Monday, November 19, 2012

Eight Facts You Didn't Know About "Reservoir Dogs"

On December 4th, Reservoir Dogs gets a one-night only screening in theaters across the country, celebrating the 20th (!!) anniversary of its release.  (For screening locations, check www.fathomevents.com.)

The now-classic violent crime film catapulted writer/director Quentin Tarantino to fame.  Reservoir Dogs is now considered a classic heist-gone-wrong film; Empire Magazine once named it the best independent film ever made.  Here are some behind-the-scene facts behind one of the most influential films of the past 20 years:

1.  James Woods was wanted by Tarantino for the film.  The filmmaker, who was looking to cast the intense actor as "Mr. Orange" (played by Tim Roth), called Woods' agent with five offers.  The agent never even alerted Woods--the offers were way below what the actor normally commanded.  A few years later, Tarantino met Woods at a party, and he told the actor how he tried to hire him.  Woods fired his agent the next day.

2.  Shooting and final editing came very close to derailing the film's premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.  The film's final version was completed a mere three days before it unspooled at Sundance.

3.  There are no women in the movie.  Not one speaking part.  In the DVD extras, however, Nina Siemaszko has some scenes as "McClusky."


4.  It's a typical Tarantino film: the "f bomb" is dropped over 270 times.

5.  The film's budget was so long that in many scenes the actors raided their closets and wore their own clothes.

6.  Michael Madsen has that unforgettable sequence where he tortures a cop and cuts off his ear, all to the soundtrack of "Stuck in the Middle."  But Madsen had grave concerns about the scene, and was so disturbed by the violence that he couldn't finish it in one take.  He missed take after take because he would  get too choked up to continue.


7.  The film was originally set for a down-and-dirty 2 1/2 week shoot with a budget of $30,000.  One day Tarantino came home and got a voicemail from Harvey Keitel, asking if he could be in the film.  On Keitel's name alone the director was able to raise $1.5 million in less than a few weeks.

8.   The film was a modest hit in the U.S., grossing $2.9 million. But in Europe it was huge, including a whopping $12 million dollar (U.S.) take in Great Britain.

To purchase Reservoir Dogs on Blu-Ray:

 
 
 

Sunday, November 4, 2012

In Appreciation: Seven Days In May (1964)

John Frankenheimer was responsible for one of the greatest political thrillers ever made--The Manchurian Candidate.  But, just in time for election day, you should watch another one of his great thrillers, Seven Days in May.  And this one is scary, because it's just plausible enough to happen.

Questioning the checks-and-balance system of American government, Seven Days in May asks the unthinkable: Could there be a political coup coming from in the Pentagon?


Veteran actor Fredric March plays the President, who is on the verge of signing a total nuclear disarmament treaty with Russia.  But there are numerous naysayers in the Pentagon, suspecting the country is leaving itself open to a nuclear attack.  One of the Joints Chiefs of Staff, Air Force General James Scott (Burt Lancaster), plots to overthrow the President.  When Colonel Martin "Jiggs" Casey (Kirk Douglas) stumbles onto the plot, he alerts the President...and the game's afoot.

Seven Days has a brilliant script by Rod Serling, who made it a point to show that real power occurs behind closed doors, in the shadows, away from the public and the press.  It's another great teaming of Douglas and Lancaster, although Frankeheimer butted heads with Lancaster while making The Birdman of Alcatraz.  Douglas eventually convinced the director that no one else could portray General Scott.


The film has a dazzling supporting cast, led by Ava Gardner, who plays the General's ex-mistress--a woman with a lot of secrets to hide.  Also in the film are Martin Balsam, who got annoyed when the director would shoot off a gun during his scenes, just to make him more jittery.  And Edmond O'Brien won a well-deserved Oscar nod as an alcoholic Senator who stands on the President's side.

How realistic is the film?  The Pentagon wouldn't cooperate at all in the making of the film.  President Kennedy thought the film had to be made.  So whenever Frankenheimer needed to shoot around the White House, the President made sure he was away at Hyannisport on weekends, and the crew was given permission to shoot.  Seven Days in May is a thought-provoking thriller that still resonates today...and is still in the realm of possibility.

To purchase Seven Days in May on DVD, click here:

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Sunday, October 28, 2012

Superheroes Be Damned: Summer Box Office Ticket Sales Down 100 Million From 10 Years Ago

The studios can spin the numbers all they want.  Truth is, less people are going to the movies than ever before.

According to box office tracker Exhibitor Relations, this summer's take ended up at $4.27 billion, down from last year's $4.4 billion.  Actual admissions were 526 million, down over 100 million from the summer of 2002.

There's no doubt that the summer was blockbuster driven, with The Avengers grossing $1.5 billion worldwide and The Dark Knight Rises earning nearly $1 billion.  Still, there were an awful lot if disasters--both critical and commercial. Battleship, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Dark Shadows: all of them bombed. 


The Labor Day weekend closed out with the clumsily-named Oogiloves In The Big Balloon Adventure, which managed to gross an anemic $885,000 in its first six days of release.  Problem is, the film cost roughly $40-50 million to make, proving that even four year olds are getting blase about movies.  (It never struck the producers that you don't introduce a new line of unknown characters by releasing a major film on a holiday weekend?)

Has your movie going dropped since the advent of superior HDTVs, streaming, and Netflix?  Did sticky floors, rude moviegoers, and poor theatrical presentations drive you from the theater screaming?  Or are you like me, and unwilling to take out a small business loan just to see an IMAX presentation?  Comment and let's get the conversation started.

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Eight Facts You Didn't Know About Hitchcock's "The Birds"

With Universal's 100th anniversary in full swing, and a one-night big screen showing on Wednesday, September 19th, Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds is attracting attention again.  HBO will soon premiere The Girl, a look at the relationship between the director and the star Tippi Hedren.  The Master's 1963 thriller still produces shudders among grownups (myself included), and like any great film, there are quite a few stories behind it:

1.  The movie is adapted from a story by Daphne du Maurier (Rebecca), but is also based on fact.  Hitchcock noticed a 1961 newspaper story about a group of disoriented seabirds attacking people in California's Monterey Bay.  (Their behavior was attributed to eating poisoned plankton and squid.)  Hitch thought it would make a good idea for a movie.

2.  It wasn't supposed to be Rod Taylor and Tippi Hedren starring.  Hitch had the screenplay written with Grace Kelly and Cary Grant in mind.


3.  When Grace Kelly turned the Master down, Hitch cast a wide net looking for a newcomer to star.  He saw Tippi Hedren in a soda commercial, and rushed her to the Universal set for three days of screen tests at a cost of $25,000.  During the actual six month shoot, Hedren was needed on the set every day; she appeared in nearly every major scene.

4.  Hitchcock's customary cameo appearance catches him leaving Davidson's Pet Shop as Hedren enters. Hitch is being dragged out the door by two dogs--his own terriers, Geoffrey and Stanley.

5.   The Birds used hundred of real trained birds, as well as a few mechanical ones and some animation.  Effects wizard Ub Iwerks was nominated for an Oscar for Best Special Effects--but lost that year to Cleopatra!  (I'm still working on this one: aside from Elizabeth Taylor's  eye makeup, what special effects were there in Cleopatra?)  Iwerks worked for Walt Disney since the early 1920s. He had to ask Walt's permission to work with Hitchcock.


6.  Bird trainer Ray Berwick was brought in when it became apparent that the mechanical birds simply didn't look real. The ideal situation would have been to train baby birds as they were growing up, but there wasn't time for that.  The film desperately needed grown ravens and crows.  Professional trappers were called with a promise to pay $10 per bird captured. "Not one trapper came up with a single bird!" Berwick said; he and his assistant later tracked and captured part of a 20,000 flock of crows.

7.  The birds weren't antagonistic towards the actors at first, although it certainly looked that way.  The birds had motivation: before film takes the actors' hands were smeared with shrimp, anchovies, and ground meat to attract the feathered foes.  As shooting progressed, bird bites became more common; one day alone 12 crew members were nipped.  And yes, the American Humane Society was on the set to make sure that no birds were harmed during filming.  (You'd think they would have been more worried about Tippi Hedren...)

8.   One very vocal critic of the film was the screenwriter, Evan Hunter, best known for writing the The Blackboard Jungle and the Ed McBain 89th Precinct mysteries. "I don't think Hitchcock was fair to my screenplay," Hunter lamented. Later he added, "I think Hitch is putting the world on when he pretends there is anything meaningful about The Birds. We were just trying to scare the hell out of people. Period."

For more information about the nationwide September 19th showing of The Birds:
http://www.fathomevents.com/classics/event/tcmbirds.aspx

To purchase The Birds on DVD, click on the pic:

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Tippi Hedren on Hitchcock: "Unusual, Genius, and Evil, and Deviant"

One of this fall's most eagerly awaited television events is the October premiere of the HBO film The Girl, the true story of Alfred Hitchcock's obsession with his blond actresses--most notably his different relationship with Tippi Hedren, who starred in The Birds and Marnie for the Master of Mayhem.

At a screening for TV critics last week, Hedren, still glamorous at 82, pulled no punches in describing Hitchcock, whose perverse relationship with her affected her career. "I think we're dealing with a mind here that is incomprehensible," she said. "It was something I never experienced before," she added. "But it certainly wasn't love."


She continued to dissect Hitchcock's attitude towards women. "He was an extremely sad character.  You're dealing with a brain here that was unusual, genius, and evil, and deviant, almost to the point of deviant."

Hitchcock's obsession with blondes--Grace Kelly, Doris Day, Vera Miles, Kim Novak, and Hedren--were legendary, but his disturbing behavior towards them was kept a secret.  After his death, Hitchcock film critic Donald Spoto wrote the controversial book Spellbound By Beauty, which described the director's many "kinks."  (Once, after being spurned by Hedren, Hitchcock sent her daughter, Melanie Griffith, a toy coffin with a perfect likeness of her mother inside.)

Hedren couldn't escape the harassment; it was, after all, the 1960s.  "If it had happened today, I would have been a rich woman," she admitted.  Nevertheless, Hedren added that Hitch was a great director.  "There were times of delight and joy," she asserted.

Hedren worked closely with the screenwriter of The Girl to insure its authenticity, also collaborating with actress Sienna Miller, who portrays Hedren in the HBO film.  Hitchcock is played by British actor Toby Jones, who gave a little-seen but hypnotic performance as Truman Capote in Infamous.  How closely does Jones capture the aura of the Master?

"When I first heard Toby's voice as Hitchcock," Hedren stated, "I froze."

To purchase Marnie on DVD, click here:

Monday, August 6, 2012

Turner Classic Movies Big Screen Fall Events: Hitchcock, Frankenstein, and Atticus

Hot on the heels of a nationwide sold-out screening of M-G-M's Singin' In The Rain, Turner Classic Movies is teaming up with Universal Studios to showcase four of its classic films in theaters this fall.
First up is a Hitchcock classic that's a must on the big screen: a September 19th screening of The Birds.  The cagey creatures wreak havoc on the quiet little town of Bodega Bay.  Tippi Hedren was Hitch's newest "discovery" to star in one of his films.  (His twisted obsession with the actress is the subject of That Girl, an October HBO film.)  This is one film that gave a lot of adults (myself included) nightmares as a kid. 


Universal is also known for their classic horror films.  October 24th's screening is a double feature of Frankenstein, and a sequel that might even be better than the original, Bride of Frankenstein

To round out the series is one of the most beloved films of all time, To Kill A Mockingbird, starring Gregory Peck in his award-winning role as Southern lawyer Atticus Finch.  How good was Peck in this film?  He won the 1962 Oscar for Best Actor, even beating out Peter O'Toole for his amazing debut in Lawrence of ArabiaMockingbird screens one night only on Thursday, November 15th.

To find out more on the series, and to purchase tickets: http://www.fathomevents.com/.

To purchase The Birds on DVD:

Sunday, August 5, 2012

And The Film Gods Smile: Warners Hesitates to Greenlight A Remake of "The Thin Man"

It's bad enough when Hollywood rakes over the old coals in an effort for a new idea. But how many times should a studio ruin a perfect classic by remaking it?  Peter Jackson learned the hard way not to monkey around with King Kong.  Meg Ryan probably fired her agent (or should have) after co-starring in the dismal remake of The Women.

Thankfully, Warners is putting a hold on a projected remake of The Thin Man, starring Johnny Depp and to be directed by Rob Marshall (Chicago, Nine).  The budget was apparently over $100 million to start...and Nora Charles hadn't even been cast yet! 

Warners may be scared by the lukewarm response to Dark Shadows, Depp's current flop for the studio. (Luckily, director Marshall is moving on to a project better suited for his tastes: an adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's Into The Woods.)


The Thin Man is the classic M-G-M series starring William Powell and Myrna Loy as a former detective and his society wife who keep getting mixed up in murder.  The first one, shot in only 13 days, set a standard for sophisticated sleuthing that lasts to this day (see any episode of Hart to Hart for its influence).

Sometimes there is no need to remake a classic.  The Thin Man still stands on its own.  To update it would take it out of the 1930s, where it worked so well.  And as for "sophistication," well, I like Johnny Depp.  But that isn't the first word I think of when I watch him on screen.

Can you think of any other ill-fated remakes that should have been left undone?  Ones that pop into my mind: the painful Streisand remake of A Star Is Born.  The new Total Recall.  The horrible remake of The Stepford Wives.  Feel free to add to my list.

To order the full Thin Man series on DVD:

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Remake Fun: Who Would You Cast In The Remake of "Baby Jane?"

It was announced at Comic-Con two weeks ago that action director Walter Hill would direct a remake of the iconic Robert Aldrich thriller Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?
This is a bad, bad idea for many reasons.  First, the original is a masterpiece, with Bette Davis as the crazed ex-child star Baby Jane Hudson, who tortures her crippled sister Blanche (Joan Crawford).  The 1962 thriller was one of the few horror films to garner Oscar nominations—most notably Davis’s twelfth acting nod.  (She would have won if it wasn’t for Anne Bancroft and The Miracle Worker.)

Director Robert Aldrich was known for his macho action films, such as The Dirty Dozen and The Longest Yard.  But he was also a sensitive director of "women's films," and he brought out great performances in Baby Jane, Hush...Hush Sweet Charlotte, The Killing of Sister George, and others.  Director Walter Hill (48 Hrs., The Warriors) once said, "Every film I've made has been a western."  Walter Hill for Baby Jane?  I don't see it.
And what about the casting?  Even Vanessa and Lynn Redgrave couldn't erase the memory of Davis and Crawford in a lackluster 1991 TV remake.
Some films don't need to be remade.  Baby Jane is certainly one of them.  But as long as Warner's is going to do it, let's throw our two cents in and suggest some casting ideas:
Meryl Streep and Glenn Close:  Who better to play the demented Jane Hudson than our favorite psychopathic bunny boiler Glenn Close?  And wouldn't it be fun to see Streep get the stuffing knocked out of her?
Jessica Lange and Sigourney Weaver:  After her knockout Southern-dipped horror performance in American Horror Story, I could easily see Jessica Lange as Jane.  Weaver would be one of the few actresses who could hold her own with the two-time Oscar winner.
Angelica Huston and Barbara Hershey:  Huston has that classic Gothic look (see: The Addams Family) that would be perfect for this film.  The great Ms. Hershey (Beaches, Once Upon a Time) would be perfect to elicit our sympathy as the trapped Blanche.
So what do you think?  Anyone else pop into mind?  (If Elizabeth Taylor were still alive, I certainly would have put her on the list).  Give me your best ideas.
Comic-Con: Walter Hill Tackles Whatever Happened to Baby Jane Remake: http://www.deadline.com/2012/07/comic-con-walter-hill-tackles-whatever-happened-to-baby-jane-remake/
To purchase the original 1962 classic, click here:



Sunday, July 15, 2012

Fox Enters The DVD-On-Demand Business With "Fox Cinema Archives"

DVD-On-Demand, where you order the title and the DVD is specifically made for you, has really taken off, thanks to the Warner Archives, MGM Limited Editions, and Sony Pictures Choice Collection.  Last week Fox entered the market, with 35 new titles available on demand as part of the "Fox Cinema Archives" series.

Unlike the Warner Archives, which are available on their own website, the Fox Cinema Archives will be available from a number of retailers, including Amazon.

The DVD-on-demand is an excellent way for a studio to release classic films that wouldn't ordinarily support a wide release. Fox has some excellent titles in this first set, including:

Mr. Belvedere Rings The Bell (1951)--Before the TV series, Clifton Webb added another memorable character to his resume. Webb won an Oscar nod for the first film he played Belvedere in, 1948's Sitting Pretty, which introduced the world to a 50-ish male au pair/babysitter who knew more than his employees.

Suez (1938)--The classic story of the building of the massive canal., starring Tyrone Power.


Claudia (1942)--Frank movie about a child bride forced to mature after marriage.  Dorothy McGuire and Robert Young star.

Diplomatic Courier (1952)--Tyrone Power and Patricia Neal star in this tale of international inrigue and Cold War spies.

Way of the Gaucho (1952)--After he inadvertently kills a man, a gaucho is forced to join the Argentine army as punishment.  Rory Calhoun star.

For the entire list of new Fox releases, click here:
http://www.homemediamagazine.com/fox/fox-cinema-archives-open-business-major-retailers-websites-27578

To order our favorite, Mr. Belvedere Rings The Bell:


Saturday, July 7, 2012

Eight Things You Didn't Know About "Singin' In The Rain"

Singin' In The Rain celebrates it 60th anniversary this week with a special one-time-only showing in theaters across the country.  In honor of this occasion, here are eight little-known facts about one of the greatest films ever made:

1.  Jean Hagen was a smash as Lina Lamont, the silent film star trying to make the transition to talkies—but has a voice that could shatter cement. Screenwriters Betty Comden and Adolph Green had worked with Judy Holliday in a Broadway revue.  She was their top choice for the role—but had just soared to fame in Born Yesterday.  Holliday recommended Hagen, who auditioned by performing a drop dead perfect impersonation of Holliday, and won the role.
2.  A very young Rita Moreno was cast as Zelda Sanders, the “Zip Girl.”  The role was based on Clara Bow.  She even had a number, “I’ve Got a Feeling You’re Fooling,” but when her role was trimmed, the song moved to the “Beautiful Girls” medley.

3.  The rain in the title number was composed of milk and water; plain water alone didn’t show up on film the way director Stanley Donen wanted it to.  The “rain” kept shrinking Gene Kelly’s wool suit after each take.  So the story that Kelly shot the number in one take is just that—a story.  It actually consumed over two full days of filming.
4.  For the female lead Kathy Selden, Judy Garland and June Allyson were considered, but Kelly was sold on Debbie Reynolds. She was a gymnast who'd been discovered in a beauty pageant and Kelly felt she had the athleticism to keep up with him.
5.  Just because she was chosen didn’t mean it was easy for Reynolds.  Reynolds later recalled that Kelly was a stern taskmaster, and they performed so many takes that sometimes her feet actually bled.  One day after a particularly hard rehearsal, Fred Astaire found Reynolds crying under a piano.  After that, he quietly coached her for the dance numbers.
6.  Mogul R.F. Simpson (played by Millard Mitchell) was modeled after producer Arthur Freed, but Freed never knew it and no one dared to tell him.  Freed didn't have much of a sense of humor about himself.  As screenwriter Betty Comden recalled, she and co-writer Adolph Green got a call one day from Freed. "Kids," he said, "you're going to write a movie called Singin' In The Rain.  Just put all of my songs in it."

7.  The movie features a bunch of classic songs, but only one original—Moses Supposes—with lyrics by the screenwriters Comden and Greene.
8.  The film received only two Oscar nominations—Best Supporting Actress for Hagen and Best Adapted Score.  Many felt it was inferior to 1951’s Best Picture: An American In Paris.  The film’s reputation has soared over the decades—it is #5 on AFI’s Top 100 Movies list as of 2007.  It has also been named twice in the prestigious Sight and Sound Poll of the best films of all time.  In 1982 it ranked #4; in the 2002 poll it was #10.
For more about the July 12th screening of Singin' In The Rainhttp://www.fathomevents.com/


Sunday, June 24, 2012

Eight Cult Comedies Still Waiting For Their Audience

As years pass, film comedy reputations rise and fall. You can't call the 1968 version of The Producers a cult film anymore; its reputation rose during the '80s and '90s, and the success of the Broadway musical sealed it. The Rocky Horror Picture Show may have started out as a cult classic, but decades of midnight shows and its successful VHS release raised its profile years later. Now it's a legitimate part of film history.

But there are still films out there, under the radar, waiting to have the spotlight shine on them again. Sometimes there are odd reasons for their "anonymity." Some are considered minor works of their director ("1941," "Serial Mom"). Others have suffered due to the reputation of their remakes ("Unfaithfully Yours").

Whatever the reason, here are eight films that have stuck with me. Maybe they're not perfect; maybe they're not the best ever made. But they deserve another look. Here, in no particular order, are eight comedies that have a soft spot in my heart:

1.  The Twelve Chairs (1970)--Mel Brooks' followup to The Producers--and it also landed with a theatrical thud. This is a brilliant slapstick comedy about a diverse group of Russians looking for the twelfth chair in a matching set: one whose cushion is stuffed with a fortune in gems. An impoverished aristocrat, an Orthodox priest, and a con-artist will stop at nothing to get the jewels. Starring Ron Moody, Dom DeLuise, and in his film debut, Frank Langella;

2. Going In Style (1979)--Three aging geezers have nothing better to do than collect Social Security, sit around the park, and feed the pigeons. So to break the monotony of old age, they decide to rob a bank. The trio is perfectly played by Art Carney, George Burns, and Lee Strasberg--and if they look old in the film it's because director Martin Brest ordered the makeup artist NOT to make them look younger. This film plays so well on a number of levels, especially as a study on how we view senior citizens. Wait for the last line of the film: it's a classic.
3.  Lord Love A Duck (1966)--An absolutely manic, out-of-control '60s comedy that satirized '60s pop culture. Roddy McDowall was in his 40s when he played high school senior Alan Musgrave, who falls for innocent but manipulative Barbara Ann Greene (the underrated Tuesday Weld). To give her everything she wants, he'll even resort to murder. A very black comedy. Weld gives off sexual sparks and hints of the controlling character she later played in Pretty Poison.

4.  Unfaithfully Yours (1948)--Preston Sturges created a number of classics (Sullivan's Travels, The Lady Eve), but his career never recovered from the failure of this, one of his most ambitious films. A bitterly jealous conductor thinks his wife is cheating on him. He conducts three different musical pieces--and each one is accompanied in his mind by a different plan for revenge. A pitch-perfect slapstick comedy, with an unforgettable performance by Rex Harrison as the suspicious conductor.
5.  Serial Mom (1994)--Critics were divided on this John Waters' subversive comedy--not shocking enough, perhaps? But I thought Kathleen Turner gave a bravura performance as the title character, a tightly-wound woman who'd knock you off if you wore white after Labor Day.  Another inspired John Waters' film that casts an acerbic eye on America's fascination with true crime.

6. 1941 (1979)--Steven Spielberg's sprawling period film suffered from comparisons to his previous hits--but there's a lot to recommend in this riotous comedy about the panic in Los Angeles after Pearl Harbor was attacked in December, 1941. A grand ensemble cast--everyone from John Belushi, Christopher Lee, Dan Aykroyd, John Candy, Robert Stack, and Ned Beatty.


7.  The Dinner Game (1998)--Compare it to the American remake, Dinner For Schmucks; you'll be surprised at the difference in comedic tone. French writer/director Frances Veber (La Cage aux Folles) scored an international hit with this comedy about a group of friends who meet every Wednesday in a competition to find who can bring the stupidest person to dinner with them. The title of the film is Le Diner de Cons, "cons" meaning dumbbell. Wickedly funnier than the U.S. version.

8.  Where's Poppa? (1970)--Carl Reiner has made a lot of hit comedies, but none quite as subversive or gasp-out-loud funny as this one. George Segal plays a hot shot lawyer whose budding relationships are always ruined because he has to care for his pain-in-the-butt mother (played to the hilt by Ruth Gordon). When mom chases away another girlfriend, maybe murder is the only way out? Shocking for 1970: Reiner took full advantage of the "let it all hang out" '70s attitude and made a film that didn't sound or look like anything he has done since.
I hope you'll be encouraged to check these films out. And feel free to comment: what underrated comedies do you think are ripe for rediscovery?
To purchase three of these comedies, click on the pics:




Sunday, June 17, 2012

Eight Things You Didn't Know About The Beatles' "Yellow Submarine"

The Beatles' 1968 animated film Yellow Submarine has been released for the first time on Blu-Ray and i-Tunes. The trippy cartoon has The Fab Four battling The Blue Meanies in the magical, mythical world of Pepperland, with one of the best-selling soundtracks of all time accompanying them.

There are plenty of interesting stories behind the making of this animated classic--especially since The Beatles didn't want to make it in the first place. Here's some trivia about Yellow Submarine:

1. The Beatles had to participate in the film. It was part of their three-picture deal with United Artists. A Hard Day's Night (1964) was first, followed by Help! (1965). That's the reason the Fab Four make a non-animated appearance at the end;

2. The Beatles did sing all of the songs, but other actors portrayed their voices in the film;


3. Paul Batten provided the voice of George for the first half of the film. While recording his role one day, he was arrested for being a British army deserter. Another actor had to take over the role;

4. The look of the movie was wrongly attributed to psychedelic pop artist Peter Max. Max had nothing to do with the film; credit for the hip look goes to the film's art director, Heinz Edelman;

5. The villians were The Blue Meanies--deliberately meant as a sly reference to the police;

6. In 1969, the film was nominated for a Hugo--a prestigious science-fiction/fantasy award. Previous Hugo winners included Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein, and Ray Bradbury;

7.  A number of writers worked on the screenplay, including Erich Segal, who, two years later, wrote the smash hit Love Story;

8. In the film, The Beatles run up against a multi-headed Meanie dog, and sing "Hey Bulldog!" This sequence was cut from the American release, and has been restored on Blu-Ray and DVD.

To order Yellow Submarine on Blu-Ray, click here:

Sunday, June 10, 2012

"Singin' In The Rain" Hits Theaters on July 12th For A One Time Screening

There aren't too many chances to see classic movies on the big screen anymore. So mark July 12th on your calendar: Turner Classic Movies will be sponsoring a one-time only showing of the classic musical Singin' In The Rain in select theaters across the country. The film will also be released on Blu-Ray in honor of its 60th anniversary.


The screening begins with an original production featuring TCM host Robert Osborne in an exclusive specially produced interview with star Debbie Reynolds. Reynolds shares memories of working with the late Gene Kelly and Donald O’Connor.

Considered one of the best musicals ever made, (and #5 on AFI's Top 100 film list), Singin' In The Rain is a sly satire about dashing Hollywood swashbuckler Don Lockwood(Gene Kelly) who tries to find love while adjusting to sound features. His current film may also be his last: it's being turned into a talkie, co-starring silent star Lina Lamont (Oscar-nominated Jean Hagen), who regretfully has a voice that could shatter cement.



Singin' In The Rain is the quintessential MGM musical: brightly shot, full of vigor, with a well crafted screenplay by (songwriters) Betty Comden and Adolph Greene, and sparkling performances. The musical numbers are now legendary: besides the title number there's also "Good Morning!" "Make 'Em Laugh," and "Beautiful Girl," among others.

Although overlooked at the Oscars, the film's reputation steadily grew over the years. Singin' is now considered by many the best musical ever made. Another MGM musical, about a washed-up film star trying to mount a Broadway comeback, is also in the same league. Check out The Bandwagon (1954), starring Fred Astaire, which features the iconic song "That's Entertainment."

If you've never experienced the joy of seeing a classic in a real theater, this is one show not to miss.

For more on the July12th screening, and locations, click here:
http://www.fathomevents.com/classics/event/singinintherain.aspx

To pre-order Singin' In The Rain on Blu-Ray (July 17th):

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Ten Movies From The Year: 1944

America was still at war, so you'd expect 1944 to be a banner year for war and action films. But the great Hollywood studios kept releasing a variety of films; many of 1944's films have withstood the test of time and become true classics:

1. Double Indemnity--Billy Wilder's class film noir. Insurance salesman Fred MacMurray falls for femme fatale Barbara Stanwyck. They kill her husband for the money; his boss Edward G. Robinson smells a rat.

2. Laura--Another memorable film noir; Otto Preminger's first film. A hard boiled detective (Dana Andrews) falls for Laura, a classy dame who took a faceful of buckshot. Imagine his surprise when Laura turns up very much alive halfway through the movie. Cliftron Webb sealed his stardom in a flashy supporting role as acerbic critic Waldo Lydecker.

3. Meet Me In St. Louis--Not hyper and kinetic like the 1950s MGM musicals. This one showed the sentimentality and emotion of a family whose roots are about to get pulled up. Judy Garland sang "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas."



4. To Have and Have Not--Bogie meets Bacall. "You know how to whistle, don't you Steve? You just put your lips together and blow."

5. Gaslight--Evil Charles Boyer marries Ingrid Bergman, then attempts to drive her mad searching for a fortune. Atmospheric and creepy; Bergman won her first Oscar.

6. The Miracle of Morgan's Creek--Like many geniuses, director Preston Sturges ran hot for ten years and burnt out. But in those ten years, he changed film comedy for the better. An amazing comedy for what it got away with. Betty Hutton is wonderful as Trudy Kockenlocker (yes, it does sound dirty)--who has a soft spot for the GI's. So after a big party, she winds up married and pregnant...and can't remember who, when, how, or even why.


7. Between Two Worlds--The best movie on this list that you've never heard of. A group of people are killed in a London air raid. They wake up on a strange ship that will deliver them to either Heaven or Hell. One trip where you could leave your passport at home. A terrific cast, including John Garfield and Sydney Greenstreet.

8. Arsenic and Old Lace--How popular was this play? Frank Capra filmed this tale of dotty aunts killing their gentleman callers in 1941. The movie wasn't to be released until the Broadway play closed. It took three years. Cary Grant's most manic, physically demanding comedy performance--a tour de farce.

9. Lifeboat--You didn't think we'd leave Hitchcock out of this, did you? The Master of Mayhem loved a challenge, and this film certainly posed it: it takes place entirely on a lifeboat, as the survivors of a ship bombing try to figure out which one of them was on the U-boat that did it. Tallulah Bankhead's best film role; she won the New York Film Critics Award for Best Actress.

10. None But The Lonely Heart--Cary Grant shows up twice on our list, this time in a completely different performance. Grant showed amazing depth as a Cockney man trying to right his life by returning home to care for his mother. Unforgettably emotional; Ethel Barrymore (yes, those Barrymores) won a Supporting Oscar as his mum.

To purchase Lifeboat on DVD, click here:

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Debra Winger to Make Her Broadway Debut In David Mamet's "The Anarchist"

One of film's most elusive actresses, Debra Winger, will make her Broadway debut later this year opposite stage legend Patti Lupone, in David Mamet's play The Anarchist.

Winger will play a prison warden. The play is about a former political radical's plea for parole.



Winger has been noticeably missing from films the past decade, except for a showy role as the frosty matriarch in Rachel Getting Married. She made a spectacular film debut in Urban Cowboy, opposite John Travolta.

The actress has three Oscar nominations for Best Actress: Shadowlands, An Officer and a Gentleman, and the Best Picture Oscar winner Terms of Endearment.

For our money, she also made one of our favorite thrillers of all time, as a Federal agent determined to bring sociopathic killer Theresa Russell to justice in Black Widow.

For more info on one of our favorite movies, Terms of Endearment, click here:

Monday, June 4, 2012

Woody Allen Casts His New Movie: Andrew Dice Clay? Really?

Woody Allen, fresh off the critical reception of Midnight In Paris, his most popular film ever, has To Rome With Love coming out late June. And the Woodman just announced the casting of his next film, to be shot this summer in San Francisco.

If you're like me, you try to imagine what Allen has up his sleeve when he casts his films...because that's all we know about them until they open. (Notoriously secretive, Allen only gives cast members script pages that they need. No one ever sees a completed script.)


And Allen's casting is usually spot on. Diane Keaton, Dianne Weist, Michael Caine, Penelope Cruz, and Mira Sorvino have all won Oscars for their roles in his films.

The casting for this new film is a very eclectic mix.  Alec Baldwin, one of To Rome With Love's co-stars, again joins Allen. Also Oscar-winner Cate Blanchett, Lost star Michael Emerson, British actress Sally Hawkins, Green Lantern star Peter Sarsgaard, and two vastly different comedians--Louis C.K. and Andrew "Dice" Clay.


Never in my wildest dreams would I have come up with that combination of actors. Okay Woody, now we're interested.

To purchase Midnight in Paris on Blu-Ray, click here:
                                                                              

                                                         

Thursday, May 31, 2012

Hope For the Summer Movie Season: "Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" is a Surprise Hit

At this blog we're fond of remembering when summertime meant interesting movies. Back in the p.b. days (pre-blockbuster) you could enter your local four-plex and see The Candidate, The Bad News Bears, Chinatown, and of course, the one that started it all--Jaws. Nowadays summer releases have explosions, superheroes, car chases, assassins...just about everything except plot and characterizaton. So imagine everyone's surprise when a film about British pensioners living in India becomes a smash hit.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel has grossed over $100 million internationally. In the U.S., it has been in the top 10 releases for more than three weeks--playing in under 400 screens. It's per-screen average keeps picking up, and word-of-mouth is turning this little comedy into a juggernaut.

Of course, the film's pedigree is exceptional. Bill Nighy, Judi Dench, Tom Wilkinson (Michael Clayton), and Maggie Smith (Downton Abbey)  star as a group of retired Brits who decide to stretch their pensions by moving to a newly-renovated hotel in India. Once they get there, they find that the travel brochures have stretched the truth: the hotel is closer to a hovel. But, stiff upper lips and all, they make a go of it, and discover love in the process.

Director John Madden previously helmed the Oscar-winner Shakespeare In Love, for which Dench won her supporting Oscar.  The film is garnering strong word-of-mouth: the perfect film for those of us over 40 looking for something besides Snow White, Ironman, and the rest of them.


Wednesday, May 30, 2012

In Appreciation: The Great Gatsby (1974)

With all of the attention focused on the first trailer for December's upcoming remake of The Great Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, Tobey Maguirs stars), I thought it was time to re-evaluate the 1974 film version which starred Robert Redford and Mia Farrow.


The film itself has some legendary stories behind it. It is the third remake of F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic tale of love between the flighty Daisy Buchanan and mysterious bootlegger Jay Gatsby. Producer Robert Evans bought the rights so that his wife Ali MacGraw could star; when they divorced, a worldwide casting effort was launched. Mia Farrow (Rosemary's Baby) won the role of Daisy. Among those considered were Cybill Shepherd, Candice Bergen, and Natalie Wood.

Francis Coppola was credited with the screenplay, which he was working on while simultaneously prepping The Godfather. He replaced Truman Capote, whose screenplay was considered a disappointment.

The film's beauty and 1920s authenticity resulted in two Oscar wins for Best Costume Design and Best Music. And although it grossed $26,000,000 on a budget of $6,500,000, the film was considered a disapoointment. Looking at it again, it is exceedingly well-acted, especially from Bruce Dern and Sam Waterston, but Redford and Farrow failed to generate any real romantic sparks. Still, it's a good version of a classic tale.

To view the new trailer for The Great Gatsby:


To purchase the 1974 version of Gatsby on DVD, click here:




Tuesday, May 29, 2012

In Appreciation: The Big Heat (1953)

Recently released on DVD, and chosen by the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress in 2011, The Big Heat is a classic, tough-minded little film with a lot on its mind.  Written by a former crime reporter, and directed by Fritz Lang, The Big Heat sticks in your mind long after you've watched it.

Glenn Ford gave one of his best performances as honest cop Dave Bannion, who tries to take on his city's crime syndicate.  His higher-ups, however, are in the crooks' back pocket.  They attempt to dissuade Dave to drop his investigation.  When he doesn't, his car gets blown up, his wife gets killed in the explosion....and the case is closed.

Bannion goes crazy, and will stop at nothing to take down mob boss Mike Lagana, and if thats means using Lagana's girl (Gloria Grahame) to get closer, so be it.  The psychosis really begins to fly when Lagana gets a little too jealous.


Gloria Grahame won a well-deserved Oscar as Stone's girlfriend, Debby Marsh.  Stone's right-hand man (Lee Marvin, terrific in another villainous turn) punishes Debby for getting too close to the cops by throwing hot coffee in her face.  Scarred for life, Debby clings closer than ever to the hoenst cop.  In a wonderful twist, Bannion is shown to be no angel--he's simply using her to acheive his end.


Tough characters in a taut, relentless film.  The Big Heat is truly memorable.

For more on purchasing The Big Heat on Blu-Ray:

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Amazon Debuts "Never Before on DVD" Store

Looking for the underrated Bless The Beasts and the Children?  Can't find a copy of the Hammer horror film Die! Die! My Darling?  Amazon is about to make things easier.  In collaboration with the major studios, the webtailer is going to stock over 2,000 specialty titles--that will only get made when you order them.

The store, entitled "Never Before on DVD" is new, but the idea, DVD-on-demand, has been around for a few years, most successfully with the Warner Archive series.



Disney, Sony, Warner Bros., Universal Fox, MGM and Lionsgate will participate.  "The Never Before on DVD store is a great place for fans to discover thousands of films and television series they've been waiting for on DVD," said Brad Beale, director of digital video content acquisition for Amazon.

To order Bless the Beasts and the Children on DVD, click here:

Lights! Camera! Post Office! Four Classic Film Directors Honored With Stamps

John Ford, Billy Wilder, John Huston, and Frank Capra will be honored with their own stamps featuring images from their classic films, the U.S. Postal Service announced this week.


The collection of four stamps is being billed as The Great Film Directors-First Class Forever stamps.


The background for the John Ford stamp is from the classic western The Searchers; Capra's stamp features a scene from It Happened One Night; Huston's stamp features the unforgettable The Maltese Falcon; and Wilder's stamp has classic images from Some Like It Hot.


The Great Film Director stamps are being issued as Forever stamps in self-adhesive strips of 20 (five stamps per design).


Classic Directors to Be Honored With Stamps:
http://news.yahoo.com/classic-directors-honored-stamps-021708056.html


For more information about The Maltese Falcon or Some Like It Hot on Blu-Ray:









Sunday, May 20, 2012

Oscar Winner Colin Firth To Play Noel Coward in New Film Bio

Academy Award-winner Colin Firth will star as the legendary actor/singer/writer Noel Coward in an upcoming film titled Mad Dogs and Englishmen.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Firth will portray the often flamboyant entertainer in a film that follows Coward's two week-stint as a Las Vegas headliner in 1955. 



The Desert Inn, desperate after Liberace cancelled a booking, offered the job to the unlikely Coward.  Coward, who wrote the play "Private Lives," took the job because he owed taxes to the British government.   The show became an instant hit, a Vegas legend, and added more lustre to Coward's already legendary career.

Firth is coming off an Oscar for The King's Speech, as well as a nomination for A Single Man.  He appeared last year in the spy thriller Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, and is scheduled to star in a remake of the classic heist film Gambit later this year.

Here's a clip from the 1968 musical Star!, with Julie Andrews as Gertrude Lawrence and Oscar-nominated Daniel Massey portraying Coward:


For more on the film Star! on DVD:


Thursday, May 17, 2012

Actress Lily Rabe Cast as Mary Pickford in Upcoming Film

Broadway actress Lily Rabe (The Merchant of Venice) has been cast as legendary screen star Mary Pickford in an upcoming film bio.  Shooting on the film begins in early 2013.  The film is based on Eileen Whitfield's biography "Pickford: The Woman Who Made Hollywood."

Rabe, a talented stage actress, has an impressive pedigree.  Her father is playwright David Rabe; her mother was the talented Jill Clayburgh.


The subject is tailor-made for a fascinating glimpse into the beginnings of Hollywood.  Nicknamed "America' s Sweetheart," Pickford became one of the biggest stars in the silent era.  She was even more interesting off-screen: together with Charlie Chaplin, director D.W. Griffith, and Douglas Fairbanks, she co-founded United Artists studio.

Think of the casting fun for this film.  Aside from Griffith, Chaplin, and Fairbanks, there are meaty roles for two other actresses: Charlotte Hennessy, Pickford's mother and manager, and her collaborator, legendary screenwriter Frances Marion.


For more info on the book Pickford: The Woman Who Made Hollywood, click here: