February, 2012 Archive
guest-blogs | FanFare Guests
Drive the 2011 neo-noir film starring Ryan Gosling is reviewed by guest blogger Mark Fertig:
It isn’t often that such a classicly rendered film noir hits the mainstream. Make no mistake about what Drive is and isn’t: it isn’t an L.A. Confidential-style period piece, nor is it a tribute like Walter Hill’s 1978 cult classic The Driver (though it certainly winks at that film in many obvious ways), and it isn’t a Quentin Tarantino-esque retread of drive-in pulp either. Drive is an exhilarating crime picture — one that marks the continued maturation of an important young director and one that will inevitably push Ryan Gosling’s star one step higher on Hollywood’s A-list. And although much of its appeal owes to the powerfully original filmmaking of director Nicolas Winding Refn (Valhalla Rising, the Pusher trilogy), it’s not an unconventional film, nor is it one that ignores its classic Hollywood.
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02.29.12 Hugo
Jason Marcewicz | Create-A-Caption
You know the drill. Below is a classic movie photo with Jason’s caption.
You’re encouraged to leave your own suggestion in the comment section below!
“Harold Lloyd? Never heard of him. Why do you ask?”
Irv Slifkin | In the Star's Trailer, Movie Buzz
Ezra Miller’s cred as a young actor to-be-reckoned- with has been growing over the last few years.
On cable TV, he’s had semi-regular stints as Damien, boyfriend of David Duchovny’s daughter on Californication, and Tucker Bryant, a teenager with hemophilia on Royal Pains. Miller’s impressive feature film resume includes attention-getting parts as an Internet-obsessed high schooler making a memorial video for a late fellow student in Afterschool (2008), a crusading college journalist in Beware the Gonzo (2010) and as Andy Garcia’s son, a kid obsessed with web porn featuring overweight women, in City Island (2010).
But the nineteen-year-old Hoboken, NJ native’s most buzzed-about part so far is in the new film We Need to Talk About Kevin. Here, Miller plays the titular character, a discontent teenager imprisoned for murdering fellow high school students, teachers and others with a high-tech bow and arrow.
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Edward Frebowitz | Staff Notes
Movie Fans, Your thoughts on the first time in 83 years that a silent film has won the Best Picture Oscar.
Add The Artist to your DVD movie collection, pre-order today.
Edward Frebowitz | Staff Notes
Elizabeth Taylor, one of the greatest actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age was born on this day in 1932. Taylor was recognized for her acting ability, beauty and distinctive violet eyes. See some of her most famous films here.
Follow this link for more additional articles on Elizabeth Taylor.
Chris Cummins | New Releases This Week
The stars are out for these new releases! From Henry Fonda to Lucille Ball and beyond, Hollywood icons take center stage this week. Check out these DVD and Blu-ray releases and catch up on the latest and greatest titles that are now available.
The Fugitive
Powerful drama from John Ford which afforded Henry Fonda one of the greatest roles of his career. He plays a priest on the run in an anti-clerical Central American country who must confront a gangster, the country's strong-arm tactics, and his own honor. Based on Graham Greene's "The Power and the Glory"; co-stars Dolores Del Rio, J. Carrol Naish, Pedro Armendariz, Leo Carrillo.
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Jay Steinberg | This Week in Film History
February 27, 1932: Elizabeth Taylor, one of the greatest actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age was born on this day in 1932. Taylor was recognized for her acting ability, beauty and distinctive violet eyes.
March 2, 1906: Biograph Studios wins appeal of kinetoscope inventor Edison's patent claims, preventing (temporarily) a potential monopoly on the making of movies.
February 27, 1920: German expressionist painting and design are captured to great effect in Robert Wiene's The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.
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Edward Frebowitz | Staff Notes
Famous for his portrayal of Sal Tessio in The Godfather, and for his portrayal of Detective Sgt. Phil Fish on the sitcom television series Barney Miller Abe Vigoda turns 91 today. Wish him a Happy Birthday on our Facebook page.
Irv Slifkin | Academy Spotlight
Who says that there’s only strong competition—and controversy—in the Best Actor category of the Academy Awards?
Our recent post challenging some recipients of the Best Actor Oscar can be found here. While we didn’t have as many issues over the history of the Best Actress category, there’ve certainly been some wins over the years worth debating.
1936
A highly fictionalized account of the life of show biz impresario Flo Ziegfeld (played by William Powell), The Great Ziegfeld remains an entertaining rags-to-riches-to-rags story, with Luise Rainer as French-Polish performer Anna Held, with whom Ziegfeld was smitten, made into a star and married. The fact is that Rainer—third-billed in the film, and absent from its second half—saw herself as an also-ran in the race, and was only convinced to attend the ceremony at the last minute. She would go on to a much-deserved win of the trophy the following year, for her dramatic powerhouse role opposite Paul Muni in The Good Earth. In ’36, though, the Austrian import faced two actresses turning in memorable performances in screwball classics: Carole Lombard in My Man Godfrey and Irene Dunne in Theodora Goes Wild. The remaining competition included Norma Shearer for George Cukor’s version of Romeo and Juliet, opposite Leslie Howard’s Romeo; and Gladys George in Valiant is the Word for Carrie, playing a prostitute trying to make a new life for herself after being run out of town.
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Irv Slifkin | Coming Attractions, DVD Beat
Stooge-Mania: Just when you thought Sony picked the bones off the last Moe, Larry, Curly et al. properties, pop goes the weasel, and along comes The Three Stooges: The Ultimate Collection, an impressive 20-disc compendium chockfull of goodies and surprising elements. We start with all of the team’s 190 shorts, along with the features Rockin in the Rockies and Have Rocket Will Travel. On top of these, Sony has included a batch of solo shorts headlined by the remaining ”third stooges”—Joe Besser, Joe DeRita and Shemp Howard—plus three Columbia cartoons from the 1930s and 1940s in which the comedy troupe cameoed. Overall, it’s “Stooge Heaven,” and just in time for that “heavily anticipated” feature film from the Farrelly Brothers.
Is this great for Stooges all over? Why soitainly!
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guest-blogs | FanFare Guests
Guest blogger Nathanael Hood writes:
In hindsight, it's a little unfair that The Longest Day was destined to be released in 1962, the same year as David Lean's Lawrence of Arabia. As a result, The Longest Day will always be overshadowed by the film that is said to be one of the greatest film epics of all time. And, really, that isn't fair. The Longest Day is one of the most ambitious and massive films ever produced by Hollywood. The film sported five screenwriters and a whopping six directors. The result: one of the finest war films ever made about World War Two. It seems inevitable that history will remember Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan as the definitive film about the D-Day Normandy landings. However, while Saving Private Ryan focused on a very small group of soldiers, The Longest Day encompasses the entirety of the forces involved in that terrible battle. The filmmakers brought in military consultants, many of whom actually fought during D-Day, from both the Allied and Axis camps. It is estimated that 23,000 troops were brought in from the American, British, and French armed forces for shoting. Darryl F. Zanuck, the principle director, effectively commanded more “soldiers” than any general did during the invasion. The film poster boasts 42 international stars, including John Wayne, Sean Connery, Henry Fonda, and Robert Mitchum. It cost $10,000,000 to make, earning it the title of most expensive black-and-white film ever made until 1993 and the release of Schindler's List.
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Tags: Al Pacino, Ryan Gosling