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In the upcoming episode of “The Repair Shop,” airing on Wednesday, March 19, 2025, at 9:00 Pm on BBC One, the talented team faces an exciting challenge. They will work on a suit of armour that once belonged to the renowned actor Joss Ackland. This unique piece has a rich history, and the experts are eager to breathe new life into it. Viewers can expect to see the careful techniques and creative solutions the team employs to restore this impressive artifact to its former glory.

Additionally, the episode features the restoration of a pair of line dancing boots. This task will put the experts’ skills and rhythm to the test. The team will not only focus on the physical repairs but also on capturing the spirit of the boots, which hold sentimental value for their owner. As they tackle these two diverse projects, the episode promises to showcase the passion and dedication...

Although there is a fourth movie connected to The Godfather trilogy, there is a reason that viewers have rarely heard of 1987’s The Sicilian. The Godfather trilogy is often listed among the greatest movies of all time, even though director Francis Ford Coppola’s final installment is generally viewed as a letdown. Coppola’s first two Godfather movies were so influential and acclaimed that the series as a whole is typically viewed as a vital piece of cinematic history, and even The Godfather Part 3 is better than critics gave the belated sequel credit for upon its original release.

Related Why Fredo Betrayed Michael In The Godfather Part II

The Godfather Part II's ending centers on the tragic fallout of Fredo betraying Michael Corleone, but why did Fredo almost get his brother killed?

As such, it might seem surprising that The Godfather Part 4 never happened. While some cast members were arguably...

One of the original Mighty Ducks stars has returned to suit up again in new nostalgic photos. The Mighty Ducks is a 1992 comedy about an underdog hockey team that is coached by a lawyer who is forced to do community service. The Mighty Ducks was directed by Stephen Herek and featured a leading cast including Emilio Estevez, Joss Ackland, Lane Smith, Heidi King, Josef Sommer, Joshua Jackson, Elden Henson, and Shaun Weiss. The film had two follow-up sequels, with D2: The Mighty Ducks in 1994 and D3: The Mighty Ducks in 1996.

Now, a post from Weiss gives a nostalgic look at The Mighty Ducks. In the images, Weiss wears his hockey jersey and helmet, and in the last shot, he is in the rink again. He gives a shocked expression to the camera in the selfie image. In his nostalgic caption, Weiss wrote "Last time I skated was the final day...

Some famous movies originally had plot twists that would have ruined the story. Horror movies considered ending with the main character's unnecessary death, but decided to let them survive. Plot twists should make sense for the bigger story, not just be included for the sake of surprise.

Several of cinema's most famous movies originally included plot twists that would have destroyed the story. They were too convoluted, too cloying, or distracted from the rest of an otherwise great movie. If anything can be learned from Game of Thrones' final season, it's that plot twists shouldn't be included just for the sake of surprising the audience – they need to make sense for the bigger story.

Some horror movies originally ended with the twist of the main character unnecessarily dying. Directors thankfully decided to let them survive, bringing some levity to movies that already manage to convey a dark tone. Other canceled...

Veteran British actor known for his many and varied film, TV and stage roles in a career that spanned more than 70 years

There was something grand, large, embracing about the actor Joss Ackland, who has died aged 95. He was a fixture in British films for several decades and a stalwart of the Old Vic, the Royal Shakespeare Company – he played Falstaff in the opening RSC production of Henry IV, Parts One and Two, in the new Barbican Centre in 1982 – and the West End stage.

He appeared in more than 100 films, and countless TV plays and series, usually, in later years, white-haired and bearded, but always with energy and force, whether as the cuckolded husband, Jock Delves Broughton, in Michael Radford’s White Mischief (1987) with Greta Scacchi and Charles Dance, or as the drug-running heavy in Lethal Weapon 2 (1989) with Mel Gibson and Danny Glover.

Veteran British actor Joss Ackland, best known for his roles in the films Lethal Weapon 2 and White Mischief, has died. He was 95. Ackland passed on Sunday, November 19, with his representative, Paul Pearson, confirming the death. “Joss was a long-term client and great friend who remained lucid, erudite and mischievous to the very end. He died peacefully with his family this morning,” Pearson said in a statement. Born on February 29, 1928, in London, England, Ackland trained at London’s Central School of Speech and Drama before making his professional stage debut at 17 years old, starring in the 1945 production of The Hasty Heart. He became a regular at the Old Vic Theatre, appearing alongside the likes of Maggie Smith, Judi Dench, and Tom Courtenay. Ackland starred in several British television shows throughout the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, including opposite Alec Guinness in the 1979 adaptation of Tinker Sailor Soldier Spy. He also appeared...

Joss Ackland Photo: UniFrance Stage, screen and television star Joss Ackland has died at the age of 95.

A statement said that the star, whose credits include everything from Watership Down to A Zed & Two Noughts and Bill And Ted's Bogus Journey, died peacefully.

It added: “With his distinctive voice and commanding presence, Ackland brought a unique intensity and gravitas to his roles.”

“He will be remembered as one of Britain’s most talented and beloved actors.”

The London-born star began his film career in 1950 in Seven Days To Noon and work right up until recent years.

Among those paying tribute on social media was singer Elaine Paige.

She tweeted: "So very sad to hear actor Joss Ackland, who created the role of Juan Perón alongside me as Eva Perón in [the] original production of Evita, has died. A brilliant actor and a simply wonderful person. So kind & supportive. Rip dear Joss.

Joss Ackland, a veteran character actor known for his work on stage as well as screens big and small, has died. Ackland was 95 and familiar to film fans for the likes of Lethal Weapon 2, Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey, The Hunt For Red October. "It is with great sadness that I can confirm the passing of my great friend and long-term client Joss Ackland," :a[the actor's manager Paul Pearson told The Wrap]{href='https://www.thewrap.com/joss-ackland-lethal-weapon-2-actor-dies-at-95/' }. "He died of old age this morning with his family around. He was lucid, erudite, and mischievous to the end. I loved him deeply and for me, he is the reason we have the word magnificent in the dictionary."

Ackland was born in Ladbroke Grove, London on 29 February 1928. He studied at the Central School of Speech and Drama and made his stage debut at the age of 17 in a production of The Hasty Heart.

Joss Ackland, the British actor known for Lethal Weapon 2, Mighty Ducks and White Mischief, has died. He was 95.

Ackland died peacefully of old age, surrounded by his family Sunday morning, his longtime rep and friend Paul Pearson told The Hollywood Reporter. “He was lucid, erudite and mischievous to the end,” the rep added. “I loved him deeply, and, for me, he is the reason we have the word Magnificent in the dictionary.”

The actor was described as a “beloved father,” in a family statement obtained by BBC. It read, “With his distinctive voice and commanding presence, Ackland brought a unique intensity and gravitas to his role. He will be remembered as one of Britain’s most talented and beloved actors.”

In addition to his film roles in Lethal Weapon 2, Mighty Ducks and White Mischief, Ackland was known for parts in The Hunt for Red October, Daisies in December...

Joss Ackland, a familiar face to eighties and nineties movie fans, is dead at 95. According to Variety, the actor died of natural causes. Famous for playing the loathsome South African villain in Lethal Weapon 2, Ackland had a long and distinguished career in film, TV and on-stage. Arguably, his most memorable screen moment came at the climax of Lethal Weapon 2 when, after pumping Mel Gibson’s Riggs full of bullets, he taunts Danny Glover’s Murtagh by boasting “diplomatic immunity,” to which Murtagh, in a crowd-pleasing moment, cocks his head and blows the bad guy away.

Ackland also made for a memorable bad guy in Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey, where he played the villain, De Nomolos. He was also in The Hunt for Red October, K-19: The Widowmaker, and played Emilio Esteves’s kindly former coach in The Mighty Ducks. He also famously appeared in the Pet Shop...

British actor Joss Ackland has died at the age of 95, his family said in a statement. No cause or location were given.

The stage and screen actor had been in more than 100 movies and TV series, among them the films White Mischief and 1989’s Lethal Weapon 2.

The family statement said: “With his distinctive voice and commanding presence, Ackland brought a unique intensity and gravitas to his role. He will be remembered as one of Britain’s most talented and beloved actors.”

Born in 1928 in London’s Ladbroke Grove area, Ackland grew up in Kilburn, North London.

He appeared in dozens of films throughout the 1980s and 1990s, including The Mighty Ducks and Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey.

He was awarded a Cbe in 2000 for his services to acting.

No information on survivors or memorial plans was immediately available.

Joss Ackland, a longtime stage and screen actor best known for his roles in “Lethal Weapon 2” and “White Mischief,” has died at age 95.

Ackland, who amassed more than 130 credits, also enjoyed parts in films such as “Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey,” “The Hunt for Red October” and the TV movie “Shadowlands.” His death was confirmed in a statement by his family. They said, “With his distinctive voice and commanding presence, Ackland brought a unique intensity and gravitas to his roles.”

“He will be remembered as one of Britain’s most talented and beloved actors.”

Ackland’s manager Paul Pearson told TheWrap, “It is with great sadness that I can confirm the passing of my great friend and long-term client Joss Ackland. He died of old age this morning with his family around. He was lucid, erudite, and mischievous to the end.”

“I loved him deeply and for me, he...

Joss Ackland, the veteran British stage and screen actor who was known for starring in “White Mischief” and “Lethal Weapon 2,” died on Sunday. He was 95.

“Joss was a long term client and great friend who remained lucid, erudite and mischievous to the very end, he died peacefully with his family this morning,” said his rep, Paul Pearson.

In Richard Donner’s “Lethal Weapon 2,” his villainous diplomat character notably utters the line “Diplomatic immunity!” before being shot by cop Roger Murtaugh, played by Danny Glover.

With over 130 film and television credits, Ackland appeared in a wide range of projects, including “K-19: The Widowmaker,” “Bill & Ted” and “The Hunt for Red October,” where he starred alongside Sean Connery and Alec Baldwin. His television work includes “Shadowlands,” where he played C.S. Lewis, and “Midsomer Murders.”

Ackland was made a Cbe for services to drama in 2001. He earned two BAFTA nominations...

Many will remember Ackland best on the big screen as plummy defenders of the realm, but this supremely polished star could also handle action, comedy – and a lot of cold war Soviets

Joss Ackland’s elegant bearing, natural aplomb and English theatrical training meant that he never lacked for work on stage or screen, largely playing authority and establishment figures — although these movie roles were a bit ironised and sent up in the parts he got offered in the 90s and 00s (to his reported chagrin).

But growing up, I was aware of him only via that rich, mellifluous voice of his, like melted butterscotch, in an inordinate number of TV ads: his tones were received pronunciation with a dash of naughtiness and insinuation, that of a TV newsreader or bishop who loved to savour a fine wine, or a decent cigar.

British veteran actor also starred in the Hunt for Red October and the TV version of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Joss Ackland: a life in pictures

British actor Joss Ackland has died at the age of 95, his family have said in a statement.

He appeared in films such as White Mischief, on TV playing Cs Lewis in Shadowlands and in many stage productions including as Juan Perón in Evita.

For years, all I could remember was a figure in the woods stabbing someone. It was so simple, and so cold. No fancy camera work. No overdramatic score. None of the sound effects you’re accustomed to hearing during these moments. Just the hollow sound of a knife entering and departing its destination over and over.

A quick Google search and I had my answer. The movie was 1995’s Citizen X. An HBO made-for-tv movie that must have been aired constantly at the time. They were very proud of this one, as they should have been. It’s a strange, sweeping movie. Part political and historical drama and part grizzly crime film. After re-watching, I realized there was a reason it stuck with me.

Citizen X is one of the most underrated serial killer movies ever made.

(Unfortunately) Based on a True Story

Based on Robert Cullen’s book The Killer Department,...

In 1989 Orion Pictures, along with Nelson Entertainment released Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure. The film was widely loved, and still is, to this day by both critics and fans alike. Because the film was so popular, spawned tons of merchandise and even had two spinoff shows…a sequel was inevitable.

This isn’t just any sequel, it’s Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey. At the time regarded as a love it or hate it film and was considered a box office failure. So let’s go to hell, visit heaven, build some evil and good robots and face off in the Battle of Bands as we check out Bill & Ted’s bonkers follow up on this episode of Revisited.

As stated earlier, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure was released in February 1989 and became a huge success. People couldn’t get enough of the two brain dead yet incredibly...

Typically, Hollywood rewards sequels that are more or less similar -- if not complete retreads -- of the original. Ivan Reitman's "Ghostbusters 2" is, beat for beat, very similar to his "Ghostbusters." James Cameron's "Terminator 2: Judgement Day" has the exact same premise as his "The Terminator." A short span of brainstorming can produce myriad other examples. 

As such, it's something of a minor miracle that Pete Hewitt's "Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey" is as bonkers as it is, and its predecessor was already plenty wild. In the previous film, Stephen Herek's "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure" (1989), the title characters were given a time-traveling phone booth from the future so that they may kidnap various historical figures and present them as their high school history final. If they failed, they would flunk out of history, be separated into different schools, and they'd have to break up their band Wyld Stallyns.

The Lethal Weapon series featured several memorable villains, but who was the favorite of the cast? Lethal Weapon wasn't the first buddy-cop action-comedy, but it's one of the genre's most defining entries. Lethal Weapon paired Danny Glover's seasoned cop Murtaugh with Mel Gibson's wild, unpredictable Riggs. While they appear mismatched when the story begins, by the end, they're best friends. The great chemistry between Gibson and Glover, combined with Shane Black's inventive screenplays and Richard Donner's taut direction made Lethal Weapon a major success in 1987.

The popularity of Lethal Weapon led to other buddy cop movies like Red Heat or Black's own The Last Boy Scout, but audience investment in Riggs and Murtaugh saw the cast and crew reunite for three more sequels. The Lethal Weapon movie series ended with the fourth entry in 1998, but the franchise later received a TV spinoff in 2016. While Glover and...

“The only true wisdom comes in knowing that you know nothing.”

-Socrates

There’s a reason screenwriters Ed Solomon and Chris Matheson made a point of highlighting that quote in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989), the classic science fiction comedy adventure that kicked off a most bodacious series of joyous cinematic quests. Like another surprisingly insightful comedy about a different kind of pop culture-fanatic airhead, Being There (1979), the Bill & Ted franchise celebrates the simple wisdom embedded deep within our heroes’ blissful ignorance.

Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey (1991), thanks to its absolutely wild metaphysical adventure, incredible creatures (see below), comic ingenuity, heavy stakes, one-of-a-kind adversaries, and killer metal soundtrack, remains the favorite franchise entry of this critic. The saga returned last month, just in time to serve as something of a warm and fuzzy hug for one of the worst years in recent American history, with the reunion movie its stars never expected to materialize,...

Welcome to this review of All Elite Wrestling: Double Or Nothing, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and we lost Hana Kimura, Shad Gaspard and Larry Csonka. Shad and Larry have GoFundMe pages you can donate to here and here. When I was Pam Grier, my sweet, black ass always loved to watch half-naked people grab each other real hard and I’m doing that now as Double Or Nothing begins…now.

Match #1: Best Friends defeated Private Party

My Opinion: 3.4 out of 5 – This was a sparkly match. Sparkly is the word I’m sticking with…sparkly out the ass. While no Steiners/Road Warriors clash of maniacs frenzy, this was an encouraging sign for Aew’s tag division, as Pp did better than they have in the past, while the BFs line-danced their way to the win.

Match #2: Brian Cage defeated Darby Allin, Colt Cabana, Orange Cassidy,...

Minor Spoilers

Villains have long been dandies. Dressing loud is an established method of implying wealth and standing, particularly for ‘new money’. In a modern day context, this largely began with real life gangsters echoing the obnoxious outfits of Hollywood gangsters like Edward G. Robinson in Little Caesar (1931), James Cagney in The Public Enemy (1931) and Paul Muni in Scarface (1932). Conversely the actors’ looks in these movies was also drawn from real life crooks – Al Capone, for example, long known for his love of matching silk pocket squares and neckties. It is a chicken and egg situation as to which came first: the dandy gangster gangster or the dandy movie gangster. However, by and large this idea of demonstrating status via clothing has remained in place since the 1920s, with notable ‘black suit’ exceptions during the 1990s as the criminal fraternity became increasingly white collar and preferred to remain behind the scenes.

Emilio Estevez is back on the ice!

On Thursday, Disney+ announced the 57-year-old actor will be reprising his role of coach Gordon Bombay — which he played in The Mighty Ducks film franchise — in the upcoming TV series based on the sports trilogy.

Along with the exciting news, Disney+ shared several production shots of Estevez hitting the hockey rink once more as the beloved coach.

“No. Chill,” social media posts from the streaming service read. “#EmilioEstevez is Back as Gordon Bombay! Check out this photo from production on The Mighty Ducks, an Original Series coming soon to #DisneyPlus.”

Centered around a ragtag hockey team,...

The Ducks are making a comeback!

Disney+ has officially announced a TV series based on the 1990s film trilogy The Mighty Ducks, with Gilmore Girls and Parenthood alumna Lauren Graham in the lead role as Alex, while Brady Noon (Broadwalk Empire) will portray her son Evan.

The 10-episode original series begins production this month in Vancouver and will premiere later this year.

The show’s logline reads, “In present day Minnesota, the Mighty Ducks have evolved from scrappy underdogs to an ultra-competitive, powerhouse youth hockey team. After 12-year-old Evan (Noon) is unceremoniously cut from the Ducks, he and his mom...

Secret agent Michael Caine must take on both the kidnappers of his son and his own suspect Army Intelligence colleagues in Don Siegel’s efficiently filmed, curiously tame suspense thriller. Delphine Seyrig is enticing and Donald Pleasance an unlikeable security bureaucrat, while the capable Janet Suzman and John Vernon fill out a top-flight cast that performs well in thriller surprisingly lacking in dramatic impact.

The Black Windmill

Blu-ray

Kl Studio Classics

1974 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 106 min. / Street Date December 4, 2018 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95

Starring: Michael Caine, Donald Pleasence, Janet Suzman, Delphine Seyrig, John Vernon, Clive Revill, Joss Ackland, Catherine Schell, Joseph O’Conor, Hermoine Baddeley, John Rhys-Davies

Cinematography: Ousama Rawi

Film Editor: Antony Gibbs

Original Music: Roy Budd

Written by Leigh Vance, from the novel Five Days to a Killing by Clive Egleton

Produced and Directed by Don Siegel

Something seems wrong from the first with The Black Windmill: the...

Irish character actor Derrick O’Connor, who portrayed the villain in Lethal Weapon 2 and appeared in three of Terry Gilliam’s films among numerous other credits, has died. O’Connor died Friday of pneumonia in Santa Barbara, his publicist Jane Ayer announced. He was 77.

O’Connor’s decades-long career included memorable film performances in Lethal Weapon 2, roles in Gilliam’s films Time Bandits, Brazil and Jabberwocky, as Thomas Aquinas opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger in End of Days, as an aspiring buccaneer in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest and in John Boorman’s Hope and Glory.

Widely regarded as a superb actor, O’Connor was noted for often paring down – or fully eliminating – his lines in a scene in order to emphasize the physical aspects of his role – a skill that earned him the admiration of many who directed him, especially Terry Gilliam. In Gilliam’s Time Bandits,...

Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves will reprise their roles as time-trekking bandmates in a third installment of the “Bill & Ted” franchise. International sales for “Bill & Ted Face the Music” are underway courtesy of Bloom at the Cannes Film Festival, which launches Tuesday night. The film, now in pre-production, reunites the leads following “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure” (1989) and “Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey” (1991).

“We couldn’t be more excited to get the whole band back together again,” said Winter and Reeves in a statement. All three entries in the trilogy came from screenwriters Chris Matheson and Ed Soloman, and the stars describe this long-awaited script as “amazing.” “Galaxy Quest” and “Red 2” director Dean Parisot — winner of a 1988 Live Action Short Film Oscar for “The Appointments of Dennis Jennings” — will oversee production, rounding out the Winter- and Reeves-dubbed “dream team.” Fellow Academy Award recipient Steven Soderbergh is set to executive produce,...

Do you love The Mighty Ducks? According to The Hollywood Reporter, ABC is developing a TV show based on the Disney movies.The '90s trilogy followed the ups and downs of The Mighty Ducks, a children's hockey team competing in Minnesota. The cast included Emilio Estevez, Joshua Jackson, and Joss Ackland. The movies were previously adapted as an animated TV show for ABC in 1996.Read More…...

The AppleThe musical possesses a unique form of power rarely afforded to other Hollywood genres. In the words of film scholar Rick Altman, “The musical invites us to forget familiar notions of plot, psychological motivation, and causal relationships.” In contrast to other commercial genres, the musical is almost one-of-a-kind in its ability to arrest time and space, to suspend disbelief, to defy our lived understanding of human relationships and even the very conventions of filmgoing. In what other mainstream genre can fictional characters get away with looking into the camera lens so often? Dramatic logic is replaced in the Hollywood musical by spectacle and raw emotional appeal, with singing as the defining device for such purely cinematic priorities.But what happens to the musical when singing is taken out of it? This was the conundrum of the short-lived disco musical, a sub-genre that ended as soon as it began.Popular...

By Tim Greaves

Writer Derek Pykett (whose excellent book " MGM British Studios: Hollywood in Borehamwood" was reviewed here earlier this year) has turned his hand to directing; setting up and playing host to a dozen intimate interviews with some of Britain's most respected and beloved thesps, the results are now available on DVD with "From Stage to Screen", a privately produced, limited edition 6-disc box set.

With each performer given their own ‘episode’ and a total running time of 15 hours, there's so much material here that it'll take the average viewer a number of sittings to get through it all. Beyond starting with disc one and working through methodically, where one begins is probably going to be proportionate to the level of esteem in which the viewer holds each particular actor or actress represented within the set; I confess that at the time of writing I still have a fair bit to get through.

Cinema Retro has received the following press announcement:

For the first time on DVD a brand new series of relaxed, intimate, face to face interviews with some of Britain’s finest, much loved actors, who share with us moments from their lives and work in theatre, television and films.

With careers that span over seven decades, we hear stories about the greatest theatres (The National; The Old Vic; The Royal Shakespeare Company); the theatrical knights (Olivier; Gielgud; Richardson); the bright lights of Broadway, and the most celebrated movie directors of the twentieth century (Spielberg; Fellini; Huston; Chaplin; Visconti; Lean).

Featuring an extensive archive of rare photographs and film trailers, it is a nostalgic trip down memory lane in the company of highly respected actors who have given us some unforgettable performances.

Joss Ackland, Michael Medwin, Vera Day, Julian Glover, Michael Craig, Roy Dotrice, Sarah Miles, Lee Montague, Michael Jayston, Derren Nesbitt,...

From the mid sixties to the mid seventies, omnibus (or anthology, or portmanteau if you’re really fancy) horror films were big business. And Amicus Productions ruled the roost. Between ’65 and ’74 they released seven such films, starting with Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors (not to be confused with Dr. Tongue’s Evil House of Pancakes) and culminating with From Beyond the Grave. Today’s film lands in the middle, The House that Dripped Blood (1971) showcasing a company just starting to hit their stride with anthologies.

Popularity of the omnibus format has ebbed and flowed throughout the last 50 years; after Amicus stopped making them, George Romero and Stephen King collaborated on one of the finest, Creepshow (1982), which didn’t so much kick start a revival as have everyone afraid to compete. Throughout the late ‘80s and ‘90s there were pockets of inspiration, Tales from the Hood (1995) and of course HBO...

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Some bad guys just want to collect antiques, or sand down a nice coffee table. Presenting our pick of 9 affable action movie villains...

Villains come in all shapes and sizes, from the hulking and formidable, like Bane in The Dark Knight Rises, to the more lithe and cunning, like the maniacal Scorpio in Dirty Harry. The most memorable villains almost always have one thing in common, though: whether they're blessed with brains, brawn or both, they're intimidating and powerful in some way. They're a worthy foil for the hero (or heroine) of the piece.

So what happens when a villain comes across as, well, just plain nice? Sure, they may have the henchmen, the money, the gadgets and the guns. But some villains seem just too easy-going and friendly to be properly intimidating. This isn't to say the performances are bad; in some cases, they're scene-stealingly brilliant.

Ron Moody as Fagin in 'Oliver!' based on Charles Dickens' 'Oliver Twist.' Ron Moody as Fagin in Dickens musical 'Oliver!': Box office and critical hit (See previous post: "Ron Moody: 'Oliver!' Actor, Academy Award Nominee Dead at 91.") Although British made, Oliver! turned out to be an elephantine release along the lines of – exclamation point or no – Gypsy, Star!, Hello Dolly!, and other Hollywood mega-musicals from the mid'-50s to the early '70s.[1] But however bloated and conventional the final result, and a cast whose best-known name was that of director Carol Reed's nephew, Oliver Reed, Oliver! found countless fans.[2] The mostly British production became a huge financial and critical success in the U.S. at a time when star-studded mega-musicals had become perilous – at times downright disastrous – ventures.[3] Upon the American release of Oliver! in Dec. 1968, frequently acerbic The...

Mel Gibson and Danny Glover are back as wise-cracking, crime-busting partners Riggs and Murtaugh in this blistering, all-action sequel. This time they tangle with evil South Africans - headed by slimy Joss Ackland - running drugs under the shelter of diplomatic immunity. Joe Pesci makes a big impression as Leo Getz, a snitch who never shuts up ("Whatever you want - Leo Getz!"...

The Mighty Ducks, the '90s ice hockey kids movie franchise, might be revived for a fourth movie, according to producer Jordan Kerner.

During an extensive discussion about the 20th anniversary of D2: The Mighty Ducks with Time, Kerner said that Disney has approached him about a follow-up movie, but said that he was still trying to find the right story to tell.

"There have been a number of times that we have discussed with the studio the idea of either bringing it back and bringing it back possibly with one or two of the guys who are now in their thirties as the coaches, and having a few more of them be their friends in their lives and having the kids come back," said Kerner.

"And I've been pitched a story two or three times. It hasn't been the right story yet, but the idea of doing that is...

Feature Seb Patrick 5 Mar 2014 - 05:55

As Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure turns 25, Seb takes a look back at the duo's outings...

There’s an urban legend that posits that the execrable 1996 Pauly Shore vehicle Bio-Dome was originally written as a third Bill & Ted film, before being turned down by Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter and so repurposed with new characters. The rumour has been heavily debunked by many, including Winter himself; but frankly, it says a lot about a person if they believe it ever might have been true in the first place. Specifically, what it says is that that person hasn’t watched, or paid attention to, either of the Bill & Ted films.

What the rumour does play to is a range of assumptions about Bill and Ted: that they’re stoners, or slackers, or surfer dudes. That they’re completely lame-brained idiots who fail to understand anything about the world around them,...

Television director who worked on Doctor Who for 16 years and was at the helm when the Daleks made their first appearance

Christopher Barry, who has died aged 88, directed many notable television series, ranging from science fiction to historical dramas and literary adaptations. At the heart of his work was a 16-year association with Doctor Who.

It began in 1963, with the inaugural appearance of the Daleks – the metallic creatures who would become the most enduring monsters in the show's history. Of Barry's remaining stories with the first Doctor, William Hartnell, The Romans (1965) was an exercise in knockabout comedy, and The Savages (1966, though now lost) a thoughtful morality tale.

When ill health compelled Hartnell to hand over the part of the Doctor to Patrick Troughton, Barry worked closely with the incoming actor, who was initially unsure how to play the part. The resulting adventure, The Power of the Daleks (1966, though again lost...

The Mighty Ducks - 10.25am, ITV

Emilio Estevez stars as Gordon Bombay, a lawyer who's forced to coach a youth hockey team as part of his community service. This Disney favourite also features Joss Ackland and a young Joshua Jackson among its supporting players.

Toy Story - 3.15pm, BBC One

Pixar's first theatrically released film gets dusted off for Christmas, and this is the perfect opportunity to revisit the debut adventure of Woody and Buzz Lightyear or introduce it to the uninitiated.

A Christmas Carol - 4.30pm, BBC One

In this 3D performance capture retelling of Charles Dickens's classic festive tale, Jim Carrey takes on the role of bitter old coot Ebenezer Scrooge for director Robert Zemeckis. Colin Firth, Robin Wright, Bob Hoskins and Gary Oldman join Carrey in the all-star cast.

Jane Eyre - 8.30pm, BBC Two

Mia Wasikowska is Jane Eyre and Michael Fassbender is Mr Rochester...

The Mighty Ducks - 10.25am, ITV

Emilio Estevez stars as Gordon Bombay, a lawyer who's forced to coach a youth hockey team as part of his community service. This Disney favourite also features Joss Ackland and a young Joshua Jackson among its supporting players.

Toy Story - 3.15pm, BBC One

Pixar's first theatrically released film gets dusted off for Christmas, and this is the perfect opportunity to revisit the debut adventure of Woody and Buzz Lightyear or introduce it to the uninitiated.

A Christmas Carol - 4.30pm, BBC One

In this 3D performance capture retelling of Charles Dickens's classic festive tale, Jim Carrey takes on the role of bitter old coot Ebenezer Scrooge for director Robert Zemeckis. Colin Firth, Robin Wright, Bob Hoskins and Gary Oldman join Carrey in the all-star cast.

Jane Eyre - 8.30pm, BBC Two

Mia Wasikowska is Jane Eyre and Michael Fassbender is Mr Rochester...

‘The Thief and the Cobbler’: Original version of Richard Williams’ animated film has first public screening at the Academy The first public screening of the original version of Richard Williams’ The Thief and the Cobbler will be held at the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences’ Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, December 10, 2013. Williams will be in attendance to introduce the recently reconstructed original workprint from 1992. The Thief and the Cobbler will be accompanied by Richard Williams’s 1972 Oscar-winning animated short A Christmas Carol, adapted from Charles Dickens’ 1843 novella. Featuring animation by Ken Harris and Abe Levitow, among others, A Christmas Carol has, according to the Academy’s website, "a distinctive and dark tone" inspired by John Leech’s engraved illustrations of the Dickens’ tale. In conjunction with the screenings, the Academy’s public exhibition “Richard Williams: Master of Animation,” featuring film clips,...

The actor, who is 82, plays a Roman orator in the new film, following the announcement of a break from acting in 2012

• O'Toole interviewed in 2007

Two months ago, Jack Nicholson was reported to have retired from acting, only for Tom Cruise to coax him away from the hearth for a new movie. And now it comes to light that Peter O'Toole, who last year bade "the profession a dry-eyed and profoundly grateful farewell", has thrown off his slippers for swords and sandals drama Katherine of Alexandria.

The film, written and directed by Michael Redwood, chronicles the clash between Katherine and the emperor Constantine the Great. The cast also includes Brit veterans Joss Ackland, Steven Berkoff and Edward Fox.

O'Toole plays Corenlius Gallus, the palace orator, whose verse on the death of Julius Caesar is considered a benchmark of satire. At the time of his retirement, O'Toole was reported to be working...

Odd List Ryan Lambie Simon Brew 24 Oct 2013 - 06:46

Another 25 unsung greats come under the spotlight, as we provide our pick of the underappreciated films of 1995...

The year covered in this week's underrated movie rundown was significant for a number of reasons. It was the year that saw the release of Toy Story - the groundbreaking movie that would cement Pixar's reputation as an animation studio, and set the tempo for CG family movies for the next 18 years and counting. It was the year that saw James Bond (played by Pierce Brosnan for the first time) emerge for GoldenEye after a six-year break. It was also the year of Michael Mann's Heat, Dogme 95, and the moment where Terry Gilliam scored a much-deserved hit with 12 Monkeys.

As ever, we're focusing on a few of the lesser-known films from this particular year, and we've had to think carefully about what's made the cut and what hasn't.

Blu-ray Release Date: Dec. 10, 2013

Price: Blu-ray $Tba

Studio: Twilight Time

Malcolm McDowell is Harry Flashman in 1975's Royal Flash.

The 1975 British comedy-adventure film Royal Flash, adapted by George MacDonald Fraser from his novel (the second in the popular 12-book series, The Flashman Papers), offers a tale about that energetic cad, Harry Flashman (Malcolm McDowell, A Clockwork Orange), taking reluctant if opportunistic part in 19th-century history.

In the movie, Flashman is drawn into a plot to impersonate a prince engineered by the fearsome Otto von Bismarck (Oliver Reed, Tommy) and must utilize all his wily talents to emerge unscathed.

Directed by Richard Lester (A Hard Day’s Night, Petulia), the film also stars Alan Bates (Women in Love), Florinda Balkan, Britt Ekland, Joss Ackland (The House that Dripped Blood) and a young Bob Hoskins (Made in Dagenham) in one of his earliest film roles (albeit, a small one).

As supplier Twilight...

Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: Feb. 26, 2013

Price: DVD $19.95

Studio: Hen’s Tooth

Ingrid Pitt vamps in The House That Dripped Blood.

British horror legends Christopher Lee (The Lord of the Rings trilogy) and the late Peter Cushing (Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope) star in the 1970 British horror film The House That Dripped Blood, which has long been out-of-print on DVD.

Here’s the set-up: A Scotland Yard Inspector’s (John Holloway) search for a missing film star (John Pertwee) leads him to a haunted house. The house sets the framework for four separate tales of terror.

All four stories center on the mysterious fates of tenants who have leased the mansion over the years: A writer’s murderous creation comes to life; a wax figure leads to a fatal argument between two men; a young girl becomes obsessed with witchcraft; and a film star buys a cape that adds...

"Now that's a real badge, I'm a real cop, and this is a real f*cking gun!"

Shane Black is making headlines today as the co-writer and director of Marvel Studios' latest superhero movie, Iron Man 3, but back in the late '80s and early '90s Black made headlines for being the hottest screenwriter in Hollywood. Black sold his first screenplay — Lethal Weapon — at the age of 23 for $250,000 and was the highest paid screenwriter in the business less than a decade later. Tonight, we're going to revisit Black's early success with the one-two punch of Lethal Weapon and Lethal Weapon 2.

The first movie introduces homicide detective Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover), a by-the-book family man on the verge of retirement. Much to his chagrin, Murtaugh is partnered with suicidal narcotics officer Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) to investigate an apparent suicide that puts them on the scent of a heroin-smuggling ring.

The Guardian's season of British cult classics continues with a moving family drama set in Liverpool and an offbeat tale of twin zoologists obsessed with death

Sick of Twilight? Can't bear the thought of Skyfall? In what can only be described as an inspired bit of counter-programming, the Guardian brings you the second in our series of British cult classics double bills, in conjuction with the BFI. The absolute acme of 1980s British auteurist cinema, Distant Voices, Still Lives and A Zed & Two Noughts couldn't be more different to the current breed of blockbuster: both intensely personal, inward-looking, and defiantly unconventional.

That's not to say these two films run on similar tracks; they themselves are practically polar opposites. Distant Voices was the 1988 feature debut of Terence Davies, the intensely neurotic Liverpudlian who would go on to make The House of Mirth and The Deep Blue Sea. Davies had already acquired...

D3: The Mighty Ducks

Directed by Robert Lieberman

Written by Steven Brill, Jim Burnstein, and Kenneth Johnson

Starring Emilio Estevez, Jeffrey Nordling, Joshua Jackson

The drum I will keep beating throughout the entirety of this podcast, throughout however many years the show runs for, the one you will beg me to stop harping on (though I never, ever will) is internal logic. I don’t care what kind of movie you’re making, I don’t care if the audience is meant to be 5 or 50: you need to have internal logic in your story. If not, the story falls apart. Even great movies that are implausible manage to make audiences forget those implausibilities while it’s taking place. But movies that don’t try to make audiences focus on what’s truly important, movies that don’t have internal logic and don’t care, are the ones I dislike most of all.

Many months after David Seidler stood on stage at the Academy Awards clasping the Oscar for Original Screenplay we can experience The King’s Speech as the writer first envisaged, with a sharper political edge and a deeper exploration of the personalities circling the central relationship of the reluctant King and his antipodean, unqualified, speech therapist.

Though the spectres of Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush haunt the first moments of the play, and never truly leave the stage, Adrian Noble’s direction allows the play’s central themes to flourish at a brisk pace, setting the sad and perilous state of the monarchy up against the dark and uncertain future with an exceptional central performance from Charles Edwards whose external timidity and volcanic internal anger are perfectly balanced as he is buffeted between duty and desire. His transformation, the discovery of his voice, is deftly handled with a sympathetic and...

The King's Speech opened on the 22nd March at Wyndham's Theatre. Check out these pictures of the cast taking their bow on the press night, plus the after-show party featuring Charles Edwards as King George VI, Jonathan Hyde as Lionel Logue, Emma Fielding as Queen Elizabeth, Ian McNeice as Winston Churchill, Michael Feast as Cosmo Lang, and Joss Ackland as King George V.