In the second edition of Canon Of Film, we take a look a Jacques Tati‘s ‘Playtime’. For the genesis of Canon Of Film, you can click here.
“Playtime” (1967)
Director: Jacques Tati
Screenplay: Jacques Lagrange and Jacques Tati; with addition English dialogue by Art Buchwald
Jacques Tati’s ‘Playtime‘ is clearly a masterpiece, but I think almost nobody can actually master it. According to film scholar Noel Berch, ‘Playtime‘, doesn’t have to just be seen multiple times, but has to be seen from several different points in the theater itself. The movie is all action. Not the way we normally think of action, but “action” in terms of filling up the screen. To watch one thing – usually in the foreground – means you’re missing many things happening in the background, and vice-versa.
The most expensive French film made at the time, the film’s box office failure would eventually bankrupt Tati.
“Playtime” (1967)
Director: Jacques Tati
Screenplay: Jacques Lagrange and Jacques Tati; with addition English dialogue by Art Buchwald
Jacques Tati’s ‘Playtime‘ is clearly a masterpiece, but I think almost nobody can actually master it. According to film scholar Noel Berch, ‘Playtime‘, doesn’t have to just be seen multiple times, but has to be seen from several different points in the theater itself. The movie is all action. Not the way we normally think of action, but “action” in terms of filling up the screen. To watch one thing – usually in the foreground – means you’re missing many things happening in the background, and vice-versa.
The most expensive French film made at the time, the film’s box office failure would eventually bankrupt Tati.
- 9/12/2017
- by David Baruffi
- Age of the Nerd
James + Semaj is a column where James Franco talks to his reverse self, Semaj, about new films. Rather than a conventional review, it is place where James and Semaj can muse about ideas that the films provoke. James loves going to the movies and talking about them. But a one-sided take on a movie, in print, might be misconstrued as a review. As someone in the industry it could be detrimental to James’s career if he were to review his peers, because unlike the book industry—where writers review other writer’s books—the film industry is highly collaborative, and a bad review of a peer could create problems. So, assume that James (and Semaj) love all these films. What they’re interested in talking about is all the ways the films inspire them, and make them think. James is me, and Semaj is the other side of me.
- 11/20/2016
- by James Franco
- Indiewire
Well, we’ve finally reached the summit: the 10 most definitive romantic comedies of all time. Unlike the other sections of this list, there is not a movie here that approaches “bad.” As always, some are better than others, despite the order. But one thing is for sure: if you plan to have a rom-com binge-a-thon soon, this is where you start, no questions asked. In fact, after reading this, you should go do that and report back.
courtesy of reverseshot.com 10. Some Like It Hot (1959)
What’s funnier than men dressing in drag? Depends on who you ask. It’s Billy Wilder again with a fictional story of two musicians – Joe (Tony Curtis) and Jerry (Jack Lemmon) – who witness the St. Valentine’s Day massacre in Chicago and leave town. But, since the mob has ties everywhere, they need to disguise themselves as best they can: as women in an...
courtesy of reverseshot.com 10. Some Like It Hot (1959)
What’s funnier than men dressing in drag? Depends on who you ask. It’s Billy Wilder again with a fictional story of two musicians – Joe (Tony Curtis) and Jerry (Jack Lemmon) – who witness the St. Valentine’s Day massacre in Chicago and leave town. But, since the mob has ties everywhere, they need to disguise themselves as best they can: as women in an...
- 1/10/2016
- by Joshua Gaul
- SoundOnSight
Last December, a little movie called The Interview caused a political firestorm. Yanked out of theaters, the subject of rallies for free speech and all of it based on the film’s mockery of real life North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. Oddly enough, one of the arguments that came out of this was a group of people who said that movie just shouldn’t poke that bear. Movies shouldn’t wade into foreign policy, make fun of living political leaders, even despots and dictators. The Interview was conceptually daring, but nothing groundbreaking. And mocking real life villains was nothing new. Making its New York premiere 75 years ago this week, in front of the entire world, Charlie Chaplin threw a comic spear in the eye of the biggest villain of them all, Adolf Hitler. That comic spear was The Great Dictator and it would become Chaplin’s magnum opus, a...
- 10/13/2015
- by Charlie Sanford
- SoundOnSight
In the first of a new series on early cinema, we celebrate the landmark year of 1915, when the industry as we know it was born. Plus, five films from 1915 to watch (which aren’t Birth of a Nation)
The films of a century ago may look like a foreign landscape, but 1915 was the year when cinema, as we now know it, was born. Blockbusters, widescreen and Technicolor can all trace their origins back 100 years. It was a massively exciting year to be a filmgoer, with several landmark films released.
Ever since Florence Lawrence became the first named film actor – she was previously known as the “Biograph Girl” after the studio she worked for – the cult of stardom had been taking over the movie business. By 1915, even though he had only been in the business for a year, Charlie Chaplin was the biggest star in the world. In this year he...
The films of a century ago may look like a foreign landscape, but 1915 was the year when cinema, as we now know it, was born. Blockbusters, widescreen and Technicolor can all trace their origins back 100 years. It was a massively exciting year to be a filmgoer, with several landmark films released.
Ever since Florence Lawrence became the first named film actor – she was previously known as the “Biograph Girl” after the studio she worked for – the cult of stardom had been taking over the movie business. By 1915, even though he had only been in the business for a year, Charlie Chaplin was the biggest star in the world. In this year he...
- 8/24/2015
- by Pamela Hutchinson
- The Guardian - Film News
A 20th anniversary screening of “The Shawshank Redemption”; restorations of Mary Pickford’s “Little Annie Rooney” and Charlie Chaplin’s “The Bank”; a screening series and panel discussion complementing the landmark Hollywood Costume exhibition; and six diverse films from director Edgar G. Ulmer are all part of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ November programs. Ticket holders for Hollywood Costume will receive free same-day admission to Hollywood Costume-related public programs.
“The Shawshank Redemption”
With special guests Frank Darabont, Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins
The Academy will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the 1994 Best Picture nominee “The Shawshank Redemption” onNovember 18 at 7:30 p.m. at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater. The evening will feature an onstage discussion with writer-director Frank Darabont, who received an Oscar nomination for his adapted screenplay, Best Actor nominee Morgan Freeman, and star Tim Robbins.
Click here for more information
Defining Character: The Art...
“The Shawshank Redemption”
With special guests Frank Darabont, Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins
The Academy will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the 1994 Best Picture nominee “The Shawshank Redemption” onNovember 18 at 7:30 p.m. at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater. The evening will feature an onstage discussion with writer-director Frank Darabont, who received an Oscar nomination for his adapted screenplay, Best Actor nominee Morgan Freeman, and star Tim Robbins.
Click here for more information
Defining Character: The Art...
- 10/21/2014
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
If you've ever wondered what happened to Harrison Ford's Indiana Jones hat from The Raiders of the Lost Ark, Henry Cavill's Superman cape from Man of Steel or Judy Garland's ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz, the answer is that they're all actually in the same place. These iconic pieces - along with 150 other costumes - will be on display at the Hollywood Costume exhibition presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in the historic Wilshire May Company building, beginning Oct. 2. "This really reflects 100 years of the costume designers' contribution to the movies,...
- 10/1/2014
- by Gabrielle Olya, @GabyOlya
- PEOPLE.com
If you've ever wondered what happened to Harrison Ford's Indiana Jones hat from The Raiders of the Lost Ark, Henry Cavill's Superman cape from Man of Steel or Judy Garland's ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz, the answer is that they're all actually in the same place. These iconic pieces - along with 150 other costumes - will be on display at the Hollywood Costume exhibition presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in the historic Wilshire May Company building, beginning Oct. 2. "This really reflects 100 years of the costume designers' contribution to the movies,...
- 10/1/2014
- by Gabrielle Olya, @GabyOlya
- PEOPLE.com
By Gary Salem and Michelle McCue
“What a costume designer does is a cross between magic and camouflage. We create the illusion of changing the actors into what they are not. We ask the public to believe that every time they see a performer on the screen he’s become a different person.”
– Edith Head
On Monday, Wamg attended the press preview for the Victoria and Albert Museum, London and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences groundbreaking multimedia exhibition Hollywood Costume in the historic Wilshire May Company building.
Taking five years to create, this exhibition is the kickoff for the whole Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.
Emphasizing how costumes are so important in creating characters, this one-of-a-kind exhibition comes with its own film score, enhanced with dazzling animations and screenplay excerpts.
Organized by the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (V&A), and sponsored by Swarovski, this ticketed exhibition...
“What a costume designer does is a cross between magic and camouflage. We create the illusion of changing the actors into what they are not. We ask the public to believe that every time they see a performer on the screen he’s become a different person.”
– Edith Head
On Monday, Wamg attended the press preview for the Victoria and Albert Museum, London and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences groundbreaking multimedia exhibition Hollywood Costume in the historic Wilshire May Company building.
Taking five years to create, this exhibition is the kickoff for the whole Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.
Emphasizing how costumes are so important in creating characters, this one-of-a-kind exhibition comes with its own film score, enhanced with dazzling animations and screenplay excerpts.
Organized by the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (V&A), and sponsored by Swarovski, this ticketed exhibition...
- 9/30/2014
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Throughout the summer, an admin on the r/movies subreddit has been leading Reddit users in a poll of the best movies from every year for the last 100 years called 100 Years of Yearly Cinema. The poll concluded three days ago, and the list of every movie from 1914 to 2013 has been published today.
Users were asked to nominate films from a given year and up-vote their favorite nominees. The full list includes the outright winner along with the first two runners-up from each year. The list is mostly a predictable assortment of IMDb favorites and certified classics, but a few surprise gems have also risen to the top of the crust, including the early experimental documentary Man With a Movie Camera in 1929, Abel Gance’s J’Accuse! in 1919, the Fred Astaire film Top Hat over Alfred Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps in 1935, and Stanley Kubrick’s The Killing over John Ford’s...
Users were asked to nominate films from a given year and up-vote their favorite nominees. The full list includes the outright winner along with the first two runners-up from each year. The list is mostly a predictable assortment of IMDb favorites and certified classics, but a few surprise gems have also risen to the top of the crust, including the early experimental documentary Man With a Movie Camera in 1929, Abel Gance’s J’Accuse! in 1919, the Fred Astaire film Top Hat over Alfred Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps in 1935, and Stanley Kubrick’s The Killing over John Ford’s...
- 9/2/2014
- by Brian Welk
- SoundOnSight
This fall the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will present the final showing of the groundbreaking multimedia exhibition Hollywood Costume in the historic Wilshire May Company building, the future location of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, at Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue in Los Angeles. Organized by the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (V&A), this ticketed exhibition explores the central role of costume design – from the glamorous to the very subtle – as an essential tool of cinematic storytelling.
The Academy is enhancing the V&A’s exhibition and will include more than 145 costumes from over 60 lenders. The Academy’s presentation will add more than 30 costumes to this landmark show, including Jared Leto’s costume from Dallas Buyers Club (Kurt and Burt, 2013) – a recent acquisition to the Academy’s collection – as well as costumes from such recent releases as The Hunger Games (Judianna Makovsky, 2012), Django Unchained (Sharen Davis,...
The Academy is enhancing the V&A’s exhibition and will include more than 145 costumes from over 60 lenders. The Academy’s presentation will add more than 30 costumes to this landmark show, including Jared Leto’s costume from Dallas Buyers Club (Kurt and Burt, 2013) – a recent acquisition to the Academy’s collection – as well as costumes from such recent releases as The Hunger Games (Judianna Makovsky, 2012), Django Unchained (Sharen Davis,...
- 7/8/2014
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
"Nobody's really captured the quality of a film festival," observed musician/composer Neil Brand, "You're doing something that's pleasurable, but then the fatigue sets in..." It's true—a celluloid feast like Il Cinema Ritrovato in Bologna is a particular case, too, since so many of the films are rarities. It's like being a cake specialist and suddenly somebody offers you fifty magnificent cakes of unique recipe but says "You have to eat them all in an hour or I'll take them away and you'll never see them again." You plunge in, and even when nausea starts to replace pleasure you can't bring yourself to stop...
Cinephiles like to grumble, and the venues of Bologna attract a certain amount of criticism (one has a bar which runs between the front row and the screen, cutting the subtitles in half; air conditioning is switched on and off at random; and then there's...
Cinephiles like to grumble, and the venues of Bologna attract a certain amount of criticism (one has a bar which runs between the front row and the screen, cutting the subtitles in half; air conditioning is switched on and off at random; and then there's...
- 7/7/2014
- by David Cairns
- MUBI
Exclusive: Palme d’Or contender starring Juliette Binoche, Kristen Stewart and Chloë Grace Moretz sells to 20 territories.
Paris-based MK2 has closed a raft of deals on Olivier Assayas’ Clouds of Sils Maria, starring Juliette Binoche, Kristen Stewart and Chloë Grace Moretz, ahead of its premiere in Competition at Cannes.
The film has sold to Italy (Good Films), Benelux (De Filmfreak), Germany (Nfp), Switzerland (Filmcoopi), Hong Kong (Golden Scene), Korea (Tcast), Portugal (Leopardo Filmes), and ex-Yugoslavia (Continental Film).
It has also been acquired for the Middle East (Falcon), Turkey (Yeni Bir) and airlines (Encore). As previously announced IFC Films has taken Us rights. Les Films du Losange will release the film in France at the end of August.
“We’re in talks on a lot of other territories, notably Latin America, Scandinavia, Russia and the UK,” said MK2’s sales chief Juliette Schrameck.
Set in the Swiss alpine lake district of Sils Maria, the picture...
Paris-based MK2 has closed a raft of deals on Olivier Assayas’ Clouds of Sils Maria, starring Juliette Binoche, Kristen Stewart and Chloë Grace Moretz, ahead of its premiere in Competition at Cannes.
The film has sold to Italy (Good Films), Benelux (De Filmfreak), Germany (Nfp), Switzerland (Filmcoopi), Hong Kong (Golden Scene), Korea (Tcast), Portugal (Leopardo Filmes), and ex-Yugoslavia (Continental Film).
It has also been acquired for the Middle East (Falcon), Turkey (Yeni Bir) and airlines (Encore). As previously announced IFC Films has taken Us rights. Les Films du Losange will release the film in France at the end of August.
“We’re in talks on a lot of other territories, notably Latin America, Scandinavia, Russia and the UK,” said MK2’s sales chief Juliette Schrameck.
Set in the Swiss alpine lake district of Sils Maria, the picture...
- 5/9/2014
- ScreenDaily
Looking for any excuse, Landon Palmer and Scott Beggs are using the 2012 Sight & Sound poll results as a reason to take different angles on the best movies of all time. Every week, they’ll discuss another entry in the list, dissecting old favorites from odd angles, discovering movies they haven’t seen before and asking you to join in on the conversation. Of course it helps if you’ve seen the movie because there will be plenty of spoilers. This week, they revel in the unadulterated delight of City Lights and imagine it as an elderly film that still feels young at heart. In the #50 (tied) movie on the list, The Tramp (Charlie Chaplin) falls in love with a blind flower girl (Virginia Cherrill) and tries everything he can to earn money, even as life throws him repeatedly under the bus. But why is it one of the best movies of all time? Scott:...
- 4/30/2014
- by FSR Staff
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Well, we’ve finally reached the summit: the 10 most definitive romantic comedies of all time. Unlike the other sections of this list, there is not a movie here that approaches “bad.” As always, some are better than others, despite the order. But one thing is for sure: if you plan to have a rom-com binge-a-thon soon, this is where you start, no questions asked. In fact, after reading this, you should go do that and report back.
courtesy of reverseshot.com
10. Some Like It Hot (1959)
What’s funnier than men dressing in drag? Depends on who you ask. It’s Billy Wilder again with a fictional story of two musicians – Joe (Tony Curtis) and Jerry (Jack Lemmon) – who witness the St. Valentine’s Day massacre in Chicago and leave town. But, since the mob has ties everywhere, they need to disguise themselves as best they can: as women in an...
courtesy of reverseshot.com
10. Some Like It Hot (1959)
What’s funnier than men dressing in drag? Depends on who you ask. It’s Billy Wilder again with a fictional story of two musicians – Joe (Tony Curtis) and Jerry (Jack Lemmon) – who witness the St. Valentine’s Day massacre in Chicago and leave town. But, since the mob has ties everywhere, they need to disguise themselves as best they can: as women in an...
- 2/10/2014
- by Joshua Gaul
- SoundOnSight
Review Ryan Lambie 10 Feb 2014 - 06:10
As Luc Besson's Leon: The Professional celebrates its 20th birthday, along comes an Anniversary Blu-ray edition. Ryan takes a look...
One of the most oft-filmed cities on the planet, New York takes on a renewed sense of the exotic in Luc Besson's 1994 action drama, Leon: The Professional. Accompanied by Eric Serra's imaginative score, Leon's opening shots of Manhattan in the summer - a disembodied camera floating over the Hudson and Central Park - make the place look almost otherworldly.
This is entirely in keeping with the title character Leon (Jean Reno), a childlike foreigner who moves from apartment to apartment like a ghost, seemingly unnoticed among the city's bustle and thrum. An Italian migrant, Leon works as a contract killer for Danny Aiello's mafia boss Tony, who runs his operation from a restaurant in Little Italy. A solitary figure, Leon's...
As Luc Besson's Leon: The Professional celebrates its 20th birthday, along comes an Anniversary Blu-ray edition. Ryan takes a look...
One of the most oft-filmed cities on the planet, New York takes on a renewed sense of the exotic in Luc Besson's 1994 action drama, Leon: The Professional. Accompanied by Eric Serra's imaginative score, Leon's opening shots of Manhattan in the summer - a disembodied camera floating over the Hudson and Central Park - make the place look almost otherworldly.
This is entirely in keeping with the title character Leon (Jean Reno), a childlike foreigner who moves from apartment to apartment like a ghost, seemingly unnoticed among the city's bustle and thrum. An Italian migrant, Leon works as a contract killer for Danny Aiello's mafia boss Tony, who runs his operation from a restaurant in Little Italy. A solitary figure, Leon's...
- 2/7/2014
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
Hi all, it’s Tim, here to celebrate a milestone of particular significance in the history not just of movies, but of pop culture generally. This weekend marks a centennial of one of the most iconic figures of the modern world: silent comedian Charles Chaplin’s legendary Little Tramp, who premiered in a pair of short comedies that released 100 years ago by Keystone Studios. The second to be shot, but the first to be released, was the half-reel comic short Kid Auto Races at Venice, Cal. on February 7, 1914; two days later, it was followed by the single-reel Mabel’s Strange Predicament, during the production of which Chaplin threw together a costume on the fly made of too-large shoes, baggy pants, a tight jacket, and a bowler hat. Within months – if not, indeed, within weeks – the character thus assembled through a quick burst of inspiration had become a sensation with audiences,...
- 2/7/2014
- by Tim Brayton
- FilmExperience
It is 100 years since Charlie Chaplin's Tramp character was first seen and at Bristol's Slapstick festival the corks popped
A centenary is more than excuse enough for a party, even if the birthday boy is a work of fiction – a beggar, even, with ill-fitting shoes, a violent streak and bow legs. This is the year of the Tramp. Twenty-fourteen marks 100 years since Charlie Chaplin first appeared on a movie screen as an eccentric fellow with a toothbrush moustache and a derby hat, walking with splayed feet and carrying a cane. Due to the global reach of Chaplin's fame, there will be events to mark the anniversary around the world all year, but this weekend, the corks were popped in Bristol. The city's Slapstick festival, itself celebrating a decade on the job, kicked up its heels with a sumptuous gala screening of Chaplin's late silent masterpiece City Lights,...
A centenary is more than excuse enough for a party, even if the birthday boy is a work of fiction – a beggar, even, with ill-fitting shoes, a violent streak and bow legs. This is the year of the Tramp. Twenty-fourteen marks 100 years since Charlie Chaplin first appeared on a movie screen as an eccentric fellow with a toothbrush moustache and a derby hat, walking with splayed feet and carrying a cane. Due to the global reach of Chaplin's fame, there will be events to mark the anniversary around the world all year, but this weekend, the corks were popped in Bristol. The city's Slapstick festival, itself celebrating a decade on the job, kicked up its heels with a sumptuous gala screening of Chaplin's late silent masterpiece City Lights,...
- 1/27/2014
- by Pamela Hutchinson
- The Guardian - Film News
City Lights
Written by Charles Chaplin
Directed by Charles Chaplin
USA, 1931
As they have with The Gold Rush, Modern Times, The Great Dictator, and Monsieur Verdoux, The Criterion Collection has released another stunning Blu-ray/DVD transfer of a Charlie Chaplin classic, rife with a surplus of features. City Lights (1931), which Criterion itself calls, “the most cherished film by Charlie Chaplin … his ultimate Little Tramp chronicle,” is certainly a film easy to love and admire; it’s The Tramp at his most endearingly hapless, his best of intentions always hilariously undermined, and it’s perhaps the most emotionally affecting Chaplin film.
The Kid has the unforgettable Jackie Coogan desperately reaching out for his newfound father figure, and throughout, the young boy and Chaplin tug at the heartstrings. But City Lights, especially with its transcendent final scene, trumps the more manipulatively straightforward sentiment in the earlier feature. Much has been made of this supremely effective conclusion,...
Written by Charles Chaplin
Directed by Charles Chaplin
USA, 1931
As they have with The Gold Rush, Modern Times, The Great Dictator, and Monsieur Verdoux, The Criterion Collection has released another stunning Blu-ray/DVD transfer of a Charlie Chaplin classic, rife with a surplus of features. City Lights (1931), which Criterion itself calls, “the most cherished film by Charlie Chaplin … his ultimate Little Tramp chronicle,” is certainly a film easy to love and admire; it’s The Tramp at his most endearingly hapless, his best of intentions always hilariously undermined, and it’s perhaps the most emotionally affecting Chaplin film.
The Kid has the unforgettable Jackie Coogan desperately reaching out for his newfound father figure, and throughout, the young boy and Chaplin tug at the heartstrings. But City Lights, especially with its transcendent final scene, trumps the more manipulatively straightforward sentiment in the earlier feature. Much has been made of this supremely effective conclusion,...
- 11/15/2013
- by Jeremy Carr
- SoundOnSight
Moviefone's Top DVD of the Week:
"Man of Steel"
What's It About? In Zack Snyder's Superman reboot, "Man of Steel," the young Clark Kent (Henry Cavill) goes on a journey to discover his origin and to better understand his super-human powers. However, when the Kryptonian military leader, General Zod (Michael Shannon), threatens the fate of earth, Clark must face his past to save his planet.
Why We're In: "Man of Steel" is full of spectacular action sequences that will quench any superhero junkie or comic book fiend's appetite. However, Snyder's film was ranked as one of Moviefone's Best Movies of 2013 (So Far) primarily because it successfully rebooted the Superman story after previous failed attempts. It may be your typical Blockbuster fare, but it's undoubtedly a thrilling ride.
Watch: A special feature from the "Man of Steel" Blu-ray (Video)
Moviefone's Top Blu-ray of the Week:
"Noseferatu"
What's It About? F.W. Murnau's 1922 silent "Nosferatu,...
"Man of Steel"
What's It About? In Zack Snyder's Superman reboot, "Man of Steel," the young Clark Kent (Henry Cavill) goes on a journey to discover his origin and to better understand his super-human powers. However, when the Kryptonian military leader, General Zod (Michael Shannon), threatens the fate of earth, Clark must face his past to save his planet.
Why We're In: "Man of Steel" is full of spectacular action sequences that will quench any superhero junkie or comic book fiend's appetite. However, Snyder's film was ranked as one of Moviefone's Best Movies of 2013 (So Far) primarily because it successfully rebooted the Superman story after previous failed attempts. It may be your typical Blockbuster fare, but it's undoubtedly a thrilling ride.
Watch: A special feature from the "Man of Steel" Blu-ray (Video)
Moviefone's Top Blu-ray of the Week:
"Noseferatu"
What's It About? F.W. Murnau's 1922 silent "Nosferatu,...
- 11/12/2013
- by Erin Whitney
- Moviefone
After 50 years as the Observer's film critic, Philip French is retiring. Here he talks about his life and career and answers questions from readers and film-makers including Mike Leigh and Ken Loach
It says a lot about Philip French that after 50 years as the Observer's film critic – five decades in which he has watched more than 2,500 movies, written six books on the subject and received an OBE for his services to film – he is nervous enough about this interview to have researched his answers in advance.
When I arrive at his house in Tufnell Park, north London, I find French poring over a thick reference book at the kitchen table. A cup of coffee is left to cool as he thumbs through the relevant footnotes, anxious to get the facts absolutely right. He will turn 80 in a couple of weeks and says that he occasionally struggles to remember names of directors or actors.
It says a lot about Philip French that after 50 years as the Observer's film critic – five decades in which he has watched more than 2,500 movies, written six books on the subject and received an OBE for his services to film – he is nervous enough about this interview to have researched his answers in advance.
When I arrive at his house in Tufnell Park, north London, I find French poring over a thick reference book at the kitchen table. A cup of coffee is left to cool as he thumbs through the relevant footnotes, anxious to get the facts absolutely right. He will turn 80 in a couple of weeks and says that he occasionally struggles to remember names of directors or actors.
- 8/24/2013
- by Elizabeth Day
- The Guardian - Film News
His first column appeared in April 1963 and he would become the doyen of UK film critics. Having announced he will soon file his last column, he talks about meeting Chaplin, and Hollywood's greatest canine actors
Philip French's international reputation as a film critic is unrivalled. As recently as February, after a career with the Observer that began in 1963, an American film journal rated him as Britain's "greatest living movie analyst". But at the end of August he is to file his last column as this newspaper's film critic. After an illustrious half century, French, who was honoured with an OBE in January, has decided to step down following his 80th birthday the same month.
In his first column for the Observer, he bemoaned the lack of British films offering a believable picture of criminathe underworld. He noted "the tired vignettes of sub-Runyon characters" in The Small World of Sammy Lee starring Anthony Newley.
Philip French's international reputation as a film critic is unrivalled. As recently as February, after a career with the Observer that began in 1963, an American film journal rated him as Britain's "greatest living movie analyst". But at the end of August he is to file his last column as this newspaper's film critic. After an illustrious half century, French, who was honoured with an OBE in January, has decided to step down following his 80th birthday the same month.
In his first column for the Observer, he bemoaned the lack of British films offering a believable picture of criminathe underworld. He noted "the tired vignettes of sub-Runyon characters" in The Small World of Sammy Lee starring Anthony Newley.
- 5/4/2013
- by Vanessa Thorpe
- The Guardian - Film News
The 124th anniversary of Charlie Chaplin‘s birthday was yesterday, and the date represents both the birth of a man and the birth of a cultural icon. Perhaps the biggest of them all. Chaplin made a name for himself during the early years of cinema where silent films had a natural global appeal and became a worldwide name as an actor, producer, writer and director. He took comedy seriously, building upon silly slapstick with The Tramp and taking on Hitler with The Great Dictator. It’s more than likely that the world will never see anyone rise to his kind of prominence. So here’s a bit of free film school (for fans and filmmakers alike) from Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin. Become a Clown “Failure is unimportant. It takes courage to make a fool of yourself.” It’s so much easier to sit around not attempting anything. The danger in trying something where you’ll potentially fail...
- 4/17/2013
- by Scott Beggs
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
People tend to forget that Charlie Chaplin was more than The Tramp, his iconic mute character of physical peculiarity. Seven years after his baffoonic incarnation of Hitler in The Great Dictator, Chaplin bought the rights to a murderously bleak black comedy from Orson Welles and went to work on his most controversial work, Monsieur Verdoux. As a cunning killer of well-to-do middle aged housewives, Henri Verdoux showcased Chaplin’s crisp, flamboyant diction by playing against type. Never before had he played a deceitfully murderous man, slyly articulate and devilishly selfish in his conquest for corpses.
Subtitled ‘A Comedy of Murders’, Chaplin’s outspoken dark horse begins at the end, on Henri Verdoux’s grave stone with him speaking frankly about his late life career as a bluebeard. After 35 years behind the counter as a banker, he lost his job to the depression and found himself in need of a new...
Subtitled ‘A Comedy of Murders’, Chaplin’s outspoken dark horse begins at the end, on Henri Verdoux’s grave stone with him speaking frankly about his late life career as a bluebeard. After 35 years behind the counter as a banker, he lost his job to the depression and found himself in need of a new...
- 4/2/2013
- by Jordan M. Smith
- IONCINEMA.com
Figure 1: The 400 Blows.
"In my view, the concept [the move] does not refer to the literal, physical movements of either the performers or the camera (although it can include these elements). It does not necessarily involve powerfully dramatic (or comic) large-scale alterations in plot. It does not have to entail any grand-slam subversion of social, ideological or cultural conventions. But something, in a filmic move, will indeed have to shift, perhaps gently, but tellingly so."
—Adrian Martin (2010: 23) [my emphasis]
Before being frozen, framed and immortalized in the static final shot of Les quatre cents coups (1959), Antoine Doinel undergoes its antithesis—a sequence of camera movements that re-frames, follows and foregrounds his actions. Escaping the juvenile delinquent centre, the character runs on a rugged country road, the destination of which neither he nor we know; the camera tracks the dash laterally in a medium shot. Visualizing his exuberance, Antoine performs a childlike half-run,...
"In my view, the concept [the move] does not refer to the literal, physical movements of either the performers or the camera (although it can include these elements). It does not necessarily involve powerfully dramatic (or comic) large-scale alterations in plot. It does not have to entail any grand-slam subversion of social, ideological or cultural conventions. But something, in a filmic move, will indeed have to shift, perhaps gently, but tellingly so."
—Adrian Martin (2010: 23) [my emphasis]
Before being frozen, framed and immortalized in the static final shot of Les quatre cents coups (1959), Antoine Doinel undergoes its antithesis—a sequence of camera movements that re-frames, follows and foregrounds his actions. Escaping the juvenile delinquent centre, the character runs on a rugged country road, the destination of which neither he nor we know; the camera tracks the dash laterally in a medium shot. Visualizing his exuberance, Antoine performs a childlike half-run,...
- 12/23/2012
- by Hoi Lun Law
- MUBI
The following is an abridged interview with Deborah Nadoolman Landis by Clothes on Film editor Chris Laverty for Moviescope magazine. Read the full version in issue 31 available now.
“It’s like we’ve been in rehearsals and now we’re going to open on Broadway. Wait till you see it – you’re gonna flip out!” Prof. Deborah Nadoolman Landis is the closest costume design has to living royalty. She has costumed countless films including Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Blues Brothers and Coming to America (for which she was Academy Award nominated), stood as two-term president for The Costume Designers Guild, is a senior lecturer for UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles), and has written several books on her craft.
Yet for the past five years one project has dominated Landis’ life: curating her costume design exhibition for London’s V&A Museum, “I’m so frigging exhausted” she laughs.
“It’s like we’ve been in rehearsals and now we’re going to open on Broadway. Wait till you see it – you’re gonna flip out!” Prof. Deborah Nadoolman Landis is the closest costume design has to living royalty. She has costumed countless films including Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Blues Brothers and Coming to America (for which she was Academy Award nominated), stood as two-term president for The Costume Designers Guild, is a senior lecturer for UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles), and has written several books on her craft.
Yet for the past five years one project has dominated Landis’ life: curating her costume design exhibition for London’s V&A Museum, “I’m so frigging exhausted” she laughs.
- 11/26/2012
- by Chris Laverty
- Clothes on Film
In development since 2007 and nurtured for at least 20 years by curator Deborah Nadoolman Landis since her days as president of the Costume Designers’ Guild (Cdg), the exhibition ‘Hollywood Costume’ finally opens at the V&A museum. This is the costume exhibition to end all costume exhibitions; everything from Judy Garland’s gingham pinafore and ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz, to Keira Knightley’s burgundy silk gown from Anna Karenina, to Robert De Niro’s ‘King Kong Company’ jacket, check shirt, jeans and even boots from Taxi Driver. Hollywood Costume is a rush; an awe-inspiring journey through the meaning and history of contemporary, period and mo-cap costume design utilising projections, interviews, lectures from A-list actors, installations and even a specially commissioned score.
So what to expect when you finally beat the queues and stroll in the front doors? We shall not give too much away because surprise is part of the enjoyment,...
So what to expect when you finally beat the queues and stroll in the front doors? We shall not give too much away because surprise is part of the enjoyment,...
- 10/26/2012
- by Chris Laverty
- Clothes on Film
Enjoy classic silent films with live music accompaniment on October 2nd at The Way Out Club in St. Louis with Super-8 Silent Movie Madness Featuring Live Music !!!
Talented musician Linda Gurney will be bringing her keyboard and skill to play along as we screen condensed versions (average length: 17 minutes) of three famous silent films: Lon Chaney in Phantom Of The Opera, Charlie Chaplin in The Tramp, and the 1922 Vampire classic Nosferatu.
The .talkies. we.re showing October 2nd (also condensed) are: Steve Martin in The Jerk, John Carradine and Lon Chaney Jr. in House Of Dracula, Henry Fonda and Walter Matthau in Fail Safe, William Shatner in Star Trek: The Motion Picture, The Land That Time Forgot, The Car, The Ritz Brothers in Hotel Anchovy, Vincent Price in The Conqueror Worm, Larry Semon in Weakend Driver, Mighty Joe Young, and Mel Brook.s Blazing Saddles.
Cover charge is a mere...
Talented musician Linda Gurney will be bringing her keyboard and skill to play along as we screen condensed versions (average length: 17 minutes) of three famous silent films: Lon Chaney in Phantom Of The Opera, Charlie Chaplin in The Tramp, and the 1922 Vampire classic Nosferatu.
The .talkies. we.re showing October 2nd (also condensed) are: Steve Martin in The Jerk, John Carradine and Lon Chaney Jr. in House Of Dracula, Henry Fonda and Walter Matthau in Fail Safe, William Shatner in Star Trek: The Motion Picture, The Land That Time Forgot, The Car, The Ritz Brothers in Hotel Anchovy, Vincent Price in The Conqueror Worm, Larry Semon in Weakend Driver, Mighty Joe Young, and Mel Brook.s Blazing Saddles.
Cover charge is a mere...
- 9/28/2012
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Our childhood memories of children cinema never went beyond The Kid, The Tramp or The Circus. It was Charlie Chaplin all over. Then I watched Satyajit Ray’s Pather Panchali– and my definition of children cinema changed forever. Apu and Durga became icons. I never cared of the argument, whether Pather Panchali is a children film or not. Apu was in my thoughts all through my journey as a filmmaker since the time I saw the film for the first time – I doubt whether Apu inside me will ever leave me.
Since Apu started growing up inside me, my vision about cinema and my language of expression through lenses always evolved with the inquisitiveness, which the character of Apu inculcated in me.
Then I studied Applied Psychology and specialized in Developmental Psychology. I realized the crime we are committing everyday to the millions of little souls. Our civilization evolved, society...
Since Apu started growing up inside me, my vision about cinema and my language of expression through lenses always evolved with the inquisitiveness, which the character of Apu inculcated in me.
Then I studied Applied Psychology and specialized in Developmental Psychology. I realized the crime we are committing everyday to the millions of little souls. Our civilization evolved, society...
- 8/14/2012
- by Sudipto Sen
- DearCinema.com
I t was Charlie Chaplin all over. Our childhood memories of children cinema never went beyond The Kid, The Tramp or The Circus. Then I watched Satyajit Ray’s Pather Panchali– and my definition of children cinema changed forever. Apu and Durga became icons. I never cared of the argument, whether Pather Panchali is a children film or not. Apu was in my thoughts all through my journey as a filmmaker since the time I saw the film for the first time – I doubt whether Apu inside me will ever leave me.
Since Apu started growing up inside me, my vision about cinema and my language of expression through lenses always evolved with the inquisitiveness, which the character of Apu inculcated in me.
Then I studied Applied Psychology and specialized in Developmental Psychology. I realized the crime we are committing everyday to the millions of little souls. Our civilization evolved,...
Since Apu started growing up inside me, my vision about cinema and my language of expression through lenses always evolved with the inquisitiveness, which the character of Apu inculcated in me.
Then I studied Applied Psychology and specialized in Developmental Psychology. I realized the crime we are committing everyday to the millions of little souls. Our civilization evolved,...
- 8/13/2012
- by Sudipto
- DearCinema.com
The Gold Rush Directed by Charles Chaplin Written by Charles Chaplin Starring: Charles Chaplin, Mack Swain, Tom Murray, Georgia Hale Criterion's Chaplin collection continues to grow with the release of his 1925 classic comedy The Gold Rush. The disc contains both the original silent release and the definitive 1942 version of the film, both of which have been given a full HD restoration. As for the movie itself, The Gold Rush is a timeless comedic masterpiece with a lot of heart and some wonderful examples of early visual effects. The film opens with a magnificent shot of hundreds of people traversing the Chilkoot Pass, ascending the snow covered mountainside in an epic wide shot that brings to mind the open sequence of Werner Herzog's Aguirre: The Wrath of God. This is one of many visually arresting images throughout the film, much of which were accomplished using early in-camera visual effects that...
- 6/14/2012
- by Jay C.
- FilmJunk
Washington, May 28: Time magazine has included Raj Kapoor's 1951classic "Awaara" among 20 new entries added to its All-Time 100 list of the greatest films made since 1923, the beginning of the prestigious Us periodical.
Rethinking the movie masterpieces, Time critic Richard Corliss describes Raj Kapoor as "the great star-auteur of India's postcolonial golden age of movies - Cary Grant and Cecil B. DeMille in one handsome package."
"The '50s films he headlined and directed became huge hits not just in his newly freed homeland but also across the Arab crescent from Indonesia to North Africa," Time noted.
Kapoor, who modelled his screen persona on Charlie Chaplin's Little Tramp, was 26 when he filmed "Awaara" (The Tramp).
Time.
Rethinking the movie masterpieces, Time critic Richard Corliss describes Raj Kapoor as "the great star-auteur of India's postcolonial golden age of movies - Cary Grant and Cecil B. DeMille in one handsome package."
"The '50s films he headlined and directed became huge hits not just in his newly freed homeland but also across the Arab crescent from Indonesia to North Africa," Time noted.
Kapoor, who modelled his screen persona on Charlie Chaplin's Little Tramp, was 26 when he filmed "Awaara" (The Tramp).
Time.
- 5/28/2012
- by Meeta Kabra
- RealBollywood.com
The great movie pioneer D.W. Griffiths once said “we do not want now and we shall never want the human voice with our films.” Shame he failed to realise that film-making is a technical medium that will always develop. In the last 100 years we have had the introduction of colour, trick photography, 3D and CGI, among other numerous innovations such as CinemaScope - and even Smellovision. But none of these compare to the most revolutionary of cinematic changes: sound.
The silent era of the twenties holds little more than curiosity-value for many modern film fans. Other than a few notable exceptions such as Nosferatu (1922) and The Phantom of the Opera (1925), it’s become a long-forgotten part of cinema history. But back then we had the Brad Pitts and Angelina Jolies of their day! Big stars and talented actors who sadly failed to survive the test of time.
The coming of sound was controversial,...
The silent era of the twenties holds little more than curiosity-value for many modern film fans. Other than a few notable exceptions such as Nosferatu (1922) and The Phantom of the Opera (1925), it’s become a long-forgotten part of cinema history. But back then we had the Brad Pitts and Angelina Jolies of their day! Big stars and talented actors who sadly failed to survive the test of time.
The coming of sound was controversial,...
- 3/7/2012
- Shadowlocked
With The Artist (2012) having completed its triumphant awards season run, culminating in its five Oscars at this year’s Academy Awards, now seems the ideal time to take a look back at the silent era. Although to many it may seem outdated and redundant today, silent cinema can still offer a unique form of entertainment and spectacle. Additionally, its influence on the world of contemporary cinema goes beyond The Artist to encompass a number of iconic films. However, if you enjoyed Michael Hazanavicius’ ode to silent film then you will surely find plenty here to cherish.
10. Wings (1927)
The only other silent film to have won a Best Picture Oscar, William A. Wellman’s Wings is a melodrama of epic proportions. The story concerns a love triangle between two World War One fighter pilots and a female ambulance driver. Although at times the pace of the film seems long-winded, it is...
10. Wings (1927)
The only other silent film to have won a Best Picture Oscar, William A. Wellman’s Wings is a melodrama of epic proportions. The story concerns a love triangle between two World War One fighter pilots and a female ambulance driver. Although at times the pace of the film seems long-winded, it is...
- 3/1/2012
- Shadowlocked
News broke today that spies for Britain’s MI5 have been puzzling over the exact date of Charlie Chaplin’s birth. Despite Chaplin’s own claim that he was born in London on April 16, 1889, no proof exists to back up that claim. When all is said and done, it may go down as a mystery for the ages, but there’s no doubt about what the legendary comic did with the (presumed) 88 years that followed until his death on Dec. 25, 1977. Below, we run down some of the highlights of Chaplin’s 86-film career, which spanned five decades.
Decked out as his now-famous character,...
Decked out as his now-famous character,...
- 2/17/2012
- by Lanford Beard
- EW.com - PopWatch
London, Dec 12: Charlie Chaplin's bowler hat from his silent film 'The Tramp' is to be auctioned in New York.
Fans are expected to pay 15,000 pounds for the hat, which was bought by Sir Edward Hallstrom and is being sold through his estate by Sotheby's on Dec 13.
The comic star first wore the bowler in 1909 as a struggling performer in the UK.
He took it with him to the Us where he toured with Fred Karno's comedy troupe, the Daily Express reported.
Chaplin later gave it to fellow actor Bert Bailey, whose note of provenance comes with it. (Ani)...
Fans are expected to pay 15,000 pounds for the hat, which was bought by Sir Edward Hallstrom and is being sold through his estate by Sotheby's on Dec 13.
The comic star first wore the bowler in 1909 as a struggling performer in the UK.
He took it with him to the Us where he toured with Fred Karno's comedy troupe, the Daily Express reported.
Chaplin later gave it to fellow actor Bert Bailey, whose note of provenance comes with it. (Ani)...
- 12/12/2011
- by Ketali Mehta
- RealBollywood.com
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
If there was ever a film primed to deliver a shot in the arm to film critics everywhere ready to tear through a slew of conventional Oscar-courting releases this October, then that film is indubitably Michel Hazanavicius’ endlessly charming, near-silent masterpiece The Artist. A bold, bravura work which staunchly refuses to be categorised alongside the rest of its award-season brethren, this is a film at all times refreshing, funny, effortlessly charming, and a strong contender for next year’s Best Picture should the Academy – composed largely of middle-to-old-aged actors, directors, writers and so on – latch onto its aspirations towards a simpler time, as I expect they just might.
The year is 1927, and George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) is a seemingly unflappable silent film star and keen entertainer, whose stature is nevertheless threatened by the advent of talkies. The poster girl for this changing tide is a beautiful young dancer,...
If there was ever a film primed to deliver a shot in the arm to film critics everywhere ready to tear through a slew of conventional Oscar-courting releases this October, then that film is indubitably Michel Hazanavicius’ endlessly charming, near-silent masterpiece The Artist. A bold, bravura work which staunchly refuses to be categorised alongside the rest of its award-season brethren, this is a film at all times refreshing, funny, effortlessly charming, and a strong contender for next year’s Best Picture should the Academy – composed largely of middle-to-old-aged actors, directors, writers and so on – latch onto its aspirations towards a simpler time, as I expect they just might.
The year is 1927, and George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) is a seemingly unflappable silent film star and keen entertainer, whose stature is nevertheless threatened by the advent of talkies. The poster girl for this changing tide is a beautiful young dancer,...
- 10/18/2011
- by Shaun Munro
- Obsessed with Film
Robert here with my series Distant Relatives, which explores the connections between one classic and one contemporary film. This week we jump into the admittedly pointless but always fun Chaplin vs. Keaton debate and contrast it with the Pixar vs Dreamworks animation debate. The important thing is to remember that you can love all of these films and it's not a competition.
But if it were a competition (and it's not), we start with Chaplin and Pixar because they're the obvious frontrunners. By that I don't mean that they're better, but they have the name recognition, the marketing, the cultural branding. Chaplin built for himself an image that now almost a century after his first shorts, is still recognizable. Pixar meanwhile, in just over fifteen years in the feature business has introduced a slew of films and characters that have become iconic. While quality is mostly the cause, it doesn't...
But if it were a competition (and it's not), we start with Chaplin and Pixar because they're the obvious frontrunners. By that I don't mean that they're better, but they have the name recognition, the marketing, the cultural branding. Chaplin built for himself an image that now almost a century after his first shorts, is still recognizable. Pixar meanwhile, in just over fifteen years in the feature business has introduced a slew of films and characters that have become iconic. While quality is mostly the cause, it doesn't...
- 10/14/2011
- by Robert
- FilmExperience
In 1925, the dawning of a new age in film that is right around the corner can already be seen. One of the largest steps is not only seeing film, but also hearing it. A big step towards this process was made when Western Electric and Warner Bros. decide to work together in order to make a system to make motion pictures with sound.
We also see the beginning of the use of foul language in the cinema. While the most infamous early use is most well-known as appearing in Gone With the Wind, The Big Parade beat their “damn” by fourteen years. The Big Parade, an epic silent war film used a title card that said, “March and sweat the whole damned day…”, marking one of the earliest uses of a curse word in an Us film.
Special effects in film even took a huge step forward. Not only were...
We also see the beginning of the use of foul language in the cinema. While the most infamous early use is most well-known as appearing in Gone With the Wind, The Big Parade beat their “damn” by fourteen years. The Big Parade, an epic silent war film used a title card that said, “March and sweat the whole damned day…”, marking one of the earliest uses of a curse word in an Us film.
Special effects in film even took a huge step forward. Not only were...
- 7/6/2011
- by Ross Bonaime
- Flickchart
We are half-way through 2011. This Tuesday marks the release of the last three June titles that Criterion is releasing: Zazie Dans Le Metro, Black Moon, and People On Sunday. We thought that we’d take some time out of our busy lives to reflect upon the past six months of releases (34 releases, not including the Eclipse sets) from the Criterion Collection, and share our thoughts on our favorite releases.
Top Ten lists are usually formed around the end of the year, but it’s a nice exercise to keep those titles that were released in the first half, so we don’t fall prey to our short attention spans and heap praise on those titles that were released closer to the winter.
When I proposed this assignment to the group, I just asked for their “X” favorite titles of 2011 so far, with very little direction given as to how many to choose,...
Top Ten lists are usually formed around the end of the year, but it’s a nice exercise to keep those titles that were released in the first half, so we don’t fall prey to our short attention spans and heap praise on those titles that were released closer to the winter.
When I proposed this assignment to the group, I just asked for their “X” favorite titles of 2011 so far, with very little direction given as to how many to choose,...
- 6/27/2011
- by Ryan Gallagher
- CriterionCast
In December of last year I reviewed the initial ten books in the excellent Masters of Cinema collection from Cahiers Du Cinema, published in the UK by Phaidon Press and I’ve been sent two of the next batch to be released. Here Charlie Chaplin and Orson Welles are under the spotlight, the other new books focus on Billy Wilder, Ingmar Bergman and Federico Fellini.
Jérôme Larcher takes us through Chaplin’s extraordinary life, pausing at key points to survey the cinematic and social landscape. His major works have their turn under the spotlight, with Chaplin’s iconic characters deconstructed with The Tramp in particular commented on by Andre Bazin and Chaplin himself.
As Chaplin was at the forefront of cinema through its early development it is the story behind the scenes, battles with outlandish figures from old Hollywood and the discovery of a muse in Edna Purviance there is...
Jérôme Larcher takes us through Chaplin’s extraordinary life, pausing at key points to survey the cinematic and social landscape. His major works have their turn under the spotlight, with Chaplin’s iconic characters deconstructed with The Tramp in particular commented on by Andre Bazin and Chaplin himself.
As Chaplin was at the forefront of cinema through its early development it is the story behind the scenes, battles with outlandish figures from old Hollywood and the discovery of a muse in Edna Purviance there is...
- 6/21/2011
- by Jon Lyus
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Mr. Popper’s Penguins
Directed by: Mark Waters
Cast: Jim Carrey, Ophelia Lovibond, Carla Gugino, Angela Lansbury, Clark Gregg, Philip Baker Hall, David Krumholtz
Running Time: 1 hr 30 mins
Rating: PG
Release Date: June 17, 2011
Plot: After his explorer father dies, a single father (Carrey) inherits a small group of penguins that he eventually tries to raise with the help of his two kids.
Who’S It For?: Anyone who has recently read the 1939 Newbery Award-winning children’s book will probably exude icy tears trying to sit through this penguin-brained adaptation. Thus, this movie might serve best to introduce children to the evils of Hollywood book adaptations, where even the most magical of stories can be turned into penguin potty humor. As for its Father’s Day-friendly release date, this would be the perfect gift for the dad who loves the image of penguins farting and pooping more than his elementary school kids.
Directed by: Mark Waters
Cast: Jim Carrey, Ophelia Lovibond, Carla Gugino, Angela Lansbury, Clark Gregg, Philip Baker Hall, David Krumholtz
Running Time: 1 hr 30 mins
Rating: PG
Release Date: June 17, 2011
Plot: After his explorer father dies, a single father (Carrey) inherits a small group of penguins that he eventually tries to raise with the help of his two kids.
Who’S It For?: Anyone who has recently read the 1939 Newbery Award-winning children’s book will probably exude icy tears trying to sit through this penguin-brained adaptation. Thus, this movie might serve best to introduce children to the evils of Hollywood book adaptations, where even the most magical of stories can be turned into penguin potty humor. As for its Father’s Day-friendly release date, this would be the perfect gift for the dad who loves the image of penguins farting and pooping more than his elementary school kids.
- 6/17/2011
- by Nick Allen
- The Scorecard Review
From clown Everyman to post-colonial crackpot, Baron Cohen has picked a tough act to follow
Vulnerability is not Sacha Baron Cohen's strong suit, but he is at a vulnerable point right now. Too famous to pull off the gonzo-prank format he pioneered with Borat and Brüno, he is forced to make the running jump to proper, 100% dramatised features. And he won't be doing it, like on Ali G Indahouse, as a primarily British concern, but in front of the eyes of the world as a global star on the verge of the A-list. You never could accuse Baron Cohen of lacking boldness in a nervy moment, though, and his new film The Dictator seems calculated to draw comparisons with comedy's highest and holiest. With that title, how can it not bring to mind Charlie Chaplin?
The plot, or what little we know about it, has strong echoes of The Great Dictator...
Vulnerability is not Sacha Baron Cohen's strong suit, but he is at a vulnerable point right now. Too famous to pull off the gonzo-prank format he pioneered with Borat and Brüno, he is forced to make the running jump to proper, 100% dramatised features. And he won't be doing it, like on Ali G Indahouse, as a primarily British concern, but in front of the eyes of the world as a global star on the verge of the A-list. You never could accuse Baron Cohen of lacking boldness in a nervy moment, though, and his new film The Dictator seems calculated to draw comparisons with comedy's highest and holiest. With that title, how can it not bring to mind Charlie Chaplin?
The plot, or what little we know about it, has strong echoes of The Great Dictator...
- 6/17/2011
- by Phil Hoad
- The Guardian - Film News
Dreamworks Alex Pettyfer and Teresa Palmer in “I Am Number Four.”
Among this week’s Blu-ray offerings are few new titles, such as the sci-fi film “I Am Number Four,” and some classic releases, including Charlie Chaplin’s “The Great Dictator.” Take a look at just a few of the Blu-rays and DVDs we think are worth your attention.
Grand Prix (Warner Home Video) and Le Mans (Paramount Home Entertainment) – Although I don’t know enough abut actual auto racing...
Among this week’s Blu-ray offerings are few new titles, such as the sci-fi film “I Am Number Four,” and some classic releases, including Charlie Chaplin’s “The Great Dictator.” Take a look at just a few of the Blu-rays and DVDs we think are worth your attention.
Grand Prix (Warner Home Video) and Le Mans (Paramount Home Entertainment) – Although I don’t know enough abut actual auto racing...
- 5/24/2011
- by Todd Gilchrist
- Speakeasy/Wall Street Journal
London, Mar 22 – Queen of Pop Madonna celebrated the Jewish holiday of Purim by dressing up as Charlie Chaplin at a fancy dress celebration in New York City.
Wearing the black suit that the English comic actor wore as his most memorable on-screen character ‘The Tramp’, the 52-year-old was almost unrecognisable in the costume, reports the Daily Mail.
With a pair.
Wearing the black suit that the English comic actor wore as his most memorable on-screen character ‘The Tramp’, the 52-year-old was almost unrecognisable in the costume, reports the Daily Mail.
With a pair.
- 3/22/2011
- by News
- RealBollywood.com
Charlie Chaplin’s Modern Times was released nine years after the first talkie feature, yet it mostly qualifies as a silent movie, save for some minor, pointed sound and voice effects. At the time, Chaplin justified his decision by saying that The Tramp, his iconic character from classics like The Gold Rush and City Lights, was too closely identified with the silent era to be given a voice. He was right, of course: Hearing The Tramp speak would be unthinkable, yet the act of even making a Tramp film that deep into the sound era is radical in a way ...
- 12/22/2010
- avclub.com
Modern Times Written and Directed by: Charlie Chaplin Starring: Charlie Chaplin, Paulette Goddard, Henry Bergman I'm sort of at a loss for what I could possibly add to the 74 year conversation on Modern Times that has preceded the release of this Criterion Collection blu ray. It's certainly a classic and has been studied and written about by people way sharper than myself. As expected with most Criterion releases, this edition of the film comes packed with a fair number of supplemental materials, so perhaps I can focus on how this release might have enhanced my enjoyment and perception of Charlie Chaplin's hilarious and timeless comedy. The interesting thing about Modern Times is it requires very little internal calibration in order to be fully enjoyed. What I mean is I find that most comedies of the first half of the 20th century require a slight adjustment for tone, style, and...
- 11/26/2010
- by Jay C.
- FilmJunk
Since 19th July, The London Film Museum has been running an exhibition of props and costumes from 20th Century Fox movies to celebrate the studio’s 75th anniversary. Clothes on Film decided to make a visit, a bit late in the day, but we had a good look round anyway.
There were not that many costumes in the Fox exhibition (certainly considering the history of the studio), but the museum itself has plenty more to see. Just to be in the same room as some of these memorable outfits is a thrill, especially from more recent movies where memories are fresh. With this is mind, here is our pick of Fox’s lot and the best the museum has to offer:
Australia (2008):
One thing about Baz Luhrmann’s Australia, regardless of the quality of the film itself, is that the World War II era costumes are dazzling . This red...
There were not that many costumes in the Fox exhibition (certainly considering the history of the studio), but the museum itself has plenty more to see. Just to be in the same room as some of these memorable outfits is a thrill, especially from more recent movies where memories are fresh. With this is mind, here is our pick of Fox’s lot and the best the museum has to offer:
Australia (2008):
One thing about Baz Luhrmann’s Australia, regardless of the quality of the film itself, is that the World War II era costumes are dazzling . This red...
- 8/16/2010
- by Chris Laverty
- Clothes on Film
The IMDb250. A list of the top 250 films as ranked by the users of the biggest Internet movie site on the web. It is based upon the ratings provided by the users of the Internet Movie Database, which number into the millions. As such, it’s a perfect representation of the opinions of the movie masses, and arguably the most comprehensive ranking system on the Internet.
It’s because of this that we at HeyUGuys (and in this case we is myself and Barry) have decided to set ourselves a project. To watch and review all 250 movies on the list. We’ve frozen the list as of January 1st of this year. It’s not as simple as it sounds, we are watching them all in one year, 125 each.
This is our 30th update, my next five films watched for the project. You can find all our previous week’s updates here.
It’s because of this that we at HeyUGuys (and in this case we is myself and Barry) have decided to set ourselves a project. To watch and review all 250 movies on the list. We’ve frozen the list as of January 1st of this year. It’s not as simple as it sounds, we are watching them all in one year, 125 each.
This is our 30th update, my next five films watched for the project. You can find all our previous week’s updates here.
- 8/16/2010
- by Gary Phillips
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Today Universal released Get Him to the Greek, a sort-of sequel to 2008's Forgetting Sarah Marshall as it uses Aldous Snow who had a small role in the original. Beyond that, there is only a brief reference to Sarah Marshall, which has me thinking it's not really a sequel as much as it is a spin-off. The same could be said for a movie like Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001)... Same characters, but not really a sequel to Clerks, which ended up having its own sequel in 2006.
In a debate with a group of fellow Seattle critics trying to decide if Get Him to the Greek was a sequel to Forgetting Sarah Marshall or not, the topic turned to comedy sequels in general and I was asked to name a great comedy sequel. Should be easy... right?
I started mining my memory banks, and started thinking of movies with...
In a debate with a group of fellow Seattle critics trying to decide if Get Him to the Greek was a sequel to Forgetting Sarah Marshall or not, the topic turned to comedy sequels in general and I was asked to name a great comedy sequel. Should be easy... right?
I started mining my memory banks, and started thinking of movies with...
- 6/4/2010
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
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