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Can you imagine a spectacle involving the roar of engines & the suspense of pursuit, yet moving at the pace of molasses? Picture this: on a balmy June evening in 1994, a white Ford Bronco glided across California’s freeways, carrying a precious cargo more gripping than the Super Bowl. At the helm was Al Cowlings, and in the backseat sat O.J. Simpson, in a situation tense enough to make the hands of a clock hold their breath.

This live slow-motion drama became one of television’s most-watched events, with an entire nation scarcely believing that sometimes truth can indeed be stranger than fiction. And don’t forget Steven Spielberg’s The Sugarland Express, which released similar cinematic chaos with Goldie Hawn & William Atherton leading a parade of cops.

Steven Spielberg’s The Sugarland Express | Universal Pictures

Spielberg himself, drawn back to the memories of his directorial debut, couldn’t help but...

Apple, or at least its technology, was worried about the health and well-being of Hollywood’s greatest director.

In the middle of Steven Spielberg’s Tribeca Festival talk on Saturday, where the filmmaker was celebrating the 50th anniversary of his debut feature, “The Sugarland Express,” he was interrupted by his Apple watch with a message that read “It looks like you’ve taken a hard fall.” Spielberg jokingly said “I’m not going to press the Sos [button]” before throwing it on the ground. “I’ll pick it up later,” he said, only to retrieve it a few minutes later when it started issuing some sort of distress signal.

Before the Q&a began, a taped message from “The Sugarland Express” star Goldie Hawn appeared on the screen, thanking Spielberg and reminiscing about the pivotal moment in her career—and his. The film was released in 1974, just one year before “Jaws,...

Tuesday, October 18, will mark the 50th anniversary of the Quad Cinema opening its doors in New York City. Over the last five decades, the independent theater has established itself as a haven for cinephiles with its frequent showings of rare films, new restorations of classics, and indie hits. To celebrate the landmark anniversary, the Quad is devoting its Theater U to showing the four films that played when the theater first opened: “Butterflies Are Free,” “Play It Again, Sam,” “Slaughterhouse-Five,” and “The Gang’s All Here.”

Milton Katselas’ “Butterflies Are Free” tells the story of a romance that blossoms between a blind man (Edward Albert) and his neighbor (Goldie Hawn) after the man moves into his first apartment by himself. The film was an adaptation of Leonard Gershe’s hit Broadway play of the same name, with the playwright returning to write the screenplay. Eileen Heckart won an Oscar for...

“It’s complete bullsh*t…he has no idea what he’s talking about” is a quote from the trailer from Totally Under Control, Alex Gibney’s documentary that chronicles Donald Trump and the White House’s failed response to the coronavirus pandemic. The trailer for the upcoming Neon film caught the eyes of over 6 million viewers in its first 72 hours across all platforms since its Friday release, which pretty much shows that the world is searching for the truth.

The trailer comes in the wake of the Covid soup that has brewed in the White House as President Trump, First Lady Melania Trump and numerous members of his administration and the Republican party have tested positive for the coronavirus. The documentary was directed by Gibney, Ophelia Harutyunyan and Suzanne Hillinger and was filmed in secrecy over the last four months.

On January 20, 2020 the U.S. and South Korea both...

As film and TV try their best to get back into production amidst the constraints of a global pandemic, Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney has been quietly filming a documentary for the past four months with Ophelia Harutyunyan and Suzanne Hillinger. The project, titled Totally Under Control puts a spotlight on the White House’s failed response to the global pandemic and how it could have been prevented. Neon announced today that they will be releasing the docu in October.

Gibney, Harutyunyan and Hillinger dive deep into how this happened and the pandemic’s devastating impact. The film gives damning testimony from public health officials and hard investigative reporting, Gibney exposes a system-wide collapse caused by a profound dereliction of Presidential leadership.

“With an extraordinary team of collaborators, I was compelled to mount this production when I saw the scale of incompetence and political corruption by the Trump Administration in the face of a global pandemic,...

Altitude handles international sales.

Neon is planning a pre-election US release and Altitude will handle international sales on an Alex Gibney documentary that exposes the Trump administration’s response to the pandemic crisis in the US.

Details of the film, which is called Totally Under Control and shot secretly over the last four months, emerged on Thursday (September 10) with less than two months to go before the US election.

Neon plans to release the film in October.

Alex Gibney, Ophelia Harutyunyan and Suzanne Hillinger co-directed and obtained testimony from public health officials that argues a system-wide collapse and dereliction of...

Neon has nabbed rights to Alex Gibney’s documentary “Totally Under Control,” detailing the White House response to the Covid-19 pandemic, and plans to release the film in October.

Neon made the announcement Thursday, a day after revelations from journalist Bob Woodward that President Donald Trump admitted he knew weeks before the first confirmed U.S. coronavirus death that the virus was dangerous and repeatedly downplayed it publicly. The distributor said “Totally Under Control” has been filming for the past four months.

“With an extraordinary team of collaborators, I was compelled to mount this production when I saw the scale of incompetence and political corruption by the Trump Administration in the face of a global pandemic,” Gibney said. “Now we know that by Feb. 7, Trump knew that Covid was, in his words, ‘a deadly virus.’ But instead of working to protect the American people by containing the virus, the current...

Alex Gibney has a new documentary film called “Totally Under Control” aimed at President Trump’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. Neon will release the movie this October ahead of the general election, the distributor announced Thursday.

Gibney, an Oscar winner for “Taxi to the Dark Side,” has been quietly filming the documentary alongside co-directors Ophelia Harutyunyan and Suzanne Hillinger for the past four months. In “Totally Under Control” they ask the simple question as deaths — which currently number 190,000 in the U.S. — have continued to rise, “How did this happen?”

Gibney criticizes carelessly designed lockdowns and how the economic effects of those lockdowns have led to 23 million job losses, not to mention widespread hunger, dislocation and a runaway federal deficit. The documentary asserts that much of this destruction could have been avoided if the federal government had followed guidelines and acted properly, even as the Trump administration makes a...

Past, present and future collide in darkly satirical fashion in Slaughterhouse-Five! Based on Kurt Vonnegut s classic 1969 novel, this tale of time travel and alien abduction emerged as part of a wave of more cerebral science-fiction films in the late 60s to early 70s, elevating the genre beyond the B-movie fare of previous decades.

Upstate New York, 1968. Mild-mannered Billy Pilgrim finds himself unstuck in time . Traveling back and forth across the entire span of his existence, he experiences key events of his life in a random ord...

Kurt Vonnegut’s quirky sci-fi novels didn’t always adapt well to film, but George Roy Hill’s 1972 effort is a faithful winner. The filmmaking craft used to ‘unstick’ Billy Pilgrim in time is nothing short of brilliant, highlighting the camera talent of Miroslav Ondricek and the editing skill of Dede Allen. The book even has a built-in sex angle that the film doesn’t shy away from — providing our first encounter with Valerie Perrine as a starlet kidnapped by aliens curious about human mating habits. The somber, sometimes spiritually-defeatist tone of the show represents the book well; it ought to be better known.

Slaughterhouse-Five

Blu-ray

Arrow Video

1972 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 104 min. / Street Date December 3, 2019 / Available from Arrow Academy

Starring: Michael Sacks, Ron Leibman, Eugene Roche, Sharon Gans, Valerie Perrine, Holly Near, Perry King, Kevin Conway, Friedrich von Ledebur, Sorrell Booke, Roberts Blossom, John Dehner, Stan Gottlieb, Karl-Otto Alberty, Henry Bumstead,...

An adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut’s classic novel “Slaughterhouse-Five” is in development at Epix, an individual with knowledge of production tells TheWrap.

The potential series hails from Universal Cable Productions and Syfy’s “Happy!” showrunner, Patrick Macmanus.

Vonnegut’s novel tells the story of Billy Pilgrim, a World War 2 soldier who becomes “unstuck in time” and travels back and forth through his past, present and future. “Slaughterhouse-Five” explores the idea of predestination versus free will, the effects of war, and our perception of time.

Also Read: Former Epix Executive Sentenced to 4 Years in Prison for Fraud, Identity Theft

Macmanus will write and executive produce, along with Gale Anne Hurd of Valhalla Entertainment, Jon Brown for Ensemble Entertainment and Bradley Yonover under the Brand Y Media banner. Emmy-nominated “Handmaid’s Tale” director Kari Skogland will sit behind the camera for he project.

If the adaptation is ordered to series, it would...

Universal Cable Productions’ “Slaughterhouse-Five” series is now in development at Epix, Variety has learned exclusively.

Based on Kurt Vonnegut’s classic novel of the same name, the project focuses on Billy Pilgrim, a WW2 soldier who becomes “unstuck in time” and travels back and forth through his past, present and future. The novel explores the idea of predestination versus free will, the impacts of war, as well as the perception of time itself.

Ucp will produce. The series hails from writer and executive producer Patrick Macmanus, who is currently the showrunner on “Happy!” at Syfy. Gale Anne Hurd of Valhalla Entertainment will also executive produce along with Jon Brown of Ensemble Entertainment and Bradley Yonover of Brand Y Media. Kari Skogland, who recently secured an Emmy nomination for her work on “The Handmaid’s Tale,” is attached to direct.

Variety exclusively reported back in December that Ucp was developing the series.

Stars: James Brolin, Margot Kidder, Rod Steiger, Don Stroud, Murray Hamilton, John Larch, Natasha Ryan, K.C. Martel, Meeno Peluce, Michael Sacks, Helen Shaver | Written by Sandor Stern | Directed by Stuart Rosenberg

When films say they are based on true stories, it is easy to take such statements with a pinch of salt. The Amityville Horror though is one that is so enshrined in pop culture that it has a whole legend built up around it, whether it is true or not. Second Sight have now brought the popular horror to Blu-ray in the UK and it is well worth buying.

The Amityville Horror is the story of the Lutz family, who move into the perfect family home on the coast of Long Island. Surprised at how cheap it was, it soon becomes apparent why when the shocking history of the house is revealed, along with the demonic presence that resides there.

Author: Competitions

To mark the release of Slaughterhouse Five on 26th June, we’ve been given 3 copies to give away on Blu-ray.

Billy Pilgrim (Michael Sacks) is an ordinary World War II soldier with one major exception: he has mysteriously become “unstuck in time”. With his life happening in a seemingly random order, Billy goes on an uncomfortable trip back and forth from his birth in New York to life on a distant planet and back again to the horrors of the 1945 fire-bombing of Dresden.

Please note: This competition is open to UK residents only

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Small Print

Open to UK residents only The competition will close 29th June 2017 at 23.59 GMT The winner will be picked at random from entries received No cash alternative is available

The usual T&Cs can be found here. Good Luck!

The post Win Slaughterhouse Five on Blu-ray appeared first on HeyUGuys.

Dean Jones: Actor in Disney movies. Dean Jones dead at 84: Actor in Disney movies 'The Love Bug,' 'That Darn Cat!' Dean Jones, best known for playing befuddled heroes in 1960s Walt Disney movies such as That Darn Cat! and The Love Bug, died of complications from Parkinson's disease on Tue., Sept. 1, '15, in Los Angeles. Jones (born on Jan. 25, 1931, in Decatur, Alabama) was 84. Dean Jones movies Dean Jones began his Hollywood career in the mid-'50s, when he was featured in bit parts – at times uncredited – in a handful of films at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer In 2009 interview for Christianity Today, Jones recalled playing his first scene (in These Wilder Years) with veteran James Cagney, who told him “Walk to your mark and remember your lines” – supposedly a lesson he would take to heart. At MGM, bit player Jones would also be featured in Robert Wise's...

Steven Spielberg and daughter Destry Spielberg on the Oscars' Red Carpet Steven Spielberg and daughter Destry Steven Spielberg and daughter Destry Spielberg arrive at the 83rd Academy Awards, held on Feb. 27 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. Spielberg has taken home two Best Director Oscars: Schindler's List (1993) and Saving Private Ryan (1998). Schindler's List also won Best Picture, but Saving Private Ryan lost to John Madden's Miramax-distributed Shakespeare in Love. There was quite a bit of animosity at the time, as some felt that Miramax, owned by brothers Bob and Harvey Weinstein, overdid its Oscar campaigning – while still managing to sway enough Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences members to vote for its film. Somewhat ironically, at the 2011 Academy Awards ceremony Steven Spielberg presented the Best Picture Award to The King's Speech. Toplining Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter, Geoffrey Rush, Guy Pearce, and Claire Bloom, this British production was...

I was trying to figure out what genre Steven Spielberg's The Sugarland Express fits in while preparing today's Movie Club entry. It's definitely got drama as Lou Jean (Goldie Hawn), an ex-con, convinces her husband Clovis (William Atherton) to break out of pre-release four months before he's due to be released free and clear. Their goal is to make a run for Sugarland, Texas where they hope to get their child out of foster care, a child that was removed from their custody due to the misdemeanors that landed them in prison. These two eventually hit the road by hitching a ride with an elderly couple, but the fact the old man won't drive any faster than 30 miles an hour on the freeway results in them stealing the car. A police chase ensues, ultimately resulting in the kidnapping of a police officer (Michael Sacks) and hijacking his cruiser. To...

HollywoodNews.com: Chicago will welcome 20 Nobel Peace Laureates from 17 countries around the globe this April 23 – 25, 2012, for the 12th World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates. The Permanent Secretariat of the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates, together with the 2012 Chicago Host Committee, have announced that eleven Nobel Peace Prize-winning individuals and nine Laureate organizations are currently confirmed to attend and participate in the three-day event—the first time the international peacemaking summit will be held in North America.

Read More About Sean Penn’S Work In Haiti

In addition to convening Nobel Laureates, the World Summit annually recognizes a high-profile personality making an outstanding contribution to international social justice and peace. Sean Penn, actor, founder and CEO of J/P Haitian Relief Organization, will be presented with the 2012 Peace Summit Award during the summit for his work to rebuild and aid the victims of the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti, as well...

This week we hitch a ride on The Sugarland Express as we continue our journey through the filmography of Steven Spielberg.  As his first theatrical release, does The Sugarland Express stack up to the rest of his films, or is it a car crash of epic proportions?  Find out after the jump.

The Basics:

Recently released ex-convict Lou-Jean is mortified when she finds out her child had been taken from her by the State of Texas.  Despite serving her time and staying well behaved, the State of Texas finds her to be an "unsuitable" mother.  In an act of desperation, she breaks her husband out of minimum security prison and plots to take back her son from his foster parents up in Sugarland.  But things go awry when the couple have no choice but to take a police officer hostage and steal his vehicle.  Soon enough, the entire state of...

Flix Picks [1] is a semi-regular feature that explores the depths of my Netflix queue and allows me the chance to catch up with some older films that I’ve not yet seen. Looking through Steven Spielberg’s filmography, there are very few films that I’ve yet to see. Until recently, The Sugarland Express (1974) was one of those films. As Spielberg’s first foray into theatrical features, it remains relatively unknown and unseen by most fans. What reputation it does have mainly consists of being known as the movie Spielberg made before Jaws. It’s an unfortunate status because The Sugarland Express offers viewers a chance to witness the beginnings of one of cinemas most talented filmmakers, complete with all the themes and sensibilities that he would become known for throughout his career. The Sugarland Express, based on actual events, tells the story of Lou Jean (Goldie Hawn) and Clovis...

Michael York dashes onto the cinematic scene as the blundering but very enthusiastic D'Artagnan in Richard Lester's hugely enjoyable period comic romp. The late great Roy Kinnear is the long-suffering vassal of aristocratic swordsmen Oliver Reed, Richard Chamberlain and Frank Finlay, whilst Raquel Welch and Faye Dunaway shine as heroine and villainess, respectively. Producers Alexander and Ilya Salkind filmed the following year's sequel back-to-back with this more successful first part, which approach they would revisit shortly for Superman and Superman II. Dumas with wit, energy and integrity.

Notable Quotable: "That man in his time has insulted me, broken my father's sword, had me clubbed to the ground, laid violent hands on the woman I love! He is inconvenient. "

Martin Anderson

Mike Nichols and Buck Henry achieve what seemed impossible, at least on the evidence of an earlier attempt: to transliterate the pitch-dark war humour of Joseph Heller into a cohesive,...

Put on your glasses, nerd, because episode 49 of Junk Food Dinner is here!

This week in honor of National Reading Month, we're kicking off a three-episode series of shows dedicated to three of our favorite authors. Starting things off, we'll be taking a look at three films based on the work of Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

Up first, a man becomes "unstuck in time" and simultaneously experiences his past, present and future in the surreal Slaughterhouse-Five from 1972 directed by George Roy Hill and starring Michael Sacks.

Then, Jerry Lewis and Madeline Kahn are malformed alien twins sent to Earth to solve its problems in the goofy 1982 comedy Slapstick (of Another Kind)(from the brilliant mind who brought you Baby Geniuses).

And finally, Bruce Willis, Nick Nolte and Albert Finney lead an all-star cast in a quirky look at Midwestern life in 1999's Breakfast of Champions.

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