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The Hustler is a movie made in 1961 directed by Robert Rossen and starring Paul Newman, Jackie Gleason and Piper Laurie.

The Hustler is a legendary movie about pool with the marvelous atmosphere and rhythms of the movies of the Sixties, when films were beginning to change. Curiously, this film was done in black and white, which underscores its tone which was rather melancholic and it is an older world in which the characters seem to live in a past that is about to crumble.

It all starts with a match between Fast Eddie (Newman) and Minnesota Fats (Gleason). By the way, the real name of Minnesota Fats was George Hegerman, and the character is based on a real person who looked very much like Gleason. Newman loses and meets a girl in a bus station who is a bit of a drunkard, and since there is a “moral”, this doesn...

This article marks Part 1 of the Gold Derby series reflecting on films that contended for the Big Five Oscars – Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Screenplay (Original or Adapted). With “A Star Is Born” this year on the cusp of joining this exclusive group of Oscar favorites, join us as we look back at the 43 extraordinary pictures that earned Academy Awards nominations in each of the Big Five categories beginning with the eight that were shut out of these top races.

At the 31st Academy Awards ceremony, “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” (1958) was well-positioned for Oscar glory. Critically acclaimed and commercially successful, the film adaptation of Tennessee Williams’ play was up in six categories, including the Big Five, plus Best Cinematography.

Instead of emerging victorious, however, the film found itself steamrolled over. It would lose Best Picture and Best Director (Richard Brooks) to the musical “Gigi” and its filmmaker,...

Sneak Peek a new poster and trailer supporting the crime comedy drama "Gambit", starring Cameron Diaz and Colin Firth.

The new film,  a remake of the 1966 feature "Gambit", is written by the Coen Brothers ("True Grit") and directed by Michael Hoffman ("The Last Station").

Screenplay follows a London art expert (Firth) who aims to con a collector into purchasing a fake Monet.

To help push the ruse, the man finds an American woman (Diaz), to claim that her grandfather liberated the painting at the end of World War Two.

The original "Gambit" was directed by Ronald Neame, from a screenplay by Jack Davies and Alvin Sargent from an original story by Sidney Carroll. 

The film starred Michael Caine and Shirley MacLaine as two criminals involved in an elaborate plot centered on a priceless antiquity owned by millionaire 'Mr Shahbandar' (Herbert Lom).

The film is told in a reverse chronological order,...

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...

Cameron Diaz and Colin Firth star in the remake of the 1966 crime comedy drama "Gambit", written by the Coen Brothers ("True Grit") and directed by Michael Hoffman ("The Last Station").

Screenplay follows a London art expert (Firth) who aims to con a collector into purchasing a fake Monet.

To help push the ruse, the man finds an American woman (Diaz), to claim that her grandfather liberated the painting at the end of World War Two.

The original "Gambit" was directed by Ronald Neame, from a screenplay by Jack Davies and Alvin Sargent from an original story by Sidney Carroll. 

The film starred Michael Caine and Shirley MacLaine as two criminals involved in an elaborate plot centered on a priceless antiquity owned by millionaire 'Mr Shahbandar' (Herbert Lom).

The film is told in a reverse chronological order, with a twist at the beginning of the story that is not revealed until the end,...

Page to screen adaptations have been bankable fodder since the studios began feeding celluloid to the movie going masses. It’s relatable and something that filmmakers go to time and time again. Look at the success of The Harry Potter, Twilight, Narnia and Bourne franchises. The studios are returning to the literary well once again with such notables as the upcoming Great Gatsby, Anna Karenina, and Les MISÉRABLES. The latest entry into the fray has been The Hunger Games franchise. With just the first film so far, it’s worldwide box office receipts has it off to a successful start.

Sometimes the transfer, as in the case of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Master And Commander and John Carter books, doesn’t go over so well because in hindsight it only played out to a niche audience and the box office was worse the wear for it. Even the big name stars,...

The French gave us the word “demimonde” – literally, half the world. But what it has come to mean in English, or so says Webster, is “a distinct circle or world that is often an isolated part of a larger world.”

Storytellers have always held a fascination with the dark side of human nature; that part of the psyche which is normally restrained and leashed, taught to be obedient, held in check – as Conrad wrote in Heart of Darkness – by the reproving looks of our neighbors. After all, what was Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde but a probing of that other, id-driven half and the entrancing appeal of doing what one wants instead of what one should.

Film is no different than literature, and from its beginning the movies have produced a rich vein of stories about society’s fringe dwellers, those who operate by necessity,...

Far too films hold up to the test of time, their iconic nature re-evaluated through a modern prism and found wanting. Memorable performances or screen characters suddenly look one-dimensional or wanting. Then there are those that grew in stature through the years as audiences and critics catch up to the creators’ vision. Those are the ones that are hailed in retrospectives, make it to the National Film Registry and get the deluxe treatment when released on home video. The Hustler, the 1961 film about pool and people, is one such film and is this week making its Blu-ray debut courtesy of 20th Century Home Entertainment.

It used to be, pool sharks could tour the country, play high stakes games and eke out a living of sorts. Legendary pool players had a word-of-mouth reputation every bit as powerful as celebrities made famous by Espn. The great novelist Walter Tevis captured these players...

Chicago – Two of cinema’s most iconic actors appeared on Blu-ray new release shelves this week with excellent HD transfers and hours of special features for 50th Anniversary Editions of Paul Newman’s “The Hustler” and John Wayne’s “The Comancheros.” History has well-documented that the Newman is one of the best films from one of the form’s best actors. The Wayne film may have a more niche audience but they’re surely be satisfied with a very solid release.

Blu-Ray Rating: 4.0/5.0

Packaged like hardcover books with photos and essays included in the actual packaging, the releases of “The Hustler” and “The Comancheros” are appealing before the disc has even been put in your machine. There’s not a lot of information in the books but they get you in the mood to watch the movie, not unlike leafing through a program before a play.

The Hustler was released...

CBS Films has now acquired North American rights to the upcoming reboot of the 1966 heist comedy "Gambit", to star Oscar winner Colin Firth ("The King's Speech") and Cameron Diaz ("The Mask"). Screenplay is by the Coen Brothers ("True Grit") for director Michael Hoffman ("The Last Station").

Premise follows a London art expert (Firth) who aims to con a collector into purchasing a fake Monet. To help push the ruse, the man finds an American woman (Diaz), to claim that her grandfather liberated the painting at the end of World War Two.

With financing from Crime Scene Pictures, the new "Gambit" will start shooting May 2011 in London, UK, produced by Mike Lobell.

The original "Gambit" was directed by Ronald Neame, from a screenplay by Jack Davies/Alvin Sargent, based on an original story by Sidney Carroll.

Actors Michael Caine and Shirley MacLaine starred as two criminals involved in an elaborate plot...

Cameron Diaz ("The Green Hornet") will join actor Colin Firth ("The King's Speech") in the remake of the 1966 crime comedy drama "Gambit", written by the Coen Brothers ("True Grit") and directed by Michael Hoffman ("The Last Station").

Screenplay follows a London art expert (Firth) who aims to con a collector into purchasing a fake Monet. To help push the ruse, the man finds an American woman (Diaz), to claim that her grandfather liberated the painting at the end of World War Two.

With financing from Crime Scene Pictures, the new "Gambit" will start shooting May 2011 in London, UK, produced by Mike Lobell.

The original "Gambit", directed by Ronald Neame, from a screenplay by Jack Davies and Alvin Sargent from an original story by Sidney Carroll, starred Michael Caine and Shirley MacLaine as two criminals involved in an elaborate plot centered on a priceless antiquity owned by millionaire 'Mr Shahbandar', played by Herbert Lom.

According to reports, Joel and Ethan Coen's scripted remake of the 1966 British caper comedy "Gambit", has received financing from Crime Scene Pictures, with Michael Hoffman ("The Last Station") attached to direct.

The new "Gambit" will start shooting May 2011 in London, UK, produced by Mike Lobell.

The original "Gambit", directed by Ronald Neame, from a screenplay by Jack Davies and Alvin Sargent from an original story by Sidney Carroll, starred Michael Caine and Shirley MacLaine as two criminals involved in an elaborate plot centered on a priceless antiquity owned by millionaire 'Mr Shahbandar', played by Herbert Lom.

The film is told in a reverse chronological order, with a twist at the beginning of the story that is not revealed until the end, resulting in a punchline, marketed with the headline, "Go Ahead Tell The End - It's Too Hysterical To Keep Secret - But Please Don't Tell The Beginning!"

"...Cockney...

My name is Mike Farrell. I'm an actor. Many years ago, I was lucky enough to realize an ambition to portray John F. Kennedy, the first Us President I was old enough to vote for. Made for PBS, the project was JFK, A One-Man Show, produced by David Susskind, written by David and Sidney Carroll and directed by Frank Perry. This extraordinary team, understanding its responsibility to history, carefully researched every word that went into the show. As actors portraying historic figures, we can do no less. To learn, as we near the 50th anniversary of JFK's presidency, that a project now in the works is not only grossly inaccurate but clearly intended to assassinate the character of a man who gave his life for this country fills me with contempt for the tone and depth of...