Recently, I wrote an article about how Ron Howard’s Cocoon was hard to find in any format. It came out on DVD many years ago but went out of print and has never been issued on Blu-ray. You also can’t find it digitally on any platform. This is a perfect example of why you should always hang on to your physical media, as I’m lucky enough to own the now out-of-print DVD of that movie, and while it’s far from an ideal copy, it’s something.
But that got me thinking. What other movies are hard to find? I opened up the forum on Twitter, and I was shocked by how many prominent films aren’t available digitally and have gone out of print on disc, making them all the more precious for collectors. At the same time, there are some happy endings, such as Martin Campbell’s No Escape,...
But that got me thinking. What other movies are hard to find? I opened up the forum on Twitter, and I was shocked by how many prominent films aren’t available digitally and have gone out of print on disc, making them all the more precious for collectors. At the same time, there are some happy endings, such as Martin Campbell’s No Escape,...
- 5/7/2024
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
Long before he won the 2024 Best Supporting Actor Oscar for “Oppenheimer,” Robert Downey Jr. made his screen debut at age five in the experimental 1970 film “Pound,” which was directed by his father and co-starred his mother and sister. Upon clinching said prize, he emulated only three other men who were first honored by the academy at least half a century into their acting careers. Considering both male categories (and only counting credited roles in feature films), his waiting period of 54 years far exceeds the all-time average, which now stands at 19.5 years.
Although nearly two full decades separate their time-of-win ages (58 and 77), Downey came within five years of breaking John Gielgud’s general record for longest acting career preceding an Oscar victory. The English performer has held that distinction since 1982, when he was lauded for his supporting turn in “Arthur” 58 years after debuting in “Who Is the Man?” (1924). While no male...
Although nearly two full decades separate their time-of-win ages (58 and 77), Downey came within five years of breaking John Gielgud’s general record for longest acting career preceding an Oscar victory. The English performer has held that distinction since 1982, when he was lauded for his supporting turn in “Arthur” 58 years after debuting in “Who Is the Man?” (1924). While no male...
- 3/18/2024
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
Has any entertainment scripted project ever featured more Oscar winners? Tour our special Valentine’s Day photo gallery to see which 33 Academy Awards champs made appearances on the very popular Aaron Spelling show “The Love Boat.”
For one full decade of 1977 to 1987, ABC could count on its comedy/drama series “The Love Boat” to bring in millions of audience members on Saturday nights. The show would have multiple story arcs (often three for a one-hour episode) with five to 10 celebrity guest stars each time. Some arcs were playing out for laughs, others for romance and the remainder could take on tough issues. The show airs daily on the Decades network and on Sunday afternoons for Me-tv. You can also stream every episode on Paramount+.
Regular cast members would either take command of some segments or be in the backseat on others. The charming actors throughout the decade were Gavin MacLeod...
For one full decade of 1977 to 1987, ABC could count on its comedy/drama series “The Love Boat” to bring in millions of audience members on Saturday nights. The show would have multiple story arcs (often three for a one-hour episode) with five to 10 celebrity guest stars each time. Some arcs were playing out for laughs, others for romance and the remainder could take on tough issues. The show airs daily on the Decades network and on Sunday afternoons for Me-tv. You can also stream every episode on Paramount+.
Regular cast members would either take command of some segments or be in the backseat on others. The charming actors throughout the decade were Gavin MacLeod...
- 2/13/2024
- by Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Could you imagine anyone other than Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor portraying Manhattan transplants Lisa and Oliver Douglas on Green Acres? While the series ended its illustrious run in 1971, Lisa and Oliver are still considered one of the most iconic TV couples ever. Gabor and Albert’s natural chemistry is largely credited with making the show great. Despite that, Albert and Gabor were not CBS executives’ first choices for their roles. In fact, Albert was only offered the job after another actor passed on it.
Eddie Albert only landed the role of Oliver Douglas after another actor declined the job
Eddie Albert was amazing as Oliver Douglas, the Manhattanite who dreamed of living a simpler life and made it happen, despite his wife’s objections. The way he portrayed Oliver’s exasperation with his wife, Lisa, and the eccentric residents of their nondescript farming town, Hooterville, helped the series succeed.
Eddie Albert only landed the role of Oliver Douglas after another actor declined the job
Eddie Albert was amazing as Oliver Douglas, the Manhattanite who dreamed of living a simpler life and made it happen, despite his wife’s objections. The way he portrayed Oliver’s exasperation with his wife, Lisa, and the eccentric residents of their nondescript farming town, Hooterville, helped the series succeed.
- 7/30/2023
- by Andrea Francese
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
One thing Douglas Adams taught us in "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" is this: Dolphins usually know what's up when it comes to visitors from outer space. They're ahead of the curve at the beginning of "Cocoon," too, which opens with the friendly marine mammals frolicking in a sunken city before witnessing strange lights beaming through the clouds.
Ron Howard's fourth feature shares similarities with "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," although the beats are different. Its focus is on a group of seniors hitching a ride with friendly aliens to avoid illness and mortality, rather than a guy who is quite happy leaving his kids behind for a fantastic UFO journey. It's one of that '80s micro-genre of sci-fi movies centering around elderly actors, which Steven Spielberg had a big hand in. "Kick the Can," his segment in "Twilight Zone: The Movie," followed a group of...
Ron Howard's fourth feature shares similarities with "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," although the beats are different. Its focus is on a group of seniors hitching a ride with friendly aliens to avoid illness and mortality, rather than a guy who is quite happy leaving his kids behind for a fantastic UFO journey. It's one of that '80s micro-genre of sci-fi movies centering around elderly actors, which Steven Spielberg had a big hand in. "Kick the Can," his segment in "Twilight Zone: The Movie," followed a group of...
- 4/30/2023
- by Lee Adams
- Slash Film
March is Women’s History Month which commemorates and encourages the “study, observance and celebration of the vital role of women in American history.” And who better to study, observe and celebrate than Mae West and her place in movie history.
Talk about pushing the envelope. West wrote plays-usually revolving around sex-which landed her in jail. She never met an innuendo she didn’t like. West film comedies were popular and controversial. She was banned from NBC Radio-her name couldn’t even be mentioned-for over a decade. West even guest starred on a 1964 episode of CBS’ “Mr. Ed.” West has inspired several female performers over the decades including Madonna and remained true to herself up until her death in 1980 at the age of 87.
West didn’t look at any other actress of the day. Sources say she was 5’ to 5’ 2” (rumor is that she wore eight-inch platform heels on stage...
Talk about pushing the envelope. West wrote plays-usually revolving around sex-which landed her in jail. She never met an innuendo she didn’t like. West film comedies were popular and controversial. She was banned from NBC Radio-her name couldn’t even be mentioned-for over a decade. West even guest starred on a 1964 episode of CBS’ “Mr. Ed.” West has inspired several female performers over the decades including Madonna and remained true to herself up until her death in 1980 at the age of 87.
West didn’t look at any other actress of the day. Sources say she was 5’ to 5’ 2” (rumor is that she wore eight-inch platform heels on stage...
- 3/29/2023
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
The B-movie world has lost one of its most iconic filmmakers, as The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that Bert I. Gordon – often referred to as “Mr. B.I.G.” by his fans – has passed away at the age of 100. Gordon produced and directed more than twenty films over the course of a career that lasted sixty-one years, from 1954 to 2015. He also wrote most of his movies. His most popular titles include The Food of the Gods, Empire of the Ants, The Amazing Colossal Man, War of the Colossal Beast, Attack of the Puppet People, and Beginning of the End.
Born on September 24, 1922 in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Gordon fell in love with filmmaking at a young age, being given his first camera when he was just 9 years old. He started making TV commercials after he graduated from college, then produced the horror adventure film Serpent Island in 1954. He was also the cinematographer on that movie,...
Born on September 24, 1922 in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Gordon fell in love with filmmaking at a young age, being given his first camera when he was just 9 years old. He started making TV commercials after he graduated from college, then produced the horror adventure film Serpent Island in 1954. He was also the cinematographer on that movie,...
- 3/9/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Bert I. Gordon, the sci-fi director who aimed to terrify drive-in denizens of the 1950s and ’60s with low-budget films featuring colossal creatures, shrinking humans and radioactive monsters, has died. He was 100.
Gordon died Wednesday in Los Angeles of complications from a fall in his Beverly Hills home, his daughter Patricia Gordon told The Hollywood Reporter.
Highlights (lowlights?) on his B-movie résumé include The Cyclops (1957), The Amazing Colossal Man (1957), Beginning of the End (1957), Earth vs. the Spider (1958), Attack of the Puppet People (1958), Tormented (1960), The Boy and the Pirates (1960) and Picture Mommy Dead (1966).
In the ’70s, Gordon directed Vince Edwards and Chuck Connors in The Police Connection (1973) and wrote and directed How to Succeed With Sex (1970), Necromancy (1972), The Food of the Gods (1976) and, starring Joan Collins in the muck, Empire of the Ants (1977).
Perhaps as a way to keep costs down, Gordon’s films often were family affairs: His late wife,...
Gordon died Wednesday in Los Angeles of complications from a fall in his Beverly Hills home, his daughter Patricia Gordon told The Hollywood Reporter.
Highlights (lowlights?) on his B-movie résumé include The Cyclops (1957), The Amazing Colossal Man (1957), Beginning of the End (1957), Earth vs. the Spider (1958), Attack of the Puppet People (1958), Tormented (1960), The Boy and the Pirates (1960) and Picture Mommy Dead (1966).
In the ’70s, Gordon directed Vince Edwards and Chuck Connors in The Police Connection (1973) and wrote and directed How to Succeed With Sex (1970), Necromancy (1972), The Food of the Gods (1976) and, starring Joan Collins in the muck, Empire of the Ants (1977).
Perhaps as a way to keep costs down, Gordon’s films often were family affairs: His late wife,...
- 3/9/2023
- by Rhett Bartlett
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Colin Jost became a household name for his humorous delivery of the “news” on Saturday Night Live‘s “Weekend Update.” He might also have garnered a fair amount of fame simply for being Scarlett Johansson’s husband. But the comedian has carved his own path to the spotlight.
Just as SNL helped cast members like Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Bill Hader launch careers beyond the live stage at NBC, Jost has also dipped his toe into other acting waters. And whether he’s to be believed or not, it’s landed him some high-profile acting gigs — perhaps even without formal auditions.
Colin Jost joined ‘SNL’ in 2005 as a writer Saturday Night Live — “John Mulaney” Episode 1790 — Pictured: Anchor Colin Jost during Weekend Update on Saturday, October 31, 2020 — (Photo by: Kyle Dubiel/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
Jost has been an on-screen SNL regular for almost a decade. But he...
Just as SNL helped cast members like Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Bill Hader launch careers beyond the live stage at NBC, Jost has also dipped his toe into other acting waters. And whether he’s to be believed or not, it’s landed him some high-profile acting gigs — perhaps even without formal auditions.
Colin Jost joined ‘SNL’ in 2005 as a writer Saturday Night Live — “John Mulaney” Episode 1790 — Pictured: Anchor Colin Jost during Weekend Update on Saturday, October 31, 2020 — (Photo by: Kyle Dubiel/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
Jost has been an on-screen SNL regular for almost a decade. But he...
- 1/29/2023
- by Nikelle Murphy
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
George Cukor's "The Philadelphia Story" is a terrific film. It is as great a mainstream comedy as Hollywood has ever produced, and the three leads — James Stewart, Katharine Hepburn, and Cary Grant — are humming on every available cylinder. It was worthy of many accolades, but I'll never understand how Academy voters walked out of John Ford's "The Grapes of Wrath," and cast a vote for anyone other than Henry Fonda.
Ford's film was rushed into production by Twentieth Century Fox's Darryl Zanuck, who worried tremendously about the populist, anti-capitalist politics of John Steinbeck's novel. The book is explicitly critical of the banks' cruel treatment of tenant farmers and pulls no punches in its portrayal of Oklahomans desperate to find prosperity in the Western United States. At the center of the book is Tom Joad, an ex-con who joins his evicted family on their arduous trek to California.
Ford's film was rushed into production by Twentieth Century Fox's Darryl Zanuck, who worried tremendously about the populist, anti-capitalist politics of John Steinbeck's novel. The book is explicitly critical of the banks' cruel treatment of tenant farmers and pulls no punches in its portrayal of Oklahomans desperate to find prosperity in the Western United States. At the center of the book is Tom Joad, an ex-con who joins his evicted family on their arduous trek to California.
- 1/27/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Ernst Lubitsch's 1940 Christmas comedy "The Shop Around The Corner" has a bit of everything: petty workplace drama, an affair, and a most unlikely romance, making for a combination that is both sweet and acidic at once. Everything in it is graced with the so-called "Lubitsch touch," a precise set of innuendo and body language that turns funny or sentimental material into something far greater, and the warmth and melancholy of the holiday only heighten that complex feeling. It also is probably the second-best James Stewart-led Christmas movie, just beneath "It's a Wonderful Life."
While "Shop" would sadly be the only Lubitsch movie with James Stewart playing the lead, the actor's typical affability and relaxed posture made him a natural fit for Lubitsch's sensibilities. Few of the director's other leading men, whether they were Gary Cooper or Don Ameche, could match what Stewart could suggest with a raised eyebrow.
While "Shop" would sadly be the only Lubitsch movie with James Stewart playing the lead, the actor's typical affability and relaxed posture made him a natural fit for Lubitsch's sensibilities. Few of the director's other leading men, whether they were Gary Cooper or Don Ameche, could match what Stewart could suggest with a raised eyebrow.
- 1/13/2023
- by Anthony Crislip
- Slash Film
Just under three decades ago, the stop-motion animated classic "The Nightmare Before Christmas" was released. Directed by Henry Selick, the film introduced us to Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town in charge of the holiday. He's starting to get bored with being spooky, though. One day he discovers the door to Christmas Town and sees a different sort of celebration. Jack formulates a plan to kidnap Santa Claws — who he thinks is named Sandy Claws — and take over the winter festivities himself. Chris Sarandon voiced the role of Jack Skellington, with score composer Danny Elfman singing the songs for the character.
Santa Claus was voiced by Ed Ivory in the film, but the role originally went to someone who is very familiar with scary things. That man was horror legend Vincent Price, according to a Daily Beast interview with Selick from 2013. He wasn't the only person they saw for the role,...
Santa Claus was voiced by Ed Ivory in the film, but the role originally went to someone who is very familiar with scary things. That man was horror legend Vincent Price, according to a Daily Beast interview with Selick from 2013. He wasn't the only person they saw for the role,...
- 12/3/2022
- by Jenna Busch
- Slash Film
The Academy Awards are a lot of things. A celebration of cinema? Check. A surprisingly effective way to bust unions? Double check, sadly.
But one thing they also are, and it's hard to dispute this, is an opportunity for the people in the motion picture industry to pat themselves on the back. For nearly 100 years, the Academy Awards have given out little statues, usually gold (in World War II they were plaster), to artists working in a variety of fields. Actors, sound designers, writers, visual effects artists, editors, cinematographers, directors, and many more get to declare who in their industry didn't just do a good job this year, but who also deserves a little trophy for their efforts.
Making movies is a hard job, and nobody's saying the members of the Academy shouldn't get to honor the work of their peers. But there's only one time in history when the...
But one thing they also are, and it's hard to dispute this, is an opportunity for the people in the motion picture industry to pat themselves on the back. For nearly 100 years, the Academy Awards have given out little statues, usually gold (in World War II they were plaster), to artists working in a variety of fields. Actors, sound designers, writers, visual effects artists, editors, cinematographers, directors, and many more get to declare who in their industry didn't just do a good job this year, but who also deserves a little trophy for their efforts.
Making movies is a hard job, and nobody's saying the members of the Academy shouldn't get to honor the work of their peers. But there's only one time in history when the...
- 11/30/2022
- by William Bibbiani
- Slash Film
Who knew when the year began that a sequel to a 36-year-old movie starring its 60-year-old actor who headlined the original would be the box office champ so far this year? But “Top Gun: Maverick” starring Tom Cruise, which was released Aug. 23 on digital formats while still flying high in theaters is not only the No. 1 film of the year with a staggering haul of 683.4 million domestically and 720 million overseas. And the acclaimed film didn’t even play in China or Russia. “Top Gun: Maverick” is also the biggest film of Cruise’s career which began in 1981 with Franco Zeffirelli’s “Endless Love.”
And with the digital release, let’s relive 1986, the year we first felt the need for speed and flew into the danger zone. The year the original “Top Gun” took our breath away.
Top 10 Box Office Hits
Top Gun (natch)
Crocodile Dundee
Platoon
The Karate Kid Part...
And with the digital release, let’s relive 1986, the year we first felt the need for speed and flew into the danger zone. The year the original “Top Gun” took our breath away.
Top 10 Box Office Hits
Top Gun (natch)
Crocodile Dundee
Platoon
The Karate Kid Part...
- 8/24/2022
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
The fourth season of Netflix’s “Stranger Things” is set in 1986. Talk about déjà vu.
The top movie of the year was “Top Gun” starring Tom Cruise and this year, the sequel “Top Gun: Maverick” is the top flick earning nearly 582 million in North America. “Cobra Kai,”the TV sequel to “Karate Kid,” is one of the most popular series on Netflix and several “Star Trek” series have blasted off on “Paramount+.
A handful the top ten TV series including “Cheers,” “Murder, She Wrote” and “The Golden Girls” are living on in repeats. One of the top series, “60 Minutes,” is still chugging away on CBS after 54 seasons making it the longest running primetime series on the small screen. And Michael J. Fox, who won the Emmy that year for “Family Ties,” will receive an honorary Oscar this fall.
So, in honor of “Stranger Things” let’s take the time...
The top movie of the year was “Top Gun” starring Tom Cruise and this year, the sequel “Top Gun: Maverick” is the top flick earning nearly 582 million in North America. “Cobra Kai,”the TV sequel to “Karate Kid,” is one of the most popular series on Netflix and several “Star Trek” series have blasted off on “Paramount+.
A handful the top ten TV series including “Cheers,” “Murder, She Wrote” and “The Golden Girls” are living on in repeats. One of the top series, “60 Minutes,” is still chugging away on CBS after 54 seasons making it the longest running primetime series on the small screen. And Michael J. Fox, who won the Emmy that year for “Family Ties,” will receive an honorary Oscar this fall.
So, in honor of “Stranger Things” let’s take the time...
- 7/11/2022
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
A world premiere musical stage adaptation that reimagines the hit 1983 Eddie Murphy-Dan Aykroyd comedy Trading Places has cast Freestyle Love Supreme‘s Aneesa Folds in the role that made Murphy a Hollywood superstar, with Bryce Pinkham (Broadway’s A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder) in the Aykroyd spot.
With a book by Reno 911! actor and writer Thomas Lennon, direction by Kenny Leon and music and lyrics by Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner (Broadway’s First Date), Trading Places will debut at Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre on May 25, running through June 26.
“I am so excited to come home with this world class cast and creative team and a new musical that I know will resonate and be embraced by the Atlanta community,” said Leon in a statement. “With Trading Places, we’re exploring the idea of what would...
With a book by Reno 911! actor and writer Thomas Lennon, direction by Kenny Leon and music and lyrics by Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner (Broadway’s First Date), Trading Places will debut at Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre on May 25, running through June 26.
“I am so excited to come home with this world class cast and creative team and a new musical that I know will resonate and be embraced by the Atlanta community,” said Leon in a statement. “With Trading Places, we’re exploring the idea of what would...
- 3/23/2022
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Has any entertainment scripted project ever featured more Oscar winners? Can you name all of them? Tour our special Valentine’s Day photo gallery to see which 32 Academy Awards champs made appearances sailing on the very popular Aaron Spelling show “The Love Boat.”
For one full decade of 1977 to 1987, ABC could count on its comedy/drama series “The Love Boat” to bring in millions of audience members on Saturday nights. The show would have multiple story arcs (often three for a one-hour episode) with five to 10 celebrity guest stars each time. Some arcs were playing out for laughs, others for romance and the remainder could take on tough issues. The show airs daily on the Decades network and on Sunday afternoons for Me-tv. You can also stream every episode on Paramount+.
SEE25 most passionate TV couples ever, ranked
Regular cast members would either take command of some segments or be in the backseat on others.
For one full decade of 1977 to 1987, ABC could count on its comedy/drama series “The Love Boat” to bring in millions of audience members on Saturday nights. The show would have multiple story arcs (often three for a one-hour episode) with five to 10 celebrity guest stars each time. Some arcs were playing out for laughs, others for romance and the remainder could take on tough issues. The show airs daily on the Decades network and on Sunday afternoons for Me-tv. You can also stream every episode on Paramount+.
SEE25 most passionate TV couples ever, ranked
Regular cast members would either take command of some segments or be in the backseat on others.
- 2/13/2022
- by Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
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Vintage magazines make a great collector’s item (or gift idea) for movie lovers, and anyone looking to capture that Old Hollywood aesthetic. But you don’t even have to leave the house to get your hands on these collectibles. If you’re not in the mood to visit a garage sale or thrift store, we put together a list of rare magazines that you can buy online.
From Photoplay to Movieland magazine, you might not be familiar with some of the publications listed but if you’re a fan of Hollywood’s Golden Era, then you’re likely to recognize some (if not all) of the screen legends captured on the covers,...
Vintage magazines make a great collector’s item (or gift idea) for movie lovers, and anyone looking to capture that Old Hollywood aesthetic. But you don’t even have to leave the house to get your hands on these collectibles. If you’re not in the mood to visit a garage sale or thrift store, we put together a list of rare magazines that you can buy online.
From Photoplay to Movieland magazine, you might not be familiar with some of the publications listed but if you’re a fan of Hollywood’s Golden Era, then you’re likely to recognize some (if not all) of the screen legends captured on the covers,...
- 9/7/2021
- by Latifah Muhammad
- Indiewire
Over the last four decades, Paul Raci has built a reputation as a dependable character actor. His embodiment of a tailor-made role in “Sound of Metal” has brought him a slew of prizes from critics groups, and he now has a shot at Oscar glory. He faces off against Sacha Baron Cohen (“The Trial of the Chicago 7”), Daniel Kaluuya (“Judas and the Black Messiah”), Leslie Odom Jr. (“One Night in Miami”), and Lakeith Stanfield (“Judas and the Black Messiah”) in the race for Best Supporting Actor.
For the first time in over a decade, all five nominees are new to this category. Kaluuya is the only veteran acting nominee, having contended in lead for “Get Out” three years ago.
Darius Marder’s “Sound of Metal” centers on Ruben Stone (Riz Ahmed), a young heavy metal drummer and recovering drug addict who suddenly loses his hearing. Raci plays the role of Joe,...
For the first time in over a decade, all five nominees are new to this category. Kaluuya is the only veteran acting nominee, having contended in lead for “Get Out” three years ago.
Darius Marder’s “Sound of Metal” centers on Ruben Stone (Riz Ahmed), a young heavy metal drummer and recovering drug addict who suddenly loses his hearing. Raci plays the role of Joe,...
- 4/22/2021
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
This article contains Coming 2 America spoilers.
One thing Coming 2 Ameirca is not lacking in is nostalgia and easter eggs for the past. Before the opening credits have even concluded, we’ve learned that Prince Akeem (Eddie Murphy) has surprisingly kept a sentimental photo of his one-time barber from 1988, and another of himself in a McDowell’s uniform. Soon enough John Amos and Louie Anderson also show up for a bow in the opening montage.
Yet one of the best callbacks in the whole film is slightly subtler when we learn of the fates of Randolph and Mortimer Duke, the two capitalist blue bloods who were the bad guys in Murphy’s Trading Places. And yes, this means Coming 2 America is also technically a sequel to Trading Places too.
Before the newly crowned King Akeem ever meets his long lost son Lavelle (Jermaine Fowler), we’re introduced to the...
One thing Coming 2 Ameirca is not lacking in is nostalgia and easter eggs for the past. Before the opening credits have even concluded, we’ve learned that Prince Akeem (Eddie Murphy) has surprisingly kept a sentimental photo of his one-time barber from 1988, and another of himself in a McDowell’s uniform. Soon enough John Amos and Louie Anderson also show up for a bow in the opening montage.
Yet one of the best callbacks in the whole film is slightly subtler when we learn of the fates of Randolph and Mortimer Duke, the two capitalist blue bloods who were the bad guys in Murphy’s Trading Places. And yes, this means Coming 2 America is also technically a sequel to Trading Places too.
Before the newly crowned King Akeem ever meets his long lost son Lavelle (Jermaine Fowler), we’re introduced to the...
- 3/6/2021
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
When one thinks about 1988’s Coming to America, a few things stand out: James Earl Jones and Madge Sinclair as the King and Queen of Zamunda speaking to their son Prince Akeem (Eddie Murphy) at a breakfast table with intercom radios; the opulence of Zamunda’s palace, which represented an idealized African nation to 1980s audiences the way Wakanda does today; and of course Murphy and Arsenio Hall’s Semmi fresh off the plane in Queens, New York with no idea what “common” means—or also Murphy and Hall under pounds of makeup as the argumentative old-timers at the nearby barbershop.
The film has many great elements that make it a comedy classic. However, what’s often overlooked is that the picture is not-so-secretly part of a shared cinematic universe. Indeed, Coming to America is the film which confirmed several of director John Landis’ films all occur in the same...
The film has many great elements that make it a comedy classic. However, what’s often overlooked is that the picture is not-so-secretly part of a shared cinematic universe. Indeed, Coming to America is the film which confirmed several of director John Landis’ films all occur in the same...
- 3/4/2021
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
David Mamet’s gangster fable benefits from a casting match made in heaven — Don Ameche and Joe Mantegna. A shoeshine vendor is tapped to take a rap for a mob boss, but the hoodlum delivering him to court instead takes him on a two-day escape to Reno … against mob orders. It’s low-key comedy with delightful characters and the sobering knowledge that the weekend will end in jail … or the morgue. After a thirty-year hiatus Ameche makes a marvelous return to starring glory… just think, a Mamet film where we really warm up to the players!
Things Change
Region B Blu-ray
Powerhouse Indicator
1988 / Color / 1:85 / 100 min. / Street Date March 22, 2021 / available from Powerhouse Films UK / £15.99
Starring: Don Ameche, Joe Mantegna, Robert Prosky, J.J. Johnston, Ricky Jay, Mike Nussbaum, Jack Wallace, William H. Macy, J.T. Walsh, Felicity Huffman, Sara Eckhardt, Karen Kohlhaas, Paul Butler.
Cinematography: Juan Ruiz Anchía
Film Editor: Trudy Ship...
Things Change
Region B Blu-ray
Powerhouse Indicator
1988 / Color / 1:85 / 100 min. / Street Date March 22, 2021 / available from Powerhouse Films UK / £15.99
Starring: Don Ameche, Joe Mantegna, Robert Prosky, J.J. Johnston, Ricky Jay, Mike Nussbaum, Jack Wallace, William H. Macy, J.T. Walsh, Felicity Huffman, Sara Eckhardt, Karen Kohlhaas, Paul Butler.
Cinematography: Juan Ruiz Anchía
Film Editor: Trudy Ship...
- 2/23/2021
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Has any entertainment scripted project ever featured more Oscar winners? Tour our special Valentine’s Day photo gallery to see which 32 Academy Awards champs made appearances on the very popular Aaron Spelling show “The Love Boat.”
For one full decade of 1977 to 1987, ABC could count on its comedy/drama series “The Love Boat” to bring in millions of audience members on Saturday nights. The show would have multiple story arcs (often three for a one-hour episode) with five to 10 celebrity guest stars each time. Some arcs were playing out for laughs, others for romance and the remainder could take on tough issues.
SEE25 most passionate TV couples ever, ranked
Regular cast members would either take command of some segments or be in the backseat on others. The charming actors throughout the decade were Gavin MacLeod (Captain Merrill Stubing), Bernie Kopell (Dr. Adam Bricker), Lauren Tewes (Cruise Director Julie McCoy), Ted Lange...
For one full decade of 1977 to 1987, ABC could count on its comedy/drama series “The Love Boat” to bring in millions of audience members on Saturday nights. The show would have multiple story arcs (often three for a one-hour episode) with five to 10 celebrity guest stars each time. Some arcs were playing out for laughs, others for romance and the remainder could take on tough issues.
SEE25 most passionate TV couples ever, ranked
Regular cast members would either take command of some segments or be in the backseat on others. The charming actors throughout the decade were Gavin MacLeod (Captain Merrill Stubing), Bernie Kopell (Dr. Adam Bricker), Lauren Tewes (Cruise Director Julie McCoy), Ted Lange...
- 2/14/2021
- by Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Hey, Oscar pundits: Don’t count out Bill Murray just yet to win Best Supporting Actor for his role in the A24/Apple TV+ release “On the Rocks.” Over the years this specific category has been the equivalent of the veterans achievement award, with 10 men claiming victory after the age of 70 (see below). Murray just turned 70 in September, which makes him one of only two septuagenarians in Gold Derby’s Top 8, the other being 73-year-old Paul Raci (“Sound of Metal”). Could Murray’s decades of experience in the industry give him a secret advantage in this race?
Murray plays Felix in “On the Rocks,” a caring father who gets involved in the marital troubles of his daughter Laura (Rashida Jones) and her possibly cheating husband Dean (Marlon Wayans). Sofia Coppola wrote and directed the dramedy film, which serves as a reunion of sorts between she and Murray. The first time...
Murray plays Felix in “On the Rocks,” a caring father who gets involved in the marital troubles of his daughter Laura (Rashida Jones) and her possibly cheating husband Dean (Marlon Wayans). Sofia Coppola wrote and directed the dramedy film, which serves as a reunion of sorts between she and Murray. The first time...
- 1/13/2021
- by Marcus James Dixon
- Gold Derby
The acting in Leonie Krippendorff’s tale of sexual awakening is outstanding, as a girl comes out during a hot Berlin summer
This is nothing to do with Ron Howard’s movie about Don Ameche being rejuvenated by aliens. German director Leonie Krippendorff has created a coming-of-age awakening in the 2018 summer of love, with swimming-pool rapture, yearning bedroom reveries and rooftop party scenes in the Kotti Kreuzberg, Berlin’s Kottbusser Tor district. There are also some noodling YA-style video-journaling inserts, which are an acquired taste. It’s a bit derivative and the metaphor in the title is right on the nose – but Cocoon is also seductive and well-acted.
Fourteen-year-old Nora (Lena Urzendowsky) nerdishly keeps caterpillars in jars in her bedroom, the sort of childish hobby that many people of her age have junked in favour of Instagram. She hangs out with her older sister Jule (Lena Klenke) and Jule’s...
This is nothing to do with Ron Howard’s movie about Don Ameche being rejuvenated by aliens. German director Leonie Krippendorff has created a coming-of-age awakening in the 2018 summer of love, with swimming-pool rapture, yearning bedroom reveries and rooftop party scenes in the Kotti Kreuzberg, Berlin’s Kottbusser Tor district. There are also some noodling YA-style video-journaling inserts, which are an acquired taste. It’s a bit derivative and the metaphor in the title is right on the nose – but Cocoon is also seductive and well-acted.
Fourteen-year-old Nora (Lena Urzendowsky) nerdishly keeps caterpillars in jars in her bedroom, the sort of childish hobby that many people of her age have junked in favour of Instagram. She hangs out with her older sister Jule (Lena Klenke) and Jule’s...
- 12/9/2020
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Paul Phillips, whose long career as a Broadway stage manager included work on such notable productions as Sweet Charity, Mame, Chicago and, in 1967, the now historic Judy Garland at Home at the Palace, died Dec. 5 of natural causes in Naples, Florida. He was 95.
His death was announced by publicist Harlan Boll.
Born in Pleasantville New York, Phillips enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard and was deployed to fight in the South Pacific during WWII. After the war he moved to Hollywood for an acting career, but soon returned to New York, where he would shift from acting to Broadway stage management, beginning in 1959 with director George Abbott’s Fiorella.
Abbott brought Phillips over to stage manage his next play, 1961’s Take Her, She’s Mine starring Art Carney.
Phillips’ next show was producer David Merrick’s short-lived production of The Rehearsal, and a 1965 City Center Revival of Guys and Dolls.
His death was announced by publicist Harlan Boll.
Born in Pleasantville New York, Phillips enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard and was deployed to fight in the South Pacific during WWII. After the war he moved to Hollywood for an acting career, but soon returned to New York, where he would shift from acting to Broadway stage management, beginning in 1959 with director George Abbott’s Fiorella.
Abbott brought Phillips over to stage manage his next play, 1961’s Take Her, She’s Mine starring Art Carney.
Phillips’ next show was producer David Merrick’s short-lived production of The Rehearsal, and a 1965 City Center Revival of Guys and Dolls.
- 12/8/2020
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
7 random things that happened on this day, September 25th, in showbiz history...
1936 Another reminder that inappropriate racial casting has been with us always and not just for the common and commonly excoriated practices of yellowface or blackface. Ramona opened on this day in movie theaters, a romantic drama starring Loretta Young as a girl who doesn't know she's bi-racial and Don Ameche as the Native American hired hand that she falls for.
1953 The Actress, a movie about future Oscar winner Ruth Gordon (Rosemary's Baby) Written By Ruth Gordon (with Jean Simmons playing her) opens in movie theaters. Spencer Tracy will win the Golden Globe for his performance as her father.
Audrey Hepburn, Last of the Mohicans, Chevy Chase vs Cary Grant and more after the jump...
1936 Another reminder that inappropriate racial casting has been with us always and not just for the common and commonly excoriated practices of yellowface or blackface. Ramona opened on this day in movie theaters, a romantic drama starring Loretta Young as a girl who doesn't know she's bi-racial and Don Ameche as the Native American hired hand that she falls for.
1953 The Actress, a movie about future Oscar winner Ruth Gordon (Rosemary's Baby) Written By Ruth Gordon (with Jean Simmons playing her) opens in movie theaters. Spencer Tracy will win the Golden Globe for his performance as her father.
Audrey Hepburn, Last of the Mohicans, Chevy Chase vs Cary Grant and more after the jump...
- 9/25/2020
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Helping you stay sane while staying safe… featuring Leonard Maltin, Dave Anthony, Miguel Arteta, John Landis, and Blaire Bercy from the Hollywood Food Coalition.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Plague (1979)
Target Earth (1954)
The Left Hand of God (1955)
A Lost Lady (1934)
Enough Said (2013)
Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941)
Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (1939)
Heaven Can Wait (1978)
Down to Earth (2001)
Down To Earth (1947)
The Commitments (1991)
Once (2007)
Election (1999)
About Schmidt (2002)
Sideways (2004)
Nebraska (2013)
The Man in the Moon (1991)
The 39 Steps (1935)
Casablanca (1942)
The Lady Vanishes (1938)
The Night Walker (1964)
Chuck and Buck (2000)
Cedar Rapids (2011)
Beatriz at Dinner (2017)
Duck Butter (2018)
The Good Girl (2002)
The Big Heat (1953)
Human Desire (1954)
Slightly French (1949)
Week-End with Father (1951)
Experiment In Terror (1962)
They Shoot Horses Don’t They? (1969)
Ray’s Male Heterosexual Dance Hall (1987)
Airport (1970)
Earthquake (1974)
Drive a Crooked Road (1954)
Pushover (1954)
Waves (2019)
Krisha (2015)
The Oblong Box (1969)
80,000 Suspects (1963)
Panic In The Streets (1950)
It Comes At Night (2017)
Children of Men (2006)
The Road (2009)
You Were Never Really Here...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Plague (1979)
Target Earth (1954)
The Left Hand of God (1955)
A Lost Lady (1934)
Enough Said (2013)
Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941)
Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (1939)
Heaven Can Wait (1978)
Down to Earth (2001)
Down To Earth (1947)
The Commitments (1991)
Once (2007)
Election (1999)
About Schmidt (2002)
Sideways (2004)
Nebraska (2013)
The Man in the Moon (1991)
The 39 Steps (1935)
Casablanca (1942)
The Lady Vanishes (1938)
The Night Walker (1964)
Chuck and Buck (2000)
Cedar Rapids (2011)
Beatriz at Dinner (2017)
Duck Butter (2018)
The Good Girl (2002)
The Big Heat (1953)
Human Desire (1954)
Slightly French (1949)
Week-End with Father (1951)
Experiment In Terror (1962)
They Shoot Horses Don’t They? (1969)
Ray’s Male Heterosexual Dance Hall (1987)
Airport (1970)
Earthquake (1974)
Drive a Crooked Road (1954)
Pushover (1954)
Waves (2019)
Krisha (2015)
The Oblong Box (1969)
80,000 Suspects (1963)
Panic In The Streets (1950)
It Comes At Night (2017)
Children of Men (2006)
The Road (2009)
You Were Never Really Here...
- 5/1/2020
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
Picture Zsa Zsa Gabor lying dead on the floor of a room as it goes up in flames. Picture her daughter singing a creepy nursery rhyme as she watches. Picture that girl being sent away to a mental facility due to a breakdown, and her subsequent return home to her father and her new stepmom. Picture the teenage girl hearing voices and seeing her dead mother appear throughout the manor. Now I need you to Picture Mommy Dead (1966), Bert I. Gordon (that’s Mr. B.I.G. to you)’s high strung, gothic chiller with a surprising amount to say about family dynamics, psychotic lineage, and their fragile nature.
Released by Embassy Pictures in early November, Picture Mommy Dead (aka Color Mommy Dead) cost a million to make and cruised through the theatres and drive-ins second billed as befitting a B.I.G. release. This just seemed another potboiler designed...
Released by Embassy Pictures in early November, Picture Mommy Dead (aka Color Mommy Dead) cost a million to make and cruised through the theatres and drive-ins second billed as befitting a B.I.G. release. This just seemed another potboiler designed...
- 12/7/2019
- by Scott Drebit
- DailyDead
Oscars, schmoscars. Unlike so many awards voters, I actually see the movies. And then I see them again on a DVD screener or a link. And I actually have taste. So, without further ado, here are my choices for the best and worst filmgoing experiences of 2019.
Best Actors
Antonio Banderas, “Pain & Glory”
Joaquin Phoenix, “Joker”
Jonathan Pryce, “The Two Popes”
Best Actresses
Scarlett Johansson, “Marriage Story”
Julianne Moore, “Gloria Bell”
Mary Kay Place, “Diane”
Alfre Woodard, “Clemency”
Best Supporting Actors
Alan Alda, “Marriage Story”
Al Pacino, “The Irishman”
Brad Pitt and Bruce Dern, “Once Upon A Time…in Hollywood”
Wesley Snipes, “Dolemite Is My Name”
Archie Yates, “Jojo Rabbit”
Best Supporting Actresses
Annette Bening, “The Report”
Laura Dern, “Marriage Story”
Whoever played Kimberly Guilfoyle in “Bombshell”
Sign Up for Gold Derby’s free newsletter with latest predictions
Worst Thriller: (tie) “Greta,” “Ma”
They were horrors all right.
Worst Movie I Walked Out Of: “Her Smell,...
Best Actors
Antonio Banderas, “Pain & Glory”
Joaquin Phoenix, “Joker”
Jonathan Pryce, “The Two Popes”
Best Actresses
Scarlett Johansson, “Marriage Story”
Julianne Moore, “Gloria Bell”
Mary Kay Place, “Diane”
Alfre Woodard, “Clemency”
Best Supporting Actors
Alan Alda, “Marriage Story”
Al Pacino, “The Irishman”
Brad Pitt and Bruce Dern, “Once Upon A Time…in Hollywood”
Wesley Snipes, “Dolemite Is My Name”
Archie Yates, “Jojo Rabbit”
Best Supporting Actresses
Annette Bening, “The Report”
Laura Dern, “Marriage Story”
Whoever played Kimberly Guilfoyle in “Bombshell”
Sign Up for Gold Derby’s free newsletter with latest predictions
Worst Thriller: (tie) “Greta,” “Ma”
They were horrors all right.
Worst Movie I Walked Out Of: “Her Smell,...
- 12/5/2019
- by Michael Musto
- Gold Derby
Has any entertainment scripted project ever featured more Oscar winners? Tour our photo gallery above to see which 32 Academy Awards champs made appearances on the very popular Aaron Spelling show “The Love Boat.” Can you guess all 32 of these awards champs?
For one full decade of 1977 to 1987, ABC could count on its comedy/drama series “The Love Boat” to bring in millions of audience members on Saturday nights. The show would have multiple story arcs (often three for a one-hour episode) with five to 10 celebrity guest stars each time. Some arcs were playing out for laughs, others for romance and the remainder could take on tough issues.
Seetv Hall of Fame: Top 50 best choices who should be inducted next
Regular cast members would either take command of some segments or be in the backseat on others. The charming actors throughout the decade were Gavin MacLeod (Captain Merrill Stubing), Bernie Kopell (Dr.
For one full decade of 1977 to 1987, ABC could count on its comedy/drama series “The Love Boat” to bring in millions of audience members on Saturday nights. The show would have multiple story arcs (often three for a one-hour episode) with five to 10 celebrity guest stars each time. Some arcs were playing out for laughs, others for romance and the remainder could take on tough issues.
Seetv Hall of Fame: Top 50 best choices who should be inducted next
Regular cast members would either take command of some segments or be in the backseat on others. The charming actors throughout the decade were Gavin MacLeod (Captain Merrill Stubing), Bernie Kopell (Dr.
- 4/2/2019
- by Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
The Best Supporting Actor Oscar category notoriously skews old — the top 10 oldest are at least 70 with an average of 75.1. That average could tick up this year if the statuette goes to Sam Elliott (“A Star Is Born”), who would be the sixth oldest supporting actor champ ever.
Elliott will be 74 years and 199 days old on Oscar night, and he would knock back Jack Palance (“City Slickers,” 1991) who was 73 years and 41 days old when he showed off his one-handed push-up prowess. The category’s oldest winner, of course, is Christopher Plummer, who was 82 years and 75 days old when he triumphed for “Beginners” (2011) and is also the oldest acting winner in any category. Plummer dethroned George Burns, who was the only other octogenarian supporting actor champ at 80 years and 69 days.
See ‘A Star Is Born’ at the Oscars: How did each version fare with the academy?
Often nicknamed the Career Achievement Award...
Elliott will be 74 years and 199 days old on Oscar night, and he would knock back Jack Palance (“City Slickers,” 1991) who was 73 years and 41 days old when he showed off his one-handed push-up prowess. The category’s oldest winner, of course, is Christopher Plummer, who was 82 years and 75 days old when he triumphed for “Beginners” (2011) and is also the oldest acting winner in any category. Plummer dethroned George Burns, who was the only other octogenarian supporting actor champ at 80 years and 69 days.
See ‘A Star Is Born’ at the Oscars: How did each version fare with the academy?
Often nicknamed the Career Achievement Award...
- 1/31/2019
- by Joyce Eng
- Gold Derby
One of the biggest shocks of this year’s Golden Globe nominations was that Sam Elliott didn’t receive a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his role in “A Star is Born.” Elliott isn’t out of contention, though, for the Oscar. There is actually quite an impressive list of actors who got left out at the Globes but went on to take the Academy Award anyway. In fact, as recently as 2006, Alan Arkin won the Oscar for “Little Miss Sunshine” while being left out by Globe nominators.
Elliott has been a huge topic of discussion in Gold Derby’s forums (as have most things related to “A Star is Born.”) While some people have complained that the performance is too short for an actual victory, other forum posters have celebrated the fact that a performance with limited screen time is in Oscar contention as opposed to the lead performances...
Elliott has been a huge topic of discussion in Gold Derby’s forums (as have most things related to “A Star is Born.”) While some people have complained that the performance is too short for an actual victory, other forum posters have celebrated the fact that a performance with limited screen time is in Oscar contention as opposed to the lead performances...
- 12/11/2018
- by Robert Pius
- Gold Derby
The Best Supporting Actor Oscar race could be one for the ages. Timothee Chalamet (“Beautiful Boy”) could become the second youngest winner in the category, but on the other end of the spectrum, Sam Elliott (“A Star Is Born”) could become one of the oldest.
Elliott, who will be 74 years and 199 days old on the Feb. 24 ceremony, would become the sixth oldest Best Supporting Actor champ, dethroning Jack Palance who was 73 years and 41 days old when he did those one-handed push-ups. He’d be a few years off of the fifth spot, held by “Cocoon” (1981) Don Ameche, who was 77 years and 297 days old, and eight years shy of the record set by Christopher Plummer, who became the oldest acting winner in any category at 82 years and 75 days old when he prevailed for “Beginners” (2011).
See Sam Elliott (‘A Star Is Born’) on how he reacted when Bradley Cooper stole his voice...
Elliott, who will be 74 years and 199 days old on the Feb. 24 ceremony, would become the sixth oldest Best Supporting Actor champ, dethroning Jack Palance who was 73 years and 41 days old when he did those one-handed push-ups. He’d be a few years off of the fifth spot, held by “Cocoon” (1981) Don Ameche, who was 77 years and 297 days old, and eight years shy of the record set by Christopher Plummer, who became the oldest acting winner in any category at 82 years and 75 days old when he prevailed for “Beginners” (2011).
See Sam Elliott (‘A Star Is Born’) on how he reacted when Bradley Cooper stole his voice...
- 11/27/2018
- by Joyce Eng
- Gold Derby
Old Hollywood has its pitfalls, but it sure made some excellent, even downright delightful films. Case in point, Heaven Can Wait, from director Ernst Lubitsch. Lubitsch was born in 1892 and began making films in the early 1900s. He worked with movie stars from Hollywood's Golden Age, like Greta Garbo, Carole Lombard, Gary Cooper, Claudette Colbert, Burgess Meredith, Melvyn Douglas, and many more. Starring a young Don Ameche (Mortimer in Trading Places!) as playboy Henry Van Cleve and the extraordinarily beautiful Gene Tierney, the film opens with Van Cleve meeting with Satan, who has a large basement office with fake painted books on the walls (Hell indeed). Before Van Cleve can be admitted to Hell, he must recount his...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 8/14/2018
- Screen Anarchy
This may be the year for new cinephile converts to the cult of appreciation for the great Ernst Lubitsch. One of his last pictures but his first in color is this Production Code-defying tale of a serial philanderer and his relationship with the woman of his dreams, his wife. It’s stylized as a series of birthdays, and our hero is judged not by St. Peter but at the gates of Hades, by the fallen angel himself.
Heaven Can Wait
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 291
1943 / Color / 1:37 flat full frame / 112 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date August 21, 2018 / 39.95
Starring Gene Tierney, Don Ameche, Charles Coburn, Marjorie Main, Laird Cregar, Spring Byington, Allyn Joslyn, Eugene Pallette, Signe Hasso, Louis Calhern
Cinematography Edward Cronjager
Art Direction James Basevi, Leland Fuller
Film Editor Dorothy Spencer
Original Music Alfred Newman
Written by Samson Raphaelson from a play by Leslie Bush-Fekete
Produced and Directed by Ernst Lubitsch
Wait one second,...
Heaven Can Wait
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 291
1943 / Color / 1:37 flat full frame / 112 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date August 21, 2018 / 39.95
Starring Gene Tierney, Don Ameche, Charles Coburn, Marjorie Main, Laird Cregar, Spring Byington, Allyn Joslyn, Eugene Pallette, Signe Hasso, Louis Calhern
Cinematography Edward Cronjager
Art Direction James Basevi, Leland Fuller
Film Editor Dorothy Spencer
Original Music Alfred Newman
Written by Samson Raphaelson from a play by Leslie Bush-Fekete
Produced and Directed by Ernst Lubitsch
Wait one second,...
- 8/7/2018
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
This article marks Part 2 of the Gold Derby series analyzing 84 years of Best Original Song at the Oscars. Join us as we look back at the timeless tunes recognized in this category, the results of each race and the overall rankings of the Academy Awards winners.
The 1940 Oscar nominees in Best Original Song were:
“Down Argentine Way” from “Down Argentine Way”
“Who Am I” from “Hit Parade of 1941”
“It’s a Blue World” from Music in My Heart”
“When You Wish Upon a Star” from “Pinocchio”
“Only Forever” from “Rhythm on the River”
“Love of My Life” from “Second Chorus”
“Waltzing in the Clouds” from “Spring Parade”
“Our Love Affair” from “Strike Up the Band”
“I’d Know You Anywhere” from “You’ll Find Out”
Won and should’ve won: “When You Wish Upon a Star” from “Pinocchio”
Let’s take a moment to stare in wonder at the star-studded nature of this line-up.
The 1940 Oscar nominees in Best Original Song were:
“Down Argentine Way” from “Down Argentine Way”
“Who Am I” from “Hit Parade of 1941”
“It’s a Blue World” from Music in My Heart”
“When You Wish Upon a Star” from “Pinocchio”
“Only Forever” from “Rhythm on the River”
“Love of My Life” from “Second Chorus”
“Waltzing in the Clouds” from “Spring Parade”
“Our Love Affair” from “Strike Up the Band”
“I’d Know You Anywhere” from “You’ll Find Out”
Won and should’ve won: “When You Wish Upon a Star” from “Pinocchio”
Let’s take a moment to stare in wonder at the star-studded nature of this line-up.
- 7/16/2018
- by Andrew Carden
- Gold Derby
Emmy-winning entertainment news journalist Leeza Gibbons listed a residential compound she and husband Steve Fenton used as shared office space in a fashionable neighborhood of West Hollywood, Calif., with an asking price of $3.795 million. The former “Entertainment Tonight” host and 2015 winner of “The Celebrity Apprentice” purchased the property in 2011 for $1.199 million and the many-gabled, somewhat Tudor-ish main house, behind a charming, vine-draped vintage brick and white picket fence, has three bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms in a bit more than 2,000-square feet. A separate and self-contained guesthouse, where Gibbons’ elder adult son once lived, offers another bedroom and bathroom.
Set in to a puny, steeply gabled porch, the front door opens efficiently if less than ideally directly into a high-ceiled living room anchored by a stone-accented fireplace and filled with light through a tall, multi-paned arched window. A small dining room links the living room to an up-to-date galley kitchen with two-stool...
Set in to a puny, steeply gabled porch, the front door opens efficiently if less than ideally directly into a high-ceiled living room anchored by a stone-accented fireplace and filled with light through a tall, multi-paned arched window. A small dining room links the living room to an up-to-date galley kitchen with two-stool...
- 5/30/2018
- by Mark David
- Variety Film + TV
Jack Nicholson may be known more for his leading roles, but he just won Gold Derby’s poll of Best Supporting Actor Oscar winners of the 1980s. Nicholson has been voted your favorite Best Supporting Actor of that decade, for his performance as retired astronaut Garrett Breedlove in James L. Brooks‘ Best Picture winner “Terms of Endearment” (1983).
SEEMeryl Streep (‘Sophie’s Choice’) is clear choice for top Best Actress Oscar winner of 1980s [Poll Results]
Nicholson won with 19% of the vote, narrowly beating several beloved performances. Denzel Washington (“Glory”) came in second place with 16%, followed by Sean Connery (“The Untouchables”) and Kevin Kline (“A Fish Called Wanda”) at 15% each. Timothy Hutton (“Ordinary People”) finished out the top five at 13%.
Beyond this five there was a drop-off, with Michael Caine (“Hannah and Her Sisters”) netting 7%, Louis Gossett Jr. (“An Officer and a Gentleman”) and Haing S. Ngor (“The Killing Fields”) at 5% each and...
SEEMeryl Streep (‘Sophie’s Choice’) is clear choice for top Best Actress Oscar winner of 1980s [Poll Results]
Nicholson won with 19% of the vote, narrowly beating several beloved performances. Denzel Washington (“Glory”) came in second place with 16%, followed by Sean Connery (“The Untouchables”) and Kevin Kline (“A Fish Called Wanda”) at 15% each. Timothy Hutton (“Ordinary People”) finished out the top five at 13%.
Beyond this five there was a drop-off, with Michael Caine (“Hannah and Her Sisters”) netting 7%, Louis Gossett Jr. (“An Officer and a Gentleman”) and Haing S. Ngor (“The Killing Fields”) at 5% each and...
- 4/23/2018
- by Kevin Jacobsen
- Gold Derby
Like the other acting winners of the 1980s, the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor went to big stars and character actors alike. The ’80s featured big-name winners like Jack Nicholson, Kevin Kline, Sean Connery and Michael Caine alongside hardworking veterans like John Gielgud, Louis Gossett Jr. and Don Ameche. The Academy also rewarded emerging talent, like Timothy Hutton, Haing S. Ngor and the now double-champ Denzel Washington.
So who is your favorite Best Supporting Actor winner of the 1980s? Look back on each performance and be sure to vote in our poll below.
Timothy Hutton, “Ordinary People” (1980) — Hutton came out of the gate strong with his heartbreaking performance in Best Picture winner “Ordinary People.” Hutton plays Conrad Jarrett, a teenager wracked with guilt after his brother is killed in a boating accident. Hutton is clearly the lead of the film, but at age 20, the studio may have felt it fairer...
So who is your favorite Best Supporting Actor winner of the 1980s? Look back on each performance and be sure to vote in our poll below.
Timothy Hutton, “Ordinary People” (1980) — Hutton came out of the gate strong with his heartbreaking performance in Best Picture winner “Ordinary People.” Hutton plays Conrad Jarrett, a teenager wracked with guilt after his brother is killed in a boating accident. Hutton is clearly the lead of the film, but at age 20, the studio may have felt it fairer...
- 3/24/2018
- by Kevin Jacobsen
- Gold Derby
Jackson "Jackie" Hunsicker, who co-wrote the screenplay for Ten Little Indians, which starred Donald Pleasence and Brenda Vaccaro in a 1989 big-screen adaptation of the famed Agatha Christie novel, has died. She was 69.
Hunsicker died Friday in Studio City after a recurring battle with cancer, her cousin Ned Nalle announced.
Hunsicker also wrote and directed The Frog Prince (1988), starring Helen Hunt, and Oddball Hall (1990), a comedy starring Don Ameche and Burgess Meredith. Those films, as well as Ten Little Indians, were made for the Cannon Group.
She also wrote for the 1995 ABC series The Marshal, starring...
Hunsicker died Friday in Studio City after a recurring battle with cancer, her cousin Ned Nalle announced.
Hunsicker also wrote and directed The Frog Prince (1988), starring Helen Hunt, and Oddball Hall (1990), a comedy starring Don Ameche and Burgess Meredith. Those films, as well as Ten Little Indians, were made for the Cannon Group.
She also wrote for the 1995 ABC series The Marshal, starring...
- 1/3/2018
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Close-Up is a feature that spotlights films now playing on Mubi. Busby Berkeley's The Gang's All Here (1943) is showing December 25, 2017 - January 24, 2018 on Mubi in the United States. Busby Berkeley makes no attempt to hide, or even downplay, the glorious Technicolor fabrication of The Gang’s All Here. From its very first scene, as an apparent bit of dramatic action is revealed to be an elaborate stage production, which then, in turn, detaches from the platform and enters the audience, the wall between illusion and actuality comes joyously crumbling down. From there, the crowd of spectators become themselves part of the show—we’re all part of the show when it comes to this 1943 musical comedy, accepting and delighting in its escapist frivolity. Favoring overt exaggeration and artful indulgence over any semblance of realism, Berkeley engages a gleeful composition of color, music, dance, calculated choreography, and exotic, albeit superficial,...
- 12/25/2017
- MUBI
Frances Dee movies: From 'An American Tragedy' to 'Four Faces West' Frances Dee began her film career at the dawn of the sound era, going from extra to leading lady within a matter of months. Her rapid ascencion came about thanks to Maurice Chevalier, who got her as his romantic interested in Ludwig Berger's 1930 romantic comedy Playboy of Paris. Despite her dark(-haired) good looks and pleasant personality, Dee's Hollywood career never quite progressed to major – or even moderate – stardom. But she was to remain a busy leading lady for about 15 years. Tonight, Turner Classic Movies is showing seven Frances Dee films, ranging from heavy dramas to Westerns. Unfortunately missing is one of Dee's most curious efforts, the raunchy pre-Coder Blood Money, which possibly features her most unusual – and most effective – performance. Having said that, William A. Wellman's Love Is a Racket is a worthwhile subsitute, though the...
- 5/18/2017
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Join us for some old-school 16mm Movie Madness! – It’s our monthly 16Mm Double Feature Night at The Way Out Club (2525 Jefferson Avenue in St. Louis)! Join Tom Stockman and Roger from “Roger’s Reels’ for a double feature of two complete films projected on 16mm film. The show is Tuesday February 7th and starts at 8pm. Admission is Free though we will be setting out a jar to take donations for the National Children’s Cancer Society.
First up is Trading Places
Trading Place is a beloved fish out of water comedy from 1983. The filthy rich Duke brothers (Ralph Bellamy and Don Ameche) conduct a cruel experiment on two completely opposite (and completely oblivious) young men to prove that they could quite easily and successfully trade places.
Dan Aykroyd plays business executive Lewis Winthorpe III, a wealthy snob who works for the callous Duke brothers, and Eddie Murphy is Billy Ray Valentine,...
First up is Trading Places
Trading Place is a beloved fish out of water comedy from 1983. The filthy rich Duke brothers (Ralph Bellamy and Don Ameche) conduct a cruel experiment on two completely opposite (and completely oblivious) young men to prove that they could quite easily and successfully trade places.
Dan Aykroyd plays business executive Lewis Winthorpe III, a wealthy snob who works for the callous Duke brothers, and Eddie Murphy is Billy Ray Valentine,...
- 2/1/2017
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
By Darren Allison
I’ve always viewed “Cocoon” as the type of film that Steven Spielberg would have been very happy to have made. It has all the hallmarks of a Spielberg movie: a light hearted, warm, science fiction fantasy that is also extremely enjoyable and a perfect piece of innocent entertainment. It was, of course, Ron Howard who picked up the project, a relative newcomer in directorial terms. However, his stock was rising based on the very popular romantic comedy/fantasy “Splash” (1984) with Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah. It was certainly enough to attract the attention of producers Richard Zanuck and David Brown at 20th Century Fox who were happy to take on the ambitious Howard and his vision for the film.
Given that the film was targeted at teenage audiences amid the mid-80s trend for special effects- laden spectacles, “Cocoon” managed to capture the imagination of a much wider audience.
I’ve always viewed “Cocoon” as the type of film that Steven Spielberg would have been very happy to have made. It has all the hallmarks of a Spielberg movie: a light hearted, warm, science fiction fantasy that is also extremely enjoyable and a perfect piece of innocent entertainment. It was, of course, Ron Howard who picked up the project, a relative newcomer in directorial terms. However, his stock was rising based on the very popular romantic comedy/fantasy “Splash” (1984) with Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah. It was certainly enough to attract the attention of producers Richard Zanuck and David Brown at 20th Century Fox who were happy to take on the ambitious Howard and his vision for the film.
Given that the film was targeted at teenage audiences amid the mid-80s trend for special effects- laden spectacles, “Cocoon” managed to capture the imagination of a much wider audience.
- 7/6/2016
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
No, it's not the Warren Beatty remake of Here Comes Mr. Jordan, but the sublime Ernst Lubitsch comedy fantasy, his biggest commercial hit and generally considered the last of his films to exemplify the inimitable "Lubitsch touch". Feckless womanizer Don Ameche recounts his love life to urbane devil Laird Cregar at the gates of Hell in a sparkling rumination on life, death and the importance of the common man.
- 6/10/2016
- by TFH Team
- Trailers from Hell
Here's a sterling example of what Hollywood excelled at back in the golden age: Robert Montgomery, Evelyn Keyes, Claude Rains and Edward Everett Horton star in possibly the most magical of movies known as Film Blanc. A cosmic goof leaves a man with fifty years yet to live without a body -- so heavenly troubleshooters try to find him a new one. Here Comes Mr. Jordan Blu-ray The Criterion Collection 819 1941 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 94 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date June 14, 2016 / 39.95 Starring Robert Montgomery, Evelyn Keyes, Claude Rains, Rita Johnson, Edward Everett Horton, James Gleason. Cinematography Joseph Walker Art Direction Lionel Banks Film Editor Viola Lawrence Original Music Frederick Hollander Written by Sidney Buchman, Seton I. Miller from the play Heaven Can Wait by Harry Segall Produced by Everett Riskin Directed by Alexander Hall
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Some movies are so entertaining that it's best to tell people,...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Some movies are so entertaining that it's best to tell people,...
- 6/7/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Are you sitting down? Good, because we have a little bit of a shock for you to endure: today.s Tax Day. That.s right, thanks to some entanglements involving April 15th being a Friday, and a federal holiday being observed in Washington D.C., your tax deadline was pushed to today, the 18th. As if you didn.t hate Mondays enough. Still, there.s no use in sulking, as death and taxes are two certainties in life, and you should be thankful you.re only being called upon to fulfill the latter obligation. So in the spirit of Tax Day, let us entertain you with the following laugh riots that are guaranteed to make you laugh at the system. Provided, of course, that you.ve filed your taxes in proper order. Trading Places We.re going to start you folks off with a classic, as Don Ameche and Ralph...
- 4/18/2016
- cinemablend.com
'The Merry Widow' with Maurice Chevalier, Jeanette MacDonald and Minna Gombell under the direction of Ernst Lubitsch. Ernst Lubitsch movies: 'The Merry Widow,' 'Ninotchka' (See previous post: “Ernst Lubitsch Best Films: Passé Subtle 'Touch' in Age of Sledgehammer Filmmaking.”) Initially a project for Ramon Novarro – who for quite some time aspired to become an opera singer and who had a pleasant singing voice – The Merry Widow ultimately starred Maurice Chevalier, the hammiest film performer this side of Bob Hope, Jim Carrey, Adam Sandler – the list goes on and on. Generally speaking, “hammy” isn't my idea of effective film acting. For that reason, I usually find Chevalier a major handicap to his movies, especially during the early talkie era; he upsets their dramatic (or comedic) balance much like Jack Nicholson in Martin Scorsese's The Departed or Jerry Lewis in anything (excepting Scorsese's The King of Comedy...
- 1/31/2016
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Close-Up is a column that spotlights films now playing on Mubi. Ball of Fire is playing on Mubi in the Us January 8 through February 7, 2016.To rephrase a popular literary adage, one shouldn’t judge a film by its credits. Many a noteworthy roster of talent has yielded a less than superior motion picture. Such is not the case, however, with the 1941 Samuel Goldwyn production, Ball of Fire. Aside from the legendary producer, who had over 100 movies under his belt by this point in his career, the film boasts an Oscar-nominated story by Thomas Monroe and Billy Wilder, a script by Wilder and frequent co-writer Charles Brackett, a supporting cast of famous faces like Dana Andrews, Dan Duryea, and Elisha Cook Jr., and superb star turns by Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck. Behind the camera, the music is by Alfred Newman, Gregg Toland is the cinematographer, Daniel Mandell is the editor,...
- 1/8/2016
- by Jeremy Carr
- MUBI
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