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The 1989 buddy cop movie "Tango & Cash" is a weird animal. Lieutenant Ray Tango (Sylvester Stallone) is the star cop of the LAPD's narcotics division on the Westside, while Lieutenant Gabriel Cash (Kurt Russell) is the star officer of the Eastside. People from Los Angeles know that these are vital distinctions. The two haven't ever met, but are both loathed by the criminal underworld, and are set up by drug dealers to take the fall for a drug bust gone wrong. Tango and Cash are pilloried in court, and end up together in a maximum security prison. To clear their names, they'll have to escape and track down the bad guys, including gangster Yves Perret, played by Jack Palance. 

The story is broad and all over the place, and the tone is weirdly slapstick. "Tango & Cash" is as slick as 1980s cop movies come, but its sense of humor is weirdly caustic,...

Tim Burton's "Batman" was designed to look timeless. Burton made his Gotham City look like a German expressionist film from the 1920s, using impossible, elongated structures and eerie shadows to construct a bizarre, artificial world. Burton figured that outsize characters like Batman (Michael Keaton) and the Joker (Jack Nicholson) couldn't exist in the real world, so he constructed a fake world they would logically live in. The resulting Gotham City looks like it could be 1939, but video screens and video tech make it look like the near future. The actual era of "Batman" was meant to be elusive. 

Of course, the soundtrack betrays the film's timelessness. Warner Bros. hired Prince to write a soundtrack for "Batman," and his royal badness was equal to the task. Prince's "Batman" featured hit singles like "Batdance," "Partyman," "Trust," and "The Arms of Orion," which he sang with Sheena Easton. The presence of Prince...

The 1984 Oscar-winning Prince movie Purple Rain is getting a re-release in Dolby Cinema at AMC Theatres locations in the U.S. and Odeon locations in the UK for one night only March 5.

“Purple Rain reimagined in Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos for Dolby Cinema is a celebration of Prince’s genius and enduring legacy,’ said Jed Harmsen, Dolby Head of Cinema and Group Entertainment in a statement. “Devoted and new fans alike prepare to be exhilarated by an unforgettable and unparalleled performance from one of music’s greatest of all time.”

Directed by Albert Magnoli, who co-wrote the script with William Blinn, the movie follows a young musician, The Kid (Prince), who is tormented by an abusive situation at home and must contend with a rival singer, a burgeoning romance and his own dissatisfied band as his star begins to rise. The soundtrack went platinum 13 times, becoming Prince’s first album to reach No.

Ahead of April showers, Dolby and Warner Bros. Discovery is making it rain with a one-night only theatrical re-release of the iconic musical “Purple Rain.”

The legendary 1984 rock drama starred Prince in his film acting debut. Now, 40 years later, the feature will be back in theaters with a one-night only event March 5, exclusively at Dolby Cinema.

Prince stars as The Kid in “Purple Rain,” a young singer who is competing with a rival performer. In addition to leading the film, the late musician also composed and produced the score and original songs. Albert Magnolia directed the film; the soundtrack spent 24 consecutive weeks at the top of the Billboard album chart and includes the song “When Doves Cry.”

“Purple Rain” won the Academy Award for Best Original Song Score and the Grammy Award for Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Special. The film was re-released...

Prince fans will soon have another chance to purify themselves in the waters of Lake Minnetonka — and those waters will be clearer than ever before.

On March 5, Warner Bros. Discovery and Dolby will re-release “Purple Rain” for one night, exclusively in Dolby Cinemas. The film will be presented in Dolby Vision High Dynamic Range (Hdr) and Dolby Atmos immersive audio. The picture and sound quality will exceed even the 40th anniversary version 4K disc released in May 2024, whose transfer was restored digitally from an 8K scan of the 35mm camera negative. Although that disc was color graded in Hdr, it was subsequently translated to meet the presentation standards of Dolby Vision.

Check out this video, which showcases the difference in color and clarity of the picture:

As important as the pictures captured by director Albert Magnoli is the sound of the performances by Prince and the Revolution, The Time and...

Prince took his stardom to new heights when he made a splash with Purple Rain.

Director Albert Magnoli’s musical drama starred Prince as the Kid, an aspiring musician from an abusive upbringing who navigates a rivalry with another performer (Morris E. Day) and a romance with a fellow singer (Apollonia Kotero).

Following the success of his 1982 album, 1999, Prince told manager Robert Cavallo of his big-screen aspirations. After facing resistance from studios, Cavallo produced the project himself, with Prince writing the songs and culling story ideas from his own journey.

Magnoli worked on the script with screenwriter William Blinn (Fame) but also encouraged collaboration from Prince’s friends who were cast in supporting roles, including Day, who fronted the band Prince put together. Recalls co-star Jerome Benton, who was the sidekick in the band: “Albert would ask me, ‘If Morris said this, what would you say?’ [And then,] ‘Morris, if you said this,...

The Los Angeles Herald Examiner’s Mika Gilmore compared it to Orson Welles’ 1941 masterpiece “Citizen Kane.” The L.A. Times’ venerable critic Robert Hilburn thought the film succeeded due to the star’s “presence” and the Hollywood Reporter’s Duane Byrge proclaimed it “sensitive and highly visual, this Albert Magnoli-directed film is an accomplished and sophisticated example of storytelling “

But not every critic 40 years ago went crazy over Prince in his landmark musical “Purple Rain.” The New York Times’ Vincent Canby was even a bit cruel in his criticism of Prince, who died at the age of 57 in 2016. Though he admitted the legend’s performance scenes “can be a riveting spectacle,” Canby noted in repose he looked like a “poster of Liza Minnelli in which someone has lightly smudged a mustache. When astride his large motorcycle, as he is from time to time, the image suggests one of Jim Henson...

Even eight years after his passing, Prince remains a singular presence in pop culture. There are truly only a handful of people who, worldwide, can be recognized by one name (with Oprah and Cher also landing on that coveted list). Prince will always be remembered best as one of the most popular recording artists of all time, with chart-topping hits such as "I Wanna Be Your Love" and "Batdance" from the soundtrack to Tim Burton's "Batman," just to name a couple. For all of his many accomplishments, Prince's defining moment came 40 years ago, in 1984, when his hit film "Purple Rain" topped the box office, rocketing him to new heights of stardom.

For as much as the film was a hit, it was downright dwarfed by its accompanying soundtrack. With two number one songs in "When Doves Cry" and "Let's Go Crazy," the music permeated the greater cultural landscape well beyond the big screen.

39 studio albums. 97 singles. 33 Grammy nominations, with 7 wins. One Oscar. It’s fair to say that Prince was one of the greatest musicians to have ever lived. In 1984, the songwriting legend brought his musical genius to the big screen with Purple Rain – a semi-autobiographical romantic rock opera starring Prince as The Kid, the talented but troubled frontman of Minneapolis-based band The Revolution, who are regular performers at nightclub First Avenue. One night, he meets aspiring singer Apollonia (Apollonia Kotero), and the pair fall for each other, as The Kid gets to grips with his difficult family situation and musical ambitions.

The film won Prince that Oscar, for Best Original Song Score, and as such is packed with many mega goosebump-inducing on-stage sequences and musical moments – now available to watch in higher quality than ever, with the film receiving a 4K restoration in honour of its 40th anniversary. Here's a list of...

“The Beautiful Ones” are about to look more beautiful than ever.

On June 25, Warner Home Video will commemorate the 40th anniversary of Prince’s “Purple Rain” with a rerelease of the breakthrough film on 4K Uhd and digital platforms. In addition to upgraded picture and sound, the release will be accompanied by legacy bonus content including eight music videos.

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Co-written and directed by Albert Magnoli, “Purple Rain” was released on July 27, 1984. Loosely inspired by Prince’s own life, the film earned more than $70 million worldwide, earned an Academy Award for best original song score and immediately catapulted the then 26-year-old artist to superstardom. It co-starred Apollonia Kotero as the protégé and love interest on Prince’s character, The Kid, as well as members of his band the Revolution and additional artists for which Prince had written or produced songs such as The Time.

The first movie role for Prince – Purple Rain – is getting a 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release this summer, for its 40th birthday. More here.

Warner Bros continues its support of catalogue physical media – and good on it for that – with the news that Purple Rain is to make its 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray debut. It’s arriving on the 4K format in part to mark its 40th birthday which, as usual when running these pieces, makes some people out there feel really old. Not me though, obviously. Cough.

The film stars the late Prince in his first ever movie role, and is as famous for its score as the feature itself.

It’s coming to 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray on 24th June 2024 in the UK, in a set that will also feature a Blu-ray disc in the box. As such, previous extra features are being carried over.

You can find...

Ryan Coogler is in a purple state of mind, as the filmmaker is working on a Prince-focused feature musical.

Coogler is attached to produce an untitled jukebox musical of Prince songs for Universal Pictures, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. The project, which has been in development since 2018, hails from Proximity Media and has a script by Bryan Edward Hill.

Producers include Coogler, Zinzi Coogler and Sev Ohanian and Universal Music Publishing Group chair Jody Gerson. Proximity’s Rebecca Cho is an executive producer.

THR reported earlier this week that Coogler’s forthcoming untitled Warner Bros. feature that stars Michael B. Jordan is set for release on March 7, 2025, with the studio having landed the coveted project in February after a bidding war. The pair have a long professional history together, as Coogler has previously directed Jordan in Fruitvale Station (2013), Creed (2015) and Black Panther (2018).

More recently, Coogler directed the 2022 Marvel sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

Purple Rain, the stage musical adaptation of the classic Prince album and film, will make its pre-Broadway premiere next year in Prince’s hometown of Minneapolis, producers announced today.

The musical will debut in spring 2025 at Hennepin Theatre Trust’s State Theatre in Minneapolis as part of its 2024-2025 season. Exact production dates and additional production details will be announced in the coming weeks.

The announcement was made today by producer Orin Wolf.

In a joint statement, L Londell McMillan, former Prince manager and attorney and Chairman of The NorthStar Group, and Larry Mestel, Founder & CEO of Primary Wave Music, said, “Prince talked about adapting Purple Rain for the stage for years. It’s only fitting that we launch this world premiere musical version in the city where it all began, Prince’s hometown, Minneapolis. We’re very excited for the creative team to be inspired by the Minneapolis sound...

Prince’s classic film Purple Rain is heading to the stage. Based on Albert Magnoli and William Blinn’s screenplay for the 1984 film, the musical will be directed by Lileana Blain-Cruz, The New York Times reports.

Producer Orin Wolf, who is shepherding the theatrical adaptation of a separate music industry movie, Buena Vista Social Club, announced the news on Monday that he’s developing the stage adaptation. The resident director of Lincoln Center Theater, Blain-Crus was nominated for a 2022 revival of Thornton Wilder’s The Skin of Our Teeth, which...

Prince’s Purple Rain is being adapted for the stage.

The production is based on Albert Magnoli and William Blinn’s 1984 screenplay – which itself was tied into Prince’s studio album of the same name. Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, known for their recent Broadway work on Appropriate, will write the book, with Lileana Blain-Cruz (Skin of Our Teeth) is taking on the role of director.

Starring Prince in his acting debut, the movie Purple Rain grossed close to $100 million worldwide and took home the Oscar for best original score.

Additional details about the play will be announced at a later date.

Late last year, Prince’s estate shared a super deluxe reissue of his 1991 album Diamonds and Pearls, complete with 47 previously unreleased tracks.

See where Purple Rain stacks up in our ranking of the 100 Greatest Albums of All Time.

Prince’s Purple Rain Getting Stage Adaptation

Abby Jones...

A stage adaptation of Prince’s film Purple Rain is under development, with a world premiere in the works.

The adaptation will feature a score by Prince, who died in 2016, a book by Pulitzer-Prize finalist Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, whose play Appropriate is currently on Broadway, and direction by Lileana Blain-Cruz, who recently helmed Skin of Our Teeth on Broadway. The book is based on the original screenplay of Purple Rain, written by Albert Magnoli and William Blinn.

Additional details about the timing and location of the world premiere will be announced at a later date. Orin Wolf (A Band’s Visit) is producing.

The film version of Purple Rain, which was released in 1984 by Warner Bros., starred Prince as The Kid, an emerging rock musician in Minneapolis who is working through a difficult home environment, competing against a rival band and forming a new romance. In addition to the title song,...

Purple Rain, Prince’s smash 1984 music-packed film, is being developed for the stage by a Broadway producer, with a book by two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist Branden Jacobs-Jenkins and direction by Tony nominee Lileana Blain-Cruz.

Jacobs-Jenkins’ Appropriate is currently a hit on Broadway and an all-but-certain shoo-in for multiple Tony nominations this year. Blain-Cruz was Tony-nominated for her direction of the Lincoln Center Theater’s 2022 production of Thornton Wilder’s The Skin of Our Teeth.

The stage adaptation will feature music and lyrics from Prince’s Purple Rain movie and album.

The project was announced today by Broadway producer Orin Wolf. Additional production details and timing will be announced in the coming months.

Although Wolf’s announcement did not specifically mention Broadway, instead simply saying the project is being developed for the stage, Broadway almost certainly must be on minds given the high-profiles and previous credits of the individuals involved, not...

Since his breakout role as Rocky Balboa, Sylvester Stallone has risen to be one of the most successful and powerful men in Hollywood. Arguably the king of 1980s macho action movies, along with Bruce Willis, Chuck Norris and Arnold Schwarzenegger, Stallone has headlined a slew of incredibly iconic films. Even today, the seasoned actor has been involved in some fantastic films from across genres.

Sylvester Stallone has played everything from troubled soldiers and hard-boiled assassins to straight-laced detectives and athletes. The actor best fits into physical roles that show off his physique and action prowess, but he's proven himself as versatile an actor as any of his peers. The action hero has one of the best streaks of movies in the business, and his range extended far beyond Rocky.

Over The Top

Release Date

February 12, 1987

Director

Menahem Golan

Cast

Sylvester Stallone, Robert Loggia, Susan Blakely & David Mendenhall

Genre

Sports Drama...

Click here to read the full article.

On Sept. 30, musician and actor Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi dropped two big projects that shared a single title: Entergalactic. His eighth studio album and a corresponding Netflix animated special — originally conceived as a TV series with producer Kenya Barris, then redeveloped as a 90-minute feature told in chapters — Mescudi’s Entergalactic is an ambitious cross-platform project, blending music and a narrative arc to tell the story of a New York-based artist named Jabari (voiced by Mescudi) who is on the verge of finding creative success. But after a meet-cute with his photographer neighbor Meadow (Jessica Williams), Jabari must decide if he can make room in his life for a romantic relationship.

Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi

“I’m always trying to do something new,” says Mescudi, who began the project by writing the music before imagining how a story inspired by his songs would unfold.

William Blinn, the Emmy-winning screenwriter of Brian’s Song, the Roots miniseries and Prince’s Purple Rain film, has died at the age of 83.

Blinn’s family confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that the screenwriter died Thursday of natural causes at an assisted living community in Burbank, California.

After starting his career as a writer on TV Westerns like Gunsmoke, Rawhide and Bonanza, Blinn has tasked with adapting Gale Sayers’ memoir about the Chicago Bears running back’s friendship with his terminally ill teammate Brian Piccolo as the television movie...

William Blinn, a longtime writer responsible for “Purple Rain” and “Starsky & Hutch,” died on Thursday. He was 83.

Blinn passed away due to natural causes at an assisted living facility in Burbank, his daughter, Anneliese Johnson, told multiple media outlets.

Blinn enjoyed a four-decade career where, along with penning the script for the Prince-starring film, he also served as a writer for TV productions including “Roots,” “Bonanza” and “Fame.” In the 1970s, Blinn adapted Chicago Bears’ running back Gale Sayers’ autobiography, “I Am Third” into the ABC TV film, “Brian’s Song.” Based on the relationship between Sayers and his Bears teammate, Brian Piccolo, it is the fourth most-watched made-for-tv film. “Brian’s Song” earned Blinn one of his two Emmy awards.

In 1975, Blinn created “Starsky & Hutch,” which ran for 93 episodes over four seasons on ABC. It was originally presented as a 70-minute “movie of the week” before being turned into a TV show.

William Blinn, the two-time Emmy-winning screenwriter of “Brian’s Song” and “Roots,” died on Thursday, his daughter Anneliese Johnson confirmed to Variety. He was 83.

Blinn died of natural causes at an assisted living community in Burbank, according to his daughter.

Blinn penned two landmark TV productions of the 1970s, both for ABC. The 1971 TV movie “Brian’s Song” was a commercial and creative triumph that garnered five Emmys and other accolades.

The film revolved around the true story of two Chicago Bears pro football players — one white, one Black — who forge a deep bond as one of them dies of cancer. Sayers died last month at the age of 77. It was viewed by 55 million people when it premiered on Nov. 30, 1971. At the time it ranked as the fourth most-watched film ever to air on television.

Born in Toledo, Ohio, Blinn moved to Los Angeles for college, where he launched his career as...

William Blinn, the screenwriter for Prince’s Purple Rain and creator of Starsky & Hutch, has died at age 83. He passed Thursday of natural causes at an assisted living community in Burbank, according to his daughter, Anneliese Johnson.

“If you were an aspiring writer in the 70’s & 80’s, like I was, Bill’s work defined what it was to write powerful, impactful, game-changing drama,” said friend and fellow screenwriter Robbie Fox.

During a four-decade career as a writer, producer and drama specialist, Blinn wrote for Bonanza, developed Eight Is Enough, and created The Interns, The Rookies and Pensacola: Wings of Gold.

Blinn co-wrote Purple Rain with director Albert Magnoli. He was offered the 1984 film thanks to his work as a writer and executive producer on Fame, which extensively integrated music into the show.

Blinn was working as a staff writer for Screen Gems when he was tabbed to adapt a chapter...

As part of our newly updated survey of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, we’re publishing a series of pieces on the making and impact of key records from the list. Prince and the Revolution’s Purple Rain came in at number eight. The following piece was originally published in 2016, following Prince’s death.

It didn’t make any sense. He was a young artist with just a couple of pop hits and not much mainstream recognition beyond the kids who watched MTV, which was only two years old.

The actor/comedian/writer/director joins us to talk about some of the objectively bad movies he loves.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

Explorers (1985)

Chinatown (1974)

Suicide Squad (2016)

The Oath (2018)

The Last Movie Star (2018)

Tango and Cash (1989)

The Thing (1982)

Runaway Train (1985)

Midnight Cowboy (1969)

Conrack (1974)

Volcano (1997)

Dante’s Peak (1997)

Earthquake (1974)

It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963)

Independence Day (1996)

Independence Day: Resurgence (2016)

Road House (1989)

Minnie and Moskowitz (1971)

Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976)

The Greatest Showman (2017)

West Side Story (1961)

Chicago (2002)

The Producers (1967)

Outbreak (1995)

Volunteers (1985)

Splash (1984)

The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

Tropic Thunder (2008)

Philadelphia (1993)

Bachelor Party (1984)

Con Air (1997)

Bad Boys (1995)

The Rock (1996)

Mandy (2018)

Out For Justice (1991)

Once Upon A Time In America (1984)

Goodfellas (1990)

Paths of Glory (1957)

Hard To Kill (1991)

Above The Law (1988)

Under Siege (1992)

Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995)

The Asian Connection (2016)

Contract To Kill (2016)

The Perfect Weapon (2016)

Sniper: Special Ops (2016)

The Glimmer Man (1996)

The Andromeda Strain (1971)

Contagion (2011)

Other Notable Items

The...

Hundred web series review is here. Streaming on Disney ? Hotstar from April 25, the series stars Lara Dutta and Rinku Rajguru. The web series is directed by Ruchi Narain, Ashutosh Shah and Taher Shabbir and written by Narain, Shah and Abhishek Dubey.

Immediate reaction when the end credits roll

Hundred ? Bingo! ? The digital debut of our dear Lara Dutta and Sairat fame Rinku Rajguru is zing zing zingat. Hundred in a way is a quirky marriage of Asian master Akira Kurosawa?s Ikuru with Andrei Konchalovsky?s - Tango and Cash that works on its character arcs, humour that coins female empowerment with grace.

The Story of Hundred

Nethra (Rinku Rajguru) a simple government employee working in the census data department finds herself diagnosed for brain tumor. Nethra has hardly done anything exciting in life, no drinks, sex etc. She goes to office and comes back home to take care of his aged grandfather,...

Purple Rain, The Last Waltz, Platoon, She’s Gotta Have It and Clerks were among the 25 films added to the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry, the organization announced Wednesday.

2019’s list of motion pictures — selected for their “cultural, historic and aesthetic importance to the nation’s film heritage” — include an “unprecedented” seven films by female directors, including Kimberly Peirce’s Boys Don’t Cry, Elaine May’s A New Leaf and Patricia Cardoso’s Real Women Have Curves.

In addition to Prince’s 1984 classic and Martin Scorsese’s documentary about the Band’s all-star farewell gig,...

The Library of Congress has unveiled its annual selection of 25 films added to the National Film Registry, with an unprecedented seven titles directed by women, the most in a single year since the inaugural registry in 1989. (Scroll down for the full list.)

Among those making the cut for 2019 are Kimberly Peirce’s 1999 Oscar winner Boys Don’t Cry; Greta Schiller’s 1984 documentary Before Stonewall; Claudia Weill’s 1978 Girlfriends; Gunvor Nelson’s 1969 avant-garde pic My Name Is Oona; Elaine May’s A New Leaf, which in 1971 made her the first woman to write, direct and star in a major American studio feature; the 2002 indie Real Women Have Curves, directed by Patricia Cardoso; and Madeline Anderson’s 1970 I Am Somebody, which is considered the first documentary on civil rights directed by a woman of color.

Also notably added to the Film Registry are such classics as George Cukor’s 1944 Gaslight, which won...

“Purple Rain,” “Clerks,” “She’s Gotta Have It,” “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” “Amadeus,” “Sleeping Beauty,””Boys Don’t Cry” and “The Last Waltz” are among this year’s additions to the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.

The list also includes 1944’s “Gaslight,” starring Ingrid Bergman in an Oscar-winning performance; the 1955 film noir “The Phenix City Story,” based on a real-life murder in Alabama; Disney’s 1959 canine tearjerker “Old Yeller”; Oliver Stone’s 1986 Best Picture winner “Platoon,” based on his own experiences in Vietnam; and Luis Valdez’s “Zoot Suit,” which tells the story of the 1943 Sleepy Lagoon Murder and the racially charged riots that followed.

A place on the list — always made up of 25 films — guarantees the film will be preserved under the terms of the National Film Preservation Act. The criteria for selection is that the movies are “culturally, historically or aesthetically” significant.

“The National Film Registry has become...

This weekend marks the 35th anniversary of the release of “Purple Rain.” But talking to the film’s writer-director Albert Magnoli, it seems like yesterday — at least in terms of the level of detail that he brings to his recollections of the development and production of Prince’s masterpiece.

Not only does the filmmaker remember all of the political and personal minefields he navigated in order to transform William Blinn’s script, “Dreams,” into the vehicle that propelled Prince to global superstardom, but he recalls the vibe in the rooms and the reactions of nearly everyone involved in its conception. But then again, given that Magnoli acquired his first professional endeavor as a director through what by any measure is a combination of feverish inspiration and calculated bluffing, maybe it’s not so surprising that he remembers the experience with such specificity.

Magnoli, now in his mid-60s, first learned...

As the movie that ushered in both the modern-day superhero genre and a new peak in the art of saturation marketing, Tim Burton’s “Batman” has a legacy that’s hard to overstate. Virtually everything associated with the 1989 comic-book adaptation became a cultural phenomenon, from Burton’s mischievous, mainstream-goth aesthetic to the meta-narrative of the film’s record-breaking box office receipts.

Prince’s multiplatinum soundtrack for the film — featuring the hits “Batdance,” “Partyman” and “Scandalous” — was no exception, ushering filmmakers and musicians alike into a new era of “Music Inspired By” album opportunities even as it rescued the iconic performer’s career after it had suffered some financial setbacks in the wake of his extravagant touring productions.

Thirty years on, the “Batman” LP is still remembered fondly by fans who associate it with the film, especially those who were first exposed to the Purple One’s work through it. But...

Exclusive: Nancy Nigrosh, the industry veteran who has worked repping directors and writers as a talent and literary agent at Innovative Artists and running the lit department at Gersh, has joined The Partos Company. She has been tapped to head the Motion Picture & Television department at the Santa Monica-based agency, which is known for its representation of artists behind the camera.

Nigrosh previously ran the consulting firm Literary Business and taught at UCLA Extension’s Writers’ Program. During her career she has repped clients including helmers Kathryn Bigelow, Peter Bogdanovich, Chris Eyre, John Cameron Mitchell and Leslye Headland and scribes Barry Morrow, Amanda Brown, Luke Davies, Albert Magnoli and Stuart Beattie.

Partos, run by Walter Partos, reps clients including costume designers Albert Wolsky (Bugsy), Natalie O’Brien (Honey Boy) and Heidi Bivens (Mid90s); cinematographers Scott Cunningham (Kendrik Lamar’s “Humble”) and Maxime Alexandre; and producer Hartley Gorenstein (The Boys...

It's storytime, kids! When I was just three-years-old, my father took my family to see director Albert Magnoli's Purple Rain at the Rocky Point Drive-In. Before taking our place in the queue to get inside the outdoor theater grounds, my sister and I hid beneath a thick blanket in what we called the "back-back" of our Rhythmic Blue Pontiac Station Wagon. That's…...

Purple Rain pulled in ten times its budget, earned an Oscar for Best Original Song Score, and boasted a soundtrack that spent 24 weeks at Number 1. So let's purify ourselves in the waters of Lake Minnetonka and pay tribute to the Purple One. Here we'll take a look at 10 things you never knew about Purple Rain.

Purple Dreams

After a string of albums culminated in breakthrough success with 1999, multitalented Minnesota multi-instrumentalist Prince tasked his managers with getting him a movie. The budget was small, the studio once suggested John Travolta should star, but somehow, it all came together. William Blinn, executive producer of TV's Fame, penned the first draft, which he called Dreams. A recent USC film school grad with no feature film directorial experience, Albert Magnoli went on a late night drive with Prince and convinced him he was the man for the job. Magnoli reworked the script.

The origin...

June 7 would have been the 60th birthday of Prince (born Prince Rogers Nelson), who for 35 years was a huge influence in music and, equally important, in the way artists control their work. In 1981, Variety reviewed a marathon show at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum, headlined by the Rolling Stones, and sighed that “The only negative response the entire day came for the brief opening set of Prince.” But he came roaring back a few months later. On Dec. 9, 1981, Variety caught his show at the Palladium in New York, and raved that “manufactured phenomenons are commonplace in pop music, while true sensations are rare. Prince, an audacious singer/guitarist from Minneapolis, has genuine star appeal.”

A few years later, he delivered his career-defining work, the album and movie “Purple Rain,” a surprise hit for distributor Warner Bros. In the July 2, 1984, review, Variety said the movie “captures the essence of the current...

On July 27, 1984, Warner Bros. unveiled Prince's R-rated Purple Rain in theaters for moviegoers. The Hollywood Reporter's original review is below.

Purple Rain, starring rock star Prince, may create a surprise and sudden box office storm for Warner Bros. Sensitive and highly visual, this Albert Magnoli-directed film is an accomplished and sophisticated example of storytelling. Even those who aren’t Prince fans are likely to be captivated by its energy, enamored with its simple, often poignant storyline.

Prince stars as a headstrong, vulnerable young musician. He’s self-destructive, submerging his music in his anger and insecurities. In short, his music...

On July 27, 1984, Warner Bros. unveiled Prince's R-rated Purple Rain in theaters for moviegoers. The Hollywood Reporter's original review is below.

Purple Rain, starring rock star Prince, may create a surprise and sudden box office storm for Warner Bros. Sensitive and highly visual, this Albert Magnoli-directed film is an accomplished and sophisticated example of storytelling. Even those who aren’t Prince fans are likely to be captivated by its energy, enamored with its simple, often poignant storyline.

Prince stars as a headstrong, vulnerable young musician. He’s self-destructive, submerging his music in his anger and insecurities. In short,...

On July 27, 1984, Warner Bros. unveiled Prince's R-rated Purple Rain in theaters for moviegoers. The Hollywood Reporter's original review is below.

Purple Rain, starring rock star Prince, may create a surprise and sudden box office storm for Warner Bros. Sensitive and highly visual, this Albert Magnoli-directed film is an accomplished and sophisticated example of storytelling. Even those who aren’t Prince fans are likely to be captivated by its energy, enamored with its simple, often poignant storyline.

Prince stars as a headstrong, vulnerable young musician. He’s self-destructive, submerging his music in his anger and insecurities. In short,...

We've posted a roundup of interviews: Lucile Hadzihalilovic, whose Evolution is released in the UK next week; Zelimir Zilnik, whose 1995 award-winning Marble Ass was revived at the Berlinale this year; Richard Linklater, who talks about all his films and the current presidential primaries; Albert Magnoli, who directed Prince's Purple Rain; Raymond Depardon, whose Les Habitants has just opened in France; Juliette Binoche, who talks about L’Attesa; Whit Stillman on his 90s trilogy and his latest, Love & Friendship; and Interview has posted Ingrid Sischy's 1994 conversation with Tom Hanks. » - David Hudson...

We've posted a roundup of interviews: Lucile Hadzihalilovic, whose Evolution is released in the UK next week; Zelimir Zilnik, whose 1995 award-winning Marble Ass was revived at the Berlinale this year; Richard Linklater, who talks about all his films and the current presidential primaries; Albert Magnoli, who directed Prince's Purple Rain; Raymond Depardon, whose Les Habitants has just opened in France; Juliette Binoche, who talks about L’Attesa; Whit Stillman on his 90s trilogy and his latest, Love & Friendship; and Interview has posted Ingrid Sischy's 1994 conversation with Tom Hanks. » - David Hudson...

As Prince's death has reminded us, Purple Rain was a landmark: a film that blended gritty cinematic intensity with one of Hollywood's most eruptive original scores. Released in 1984, the film – which has returned to over 200 theaters since his death – turned Prince into a movie star and grossed $70 million at the box office, making it the 10th highest-grossing movie of that year.

But it's also easy to forget that, over 30 years ago, the idea of making a movie around a pop star – especially a relatively new one like Prince –was considered a risky move,...

Following the death of Prince at the age of 57, the music icon's classic 1984 film Purple Rain will reenter theaters for a limited run beginning this weekend. AMC Theatres and Carmike Cinemas are among the nationwide movie theater chains that will partner with Warner Bros. to offer screenings for fans looking to remember the rock legend's legacy with his big screen debut, a semi-biographical portrayal of Prince's life and ascension.

AMC will digitally project Purple Rain in 87 of its multiplexes starting April 23rd through the 28th, while Carmike will show...

What do you say about Purple Rain that hasn't already been said? Not only is it one of the greatest music films of all time, but it's one of the defining films of the 1980s and earned Prince an Oscar. The soundtrack spent nearly a full half-year at Number One on the Billboard charts, sold 20 million copies worldwide and won two Grammys. But as with all things Prince, that's not the full story. A number of truly excellent books and articles have been written about the making of Purple Rain, and we're here to share some of the best bits of them with you.

It's entirely possible to be a massive Prince fan — to recognize him as the most influential musician since James Brown and the most dexterous since Stevie Wonder — and still admit that he never quite cracked his ambition to be a movie star. His three fictional films — the iconic Purple Rain and the forgotten Under the Cherry Moon and Graffiti Bridge — never enraptured the way his albums did, partly because there was always something otherworldly and ephemeral about Prince Rogers Nelson that never translated to the screen. Like his fellow Minnesotan Bob Dylan,...

Albert Magnoli, the writer and director of Prince’s debut feature film “Purple Rain” says the news of the music legend’s death “is very difficult to process.” In a statement on his website, Magnoli writes that Prince was not only his creative partner, but a friend. “We shared tremendous times together during and after the making of Purple Rain,” Magnoli says. “He was a good man, complicated and diligent, and like men of his caliber, he always demanded from himself and others the very best.” Magnoli ends his tribute with a heartbreaking sendoff, “Travel well, friend, wherever your next journey takes you.

In 2014, in advance of 30th anniversary of Purple Rain, Warner Brothers announced a "new partnership" with Prince — one that promised remastered and unreleased music from his vaults in exchange for returning ownership of the master recordings to all of his albums to him. Broadly, the announcement felt like a harmonious and happy end to the very public battle he fought with the label in the 1990s. At the time, you either thought that he was rightfully standing up for the rights of musicians, or merely indulging in the increasingly odd...

courtesy of flickeringmyth.com

50. Dancer in the Dark (2000)

Directed by Lars von Trier

Signature Song: “I’ve Seen It All” (http://youtu.be/d9zFt6M_GLo)

Who says people in a musical have to be able to sing? The list starts with a film directed by the director of Melancholia, Antichrist, and the recent Nymphomaniac films. Starring Björk, Dancer in the Dark takes place in the fantasy world of Selma, an immigrant from the Czeck Republic living in a blue-collar town in the United States. She lives on the property of a local police officer named Bill (David Morse) and his wife. She finds herself the object of a shy co-worker’s affection (Peter Stormare), but doesn’t entirely reciprocate, partly because she knows that she is slowly going blind. Terrified that her disease is hereditary and her son most certainly will get it, she works long hours at the factory,...

Villains have always been and will always be some of the most fascinating and memorable characters in the world of genre film. Here we will take a look at the greatest villains of cinema from the 1990’s.

The criteria for this article is the same as in my previous articles Cinema’s Greatest Villains: The 1970’s and Cinema’s Greatest Villains: The 1980’s: the villains must be from live-action films-no animated features-and must pose some type of direct of indirect lethal threat. The villains can either be individuals or small groups that act as one unit.

The villains must be human or human in appearance. Also, individuals that are the central protagonists/antiheroes of their respective films were excluded.

Brad Dourif as The Gemini Killer in The Exorcist III (William Peter Blatty, 1990): Veteran actor Dourif is intense and unforgettable as an executed murderer inhabiting someone else’s body in...

Purple Rain (Albert Magnoli, 1984)

I first saw Purple Rain when I was a teenager. The music and what it stood for had a big impact on me. Prince plays the son of a biracial family, an only child who's seen as the weirdo in the neighbourhood. He's into his music, but growing up in an abusive household he has to struggle as a man, musically and personally, not to become a person who inflicts domestic violence on his girlfriend, repeating the patterns of his father.

Visually, it's very dark, very gritty and very dirty. It has this rough-and-ready persona and that, along with the music, really spoke to me. I identified with a lot of the songs growing up. You see Prince perform the songs, so the combination of those with the backstory of what he was going through emotionally has an incredible effect.

For me, the movie represented overcoming...

Simon Brew Aug 14, 2017

Is the named director of a film the one who's actually been calling the shots? Here are 11 where a 'ghost director' may have been involved.

It's not that uncommon for a director to take their name off a film, and to leave the moniker Alan Smithee or whatever the current equivalent is behind. However, what's considerably rarer is when a film is released under the name of one director, but it's later revealed or rumoured that, actually, other hands were at work, either for a solid chunk or even the entirety of a production. That a film was, for want of a better phrase, 'ghost directed'.

See related Gotham season 4: Barbara is set to form an all-female "power base"

Granted, some of these stories that we're about to tell have little chance of ever being fully confirmed, but here are some examples of where the helmer...