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Last July, cinephiles and lovers of cult films were given a blessing from the movie gods: an honest to god rerelease of “The Fall,” Tarsem Singh’s singular 2006 fantasy adventure epic. The movie, which stars Lee Pace in a dual role as an injured 1915 Hollywood stuntman and the hero of an epic tale he spins for a hospitalized little girl, was greeted with mixed reviews but love from its biggest fans upon its 2006 Toronto Film Festival premiere. In the years since its premiere, the film has developed a passionate little fandom, but actually tracking it down has proven more difficult than it should be — it’s been completely unavailable on streaming for years.

With the July 15 news that Mubi would re-release “The Fall” latter that…uh, fall, that long drought finally ended. The arthouse streamer and distributer premiered the 4K restoration of Singh’s film at the 2024 Locarno Film Festival this August,...

It’s that time of year again. The chestnuts are roasting, the eggnog is nogging, and some of us are getting ready for a house full of people that will turn this holiday season into a stressful one. So what do you do when you want to get into that merry spirit but also feel a slight bit of homicidal rage at your mother-in-law who just won’t shut up?

10. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)

Yes, a James Bond movie took place at Christmas, and it’s a doozy. Arguably the greatest James Bond film, this one stars George Lazenby in his sole outing as 007. Now, I know what you’re thinking. How is George Lazenby the star of the greatest Bond movie ever? The fact is, even if his performance is so-so, the film itself is fantastic. And it’s the movie where James Bond gets married. So,...

Willem Dafoe explained why he enjoys dying in so many movies. Dafoe is one of the most accomplished actors of the last 40 years. He began his career in film in 1980 and has starred in classic movies like Platoon, The Last Temptation of Christ, and Wild at Heart. In the 21st century, he is perhaps best known for portraying Norman Osborn/Green Goblin in several Spider-Man movies and his multiple collaborations with director Wes Anderson. However, throughout his career, Dafoe has earned a reputation as an actor who tends to die in a lot of the movies he appears in.

In an interview published in Empire Magazine, Dafoe admitted that he loves watching his characters die in movies. The actor explained that everyone imagines how they might die. Therefore, he is happy that he has been able to act out different ways of dying throughout his career. Dafoe explained that it...

Christmas has long been a favorite setting for action movie directors, as there’s something about the juxtaposition of holiday cheer against the hardcore violence of an R-rated action movie that makes the whole thing too tempting an opportunity to pass up. Indeed, there have been some Christmas action movie classics (many of which are written by Shane Black), which we dug into here, but now the time has come for you folks to have your say. What’s the greatest Christmas action movie? Is it a heavyweight like Die Hard or Lethal Weapon, or something more off the beaten path?

In making these lists, I was surprised at just how many action flicks take place around the holiday season. Granted, some of them are more obvious than others. I never realized First Blood was set at Christmas until watching it in 4K, where you can see how the police...

This week’s episode of IndieWire’s “Screen Talk” podcast, co-hosted by Anne Thompson and Ryan Lattanzio, is a fun one. We start the episode off with a rundown review of all the firehose of awards nominees, events, winners, and distractions that came this week — from the Gotham Awards live in New York on Monday to nominations from the Film Independent Spirit Awards and National Board of Review and the winners out of the elite New York Film Critics Circle. Oh, there were also the Gotham Awards on Monday in New York, where “A Different Man” surprisingly won Best Feature over predicted pick “Anora.” Meanwhile, IndieWire hosted our own Honors event Thursday night in Los Angeles, but for context, we recorded this podcast before those were highlighted.

But as a more refreshing rejoinder to the awards talks we regularly hold on this podcast, Kino Lorber CEO and chairman Richard Lorber...

Over his four decades in Hollywood, Willem Dafoe has become, and continues to be, one of the most versatile actors ever. Whether blazing through an independent arthouse career or turning up in a major box-office hit, his ability to embody an endless variety of characters has won him fans and widespread acclaim. From historical dramas, psychological thrillers, or fantasy films: he can move effortlessly from starring roles to incredible supporting performances in some of the best films of all time. His distinctive looks and haunting aura make him one of the most recognizable and enduring faces in cinema today.

Dafoe has been nominated for four Academy Awards and has won a plethora of other accolades for his roles in films such as Platoon, Shadow of the Vampire, and The Florida Project. Known for giving some of the most intense acting performances, whether hes playing a tortured US soldier in Vietnam,...

The family of late musician Tupac Shakur has hired a lawyer to look into what really happened to the late rapper. In particular, there is speculation that music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs might be connected to the rapper’s passing. This is also coming out around the time Diddy is facing other legal issues.

The Attorney Hired Is Known For His Celebrity Clients

Shakur’s family hired attorney Alex Spiro to investigate. During his career, Spiro has represented multiple celebrities, such as Elon Must and MrBeast. He also recently represented actor Alec Baldwin during the Rust movie shooting case.

Shakur was killed in a drive-by-homicide in September 1996 near Las Vegas. While the murder remains unsolved, Duane “Keefe D” Davis had been arrested as a suspect by Las Vegas Police.

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs – YouTube

As noted by US Magazine, police said during a press conference that Davis wasn’t the gunman,...

On Thursday August 29 2024, Investigation Discovery broadcasts People Magazine Presents: Crimes Of The 2010s!

2018: To Live and Die in L.A. Season 1 Episode 9 Episode Summary

The upcoming episode of “People Magazine Presents: Crimes Of The 2010s,” titled “2018: To Live and Die in L.A.,” promises to be a gripping exploration of a mysterious case. This episode focuses on a 25-year-old woman from Macedonia who dreams of making it big in Hollywood. With her blonde hair and blue eyes, she embodies the classic image of a starlet, eager to chase her aspirations in the entertainment industry.

On February 23, 2018, this young woman leaves her apartment in Los Angeles, full of hope and ambition. However, what follows is a chilling turn of events. She disappears without a trace, leaving behind friends, family, and a community that is left to wonder what happened. The episode delves into the circumstances surrounding her disappearance, examining...

Detective stories from the '80s showcased a diversity of genres, including comedies, thrillers, and buddy cop movies, still popular today. Familiar faces like Harrison Ford, Jackie Chan, and Sean Connery starred in these films, while others like Eddie Murphy found success and showcased their talent. Iconic films like "Cruising," "Sudden Impact," and "To Live and Die in L.A." presented unique storylines and performances that defined the detective genre in the '80s.

Detective stories show no signs of going out of style, and while there are great examples in recent years, many of the subgenre's best come from the '80s. The most memorable detective stories keep audiences invested and rooting for the protagonists to succeed in their pursuit of criminals. The bold decade gave rise to these stories told within a variety of genres, including comedies, thrillers, and buddy cop movies.

Because detective films are an extension of the crime and action genres,...

If the 1970s and ’80s represented a golden age of kinetic but grounded stunt work by pioneers like Hal Needham, Buddy Joe Hooker, and Vic Armstrong, the 2020s are proving to be a seminal moment for stunts in television. The urban action that used to be the bread and butter of Walter Hill, Richard Donner, and Peter Hyams has migrated from the big screen (now dominated by more visual effects-oriented set pieces) to network procedurals and streaming series where stunt coordinators have become adept at creating spectacular moments on tight schedules — all while keeping the performers and crew as safe as possible.

Since its 2020 debut, Dick Wolf’s CBS series “FBI: Most Wanted” has consistently showcased some of the best stunt work on television, with expertly choreographed action sequences that are realistic, thrilling, and heavily slanted toward practical effects. Season 5 included some of the show’s most dynamic set pieces to date,...

Bud S. Smith, an Oscar-nominated film editor who was a regular collaborator with William Friedkin and whose other credits include “Putney Swope,” “Flashdance” and “The Karate Kid,” died Sunday at his home in Studio City, Calif. due to respiratory failure after a prolonged illness. He was 88.

Smith’s death was confirmed by his wife, dialogue editor Lucy Coldsnow-Smith.

Over a career spanning five decades, Smith was a two-time Academy Award nominee: in 1984 for Adrian Lyne’s romance fantasia “Flashdance,” and in 1974 for William Friedkin’s horror classic “The Exorcist,” which Smith shared a nomination for with Evan A. Lottman and Norman Gay. Smith won the BAFTA award for best editing for “Flashdance” and received a career achievement award from American Cinema Editors in 2008.

After beginning in television and working under David L. Wolper in the ’60s, Smith’s first feature editing credit came at the end of the decade with Robert Downey,...

This article contains spoilers for "The Bear" season 3.

Previous seasons of "The Bear" have established that Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) is something of a cinephile bro. The dude loves Michael Mann -- his "gofastboatsmojito" WiFi password is a hilarious shout-out to Mann's 2006 "Miami Vice" movie -- and he has a "White Squall" poster on the wall of his home, signaling his appreciation for one of director Ridley Scott's biggest box office bombs. In season 3, we find out that Richie is a fan of another uber-masculine director: the late, great William Friedkin.

In episode 4, "Violet," Richie walks into Sugar's (Abby Elliott) office and tapes a photo of a Japanese zen garden to her wall. When she asks what the photo is, he tells her a story:

"Oh, Zen garden. Kyoto, Philosopher's Path [...] well, this director that I admire, he visited this. And when he got there, he was like, 'What is this?...

In Ti West’s 1979-set slasher movie X, Mia Goth played would-be porn star Maxine and elderly killer Pearl. Spinning the film out into a triptych rather than a trilogy, the 1919-set Pearl was about the younger days of the murderess, while MaXXXine is set in 1985 and catches up with what the final girl of the Texas Porn Star Massacre did next in her life. Eventual binge-watchers will notice the way elements recur with variations across all three movies — something Maxine does at the climax mirrors what Pearl did in her film.

In a moment of metatextuality which functions also as a scare scene, Maxine has her head coated with goo as a make-up artist makes an impression to be used to create a severed-head prop for a dream sequence. She is transformed by dripping white gunk into the ghost image of old Pearl, who actually told her she would end up looking like her.

It’s not the first time a Netflix series has resurfaced a classic song from the 1980s, but unlike Kate Bush and Stranger Things, British New Wave band Wang Chung had no idea that John Mulaney had opted to use “To Live and Die in L.A.,” their 1985 ode to La La Land, as the theme song for his recent Netflix talk show, Everybody’s in L.A.

“It’s a total surprise that it’s blown up in the way that it has,” Wang Chung lead singer Jack Hues told Variety in an interview published Monday.

“It’s so nice to see it get used in such a cool way,” added guitarist Nick Feldman, a self-professed fan of Mulaney’s work. “The way it’s placed into the show—which I’ve watched a couple of episodes and I really liked—it really works well. That collage of images from Los Angeles,...

Wang Chung had no idea John Mulaney’s six-episode Netflix talk show “Everybody’s in LA” would use their 1985 song “To Live and Die in L.A.” as its theme song — but they’re thrilled he did.

“It’s a total surprise that it’s blown up in the way that it has,” says Wang Chung lead singer Jack Hues, who first heard of the usage on “Everybody’s in LA” via “the guy who does our merch.”

For guitarist Nick Feldman, the other half of the duo, he was already a big Mulaney fan when he got the news that “To Live and Die in L.A.” was suddenly getting a new breath of life on Netflix. “It’s so nice to see it get used in such a cool way,” he says. “The way it’s placed into the show — which I’ve watched a couple of episodes and I...

In December of 1973, two movies that would change the face of horror and the ways it dealt with religion and spirituality were released. One was an instant hit, immediately changing the landscape of the genre forever. The other was severely cut by executives who simply did not understand it and unceremoniously slapped into the B-picture slot on double bills with Don’t Look Now, where it seemed to die a quick death. Over time, it grew from an underground cult discovery to a genre-defining masterpiece. The former is, of course, William Friedkin and William Peter Blatty’s The Exorcist, which remains a terrifying and inimitable masterpiece. The latter is Robin Hardy and Anthony Schaffer’s The Wicker Man, a truly remarkable film that became a flashpoint for an emerging subgenre—Folk Horror. Though both films deal in religion, The Exorcist and The Wicker Man could not be more divided in their approach to the subject.

Willem Dafoe has a face made for film. When the sixty-something actor appears on screen, his prominent cheekbones, wide eyes, and toothy grin are difficult to take your gaze off. Combined with his slender frame and his raspy, gravely, deep voice, the actor’s portrayal of Jesus Christ allegedly prompted Sergio Leone to opine “This is not the face of our Lord, this is the face of Satan!”

Dafoe hasn’t played Satan at all over the course of his career, but he’s certainly played his share of villains, bringing his signature menace to dozens of cinematic crooks and psychopaths. After his first lead role, in Kathryn Bigelow’s 1982 biker drama “The Loveless,” his early parts were largely antagonists to the lead heroes, such as the alluring but frightening criminals in “Streets of Fire” and “To Live and Die in L.A.” The part that arguably brought him the most widespread,...

Pat E. Johnson, a longtime stuntman who was the fight choreographer for and played a referee in the Karate Kid movies and appeared in the martial arts classic Enter the Dragon and in Chuck Norris films, has died. He was 84.

His wife, Susan, posted on social media that he died Sunday but did not provide details.

“For those that don’t know, my husband, Pat Johnson, passed away yesterday,” Sue Johnson posted on Facebook. “I was blessed to have all my sons here with me – we cried, we laughed, we held each other close. 54 years off my life is now at peace, and I am blessed with so many amazing memories, friends, children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. If anyone wants to remember him through a donation in his name, we believe greatly in the Diabetes association or living Kidney association – both near and dear to our hearts. Thank you to...

It was announced today that Pat E. Johnson, who choreographed the fight scenes for the first four Karate Kid movies, has died at the age of 84.

Pat E. Johnson was a ninth-degree black belt in American Tang Soo Do and also served as vice president of the National Tang Soo Do Congress, which was created by Chuck Norris in 1973. He learned the Korean martial art while serving as a chaplain with the U.S. Army in Korea. He later met Chuck Norris at a karate tournament in Detroit and the pair quickly bonded. “He and I struck a really good bond at the time because we had both trained in Korea, we had both gotten our black belts in Korea,” Johnson said in a 2016 documentary. “He mentioned to me one time that ‘If you should ever decide to come to California, I think we could work really well together.’ I really...

Pat E. Johnson, the ninth-degree black belt and Chuck Norris contemporary who choreographed the fight scenes, trained the actors and portrayed a tournament referee in the first three Karate Kid films, has died. He was 84.

Johnson died Sunday of natural causes at his home in Los Angeles, his niece, Colleen Mary Johnson Summerville, told The Hollywood Reporter.

Johnson also was a stuntperson, stunt coordinator, trainer and/or fight coordinator on Buffy the Vampire Slayer; on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Mortal Kombat movies; and on other films including Enter the Dragon (1973), To Live and Die in L.A. (1985), Showdown in Little Tokyo (1991), Batman and Robin (1997) and Wild Wild West (1999).

Johnson served as a top instructor at Norris’ karate schools in the Los Angeles area starting in the late 1960s, and his students over the years included Steve McQueen, Bob Barker and members of the Osmond family.

For The Karate Kid (1984), Johnson...

When he died this summer, a lot of director William Friedkin’s movies got new life as film fans dug into this filmography. Looking over his body of work, one of the interesting things to note is that he directed four films that could justifiably be called masterpieces, but only two of them were successful. There was The French Connection and The Exorcist, both of which raked in huge box office and are considered classics. But, there were also two flops that he made that are just as good as those films, one of which is 1977’s Sorcerer, and the other is 1985’s Secret Service thriller To Live and Die in L.A., which we’re digging into in this episode of Wtf Happened to This Movie.

The film stars William Petersen (long before CSI) as a Secret Service agent after the counterfeiter who killed his partner. While that premise sounds old hat,...

It’s always great to hear directors gush about their colleagues, and few do it with the same enthusiasm as Guillermo del Toro. While speaking with IndieWire, Guillermo del Toro spoke about the late William Friedkin and his experience serving as the backup director on The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial, Friedkin’s final movie.

“He is an original,” Guillermo del Toro said of William Friedkin. “He blends the lessons of documentary with complex and precise technology and narrative prowess. Every decision he makes is infused with his idiosyncrasies, his personality. Look at the ending of ‘The French Connection’ — that final frame he holds, brutal, mercilessly elliptical — or the final minutes of ‘The Exorcist,’ how he lands the audience softly out of the experience but never loses the mystery. Then try and figure out the mastery in ‘Sorcerer’ or ‘To Live and Die in L.A.’“

Related The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial Review

Before The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial,...

On Friday, October 6, cinephiles were given a precious gift when Showtime dropped one last film by the late, great William Friedkin: an adaptation of Herman Wouk’s play “The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial.” The film is classic Friedkin, a clinic in blocking, editing, and camera movement reminiscent of earlier theatrical adaptations like “The Birthday Party,” “The Boys in the Band,” and “Bug.”

While there are many filmmaking lessons to be learned from studying the piece, one notable Friedkin disciple had the chance to examine the director’s process firsthand: Guillermo del Toro, who shadowed Friedkin throughout production as a backup in case the 87-year-old filmmaker was unable to complete the movie.

Long before he ever met Friedkin, del Toro was an admirer of his work. “He is an original,” del Toro told IndieWire. “He blends the lessons of documentary with complex and precise technology and narrative prowess. Every decision he...

Plot: A Naval officer (Jake Lacy) is on trial for mutiny. His court-appointed attorney (Jason Clarke) must prove that his captain (Kiefer Sutherland) was dangerously unbalanced and that mutiny was the only solution to protect the crew.

Review: The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial is an interesting final film for the late William Friedkin. While most know him for his seventies epics, having directed at least three or four of the greatest films ever made, many don’t know that he started his career with a couple of films based on stage plays: The Birthday Party and The Boys in the Band. His most recent work, Bug and Killer Joe, were also stage adaptations (of works by Tracy Letts), but The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial is more traditionally mounted than those. This is basically a stage play put to film, with no exteriors, no music and only two sets.

The play was written...

Showtime has released a trailer for The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial, the final film from writer/director William Friedkin. The movie, based on Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Herman Wouk, follows a U.S. naval first officer who’s standing trial for orchestrating a mutiny after his captain shows signs of becoming unhinged and jeopardizes the lives of his crew.

The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial stars Kiefer Sutherland, Jason Clarke, Jake Lacy, Monica Raymund, Lewis Pullman, Jay Duplass, Tom Riley, and Lance Reddick. Friedkin wrote and directed the film, which was completed before his death on Aug.

The list of directors who put their trust in Robby Müller could constitute a nice history of post-war cinema. A retrospective of films on which he served as Dp reflects accordingly––so’s the case with Metrograph’s “Robby Müller: Remain in Light,” which starts on Friday, September 29, and for which we’re glad to debut the trailer.

Contained therein are bits and pieces of what Metrograph attendees can anticipate. The series will offer a chance to see (among others) 24 Hour Party People, Alice in the Cities, The American Friend, Barfly, Breaking the Waves, Dead Man, Down by Law, Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai, Kings of the Road, Korczak, Living the Light – Robby Müller, Mystery Train, Repo Man, Saint Jack, To Live and Die in L.A., When Pigs Fly, The Wrong Move, and Paris, Texas. The opening night will be anchored by “a panel on Müller’s continued influence on filmmaking,...

William Friedkin had Guillermo del Toro backing him up on his final outing.

At the Venice premiere of the late director’s last film, “The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial”, producer Annabelle Dunne revealed del Toro acted as “back-up director” on the project.

Read More: ‘The Exorcist’ Stars Ellen Burstyn And Linda Blair Praise William Friedkin For His ‘Genius’ Talent After His Death At 87 Years Old

“That’s very common, Hollywood is ageist,” Dunne said of the contractual need for the 87-year-old filmmaker to have a back-up, according to Variety, adding that she was going to reveal a “state secret.”

Recalling how she let Friedkin know about the requirement, the director told her, “Let me think about that.”

The next day, he called her back and said, “Ok, honey I have the guy. Get a pen: it’s Guillermo Del Toro, you got that?”

Dunne called up the Oscar-winning “Shape of Water” director,...

The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial, William Friedkin's final movie, has been picked up by Paramount Plus for international distribution. The film will release on Showtime in the U.S. The film is a legal drama starring Jason Clarke and Kiefer Sutherland based on a 1953 play by Herman Wouk, following a naval officer on trial for leading a mutiny aboard a ship. The movie features a notable cast and marks a posthumous release for Friedkin, Wouk, and Lance Reddick.

The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial, the final movie from late Exorcist director William Friedkin, has found a streaming home. Friedkin, who passed away on August 7, is best known for The Exorcist, but has also directed other hits like The French Connection, Rules of Engagement, and To Live and Die In L.A., among many others. After 2017's The Devil and Father Amorth, Friedkin's final movie is a legal drama based on a play by Herman Wouk.

Turner Classic Movies will celebrate the life and career of director William Friedkin, who died on Aug. 7 at the age of 87.

On Thursday, Sept. 14, TCM will air three of Friedkin’s movies: The French Connection at 8 pm, followed by To Live and Die in L.A. (at 10 pm) and The Boys in the Band (at 12:15 am).

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The tribute continues on Sunday,...

Hollywood and movie fans mourned the passing of Oscar-winning filmmaker William Friedkin on August 7, 2023. Friedkin, who earned a Best Director Oscar in 1972 for The French Connection, passed away in Los Angeles at the age of 87, with his widow, Sherry Lansing, tearfully telling BBC shortly after his death, “He was the most wonderful husband in the world. He was the most wonderful father in the world. He had a big wonderful life. There was no dream unfulfilled.”

Friedkin died before his final film, The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial, starring Kiefer Sutherland, Jake Lacy, and Jason Clarke debuted at the Venice Film Festival.

TCM will be celebrating the critically acclaimed filmmaker’s life and career with two nights of special programming. Announcing the tribute, TCM described William Friedkin as “a great friend to Turner Classic Movies and he attended the TCM Classic Film Festival several times, most recently in April 2023.”

TCM Remembers William...

Most directors would be more than happy to make a single touchstone genre film at some point in their careers. William Friedkin? He made two in just as many years. His 1971 crime thriller "The French Connection" established the template for car chase scenes that's still being used today. Then, in 1973, he made "The Exorcist," the film that got the world to start taking horror seriously as a high art form.

As if that wasn't enough, Friedkin also made not one but two quintessential pieces of queer cinema with "The Boys in the Band" and the controversial but undeniably important "Cruising." Even in his twilight years as a filmmaker, Friedkin was tackling provocative material in the forms of the stage play adaptations "Bug" and especially the twisted "Killer Joe" (a film that played a less-acknowledged yet key role in the McConaissance era of Matthew McConaughey's run as an actor).

With...

In the article series Sound and Vision we talk about music videos from notable directors. This week we look at Laura Branigan's Self Control, directed by William Friedkin. Last week director William Friedkin passed away. The luminary behind such classics as The Exorcist, The French Connection, To Live and Die in L.A, Sorcerer, Bug and Killer Joe is an extremely underrated director. But luckily most of the obituaries that were written seemed to focus on what made this sometimes hot-headed enfant terrible an amazing director, even though he wasn't always appreciated when alive. My favorite of the recent write-ups on Friedkins career was this piece by Kyle Turner for GQ, in which the critic focuses on how Friedkin approaches queer masculinity in The Boys in...

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

William Friedkin was an inherently well-informed filmmaker. He started out in television at age 18, directing live news reports and documentaries for WGN-tv in Chicago. He knew how to get to the bottom of any story, best frame the narrative to capture attention, and inform the viewer.

He brought that sense of assured knowledge to movies. There is never any doubt about the veracity of The French Connection (1971). The Exorcist (1973), meanwhile, invites the audience to medical diagnoses and a realistic portrayal of demonic possession. It is the emphasis on the medical that makes the demonic seem plausible. Similarly, To Live and Die in L.A. (1985) is an authentic movie about counterfeiting, and one which deserves to be as celebrated as his early ‘70s masterpieces.

A Step by Step Guide to Counterfeiting

The printing of bogus bills may not seem like an exciting basis for a crime thriller, but Friedkin progressively raises the...

William Petersen was a theater actor from Chicago when William Friedkin changed the course of his life. In 1984, the Oscar-winning director tapped the then-unknown performer to play Richard Chance, a Secret Service agent willing to bend rules and break laws in order to capture a shadowy counterfeiter (Willem Dafoe) in “To Live and Die in L.A.” The crime thriller was a return to form for Friedkin, who had summited the heights of the movie business with “The French Connection” and “The Exorcist,” only to suffer a string of disappointments. Petersen and Friedkin would later collaborate on a Showtime remake of “12 Angry Men” and two episodes of “CSI.” Friedkin died on Aug. 7 at the age of 87, and Petersen shared his reflections on his “greatest mentor and most brilliant friend.”

I was doing “Streetcar Named Desire” at the Stratford Festival outside of Toronto, and Billy sent his casting director to watch me.

William Friedkin, one of the great directors of the New Hollywood movement, died August 7 at the age of 87. The news launched an outpouring of love for the director, whose ’70s and ’80s film work proved some of the most enduring and beloved of that cinema-redefining period.

The son of Jewish Ukrainian immigrants, Friedkin was born in 1935 and got his start as a director making documentaries for Chicago public television. In 1965 he moved out to Hollywood to advance his career and made his narrative feature debut with “Good Times,” a vehicle for Cher and Sonny Bono. Friedkin put out several generally well-received films, including the groundbreaking “The Boys in the Band” and “The Birthday Party,” but truly broke out with 1971’s “The French Connection.” Starring Gene Hackman and featuring one of the greatest car chase scenes in cinematic history, the movie earned Friedkin a Best Director Oscar and gave him the clout to pursue passion projects.

The death at 87 of the great director William Friedkin on Monday reminded me of one of the two most intense movie viewing experiences I’ve ever had in a theater. One came last year when I saw “Rrr,” which due to its massive audience participation at the Chinese Theatre was a spectacular happening.

The other one happened in 1973 when I was a wee lad of 16, when I saw “The Exorcist.”

Friedkin was a master of his craft who made several other memorable films, chiefly “The French Connection” (for which he won his Academy Award), “Cruising,” “The Boys in the Band” and “To Live and Die in L.A.” But for my money, nothing he did could ever equal the phenomenon he helmed into being with “The Exorcist,” which would earn Oscars for sound and William Peter Blatty’s adapted screenplay as well as a directing nomination for Friedkin.

But forget all...

Yesterday, we had to share the sad news that director William Friedkin has passed away at the age of 87. While Friedkin made numerous popular films – The French Connection, Sorcerer, Cruising, and To Live and Die in L.A., among others – his most popular is probably the one that’s celebrating its 50th anniversary this year: The Exorcist (watch it Here). And The Exorcist star Linda Blair has taken to social media to share a tribute to Friedkin.

Blair wrote, “Like Sidney Poitier‘s famous movie To Sir with Love, how do you put into words appreciation to the person that changed your life forever, along with the world? Billy Friedken was a game changer, thought outside the box, was a genius with an incredibly bold personality and extraordinary imagery that electrified colleagues and moviegoers alike and remained a true maverick throughout his career in the film industry.

Every actor wanted to...

Director William Friedkin, who is best known for directing the Oscar winning films, the horror classic ‘The Exorcist’ along with the neo-noir action thriller ‘French Connection’, has passed away at the age of 87. Friedkin had been suffering from heart problems for some time and finally succumbed to heart failure and pneumonia at his home in Bel Air, Los Angeles, his wife and former producer and studio head Sherry Lansing announced, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter.

Some of his other big films included ‘Sorcerer’, ‘To Live and Die in L.A.’ and ‘Bug’. In addition, he also made his foray into television with serials such as ‘Tales From the Crypt’, ‘The Twilight Zone’, ‘Space Quest’, ‘C.A.T. Squad’ and ‘Rules of Engagement’.

While these movies and serials were modest successes at the box office, they were all very positively received and over time have been given a much more positive approach. Most...

Francis Ford Coppola is remembering one of his closest friends. On Monday, following news of the death of William Friedkin, Coppola shared a tribute in honor of the Exorcist director on Instagram.

“William Friedkin was my first friend among the filmmakers of my generation and I grieve for the loss of a much-loved companion,” he wrote, sharing photos of Friedkin, later adding, “His lovable, irascible personality was cover for a beautiful, brilliant, deep-feeling giant of a man. It’s very hard to grasp that I will never enjoy his company again,...

Francis Ford Coppola and William Friedkin went back more than half a century, including their days in the Directors Company, the short-lived production entity they and Peter Bogdanovich launched in the early 1970s.

After Friedkin’s death today at 87, Coppola issued a statement paying tribute to The Exorcist and The French Connection director, which reads in part, “His lovable, irascible personality was cover for a beautiful, brilliant, deep-feeling giant of a man.” Read it in full below.

Related: ‘The Exorcist’ Star Ellen Burstyn Honors “Smart, Cultured, Fearless And Wildly Talented” William Friedkin

“William Friedkin was my first friend among the filmmakers of my generation and I grieve for the loss of a much-loved companion,” five-time Oscar winner Coppola wrote. “His accomplishments in Cinema are extraordinary and unique. He is the only colleague I knew whose work actually saved a man’s life (The People vs. Paul Crump). Billy’s work represents true milestones in Cinema,...

Editor’S Note: William Friedkin’s passing is a gutting experience for anyone lucky enough to have sat as he reminisced over his classic movies, with measures of regret for the recklessness, humor, and keen observations of why Hollywood’s Auteur Era gave way to the global blockbuster, and whatever it is we have today as two guilds strike seeking transparency, and residuals for writers and actors. This interview was originally published August 6, 2015 under the title ’70s Maverick Revisits A Golden Era With Tales Of Glory And Reckless Abandon. I am feeling a bit gutted by Friedkin’s passing. I looked forward to a long interview with him for his Venice-bound Showtime remake of The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial. After spending time with Billy and his elegant wife Sherry Lansing at Peter Bart’s 90th birthday where the back and forth between them proved the highlight of the evening, I wanted...

When William Friedkin died at the age of 87 on August 7, the film world lost a singular director who continued taking risks until his final days — and a vital link between the New Hollywood innovators of the 1970s and the blockbuster era that followed.

After cutting his teeth on conventional Hollywood fare like the 1967 musical “Good Times,” Friedkin wasted no time seeking out riskier projects. He embraced provocative subject matter when he directed “The Boys in the Band” in 1970, which went down in history as one of the first films to treat gay men as nuanced characters. But despite proving a knack for intimate theatrical adaptations, Friedkin quickly pivoted to large-scale blockbusters.

Films like “The French Connection” and “Sorcerer” demonstrated Friedkin’s eye for spectacle, treating audiences to dazzling action set pieces that Hollywood has never been able to top. But Friedkin infused both films with serious character development and elements of cinema verite,...

William Friedkin, the man who pivoted from playing basketball to becoming a journalist-turned-legendary-filmmaker because he wasn't tall enough, has died at age 87. Friedkin was truly an iconoclast of '70s filmmaking, a man who gave us not only one of the best horror movies of all time ("The Exorcist"), but also one of the best action movies of all time ("The French Connection"), with both continuing to influence and shape their respective genres so many decades after their initial releases.

As much as Friedkin gave the world of cinema — and continues to give, as his last movie is premiering this month — he was also a notorious sh*t-talker. Indeed, the director of "Sorcerer" and "To Live and Die in L.A." was also a man without a filter, and he was never afraid to give big shot Hollywood people what he thought they deserved. From his strong opinions on Oliver Stone,...

Oscar-winning director William Friedkin, legendary filmmaker behind the 1971 crime thriller The French Connection, and 1973’s The Exorcist, among many others, died Monday in Los Angeles at the age of 87.

Identified closely with the New Hollywood movement of the 1970s, Friedkin began his career in documentaries prior to embarking on one of his most well-known works, The French Connection, a film which earned five Academy Awards out of eight nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actor for Gene Hackman, Best Directed Screenplay and Best Director for Friedkin. Considered one of the greatest films ever made, The French Connection appeared in the American Film Institute’s list of the best American films in 1998 and again in 2007. In 2005, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.

Related: William Friedkin: Hollywood Remembers A Legend

Friedkin’s 1973 film The Exorcist...

Refresh for updates… Horror film director Eli Roth is among the colleagues, friends and fans paying tribute to the late William Friedkin, the great director of The Exorcist and The French Connection who died today.

“Rip to the legend William Friedkin,” Roth wrote on Instagram. “One of the most impactful directors of all time and certainly set the course of my life in a different direction with The Exorcist. He was so incredibly nice and supportive the few times I was lucky enough to meet him. Watch Sorcerer if you’ve never seen it. He was one of a kind. Legend.”

Scott Derrickson, the director of The Exorcism of Emily Rose and Sinister, tweeted, “It was an honor to have numerous lengthy chats via Twitter with William Friedkin. He also sent word through his wife to one of my producers that he watched & loved The Black Phone...

One of cinema's most celebrated filmmakers of all time has sadly passed away. William Friedkin, the renowned director behind "The French Connection" and the horror classic "The Exorcist" has died at the age of 87. The news was first reported by Variety and confirmed by a family friend of Sherry Lansing, Friedkin's wife and a former film executive. A bona fide titan in the industry and commonly considered a worthy peer counted among the likes of Francis Ford Coppola, Stanley Kubrick, Robert Altman, Sidney Lumet, and more, Friedkin's work helped usher in the era and movement known as "New Hollywood" -- forever changing the business and shifting the balance of power from producers to directors.

One of the foremost genre directors of his time, William Friedkin exploded into prominence in the 1970s and went on to become an influential figure whose work would inspire others to follow in his footsteps for decades to come.

William Friedkin, one of the great directors of the New Hollywood era who helmed classics like The Exorcist and Oscar-winner The French Connection, died Monday, The New York Times reports. He was 87.

Sherry Lansing, a former head of Paramount Pictures, and Friedkin’s wife, confirmed his death. She said the cause was heart failure and pneumonia.

Rising to prominence in the Seventies, Friedkin came to specialize in gritty, white-knuckle thrillers, often shot through with a healthy dose of practically documentary-style realism. The French Connection, his breakthrough film, won five Academy Awards,...

William Friedkin, the Oscar-winning director behind The Exorcist, The French Connection, To Live and Die in L.A., The Boys in the Band, and more, is dead at 87. Friedkin died in Los Angeles, said his wife, former producer and studio head Sherry Lansing.

Born on August 29, 1935, in Chicago, Friedkin started directing television before disgusting audiences with projectile pea soup and dealings with demons. In the mid-’60s, Friedkin shot an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Hour and helmed various telefilms. Before the era was over, he got behind the camera for features like Good Times (1967), The Birthday Party (1968), and The Night They Raided Minsky’s (1968).

He started the ’70s off with a band by directing The Boys in the Band. With his name already on the lips of executives everywhere, he moved on to The French Connection, a show-stopping thriller starring Gene Hackman as Detective Popeye Doyle. The French Connection won multiple Oscars,...

One of the all-time great filmmakers, Oscar-winner William Friedkin has passed away in Los Angeles at the age of 87, Bloody Disgusting has learned this afternoon.

William Friedkin won “Best Director” at the Academy Awards in 1972 for The French Connection, and he was nominated in the same category just two years later for The Exorcist.

Released in theaters in 1973, The Exorcist has been terrifying audiences across generations ever since, widely considered to be one of the best – and scariest – movies ever made.

William Friedkin got his start directing the documentary The People vs. Paul Crump in 1962, and a few years later he directed an episode of the TV series “The Alfred Hitchcock Hour.” From there, Friedkin directed films including The Thin Blue Line, Good Times, The Birthday Party, and The Boys in the Band, before winning an Oscar for The French Connection in 1972.

In the wake of The Exorcist, which ended...

William Friedkin, who won an Oscar for directing The French Connection, scored a nomination for The Exorcist and also helmed The Boys in the Band, Cruising, To Live and Die in L.A., Rules of Engagement and many others, died today in Los Angeles of heart failure and pneumonia. He was 87.

His death was confirmed by CAA via his wife, Fatal Attraction producer and former studio chief Sherry Lansing.

Friedkin beat out some serious heavyweights to win the Best Director Academy Award for The French Connection at the 1972 ceremony. Also up for the statuette that year were Stanley Kubrick (A Clockwork Orange), Peter Bogdanovich (The Last Picture Show) and Norman Jewison (Fiddler on the Roof). He would go up against more heavy hitters with The Exorcist two years later. George Roy Hill won that year for The Sting, also besting Bernardo Bertolucci (Last Tango in Paris), Ingmar Bergman (Cries & Whispers...