News

In 1921, The Kid marked a huge milestone in the career of the cinema's greatest clown, Charlie Chaplin. It was his coming out party, his graduation from two reel short films to full length features, and its success would decide the path that Chaplin would take in his immediate and long term future. By this time Chaplin was already incredibly famous; his comedic shorts with both Chaplin and Sennett Studios had made him one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. He had yet to undertake the challenge of a feature-length film, however, and this challenge appealed to him.Chaplin wasn't the first major star to take on a feature-length comedy, he was beaten to the punch by the legendary Buster Keaton's The Saphead, a film I reviewed on...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

By 1920, Buster Keaton was already a star. He'd had a series of successful shorts alongside Fatty Arbuckle, and had graduated to solo shorts with the success of One Week, which was a pretty damned ambitious piece for a first time outing. The Saphead was supposed to be his coming out party, and as successful as the film was financially, it was merely a brief glimpse of the magic to come. The Saphead is an adaptation of two pieces, a play called The New Henrietta, and the novel The Henrietta, which was adapted from the play. In the story, Buster plays Bertie Van Alstyne, the pampered son of the wealthiest stock broker in New York, Nicholas Van Alstyne. When Dad gets tired of Bertie's...

Moviefone's New Release Pick of the Week "American Reunion" What's It About? The gang from "American Pie" get together for their 13-year high-school reunion (because why not)? Sexual misadventures occur. See It Because: Unlike other teen sex comedies (including some installments in the "Pie" series), "Reunion" has a sweetness to it that makes these characters actually likeable; the cast clearly had a lot of fun resuming their roles and their charm creates an infectious nostalgia trip. (Also Available on Amazon Instant Video) Watch an Exclusive Outtake Reel from "American Reunion" - Moviefone's Blu-ray Pick of the Week "Chariots of Fire" What's It About? Two young men from very different backgrounds compete as runners in the 1924 Paris Olympics, one motivated by God, the other hoping to overcome prejudices. See It Because: Watching "Chariots," the Oscar-winning Best Picture of 1981, is like completing sophomore year of "Film Buff University." Plus, you can finally...