News

A Hulu series that is loosely based on the 1987 Dennis Hopper movie, Black Widow, has added two new stars to its cast. The neo-noir thriller starred Debra Winger and Theresa Russell as Alexandra and Catherine. Alexandra works for the Justice Department and begins pursuing Catherine after she discovers Catherine is marrying and killing wealthy men to inherit their money. Catherine goes by several aliases and alters her appearance with each new marriage. The upcoming Liz Meriwether series has already cast Emmy Rossum as the lead FBI agent.

Now, Variety is reporting that Lola Petticrew and Scott McNairy have joined the show. Petticrew has been cast as Catherine, who will be “a killer with a complicated past targeting wealthy men and running from the NYPD and FBI.” McNairy will play Danny, described as an “NYPD Homicide Detective who’s been at it too long. Danny’s sharp, tired, and emotionally tangled...

Lola Petticrew and Scoot McNairy have joined the untitled Liz Meriwether project loosely inspired by the 1987 movie Black Widow. They join the previously announced star Emmy Rossum, who will play an FBI Agent who uses the secrets from a female serial killer’s past to try and find her.

The 1987 movie Black Widow, written by Bass and directed by Bob Rafelson, follows two women: Catherine (Theresa Russell), who murders wealthy men whom she has married for their money, and Alexandra (Debra Winger), an agent with the Department of Justice who grows obsessed with bringing her to justice.

Meriwether executive produces alongside Rossum and Sara Moskowitz via Rossum’s Composition 8 banner, as well as Ron Bass, who wrote the 20th Century Fox-distributed 1987 film. 20th Television, where Meriwether has been based for a decade, and Searchlight TV are producing.

Petticrew is an Irish actor named one of Screen International’s Stars...

Emmy Rossum is in talks to star in a new drama series for Hulu that will be loosely based on the 1987 movie Black Widow. The series comes from New Girl creator Elizabeth Meriwether.

The series will follow “an FBI agent who uses secrets from a female serial killer’s past to try and find her.” Should Rossum sign on the dotted line, she would play the FBI agent. Meriwether serves as writer and executive producer. Rossum, along with Sara Moskowitz, will executive produce under her Composition 8 banner. Ron Bass, who wrote the screenplay for the original Black Widow movie, is also an executive producer.

The 1987 movie starred Theresa Russell as a woman who murders wealthy men for their money and Debra Winger as an agent with the Department of Justice who grows obsessed with bringing her to justice.

Related The Crowded Room: Tom Holland suffers from oppressed memories amid...

Hulu has officially ordered a new crime drama series based on the 1987 film, Black Widow, with Shameless actress Emmy Rossum in talks to star in the show.

Per Deadline, Rossum is set to executive produce the untitled project alongside New Girl creator Liz Meriwether and is in talks to star in the series as well. The official logline for the untitled series reads: "An FBI agent uses the secrets from a female serial killer’s past to try and find her.” Rossum will reportedly portray the FBI agent if an agreement is reached to star in the series. In addition to serving as executive producer, Meriweather will also serve as writer on the series.

The untitled series is based on 1987's Black Widow, a crime drama directed by Bob Fafelson and written by Ronald Bass. The film stars Debra Winger, Theresa Russell, Sami Frey, Dennis Hopper, Nicol Williamson, Terry O'Quinn,...

Hulu is getting back into business with The Dropout creator Liz Meriwether.

The streamer has ordered a drama series from Meriwether that’s loosely based on the 1987 movie Black Widow. Emmy Rossum is also an executive producer and is in talks to play one of the lead roles.

The untitled show will follow an FBI agent who uses secrets from a female serial killer’s past to try and find her. Rossum would play the FBI agent should her acting deal go through.

The 1987 Black Widow — no relation to the Marvel character played by Scarlett Johansson — starred Debra Winger as the FBI agent and Theresa Russell as the killer, who married and then killed wealthy men to collect inheritance.

New Girl creator Meriwether previously created and ran The Dropout, based on the story of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes, for Hulu; the drama netted an Emmy win for star Amanda Seyfried...

Hulu has greenlit a drama series from Liz Meriwether with Emmy Rossum set to executive produce and also potentially star.

The untitled series is loosely inspired by the 1987 movie “Black Widow.” Per the official logline, “An FBI agent uses the secrets from a female serial killer’s past to try and find her.” According to sources, should Rossum close her deal to star in the series, she would play the FBI agent.

Meriwether serves as writer and executive producer. Rossum will executive producer under her Composition 8 banner along with Sara Moskowitz. Ron Bass, who wrote the screenplay for “Black Widow,” is also an executive producer. 20th Television and Searchlight TV will produce.

In “Black Widow,” federal agent Alexandra Barnes (played by Debra Winger) tracks a serial killer (played by Theresa Russell) across the country as she marries and then murders wealthy men. It was distributed by 20th Century Fox and directed by Bob Rafelson.

Hulu has given a series order to a drama written and executive produced by Liz Meriwether. Emmy Rossum is executive producing and in negotiations to headline the untitled project loosely inspired by the 1987 movie Black Widow.

In the Hulu series, an FBI agent — the role Rossum is poised to play — uses the secrets from a female serial killer’s past to try and find her.

Meriwether executive produces alongside Rossum and Sara Moskowitz via Rossum’s Composition 8 banner as well as Ron Bass who wrote the 20th Century Fox-distributed 1987 film. 20th Television, where Meriwether has been based for a decade, and Searchlight TV are producing.

Meriwether was creator, executive producer and showrunner of the Fox/20th TV comedy series New Girl. At Hulu, she created and executive produced the The Dropout, which won Amanda Seyfried the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series.

Following their critically acclaimed and award-winning drama series, “The Dropout” for Hulu, Oscar-nominated and Emmy winner actress Amanda Seyfried is teaming up again with that series celebrated creator/writer/producer Elizabeth Meriwether. Their new collaboration is a series remake of the 1987 neo-noir thriller “Black Widow” starring Debra Winger and Theresa Russell and directed by the late Bob Rafelson (“Five Easy Pieces.

Continue reading Amanda Seyfried To Star In ‘Black Window’ Thriller Series Remake From ‘The Dropout’ Creator Liz Merriwether [Exclusive] at The Playlist.

Gene Hackman, who died at 95 on February 26, 2025, was nothing short of a marvelous actor. Apart from his two Academy Awards -- for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his work as Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle in William Friedkin's "The French Connection" (1971) and Best Actor in a Supporting Role for playing Little Bill Daggett in Clint Eastwood's "Unforgiven" (1992) -- his proverbial mantelpiece accumulated over 30 different acting awards over his decades-long career. Knowing the kind of spotlight such success places on a performer, you'd expect that any studio that could score Hackman's services would have rushed to release his movies the second they were done ... but the film industry can be a strange place, and even a giant like Hackman isn't always safe from behind-the-scenes meddling.

Hackman's fans in the U.S. might be surprised to discover that some of the actor's arguably finest work hasn't always been readily available,...

Christopher Nolan has been attracting the eyes of critics throughout his entire career. Although it was working with a minuscule budget of $6,000 and only played in a few theaters in the United States, his 1998 debut feature "Following" was praised for its tight storytelling and terse psychological underpinnings. Nolan then rose to international fame with his 2000 film "Memento," a neo-noir about a man unable to form new memories. Its backward-chronological-order plot was cleverly conceived and impeccably laid out, somehow coming to a traditional narrative climax even while running in reverse.

From there it was off to the races, so to speak. Nolan became a power player in Hollywood, directing gigantic movie stars like Al Pacino and Robin Williams in a remake of "Insomnia" and making a gigantic, zeitgeist-shifting hit with 2005's "Batman Begins." Nolan's three Batman movies are still spoken of with enthusiasm to this day. Their success also allowed him...

Nicolas Roeg is a director who has inspired more films of note than he has created himself. His style is somewhat impenetrable and obscure, and that is often a mark of a respected auteur. But in 1988, Roeg would put out a film that may have asked too much of casual audiences: Track 29. Gary Oldman gives a wild early performance as Martin, a young Englishman searching for his birth mother (Theresa Russell) in North Carolina. This normal sounding plot is nowhere near as heartwarming as it sounds, with Roeg presenting a surreal, maddening Oedipal drama complete with stalking and lots and lots of model trains.

Clockwise from left: Anyone But You (Sony Pictures Releasing), Rebel Moon: Part Two – The Scargiver (Netflix), Scoop (Netflix) Image: The A.V. Club

Netflix adds a few high-profile originals and a recent rom-com blockbuster to kick off the first full month of spring. Rebel Moon: Part Two – The Scargiver is the...

Steven Soderbergh’s “Mr. Kneff” is finally landing stateside.

The recut version of 1991’s “Kafka” stars Jeremy Irons as a writer in 1919 Prague; the film has had new iterations unveiled in 2013 and 2021, respectively. Now, Soderbergh is revealing the first ever U.S. screening of the 2021 recut “Kafka,” titled “Mr. Kneff.” The premiere will take place at Nitehawk Cinema in Prospect Park on November 9 at 7 p.m.

The official logline of “Mr. Kneff” reads: “A writer guy in 1919 Prague uses his dead-end job as inspiration for his fantastical fiction.” Jeremy Irons, Theresa Russell, Joel Grey, Ian Holm, Jeroen Krabbé, Armin Mueller-Stahl, and Alec Guinness star in the cult classic which marked Soderbergh’s sophomore directorial effort after “sex, lies, and videotape.” Soderbergh will participate in a Q&a following the U.S. premiere.

His liquor brand Singani 63 will also be sponsoring the evening, with a complimentary Singani speciality drink for ticket...

Glenn Farr, the Oscar-winning editor known for his work on “The Right Stuff” and “Commando,” has died. He was 77.

Farr died on May 25 due to complications from a brain tumor, said his friend and fellow editor Janice Hampton.

In 1984, Farr won the Academy Award for editing with Philip Kaufman’s “The Right Stuff,” a historical drama film based on Tom Wolfe’s 1979 novel of the same name. Farr shared the win with fellow editors Lisa Fruchtman, Tom Rolf, Stephen A. Rotter and Douglas Stewart.

“This is truly a beautiful, wonderful moment for each one of us,” Farr said in his Oscar acceptance speech. “We are privileged to be a part of it and the experience will long live in our hearts. We must thank our marvelous, beautiful director — we love you Phil Kaufman — for his leadership and dedication and the vision he gave to us.” Farr also offered a thank...

Bob Rafelson, the director, producer and writer who brought a European sensibility to American filmmaking with “Five Easy Pieces” in 1970, died Saturday evening at his home in Aspen, Colo. He was 89 years old.

Rafelson’s death was confirmed by his former personal assistant of 38 years, Jolene Wolff, who worked under Rafelson’s production banner Marmont Productions. Wolff stated that Rafelson died peacefully, surrounded by his family.

The Monkees vocalist and drummer Micky Dolenz, the final surviving member of the music group, offered a statement on Rafelson’s death Sunday afternoon.

“One day in the spring of 1966, I cut my classes in architecture at L.A. Trade Tech to take an audition for a new TV show called ‘The Monkees.’ The co-creator/producer of the show was Bob Rafelson,” Dolenz said. “At first, I mistook him for another actor there for the audition. Needless-to-say, I got the part and it completely altered my life.

Small thief and parolee Max Dembo is pinned in a parole system that all but guarantees he’ll go back to robbing banks and jewelry stores. Dustin Hoffman has one of his best and most unusual roles, taken from the story of a real bank robber. Directed by Ulu Grosbard, the docu-drama look at the seedy side of Los Angeles is graced with a perfect cast: Theresa Russell, Gary Busey, Harry Dean Stanton, M. Emmet Walsh, and Kathy Bates. Sure, the rotten parole officer drives Dembo back to crime, but pulling jobs is in his blood. It’s one of the best portraits of a criminal ever.

Straight Time

Blu-ray

Warner Archive Collection

1978 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 114 min. / Available at Amazon.com / Street Date September 29, 2021 / 21.99

Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Theresa Russell, Gary Busey, Harry Dean Stanton, M. Emmet Walsh, Rita Taggart, Kathy Bates, Sandy Baron, Jake Busey.

Cinematography: Owen Roizman

Art Director: Dick Lawrence

Film Editors: Sam O’Steen,...

Normal 0 false false false En-us X-none X-none

By Todd Garbarini

Dustin Hoffman has played a tremendous variety of roles throughout his 50-plus year career: an underconfident graduate in love with his fiancé’s mother; a terminally ill hustler; a mathematician forced to defend his home; real-lifers Lenny Bruce and Carl Bernstein; a marathon runner out to avenge his father’s and brother’s deaths; and most notably as a divorced father and a mentally challenged genius (for which he scored two Academy Awards for Best Actor), among many other memorable performances. However, there is one film that he made during all his great work in the 1970s that, despite receiving a sizeable theatrical release and decent reviews, is virtually unknown to anyone outside of his most ardent admirers. His young fans today who know him primarily from the “Fockers” films are probably oblivious to his interpretation of ex-convict Max Dembo...

This year’s TIFF has been a subdued affair compared to its pre-pandemic days, but the announcement of a new, secret Steven Soderbergh film built up a lot of interest and buzz for festival patrons. There were a few theories about what the project could be: a recut of one of the director’s older films, most likely, 1991’s “Kafka”; a sequel to his debut feature film “sex, lies, and videotape”; or “Kimi,” the mystery thriller Soderbergh has been working on with screenwriter David Koepp, starring Zoë Kravitz, set in a post-covid world and supposedly reminiscent of “The Conversation,” “Rear Window,” and “Panic Room.”

Of those three options, the least enticing was definitely a recut film, and that is exactly what TIFF’s secret screening ended up being. Soderbergh introduced a reimagining of his sophomore film “Kafka,” retitled “Mr. Kneff” and re-edited as if from the perspective of a “deranged critic/fan.

Ana de Armas • (2021) “Blonde”

Kelli Garner • (2015) “The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe”

Katharine McPhee • (2012) “Smash”

Megan Hilty • (2012) “Smash”

Uma Thurman • (2012) “Smash”

Blake Lively • (2012) “Gossip Girl”

Michelle Williams • (2011) “My Week With Marilyn”

Charlotte Sullivan • (2011) “The Kennedys”

Poppy Montgomery • (2001) “Blonde”

Barbara Niven • (1998) “Rat Pack”

Ashley Judd • (1996) “Norma Jean & Marilyn”

Mira Sorvino • (1996) “Norma Jean & Marilyn”

Melody Anderson • (1993) “Marilyn & Bobby: Her Final Affair”

Susan Griffiths • (1991) “Marilyn and Me”; (1993) “Quantum Leap”; (1994) “Pulp Fiction”; (1997) “Dark Skies”; (1997) “Timecop” and many more

Paula Lane • (1989) “Good Night, Sweet Marilyn”

Theresa Russell • (1985) “Insignificance”

Madonna • (1984) “Material Girl” music video

Catherine Hicks • (1980) “Marilyn: The Untold Story”

Tracey Gold • (1980) “Marilyn: The Untold Story”

Misty Rowe • (1976) “Goodbye, Norma Jean”

Read original story 20 Actresses Who’ve Played Marilyn Monroe – From Michelle Williams to Ana de Armas (Photos) At TheWrap...

Being Human (1994) is really something. Bill Forsyth's Hollywood career was essentially ended by it, and I get the impression that this was not so much because the film died at the box office, but because the experience of having it taken away from him—a first for a director who had enjoyed very good relationships with his producers up to that point—was so dispiriting.Forsyth's star had risen steadily from "the first no-budget film," That Sinking Feeling, through the charming Gregory's Girl and the poetic Local Hero. If Housekeeping and Breaking In weren't hits, they were certainly admired. I recall reading that the studio recut the film (I believe the once-great Deedee Dede Allen had become the "film doctor" at Warners specializing in performing such disfiguring operations without anesthetic) and it performed just as dismally with test audiences as it had in the Forsyth cut, so they kindly released that.

Quartet, Dustin Hoffman’s well-received 2012 directing debut, wasn’t his first time behind the camera. In 1978 he began helming this gritty street drama but handed over the reins to Ulu Grosbard after a few days because, lacking video assist, he felt he couldn’t fairly judge his performance as an incorrigible ex-con on parole. An uncredited Michael Mann contributed to the screenplay. Early on-screen appearances for Gary Busey, Theresa Russell and Kathy Bates.

The post Straight Time appeared first on Trailers From Hell.

By Todd Garbarini

Laemmle’s Ahrya Fine Arts Theatre in Los Angeles will be presenting a 45th anniversary screening of Nicholas Roeg’s masterful 1973 thriller Don’t Look Now. The 110-minute film stars Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie as recently bereaved parents struggling to cope with the loss of their daughter, based upon the short story of the same name by author Daphne du Maurier and published in the 1971 story collection “Not After Midnight.”

The film will be screened on Tuesday, December 18th, 2018 at 7:30 pm.

Please Note: At press time the film’s cinematographer, Anthony Richmond, is scheduled to participate in a Q&A following the screening. Please Check Back With The Ahrya’S Website For Updates.

From the press release:

Laemmle Theatres and the Anniversary Classics Series present a tribute to director Nicolas Roeg with a screening of his eerie, atmospheric thriller, 'Don’t Look Now.' Roeg,...

Director and noted cinematographer Nicolas Roeg, whose offbeat films included “Performance,” “Don’t Look Now,” “The Witches” and “The Man Who Fell to Earth,” has died. He was 90.

His son Nicolas Roeg Jr. told the BBC his father died Friday night.

A daring and influential craftsman, Roeg’s idiosyncratic films influenced filmmakers including Danny Boyle and Steven Soderbergh.

He worked his way up from the bottom of the business and by the 1960s was much in demand as a cinematographer, responsible for the lensing of films including “Petulia,” “Far From the Madding Crowd” and “Fahrenheit 451.”

The controversial, oddly compelling Mick Jagger-starring “Performance,” which Roeg co-directed with Donald Cammell, was almost not released and then was recut by Warner Bros.; execs at the studio found it incomprehensible as a gangster thriller. It was eventually recut, released in 1970 to modest business and decades later received widespread acclaim as a classic of British cinema.

Yale Udoff, the screenwriter and playwright who wrote the script for Nicolas Roeg's Bad Timing/A Sensual Obsession, a 1980 psychological thriller starring Art Garfunkel, Theresa Russell and Harvey Keitel, has died. He was 83.

Udoff died July 19 of cardiac arrest as a result of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, his friend Karen Scourby D’Arc reported.

Udoff began his career at ABC in New York working with producers-executives Douglas Cramer, Edgar Scherick and Roone Arledge, and he is credited by some for coming up with the idea to transform the Batman comic ...

Yale Udoff, the screenwriter and playwright who wrote the script for Nicolas Roeg's Bad Timing/A Sensual Obsession, a 1980 psychological thriller starring Art Garfunkel, Theresa Russell and Harvey Keitel, has died. He was 83.

Udoff died July 19 of cardiac arrest as a result of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, his friend Karen Scourby D’Arc reported.

Udoff began his career at ABC in New York working with producers-executives Douglas Cramer, Edgar Scherick and Roone Arledge, and he is credited by some for coming up with the idea to transform the Batman comic ...

Yale Udoff, screenwriter for the Nicolas Roeg movie “Bad Timing” as well as episodes of “Tales from the Crypt” and “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.,” died of cardiac arrest as a result of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease on July 19 at Providence St. Joseph Hospital in Burbank, Calif. He was 83.

The 1980 drama “Bad Timing” starred Art Garfunkel, Theresa Russell and Harvey Keitel. It film became a part of the Criterion Collection in 2005. He was also co-writer on the 1991 “Eve of Destruction” with Gregory Hines.

He began his career at CBS in New York, working with fellow producers Douglas Cramer, Edgar Scherick and Roone Arledge. After moving to ABC, Udoff worked on the adaptation of “Batman” series from the popular comic books, recommending that the show be more campy and hip than the network had originally envisioned. “Batman” ran for three seasons from 1966 to 1968 and starred Adam West and Burt Ward.

Udoff graduated from Michigan State University,...

By Jacob Oller

A protagonist defined more by her noises than her appearance. irector Nicolas Roeg’s Bad Timing features a performance by Theresa Russell that is defined in large part through her voice. Co-starring with Art Garfunkel, there is a conflict of relationships and agency that is best distilled into the freedom of sound. Cristina Álvarez López & […]

The article The Great Sounds of ‘Bad Timing’ appeared first on Film School Rejects.

Spoilers to follow…

All of the Marvel/Netflix shows are only tangentially-related to the movies of the McU, but The Punisher is even more removed than most. For obvious reasons, it would take the viewer out of the story if we were reminded that aliens and gods and whatnot existed in the same world as a gritty, gun-toting vigilante. However, it is a Marvel product and so, The Punisher does feature a very sneaky easter egg that name-checks one of the Avengers.

In episode 6, “The Judas Goat,” Lewis Wilson (Daniel Webber) murders O’Connor – who lied about being a veteran – in a fit of rage. As he’s attacking the guy, we can briefly see a stack of old VHS tapes and DVDs atop O’Connor’s TV, and one of them is titled Black Widow.

See for yourself in the screenshot below:

No, this isn’t suggesting that there...

Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSNicolas Winding Refn, the provocateur known for sleekly mixing art-house and genre cinema in such films as Drive and The Neon Demon, has announced a new initiative: A new online cinema showcasing "restored films and other content with the aim of inspiring a new generation of cinephiles." Mubi is partnering with the Danish director to premiere these newly restored movies on our platform before they are available on byNWR.com, which officially launches in February, 2018.Recommended VIEWINGThe first trailer for a project we're very excited for, Spike Lee's expansive remake of his sophomore feature She's Gotta Have It (1986).Critics Cristina Álvarez López and Adrian Martin also have a new video essay on the nuances in gesture and expression in the cinema of Rainer Werner Fassbinder for Queensland Gallery of Modern Art. For Filmkrant,...

Turner Classic Movies continues with its Gay Hollywood presentations tonight and tomorrow morning, June 8–9. Seven movies will be shown about, featuring, directed, or produced by the following: Cole Porter, Lorenz Hart, Farley Granger, John Dall, Edmund Goulding, W. Somerset Maughan, Clifton Webb, Montgomery Clift, Raymond Burr, Charles Walters, DeWitt Bodeen, and Harriet Parsons. (One assumes that it's a mere coincidence that gay rumor subjects Cary Grant and Tyrone Power are also featured.) Night and Day (1946), which could also be considered part of TCM's homage to birthday girl Alexis Smith, who would have turned 96 today, is a Cole Porter biopic starring Cary Grant as a posh, heterosexualized version of Porter. As the warning goes, any similaries to real-life people and/or events found in Night and Day are a mere coincidence. The same goes for Words and Music (1948), a highly fictionalized version of the Richard Rodgers-Lorenz Hart musical partnership.

By Todd Garbarini

It’s a scary thought, indeed, to think that it has been twenty-nine years since I first saw Dario Argento’s fifth giallo feature film which I had read about two years earlier in the pages of a back issue of Fangoria Magazine. The word giallo is the Italian word for the color yellow, and has found new life in describing a subgenre of the Italian horror film that refers to a who-done-it involving a killer who conceals their identity by wearing a large coat, a wide-brimmed hat, unisex footwear and gloves, their face always obscured or hidden completely. Very often we see the killer only in synecdoche. These stories all originated in the form of pulp novellas which sported yellow covers, hence the use of the term giallo.

Whereas the word giallo is always spelled one way, the correct spelling of the film’s title, Tenebrae,...

Flamboyant artist Ken Russell was eventually sidelined for what the industry calls 'excess,' but he was a genuine artist, as indicated by this, his last American film. Absolutely beyond the pale in terms of polite viewing, it's by turns awkward and insightful, profane... and more profane. Crimes of Passion Blu-ray + DVD Arrow Video (UK) 1984 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 112, 107 min. / Street Date July 12, 2016 / Available from Amazon UK 39.95 Starring Kathleen Turner, Anthony Perkins, Annie Potts, Bruce Davidson, John Laughlin. Cinematography Dick Bush China Blue's dress Ruth Myers Original Music Rick Wakeman Written and Produced by Barry Sandler Directed by Ken Russell

Reviewed by Glenn Erickson

What separates exploitation trash from progressive film art? They say it's an artist's vision, and Ken Russell certainly has plenty of that. I can admire Russell's house brand of outrageousness but I also find much of his work just too fussy, too indulgent. He's excellent when trying...

It’s a common image in cinema: a beautiful, but vulnerable woman entering a cold and unforgiving world, where good bone-structure and talent become dangerously interchangeable. While navigating the leering male gaze and sometimes heartless competition of female peers, she also must do battle with her own insecurities and self-doubts, all of which can be seemingly cured with the miraculous kiss of success. But for some, that success can lead directly to their downfall. Sometimes, the consequences can even be lethal, the adversary too ruthless to be conquered, and the beauty is left to rust in tragic defeat. And sometimes, it’s more painfully simple. They merely want to cut the poor girl’s throat.

The Neon Demon, the spellbinding new film from director Nicolas Winding Refn, is now playing in theaters nationwide. The plot follows Jesse (Elle Fanning) a 16-year-old girl who arrives in Hollywood with dreams of becoming a successful model.

Nicolas Roeg's bizarre blend of high drama, searing sex and over-the-top brutality waited a year, only to be given a tiny American release. It then dropped out of sight. We're now in a better position to appreciate the show's great actors - especially Theresa Russell, the boldest and bravest actress of the 1980s. Eureka Blu-ray Twilight Time Limited Edition Small>1983 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 130 min. / Ship Date May 10, 2016 / available through Twilight Time Movies / 29.95 Starring Gene Hackman, Theresa Russell, Rutger Hauer, Jane Lapotaire, Mickey Rourke, Ed Lauter, Joe Pesci, Helena Kallianiotes, Corin Redgrave, Joe Spinell, Frank Pesce, Timothy Scott. Cinematography Alex Thomson Production Designer Michael Seymour Film Editor Tony Lawson Original Music Stanley Myers Written by Paul Mayersberg from a book by Marshall Houts Produced by Jeremy Thomas Directed by Nicolas Roeg

Reviewed by Glenn Erickson

I remember Nicolas Roeg's Eureka as being one of the biggest busts of the 1980s.

For as much criticism as the horror genre receives for being sexist and misogynistic, it has a long history of strong characters and iconic performances from women, whether it’s Elsa Lanchester in The Bride of Frankenstein, Heather Langenkamp in A Nightmare on Elm Street, Janet Leigh in Psycho, or Sharni Vinson in You’re Next. In the late 1970s and ’80s, actresses who stood out within the genre were dubbed “Scream Queens.” But that title doesn’t do justice to Daria Nicolodi, frequent collaborator of Dario Argento and a titan of Italian horror. That’s because Daria Nicolodi is no Scream Queen. Daria Nicolodi is a goddamn goddess.

A too often unsung hero of genre cinema, Daria Nicolodi helped shape the face of Italian horror both in front of and behind the camera. The story goes that Florence-born Nicolodi was so taken with Argento’s first film, The Bird With the Crystal Plumage,...

Welcome back to This Week In Discs where we check out tomorrow’s new releases today! Eureka [UK] What is it? Jack McCann (Gene Hackman) is a prospector wasting his years in the frozen north until a magical moment lands him in a cave lined with gold. Two decades later he’s one of the world’s wealthiest men, living on his own island in the Caribbean, and dying a little bit inside with every breathe. His wife is an addict, his daughter (Theresa Russell) is entangled with a suspicious suitor (Rutger Hauer), and Miami mobsters (Joe Pesci, Mickey Rourke) are after his land. Why buy it? Nicolas Roeg’s 1983 drama isn’t necessarily a great movie — despite that killer cast — but it is an endlessly fascinating one. Beautiful exteriors give way to surreal touches, and sex and violence weave their tendrils throughout what amounts to a character piece about one very determined, paranoid...

Forget film art for a minute. Bob Rafelson and Ronald Bass's smart and sexy murder thriller throws Debra Winger and Theresa Russell into a slick neo-noir tale with fancy glamour trimmings, and comes up a bright, intelligent entertainment. A government agent tracks a serial killer that none of her superiors believes in -- who ever heard of a female Bluebeard character, who marries 'em and burys 'em? Black Widow Blu-ray Twilight Time Limited Edition 1987 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 102 min. / Ship Date October 13, 2015 / available through Twilight Time Movies / 29.95 Starring Debra Winger, Theresa Russell, Sami Frey, Dennis Hopper, Nicol Williamson, Terry O'Quinn, D.W. Moffett. Cinematography Conrad L. Hall Production Designer Gene Callahan Film Editor John Bloom Original Music Michael Small Written by Ronald Bass Produced by Harold Schneider Directed by Bob Rafelson

Reviewed by Glenn Erickson

You know how sometimes one's significant other will insist on seeing a movie you don't want to see,...

From a crazy early Nic Cage role to a lesser-known film starring Robert De Niro, here's our pick of 25 underappreciated films from 1989...

Ah, 1989. The year the Berlin Wall came down and Yugoslavia won the Eurovision Song Contest. It was also a big year for film, with Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade topping the box office and Batman dominating the summer with its inescapable marketing blitz.

Outside the top 10 highest-grossing list, which included Back To The Future II, Dead Poets Society and Honey I Shrunk The Kids, 1989 also included a plethora of less commonly-appreciated films. Some were big in their native countries but only received a limited release in the Us and UK. Others were poorly received but have since been reassessed as cult items.

From comedies to thrillers, here's our pick of 25 underappreciated films from the end of the 80s...

25. An Innocent Man

Disney, through its Touchstone banner, had high hopes for this thriller,...

A Dirty Shame: Woodruff’s Erotic Fiction Adaptation Flatlines

Demurely arriving before the anticipated film version of E.L. James’ erotic fiction nonsense Fifty Shades of Grey comes the first adaptation of Zane’s 2001 novel, Addicted. Having had well over a decade to build her fan base, it’s surprising that it has taken so long for such a reality to transpire, though marketing for the title has been curiously slim considering Bille Woodruff is at the helm. Distributed by Lionsgate boutique division Codeblack, the film wasn’t screened for critics, which isn’t generally a vote of confidence. While those who know and appreciate Zane’s work, including a fan base that would appear to be mostly made up of heterosexual black women, will be curious to experience Woodruff’s film version, the only point it proves is that silliness knows no racial bounds.

Zoe Reynard (Sharon Leal) is a woman in trouble,...

(source)

Birthday shoutouts go to Dean Geyer (above), who is 28, Holly Hunter is 56, and one of my favorite actresses of the 80′s,Theresa Russell, is 57.

Oh for pete’s sake. Fox News Host: “It Took 2,000 Years To Find Noah’s Ark’ So Will We Ever Find Flight 370?”

Jim Halterman talks to Sean Maher about last night’s Arrow, and life since coming out.

A public note of thanks from Michael Sam.

This is awesome. Watch What Happens When A Lesbian Asks This Anti-Gay Church To Stone Her

Cat alarm clocks are the best alarm clocks.

So where should they place Bill Donohue in the parade?

Criterion has released the first image of Willam Dafoe in Pasolini, about the final days of the gay filmmaker’s life.

First look at Willem Dafoe as Pier Paolo Pasolini! http://t.co/PPiQIFYWVz

— Criterion Collection (@Criterion) March 18, 2014

Is Divergent Sci-Fi’s First Successful Bisexual Allegory?...

Kafka

Written by Lem Dobbs

Directed by Steven Soderbergh

France/United States, 1991

Steven Soderbergh is a name that carries either plenty of weight or none whatsoever depending on who you talk to. For those who went to see the Ocean’s trilogy mostly for its star-studded cast, namely George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon, perhaps the director’s name will fall on deaf ears. For others, the film nerds, Soderbergh is akin to a demi-god. His contributions to modern American cinema in both its mainstream commercial and art house forms are not to be overlooked. Arguably his most interesting works are those for which he chooses to meld star power with his more artistic inclinations, as with The Informant!, Che, and his 1991 oddball neo-noir, Kafka, starring Jeremy Irons and a host of other familiar faces.

Set in Prague a short few years after the first World War, the story...

Riffing on Terek Puckett’s terrific list of director/actor collaborations, I wanted to look at some of those equally impressive leading ladies who served as muses for their directors. I strived to look for collaborations that may not have been as obviously canonical, but whose effects on cinema were no less compelling. Categorizing a film’s lead is potentially tricky, but one of the criteria I always use is Anthony Hopkins’s performance in Silence of the Lambs, a film in which he is considered a lead but appears only briefly; his character is an integral part of the story.

The criteria for this article is as follows: The director & actor team must have worked together at least 3 times with the actor in a major role in each feature film, resulting in a minimum of 2 must-see films.

One of the primary trends for the frequency of collaboration is the...

Mike Figgis on an unexpected encounter with Kate Moss, and Nicolas Roeg discusses his memoir-cum-history of British film-making

Gathers no Moss

Inspired by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, director Mike Figgis filmed his latest digital work, Suspension of Disbelief, in Highgate, London. In fact, he tried to shoot in the poet's old home, only to find it had just been bought by Kate Moss. Undeterred, Figgis asked Moss if he could film in the house while it was undergoing refurbishment. "We tried to get in there but it didn't quite fit with her plans," Figgis told me. "It would have been too perfect, I suppose, but it's going to be a hell of a place when she's finished with it."

Figgis ended up shooting just two doors away, at the house of a music business executive. His film is a spry, experimental mix of narrative trickery and visual intelligence, a self-referential noir,...

Pope Francis movie in the works? Friend of the Poor: The Pope Francis Story is the working title of a projected English-language biopic about the recently elected pope, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires. According to the National Catholic Register‘s Joseph Pronechen, German-born producer and Catholic convert Christian Peschken (listed on the IMDb as Chris Peschken) decided to make a movie about the first American pope (as in, from the Americas) after watching Pope Francis appear on the balcony at the Vatican on the day of his election. The National Catholic Register report states that an "European investment group has already approved a $25-million budget" for Friend of the Poor: The Pope Francis Story — which doesn’t even have a screenplay ready. Amg Films, a company that specializes in Catholic-themed movies, would handle sales. Peschken has invited Spanish filmmaker Antonio Cuadri, whose best known effort is probably the...

DVD Release Date: May 14, 2013

Price: DVD $19.98

Studio: Entertainment One

Lindsay Lohan is the perfect person to star in Liz & Dick, given that the Lifetime movie’s tag line is “Glamorous, Infamous, Scandalous.”

Lohan plays Elizabeth Taylor at the height of her romance with actor Richard Burton (Grant Bowler, TV’s Defiance). The couple met on the set of Cleopatra and quickly became Hollywood royalty.

Their marriage — called “the marriage of the century” — was the most notorious, publicized and celebrated love affair of its day. They were both married to other people when they met, and paparazzi reveled in telling the story of Liz and Dick leaving their respective spouses, marrying, divorcing, remarrying and divorcing again.

Liz & Dick, which also stars Theresa Russell (Spider-Man 3), Charles Shaughnessy (TV’s Days of Our Lives) and Creed Bratton (TV’s The Office), drew 4 million viewers when it aired on Lifetime.

Viewers were a...

Feature James Stansfield Jan 9, 2013

The cast simmered in the 1998 thriller, Wild Things. James looks back at a film full of unexpected twists...

Ah, the 90s sex thriller. I wonder if Paul Verhoeven knew exactly what he was about to unleash upon the world when in 1991 he instructed Sharon Stone to uncross her legs and Michael Douglas to wear a green jumper to a disco?

Basic Instinct kicked started a movie trend that would run for most of the remaining decade with varying results. The Michael Douglas, Sharon Stone, cops and rompers caper was decent enough, but in its wake followed a trail of films of varying quality. Disclosure and Sliver proved that lightning wouldn’t strike twice for Basic Instinct’s two main stars, while Showgirls did the same for their director, who upgraded his directorial instruction for Elizabeth Berkeley during her sex scenes to “act like you’re being attacked by a shark”. Meanwhile,...

New Year's Potpourri week concludes at Trailers from Hell with screenwriter Josh Olson introducing "Straight Time," which star Dustin Hoffman directed for the first few days of production, and features a screenplay with uncredited contributions by Michael Mann. Quartet, Dustin Hoffman's well-received 2012 directing debut, wasn't his first time behind the camera. In 1978 he began helming this gritty street drama but handed over the reins after a few days because, lacking video assist, he felt he couldn't fairly judge his performance as an incorrigible ex-con on parole. Screen debuts of Gary Busey, Theresa Russell and Kathy Bates.

Below is our transcript from last night's liveblog. Relive the White Diamonds of train wrecks!

*Note - Feel free to participate in the Liz & Dick drinking game. Every time I use the word "Howler," ... down a shot!

We start with "Based On A True Story." Hmm ... wasn't The Texas Chainsaw Massacre also "Based On a True Story?" I have a feeling this is going to be even more brutal

Speaking of Leatherface, we get our first glimpse of Lindsay Lohan as "Elizabeth Taylor," as she sits by a pool, as the voice of "Richard Burton," (played by True Blood's Cooter) speaks on the soundtrack about the first time he met her. Cooter looks nothing like Richard Burton, but the makeup people have done a stunning job of making him look like ... a bad botox victim.

So this flashback leads to ... another flashback ... of the last day of Richard Burton's life,...

Kate Connor arriving at "Liz Theresa Russell arriving at "Liz Theresa Russell arriving at "Liz Theresa Russell arriving at "Liz Lindsay Lohan arriving at "Liz David Hunt arriving at "Liz Lindsay Lohan arriving at "Liz Lindsay Lohan - "Liz & Dick" Los Angeles Premiere - Arrivals - Beverly Hills Hotel - Beverly Hills, CA, USA © Glenn Harris / PR Photos Andy Hirsch, Kate Connor - "Liz & Dick" Los Angeles Premiere - Arrivals - Beverly Hills Hotel - Beverly Hills, CA, USA © Glenn Harris / PR Photos Taylor Ann Thompson - "Liz & Dick" Los Angeles Premiere - Arrivals - Beverly Hills Hotel - Beverly Hills, CA, USA © Glenn Harris / PR Photos Lindsay Lohan - "Liz...

Ok, ok, it’s just another TV movie, but we already shared every single thing from Liz & Dick with you guys, so one last poster won’t heart! Looks pretty cool actually! You know, just Grant Bowler kissing Lindsay Lohan‘s neck and stuff like that. I mean, sensual stuff. And of course there’s also a little reminder that the movie will air this Sunday. So, in case you still have any doubts about this project, make sure you read more about the whole thing in the rest of this report…

The movie comes from director Lloyd Kramer, while Christopher Monger stands behind the script which is based on the true story of the couple’s (do I really have to repeat that we’re talking about Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton?) passionate and tumultuous love affair.

Lindsay Lohan stars as the legendary Elizabeth Taylor while Grant Bowler is a celebrated actor Richard Burton.