Welcome to The B-Side, from The Film Stage. Here we talk about movie stars! Not the movies that made them famous or kept them famous, but the ones that they made in between.
Today is Barbra Streisand day! And what a day it is. Just one day after Babs herself announced the start to production of her approved documentary film, in which she plans to unveil the creative contents of her quite famous vault, we here at The B-Side tackle some of the legend’s lesser-seen films. They include The Owl and the Pussycat, Up the Sandbox, For Pete’s Sake, Nuts, and The Guilt Trip. Our guest on this long-in-the-making journey is Chris Feil, co-host of the incredible This Had Oscar Buzz podcast.
We talk about the autobiography in all of its glory. We talk about Barbra’s early years, Barbra’s late years, her passion for design,...
Today is Barbra Streisand day! And what a day it is. Just one day after Babs herself announced the start to production of her approved documentary film, in which she plans to unveil the creative contents of her quite famous vault, we here at The B-Side tackle some of the legend’s lesser-seen films. They include The Owl and the Pussycat, Up the Sandbox, For Pete’s Sake, Nuts, and The Guilt Trip. Our guest on this long-in-the-making journey is Chris Feil, co-host of the incredible This Had Oscar Buzz podcast.
We talk about the autobiography in all of its glory. We talk about Barbra’s early years, Barbra’s late years, her passion for design,...
- 9/27/2024
- by Dan Mecca
- The Film Stage
Jamie Lee Curtis has starred in critically-acclaimed movies from the very start of her career, and she is still making hits over 40 years later. Curtis got her on-screen debut in John Carpenter's Halloween. Her role as Laurie Strode immediately marked her out as a young actor worth watching, and she has returned to the franchise periodically throughout her career. She soon gained a reputation as an iconic scream queen of her generation.
Following her success in the horror franchise, Jamie Lee Curtis starred in comedy movies to diversify her repertoire. Starting with Trading Places, Curtis showed that she was also one of the best comedic actors in Hollywood. Curtis became much less prolific in the 2000s and early 2010s as she took a step back from Hollywood to focus on her family. Since returning, she has enjoyed a career renaissance, including some of her most famous roles.
Related Jamie...
Following her success in the horror franchise, Jamie Lee Curtis starred in comedy movies to diversify her repertoire. Starting with Trading Places, Curtis showed that she was also one of the best comedic actors in Hollywood. Curtis became much less prolific in the 2000s and early 2010s as she took a step back from Hollywood to focus on her family. Since returning, she has enjoyed a career renaissance, including some of her most famous roles.
Related Jamie...
- 9/18/2024
- by Ben Protheroe
- ScreenRant
Kathryn Bigelow’s 1990 film Blue Steel flirts with contrivance from the start. Megan Turner (Jamie Lee Curtis) joins the NYPD out of a desire to overcome an abusive childhood with a position of civic authority, then finds her job immediately threatened when a fatal shootout at a convenience store places her under internal-affairs review. To make matters more outlandish, Eugene Hunt (Ron Silver), a commodities trader whose theft of a gun from the crime scene prompted Turner’s investigation in the first place, begins to romantically pursue and eventually outright stalk her.
These are a lot of farfetched narrative strands to pile onto a B movie, but Bigelow uses this setup to deconstruct the eroticized violence of 1980s action cinema in a manner as striking and confrontational as her earlier Point Break. But if that film examined the homosocial bonds between men, Blue Steel leans into complex, insoluble gender politics...
These are a lot of farfetched narrative strands to pile onto a B movie, but Bigelow uses this setup to deconstruct the eroticized violence of 1980s action cinema in a manner as striking and confrontational as her earlier Point Break. But if that film examined the homosocial bonds between men, Blue Steel leans into complex, insoluble gender politics...
- 11/16/2023
- by Jake Cole
- Slant Magazine
Lionsgate has announced that the next film to reach Blu-ray as part of their Vestron Video Collector’s Series is the 1990 thriller Blue Steel! The release date is November 14th and copies are already available for pre-order at This Link.
Directed by Kathryn Bigelow, who crafted the screenplay with her Near Dark co-writer Eric Red, Blue Steel centers on newly minted NYPD officer Megan Turner, who responds to a grocery store robbery – and kills the perpetrator – her first day on the job. But Megan’s uncorroborated story of the shooting gets her suspended from active duty when the stickup gun mysteriously vanishes. Enter a charming-but-disturbed commodities trader, whose obsession with Megan threatens to destroy everything she holds dear, pushing her into a desperate fight to salvage her reputation… and save her own life.
The film stars Jamie Lee Curtis, Ron Silver, Clancy Brown, Elizabeth Peña, Louise Fletcher, Philip Bosco, Richard Jenkins,...
Directed by Kathryn Bigelow, who crafted the screenplay with her Near Dark co-writer Eric Red, Blue Steel centers on newly minted NYPD officer Megan Turner, who responds to a grocery store robbery – and kills the perpetrator – her first day on the job. But Megan’s uncorroborated story of the shooting gets her suspended from active duty when the stickup gun mysteriously vanishes. Enter a charming-but-disturbed commodities trader, whose obsession with Megan threatens to destroy everything she holds dear, pushing her into a desperate fight to salvage her reputation… and save her own life.
The film stars Jamie Lee Curtis, Ron Silver, Clancy Brown, Elizabeth Peña, Louise Fletcher, Philip Bosco, Richard Jenkins,...
- 9/21/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
It’s time for a new episode of The Arrow in the Head Show, and in this one hosts John “The Arrow” Fallon and Lance Vlcek are digging into the 1990 thriller Blue Steel (get it Here). To find out what they had to say about the movie, check out the video embedded above.
Directed by Kathryn Bigelow, who crafted the screenplay with her Near Dark co-writer Eric Red, Blue Steel has the following synopsis: When rookie cop Megan Turner kills a convenience store robber, she does not notice when psychopathic commodities trader Eugene Hunt takes the dead man’s gun. With no weapon at the crime scene, the police hold Turner accountable for killing an unarmed man. Meanwhile, Hunt uses the stolen weapon to go on a killing spree. Turner teams up with detective Nick Mann to clear her name and catch the killer. An unexpected romance complicates matters.
The film stars Jamie Lee Curtis,...
Directed by Kathryn Bigelow, who crafted the screenplay with her Near Dark co-writer Eric Red, Blue Steel has the following synopsis: When rookie cop Megan Turner kills a convenience store robber, she does not notice when psychopathic commodities trader Eugene Hunt takes the dead man’s gun. With no weapon at the crime scene, the police hold Turner accountable for killing an unarmed man. Meanwhile, Hunt uses the stolen weapon to go on a killing spree. Turner teams up with detective Nick Mann to clear her name and catch the killer. An unexpected romance complicates matters.
The film stars Jamie Lee Curtis,...
- 4/1/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Director Robert Benton and Paul Newman come through with an extremely pleasing small town story. Snowy North Bath New York would seem a pit of failures big and small, until we begin to appreciate its social web of ‘support relationships’ that fill in for broken family connections. Newman’s injured laborer can’t get a fair shake, but he begins to realize the importance of his neighbors and his grandson. The comic conflicts are wholly believable, with Jessica Tandy, Bruce Willis, Melanie Griffith, Pruitt Taylor Vince and Philip Seymour Hoffman on board: this one is Mellow and Mature (and a little racy) without succumbing to Hallmark TV drama sentimentality.
Nobody’s Fool
Blu-ray
Viavision [Imprint] 145
1994 / Color / 1:78 widescreen / 110 min. / Street Date July 27, 2022 / Available from / aud 34.95
Starring: Paul Newman, Jessica Tandy, Bruce Willis, Melanie Griffith, Dylan Walsh, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Gene Saks, Josef Sommer, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Philip Bosco, Catherine Dent, Margo Martindale,...
Nobody’s Fool
Blu-ray
Viavision [Imprint] 145
1994 / Color / 1:78 widescreen / 110 min. / Street Date July 27, 2022 / Available from / aud 34.95
Starring: Paul Newman, Jessica Tandy, Bruce Willis, Melanie Griffith, Dylan Walsh, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Gene Saks, Josef Sommer, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Philip Bosco, Catherine Dent, Margo Martindale,...
- 8/27/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
This week’s horror and sci-fi home media releases are a fun bunch, as we have a lot of great new movies to look forward to, as well as a ton of killer classic titles headed home to various formats. If you missed it in theaters, Ghostbusters: Afterlife is being released alone and then alongside the first two Ghostbusters films as a three-movie collection, and for those of you who love mind-blowing animation, you’re going to definitely want to check out The Spine of Night. One of my favorite films from 2021 was Danishka Esterhazy’s Slumber Party Massacre, so if you missed seeing it then, now you can catch up with it courtesy of Scream Factory.
In terms of older titles, several of my favorite movies are headed to Blu-ray this week from the fine folks at Kino Lorber: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) and both F/X...
In terms of older titles, several of my favorite movies are headed to Blu-ray this week from the fine folks at Kino Lorber: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) and both F/X...
- 2/1/2022
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
On the short list of post- classic-era comedies I can see over and over again is this beautifully executed Bill Murray crime comedy, which he co-directed. The fact that its basically silly main joke is whining about New York City doesn’t keep it from being hilarious from one end to the other. When it comes time for a getaway to the airport, Manhattan might as well be an impenetrable maze, an island of doom. Geena Davis and Randy Quaid give excellent comedy support, while Jason Robards holds up the police dragnet end of the story. The disc has no special extras but Murray’s movie is as satisfying as ever.
Quick Change
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1990 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 88 min. / Available at Amazon.com / Street Date April 27, 2021 / 21.99
Starring: Bill Murray, Geena Davis, Randy Quaid, Jason Robards, Bob Elliott, Brian McConnachie, Jamey Sheridan, Larry Joshua, Phil Hartman, Kathryn Grody, Tony Shalhoub,...
Quick Change
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1990 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 88 min. / Available at Amazon.com / Street Date April 27, 2021 / 21.99
Starring: Bill Murray, Geena Davis, Randy Quaid, Jason Robards, Bob Elliott, Brian McConnachie, Jamey Sheridan, Larry Joshua, Phil Hartman, Kathryn Grody, Tony Shalhoub,...
- 4/27/2021
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Marcus D’Amico, the actor best known for originating the role Michael “Mouse” Tolliver in the 1993 limited TV series Tales of the City, died Dec. 16 of pneumonia at his home in Oxfordshire, England. He was 55.
His death was announced by his sister Melissa D’Amico. Patrick Baca, his former manager, said the cause was bronchial pneumonia.
Although best known to U.S. audiences for starring in the adaptation of the Armistead Maupin book, D’Amico, born in Germany but raised in the UK, had a lively stage career in London, originating the role of Louis in the National Theatre’s 1992 production of Tony Kushner’s Angels in America. The performance earned him a Olivier Award nomination for Best Actor.
“Not only have I lost my beautiful brother but the world has lost an incredibly talented actor and director,” Melissa D’Amico wrote on Twitter. “Words cannot express how much I miss him.
His death was announced by his sister Melissa D’Amico. Patrick Baca, his former manager, said the cause was bronchial pneumonia.
Although best known to U.S. audiences for starring in the adaptation of the Armistead Maupin book, D’Amico, born in Germany but raised in the UK, had a lively stage career in London, originating the role of Louis in the National Theatre’s 1992 production of Tony Kushner’s Angels in America. The performance earned him a Olivier Award nomination for Best Actor.
“Not only have I lost my beautiful brother but the world has lost an incredibly talented actor and director,” Melissa D’Amico wrote on Twitter. “Words cannot express how much I miss him.
- 12/29/2020
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Marcus D’Amico, the actor who played the character of Mouse in the original “Tales of the City” miniseries, has died. He was 55.
D’Amico died Dec. 16 of pneumonia at his home in Oxfordshire, England, his sister, Melissa D’Amico, told Queerty.
D’Amico was known for his role as the genial Michael “Mouse” Tolliver from the groundbreaking 1993 miniseries that premiered in the U.K. on Channel 4 and aired in the U.S. on PBS. The series was an adaptation of Armistead Maupin’s novels about colorful characters in San Francisco’s LGBT community.
D’Amico was also known for his role as Hand Job in Stanley Kubrick’s 1987 military drama “Full Metal Jacket.”
In “Tales of the City,” the Mouse character becomes best friends with Mary Ann Singleton, played by Laura Linney, the wide-eyed young woman who moves to San Francisco from the Midwest. “Tales of the City” and the...
D’Amico died Dec. 16 of pneumonia at his home in Oxfordshire, England, his sister, Melissa D’Amico, told Queerty.
D’Amico was known for his role as the genial Michael “Mouse” Tolliver from the groundbreaking 1993 miniseries that premiered in the U.K. on Channel 4 and aired in the U.S. on PBS. The series was an adaptation of Armistead Maupin’s novels about colorful characters in San Francisco’s LGBT community.
D’Amico was also known for his role as Hand Job in Stanley Kubrick’s 1987 military drama “Full Metal Jacket.”
In “Tales of the City,” the Mouse character becomes best friends with Mary Ann Singleton, played by Laura Linney, the wide-eyed young woman who moves to San Francisco from the Midwest. “Tales of the City” and the...
- 12/29/2020
- by Cynthia Littleton
- Variety Film + TV
Streamer's Choice: "Nobody's Fool"
Because so many of our readers find themselves house-bound during this period of Coronavirus, we'll be providing occasional reviews of films and series currently available on popular streaming services.
By Lee Pfeiffer
Paul Newman gives a delightful, Oscar-nominated late career performance in "Nobody's Fool", a comedy/drama written and directed by Robert Benton. Newman plays Sully Sullivan, a 60 year-old lovable cad who finds himself down on his luck in his boyhood hometown of Bath, in upstate New York. He barely scrapes by doing odd jobs for Carl Roebuck (an inexplicably unbilled Bruce Willlis), the obnoxious owner of a local construction company. The two men are sworn enemies but they maintain a relationship because they mutually benefit. Sully makes his home in the boarding house of the elderly widow, Beryl Peoples (Jessica Tandy), who showers him with maternal love. The feeling is mutual and Sully acts as handyman and confidant to Beryl.
Because so many of our readers find themselves house-bound during this period of Coronavirus, we'll be providing occasional reviews of films and series currently available on popular streaming services.
By Lee Pfeiffer
Paul Newman gives a delightful, Oscar-nominated late career performance in "Nobody's Fool", a comedy/drama written and directed by Robert Benton. Newman plays Sully Sullivan, a 60 year-old lovable cad who finds himself down on his luck in his boyhood hometown of Bath, in upstate New York. He barely scrapes by doing odd jobs for Carl Roebuck (an inexplicably unbilled Bruce Willlis), the obnoxious owner of a local construction company. The two men are sworn enemies but they maintain a relationship because they mutually benefit. Sully makes his home in the boarding house of the elderly widow, Beryl Peoples (Jessica Tandy), who showers him with maternal love. The feeling is mutual and Sully acts as handyman and confidant to Beryl.
- 5/11/2020
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
The special “In Memoriam” segment on the 2019 Emmy Awards ceremony will be especially tearful this year. Beloved television legends Tim Conway, Doris Day, Bob Einstein, Valerie Harper, Katherine Helmond, Peggy Lipton, Penny Marshall, Luke Perry, John Singleton and Rip Torn will certainly be just a few people honored with in a musical tribute performed by pop star Halsey.
Let’s take a look back at these TV icons as well as over 60 others who have died since mid-September last year. Many will be included in the memoriam for the live Emmys ceremony for Fox on September 22.
SEECelebrity Deaths 2019: In Memoriam Gallery
Tim Conway died on May 14 at age 85. The comedy legend won six Emmy Awards during his lengthy career, including four for “The Carol Burnett Show,” one for “Coach” and one for “30 Rock.” He was inducted into the TV Academy Hall of Fame in 2002.
Legendary singer and actress...
Let’s take a look back at these TV icons as well as over 60 others who have died since mid-September last year. Many will be included in the memoriam for the live Emmys ceremony for Fox on September 22.
SEECelebrity Deaths 2019: In Memoriam Gallery
Tim Conway died on May 14 at age 85. The comedy legend won six Emmy Awards during his lengthy career, including four for “The Carol Burnett Show,” one for “Coach” and one for “30 Rock.” He was inducted into the TV Academy Hall of Fame in 2002.
Legendary singer and actress...
- 9/21/2019
- by Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
One of the saddest and most important segments of the SAG Awards each year is the In Memoriam segment. For the 2019 event, it turns out to be even sadder for family members of certain long-time members of the Screen Actors Guild. Which actors and actresses were not even featured in this portion of the program on Sunday night? Check out this list below:
Marty Allen (actor)
Charles Aznavour (actor)
Kaye Ballard (actor)
Dushon Monique Brown (actor)
Joseph Campanella (actor)
Roy Clark (actor/singer)
Vic Damone (actor/singer)
Daryl Dragon (host/musician)
Louise Latham (actor)
Robin Leach (host)
Stan Lee (executive/host)
Katherine MacGregor (actor)
Robert Mandan (actor)
Peggy McKay (actor)
Tim O’Connor (actor)
Roger Perry (actor)
Douglas Rain (actor)
Ken Swofford (actor)
Clint Walker (actor)
Nancy Wilson (actor/singer)
Louis Zorich (actor)
SEE2019 SAG Awards: Full winners list in the 6 film and 9 TV categories
For the ceremony hosted by...
Marty Allen (actor)
Charles Aznavour (actor)
Kaye Ballard (actor)
Dushon Monique Brown (actor)
Joseph Campanella (actor)
Roy Clark (actor/singer)
Vic Damone (actor/singer)
Daryl Dragon (host/musician)
Louise Latham (actor)
Robin Leach (host)
Stan Lee (executive/host)
Katherine MacGregor (actor)
Robert Mandan (actor)
Peggy McKay (actor)
Tim O’Connor (actor)
Roger Perry (actor)
Douglas Rain (actor)
Ken Swofford (actor)
Clint Walker (actor)
Nancy Wilson (actor/singer)
Louis Zorich (actor)
SEE2019 SAG Awards: Full winners list in the 6 film and 9 TV categories
For the ceremony hosted by...
- 1/28/2019
- by Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Sunday’s telecast of the 2019 Screen Actors Guild Awards will feature a special In Memoriam segment devoted to many of the actors and actresses who have died since last year’s ceremony in late January. Sure to be among those saluted include actress and director Penny Marshall, Oscar nominee and Emmy winner Burt Reynolds and Grammy winner Aretha Franklin. Visit our own Gold Derby memoriam galleries for the year of 2018 and the newly-started gallery for 2019.
The 25th annual ceremony will be hosted by past winner Megan Mullally (“Will and Grace”) for TNT and TBS on Sunday, January 27, at 8:00 p.m. Et; 5:00 p.m. Pt. Tom Hanks will be presenting the SAG life achievement award to Alan Alda.
SEE2019 SAG Awards nominations: Full list of Screen Actors Guild Awards nominees
Over 100 people in SAG/AFTRA have passed away in the past 12 months. Which of the following 50 names will also...
The 25th annual ceremony will be hosted by past winner Megan Mullally (“Will and Grace”) for TNT and TBS on Sunday, January 27, at 8:00 p.m. Et; 5:00 p.m. Pt. Tom Hanks will be presenting the SAG life achievement award to Alan Alda.
SEE2019 SAG Awards nominations: Full list of Screen Actors Guild Awards nominees
Over 100 people in SAG/AFTRA have passed away in the past 12 months. Which of the following 50 names will also...
- 1/25/2019
- by Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Tony Award-winning actor Philip Bosco died Monday night at his home in Haworth, New Jersey. He was 88.
The actor's daughter, Celia Bosco, said her father had complications with dementia, which is commonly caused by Alzheimer's disease.
Before acting, Bosco worked in a carnival as a trailer truck driver.
He later became a Broadway veteran who won a Tony Award in 1989 for best actor for his role as the head of an opera company in the comedy "Lend Me a Tenor." He received nominations for his performances in "The Rape of the Belt," "Heartbreak House," "You Never Can Tell" and "Moon Over Buffalo." Bosco also starred in a 2004 production of "Twelve Angry Men."
On daytime soap operas, he played roles on As the World Turns (as Eliot Markham), Guiding Light (Clarence Baily), All My Children (Lyle Wedgewood) and Ryan's Hope (Dr. Gillette).
In 1988, he won a Daytime Emmy Award for his...
The actor's daughter, Celia Bosco, said her father had complications with dementia, which is commonly caused by Alzheimer's disease.
Before acting, Bosco worked in a carnival as a trailer truck driver.
He later became a Broadway veteran who won a Tony Award in 1989 for best actor for his role as the head of an opera company in the comedy "Lend Me a Tenor." He received nominations for his performances in "The Rape of the Belt," "Heartbreak House," "You Never Can Tell" and "Moon Over Buffalo." Bosco also starred in a 2004 production of "Twelve Angry Men."
On daytime soap operas, he played roles on As the World Turns (as Eliot Markham), Guiding Light (Clarence Baily), All My Children (Lyle Wedgewood) and Ryan's Hope (Dr. Gillette).
In 1988, he won a Daytime Emmy Award for his...
- 12/5/2018
- by Roger Newcomb
- We Love Soaps
Tony Award-winning actor Philip Bosco who also starred in Working Girl and The Savages died Monday night in his home in Haworth, New Jersey. He was 88.
According to the Associated Press, Bosco’s daughter said the actor had complications with dementia, which is commonly caused by Alzheimer’s disease.
Born in Jersey City, New Jersey September 26, 1930, Bosco had a successful Broadway career and won a Tony Award in 1989 for his role in Lend Me a Tenor. He also received Tony nominations in The Rape of the Belt, Heartbreak House, You Never Can Tell, and Moon Over Buffalo. He also starred in the 2004 production of 12 Angry Men.
In addition to working with Mike Nichols in Working Girl and The Savages starring Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bosco appeared in many films that became classics. He appeared in Trading Places (1983), The Money Pit (1986), Children of a Lesser God (1986), and Three...
According to the Associated Press, Bosco’s daughter said the actor had complications with dementia, which is commonly caused by Alzheimer’s disease.
Born in Jersey City, New Jersey September 26, 1930, Bosco had a successful Broadway career and won a Tony Award in 1989 for his role in Lend Me a Tenor. He also received Tony nominations in The Rape of the Belt, Heartbreak House, You Never Can Tell, and Moon Over Buffalo. He also starred in the 2004 production of 12 Angry Men.
In addition to working with Mike Nichols in Working Girl and The Savages starring Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bosco appeared in many films that became classics. He appeared in Trading Places (1983), The Money Pit (1986), Children of a Lesser God (1986), and Three...
- 12/5/2018
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Philip Bosco, a Tony and Emmy-winning character actor who also starred in such movies as “Working Girl,” died Monday at age 88, according to his grandson Luke Bosco.
Bosco received the first of his six Tony nominations for his Broadway debut, the 1960 drama “Rape of the Belt,” and his last for a 2004 revival of “Twelve Angry Men.” He won in 1989 for playing an outrageous opera company head in the comedy “Lend Me a Tenor.”
He also appeared in more than 50 Broadway productions over his storied career.
Also Read: Hollywood's Notable Deaths of 2018 (Photos)
Though he told the New York Times in 1986 that he had turned down a seven-year contract with a Hollywood studio early in his career because he did not want to live in California, he did appear in many movies starting in the 1980s.
Bosco had small but crucial roles in films like Mike Nichols’ 1988 comedy “Working Girl,” where...
Bosco received the first of his six Tony nominations for his Broadway debut, the 1960 drama “Rape of the Belt,” and his last for a 2004 revival of “Twelve Angry Men.” He won in 1989 for playing an outrageous opera company head in the comedy “Lend Me a Tenor.”
He also appeared in more than 50 Broadway productions over his storied career.
Also Read: Hollywood's Notable Deaths of 2018 (Photos)
Though he told the New York Times in 1986 that he had turned down a seven-year contract with a Hollywood studio early in his career because he did not want to live in California, he did appear in many movies starting in the 1980s.
Bosco had small but crucial roles in films like Mike Nichols’ 1988 comedy “Working Girl,” where...
- 12/5/2018
- by Thom Geier
- The Wrap
Philip Bosco, the Broadway veteran and Tony-winning actor also known for his big-screen work in such films as Working Girl and The Savages, died Monday night, his grandson, Luke Bosco, reported. He was 88.
Bosco, who appeared on Broadway in some 50 productions, won his Tony Award in 1989 for his performance as the general manager of a Cleveland opera company in the Ken Ludwig farce Lend Me a Tenor.
He received his first of six Tony nominations for his Broadway debut, Rape of the Belt, in 1960, and the last for his performance as angry Juror No. 3 (Lee J. Cobb in the ...
Bosco, who appeared on Broadway in some 50 productions, won his Tony Award in 1989 for his performance as the general manager of a Cleveland opera company in the Ken Ludwig farce Lend Me a Tenor.
He received his first of six Tony nominations for his Broadway debut, Rape of the Belt, in 1960, and the last for his performance as angry Juror No. 3 (Lee J. Cobb in the ...
- 12/4/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Philip Bosco, the Broadway veteran and Tony-winning actor also known for his big-screen work in such films as Working Girl and The Savages, died Monday night, his grandson, Luke Bosco, reported. He was 88.
Bosco, who appeared on Broadway in some 50 productions, won his Tony Award in 1989 for his performance as the general manager of a Cleveland opera company in the Ken Ludwig farce Lend Me a Tenor.
He received his first of six Tony nominations for his Broadway debut, Rape of the Belt, in 1960, and the last for his performance as angry Juror No. 3 (Lee J. Cobb in the ...
Bosco, who appeared on Broadway in some 50 productions, won his Tony Award in 1989 for his performance as the general manager of a Cleveland opera company in the Ken Ludwig farce Lend Me a Tenor.
He received his first of six Tony nominations for his Broadway debut, Rape of the Belt, in 1960, and the last for his performance as angry Juror No. 3 (Lee J. Cobb in the ...
- 12/4/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Looking back on this still-young century makes clear that 2007 was a major time for cinematic happenings — and, on the basis of this retrospective, one we’re not quite through with ten years on. One’s mind might quickly flash to a few big titles that will be represented, but it is the plurality of both festival and theatrical premieres that truly surprises: late works from old masters, debuts from filmmakers who’ve since become some of our most-respected artists, and mid-career turning points that didn’t necessarily announce themselves as such at the time. Join us as an assembled team, many of whom were coming of age that year, takes on their favorites.
The Savages is not an end-of-life film terribly concerned with the inspirational indomitability of the human spirit or the beauty of mortality or other Oscar-baiting ideas. (That it nevertheless received two Oscar nominations is more a testament...
The Savages is not an end-of-life film terribly concerned with the inspirational indomitability of the human spirit or the beauty of mortality or other Oscar-baiting ideas. (That it nevertheless received two Oscar nominations is more a testament...
- 11/28/2017
- by Daniel Schindel
- The Film Stage
Cineplex's favourite wedding movies features Bridesmaids, Table 19 and more!Cineplex's favourite wedding movies features Bridesmaids, Table 19 and more!Garrett McCormick1/23/2017 9:34:00 Am
Nothing goes better with popcorn, friends, and a nice glass of wine than a good ol' wedding flick.
Wedding movies are needed in the cinematic world; they may not take our breath away, but you can watch them no matter what time of year it is or what mood you're in because they are the perfect amount of fun, relatable and enjoyable.
There are just too many classic wedding movies that could make our favourite's list: Wedding Crashers, 27 Dresses, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, The Wedding Singer and more, but we have come up with our top four!
To celebrate the release of Table 19, check out Cineplex's favourite wedding movies below:
Table 19
There’s always two types of people at weddings: those who...
Nothing goes better with popcorn, friends, and a nice glass of wine than a good ol' wedding flick.
Wedding movies are needed in the cinematic world; they may not take our breath away, but you can watch them no matter what time of year it is or what mood you're in because they are the perfect amount of fun, relatable and enjoyable.
There are just too many classic wedding movies that could make our favourite's list: Wedding Crashers, 27 Dresses, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, The Wedding Singer and more, but we have come up with our top four!
To celebrate the release of Table 19, check out Cineplex's favourite wedding movies below:
Table 19
There’s always two types of people at weddings: those who...
- 1/23/2017
- by Garrett McCormick
- Cineplex
Ken Burns and Co. made a big splash with this historical docu miniseries that in 1990 gripped the imagination of the whole country. Eleven hours of history are a breeze when presented in what was then a new form: authentic photos and paintings accompanied by actorly recitals of letters and documents from the era. It all comes to life. The people enduring the War Between the States seem just like us, as if it all happened yesterday. The Civil War DVD PBS Video 1990 / Color + B&W / 1:33 flat / 11 hours, 20 min. / 25th Anniversary Edition / Street Date October 13, 2015 / 99.99 Starring Shelby Foote, Ed Bearss, Barbara Fields, James Symington, Stephen B. Oates, William Safire, Daisy Turner and the voices of Sam Waterston, Julie Harris, Jason Robards, Morgan Freeman, Paul Roebling, Garrison Keillor, David McCullough (narrator), Arthur Miller, Charles McDowell, Horton Foote, George Plimpton, Philip Bosco, Jody Powell, Studs Terkel, Jeremy Irons, Derek Jacobi, Kurt Vonnegut Jr.,...
- 12/1/2015
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Constance Cummings: Stage and film actress ca. early 1940s. Constance Cummings on stage: From Sacha Guitry to Clifford Odets (See previous post: “Constance Cummings: Flawless 'Blithe Spirit,' Supporter of Political Refugees.”) In the post-World War II years, Constance Cummings' stage reputation continued to grow on the English stage, in plays as diverse as: Stephen Powys (pseudonym for P.G. Wodehouse) and Guy Bolton's English-language adaptation of Sacha Guitry's Don't Listen, Ladies! (1948), with Cummings as one of shop clerk Denholm Elliott's mistresses (the other one was Betty Marsden). “Miss Cummings and Miss Marsden act as fetchingly as they look,” commented The Spectator. Rodney Ackland's Before the Party (1949), delivering “a superb performance of controlled hysteria” according to theater director and Michael Redgrave biographer Alan Strachan, writing for The Independent at the time of Cummings' death. Clifford Odets' Winter Journey / The Country Girl (1952), as...
- 11/10/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Carol Burnett – comedic trailblazer, actor, singer, dancer, producer and author – has been named the 52nd recipient of SAG-aftra’s highest tribute: the SAG Life Achievement Award for career achievement and humanitarian accomplishment. Burnett will be presented the performers union’s top accolade at the 22nd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, which will be simulcast live on TNT and TBS on Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016 at 8 p.m. (Et), 7 p.m. (Ct), 6 p.m. (Mt) and 5 p.m. (Pt). Given annually to an actor who fosters the “finest ideals of the acting profession,” the SAG Life Achievement Award will join Burnett’s exceptional catalog of preeminent industry and public honors, which includes multiple Emmys, a special Tony, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and both a Kennedy Center Honor and its Mark Twain Prize for Humor.
In making today’s announcement, SAG-aftra President Ken Howard said, “Carol Burnett is a creative dynamo and a comedic genius.
In making today’s announcement, SAG-aftra President Ken Howard said, “Carol Burnett is a creative dynamo and a comedic genius.
- 7/20/2015
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
By Hannah Soo Park
We've got our eye on another fairytale remake, with today's news that Cate Blanchett may be lending her signature ice-cold gaze to the part of Cinderella's evil stepmother in Disney's upcoming untitled project. According to The Wrap, the "Hobbit" star is the first in talks to join Mark Romanek's live-action rendition on the classic tale.
Before you roll your eyes at the thought of yet another take on happily ever after, consider the plot, which follows a doomed politically arranged marriage plot involving a prince and, of course, Cinderella. With Blanchett and Romanek on board, we're thinking this one won't involve pumpkin carriages and talking mice.
With that said, this won't be the first twist added to the preexisting cookie-cutter storyline—from the Muppets to gender role reversals, we break down some of the most unexpected and wacky twists we've seen in Cinderella's movie past.
We've got our eye on another fairytale remake, with today's news that Cate Blanchett may be lending her signature ice-cold gaze to the part of Cinderella's evil stepmother in Disney's upcoming untitled project. According to The Wrap, the "Hobbit" star is the first in talks to join Mark Romanek's live-action rendition on the classic tale.
Before you roll your eyes at the thought of yet another take on happily ever after, consider the plot, which follows a doomed politically arranged marriage plot involving a prince and, of course, Cinderella. With Blanchett and Romanek on board, we're thinking this one won't involve pumpkin carriages and talking mice.
With that said, this won't be the first twist added to the preexisting cookie-cutter storyline—from the Muppets to gender role reversals, we break down some of the most unexpected and wacky twists we've seen in Cinderella's movie past.
- 11/28/2012
- by MTV Movies Team
- MTV Movies Blog
We love crime movies. We may go on and on about Scorsese’s ability to incorporate Italian neo-realism techniques into Mean Streets (1973), the place of John Huston’s The Asphalt Jungle (1950) in the canon of postwar noir, The Godfather (1972) as a socio-cultural commentary on the distortion of the ideals of the American dream blah blah blah, yadda yadda yadda…but that ain’t it.
We love crime movies because we love watching a guy who doesn’t have to behave, who doesn’t have to – nor care to – put a choker on his id and can let his darkest, most visceral impulses run wild. Some smart-mouth gopher tells hood Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci), “Go fuck yourself,” in Scorsese’s Goodfellas (1990), and does Tommy roll with it? Does he spit back, “Fuck me? Nah, fuck you!” Does he go home and tell his mother?
Nope.
He pulls a .45 cannon out from...
We love crime movies because we love watching a guy who doesn’t have to behave, who doesn’t have to – nor care to – put a choker on his id and can let his darkest, most visceral impulses run wild. Some smart-mouth gopher tells hood Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci), “Go fuck yourself,” in Scorsese’s Goodfellas (1990), and does Tommy roll with it? Does he spit back, “Fuck me? Nah, fuck you!” Does he go home and tell his mother?
Nope.
He pulls a .45 cannon out from...
- 10/30/2012
- by Bill Mesce
- SoundOnSight
J. Michael Straczynski posted earlier today on Facebook that Babylon 5 star Michael O’Hare has died at the age of 60.
I regret that I must convey the sad news that Michael O’Hare passed away today. He suffered a heart attack on Sunday and was in a coma until his passing this afternoon. This is a terrible loss for all B5 fans and everyone involved with the show wishes to convey their condolences to the O’Hare family. He was an amazing man.
Michael O’Hare was born in Chicago, Illinois. He attended Harvard University, majoring in English literature, and studied at the prestigious Juilliard School of Drama, as well as with Sanford Meisner. He appeared in a number of theatrical productions on Broadway and in the New York area, including an acclaimed revival of Shaw’s Man and Superman with Philip Bosco and originating the role of Col.
I regret that I must convey the sad news that Michael O’Hare passed away today. He suffered a heart attack on Sunday and was in a coma until his passing this afternoon. This is a terrible loss for all B5 fans and everyone involved with the show wishes to convey their condolences to the O’Hare family. He was an amazing man.
Michael O’Hare was born in Chicago, Illinois. He attended Harvard University, majoring in English literature, and studied at the prestigious Juilliard School of Drama, as well as with Sanford Meisner. He appeared in a number of theatrical productions on Broadway and in the New York area, including an acclaimed revival of Shaw’s Man and Superman with Philip Bosco and originating the role of Col.
- 9/29/2012
- by Glenn Hauman
- Comicmix.com
Network: FX, DirecTV's Channel 101
Episodes: 49 (hour)
Seasons: Five
TV show dates: July 24, 2007 -- September 12, 2012
Series status: Cancelled
Performers include: Glenn Close, Rose Byrne, Tate Donovan, Ted Danson, Zeljko Ivanek, Noah Bean, Anastasia Griffith, and Philip Bosco.
TV show description:
New York City Attorney Patty Hewes (Glenn Close) is as revered as she is feared. A merciless and powerful litigator, one of Hewes' most recent cases is to obliterate former CEO Arthur Frobisher (Ted Danson) in a class action suit.
Represented by Ray Fiske (Zelijko Ivanek), Frobisher is being brought to trial by his former employees who accuse him of insider trading and lying to them about the state of the company. Under Hewes' wing is recent law school graduate Ellen Parsons (Rose Byrne).
Episodes: 49 (hour)
Seasons: Five
TV show dates: July 24, 2007 -- September 12, 2012
Series status: Cancelled
Performers include: Glenn Close, Rose Byrne, Tate Donovan, Ted Danson, Zeljko Ivanek, Noah Bean, Anastasia Griffith, and Philip Bosco.
TV show description:
New York City Attorney Patty Hewes (Glenn Close) is as revered as she is feared. A merciless and powerful litigator, one of Hewes' most recent cases is to obliterate former CEO Arthur Frobisher (Ted Danson) in a class action suit.
Represented by Ray Fiske (Zelijko Ivanek), Frobisher is being brought to trial by his former employees who accuse him of insider trading and lying to them about the state of the company. Under Hewes' wing is recent law school graduate Ellen Parsons (Rose Byrne).
- 9/12/2012
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
DVD Playhouse—April 2012
By Allen Gardner
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (Warner Bros.) An eleven year-old boy (newcomer Thomas Horn, in an incredible debut) discovers a mysterious key amongst the possessions of his late father (Tom Hanks) who perished in 9/11. Determined to find the lock it matches, the boy embarks on a Picaresque odyssey across New York City. Director Stephen Daldry and screenwriter Eric Roth have fashioned a film both grand and intimate, beautifully-adapted from Jonathan Safran Foer’s novel, thought by most who read it to be unfilmable. Fine support from Jeffrey Wright, Sandra Bullock, John Goodman, Viola Davis and the great Max von Sydow. Also available on Blu-ray disc. Bonuses: Featurettes. Widescreen. Dolby and DTS-hd 5.1 surround.
Battle Royale: The Complete Collection (Anchor Bay) Adapted from Koushun Takami’s polarizing novel (compared by champions and detractors alike as a 21st century version of A Clockwork Orange) and set in a futuristic Japan,...
By Allen Gardner
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (Warner Bros.) An eleven year-old boy (newcomer Thomas Horn, in an incredible debut) discovers a mysterious key amongst the possessions of his late father (Tom Hanks) who perished in 9/11. Determined to find the lock it matches, the boy embarks on a Picaresque odyssey across New York City. Director Stephen Daldry and screenwriter Eric Roth have fashioned a film both grand and intimate, beautifully-adapted from Jonathan Safran Foer’s novel, thought by most who read it to be unfilmable. Fine support from Jeffrey Wright, Sandra Bullock, John Goodman, Viola Davis and the great Max von Sydow. Also available on Blu-ray disc. Bonuses: Featurettes. Widescreen. Dolby and DTS-hd 5.1 surround.
Battle Royale: The Complete Collection (Anchor Bay) Adapted from Koushun Takami’s polarizing novel (compared by champions and detractors alike as a 21st century version of A Clockwork Orange) and set in a futuristic Japan,...
- 4/13/2012
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
Woody Allen's newest feature You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger opens today in movie theaters. It's currently confusing me with its Curse of The Jade Scorpion or The Purple Rose of Cairo -like silhouette poster. With this move the marketing department has made me recall both the worst and the best from Woody Allen's filmography simultaneously. It's very schizo... maybe this means the new feature will be right smack dab in the middle, neither essential nor embarrassing?
American Poster (left), a European treatment (right)
Why couldn't they have gone with the European poster treatment? European posters are always better. It's a law of Hollywood's nature.
To celebrate its release -- I haven't had time to see it yet -- I wanted to revamp an old list I started years ago. When Vicky Cristina Barcelona was cast in 2007, numerous media outlets were making ridiculously inaccurate claims about Scarlett Johansson...
American Poster (left), a European treatment (right)
Why couldn't they have gone with the European poster treatment? European posters are always better. It's a law of Hollywood's nature.
To celebrate its release -- I haven't had time to see it yet -- I wanted to revamp an old list I started years ago. When Vicky Cristina Barcelona was cast in 2007, numerous media outlets were making ridiculously inaccurate claims about Scarlett Johansson...
- 9/23/2010
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Beloved Broadway, film and television star Paul Ryan Rudd has lost his battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 70. The entertainer died at his home in Greenwich, Connecticut on Thursday, August 12.
His Broadway credits include "The National Health" in 1974, a 1975 revival of Eugene O'Neill's "Ah, Wilderness!", and a revival of "The Glass Menagerie" that same year. He also starred in the original production of John Guare's comedy "Bosoms and Neglect" in 1979, was part of the original Broadway cast of David Rabe's "Streamers" in 1976, and starred as Romeo in a 1977 production of "Romeo and Juliet". Alongside Meryl Streep and Philip Bosco, Rudd played the title role in a 1976 production of "Henry V" for the New York Shakespeare Festival.
On U.S. television, he starred in "Beacon Hill", and in 1977 TV movie "Johnny We Hardly Knew Ye". He also appeared in "The Betsy", the 1978 film based on the Harold Robbins novel,...
His Broadway credits include "The National Health" in 1974, a 1975 revival of Eugene O'Neill's "Ah, Wilderness!", and a revival of "The Glass Menagerie" that same year. He also starred in the original production of John Guare's comedy "Bosoms and Neglect" in 1979, was part of the original Broadway cast of David Rabe's "Streamers" in 1976, and starred as Romeo in a 1977 production of "Romeo and Juliet". Alongside Meryl Streep and Philip Bosco, Rudd played the title role in a 1976 production of "Henry V" for the New York Shakespeare Festival.
On U.S. television, he starred in "Beacon Hill", and in 1977 TV movie "Johnny We Hardly Knew Ye". He also appeared in "The Betsy", the 1978 film based on the Harold Robbins novel,...
- 8/16/2010
- by AceShowbiz.com
- Aceshowbiz
Broadway Star Rudd Loses Cancer Battle
Beloved Broadway, film and television star Paul Ryan Rudd has lost his battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 70.
The entertainer died at his home in Greenwich, Connecticut on Thursday.
His Broadway credits include The National Health in 1974, a 1975 revival of Eugene O’Neill’s Ah, Wilderness!, and a revival of The Glass Menagerie that same year.
He also starred in the original production of John Guare’s comedy Bosoms and Neglect in 1979, was part of the original Broadway cast of David Rabe’s Streamers in 1976, and starred as Romeo in a 1977 production of Romeo and Juliet.
Alongside Meryl Streep and Philip Bosco, Rudd played the title role in a 1976 production of Henry V for the New York Shakespeare Festival.
On U.S. television, he starred in Beacon Hill, and in 1977 TV movie Johnny, We Hardly Knew Ye. He also appeared in The Betsy, the 1978 film based on the Harold Robbins novel, and continued his TV career throughout the 1980s with guest roles on TV series Hart to Hart, Moonlighting and others before leaving acting to raise his children.
Rudd is survived by his second wife, Martha Bannerman, their three children, Graeme, Kathryn and Eliza and his mother, Kathryn Rudd.
The entertainer died at his home in Greenwich, Connecticut on Thursday.
His Broadway credits include The National Health in 1974, a 1975 revival of Eugene O’Neill’s Ah, Wilderness!, and a revival of The Glass Menagerie that same year.
He also starred in the original production of John Guare’s comedy Bosoms and Neglect in 1979, was part of the original Broadway cast of David Rabe’s Streamers in 1976, and starred as Romeo in a 1977 production of Romeo and Juliet.
Alongside Meryl Streep and Philip Bosco, Rudd played the title role in a 1976 production of Henry V for the New York Shakespeare Festival.
On U.S. television, he starred in Beacon Hill, and in 1977 TV movie Johnny, We Hardly Knew Ye. He also appeared in The Betsy, the 1978 film based on the Harold Robbins novel, and continued his TV career throughout the 1980s with guest roles on TV series Hart to Hart, Moonlighting and others before leaving acting to raise his children.
Rudd is survived by his second wife, Martha Bannerman, their three children, Graeme, Kathryn and Eliza and his mother, Kathryn Rudd.
- 8/15/2010
- WENN
Good news! Damages has been saved from cancellation and there will be a fourth and fifth seasons. Unfortunately, not all of the show's fans will be able to see the new episodes.
Damages revolves around Patty Hewes (Glenn Close), a tough New York attorney. She takes on tough cases and will do just about anything to make sure her clients come out on top. Prominent castmembers have included Rose Byrne, Tate Donovan, Ted Danson, Zeljko Ivanek, Noah Bean, Anastasia Griffith, and Philip Bosco.
The FX series has been declining in the ratings for some time and the third season finale only drew 925,000 viewers. The cable channel said that they couldn't afford to keep broadcasting the show based on those numbers. They also said they'd be open to some sort of partnership deal if Sony could find another buyer (ala the shared airings of...
Damages revolves around Patty Hewes (Glenn Close), a tough New York attorney. She takes on tough cases and will do just about anything to make sure her clients come out on top. Prominent castmembers have included Rose Byrne, Tate Donovan, Ted Danson, Zeljko Ivanek, Noah Bean, Anastasia Griffith, and Philip Bosco.
The FX series has been declining in the ratings for some time and the third season finale only drew 925,000 viewers. The cable channel said that they couldn't afford to keep broadcasting the show based on those numbers. They also said they'd be open to some sort of partnership deal if Sony could find another buyer (ala the shared airings of...
- 7/20/2010
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
If you follow the ratings, you know that FX's Damages is in big trouble. There's been a lot of talk online that the show might be saved by DirecTV or another buyer. Is that a realistic possibility?
Damages revolves around a tough-as-nails NYC attorney, Patty Hewes (Glenn Close). She takes on tough cases and will do just about anything to make sure her clients come out on top. Prominent castmembers have included Rose Byrne, Tate Donovan, Ted Danson, Zeljko Ivanek, Noah Bean, Anastasia Griffith, and Philip Bosco.
The show's been running for three seasons on FX and has garnered its share of critical praise. Unfortunately, the ratings have diminished over time. The series premiere drew 3.7 million viewers and FX renewed it for two seasons. They likely regretted that decision since the second season's debut attracted less than half of the first, with 1.7...
Damages revolves around a tough-as-nails NYC attorney, Patty Hewes (Glenn Close). She takes on tough cases and will do just about anything to make sure her clients come out on top. Prominent castmembers have included Rose Byrne, Tate Donovan, Ted Danson, Zeljko Ivanek, Noah Bean, Anastasia Griffith, and Philip Bosco.
The show's been running for three seasons on FX and has garnered its share of critical praise. Unfortunately, the ratings have diminished over time. The series premiere drew 3.7 million viewers and FX renewed it for two seasons. They likely regretted that decision since the second season's debut attracted less than half of the first, with 1.7...
- 4/16/2010
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
Chicago – FX’s award-winning legal thriller “Damages” is adding four new actors, Campbell Scott (“Royal Pains”), Martin Short (“Primetime Glick”), Lily Tomlin (“Desperate Housewives”) and Keith Carradine (“Dexter”), to the cast for the upcoming season which premiers in January. Production on the series 13-episode season begins in New York tomorrow.
Glenn Close in Damages.
Photo credit: FX Scott, Short, Tomlin and Carradine join series stars Close, Rose Byrne and Tate Donovan on the hit series. Other actors appearing in the upcoming third season will include Ebon Moss-Bachrach (“John Adams”), Michael Gaston (“Fringe”) and Darren Goldstein will reprise his role as Chris Sharp.
For a second year, “Damages” received seven Emmy Award nominations, with Glen Close winning her second Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her role of ruthless attorney Patty Hewes. Byrne received her first Emmy nomination this year for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama...
Glenn Close in Damages.
Photo credit: FX Scott, Short, Tomlin and Carradine join series stars Close, Rose Byrne and Tate Donovan on the hit series. Other actors appearing in the upcoming third season will include Ebon Moss-Bachrach (“John Adams”), Michael Gaston (“Fringe”) and Darren Goldstein will reprise his role as Chris Sharp.
For a second year, “Damages” received seven Emmy Award nominations, with Glen Close winning her second Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her role of ruthless attorney Patty Hewes. Byrne received her first Emmy nomination this year for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama...
- 9/23/2009
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Blair Brown has had an illustrious career from the outset, working steadily on stage, screen, and television. She won a Tony Award in 2000 for her multilayered performance as the wife of physicist Niels Bohr in Copenhagen and has been featured in 78 films and TV series. But she is most widely known as John Belushi's love interest in Continental Divide and the quirky title character in The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd, a dramedy that enjoyed a cult following from 1987 to 1991. Now tackling Nina Sharp—an ambivalent figure in Fox's Fringe -- a sci-fi thriller along the lines of The X-Files -- Brown is clearly enjoying herself. "She has the possibility of being anything," Brown says cryptically, not willing to discuss whether her onscreen alter ego, the executive director of Massive Dynamic, is good, evil, or both. "The challenge is that the writing is so dense and so good.
- 4/14/2009
- by Simi Horwitz
- backstage.com
Tony Award-winners Philip Bosco, Jim Norton and Ruben Santiago-Hudson, as well as Cheyenne Jackson, Kate Baldwin, and Jeremy Bobb star in Finian's Rainbow, the final production of New York City Center's 2008-09 Encores! season, running from March 26 - 29. Finian's Rainbow has music by Burton Lane, lyrics by E.Y. Harburg and book by E. Y. Harburg and Fred Saidy and will be directed and choreographed by Warren Carlyle with music direction by Rob Berman. The musical will play five performances at City Center (West 55th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues).
- 3/26/2009
- BroadwayWorld.com
Slate set as Sundance hits Brooklyn
Sundance Institute at BAM returns to the Brooklyn Academy of Music from May 31-June 10, featuring award-winning feature and short films, live performances and panel discussions.
The series opens with The Savages, Tamara Jenkins' comic drama starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Laura Linney and Philip Bosco.
This year's dramatic features include Tom DiCillo's Delirious, Sterlin Harjo's Four Sheets to the Wind, JJ Lask's On the Road With Judas, Christopher Zalla's Padre Nuestro, Jeffrey Blitz's Rocket Science, David Gordon Green's Snow Angels and Dror Shaul's Sweet Mud.
The series also will highlight musical performances by Ljova, the Blue Jackets with Bradford Reed, Rhythm Republik and Sussan Deyhim. New York-based theater company Mabou Mines will perform selections from "Song for New York: What Women Do While Men Sit Knitting," directed by Ruth Maleczech, which is scheduled for full production in September.
The closing weekend will feature Barbara Kopple's Shut Up & Sing, Raoul Peck's Lumumba and Nick Broomfield's Soldier Girls, followed by a discussion on social issues and documentary filmmaking.
The full program for the Sundance Institute at BAM will be announced in April.
The series opens with The Savages, Tamara Jenkins' comic drama starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Laura Linney and Philip Bosco.
This year's dramatic features include Tom DiCillo's Delirious, Sterlin Harjo's Four Sheets to the Wind, JJ Lask's On the Road With Judas, Christopher Zalla's Padre Nuestro, Jeffrey Blitz's Rocket Science, David Gordon Green's Snow Angels and Dror Shaul's Sweet Mud.
The series also will highlight musical performances by Ljova, the Blue Jackets with Bradford Reed, Rhythm Republik and Sussan Deyhim. New York-based theater company Mabou Mines will perform selections from "Song for New York: What Women Do While Men Sit Knitting," directed by Ruth Maleczech, which is scheduled for full production in September.
The closing weekend will feature Barbara Kopple's Shut Up & Sing, Raoul Peck's Lumumba and Nick Broomfield's Soldier Girls, followed by a discussion on social issues and documentary filmmaking.
The full program for the Sundance Institute at BAM will be announced in April.
- 3/23/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Savages
This review was written for the festival screening of "The Savages".PARK CITY -- As writer-director of "The Slums of Beverly Hills" in 1998, Tamara Jenkins demonstrated an ability to steal much humor from the spectacle of ordinary lives as lived by a perceptive yet self-absorbed and neurotic family. With her second long-awaited film, "The Savages", she not only confirms that ability but also adds a deeper dimension: Her two main middle-aged characters are in the process of discovering themselves as they cope with demons from their past. It is more sad-funny than funny-funny, but Jenkins has enough empathy and wit to realize that even the sad parts are, somehow, funny.
"The Savages" is not going to become the cult film like "Slums" did. It doesn't have a sexy subject -- two siblings dealing with their father's dementia and mortality -- so even stalwarts of art houses may hesitate. Fortunately, the cast of Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney is a certain boxoffice draw, and Fox Searchlight has a good track record in marketing tricky films.
It all begins with a phone call. It's a call all middle-aged people with aging parents know will come: Dad has gone around the bend mentally and can no longer function on his own. Complicating matters is that Dad (Philip Bosco) lives in an Arizona retirement community while his grown children live on the East Coast. The two siblings react very differently to this challenge. These reactions stem from their estrangement from a father, who was abusive when they were young.
Interestingly enough, both are involved with theater. Jon (Hoffman) is a theater arts professor in Buffalo, who teaches dramatic literature and labors on a book about Brecht, a book that has much of his professional career riding on its success. Meanwhile, his relationship with a Polish woman seems to be coming to an end with the expiration of her visa.
Wendy (Linney) is a playwright in New York. An unproduced playwright, which means she performs odious temp jobs, steals as many office supplies as possible and endlessly applies for grants so she can write full time. Dependant on various pills to pull through the day, Wendy has buried her social life in a dead-end relationship with a married neighbor (Peter Friedman).
Jon wants to get this Dad Thing over with quickly. He flies in and out of Arizona to help sis make arrangements so he can get back to his book. He leaves such details as getting dad on an airplane for a wildly uncomfortable move to his new home to his sister. Back in Buffalo, he locates a nursing home near his house and there it's done. Only it's not.
Wendy wants to make everything just so for her father despite his awful shortcomings in the parenting game. She squabbles with her brother over all the arrangements and is forced to live with him, albeit briefly, for the first time in years. Boy, does that trigger bad memories and old habits.
So on the surface, Jenkins gives us the complicated struggle of the siblings to see that their mentally unstable father may die in some peace. The real movie plays out beneath that surface, of course, as she examines the details of the siblings' lives and how these relate to their damaged childhoods. Wendy loves pets and indulges in an absurd sexual relationship. Jon is willing to see a woman he loves leave while struggling with a book that he can never quite finish. Everything relates to a screwed-up past.
Jenkins walks this dramatic tightrope with breathtaking ease. The humor is never forced but always springs from the characters and situations naturally.
Cinematographer Mott Hupfel takes his cues from this to shoot the film in wintry tones, achieving a naturalism that goes with Jane Ann Stewart's often messy, lived-in sets. Stephen Trask's understated though pleasing music heightens the drama in this movie that seemingly takes place in two time zones -- the present and the most uncomfortable past.
THE SAVAGES
Fox Searchlight Pictures
Lone Star Film Group of This Is That Prods.
in association with Ad Hominem Enterprises
and Cooper's Town Prods.
Credits:
Writer/director: Tamara Jenkins
Producers: Ted Hope, Anne Carey, Erica Westheimer
Executive producers: Jim Burke, Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor, Anthony Bregman, Fred Westheimer
Director of photography: Mott Hupfel
Production designer: Jane Anne Stewart
Music: Steven Trask
Costumes: David Robinson
Editor: Brian A. Kates
Cast:
Wendy: Laura Linney
Jon: Philip Seymour Hoffman
Lenny: Philip Bosco
Larry: Peter Friedman
Jimmy: Gbenga Akiknnagbe
Running time -- 113 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
"The Savages" is not going to become the cult film like "Slums" did. It doesn't have a sexy subject -- two siblings dealing with their father's dementia and mortality -- so even stalwarts of art houses may hesitate. Fortunately, the cast of Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney is a certain boxoffice draw, and Fox Searchlight has a good track record in marketing tricky films.
It all begins with a phone call. It's a call all middle-aged people with aging parents know will come: Dad has gone around the bend mentally and can no longer function on his own. Complicating matters is that Dad (Philip Bosco) lives in an Arizona retirement community while his grown children live on the East Coast. The two siblings react very differently to this challenge. These reactions stem from their estrangement from a father, who was abusive when they were young.
Interestingly enough, both are involved with theater. Jon (Hoffman) is a theater arts professor in Buffalo, who teaches dramatic literature and labors on a book about Brecht, a book that has much of his professional career riding on its success. Meanwhile, his relationship with a Polish woman seems to be coming to an end with the expiration of her visa.
Wendy (Linney) is a playwright in New York. An unproduced playwright, which means she performs odious temp jobs, steals as many office supplies as possible and endlessly applies for grants so she can write full time. Dependant on various pills to pull through the day, Wendy has buried her social life in a dead-end relationship with a married neighbor (Peter Friedman).
Jon wants to get this Dad Thing over with quickly. He flies in and out of Arizona to help sis make arrangements so he can get back to his book. He leaves such details as getting dad on an airplane for a wildly uncomfortable move to his new home to his sister. Back in Buffalo, he locates a nursing home near his house and there it's done. Only it's not.
Wendy wants to make everything just so for her father despite his awful shortcomings in the parenting game. She squabbles with her brother over all the arrangements and is forced to live with him, albeit briefly, for the first time in years. Boy, does that trigger bad memories and old habits.
So on the surface, Jenkins gives us the complicated struggle of the siblings to see that their mentally unstable father may die in some peace. The real movie plays out beneath that surface, of course, as she examines the details of the siblings' lives and how these relate to their damaged childhoods. Wendy loves pets and indulges in an absurd sexual relationship. Jon is willing to see a woman he loves leave while struggling with a book that he can never quite finish. Everything relates to a screwed-up past.
Jenkins walks this dramatic tightrope with breathtaking ease. The humor is never forced but always springs from the characters and situations naturally.
Cinematographer Mott Hupfel takes his cues from this to shoot the film in wintry tones, achieving a naturalism that goes with Jane Ann Stewart's often messy, lived-in sets. Stephen Trask's understated though pleasing music heightens the drama in this movie that seemingly takes place in two time zones -- the present and the most uncomfortable past.
THE SAVAGES
Fox Searchlight Pictures
Lone Star Film Group of This Is That Prods.
in association with Ad Hominem Enterprises
and Cooper's Town Prods.
Credits:
Writer/director: Tamara Jenkins
Producers: Ted Hope, Anne Carey, Erica Westheimer
Executive producers: Jim Burke, Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor, Anthony Bregman, Fred Westheimer
Director of photography: Mott Hupfel
Production designer: Jane Anne Stewart
Music: Steven Trask
Costumes: David Robinson
Editor: Brian A. Kates
Cast:
Wendy: Laura Linney
Jon: Philip Seymour Hoffman
Lenny: Philip Bosco
Larry: Peter Friedman
Jimmy: Gbenga Akiknnagbe
Running time -- 113 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 1/27/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Savages
This review was written for the festival screening of "The Savages".PARK CITY -- As writer-director of "The Slums of Beverly Hills" in 1998, Tamara Jenkins demonstrated an ability to steal much humor from the spectacle of ordinary lives as lived by a perceptive yet self-absorbed and neurotic family. With her second long-awaited film, "The Savages", she not only confirms that ability but also adds a deeper dimension: Her two main middle-aged characters are in the process of discovering themselves as they cope with demons from their past. It is more sad-funny than funny-funny, but Jenkins has enough empathy and wit to realize that even the sad parts are, somehow, funny.
"The Savages" is not going to become the cult film like "Slums" did. It doesn't have a sexy subject -- two siblings dealing with their father's dementia and mortality -- so even stalwarts of art houses may hesitate. Fortunately, the cast of Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney is a certain boxoffice draw, and Fox Searchlight has a good track record in marketing tricky films.
It all begins with a phone call. It's a call all middle-aged people with aging parents know will come: Dad has gone around the bend mentally and can no longer function on his own. Complicating matters is that Dad (Philip Bosco) lives in an Arizona retirement community while his grown children live on the East Coast. The two siblings react very differently to this challenge. These reactions stem from their estrangement from a father, who was abusive when they were young.
Interestingly enough, both are involved with theater. Jon (Hoffman) is a theater arts professor in Buffalo, who teaches dramatic literature and labors on a book about Brecht, a book that has much of his professional career riding on its success. Meanwhile, his relationship with a Polish woman seems to be coming to an end with the expiration of her visa.
Wendy (Linney) is a playwright in New York. An unproduced playwright, which means she performs odious temp jobs, steals as many office supplies as possible and endlessly applies for grants so she can write full time. Dependant on various pills to pull through the day, Wendy has buried her social life in a dead-end relationship with a married neighbor (Peter Friedman).
Jon wants to get this Dad Thing over with quickly. He flies in and out of Arizona to help sis make arrangements so he can get back to his book. He leaves such details as getting dad on an airplane for a wildly uncomfortable move to his new home to his sister. Back in Buffalo, he locates a nursing home near his house and there it's done. Only it's not.
Wendy wants to make everything just so for her father despite his awful shortcomings in the parenting game. She squabbles with her brother over all the arrangements and is forced to live with him, albeit briefly, for the first time in years. Boy, does that trigger bad memories and old habits.
So on the surface, Jenkins gives us the complicated struggle of the siblings to see that their mentally unstable father may die in some peace. The real movie plays out beneath that surface, of course, as she examines the details of the siblings' lives and how these relate to their damaged childhoods. Wendy loves pets and indulges in an absurd sexual relationship. Jon is willing to see a woman he loves leave while struggling with a book that he can never quite finish. Everything relates to a screwed-up past.
Jenkins walks this dramatic tightrope with breathtaking ease. The humor is never forced but always springs from the characters and situations naturally.
Cinematographer Mott Hupfel takes his cues from this to shoot the film in wintry tones, achieving a naturalism that goes with Jane Ann Stewart's often messy, lived-in sets. Stephen Trask's understated though pleasing music heightens the drama in this movie that seemingly takes place in two time zones -- the present and the most uncomfortable past.
THE SAVAGES
Fox Searchlight Pictures
Lone Star Film Group of This Is That Prods.
in association with Ad Hominem Enterprises
and Cooper's Town Prods.
Credits:
Writer/director: Tamara Jenkins
Producers: Ted Hope, Anne Carey, Erica Westheimer
Executive producers: Jim Burke, Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor, Anthony Bregman, Fred Westheimer
Director of photography: Mott Hupfel
Production designer: Jane Anne Stewart
Music: Steven Trask
Costumes: David Robinson
Editor: Brian A. Kates
Cast:
Wendy: Laura Linney
Jon: Philip Seymour Hoffman
Lenny: Philip Bosco
Larry: Peter Friedman
Jimmy: Gbenga Akiknnagbe
Running time -- 113 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
"The Savages" is not going to become the cult film like "Slums" did. It doesn't have a sexy subject -- two siblings dealing with their father's dementia and mortality -- so even stalwarts of art houses may hesitate. Fortunately, the cast of Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney is a certain boxoffice draw, and Fox Searchlight has a good track record in marketing tricky films.
It all begins with a phone call. It's a call all middle-aged people with aging parents know will come: Dad has gone around the bend mentally and can no longer function on his own. Complicating matters is that Dad (Philip Bosco) lives in an Arizona retirement community while his grown children live on the East Coast. The two siblings react very differently to this challenge. These reactions stem from their estrangement from a father, who was abusive when they were young.
Interestingly enough, both are involved with theater. Jon (Hoffman) is a theater arts professor in Buffalo, who teaches dramatic literature and labors on a book about Brecht, a book that has much of his professional career riding on its success. Meanwhile, his relationship with a Polish woman seems to be coming to an end with the expiration of her visa.
Wendy (Linney) is a playwright in New York. An unproduced playwright, which means she performs odious temp jobs, steals as many office supplies as possible and endlessly applies for grants so she can write full time. Dependant on various pills to pull through the day, Wendy has buried her social life in a dead-end relationship with a married neighbor (Peter Friedman).
Jon wants to get this Dad Thing over with quickly. He flies in and out of Arizona to help sis make arrangements so he can get back to his book. He leaves such details as getting dad on an airplane for a wildly uncomfortable move to his new home to his sister. Back in Buffalo, he locates a nursing home near his house and there it's done. Only it's not.
Wendy wants to make everything just so for her father despite his awful shortcomings in the parenting game. She squabbles with her brother over all the arrangements and is forced to live with him, albeit briefly, for the first time in years. Boy, does that trigger bad memories and old habits.
So on the surface, Jenkins gives us the complicated struggle of the siblings to see that their mentally unstable father may die in some peace. The real movie plays out beneath that surface, of course, as she examines the details of the siblings' lives and how these relate to their damaged childhoods. Wendy loves pets and indulges in an absurd sexual relationship. Jon is willing to see a woman he loves leave while struggling with a book that he can never quite finish. Everything relates to a screwed-up past.
Jenkins walks this dramatic tightrope with breathtaking ease. The humor is never forced but always springs from the characters and situations naturally.
Cinematographer Mott Hupfel takes his cues from this to shoot the film in wintry tones, achieving a naturalism that goes with Jane Ann Stewart's often messy, lived-in sets. Stephen Trask's understated though pleasing music heightens the drama in this movie that seemingly takes place in two time zones -- the present and the most uncomfortable past.
THE SAVAGES
Fox Searchlight Pictures
Lone Star Film Group of This Is That Prods.
in association with Ad Hominem Enterprises
and Cooper's Town Prods.
Credits:
Writer/director: Tamara Jenkins
Producers: Ted Hope, Anne Carey, Erica Westheimer
Executive producers: Jim Burke, Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor, Anthony Bregman, Fred Westheimer
Director of photography: Mott Hupfel
Production designer: Jane Anne Stewart
Music: Steven Trask
Costumes: David Robinson
Editor: Brian A. Kates
Cast:
Wendy: Laura Linney
Jon: Philip Seymour Hoffman
Lenny: Philip Bosco
Larry: Peter Friedman
Jimmy: Gbenga Akiknnagbe
Running time -- 113 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 1/20/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Savages
PARK CITY -- As writer-director of The Slums of Beverly Hills in 1998, Tamara Jenkins demonstrated an ability to steal much humor from the spectacle of ordinary lives as lived by a perceptive yet self-absorbed and neurotic family. With her second long-awaited film, The Savages, she not only confirms that ability but also adds a deeper dimension: Her two main middle-aged characters are in the process of discovering themselves as they cope with demons from their past. It is more sad-funny than funny-funny, but Jenkins has enough empathy and wit to realize that even the sad parts are, somehow, funny.
The Savages is not going to become the cult film like Slums did. It doesn't have a sexy subject -- two siblings dealing with their father's dementia and mortality -- so even stalwarts of art houses may hesitate. Fortunately, the cast of Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney is a certain boxoffice draw, and Fox Searchlight has a good track record in marketing tricky films.
It all begins with a phone call. It's a call all middle-aged people with aging parents know will come: Dad has gone around the bend mentally and can no longer function on his own. Complicating matters is that Dad (Philip Bosco) lives in an Arizona retirement community while his grown children live on the East Coast. The two siblings react very differently to this challenge. These reactions stem from their estrangement from a father, who was abusive when they were young.
Interestingly enough, both are involved with theater. Jon (Hoffman) is a theater arts professor in Buffalo, who teaches dramatic literature and labors on a book about Brecht, a book that has much of his professional career riding on its success. Meanwhile, his relationship with a Polish woman seems to be coming to an end with the expiration of her visa.
Wendy (Linney) is a playwright in New York. An unproduced playwright, which means she performs odious temp jobs, steals as many office supplies as possible and endlessly applies for grants so she can write full time. Dependant on various pills to pull through the day, Wendy has buried her social life in a dead-end relationship with a married neighbor (Peter Friedman).
Jon wants to get this Dad Thing over with quickly. He flies in and out of Arizona to help sis make arrangements so he can get back to his book. He leaves such details as getting dad on an airplane for a wildly uncomfortable move to his new home to his sister. Back in Buffalo, he locates a nursing home near his house and there it's done. Only it's not.
Wendy wants to make everything just so for her father despite his awful shortcomings in the parenting game. She squabbles with her brother over all the arrangements and is forced to live with him, albeit briefly, for the first time in years. Boy, does that trigger bad memories and old habits.
So on the surface, Jenkins gives us the complicated struggle of the siblings to see that their mentally unstable father may die in some peace. The real movie plays out beneath that surface, of course, as she examines the details of the siblings' lives and how these relate to their damaged childhoods. Wendy loves pets and indulges in an absurd sexual relationship. Jon is willing to see a woman he loves leave while struggling with a book that he can never quite finish. Everything relates to a screwed-up past.
Jenkins walks this dramatic tightrope with breathtaking ease. The humor is never forced but always springs from the characters and situations naturally.
Cinematographer Mott Hupfel takes his cues from this to shoot the film in wintry tones, achieving a naturalism that goes with Jane Ann Stewart's often messy, lived-in sets. Stephen Trask's understated though pleasing music heightens the drama in this movie that seemingly takes place in two time zones -- the present and the most uncomfortable past.
THE SAVAGES Fox Searchlight Pictures Lone Star Film Group of This Is That Productions in association with Ad Hominem Enterprises and Cooper's Town Productions Credits: Writer/director: Tamara Jenkins; Producers: Ted Hope, Anne Carey, Erica Westheimer; Executive producers: Jim Burke, Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor, Anthony Bregman, Fred Westheimer; Director of photography: Mott Hupfel; Production designer: Jane Anne Stewart; Music: Steven Trask; Costumes: David Robinson; Editor: Brian A. Kates. Cast: Wendy: Laura Linney; Jon: Philip Seymour Hoffman; Lenny: Philip Bosco; Larry: Peter Friedman; Jimmy: Gbenga Akiknnagbe. MPAA rating: R, running time 113 minutes.
The Savages is not going to become the cult film like Slums did. It doesn't have a sexy subject -- two siblings dealing with their father's dementia and mortality -- so even stalwarts of art houses may hesitate. Fortunately, the cast of Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney is a certain boxoffice draw, and Fox Searchlight has a good track record in marketing tricky films.
It all begins with a phone call. It's a call all middle-aged people with aging parents know will come: Dad has gone around the bend mentally and can no longer function on his own. Complicating matters is that Dad (Philip Bosco) lives in an Arizona retirement community while his grown children live on the East Coast. The two siblings react very differently to this challenge. These reactions stem from their estrangement from a father, who was abusive when they were young.
Interestingly enough, both are involved with theater. Jon (Hoffman) is a theater arts professor in Buffalo, who teaches dramatic literature and labors on a book about Brecht, a book that has much of his professional career riding on its success. Meanwhile, his relationship with a Polish woman seems to be coming to an end with the expiration of her visa.
Wendy (Linney) is a playwright in New York. An unproduced playwright, which means she performs odious temp jobs, steals as many office supplies as possible and endlessly applies for grants so she can write full time. Dependant on various pills to pull through the day, Wendy has buried her social life in a dead-end relationship with a married neighbor (Peter Friedman).
Jon wants to get this Dad Thing over with quickly. He flies in and out of Arizona to help sis make arrangements so he can get back to his book. He leaves such details as getting dad on an airplane for a wildly uncomfortable move to his new home to his sister. Back in Buffalo, he locates a nursing home near his house and there it's done. Only it's not.
Wendy wants to make everything just so for her father despite his awful shortcomings in the parenting game. She squabbles with her brother over all the arrangements and is forced to live with him, albeit briefly, for the first time in years. Boy, does that trigger bad memories and old habits.
So on the surface, Jenkins gives us the complicated struggle of the siblings to see that their mentally unstable father may die in some peace. The real movie plays out beneath that surface, of course, as she examines the details of the siblings' lives and how these relate to their damaged childhoods. Wendy loves pets and indulges in an absurd sexual relationship. Jon is willing to see a woman he loves leave while struggling with a book that he can never quite finish. Everything relates to a screwed-up past.
Jenkins walks this dramatic tightrope with breathtaking ease. The humor is never forced but always springs from the characters and situations naturally.
Cinematographer Mott Hupfel takes his cues from this to shoot the film in wintry tones, achieving a naturalism that goes with Jane Ann Stewart's often messy, lived-in sets. Stephen Trask's understated though pleasing music heightens the drama in this movie that seemingly takes place in two time zones -- the present and the most uncomfortable past.
THE SAVAGES Fox Searchlight Pictures Lone Star Film Group of This Is That Productions in association with Ad Hominem Enterprises and Cooper's Town Productions Credits: Writer/director: Tamara Jenkins; Producers: Ted Hope, Anne Carey, Erica Westheimer; Executive producers: Jim Burke, Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor, Anthony Bregman, Fred Westheimer; Director of photography: Mott Hupfel; Production designer: Jane Anne Stewart; Music: Steven Trask; Costumes: David Robinson; Editor: Brian A. Kates. Cast: Wendy: Laura Linney; Jon: Philip Seymour Hoffman; Lenny: Philip Bosco; Larry: Peter Friedman; Jimmy: Gbenga Akiknnagbe. MPAA rating: R, running time 113 minutes.
- 1/20/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Film review: 'Moon Over Broadway'
NEW YORK -- Coming on the heels of one of their most popular and critically acclaimed films ("The War Room"), documentarians D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus take on a significantly more lighthearted subject in "Moon Over Broadway", a behind-the-scenes account of what goes on during the creation of a Broadway show.
Detailing the efforts to get the Carol Burnett starrer "Moon Over Buffalo" to the Great White Way, this film is a godsend to theater lovers, who will salivate at this no-holds-barred backstage look. Although lacking the historical immediacy of their previous effort, this specialized item could do fairly good business, especially in New York, before being assigned a permanent place in theater lovers' video libraries. The film recently received its U.S. premiere at the Hamptons International Film Festival.
As with "The War Room", where they simply had to turn the camera on James Carville in order to ensure something interesting happening, the filmmakers have a great advantage in the presence of such pros as Burnett and Philip Bosco, both of whom enliven the proceedings with their comic shenanigans. Indeed, this effort avoids the usual pitfall of making documentaries -- the fact that people tend to alter their behavior for the camera. Here, many of those being filmed are so accustomed to performing that their behavior seems utterly natural.
The film chronicles the road to Broadway, beginning with the first reading of the play and culminating in the opening night and the aftermath of the critics' reviews, most of which were complimentary to the stars but savage to the play. Many of the participants are obviously nervous about the show's prospects, especially Ken Ludwig, the highly insecure playwright whose goal was to create a classic farce a la Feydeau, and Burnett, making her first Broadway appearance in 30 years.
The film captures the mounting desperation as the playwright attempts rewrite after rewrite, the performers cope with material that is often desperately unfunny and wonder why their attempts to contribute are being ignored, and the creative team wonders if Burnett will be able to contain her television persona and play her part as written.
Trouble continues with a tryout in Boston, where a typical review called the show "a hoot short of a hoot and a half" ("I'd call that mixed", declares the theater owner with understatement). The show's director, Tom Moore, announces, "This wouldn't cut it in New York," and Ludwig sardonically comments, "I heard a laugh a half-hour into it ... it really bolstered me right up."
The filmmakers were also present during a preview in New York when the scenery malfunctioned and Burnett was forced to go out solo and entertain the audience with an off-the-cuff question-and-answer session. She received bigger laughs than the play ever received, providing solid evidence for the value of having a star above the title. Another telling moment is a clip demonstrating all too vividly the discomfort that results when one of the actors, in this case Bosco, misses his lines.
Despite the turmoil, "Moon Over Broadway" went on to have a decent nine-month run, and the play has received many other productions, including one in Pasadena.
MOON OVER BROADWAY
Directors-editors D.A. Pennebaker,
Chris Hegedus
Producers Frazer Pennebaker, Wendy Ettinger
Cinematographers D.A. Pennebaker,
Nick Doob, James Desmond
Color/stereo
Running time -- 98 minutes
No MPAA rating...
Detailing the efforts to get the Carol Burnett starrer "Moon Over Buffalo" to the Great White Way, this film is a godsend to theater lovers, who will salivate at this no-holds-barred backstage look. Although lacking the historical immediacy of their previous effort, this specialized item could do fairly good business, especially in New York, before being assigned a permanent place in theater lovers' video libraries. The film recently received its U.S. premiere at the Hamptons International Film Festival.
As with "The War Room", where they simply had to turn the camera on James Carville in order to ensure something interesting happening, the filmmakers have a great advantage in the presence of such pros as Burnett and Philip Bosco, both of whom enliven the proceedings with their comic shenanigans. Indeed, this effort avoids the usual pitfall of making documentaries -- the fact that people tend to alter their behavior for the camera. Here, many of those being filmed are so accustomed to performing that their behavior seems utterly natural.
The film chronicles the road to Broadway, beginning with the first reading of the play and culminating in the opening night and the aftermath of the critics' reviews, most of which were complimentary to the stars but savage to the play. Many of the participants are obviously nervous about the show's prospects, especially Ken Ludwig, the highly insecure playwright whose goal was to create a classic farce a la Feydeau, and Burnett, making her first Broadway appearance in 30 years.
The film captures the mounting desperation as the playwright attempts rewrite after rewrite, the performers cope with material that is often desperately unfunny and wonder why their attempts to contribute are being ignored, and the creative team wonders if Burnett will be able to contain her television persona and play her part as written.
Trouble continues with a tryout in Boston, where a typical review called the show "a hoot short of a hoot and a half" ("I'd call that mixed", declares the theater owner with understatement). The show's director, Tom Moore, announces, "This wouldn't cut it in New York," and Ludwig sardonically comments, "I heard a laugh a half-hour into it ... it really bolstered me right up."
The filmmakers were also present during a preview in New York when the scenery malfunctioned and Burnett was forced to go out solo and entertain the audience with an off-the-cuff question-and-answer session. She received bigger laughs than the play ever received, providing solid evidence for the value of having a star above the title. Another telling moment is a clip demonstrating all too vividly the discomfort that results when one of the actors, in this case Bosco, misses his lines.
Despite the turmoil, "Moon Over Broadway" went on to have a decent nine-month run, and the play has received many other productions, including one in Pasadena.
MOON OVER BROADWAY
Directors-editors D.A. Pennebaker,
Chris Hegedus
Producers Frazer Pennebaker, Wendy Ettinger
Cinematographers D.A. Pennebaker,
Nick Doob, James Desmond
Color/stereo
Running time -- 98 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 10/23/1997
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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