McKenna Grace reprises her lead role as Phoebe in “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire,” which led the weekend box office with $45 million. At 17 she is not yet a household name, but she laid some groundwork early: At age six she had a supporting role on the Disney Channel sitcom “Crash & Bernstein.” Later she received an Emmy nomination for her work in “The Handmaid’s Tale,” and portrayed the younger selves for the leads in movies like “I, Tonya” and “Captain Marvel.”
Her “Ghostbusters” co-star is Finn Wolfhard, who made his debut at 13 in CW’s “Supernatural” before starring in “Stranger Things” and “It.” Zendaya, star of “Dune: Part Two,” got her start as a Disney Channel regular. Her co-star, Oscar-nominated Austin Butler, cut his teeth at Nickelodeon.
It’s a strange juxtaposition: Child actors are currently at the forefront of the uncomfortable but necessary conversation centered in Mary Robertson and Emma Schwartz...
Her “Ghostbusters” co-star is Finn Wolfhard, who made his debut at 13 in CW’s “Supernatural” before starring in “Stranger Things” and “It.” Zendaya, star of “Dune: Part Two,” got her start as a Disney Channel regular. Her co-star, Oscar-nominated Austin Butler, cut his teeth at Nickelodeon.
It’s a strange juxtaposition: Child actors are currently at the forefront of the uncomfortable but necessary conversation centered in Mary Robertson and Emma Schwartz...
- 3/25/2024
- by Tom Brueggemann and Dana Harris-Bridson
- Indiewire
A restored version of The Wind will close the festival Photo: Courtesy of the Museum of Modern Art Film Stills Collection The Hippodrome Silent Film Festival (HippFest) has announced the programme for its 14th edition, which will run from Wednesday 20 to Sunday 24 March.
Depictions of Scotland on Screen are in focus with the opening film Peggy (1916), with live musical accompaniment from Stephen Horne. It marks the film debut for Billie Burke (The Wizard of Oz’s Glinda the Good Witch) who plays New York socialite Peggy Cameron (Burke) as she moves to Scotland to live with her new guardian, “a man as stern and unyielding as the rocky hills of his native land”. Will she succumb to the charms of the ‘hot’ Reverend? Once thought lost, the film has been reconstructed with the final missing scenes being filled in with stills and text from the 1916 copyright registration to ensure that...
Depictions of Scotland on Screen are in focus with the opening film Peggy (1916), with live musical accompaniment from Stephen Horne. It marks the film debut for Billie Burke (The Wizard of Oz’s Glinda the Good Witch) who plays New York socialite Peggy Cameron (Burke) as she moves to Scotland to live with her new guardian, “a man as stern and unyielding as the rocky hills of his native land”. Will she succumb to the charms of the ‘hot’ Reverend? Once thought lost, the film has been reconstructed with the final missing scenes being filled in with stills and text from the 1916 copyright registration to ensure that...
- 2/8/2024
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Twice-Told Tales
Blu-ray
Kino Lorber
1963 / 1.66: 1 / 120 Min.
Starring Vincent Price, Sebastian Cabot, Joyce Taylor
Written by Robert E. Kent
Directed by Sidney Salkow
Released in October of 1963, the first review of Sidney Salkow’s Twice-Told Tales appeared in 1623: “Life is as tedious as a twice-told tale.” That line from Shakespeare’s King John is a nice summation of Salkow’s horror anthology, an undernourished melodrama that finds its salvation in, no surprise, the reliably entertaining Vincent Price.
Nathaniel Hawthorne used that Shakespearean quip as the title of his own collection of reprinted material, published in March of 1837. The book had a cover price of one dollar, which might have been close to the budget for Salkow’s movie—a remarkably cheap-looking production, even for Admiral Pictures. The company, headed by Grant Whytock with funding from Edward Small, specialized in cutting corners—they even worked their chintzy magic on Roger Corman’s Tower of London,...
Blu-ray
Kino Lorber
1963 / 1.66: 1 / 120 Min.
Starring Vincent Price, Sebastian Cabot, Joyce Taylor
Written by Robert E. Kent
Directed by Sidney Salkow
Released in October of 1963, the first review of Sidney Salkow’s Twice-Told Tales appeared in 1623: “Life is as tedious as a twice-told tale.” That line from Shakespeare’s King John is a nice summation of Salkow’s horror anthology, an undernourished melodrama that finds its salvation in, no surprise, the reliably entertaining Vincent Price.
Nathaniel Hawthorne used that Shakespearean quip as the title of his own collection of reprinted material, published in March of 1837. The book had a cover price of one dollar, which might have been close to the budget for Salkow’s movie—a remarkably cheap-looking production, even for Admiral Pictures. The company, headed by Grant Whytock with funding from Edward Small, specialized in cutting corners—they even worked their chintzy magic on Roger Corman’s Tower of London,...
- 9/24/2022
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
Click here to read the full article.
Kenya Barris is set to do a fresh take on The Wizard of Oz for Warner Bros., The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
Barris will reimagine the Oscar-winning fantasy musical, which starred Judy Garland, Billie Burke, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr and Jack Haley. Warner Bros. Pictures owns the rights to the 1939 Hollywood classic.
Barris will also produce Wizard of Oz through his production banner, Khalabo Ink Society.
Warner Bros. was developing an animated Wizard of Oz retelling, working with veteran scribe Mark Burton. The film, from Toto’s perspective, was to be based on a children’s book by War Horse writer Michael Morpurgo, which tells the story of Dorothy’s trip through Oz through the eyes of her faithful dog.
Elsewhere, Snoop Dogg and Barris are teaming for The Underdoggs comedy for MGM, with Charles Stone to direct, and MGM and Barris are...
Kenya Barris is set to do a fresh take on The Wizard of Oz for Warner Bros., The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
Barris will reimagine the Oscar-winning fantasy musical, which starred Judy Garland, Billie Burke, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr and Jack Haley. Warner Bros. Pictures owns the rights to the 1939 Hollywood classic.
Barris will also produce Wizard of Oz through his production banner, Khalabo Ink Society.
Warner Bros. was developing an animated Wizard of Oz retelling, working with veteran scribe Mark Burton. The film, from Toto’s perspective, was to be based on a children’s book by War Horse writer Michael Morpurgo, which tells the story of Dorothy’s trip through Oz through the eyes of her faithful dog.
Elsewhere, Snoop Dogg and Barris are teaming for The Underdoggs comedy for MGM, with Charles Stone to direct, and MGM and Barris are...
- 8/15/2022
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
They’re non-corporeal cut-ups, rich ghosts on the town with nothing better to do than spice up the love life of Roland Young’s harried, henpecked bank president. Hal Roach’s screwball hit did good things for everybody concerned, especially star Cary Grant and bit player Arthur Lake. But the show’s nostalgic heart is Billie Burke, of the tinkly-glass voice. Also starring platinum blonde Constance Bennett, Alan Mowbray and Eugene Pallette.
Topper
Blu-ray
Vci
1937 / B&W / 1:37 flat full frame / 97 min. / Street Date October, 2017 / 20.99
Starring: Constance Bennett, Cary Grant, Roland Young, Billie Burke, Alan Mowbray, Eugene Pallette, Arthur Lake, Hedda Hopper, Virginia Sale, Theodore von Eltz, J. Farrell MacDonald, Elaine Shepard, Ward Bond, Hoagy Carmichael, Lana Turner, Russell Wade, Claire Windsor.
Cinematography: Norbert Brodine
Film Editor: William Terhune
Art Director: William Stevens
Original Music: Marvin Hatley
Written by Jack Jevne, Eric Hatch, Eddie Moran from a novel by Thorne Smith...
Topper
Blu-ray
Vci
1937 / B&W / 1:37 flat full frame / 97 min. / Street Date October, 2017 / 20.99
Starring: Constance Bennett, Cary Grant, Roland Young, Billie Burke, Alan Mowbray, Eugene Pallette, Arthur Lake, Hedda Hopper, Virginia Sale, Theodore von Eltz, J. Farrell MacDonald, Elaine Shepard, Ward Bond, Hoagy Carmichael, Lana Turner, Russell Wade, Claire Windsor.
Cinematography: Norbert Brodine
Film Editor: William Terhune
Art Director: William Stevens
Original Music: Marvin Hatley
Written by Jack Jevne, Eric Hatch, Eddie Moran from a novel by Thorne Smith...
- 10/17/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Look at all these people who share Charlize Theron's birthday! Our favorite Atomic Blonde isn't even the only South African Oscar winner born on this day. It's quite a day in showbiz history all told. Which of these luminaries will you celebrate today inside your hearts?
Jeanne Moreau as Mata Hari in 1964
1876 Mata Hari, exotic dancer / spy / juicy role for both Greta Garbo & Jeanne Moreau
1884 Billie Burke, Glinda the Good Witch herself (also an Oscar nominated actress for Merrily We Live, 1938)
1901 Yuliya Solntseva, actress/director (the only female to win Best Director at Cannes until Sofia Coppola this summer)
1902 Ann Harding, Oscar nominated actress (Holiday, 1930)
1914 Ted Moore, Oscar winning cinematographer from South Africa
1927 Carl "Alfafa" Switzer of Our Gang fame
1942 Garrison Keillor of A Prairie Home Companion
1942 Bj Thomas, singer of the Oscar-winning "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head"
1942 Caetano Veloso, singer of the sublime "Cucurrucucú Paloma" which is...
Jeanne Moreau as Mata Hari in 1964
1876 Mata Hari, exotic dancer / spy / juicy role for both Greta Garbo & Jeanne Moreau
1884 Billie Burke, Glinda the Good Witch herself (also an Oscar nominated actress for Merrily We Live, 1938)
1901 Yuliya Solntseva, actress/director (the only female to win Best Director at Cannes until Sofia Coppola this summer)
1902 Ann Harding, Oscar nominated actress (Holiday, 1930)
1914 Ted Moore, Oscar winning cinematographer from South Africa
1927 Carl "Alfafa" Switzer of Our Gang fame
1942 Garrison Keillor of A Prairie Home Companion
1942 Bj Thomas, singer of the Oscar-winning "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head"
1942 Caetano Veloso, singer of the sublime "Cucurrucucú Paloma" which is...
- 8/7/2017
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Considering everything that's been happening on the planet in the last several months, you'd have thought we're already in November or December – of 2117. But no. It's only June. 2017. And in some parts of the world, that's the month of brides, fathers, graduates, gays, and climate change denial. Beginning this evening, Thursday, June 1, Turner Classic Movies will be focusing on one of these June groups: Lgbt people, specifically those in the American film industry. Following the presentation of about 10 movies featuring Frank Morgan, who would have turned 127 years old today, TCM will set its cinematic sights on the likes of William Haines, James Whale, George Cukor, Mitchell Leisen, Dorothy Arzner, Patsy Kelly, and Ramon Novarro. In addition to, whether or not intentionally, Claudette Colbert, Colin Clive, Katharine Hepburn, Douglass Montgomery (a.k.a. Kent Douglass), Marjorie Main, and Billie Burke, among others. But this is ridiculous! Why should TCM present a...
- 6/2/2017
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Frances Dee movies: From 'An American Tragedy' to 'Four Faces West' Frances Dee began her film career at the dawn of the sound era, going from extra to leading lady within a matter of months. Her rapid ascencion came about thanks to Maurice Chevalier, who got her as his romantic interested in Ludwig Berger's 1930 romantic comedy Playboy of Paris. Despite her dark(-haired) good looks and pleasant personality, Dee's Hollywood career never quite progressed to major – or even moderate – stardom. But she was to remain a busy leading lady for about 15 years. Tonight, Turner Classic Movies is showing seven Frances Dee films, ranging from heavy dramas to Westerns. Unfortunately missing is one of Dee's most curious efforts, the raunchy pre-Coder Blood Money, which possibly features her most unusual – and most effective – performance. Having said that, William A. Wellman's Love Is a Racket is a worthwhile subsitute, though the...
- 5/18/2017
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
The Ziegfeld Club has announced that Anna K. Jacobs has been selected to receive the 2016 Billie Burke Ziegfeld Award. The award will provide Jacobs with a grant of 10,000 and a year of professional mentorship from mentors including Tony Award-winning producer Barbara Whitman. Zoe Sarnak and Shaina Taub are the honorable mentions chosen by the awards panel. Recipients will be honored during a reception that will feature distinguished speaker Jeanine Tesori and a special musical performance by Masi Asare, who is the recipient of last year's inaugural award, on Monday, November 7, at the New Amsterdam Theatre.
- 10/17/2016
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
MGM's show is a surprising powerhouse musical bio about the personality clash between an ambitious singer and the powerful enabler who wants her in his bed. Doris Day and James Cagney are at their best in an only slightly compromised telling of the real-life showbiz relationship of 'twenties star Ruth Etting and the domineering mobster Martin Snyder. Love Me or Leave Me Blu-ray Warner Archive Collection 1955 / Color / 2:55 widescreen / 122 min. / Street Date September 13, 2016 / available through the WBshop / 21.99 Starring Doris Day, James Cagney, Cameron Mitchell, Robert Keith, Tom Tully, Harry Bellaver, Richard Gaines, Peter Leeds, Claude Stroud, Audrey Wilder, John Harding. Cinematography Arthur E. Arling Art Direction Urie McCleary, Cedric Gibbons Film Editor Ralph Winters Original Music Nicholas Brodszky, Percy Faith, George E. Stoll Written by Daniel Fuchs and Isobel Lennart Produced by Joe Pasternak Directed by Charles Vidor
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
MGM's early CinemaScope musical bio holds up extremely well,...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
MGM's early CinemaScope musical bio holds up extremely well,...
- 8/20/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
This is one of Spencer Tracy and Elizabeth Taylor's best, written and directed by the classy MGM team of director Vincente Minnelli and writers Frances Goodrich & Albert Hackett. It inspired a decade's worth of TV family sitcoms and set the benchmark for weddings for generations. Great fun and solid sentiment without mugging or exaggeration. Father of the Bride Blu-ray Warner Archive Collection 1950 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 93 min. / Street Date May 10, 2016 / available through the WBshop / 21.99 Starring Spencer Tracy, Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Bennett, Don Taylor, Billie Burke, Moroni Olsen, Melville Cooper, Leo G. Carroll, Rusty Tamblyn, Tom Irish, Frank Cady, Carleton Carpenter. Cinematography John Alton Film Editor Ferris Webster Original Music Adolph Deutsch Written by Frances Goodrich, Albert Hackett from the novel by Edward Streeter Produced by Pandro S. Berman Directed by Vincente Minnelli
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
There's almost no point in reviewing Father of the Bride, as one doesn't need insights,...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
There's almost no point in reviewing Father of the Bride, as one doesn't need insights,...
- 4/19/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Anne Marie is tracking Judy Garland's career through musical numbers…
How do you talk about this movie? How do you talk about this song? Sure, there are star-turns. There are underdog stories. But there is nothing in Hollywood legend so powerfully wedded as Judy Garland and The Wizard of Oz. It's the kind of lightning-in-a-bottle marriage of star and song that comes once every couple of generations. This was the number that would define Judy Garland as she defined it. It would be her biggest hit; one she recorded and re-recorded. It would follow her throughout her career, and outlive her when she died. Every moment before and after in the story of Judy Garland, MGM, and Studio System Hollywood lives in the shadow of "Over The Rainbow."
The Movie: The Wizard of Oz (MGM, 1939)
The Songwriter: Harold Arlen (Music & Lyrics)
The Players: Judy Garland, Margaret Hamilton, Billie Burke,...
How do you talk about this movie? How do you talk about this song? Sure, there are star-turns. There are underdog stories. But there is nothing in Hollywood legend so powerfully wedded as Judy Garland and The Wizard of Oz. It's the kind of lightning-in-a-bottle marriage of star and song that comes once every couple of generations. This was the number that would define Judy Garland as she defined it. It would be her biggest hit; one she recorded and re-recorded. It would follow her throughout her career, and outlive her when she died. Every moment before and after in the story of Judy Garland, MGM, and Studio System Hollywood lives in the shadow of "Over The Rainbow."
The Movie: The Wizard of Oz (MGM, 1939)
The Songwriter: Harold Arlen (Music & Lyrics)
The Players: Judy Garland, Margaret Hamilton, Billie Burke,...
- 3/2/2016
- by Anne Marie
- FilmExperience
Anne Marie is tracking Judy Garland's career through musical numbers...
With Judy Garland's growing success, MGM decided it was time to have her star in her own feature. The studio dusted off some musical numbers (arranged by Roger Edens) as well as a handful of contract players and Ziegfeld stars. Judy played a young aspiring actress stuck in a conservative school. Supported by her zany Russian maid (Fanny Brice), the young girl decides to join a musical. The result was another hit for Judy, and a delight for future Vaudeville nerds and historians.
The Movie: Everybody Sing (MGM 1938)
The Songwriters: Harry Ruby & Bert Kalmar
The Players: Judy Garland, Fanny Brice, Allan Jones, Reginald Owen, Billie Burke, directed by Edwin L. Marin
The Story: In Everybody Sing, Judy was joined by not one but two famous Ziegfeld women: Billie Burke (aka Mrs. Florenz Ziegfeld, who we'll see again later), and Fanny Brice,...
With Judy Garland's growing success, MGM decided it was time to have her star in her own feature. The studio dusted off some musical numbers (arranged by Roger Edens) as well as a handful of contract players and Ziegfeld stars. Judy played a young aspiring actress stuck in a conservative school. Supported by her zany Russian maid (Fanny Brice), the young girl decides to join a musical. The result was another hit for Judy, and a delight for future Vaudeville nerds and historians.
The Movie: Everybody Sing (MGM 1938)
The Songwriters: Harry Ruby & Bert Kalmar
The Players: Judy Garland, Fanny Brice, Allan Jones, Reginald Owen, Billie Burke, directed by Edwin L. Marin
The Story: In Everybody Sing, Judy was joined by not one but two famous Ziegfeld women: Billie Burke (aka Mrs. Florenz Ziegfeld, who we'll see again later), and Fanny Brice,...
- 2/10/2016
- by Anne Marie
- FilmExperience
'Broadcast News' with Albert Brooks and Holly Hunter: Glib TV news watch. '31 Days of Oscar': 'Broadcast News' slick but superficial critics pleaser (See previous post: “Phony 'A Beautiful Mind,' Unfairly Neglected 'Swing Shift': '31 Days of Oscar'.”) Heralded for its wit and incisiveness, James L. Brooks' multiple Oscar-nominated Broadcast News is everything the largely forgotten Swing Shift isn't: belabored, artificial, superficial. That's very disappointing considering Brooks' highly addictive Mary Tyler Moore television series (and its enjoyable spin-offs, Phyllis and Rhoda), but totally expected considering that three of screenwriter-director Brooks' five other feature films were Terms of Endearment, As Good as It Gets, and Spanglish. (I've yet to check out I'll Do Anything and the box office cataclysm How Do You Know starring Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd, and Jack Nicholson.) Having said that, Albert Brooks (no relation to James L.; or to Mel Brooks...
- 2/7/2016
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Constance Cummings: Actress in minor Hollywood movies became major London stage star. Constance Cummings: Actress went from Harold Lloyd and Frank Capra to Noël Coward and Eugene O'Neill Actress Constance Cummings, whose career spanned more than six decades on stage, in films, and on television in both the U.S. and the U.K., died ten years ago on Nov. 23. Unlike other Broadway imports such as Ann Harding, Katharine Hepburn, Miriam Hopkins, and Claudette Colbert, the pretty, elegant Cummings – who could have been turned into a less edgy Constance Bennett had she landed at Rko or Paramount instead of Columbia – never became a Hollywood star. In fact, her most acclaimed work, whether in films or – more frequently – on stage, was almost invariably found in British productions. That's most likely why the name Constance Cummings – despite the DVD availability of several of her best-received performances – is all but forgotten.
- 11/4/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Who's the best witch in all pop culture-dom?
That's a tough question to answer, since movies and TV have offered us all manner of witchy women. Some are good. Some are bad. Some are beautiful (but aren't so nice inside) and some look scary (but are still a lot of fun). In lieu of power ranking the various pop culture spellcasters, we've heralded their individual achievements with yearbook-style superlatives.
1. Most Improved: Mildred Hubble in The Worst Witch
Mildred (Fairuza Balk) is a witchy underdog. No one at Miss Cackle's Academy for Witches thinks much of Mildred's potential as master of the supernatural elements,...
That's a tough question to answer, since movies and TV have offered us all manner of witchy women. Some are good. Some are bad. Some are beautiful (but aren't so nice inside) and some look scary (but are still a lot of fun). In lieu of power ranking the various pop culture spellcasters, we've heralded their individual achievements with yearbook-style superlatives.
1. Most Improved: Mildred Hubble in The Worst Witch
Mildred (Fairuza Balk) is a witchy underdog. No one at Miss Cackle's Academy for Witches thinks much of Mildred's potential as master of the supernatural elements,...
- 10/26/2015
- by Drew Mackie, @drewgmackie
- People.com - TV Watch
Broadway leading lady Jennifer Hope Wills The Phantom Of The Opera Wonderful Town will play the role of scorned wife 'Billie Burke' who was famously married to Flo Ziegfeld, but was perhaps most known for he role as Glinda in MGM's classic The Wizard Of Oz in the highly anticipated staged reading of Ghostlight the musical tonight, October 22nd at 900 Pm.
- 10/22/2015
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
Broadway leading lady Jennifer Hope Wills The Phantom Of The Opera Wonderful Town will play the role of scorned wife 'Billie Burke'who was famously married to Flo Ziegfeld, but was perhaps most known for he role as Glinda in MGM's classic The Wizard Of Oz in the highly anticipated staged reading of Ghostlight the musical on Thursday, October 22nd at 900 Pm.
- 9/22/2015
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
Olivia de Havilland on Turner Classic Movies: Your chance to watch 'The Adventures of Robin Hood' for the 384th time Olivia de Havilland is Turner Classic Movies' “Summer Under the Stars” star today, Aug. 2, '15. The two-time Best Actress Oscar winner (To Each His Own, 1946; The Heiress, 1949) whose steely determination helped to change the way studios handled their contract players turned 99 last July 1. Unfortunately, TCM isn't showing any de Havilland movie rarities, e.g., Universal's cool thriller The Dark Mirror (1946), the Paramount comedy The Well-Groomed Bride (1947), or Terence Young's British-made That Lady (1955), with de Havilland as eye-patch-wearing Spanish princess Ana de Mendoza. On the other hand, you'll be able to catch for the 384th time a demure Olivia de Havilland being romanced by a dashing Errol Flynn in The Adventures of Robin Hood, as TCM shows this 1938 period adventure classic just about every month. But who's complaining? One the...
- 8/3/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Cary Grant movies: 'An Affair to Remember' does justice to its title (photo: Cary Grant ca. late 1940s) Cary Grant excelled at playing Cary Grant. This evening, fans of the charming, sophisticated, debonair actor -- not to be confused with the Bristol-born Archibald Leach -- can rejoice, as no less than eight Cary Grant movies are being shown on Turner Classic Movies, including a handful of his most successful and best-remembered star vehicles from the late '30s to the late '50s. (See also: "Cary Grant Classic Movies" and "Cary Grant and Randolph Scott: Gay Lovers?") The evening begins with what may well be Cary Grant's best-known film, An Affair to Remember. This 1957 romantic comedy-melodrama is unusual in that it's an even more successful remake of a previous critical and box-office hit -- the Academy Award-nominated 1939 release Love Affair -- and that it was directed...
- 12/9/2014
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
This summer marked the 75th anniversary of The Wizard of Oz, and it was a big enough occasion that Warner Bros. not only retrofitted the classic fantasy film for a one-week IMAX 3D re-release but also spent $25m on marketing its brief return to theaters. Meanwhile, there’s absolutely no fanfare at all for the movie’s sequel, which also has a special birthday this year. No, I’m not referring to Return to Oz (which likely also won’t get much notice for its 30th anniversary next summer). There is another “Oz” movie that was more directly intended to be an official follow-up to the 1939 version, an animated feature titled Journey Back to Oz, which hit theaters on this day back in 1974. Aside from taking place soon after The Wizard of Oz and being mostly yet loosely adapted from L. Frank Baum’s second Oz book, “The Marvelous Land of Oz,” the...
- 12/5/2014
- by Christopher Campbell
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Oldest person in movies? (Photo: Manoel de Oliveira) Following the recent passing of 1931 Dracula actress Carla Laemmle at age 104, there is one less movie centenarian still around. So, in mid-June 2014, who is the oldest person in movies? Manoel de Oliveira Portuguese filmmaker Manoel de Oliveira will turn 106 next December 11; he’s surely the oldest person — at least the oldest well-known person — in movies today. De Oliveira’s film credits include the autobiographical docudrama Memories and Confessions / Visita ou Memórias e Confissões (1982), with de Oliveira as himself, and reportedly to be screened publicly only after his death; The Cannibals / Os Canibais (1988); The Convent / O Convento (1995); Porto of My Childhood / Porto da Minha Infância (2001); The Fifth Empire / O Quinto Império - Ontem Como Hoje (2004); and, currently in production, O Velho do Restelo ("The Old Man of Restelo"). Among the international stars who have been directed by de Oliveira are Catherine Deneuve, Pilar López de Ayala,...
- 6/17/2014
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Classic Hollywood films like Grand Hotel and Dinner at Eight had huge casts filled with movie stars and character actors whose personas were so sharply drawn and instantly familiar that the moment the performers appeared onscreen, audiences knew what type of role to expect, and could rest assured the character would be well-portrayed. These films were glorious showcases for actresses now largely forgotten (Marie Dressler, Billie Burke) and still iconic (Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford).
Trust Me, a sometimes sharp-toothed look at the Machiavellian machinations of the modern film industry, calls those films to mind (as well as Altman's The Player) with its supporting cast of scene-stealing actresses (Molly Shannon, Allison Janney, Amanda Peet, Felicity Huffma...
Trust Me, a sometimes sharp-toothed look at the Machiavellian machinations of the modern film industry, calls those films to mind (as well as Altman's The Player) with its supporting cast of scene-stealing actresses (Molly Shannon, Allison Janney, Amanda Peet, Felicity Huffma...
- 6/4/2014
- Village Voice
It’s still one of the most beloved movies of all time, and “The Wizard of Oz” will get a huge tribute at the 86th Academy Awards in honor of its 75th anniversary.
The 1939 flick, starring Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, Jack Haley, Billie Burke and Margaret Hamilton was nominated for six Oscars back in the day, including Best Picture.
And Academy Awards producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron are looking forward to giving props to a film which has stood the test of time.
They told press, "We are delighted to celebrate the birthday of one of the most beloved movies of all time at this year’s Oscars.”...
The 1939 flick, starring Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, Jack Haley, Billie Burke and Margaret Hamilton was nominated for six Oscars back in the day, including Best Picture.
And Academy Awards producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron are looking forward to giving props to a film which has stood the test of time.
They told press, "We are delighted to celebrate the birthday of one of the most beloved movies of all time at this year’s Oscars.”...
- 1/28/2014
- GossipCenter
As previously reported, the musical Ghostlight, by Tim Realbuto and Matthew Martin, which had two starry backer's auditions on December 2nd at the The New 42nd Street Studios in NYC, has added a 29- hour industry reading next month due to popular demand. This is one of the first times a new musical has added another presentation nearly a month after its first one. The December 2nd evening was directed by Martin and Realbuto and featured an all-star cast which included 'That's So Raven's' Anneliese van der Pol as Olive Thomas, Three-time Tony nominee Carolee Carmello as Billie Burke, Tony nominee Robert Cuccioli as Ziegfeld, 'Pippin' star Rachel Bay Jones as Molly Cook, Kimberly Faye Greenberg as Fanny Brice, and Trevor McQueen as Jack Pickford.
- 12/16/2013
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will kick off a day-long celebration of home movies on Saturday, October 12, at noon, with “Home Movie Day Los Angeles,” a free event that welcomes Angelenos, their families and friends to watch their personal home movies on the big screen.
At 7 p.m. the Academy will present “Hollywood Home Movies IV,” which will feature specially selected home movies from Hollywood’s Golden Age, including footage of such luminaries as Lucille Ball, Humphrey Bogart, Billie Burke, Marlene Dietrich, Walt Disney, Mitzi Gaynor, Betty Grable, Cary Grant, Jean Harlow, Shirley Jones and Florenz Ziegfeld.
In addition to intimate glimpses of celebrities at work and play, the program includes 1935 footage of Atlantic City, Satchel Paige pitching in an exhibition game at Los Angeles’ Wrigley Field, Billy Gilbert’s Uso troupe performing during World War II, and the wrap party for “It’s a Wonderful Life.
At 7 p.m. the Academy will present “Hollywood Home Movies IV,” which will feature specially selected home movies from Hollywood’s Golden Age, including footage of such luminaries as Lucille Ball, Humphrey Bogart, Billie Burke, Marlene Dietrich, Walt Disney, Mitzi Gaynor, Betty Grable, Cary Grant, Jean Harlow, Shirley Jones and Florenz Ziegfeld.
In addition to intimate glimpses of celebrities at work and play, the program includes 1935 footage of Atlantic City, Satchel Paige pitching in an exhibition game at Los Angeles’ Wrigley Field, Billy Gilbert’s Uso troupe performing during World War II, and the wrap party for “It’s a Wonderful Life.
- 10/2/2013
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
So it’s a bit early, but if any motion picture deserves a year-long celebration it’s this one. This weekend, film goers are getting a true treat. The 1939 (August to be exact) classic The Wizard Of Oz is back on Imax screens and in 3D for the very first time. Sure most of you have seen it on cable TV or on home video, but an opportunity to see this gem on the big screen should not be passed up. I mean this is a film that has become a huge part of our culture . The movie itself is legendary as are the stories about its making. There’s even a feature film comedy (Under The Rainbow) that’s set backstage (but I wouldn’t consider that Chevy Chase flick a classic).
Since I’m sure you’re familiar with the plot, lets’ talk about some of the backstage stories.
Since I’m sure you’re familiar with the plot, lets’ talk about some of the backstage stories.
- 9/20/2013
- by Jim Batts
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Don't forget that the classic film The Wizard of Oz is coming back to theaters, but this time it will be presented for the first time in IMAX 3D, just before the 75th Anniversary Blu-Ray hits shelves shortly thereafter. Now a cool featurette has surfaced showcasing all the hard work that went into restoring the film and converting it to 3D for the best possible presentation on the giant screen. From a brief display of how the crew outlines the imagery for 3D conversion to the use of the IMAX screen, this is a fantastic look into the restoration of a classic, and shows that this experience will truly be something to behold. Watch below! Here's the cool featurette for The Wizard of Oz IMAX 3D re-release from IMAX: The Wizard of Oz, starring Judy Garland as Dorothy, Ray Bolger as The Scarecrow, Bert Lahr as the Lion, Jack Haley as the Tin Man,...
- 9/12/2013
- by Ethan Anderton
- firstshowing.net
In case you've forgotten, the classic 1939 film The Wizard of Oz is coming back to theaters later this month, but will be presented for the first time in IMAX 3D for just one week before the 75th Anniversary Blu-Ray hits shelves later. Now the collectible arthouse Mondo is getting in on the action with an awesome new print from Graham Erwin featuring the yellow brick road traveling quartet. The 24″x36″ screen print in an edition of 275, and unfortunately, the print has already sold out, but we thought it was still pretty cool. Plus, everyone should be remindedto see The Wizard of Oz in theaters all over again or for the first time! Here's Graham Erwin's The Wizard of Oz print for Mondo via SlashFilm: The Wizard of Oz, starring Judy Garland as Dorothy, Ray Bolger as The Scarecrow, Bert Lahr as the Lion, Jack Haley as the Tin Man, Billie Burke...
- 9/5/2013
- by Ethan Anderton
- firstshowing.net
Shirley Jones Movies: Innocent virgins and sex workers galore (photo: Shirley Jones and Burt Lancaster in ‘Elmer Gantry’) (See previous post: “Shirley Jones: From Book to Movies.”) I haven’t watched The Cheyenne Social Club (1970), a comedy Western directed by Gene Kelly, and starring 62-year-old James Stewart as a cowpoke who inherits an establishment that turns out to be a popular house of prostitution. Henry Fonda plays Stewart’s partner. And I’m sure Shirley Jones, as one of the sex workers, looks lovely in the film. Hopefully, director Kelly gave this likable, talented actress the chance to do more than just stand around looking pretty. But then again … For all purposes, The Cheyenne Social Club ended Shirley Jones’ film stardom; that same year she turned to TV and The Partridge Family. Jones would return to films only nine years later, as one of several stars (among them Michael Caine,...
- 8/28/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Hattie McDaniel as Mammy in ‘Gone with the Wind’: TCM schedule on August 20, 2013 (photo: Vivien Leigh and Hattie McDaniel in ‘Gone with the Wind’) See previous post: “Hattie McDaniel: Oscar Winner Makes History.” 3:00 Am Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943). Director: David Butler. Cast: Joan Leslie, Dennis Morgan, Eddie Cantor, Humphrey Bogart, Bette Davis, Olivia de Havilland, Errol Flynn, John Garfield, Ida Lupino, Ann Sheridan, Dinah Shore, Alexis Smith, Jack Carson, Alan Hale, George Tobias, Edward Everett Horton, S.Z. Sakall, Hattie McDaniel, Ruth Donnelly, Don Wilson, Spike Jones, Henry Armetta, Leah Baird, Willie Best, Monte Blue, James Burke, David Butler, Stanley Clements, William Desmond, Ralph Dunn, Frank Faylen, James Flavin, Creighton Hale, Sam Harris, Paul Harvey, Mark Hellinger, Brandon Hurst, Charles Irwin, Noble Johnson, Mike Mazurki, Fred Kelsey, Frank Mayo, Joyce Reynolds, Mary Treen, Doodles Weaver. Bw-127 mins. 5:15 Am Janie (1944). Director: Michael Curtiz. Cast: Joyce Reynolds, Robert Hutton,...
- 8/21/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Wallace Beery from Pancho Villa to Long John Silver: TCM schedule (Pt) on August 17, 2013 (photo: Fay Wray, Wallace Beery as Pancho Villa in ‘Viva Villa!’) See previous post: “Wallace Beery: Best Actor Oscar Winner — and Runner-Up.” 3:00 Am The Last Of The Mohicans (1920). Director: Maurice Tourneur. Cast: Barbara Bedford, Albert Roscoe, Wallace Beery, Lillian Hall, Henry Woodward, James Gordon, George Hackathorne, Nelson McDowell, Harry Lorraine, Theodore Lorch, Jack McDonald, Sydney Deane, Boris Karloff. Bw-76 mins. 4:30 Am The Big House (1930). Director: George W. Hill. Cast: Chester Morris, Wallace Beery, Lewis Stone, Robert Montgomery, Leila Hyams, George F. Marion, J.C. Nugent, DeWitt Jennings, Matthew Betz, Claire McDowell, Robert Emmett O’Connor, Tom Wilson, Eddie Foyer, Roscoe Ates, Fletcher Norton, Noah Beery Jr, Chris-Pin Martin, Eddie Lambert, Harry Wilson. Bw-87 mins. 6:00 Am Bad Man Of Brimstone (1937). Director: J. Walter Ruben. Cast: Wallace Beery, Virginia Bruce, Dennis O’Keefe. Bw-89 mins.
- 8/17/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Wallace Beery: Best Actor Academy Award winner and Best Actor Academy Award runner-up in the same year (photo: Jackie Cooper and Wallace Beery in ‘The Champ’) (See previous post: “Wallace Beery Movies: Anomalous Hollywood Star.”) In the Academy’s 1931-32 season, Wallace Beery took home the Best Actor Academy Award — I mean, one of them. In the King Vidor-directed melodrama The Champ (1931), Beery plays a down-on-his-luck boxer and caring Dad to tearduct-challenged Jackie Cooper, while veteran Irene Rich is Beery’s cool former wife and Cooper’s mother. Will daddy and son remain together forever and ever? Audiences the world over were drowned in tears — theirs and Jackie Cooper’s. Now, regarding Wallace Beery’s Best Actor Academy Award, he was actually a runner-up: Fredric March, initially announced as the sole winner for his performance in Rouben Mamoulian’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, turned out to have...
- 8/17/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Bette Davis movies: TCM schedule on August 14 (photo: Bette Davis in ‘Dangerous,’ with Franchot Tone) See previous post: “Bette Davis Eyes: They’re Watching You Tonight.” 3:00 Am Parachute Jumper (1933). Director: Alfred E. Green. Cast: Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Bette Davis, Frank McHugh, Claire Dodd, Harold Huber, Leo Carrillo, Thomas E. Jackson, Lyle Talbot, Leon Ames, Stanley Blystone, Reginald Barlow, George Chandler, Walter Brennan, Pat O’Malley, Paul Panzer, Nat Pendleton, Dewey Robinson, Tom Wilson, Sheila Terry. Bw-72 mins. 4:30 Am The Girl From 10th Avenue (1935). Director: Alfred E. Green. Cast: Bette Davis, Ian Hunter, Colin Clive, Alison Skipworth, John Eldredge, Phillip Reed, Katharine Alexander, Helen Jerome Eddy, Bill Elliott, Edward McWade, André Cheron, Wedgwood Nowell, John Quillan, Mary Treen. Bw-69 mins. 6:00 Am Dangerous (1935). Director: Alfred E. Green. Cast: Bette Davis, Franchot Tone, Margaret Lindsay, Alison Skipworth, John Eldredge, Dick Foran, Walter Walker, Richard Carle, George Irving, Pierre Watkin, Douglas Wood,...
- 8/15/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Victor Fleming's 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz will soon be celebrating its 75th anniversary with an IMAX 3D release. Today, Warner Bros. has revealed, via Yahoo! Movies , a new trailer for the September event. Check it out in the player below! Based on the fantasy book series by L. Frank Baum, The Wizard of Oz stars Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bulger, Bert Lahr, Jack Haley, Billie Burke and Margaret Hamilton and, after three quarters of a century, remains one of the most well-known works of cinema across the world. Following its one-week run beginning September 20, The Wizard of Oz will then arrive as a five-disc box set (which includes a disc playable on 3D televisions) on October 1.
- 7/1/2013
- Comingsoon.net
The Canadian (photo: Thomas Meighan in The Canadian) Thomas Meighan is The Star of William Beaudine’s The Canadian (1926), which screened at the 2012 San Francisco Silent Film Festival. The credits feature his name far above everyone else’s. The basic story of The Canadian, scenario by Arthur Stringer from the 1913 W. Somerset Maugham play The Land of Promise, is similar in theme to Victor Sjöström’s later film The Wind (1928), but without the wind tempest and the murder. Instead, The Canadian concentrates on characterizations. After her rich aunt dies, stuffy, uptight Nora (Mona Palma) travels from London to a wheat farm owned by her brother (Wyndham Standing) in Calgary. She looks down with disdain at the simple, rustic life he lives in the country, with his wife, Gertie (Dale Fuller), and farm hands — especially the independent-minded Frank Taylor (Thomas Meighan). The Canadian starts out as an unpredictable and engaging tale.
- 6/4/2013
- by Danny Fortune
- Alt Film Guide
Prepare to get a little peeved. Victor Fleming’s classic film The Wizard Of Oz is returning to theaters this September 20th. That’s the awesome news. For a one week run, Wizard Of Oz will be celebrating it’s imminent 75th anniversary…with an IMAX 3-D re-release.
Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bulger, Bert Lahr, Jack Haley, Billie Burke and Margaret Hamilton star in the 1939 pinnacle of cinema, but then again, you knew that. Purists might be angered at the re-release, but it’s par for the course at this point.
After the one week run, a five disc Blu-Ray 3D box set will be released on October 1st, featuring a disc playable on 3D televisions.
Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bulger, Bert Lahr, Jack Haley, Billie Burke and Margaret Hamilton star in the 1939 pinnacle of cinema, but then again, you knew that. Purists might be angered at the re-release, but it’s par for the course at this point.
After the one week run, a five disc Blu-Ray 3D box set will be released on October 1st, featuring a disc playable on 3D televisions.
- 6/4/2013
- by Andy Greene
- FamousMonsters of Filmland
The Wizard of Oz is coming to IMAX this September. Here are nine other (less obvious) choices that deserve the same opportunity.
Get out your Billie Burke shrine, because The Wizard of Oz is coming to IMAX theaters this September. You know what that means: flying, horrifying monkeys now 10-15x larger than you remember! Bert Lahr’s flowing mane practically spilling into your lap! Margaret Hamilton’s nose jolts down at you like a giant green stalactite. I’m psyched. And better yet, I hope The Wizard of Oz is a success in IMAX screenings so that several other deserving classics get their chance on the biggest screens of all. Here are my eight suggestions for fine IMAX fare.
1. Rear Window
Rear Window is set entirely within a New York apartment complex in the hottest days of summer, but what a vivid, bustling, and sometimes depressing spectacle of a residence it is!
Get out your Billie Burke shrine, because The Wizard of Oz is coming to IMAX theaters this September. You know what that means: flying, horrifying monkeys now 10-15x larger than you remember! Bert Lahr’s flowing mane practically spilling into your lap! Margaret Hamilton’s nose jolts down at you like a giant green stalactite. I’m psyched. And better yet, I hope The Wizard of Oz is a success in IMAX screenings so that several other deserving classics get their chance on the biggest screens of all. Here are my eight suggestions for fine IMAX fare.
1. Rear Window
Rear Window is set entirely within a New York apartment complex in the hottest days of summer, but what a vivid, bustling, and sometimes depressing spectacle of a residence it is!
- 6/4/2013
- by Louis Virtel
- The Backlot
Victor Fleming's 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz will soon be celebrating its 75th anniversary and, while plans had already been announced for a 3D Blu-ray release on home video, Warner Bros. today announced (via USA Today ) that the film will receive a 3D re-release in IMAX theaters in September. Based on the fantasy book series by L. Frank Baum, The Wizard of Oz stars Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bulger, Bert Lahr, Jack Haley, Billie Burke and Margaret Hamilton and, after three quarters of a century, remains one of the most well-known works of cinema across the world. Set for a one-week run beginning September 20, The Wizard of Oz will then arrive as a five-disc box set (which includes a disc playable on 3D televisions) on October 1. The film will mark the second...
- 6/4/2013
- Comingsoon.net
We knew it would happen one day. They finally converted The Wizard of Oz to glorious, gimmicky 3D. But - why?! The official announcements comes from USA Today (via SlashFilm), where they reveal plans for a limited one-week IMAX 3D special engagement of the 1939 Oscar-winning technicolor musical classic. The film is getting a restoration for another Blu-Ray release and is the first high profile classic 3D upgrade, now being compared to color in Oz. "The sound was exceptional, the sharpness was exceptional, but it's the color that stands out. What they could do is truly amazing, maybe what people felt when they first saw it." The Wizard of Oz, starring Judy Garland as Dorothy, Ray Bolger as The Scarecrow, Bert Lahr as the Lion, Jack Haley as the Tin Man, Billie Burke as Glinda and Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch, will get its IMAX 3D re-release starting September 20th later this year.
- 6/4/2013
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
'Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead' has failed to reach number one, after an online campaign by opponents of late former prime minister Margaret Thatcher propelled it into the charts.
The recording, taken from 1939 film 'The Wizard of Oz', entered the charts at number two.
It was more than 5,000 sales short of this week's chart-topper 'Need U (100%)' by Duke Dumont featuring A*M*E.
The Official Charts Company described 'Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead' as "one of the most controversial chart contenders of all time".
The 51-second song entered the charts at number 54 on Tuesday, the day after Baroness Thatcher's death, and climbed to number 10 on Wednesday. By Thursday, it had reached number four and was at number three by Friday.
There was a final rush of 18,000 sales between Friday morning and today, the Official Charts Company said, but its final total was 52,605 copies - 5,700 behind Duke Dumont,...
The recording, taken from 1939 film 'The Wizard of Oz', entered the charts at number two.
It was more than 5,000 sales short of this week's chart-topper 'Need U (100%)' by Duke Dumont featuring A*M*E.
The Official Charts Company described 'Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead' as "one of the most controversial chart contenders of all time".
The 51-second song entered the charts at number 54 on Tuesday, the day after Baroness Thatcher's death, and climbed to number 10 on Wednesday. By Thursday, it had reached number four and was at number three by Friday.
There was a final rush of 18,000 sales between Friday morning and today, the Official Charts Company said, but its final total was 52,605 copies - 5,700 behind Duke Dumont,...
- 4/14/2013
- by The Huffington Post UK/PA
- Huffington Post
Judy Garland's 'Wizard Of Oz' song 'Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead' has reached number 22 on the iTunes downloads charts, just 24 hours after the death of Margaret Thatcher.
A campaign was started on Twitter and Facebook to get the song to number one in the charts, after many critics of the former British Prime Minister announced "the witch is dead" on Monday.
Following the news that the Iron lady had passed away from a stroke, people were urged to download the song, which features in the 1939 hit musical:
In the film, the song is sung by Judy Garland's Dorothy, the Munchkins and Glinda the Good Witch (played by Billie Burke) as they celebrate the death of the Wicked Witch of the East.
Coincidentally, the man who wrote the song - Oscar Award-winning Yip Harburg - was born on 8 April, the same day that Thatcher died.
During her time in Downing Street,...
A campaign was started on Twitter and Facebook to get the song to number one in the charts, after many critics of the former British Prime Minister announced "the witch is dead" on Monday.
Following the news that the Iron lady had passed away from a stroke, people were urged to download the song, which features in the 1939 hit musical:
In the film, the song is sung by Judy Garland's Dorothy, the Munchkins and Glinda the Good Witch (played by Billie Burke) as they celebrate the death of the Wicked Witch of the East.
Coincidentally, the man who wrote the song - Oscar Award-winning Yip Harburg - was born on 8 April, the same day that Thatcher died.
During her time in Downing Street,...
- 4/9/2013
- by The Huffington Post UK
- Huffington Post
James Franco seems to be everywhere on the IMDb (and on the world's screens) in 2013 Unlike the very unlucky Warner Bros., which has had no less than five box-office bombs so far this year (click on the link for more information), James Franco has been having a fantastic year so far, as he has been involved in some capacity or other in a number of widely debated films, among them two box-office successes, targeted to families of various shapes, fetishes, and entertainment orientations. (Pictured above: Franco with co-star Mila Kunis in Sam Raimi's Oz the Great and Powerful.) Directed by the Spider-Man movies' Sam Raimi, the fantasy Oz, in which Franco plays the man who becomes The Wizard of Oz, took the no. 1 spot at the worldwide box office last weekend and managed to do it again at the domestic box office this weekend, March 15-17. Also this weekend, Harmony Korine...
- 3/18/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Oz domestic box office slightly below expectations -- even so, the fantasy adventure boasted one of the biggest March openings in film history Starring James Franco as the eventual The Wizard of Oz, the Sam Raimi-directed $200 million+-budgeted (some sources claim $215 million) Oz the Great and Powerful raked in $79.1 million at 3,912 Us and Canada theaters this past weekend as per weekend actuals found on the web site Box Office Mojo. That's by far the most impressive debut weekend this year to date, in addition to being one of the biggest March openings in history (see more details / comparisons below); even so, Oz fell short of the $80 million-$85 million figure some had been predicting after looking at Friday and late Thursday estimates of $24.1m. The film's distributor, Walt Disney Studios, claimed it expected at most $74 million -- clearly a much too low prediction which meant that Oz was bound to "overperform.
- 3/11/2013
- by Zac Gille
- Alt Film Guide
You're going to hear about how great Oz the Great and Powerful is in terms of visuals. The 100% CGI china doll character is, admittedly, phenomenal, but for the most part we are teleported into a CG wonderland that's lovely to look at, but lacking in wonder. You don't look at the Oz developed by the effects wizards employed by director Sam Raimi and awe at its majesty as much as you see it for all its artificiality and the 3-D does little to enhance this non-reality accompanied by a story that quickly progresses into boredom. The only moment worthy of being singled out comes in the first few minutes. In fact, the moment I'm referring to is the first few minutes. The opening credit sequence is a fully animated, "paper" puppet sequence that rivals the lovely animated sequence during the closing credits of Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events...
- 3/7/2013
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Photo: MGM
Movie: The Wizard of Oz Release Year: 1939 Studio: MGM Director: Victor Fleming, George Cukor (uncredited), Mervyn LeRoy (uncredited), Norman Taurog (uncredited) and King Vidor (uncredited director of the Kansas scenes) Starring: Judy Garland as Dorothy, Frank Morgan as Professor Marvel, The Wizard of Oz, The Gatekeeper, The Carriage Driver and The Guard, Ray Bolger as 'Hunk' and The Scarecrow, Bert Lahr as 'Zeke' and The Cowardly Lion, Jack Haley as 'Hickory' and The Tin Man, Billie Burke as Glinda, Margaret Hamilton as Miss Gulch and The Wicked Witch of the West, Charley Grapewin as Uncle Henry, Pat Walshe as Nikko, Clara Blandick as Auntie Em, Terry as Toto and The Singer Midgets as The Munchkins Cinematographer: Harold Rosson (Singin' in the Rain, The Asphalt Jungle) Note: Today's entry is running as a contribution to Nathaniel's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" series at TheFilmExperience where several others have...
Movie: The Wizard of Oz Release Year: 1939 Studio: MGM Director: Victor Fleming, George Cukor (uncredited), Mervyn LeRoy (uncredited), Norman Taurog (uncredited) and King Vidor (uncredited director of the Kansas scenes) Starring: Judy Garland as Dorothy, Frank Morgan as Professor Marvel, The Wizard of Oz, The Gatekeeper, The Carriage Driver and The Guard, Ray Bolger as 'Hunk' and The Scarecrow, Bert Lahr as 'Zeke' and The Cowardly Lion, Jack Haley as 'Hickory' and The Tin Man, Billie Burke as Glinda, Margaret Hamilton as Miss Gulch and The Wicked Witch of the West, Charley Grapewin as Uncle Henry, Pat Walshe as Nikko, Clara Blandick as Auntie Em, Terry as Toto and The Singer Midgets as The Munchkins Cinematographer: Harold Rosson (Singin' in the Rain, The Asphalt Jungle) Note: Today's entry is running as a contribution to Nathaniel's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" series at TheFilmExperience where several others have...
- 3/6/2013
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Alexa here. Today is Billie Burke's birthday. Billie was a Broadway star, a Ziegfeld girl (literally: she was married to Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr. until his death), and a silent movie actress who made a successful move to the talkies. But she is most remembered for her embodiment of Glinda the Good Witch in The Wizard of Oz. I was thrilled at the casting of Michelle Williams as the prequel version of the sorceress; of anyone out there I think she would project the same angelic charm Billie did. (That trailer was great, but where was Glinda's bubble? She'd better have a bubble.)
Here are some artsy creations to celebrate Billie's canonic version of Glinda.
Diorama of Dorothy and Glinda in Munchkinland, by Natasha Burns.
Typographical illustration of Glinda's words by ChattyNora.
cookies & dolls & artwork oh my... after the jump
...
Here are some artsy creations to celebrate Billie's canonic version of Glinda.
Diorama of Dorothy and Glinda in Munchkinland, by Natasha Burns.
Typographical illustration of Glinda's words by ChattyNora.
cookies & dolls & artwork oh my... after the jump
...
- 8/7/2012
- by Alexa
- FilmExperience
By Harvey Chartrand
Frank Langella played an aging writer in Starting Out in the Evening (2007). Who would have figured this for typecasting?
In his superb memoir, Dropped Names: Famous Men and Women As I Knew Them (HarperCollins), Langella reveals that he is an incomparable memoirist and storyteller, recalling his encounters with scores of luminaries from the world of entertainment in a career spanning half a century. All of these luminaries are deceased and the cast of characters is listed “by order of disappearance”. Just as well, as many of the revelations are quite shocking.
Langella must be the most sociable and congenial actor on the planet, as the busyness of his social and professional lives and the breadth and depth of his friendships, romantic liaisons and acquaintances are very impressive indeed. He met Marilyn Monroe in 1953. She stepped out of a limousine and said “hi” to the adolescent from Bayonne,...
Frank Langella played an aging writer in Starting Out in the Evening (2007). Who would have figured this for typecasting?
In his superb memoir, Dropped Names: Famous Men and Women As I Knew Them (HarperCollins), Langella reveals that he is an incomparable memoirist and storyteller, recalling his encounters with scores of luminaries from the world of entertainment in a career spanning half a century. All of these luminaries are deceased and the cast of characters is listed “by order of disappearance”. Just as well, as many of the revelations are quite shocking.
Langella must be the most sociable and congenial actor on the planet, as the busyness of his social and professional lives and the breadth and depth of his friendships, romantic liaisons and acquaintances are very impressive indeed. He met Marilyn Monroe in 1953. She stepped out of a limousine and said “hi” to the adolescent from Bayonne,...
- 7/13/2012
- by [email protected] (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Frank Capra, Luise Rainer, George Jessel Luise Rainer turns 102 today, January 12. She is the oldest living Academy Award winner in the acting categories, having won two consecutive Best Actress Oscars for The Great Ziegfeld (1936) and The Good Earth (1937). Because of both her longevity and the fact that Turner Classic Movies regularly shows nearly all of her films, the Dusseldorf-born (some sources say Vienna) Rainer is probably better known today than at any time since the 1940s, when she last starred in a Hollywood production: Frank Tuttle's now-forgotten Paramount resistance drama Hostages (1943). Before this ongoing revival, Rainer was best remembered as the two-time Oscar winner with a four-year film career (1935-1938), while her acting was generally dismissed as several notches below subpar. In fact, to many she served as one of the prime reminders of the unworthiness of the Academy Awards. As the oft-told story goes, when Raymond Chandler got...
- 1/12/2012
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Luise Rainer as Anna Held, The Great Ziegfeld Best Picture Academy Award winner The Great Ziegfeld (1936) will be screening tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the American Cinematheque's Aero Theater in Santa Monica. Robert Z. Leonard directed this sumptuous MGM production, starring William Powell as theatrical showman Florenz "Flo" Ziegfeld, Myrna Loy as Ziegfeld's wife Billie Burke (the good witch Glinda in The Wizard of Oz), and Luise Rainer as Anna Held. For her performance — which amounts to a supporting role, including a highly effective telephone scene — Rainer won the first of her two back-to-back Best Actress Oscars. The following year, she would take home the statuette for her Chinese peasant in Sidney Franklin's The Good Earth. Rainer, by the way, is the oldest Oscar winning performer around. The London resident turned 101 last January. Featuring cinematography by Oliver T. Marsh and others, art direction by Cedric Gibbons, costumes by Adrian,...
- 9/18/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
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