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The Annihilation of Fish.The cinematic event of the year so far is the rerelease of Charles Burnett’s long-unavailable romantic masterpiece, The Annihilation of Fish (1999). It has weathered Todd McCarthy’s snide, vicious Variety review that sealed its obscurity until now. McCarthy falsely claimed it was “a drear moment in the careers of all concerned” and even had the temerity to suggest that “theatrical release other than via self-distribution is out of the question.” Whatever reputation it’s had up until this point has been due to the burning-candle cinephiles on Letterboxd and online film boards who have claimed it an unjustly forgotten work. We now know how right the burners were: Fish is a sophisticated, beautifully acted, and innovative romantic comedy for grown-ups. Unfortunately, because of that disastrous McCarthy review, Fish did not get the wide distribution it so obviously merited until now. It’s too late for its stars,...

It’s not coming from a major studio, but there actually is a new romantic comedy getting a U.S. theatrical release this Valentine’s Day weekend — never mind that it was shot more than 25 years ago. The late James Earl Jones and Lynn Redgrave star as aging neighbors turned tender lovers in “The Annihilation of Fish,” newly restored in 4K from Kino Lorber and Milestone Films.

Playing New York now before expanding to Los Angeles and select cities, the film not only finds two terrific actors — three, including Margot Kidder — working at the top of their games, but also sees them united with director Charles Burnett. Once limited to laurels within the independent film community, Burnett’s name has been canonized in recent years, after the re-premiere of his UCLA thesis film “Killer of Sheep” — a funny, haunting and altogether ineffable slice of neorealism set in L.A.’s Watts neighborhood.

Essentially a lost film, legendary director Charles Burnett’s 1999 feature The Annihilation of Fish mostly lived on the festival circuit (and in bootlegs) for a quarter-century until a recent miraculous restoration by the UCLA Film & Television Archive and The Film Foundation. Despite featuring recognizable leads in James Earl Jones and Lynn Redgrave, one bad review from an influential critic (who seemed strangely wary of the film’s tonal risk-taking) was enough to sink its commercial prospects for potential distributors.

A mental-illness romantic comedy of sorts, the film has a strangeness that may be potentially alienating to some, but it seems inexplicable, years later, that a work which so movingly wears its heart on its sleeve would be denied the audience it deserved. Burnett, a straight shooter, joined us over Zoom to discuss the film’s new path as well as the state of cinema and, frankly, American society today.

The Critics Choice Association (Cca) has announced the lineup of presenters for the 30th annual Critics Choice Awards. The likes of Jackie Chan, Lupita Nyong’o, and Kathryn Hahn will all present, in addition to Jesse Eisenberg, star of “A Real Pain,” which nabbed three Critics Choice nominations at this year’s awards.

The full list of presenters includes: Aldis Hodge, Allison Tolman, Chase Stokes, Craig Robinson, David Alan Grier, David Harbour, Ewan McGregor, Jackie Chan, Jesse Eisenberg, Jimmy O. Yang, Josh Groban, Justine Lupe, Kate Hudson, Kathryn Hahn, Keri Russell, Kristen Bell, Lupita Nyong’o, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Matt Bomer, Melissa Rauch, Meredith Hagner, Michelle Yeoh, Natasha Lyonne, Orlando Bloom, Rachel Brosnahan, Randall Park, Rufus Sewell, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Shanola Hampton and Wendi McLendon-Covey.

The awards ceremony, hosted by comedian Chelsea Handler, will broadcast live from the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica and will be available to stream the next day on Peacock.

Dick Button, the two-time Olympic gold medalist and five-time world champion who went on the become the Emmy-winning voice of Olympic figure skating broadcasts, died Thursday. He was 95. His son Edward confirmed the news to The Associated Press but didn’t not provide a cause or place of death.

Born on July 18, 1929, in Englewood, NJ, Button was a daring and innovative skater who in 1946, at just 16, became the first post-wwii U.S. champion. He then went to the 1948 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, Switzerland, where he won his first gold medal — propelled by landing the first double axel in any competition. He was the first American to win the men’s event.

He repeated at the 1952 Games in Oslo, this time hitting the first triple jump in competition. Button invented the one-footed flying camel spin, or “Button Spin,” which remains a staple of the sport, and also would be the...

Vanessa Redgrave is the Oscar, Emmy and Tony award-winning actress who has starred in dozens of films over several decades, but how many of those titles are classics? Let’s take a look back at 15 of her greatest movies, ranked worst to best.

Born in 1937, Redgrave was almost destined to become a performer: her parents were Sir Michael Redgrave and Lady Redgrave (Rachel Kempson), her siblings were Lynn Redgrave and Corin Redgrave, her daughters are Joely Richardson and the late Natasha Richardson, and her son-in-law is Liam Neeson. So when it comes to the Redgraves, acting definitely runs in the family.

Redgrave earned her first Oscar nomination in 1966: Best Actress for “Morgan! A Suitable Case for Treatment.” She won 11 years later as Best Supporting Actress for “Julia” (1977) and competed four more times.

Unfortunately, her Oscar victory is best remembered for her controversial acceptance speech than for the performance itself:...

The Tcl Chinese Theatre will host benefit showings of two films: “Superman” and “2001: A Space Odyssey,” with 100% of the ticket sales and concession sales to be donated to L.A. wildfire victim relief. Both featured films will play in the Tcl Theatre’s main auditorium.

Richard Donner’s “Superman,” which originally premiered at the Chinese Theatre in 1978, will screen Saturday, Jan. 25 at 3:30 pm, presented in 4k. Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey” will screen Saturday, Jan. 25 at 7pm, presented in IMAX.

Proceeds from both screenings will benefit the American Red Cross, Los Angeles Fire Foundation, Los Angeles Firemen’s Relief Association and the Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers foundation. Tickets run $25 and available for pre-booking via the Tcl Chinese Theatre website.

Friday, Jan. 17 Lost Charles Burnett Film, ‘The Annihilation of Fish,’ To Release in Theaters for First Time

“The Annihilation of Fish,” directed by Charles Burnett, has...

Acclaimed director Charles Burnett is finally getting the proper release for his lost feature “The Annihilation of Fish.”

IndieWire can announce that the 1999 film has landed a 4K restoration and theatrical release. “The Annihilation of Fish” first screened at the 1999 Toronto International Film Festival and was acquired for distribution; however, the distributor canceled the film’s release after one bad review in Variety. “The Annihilation of Fish” has never been available on all media anywhere for almost 30 years.

“The Annihilation of Fish” stars Lynn Redgrave as Poinsettia, a former housewife with an imagined lover in the form of 19th-century composer Giacomo Puccini. She moves into a Los Angeles boarding house with an energetic landlady (Margot Kidder) where she meets a Jamaican widower, Fish (James Earl Jones), who has recently been released from a mental institution despite his continued battles against unseen demons. In the face of personal challenges and differences,...

Mash's Wayne Rogers exited the show early and went on to front his own medical comedy - a hit show that was quickly ruined by a disastrous firing. Wayne Rogers left Mash after season three, largely due to his role being gradually reduced. When the star signed on, the sitcom was intended as a two-hander focused on Rogers' Trapper John and Alan Alda's Hawkeye. When it became clear Alda was the breakout star, the writers focused their attention on him, while Trapper increasingly became the sidekick.

Following the shock death of Henry Blake in Mash's season 3 finale, Rogers decided to leave before the fourth series. Compared to many of the actors who exited Mash during its run, Rogers did quite well in the years that followed, including fronting the detective series City of Angels and appearing in gender-flipped It's a Wonderful Life remake It Happened One Christmas in...

In 1982, 76-year-old Henry Fonda finally won a long-overdue Best Actor Oscar trophy, becoming the oldest Best Actor winner up to that time. His last acting nomination had been in 1941, and he held the record for the longest span between acting nominations until 2023. Judd Hirsch broke Fonda’s 41-year record 41 years after it was set, earning his second supporting nomination for “The Fabelmans” 42 years after his bid for “Ordinary People.” Now, one of his former co-stars could possibly break that record.

Hirsch earned two Best Comedy Actor Emmys for the sitcom “Taxi” (1978-1982). Carol Kane co-starred on the series from 1980-1983, also earning two Emmys, one for lead and one for supporting comedy actress. She is now receiving rave reviews for her role in “Between the Temples,” and might be on track to break the record Hirsch broke two years ago. Kane has already earned the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress,...

While children's fantasy movies are usually characterized by their happy endings and light themes, revisiting these projects as an adult can provide new insight into the deeper messages. More often than not, the nostalgic aspects of kids' movies hit harder for older viewers since these narratives are reminiscent of a time gone by. The ephemeral nature of childhood and the unexpected difficulties of adulthood are brought into sharp perspective through the lens of a story meant to entice and enchant young audiences. Occasionally, Easter eggs meant for adults provide a fun hidden layer of meaning for returning viewers to enjoy.

These films come from many different eras and niches, with some fantasy movie box office flops developing into cult classics over time, especially with adults rewatching these projects. Understanding the context and setting of these films is a large part of what makes them special for adults, as these parts...

Maggie Smith was a constant in the life of producer Robert Fox for half a century. She could “make grown men cry,” says Fox, because “if you weren’t 100 percent on top of your game, you were dead in the water, and she was right.”

Fox produced Dame Maggie in some of her greatest stage hits from Peter Shaffer’s Lettice and Lovage to David Hare’s The Breath of Life, in which she and her best friend, Judi Dench, shared top billing at London’s Theatre Royal Haymarket.

Dame Judi got the No. 1 dressing room. “But Maggie wasn’t fussed because she joked that Judi, she’d say, “had all those people in from Surrey to see her, so she needs the space.’ She wasn’t at all unhappy about it. She’d watch all of Judi’s guests troop in to see her. She’d say: ‘Look, there they go.

Joseph Hardy, the stage director who introduced the enduring charmer You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown, won a Tony Award for 1970’s Child’s Play and, as an executive producer in daytime drama, attempted to rescue the fading serial Ryan’s Hope with some of the most controversial changes in soap history, died June 6. He was 95.

His death was confirmed by New York’s Primary Stages Off Broadway theater company. A resident since 2020 at the Actors Fund Home in Englewood, New Jersey, his passing was not widely reported at the time of his death.

Born March 8, 1929, in Carlsbad, New Mexico, Hardy graduated from the Yale School of Drama and began his show business career working as a script editor for New York-based soap operas. He was soon making his way into the Off Broadway world, working extensively in small theaters before making his early mark with the 1967 original production of You’re A Good Man,...

On May 18, five-time Emmy winner Jean Smart added another accolade to her résumé: hometown hero. The star of Max’s Emmy-winning comedy Hacks returned to her Washington roots at a special career-retrospective event and award presentation hosted by the Seattle International Film Festival (Siff), which marked 50 years this spring.

Held inside the famed Siff Downtown Cinema, the event featured Smart winning The Hollywood Reporter’s Trailblazer Award, after which she sat down for a colorful, career-spanning chat about her breakthrough roles and professional turning points — from her theater roots to Designing Women and, more recently, her ascension to the throne of Peak TV royalty.

For Smart, the Trailblazer Award, which is given to Hollywood figures whose work has broken down barriers for women and other marginalized groups, accented a career that’s become as diverse as it is impressive. And with her close-knit Seattle family among the 600 fans in attendance,...

"The Love Boat" holds a fascinating place in pop culture history. While most of the shows with reruns playing in heavy rotation today were in some way groundbreaking upon their initial release, "The Love Boat" is a novelty the likes of which modern TV rarely – if ever – tries to emulate. An anthology-like rom-com set aboard a cruise ship, "The Love Boat" featured a revolving door of guest stars and little connective tissue to speak of aside from the cast playing the crew aboard the ship.

The deeply '70s series earned high ratings for much of its run, yet was considered pretty silly even at the time of its release. John J. O'Connor called it a "dreadful porridge of a conception" in The New York Times, while the Orlando Sentinel's Noel Holston said it needed "sharper writing, better casting, more original situations, an end to the indefatigable laugh track or,...

Next week marks Charles Burnett’s 80th birthday, which the filmmaker will celebrate tonight in long-gestating style: by premiering the restoration of his “The Annihilation of Fish” in Los Angeles. Burnett first premiered the film at the 1999 Toronto International Film Festival, and for 25 years he’s struggled to get it in front of audiences.

“I’m curious, because it’s been locked away for a very long time for all sort of reasons and you sort of wonder if it’s still relevant, how audiences are going to take it,” Burnett told IndieWire on the eve of his birthday and tonight’s screening.

Tonight’s free screening is part of the UCLA Festival of Preservation, a full circle moment for Burnett, who learned his craft at UCLA’s film school. Fifty years later, his alma mater helped restore a film that, at times, looked like it might be locked in a Technicolor vault forever.

Christopher Durang, one of American’s most acclaimed and accomplished playwrights whose works like Beyond Therapy, Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You and the Tony-winning Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike were as incisive as they were absurdly comic, died Tuesday night at his home in Pipersville, Pa., in Bucks County. He was 75.

His agent, Patrick Herold, confirmed that Durang died as a result complications of his 2016 diagnosis with logopenic primary progressive aphasia (Ppa), a form of Alzheimer’s disease that impedes the ability to process language. He remained out of the public spotlight since his condition was made public in 2022. In February, New York’s Dramatists Guild announced that the playwright would receive its 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award on May 6, placing Durang on a prestigious roster alongside such past awardees as John Guare, Stephen Sondheim and Arthur Miller.

Born Christopher Ferdinand Durang on January 2, 1949, Durang soared to...

Exclusive: Director-actor-writer Keith Powell has signed with Rain for management.

Powell started his career in front of the camera, perhaps known best for his series regular role as Toofer on 30 Rock. He most recently guest-starred on Apple TV+’s Shrinking.

Powell is currently directing the one-hour drama Will Trent for ABC, having just wrapped on the ABC half hour comedy Not Dead Yet. Some of his other directing credits include Interview With The Vampire for AMC, Dickinson for Apple TV+, Big Sky for ABC, and Single Drunk Female for Freeform.

As a writer he has also developed with HBO and Film 44.

Other acting credits include Night At The Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, Better Things, This Is Us and Grace and Frankie.

Powell also is the founder and producing artistic director of Contemporary Stage Company, where he was behind productions starring Lynn Redgrave, Keith David, Jasmine Guy, Sean Patrick Thomas,...

1998's All I Wanna Do deserved more recognition and success like The Holdovers, with its stellar cast and thoughtful satire. All I Wanna Do masterfully balanced comedy and drama, addressing real issues with wit and humor. The movie's failure can be attributed to alleged sabotage by Harvey Weinstein's company and a series of title changes.

Content warning: This article contains mentions of sexual harrassment

26 years before The Holdovers became a surprise success, Disney buried one of the best boarding school dramedy movies ever made. While 2023’s The Holdovers wasn’t a massive box office success, director Alexander Payne’s darkly comedic drama was by no means a failure. The boarding school movie earned stellar reviews upon release and performed admirably at the box office given its stiff competition. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for one earlier boarding school dramedy that deserved to be a huge hit. 1998’s...

Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For regular updates, sign up for our weekly email newsletter and follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSEvil Does Not Exist.We are saddened to learn that Issue 97 will be Cinema Scope’s last in its current form. To “do something valuable in this field,” editor and publisher Mark Peranson writes, “one needs creative freedom.” This is exactly what, for twenty-five years and just under 100 issues, Cinema Scope was able to provide, offering a space that allowed, per Peranson, “a certain kind of filmmaker’s work to be treated with the intellect and respect they deserve.” The print issue is on its way to subscribers now, and its entire contents—including interviews with Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Rodrigo Moreno, and Alex Ross Perry—can also be read online.Sandra Milo has died at the age of 90. She starred in Federico Fellini’s 8½ (1963) and Juliet of the Spirits...

Oscar-winning actress and longtime activist Vanessa Redgrave will be honored this year with the European Film Academy’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Redgrave will receive the honor at the 36th European Film Awards in Berlin on Dec. 9.

An acting icon who has deftly straddled theater, film and television in a career that has spanned more than six decades, Redgrave first made her name on the stage as a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, before breaking into film work in 1966 with Karel Reisz’ Morgan: A Suitable Case for Treatment. The role, which won her the best actress prize in Cannes, launched her international career. A multitude of acting prizes have followed since including another best actress prize in Cannes, two Emmys, a Tony, two Golden Globes and two BAFTAs.

She has been nominated for an Academy Award six times — for performances in Morgan: A Suitable Case for Treatment (1966), Isadora (1968), Mary, Queen of Scots...

Production veterans John Attard and David “Doc” Abbott have launched Showdog Studios, a content company based in Franklin, Tenn.

The partners are self-financing the business and have established a development fund to create their own content. The pair are at work on an anthology series, “Revive: Portraits of Redemption,” with producer Tom Evans that they intend to shop to buyers down the road. Another industry veteran, Robert Harris, has joined Showdog as executive producer to help shepherd “Revive” and other projects. Franklin is about 20 miles south of Nashville.

“Doc and I are extremely excited to have Robert join the Showdog Studio team. We want to create stories of hope along the lines of the stories I’ve enjoyed watching over the years – many of which were deftly shepherded by Robert’s steady hand,” Attard said.

John Attard

The partners vow to produce TV shows, films and other content that revolve...

Duane Earl Poole, a writer and producer for Aaron Spelling, Hanna-Barbera and Sid & Marty Krofft whose credits include Hart To Hart, The Love Boat, The Smurfs and Electra Woman and Dyna Girl, died of cancer on April 1 in Studio City, California. He was 74.

His death was announced by his husband, Frank V. Bonventre.

Born in Prescott, Arizona, Poole was raised in Kennewick, Washington, Poole began working for King World Productions in Seattle after graduating from the University of Washington. He relocated to Los Angeles in 1975 to work for Hanna-Barbera, and soon became a prolific writer of such Saturday morning cartoon fare as The Great Grape Ape, Scooby’s Laff-a-Lympics, The All-New Super Friends Hour and The Smurfs, among others.

Poole also wrote for Sid and Marty Krofft, whose bizarre, colorful live-action shows rivaled Hanna-Barbera in Saturday morning popularity. Far Out Space Nuts, Electra Woman and Dyna Girl, The Krofft Supershow and...

Now this was a damn good Oscar Night.

The 95th Academy Awards show sure helped dispel the bad odor of the past few years. Watching the In Memoriam interlude last year, as a cheerleader squad honored dead people by singing “Spirit in the Sky,” I said aloud, “This show can’t possibly get any worse.” But saying this on Oscar Night is like a Mel Brooks movie where someone says, “At least it’s not raining.” Reader, it got worse. But this year was the zippiest, most fun Oscar bash in ages.

In 1982, 76-year-old Henry Fonda finally won a long-overdue Best Actor Oscar trophy, becoming the oldest Best Actor winner up to that time. His last acting nomination had been in 1941, and he has held the record for the longest gap between acting nominations — until now. Judd Hirsch has broken Fonda’s 41 year record 41 years after it was set, earning his second supporting nomination for “The Fabelmans” 42 years after his bid for “Ordinary People.”

SEEJudd Hirsch (‘The Fabelmans’): ‘I’m the alien dinosaur’ for director Steven Spielberg [Exclusive Video Interview]

Hirsch isn’t the only one returning to the Oscar ballot decades after a nomination. Angela Bassett is back 29 years after her Best Actress nomination for “What’s Love Got to Do with It,” and is now nominated for Best Supporting Actress for “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” This isn’t the first time the Academy has recognized a performer years — even decades — later.

There have...

Charlotte Rampling self-identifies as a “prickly” person. “Like a hedgehog or porcupine, you don’t necessarily get too close,” she told IndieWire.

You’d know that from any number of her roles. The 77-year-old, English-born, Paris-living actress has worked in the European arthouse for more than half a century, turning out kinky roles in divisive, sensuous period pieces like Liliana Cavani’s S&m concentration camp psychodrama “The Night Porter” and Luchino Visconti’s depraved Weimar tableau “The Damned.” But she’s also brought hard-shelled wit to character studies like François Ozon’s “Under the Sand” and “Swimming Pool,” Andrew Haigh’s “45 Years,” and Lars von Trier’s “Melancholia.”

In that film, Rampling played one of her prickliest characters, a callous and ambivalent mother who prefers to blithely take a bath during her daughter’s (Kirsten Dunst) wedding reception rather than make small talk or give toasts with the guests downstairs.

Though the Mummy star's performance is being considered Oscars worthy, Brendan Fraser nearly wasn't the lead of The Whale as James Corden was set to star. The film acts as an adaptation of Samuel D. Hunter's play of the same name revolving around 600-pound, middle-aged English teacher Charlie as he attempts to reconnect with his teenage daughter after leaving her and her mom years before for his now-dead gay lover. The Whale is widely being hailed as Fraser's comeback movie, namely for his acclaimed central performance, though the film nearly saw a very different face leading the charge.

In a recent interview with Deadline, James Corden revealed he nearly starred in The Whale instead of Brendan Fraser. The Late Late Show host explained that he was lined up to star as the 600-pound English teacher played by Fraser, with Nocturnal Animals' Tom Ford set to direct, though the project...

Killer Collectibles highlights five of the most exciting new horror products released each and every week, from toys and apparel to artwork, records, and much more.

Here are the coolest horror collectibles unveiled this week!

Terrifier Shirt from Terror Threads

Halloween may be Art the Clown’s holiday of choice, but this year he’s ringing in Christmas with Terror Threads. A holiday-themed Terrifier design by Yannick Bouchard is available on T-shirts (34.99) and long sleeves (44.99) for three days only. They’ll ship by December 1.

Train to Busan 4K Uhd from Kino Lorber

Train to Busan speeds onto 4K Ultra HD (with Blu-ray) on December 6 via Well Go USA. This is a good excuse to own one of the best zombie movies of the decade before the American remake, The Last Train to New York, drops next year.

The record-breaking 2016 South Korean film is directed by Yeon Sang-ho and written by Park Joo-Suk.

Everyone loves a comeback story. Just look at Tiger Woods. And Hollywood especially loves a good comeback such as Judy Garland with 1954’s “A Star is Born.” The latest Tinseltown comeback is none other than Brendan Fraser, who over the past 30 years starred in everything from lowbrow comedies (“Encino Man”) to action blockbusters ( “The Mummy”) to acclaimed dramas and even a Best Picture Oscar winner (“Crash”).

But the 53-year-old actor has gone through a rough patch: a divorce including a well-publicized alimony issue in 2013, health issues, depression, the death of his mother and the 2018 revelation where he alleged, he had been sexually assaulted by the former head of the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. in 2003. After stepping away for a while, Fraser has been slowly working his way back appearing in such TV series as Showtime’s “The Affair” and DC Universe and HBO Max series “Doom Patrol.”

The Fraser-sance movie...

Click here to read the full article.

William Richert, the maverick writer-director behind the Jeff Bridges-starring conspiracy thriller Winter Kills and A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon, which gave River Phoenix his first leading role, has died. He was 79.

Richert died Tuesday at his home in Portland, Oregon, his wife, Gretchen, told The Hollywood Reporter. She would not disclosed the cause of death but said he chose to use Oregon’s Death With Dignity Act.

Richert’s résumé also included co-writing The Happy Hooker (1975), starring Lynn Redgrave as celebrity madam Xaviera Hollander, and a pair of Ivan Passer-directed films: Law and Disorder (1974), starring Carroll O’Connor and Ernest Borgnine, and Crime and Passion (1976), starring Omar Sharif and Karen Black.

A black comedy take on the mystery surrounding the John F. Kennedy assassination, Winter Kills (1979) featured Bridges fronting an all-star cast that also included John Huston, Elizabeth Taylor,...

By Lee Pfeiffer

"The Deadly Affair", directed by Sidney Lumet, is the 1967 film based on John Le Carre's 1961 novel "Call for the Dead". Le Carre was riding high during the Bond-inspired Bond phenomenon of the 1960s. Unlike the surrealistic world of 007, Le Carre's books formed the basis for gritty and gloomy espionage stories that were steeped in realism and cynicism. The film adaptation of Le Carre's "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold" had been released the previous year to great acclaim. Lumet, who made "The Deadly Affair" for his own production company, rounded up top flight British talent including screenwriter Paul Dehn, who had written the film adaptation of "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold" and  co-wrote the screenplay for "Goldfinger".

As with all Le Carre film adaptations, the plot is complex to the point of being confusing. There are many intriguing characters of dubious allegiance to one another,...

Sunday marked the 25th anniversary of the death of Brent Hershman, the second assistant cameraman on Pleasantville who was killed March 6, 1997, when he fell asleep at the wheel and slammed his car into a utility pole while driving home after working a 19-hour day – which had been preceded by four 15-hour days in a row. His death sparked industry-wide demands for shorter workdays and inspired a 2006 documentary by legendary filmmaker Haskell Wexler.

Wexler, the labor activist and Oscar-winning cinematographer of Bound for Glory and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, took up the cause of set safety in the days immediately following Hershman’s death, placing an ad in Variety calling for the “humane treatment of humans,” and setting out to make his documentary film, Who Needs Sleep?

Watch Wexler’s film below.

Hershman’s widow, Deborah Eden, recalls that her husband “was a family man and he wanted to get home,...

Liz McCann, a groundbreaking Broadway producer who, as one of the first and most successful women to achieve a prominent leadership role in the theater industry – a term she hated, preferring “theater community” — died Thursday of cancer at Calvary Hospital in the Bronx. She was 90.

Her death was announced by her longtime associate and friend Kristen Luciani.

Elizabeth Ireland McCann — known throughout the Broadway community simply as Liz — started her career in theater as a production assistant and manager with Proscenium Productions at the Cherry Lane Theatre in the 1950s. In 1955, the company would be the first Off Broadway theater to win a Special Tony Award for its seminal productions of The Way of the World and Thieves’ Carnival.

Following a series of short-term theater jobs, McCann, who had acted in plays during her student years at Manhattanville College, completed a law degree at Fordham University. She later earned a...

In an early scene of Edgar Wright’s wickedly entertaining Last Night in Soho, British screen veteran Rita Tushingham, playing the protagonist’s doting grandmother, Peggy, reminisces about the excitement, the music and the fashions of London in the Swinging ’60s. If your film knowledge of the period goes back far enough, you might find yourself thinking not only of Tushingham’s signature role in a classic of kitchen-sink realism, A Taste of Honey, but of her strolling down Carnaby Street with Lynn Redgrave singing the title song of Smashing Time, a kitschy guilty pleasure from 1967.

Tushingham, along with Terence Stamp and Diana Rigg ...

In an early scene of Edgar Wright’s wickedly entertaining Last Night in Soho, British screen veteran Rita Tushingham, playing the protagonist’s doting grandmother, Peggy, reminisces about the excitement, the music and the fashions of London in the Swinging ’60s. If your film knowledge of the period goes back far enough, you might find yourself thinking not only of Tushingham’s signature role in a classic of kitchen-sink realism, A Taste of Honey, but of her strolling down Carnaby Street with Lynn Redgrave singing the title song of Smashing Time, a kitschy guilty pleasure from 1967.

Tushingham, along with Terence Stamp and Diana Rigg ...

Tony Sokol Jan 2, 2020

Director Osgood Perkins brings full flavor to a familiar fairy tale with Gretel & Hansel.

"A fairy tale has a way of getting into your head," promises the new Gretel & Hansel trailer. "Even before you hear it." Directed by Osgood Perkins, the upcoming adaptation of the classic cautionary story from the Brothers Grimm looks like it will leave a trail of breadcrumbs to the dark subconscious. And the oven hasn't even been pre-heated.

Orion Pictures’ Gretel & Hansel stars Sophia Lillis as Gretel, and Sammy Leakey as her hungry little brother. The huntsman is played by Charles Babalola. Holda, the culinary crone, is played by Alice Krige. Jessica De Gouw plays the Young Holda. The screenplay was written by Rob Hayes.

Gretel & Hansel Trailer

Check out the new trailer for Gretel & Hansel, which showcases a more complex telling of the Grimms' classic cautionary tale...

From the opening night film through the Orpheus Awards, which will close the event on June 9, women are front and center at the Los Angeles Greek Film Festival, taking place this week at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood.

Fest opener “Meltem,” a feature directed by Greek-French helmer Basile Doganis, examines the refugee crisis through the eyes of a young woman played by Daphne Patakia (pictured above). And opening night short “Patision Avenue,” directed by Thanasis Neofotistos, looks at a day in the life of a young mother in Athens.

Another feature screening at the fest, “Pause,” helmed by Cypriot director Tonia Mishiali, explores the margins of femininity as the heroine defies expectations and stereotypes.

“I Am Mackenzie,” an American short by Artemis Anastasiadou, tells the coming-of-age story of a teenage girl growing up in rural Texas. And short “37 Days,” from Nikoleta Leousi, tackles themes of pregnancy and the right to work.

Henry Fielding’s 1749 novel zoomed to the best seller lists after the success of this well-received multi-Oscar winner, attractively shot on location utilizing the residents of Cerne Abbas, a small village in Dorchester. Albert Finney and Joyce Redman’s elaborately erotic chow-down scene is right up there with Marco Ferreri’s La Grande Bouffe. Screen debuts of David Warner and Lynn Redgrave.

The post Tom Jones appeared first on Trailers From Hell.

Vanessa Redgrave celebrates her 82nd birthday on January 30, 2019. The Oscar, Emmy and Tony award-winning actress has starred in dozens of films over several decades, but how many of those titles are classics? In honor of her birthday, let’s take a look back at 15 of her greatest movies, ranked worst to best.

Born in 1937, Redgrave was almost destined to become a performer: her parents were Sir Michael Redgrave and Lady Redgrave (Rachel Kempson), her siblings were Lynn Redgrave and Corin Redgrave, her daughters are Joely Richardson and the late Natasha Richardson, and her son-in-law is Liam Neeson. So when it comes to the Redgraves, acting definitely runs in the family.

SEEOscar Best Supporting Actress Gallery: Every Winner in Academy Award History

Redgrave earned her first Oscar nomination in 1966: Best Actress for “Morgan! A Suitable Case for Treatment.” She won 11 years later as Best Supporting Actress for “Julia” (1977) and competed four more times.

Lynn Redgrave burst to stardom with this fine study of romance vs. reality in swinging London circa 1966. Georgy thinks of herself as a plain Jane next to her popular roommate, played by Charlotte Rampling. Alan Bates is the flighty boyfriend and James Mason the old millionaire making indecent proposals. How can a good girl get somewhere in life? As sometimes happens, the song by The Seekers has retained more fame than the movie.

Georgy Girl

Blu-ray

Powerhouse Indicator

1966 / B&W / 1:85 widescreen / 99 min. / Street Date November 26, 2018 / available from Powerhouse Films UK / £14.99

Starring: James Mason, Alan Bates, Lynn Redgrave, Charlotte Rampling, Bill Owen.

Cinematography: Ken Higgins

Film Editor: John Bloom

Art Direction: Tony Woollard

Original Music: Alexander Faris

Written by Peter Nichols, Margaret Forster from her novel

Produced by Robert A. Goldston, Otto Plaschkes

Directed by Silvio Narizzano

Georgy Girl likely first existed in our minds as a hit song, with...

Please welcome guest contributor Anna to discuss Gods and Monsters for its 20th anniversary. You can follow her on Twitter @MovieNut14

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Based on Christopher Bram’s novel "Father of Frankenstein," Gods and Monsters – which references a line from Bride of Frankenstein – focuses on the final months of retired film director James Whale (Ian McKellen). Recovering from a series of minor strokes, he lives alone with his housemaid Hanna (Lynn Redgrave) and memories of his past. Because of his weakening state, he slips into a depression and contemplates suicide (which he would ultimately follow through in 1957). But the presence of gardener Clay Boone (Brendan Fraser) gives the aging man something to live for...

This article marks Part 10 of the Gold Derby series analyzing 84 years of Best Original Song at the Oscars. Join us as we look back at the timeless tunes recognized in this category, the results of each race and the overall rankings of the winners.

The 1965 Oscar nominees in Best Original Song were:

“The Ballad of Cat Ballou” from “Cat Ballou”

“The Sweetheart Tree” from “The Great Race”

“The Shadow of Your Smile” from “The Sandpiper”

“I Will Wait for You” from “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg”

“What’s New, Pussycat” from “What’s New, Pussycat”

Won: “The Shadow of Your Smile” from “The Sandpiper”

Should’ve won: “The Ballad of Cat Ballou” from “Cat Ballou”

On February 15, 1965, at the mere age of 45, Nat King Cole, unimpeachably one of the all-time great vocalists and jazz pianists, died of lung cancer. Cole tunes were nominated on three occasions at the Oscars – in 1950 (for...

Flight and Back to the Future’s Robert Zemeckis is currently in the final stages of negotiations with Warner Bros. to take the helm of the newest adaptation of Roald Dahl’s The Witches.

Zemeckis would also pen the script, Guillermo del Toro had previously been in line to direct the film but had to step down due to scheduling conflicts. Del Toro will now produce alongside Alfonso Cuaron and Zemeckis’s ImageMovers partner, Jack Rapke.

Based on the 1973 novel, the film follows a seven-year-old boy who has a run in with real-life witches. Warner Bros. had previously adapted the book in 1990 with Anjelica Huston playing one of the title characters, but sources close to the project say Zemeckis’ version will be more rooted in the original source material, while the Huston pic was a loose adaptation.

Also in the news – The lives of Marvin Gaye and Sammy Davis Jr....

Excitement is building over the pilot for cop series reboot Cagney & Lacey, which is set to star Grey Anatomy’s Sarah Drew as Christine Cagney and Blindspot’s Michelle Hurd as Mary Beth Lacey, a pair of New York City police detectives who couldn’t be more different. One of the people feeling that excitement is actress Sharon Gless, who played Cagney against Tyne Daly’s Lacey in the original series from the 1980s. “First of all, imitation is the highest form of flattery, so it’s quite flattering if they want to do it again," Sharon says in this exclusive chat from her Florida home. "It’s certainly time. I haven’t seen any of what they’re doing, but my feeling is that if you do Cagney & Lacey in this day and age, you could make it much darker than we were allowed to in the ‘80s.

Above: UK one sheet for The Shout (Jerzy Skolimowski, UK, 1978)One of the greatest but perhaps less heralded of British actors, Sir Alan Bates (1934-2003) is being deservedly feted over the next week at the Quad Cinema in New York with the retrospective series Alan Bates: The Affable Angry Young Man. The title makes sense: before he had acted on film Bates was in the original West End and Broadway productions of Look Back in Anger, but he played not the disaffected anti-hero Jimmy Porter, made famous on film by Richard Burton, but the amiable Welsh lodger Cliff. Though a performer of great virility, intelligence and passion, he often played second fiddle to his more demonstrative co-stars—whether Anthony Quinn in Zorba the Greek (1964), Lynn Redgrave in Georgy Girl (1966), Julie Christie in Far From the Madding Crowd (1967) and The Go-Between (1971), or Jill Clayburgh in An Unmarried Woman (1978). Consequently, he is...

As awards season takes over Hollywood, keep up with all the ins, outs, and big accolades with our bi-weekly Awards Roundup column.

– The 29th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (Psiff) will present Holly Hunter with the Career Achievement Award at its annual Film Awards Gala. Past recipients of the Career Achievement Award include Annette Bening, Glenn Close, Kevin Costner, Bruce Dern, Robert Duvall, Clint Eastwood, Sally Field, Morgan Freeman, Samuel L. Jackson, and Lynn Redgrave.

“Holly Hunter’s career is filled with many memorable performances including her Academy Award-winning role in ‘The Piano’ as well as other films including ‘Broadcast News,’ ‘The Firm,’ ‘The Incredibles’ and more,” said Festival Chairman Harold Matzner in an official statement. “In her recent film ‘The Big Sick,’ she brings comedy and poignancy as a mother coping with her daughter’s coma, while bonding with her daughter’s ex-boyfriend. It is our great honor...

While the Independent Spirit Awards snubbed “Lady Bird” director Greta Gerwig, this doesn’t rule her acclaimed semi-autobiographical film out of the running for Best Picture. In the 32-year history of these awards, the top prize has gone to four films that didn’t have a corresponding bid for Best Director. (See the complete list of Independent Spirit Awards nominations.)

In 1991, Stephen Frears‘ “The Grifters” won Best Picture even though he was not nominated. It also claimed Best Actress (Angelica Huston). The prize for directing that year went to Charles Burnett for “To Sleep with Anger,” which was the big winner at that year’s ceremony taking home Best Actor (Danny Glover), Supporting Actress (Sheryl Lee Ralph) and Screenplay.

Two years later, “The Player” won the Spirit Awards’s top prize despite helmer Robert Altman being snubbed; Best Director went to Carl Franklin for “One False Move.” Altman’s film...

Keep up with the always-hopping film festival world with our weekly Film Festival Roundup column. Check out last week’s Roundup right here.

Lineup Announcements

– The 28th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (Psiff) has announced that the festival’s opening night will be the World Premiere screening of “The Sense of an Ending,” directed by Ritesh Batra on Thursday, January 5. The festival will close with “The Comedian,” directed by Taylor Hackford on Sunday, January 15. The Festival will screen 190 films from 72 countries, including 58 premieres (9 World, 5 International, 20 North American and 24 U.S.) from January 2 – 16, 2017.

The complete line-up including a focus on cinema from Poland, Premieres, New Voices/New Visions competition, Modern Masters, True Stories, After Dark and more were also announced, in addition to the Awards Buzz program released last week.

Highlights include “The Beautiful Fantastic,” “Julie and the Shoe Factory,” “Bad Influence,” “The Day Will Come,” “Tommy’s Honour,” “When We Rise,...

The star of 20th Century Women who also apears in Rules Don’t Apply will receive the 28th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival’s (Psiff) Career Achievement Award on January 2.

Bening plays a single mother searching for ways to provide the best upbringing she can for her adolescent son in Santa Barbara in 1979 in Mike Mills’ 20th Century Women.

Her credits include American Beauty, The Grifters, The Kids Are All Right and Being Julia.

Past recipients of the Career Achievement Award include Glenn Close, Kevin Costner, Bruce Dern, Robert Duvall, Clint Eastwood, Sally Field, Morgan Freeman, Samuel L. Jackson and Lynn Redgrave.

The festival runs from January 2-16, 2017.

The Australian Academy Of Cinema And Television Arts (Aacta) on Tuesday announced the 12 films nominated for the 6th Aacta International Awards across seven categories. They include Australian features Lion and Hacksaw Ridge on five nods each (Hacksaw Ridge is up for best film and best director for Mel...

This fascinating look at the world of the flying trapeze centers on one of the greatest acts in circus history, The Flying Gaonas. First performing on a trampoline, the Gaonas went on to become a star attraction for the best circuses in the world, including Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey.

"The Flight Fantastic" opens April 1st a the Cinema Village in New York.

Having left the center ring, we see The Flying Gaonoas pass the torch through teaching and coaching to new generations. When Tito decided to retire from the circus he did not retire from the trapeze and set up programs at Club Med and Camp Care for children with cancer. When the next big circus act, the Vasquez Family, succeeded theirs, Tito’s comment about them was “I’m just glad they’re Mexican like us”.

You will love the circus spirit of this documentary. And the love that went into creating it is a charisma to the trapeze artists themselves.

Sports Illustrated has said, "Tito Gaona may be the finest athlete in the world...whenever circus people gather to speak of the best acrobats of all time he will be mentioned; some will even say that Tito Gaona was the best ever."

Director Tom Moore, a long-time Broadway Director (and trapeze flyer), brings their story to life through interviews with family members and colorful archival material. The Gaonas light up the screen with their blazing charisma, a quality that is undiminished in their "second act".

Your career on Broadway and in television is so vast and varied, what inspired you to make this documentary?

I feel I’ve been very fortunate in my career and life in that I’ve had an opportunity to do so many things. A good many successful, and even more a great experience. But like many people in the arts I’m always looking for a new adventure and a new way of work.

Mike Nichols was once asked, what do you enjoy doing most plays or films, and he replied “Whatever I haven’t done last.” Well, documentary was a form I had never had a chance to direct, and because of my passion for the trapeze, and my passion for film, it allowed me to combine my skills to tell a story I felt had to be told.

Do your past productions on B’way and in TV share anything in common with “Flight Fantastic”?

First and foremost, all of my productions whether on B’way or TV or film hopefully tell an interesting and intriguing story with compelling characters, with a lot of excitement and drama thrown in for good measure. As a director, there is also probably a certain style and sense of theatrics that hopefully helps tell the story and progress the plot.

You say you also work out on the trapeze? How did that come about?

What led to trapeze also led to making this documentary. In retrospect, it all seems like a through line from the first time I took hold of the trapeze bar and “flew,” to making this film called “The Flight Fantastic.”

I had been entranced as a child with the circus, but more particularly the flying trapeze and I no doubt fantasized about being a trapeze star. As my life and career went on of course, that faded into childhood and the past. But one year, feeling I had been doing too much of the same thing for way too long, I began looking for a new adventure. Well, I discovered the Flying Trapeze, and a childhood memory was brought to life when I had a chance to learn to “fly” with Richie Gaona at the Gaona Trapeze Workshop.

As Sam Keene, a wonderful writer on the trapeze world said. “Sometimes a childhood fantasy that you never dared to dream, holds the key to renewal.” And that is exactly what it did for me. It gave me a new sense of exhilaration which led to better work and better life. As I continued to practice it as a sport, I also got to know Richie and the whole Gaona family. These were some of the greatest athletes who ever lived, and absolutely one of the “greatest flying acts in the history of the circus,” and outside the circus world,, most no longer knew who they were. I felt I had the skills to right that wrong, and the result is “The Flight Fantastic.”

What other involvements do you have with the Gaona family?

The Gaona famly is quite the amazing group of individuals, charismatic and compelling, and I have gotten to know them deeply over the years, and have become almost a surrogate, though very wasp Gaona. I have a photo where Richie photoshopped me, wearing a matching trapeze robe, into one of their iconic press photos, and it looks like Victor, the patriarch is looking at me saying something like “Who let the blonde guy in???”

I’m very fond of all of them, and all of them, by the way, are very unique and different from each other, but the one I love the most was the matriarch Teresa (Mama Terre) Gaona. Had she been alive, she would have been one of the stars of this film. I am quite sure the warmth of this family came directly from her care. People were drawn to her everywhere, and being around her made for a “happy” time. There were four children that became performers on the trampoline and trapeze, but there are 3 others that had different careers altogether. One of the narrators of this film is Jose, often called “The Walking Gaona.”

Who do you see as your audience?

We knew that the film would have a core audience of those who love the circus and the aerial arts (and it has brought many to the film) but Tff seems to reach many others because of the warmth of the family, the closeness of the family, and the family’s ability to work together to build something (as Paul Binder, founder of the Big Apple Circus says) “magnificent.” It seems to reach old and young alike for many different reasons. The ringmaster at Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus used to say: “Ladies and Gentlemen, and Children of All Ages…..”

Something happens when an audience sees this film in a theatre. (And this was a surprise to me when I first saw it on a big screen). It seems to unite them in a shared sense of hope and joy. It seems to rejuvenate and inspire. At all of our screenings in many different places, the reactions have been the same and it has been very exciting.

Tell us about Camp Care

Camp Care (a camp for children coping with cancer) is located on Lake Lure in North Carolina, and it was actually our first shoot for the documentary. It was knowing that Richie and Armando Gaona were going there to coach, teach, and support, that got me off of the theoretical idea and into the practical of making the movie. Within a couple of days, I had gotten our equipment, and a few people together to help, and off we went.

I can safely say that I don’t think I have ever been in a more inspirational, supportive and caring environment. Many of these kids had just gotten out of a hospital room to come to camp which is held for one week every year, and their joy in being there was palpable. That they never complained, and that they worked through fear to go up on that trapeze to achieve their goal was impressive at every turn. And it wasn’t just the kids, as I was also very impressed with the counselors, many who arranged their year of study or work just to be available at Camp Care for these children, some of whom had been coming to the camp for years. I have so much film of this camp, as I just couldn’t stop filming, as around every corner and every group of children, there was something remarkable. I could have stopped right there and made a documentary about this magical place alone. I look forward to going back there again some day as I remember it and everyone there with great fondness.

In the days when the circus was one of the most important events of the year and when audiences went to see their favorite performers each and every season, The Flying Gaonas were Big Top royalty. Often called the "First Family of the Air", The Flying Gaonas are a 4th generation Mexican circus family. They began their careers on the trampoline, but quickly took to the air.

From the beginning, Tito Gaona always knew he wanted to be a trapeze artist and used to fly with any trapeze act that came to the circus, starting at the age of 10. And after seeing the Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis movie “Trapeze”, Tito convinced his father, Victor - a legend in his own right- and siblings to develop a trapeze act, making their debut at the Clyde Beatty-Cole Brothers circus. It took only a couple of years for them to become one of great acts of the circus, and in their time they were the headliners in circuses around the world. Most notably, they performed for 17 years with Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey, The Big Apple and the legendary European circuses. For this, The Flying Gaonas won the circus world's highest award, The Golden Clown, at the international circus festival at Monte Carlo - the Oscars of the circus world.

The charismatic and very handsome Tito was the center of the act and one of the foremost innovators in the world of trapeze. People would come again and again to see him perform, and often he would have arenas of 40,000 people chanting and clapping: “Tito, Tito, Tito! It is said that Tito communicated with an audience as if he or she was a very personal friend, and he could mesmerize 25,000 or 40,000 people at a time.

When the Gaonas were in residence at Madison Square Garden with the Ringling show, the flying act was covered by all the major media in the city, each and every year. NBC news called him “arguably the greatest athlete in the world today.”

It is said that their skill came from their father,Victor and that their warmth and generosity came from their mother, Teresa. “The Flight Fantastic” is dedicated to her memory.

“The Flight Fantastic “is Tom Moore’s first documentary feature, although he has had a long career in theatre, film, and television fiction. He directed the film of “Night Mother” with Sissy Spacek and Anne Bancroft, following his direction of the Broadway production with Kathy Bates, which was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, and for which he received his second Tony nomination

In the theatre, Mr. Moore is best known as the director of the original production of “Grease”, which ran for eight years and is one of the longest running shows in the history of Broadway. Over the years, this production introduced John Travolta, Richard Gere, Patrick Swayzee, Peter Gallagher, Treat Williams, Barry Bostwick, Marilu Henner, Adrienne Barbeau, and countless others.

His first directorial Tony nomination was for the direction of the Big Band Musical “Over Here!”, which brought the Andrews Sisters out of retirement. Other Broadway productions include the critically-embraced revival of “Once in a Lifetime” (with John Lithgow, Deborah May, Treat Williams, and Jayne Meadows) at the Circle-in-the Square, “Division Street”, “The Octette Bridge Club”, “A Little Hotel On The Side” with Tony Randall and Lynn Redgrave, and the short-lived, but legendary

“Frankenstein” at the Palace Theatre.

His most recent Broadway production was “Moon Over Buffalo” with Carol Burnett.

On television, he directed Disney’s first original musical for television, “Geppetto”, starring Drew Carey and Julia Louis-Dreyfuss. He has helmed episodes of “ER” (Emmy nomination), “Mad About You” (Emmy nomination), “L.A. Law” (Emmy nomination), “Cheers”, “Ally McBeal”, “Gilmore Girls”,”Thirtysomething”, “Cybil” and many others.

He was a fellow at the American Film Institute, and he holds a B.A. from Purdue University and an M.F.A. from the Yale University School of Drama. He was also awarded the degree of Doctor of Fine Arts, honoris causa, by Purdue University.

As an avocation, Mr. Moore is actively involved with the Circus Arts, and spends as much time as possible on the flying trapeze.