What if you were trapped in a bunker with Tilda Swinton, and she kept breaking out into song?
That’s (an extremely reductive version of) the premise for “The End,” director Joshua Oppenheimer’s oddball post-apocalyptic musical, for which Neon released a trailer on Monday. The trailer teases a romantic musical set in a billionaire family’s bunker after the end of the world they helped cause, with elegant sets and an unusual tone.
The film is Academy Award-nominated documentary filmmaker Oppenheimer’s (“The Act of Killing”) first narrative feature, which he wrote with Rasmus Heisterberg and produced with Signe Byrge Sorensen and Swinton. The film stars Academy Award winner Swinton (“Michael Clayton”), George Mackay (“1917”), Moses Ingram (“The Queen’s Gambit”), Bronagh Gallagher (“The Commitments”), Tim McInnerny (“One Day”), Lennie James (“The Walking Dead”), and Academy Award nominee Michael Shannon (“Nocturnal Animals”). The music is by Joshua Schmidt (“Midwestern Gothic...
That’s (an extremely reductive version of) the premise for “The End,” director Joshua Oppenheimer’s oddball post-apocalyptic musical, for which Neon released a trailer on Monday. The trailer teases a romantic musical set in a billionaire family’s bunker after the end of the world they helped cause, with elegant sets and an unusual tone.
The film is Academy Award-nominated documentary filmmaker Oppenheimer’s (“The Act of Killing”) first narrative feature, which he wrote with Rasmus Heisterberg and produced with Signe Byrge Sorensen and Swinton. The film stars Academy Award winner Swinton (“Michael Clayton”), George Mackay (“1917”), Moses Ingram (“The Queen’s Gambit”), Bronagh Gallagher (“The Commitments”), Tim McInnerny (“One Day”), Lennie James (“The Walking Dead”), and Academy Award nominee Michael Shannon (“Nocturnal Animals”). The music is by Joshua Schmidt (“Midwestern Gothic...
- 11/4/2024
- by Liam Mathews
- Gold Derby
The character of Transporter Chief Miles O'Brien (Colm Meaney) first appeared in "Encounter at Farpoint," the pilot episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation." For many episodes, he was basically a background character, usually present to deliver a line or two of techno-jargon and to beam the senior staff from the ship to a planet and back. With each appearance, though, audiences began to get more details about O'Brien's life. He used to build ships in bottles as a boy, for instance. O'Brien would marry and have a child. All told, O'Brien appeared in 52 episodes of the show, sometimes starring in his own stories.
The character became popular enough to be carried over to "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" in 1993, on which he was a regular character. On "Deep Space Nine," O'Brien became even more awesome, serving as the chief engineer on the station, having to familiarize himself with dated Cardassian technology,...
The character became popular enough to be carried over to "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" in 1993, on which he was a regular character. On "Deep Space Nine," O'Brien became even more awesome, serving as the chief engineer on the station, having to familiarize himself with dated Cardassian technology,...
- 8/12/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Lynda Myles, the world’s first female festival director, is to be honoured with the Bafta Scotland outstanding contribution to film award.
Myles led the Edinburgh International Film Festival (Eiff) during a formative 1973 to 1980 period in which the festival was cementing its international reputation.
She then went on to work as a film producer, scoring a Bafta in 1992 for The Commitments, with further credits including Defence Of The Realm, The Snapper and The Van. She held posts including senior vice-president at Columbia Pictures, commissioning editor for drama at the BBC and head of fiction at the UK’s National Film and Television School.
Myles led the Edinburgh International Film Festival (Eiff) during a formative 1973 to 1980 period in which the festival was cementing its international reputation.
She then went on to work as a film producer, scoring a Bafta in 1992 for The Commitments, with further credits including Defence Of The Realm, The Snapper and The Van. She held posts including senior vice-president at Columbia Pictures, commissioning editor for drama at the BBC and head of fiction at the UK’s National Film and Television School.
- 7/25/2024
- ScreenDaily
The character of Chief Miles O'Brien first appeared in the pilot episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation," "Encounter at Farpoint". Throughout the show's first season, Chief O'Brien would appear mostly in the Enterprise's transporter room, tasked with beaming the Enterprise crew up and down from dangerous away missions. As the show progressed, O'Brien was allowed to speak up more and more. By the show's fourth season, O'Brien would marry his sweetheart Keiko (Rosalind Chao), become possessed by an alien criminal, and reveal long-lasting Ptsd. All told, O'Brien was in 52 episodes of "Next Generation" before becoming a regular cast member of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," affording him 160 additional episodes.
O'Brien was played by reliable Irish actor Colm Meany, star of John Houston's "The Dead," "Dick Tracy," and "The Commitments" (and its sequels). He was a hard worker, and during his 12-year stint on "Star Trek," appeared in 23 feature films.
O'Brien was played by reliable Irish actor Colm Meany, star of John Houston's "The Dead," "Dick Tracy," and "The Commitments" (and its sequels). He was a hard worker, and during his 12-year stint on "Star Trek," appeared in 23 feature films.
- 7/1/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Dazzler Media has unleashed the trailer for the upcoming Irish animation ‘A Greyhound of a Girl.’
In this beautifully animated story of love and family, filled with joy and laughter, we join four generations of women as they take a glorious and life-affirming journey together. When unexpected news leads them to embark on a trip, they gain the opportunity to reconnect and learn more about each other.
Eleven-year-old Mary has an insatiable passion for cooking and dreams of becoming a
great chef. Her grandmother, Emer, with whom she has a very special bond, encourages her to make this dream come true. But every path has its obstacles, and facing them turns
into quite an adventure.
Starring the voice talents of BAFTA winner Sharon Horgan, Oscar nominee Brendan Gleeson, Charlene McKenna and Rosaleen Linehan, this moving, tender film is based on the acclaimed book by award-winning author Roddy Doyle (The Commitments...
In this beautifully animated story of love and family, filled with joy and laughter, we join four generations of women as they take a glorious and life-affirming journey together. When unexpected news leads them to embark on a trip, they gain the opportunity to reconnect and learn more about each other.
Eleven-year-old Mary has an insatiable passion for cooking and dreams of becoming a
great chef. Her grandmother, Emer, with whom she has a very special bond, encourages her to make this dream come true. But every path has its obstacles, and facing them turns
into quite an adventure.
Starring the voice talents of BAFTA winner Sharon Horgan, Oscar nominee Brendan Gleeson, Charlene McKenna and Rosaleen Linehan, this moving, tender film is based on the acclaimed book by award-winning author Roddy Doyle (The Commitments...
- 6/24/2024
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
To celebrate the release of Hidden Assets Series One & Two Box Set on DVD along with Series Two DVD both available from 22 January 2024 and On digital now, we are giving away a Boxset to one lucky winner!
Discover More Hidden Assets with the highly anticipated return of this lauded, gritty Irish-Belgian Noir. The brand-new six-part second series sees acclaimed actress Nora-Jane Noone join the cast as DS Claire Wallace, an ambitious newcomer who’s brought in to head up the Criminal Assets Bureau (Cab). With a no-nonsense attitude and a point to prove, she must deal with the organisation’s old enemies once and for all.
Series one introduces viewers to the bureau and Detective Emer Berry, who must untangle an international conspiracy involving drugs, terrorism and corrupt corporate and political leaders. With explosive criminal danger and dodgy diamond deals, reveal Hidden Assets Series One & Two Box set to discover...
Discover More Hidden Assets with the highly anticipated return of this lauded, gritty Irish-Belgian Noir. The brand-new six-part second series sees acclaimed actress Nora-Jane Noone join the cast as DS Claire Wallace, an ambitious newcomer who’s brought in to head up the Criminal Assets Bureau (Cab). With a no-nonsense attitude and a point to prove, she must deal with the organisation’s old enemies once and for all.
Series one introduces viewers to the bureau and Detective Emer Berry, who must untangle an international conspiracy involving drugs, terrorism and corrupt corporate and political leaders. With explosive criminal danger and dodgy diamond deals, reveal Hidden Assets Series One & Two Box set to discover...
- 1/16/2024
- by Competitions
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Exec handled international sales for James Bond franchise as well as movies like Annie Hall, The Graduate and Platoon
Ernst Goldschmidt, the former head of international sales at United Artists and co-founder of Orion Pictures, has died aged 92.
Goldschmidt’s career in the film industry spanned over 50 years. He started in 1957 as a salesman with MGM in Zurich before joining United Artists (UA) in 1958 as general manager of its Swiss office, before taking the reins at UA/Germany.
He was promoted to European sales manager in Paris in 1968 and then named president of UA Europe two years later. UA relocated...
Ernst Goldschmidt, the former head of international sales at United Artists and co-founder of Orion Pictures, has died aged 92.
Goldschmidt’s career in the film industry spanned over 50 years. He started in 1957 as a salesman with MGM in Zurich before joining United Artists (UA) in 1958 as general manager of its Swiss office, before taking the reins at UA/Germany.
He was promoted to European sales manager in Paris in 1968 and then named president of UA Europe two years later. UA relocated...
- 1/4/2024
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
The character of Chief Miles O'Brien (Colm Meaney) first appeared as a background player in the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" pilot "Encounter at Farpoint" in 1987. Chief O'Brien was initially just an ancillary character who operated the transporters on the Enterprise-d, and who only passingly interacted with the show's main cast. As the series progressed, however, O'Brien's role became larger and larger, and he came to have his own backstories and relationship. O'Brien would eventually marry Keiko (Rosalind Chao) and have a daughter, and eventually reveal that he's suffering from some long-held war trauma. Ultimately, O'Brien appeared in 52 episodes of "Next Generation" before exiting in the show's sixth season.
The reason O'Brien left was because he had accepted a promotion. He was to become the chief engineer on a rundown Cardassian space station now designated Deep Space Nine by the Federation. Meaney, then, had signed on to be one of...
The reason O'Brien left was because he had accepted a promotion. He was to become the chief engineer on a rundown Cardassian space station now designated Deep Space Nine by the Federation. Meaney, then, had signed on to be one of...
- 12/27/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Flora and Son is a musical comedy-drama film written and directed by John Carney. The Apple TV+ film follows the story of Flora, a single mother trying to figure out how to keep her delinquent son away from illegal activities so that he doesn’t end up in jail. That’s when she finds a guitar and tries to make her son interested in music but when that doesn’t work out she starts learning the guitar herself. Flora and Son stars Eve Hewson, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Orén Kinlan, and Jack Reynor. So, if you loved the musical comedy-drama film here are some similar movies you could watch next.
Sing Street Credit: The Weinstein Company
Synopsis: In 1980s Dublin, 14-year-old Conor is looking for a break from a home strained by his parents’ relationship and money troubles, while trying to adjust to his new inner-city public school. He finds a glimmer...
Sing Street Credit: The Weinstein Company
Synopsis: In 1980s Dublin, 14-year-old Conor is looking for a break from a home strained by his parents’ relationship and money troubles, while trying to adjust to his new inner-city public school. He finds a glimmer...
- 9/26/2023
- by Kulwant Singh
- Cinema Blind
“The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” and “Choose Irvine Welsh” are among the world premieres at the 2023 Edinburgh International Film Festival (Eiff), the full program for which was unveiled on Thursday.
As previously announced, “Silent Roar” and “Fremont” will bookend the festival, which includes 24 feature films, five retrospective titles, five short film programs and an outdoor screening weekend with seven features.
A hybrid adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s iconic novella “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” Hope Dickson Leach’s film transposes the action from London to Victorian Edinburgh. Ian Jefferies’ “Choose Irvine Welsh” is a documentary about the renowned “Trainspotting” author and features his admirers including Iggy Pop, Martin Compston, Danny Boyle, Bobbie Gillespie, Gail Porter, Rowetta and Andrew Macdonald.
Other world premieres include debutant Janice Pugh’s Lgbtqia+ romance “Chuck Chuck Baby,” starring Louise Brealey (“Sherlock”) and Annabel Scholey (“The Split...
As previously announced, “Silent Roar” and “Fremont” will bookend the festival, which includes 24 feature films, five retrospective titles, five short film programs and an outdoor screening weekend with seven features.
A hybrid adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s iconic novella “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” Hope Dickson Leach’s film transposes the action from London to Victorian Edinburgh. Ian Jefferies’ “Choose Irvine Welsh” is a documentary about the renowned “Trainspotting” author and features his admirers including Iggy Pop, Martin Compston, Danny Boyle, Bobbie Gillespie, Gail Porter, Rowetta and Andrew Macdonald.
Other world premieres include debutant Janice Pugh’s Lgbtqia+ romance “Chuck Chuck Baby,” starring Louise Brealey (“Sherlock”) and Annabel Scholey (“The Split...
- 7/6/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Since breaking multiple records at the BAFTA Awards, many pundits are wondering how many trophies “All Quiet on the Western Front” can win at the Oscars. After surprising at the British ceremony with seven wins, the German war drama is the most awarded non-English film at the BAFTAs ever, breaking the previous record of “Cinema Paradiso,” which won five awards in 1991. The Netflix film also is the first to win the BAFTA for Best Film without receiving any of the top category nominations at the Golden Globes, the Critics’ Choice, the PGA, or the SAG Awards. But how many will it actually win come Oscar night? Since BAFTA is one of the biggest reliable precursors, let’s look at the categories it won that it is also up for at the Oscars and examine the odds of where it stands at possibly winning. (This excludes Best Director since Edward Berger...
- 3/8/2023
- by Christopher Tsang
- Gold Derby
Duncan Jones' 2009 sci-fi film "Moon" is about a lonesome miner named Sam (Sam Rockwell) who works a high-tech drilling facility on the titular heavenly body. In the future, Earth's oil resources have run out, and energy is produced by a new miracle fuel called Helium-3, which can only be found on the moon. The mining equipment is so advanced that the entire building can be run by one person. Sam is aided by an artificial intelligence named Gerty, voiced by Kevin Spacey. Sam misses his family and is growing weary. He even seems to be hallucinating, as he will occasionally see a strange hobo-like man stalking through the hallways.
After Sam experiences an accident while in a lunar rover and is knocked unconscious, he awakens back at base with no memory of his return. But Gerty is acting suspicious, holding secret conversations with home base back on Earth. Sam investigates...
After Sam experiences an accident while in a lunar rover and is knocked unconscious, he awakens back at base with no memory of his return. But Gerty is acting suspicious, holding secret conversations with home base back on Earth. Sam investigates...
- 10/11/2022
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
The source of this week’s other televised literary adaptation can’t claim the same global reach as “The Lord of the Rings,” but Sally Andrew’s Tannie Maria novels have proven reliable bestsellers in the author’s native South Africa since their 2015 debut. They now provide the basis of “Recipes for Love and Murder,” a South African-Scottish co-production that represents the daffiest addition yet to Acorn TV’s burgeoning portfolio of genial timepassers.
To some degree, this is formula fare with a capital F: mild comic, romantic and criminal misadventures in a picturesque setting. Watch enough of it, and you realize even individual scenes have their own formula. Find a cosy location, add light seasonings of plot and piano, and – lest anybody still feel too challenged – serve with a cutesy punchline, typically someone offering to put a kettle on somewhere. From its foundations up, it’s tea-break television.
Yet...
To some degree, this is formula fare with a capital F: mild comic, romantic and criminal misadventures in a picturesque setting. Watch enough of it, and you realize even individual scenes have their own formula. Find a cosy location, add light seasonings of plot and piano, and – lest anybody still feel too challenged – serve with a cutesy punchline, typically someone offering to put a kettle on somewhere. From its foundations up, it’s tea-break television.
Yet...
- 9/22/2022
- by Mike McCahill
- Variety Film + TV
When I caught up with the lovely Maria Kennedy Doyle to chat about her new role in Acorn TV's Recipes for Love and Murder, it was a gloriously warm day for us both.
Maria laughed that the people in Dublin didn't know what to do with themselves with so much sunshine, and the shops were cleaned out of sun cream.
While others might have been lamenting the unexpected heatwave, Maria was reveling in it as "an unexpected treasure."
Since Kennedy burst onto the scene with The Commitments in 1991, she's been a hot commodity in the industry. Her ability to make every role unique even when, on paper, they may seem similar is truly a gift.
That's not to say that Kennedy hasn't had a wide breadth of roles. From The Tudors to Dexter to Orphan Black, Kin, and Outlander, she makes the most of every character, and they're nearly all fan-favorites of any series.
Maria laughed that the people in Dublin didn't know what to do with themselves with so much sunshine, and the shops were cleaned out of sun cream.
While others might have been lamenting the unexpected heatwave, Maria was reveling in it as "an unexpected treasure."
Since Kennedy burst onto the scene with The Commitments in 1991, she's been a hot commodity in the industry. Her ability to make every role unique even when, on paper, they may seem similar is truly a gift.
That's not to say that Kennedy hasn't had a wide breadth of roles. From The Tudors to Dexter to Orphan Black, Kin, and Outlander, she makes the most of every character, and they're nearly all fan-favorites of any series.
- 9/3/2022
- by Carissa Pavlica
- TVfanatic
Variety has been given exclusive access to the first-look images from Neil Marshall’s action crime thriller “Duchess,” starring British actor Charlotte Kirk, who was linked to the downfall of two Hollywood moguls. Principal photography is in its third week on the movie, which is shooting in Tenerife.
The film is co-written by Marshall and Kirk, the creative duo behind “The Lair,” which opens London’s horror and fantasy film festival Frightfest next month.
Marshall’s credits include “Game of Thrones,” for which he received an Emmy nomination, “The Descent,” for which he won best director at the British Independent Film Awards, and, most recently, 2019’s “Hellboy” and 2020’s “The Reckoning,” which also starred and was co-written by Kirk.
Kirk became front-page news in Hollywood after her extramarital affairs with Kevin Tsujihara, at that time CEO of Warner Bros., and Ron Meyer, the then vice chairman of NBCUniversal, led to their dismissals.
The film is co-written by Marshall and Kirk, the creative duo behind “The Lair,” which opens London’s horror and fantasy film festival Frightfest next month.
Marshall’s credits include “Game of Thrones,” for which he received an Emmy nomination, “The Descent,” for which he won best director at the British Independent Film Awards, and, most recently, 2019’s “Hellboy” and 2020’s “The Reckoning,” which also starred and was co-written by Kirk.
Kirk became front-page news in Hollywood after her extramarital affairs with Kevin Tsujihara, at that time CEO of Warner Bros., and Ron Meyer, the then vice chairman of NBCUniversal, led to their dismissals.
- 7/26/2022
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Anyone who feels the Grammy Awards can be stodgy today might want to consider how far the show has come since the 1990s.
Not only was it an utterly abysmal time for fashion — The hair! The shoulder pads! The big, stiff suits! — but the music industry was riding the CD boom, which took profits to hitherto-unimagined heights and made hubris balloon even faster: The titans of the industry thought, as they often do, “We have made it, we’ll just keep doing exactly the same thing over and over and the masses will give us more and more money!” The sounds of the future — hip-hop, alternative, heavy metal — got obligatory new categories as a patronizing pat on the head for “the youngsters”. By the early 1990s, the Grammy voting body had become ever more out-of-touch, complacent, arrogant and, most of all, old.
This situation may have reached its lowest point...
Not only was it an utterly abysmal time for fashion — The hair! The shoulder pads! The big, stiff suits! — but the music industry was riding the CD boom, which took profits to hitherto-unimagined heights and made hubris balloon even faster: The titans of the industry thought, as they often do, “We have made it, we’ll just keep doing exactly the same thing over and over and the masses will give us more and more money!” The sounds of the future — hip-hop, alternative, heavy metal — got obligatory new categories as a patronizing pat on the head for “the youngsters”. By the early 1990s, the Grammy voting body had become ever more out-of-touch, complacent, arrogant and, most of all, old.
This situation may have reached its lowest point...
- 4/2/2022
- by Jem Aswad
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Myriad Pictures has licensed Irish comedy Deadly Cuts to Level 33 Entertainment for distribution in North America.
The company will release the film on March 17, 2022, to coincide with St. Patrick’s Day.
Written and directed by Irish director Rachel Carey, and filmed on location in Ireland, the dark comedy is set in a working-class hair salon where young stylists Stacey, Gemma, Chantelle, along with boss Michelle become accidental vigilantes and community heroes as they take on the gang members and gentrifiers threatening their community.
Starring are Angeline Ball (The Commitments), Victoria Smurfit (The Beach), Ericka Roe (Herself), Lauren Larkin, and Shauna Higgins (A Date for Mad Mary).
Additional deals have closed in Australia/New Zealand (Rialto Distribution), South Africa (Mnet), and Spain (Media Solution Partners).
Following its Ireland release on October 8th, the film ranked in third place on its opening weekend behind No Time To Die and The Addams Family 2.
The company will release the film on March 17, 2022, to coincide with St. Patrick’s Day.
Written and directed by Irish director Rachel Carey, and filmed on location in Ireland, the dark comedy is set in a working-class hair salon where young stylists Stacey, Gemma, Chantelle, along with boss Michelle become accidental vigilantes and community heroes as they take on the gang members and gentrifiers threatening their community.
Starring are Angeline Ball (The Commitments), Victoria Smurfit (The Beach), Ericka Roe (Herself), Lauren Larkin, and Shauna Higgins (A Date for Mad Mary).
Additional deals have closed in Australia/New Zealand (Rialto Distribution), South Africa (Mnet), and Spain (Media Solution Partners).
Following its Ireland release on October 8th, the film ranked in third place on its opening weekend behind No Time To Die and The Addams Family 2.
- 1/11/2022
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Starting this Thursday on AMC+, Maria Doyle Kennedy will be seen as Birdie Kinsella in the new Irish crime series, Kin.
Kennedy has been charming audiences since her debut in the movie The Commitments. Her television roles are downright iconic at this point, including her role as Queen Catherine of Aragon on The Tudors, Siobhan "S" Sadler on Orphan Black, and Jocasta Cameron on Outlander.
On Kin, she's Bridget "Birdie" Goggins, one of the sprawling Kinsella family, who run a Dublin drug syndicate.
We managed to catch a few minutes with her to talk about the show, which features a superb cast, including Charlie Cox, Aidan Gillen, Claire Dunne, Ciaran Hinds, and Emmett Scanlan.
There is another highly-acclaimed show set in Dublin about the drug trade, Love/Hate, but Kennedy says that it won't be difficult for Kin to make its own mark on the audience.
"The visuals are much different,...
Kennedy has been charming audiences since her debut in the movie The Commitments. Her television roles are downright iconic at this point, including her role as Queen Catherine of Aragon on The Tudors, Siobhan "S" Sadler on Orphan Black, and Jocasta Cameron on Outlander.
On Kin, she's Bridget "Birdie" Goggins, one of the sprawling Kinsella family, who run a Dublin drug syndicate.
We managed to catch a few minutes with her to talk about the show, which features a superb cast, including Charlie Cox, Aidan Gillen, Claire Dunne, Ciaran Hinds, and Emmett Scanlan.
There is another highly-acclaimed show set in Dublin about the drug trade, Love/Hate, but Kennedy says that it won't be difficult for Kin to make its own mark on the audience.
"The visuals are much different,...
- 9/7/2021
- by Carissa Pavlica
- TVfanatic
Wildcard Distribution distributes in Ireland, UK.
Heading into the Cannes virtual pre-screenings event next month, Los Angeles-based Myriad Pictures has picked up international rights excluding the UK and Ireland to Irish comedy Deadly Cuts.
Rachel Carey wrote and directed the film, a Dublin International Film Festival Discovery Awards recipient for breakthrough talent that closed the festival in March.
Deadly Cuts follows a working class hair salon where young stylists Stacey, Gemma, and Chantelle and their boss Michelle accidentally become vigilantes and community heroes when they challenge gang members and gentrifiers threatening their community.
Angeline Ball (The Commitments), Victoria Smurfit, Ericka Roe,...
Heading into the Cannes virtual pre-screenings event next month, Los Angeles-based Myriad Pictures has picked up international rights excluding the UK and Ireland to Irish comedy Deadly Cuts.
Rachel Carey wrote and directed the film, a Dublin International Film Festival Discovery Awards recipient for breakthrough talent that closed the festival in March.
Deadly Cuts follows a working class hair salon where young stylists Stacey, Gemma, and Chantelle and their boss Michelle accidentally become vigilantes and community heroes when they challenge gang members and gentrifiers threatening their community.
Angeline Ball (The Commitments), Victoria Smurfit, Ericka Roe,...
- 5/10/2021
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
It’s been 20 years since the BAFTA film awards shifted their place in the awards calendar, preceding the Academy Awards rather than following them a few months later.
It’s a change that has significantly altered how the British ceremony is perceived within the industry. What was once viewed as an isolated event, marked by particular, Anglocentric tastes that often diverged from those of AMPAS — the 1990s, for example, featured big wins for such local favorites as “The Full Monty,” “Four Weddings and a Funeral” and “The Commitments” — has grown into one of the most keenly scrutinized Oscar precursors.
That’s not to say you should place your Oscar bets on BAFTA’s say-so.
The British and American academies are still often on very different pages: It’s been seven years, in fact, since the two agreed on the year’s best film (Steve McQueen’s “12 Years a Slave...
It’s a change that has significantly altered how the British ceremony is perceived within the industry. What was once viewed as an isolated event, marked by particular, Anglocentric tastes that often diverged from those of AMPAS — the 1990s, for example, featured big wins for such local favorites as “The Full Monty,” “Four Weddings and a Funeral” and “The Commitments” — has grown into one of the most keenly scrutinized Oscar precursors.
That’s not to say you should place your Oscar bets on BAFTA’s say-so.
The British and American academies are still often on very different pages: It’s been seven years, in fact, since the two agreed on the year’s best film (Steve McQueen’s “12 Years a Slave...
- 4/8/2021
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
6 random things that happened on this day, March 17th, in Showbiz History. Happy Saint Patrick's Day!
1941 The National Gallery of Art opened in DC eighty years ago today.
1991 The 44th annual BAFTA Awards honoring the films of 1990 are held. Italy's Cinema Paradiso (which we were just discussing) is a huge hit winning 5 awards and Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas emerges triumphant with the top prize...
1941 The National Gallery of Art opened in DC eighty years ago today.
1991 The 44th annual BAFTA Awards honoring the films of 1990 are held. Italy's Cinema Paradiso (which we were just discussing) is a huge hit winning 5 awards and Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas emerges triumphant with the top prize...
- 3/17/2021
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Private St Patrick’s Day parties? The Cheltenham Festival behind closed doors? Surely there’s a movie in there somewhere. In the meantime, we thought we’d pay homage to Ireland’s cinematic contribution, an unsung hero of the entertainment world.
A is for Accents. Some have been entertaining, if a little dubious, over the years. Brad Pitt, the late Sean Connery, we’re looking at you…
B is for Brosnan. Pierce Brosnan. See what we did there?
C is for The Commitments. Starts with ‘T’, but Alan Parker‘s thoroughly enjoyable musical had to make an appearance somewhere, especially as it’s in the main pic above.
D is for Dublin. The Fair City has been the location for countless movies.
E is for Eejit. Possibly the most endearing insult going, and a word that’s a staple of many a film script.
F is for Folk music. Traditional...
A is for Accents. Some have been entertaining, if a little dubious, over the years. Brad Pitt, the late Sean Connery, we’re looking at you…
B is for Brosnan. Pierce Brosnan. See what we did there?
C is for The Commitments. Starts with ‘T’, but Alan Parker‘s thoroughly enjoyable musical had to make an appearance somewhere, especially as it’s in the main pic above.
D is for Dublin. The Fair City has been the location for countless movies.
E is for Eejit. Possibly the most endearing insult going, and a word that’s a staple of many a film script.
F is for Folk music. Traditional...
- 3/15/2021
- by Dan Green
- The Cultural Post
Roy Head, the rocker known for his 1965 smash “Treat Her Right,” died Monday at his home in Porter, Texas, family members reported. He was 79.
“Treat Her Right” reached No. 2 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the R&b chart in 1965; the rave-up was kept out of the top pop spot only by the Beatles’ “Yesterday.” The song was repopularized last year by Quentin Tarantino’s use of it for the credit sequence music in “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” It was also featured in the 1991 film “The Commitments.”
Wood found renewed renown as the father of Sundance Head, the winner of season 11 of “The Voice.” The younger Head sang “Treat Her Right” as a duet with his coach, Blake Shelton, on an episode of the show in 2016.
Billy Gibbons of Zz Top paid tribute to Head as a “rock ’n’ soul phenomenon who had been one of our early and continuing inspirations.
“Treat Her Right” reached No. 2 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the R&b chart in 1965; the rave-up was kept out of the top pop spot only by the Beatles’ “Yesterday.” The song was repopularized last year by Quentin Tarantino’s use of it for the credit sequence music in “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” It was also featured in the 1991 film “The Commitments.”
Wood found renewed renown as the father of Sundance Head, the winner of season 11 of “The Voice.” The younger Head sang “Treat Her Right” as a duet with his coach, Blake Shelton, on an episode of the show in 2016.
Billy Gibbons of Zz Top paid tribute to Head as a “rock ’n’ soul phenomenon who had been one of our early and continuing inspirations.
- 9/22/2020
- by Chris Willman
- Variety Film + TV
A working-class Londoner who started out in advertising, Parker knew how to play to the crowd but wasn’t afraid to take risks or challenge convention.
That was evident from his feature debut, Bugsy Malone, an inspired pastiche of Hollywood gangster films that saw Parker defy genre norms with the recruitment of an all-child cast wielding ‘Splurge’ guns firing whipped cream instead of bullets.
It was a decision that drew anger in some quarters with noted critic John Simon famously branding the film “an outrage” in New York Magazine.
“Wholesome youngsters have been duped into acting like adults,” he said, “stupid, brutal, criminal adults, at that.”
Bugsy Malone flopped in the US but Parker soon established himself stateside with Midnight Express and Fame, two box office hits and examples of Parker’s unrivalled versatility and habit of defying expectations.
In time, Bugsy Malone enjoyed critical reappraisal, emerging as a firm...
That was evident from his feature debut, Bugsy Malone, an inspired pastiche of Hollywood gangster films that saw Parker defy genre norms with the recruitment of an all-child cast wielding ‘Splurge’ guns firing whipped cream instead of bullets.
It was a decision that drew anger in some quarters with noted critic John Simon famously branding the film “an outrage” in New York Magazine.
“Wholesome youngsters have been duped into acting like adults,” he said, “stupid, brutal, criminal adults, at that.”
Bugsy Malone flopped in the US but Parker soon established himself stateside with Midnight Express and Fame, two box office hits and examples of Parker’s unrivalled versatility and habit of defying expectations.
In time, Bugsy Malone enjoyed critical reappraisal, emerging as a firm...
- 8/6/2020
- by Rosie Fletcher
- Den of Geek
Irish actor Colm Meaney reflects on his relationship with “Midnight Express” and “Evita” director Alan Parker, who died last week.
I first met Alan in 1990 when auditioning for “Come See the Paradise”, his remarkable and, I think, under-appreciated film about the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War Two. He was seated across a table, behind a camera, smoking and reading the part of the brother to the character I was reading for.
I remember thinking, “How can he judge what I’m doing when he’s so busy operating the camera, reading the other character and not burning his fingers?“ I later learned that this was Alan’s preferred way of watching a scene.
During takes, he always sat right beside the camera, as close to the lens as possible. It was almost like he wanted to be inside the scene to get a real sense of how it was going.
I first met Alan in 1990 when auditioning for “Come See the Paradise”, his remarkable and, I think, under-appreciated film about the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War Two. He was seated across a table, behind a camera, smoking and reading the part of the brother to the character I was reading for.
I remember thinking, “How can he judge what I’m doing when he’s so busy operating the camera, reading the other character and not burning his fingers?“ I later learned that this was Alan’s preferred way of watching a scene.
During takes, he always sat right beside the camera, as close to the lens as possible. It was almost like he wanted to be inside the scene to get a real sense of how it was going.
- 8/4/2020
- by Colm Meaney
- Variety Film + TV
UK filmmaker Alan Parker died aged 76 on Friday.
Tributes from across the industry have been paid to filmmaker Alan Parker, who died on Friday (July 31), aged 76.
Former colleagues talked warmly of Parker’s achievements as a filmmaker, his work for public bodies including the BFI and the UK Film Council, his loyalty to friends and his encouragement of young talent.
“Alan was my oldest and closest friend,” said producer David Puttman, Parker’s long-time collaborator with whom he first worked at Collett Dickenson Pearce (Cdp) in what was later called ‘the golden age of advertising’ in the 1960s. “I was...
Tributes from across the industry have been paid to filmmaker Alan Parker, who died on Friday (July 31), aged 76.
Former colleagues talked warmly of Parker’s achievements as a filmmaker, his work for public bodies including the BFI and the UK Film Council, his loyalty to friends and his encouragement of young talent.
“Alan was my oldest and closest friend,” said producer David Puttman, Parker’s long-time collaborator with whom he first worked at Collett Dickenson Pearce (Cdp) in what was later called ‘the golden age of advertising’ in the 1960s. “I was...
- 8/3/2020
- by 57¦Geoffrey Macnab¦41¦
- ScreenDaily
Alan Parker photographed by another legend, Terry O'Neill, in this press still for "Angel Heart" (1987).
Sir Alan Parker has died at age 76. The esteemed British filmmaker was known for making highly diverse, acclaimed films. He had received two Oscar nominations for Best Director, the first for "Midnight Express" and the other for "Mississippi Burning". Parker made his feature film directorial debut in 1975 with "Bugsy Malone", an offbeat and inspired send up of old gangster movies starring a cast comprised of child actors including Jodie Foster. His other films include "Fame", "The Commitments", "Pink Floyd- The Wall", "Shoot the Moon", "Angela's Ashes", "Evita", "Angel Heart" and "Birdy". Parker had not directed a film since "The Life of David Gale" in 2003. As news of his death broke, tributes were paid by his peers in the entertainment industry including Andrew Webber, David Putnam and Barbara Broccoli.
For more click here.
Sir Alan Parker has died at age 76. The esteemed British filmmaker was known for making highly diverse, acclaimed films. He had received two Oscar nominations for Best Director, the first for "Midnight Express" and the other for "Mississippi Burning". Parker made his feature film directorial debut in 1975 with "Bugsy Malone", an offbeat and inspired send up of old gangster movies starring a cast comprised of child actors including Jodie Foster. His other films include "Fame", "The Commitments", "Pink Floyd- The Wall", "Shoot the Moon", "Angela's Ashes", "Evita", "Angel Heart" and "Birdy". Parker had not directed a film since "The Life of David Gale" in 2003. As news of his death broke, tributes were paid by his peers in the entertainment industry including Andrew Webber, David Putnam and Barbara Broccoli.
For more click here.
- 8/1/2020
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
In the late 1970s, when Hollywood was in the middle of its most seismic transformation since the collapse of the studio system, there was a much-talked-about trend that seemed to fit all too snugly into the new world order. That was the arrival of hotshot British movie directors who had honed their craft in the rarefied world of English TV commercials.
At first there were two such transplants: Alan Parker and Ridley Scott. They were soon joined by Adrian Lyne (who made his first feature in 1980) and Scott’s younger brother, Tony Scott (who released his first major film in 1983). All four became players in the industry, and each developed his own style and brand and personality. Ridley Scott was the artiste of the group, crafting visionary sci-fi like “Alien” and “Blade Runner.” Adrian Lyne, director of “Foxes” and “Flashdance,” was the youth-culture maven, and Tony Scott, of “Top Gun” fame,...
At first there were two such transplants: Alan Parker and Ridley Scott. They were soon joined by Adrian Lyne (who made his first feature in 1980) and Scott’s younger brother, Tony Scott (who released his first major film in 1983). All four became players in the industry, and each developed his own style and brand and personality. Ridley Scott was the artiste of the group, crafting visionary sci-fi like “Alien” and “Blade Runner.” Adrian Lyne, director of “Foxes” and “Flashdance,” was the youth-culture maven, and Tony Scott, of “Top Gun” fame,...
- 7/31/2020
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
Actors and directors took to social media to pay tribute to British director Alan Parker, who died Friday. The filmmaker behind “Evita, “The Commitments” and “Bugsy Malone” was 76.
Parker’s first feature film was 1976’s “Bugsy Malone.” He directed over 25 films, and his last film was “The Life of David Gale” starring Kevin Spacey and Kate Winslet. Parker received two Oscar nominations, one for “Midnight Express” and “Mississippi Burning.”
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts wrote, “We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of BAFTA Fellow Alan Parker. As BAFTA-winning filmmaker, he brought us joy with Bugsy Malone, The Commitments, Midnight Express and many more.”
Andrew Lloyd Webber who remembered Parker for their collaboration on his adaptation of “Evita,” wrote, “Very sad to hear the news of Alan Parker’s death. My friend and collaborator on the Evita movie and one of the few directors to truly understand musicals on screen.
Parker’s first feature film was 1976’s “Bugsy Malone.” He directed over 25 films, and his last film was “The Life of David Gale” starring Kevin Spacey and Kate Winslet. Parker received two Oscar nominations, one for “Midnight Express” and “Mississippi Burning.”
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts wrote, “We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of BAFTA Fellow Alan Parker. As BAFTA-winning filmmaker, he brought us joy with Bugsy Malone, The Commitments, Midnight Express and many more.”
Andrew Lloyd Webber who remembered Parker for their collaboration on his adaptation of “Evita,” wrote, “Very sad to hear the news of Alan Parker’s death. My friend and collaborator on the Evita movie and one of the few directors to truly understand musicals on screen.
- 7/31/2020
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
Updated with latest reactions: Alan Parker, who died today at 76, was remembered Friday by colleagues and friends, with Andrew Lloyd Webber calling his Evita collaborator “one of the few directors to truly understand musicals on screen” and Matthew Modine, who starred in Parker’s 1984 drama Birdy, praising the director as a “great artist” who “transformed” the actor’s life.
And Rocketman director Dexter Fletcher explained the pivotal role Parker played in his life by casting the then-nine-year-old Fletcher as “Babyface” in 1975’s Bugsy Malone.
In a statement, Fletcher said:
Sir Alan inadvertently changed my life at the age of 9 when he stuck me at the end of a line of 30 kids, passing a baseball bat, all whilst saying ‘Give this to Babyface’. He told me to say something different on every take He generously made each moment unique and fun...
And Rocketman director Dexter Fletcher explained the pivotal role Parker played in his life by casting the then-nine-year-old Fletcher as “Babyface” in 1975’s Bugsy Malone.
In a statement, Fletcher said:
Sir Alan inadvertently changed my life at the age of 9 when he stuck me at the end of a line of 30 kids, passing a baseball bat, all whilst saying ‘Give this to Babyface’. He told me to say something different on every take He generously made each moment unique and fun...
- 7/31/2020
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Alan Parker is not one of the name auteurs you learn about in Film History 101. That’s partly because he wasn’t known for doing one thing. The working-class Londoner made his mark in the 70s with commercials and television before breaking out with period child-gangster musical “Bugsy Malone” (1976), starring Jodie Foster. He died Friday morning at age 76.
True story “Midnight Express” (1978) took viewers on a harrowing descent into Turkish prison hell (starring Brad Davis as Billy Hayes), established Oscar nominee Parker as a taut manipulator of suspense, and won Oscars for screenwriter Oliver Stone and composer Giorgio Moroder. In drama “Birdy” (1984), Matthew Modine and Nicolas Cage went on another unpredictable journey, from kids hanging in Philadelphia to soldiers fighting in Vietnam and finally, a grim hospital ward.
Always skilled at using music in his movies, from New York high-school musical “Fame” (1980) to Madonna vehicle “Evita” (1996), Parker became a stylish Hollywood director-for-hire.
True story “Midnight Express” (1978) took viewers on a harrowing descent into Turkish prison hell (starring Brad Davis as Billy Hayes), established Oscar nominee Parker as a taut manipulator of suspense, and won Oscars for screenwriter Oliver Stone and composer Giorgio Moroder. In drama “Birdy” (1984), Matthew Modine and Nicolas Cage went on another unpredictable journey, from kids hanging in Philadelphia to soldiers fighting in Vietnam and finally, a grim hospital ward.
Always skilled at using music in his movies, from New York high-school musical “Fame” (1980) to Madonna vehicle “Evita” (1996), Parker became a stylish Hollywood director-for-hire.
- 7/31/2020
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Innovative and acclaimed British director Alan Parker, died Friday, July 31, after a lengthy, but as yet undisclosed illness, according to Variety. He was 76.
Parker was nominated for two Best Director Oscars. One of those films was 1988’s Mississippi Burning, which highly dramatized the investigation of three murdered civil rights activists in 1964. The films starred Willem Dafoe and Gene Hackman, with the latter being nominated for Best Actor. Parker’s first Oscar nomination though came for the 1978 drama Midnight Express, another film based on true events. Oliver Stone won his first Oscar for the screenplay, which focused on Billy Hayes, who escaped a Turkish prison after being convicted of trying to smuggle hashish out of the country. Giorgio Moroder also won his first Oscar for composing the music. It was Parker’s second feature, and it was vastly different from his debut.
Alan Parker had a special connection with music. He...
Parker was nominated for two Best Director Oscars. One of those films was 1988’s Mississippi Burning, which highly dramatized the investigation of three murdered civil rights activists in 1964. The films starred Willem Dafoe and Gene Hackman, with the latter being nominated for Best Actor. Parker’s first Oscar nomination though came for the 1978 drama Midnight Express, another film based on true events. Oliver Stone won his first Oscar for the screenplay, which focused on Billy Hayes, who escaped a Turkish prison after being convicted of trying to smuggle hashish out of the country. Giorgio Moroder also won his first Oscar for composing the music. It was Parker’s second feature, and it was vastly different from his debut.
Alan Parker had a special connection with music. He...
- 7/31/2020
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of BAFTA Fellow Alan Parker. As BAFTA-winning filmmaker, he brought us joy with Bugsy Malone, The Commitments, Midnight Express and many more. pic.twitter.com/fVOcXARgKM
— BAFTA (@BAFTA) July 31, 2020
Midnight Express director Sir Alan Parker has died, aged 76.
The filmmaker, whose hits included Mississippi Burning, Fame, The Commitments and Bugsy Malone saw his work collect ten Oscars, ten Golden Globes and 19 BAFTAs across his career, although he didn't win a Best Director Oscar despite being nominated twice.
He is survived by his wife Lisa Moran-Parker, five children and seven grandchildren.
Among those leading the tributes, was BAFTA, which wrote on Twitter: "We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of BAFTA Fellow Alan Parker."
The Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts and Sciences also wrote: "From Fame to Midnight Express, two-time Oscar nominee Alan...
— BAFTA (@BAFTA) July 31, 2020
Midnight Express director Sir Alan Parker has died, aged 76.
The filmmaker, whose hits included Mississippi Burning, Fame, The Commitments and Bugsy Malone saw his work collect ten Oscars, ten Golden Globes and 19 BAFTAs across his career, although he didn't win a Best Director Oscar despite being nominated twice.
He is survived by his wife Lisa Moran-Parker, five children and seven grandchildren.
Among those leading the tributes, was BAFTA, which wrote on Twitter: "We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of BAFTA Fellow Alan Parker."
The Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts and Sciences also wrote: "From Fame to Midnight Express, two-time Oscar nominee Alan...
- 7/31/2020
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
British director Sir Alan Parker — whose vast filmography included gangster flicks, musical projects, crime thrillers and comedies — has died, Variety reports. He was 76.
The British Film Institute confirmed Parker’s death Friday morning. An exact cause wasn’t given, but he reportedly died after a long illness.
We're deeply saddened to learn that British filmmaker Alan Parker passed away this morning. Also a former Chairman of the BFI, his works as director include Midnight Express, The Commitments and Angela's Ashes https://t.co/wuBtJvHG1b pic.twitter.com/TDEqyxWgWb
— BFI (@BFI) July 31, 2020
Over three decades,...
The British Film Institute confirmed Parker’s death Friday morning. An exact cause wasn’t given, but he reportedly died after a long illness.
We're deeply saddened to learn that British filmmaker Alan Parker passed away this morning. Also a former Chairman of the BFI, his works as director include Midnight Express, The Commitments and Angela's Ashes https://t.co/wuBtJvHG1b pic.twitter.com/TDEqyxWgWb
— BFI (@BFI) July 31, 2020
Over three decades,...
- 7/31/2020
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
Alan Parker, the Oscar-nominated English filmmaker whose diverse line-up of credits include Bugsy Malone, Midnight Express, Pink Floyd: The Wall, Angel Heart, Mississippi Burning, The Commitments, Evita, and Angela’s Ashes, has passed away following a long illness. He was 76 years old. Born on February 14, 1944 in Islington, North London, Parker began his career […]
The post Alan Parker, Director of ‘Midnight Express,’ ‘Mississippi Burning’ and ‘Bugsy Malone,’ Dead at 76 appeared first on /Film.
The post Alan Parker, Director of ‘Midnight Express,’ ‘Mississippi Burning’ and ‘Bugsy Malone,’ Dead at 76 appeared first on /Film.
- 7/31/2020
- by Jacob Hall
- Slash Film
Sir Alan Parker, a British director known for “Evita,” “Mississippi Burning,” “Midnight Express” and “The Commitments,” has died, an individual with knowledge of his passing told TheWrap. He was 76.
Parker died on Friday after a long battle with an illness.
Parker was a two-time Oscar nominee for directing both “Midnight Express” and the racial drama “Mississippi Burning.”
Among some of Parker’s other iconic credits include “Bugsy Malone,” “Fame,” “Pink Floyd: The Wall,” “Angel Heart,” “Angela’s Ashes” and most recently “The Life of David Gale” in 2003.
Also Read: Olivia de Havilland, Last Survivor of 'Gone With the Wind,' Dies at 104
Parker received the Cbe in 1995 and was knighted in 2002. He’s also a founding member of the Director’s Guild in Britain and was also the chairman of the UK Film Council.
Parker got his start directing TV commercials in the late ’60s and early ’70s, coming up...
Parker died on Friday after a long battle with an illness.
Parker was a two-time Oscar nominee for directing both “Midnight Express” and the racial drama “Mississippi Burning.”
Among some of Parker’s other iconic credits include “Bugsy Malone,” “Fame,” “Pink Floyd: The Wall,” “Angel Heart,” “Angela’s Ashes” and most recently “The Life of David Gale” in 2003.
Also Read: Olivia de Havilland, Last Survivor of 'Gone With the Wind,' Dies at 104
Parker received the Cbe in 1995 and was knighted in 2002. He’s also a founding member of the Director’s Guild in Britain and was also the chairman of the UK Film Council.
Parker got his start directing TV commercials in the late ’60s and early ’70s, coming up...
- 7/31/2020
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Alan Parker, an English movie director with an exceptionally wide-ranging oeuvre ranging from “Bugsy Malone” to “Evita,” from “Midnight Express” to “The Road to Wellville,” has died. He was 76.
The British Film Institute confirmed Parker’s death on Friday, noting he died after a long illness.
Parker was twice Oscar-nominated for best director, for 1978’s “Midnight Express” and for 1988’s Mississippi Burning.” While the director’s subject matter was eclectic, he did return frequently to the musical form: His films “Bugsy Malone,” “Fame,” “Pink Floyd the Wall,” “The Commitments” and “Evita” were all musicals or had strong musical elements in one form or another.
Parker’s first feature film, 1976’s “Bugsy Malone,” made a considerable splash for an audacious concept that worked only because everyone kept a straight face. The film was a Depression-era gangster musical cast entirely with children, the oldest perhaps 15. These included Jodie Foster and Scott Baio.
The British Film Institute confirmed Parker’s death on Friday, noting he died after a long illness.
Parker was twice Oscar-nominated for best director, for 1978’s “Midnight Express” and for 1988’s Mississippi Burning.” While the director’s subject matter was eclectic, he did return frequently to the musical form: His films “Bugsy Malone,” “Fame,” “Pink Floyd the Wall,” “The Commitments” and “Evita” were all musicals or had strong musical elements in one form or another.
Parker’s first feature film, 1976’s “Bugsy Malone,” made a considerable splash for an audacious concept that worked only because everyone kept a straight face. The film was a Depression-era gangster musical cast entirely with children, the oldest perhaps 15. These included Jodie Foster and Scott Baio.
- 7/31/2020
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
Director who first made his mark in the 1970s and had later hits including Fame and The Commitments, became the chair of the UK Film Council
Alan Parker, the British director behind a string of hits including Midnight Express, Bugsy Malone, and The Commitments, has died aged 76.
The news was announced by a representative, who said he had died on Friday “after a lengthy illness”.
Alan Parker, the British director behind a string of hits including Midnight Express, Bugsy Malone, and The Commitments, has died aged 76.
The news was announced by a representative, who said he had died on Friday “after a lengthy illness”.
- 7/31/2020
- by Andrew Pulver
- The Guardian - Film News
Acclaimed UK director Alan Parker, a towering figure in the UK industry, passed away this morning following a lengthy illness, the British Film Institute has confirmed.
Two-time Oscar nominee Parker was best known for directing classic films including Bugsy Malone, Midnight Express, Mississippi Burning and The Commitments, as well as big-budget Madonna movie Evita.
Parker was a passionate supporter of the UK film industry and a founding member of the Directors Guild of Great Britain. He was the founding Chairman of the UK Film Council in 2000, a position he held for five years, and prior to that he was Chairman of the BFI. He received a Cbe in 1995 and a knighthood in 2002. He was also an Officier des Arts et Letters (France).
Parker was born in Islington, London, February 14, 1944. He began his career in advertising as a copywriter but quickly graduated to writing and directing commercials. By the late 1960s...
Two-time Oscar nominee Parker was best known for directing classic films including Bugsy Malone, Midnight Express, Mississippi Burning and The Commitments, as well as big-budget Madonna movie Evita.
Parker was a passionate supporter of the UK film industry and a founding member of the Directors Guild of Great Britain. He was the founding Chairman of the UK Film Council in 2000, a position he held for five years, and prior to that he was Chairman of the BFI. He received a Cbe in 1995 and a knighthood in 2002. He was also an Officier des Arts et Letters (France).
Parker was born in Islington, London, February 14, 1944. He began his career in advertising as a copywriter but quickly graduated to writing and directing commercials. By the late 1960s...
- 7/31/2020
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
His body of work includes Bugsy Malone, Midnight Express, Mississippi Burning, The Commitments, Evita, Fame, Birdy, Angel Heart and Angela’s Ashes.
Acclaimed UK filmmaker Alan Parker died this morning (July 31) following a lengthy illness.
Parker was one of the UK’s most acclaimed and successful filmmakers, with a body of work including Bugsy Malone, Midnight Express, Mississippi Burning, The Commitments, Evita, Fame, Birdy, Angel Heart and Angela’s Ashes. His films won a combined 19 Baftas, 10 Golden Globes and 10 Oscars.
Parker was a passionate supporter of the UK film industry and was a founding member of the Directors Guild of Great Britain,...
Acclaimed UK filmmaker Alan Parker died this morning (July 31) following a lengthy illness.
Parker was one of the UK’s most acclaimed and successful filmmakers, with a body of work including Bugsy Malone, Midnight Express, Mississippi Burning, The Commitments, Evita, Fame, Birdy, Angel Heart and Angela’s Ashes. His films won a combined 19 Baftas, 10 Golden Globes and 10 Oscars.
Parker was a passionate supporter of the UK film industry and was a founding member of the Directors Guild of Great Britain,...
- 7/31/2020
- by 14¦Screen staff¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
Alan Parker, the versatile British writer-director and two-time Oscar nominee who came from the world of commercials to make such features as Fame, The Commitments, Midnight Express and Mississippi Burning, has died. He was 76.
Parker died Friday in London following a lengthy illness, the British Film Institute said.
With his range of eclectic movies — many ending on a downbeat note — Parker was fluent in several genres. "I like to do different things each time" as a way to stay creatively fresh, he said. He received the British film industry's highest honor, the Academy Fellowship, in ...
Parker died Friday in London following a lengthy illness, the British Film Institute said.
With his range of eclectic movies — many ending on a downbeat note — Parker was fluent in several genres. "I like to do different things each time" as a way to stay creatively fresh, he said. He received the British film industry's highest honor, the Academy Fellowship, in ...
- 7/31/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Alan Parker, the versatile British writer-director and two-time Oscar nominee who came from the world of commercials to make such features as Fame, The Commitments, Midnight Express and Mississippi Burning, has died. He was 76.
Parker died Friday in London following a lengthy illness, the British Film Institute said.
With his range of eclectic movies — many ending on a downbeat note — Parker was fluent in several genres. "I like to do different things each time" as a way to stay creatively fresh, he said. He received the British film industry's highest honor, the Academy Fellowship, in ...
Parker died Friday in London following a lengthy illness, the British Film Institute said.
With his range of eclectic movies — many ending on a downbeat note — Parker was fluent in several genres. "I like to do different things each time" as a way to stay creatively fresh, he said. He received the British film industry's highest honor, the Academy Fellowship, in ...
- 7/31/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Helping you stay sane while staying safe… featuring Leonard Maltin, Dave Anthony, Miguel Arteta, John Landis, and Blaire Bercy from the Hollywood Food Coalition.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Plague (1979)
Target Earth (1954)
The Left Hand of God (1955)
A Lost Lady (1934)
Enough Said (2013)
Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941)
Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (1939)
Heaven Can Wait (1978)
Down to Earth (2001)
Down To Earth (1947)
The Commitments (1991)
Once (2007)
Election (1999)
About Schmidt (2002)
Sideways (2004)
Nebraska (2013)
The Man in the Moon (1991)
The 39 Steps (1935)
Casablanca (1942)
The Lady Vanishes (1938)
The Night Walker (1964)
Chuck and Buck (2000)
Cedar Rapids (2011)
Beatriz at Dinner (2017)
Duck Butter (2018)
The Good Girl (2002)
The Big Heat (1953)
Human Desire (1954)
Slightly French (1949)
Week-End with Father (1951)
Experiment In Terror (1962)
They Shoot Horses Don’t They? (1969)
Ray’s Male Heterosexual Dance Hall (1987)
Airport (1970)
Earthquake (1974)
Drive a Crooked Road (1954)
Pushover (1954)
Waves (2019)
Krisha (2015)
The Oblong Box (1969)
80,000 Suspects (1963)
Panic In The Streets (1950)
It Comes At Night (2017)
Children of Men (2006)
The Road (2009)
You Were Never Really Here...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Plague (1979)
Target Earth (1954)
The Left Hand of God (1955)
A Lost Lady (1934)
Enough Said (2013)
Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941)
Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (1939)
Heaven Can Wait (1978)
Down to Earth (2001)
Down To Earth (1947)
The Commitments (1991)
Once (2007)
Election (1999)
About Schmidt (2002)
Sideways (2004)
Nebraska (2013)
The Man in the Moon (1991)
The 39 Steps (1935)
Casablanca (1942)
The Lady Vanishes (1938)
The Night Walker (1964)
Chuck and Buck (2000)
Cedar Rapids (2011)
Beatriz at Dinner (2017)
Duck Butter (2018)
The Good Girl (2002)
The Big Heat (1953)
Human Desire (1954)
Slightly French (1949)
Week-End with Father (1951)
Experiment In Terror (1962)
They Shoot Horses Don’t They? (1969)
Ray’s Male Heterosexual Dance Hall (1987)
Airport (1970)
Earthquake (1974)
Drive a Crooked Road (1954)
Pushover (1954)
Waves (2019)
Krisha (2015)
The Oblong Box (1969)
80,000 Suspects (1963)
Panic In The Streets (1950)
It Comes At Night (2017)
Children of Men (2006)
The Road (2009)
You Were Never Really Here...
- 5/1/2020
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
The Irish have put up with a lot of bullshit over the years. There’s England. The Troubles. The kittening of the Celtic Tiger. Enya. It’s not been an easy history. And black people, those living in mostly white countries anyway, they’ve put up with a whole bunch of bullshit, too. So if we pretend there’s an iota of depressing truth being bandied about when, in Roddy Doyle’s novel The Commitments, the irrepressible yet wee bit naïve protagonist Jimmy says that the Irish are the blacks of Europe,...
- 3/17/2020
- by David Marchese
- Rollingstone.com
Master filmmaker Alan Parker's career, which spanned three decades, includes a number of classic films in genres spreading from prison dramas (Midnight Express) to comedies (The Commitments).
Mixed in among his classics is Angel Heart, a 1987 mystery starring Mickey Rourke as Harry Angel, a private investigator hired by Louis Cyphre, a creepy Robert De Niro, to track down a singer who has disappeared. The case takes a sour turn as anyone with clues or information about the missing singer starts to turn up dead.
Michael Higgins, Charlotte Rampling and Lisa Bonet also star.
Co-written by Parker and Legend writer William Hjortsberg, Angel Heart features overtones of the supernatural and perhaps even a touch of horror; I say perhaps...
Mixed in among his classics is Angel Heart, a 1987 mystery starring Mickey Rourke as Harry Angel, a private investigator hired by Louis Cyphre, a creepy Robert De Niro, to track down a singer who has disappeared. The case takes a sour turn as anyone with clues or information about the missing singer starts to turn up dead.
Michael Higgins, Charlotte Rampling and Lisa Bonet also star.
Co-written by Parker and Legend writer William Hjortsberg, Angel Heart features overtones of the supernatural and perhaps even a touch of horror; I say perhaps...
- 8/9/2019
- QuietEarth.us
Way back in the 20th century, the BAFTAs, which take place Feb. 10, occupied a shifting, uncertain place in the film awards calendar. For much of the 1990s, they acted as a kind of after-party to the long, strenuous haul of Oscar season: taking place a few weeks after the big day in L.A., they were cheerfully divorced from the pressures and rigors of Academy Awards campaigning. And while they preceded the Oscars for years before then, they were seen as very much their own ball game — prestigious, yes, but hardly an essential red-carpet pit stop for Oscar contenders with their eyes on the American prize.
There was occasional overlap between the British Academy and the Oscars, of course, not least when a U.K. film became a crossover hit: It’s hardly a surprise that tony productions from “Lawrence of Arabia” to “Chariots of Fire” to “Shakespeare in Love...
There was occasional overlap between the British Academy and the Oscars, of course, not least when a U.K. film became a crossover hit: It’s hardly a surprise that tony productions from “Lawrence of Arabia” to “Chariots of Fire” to “Shakespeare in Love...
- 2/8/2019
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
After becoming the 13th person to win two Directors Guild of America Awards, Alfonso Cuaron is poised to join an even more exclusive group: two-time Best Director BAFTA winners.
The “Roma” director is our odds-on favorite to take home the prize at Sunday’s ceremony, with 31/10 odds over Yorgos Lanthimos (“The Favourite”), Spike Lee (“BlacKkKlansman”), Bradley Cooper (“A Star Is Born”) and Pawel Pawlikowski (“Cold War”). He previously won for his direction of “Gravity” (2013), for which he also won the Oscar.
Only eight people have double Best Director BAFTA Awards, the most wins in the category. The most recent to join this club was Joel Coen, who took home his second statuette for “No Country for Old Men” (2007) to go with his win for “Fargo” (1996).
See DGA Awards: Complete winners list in all 11 categories
None of the eight two-time champs have gone on to win the Oscar for both films.
The “Roma” director is our odds-on favorite to take home the prize at Sunday’s ceremony, with 31/10 odds over Yorgos Lanthimos (“The Favourite”), Spike Lee (“BlacKkKlansman”), Bradley Cooper (“A Star Is Born”) and Pawel Pawlikowski (“Cold War”). He previously won for his direction of “Gravity” (2013), for which he also won the Oscar.
Only eight people have double Best Director BAFTA Awards, the most wins in the category. The most recent to join this club was Joel Coen, who took home his second statuette for “No Country for Old Men” (2007) to go with his win for “Fargo” (1996).
See DGA Awards: Complete winners list in all 11 categories
None of the eight two-time champs have gone on to win the Oscar for both films.
- 2/8/2019
- by Joyce Eng
- Gold Derby
“The Favourite” reaped a leading 12 nominations for the BAFTA Awards. Among these are bids for both Best Picture and Best British Film. But these two categories could cancel each other out in the minds of the BAFTA voters. Since the British academy reintroduced Best British Film in 1992, separate from the top award for Best Picture, only two movies have won both races.
“The King’s Speech” was the first film to pull off this double act at the BAFTAs in 2010 and it went on to win Best Picture at the Oscars. Last year, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” repeated this feat on home turf but lost the top Oscar race to “The Shape of Water.”
For Best Picture, “The Favourite” is up against two seven-time nominees — “Roma” and “A Star is Born” — as well as five-time contender “BlacKkKlansman” and four-time nominee “Green Book.” Its rivals for Best British Film are seven-time nominee “Bohemian Rhapsody,...
“The King’s Speech” was the first film to pull off this double act at the BAFTAs in 2010 and it went on to win Best Picture at the Oscars. Last year, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” repeated this feat on home turf but lost the top Oscar race to “The Shape of Water.”
For Best Picture, “The Favourite” is up against two seven-time nominees — “Roma” and “A Star is Born” — as well as five-time contender “BlacKkKlansman” and four-time nominee “Green Book.” Its rivals for Best British Film are seven-time nominee “Bohemian Rhapsody,...
- 2/6/2019
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
The new season of Outlander is almost upon us, and that means more sneak peeks and more info trickling out about what we can expect when the show returns on Sunday, Nov. 4. Among the new characters who will debut in the fourth season is Jocasta Cameron, Jamie's aunt who lives in America. If you've seen the promos and recognize the actress playing Jocasta, there's a pretty good reason: Irish actress Maria Doyle Kennedy has had some absolutely indelible roles over the course of her lengthy career.
Doyle Kennedy didn't start her career as an actress - she was a musician first. She joined her first band while in college in the late 1980s and achieved international success both as part of The Black Velvet Band and as a solo artist. During her time with the band, she met her husband, Kieran Kennedy.
In 1991, Doyle Kennedy made her acting debut in the musical dramedy The Commitments.
Doyle Kennedy didn't start her career as an actress - she was a musician first. She joined her first band while in college in the late 1980s and achieved international success both as part of The Black Velvet Band and as a solo artist. During her time with the band, she met her husband, Kieran Kennedy.
In 1991, Doyle Kennedy made her acting debut in the musical dramedy The Commitments.
- 11/3/2018
- by Amanda Prahl
- Popsugar.com
Variety has been given the exclusive first-look image for coming-of-age comedy “How to Build a Girl,” which Protagonist Pictures is selling at Afm.
The movie is directed by Coky Giedroyc, and stars “Lady Bird’s” Beanie Feldstein, Alfie Allen, best known for “Game of Thrones,” Paddy Considine and Sarah Solemani. Adapted by Caitlin Moran from her semi-autobiographical novel, it is set in 1993 and centers on a “fat, bright, funny” working-class 16-year-old girl trying to break free from her provincial town in England, and reinvent herself as a “swashbuckling top-hat-wearing rock critic” in London.
Other cast in the film include Laurie Kynaston, Joanna Scanlan, Arinzé Kene, Frank Dillane, Tadhg Murphy and Ziggy Heath. Emma Thompson and Chris O’Dowd have cameo roles.
Produced by Alison Owen and Debra Hayward at Monumental Pictures, the pic was co-developed by Film4, which is co-financing with Tango. Lionsgate will distribute in the U.K.
Protagonist,...
The movie is directed by Coky Giedroyc, and stars “Lady Bird’s” Beanie Feldstein, Alfie Allen, best known for “Game of Thrones,” Paddy Considine and Sarah Solemani. Adapted by Caitlin Moran from her semi-autobiographical novel, it is set in 1993 and centers on a “fat, bright, funny” working-class 16-year-old girl trying to break free from her provincial town in England, and reinvent herself as a “swashbuckling top-hat-wearing rock critic” in London.
Other cast in the film include Laurie Kynaston, Joanna Scanlan, Arinzé Kene, Frank Dillane, Tadhg Murphy and Ziggy Heath. Emma Thompson and Chris O’Dowd have cameo roles.
Produced by Alison Owen and Debra Hayward at Monumental Pictures, the pic was co-developed by Film4, which is co-financing with Tango. Lionsgate will distribute in the U.K.
Protagonist,...
- 10/31/2018
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
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