The Cohen Film Collection announced recently that two major films by acclaimed director Costa-Gavras – CAPITAL, the Oscar winner’s most recent feature, and AMEN, his César-winning historical drama from 2002 – have been digitally remastered and will be released in deluxe Blu-ray and DVD editions on June 10, 2014. The Blu-rays will have SRPs of $34.98 each and the DVDs will have SRPs of $24.98 each.
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Since his debut in 1965, the Greek-born, French-based filmmaker Costa-Gavras has created some of the screen’s most impassioned works about man’s battle against injustice, often fact-based dramas charged with the urgency of a thriller – from the story of a Greek political assassination in Z, an Uruguayan kidnapping and torture in State of Siege, to the Jack Lemmon-starring Missing, the tragic tale of an American journalist’s murder during the Chilean coup of 1973.
CAPITAL and AMEN continue in the director’s tradition of shining a searing light on corruption and institutionalized evil.
CAPITAL, based on the novel by Stephane Osmont and a prize winner at the San Sebastian Film Festival, is a fast-paced, darkly comic, suspenseful drama set in the high-stakes world of global finance. When the CEO of France’s Phenix Bank collapses on the golf course, Machiavellian young executive Marc Tourneuil (Gad Elmaleh, Midnight in Paris) is crowned as his replacement. A whirlwind of ruthless ambition, power struggles, greed and deception ensues as Tourneuil’s brutal ascent is jeopardized by a hostile takeover attempt from a large American hedge fund led by Dittmar Rigule (Gabriel Byrne, In Treatment, Miller’s Crossing), erotic distractions from international supermodel Nassim (Liya Kebede, Lord of War), and adversaries with an agenda for destruction.CAPITAL is a pointed commentary on how the Darwinian world of contemporary capitalism plays out across the global financial stage.
Ella Tayor of NPR called it “a wickedly clever … grimly funny thriller. CAPITAL makes for a solid entry in a pretty crowded field of accomplished corporate thrillers, among them The Social Network, Arbitrage, Margin Call and even Inside Job.”
In AMEN, based on Rolf Hochhuth’s play The Deputy, Costa-Gavras creates a powerful and riveting account of the Final Solution that questions how much was known outside of Germany as mass exterminations were carried out in Nazi death camps. Ulrich Tukur (North Face, Solaris) stars as Kurt Gerstein, a German chemist whose work on various governmental health projects leads to his assignment as an SS officer in charge of hygiene.
When he learns that Zyclon B, a toxic cleanser he created to stem the tide of typhoid among German troops, is being used in gas chambers, Gerstein is horrified. But his pleas to officials in Germany, Sweden and the U.S. to stop the genocide fall on deaf ears.
One person who does listen is Riccardo Fontana (Mathieu Kassovitz, La Haine, Amélie, Haywire), a young Jesuit priest with ties to the Vatican and even Pope Pius XII. Ultimately, Gerstein and Fontana must fight a brave but lonely and dangerous battle to save the innocent – and themselves.
“Riveting … AMEN is a must-see,” raved Andrew Sarris in The New York Observer. Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times called the film “a political thriller of suspense and subtlety. Costa-Gavras has wanted to make AMEN for nearly four decades, and it was worth the wait.” Marc Mohan of The Oregonian said, “Costa-Gavras tells this heartbreaking tale of lost opportunity with an emotional restraint that makes it all the more powerful.”
CAPITAL (2012)
Street date: June 10, 2014
SRP: $34.98 (Blu-ray), $24.98 (DVD)
Running time: 114 minutes, plus extras
Rated R
5.1 Dolby Digital for DVD/DTS-HD Master Audio for Blu-ray
In English and French with English subtitles Bonus features on both Blu-ray and DVD: interviews with cast and crew.
AMEN (2002)
Street date: June 10, 2014
SRP: $34.98 (Blu-ray), $24.98 (DVD)
Running time: 132 minutes, plus extras
Not rated
5.1 Dolby Digital for DVD/DTS-HD Master Audio for Blu-ray
In English, French, Italian and German with English subtitles
Bonus features on both Blu-ray and DVD: Feature-length audio commentary with director Costa-Gavras and flm critic Wade Major; 2014 re-release trailer; BBC documentary “Pope Pius XII: The Pope, the Jews and the Nazis.”
Enthuse Entertainment presents the riveting family-friendly drama, ALONE YET NOT ALONE. Slated for a broad release in over 200 theaters nationwide June 13, 2014, the flagship production stars Kelly Greyson (Return To The Hiding Place) with Jenn Gotzon (God’s Country, Frost Nixon) and actor/musical artist Clay Walker (Clay Walker: Jesse James).
Last fall the movie was shown at 11 select locations as part of a “sneak peek” week long release (Sept. 27, 2013), achieving the second highest grossing per screen average (combining theater ticket sales with Seatzy ticket sales) in the country. ALONE YET NOT ALONE banked $11,434 per screen average in its limited release opening in Grand Rapids, Mich.; San Antonio, Houston and Dallas, Texas; Knoxville and Franklin, Tenn.; Raleigh-Durham, N.C.; Atlanta, Ga. and Colorado Springs, Colo. The Christian audience’s enthusiastic reception helped rank Alone Yet Not Alone as one of the highest per screen average independently released faith-based films to date.
The film will release through the movie ticket reservation platform and new film distribution company Seatzy™. Seatzy allows moviegoers to participate in the process of supporting the films they love by getting ticket reservations in early (500 minimum) and assuring the film will play in the theater closest to them.
Tickets for St. Louis, which when reserved/purchased will ensure that the film shows in this city, are currently available via www.seatzy.com/alone.
“I am thrilled that ALONE YET NOT ALONE is the first nationwide release for Seatzy theatrical distribution and our advance sales ticketing platform,” says Dan Merrell, founder and CEO of Seatzy. “We’ve developed a unique screen by screen marketing program that we are confident will allow us to open successfully in St. Louis. It’s an exciting new way to bring a compelling story like this to market.”
ALONE YET NOT ALONE is based on the true story taken from the novel of the same name written by Tracy Leininger Craven that speaks of hope triumphing over despair, of faith overcoming fear and of victory prevailing over adversity.
Depicting a family at a critical juncture in America’s history, the film is designed to encourage and uplift families in difficult times, through sharing the inspiring story of Barbara and Regina Leininger and their journey of faith and survival during the French & Indian war in 1755. Captured by the Delaware Indians after raiding their home, and transported over 300 miles of wilderness to Ohio, the sisters are sustained only by their abiding trust in God, and their hope of escape against all odds to be reunited with their family.
ALONE YET NOT ALONE is a movie filled with action, drama and suspense shot on location at historical sites in Tennessee, Virginia, Pennsylvania and North Carolina to allow audiences to take the journey with the characters. Filmmakers realized that in order to tell the story authentically, they would need to shoot where the events actually occurred or those similar in terrain.
George Escobar and Ray Bengston co-directed James Richard’s screenplay while James Richards, Bud S. Smith and Ken Wales served as executive producers. Barbara Divisek, George Escobar, Michael Snyder and Cynthia Garcia Walker produced the movie.
For more information about ALONE YET NOT ALONE and to watch the movie trailer, visit www.aloneyetnotalone.com.
You may recall the song from the movie, “Alone Yet Not Alone,” (music by Bruce Broughton and lyric by Dennis Spiegel,) originally received an Oscar nomination at the 86th Academy Awards, but in late January the Academy had to rescind the nod.
The decision was prompted by the discovery that Broughton, a former Governor and current Music Branch executive committee member, had emailed members of the branch to make them aware of his submission during the nominations voting period and Cheryl Boone Isaacs, Academy President, said at the time, “no matter how well-intentioned the communication, using one’s position as a former governor and current executive committee member to personally promote one’s own Oscar submission creates the appearance of an unfair advantage.”
I have a curious habit, maybe you have it too, if you are a real movie geek, film fan, cinema addict, what have you.
A certain number of movies that I have seen and loved with all my heart were losers at the box office or were mercilessly slammed by critics, usually both. This doesn’t happen all the time, mind you. I know a bad movie when I see one. But several times I have seen a movie on opening day and loved it so much I was sure it would be a big hit and be loved by critics and film goers, nope, not all the time.
Here then is my own personal and highly eccentric top ten list, with some honorable mentions, of movies that lost out, yet I love them still, many of them desperately, hysterically, madly do I love these films, well anyway… let me tell you about it.
10. 1941
The only failure on Steven Spielberg’s resume I still vividly recall seeing 1941 on its opening day at the Mark Twain Theatre in St. Louis. I loved it so much I was certain it would be a major holiday hit. No, audiences stayed away and critics were so mean spirited I had to wonder if they were waiting for a movie from Spielberg that did not meet their expectations, I guess 1941 was it. I don’t care, I love everything about 1941, from the lovely young nude lady (the same one eaten at the start of Jaws) showing her bare behind to a Japanese submarine sailor to Ned Beatty knocking the remains of his house onto the Malibu beach, I thought, and still do, that 1941 was one of the most hilarious comedies ever made.
I love it all, Eddie Deezen and Murray Hamilton on the Ferris wheel, Belushi and his lone fighter plane, (attached to no squadron and having no commanding officer), Slim Pickens on the toilet “you ain’t gettin’ shit outta me!”, Dan Aykroyd and John Candy (among others)wheeling their tank onto Hollywood Boulevard, the huge dance contest and riot between the Army, Navy and Marines (and Zoot Suiters) and most especially my introduction to one of the most beautiful and talented young actresses I have ever seen. I fell for Wendy Jo Sperber head over heels, loved everything she did in 1941, (and everything she did afterward) reveled in her ability to steal every scene she was in and kick the shit out of any man who dared to mess with her. Wendy I miss you still, she died way too young and 1941 did not deserve its fate. Although it has picked up a cult following on VHS and now dvd and blu ray. 1941 is one of my favorite Christmas movies that is never thought of as a Christmas movie.
9. STREETS OF FIRE
Again, I recall seeing this on opening day at the Varsity Theater on the Delmar Loop and just knowing it would be a huge hit. No, again, a bad showing at the box office and critics were luke warm at best. I do not care, Streets of Fire is one of Walter Hill’s masterpieces, along with The Warriors, 48 Hours, The Long Riders and Wild Bill. A tough, lean, mean urban western with some of the best music ever put to film. I have watched Tom Cody and his associates go and get Ellen Aim out of the evil clutches of Raven and his black leather bikers so many times I know it by heart. Speaking of leather, in the fight between Raven and Cody near the end Willem Dafoe takes a leather fetish to new heights. The guy is wearing biker boots, leather pants, a leather jacket, gloves and a long black leather duster over all that. Even his air horn is covered in black leather! These guys must buy Armor All by the gallon jug! But it’s the music that really kicks Streets of Fire into the upper stratosphere. It opens and closes with great, anthem like songs done by a special group called Fire Inc, put together just to do Nowhere Fast, which opens the movie and Tonight is What it Means to Be Young, both sung by Ellen Aim (Diane Lane, although she is dubbed). And one song actually made the charts and was featured regularly on MTV (back when they actually showed music videos) I Can Dream About You, and it is a beautiful song. Streets of Fire conjures a special world that is both retro and futuristic, where the cops drive Studebakers and old boy friend’s can get back into town on a moment’s notice to rescue a lost love, only to say goodbye at the end. Streets of Fire has one of the most painful and sad goodbyes in movie history. It rivals Casablanca, Spartacus, the Fighting Sullivan’s, Shane, even ET or The Monster Squad. I get choked up just thinking about the end of Streets of Fire. In my world this movie is a hit!
8. BATTLESHIP
Released the same summer as The Avengers this movie based on a board game was one of the most expensive losers in movie history. It does not deserve it. Battleship has exactly the same premise as the Avengers, aliens open a space/time portal to invade our world and mess up our day. Instead of masked superheroes, Norse demi-gods and Shield Agents the regular Navy takes care of the situation. I will admit the first 20 minutes to set up the story are grueling. But once it gets rolling Battleship is a hell of a ride, I loved every minute of it. Taylor Kitsch has had the bad luck to be in several major box office bombs (I’ll mention another one here shortly) and it is not his fault, the guy has good chops and he is totally believable in Battleship as the ne’er-do-well brother who has to take command once the aliens start doing what they do. I thought it was a stroke of genius and a grand gesture of good will to make a Japanese officer not only one of the heroes but to give him the best sense of humor “Did he just say Jerry Lewis?! Did you just say Jerry Lewis?!?!” The Japanese now are not the Japanese who did Pearl Harbor. Were something like the situation in Battleship to go down now the Japanese would have our back in the Pacific, bet on it. Tadanobu Asano is great in his part and so are all the other players.
The real revelation among the cast: Rihanna is excellent! I have no idea what her singing is like but she is totally believable and sincere as a career woman Petty Officer. I served four years in the Navy (there he goes again, Moffitt talking about the Navy!) and loved seeing what the ships, uniforms and weapons look like in today’s Navy. And Battleship earns it’s patriotic stripes by giving speaking parts to dozens of real veteran’s from Pearl Harbor up to Colonel Gregory D. Gadsen who lost both legs in Afghanistan. Nice to see the Greatest Generation can still take care of a bad situation and a guy with steel legs can still kick ass. At one point they even play the Battleship game to get some hits on the aliens, and it’s the Japanese officer who tells them how! The aliens weapons look like the game pieces and the special effects are incredible! Even Hamish Linklater gets to make a heroic gesture! Yes, it’s comic book goofy, yes it punches every patriotic button, one critic called it the best Michael Bay movie not made by Michael Bay, but I loved it! I have the dvd and once in a while I’ll put it in and by pass that first 20 minutes and get right to the fireworks, wonderful stuff!
7. WATERWORLD
I know I’m swimming against the tide here (you see what I just did? swim? tide? Waterworld?…yeah) but I love this water logged epic. You could hear the critics all over the country sharpening their knives when word started getting around about the cost over runs and disasters at sea this production endured. I saw it in a theater here in St. Petersburg expecting to see a steaming pile of… Nope, no way, I think Waterworld is an excellent example of a big, dumb ass summer action movie, which is all it was ever meant to be.
Although the message appears right on the money as we see the polar ice caps disappear and weather patterns go berserk, but I digress. This movie damn near derailed Kevin Costner’s career, and I think he is excellent as the amphibian mutant who has to try and get what’s left of humanity to dry ground. But it is Dennis Hopper who makes it all worthwhile, everything he says and does is hysterical and worth quoting. “As you can see by the arterial blood squirting from my right eye, NONE of us is having a good day here!” The stunt work and action scenes are excellent, I loved the sight of guys on skis flying through the air and firing automatic weapons at the same time and much of the dialog is very funny. What else can I say? Now, let me get my surfboard and paddle on over to another great loser.
6. BATMAN AND ROBIN
Ok, alright, now right here…..ok…… this is where anybody reading this, especially those of you that know me, whether from my family, The Navy, Webster University, Swank Audio Visuals, the SGI or any place else, all of you, in unison, go ahead and say it out loud! “Sam! Sam! Sam! Are you freaking brain damaged?!?! Did you really do that much mescaline in the 70s? Have you lost your natural mind? “ Well, all of that may be true(notice I said “may?”) but never the less I love this most despised of all Batman films that have ever been made. Let me start by saying that I love all things Batman, I loved the comics, the two Columbia serials (I got to see the first one when it was called An Evening with Batman and Robin at Ronnie’s Drive-in in 1967! Four hours of Batman war propaganda in one sitting! Holy oleo!) I loved the television series and have the entire run on bootleg dvds (thanks Jim!), I loved all the animated series, Tim Burton’s monster hit that brought these characters to a huge box office run and The Dark Knight rebooted franchise. And knowing full well that this is the film that led to the complete reboot I will say right here and now, on the internet, in front of God and everybody, Yes! I love Batman and Robin! Clooney is a good Batman and an even better Bruce Wayne, his scenes with the legendary Michael Gough are heart breaking, I really love Chris O’Donnell as Robin, I am fine with Batman having Robin along. I love both villains; Mr. Freeze is hysterical “Sing! Everybody sing!” “Take two of these and call me in the morning.” I love Poison Ivy (Uma Thurman) I love the day-glo, black light look of the thing, I have no problem with nipples and cod pieces on the uniforms. But most of all I love Alicia Silverstone as the greatest Batgirl who ever was or ever will be! I know, I know, I can hear fan boys all over the country loading weapons right now and looking up my address on their gps, ready to defend the honor of Yvonne Craig! I don’t care! I really don’t care! I said it and I’ll say it again, greatest Batgirl, ever! And I don’t even much like Alicia Silverstone, ponder that for a moment! But here she looks terrific and flat kicks ass, repeatedly! Her fight with Poison Ivy is a beautiful event to behold.
I love all the odd ball stuff, Mr. Freeze alone in his freezer cell with his little ice sculpture, his Ice Mobile and the freezing, cracking sounds of his freeze ray, the huge statues in this version of Gotham City, the psychedelic look of all of Poison Ivy’s vegetable weapons. And finally I love that last noirish shot of all three of our super heroes running through the Gotham City night, a reprise of the end shot of Batman Forever, but now with Batgirl offering back up. Batgirl! Oh be still my heart! …….I feel dizzy!
5. SABOTEUR
Not exactly a flop at the box office but never a very popular film on Alfred Hitchcock’s resume, plus luke warm response from the critics of the day, a minor footnote in film history books and Hitchcock himself considered Saboteur a minor film. Horse hockey! Saboteur is one of Hitchcock’s best films and part of his immortal series of “innocent man on the run trying to clear his name” films starting with The 39 Steps and ending with North by Northwest. Robert Cummings was never one of my favorite actors, far from it. His situation comedy, Love That Bob, always creeped me out. I never quite understood what made him a 1950s chick magnet and the episodes very often were unbelievably cruel to Nancy Culp’s character. And he allegedly pissed off Julie Newmar during the making of My Living Doll, apparently quite an accomplishment as Ms Newmar has a reputation for being a real sweetheart. Bob Cumming’s acting rarely impressed me but in Saboteur he is on top of his game, start to finish. Especially in the last 20 minutes when he faces the home grown Nazi collaborator, played by Otto Kruger, and reads him the riot act. The man is not acting! Cummings is 100 per cent behind the war effort and believes every word he is saying, the man is on fire when he says “the whole world seems to be choosing up sides, I know which side I’m on!” Cummings burns a hole in the screen! Great stuff, add Priscilla Lane, a great sequence in the munitions factory, a whole parade of odd ball characters who would be right at home in a Preston Sturges movie and that final showdown on the Statue of Liberty and you have a Hitchcock masterpiece.
4. JOHN CARTER OF MARS
Another big budget loser with Taylor Kitsch in the lead, (and I insist on using the full title.) John Carter of Mars deserved a better fate than to be seen by almost nobody in theaters. It is true to the word and spirit of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ swashbuckling epic and is a rousing adventure in the classic mold. When I was a young fan boy reading E. R. Burroughs and Robert E. Howard and J.R.R. Tolkien I never dreamed we would see big budget Hollywood movies based on their work. Kitsch is simply excellent as a 19th century American miraculously transported to a Mars that existed only in ERB’s imagination. As good as he is Lynn Collins is simply astonishing as the best Dejah Thoris, Princess of Mars that we’ll ever see. Actually she is probably the ONLY Dejah Thoris we are likely to see but that doesn’t lessen her impact on this wonderful, giddy, truly awe inspiring epic. And thankfully the Tharks, with their leader Tars Tarkas, are brought to believable life through CGI, the best use of CGI I have seen since the Lord of The Rings. Why movie goers stayed away I have no idea, having said that I have to admit I did not get a chance to see it in a theater myself. John Carter of Mars played St. Petersburg theaters for all of two weeks, while I was working hours that did not really permit my going. I wish I had, if ever there was a recent epic that needs a big screen John Carter of Mars is it.
As Willem Dafoe(the voice of Tars Tarkas) points out in the special features for the dvd release some fans may have thought this was a rip off of Star Wars or Star Trek or the Lord of the Rings, no, John Carter was there first, published in All Story Magazine in 1917 (how’s that for being ahead of the curve?). There is nothing wrong with John Carter of Mars, not one thing, I wouldn’t change one frame of this film. This is one title on my list I will proudly declare a full blown masterpiece, now and forever. Long live John Carter of Mars, Dejah Thoris the Princess of Mars, Tars Tarkas and all his tribe and long may the Empire of Helium stand on the red sands of Barsoom!
3. STAND UP GUYS
I am really swimming against the tide with this one. This very website, by vote of my associates, cohorts, co-workers and fellow movie geeks declared this film one of the worst of 2013. And I can see why someone would say that, I really do, and I don’t care, I really don’t care! I love Stand Up Guys. Firstly all three actors are at the stage of their careers wherein all they have to do is show up, especially Alan Arkin. I have been seeing Alan Arkin in movies since The Heart is a Lonely Hunter and that my friends was in 1968! And I saw it in a theater! The Berwan in Sullivan, Missouri, but that is another story. Arkin should be declared a national monument. Come on: Catch 22, The In Laws, Little Miss Sunshine, Freebie and the Bean!!!! And Pacino is so good, even in bad movies, how can you not love him? In Stand Up Guys Pacino looks like a dust bunny somebody swept out from under a bed in a room that hasn’t been cleaned since the White House had a swimming pool. And Walken? Christopher Walken? Has this guy ever played a character even close to normal? But what is normal my friends? One person’s mess is another person’s delight, and I find Stand Up Guys delightful, funny, sad, touching, genuinely moving, even sexy at times (not for the guys, no my friends!)
I adore the whole middle portion of the film where in our hero’s take under their protective wing a rape victim played winningly by Vanessa Ferlito and give her a shot at revenge on “the animals” that did her a terrible wrong. Ferlito is one of the most drop dead gorgeous women in movies right now, I fell for her in Death Proof like a load of cinder blocks. The woman has prettier lips than Cate Blanchett and that is saying something. Her revenge is shot, edited and acted as an homage to Tarantino’s style of movie making and it works beautifully. How nice to see a woman who is a rape victim and is not having a nervous breakdown over it. I love her reaction when the guys get out their tools of the trade “Who the fuck are you guys?” And her revenge is sweet indeed. But I love the whole movie, every minute of it. How can you not love dialog like “who made you the arbiter of whose pants are important?” I sincerely hope Fisher Stevens gets to direct again, many times, he’s got the goods and he deserves a long and interesting career behind the camera. I love the deserted look of the thing, a city where there only seems to be retired criminals on the street, even minor characters get a chance to shine and every single moment in the diner is a treasure.
2. ALL ABOUT STEVE
And you thought standing up for Batman and Robin was bad? Here is where half of the 17 people reading this article are going to bail out and see what’s new on You Tube! One of the most hated, reviled, thrown against the curb and stomped on movies in history, recent history anyway! And… you guessed it, I love it! I see everything that people hated about it and you know what, it’s still Sandra Bullock! Yes her character is weird and creepy, so are half the people I see on any given day in St. Petersburg, Florida. Yes her character is a stalker, so what? She doesn’t kill anybody, is actually quite funny, smart and yes,( it is Sandra Bullock,) sexy and beautiful.
Watch during the getting out of the bath tub scene, her weird little walk and body language when she says “Father you’re making me crazy!” Very funny, there is a lot of funny stuff in this film, I don’t care what anybody says. I even love the vinyl boots. And the very fact that Sandra Bullock won a Razzie for worst performance of the year, and picked up the trophy in person !!! And the next day she won an Oscar for The Blind Side?!?! That boys and girls is a class act! Any actor who picks up a Razzie in person automatically has my deepest respect and appreciation, a good sport and one hell of a great actor. “Thanks for not raping and dismembering me!”
1. THE LONE RANGER
Ok, no more Mr. Nice Guy. It’s been all fun and games up to now, I know the real reason this movie failed at the box office. This country is not ready to even begin to come to terms with what happened to Native Americans. Or with the crooked politics and gangsterism that ran the “Wild West!” Yes, The Lone Ranger is too long, has too many characters and a convoluted plot, and no happy ending and wants us to think about what we are seeing on screen. Good heavens! A Hollywood movie that wants us to pay attention to it and think about what we are seeing? Talk about programmed to fail! None the less, yes, I love the Lone Ranger. It is beautifully shot, the actors are all excellent, especially Armie Hammer who caught so much flak for NOT being Clayton Moore. Let’s face it, nobody was Clayton Moore, not even Clayton Moore! And yes, there is more of Buster Keaton to John Depp’s Tonto than Jay Silverheels. And his Tonto appears to have been in the desert for ten years eating nothing but peyote. So what? I love that both the Ranger and the Great Horse Silver are spirit warriors, summoned to put things right. And what a beautiful animal they found to play Silver, the horse steals every scene he’s in! I love all the references to older westerns, especially Once Upon a Time In the West, but The Lone Ranger is its own special animal, unique, splendid and one of a kind. And with the bad box office there is not likely to be a sequel, which is a shame. These guys would make a nice franchise, maybe even a limited series on cable television.
The action scenes are excellent; this is a summer action movie that should have been a sure fire hit. And in the last 30 minutes, as if the film makers said “Ok we’ve had some fun with these characters, you want the real Lone Ranger and Tonto? Here they are!” And when the William Tell Overture kicks in for real and the Ranger and Tonto take care of business as only they can it is a stand up and cheer moment that few movies even try for, in the theater it brought tears to my eyes, it does again just thinking about it. This movie delivers the goods, but when you find yourself rooting for the Indians to beat the Cavalry, knowing full well that they won’t and being horrified at the reality of “The winning of the West!” Well, your box office is going to take a nose dive, and it did, what a shame. The Ranger and Tonto deserved better. And I didn’t even get a chance to thank them!
A wiser person than me once said that it takes a lot of hard work, talent, money, ambition and hundreds of people, to make a lousy movie! I used to look for the bad in movies so I could complain about it, now I look for the best so I can praise it. And I do know a bad movie when I see one, I, FRANKENSTEIN any one?
And so I have to end with some honorable mentions, Road to Wellville, Exorcist 2: the Heretic, Exorcist 3: Legion, Last of the Red Hot Lovers, Little Murders, Doc, The Fall, The Last Movie, Boom, Cobb, Hammersmith is Out, Bluebeard, Hickey and Boggs, Junior Bonner. And probably two dozen more I’ll think of later.
The original 1981 CLASH OF THE TITANS screens this Friday and Saturday nights (June 13th and 14th) at midnight at the Tivoli Theater as part of their ‘Reel Late at the Tivoli’ Midnight series.
CLASH OF THE TITANS, the 1981 account of the old mythological stories you were forced to read in junior high, featured Ray Harryhausen’s last great set piece: Perseus’ encounter with the snake-haired Medusa in a fire-lit cave. Stylized with great mood lighting, beautifully blocked and directed by Ray, the sequence is a beauty of spine-tingling, slithering menace. Seeing giant scorpions rise from the blood of Medusa’s head is visceral icing on the cake. CLASH OF THE TITANS was Ray Harryhuasen’s final film and likely the only one a generation of his fans saw in theaters when it was new. CLASH OF THE TITANS has everything previously denied Ray Harryhausen and producer Charles H. Schneer: A-list stars (Lawrence Olivier as Zeus, Maggie Smith as Thetis) and a budget enabling them to shoot in four major locations across Europe. The story is a bit wooden and oversimplified, but it is still the standard “hero’s journey”. Harry Hamlin as Perseus is not the heroic type – he does a fair enough job of striking poses, but he’s given some rather stuffy dialog to deliver but under the direction of Desmond Davis CLASH OF THE TITANS is the final showcase of Harryhausen’s skills in cinematic spectacle, and one of the best fantasy films of the 1980’s.
This weekend, you’ll have the chance to see CLASH OF THE TITANS when it returns to the big screen as part of The Tivoli’s Reel Late at The Tivoli midnight series.
The Tivoli’s located at 6350 Delmar Blvd., University City, MO. Admission is a mere $8!
Coming to theaters & VOD June 27th, here’s a first look at the new theatrical poster for Philip K. Dick’s RADIO FREE ALBEMUTH.
The film stars Alanis Morissette, Jonathan Scarfe, Shea Whigham, Katheryn Winnick & Scott Wilson.
In case you missed it, check out the trailer.
From sci-fi author Philip K. Dick (Blade Runner, Minority Report, A Scanner Darkly) comes his most prophetic thriller to date.
It’s 1985 in an alternate reality and Berkeley record store clerk Nick Brady (Jonathan Scarfe, Perception) begins to experience strange visions transmitted from an extra-terrestrial source he calls VALIS. He and his wife (Katheryn Winnick – Vikings) move to Los Angeles where he becomes a successful music executive with a secret mission to overthrow the oppressive government led by US President Fremont (Scott Wilson – The Walking Dead).
With the help of his best friend, sci-fi writer, Philip K. Dick himself (Shea Whigham – Boardwalk Empire, American Hustle) and a beautiful, mysterious woman named Silvia (Alanis Morissette – Weeds), Nick finds himself drawn into a conspiracy of cosmic, mind-shattering proportions. Although it might cost them their freedom or even their lives, they join forces to expose the dangerous truth about the corrupt regime.
Writer/ Director John Alan Simon said: “There is a whole other side to sci-fi master Philip K. Dick than fans who only know his science-fiction from Blade Runner or Minority Report or Total Recall or Adjustment Bureau. Radio Free Albemuth was his most personal story – his first attempt to deal with the visions and communications from what he believed might be an extraterrestrial source, he called VALIS. Which led to the large question as to whether VALIS might actually be God.”
Seattle. Chicago. Los Angeles. Dallas. New York City. What’s the favorite spots around your city?
The Weinstein Company invites you enter for a chance to win a trip to the Big Apple.
Grab a photo of some of the spots in your city and upload it to your favorite social networking site (Twitter, Instagram, etc.) along with the hashtag #BEGINAGAINCITY.
The latest film from writer-director John Carney (ONCE), BEGIN AGAIN is a soul-stirring comedy about what happens when lost souls meet and make beautiful music together. The film opens in select theaters June 27th; nationwide July 11th.
Gretta (Keira Knightley) and her long-time boyfriend Dave (Adam Levine) are college sweethearts and songwriting partners who decamp for New York when he lands a deal with a major label. But the trappings of his new-found fame soon tempt Dave to stray, and a reeling, lovelorn Gretta is left on her own.
Her world takes a turn for the better when Dan (Mark Ruffalo), a disgraced record-label exec, stumbles upon her performing on an East Village stage and is immediately captivated by her raw talent.
From this chance encounter emerges an enchanting portrait of a mutually transformative collaboration, set to the soundtrack of a summer in New York City.
No stranger to the power of music, Adam Levine captures the spirit of the film when he observes: “Everybody – if they have a soul – has music that they connect to. For me, it was a Pearl Jam song called ‘Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town’ – that song always made me cry when I was a kid. Being young sucks, and it helped me get through a tough period.”
“It might sound heavy to say,” concludes Levine, “but the film asks the question: can a song save your life? I do believe that the energy you feel when you hear a song that you respond to emotionally – it can change your life, and maybe save it in a way. Music saved my life, because I love it so much that I don’t know what I would do without it.”
BEGIN AGAIN is produced and financed by Exclusive Media and produced by Anthony Bregman, Tobin Armbrust and Judd Apatow.
The funk don’t quit! Universal Pictures and DanceOn, the premier digital destination and No. 1 network on YouTube dedicated to dance entertainment, today announced a partnership to promote GET ON UP, the upcoming James Brown biopic.
DanceOn will feature some of its channel partners—including Matt Steffanina, Ian Eastwood and Mega Jam—who have created original dance videos inspired by GET ON UPand James Brown.
The dancers will also encourage viewers to create their own videos and submit them to GET ON UP‘s official “Can’t Stop the Funk” website (www.cantstopthefunk.com), an interactive celebration of the Godfather of Soul. Fan videos will be showcased alongside classic dance clips of James Brown; clips of Chadwick Boseman, who portrays Brown in the film; and original videos from DanceOn channel partners. The funktastic videos can also be shared with friends on Tumblr, Facebook and Twitter.
“James Brown was a true revolutionary in the world of music and dance,” said Amanda Taylor, CEO and co-founder of DanceOn. “We wanted to commemorate his extraordinary career through the creative expression of dance and celebrate his fans and the film by paying him tribute in the best way that we know how.”
DanceOn’s tribute to James Brown is now live, with new dance videos releasing up to the theatrical release of the film on August 1.
In his follow-up to the four-time Academy Award-nominated blockbuster THE HELP, Tate Taylor directs Chadwick Boseman (42) as James Brown in GET ON UP. Based on the incredible life story of the Godfather of Soul, the film will give a fearless look inside the music, moves and moods of Brown, taking audiences on the journey from his impoverished childhood to his evolution into one of the most influential figures of the 20TH century.
Boseman is joined in the drama by Nelsan Ellis, Dan Aykroyd, Viola Davis, Craig Robinson, Octavia Spencer, Lennie James, Tika Sumpter and Jill Scott.
Academy Award winner Brian Grazer (A Beautiful Mind, 8 Mile) produces for Imagine Entertainment, with Mick Jagger and Victoria Pearman (Shine a Light) producing under their Jagged Films banner.
Paramount Pictures has released four new posters, including one of Shredder, for the upcoming TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES.
The Turtles have taken over Austin, TX. If you’re in the city, view Mike Johnston’s original TMNT inspired artwork and mural at the HOPE Outdoor Gallery in Austin.
The city needs heroes. Darkness has settled over New York City as Shredder and his evil Foot Clan have an iron grip on everything from the police to the politicians. The future is grim until four unlikely outcast brothers rise from the sewers and discover their destiny as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
The Turtles must work with fearless reporter April O’Neil (Megan Fox) and her wise-cracking cameraman Vern Fenwick (Will Arnett) to save the city and unravel Shredder’s diabolical plan.
Based on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Characters Created by PETER LAIRD and KEVIN EASTMAN with a Screenplay by JOSH APPELBAUM & ANDRÉ NEMEC and EVAN DAUGHERTY, Producer MICHAEL BAY (the blockbuster Transformers franchise) and director JONATHAN LIEBESMAN (Wrath of the Titans) bring Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the popular franchise that has captivated audiences of all ages for decades, into the 21st century.
A24 Films has released a new featurette for director David Michod’s THE ROVER. The movie stars Guy Pearce, Robert Pattinson and Scoot McNairy.
An official selection at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, Variety’s Scott Foundas wrote in his review that the film establishes, “Michod as one of the most gifted young directors around” and to look for “a career-redefining performance by Robert Pattinson that reveals untold depths of sensitivity and feeling.”
THE ROVER, David Michod’s highly anticipated follow-up to ANIMAL KINGDOM, is set in a world 10 years following the collapse of society. The rule of the law has disintegrated and life is cheap. The film follows hardened loner Eric (Pearce) as he travels the desolate towns and roads of the outback.
When a gang of thieves steals his car they leave behind a wounded Rey (Pattinson) in their wake. Forcing Rey to help track the gang, Eric will go to any lengths to take back the one thing that still matters to him.
Michod also wrote the film based on a story he conceived with Joel Edgerton.
THE ROVER opens in NY/LA June 13, Nationwide June 20.
LONE SURVIVOR star Mark Wahlberg was the recipient of Spike TV’s 2014 “Guys Choice” Troops Choice Award.
Former Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell and actors Charlie Hunnam, Emile Hirsch and Wahlberg attended Spike TV’s ‘Guys Choice 2014’ at Sony Pictures Studios on June 7, 2014 in Culver City, California. (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic for Spike TV).
Spike TV’s “Guys Choice” program premieres Wednesday, June 11 at 9p ET/PT on Spike TV.
In keeping with Spike’s year-round efforts to support our nation’s servicemen and women, “Guys Choice” will once again feature inspiring moments saluting our troops and returning veterans.
Four Navy SEALs on a covert mission to neutralize a high-level al-Qaeda operative face an impossible, moral decision in LONE SURVIVOR, the intense, action-packed story of heroism, courage and survival, on Blu-ray™ Combo Pack, including Blu-ray™, DVD and Digital HD with UltraViolet™ and On Demand NOW, from Universal Studios Home Entertainment.
Based on Marcus Luttrell’s The New York Times bestselling memoir, Director Peter Berg (Friday Night Lights) explores the unbreakable bond of brotherhood in a film that Rolling Stone’s Peter Travers praised as “a powerhouse film.” LONE SURVIVOR tells the incredible tale of Operation Red Wings, a mission about four Navy SEALs ambushed by the enemy deep in the mountains of Afghanistan. As the soldiers are confronted by unthinkable odds they must find reserves of strength and resilience in order to fight to the finish.
Starring Mark Wahlberg (The Fighter, Contraband), Taylor Kitsch (Savages, “Friday Night Lights”), Emile Hirsch (Into the Wild, “Bonnie and Clyde”), Ben Foster (3:10 to Yuma, Kill Your Darlings), Eric Bana (Star Trek, Hanna), Ali Suliman (The Kingdom), Alexander Ludwig (The Hunger Games), Yousuf Azami (Brothers) and Sammy Sheik (Transformers: Dark of the Moon), LONE SURVIVOR has been hailed by critics as “unforgettable, tense and inspiring” (Movieline).
Both the Blu-ray™ Combo Pack and DVD include bonus features that shed new light on the valiant real-life soldiers of Operation Red Wings. Exclusive to the Blu-ray™ Combo Pack are interviews with the film’s cast and creators, as well as action-packed behind-the-scenes featurettes.
The Blu-ray™ Combo Pack includes a Blu-ray™, DVD and Digital HD with UltraViolet™.
Blu-ray™ unleashes the power of your HDTV and is the best way to watch movies at home, featuring 6X the picture resolution of DVD, exclusive extras and theater-quality surround sound.
DVD offers the flexibility and convenience of playing movies in more places, both at home and away.
DIGITAL HD with Ultraviolet™ lets fans watch movies anywhere on their favorite devices. Users can instantly stream or download movies to watch on iPad®, iPhone®, Android™, smart TVs, connected Blu-ray™ players, game consoles, and more.
Bonus Features Exclusive to the Blu-rayTM:
Will of the Warrior: An in-depth look at Marcus Luttrell, the real-life Navy SEAL who received the Navy Cross and Purple Heart for his actions in Operation Red Wings.
Recreating the Firefight: Reveals how Lone Survivor’s action-packed stunts were choreographed and shot. This featurette includes interviews with Director Peter Berg, Actors Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Ben Foster and Emile Hirsch and stunt coordinator and 2nd unit director Kevin Scott.
Learning the Basics: Watch as Mark Wahlberg, Emile Hirsch, Taylor Kitsch and Ben Foster go through rigorous SEAL training in weapons handling, communication/patrolling and simulated attack drills. Along with Marcus Luttrell, Peter Berg enlisted the help of active Navy SEALS to help the actors accurately portray the fallen soldiers of Operation Red Wings.
The Pashtun Code of Life: Learn why Marcus Luttrell’s rescuer, Mohammad Gulab, risked his life and the lives of everyone in his village in order to save Marcus.
Blu-rayTM and DVD Bonus Features:
Bringing the Story to Light:Marcus Luttrell’s story of survival under extremely dire circumstances is an inspiration to anyone who hears it. Director, producer and writer Peter Berg, Producer Sarah Aubrey, and the four lead actors (Mark Wahlberg, Emile Hirsch, Taylor Kitsch and Ben Foster) reveal their passion for the project and why it was so important to them to tell this story.
The Fallen Heroes of Operation Red Wings: Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Ben Foster and Emile Hirsch profile the real-life heroes who inspired their characters: Marcus Luttrell, Michael Murphy, Daniel Dietz and Matthew Axelson. Family members provide intimate accounts of what these brave men were like in their private lives, as well as perspective on their decisions to join the military and make the ultimate sacrifice for their country. Also included is a tribute to the team of Operation Red Wings, using personal photos.
FILMMAKERS
Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Emile Hirsch, Ben Foster, Yousuf Azami, Ali Suliman, Eric Bana, Alexander Ludwig, Sammy Sheik
Written and Directed By: Peter Berg
Based on the Book by: Marcus Luttrell with Patrick Robinson
Produced By: Peter Berg, Sarah Aubrey, Randall Emmett, Norton Herrick, Barry Spikings, Akiva Goldsman, Stephen Levinson, Vitaly Grigoriants
Executive Producers: George Furla, Simon Fawcett, Braden Aftergood, Louis G. Friedman, Stepan Martirosyan, Remington Chase, Adi Shankar, Spencer Silna, Mark Damon, Brandt Andersen, Jeff Rice
Music By: Explosions in the Sky, Steve Jablonsky
Production Designer Tom Duffield
Director of Photography: Tobias Schliessler, ASC
Costume Designer: Amy Stofsky
TECHNICAL INFORMATION – BLU-RAY™:
Street Date: June 3, 2014
Copyright: 2014 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Selection Number: 61125456
Running Time: 2 hours, 2 minutes
Layers: BD-50
Aspect Ratio: Widescreen 2.40:1
Rating: R for strong, bloody war violence and pervasive language
Technical Info: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1/DVS2 2.0 and Dolby Digital 2.0, Spanish DTS Digital Surround 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
TECHNICAL INFORMATION – DVD:
Street Date: June 3, 2014
Copyright: 2014 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Selection Number: 61125455
Running Time: 2 hours, 2 minutes
Layers: Dual Layer
Aspect Ratio: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.40:1
Rating: R for strong bloody war violence and pervasive language
Technical Info: English Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0, Spanish Dolby 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
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