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POLITICS - From TheWrap: Jeb Bush suspends presidential campaign.
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CRIME - From RSN: The last of "The Angola Three" is ordered released from prison.
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OBITS - From TheWrap: The author Umberto Eco has died at the age 84. He was the author of the international best-seller, "The Name of the Rose," which was adapted into a film released in 1986.
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BLACK LIVES MATTER - From TheNation: Why Hillary Clinton does not deserve the Black vote.
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OBIT: From Variety: Haper Lee, the author of the novel, "To Kill a Mockingbird," has died at the age of 89 (Fri.., Feb. 19th, 2016).
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MOVIES - From HitFix: Why "dumping" Blade Runner 2 in January 2018 is a good idea.
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CULTURE - From YahooCelebrity: Shia LaBeouf in an elevator for 24 hours.
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POLITICS - From RSN: Michelle Alexander - We will be our revolution, not politicians.
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MOVIES - From CinemaBlend: New details on "John Wick 2."
POLITICS - From SeattleTimes: Kentucky Senate approves two marriage licenses to - one for straight couples and one for gay.
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MOVIES - From TheWrap: Amazon has the North American distribution rights to Woody Allen's next film, which stars Kristen Stewart.
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MOVIES - From TheWrap: The Blade Runner sequel, which stars Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford, will be released in January 2018.
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POLITICS - From RSN: Forest Whitaker on securing a future for child soldiers.
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POLITICS - From Politico: Cornell West on why Bernie Sanders is better for Black people than Hillary Clinton.
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TECH - From WashPost: Apple CEO Tim Cook releases a statement about opposing an FBI order.
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MUSIC - From WashPost: Yet, Beyonce does not care.
BLACK LIVES MATTER - From WashPost: It's Beyonce's fault?
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CULTURE - From WashPost: San Francisco "tech bro" laments homeless people ruining his view.
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BLACK LIVES MATTER - From VICE: Chicago cop sues the people he victimized.
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MOVIES - From Deadline: "Guardians of the Galaxy 2" begins production with new cast members.
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MOVIES - From THR: "The Hurt Locker" wins a long-running "publicity rights" lawsuit in an appeals court.
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MOVIES - From THR: Oscar-winner Julianne Moore is in talks to play the villain in "The Kingsman 2."
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POLITICS - From RSN: Robert Reich - "The Death of the Republican Party."
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OBITS - From Variety: The actor George Gaynes died at the age of 98 on Monday, Feb. 15th, 2016. He was best known for his roles on the TV show, "Punky Brewster," and in seven "Police Academy" movies.
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MOVIES - From Variety: Now, that Deadpool has made Ryan Reynolds a box office star again, he is trying to get into big sci-fi pic, "Life."
---------------
MOVIES - From ThePlaylist: FOX wants the next Wolverine movie to be R-rated... so predictable in the wake of R-rated "Deadpool's" success.
---------------
MUSIC - From Mashable: An anti-Beyonce protest rally turns to something good.
---------------
MOVIES - From Mashable: A review of the creepy new film, "The Witch," with a trailer for the film.
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OBITS - From TheWrap: Vanity, the singer who was a protege of musical icon Prince, has died at the age of 57 on Monday, February 15, 2016. She was the lead vocalist of Prince's girl group, Vanity 6, and had a hit with the song "Nasty Girl."
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COMICS - From YahooTV: James Gunn delivers smack down to fake Hollywood executives over the success of "Deadpool."
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AWARDS - From YahooMusic: Complete list of Grammy winners - updated.
---------------
TV - From Yahoo: Recap of "No Way Out," the midseason debut of "The Walking Dead."
BLACK LIVES MATTER - From the New York DailyNews: Yes, the New York City Police Department can throw you out of your apartment... if you are Black and Brown... even if you have not committed a crime.
---------------
CRIME - From WFMY: Did you know that the FBI arrested, Cliven Bundy, the rancher who had the standoff with federal officials?
---------------
BLACK LIVES MATTER - From NPR: Federal grand jury begins in Eric Garner case.
---------------
POLITICS - From RSN: Oscar-winning director Oliver Stone says that the media continues to ignore the nation's most serious issues.
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COMICS - From CBB: New Johnny Bullet (Episode #61).
From CBB: New Johnny Bullet (#61) in French.
From CBB: Chapter 2, page 4
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POLITICS - From EcoWatch: Mark Ruffalo - "There is no fracking that can be done safely."
---------------
POLITICS - From Fusion: Latino celebrities line-up against Republican "Anti-immigrant fear mongering."
---------------
MUSIC - From YahooMusic: Dave Grohl serenades Lionel Richie at MusiCares.
---------------
AWARDS - From TheWrap: BAFTA Awards winners.
From Variety: A BAFTA analysis.
---------------
STAR TREK - From the NYPost: William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy had not spoken to one another for the last five years of his life.
---------------
SPORTS - From the New York DailyNews: Apparently, back in the mid-1990s, Super Bowl hero Peyton Manning sexually assaulted a woman when he was a student at Tennessee. It has been covered up for years.
From the DailyNews: Meanwhile, Cam Newton is treated like the rapist.
---------------
BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo: The winner of the 2/12 to 2/14/2016 weekend box office is "Deadpool." It's $135 million estimated take is a record for the opening of an R-rated movie.
From YahooTV: An analysis on Deadpool's box office success.
---------------
MOVIES: From DarkHorizons: Steve Coogan and Paul Rudd will play a married couple in "An Ideal Home."
---------------
MOVIES - From YahooNews: Sony releases a short video announcing that the first full trailer for the new "Ghostbusters" film will be released March 3rd, 2016.
---------------
COMICS - From CBR: DC Comics releases cover art for its April event, "Super League."
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AWARDS - From BAFTA: Here are your 2016 BAFTA nominees. Awards ceremony begins soon.
---------------
AWARDS - From Deadline: 2016 Writers Guild Award winners; "Spotlight" and "The Big Short" lead.
---------------
From WashPost: The paper's announcement of the death of Supreme Justice Antonin Scalia on Sat., Feb. 13th, 2016.
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VIDEO:
From YouTube: Director Adam McKay talks about his film, "The Big Short," with Michael Lewis, who wrote the book upon which the film is based.
Showing posts with label Oliver Stone. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Oliver Stone. Show all posts
Saturday, February 20, 2016
Saturday, February 21, 2015
Negromancer News Bits and Bites for the Week of February 15th to 21st, 2015 - Update #17
NEWS:
From Variety: Oliver Stone's film, "Snowden," with Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Shailene Woodley is due for Christmas.
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From TheWrap: Lena Dunham, the star and creator of HBO's "Girls," will guest star on ABC's "Scandal," or which she is reportedly a super-fan.
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From Variety: District 9's Neill Blomkamp is working on an Alien movie for 20th Century Fox.
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From YahooMovies: The quiet furor over the blood profits of American Sniper.
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From TheHollywoodReporter: An anonymous Oscar voter shares her hilarious views on her voting process with THR. For the record, Missy Anonymous, if a 60-year-old white man had directed Selma, he would have been nominated for "Best Director."
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From TheHollywoodReporter: Roman Polanski to attend extradition hearing in Poland.
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From BlackAmericaWeb: Don Lemon "Hates" FOX's "Empire."
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From TheVerge: Alejandro Jodorowsky tries Kickstarter to finance his next film project.
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From HitFix: The winner of the Feb. 13th to 15th, 2015 weekend box office is Fifty Shades of Grey with an estimated take of $81.6 million.
COMIC BOOKS:
From TheVerge: First image of Jason Momoa as "Aquaman" for "Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice."
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From YahooMovies: Marvel and Netflix's "Jessica Jones" adds three new cast members.
STAR WARS:
From TheDailyBeast: Huge Star Wars spoiler - another reason this movie needs to be released at an earlier date.
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From IBT: Rumors about Han Solo and Princess Leia's children.
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From HitFix: Rumors about a son of Luke Skywalker.
OBITS:
From YahooMovies: The French actor, Louis Jourdan, died at the age of 93 on Saturday, February 14, 2015. Many remember him for his role in Gigi, but many others best remember Jourdan as the villain, Kamal Khan (an exiled Afghan prince), in the 1983 James Bond movie, Octopussy.
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From Variety: Gary Owens, the original voice of Hanna-Barbera character, Space Ghost, died Thursday, February 12, 2015. He was either 78 or 80. Recently, Owens was the voice of the over-the-air digital network, Antenna TV. He is a fond remembrance of my childhood. I send my condolences to his family.
MISC:
From TheVox: It's a Black thing... or is it?
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From YahooSports: Bobby Knight should have been run out of "polite" society a long time ago.
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From YahooParenting: A great birthday story.
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
"An Evening with Tom Cruise" Announced for Dec. 17 2012
FILM SOCIETY OF LINCOLN CENTER ANNOUNCES AN EVENING WITH TOM CRUISE, CELEBRATING SOME OF HIS MOST ICONIC CHARACTERS, CULMINATING WITH A SNEAK PREVIEW SCREENING OF JACK REACHER
All proceeds for the screening will go to the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s 50th Anniversary Fund
The event will kick-off a career retrospective, ALL THE RIGHT MOVES: THE FILMS OF TOM CRUISE, taking place December 18-20th
The Film Society of Lincoln Center announced that they will host An Evening with Tom Cruise on Monday, December 17th, taking a look at some of Cruise’s most iconic character work in a conversation with moderator and New York Film Festival Director of Programming, Kent Jones. The event will be followed by a sneak preview screening of Cruise’s new film JACK REACHER, in which he plays a tough ex-military investigator out for justice – a character that audiences have come to love from the three-time Academy Award® nominated actor. Tickets are $50 and $35 and all proceeds from the event will go to the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s 50th Anniversary Fund, which supports the new education program and emerging filmmaker initiatives. Tickets go on sale Monday, December 10th. The event will be held at the Rose Theater, (5th floor of the Time Warner Center, Broadway and 60th street). Visit Filmlinc.com for more information.
“Tom’s body of work is defined by the bold characters he plays so brilliantly and his collaborations with filmmaking’s most venerable directors. Tom consistently chooses smart and exciting projects and we are pleased to present audiences with a first look at his newest role, Jack Reacher,” said FSLC Executive Director Rose Kuo. “We are honored to host this exciting evening and to support our 50th anniversary fund to benefit education and emerging artists.”
An Evening with Tom Cruise will kick off a film retrospective that reunites fans with a selection of Cruise’s most beloved characters. The retrospective, ALL THE RIGHT MOVES: THE FILMS OF TOM CRUISE, runs December 18-20th and will include a seven-film tribute to some of his most extraordinary work: BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY, JERRY MAGUIRE, THE LAST SAMURAI, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE, RAIN MAN, RISKY BUSINESS and TOP GUN.
"It's incredibly fortunate that the Film Society chose the opening week of JACK REACHER to pay tribute to Tom's incredible talent and accomplishments” said the film’s director Christopher McQuarrie. “I've had the great luck to find myself working with an incomparable actor in this extraordinary role at the peak of an unparalleled career."
After his big screen debut in ENDLESS LOVE (1981), Cruise made such an impression on director Harold Becker in the military drama TAPS (1981) that it inspired Becker to give him a larger role in the film, that of Cadet Captain David Shawn. Cruise’s performance in TAPS effectively launched his career, leading him to be cast in Francis Ford Coppola’s THE OUTSIDERS (1983) alongside a group of celebrated young actors that collectively became known as “the brat pack”. Since then, from his iconic slide across the floor of a suburban Chicago living room in RISKY BUSINESS (1983) to his considerably riskier footwork atop a Dubai skyscraper in MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE—GHOST PROTOCOL (2011), Cruise has spent a remarkable three decades as the world’s most popular movie star, and one of its most adventurous and unpredictable actors.
An instant pop culture sensation for his role as the fighter pilot Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in TOP GUN (1986), Cruise quickly cemented his serious dramatic credentials opposite Dustin Hoffman in RAIN MAN (1988) and in Oliver Stone’s BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY (1989) where he earned his first Academy Award® nomination as well as a Golden Globe for Best Actor. Cruise has since earned two more Academy Award® nominations – Best Actor for Cameron Crowe’s JERRY MAGUIRE (1996) and Best Supporting Actor for Paul Thomas Anderson’s MAGNOLIA (1999), with both films earning him Golden Globes for the critically acclaimed performances. His career has been singular in working with the most noteworthy directors such as Coppola, Stone, Stanley Kubrick in EYES WIDE SHUT (1999), Steven Spielberg in MINORITY REPORT (2002) and WAR OF THE WORLDS (2005), and Michael Mann in COLLATERAL (2004), while breaking box-office records in blockbusters like THE LAST SAMURAI and the MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE series.
Tickets for the Monday, December 17th conversation and Jack Reacher screening will be available beginning Monday, December 10th. The event will be held at the Rose Theater, on the 5th floor of the Time Warner Center (Broadway and 60th street). Tickets will be sold for $50 and $35, and all proceeds from the event will go to the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s 50th Anniversary Fund, which supports the new education program and emerging filmmaker initiatives. Visit www.filmlinc.com for additional information.
Special Two Film Package available for the films in the retrospective, ALL THE RIGHT MOVES: THE FILMS OF TOM CRUISE, running from December 18-20. Tickets on sale today, visit Filmlinc.com. All screenings will take place at the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Walter Reade Theater, 165 West 65th Street (between Broadway and Amsterdam).
Films, Descriptions & Schedule
An Evening with Tom Cruise featuring a Sneak Preview Screening of Jack Reacher
Fresh from his biggest worldwide success to date with Mission: Impossible—Ghost Protocol and about to hit screens in the hotly anticipated Jack Reacher, we are pleased to welcome three-time Academy Award® nominee Tom Cruise for a career-spanning conversation moderated by New York Film Festival Director of Programming, Kent Jones, followed by a special advance screening of Cruise’s latest film, Jack Reacher, directed by Christopher McQuarrie. All proceeds from the event will go to the Film Society’s 50th Anniversary Fund, which supports the new education programs and emerging filmmaker initiatives. Info on the fund can be found at FilmLinc.com/50Fund.
Jack Reacher
Christopher McQuarrie, 2012, USA; 130m
From The New York Times bestselling author Lee Child comes one of the most compelling heroes to step from novel to screen—ex-military investigator Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise). When a gunman takes five lives with six shots, all evidence points to the suspect in custody. On interrogation, the suspect offers up a single note: “Get Jack Reacher!” So begins an extraordinary chase for the truth, pitting Jack Reacher against an unexpected enemy, with a skill for violence and a secret to keep. Written for the screen and directed by Oscar-winner Christopher McQuarrie (The Usual Suspects). Co-starring Rosamund Pike, Richard Jenkins, Werner Herzog, David Oyelowo and Robert Duvall!
*Mon. Dec 17, 7:00PM
BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY (1989) 145min
Director: Oliver Stone, Country: USA
Cruise earned the first of three Oscar nominations for his transformative portrayal of disillusioned Vietnam vet Ron Kovic in Oliver Stone’s shattering portrait of the loss of American innocence.
*Wed. Dec 19, 9:00PM
JERRY MAGUIRE (1996) 139min
Director: Cameron Crowe, Country: USA
Cruise earned his second Best Actor Oscar nomination as the eponymous high-powered sports agent whose existential epiphany loses him all but one client (Oscar-winner Cuba Gooding, Jr.) in Cameron Crowe’s wry American success story.
*Thurs. Dec 20, 8:45PM
THE LAST SAMURAI (2003) 154min
Director: Ed Zwick, Country: USA
Ed Zwick’s visually majestic, old fashioned Hollywood epic stars Cruise as a disillusioned Civil War vet (Cruise) hired to train conscript in Japan’s first modern army, caught between the past and present of a rapidly changing nation.
*Thurs. Dec 20, 3:30PM
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE (1996) 110min
Director: Brian De Palma, Country: USA
Finding himself the only survivor of a mission gone awry, secret agent Ethan Hunt (Cruise) must unravel the conspiracy in the film that launched the successful franchise, directed by master of suspense Brian De Palma.
*Thurs. Dec 20, 6:30PM
RAIN MAN (1988) 133min
Director: Barry Levinson, Country: USA
As a slick yuppie unexpectedly reunited with his autistic older brother (Dustin Hoffman), Cruise more than holds his own in Barry Levinson’s beloved 1988 Oscar-winner.
*Wed. Dec 19, 6:00PM
RISKY BUSINESS (1983) 98min
Director: Paul Brickman, Country: USA
When mom and dad leave town, an enterprising Chicago teen (21-year-old Cruise in his star-making role) gets in over his head with a kind-hearted prostitute (Rebecca De Mornay) in writer-director Paul Brickman’s sparkling coming-of-age comedy.
*Wed. Dec 19, 3:45PM
TOP GUN (1986) 110min
Director: Tony Scott, Country: USA
Cruise flew into the danger zone (and sent sales of Ray-Bans and leather jackets soaring) as a hotshot Navy pilot romancing his civilian instructor (Kelly McGillis) in producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Tony Scott’s prototypical ‘80s blockbuster.
*Tues. Dec 18, 8:30PM
Film Society of Lincoln Center
Under the leadership of Rose Kuo, Executive Director, and Richard Peña, Program Director, the Film Society of Lincoln Center offers the best in international, classic and cutting-edge independent cinema. The Film Society presents two film festivals that attract global attention: the New York Film Festival, having just celebrated its 50th edition, and New Directors/New Films which, since its founding in 1972, has been produced in collaboration with MoMA. The Film Society also publishes the award-winning Film Comment Magazine, and for over three decades has given an annual award—now named “The Chaplin Award”—to a major figure in world cinema. Past recipients of this award include Charlie Chaplin, Alfred Hitchcock, Martin Scorsese, Meryl Streep, and Tom Hanks. The Film Society presents a year-round calendar of programming, panels, lectures, educational programs and specialty film releases at its Walter Reade Theater and the new state-of-the-art Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center.
The Film Society receives generous, year-round support from Royal Bank of Canada, American Airlines, The New York Times, Stella Artois, the National Endowment for the Arts and New York State Council on the Arts. For more information, visit www.filmlinc.com and follow #filmlinc
All proceeds for the screening will go to the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s 50th Anniversary Fund
The event will kick-off a career retrospective, ALL THE RIGHT MOVES: THE FILMS OF TOM CRUISE, taking place December 18-20th
The Film Society of Lincoln Center announced that they will host An Evening with Tom Cruise on Monday, December 17th, taking a look at some of Cruise’s most iconic character work in a conversation with moderator and New York Film Festival Director of Programming, Kent Jones. The event will be followed by a sneak preview screening of Cruise’s new film JACK REACHER, in which he plays a tough ex-military investigator out for justice – a character that audiences have come to love from the three-time Academy Award® nominated actor. Tickets are $50 and $35 and all proceeds from the event will go to the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s 50th Anniversary Fund, which supports the new education program and emerging filmmaker initiatives. Tickets go on sale Monday, December 10th. The event will be held at the Rose Theater, (5th floor of the Time Warner Center, Broadway and 60th street). Visit Filmlinc.com for more information.
“Tom’s body of work is defined by the bold characters he plays so brilliantly and his collaborations with filmmaking’s most venerable directors. Tom consistently chooses smart and exciting projects and we are pleased to present audiences with a first look at his newest role, Jack Reacher,” said FSLC Executive Director Rose Kuo. “We are honored to host this exciting evening and to support our 50th anniversary fund to benefit education and emerging artists.”
An Evening with Tom Cruise will kick off a film retrospective that reunites fans with a selection of Cruise’s most beloved characters. The retrospective, ALL THE RIGHT MOVES: THE FILMS OF TOM CRUISE, runs December 18-20th and will include a seven-film tribute to some of his most extraordinary work: BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY, JERRY MAGUIRE, THE LAST SAMURAI, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE, RAIN MAN, RISKY BUSINESS and TOP GUN.
"It's incredibly fortunate that the Film Society chose the opening week of JACK REACHER to pay tribute to Tom's incredible talent and accomplishments” said the film’s director Christopher McQuarrie. “I've had the great luck to find myself working with an incomparable actor in this extraordinary role at the peak of an unparalleled career."
After his big screen debut in ENDLESS LOVE (1981), Cruise made such an impression on director Harold Becker in the military drama TAPS (1981) that it inspired Becker to give him a larger role in the film, that of Cadet Captain David Shawn. Cruise’s performance in TAPS effectively launched his career, leading him to be cast in Francis Ford Coppola’s THE OUTSIDERS (1983) alongside a group of celebrated young actors that collectively became known as “the brat pack”. Since then, from his iconic slide across the floor of a suburban Chicago living room in RISKY BUSINESS (1983) to his considerably riskier footwork atop a Dubai skyscraper in MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE—GHOST PROTOCOL (2011), Cruise has spent a remarkable three decades as the world’s most popular movie star, and one of its most adventurous and unpredictable actors.
An instant pop culture sensation for his role as the fighter pilot Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in TOP GUN (1986), Cruise quickly cemented his serious dramatic credentials opposite Dustin Hoffman in RAIN MAN (1988) and in Oliver Stone’s BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY (1989) where he earned his first Academy Award® nomination as well as a Golden Globe for Best Actor. Cruise has since earned two more Academy Award® nominations – Best Actor for Cameron Crowe’s JERRY MAGUIRE (1996) and Best Supporting Actor for Paul Thomas Anderson’s MAGNOLIA (1999), with both films earning him Golden Globes for the critically acclaimed performances. His career has been singular in working with the most noteworthy directors such as Coppola, Stone, Stanley Kubrick in EYES WIDE SHUT (1999), Steven Spielberg in MINORITY REPORT (2002) and WAR OF THE WORLDS (2005), and Michael Mann in COLLATERAL (2004), while breaking box-office records in blockbusters like THE LAST SAMURAI and the MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE series.
Tickets for the Monday, December 17th conversation and Jack Reacher screening will be available beginning Monday, December 10th. The event will be held at the Rose Theater, on the 5th floor of the Time Warner Center (Broadway and 60th street). Tickets will be sold for $50 and $35, and all proceeds from the event will go to the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s 50th Anniversary Fund, which supports the new education program and emerging filmmaker initiatives. Visit www.filmlinc.com for additional information.
Special Two Film Package available for the films in the retrospective, ALL THE RIGHT MOVES: THE FILMS OF TOM CRUISE, running from December 18-20. Tickets on sale today, visit Filmlinc.com. All screenings will take place at the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Walter Reade Theater, 165 West 65th Street (between Broadway and Amsterdam).
Films, Descriptions & Schedule
An Evening with Tom Cruise featuring a Sneak Preview Screening of Jack Reacher
Fresh from his biggest worldwide success to date with Mission: Impossible—Ghost Protocol and about to hit screens in the hotly anticipated Jack Reacher, we are pleased to welcome three-time Academy Award® nominee Tom Cruise for a career-spanning conversation moderated by New York Film Festival Director of Programming, Kent Jones, followed by a special advance screening of Cruise’s latest film, Jack Reacher, directed by Christopher McQuarrie. All proceeds from the event will go to the Film Society’s 50th Anniversary Fund, which supports the new education programs and emerging filmmaker initiatives. Info on the fund can be found at FilmLinc.com/50Fund.
Jack Reacher
Christopher McQuarrie, 2012, USA; 130m
From The New York Times bestselling author Lee Child comes one of the most compelling heroes to step from novel to screen—ex-military investigator Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise). When a gunman takes five lives with six shots, all evidence points to the suspect in custody. On interrogation, the suspect offers up a single note: “Get Jack Reacher!” So begins an extraordinary chase for the truth, pitting Jack Reacher against an unexpected enemy, with a skill for violence and a secret to keep. Written for the screen and directed by Oscar-winner Christopher McQuarrie (The Usual Suspects). Co-starring Rosamund Pike, Richard Jenkins, Werner Herzog, David Oyelowo and Robert Duvall!
*Mon. Dec 17, 7:00PM
BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY (1989) 145min
Director: Oliver Stone, Country: USA
Cruise earned the first of three Oscar nominations for his transformative portrayal of disillusioned Vietnam vet Ron Kovic in Oliver Stone’s shattering portrait of the loss of American innocence.
*Wed. Dec 19, 9:00PM
JERRY MAGUIRE (1996) 139min
Director: Cameron Crowe, Country: USA
Cruise earned his second Best Actor Oscar nomination as the eponymous high-powered sports agent whose existential epiphany loses him all but one client (Oscar-winner Cuba Gooding, Jr.) in Cameron Crowe’s wry American success story.
*Thurs. Dec 20, 8:45PM
THE LAST SAMURAI (2003) 154min
Director: Ed Zwick, Country: USA
Ed Zwick’s visually majestic, old fashioned Hollywood epic stars Cruise as a disillusioned Civil War vet (Cruise) hired to train conscript in Japan’s first modern army, caught between the past and present of a rapidly changing nation.
*Thurs. Dec 20, 3:30PM
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE (1996) 110min
Director: Brian De Palma, Country: USA
Finding himself the only survivor of a mission gone awry, secret agent Ethan Hunt (Cruise) must unravel the conspiracy in the film that launched the successful franchise, directed by master of suspense Brian De Palma.
*Thurs. Dec 20, 6:30PM
RAIN MAN (1988) 133min
Director: Barry Levinson, Country: USA
As a slick yuppie unexpectedly reunited with his autistic older brother (Dustin Hoffman), Cruise more than holds his own in Barry Levinson’s beloved 1988 Oscar-winner.
*Wed. Dec 19, 6:00PM
RISKY BUSINESS (1983) 98min
Director: Paul Brickman, Country: USA
When mom and dad leave town, an enterprising Chicago teen (21-year-old Cruise in his star-making role) gets in over his head with a kind-hearted prostitute (Rebecca De Mornay) in writer-director Paul Brickman’s sparkling coming-of-age comedy.
*Wed. Dec 19, 3:45PM
TOP GUN (1986) 110min
Director: Tony Scott, Country: USA
Cruise flew into the danger zone (and sent sales of Ray-Bans and leather jackets soaring) as a hotshot Navy pilot romancing his civilian instructor (Kelly McGillis) in producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Tony Scott’s prototypical ‘80s blockbuster.
*Tues. Dec 18, 8:30PM
Film Society of Lincoln Center
Under the leadership of Rose Kuo, Executive Director, and Richard Peña, Program Director, the Film Society of Lincoln Center offers the best in international, classic and cutting-edge independent cinema. The Film Society presents two film festivals that attract global attention: the New York Film Festival, having just celebrated its 50th edition, and New Directors/New Films which, since its founding in 1972, has been produced in collaboration with MoMA. The Film Society also publishes the award-winning Film Comment Magazine, and for over three decades has given an annual award—now named “The Chaplin Award”—to a major figure in world cinema. Past recipients of this award include Charlie Chaplin, Alfred Hitchcock, Martin Scorsese, Meryl Streep, and Tom Hanks. The Film Society presents a year-round calendar of programming, panels, lectures, educational programs and specialty film releases at its Walter Reade Theater and the new state-of-the-art Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center.
The Film Society receives generous, year-round support from Royal Bank of Canada, American Airlines, The New York Times, Stella Artois, the National Endowment for the Arts and New York State Council on the Arts. For more information, visit www.filmlinc.com and follow #filmlinc
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Review: "Blue Steel" is Mixes Horror and Crime Genres (Happy B'day, Kathryn Bigelow)
Blue Steel (1990)
Running time: 102 minutes (1 hour, 42 minutes)
MPAA - R
DIRECTOR: Kathryn Bigelow
WRITERS: Kathryn Bigelow and Eric Red
PRODUCERS: Edward R. Pressman and Oliver Stone
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Amir Mokri
EDITOR: Lee Percy
COMPOSER: Brad Fiedel
CRIME/THRILLER with elements of horror
Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Ron Silver, Clancy Brown, Elizabeth Pena, Louise Fletcher, Philip Bosco, Kevin Dunn, Tom Sizemore, Matt Craven, and Richard Jenkins
Blue Steel was director Kathryn Bigelow’s third directorial effort (her second solo feature), and like her earlier mixed genre efforts, the film is a horror flick dressed in the clothes of a cop movie.
When rookie policewoman Megan Turner (Jamie Lee Curtis) shoots an armed robber during a holdup, one of the witnesses is Wall Street broker, Eugene Hunt (Ron Silver). A psychotic who hears voices talking to him, Hunt becomes obsessed with Megan. He cunningly removes the robber’s gun, and quietly leaves the store without Megan ever realizing he was there. Hunt carves her name on the bullets and begins a killing spree. Later, Megan meets Eugene, and he woos her into a budding romance, but his extreme mental illness causes him to reveal his crimes to Megan. However, virtually no one believes that he is the killer. As the deadly psychopath draws the young cop into a deadly game of wits, Megan thinks she’s one step ahead of him, but Hunt is much closer than she thinks.
Casting Jamie Lee Curtis as the rookie female policeman was a good move. Having spent much of her early film career playing beautiful young women stalked by mad killers in such films as Halloween (1978), The Fog and Terror Train (both 1980), and Halloween II (1981), Curtis just feels right in Blue Steel as the feisty girl against the seemingly unstoppable mass murderer. She also looks the same in her early 30’s when Blue Steel was filmed as she did when she was just in his 20’s and starring in slasher movies in the late 70’s and early 80’s. The general idea of Blue Steel seems to be that Curtis’s Megan Turner never realizes just how precarious her situation is, whether she is at home (where her father is an abusive husband), in the office (where her colleagues don’t respect her), or on the streets of New York City (where the killer stalks her).
The problem is Kathryn Bigelow and Eric Red’s screenplay, which attacks plausibility at every turn. This is a brutal cat and mouse game, and Bigelow presents Blue Steel as an exercise of urban violence and fierce gunplay – the kind that was fashionable in 1980’s action movies such as Die Hard and Lethal Weapon. Much of the violence is a kick in the gut, but this concept plays with the conceit of horror movies (where many things that happen don’t have to make sense) rather than cop movies (where most things should make real world sense). In the Blue Steel, the killer is unstoppable and somewhat supernatural and the girl hero and the police department don’t seem to have much common sense, which they should.
5 of 10
C+
Thursday, May 10, 2007
-----------------------
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Review: First "Conan the Barbarian" is Still a Beast of a Movie
TRASH IN MY EYE No. 137 (of 2006) by Leroy DouresseauxConan the Barbarian (1982)
Running time: 131 minutes (2 hours, 11 minutes)
MPAA – R
DIRECTOR: John Milius
WRITERS: Oliver Stone and John Milius; from a story by Edward Summer (based upon the stories by Robert E. Howard)PRODUCERS: Buzz Feitshans and Raffaella de Laurentiis
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Duke Callaghan
EDITOR: C. Timothy O’Meara
Golden Globe Award winner
FANTASY/ACTION/ADVENTURE
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Earl Jones, Sandahl Bergman, Ben Davidson, Cassandra Gaviola, Gerry Lopez, Mako, Valérie Quennessen, William Smith, and Max Von Sydow
Young Conan (Jorge Sanz) saw his father (William Smith) murdered by a band of marauders who attacked their village. Conan’s mother (Nadiuska) took on the marauder’s warlord, Thulsa Doom (James Earl Jones), in a sword duel before Doom beheaded her. Doom’s soldiers subsequently sold Young Conan into slavery. The intense labor he endures as a slave (pushing a giant grinding wheel) transforms the adult Conan (Arnold Schwarzenegger) into a sinewy, muscular giant. Before long, opportunistic men further transform him into a skilled gladiator, who can outfight any man and probably kill at will.
Conan however becomes a thief. His companions are two mercenaries – the comely warrior woman, Valeria (Sandahl Bergman, who won a Golden Globe in 1983 for “Most Promising Newcomer of the Year in a Motion Picture – Female, an award the Globes stopped giving over two decades ago), and the sword fighter, Subotai (Gerry Lopez). The trio is captured by a grieving monarch, King Osric (Max Von Sydow), whose daughter joined a powerful snake-worshipping cult. His offer of riches to rescue her puts Conan on the path to avenging the murder of his Cimmerian tribesman and family. Osric’s daughter, The Princess (Valérie Quennessen), plans to marry the leader of this cult, which rules the land far and wide, his name – Thulsa Doom, the villain who murdered Conan’s mother. Revenge won’t come easy, Doom wields powerful magic, and his army is many and strong.
Before the age of computer generated effects, filmmakers of fantasy films relied on in-camera effects, hand drawn animation, makeup effects wizards, and mechanical puppets and creature effects to transport viewers to worlds that looked like ours, but were filled with warriors, kings, princess, monsters, and powerful wizards. There were no computer-generated combatants to fill imaginary epic battlefields (as in The Lord of the Rings). Stuntmen and fight coordinators who specialized in martial arts and hand-to-hand combat, animal wranglers to handle horses, prop masters and weapons makers, etc. had to use their wits and skills to create believable battle scenes. Often, the actors and actresses had to get down and dirty and perform their own stunts – do their own fighting.
To direct this kind of film, a producer would have to find a director who is a man’s man, one who made movies for guys – guys who love movies (as the TNT slogan goes). Filmmaker John Milius has spent his career writing or directing (and sometimes both) tough guy adventure epics. His resume includes script writing for Apocalypse Now and Clear and Present Danger. He also wrote and directed the semi-cult classic, Red Dawn.
Milius took on the ultimate action hero actor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, early in the actor’s movie career in the film, Conan the Barbarian. The two work magic. Schwarzenegger isn’t a great actor in the classic tradition of playing a diverse body of characters and burying oneself in those roles. He is, however, a movie star – an actor who really looks like nothing else but an actor when the camera starts filming. Arnold as Conan has more than a ring of truth to it because Arnold has The Presence.
Milius puts it all together. Conan the Barbarian is a fine epic flick filled with burning villages, screaming peasants, murderous marauders, and devious women wielding sex and offering their supremely well-built bodies to men all-too-ready to get laid at the drop of a loin cloth or at the peek of boob flesh. Milius (who co-wrote the script with Academy Award winning director Oliver Stone of Platoon and JFK) gives up little fights, man on man tussles, and superbly staged battles of testosterone-fueled men stabbing, slicing, cutting, and gutting one another; of horses racing, falling, and dying on top of their riders; and of death on the battlefield.
In addition to Schwarzenegger, the rest of the cast also performs well. James Earl Jones is madness personified as the murderous, egomaniacal, and insane Thulsa Doom. Sandahl Bergman as Valeria and Gerry Lopez as Subotai hit the right notes as Conan’s thieves-in-arms. Milius’ crew of technicians, craftsman, and stuntmen also give him a superior effort. Basil Poledouris’ score is picture perfect; very few movies about men with swords fighting each other ever had music so good. Milius takes the Poledouris’ music and mixes it with the rest of his ingredients to create a truly entertaining guy’s fantasy flick. Conan the Barbarian isn’t perfect, but as a sword and sorcery epic, it’s perfect enough.
7 of 10
A-
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
NOTES:
1983 Golden Globes: 1 win: “New Star of the Year in a Motion Picture – Female” (Sandahl Bergman)
1983 Razzie Awards: 1 nomination: “Worst Actor” (Arnold Schwarzenegger)
---------------------------
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Wednesday, August 3, 2011
"Scarface" Returns to Theatres for One Night Only - August 31st
Presented by NCM Fathom and Universal Studios Home Entertainment in More Than 475 Select Movie Theaters Nationwide on August 31
Special Event Includes the Debut of Exclusive Featurette Showcasing the Pop Culture Phenomenon That Redefined the Gangster Genre
Centennial, Colo. – August 1, 2011 – Blasting onto the silver screen with the intensity of its original release nearly 30 years ago, the pop culture phenomenon Scarface, starring Al Pacino and directed by Brian De Palma, returns to movie theaters in a one-night Fathom event on Wednesday, August 31 at 7:30 p.m. local time. Presented by NCM Fathom and Universal Studios Home Entertainment, audiences nationwide will get the opportunity to experience one of the most influential gangster classics ever made like never before — with all-new restored high-definition picture and enhanced audio. Fans who attend this special event will also get an exclusive look at a 20-minute special feature that showcases interviews with popular filmmakers and talent expressing how this epic feature redefined the gangster genre, leaving an enduring influence on cinema.
Tickets for the Scarface Special Event (http://www.fathomevents.com/classics/event/scarface.aspx?utm_source=PR_Scarface&utm_medium=Press_release_Scarface&utm_campaign=PR_Scarface) are available at participating theater box offices and online at www.FathomEvents.com. For a complete list of theater locations and prices, visit the NCM Fathom website (theaters and participants are subject to change). TheScarface Special Event will appear in more than 475 select movie theaters across the country via the new digital cinema projection systems.
“Almost 30 years after its initial release, Scarface remains iconic and stirs passionate responses from audiences around the world,” said Dan Diamond, vice president of NCM Fathom. “Now, fans can experience Scarfacelike never before in theaters with spectacularly updated visual and sound quality, and never-before-seen elements in an historic, one-night event.”
Scarface is a 1983 American crime drama and masterful collaboration between acclaimed director Brian DePalma and Academy Award®-winning screenwriter Oliver Stone. Produced by Martin Bregman, Academy Award® winner Al Pacino stars as Tony Montana, a Cuban immigrant who finds wealth, power and passion beyond his wildest dreams…at a price he never imagined. Scarface was nominated for three Golden Globe® Awards (including Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor and Best Original Score), and was named one of the Top 10 Gangster Films of All Time by the American Film Institute.
This one-night, in-theater event celebrates the first-ever Blu-rayTM release of Scarface on September 6 from Universal Studios Home Entertainment. Fans of Scarface will enjoy the restored high-definition picture and 7.1 audio plus see exclusive new bonus content that reveals the film’s iconic legacy as one of the greatest crime sagas of all time. For a limited time only, the Scarface Special Limited Edition Blu-rayTM comes with collectible SteelBookTM packaging, 10 exclusive art cards, a digital copy of the film and a DVD of the original 1932Scarface, making it a must-own addition to every film fan’s library. And, for the ultimate collector and cigar enthusiast, an elegantly hand-crafted Scarface-themed humidor will also be made available in an exclusive, never-before-available, limited edition.
About National CineMedia (NCM)
http://www.nationalcinemedia.com/content/pdf/National_CineMedia_NCM_Media_Networks_Background_Fact_Sheet.pdf operates NCM Media Networks, a leading integrated media company reaching U.S. consumers in movie theaters, online and throughmobile technology. NCM Cinema Network (http://www.nationalcinemedia.com/cinema-network) and NCM Fathom (http://www.nationalcinemedia.com/ncm-fathom) present cinema advertising and events across the nation’s largest digital in-theater network, comprised of theaters owned by AMC Entertainment Inc., Cinemark Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CNK), Regal Entertainment Group (NYSE: RGC) and other leading regional theater circuits. NCM’s theater advertising network covers 170 Designated Market Areas® (49 of the top 50) and includes approximately 17,200 screens (16,100 digital). During 2010, over 680 million patrons attended movies shown in theaters currently included in NCM’s network (including Consolidated Theatres, Rave Cinemas, Coming Attractions and Digiplex Destinations). The NCM Fathom Events (http://www.nationalcinemedia.com/content/files/Fathom_Backgrounder(1).pdf) broadcast network is comprised of over 600 locations in 163 Designated Market Areas® (all of the top 50). The NCM Interactive Network (http://www.nationalcinemedia.com/interactive-network) offers 360-degree integrated marketing opportunities in combination with cinema, encompassing 43 entertainment-related websites, online widgets and mobile applications. National CineMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ: NCMI) owns a 48.6% interest in and is themanaging member of National CineMedia LLC. For more information, visit www.nationalcinemedia.com or http://www.ncm.com/ or http://www.fathomevents.com/.
About Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Universal Studios Home Entertainment is a unit of Universal Pictures, a division of Universal Studios. Universal Studios is a part of NBCUniversal , one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production and marketing of entertainment, news and information to a global audience. NBCUniversal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment television networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group and world-renowned theme parks. Comcast Corporation owns a controlling 51% interest in NBCUniversal, with GE holding a 49% stake.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Brian de Palma's "Scarface" on Blu-ray in September 2011
THE POP CULTURE PHENOMENON THAT REDEFINED THE GANGSTER GENRE COMES TO BLU-RAYTM FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER SEPTEMBER 6, 2011
SCARFACE
Special Limited Edition Blu-Ray TM Kicks-Off with a National Fan Art Contest & Will Feature Collectible Packaging, New Bonus Content and Digital Copy
Plus the Ultimate Fan Gift: A Limited-Run Scarface-Themed Humidor Specially Crafted by the Renowned Daniel Marshall
Universal City, California, March 24, 2011—With machine guns blazing, the explosive underworld epic Scarface arrives on Blu-ray TM Hi-Def September 6, 2011 from Universal Studios Home Entertainment.
Considered one of the most influential gangster films ever made, Scarface’s gritty depiction of Tony Montana’s lethal ambition has made it a cultural touchstone that spans generations. Now, fans can experience the film’s raw power in the newly restored, high-resolution, high-definition picture and explosive 7.1 audio for the first time ever. Exclusive new bonus content created especially for this release reveals the film’s iconic legacy as one of the greatest crime sagas of all time. For a limited time only, Scarface Special Limited Edition Blu-rayTM comes with collectible SteelBookTM packaging, ten exclusive art cards, a digital copy of the film and a DVD of the original 1932 Scarface, making it a must-own addition to every film fan’s library. And, for the ultimate collector and cigar enthusiast, an elegantly hand-crafted Scarface-themed humidor will be made available in an exclusive, never-before-available, limited edition. Created by the renowned Daniel Marshall, the humidor’s exterior is hand painted and polished with the Marshall’s trademark “1000 coat brilliant finish.” The interior – made with untreated Spanish cedar – will properly condition and age approximately 100 cigars at optimal humidity levels. Limited to 1,000 worldwide, each individually numbered humidor comes embellished with custom medallions inspired by the iconic film and includes a certificate of authenticity.
“Nearly 30 years after it first exploded onto the screen, Scarface stands as a cultural icon with a passionate and growing fan base that continues to exert an enduring influence on not just moviemakers but artists across the entire pop-culture landscape,” said Craig Kornblau, President of Universal Studios Home Entertainment. “Now, for the first time ever, fans of this jewel in the Universal crown can enjoy Scarface with the spectacular picture and sound quality that only Blu-rayTM provides.”
A masterful collaboration between acclaimed director Brian de Palma (The Untouchables, Carlito’s Way) and Academy Award®-winning screenwriter Oliver Stone (Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, Platoon), Scarface features extraordinary performances from a powerhouse cast that includes Academy Award® winner Al Pacino (The Godfather), Academy Award® nominee Michelle Pfeiffer (The Fabulous Baker Boys, Hairspray), Academy Award® nominee Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio (The Color of Money, The Perfect Storm), Academy Award® nominee Robert Loggia (Jagged Edge) and Steven Bauer (Traffic). The film was nominated for three Golden Globe® Awards (including Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor and Best Original Score), and was named one of the Top 10 Gangster Films of All Time by the American Film Institute.
NATIONAL FAN ART CONTEST
To celebrate the film’s Blu-rayTM debut, fans will have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to design Scarface-inspired artwork using classic Tony Montana images from the film. Universal will select the Top 25 submissions based on creativity, originality, quality of composition/design and utilization of the Scarface theme. Fans will vote on their favorite 10 submissions which will then be featured as exclusive art cards in the Scarface Limited Edition Blu-rayTM. The designer who garners the highest number of fan votes will become the Grand Prize winner, and will have their art featured on both the art card and on a high-profile billboard in a major US city to promote the release.
For more information on how to enter the fan art contest and to be among the first to hear future exciting, exclusive announcements about Scarface on Blu-rayTM, join over 3.6 million fans on Facebook and visit www.facebook.com/scarfacethemovie.
BONUS FEATURES
· The Scarface Phenomenon— This all-new documentary presents Scarface as a unique phenomenon in cinema history. It explores how a film plagued by controversy leading up to its release has become a Hollywood classic, influencing a whole new generation of filmmakers and leaving a lasting imprint on popular culture.
· Deleted Scenes
· The World of Tony Montana —Experience the world of the ultimate gangster and hear from experts on the real world violence, fear and paranoia that surrounds a drug lord.
· The Rebirth —Director Brian De Palma, producer Martin Bregman, actor Al Pacino, and screenwriter Oliver Stone revisit the history of Scarface, from the inspiration of the original Howard Hawks classic to the evolution of the script.
· The Acting — Join the filmmakers, Al Pacino and Steven Bauer to discover how each of the roles was cast and how Brian De Palma worked with his actors to get unforgettable performances.
· The Creating — A fascinating, controversial and definitive journey through the making of the film, which began with the production being forced to leave its initial location in Florida. Discover how the chainsaw scene was filmed, learn about the production design, the photography, and the struggle to get the film an “R” rating.
· Scarface: The TV Version—A revealing and hilarious montage of film clips comparing the theatrical version to the network television version of Scarface.
· The Making of Scarface: The Video Game: Immerse yourself in the world of Scarface in this behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the video game.
· U-CONTROL FEATURES ON THIS BLU-RAY DISC:
· Scarface Scoreboard—Watch Scarface like never before. Keep track of the number of times the “F” word is used and monitor the bullets fired!
· Picture in Picture—Access interview footage of Brian De Palma, Al Pacino, Screenwriter Oliver Stone, and others without interruption to the movie experience. Also featured is a scene comparison between the 1983 version of Scarface and Howard Hawks’ original film.
· BD-LIVE™—Access the BD-Live™ Center through your Internet-connected player to get even more content, watch the latest trailers and more.
· pocket BLU™ app— USHE’s groundbreaking pocket BLU™ app uses iPhone™, iPad™, iPod® touch, Smartphone, Android™, PC and Macintosh to work seamlessly with a network-connected Blu-ray™ player and offers advanced features such as:
o Advanced Remote Control: A sleek, elegant new way to operate your Blu-ray™ player. Users can navigate through menus, playback and BD-Live™ functions with ease.
o Video Timeline: Users can easily bring up the video timeline, allowing them to instantly access any point in the movie.
o Mobile-To-Go: Users can unlock a selection of bonus content with their Blu-ray™ discs to save to mobile devices or to stream from anywhere there’s a Wi-Fi network, enabling them to enjoy exclusive content on the go, anytime, anywhere.
o Keyboard: Enter data into a Blu-ray™ player with your device’s easy and intuitive keyboard to facilitate such Blu-ray™ features as chatting with friends and sending messages.
SYNOPSIS
In the spring of 1980, the Mariel boatlift brought thousands of Cuban refugees to the sun-washed avenues of Miami in search of the American dream. From acclaimed director Brian DePalma, Scarface is the rags-to-riches story of Tony Montana (Al Pacino), who finds wealth, power and passion beyond his wildest dreams…at a price he never imagined. Tony Montana’s meteoric rise, lavish life and soul-destroying fall anchor an epic film that inspired a worldwide following. Pacino is at his most memorable as Montana, blasting his way to the top of Miami’s drug underworld in a bravura performance.
Technical Information
Street Date: September 6, 2011
Rating: R
Running Time: 2 Hours 50 Minutes
Number of Layers: BD-50
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Technical Info: English DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1/DTS Surround 2.0, French DTS Surround 2.0 Mono, Spanish DTS Surround 2.0 Mono
Languages: English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles
Gift Set SRP: $999.99
NBCUniversal is one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production and marketing of entertainment, news and information to a global audience. NBCUniversal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment television networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group and world-renowned theme parks. Comcast Corporation owns a controlling 51% interest in NBCUniversal, with GE holding a 49% stake.
SCARFACE
Special Limited Edition Blu-Ray TM Kicks-Off with a National Fan Art Contest & Will Feature Collectible Packaging, New Bonus Content and Digital Copy
Plus the Ultimate Fan Gift: A Limited-Run Scarface-Themed Humidor Specially Crafted by the Renowned Daniel Marshall
Universal City, California, March 24, 2011—With machine guns blazing, the explosive underworld epic Scarface arrives on Blu-ray TM Hi-Def September 6, 2011 from Universal Studios Home Entertainment.
Considered one of the most influential gangster films ever made, Scarface’s gritty depiction of Tony Montana’s lethal ambition has made it a cultural touchstone that spans generations. Now, fans can experience the film’s raw power in the newly restored, high-resolution, high-definition picture and explosive 7.1 audio for the first time ever. Exclusive new bonus content created especially for this release reveals the film’s iconic legacy as one of the greatest crime sagas of all time. For a limited time only, Scarface Special Limited Edition Blu-rayTM comes with collectible SteelBookTM packaging, ten exclusive art cards, a digital copy of the film and a DVD of the original 1932 Scarface, making it a must-own addition to every film fan’s library. And, for the ultimate collector and cigar enthusiast, an elegantly hand-crafted Scarface-themed humidor will be made available in an exclusive, never-before-available, limited edition. Created by the renowned Daniel Marshall, the humidor’s exterior is hand painted and polished with the Marshall’s trademark “1000 coat brilliant finish.” The interior – made with untreated Spanish cedar – will properly condition and age approximately 100 cigars at optimal humidity levels. Limited to 1,000 worldwide, each individually numbered humidor comes embellished with custom medallions inspired by the iconic film and includes a certificate of authenticity.
“Nearly 30 years after it first exploded onto the screen, Scarface stands as a cultural icon with a passionate and growing fan base that continues to exert an enduring influence on not just moviemakers but artists across the entire pop-culture landscape,” said Craig Kornblau, President of Universal Studios Home Entertainment. “Now, for the first time ever, fans of this jewel in the Universal crown can enjoy Scarface with the spectacular picture and sound quality that only Blu-rayTM provides.”
A masterful collaboration between acclaimed director Brian de Palma (The Untouchables, Carlito’s Way) and Academy Award®-winning screenwriter Oliver Stone (Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, Platoon), Scarface features extraordinary performances from a powerhouse cast that includes Academy Award® winner Al Pacino (The Godfather), Academy Award® nominee Michelle Pfeiffer (The Fabulous Baker Boys, Hairspray), Academy Award® nominee Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio (The Color of Money, The Perfect Storm), Academy Award® nominee Robert Loggia (Jagged Edge) and Steven Bauer (Traffic). The film was nominated for three Golden Globe® Awards (including Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor and Best Original Score), and was named one of the Top 10 Gangster Films of All Time by the American Film Institute.
NATIONAL FAN ART CONTEST
To celebrate the film’s Blu-rayTM debut, fans will have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to design Scarface-inspired artwork using classic Tony Montana images from the film. Universal will select the Top 25 submissions based on creativity, originality, quality of composition/design and utilization of the Scarface theme. Fans will vote on their favorite 10 submissions which will then be featured as exclusive art cards in the Scarface Limited Edition Blu-rayTM. The designer who garners the highest number of fan votes will become the Grand Prize winner, and will have their art featured on both the art card and on a high-profile billboard in a major US city to promote the release.
For more information on how to enter the fan art contest and to be among the first to hear future exciting, exclusive announcements about Scarface on Blu-rayTM, join over 3.6 million fans on Facebook and visit www.facebook.com/scarfacethemovie.
BONUS FEATURES
· The Scarface Phenomenon— This all-new documentary presents Scarface as a unique phenomenon in cinema history. It explores how a film plagued by controversy leading up to its release has become a Hollywood classic, influencing a whole new generation of filmmakers and leaving a lasting imprint on popular culture.
· Deleted Scenes
· The World of Tony Montana —Experience the world of the ultimate gangster and hear from experts on the real world violence, fear and paranoia that surrounds a drug lord.
· The Rebirth —Director Brian De Palma, producer Martin Bregman, actor Al Pacino, and screenwriter Oliver Stone revisit the history of Scarface, from the inspiration of the original Howard Hawks classic to the evolution of the script.
· The Acting — Join the filmmakers, Al Pacino and Steven Bauer to discover how each of the roles was cast and how Brian De Palma worked with his actors to get unforgettable performances.
· The Creating — A fascinating, controversial and definitive journey through the making of the film, which began with the production being forced to leave its initial location in Florida. Discover how the chainsaw scene was filmed, learn about the production design, the photography, and the struggle to get the film an “R” rating.
· Scarface: The TV Version—A revealing and hilarious montage of film clips comparing the theatrical version to the network television version of Scarface.
· The Making of Scarface: The Video Game: Immerse yourself in the world of Scarface in this behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the video game.
· U-CONTROL FEATURES ON THIS BLU-RAY DISC:
· Scarface Scoreboard—Watch Scarface like never before. Keep track of the number of times the “F” word is used and monitor the bullets fired!
· Picture in Picture—Access interview footage of Brian De Palma, Al Pacino, Screenwriter Oliver Stone, and others without interruption to the movie experience. Also featured is a scene comparison between the 1983 version of Scarface and Howard Hawks’ original film.
· BD-LIVE™—Access the BD-Live™ Center through your Internet-connected player to get even more content, watch the latest trailers and more.
· pocket BLU™ app— USHE’s groundbreaking pocket BLU™ app uses iPhone™, iPad™, iPod® touch, Smartphone, Android™, PC and Macintosh to work seamlessly with a network-connected Blu-ray™ player and offers advanced features such as:
o Advanced Remote Control: A sleek, elegant new way to operate your Blu-ray™ player. Users can navigate through menus, playback and BD-Live™ functions with ease.
o Video Timeline: Users can easily bring up the video timeline, allowing them to instantly access any point in the movie.
o Mobile-To-Go: Users can unlock a selection of bonus content with their Blu-ray™ discs to save to mobile devices or to stream from anywhere there’s a Wi-Fi network, enabling them to enjoy exclusive content on the go, anytime, anywhere.
o Keyboard: Enter data into a Blu-ray™ player with your device’s easy and intuitive keyboard to facilitate such Blu-ray™ features as chatting with friends and sending messages.
SYNOPSIS
In the spring of 1980, the Mariel boatlift brought thousands of Cuban refugees to the sun-washed avenues of Miami in search of the American dream. From acclaimed director Brian DePalma, Scarface is the rags-to-riches story of Tony Montana (Al Pacino), who finds wealth, power and passion beyond his wildest dreams…at a price he never imagined. Tony Montana’s meteoric rise, lavish life and soul-destroying fall anchor an epic film that inspired a worldwide following. Pacino is at his most memorable as Montana, blasting his way to the top of Miami’s drug underworld in a bravura performance.
Technical Information
Street Date: September 6, 2011
Rating: R
Running Time: 2 Hours 50 Minutes
Number of Layers: BD-50
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Technical Info: English DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1/DTS Surround 2.0, French DTS Surround 2.0 Mono, Spanish DTS Surround 2.0 Mono
Languages: English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles
Gift Set SRP: $999.99
NBCUniversal is one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production and marketing of entertainment, news and information to a global audience. NBCUniversal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment television networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group and world-renowned theme parks. Comcast Corporation owns a controlling 51% interest in NBCUniversal, with GE holding a 49% stake.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Review: In "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps" Michael Douglas is Still King
TRASH IN MY EYE No. 9 (of 2011) by Leroy Douresseaux
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010)
Running time: 133 minutes (2 hours, 13 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for brief strong language and thematic elements
DIRECTOR: Oliver Stone
WRITERS: Allan Loeb and Stephen Schiff (based upon characters created by Stanley Weiser and Oliver Stone)
PRODUCER: Edward R. Pressman, Eric Kopeloff, and Oliver Stone
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Rodrigo Prieto (D.o.P.)
EDITORS: David Brenner and Julie Monroe
Golden Globe nominee
DRAMA
Starring: Michael Douglas, Shia LaBeouf, Josh Brolin, Carey Mulligan, Frank Langella, Susan Sarandon, Vanessa Ferlito, John Buffalo Mailer, Eli Wallach, Austin Pendleton, Oliver Stone and Charlie Sheen
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, a film from Oliver Stone, is a sequel to Stone’s 1987 movie, Wall Street. Money Never Sleeps is set 23 years after the original and revolves around the 2008 financial crisis. It focuses on a young trader working to unite a legendary Wall Street figure with his daughter, the trader’s girlfriend. As good as it is, however, the new film does not resonate the way the original did.
The film opens in 2001 with Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas), the Wall Street titan of the first film, being released from federal prison after serving eight years for insider trading and securities fraud. Jumping seven years later, the film shifts focus to Jacob “Jake” Moore (Shia LaBeouf), a trader at Keller Zabel, a major Wall Street investment bank. Jake is trying to raise 100 million dollars to fund a fusion research project. Keller Zabel, however, is in trouble, and the firm’s managing director, Louis Zabel (Frank Langella), who is also Jake’s mentor, goes down with his firm.
In the aftermath, Jake proposes to his girlfriend, Winnie Gekko (Carey Mulligan), Gordon Gekko’s daughter. Jake also meets Gordon and retries to reunite him with Winnie, who wants nothing to do with her father. Behind Winnie’s back, Jake and Gekko plot revenge against Bretton James (Josh Brolin). The CEO of investment firm Churchill Schwartz, James helped bring down Keller Zabel. Gekko also has a score to settle, but Jake is about to learn how troublesome Gekko is to friend and foe alike.
The original Wall Street was about power, insiders, information, influence, and greed. Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps is about lying, cheating, and a monstrous form of greed that will eat and/or destroy everything around it, regardless of the damage done or even potential harm done to itself. With that kind of subject matter, Money Never Sleeps should be a better film than it is. It is certainly a good film, with excellent performances, but it never reaches its potential.
Neither the film’s writers nor Stone, its director, seem able to distinguish what Money Never Sleeps’ focus is supposed to be. Is it about Jake and Gekko or Jake versus Bretton James or Jake and Gekko versus Bretton? Is it about Jake trying to reunite Gekko with his estranged daughter, Winnie? The film tries all these plots and storylines, but mostly leaves them with unsatisfying and/or half-done resolutions.
Where as the first film had the central conflict of Douglas’ Gordon Gekko versus Charlie Sheen’s Bud Fox (who makes a cameo in the new film), Money Never Sleeps lacks a strong central conflict. The first film dealt with insider trading, giving the audience clear details into how this illegal practice works. Because the bugaboo of the new film is the confusing matter of derivatives, the screenplay avoids the details, and the movie suffers for it.
The performances are all good. Shia LaBeouf is surprising and holds his own against Michael Douglas, affirming that the young actor can be a leading man. Douglas gets better with age, and he has been good for longer than LaBeouf has been alive. It is easy to forget how capable Douglas is of being subtle, as he gives Gekko more layers than the viewer can count.
Watching Douglas, it becomes obvious that even if the new movie is about the new players on Wall Street, the movie loves the smartest, most dangerous, and most enigmatic player, Gordon Gekko. One of the reasons that Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps is good is because it has the strongest element from the first film, Gekko. Despite its strengths, the new film cannot come up with anything of its own that is as memorable as Gordon Gekko.
7 of 10
B+
NOTES:
2011 Golden Globes: 1 nomination: “Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture” (Michael Douglas)
Friday, January 28, 2011
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010)
Running time: 133 minutes (2 hours, 13 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for brief strong language and thematic elements
DIRECTOR: Oliver Stone
WRITERS: Allan Loeb and Stephen Schiff (based upon characters created by Stanley Weiser and Oliver Stone)
PRODUCER: Edward R. Pressman, Eric Kopeloff, and Oliver Stone
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Rodrigo Prieto (D.o.P.)
EDITORS: David Brenner and Julie Monroe
Golden Globe nominee
DRAMA
Starring: Michael Douglas, Shia LaBeouf, Josh Brolin, Carey Mulligan, Frank Langella, Susan Sarandon, Vanessa Ferlito, John Buffalo Mailer, Eli Wallach, Austin Pendleton, Oliver Stone and Charlie Sheen
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, a film from Oliver Stone, is a sequel to Stone’s 1987 movie, Wall Street. Money Never Sleeps is set 23 years after the original and revolves around the 2008 financial crisis. It focuses on a young trader working to unite a legendary Wall Street figure with his daughter, the trader’s girlfriend. As good as it is, however, the new film does not resonate the way the original did.
The film opens in 2001 with Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas), the Wall Street titan of the first film, being released from federal prison after serving eight years for insider trading and securities fraud. Jumping seven years later, the film shifts focus to Jacob “Jake” Moore (Shia LaBeouf), a trader at Keller Zabel, a major Wall Street investment bank. Jake is trying to raise 100 million dollars to fund a fusion research project. Keller Zabel, however, is in trouble, and the firm’s managing director, Louis Zabel (Frank Langella), who is also Jake’s mentor, goes down with his firm.
In the aftermath, Jake proposes to his girlfriend, Winnie Gekko (Carey Mulligan), Gordon Gekko’s daughter. Jake also meets Gordon and retries to reunite him with Winnie, who wants nothing to do with her father. Behind Winnie’s back, Jake and Gekko plot revenge against Bretton James (Josh Brolin). The CEO of investment firm Churchill Schwartz, James helped bring down Keller Zabel. Gekko also has a score to settle, but Jake is about to learn how troublesome Gekko is to friend and foe alike.
The original Wall Street was about power, insiders, information, influence, and greed. Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps is about lying, cheating, and a monstrous form of greed that will eat and/or destroy everything around it, regardless of the damage done or even potential harm done to itself. With that kind of subject matter, Money Never Sleeps should be a better film than it is. It is certainly a good film, with excellent performances, but it never reaches its potential.
Neither the film’s writers nor Stone, its director, seem able to distinguish what Money Never Sleeps’ focus is supposed to be. Is it about Jake and Gekko or Jake versus Bretton James or Jake and Gekko versus Bretton? Is it about Jake trying to reunite Gekko with his estranged daughter, Winnie? The film tries all these plots and storylines, but mostly leaves them with unsatisfying and/or half-done resolutions.
Where as the first film had the central conflict of Douglas’ Gordon Gekko versus Charlie Sheen’s Bud Fox (who makes a cameo in the new film), Money Never Sleeps lacks a strong central conflict. The first film dealt with insider trading, giving the audience clear details into how this illegal practice works. Because the bugaboo of the new film is the confusing matter of derivatives, the screenplay avoids the details, and the movie suffers for it.
The performances are all good. Shia LaBeouf is surprising and holds his own against Michael Douglas, affirming that the young actor can be a leading man. Douglas gets better with age, and he has been good for longer than LaBeouf has been alive. It is easy to forget how capable Douglas is of being subtle, as he gives Gekko more layers than the viewer can count.
Watching Douglas, it becomes obvious that even if the new movie is about the new players on Wall Street, the movie loves the smartest, most dangerous, and most enigmatic player, Gordon Gekko. One of the reasons that Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps is good is because it has the strongest element from the first film, Gekko. Despite its strengths, the new film cannot come up with anything of its own that is as memorable as Gordon Gekko.
7 of 10
B+
NOTES:
2011 Golden Globes: 1 nomination: “Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture” (Michael Douglas)
Friday, January 28, 2011
---------------------------
Monday, December 20, 2010
Review: Michael Douglas' Performance in Original "Wall Street" Still Amazes
TRASH IN MY EYE No. 104 (of 2010) by Leroy Douresseaux
Wall Street (1987)
Running time: 126 minutes (2 hours, 6 minutes)
MPAA – R
DIRECTOR: Oliver Stone
WRITERS: Stanley Weiser and Oliver Stone
PRODUCER: Edward R. Pressman
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Robert Richardson (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Claire Simpson
COMPOSER: Stewart Copeland
Academy Award winner
DRAMA
Starring: Michael Douglas, Charlie Sheen, Darryl Hannah, Martin Sheen, John C. McGinley, Hal Holbrook, James Karen, Terrence Stamp, Sean Young, James Spader, Saul Rubinek, and Tamara Tunie
Although I was hot to see it when it was first released, I finally watched director Oliver Stone’s Wall Street – 23 years after it debuted in theatres. The film, which follows a young stockbroker’s adventures with an immoral corporate raider, is certainly one of Stone’s most popular films.
Wall Street opens in 1985, as Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen), a junior stockbroker (salesman) at Jackson Steinem & Co., struggles to get out of a rut and make it big. Fox wants to become involved with his hero, Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas), the corporate raider and Wall Street player who is legendary for both his ruthlessness and his success. Bud’s father, Carl (Martin Sheen), an airline maintenance worker and union president, inadvertently provides his son with the information that captures Gekko’s interest. Gekko takes on Bud as a kind of apprentice and co-conspirator and helps him to become wealthy. Bud also gets a new girlfriend, an interior decorator named Darien (Daryl Hannah), a close friend of Gekko’s. Bud, however, begins to lose himself the deeper he goes in with Gekko.
Michael Douglas’ performance as Gordon Gekko is one of the best of the last quarter of the 20th century. Simply, it is magnificent. It is hard to believe that at the time of the film, Douglas was apparently considered a mediocre actor – more of a film producer than a performer. In Douglas’ hands, Gekko not only personifies “Wall Street greed,” but also the nature of greed and the competitive urge in humanity. Douglas as Gekko could make you think the phrase, “tour de force,” was created specifically to describe such an awesome and awe-inspiring performance. Like Raging Bull, Wall Street is a movie that enters the rarefied air of remarkable dramatic films made important because of great performances by lead actors.
Still, Wall Street is not completely about Michael Douglas. Charlie Sheen’s stiff-acting style actually makes Bud Fox the perfect dupe/foil for Gekko. Sheen’s (then) exceedingly fresh-looking baby face embodies America’s youth (relatively speaking), and his facial expressions are all about lust for success and money. At other times, Sheen depicts in Fox that inherent guilt that keeps our gluttony and baser appetites in check, for the most part.
Oliver Stone even draws out Wall Street’s religious subtext in scenes where the devilish Gekko mentors (or tempts) Fox on how to get ahead the unethical and illegal way. Stone and Douglas are quite good at presenting their vision of greed. Wall Street makes it look sexy – as if greed were really good, as Gekko says in his legendary monologue. Wall Street is still fantastic, and it may make you remember just how good Stone and Douglas were when they were at the top of their respective games.
8 of 10
A
NOTES:
1988 Academy Awards: 1 win: “Best Actor in a Leading Role” (Michael Douglas)
1988 Golden Globes: 1 win: “Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama” (Michael Douglas)
1988 Razzie Awards: 1 win: “Worst Supporting Actress” (Daryl Hannah)
Monday, December 20, 2010
Wall Street (1987)
Running time: 126 minutes (2 hours, 6 minutes)
MPAA – R
DIRECTOR: Oliver Stone
WRITERS: Stanley Weiser and Oliver Stone
PRODUCER: Edward R. Pressman
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Robert Richardson (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Claire Simpson
COMPOSER: Stewart Copeland
Academy Award winner
DRAMA
Starring: Michael Douglas, Charlie Sheen, Darryl Hannah, Martin Sheen, John C. McGinley, Hal Holbrook, James Karen, Terrence Stamp, Sean Young, James Spader, Saul Rubinek, and Tamara Tunie
Although I was hot to see it when it was first released, I finally watched director Oliver Stone’s Wall Street – 23 years after it debuted in theatres. The film, which follows a young stockbroker’s adventures with an immoral corporate raider, is certainly one of Stone’s most popular films.
Wall Street opens in 1985, as Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen), a junior stockbroker (salesman) at Jackson Steinem & Co., struggles to get out of a rut and make it big. Fox wants to become involved with his hero, Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas), the corporate raider and Wall Street player who is legendary for both his ruthlessness and his success. Bud’s father, Carl (Martin Sheen), an airline maintenance worker and union president, inadvertently provides his son with the information that captures Gekko’s interest. Gekko takes on Bud as a kind of apprentice and co-conspirator and helps him to become wealthy. Bud also gets a new girlfriend, an interior decorator named Darien (Daryl Hannah), a close friend of Gekko’s. Bud, however, begins to lose himself the deeper he goes in with Gekko.
Michael Douglas’ performance as Gordon Gekko is one of the best of the last quarter of the 20th century. Simply, it is magnificent. It is hard to believe that at the time of the film, Douglas was apparently considered a mediocre actor – more of a film producer than a performer. In Douglas’ hands, Gekko not only personifies “Wall Street greed,” but also the nature of greed and the competitive urge in humanity. Douglas as Gekko could make you think the phrase, “tour de force,” was created specifically to describe such an awesome and awe-inspiring performance. Like Raging Bull, Wall Street is a movie that enters the rarefied air of remarkable dramatic films made important because of great performances by lead actors.
Still, Wall Street is not completely about Michael Douglas. Charlie Sheen’s stiff-acting style actually makes Bud Fox the perfect dupe/foil for Gekko. Sheen’s (then) exceedingly fresh-looking baby face embodies America’s youth (relatively speaking), and his facial expressions are all about lust for success and money. At other times, Sheen depicts in Fox that inherent guilt that keeps our gluttony and baser appetites in check, for the most part.
Oliver Stone even draws out Wall Street’s religious subtext in scenes where the devilish Gekko mentors (or tempts) Fox on how to get ahead the unethical and illegal way. Stone and Douglas are quite good at presenting their vision of greed. Wall Street makes it look sexy – as if greed were really good, as Gekko says in his legendary monologue. Wall Street is still fantastic, and it may make you remember just how good Stone and Douglas were when they were at the top of their respective games.
8 of 10
A
NOTES:
1988 Academy Awards: 1 win: “Best Actor in a Leading Role” (Michael Douglas)
1988 Golden Globes: 1 win: “Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama” (Michael Douglas)
1988 Razzie Awards: 1 win: “Worst Supporting Actress” (Daryl Hannah)
Monday, December 20, 2010
--------------------------
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Oliver Stone - Still Pressing Buttons
Oliver Stone has a new documentary film, South of the Border. You can visit the film's website here. Apparently, one of the film's key points is that U.S. press coverage of South America is shaped by the needs of the U.S State Department. One of the targets of the film strikes back. Truthout has the details and pertinent links in this op-ed from Robert Naiman.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Oliver Stone Developing Television Drama
Oliver Stone and Bruce Wagner to Develop One Hour Dramatic Series for EPIX
Academy Award winning Stone Latest Talent to Join Standout Creative Roster for EPIX
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oscar-winning producer/writer/director Oliver Stone and Bruce Wagner have entered into a development deal with EPIX it was announced today. Their first project will be a one hour scripted dramatic series, “Still Holding,” based on the iconoclastic Wagner’s critically acclaimed novel of the same name. The series will explore the colliding worlds of three disparate people in Los Angeles, and the violent consequences of love and betrayal, of holding on and letting go. Stone and Wagner will serve as executive producers. They previously worked together on the mini-series “Wild Palms.”
Stone is the latest award-winning talent to develop original programming for the multiplatform premium entertainment channel, video-on-demand and online service. "I'm interested in the possibilities in television," Stone explained. "When a company like EPIX comes along, it's a chance to break new ground. They want to make their mark. They want to entertain and provoke; they don't want their drama or comedy watered down. The team at EPIX showed early on they could provide the supportive environment and creative freedom necessary to recognize the vision Bruce and I have for 'Still Holding." EPIX has the two vital organs that are essential to all human endeavors: guts and heart."
Mark Greenberg, President and CEO of EPIX, added: “EPIX offers a unique canvas for talent to fully realize their creative vision across multiple screens on television and online. We’re thrilled that filmmakers and writers have flocked to our network with bold, daring concepts – they truly get what we’re trying to do. To have Oliver and Bruce come to us for his first scripted drama is a validation of what we are trying to do at EPIX -- backing our talent and giving them the creative freedom they deserve.”
Bruce Wagner has been a Pen Faulkner finalist for his novel Chrysanthemum Palace. He alsoco-wrote and produced Tracy Ullman's show “State of the Union” for Showtime and is a frequent contributor to The New York Times, The New Yorker, Vogue and Vanity Fair.
EPIX’s aggressive roster of development projects includes the recently shot “Tough Trade,” a one-hour drama pilot starring Sam Shepherd and Lucas Black with music, by Academy Award winner T-Bone Burnett (“Crazy Heart”) The project, about three generations of a music dynasty set in Nashville, is executive produced by Jenji Kohan, Sean Furst and Bryan Furst, and created by Chris Offutt. Also recently announced was the half hour single camera comedy “iCon” from the legendary Emmy Award-winner Larry Charles (“Seinfeld”, “Entourage”, “Curb Your Enthusiasm”) and Media Rights Capital (MRC). Charles will co-write the script with Dan Lyons, a technology consultant for Newsweek, the creator of the popular Fake Steve Jobs blog and author of “Options: The Secret Life of Steve Jobs” The show is a savage satire centering on a technology tycoon whose ego is a study in power and greed.
About EPIX
EPIX, a joint venture between Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B), its Paramount Pictures unit, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM) and Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF), is a next-generation premium entertainment channel, video-on-demand and online service launched on October 30, 2009. With access to more than 15,000 motion pictures spanning the vast libraries of its partners and other studios, EPIX provides a powerful entertainment experience with more feature films on demand and online and more HD movies than any other service. It is the only premium service providing its entire monthly line-up of new Hollywood titles, classic feature films, original series, music and comedy specials through the linear channel, video-on-demand and online at EpixHD.com, the leading online destination for movies. EPIX has made the commitment to deliver the industry’s most expansive online collection of movies, making more than 3,000 titles available online to subscribers via its enhanced service, EPIX Megaplex, on www.EpixHD.com. The service is available to over 30 million homes nationwide through carriage agreements with Verizon FiOS, DISH Network, Cox Communications, Mediacom, Charter Communications and NCTC.
For more information about EPIX, go to http://www.epixhd.com/.
Academy Award winning Stone Latest Talent to Join Standout Creative Roster for EPIX
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oscar-winning producer/writer/director Oliver Stone and Bruce Wagner have entered into a development deal with EPIX it was announced today. Their first project will be a one hour scripted dramatic series, “Still Holding,” based on the iconoclastic Wagner’s critically acclaimed novel of the same name. The series will explore the colliding worlds of three disparate people in Los Angeles, and the violent consequences of love and betrayal, of holding on and letting go. Stone and Wagner will serve as executive producers. They previously worked together on the mini-series “Wild Palms.”
Stone is the latest award-winning talent to develop original programming for the multiplatform premium entertainment channel, video-on-demand and online service. "I'm interested in the possibilities in television," Stone explained. "When a company like EPIX comes along, it's a chance to break new ground. They want to make their mark. They want to entertain and provoke; they don't want their drama or comedy watered down. The team at EPIX showed early on they could provide the supportive environment and creative freedom necessary to recognize the vision Bruce and I have for 'Still Holding." EPIX has the two vital organs that are essential to all human endeavors: guts and heart."
Mark Greenberg, President and CEO of EPIX, added: “EPIX offers a unique canvas for talent to fully realize their creative vision across multiple screens on television and online. We’re thrilled that filmmakers and writers have flocked to our network with bold, daring concepts – they truly get what we’re trying to do. To have Oliver and Bruce come to us for his first scripted drama is a validation of what we are trying to do at EPIX -- backing our talent and giving them the creative freedom they deserve.”
Bruce Wagner has been a Pen Faulkner finalist for his novel Chrysanthemum Palace. He alsoco-wrote and produced Tracy Ullman's show “State of the Union” for Showtime and is a frequent contributor to The New York Times, The New Yorker, Vogue and Vanity Fair.
EPIX’s aggressive roster of development projects includes the recently shot “Tough Trade,” a one-hour drama pilot starring Sam Shepherd and Lucas Black with music, by Academy Award winner T-Bone Burnett (“Crazy Heart”) The project, about three generations of a music dynasty set in Nashville, is executive produced by Jenji Kohan, Sean Furst and Bryan Furst, and created by Chris Offutt. Also recently announced was the half hour single camera comedy “iCon” from the legendary Emmy Award-winner Larry Charles (“Seinfeld”, “Entourage”, “Curb Your Enthusiasm”) and Media Rights Capital (MRC). Charles will co-write the script with Dan Lyons, a technology consultant for Newsweek, the creator of the popular Fake Steve Jobs blog and author of “Options: The Secret Life of Steve Jobs” The show is a savage satire centering on a technology tycoon whose ego is a study in power and greed.
About EPIX
EPIX, a joint venture between Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B), its Paramount Pictures unit, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM) and Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF), is a next-generation premium entertainment channel, video-on-demand and online service launched on October 30, 2009. With access to more than 15,000 motion pictures spanning the vast libraries of its partners and other studios, EPIX provides a powerful entertainment experience with more feature films on demand and online and more HD movies than any other service. It is the only premium service providing its entire monthly line-up of new Hollywood titles, classic feature films, original series, music and comedy specials through the linear channel, video-on-demand and online at EpixHD.com, the leading online destination for movies. EPIX has made the commitment to deliver the industry’s most expansive online collection of movies, making more than 3,000 titles available online to subscribers via its enhanced service, EPIX Megaplex, on www.EpixHD.com. The service is available to over 30 million homes nationwide through carriage agreements with Verizon FiOS, DISH Network, Cox Communications, Mediacom, Charter Communications and NCTC.
For more information about EPIX, go to http://www.epixhd.com/.
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