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For movie fans, December means warding off the Wet Bandits, being seduced by a leg lamp and, to some, defending Nakatomi Plaza from terrorists. It’s just in our nature to clutter the month with our favorite holiday movies, creating a sort of advent calendar of Christmas joy and even misery (that scene in Gremlins is dark!).

Now, The Guardian is getting into the holiday spirit with their own advent calendar, recruiting a stable of notable filmmakers and stars to give their picks, all designated for certain days. While not all are Christmas movies per-se, the directors did support their opinions. Let’s run through some of the calendar, shall we?

By and large, it has to be pointed out that most of the movies on this advent calendar did center around the holiday season. After all, who wouldn’t include Love Actually (day 3), a Home Alone (Leila Farzad – director...

The teaser for CBS’s Ghosts season three episode eight reveals that our favorite hippie is back…finally! Directed by Jude Weng from a script by Sophia Lear, episode eight – “Holes are Bad” – will air on Thursday, April 18, 2024 at 8:30pm Et/Pt.

Rose McIver stars as Sam, Utkarsh Ambudkar is Jay, Brandon Scott Jones is Isaac, and Richie Moriarty is Pete. Danielle Pinnock plays Alberta, Asher Grodman is Trevor, Román Zaragoza is Sasappis, Rebecca Wisocky plays Hetty, Devan Chandler Long stars as Thorfinn, and Sheila Carrasco is Flower.

“Holes Are Bad” Plot: When Sam and Jay leave the ghosts home alone for the weekend in an attempt to have a romantic getaway, shocking revelations are made about two of Woodstone’s beloved spirits.

Rebecca Wisocky as Hetty, Rose McIver as Samantha, and Brandon Scott Jones as Isaac in ‘Ghosts’ seaosn 3 episode 8

Series Description, Courtesy of CBS:

Ghosts is a...

CBS’s Ghosts season three, episode six focused on Travis connecting with his still-living brother. Episode seven promises to be an Alberta-centric episode, with Lamorne Morris guest starring as a poltergeist. Directed by Jude Weng from a script by Akilah Green, episode seven – “The Polterguest” – will air on Thursday, April 11, 2024 at 8:30pm Et/Pt.

Rose McIver stars as Sam, Utkarsh Ambudkar is Jay, Brandon Scott Jones is Isaac, and Richie Moriarty is Pete. Danielle Pinnock plays Alberta, Asher Grodman is Trevor, Román Zaragoza is Sasappis, Rebecca Wisocky plays Hetty, Devan Chandler Long stars as Thorfinn, and Sheila Carrasco is Flower.

“The Polterguest” Plot: Alberta hits it off with a poltergeist (Morris) who is attached to a newly arrived Woodstone guest. Also, Isaac and Nigel have separate bachelor parties.

Danielle Pinnock as Alberta and Lamorne Morris as Saul in ‘Ghosts’ season 3 episode 7

Series Description, Courtesy of CBS:

Ghosts is a...

Rose McIver as Samantha, Asher Grodman as Trevor, and Jon Glaser as Jeremy in ‘Ghosts’ season 3 episode 6

CBS’s Ghosts will be taking a three-week break and then returning with season three episode six, an episode that introduces Jon Glaser as pantless Trevor’s brother, Jeremy. Episode six, “Hello, Brother,” was directed by Trent O’Donnell and will air on Thursday, April 4, 2024 at 8:30pm Et/Pt.

Rose McIver stars as Sam, Utkarsh Ambudkar is Jay, Brandon Scott Jones is Isaac, and Richie Moriarty is Pete. Danielle Pinnock plays Alberta, Asher Grodman is Trevor, Román Zaragoza is Sasappis, Rebecca Wisocky plays Hetty, Devan Chandler Long stars as Thorfinn, and Sheila Carrasco is Flower.

“Hello, Brother” Plot: Trevor’s brother, Jeremy (Glaser), checks into Woodstone after discovering a loophole in the Woodstone Rewards Points program.

Devan Chandler Long as Thorfinn, Richie Moriarty as Pete, Rebecca Wisocky as Hetty, Roman Zaragoza as Sasappis,...

[Warning: The below contains Major spoilers for Ghosts Season 3, Episode 5, “The Silent Partner.”] Ghosts‘ latest episode, “The Silent Partner,” took time in its final minutes to lay the groundwork for one of the show’s next couples as Alberta (Danielle Pinnock) finally saw arrow-skewered Pete (Richie Moriarty) in a whole new light. After Pete’s wife Carol (Caroline Aaron) died in the Woodstone kitchen during a Halloween shindig, she’s found herself living among the other spirited residents. As she got acclimated to the social climate, she learned more about Pete’s life in Woodstone, and to look less pathetic in her eyes, he begged for someone to pretend to be his girlfriend. (Credit: Bertrand Calmeau/CBS) Ultimately, Alberta stepped up to the plate, feeling bad for her friend, but she tried drawing a line in the sand, saying that this scheme shouldn’t wind up with them falling in love. Pete ultimately cracked under pressure when...

Hey, "Ghosts" fans. We're back at you with another new preview session for your favorite CBS show Ghosts because another one is headed your way tonight, March 14, 2024. That's right, guys. This new episode will be the 5th one for Ghosts' current season 3. We were able to get some new preview intel for tonight's new episode 5 via an official, episode 5 press release that CBS put out. So, we will certainly dig into it right now. Let's go. First thing's first. There is an official title for this new episode 5 of Ghosts season 3. The writers decided to call this one, "The Silent Partner." In tonight's new episode 5, you guys will get some new scenes that feature Sam, Jay and Isaac in action. Sam and Jay will totally run into some money problems because a huge investor will decide to back out of investing in their restaurant.

Jay and Sam really need Isaac’s help on CBS’s Ghosts season three episode five. Directed by Trent O’Donnell from a script by Kira Kalush, episode five – “The Silent Partner” – will air on Thursday, March 14, 2024 at 8:30pm Et/Pt.

Rose McIver stars as Sam, Utkarsh Ambudkar is Jay, Brandon Scott Jones is Isaac, and Richie Moriarty is Pete. Danielle Pinnock plays Alberta, Asher Grodman is Trevor, Román Zaragoza is Sasappis, Rebecca Wisocky plays Hetty, and Devan Chandler Long stars as Thorfinn.

Also, it appears we’ll be welcoming back our favorite dead hippie this season. Apparently, Flower (Sheila Carrasco) didn’t get sucked off and instead has been trapped in a well on the property for a month! Also, the ghost count was upped by one freshly deceased spirit as Carol (Caroline Aaron), Pete’s ex, choked on a donut hole and died during Sam and Jay’s annual Halloween party.

Prepare for a comedic and supernatural adventure as “Ghosts” returns with Season 3 Episode 5, titled “The Silent Partner,” airing on CBS at 7:31 Pm this Thursday. The endearing couple at the heart of the series decides to embark on a unique venture, converting a massive run-down country estate into a bed and breakfast. However, their plans take an unexpected turn when they discover that the estate is not just empty but inhabited by the many spirited and eccentric ghosts of its deceased residents.

In this episode, viewers can expect a delightful blend of humor and the paranormal as the couple navigates the challenges of cohabiting with an otherworldly community. “The Silent Partner” promises to deliver laughter, heartwarming moments, and a fresh perspective on the afterlife.

Tune in on Thursday evening for an installment that continues to explore the comedic possibilities of the supernatural, making “Ghosts” a charming and entertaining choice for...

As far as conspiracy theories go, very few have had as much of a life as the notion that NASA faked the Apollo moon landing. In some ways, one can understand why people felt this way, as it was one of the most critical events in human history, and the only witness was a TV camera. Back then, people distrusted anything they couldn’t see with their own eyes. In the seventies, conspiracy theories started to get famous, especially as far as the government went, with this the era of Watergate. People no longer trusted authority, and into this fraught environment came Capricorn One, a sci-fi-tinged conspiracy thriller that was one of the most popular films of 1977 but has since been largely forgotten – save for a small cult of devoted fans.

The film is directed by Best Movie You Never Saw favorite Peter Hyams, who also made Outland, 2010, Running Scared,...

Some apotheosis of film culture has been reached with Freddy Got Fingered‘s addition to the Criterion Channel. Three years after we interviewed Tom Green about his consummate film maudit, it’s appearing on the service’s Razzie-centered program that also includes the now-admired likes of Cruising, Heaven’s Gate, Querelle, and Ishtar; the still-due likes of Under the Cherry Moon; and the more-contested Gigli, Swept Away, and Nicolas Cage-led Wicker Man. In all cases it’s an opportunity to reconsider one of the lamest, thin-gruel entities in modern culture.

A Jane Russell retro features von Sternberg’s Macao, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and Raoul Walsh’s The Tall Men and The Revolt of Mamie Stover; streaming premieres will be held for Yuen Woo-ping’s Dreadnaught, Claire Simon’s Our Body, Ellie Foumbi’s Our Father, the Devil, the recently restored Sepa: Our Lord of Miracles, and The Passion of Rememberance.

I grew up in Canada, and I’d wager the experience – at least as far as pop culture goes – was probably pretty similar to growing up in the States. Yet, there were some minor, strange differences. Here, we have a regulatory body called the Crtc (Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission), which ensures that about 30% of the content that’s broadcast on TV qualifies as “Canadian Content.” Thus, whenever you turn on the TV, one of our Canadian channels is bound to show something Canadian, including movies. While holiday classics like A Christmas Story and Black Christmas counted as Canadian Content (God Bless Bob Clark) we could reliably see around the holidays, more adventurous TV stations would show something outside the box. One such station was the adult-oriented Showcase (not to be confused with Showtime), which would program an utterly mental movie called The Silent Partner every Christmas Eve.

If you’re not Canadian,...

Arrow swings into 2023 with a disc of a horror thriller ‘with issues’ — but appointing it with intriguing extras. Sandra Dee gets her perky nose all tangled up in an inter-dimensional conspiracy run by sneaky occultist Dean Stockwell — and we know that it’s all going to lead to a sacrificial altar. Roger Corman designer Daniel Haller directed this cross between a Poe picture and a psychedelic epic, for good old American-International.

The Dunwich Horror

Blu-ray

Arrow Video

1970 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 97 min. / Street Date January 10, 2023 / Available from Arrow Video / 39.95

Starring: Sandra Dee, Dean Stockwell, Ed Begley, Lloyd Bochner, Sam Jaffe, Joanne Moore Jordan, Donna Baccala, Talia Shire, Barboura Morris, Beach Dickerson.

Cinematography: Richard C. Glouner

Art Director: Paul Sylos

Film Editor: Christopher Holmes

Original Music: Les Baxter

Written by Curtis Lee Hanson, Henry Rosenbaum, Ronald Silkowsky from the story by H.P. Lovecraft

Executive producer Roger Corman

Produced by James H. Nicholson,...

Kenneth Wannberg, composer and Emmy-winning music editor who worked on nearly half of all John Williams’ films dating back to the late 1960s, died Jan. 27 at his home in Florence, Oregon. He was 91.

Wannberg was best known as Williams’ music editor, working closely with the composer on more than 50 of his films. He assisted Williams throughout the scoring process, from providing detailed descriptions of sequences to be scored to more technical aspects such as trimming or modifying music during the last stages of post-production.

He music-edited the first six “Star Wars” films, the first three “Indiana Jones” films and such other landmark Williams scores as “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” “Jurassic Park,” “Schindler’s List” and “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.”

During his 50-year career in films, Wannberg worked with many other composers including Bernard Herrmann (“Journey to the Center of the Earth”), Jerry Goldsmith (“The Mephisto Waltz”), Michael Convertino...

"The Silent Partner", a 1978 Canadian produced 'heist' film, directed by Daryl Duke, is based on the novel by Anders Bodelsen, starring Christopher Plummer in a memorable performance as bank robber 'Harry Reikle':

...'Miles Cullen' (Elliott Gould), a bored teller at a small bank in Toronto's 'Eaton Centre', finds a discarded hold up note on one of the counters.

"He also figures out who the crook is when he sees a mall 'Santa Claus' (Plummer) hanging around outside the bank whose 'give to charity' sign has similar handwriting to the discarded note. But instead of telling his bosses or contacting the police, Miles stashes wads of bank cash in an old lunch box rather than the bank's till.

"When the Santa shows up at Miles' teller's desk with another note, Miles hands over a small amount then later reports to the police he handed over all the money from his day’s transactions.

Exclusive: Producer Joel B. Michaels has entered into an agreement with the family of Fritz Pollard to bring to the screen the life story of the pro football phenom who blazed a trail to become the first professional Black NFL player. Pollard was inducted into the Football Hall of Fame posthumously in 2005.

Pollard’s life story is an American biographical drama set against the backdrop of the “New Negro Movement” and the Roaring ’20s. In 1920, he became the first Black athlete to gain national notoriety by breaking the racial barrier in professional sports in America. He would go on to lead Brown University to play in the inaugural Rose Bowl game in 1916, and in 1920 he signed a pro contract and lead the Akron Pros to win the first NFL championship.

He went on to become the first Black NFL quarterback and the first Black NFL coach, all while becoming a...

This obscure Italian horror has Christopher Plummer, Donald Pleasence and atmospheric locations — and a making of story that Severin tells in full unexpurgated detail. Never released in an English- language territory, Augusto Caminito’s brooding shocker had four directors. Its commercial chances were derailed by its deranged star, Klaus Kinski, who poses well, molests his female co-stars and sabotages what was supposed to be a high-end horror attraction. Maybe Werner Herzog could wring what he wanted out of Klaus, but the manic prima donna gave everyone else the shaft.

Nosferatu in Venice

Blu-ray

Severin Films

1988 / Color / 1:77 widescreen / 93 min. / Vampire in Venice, Prince of the Night / Street Date March 20, 2021 / Available from Severin Films / 30.00

Starring: Klaus Kinski, Christopher Plummer, Barbara De Rossi, Yorgo Voyagis, Anne Knecht, Donald Pleasence, Elvire Audray, Giuseppe Mannajuolo, Clara Colosimo, Maria Clementina Cumani Quasimodo, Micaela Flores Amaya ‘La Chunga’, Mickey Knox.

Cinematography: Tonino Nardi

Film Editor: Claudio M. Cutry...

On the March 3, 2021 episode of /Film Daily, /Film senior writer Ben Pearson is joined by /Film managing editor Jacob Hall and writers Hoai-Tran Bui and Chris Evangelista to talk about what they’ve been up to at the virtual water cooler. Opening Banter: Peter and Brad aren’t here today. At The Water Cooler: What […]

The post Water Cooler: Raya and the Last Dragon, Muppets Most Wanted, Angels and Demons, The Silent Partner, and More appeared first on /Film.

A perennial cult film, Daryl Duke’s ingenious and suspenseful thriller about a bank teller who two-times a bank robber with disastrous consequences gathers new fans every day. Elliot Gould shines in his tailor made part as the unlucky clerk while the brilliant Christopher Plummer portrays one of the most unnerving villains in screen history.

The post The Silent Partner appeared first on Trailers From Hell.

"The Silent Partner", a 1978 Canadian produced 'heist' film, directed by Daryl Duke, based on a novel by Danish writer Anders Bodelsen, stars Christopher Plummer in a memorable performance as bank robber 'Harry Reikle':

...'Miles Cullen' (Elliott Gould), a bored teller at a small bank in Toronto's 'Eaton Centre', finds a discarded hold up note on one of the counters. He also figures out who the crook is when he sees a mall 'Santa Claus' (Plummer) hanging around outside the bank whose 'give to charity' sign has similar handwriting to the discarded note.

"Instead of telling his bosses or contacting the police, Miles stashes wads of bank cash in an old lunch box rather than the bank's till. When the Santa shows up at Miles' teller's desk with another note, Miles hands over a small amount then later reports to the police he handed over all the money from his day’s transactions.

It’s some kind of paradox — he probably thought of it as a joke played on him by the gods — that Christopher Plummer, the impishly irascible, velvet-voiced star of stage and screen who died Friday at 91, was one of the great Shakespearean actors of the 20th century, as well as a notorious rapscallion who spent decades living the dissolute high life, yet the first thing that most people think of when they hear his name is “The Sound of Music,” the timelessly beloved 1965 musical that’s the sugary quintessence of G-rated Hollywood wholesomeness. “The Sound of Music” is not a hip movie to like. Critics have spent half a century taking snide swipes at it, and Plummer himself liked to call it “The Sound of Mucus.” Yet as an unashamed fanatic for it, I’d argue that “The Sound of Music” carries the hint of a more turbulent inner quality...

Plummer in "Battle of Britain" (1969).

By Lee Pfeiffer

Christopher Plummer, the world-acclaimed star of stage, screen and television, has passed away at age 91. Complications from a fall in his Connecticut home were cited as the cause of death. Plummer never had to make his way up the ranks on the big screen. He received prominent billing in his movie debut in Sidney Lumet's 1958 production of  "Stage Struck"- and henceforth he would generally enjoy starring roles. Plummer moved with ease between films, stage and TV, earning critical plaudits along the way, as well as winning two Tony Awards and a late career Oscar for the film "Beginnings" in 2010. He was especially acclaimed for his work in Shakespearean productions in the U.S., England and Canada. Plummer, a native Canadian, became a legend by playing the male lead, Captain von Trapp, in the 1965 Oscar-winning film production of "The Sound of Music...

(Welcome to Now Stream This, a column dedicated to the best movies streaming on Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, and every other streaming service out there.) Carol Now Streaming on Netflix Release Date: 2015 Genre: Romantic Drama Director: Todd Haynes Cast: Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Sarah Paulson, Jake Lacy, Kyle Chandler Carol is a Christmas movie. It’s set mostly at Christmas, Rooney […]

The post Now Stream This: ‘Carol’, ‘Lovers Rock’, ‘The New World’, ‘Big’, ‘She Dies Tomorrow’, ‘The Silent Partner’, ‘The Final Girls’, and More appeared first on /Film.

Some critics wondered if Alec Guinness and John Mills should have swapped roles for this adaptation of James Kennaway’s incisive novel about popularity vs. discipline in the command structure of a Scots army brigade. Ronald Neame’s direction is exemplary, showcasing the powerhouse performances yet avoiding theatrical flourishes. And the movie introduces Susannah York as well. Criterion’s 4K remaster greatly improves on their older DVD release.

Tunes of Glory

Blu-ray

The Criterion Collection 225

1960 / Color / 1:66 widescreen / 106 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date December 3, 2020 / 39.95

Starring: Alec Guinness, John Mills, Dennis Price, Kay Walsh, John Fraser, Susannah York, Gordon Jackson, Duncan Macrae, Percy Herbert, Allan Cuthbertson.

Cinematography: Arthur Ibbetson

Film Editor: Anne V. Coates

Original Music: Malcolm Arnold

Written by James Kennaway from his novel

Produced by Albert Fennell, Colin Lesslie

Directed by Ronald Neame

1960’s Tunes of Glory hasn’t persisted in revivals, and neither is it...

"The Last Full Measure" is a new war drama, written/directed by Todd Robinson. starring Sebastian Stan ("The Falcon and the Winter Soldier"),  Christopher Plummer ("The Silent Partner") , William Hurt ("Altered States") and Jeremy Irvine ("Treadstone"), opening January 17, 2020:

"...fifty-three years after his death, 'Airman William H. Pitsenbarger, Jr.' aka 'Pits'...

"...is awarded the nation's highest military honor for his actions on the battlefield..."

Cast also includes James Jagger, LisaGay Hamilton, Michael Imperioli, Diane Ladd, Amy Madigan, Linus Roache, Alison Sudol, Bradley Whitford, John Savage, Cody Walker, Dale Dye, Richard Cawthorne and Julian Adams.

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "The Last Full Measure"...

The absolute best small scale ‘perfect crime’ thriller has nail-biting suspense, humor, sexy scenes, a shocking violent scene and apparently a terrific collaboration between director Daryl Duke and writer Curtis Hanson. Elliott Gould and Christopher Plummer give unique, superb performances, and Susannah York is enticing as well. It’s not neo-noir, it’s better than neo-noir. With a very early John Candy performance, too.

The Silent Partner

Blu-ray

Kl Studio Classics

1978 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 101 min./ Street Date June 18, 2019 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95

Starring: Elliott Gould, Christopher Plummer, Susannah York, Céline Lomez, John Candy.

Cinematography: Billy Williams

Film Editor: George Appleby

Original Music: Oscar Peterson

Written by Curtis Hanson from the book Think of a Number by Anders Bodelsen

Produced by Garth H. Drabinsky, Joel B. Michaels, Stephen Young

Directed by Daryl Duke

“We grab each moment and we make it count!”

The Silent Partner is a wonderful sleeper that most...

This link roundup was intended for last night, hence the title. We cannot be bound by time here at Tfe

• Jake Gyllenhaal omg he's joined instagram and on his second post he's singing Sondheim with Annaleigh Ashford. L-o-v-e

• Vulture a fun interview with Patrick Wilson on Aquaman and much more

• Talkhouse Bruce Labruce on underknown Canadian Christmas thriller The Silent Partner

• Mnpp Stephan James eight times

• Jezebel Oscar-nominated actress/ sometime director Sondra Locke (The Heart is a Lonely Hunter) has died but the obituaries are all about her turbulent relationship with Clint Eastwood

• THR Netflix is making a Dark Crystal prequel with Taron Egerton, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Nathalie Emmanuel as the lead gelflings

• Av Club more Emmy rule changes around what counts as a TV movie

• Deadline Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan to star in a lesbian romance

• Variety Lumiere award nominations from France (not to be confused with the...

10 Christmas Movies That Definitely Aren’t for Kids (Photos)

Sure, Christmas is a time of joy for children of all ages, but that doesn’t mean that grown-ups can’t have the cinematic equivalent of a spiked egg nog. After you’ve packed the little ones off to bed, enjoy these movies, from the hilarious to the horrifying, that are aimed at adult audiences.

Anna and the Apocalypse (2018): It’s Christmastime! But thanks to a zombie outbreak, it’s also the endtimes, and our high school heroes dispatch the undead with bloody fervor. And did we mention this is also a musical?

A Bad Moms Christmas (2017): The bad moms just want to have fun, even when their own bad moms come rolling into town to celebrate the season. Santas will strip, and the egg nog will be spiked.

Better Watch Out (2017): This clever holiday horror-comedy takes the...

Let us now praise Christopher Plummer, the 88-year-old actor, Oscar winner and professional savior of nearly scuttled prestige projects. He's played everyone from Rommel to Kipling, Mike Wallace to Sherlock Holmes; played everything from New World imperialists to old-world explorers, tycoons to Klingons. Maybe your favorite Plummer is the singing-family patriarch of The Sound of Music, a film he'll never be able to escape no matter how many times he flees across those alive hills; maybe it's the diabolical wolf-in-Santa-Claus-clothing in The Silent Partner, a Seventies heist movie ripe for rediscovery,...

Redemption can be a hard ticket to punch, in real life let alone on film. An arc has to be convincing in a short space of time and make us believe our protagonist’s journey. Thanks to a brilliant performance by Karen Black and a meticulously unfurled plot, The Pyx (1973) offers sorrow and resolution in a gripping package.

Released in September by Cinepix Film Properties in our home and native land, Canada, and by Cinerama Releasing Corporation in the States the following month, The Pyx used Canadian shelter funds not to tell an exploitive tale, but rather a somber character study dressed up as a neo-noir with an occult twist. Not an easy sell to be sure, but does it really matter? At the end of the day, The Pyx is another noble attempt to infuse the genre with unusual strands regardless of the box office receipts. (I mean, my...

Send up the Bat-Signal: “Batman & Bill” has the inside scoop on comics king Bob Kane and his secret collaborator. The late Kane is known the world over as the creator of Batman, one of the most successful franchises in entertainment history. The superhero first appeared in DC Comics in 1939 and has since spawned TV series, movies and an endless stream of merchandise. But according to “Batman & Bill,” the documentary premiering on Hulu in May, Kane hardly deserved the sole credit he routinely receives in taglines. The silent partner in the creation was Bill Finger, a writer in Kane’s...

Curtis Hanson--Confidentially

By

Alex Simon

Curtis Hanson was my first interview with a fellow film buff and film journalist. He was nice enough to sit down with me twice, first at the Rose Cafe in Venice, then at a lunch spot in the Marina, the name of which has been lost to time. He was then kind enough to invite me to the world premiere of "L.A. Confidential" at the Chinese Theater as his guest, my first time on the red carpet at a real-life Hollywood premiere, and called me after this piece ran to thank me personally. A nice man. Hanson, and co-writer Brian Helgeland, would go on to win Best Adapted Screenplay Oscars for "L.A. Confidential."

Years later, I ran into Hanson at a book signing party for Pat York that was held in Westwood. I approached him and reminded him of our interview a decade or so earlier.

Curtis Hanson, the Oscar winner who transformed James Ellroy’s sprawling crime opus L.A. Confidential into one of the most taut noir films of the last 20 years, has died. According to Variety, he was 71.

A screenwriter as well as a director, Hanson got his start penning an H.P. Lovecraft adaptation, The Dunwich Horror, for career-launching mega-producer Roger Corman. Hanson would work with Corman again three years later, for his directorial debut, 1973’s necrophilia-themed B-movie Sweet Kill.

Hanson continued to write and direct steadily throughout the ’70s and ’80s, working with performers ranging from Elliott Gould and Christopher Plummer (in 1978’s The Silent Partner) to Tom Cruise, Shelley Long, and Jackie Earle Haley (in 1983’s Losin’ It.) In 1992, he directed Rebecca De Mornay and Annabella Sciorra in The Hand That Rocks The Cradle, his first major success. The evil-nanny flick met with middling ...

Look out! Here come two A.I.P. horror pix from the soggy end of the Poe cycle: the first features Jason Robards, an impressive cast and a disorganized storyline. The second is an almost-good Lovecraft horror with interesting performances from Dean Stockwell and Sandra Dee.     Murders in the Rue Morgue and The Dunwich Horror Blu-ray Color Scream Factory Street Date March 29, 2016 / 26.99

Reviewed by Glenn Erickson

Scream Factory's new double feature disc finishes off two different American-International horror series. The first picture is the last fright film made for the company by the directing and writing team of Gordon Hessler and Christopher Wicking. It's no gem, but it's a lot more interesting on a second viewing. The second is the company's final try to make that old joker H.P. Lovecraft into a filmic horror icon, like Edgar Allan Poe. It has a lot going for it, but also its own set of problems.

Despite its rampaging monster approach to the holiday season and the imposing, sort-of terrifying giant horned goat-man who provides its title, Krampus isn’t, at heart, an anti-Christmas picture-- it has at least one bloodshot eye pitched toward seasonal classic status. The movie’s story is centered on a family at war with itself—semi-sophisticated suburbanites Adam Scott and Toni Collette and their kids hosting a clan of boorish, right-wing Walmart-warrior relatives headed up by David Koechner and Alison Tolman— who finds itself besieged by the impish and deadly forces of Krampus, the flip-side of holiday cheer, Darth Vader to Santa’s Obi-wan. When the only child left in the family who still clings to his belief in Santa Claus has the last vestiges of Christmas spirit (here so defined as the will to make sacrifices for the good of others) derided out of him, he tears up his last...

A classy crime thriller, with edgy suspense and twists that can't be predicted.  Mike Hodges directs Paul Mayersberg's script about a frustrated writer who returns to casino work to find material for a book.  A young Clive Owen shines as the rakish but sensible roulette & blackjack dealer, who documents his own criminal activities. Croupier Blu-ray Hen's Tooth Video 1998 / Color / 1:78 widescreen / 95 min. / Street Date November 3, 2015 / 24.95 Starring Clive Owen, Gina McKee, Kate Hardie, Alex Kingston, Nicholas Ball, Paul Reynolds, Ciro de Chiara, Rhona Mitra, Loretta Parnell. Cinematography Michael Garfath Production Designer Jon Bunker Art Direction Ian Reade-Hill, Alexander Scherer, Gernot Thöndel Film Editor Les Healey Original Music Simon Fisher-Turner Written by Paul Mayersberg Produced by Jonathan Cavendish, Marlow De Mardt, Jake Lloyd, James Mitchell, Brigid Olen, Christine Ruppert Directed by Mike Hodges

Reviewed by Glenn Erickson

He: "You're my conscience." She: "Don't you have a conscience of your own?" If...

You love the horror, suspense thriller, action and science fiction films that make up the world of Canadian cult cinema affectionately known as Canuxploitation.

You’ve watched the entire David Cronenberg genre filmography (if not, please do so now as The Brood, Scanners and The Fly are three of the greatest horror films ever made).

You’ve seen Black Christmas and The Changeling and watched a slasher-ific marathon of Prom Night, Terror Train, Happy Birthday to Me and My Bloody Valentine.

You caught up with Cube, the Ginger Snaps series, Splice, Hobo with a Shotgun and WolfCop all while keeping close tabs on the works of Astron-6.

Yet your hunger for Canadian genre film productions and co-productions cannot be satiated.

To aid you in your deeper exploration of the field, following is a chronological look at a number of Canadian genre films that simply don’t get enough attention.

****

The Groundstar Conspiracy...

We chat to legendary producer Mario Kassar about the return of Carolco, its forthcoming sci-fi film Bot, Hollywood studios, and more...

First Blood. Total Recall. Terminator 2. For a generation versed in the major action films of the 80s and 90s, the Carolco brand holds a special place in the memory. Its distinctive logo became a byword for bold, often brash movies starring some of the biggest names of the day - not least Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Founded by producers Andrew Vajna and Mario Kassar in the 1970s, Carolco went from indie outsider to a company with the size and clout of a Hollywood major; the studio became famous - and infamous in some quarters - for its headline-grabbing deals. (Legend has it that, when Arnie signed up to make Terminator 2: Judgment Day, he was given a $17m private jet.)

At the height of its powers, Carolco was making smaller-scale,...

"Veep" star Julia Louis-Dreyfus took home her fourth career win, and her second for her HBO comedy, at the 2013 Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday (Sept. 22), while "Breaking Bad" actress Anna Gunn earned her first award ever for her final season as Skylar White.

The complete winners list below:

Outstanding DRAMABreaking BadDownton Abbey Game of Thrones Homeland House of Cards Mad Men

Outstanding Actress In A Drama Connie Britton, Nashville Claire Danes, Homeland Michelle Dockery, Downton Abbey Vera Farmiga, Bates Motel Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men Kerry Washington, Scandal Robin Wright, House of Cards

Outstanding Actor In A Drama Hugh Bonneville, Downton Abbey Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad Jeff Daniels, The Newsroom Jon Hamm, Mad Men Damian Lewis, Homeland Kevin Spacey, House of Cards

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Anna Gunn, Breaking Bad Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey Emilia Clarke, Game of Thrones Christine Baranski, The Good Wife Morena Baccarin, Homeland Christina Hendricks,...

Recent hot cinema topics such as the portrayal of the Mandarin character in Shane Black’s Iron Man 3 and speculations about what classic Star Trek villain Benedict Cumberbatch’s character in J.J Abrams’ Star Trek: Into Darkness was modeled after leading up to the film’s release, among others, underline the importance of great villains in genre cinema.

Creating a great cinematic villain is a difficult goal that makes for an incredibly rewarding and memorable viewer experience when it is achieved.

We’ll now take a look at the greatest film villains. Other writing on this subject tends to be a bit unfocused, as “greatest villain” articles tend to mix live-action human villains with animated characters and even animals. Many of these articles also lack a cohesive quality as they attempt to cover too much ground at once by spanning all of film history.

This article focuses on the 1970’s,...

Bond, Pi, and Anna Karenina were the big winners at the 17th Annual Excellence in Production Design Awards given by the Art Directors Guild. "Skyfall" won the Contemporary category, "Life of Pi" under Fantasy, and "Anna Karenina" for the Period title.

Here's the complete list of winners/nominees; for winners/nominees of other award-giving bodies, click here:

17th Annual Excellence In Production Design Awards

Period Film

(winner) Anna Karenina

Production Designer: Sarah Greenwood

Argo

Production Designer: Sharon Seymour

Django Unchained

Production Designer: J. Michael Riva

Les MISÉRABLES

Production Designer: Eve Stewart

Lincoln

Production Designer: Rick Carter

Fantasy Film

Cloud Atlas

Production Designer: Uli Hanisch, Hugh Bateup

(winner) Life Of Pi

Production Designer: David Gropman

Prometheus

Production Designer: Arthur Max

The Dark Knight Rises

Production Designers: Nathan Crowley, Kevin Kavanaugh

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Production Designer: Dan Hannah

Contemporary Film

Flight

Production Designer: Nelson Coates

(winner) Skyfall

Production Designer: Dennis Gassner...

The Art Directors Guild has announced the nominees for the 17th Annual Art Directors Guild Excellence in Production Design Awards. Winners will be announced on February 2nd at the Beverly Hilton.

Here's the complete list of nominees including television; for winners/nominees of other award-giving bodies, click here:

Nominees For Excellence In Production Design For A Feature Film In 2012

Period Film

Anna Karenina

Production Designer: Sarah Greenwood

Argo

Production Designer: Sharon Seymour

Django Unchained

Production Designer: J. Michael Riva

Les MISÉRABLES

Production Designer: Eve Stewart

Lincoln

Production Designer: Rick Carter

Fantasy Film

Cloud Atlas

Production Designer: Uli Hanisch, Hugh Bateup

Life Of Pi

Production Designer: David Gropman

Prometheus

Production Designer: Arthur Max

The Dark Knight Rises

Production Designers: Nathan Crowley, Kevin Kavanaugh

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Production Designer: Dan Hannah

Contemporary Film

Flight

Production Designer: Nelson Coates

Skyfall

Production Designer: Dennis Gassner

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Production Designer:...

The Art Directors Guild (Adg) today announced nominations in nine categories of Production Design for theatrical motion pictures, television, commercials and music videos competing in the Adg’s 17th Annual Excellence in Production Design Awards Presented by BMW for 2012. The nominations were announced by Adg Council Chair John Shaffner and Awards co-producers Greg Grande and Raf Lydon. Deadline for final voting, which is done online, is January 31. The black-tie ceremony announcing winners will take place Saturday, February 2, 2013, from the International Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills with Paula Poundstone serving as host for the fourth consecutive year. Production Designer Herman Zimmerman will be the recipient of the Guild’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Hall of Fame inductees are Preston Ames, Richard MacDonald, and Edward S. Stephenson. The Production Designers behind the James Bond franchise, Sir Ken Adam, Allan Cameron, Dennis Gassner, and Peter Lamont will be honored for Outstanding Contribution to Cinematic Imagery.

Welcome to Holiday Favorites, a series in which Slackerwood contributors and our friends talk about the movies we watch during the holiday season, holiday-related or otherwise.

Tim League, the founder and CEO of Alamo Drafthouse, tells us today about his movie choice for holiday-time, the 1978 thriller The Silent Partner (for which Curtis Hanson wrote the screenplay!):

I'm actually quite fond of quite a few Christmas classics: Silent Night Deadly Night, Black Christmas, The Magic Christmas Tree, Santa Clause Vs. Satan, etc. My favorite, though, is a movie I was introduced to via Alamo programmer Lars Nilsen: the Canuxploitation classic The Silent Partner.

I went to a Weird Wednesday screening of this years ago with no knowledge of the film and no expectations. The film popped right away with tight storytelling, complicated twists and turns, well-fleshed-out characters, a really black humor and a demonic, intense performance by the normally normal Christopher Plummer.

0:00 - Intro 2:40 - Review: Dark Shadows 31:30 - Headlines: Edgar Wright Teases Ant-Man Movie, Jody Hill to Direct a Dukes of Hazzard Reboot?, Kurt Russell Drops Out of Django Unchained, Argo Trailer, Gangster Squad Trailer 49:25 - Other Stuff We Watched: Saturday Night Live, Kicking It, English Premiere League Soccer, Demons, Demons II, Haywire, Assault on a Queen, The Asphyx, Platform Moon, Face Off, The Silent Partner, Shark Night, Road to Perdition, Ed Wood, Veep, The Pitch, Celebrity Apprentice 1:40:00 - Junk Mail: Too Negative, Director's Voices + Beakman's World vs. Bill Nye the Science Guy, Tony Stark Meets the General, Cult / Character Actors in Blockbusters, Darren Aronofsky's Noah, Being Approached by Film Junk Fans, Nothing But Trouble, Spielberg vs. Kubrick vs. Nolan vs. Tarantino 2:07:30 - This Week's DVD Releases 2:09:30 - Outro

Film Junk Podcast Episode #368: Dark Shadows by Filmjunk on...

By Sean O’Connell

Hollywoodnews.com: The legendary Christopher Plummer, who has been earning raves for his performance in Mike Mills’ “Beginners” as a widower embracing his homosexuality, will receive the “Hollywood Supporting Actor Award” at this year’s 15th Annual Hollywood Film Festival and Hollywood Film Awards, presented by Starz Entertainment. The event is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 24, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills.

Plummer, an Academy Award nominee for his recent performance in “The Last Station,” has been enjoying even more awards chatter as of late for his turn as Hal, a closeted gay man who didn’t choose to come out until his wife passed away … much to the surprise of his son (Ewan McGregor).

Plummer, who can be seen in “Barrymore” and “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” later this year, will be on hand to accept the award.

His bio is below:

Christopher Plummer...

We’re here again for the X-Men: First Class update. But this time, much prettier report, because lovely Rose Byrne (best known from titles like Get Him to the Greek, and 28 Weeks Later) is in negotiations to play Moira MacTaggert, a scientist and love interest of Charles Xavier.

How about that? Well, if you’re not so familiar with this character, here’s a little description:

Moira MacTaggert “was one of the world’s leading authorities on genetic mutation, earning her a Nobel Prize for her work. She was the longest running human associate of the X-Men and was Professor Charles Xavier’s colleague, confidante, and also once his fiancée, having met and fallen in love with him while they were postgraduates at Oxford University.

She ended their engagement when for reasons unknown she married her old flame, the late politician Joseph MacTaggert. … She eventually created a Mutant Research Center on Muir Island,...

I miss being shocked by violence, but every routine action movie has decapitations ... there's no left field left for violence to come out of

The other day, midway through Went the Day Well?, I felt an unfamiliar emotion stirring in my breast. This slice of wartime propaganda from Ealing – directed by Alberto Cavalcanti and adapted from a short story by Graham Greene – is very different from the comedies for which the studio is best known, though our introduction to the quaint English village of Bramley End, where it takes place, makes us think we're in store for an everyday story of country folk. But the emotion I felt wasn't amusement; it was shock. To be precise, I was shocked by the violence.

How can this be? How come I was shocked by a black-and-white film made in 1942, when I can sit through the likes of Antichrist or Martyrs without flinching?...

The Alamo Guide

for December 10th, 2009 If you’re at the S. Lamar theater this weekend, and you see a bunch of groggy ass, smelly, crazy-looking people wandering out of the theater around noon on Sunday, don’t worry. They won’t hurt you, they will have just sat through a full 24 hours plus of movies and they’ll be in desperate need of sleep. I’ll be one of them. It’ll be awesomely exhausting! Aside from that, if you got tickets already (if not, toooo bad), you can see the folks from Broken Lizard with their newest film The Slammin’ Salmon, but the most important thing that you should do is Go See Bad Lieutenant: Port Of Call New Orleans!!! Yes, the name is long, and the trailer makes it look kind of silly, but the hype over at Alamo Headquarters is ridiculous and the few people in...

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is the UK/British Columbia-lensed fantasy feature directed by Terry "Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas" Gilliam, written by Gilliam and Charles McKeown. The surreal film follows the leader of a travelling theatre troupe who, having made a deal with the Devil, takes audience members through a magical mirror to explore their imaginations. Canadian actor Christopher "The Silent Partner" Plummer, singer Tom Waits and the late Heath Ledger star in the film, though Ledger's death one-third of the way through filming caused production to be temporarily suspended. Ledger's role was then recast with actors Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell portraying transformations of Ledger's character 'Tony' as he travels through a dream world. The film received a PG-13 rating for "violent images, some sensuality, language and smoking". "...In the present day, immortal 1,000-year-old 'Doctor Parnassus' (Plummer) leads a traveling theatre troupe.including a sleight...

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is the UK/British Columbia-lensed fantasy feature directed by Terry "Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas" Gilliam, written by Gilliam and Charles McKeown. The feverishly, surreal film follows the leader of a travelling theatre troupe who, having made a deal with the Devil, takes audience members through a magical mirror to explore their imaginations. Canadian actor Christopher "The Silent Partner" Plummer, singer Tom Waits and the late Heath Ledger star in the film, though Ledger's death one-third of the way through filming caused production to be temporarily suspended. Ledger's role was then recast with actors Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell portraying transformations of Ledger's character 'Tony' as he travels through a dream world. The film received a PG-13 rating for "violent images, some sensuality, language and smoking". "...In the present day, immortal 1,000-year-old 'Doctor Parnassus' (Plummer) leads a traveling theatre troupe.including a...