Streaming now on APPLE TV+, and by the way one of the best services you can rent each month as they have the fantastic MASTERS OF THE AIR, FOR ALL MANKIND, MONARCH: LEGACY OF MONSTERS, the Emmy Award-winning comedy “Ted Lasso” and historic Oscar Best Picture winner CODA, is “STEVE! (martin) a documentary in 2 pieces”
Steve Martin is one of the most beloved and enigmatic figures in entertainment and the doc dives into his extraordinary story from two distinct points of view, with companion documentaries that feature never-before-seen footage and raw insights into Steve’s personal and professional trials and triumphs. “Then” chronicles Steve Martin’s early struggles and meteoric rise to revolutionize standup before walking away at 35. “Now” focuses on the present day, with Steve Martin in the golden years of his career, retracing the transformation that led to happiness in his art and personal life.
STEVE! (martin) a documentary in 2 pieces is streaming now HERE.
Martin has starred in such films as The Jerk (1979), Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid (1982), The Man with Two Brains (1983), All of Me (1984), Three Amigos (1986), Roxanne (1987), Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987), Parenthood (1989), Father of the Bride (1991), Cheaper by the Dozen (2003), and The Pink Panther (2006). Martin has also hosted Saturday Night Live 16 times.
Check out the interview between Steve Martin and Director Morgan Neville.
Watch as Steve Martin and Martin Short roast each other.
Hailing from A24 and Tremolo Productions, the two-part documentary is directed and produced by Academy Award® winner Morgan Neville (“20 Feet from Stardom,” “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”).
“The last thing I want to be remembered as is an annoying blabbermouth!”
Nothing’s more fun than The Wildey’s Tuesday Night Film Series. Steve Martin and John Candy in PLANES, TRAINS, AND AUTOMOBILES (1987) will be on the big screenwhen it plays at The Wildey Theater in Edwardsville, IL (252 N Main St, Edwardsville, IL 62025) at 7:00pm Tuesday November 23rd. Tickets are only $3 Tickets available starting at 3pm day of movie at Wildey Theatre ticket office. Cash or check only. (cash, credit cards accepted for concessions) Lobby opens at 6pm.
A Chicago advertising man must struggle to travel home from New York for Thanksgiving, with a lovable oaf of a shower curtain ring salesman as his only companion.
“I could never be a woman, ’cause I’d just stay home and play with my breasts all day.”
Steve Martin’s warm, witty love letter to Los Angeles comes to Blu-ray for the first time in the U.S. Featuring new art and bonus features, L.A. Story arrives on Blu-ray™ (plus Digital) November 9 from Lionsgate.
Steve Martin’s warm, witty love letter to Los Angeles comes to Blu-ray for the first time in the U.S. Featuring new art and bonus features, L.A. Story arrives on Blu-ray™ (plus Digital) November 9 from Lionsgate. Golden Globe® nominee Steve Martin (1996, Best Actor in a Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy, Father of the Bride Part II) stars as TV weatherman Harris Telemacher, who decides to follow his heart — and digital messages on freeway signs — on a quest for true love in the City of Angels. With an all-star cast that includes Golden Globe® nominee Victoria Tennant (1984, Best Supporting Actress — Television, The Winds of War), Academy Award® nominee Richard E. Grant (2019, Best Supporting Actor, Can You Ever Forgive Me?), Golden Globe® nominee Marliu Henner (1983, Best Supporting Actress — Television, “Taxi”), and Golden Globe® winner Sarah Jessica Parker (2004, Best Television Actress — Musical/Comedy, “Sex and the City”), L.A. Story will be available on Blu-ray™ + Digital for the suggested retail price of $17.99.
L.A. Story is legendary comedian-actor-author Steve Martin’s love letter to the City of Angels. Being in a magical city with predictably pleasant weather can make the life of a meteorologist seem monotonous. When TV weatherman Harris Telemacher (Martin) begins receiving secret messages from an electronic freeway sign, he leaves his longtime girlfriend (Marilu Henner) and embarks on a frivolous romance with a vapid, young model (Sarah Jessica Parker), which ultimately leads him to true love with the woman of his dreams (Victoria Tennant). Beloved by generations of movie fans, L.A. Story reminds us that anything is possible, and real love can be found — even in the city of make-believe.
BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES
Deleted Scenes and Outtakes
O2BINLA: Mick Jackson’s L.A. Stories
“The Story of L.A. Story”
“The L.A. of L.A. Story”
Original Theatrical Marketing Materials
CAST Steve Martin The Jerk, TV’s “Saturday Night Live,” Bowfinger Victoria Tennant Flowers in the Attic, The Winds of War, The Handmaid’s Tale Richard E. Grant Can You Ever Forgive Me?, Gosford Park, TV’s “Game of Thrones” Marliu Henner TV’s “Taxi,” Noises Off…, TV’s “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” Sarah Jessica Parker TV’s “Sex and the City,” The Family Stone, TV’s “Divorce”
The word rang out this morning in the world of laughter. A member of comedy royalty had taken his last well-deserved bow.
Here’s how the AP news service spread the word:
NEW YORK (AP) — Carl Reiner, the ingenious and versatile writer, actor and director who broke through as a “second banana” to Sid Caesar and rose to comedy’s front ranks as creator of “The Dick Van Dyke Show” and straight man to Mel Brooks’ “2000 Year Old Man,” has died. He was 98.
Reiner’s assistant Judy Nagy said he died Monday night of natural causes at his home in Beverly Hills, California.
While he made significant contributions to the worlds of live theatre, television, recordings, and literature, we at WAMG would like to applaud his body of work in motion pictures: acting, writing and directing. But in order to begin, lets’ double back to TV. Carl first achieved worldwide fame as part of the cast of the live comedy/variety program “Your Show of Shows”. Along with Imogine Coca and Howard Morris, he supported celebrated comic actor Sid Caesar. And Carl was also part of the lauded writing staff which included future superstars Larry Gelbart. Neil Simon, and Carl’s “best friend” Mel Brooks (for their follow-up show “Caesar’s Hour” Woody Allen joined them briefly). In 1973 a feature film compilation of some of their best work was released. Here’s one of the highlights of TEN FROM YOUR SHOW OF SHOWS…
Carl’s career acting in movies really begin in 1959 with supporting roles in comedies such as HAPPY ANNIVERSARY and THE GAZEBO. Two years later he would play the papa in a popular film franchise in GIDGET GOES HAWAIIAN. But his highest-profile film role would come in another couple years as part of the incredible ensemble cast of the blockbuster IT’S A MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD (Carl may have been the last surviving male co-star. Actress Barrie Chase is still with us). Here’s a taste of the slapstick chaos…
Not content to merely act in front of the camera, Carl spread his writing wings with the script to the Doris Day/ James Garner domestic comedy (with some jabs at Madison Avenue) THE THRILL OF IT ALL…
In 1965 Carl would be writing for James Garner again, along with his TV collaborator Dick Van Dyke, for the France-based farce THE ART OF LOVE. The following year Carl would be part of another huge ensemble comedy hit (though his role was much bigger this time) with THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING! THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING!…
Then next year Carl spread his talented wings once more by making his feature film directing debut with the sentimental autobiographical comedy ENTER LAUGHING (based on his novel). From there it was a reunion with Dick Van Dyke for the dark (maybe audience weren’t ready) tragi-comedy THE COMIC. I wrote about it in our look back at the cinema of 1969. Click here to read it. Luckily Carl bounced back the next year with the outrageous cult comedy (and midnight movie staple) WHERE’S POPPA?…
But it would take seven years for Carl to have his first mainstream commercial hit feature film comedy with OH, GOD!…
After a nostalgic wrestling comedy starring Henry (the Fonz) Winkler, THE ONE AND ONLY, Carl would begin a very successful four-film collaboration with Steve Martin, starting with the smash mega-hit THE JERK. Here’s Carl’s crazy cameo…
The two paired again for DEAD MEN DON”T WEAR PLAID, ALL OF ME (co-starring Lily Tomlin) and the under-rated horror/sci-fi spoof THE MAN WITH TWO BRAINS (and remember Merv Griffin is still at large)…
Carl would continue his directing career till the late 1990s working with comedy superstars like John Candy in SUMMER RENTAL, and up and coming TV stars Mark Harmon in SUMMER SCHOOL and SIBLING RIVALRY with Kirstie Alley (who was also in the former). He folded up his director’s chair with 1997’s THAT OLD FEELING starring Bette Midler.
Ah, but the movies weren’t done with Carl Reiner the actor. In 2001 he was part of a hit trilogy as one of OCEAN’S ELEVEN…
And just last year Mr. Reiner joined another big hit movie franchise as the voice of “retired” toy “Carl Reineroceros” in TOY STORY 4.
And that’s a look back at the cinema career of Mr. Carl Reiner, just a modest chunk of his immense talents. Enjoy your rest after giving us several lifetimes of laughter. We’re happy you were with us for so long, though we’re sad that you won’t be sharing that incredible wit with the world any longer. What a wonderful legacy!
Forty years ago this summer, a frog with a dream to make millions of people happy hopped out of the swamp, onto a bicycle and into cinema history in “The Muppet Movie.” For two days only this July, the original classic is back in movie theaters nationwide from Fathom Events, The Jim Henson Company and Universal Pictures.
Tickets are available at www.FathomEvents.com or at participating theater box offices.
“The Muppet Movie” will play in more than 700 movie theaters on Thursday, July 25, and Tuesday, July 30, at 12:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. local time each day through Fathom’s Digital Broadcast Network (DBN). For a complete list of theater locations, visit the Fathom Events website (theaters and participants are subject to change).
Following massive global success with the television hit “The Muppet Show,” which at its height aired in more than 100 countries around the world, Muppets creator Jim Henson took a huge creative risk to have the characters star in their first motion picture. The result, “The MuppetMovie,” directed by James Frawley, proved to be an enormous box-office hit. The film also charmed critics and received an Academy Award® nomination for “The Rainbow Connection,” the film’s iconic theme song with music and lyrics by Paul Williams and Kenneth Ascher.
The film stars Kermit (performed by Henson), Miss Piggy and Fozzie Bear (performed by Frank Oz), Gonzo (performed by Dave Goelz) and his chicken Camilla (performed by Jerry Nelson), Scooter (performed by Richard Hunt), and Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem as they embark on a road trip to Hollywood where fame and fortune beckons, driven only by hope, dreams and a wisecracking bear.
In addition to the Muppet performers, “The Muppet Show” is a veritable who’s-who of 1970s pop culture, with a cast that includes Charles Durning, Austin Pendleton and cameo roles by Dom DeLuise, James Coburn, Madeline Kahn, Carol Kane, Telly Savalas, Milton Berle, Elliott Gould, Edgar Bergen, Bob Hope, Richard Pryor, Steve Martin, Mel Brooks, Cloris Leachman and Orson Welles.
“‘The Muppet Movie’ is a cinematic treasure, a delightful film that may have been made 40 years ago but is truly timeless, thanks both to its iconic characters and to its always-stirring theme of following your dreams and believing in your own abilities,” said Tom Lucas, Fathom Events Vice President of Studio Relations. “This film’s return to the big screen is very well deserved and we are happy to work with The Jim Henson Company and Universal Pictures to give it a proper nationwide re-release.”
” I’m just a mean green mother from outer space and I’m bad!”
Special Cinema Event to Feature an Exclusive Interview with Director Frank Oz, Plus the Film’s Original Ending, Never Before Seen in Theaters
For the first time ever, the cult-hit musical “Little Shop of Horrors” will be presented in movie theaters nationwide with its original, spectacular ending during a special two-day-only in-cinema event on October 29 and 31 from Fathom Events and Warner Bros.
In addition to the elaborate, 23-minute finale, which has been digitally restored to the acclaimed 1986 musical, this special theatrical presentation of “Little Shop of Horrors,” written by the Oscar®-winning team of Howard Ashman and Alan Menken, will also include a brand-new, exclusive interview with the film’s visionary director Frank Oz.
Fathom Events and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment will present “Little Shop of Horrors” on Sunday, October 29, and Tuesday, October 31, at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. local time each day.
Tickets for “Little Shop of Horrors” can be purchased online by visiting www.FathomEvents.com or at participating theater box offices. Moviegoers throughout the U.S. will be able to enjoy this event in nearly 500 select movie theaters through Fathom’s Digital Broadcast Network (DBN). For a complete list of theater locations visit the Fathom Eventswebsite (theaters and participants are subject to change).
Originally released in December 1986 and based on the off-Broadway musical adaptation of Roger Corman’s low-budget 1960 horror comedy, “Little Shop of Horrors” stars Rick Moranis as Seymour Krelborn, a loveable loser whose fortunes change when he discovers a mysterious plant he calls “Audrey II” after the demure love of his life, Audrey (Ellen Greene). But as Audrey II (Levi Stubbs) grows, Seymour discovers the plant has a taste for blood, preferably human … and a lust for power.
“Little Shop of Horrors” was nominated for two Academy Awards®, including the high- energy “Mean Green Mother From Outer Space,” which Ashman and Menken wrote specifically for the film. “Little Shop of Horrors” received widespread acclaim from critics upon its initial release, and became a perennial best-seller on home-entertainment formats. Its loyal following has grown over the years, and while the film’s original ending has been released on DVD and Blu-ray, this special presentation by Fathom Events and Warner Bros. marks the first time it has been shown to a large-scale audience in cinemas.
“Little Shop of Horrors” combines a stunning visual flair with a remarkable score by Ashman and Menken, who would go on to create such classic movie musicals as “The Little Mermaid,” “Beauty and the Beast” and “Aladdin.” The film’s iconic supporting cast includes Steve Martin, Vincent Gardenia, James Belushi and Bill Murray, along with a unique trio of Tichina Arnold, Michelle Weeks and Tisha Campbell as “Greek chorus” Crystal, Ronnette and Chiffon.
“This special presentation of Little Shop of Horrors will delight longtime fans and also offer them a new sense of discovery in an ending that the studio and Frank Oz have allowed us to present for the very first time,” Tom Lucas, Fathom Events VP of Studio Relations, said. “For fans of movies and musicals, this is truly a cinematic event.”
“Your story Billy, no longer belongs to you. It’s America story now.”
Visionary Director Ang Lee’s BILLY LYNN’S LONG HALFTIME WALK Arrives on 4K Ultra HD for the Ultimate Immersive Home Entertainment Experience.
A two-time Academy Award® winner for Best Director, Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain, 2005; Life of Pi, 2012) brings his extraordinary vision to BILLY LYNN’S LONG HALFTIME WALK, debuting on three-disc 4K Ultra HD™/Blu-ray 3D™/Blu-ray™ Combo Pack, Blu-ray, DVD and digital February 14 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. In an industrywide first, the 4K presentation of the film is displayed at 60 frames per second (FPS), versus the standard 24 FPS, offering a first-of-its-kind, unique, and immersive viewing experience. Dubbed a “groundbreaking masterpiece” (Mark S. Allen, ABC-TV), BILLY LYNN’S LONG HALFTIMEWALK follows a 19-year-old soldier as he is brought home for a victory tour after a harrowing battle in Iraq. Through flashbacks, the film shows what really happened to his squad — contrasting the realities of war with America’s perceptions.
The 4K Ultra HD release of BILLY LYNN’S LONG HALFTIME WALK exclusively includes “Technology as Art: Changing The Language of Cinema,” a 4K featurette with Director Ang Lee and Editor Tim Squyres discussing the film’s groundbreaking frame rate technology. In addition, the Blu-ray and DVD contain deleted scenes and four compelling featurettes. Explore the journey of master filmmaker Ang Lee as he tells this complex, provocative and visually revolutionary story in “Into Battle and Onto the Field: Stepping Inside Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk.” “Assembling A Cast” highlights the incredible ensemble, including newcomer Joe Alwyn, Kristen Stewart, Chris Tucker, Garrett Hedlund, Vin Diesel and Steve Martin. In “The Brotherhood of Combat,” viewers will witness the intense training and unforgettable bonding experience of the Bravo Squad as they go through a boot camp with military experts to prepare for their roles as combat soldiers. Lastly in “Recreating The Halftime Show,” Don Mischer, a veteran halftime show producer, takes viewers onto the field for the big event depicted in the film. Synopsis:
Academy Award® winner Ang Lee (2012, Best Director, Life Of Pi ) brings his extraordinary vision to BILLY LYNN’S LONG HALFTIME WALK, based on the widely-acclaimed, bestselling novel. The story is told from the point of view of 19-year-old private Billy Lynn (Joe Alwyn) who, along with his fellow soldiers in Bravo Squad, becomes a hero after a harrowing battle in Iraq and is brought home temporarily for a victory tour. Through a sequence of flashbacks, the truth about what really happened is revealed – contrasting the realities of the war with America’s distorted perceptions of heroism. Co-starring Kristen Stewart, Chris Tucker, Garrett Hedlund, Vin Diesel and Steve Martin.
Directed by Ang Lee from a screenplay by Jean-Christophe Castelli, BILLY LYNN’S LONG HALFTIME WALK is based on the novel by Ben Fountain. The film is produced by Marc Platt, Ang Lee, Rhodri Thomas and Stephen Cornwell, and executive produced by Brian Bell, Jeff Robinov, Guo Guangchang and Ben Waisbren. The film is presented by TriStar Pictures with Studio 8 in association with LStar Capital, Film4 and Bona Film Group.
4K Ultra HD
Exclusive Special Feature – 4K Featurette with Ang Lee and Time Squyres discussing the film’s groundbreaking frame rate technology
Feature film in 4K resolution, 60 Frames Per Second (FPS), with High Dynamic Range (HDR)
Also includes the film and special features on high-def Blu-ray
* To experience Dolby Atmos at home, a Dolby Atmos enabled AV receiver and additional speakers are required, or a Dolby Atmos enabled sound bar; however, Dolby Atmos soundtracks are also fully backward compatible with traditional audio configurations and legacy home entertainment equipment.
Blu-ray & DVD Bonus Materials Include:
Deleted Scenes
Four Featurettes:
“Into Battle and Onto the Field: Stepping Inside Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk”
“Recreating the Halftime Show”
“The Brotherhood of Combat”
“Assembling A Cast”
BILLY LYNN’S LONG HALFTIME WALK has a run time of approximately 113 minutes and is rated R for language throughout, some war violence, sexual content, and brief drug use.
Hop aboard the cinema saucer, ’cause it’s time for another animated alien adventure. Let’s see, the last big cartoon with a human and space creature teamed-up to find home may have been LILO & STITCH (or, perhaps it was the first big feature with that theme), so we’re probably due for another spin around the galaxy. And the whole “Earthers are odd”, gags have become a comedy staple, mostly on TV with Uncle Martin, Mork, Alf, and the “3rd Rock” gang. And there’s the whole STARMAN/ET movie legacy. Yes, this is a mix of comedy and a dash of drama, but the real drama may be behind the scenes with this film’s producer, DreamWorks Animation. After a couple of sequels and a TV adaptation, this is their first original feature work in two years (though it is based on a children’s’ book, “The True Meaning of Smekday” by Adam Rex). Plus, the last year has been a rough one for them with big management changes and even bigger staff lay-offs with the slashing of much of their future feature slate. In other words, the main rival to Disney/Pixar needs a big hit. Will they find one with this unlikely friendship behind the wheel, cruising the planet in search of HOME?
The film’s opening moments give us the 411 on the nomadic alien race called the Boov. Nomadic because they’re experts at fleeing and hiding, re-locating to different planets in order to avoid their arch-enemies, the brutal warriors of the Gorg. Well, the leader of the Boov, Captain Smek (voice of Steve Martin) has decided that Earth will be their new hide-out. So what happens to the current inhabitants? Huge globes glide down to the planet, scoop up all the humans, and re-locates them in deserted areas. Now the Boov provide them (us) with new homes (looking like the neighborhood from TV’s “Full House”) alongside big amusement centers/parks. The excited Boovs move into the now empty spaces, none more excited than the endearingly goofy Oh (Jim Parsons). Once settled in, he decides to throw a big housewarming party and sends out an email “e-vite”. But the doofus hits the “send all” button which will send the message into space and alert the Gorg. When Smek can’t block it (Oh has a password that is not “password”, horrors!), he sends his agents to capture Oh. Luckily, Oh runs into the last human in the city (she avoided the big vacum-scoopers), a young girl named ‘Tip’ (Rihanna) and her pet cat, ‘Pig’. The two hop in her lil’ red compact car and hit the road, evading the Boov while trying to re-unite Tip with her displaced mom Lucy (Jennifer Lopez). Can they find her before Smek’s men and the Gorg catch up with them?
Parsons leads the voice cast, but ultimately his “Oh” is just his TV “Big Bang” character “Sheldon” dotted with lots of fractured grammar (“We is going to the Paris?’). Rihanna makes for a convincing teenager, but there ‘s no real reason (besides her impressive fan base) for Tip to have a pop star’s voice. The same could be said of her mother, but she doesn’t have a lot of screen time (but the producers are selling this as a Lopez flick). Martin may be the only one who sounds like he’s having a great time, bringing lots of energy to the dim, pompous Smek. Besides Tip and Lucy, the other humans seemed to have been beamed over from other recent DreamWorks movies. The design of the Boov is pleasing, as if Playdough melded with a mood ring (they change color to match their emotions), but also feels familiar. The backgrounds are colorful with excellent panoramic space shots. Unfortunately it feels as though we’re stuck in the front seat of that car forever (cue the kids’ “Are we there, yet?”), making it seem twice its 94 minute running time. Besides Smek’s gesturing with his staff which holds the “shush” stone, the 3D effects are pretty pedestrian as is the soundtrack with one bland, indistinguishable pop ballad flowing into the next. After the fantastic HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON and KUNG FU PANDA flicks, it feels like DreamWorks it just marking time until the next installments of those franchises (it looks like much of this farmed out overseas) . This isn’t the dregs of the studio (SHARK TALE, you need not worry), but it’s not the kind of work that’s going to turn things around. It may be a good sitter for the very wee viewers on a rainy day, but animation aficionados deserve so much more (and with DRAGON, these folks really delivered). Perhaps this is a tale better suited to the home video market. Maybe HOME will play best at home, but it’s not worth the multiplex trek.
Want to see the advance screening of HOME with the family in St. Louis? Get your tickets now!
When Oh, a lovable misfit from another planet, lands on Earth and finds himself on the run from his own people, he forms an unlikely friendship with an adventurous girl named Tip who is on a quest of her own. Through a series of comic adventures with Tip, Oh comes to understand that being different and making mistakes is all part of being human, and together they discover the true meaning of the word HOME.
From DreamWorks Animation, HOME opens in Real D 3D and Digital 3D theaters on March 27th.
WAMG invites you to enter for a chance to win passes (Good for 4) to the advance screening of HOME on Tuesday, March 24th at 7PM.
We will contact the winners by email.
Answer the following:
Welcome to what HOME director Tim Johnson calls the first “alien invasion buddy comedy, road trip, animated movie.”
What other animated film from DreamWorks Animation featured a blue super-villain/alien trying to conquer Metro City?
TO ENTER, ADD YOUR NAME, ANSWER AND EMAIL ADDRESS IN OUR COMMENTS SECTION BELOW.
OFFICIAL RULES:
1. YOU MUST BE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA THE DAY OF THE SCREENING.
2. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY.
The film has been rated PG for mild action and some rude humor.
20th Century Fox and DreamWorks Animation have unveiled the new trailer for their highly anticipated film, HOME. Let this intergalactic 3D animation take you out of this world when it hits the big screen on March 27, 2015.
When Earth is taken over by the overly-confident Boov, an alien race in search of a new place to call home, all humans are promptly relocated, while all Boov get busy reorganizing the planet. But when one resourceful girl, Tip, (Rihanna, who also contributes a song) manages to avoid capture, she finds herself the accidental accomplice of a banished Boov named Oh (Jim Parsons). The two fugitives realize there’s a lot more at stake than intergalactic relations as they embark on the road trip of a lifetime.
The film also stars Steve Martin and Jennifer Lopez.
Directed by Tim Johnson, the screenplay is based upon the novel The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex.
Watch HOME stars Rihanna and Jim Parsons interview each other in a cast chat HERE.
