Highest honors go to this stylish, cinematically refined adaptation of a George Simenon thriller. Michel Blanc becomes a person of interest for a murder investigation mainly because he’s disliked and anti-social; Sandrine Bonnaire is the neighbor that he peeps at nightly, to stir his secret passion. Director Patrice Leconte directs with almost perfect control, turning the show into an emotional workout.
Monsieur Hire
Blu-ray
Cohen Film Collection
1989 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 79 min. / Street Date October 25, 2022 / Available from / 29.95
Starring: Michel Blanc, Sandrine Bonnaire, Luc Thuillier, André Wilms, Eric Bérenger, Marielle Berthon, Philippe Dormoy, Marie Gaydu, Michel Morano, Nora Noël.
Cinematography: Denis Lenoir
Production Designer: Ivan Maussion
Costume designer: Elisabeth Tavernier
Film Editor: Joëlle Hache
Original Music: Michael Nyman
Scenario, adaptation and dialogue by Patrice Leconte, Patrick Dewolf from the book Les fiançailles de M. Hire by Georges Simenon
Produced by Philippe Carcassonne, René Cleitman
Directed by Patrice Leconte
We’re fond...
Monsieur Hire
Blu-ray
Cohen Film Collection
1989 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 79 min. / Street Date October 25, 2022 / Available from / 29.95
Starring: Michel Blanc, Sandrine Bonnaire, Luc Thuillier, André Wilms, Eric Bérenger, Marielle Berthon, Philippe Dormoy, Marie Gaydu, Michel Morano, Nora Noël.
Cinematography: Denis Lenoir
Production Designer: Ivan Maussion
Costume designer: Elisabeth Tavernier
Film Editor: Joëlle Hache
Original Music: Michael Nyman
Scenario, adaptation and dialogue by Patrice Leconte, Patrick Dewolf from the book Les fiançailles de M. Hire by Georges Simenon
Produced by Philippe Carcassonne, René Cleitman
Directed by Patrice Leconte
We’re fond...
- 1/28/2023
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Now up for grabs in Region A, it’s the Robert Aldrich movie that wins over all that see it. The epitome of Men In Peril adventures, the tale of 14 random oil men marooned in the Sahara is brutal yet optimistic about human cooperation — please, the world needs more of that right now. James Stewart is at his best, stretching his hard-bitten loner persona and tapping into his flying experience. Also with an English-language-best performance from Hardy Krüger. The male group dynamics are absorbing and the suspense powerful — especially when seen cold. No spoilers here!
The Flight of the Phoenix
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 1116
1965 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 142 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date March 22, 2022 / 39.95
Starring: James Stewart, Richard Attenborough, Peter Finch, Hardy Krüger, Ernest Borgnine, Ian Bannen, Ronald Fraser, Christian Marquand, Dan Duryea, George Kennedy, Gabriele Tinti, Alex Montoya, Peter Bravos, William Aldrich, Barrie Chase.
Cinematography: Joseph Biroc...
The Flight of the Phoenix
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 1116
1965 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 142 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date March 22, 2022 / 39.95
Starring: James Stewart, Richard Attenborough, Peter Finch, Hardy Krüger, Ernest Borgnine, Ian Bannen, Ronald Fraser, Christian Marquand, Dan Duryea, George Kennedy, Gabriele Tinti, Alex Montoya, Peter Bravos, William Aldrich, Barrie Chase.
Cinematography: Joseph Biroc...
- 3/19/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
German actor Hardy Krüger, known for his roles in films including Barry Lyndon, Hatari! and A Bridge Too Far, died Wednesday at at his home in California. He was 93.
His death was confirmed by his literary agent, Peter Kaefferlein, who told the AP that Krüger died “suddenly and unexpectedly.”
Born on April 12, 1928, in Berlin, Krüger’s parents were Nazi party members, with the actor later in life recalling his upbringing as a supporter of Adolf Hitler. Having made his acting debut at 15, he was conscripted into the army and saw combat during the Second World War. When he refused to ambush a group of U.S. soldiers, he was sentenced to death, only to be given a late reprieve. Kruger deserted the army and hid out until the war was over. He later went on to become a member of the Amadeu Antonio Foundation, which campaigns against right-wing extremism.
Returning to his acting work,...
His death was confirmed by his literary agent, Peter Kaefferlein, who told the AP that Krüger died “suddenly and unexpectedly.”
Born on April 12, 1928, in Berlin, Krüger’s parents were Nazi party members, with the actor later in life recalling his upbringing as a supporter of Adolf Hitler. Having made his acting debut at 15, he was conscripted into the army and saw combat during the Second World War. When he refused to ambush a group of U.S. soldiers, he was sentenced to death, only to be given a late reprieve. Kruger deserted the army and hid out until the war was over. He later went on to become a member of the Amadeu Antonio Foundation, which campaigns against right-wing extremism.
Returning to his acting work,...
- 1/20/2022
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
Rock Hudson’s small budget big-explosion war movie applies decent production values and decent direction to a good idea, but substitutes some weak double-crosses for a real screen story. Hudson and his co-producer Gene Corman toss in a fine stack of quality actors… who don’t do much more than dodge tanks, flame throwers, and big explosions. Those explosions look familiar — I’ll bet they were recycled in more than a couple subsequent movies. Aiding and abetting handsome Hudson are George Peppard (manning a Tarantino-issue flamethrower), Nigel Green, and Guy Stockwell, who seems to be in Every Universal release around this time.
Tobruk
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1967 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 107 min. / Street Date January 21, 2020 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Rock Hudson, George Peppard, Nigel Green, Guy Stockwell, Jack Watson, Percy Herbert, Norman Rossington, Liam Redmond, Heidy Hunt, Leo Gordon, Curt Lowens.
Cinematography: Russell Harlan
Film Editor: Robert C. Jones
Original...
Tobruk
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1967 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 107 min. / Street Date January 21, 2020 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Rock Hudson, George Peppard, Nigel Green, Guy Stockwell, Jack Watson, Percy Herbert, Norman Rossington, Liam Redmond, Heidy Hunt, Leo Gordon, Curt Lowens.
Cinematography: Russell Harlan
Film Editor: Robert C. Jones
Original...
- 1/25/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Thanks to 2017’s “Feud,” it’s a prime time to examine some of the underrated gems from the filmography of Robert Aldrich, an underrated director with plenty of daring projects which unfortunately were both critical and box office failures upon release. One of the director’s most interesting periods began after his most significant success, 1967’s The Dirty Dozen, a seminal war film drama which arrived after his see-sawing between the horror-hag subgenre he jumpstarted with 1962’s Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? and continued with 1964’s Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte whilst returning to all-male ensembles such as The Flight of the Phoenix (1965).…...
- 1/15/2019
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Forget the ‘famous book’ doldrums — this exciting seagoing drama will take your head off. Criminally unseen and unheralded, Allied Artists’ classic is an impressive feat by director-co-screenwriter and star Peter Ustinov. It introduced Terence Stamp and provided Robert Ryan with a deserved career highlight.
Billy Budd
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1962 / B&W / 2:35 widescreen / 123 min. / Street Date January 3, 2018 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Robert Ryan, Peter Ustinov, Melvyn Douglas, Paul Rogers, John Neville, David McCallum, Ronald Lewis, Robert Brown, John Meillon, Niall MacGinnis, Terence Stamp.
Cinematography: Robert Krasker
Film Editor: Jack Harris
Original Music: Antony Hopkins
Written by Peter Ustinov, DeWitt Bodeen from the play by Louis O. Coxe, Robert H. Chapman from the novel Billy Budd, Foretopman by Herman Melville
Produced by A. Ronald Lubin, Peter Ustinov
Directed by Peter Ustinov
Talk about a book that works like gangbusters… When Warners’ first DVD came out in 2007 I found out...
Billy Budd
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1962 / B&W / 2:35 widescreen / 123 min. / Street Date January 3, 2018 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Robert Ryan, Peter Ustinov, Melvyn Douglas, Paul Rogers, John Neville, David McCallum, Ronald Lewis, Robert Brown, John Meillon, Niall MacGinnis, Terence Stamp.
Cinematography: Robert Krasker
Film Editor: Jack Harris
Original Music: Antony Hopkins
Written by Peter Ustinov, DeWitt Bodeen from the play by Louis O. Coxe, Robert H. Chapman from the novel Billy Budd, Foretopman by Herman Melville
Produced by A. Ronald Lubin, Peter Ustinov
Directed by Peter Ustinov
Talk about a book that works like gangbusters… When Warners’ first DVD came out in 2007 I found out...
- 7/14/2018
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Forgotten amid Robert Aldrich’s more critic-friendly movies is this superb suspense picture, an against-all-odds thriller that pits an old-school pilot against a push-button young engineer with his own kind of male arrogance. Can a dozen oil workers and random passengers ‘invent’ their way out of an almost certain death trap? It’s a late-career triumph for James Stewart, at the head of a sterling ensemble cast. I review a UK disc in the hope of encouraging a new restoration.
The Flight of the Phoenix
Region B Blu-ray
(will not play in domestic U.S. players)
Masters of Cinema / Eureka Entertainment
1965 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 142 min. / Street Date September 12, 2016 / £12.95
Starring: James Stewart, Richard Attenborough, Peter Finch, Hardy Krüger, Ernest Borgnine, Ian Bannen, Ronald Fraser, Christian Marquand, Dan Duryea, George Kennedy, Gabriele Tinti, Alex Montoya, Peter Bravos, William Aldrich, Barrie Chase.
Cinematography: Joseph Biroc
Stunt Pilot: Paul Mantz
Art Direction: William Glasgow...
The Flight of the Phoenix
Region B Blu-ray
(will not play in domestic U.S. players)
Masters of Cinema / Eureka Entertainment
1965 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 142 min. / Street Date September 12, 2016 / £12.95
Starring: James Stewart, Richard Attenborough, Peter Finch, Hardy Krüger, Ernest Borgnine, Ian Bannen, Ronald Fraser, Christian Marquand, Dan Duryea, George Kennedy, Gabriele Tinti, Alex Montoya, Peter Bravos, William Aldrich, Barrie Chase.
Cinematography: Joseph Biroc
Stunt Pilot: Paul Mantz
Art Direction: William Glasgow...
- 9/22/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
The story didn’t end with the Miracle in the Hudson – hero pilot Sully Sullenberger is tried by an investigative committee. Clint Eastwood’s film examines and re-examines the 2.5 minutes, as the bureaucrats make the case that 155 passengers were unnecessarily put at risk.
Sully
Blu-ray + DVD + Digital HD
Warner Brothers Home Video
2016 / Color / 2:39 widescreen / 96 min. / Street Date December 20, 2016 / 35.99
Starring Tom Hanks, Aaron Eckhardt, Laura Linney, Jamey Sheridan, Mike O’Malley, Anna Gunn, Ann Cusack, Christopher Curry.
Cinematography Tom Stern
Film Editor Blu Murray
Original Music Christian Jacob, Tierney Sutton Band
Written by Todd Komarnicki from a book by Chesley ‘Sully’ Sullenberger, Jeffrey Zaslow.
Produced by Clint Eastwood, Frank Marshall, Tim Moore, Allyn Stewart
Directed by Clint Eastwood
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
In this year’s Sully Clint Eastwood found what I like to call an unbreakable story. This one poses a tricky narrative challenge — the only action content in...
Sully
Blu-ray + DVD + Digital HD
Warner Brothers Home Video
2016 / Color / 2:39 widescreen / 96 min. / Street Date December 20, 2016 / 35.99
Starring Tom Hanks, Aaron Eckhardt, Laura Linney, Jamey Sheridan, Mike O’Malley, Anna Gunn, Ann Cusack, Christopher Curry.
Cinematography Tom Stern
Film Editor Blu Murray
Original Music Christian Jacob, Tierney Sutton Band
Written by Todd Komarnicki from a book by Chesley ‘Sully’ Sullenberger, Jeffrey Zaslow.
Produced by Clint Eastwood, Frank Marshall, Tim Moore, Allyn Stewart
Directed by Clint Eastwood
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
In this year’s Sully Clint Eastwood found what I like to call an unbreakable story. This one poses a tricky narrative challenge — the only action content in...
- 12/19/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
★★★★★ It's not hard to see the appeal of Robert Aldrich's The Flight of the Phoenix, a riveting adventure film featuring an all-star cast headed by Jimmy Stewart and Richard Attenborough. The premise, whereby fourteen men are stranded in the desert after a plane crash, is classic Saturday matinee material. The film's success lies in its perfectly distilled ingredients: a killer premise, well-realised characters, and a tight script that doesn't pull its punches. Coming from the director of The Dirty Dozen, this is hardly surprising, although Aldrich also manages to tease out a triumphant warmth in his characters that is not always present in his other work.
- 9/12/2016
- by CineVue
- CineVue
George Kennedy has died, the actor passing away yesterday at the age of 91 according to a Facebook post from his grandson Cory Schenkel.
Kennedy mostly played gruff characters in various genres. He appeared in all four of the 1970s "Airport" films, he's known to a whole generation as Frank Drebin's boss Ed in "The Naked Gun" films, and he won an Oscar for co-starring with Paul Newman in "Cool Hand Luke".
Other notable film credits include the original "The Flight of the Phoenix" and the war time classic "The Dirty Dozen," the disaster epic "Earthquake," the Clint Eastwood mountain climbing spy thriller "The Eiger Sanction," westerns such as "Bandolero" and "The Sons of Katie Elder", the all-star Agatha Christie adaptation "Death on the Nile," Otto Preminger's post-Pearl Harbor tale "In Harm's Way," and Michael Ciminio's "Thunderbolt and Lightfoot".
He also had roles in TV series such as "Dallas, "Bonanza,...
Kennedy mostly played gruff characters in various genres. He appeared in all four of the 1970s "Airport" films, he's known to a whole generation as Frank Drebin's boss Ed in "The Naked Gun" films, and he won an Oscar for co-starring with Paul Newman in "Cool Hand Luke".
Other notable film credits include the original "The Flight of the Phoenix" and the war time classic "The Dirty Dozen," the disaster epic "Earthquake," the Clint Eastwood mountain climbing spy thriller "The Eiger Sanction," westerns such as "Bandolero" and "The Sons of Katie Elder", the all-star Agatha Christie adaptation "Death on the Nile," Otto Preminger's post-Pearl Harbor tale "In Harm's Way," and Michael Ciminio's "Thunderbolt and Lightfoot".
He also had roles in TV series such as "Dallas, "Bonanza,...
- 2/29/2016
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
When John Huston went to war he took his mission seriously... as an artist. He made four wartime docus for the army. San Pietro and the long suppressed Let There Be Light are the classics we studied in film school; Winning Your Wings is typical enlistment booster material and Report from the Aleutians a remarkably good record of how the war was really fought in far-flung locations. Let There Be Light: John Huston's Wartime Documentaries Blu-ray Olive Films 1942-1945 Color and B&W 1:33 flat full frame 281 min. Street Date January 19, 2016 available through the Olive Films website 29.95 Directed by John Huston
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Of the Hollywood directors who 'went to war' and made high-profile Signal Corps films for the public, John Huston was surely the most innovative. He made one enlistment booster for the Army Air Corps and then three pictures that the Army thought were either too long,...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Of the Hollywood directors who 'went to war' and made high-profile Signal Corps films for the public, John Huston was surely the most innovative. He made one enlistment booster for the Army Air Corps and then three pictures that the Army thought were either too long,...
- 1/19/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Los Angeles, Calif. (October 2, 2015) – In 1915 William Fox founded Fox Film Corporation and forever changed the course of cinema. Over the next century the studio would develop some of the most innovative and ground-breaking advancements in the history of cinema; the introduction of Movietone, the implementation of color in partnership with Eastman Kodak, the development of the wide format in 70mm and many more. Now in honor of the 100th anniversary of the studio, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment will celebrate by releasing some of their most iconic films that represent a decade of innovation.
Starting today, five classic films from the studio will be made available digitally for the first time ever – Sunrise (1927), Drums Along the Mohawk (1939), Man Hunt (1941), How to Marry a Millionaire (1953) and The Flight of the Phoenix (1965). Throughout the rest of the year a total of 100 digital releases will follow from Fox’s extensive catalog, including 10 films...
Starting today, five classic films from the studio will be made available digitally for the first time ever – Sunrise (1927), Drums Along the Mohawk (1939), Man Hunt (1941), How to Marry a Millionaire (1953) and The Flight of the Phoenix (1965). Throughout the rest of the year a total of 100 digital releases will follow from Fox’s extensive catalog, including 10 films...
- 10/3/2015
- by ComicMix Staff
- Comicmix.com
What would seem the perfect project for tough-guy director Robert Aldrich still commands a high reputation with some. Ambitious top-dog hobo Lee Marvin squares off against Ernest Borgnine's nearly demonic railroad conductor who routinely murders bums that dare to hitch a ride. The mayhem culminates in a battle on a moving flat car, between Ernie's log chain and Lee's fire ax. But the poetic dialogue and allegorical pretension may be more lethal. Emperor of the North Blu-ray Twilight Time Limited Edition 1973 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 120 min. / Ship Date September 8, 2015 / available through Twilight Time Movies / 29.95 Starring Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, Keith Carradine, Charles Tyner, Malcolm Atterbury, Simon Oakland, Harry Caesar, Hal Baylor, Matt Clark, Elisha Cook Jr., Joe Di Reda, Liam Dunn, Diane Dye, Robert Foulk, Sid Haig, Vic Tayback, Dave Willock, Lance Henricksen. Cinematography Joseph Biroc Art Direction Jack Martin Smith Film Editor Michael Luciano Original Music Frank De Vol...
- 9/29/2015
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Honored and adored, British actor and director Richard Attenborough died Sunday, leaving a void in the world of entertainment. Over the course of his 60-year-plus career that took him both behind (as a director and producer, of Gandhi, Shadowlands and Chaplin) and in front (as an actor) of the camera, Attenborough notched a considerable number of indelible roles. Here are some of the finer examples of his acting. The Great Escape (1963) Attenborough made a number of films with Steve McQueen, but probably none better remembered than this WWII adventure classic, largely responsible for the "motley crew of outcasts band together...
- 8/25/2014
- PEOPLE.com
Best known for his work in 'Jurassic Park' and 'Miracle On 34th Street, Richard Attenborough passed away Sunday morning.
Revered English actor and director Sir Richard Attenborough, best known for his iconic role as Kris Kringle in the 1994 re-make of Miracle On 34th Street and the billionaire CEO John Hammond in Jurassic Park, died Sunday at the age of 90.
Attenborough, who was a celebrated actor in nearly 70 films including The Flight Of The Phoenix and The Great Escape, was also an acclaimed filmmaker, winning an Oscar for Best Director in 1983 for his film Gandhi, which also took home the gold for Best Picture.
News: Actress Lauren Bacall Dead At 89
Attenborough also received acclaim for directing a number of other classics such as A Bridge Too Far, Chaplin, and Shadowlands.
Attenborough also was knighted by the English crown in 1976.
According to the BBC, Attenborough's son, Michael, confirmed his father's passing, and revealed...
Revered English actor and director Sir Richard Attenborough, best known for his iconic role as Kris Kringle in the 1994 re-make of Miracle On 34th Street and the billionaire CEO John Hammond in Jurassic Park, died Sunday at the age of 90.
Attenborough, who was a celebrated actor in nearly 70 films including The Flight Of The Phoenix and The Great Escape, was also an acclaimed filmmaker, winning an Oscar for Best Director in 1983 for his film Gandhi, which also took home the gold for Best Picture.
News: Actress Lauren Bacall Dead At 89
Attenborough also received acclaim for directing a number of other classics such as A Bridge Too Far, Chaplin, and Shadowlands.
Attenborough also was knighted by the English crown in 1976.
According to the BBC, Attenborough's son, Michael, confirmed his father's passing, and revealed...
- 8/24/2014
- Entertainment Tonight
Another sad passing in a long line of them lately as word has arrived Richard Attenborough, Oscar-winning director of Ghandi and probably best known to the current generation as John Hammond, founder of Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park, has died at the age of 90, five days shy of his 91st birthday. Attenborough hadn't been in a film or television series since 2004. As of right now there is no official word on his death, but he'd been in a nursing home with his wife for a number of years according to the BBC as well as having been confined to a wheelchair since falling down stairs six years ago. As an actor, Attenborough starred in films such as The Great Escape, The Flight of the Phoenix, Doctor Dolittle, The Sand Pepples, 1994's Miracle on 34th Street, Hamlet (1996) and 1998's Elizabeth. As a director, Ghandi is obviously his most well known work,...
- 8/24/2014
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Oscar winning director and actor Richard Attenborough has passed away at the age of 90.
Born in 1923, Attenborough served in the served in the Royal Air Force during World War II. He began acting on stage, but made the transition to film in a small role in David Lean’s In Which We Serve in 1942. Afterwards his roles grew larger and acted in films for decades to come including classics like The Great Escape (1963), The Flight of the Phoenix (1965), The Sand Pebbles (1966), and 10 Rillington Place (1971).
His directorial debut was Oh! What a Lovely War in 1967. He also directed A Bridge Too Far (1977), Gandhi (1982), and Chaplin (1992). He won two Academy Awards, including best director for Gandhi.
He is probably best known for his role in Jurassic Park as John Hammond, the park’s ambitious mastermind. His line in the first major dinosaur sequence in the film, “Welcome to Jurassic Park” perfectly accentuated the magnificent scene,...
Born in 1923, Attenborough served in the served in the Royal Air Force during World War II. He began acting on stage, but made the transition to film in a small role in David Lean’s In Which We Serve in 1942. Afterwards his roles grew larger and acted in films for decades to come including classics like The Great Escape (1963), The Flight of the Phoenix (1965), The Sand Pebbles (1966), and 10 Rillington Place (1971).
His directorial debut was Oh! What a Lovely War in 1967. He also directed A Bridge Too Far (1977), Gandhi (1982), and Chaplin (1992). He won two Academy Awards, including best director for Gandhi.
He is probably best known for his role in Jurassic Park as John Hammond, the park’s ambitious mastermind. His line in the first major dinosaur sequence in the film, “Welcome to Jurassic Park” perfectly accentuated the magnificent scene,...
- 8/24/2014
- by Max Molinaro
- SoundOnSight
The BBC have confirmed this evening that actor, director and producer Richard Attenborough has died at the age of 90 after a lengthy illness. His son told the broadcaster that he passed away at lunchtime on Sunday.
Lord Attenborough was one of Britain’s most beloved performers, and his film career began in 1942. He appeared in a variety of releases, including The Great Escape, Guns at Batasi, The Flight of the Phoenix, and many, many more. The actor would perhaps become best known to many for playing John Hammond in Jurassic Park.
Attenborough would reprise that role in the sequel and also starred in the remake of Miracle on 34th Street.
His work behind the camera would prove to be just as important as what he did in front of it. Attenborough’s many directing credits include epic period films like Young Winston and A Bridge Too Far. The filmmaker won...
Lord Attenborough was one of Britain’s most beloved performers, and his film career began in 1942. He appeared in a variety of releases, including The Great Escape, Guns at Batasi, The Flight of the Phoenix, and many, many more. The actor would perhaps become best known to many for playing John Hammond in Jurassic Park.
Attenborough would reprise that role in the sequel and also starred in the remake of Miracle on 34th Street.
His work behind the camera would prove to be just as important as what he did in front of it. Attenborough’s many directing credits include epic period films like Young Winston and A Bridge Too Far. The filmmaker won...
- 8/24/2014
- by Josh Wilding
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Anyone with an inkling of what the filmmaking process entails will be aware of just how grueling it can be. From lengthy shoots in which cast and crew labour from dawn to dusk, to sleepless days and nights cutting the footage together in the editing suite, making a movie can be physically and mentally challenging, to say the least.
Sometimes, the risk to health and the dangers involved can be life threatening. Whether it’s a method actor putting your body through the mill in order to achieve the necessary weight loss or gain for a particular role or a stunt performer throwing caution to the wind in order to pull off an amazing action sequence, making a movie as great as possible can come at a very high price.
The following list covers 10 movies in which people made the ultimate sacrifice for their craft, losing their lives in order...
Sometimes, the risk to health and the dangers involved can be life threatening. Whether it’s a method actor putting your body through the mill in order to achieve the necessary weight loss or gain for a particular role or a stunt performer throwing caution to the wind in order to pull off an amazing action sequence, making a movie as great as possible can come at a very high price.
The following list covers 10 movies in which people made the ultimate sacrifice for their craft, losing their lives in order...
- 6/4/2014
- by Andrew Dilks
- Obsessed with Film
Whether you measure your movies by box office, reviews, or popular appeal, Sony’s $125 million remake of the 1990 Ah-nuld Schwarzenegger interplanetary action fest Total Recall looks like a strike-out. The movie opened with a lethal softness; a $25.7 million first weekend meaning Recall won’t even come close to making back its budget during its domestic theatrical run. In fact, despite 22 years of ticket price increases, it’s doubtful the movie will even match the original’s $119.3 million haul.
And for those of you who think maybe the problem is Total Recall was outgunned opening while The Dark Knight Rises was still sucking up box office coin, entertain, at least for a moment if you will, the possibility the movie just plain sucks. According to Rotten Tomatoes’ canvas, almost 70% of reviewers – and over three-quarters of “top critics” – gave Total Recall a thumbs-down. Those who went to see the movie didn’t...
And for those of you who think maybe the problem is Total Recall was outgunned opening while The Dark Knight Rises was still sucking up box office coin, entertain, at least for a moment if you will, the possibility the movie just plain sucks. According to Rotten Tomatoes’ canvas, almost 70% of reviewers – and over three-quarters of “top critics” – gave Total Recall a thumbs-down. Those who went to see the movie didn’t...
- 8/15/2012
- by Bill Mesce
- SoundOnSight
When the drama Marty won the Academy Award for the Best Picture of 1955, it was a win of many wins, and not just because the movie walked off with three other Oscars.
It signaled that the balance of creative power in Hollywood was shifting; that the monopoly of the major studios was fading, and that a new breed of independent companies – often formed with or by the stars who had, at one time, been held in bondage to the majors under long-term contracts – were serious player in the industry (Marty had been produced by Hecht-Lancaster which had been formed by Burt Lancaster and producer Harold Hecht).
It was a victory for a new kind of anti-Hollywood storytelling; unglamorous tales about unglamorous people, real people. Postwar Italian neo-realism had demonstrated the power of the drama of everyday people just trying to get through a day, and Marty and other films like...
It signaled that the balance of creative power in Hollywood was shifting; that the monopoly of the major studios was fading, and that a new breed of independent companies – often formed with or by the stars who had, at one time, been held in bondage to the majors under long-term contracts – were serious player in the industry (Marty had been produced by Hecht-Lancaster which had been formed by Burt Lancaster and producer Harold Hecht).
It was a victory for a new kind of anti-Hollywood storytelling; unglamorous tales about unglamorous people, real people. Postwar Italian neo-realism had demonstrated the power of the drama of everyday people just trying to get through a day, and Marty and other films like...
- 7/12/2012
- by Bill Mesce
- SoundOnSight
Ernest Borgnine has died at the age of 95. We look back over his career in clips
Borgnine's first screen credit was, somewhat improbably, as a Chinese gambling-den operator called Hu Chang in a studio thriller called China Corsair. After more bit parts as racketeers, heavies and gun-toting villains, Borgnine put himself on the map with the memorably-named nasty Fatso Judson in From Here to Eternity. The aggressive, loutish Judson, quick with a switchblade, is the guard sergeant in the stockade, where he eventually does for the mercurial Angelo Maggio (played by Frank Sinatra).
Borgnine progressed to a string of more visible henchman roles – in Johnny Guitar, Vera Cruz, The Bounty Hunter – but probably his best from this period is another fight-picking bruiser from Bad Day at Black Rock – "I'm half horse, half alligator. You mess with me and I'll kick a lung outta' ya'."
Bad Day at Black Rock was...
Borgnine's first screen credit was, somewhat improbably, as a Chinese gambling-den operator called Hu Chang in a studio thriller called China Corsair. After more bit parts as racketeers, heavies and gun-toting villains, Borgnine put himself on the map with the memorably-named nasty Fatso Judson in From Here to Eternity. The aggressive, loutish Judson, quick with a switchblade, is the guard sergeant in the stockade, where he eventually does for the mercurial Angelo Maggio (played by Frank Sinatra).
Borgnine progressed to a string of more visible henchman roles – in Johnny Guitar, Vera Cruz, The Bounty Hunter – but probably his best from this period is another fight-picking bruiser from Bad Day at Black Rock – "I'm half horse, half alligator. You mess with me and I'll kick a lung outta' ya'."
Bad Day at Black Rock was...
- 7/9/2012
- by Andrew Pulver
- The Guardian - Film News
Los Angeles — He was a tubby tough guy with a pug of a mug, as unlikely a big-screen star or a romantic lead as could be imagined.
Yet Ernest Borgnine won a woman's love and an Academy Award in one of the great lonelyhearts roles in "Marty," a highlight in a workhorse career that spanned nearly seven decades and more than 200 film and television parts.
Borgnine, who died Sunday at 95, worked to the end. One of his final roles was a bit part as a CIA records-keeper in 2011's action comedy "Red" – fittingly for his age, a story of retired spies who show that it's never too late to remain in the game when they're pulled back into action.
"I keep telling myself, `Damn it, you gotta go to work,'" Borgnine said in a 2007 interview with The Associated Press. "But there aren't many people who want to put Borgnine to work these days.
Yet Ernest Borgnine won a woman's love and an Academy Award in one of the great lonelyhearts roles in "Marty," a highlight in a workhorse career that spanned nearly seven decades and more than 200 film and television parts.
Borgnine, who died Sunday at 95, worked to the end. One of his final roles was a bit part as a CIA records-keeper in 2011's action comedy "Red" – fittingly for his age, a story of retired spies who show that it's never too late to remain in the game when they're pulled back into action.
"I keep telling myself, `Damn it, you gotta go to work,'" Borgnine said in a 2007 interview with The Associated Press. "But there aren't many people who want to put Borgnine to work these days.
- 7/9/2012
- by AP
- Huffington Post
Legendary film and television actor Ernest Borgnine has died this afternoon from kidney failure, he was 95. His wife, Tova, and children were at his side at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles reports CNN.
After serving in the U.S. Navy in the Second World War, the gap-toothed Borgnine made the move into television and then film, forging out a six decade long career as a widely liked and respected character actor.
His first big break was the role of the cruel Sgt. 'Fatso' Judson in 1953's "From Here to Eternity" along with a few villain roles in films like "Vera Cruz" and "Bad Day at Black Rock". In 1955 though came "Marty" in which he played a lovelorn butcher, a performance that won him the Best Actor Oscar over the likes of James Cagney, James Dean, Frank Sinatra and Spencer Tracy.
He worked with filmmaker Sam Peckinpah on both the...
After serving in the U.S. Navy in the Second World War, the gap-toothed Borgnine made the move into television and then film, forging out a six decade long career as a widely liked and respected character actor.
His first big break was the role of the cruel Sgt. 'Fatso' Judson in 1953's "From Here to Eternity" along with a few villain roles in films like "Vera Cruz" and "Bad Day at Black Rock". In 1955 though came "Marty" in which he played a lovelorn butcher, a performance that won him the Best Actor Oscar over the likes of James Cagney, James Dean, Frank Sinatra and Spencer Tracy.
He worked with filmmaker Sam Peckinpah on both the...
- 7/9/2012
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
If, over the last 10 months, you’ve sometimes felt that sitting through 2011’s movies has been somewhat akin to sitting through TV’s summer reruns, that’s because you have been sitting through reruns. Well, reruns Hollywood style.
According to a Box Office Mojo story earlier this year, 2011 will end as a record year for sequels, prequels, and spin-offs. I don’t know if Mojo included remakes in that calculation, but whether they did or didn’t, remakes have certainly added to that oppressive déjà vu feeling which seems to roll into the multiplex every couple of weeks.
And we’re not even considering the familiar-feeling clones and knock-offs. “Oh, yippee, another superhero flick! Another The Hangover wannabe!” It’s like that Twilight Zone where Dennis Weaver is damned to relive the same bad dream over and over; the people take different parts in each cycle, but it’s still the same nightmare.
According to a Box Office Mojo story earlier this year, 2011 will end as a record year for sequels, prequels, and spin-offs. I don’t know if Mojo included remakes in that calculation, but whether they did or didn’t, remakes have certainly added to that oppressive déjà vu feeling which seems to roll into the multiplex every couple of weeks.
And we’re not even considering the familiar-feeling clones and knock-offs. “Oh, yippee, another superhero flick! Another The Hangover wannabe!” It’s like that Twilight Zone where Dennis Weaver is damned to relive the same bad dream over and over; the people take different parts in each cycle, but it’s still the same nightmare.
- 11/6/2011
- by Bill Mesce
- SoundOnSight
Chicago – Very few movies are as wonderfully weird as “Kiss Me Deadly,” a film that clearly influenced decades of work that would follow from “Blue Velvet” to “The Adjustment Bureau.” Recently released in a beautiful Criterion edition, “Kiss Me Deadly” is a film that history almost forgot but that found its way to the right people who recognized this unique gem as something worth cherishing. It’s a perfect choice for the most important collection of films released on Blu-ray and DVD as it’s a classic less-heralded than some that will now be brought to a wider, adoring audience.
Blu-Ray Rating: 5.0/5.0
Based on the book by Mickey Spillane, “Kiss Me Deadly” probably seemed like just another noir when it was released but history has re-appraised the film as a fascinating funhouse mirror of the Cold War fears so prevalent at the time of its release in 1955. Directed by Robert Aldrich...
Blu-Ray Rating: 5.0/5.0
Based on the book by Mickey Spillane, “Kiss Me Deadly” probably seemed like just another noir when it was released but history has re-appraised the film as a fascinating funhouse mirror of the Cold War fears so prevalent at the time of its release in 1955. Directed by Robert Aldrich...
- 7/5/2011
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
From aerial bravery in Wwi to Tom Cruise in an F-14 Tomcat, Mark lists his top ten all-time favourite flying movies…
This is a personal list, and as such, won't please everyone. I accept that, but I wanted to look at the films that have best represented flying for me over the years.
I've also excluded helicopters in exchange for a festival of fixed wings. But as a person who loves aircraft and flying of all kinds, these are the ones that made me feel the need. The need for speed...
The Dam Busters (1955)
Gosh, what a place to start. For the most part, the film's an historically accurate retelling of the ultimate daring-do of WWII. Richard Todd plays the unflappable Guy Gibson, who lead the amazing 617 Squadron on their secret mission against the dams of the Ruhr valley.
Using the Barnes Wallis (played by Michael Redgrave) utterly inspired bouncing bomb,...
This is a personal list, and as such, won't please everyone. I accept that, but I wanted to look at the films that have best represented flying for me over the years.
I've also excluded helicopters in exchange for a festival of fixed wings. But as a person who loves aircraft and flying of all kinds, these are the ones that made me feel the need. The need for speed...
The Dam Busters (1955)
Gosh, what a place to start. For the most part, the film's an historically accurate retelling of the ultimate daring-do of WWII. Richard Todd plays the unflappable Guy Gibson, who lead the amazing 617 Squadron on their secret mission against the dams of the Ruhr valley.
Using the Barnes Wallis (played by Michael Redgrave) utterly inspired bouncing bomb,...
- 6/21/2011
- Den of Geek
Flix Picks is a semi-regular feature that explores the depths of my Netflix queue and allows me the chance to catch up with some older films that I’ve not yet seen. Since Hobo with a Shotgun is currently in theaters, I thought it would be a good time to highlight another hobo-centric film, Emperor of the North, just in case anyone out there should be craving more hobo-related stories. Unlike the recent release, this film is not a grindhouse-style shocker but, comparatively speaking, a more mainstream action/adventure flick. Emperor of the North takes place in 1933 during the height of the Great Depression when many struggled just to survive. During this time, a new class of poor people developed, often gathering together to form makeshift communities. Low on basic necessities, the unemployed and homeless would often hitch rides on trains as a means of transportation. While some trains might...
- 5/1/2011
- by Aaron
- FilmJunk
The big-budget (usually summer) blockbuster is the financial cornerstone of the American motion picture industry, and has been for much of the last 35 years or so. In all its forms – action/adventure, suspense, Western, war story, horror, science fiction, fantasy, et al – the big budget thriller’s earning power is unmatched by any other movie form. Romantic comedies like The Proposal (2009), slapstick and teen comedies like The Hangover (2009) and Little Fockers (2010), are sometimes capable of blockbuster-caliber domestic earnings, but rarely match those of the thriller, nor can they rival its attraction overseas. The performances of more adult-themed dramas and comedies – even those considered financial successes — are often weaker still. The reliance of most major thriller releases today on action-driven plots is a form of cinematic Esperanto, transcending barriers of language and cultural nuance. The blockbuster thriller is as accessible to Asian audiences as it is to Latin American audiences as it is to U.
- 5/1/2011
- by Bill Mesce
- SoundOnSight
Robert Gary worked in films and television as a script supervisor from the 1950s onward. He worked on most of the Star Trek television series during his career, including the original series, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Star Trek: Voyager.
Gary was born in Illinois in 1920. He was an aspiring actor before taking a job as a script supervisor on John Ford’s 1956 western classic The Searchers. He also served as script supervisor for the films The Magic Sword (1962), What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962), The Strangler (1964), Hush… Hush… Sweet Charlotte (1964), and The Flight of the Phoenix (1965). He also worked frequently in television on such shows as Perry Mason, The Outer Limits, and Highway to Heaven.
Gary died in Los Angeles on May 3, 2010 at age 90.
Gary was born in Illinois in 1920. He was an aspiring actor before taking a job as a script supervisor on John Ford’s 1956 western classic The Searchers. He also served as script supervisor for the films The Magic Sword (1962), What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962), The Strangler (1964), Hush… Hush… Sweet Charlotte (1964), and The Flight of the Phoenix (1965). He also worked frequently in television on such shows as Perry Mason, The Outer Limits, and Highway to Heaven.
Gary died in Los Angeles on May 3, 2010 at age 90.
- 6/22/2010
- by Harris Lentz
- FamousMonsters of Filmland
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.