with his outstanding filmumentaries, beginning with three comprehensive behind-the-scenes commentaries for the three original Star Wars movies, and now with the first Indiana Jones movie, Raiders of the Lost Ark. What Jamie does is complile a ridiculous amount of behind-the-scenes footage, interviews and more, and then run it over the film itself giving the viewer great insight into the making of the film, minute by minute. For his latest filmumentary, Raiding the Lost Ark, Benning also sought out his own interviews, speaking with Wolf Kahler (Colonel Dietrich), Brian Muir (legendary sculptor), Mark Mangini (part of the Oscar winning sound team) and Sean Young, who spoke about her audition for the part of...

Read More...

Chicago – In our latest blockbuster edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 40 admit-two movie passes up for grabs to the highly anticipated sequel “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows” starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law!

“Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows” also stars Rachel McAdams, Jared Harris, Stephen Fry, Eddie Marsan, Noomi Rapace, Paul Anderson, Kelly Reilly, Geraldine James, William Houston, Wolf Kahler, Iain Mitchell, Jack Laskey and Patricia Slater from director Guy Ritchie and writers Michele Mulroney and Kieran Mulroney. The film opens on Dec. 16, 2011.

To win your free pass to the advance Chicago screening of “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows” courtesy of HollywoodChicago.com, just answer our question below. That’s it! This advance screening is on Monday, Dec. 12, 2011 at 7 p.m. in downtown Chicago. Directions to enter this HollywoodChicago.com Hookup and win can be found beneath the graphic below.

The movie poster for...

Chicago – We agree that it’s sometimes exploitative to re-release a hit film from long, long ago so a studio can newly bloat previously fat wallets. But, sometimes, you’re happily exploited, such as with the Music Box Theatre’s re-release of the newly digitally-restored “Raiders of the Lost Ark”. It’s 1981 Indiana Jones, people. Enough said.

In this special edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we’ve got 25 admit-two run-of-engagement movie passes for you to the 30th-anniversary, two-week engagement of Harrison Ford’s “Raiders of the Lost Ark” at Chicago’s Music Box Theatre!

“Raiders of the Lost Ark” from director Steven Spielberg also stars Karen Allen, Alfred Molina, Paul Freeman, Ronald Lacey, John Rhys-Davies, Denholm Elliott, Wolf Kahler, Anthony Higgins, Vic Tablian, Don Fellows, William Hootkins, Bill Reimbold, Fred Sorenson and Patrick Durkin from writers Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas.

To win your free pass to the 30th-anniversary...

This week, we tackle one of Spielberg's most famous films, and arguably one of the best adventure movies ever made: Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark.

The Basics:

A seemingly normal college professor by the name of Indiana Jones, has a bit of a secret life.  When he's not busy teaching aspiring students about archeology, Dr. Jones is off living the life of an adventurer, searching for lost treasures in hopes of putting them in a museum for all to see.  Jones faces his toughest adventure, however, when the government calls on him to find the legendary Ark of the Covenant before the villainous Third Reich does.  With feisty companion Marion Ravenwood in tow, Indiana fights Nazis, Egyptians, snakes, and more on his quest to find the artifact.

Cast: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, John Rys-Davies, and Wolf Kahler

Written By: Lawrence Kasdan

Directed By: Steven Spielberg...

Hi there friends. Brian Gallagher here with your look at all the news that wasn't fit for print over the past seven days. There's a lot to get through this week, so let's get started with a cool new infographic about two of my favorite directors, Joel Coen and Ethan Coen:

Coen Brothers Actor Infographic - via Hello Muller

Joel Coen and Ethan Coen are among the few filmmakers who I love so much that I own every single one of their movies. Yes, even The Hudsucker Proxy and The Ladykillers. Even if you haven't watched every one, you've probably noticed that they have a penchant for casting many of the same actors in numerous projects. Graphic designer Tom Muller created this nifty infographic which connects all of the main actors in the Coen Brothers movies without the hassle of scrolling through IMDb. Check out this awesome graphic below:...