Xanadu (1980)
58%RT Audience Score: 58%
Awards & Nominations: 1 win & 10 nominations
Not even spandex and over-the-top musical numbers can save Xanadu from questionable acting, unimpressive effects, and a story unencumbered by logic
Xanadu is a movie that’s so bad, it’s good. It’s like a train wreck that you can’t look away from, but instead of a train, it’s Olivia Newton-John on roller skates. The special effects are cheesy, the acting is wooden, and the plot is nonsensical, but that’s what makes it so entertaining. It’s a disco fever dream that you won’t soon forget. So grab some popcorn, put on your roller skates, and get ready for a wild ride.
Production Company(ies)
Universal Pictures, Imagine Entertainment,
Distributor
Universal Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Pan-Pacific Auditorium – 7600 W. Beverly Boulevard, Fairfax, Los Angeles, California, USA
MPAA / Certificate
PG
Year of Release
1980
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Dolby
-
Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
-
Runtime:1h 36m
-
Language(s):English
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Aug 8, 1980 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 24, 2008
Genre(s)
Fantasy
Keyword(s)
starring Olivia Newton-John, Gene Kelly, Michael Beck, James Sloyan, Dimitra Arliss, Katie Hanley, directed by Robert Greenwald, written by Richard Christian Danus and Marc Reid Rubel, fantasy, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Tom Shales, William Thomas, Jeff McLaughlin, Eric Henderson, James Berardinelli, Saffron Maeve, Larry Vitacco, Jesús Fernández Santos, Raquel Stecher, Lorien Haynes, TV Guide Staff, PG, roller-skating disco, Greek muse, ELO, musical numbers, special effects, choreography, tacky, campy, 80s film, Grease, album covers, struggling artist, anonymous woman, ageless, logic, intravenous marzipan, questionable acting, unimpressive effects, story unencumbered by logic, Lawrence Gordon, produced by Universal Pictures, surround sound mix
Worldwide gross: $22,762,571
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $85,549,461
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,090
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 9,329,276
US/Canada gross: $22,762,571
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $85,549,461
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 827
US/Canada opening weekend: $1,471,595
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $5,530,753
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,085
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $20,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $75,166,782
Production budget ranking: 559
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $40,477,312
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$30,094,634
ROI to date (est.): -26%
ROI ranking: 1,543
Gene Kelly – Danny McGuire
Michael Beck – Sonny Malone
James Sloyan – Simpson
Dimitra Arliss – Helen
Katie Hanley – Sandra
Director(s)
Robert Greenwald
Writer(s)
NA
Producer(s)
Lawrence Gordon
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
1 win & 10 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (42) | Top Critics (10) | Fresh (12) | Rotten (30)
“Xanadu” cannot possibly be described as a good movie, but it can be recommended to those who can tolerate large amounts of intravenous marzipan.
April 1, 2019
Tom Shales
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
This modern musical with tunes written by Where Are They Now pop band ELO falls flat on its face simply because the premise is so utterly ludicrous.
April 1, 2019 | Rating: 2/5
William Thomas
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
The acting is wooden, the direction and cinematography confused, the special effects largely out of place, the dramatic interest nonexistent.
April 28, 2018
Jeff McLaughlin
Boston Globe
TOP CRITIC
Stupendously bad.
March 26, 2009
Variety Staff
Variety
TOP CRITIC
While the movie is every bit as garish and overly shellacked as the other bomb musicals of its era, at least this one looks like irresponsible amounts of money were thrown around.
June 25, 2008 | Rating: 2.5/4
Eric Henderson
Slant Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Conventional wisdom decrees that Xanadu is a horrible film. In a sense, conventional wisdom may be correct, but it ignores one key ingredient: viewed in the right frame of mind, this movie can be a lot of fun.
June 10, 2008 | Rating: 3/4
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
TOP CRITIC
It was never designed to age well and oddly, because of that fact, it remains relevant to this day. It’s this impermanence that makes Xanadu feel significant; a then-product now-relic of the 1970s that celebrates the disco-era long after its demise.
March 13, 2021
Saffron Maeve
Film Inquiry
Xanadu offers a wealth of special effects entrancingly strung out along a rather impoverished screenplay.
May 27, 2020 | Rating: 3/4
Larry Vitacco
Philadelphia Gay News
The excessive effects and music are the main protagonists in this story where the best part is the choreography. [Full Review in Spanish]
August 13, 2019
Jesús Fernández Santos
El Pais (Spain)
Xanadu is total confection. It’s 100% ridiculous. Very little of it makes sense…. They really should have nixed the idea of finding a Gibb look-a-like and went with a song-and-dance man instead.
August 11, 2019
Raquel Stecher
Out of the Past
A laugh if only for its mind-boggling awfulness.
April 1, 2019 | Rating: 1/5
Lorien Haynes
Radio Times
Though meant to be a throwback to old-style Hollywood musicals, XANADU merely replaces style and substance with flash and glitz…
April 1, 2019 | Rating: 1/5
TV Guide Staff
TV Guide…
Plot
In Los Angeles, artist Sonny Malone reluctantly returns to his job at Airflow Records
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The cast of Xanadu includes Olivia Newton-John, Gene Kelly, and Michael Beck.
Robert-Greenwald.jpg
The Shining
The Shining (1980)
95%RT Audience Score: 93%
Awards & Nominations: 4 wins & 8 nominations
Though it deviates from Stephen King’s novel, Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining is a chilling, often baroque journey into madness — exemplified by an unforgettable turn from Jack Nicholson.
The Shining is a classic horror movie that will leave you feeling both terrified and confused. Kubrick’s unique style of storytelling and visual imagery will keep you on the edge of your seat, wondering what will happen next. And let’s not forget about Jack Nicholson’s iconic performance as the deranged Jack Torrance. It’s a must-watch for any horror fan, but be warned – you may never look at a hotel the same way again.
Production Company(ies)
Warner Bros., Hawk Films, Peregrine
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
Timberline Lodge, Mount Hood, Oregon, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for disturbing violent content and behavior, bloody images, graphic nudity, and strong language
Year of Release
1980
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Dolby
-
Aspect ratio:NA
-
Runtime:2h 22m
-
Language(s):English
-
Country of origin:United States, United Kingdom
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): May 23, 1980 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 23, 2007
Genre(s)
Horror
Keyword(s)
starring Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd, Scatman Crothers, Barry Nelson, Philip Stone, directed by Stanley Kubrick, written by Stephen King, Stanley Kubrick, Diane Johnson, horror, box office performance, budget, reviewed by David Denby, Matthew Rozsa, Lee Lescaze, Adam Nayman, Bob Thomas, Bruce McCabe, Cody Dericks, Brian Eggert, Ray Pride, Tony Black, Brian Gill, Kent Garrison, R, Warner Bros Pictures, Robert Fryer, MPAA rating, Overlook Hotel, Colorado, writer’s block, psychic premonitions, homicidal maniac, family, dislocation, haunted-house movie, gallows humor, visual images, suspense, terror, cinematic maze, atmosphere, tension, family drama, production design, cinematography, soundtrack
Worldwide gross: $47,299,460
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $177,767,410
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 762
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 19,385,759
US/Canada gross: $45,634,352
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $171,509,370
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 446
US/Canada opening weekend: $622,337
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $2,338,953
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,187
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $19,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $71,408,443
Production budget ranking: 594
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $38,453,447
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $67,905,521
ROI to date (est.): 62%
ROI ranking: 1,092
Shelley Duvall – Winifred “Wendy” Torrance
Danny Lloyd – Danny Torrance
Scatman Crothers – Dick Hallorann
Barry Nelson – Stuart Ullman
Philip Stone – Delbert Grady
Director(s)
Stanley Kubrick
Writer(s)
Stephen King, Stanley Kubrick, Diane Johnson
Producer(s)
Robert Fryer, Stanley Kubrick
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
4 wins & 8 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (99) | Top Critics (23) | Fresh (83) | Rotten (16)
There are a few terrific thrills, and some eerie moments of dislocation that only Kubrick could achieve, but most of the movie is unfelt, unscary, and bizarrely heavy-handed. It’s the first pompous haunted-house movie.
June 17, 2022
David Denby
New York Magazine/Vulture
TOP CRITIC
The classic Stanley Kubrick film isn’t just scary – it is also, in its own odd way, defined by a hopeful perspective on life and death.
November 6, 2019 | Rating: 4/4
Matthew Rozsa
Salon.com
TOP CRITIC
It’s an interesting movie, but not the ultimate work in its genre that some expected from one of the great directors.
September 24, 2019
Lee Lescaze
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
[It] Kubrick’s gallows humor, which was always about confronting and critiquing his audience’s baser impulses: reinventing The Shining as a slapstick comedy about murderous patriarchal insecurity is a daring move.
September 5, 2019
Adam Nayman
The Ringer
TOP CRITIC
Kubrick is master of visual images, and many of the scenes display his brilliance. But much of the suspense ends in anti-climax, and Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall seem over-extended in trying to maintain the terror.
July 17, 2019
Bob Thomas
Associated Press
TOP CRITIC
When you sit down to The Shining, you sit down with normal expectations of being diverted, perhaps even being gripped, but not being undermined. But the film undermines you in powerful, inchoate ways.
April 26, 2018
Bruce McCabe
Boston Globe
TOP CRITIC
An unending roller coaster of terror that knows exactly how to get under the skin of anyone who watches it.
July 5, 2022 | Rating: 9/10
Cody Dericks
Next Best Picture
The terrifying aspect of The Shining, and its most enduring quality, is how Kubrick has trapped us in his cinematic maze to search without hope of ever discovering an adequate answer outside of our own making.
February 14, 2022 | Rating: 4/4
Brian Eggert
Deep Focus Review
He’s always been the caretaker. Yet he’s not fully aware, unlike Phil in Groundhog Day, who improves himself over what could be millions of years. (An aside from Harold Ramis about that story’s duration.)
December 19, 2021 | Rating: 10/10
Ray Pride
Newcity
A true masterpiece.
February 16, 2021 | Rating: 5/5
Tony Black
Cultural Conversation
Each viewing reestablishes The Shining as one of the greatest horror movies of all-time.
February 10, 2021 | Rating: A+
Brian Gill
Mad About Movies Podcast
I have never watched The Shining and not been blown away. It’s an absolute clinic in atmosphere, tension, family drama, production design, cinematography, and so much more.
December 26, 2020 | Rating: A+
Kent Garrison
Mad About Movies Podcast…
Plot
Haunted by a persistent writer’s block, the aspiring author and recovering alcoholic, Jack Torrance, drags his wife, Wendy, and his gifted son, Danny, up snow-capped Colorado’s secluded Overlook Hotel after taking up a job as an off-season caretaker. As the cavernous hotel shuts down for the season, the manager gives Jack a grand tour, and the facility’s chef, the ageing Mr Hallorann, has a fascinating chat with Danny about a rare psychic gift called “The Shining”, making sure to warn him about the hotel’s abandoned rooms, and, in particular, the off-limits Room 237. However, instead of overcoming the dismal creative rut, little by little, Jack starts losing his mind, trapped in an unforgiving environment of seemingly endless snowstorms, and a gargantuan silent prison riddled with strange occurrences and eerie visions. Now, the incessant voices inside Jack’s head demand sacrifice. Is Jack capable of murder?
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Jack Nicholson’s performance as Jack Torrance in The Shining is described as “unforgettable” by Fresh Kernels.
Stanley-Kubrick.jpg
Friday the 13th
Friday the 13th (1980)
69%RT Audience Score: 60%
Awards & Nominations: 6 nominations
Rather quaint by today’s standards, Friday the 13th still has its share of bloody surprises and a ’70s-holdover aesthetic to slightly compel
Friday the 13th is the kind of movie that makes you wonder if the filmmakers were trying to win an award for the most gratuitous use of gore and nudity. But hey, if that’s your thing, then this movie delivers in spades. The plot is thin, the acting is questionable, and the characters are forgettable, but who cares when you’re watching a masked killer hack his way through a group of horny teenagers? It’s not high art, but it’s a fun way to spend a Friday night with some friends and a few beers. Just don’t expect to be scared out of your wits.
Production Company(ies)
Charles Chaplin Productions,
Distributor
Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros.
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Wide)
Filming Location(s)
Camp Nobebosco – 11 Sand Pond Road, Blairstown, New Jersey, USA
MPAA / Certificate
R
Year of Release
1980
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Mono
-
Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
-
Runtime:1h 35m
-
Language(s):English
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jun 13, 1980 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 7, 2007
Genre(s)
Horror
Keyword(s)
starring Betsy Palmer, Adrienne King, Harry Crosby, Laurie Bartram, Mark Nelson, Jeannine Taylor, directed by Sean S Cunningham, written by Victor Miller, horror, R rating, box office gross $60.5M, reviewed by Ron Pennington, James Berardinelli, Jeremiah Kipp, Kim Newman, Dave Kehr, Joseph Litsch, Betsy Palmer as Mrs Pamela Voorhees, Adrienne King as Alice Hardy, Harry Crosby as Bill, Laurie Bartram as Brenda, Mark Nelson as Ned Rubenstein, Jeannine Taylor as Marcie Cunningham, produced by Sean S Cunningham
Worldwide gross: $39,765,665
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $149,452,854
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 834
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 16,298,021
US/Canada gross: $39,754,601
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $149,411,272
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 516
US/Canada opening weekend: $5,816,321
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $21,859,707
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 608
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $550,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $2,067,087
Production budget ranking: 2,025
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $1,113,126
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $146,272,641
ROI to date (est.): 4,599%
ROI ranking: 23
Adrienne King – Alice Hardy
Harry Crosby – Bill
Laurie Bartram – Brenda
Mark Nelson – Ned Rubenstein
Jeannine Taylor – Marcie Cunningham
Director(s)
Sean S. Cunningham
Writer(s)
Victor Miller
Producer(s)
Sean S. Cunningham
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
6 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (56) | Top Critics (8) | Fresh (35) | Rotten (21)
It’s blatant exploitation of the lowest order.
November 2, 2014
Ron Pennington
Hollywood Reporter
TOP CRITIC
February 12, 2009 | Rating: 2/4
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
TOP CRITIC
You really have to wonder what exactly made the Friday the 13th series so wildly successful.
February 4, 2009 | Rating: 2/4
Jeremiah Kipp
Slant Magazine
TOP CRITIC
It may be one of the most famous, but it’s certainly not an original on which others are based.
September 26, 2007 | Rating: 2/5
Kim Newman
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
For all its shoddiness, the film manages, just barely, to achieve its ignoble goals — it delivers what it promises.
September 26, 2007
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
The whole film is one of the best arguments for resuming movie censorship to come along in years.
March 7, 2005
Joseph Litsch
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
TOP CRITIC
Betsy Palmer, cast as Mrs. Voorhees, delivers the most embarrassing performance found in ANY film in the franchise.
August 21, 2021 | Rating: 2/4
Matt Brunson
Film Frenzy
Although nothing about the film stands out as incredibly imaginative, the production isn’t without a certain level of amusement.
September 6, 2020 | Rating: 6/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
The beginning is not a fantastic movie. But it’s solid enough to create a whole franchise. [Full review in Spanish].
June 29, 2020 | Rating: 2.5/4
Federico Furzan
Cinelipsis
The likable, non-stereotypical teens in Friday the 13th didn’t do anything wrong per se, yet they get punished. It makes you wonder if there’s any ex-[your job here] running around out there, just looking for the right time to strike.
May 10, 2020 | Rating: 8/10
Tracy Allen
PopHorror.com
Jason Vorhees, the great golem of Paramount Studios and Warner Brothers Pictures, will always be here for us when we need to be frightened, titallated, distracted, or when we need a laugh.
March 31, 2020
Ed Travis
Hollywood Jesus
Friday the 13th is not a good movie, but it achieves its objective: to make the public feel adrenaline. [Full Review in Spanish]
August 13, 2019
Ángel S. Harguindey
El Pais (Spain)…
Plot
In 1957, a young boy named Jason drowns in a lake near Camp Crystal Lake. The next year, two counselors are murdered. In 1980, a descendant of the original owners reopens Camp Crystal Lake with some counselors’ help. The counselors gets killed one by one by a mysterious person. Could it be Jason, out for revenge?
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The film features a young Kevin Bacon in a speedo.
Sean-S.-Cunningham.jpg
13th
13th (2016)
94%RT Audience Score: 90%
Awards & Nominations: 6 nominations
13th strikes at the heart of America’s tangled racial history, offering observations as incendiary as they are calmly controlled.
If you’re looking for a documentary that will make you feel all the emotions, 13TH is the one for you. Ava DuVernay’s film is a powerful exploration of the history of racism in America and how it has led to the mass incarceration of black men. With a mix of talking-head interviews and archival footage, 13TH is both informative and heart-wrenching. DuVernay’s message is clear: the fight for racial justice is far from over. But don’t worry, there’s a glimmer of hope in the power of imagery. So grab some tissues and get ready to feel all the feels.
Production Company(ies)
Paramount Pictures, Georgetown Productions Inc., Sean S. Cunningham Films,
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Streaming, Streaming (Netflix), Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
Camp Nobebosco – 11 Sand Pond Road, Blairstown, New Jersey, USA
MPAA / Certificate
R
Year of Release
1980
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Mono
-
Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
-
Runtime:NA
-
Language(s):English
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Streaming): May 23, 2017
Genre(s)
Documentary
Keyword(s)
documentary, racial inequality, African-Americans, Ava DuVernay, Spencer Averick, Howard Barish, Michelle Alexander, Bryan Stevenson, Van Jones, Newt Gingrich, Grover Norquist, Angela Davis, critic reviews, Tomatometer, audience score, genre, English, box office performance, budget, producer, writer, director, MPAA rating, Beasts of No Nation, Going Clear: Scientology & the Prison of Belief, Corpus Christi, The Missing Picture, Jane, reviewed by Nell Minow, Thelma Adams, Candice Frederick, Bob Mondello, Ann Hornaday, Christy Lemire, Brett Michael Dykes, Jennifer Merin, Dorothy Woodend, Victor Pineyro, David Bax, Film Companion Staff, documentary film, racial justice, mass incarceration, slavery, prison system, civil rights, social justice, political activism, American history, criminal justice system, Black Lives Matter, human rights, inequality, justice reform, prison labor, 13th Amendment
Worldwide gross: $39,765,665
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $149,452,854
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 834
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 16,298,021
US/Canada gross: $39,754,601
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $149,411,272
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 516
US/Canada opening weekend: $5,816,321
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $21,859,707
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 608
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $550,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $2,067,087
Production budget ranking: 2,025
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $1,113,126
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $146,272,641
ROI to date (est.): 4,599%
ROI ranking: 23
Bryan Stevenson – Self
Van Jones – Self
Newt Gingrich – Self
Grover Norquist – Self
Angela Davis – Self
Director(s)
Ava DuVernay
Writer(s)
Spencer Averick, Ava DuVernay
Producer(s)
Spencer Averick, Howard Barish, Ava DuVernay
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
6 nominations
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (110) | Top Critics (47) | Fresh (107) | Rotten (3)
This fierce and fearless documentary is so brilliantly constructed that its message is inspiring as well as infuriating.
November 30, 2021
Nell Minow
AWFJ Women on Film
TOP CRITIC
Ava DuVernay’s 13TH is essential viewing on the history of racism in America – and how the warehousing of black men in contemporary corporate prisons is rooted in the slavery of the past.
November 30, 2021
Thelma Adams
AARP Movies for Grownups
TOP CRITIC
DuVernay underscores the blatant yet rarely discussed clause within the 13th amendment of the Constitution.
November 30, 2021
Candice Frederick
AWFJ Women on Film
TOP CRITIC
In her documentary, 13th, Ava DuVernay cites the wording of the 13th amendment, which outlawed slavery and involuntary servitude “except as a punishment for crime…” but DuVernay gives the argument enormous cinematic force.
September 24, 2018
Bob Mondello
NPR
TOP CRITIC
DuVernay creates a cogent, compelling argument in 13th, which balances attractively filmed talking-head interviews with alternately heartbreaking and infuriating archival footage.
September 24, 2018
Ann Hornaday
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
What [DuVernay] achives in a relatively short amount of time… feels thorough and yet concise and it’s calmly powerful.
September 24, 2018 | Rating: 9.5/10
Christy Lemire
What the Flick?!
TOP CRITIC
DuVernay boldly explores how prisons and detention centers are making a profit off of free prison labor, most of it done by black men which begs the question, is slavery really dead?
December 29, 2021
Brett Michael Dykes
Uproxx
DuVernay brings to bear all of her cinematic and storytelling skills to wrap a thoroughly researched investigation into a most compelling documentary about the long lasting but little known effects of 13th Amendment.
November 30, 2021
Jennifer Merin
AWFJ Women on Film
Ferociously intelligent, rigorous and impassioned, DuVernay’s film is a battle cry for democracy.
November 30, 2021
Dorothy Woodend
AWFJ Women on Film
Silence is oppression, and by being silent we become tolerant. Impressive documentary, terrifying truth. Ava DuVernay channels understanding today through the knowledge of the past. [Full review in Spanish]
March 1, 2021 | Rating: 9/10
Victor Pineyro
Seventh Art Studio
13th will fill your mouth with bitter anger but, if there’s a way forward, it’s one a filmmaker like DuVernay can get behind. There’s hope in the power of imagery.
January 5, 2021
David Bax
Battleship Pretension
Ava DuVernay’s scathing documentary explores the injustices at the heart of America’s painful racial history by examining the systemic failures of the penal system.
October 27, 2020
Film Companion Staff
Film Companion…
Plot
In 1957, a young boy named Jason drowns in a lake near Camp Crystal Lake. The next year, two counselors are murdered. In 1980, a descendant of the original owners reopens Camp Crystal Lake with some counselors’ help. The counselors gets killed one by one by a mysterious person. Could it be Jason, out for revenge?
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The documentary features interviews with notable figures such as Michelle Alexander, Bryan Stevenson, Van Jones, Newt Gingrich, Grover Norquist, and Angela Davis.
Ava-DuVernay.jpg
Cruising
Cruising (1980)
60%RT Audience Score: 49%
Awards & Nominations: 5 nominations
Cruising glides along confidently thanks to filmmaking craft and Al Pacino’s committed performance, but this hot-button thriller struggles to engage its subject matter sensitively or justify its brutality
Cruising is a movie that’s been around for a while, and it seems like everyone has an opinion on it. Some people think it’s a work of art, while others think it’s ugly and mean. Personally, I think it’s a bit of both. The movie is definitely not for everyone, but if you’re into giallo and want to see a snapshot of queer nightlife in New York City before the AIDS epidemic, then it’s worth checking out. Just be prepared for some laughable loopholes and sluggish, repetitive scenes. Overall, I’d give it a solid 3 out of 5 stars.
Production Company(ies)
Carolco Pictures, Pacific Western Lightstorm Entertainment,
Distributor
United Artists
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Hotel St. James, 109 West 45th Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
MPAA / Certificate
R
Year of Release
1980
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Mono
-
Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
-
Runtime:1h 46m
-
Language(s):English
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Feb 8, 1980 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 18, 2007
Genre(s)
Lgbtq+
Keyword(s)
starring Al Pacino, Paul Sorvino, Karen Allen, Richard Cox, Don Scardino, Joe Spinell, directed by William Friedkin, written by William Friedkin, Gerald Walker, LGBTQ+, thriller, New York City, gay clubs, murder, detective, S&M, subculture, homophobia, brutality, psychopath, violence, committed performance, filmmaking craft, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Anton Bitel, Charles Champlin, Bruce McCabe, Roger Ebert, Frank Rich, Dave Kehr, Philip Shehadi, Tom Huhn, Jason Shawhan, Marina Hirsch, MPAA rating R, produced by Jerry Weintraub, United Artists, aspect ratio Flat (1.85:1)
Worldwide gross: $19,814,523
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $74,469,697
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,163
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 8,121,014
US/Canada gross: $19,784,223
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $11,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $41,341,730
Production budget ranking: 934
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $22,262,522
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $10,865,445
ROI to date (est.): 17%
ROI ranking: 1,308
Paul Sorvino – Capt. Edelson
Karen Allen – Nancy Gates
Richard Cox – Stuart Richards
Don Scardino – Ted Bailey
Joe Spinell – Patrolman DiSimone
Director(s)
William Friedkin
Writer(s)
William Friedkin, Gerald Walker
Producer(s)
Jerry Weintraub
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
5 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (58) | Top Critics (15) | Fresh (29) | Rotten (29)
Here Steve’s ‘undercover’ status serves as a metaphor for his closetedness (and vice versa) – while murder is committed at the behest of an internalised paternal voice of authority that regards homosexuality as a guilt that must be bloodily expunged.
August 19, 2019
Anton Bitel
Little White Lies
TOP CRITIC
The principal complaint, artistically, about Cruising is that it is not very clear at the rudimentary level of exposition of character and event. The problem… is in a script that never seems sure enough what it wants to say or prove.
April 29, 2019
Charles Champlin
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
William Friedkin’s Cruising is a work of art.
April 27, 2018
Bruce McCabe
Boston Globe
TOP CRITIC
What we’re left with is a movie without the courage to declare itself.
June 9, 2014 | Rating: 2.5/4
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
TOP CRITIC
This detective melodrama has something to offend almost everyone.
June 9, 2014
Frank Rich
TIME Magazine
TOP CRITIC
What’s left is the framework for a graphic, brutal, sickening film, without the violent effects that might have made sense (however illegitimate) out of the conception.
June 9, 2014
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
I don’t think it poses the massive threat to gay lives and sanity some writers have anticipated. But Cruising [is] part of a larger picture: its homophobia does not stand alone in the history of American cinema, and that’s where the greatest danger lies.
May 24, 2022
Philip Shehadi
Gay Community News (Boston)
The film is ugly and mean, but art is fundamentally a search for the truth, and when the vision starts to become unpalatable, is it suddenly right for us to complain?
May 12, 2022
Tom Huhn
Washington Blade
At its best, this William Friedkin effort is an American giallo and a document of a community just before HIV/AIDS came along and demolished it.
September 10, 2021
Jason Shawhan
Nashville Scene
…sluggish and disastrously repetitive…
June 12, 2021 | Rating: 2/4
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews
Cruising is rife with laughable loopholes.
February 3, 2021
Marina Hirsch
Berkeley Barb
A fascinating entry in Friedkin’s oeuvre that works best when it’s immersed in New York City’s queer nightlife and less so when it gets bogged down in dull police shenanigans.
December 30, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/5
Trace Thurman
Horror Queers Podcast…
Plot
A serial killer brutally slays and dismembers several gay men in New York’s S&M and leather districts. The young police officer Steve Burns is sent undercover onto the streets as decoy for the murderer. Working almost completely isolated from his department, he has to learn and practice the complex rules and signals of this little society. While barely seeing his girlfriend Nancy anymore, the work starts changing him.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The film stars Al Pacino as Detective Steve Burns.
William-Friedkin.jpg
Airplane
Airplane! (1980)
92%RT Audience Score: 89%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
3 wins & 7 nominations total
Though unabashedly juvenile and silly, Airplane! is nevertheless an uproarious spoof comedy full of quotable lines and slapstick gags that endure to this day.
Airplane! is the kind of movie that will have you laughing so hard, you might just forget to breathe. It’s a classic comedy that never takes itself too seriously, and that’s what makes it so great. From the ridiculous plot to the over-the-top performances, everything about this movie is designed to make you laugh. And let’s not forget about the iconic one-liners that have become a part of pop culture history. If you haven’t seen Airplane! yet, you’re missing out on one of the funniest movies of all time. Just make sure you don’t have any popcorn in your mouth when you watch it, or you might end up choking from laughter.
Production Company(ies)
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Los Angeles International Airport – 1 World Way, Los Angeles, California, USA
MPAA / Certificate
PG
Year of Release
1980
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Mono
-
Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
-
Runtime:1h 28m
-
Language(s):English
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jan 1, 1980 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 13, 2005
Genre(s)
Comedy
Keyword(s)
Airplane!, comedy, disaster movie, spoof, Robert Hays, Julie Hagerty, Peter Graves, Robert Stack, Lloyd Bridges, Kareem Abdul-Jabaar, directed by Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker, written by Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker, produced by Jon Davison, Howard W Koch, box office performance, budget, PG rating, reviewed by Michael Blowen, Ron Pennington, Martin Chilton, Richard Schickel, Kathleen Carroll, Adam Smith, Kenneth Turan, Mike Massie, Bryan Reesman, Richard Propes, Matt Brunson, audience score, critic consensus, slapstick gags, quotable lines, movie parodies, puns, non sequiturs, Mad magazine, food poisoning, rogue pilot, stewardess, safe landing, Paramount Pictures, mono sound mix, flat aspect ratio
Worldwide gross: $83,453,539
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $313,646,699
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 481
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 34,203,566
US/Canada gross: $83,453,539
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $3,500,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $13,154,187
Production budget ranking: 1,560
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $7,083,530
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $293,408,983
ROI to date (est.): 1,450%
ROI ranking: 70
Julie Hagerty – Elaine Dickinson
Peter Graves – Captain Clarence Oveur
Robert Stack – Captain Rex Kramer
Lloyd Bridges – Steve McCroskey
Kareem Abdul-Jabaar – Roger Murdoch
Director(s)
Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker
Writer(s)
Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker
Producer(s)
Jon Davison, Howard W. Koch
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
3 wins & 7 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (70) | Top Critics (18) | Fresh (68) | Rotten (2)
The popcorn will probably stick with you longer than this silly saga but, if you need a few belly laughs, get a boarding pass. Airplane is the ultimate take-off.
April 28, 2018
Michael Blowen
Boston Globe
TOP CRITIC
The level of humor is not always consistent, but the filmmakers have thrown almost everything in with a shotgun approach and the routines work more often than not.
July 3, 2017
Ron Pennington
Hollywood Reporter
TOP CRITIC
The really great thing about Airplane! is that the jokes undercut your expectations so deftly.
June 8, 2015 | Rating: 5/5
Martin Chilton
Daily Telegraph (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Airplane! is a splendidly tacky, totally tasteless, completely insignificant flight, a gooney bird of a movie that looks as if it could never get off the ground and then surprises and delights with its free-spirited aerobatics.
June 8, 2015
Richard Schickel
TIME Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Jim Abrahams, David Zucker and Jerry Zucker, who share both writing and directorial credits, become so desperate for laughs that the jokes descend to a much cruder level.
April 7, 2015 | Rating: 2/4
Kathleen Carroll
New York Daily News
TOP CRITIC
Surely as good as modern comedy gets?…and don’t call me Shirley.
April 1, 2008 | Rating: 5/5
Adam Smith
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
It is very funny in a very silly kind of way and that people who intend to see it should do so as soon as possible. For this is a movie whose charm comes totally from the unexpected, off-the-wall nature of its jokes.
November 4, 2021
Kenneth Turan
New West/California
Part of what makes this all so effective is how straight the actors play their parts; in the face of unending fatuousness, the cast remains earnestly aboveboard.
June 28, 2021 | Rating: 8/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
It reminds us of the importance of pushing boundaries at the same time that it gives us a playbook for doing so in a good-natured rather than vicious or belittling way.
April 26, 2021
Bryan Reesman
NBC News THINK
The cast is nearly perfect.
September 1, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/4.0
Richard Propes
TheIndependentCritic.com
With its endless succession of movie parodies, puns and non sequiturs, it’s the closest that cinema has ever seen to a live-action interpretation of Mad magazine.
August 5, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/4
Matt Brunson
Film Frenzy
Hays and Hagerty had great chemistry that made their story believable.
July 27, 2020 | Rating: 4.5/5
Allison Rose
FlickDirect…
Plot
Drowning his sorrows after that botched mission during WWII, the traumatised former fighter pilot with a fear of flying, Ted Striker, still hasn’t got over his old flame and flight attendant, Elaine Dickinson. Determined to win her back, Ted boards a domestic flight from Los Angeles to Chicago, only to come face-to-face with a severe case of in-flight food poisoning that is threatening everyone’s lives. Now, with most of the passengers and the entire cockpit crew down with the food-borne illness, Striker has no other choice but to confront his inner demons and take over the control of the ungovernable aircraft with the help of a gruff air-traffic controller and his former commander. Can Ted land the plane and save them all?
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who plays co-pilot Roger Murdock, had to shave his trademark skyhook hairstyle for the role.
Jim-Abrahams.jpg
Fiddler on the Roof
Fiddler on the Roof (1971)
91%RT Audience Score: 92%
Awards & Nominations: Won 3 Oscars
9 wins & 13 nominations total
A bird may love a fish — and musical fans will love this adaptation of Fiddler on the Roof, even if it isn’t quite as transcendent as the long-running stage version.
Fiddler on the Roof is a classic musical that has stood the test of time, and for good reason. Sure, there are some moments that feel a bit forced, but overall it’s a heartwarming story about family, tradition, and the struggles of a changing world. Plus, who doesn’t love a good old-fashioned musical number? Topol’s performance as Tevye is a standout, and the film’s message about the importance of holding onto your roots while also embracing change is still relevant today. So grab some popcorn, settle in, and get ready to sing along to “Tradition” for the millionth time.
Production Company(ies)
Selznick International Pictures,, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer,
Distributor
United Artists
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Lekenik, Croatia
MPAA / Certificate
G
Year of Release
1971
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Dolby
-
Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
-
Runtime:3h 1m
-
Language(s):English, Hebrew, Russian
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jan 1, 1971 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 12, 2006
Genre(s)
Musical
Keyword(s)
Worldwide gross: $10,405,457
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $85,383,955
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,091
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 9,311,227
US/Canada gross: $10,404,330
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $85,374,707
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 829
US/Canada opening weekend: $1,726,942
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $14,170,751
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 819
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $9,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $73,851,210
Production budget ranking: 577
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $39,768,877
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$28,236,132
ROI to date (est.): -25%
ROI ranking: 1,533
Norma Crane – Gol
Director(s)
Norman Jewison
Writer(s)
Sholom Aleichem, Joseph Stein
Producer(s)
Norman Jewison
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 3 Oscars
9 wins & 13 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (41) | Top Critics (11) | Fresh (34) | Rotten (7)
There are some contrived and artificial moments in Fiddler, but it becomes more convincing, naturalistic, and involving as it goes on, and finally builds to a powerful climax.
December 20, 2015
Paul Sargent Clark
Hollywood Reporter
TOP CRITIC
The qualities that have kept the Broadway Fiddler running these seven years are in scant supply onscreen.
May 7, 2013
Jay Cocks
TIME Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Earthbound but not bad.
May 7, 2013
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
Sentimental in a theatrical way, romantic in the oldfashioned way, nostalgic of immigration days, affirmative of human decency, loyalty, bravery and folk humor.
July 7, 2010
Variety Staff
Variety
TOP CRITIC
Very hard to take with the film sitting up and practically slobbering in its eagerness to prove how loveable it is.
January 26, 2006
Tom Milne
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
They want to show us everything, to give us our money’s worth. In so doing, they’ve not just opened up the play, they’ve let most of the life out of it.
May 9, 2005 | Rating: 2.5/5
Vincent Canby
New York Times
TOP CRITIC
In its magnificent sound and picture … and its broad, showy performances, Fiddler is very much a traditional Hollywood musical.
July 20, 2020 | Rating: 10/10
Sean Collier
Box Office Prophets
Nearly 50 years following its release, Fiddler on the Roof remains a beautiful masterpiece.
December 25, 2018
Danielle Solzman
Solzy at the Movies
All I can say is that a very good stage show has, for me, been transformed into an equally good work of cinema.
November 17, 2017
Christopher Hudson
The Spectator
There’s a vibrant nature to the acting in this film that warms the heart and makes it feel comfortable, even when things aren’t going so great for the characters.
October 14, 2013 | Rating: 4.5/5
Kevin Carr
7M Pictures
As a musical look at family, generational and cultural conflict, and faith, Fiddler on the Roof makes a virtue of its quaintness… [Blu-ray]
May 8, 2011 | Rating: 3/4
Peter Canavese
Groucho Reviews
Topol breathes new life into Joseph Stein, Jerry Bock, and Sheldoon Harnick’s musical.
April 17, 2011 | Rating: 8/10
James Plath
Movie Metropolis…
Plot
At the beginning of the twentieth century, Jews and Orthodox Christians live in the little village of Anatevka in the pre-revolutionary Russia of the Czars. Among the traditions of the Jewish community, the matchmaker arranges the match and the father approves it. The milkman Reb Tevye is a poor man that has been married for twenty-five years with Golde and they have five daughters. When the local matchmaker Yente arranges the match between his older daughter Tzeitel and the old widow butcher Lazar Wolf, Tevye agrees with the wedding. However Tzeitel is in love with the poor tailor Motel Kamzoil and they ask permission to Tevye to get married that he accepts to please his daughter. Then his second daughter Hodel (Michele Marsh) and the revolutionary student Perchik decide to marry each other and Tevye is forced to accept. When Perchik is arrested by the Czar troops and sent to Siberia, Hodel decides to leave her family and homeland and travel to Siberia to be with her beloved Perchik. When his third daughter Chava decides to get married with the Christian Fyedka, Tevye does not accept and considers that Chava has died. Meanwhile the Czar troops evict the Jewish community from Anatevka.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Chaim Topol’s portrayal of Tevye the dairyman is “sparklingly charming” and the most memorable performance in the film.
Norman-Jewison.jpg
Dressed to Kill
Dressed to Kill (1980)
81%RT Audience Score: 74%
Awards & Nominations: 1 win & 10 nominations
With arresting visuals and an engrossingly lurid mystery, Dressed to Kill stylishly encapsulates writer-director Brian De Palma’s signature strengths
Dressed to Kill” is a movie that will have you on the edge of your seat, biting your nails, and wondering who the killer is. It’s a stylish murder mystery that’s both thrilling and suspenseful. While some critics may say that the plot makes no sense, I say who cares when the visuals are this stunning? Brian De Palma may not be concerned with content, but he sure knows how to make a movie that’s visually stunning. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride. Just don’t forget to lock your doors before you go to bed tonight.
Production Company(ies)
Almega Projects O2 Filmes,
Distributor
GoodTimes Home Video [us], Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corp., Warner Home Vídeo
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Philadelphia Museum of Art – 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
MPAA / Certificate
R
Year of Release
1980
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Mono
-
Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
-
Runtime:1h 45m
-
Language(s):English
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jun 23, 1980 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 28, 2001
Genre(s)
Mystery & thriller
Keyword(s)
starring Michael Caine, Angie Dickinson, Nancy Allen, Keith Gordon, Dennis Franz, David Margulies, directed by Brian De Palma, written by Brian De Palma, Mystery & thriller, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Michael Blowen, Dave Kehr, Variety Staff, Eric Henderson, Roger Ebert, Nell Minow, Tom Huhn, Michael Bronski, Taylor Baker, Eddie Harrison, Nicholas Bell, MPAA rating R, George Litto, GoodTimes Home Video, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corp., Warner Home Vídeo, prostitution, murder mystery, witness, inventor son, police, killer, identity, motivation, suspense, thriller, horror, erotic thriller, mirrors, transvestite, sleazy, excessive
Worldwide gross: $31,899,000
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $119,887,259
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 939
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 13,073,856
US/Canada gross: $31,899,000
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $6,500,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $24,429,204
Production budget ranking: 1,262
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $13,155,126
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $82,302,928
ROI to date (est.): 219%
ROI ranking: 595
Angie Dickinson – Kate Miller
Nancy Allen – Liz Blake
Keith Gordon – Peter Miller
Dennis Franz – Detective Marino
David Margulies – Dr. Levy
Director(s)
Brian De Palma
Writer(s)
Brian De Palma
Producer(s)
George Litto
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
1 win & 10 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (53) | Top Critics (7) | Fresh (42) | Rotten (11)
Dressed To Kill is a nail-biting, seat-squirming, stylish murder mystery with a brain.
April 28, 2018
Michael Blowen
Boston Globe
TOP CRITIC
Originality has never been a high value in the genre-bound aesthetic of filmmaking, but De Palma cheapens what he steals.
September 26, 2007
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
Despite some major structural weaknesses, the cannily manipulated combination of mystery, gore and kinky sex adds up to a slick commercial package.
September 26, 2007
Variety Staff
Variety
TOP CRITIC
Inflates paperback pulp psychology into something like a plot, all the better to demonstrate that filmmaking is an inherently visual storytelling.
September 2, 2006 | Rating: 4/4
Eric Henderson
Slant Magazine
TOP CRITIC
DePalma is not yet an artist of Hitchcock’s stature, but he does earn the right to a comparison.
October 23, 2004 | Rating: 3/4
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
TOP CRITIC
An A for style, a D for substance, with a plot that makes no sense at all.
July 16, 2004 | Rating: 3/5
Nell Minow
Movie Mom
TOP CRITIC
Treated simply as a suspense tale, Dressed to Kill is nearly perfect. There are however, disturbing aspects of the work, including some rather insulting sexist overtones which permeate the film.
May 20, 2022
Tom Huhn
Washington Blade
De Palma admits he is mainly concerned with the visuals and how they affect an audience… But his lack of concern for content is just plain sloppy.
May 12, 2022
Michael Bronski
Gay Community News (Boston)
Episode 8: Sex, Lies and Predator
August 28, 2021 | Rating: 60/100
Taylor Baker
Drink in the Movies
…a jaw-droppingly slick thriller…
March 15, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Eddie Harrison
film-authority.com
A hysterical nightmare of repressed sexuality and gender identity, it is arguably De Palma’s masterpiece, but certainly a film you won’t forget.
October 21, 2020 | Rating: 4/5
Nicholas Bell
IONCINEMA.com
The murder mystery at the forefront is tiresomely plain and detached, even if viewers can’t guess the culprit prior to the big reveal.
September 6, 2020 | Rating: 2/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins…
Plot
While taking a shower, Kate Miller, a middle-aged, sexually frustrated New York City housewife, has a rape fantasy while her husband stands at the sink shaving. Later that day, after complaining to her psychiatrist Dr. Robert Elliott about her husband’s pathetic performance in bed, she meets a strange man at a museum and returns to his apartment where they continue an adulterous encounter that began in the taxicab. Before she leaves his apartment, she finds papers which certify that the man has a venereal disease. Panicked, Kate rushes into the elevator, but has to return to his apartment when she realizes she’s forgotten her wedding ring. When the elevator doors open, she’s brutally slashed to death by a tall blonde woman wearing dark sunglasses. Liz Blake, a high-class call girl, is the only witness to the murder and she becomes the prime suspect and the murderer’s next target. Liz is rescued from being killed by Kate’s son Peter, who enlists the help of Liz to catch his mother’s killer as Detective Marino, who’s in charge of the case, is uncooperative in the investigation.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Dennis Franz appears in a supporting role as Detective Marino.
Brian-De-Palma.jpg
The Big Red One
The Big Red One (1980)
86%RT Audience Score: 78%
Awards & Nominations: 2 wins & 2 nominations
The reconstruction of Samuel Fuller’s epic account of his days in North Africa in World War II elevates the film into the pantheon of great war movies
The Big Red One is a war movie that will make you feel like you’re in the trenches with the soldiers. It’s got everything you want in a war movie: action, drama, and a cast of characters that you’ll root for until the very end. Sam Fuller’s direction is top-notch, and the personal touch he brings to the film makes it feel like a true story. Plus, it’s got Lee Marvin as the grizzled Sarge, and who doesn’t love Lee Marvin? If you’re a fan of war movies, or just looking for a great film to watch, The Big Red One is a must-see.
Production Company(ies)
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
King John’s Castle, Trim, County Meath, Ireland
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for war violence and some language
Year of Release
1980
-
Color:Color
Black and White -
Sound mix:Dolby (original release)
-
Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
-
Runtime:NA
-
Language(s):English, French, Italian, German
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jul 18, 1980 Original
Release Date (Streaming): May 18, 2010
Genre(s)
War
Keyword(s)
Worldwide gross: $7,206,823
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $27,085,685
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,581
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 2,953,728
US/Canada gross: $7,206,220
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $4,500,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $16,912,526
Production budget ranking: 1,454
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $9,107,395
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $1,065,763
ROI to date (est.): 4%
ROI ranking: 1,378
Lee Marvin – The Sergeant
Mark Hamill – Pvt. Griff
Robert Carradine – Pvt. Zab
Bobby Di Cicco – Pvt. Vinci
Kelly Ward – Pvt. Johnson
Siegfried Rauch – Schroeder
Gene Corman – Producer
Samuel Fuller – Director, Writer
Director(s)
Samuel Fuller
Writer(s)
Samuel Fuller
Producer(s)
Gene Corman
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
2 wins & 2 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (49) | Top Critics (18) | Fresh (44) | Rotten (5)
It’s a terrific war yarn, a picture of palpable raw power which manages both Intense intimacy and great scope at the same time.
March 26, 2009
Variety Staff
Variety
TOP CRITIC
Although these are the stock characters of war drama – the sage, grizzled Sarge, the farm boy, the street kid, the nice guy who doesn’t want to kill anyone and the witness – Fuller’s are particularly credible ordinary people.
May 11, 2005 | Rating: 5/5
Angie Errigo
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
‘The Reconstruction,’ which clocks in at 2 hours, 43 minutes, with not a single extraneous frame, elevates the work from a robust genre film to a full-blown epic.
January 20, 2005 | Rating: 5/5
Kevin Crust
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
Even though it has gained more than 45 minutes, it doesn’t feel longer. Scenes that were choppy or half-baked are now allowed to play out as Fuller intended.
December 10, 2004 | Rating: 3/4
John Hartl
Seattle Times
TOP CRITIC
The director’s gift for bare-knuckles lyricism rescues scene after scene.
December 3, 2004 | Rating: 3/4
Ty Burr
Boston Globe
TOP CRITIC
If you don’t elect to watch The Big Red One through the lens of Sam Fuller’s mystique … you’ll realize that it has been celebrated in ways that essentially make virtues of its flaws.
December 2, 2004 | Rating: C
Owen Gleiberman
Entertainment Weekly
TOP CRITIC
It’s an adventure film as refreshing in content and style as The Deer Hunter was horrifyingly realistic and Apocalypse Now was terrifyingly philosophical.
May 27, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/4
Larry Vitacco
Philadelphia Gay News
But in the end, for a film that pretends to be anti-war, it comes across as ambiguous, which isn’t anything new in the work of Samuel Fuller. [Full Review in Spanish]
August 15, 2019
Jesús Fernández Santos
El Pais (Spain)
… if you want a World War II story from a real vet’s perspective, Sam Fuller is still the man and The Big Red One, drawn from his own war experiences, is the film
April 12, 2009
Sean Axmaker
Seanax.com
Personal observation bleeds out of every scene, and somehow it feels like a true story in a way that most war movies can’t achieve.
September 12, 2007 | Rating: 9/10
Tim Brayton
Antagony & Ecstasy
October 22, 2006 | Rating: 4/5
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com
… displays both raw power and the hint of war’s brutality.
October 2, 2006 | Rating: B
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews…
Plot
The story of a hardened army sergeant and four of his men, from their first fight at the Kasserine Pass after the invasion of North Africa through to the invasion of Sicily, D-Day, the Ardennes forest and the liberation of a concentration camp at the end of the war. As the five of them fight – and survive to fight yet again in the next battle – new recruits joining the squad are swatted down by the enemy on a regular basis. The four privates are naturally reluctant to get to know any of the new recruits joining the squad, who become just a series of nameless faces.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
NA
Samuel-Fuller.jpg
The Stunt Man
The Stunt Man (1980)
84%RT Audience Score: 74%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 3 Oscars
4 wins & 11 nominations total
The Stunt Man is a preposterously entertaining thriller with a clever narrative and Oscar-worthy (nomination, at least!) Peter O’Toole performance
The Stunt Man is like a wild ride at a carnival, full of twists and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat. It’s a movie about movies, but it’s also so much more than that. Peter O’Toole gives a performance that’s both hilarious and poignant, and the stunts are truly jaw-dropping. Sure, it’s a little pretentious and muddled at times, but that’s all part of the fun. Strap in and enjoy the ride!
Production Company(ies)
Red Box Films, Passion Pictures, Canfield Pictures,
Distributor
20th Century Fox
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Hotel del Coronado – 1500 Orange Avenue, Coronado, California, USA
MPAA / Certificate
R
Year of Release
1980
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Mono
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:2h 9m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jun 27, 1980 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 24, 2009
Genre(s)
Comedy
Keyword(s)
starring Peter O’Toole, Steve Railsback, Barbara Hershey, Allen Garfield, Alex Rocco, Sharon Farrell, directed by Richard Rush, written by Richard Rush, genre: comedy, box office performance: 74%, budget: unknown, reviewed by Linda Deutsch, Dave Kehr, Richard Schickel, Joe Morgenstern, Variety Staff, Geoff Andrew, Film Threat Staff, Nathan Rabin, Sean Axmaker, Peter Ackroyd, Film4 Staff, MPAA rating: R, Hollywood, war movie, stunt man, police, manipulation, daredevil, replacement, lead actress, thriller, clever narrative, Oscar-worthy performance
Worldwide gross: $7,063,886
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $26,548,479
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,595
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 2,895,145
US/Canada gross: $7,063,886
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $3,500,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $13,154,187
Production budget ranking: 1,560
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $7,083,530
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $6,310,762
ROI to date (est.): 31%
ROI ranking: 1,238
Steve Railsback – Cameron
Barbara Hershey – Nina Franklin
Allen Garfield – Sam
Alex Rocco – Police Chief Jake
Sharon Farrell – Denise
Director(s)
Richard Rush
Writer(s)
NA
Producer(s)
Richard Rush
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 3 Oscars
4 wins & 11 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (40) | Top Critics (9) | Fresh (36) | Rotten (4)
The Stunt Man is a brilliant feat of cinematic legerdemain, creating an illusory world in which nothing is what it seems.
January 29, 2019
Linda Deutsch
Associated Press
TOP CRITIC
Pretentious, overenergized, muddled, intellectually bogus, and very entertaining for it.
March 13, 2015
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
The fun lies in the journey. It is a trip of constantly shifting perceptions and sharply etched satirical sketches of movie types. It is also a carnival of bang-up stunt scenes.
March 13, 2015
Richard Schickel
TIME Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Sensationally original.
June 11, 2011
Joe Morgenstern
Wall Street Journal
TOP CRITIC
O’Toole is excellent in his best, cleanest performance in years.
December 1, 2008
Variety Staff
Variety
TOP CRITIC
The result is a movie filled with gags and excellent stunts which remains curiously humourless at heart. Stunted, not stunning.
February 9, 2006
Geoff Andrew
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
Subtle, neurotic and multi-layered, every scene in The Stunt Man is about multiple things at once.
March 7, 2021
Film Threat Staff
Film Threat
It’s a carnivalesque lark whose brevity and gravity are both attributable to the remarkable, pitch-perfect performance of O’Toole…
March 7, 2021
Nathan Rabin
The Dissolve
It’s one of the great movies about the movies and a devious exploration of trust in the line between art and life.
March 30, 2017
Sean Axmaker
Parallax View
The narrative doesn’t come to life until Peter O’Toole wraps it around himself like a Renaissance cloak, and stares pensively into the distance.
March 13, 2015
Peter Ackroyd
The Spectator
Meticulously constructed and beautifully realised.
March 13, 2015
Film4 Staff
Film4
A puzzle-master’s delight.
July 28, 2013 | Rating: 77/100
Dan Jardine
Cinemania…
Plot
While on the run from the police, Steve Railsback hides in a group of moviemakers where he pretends to be a stunt man. Both aided and endangered by the director (Peter O’Toole) he avoids both the police and sudden death as a stuntman. The mixture of real danger and fantasy of the movie is an interesting twist for the viewer as the two blend in individual scenes.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Peter O’Toole’s performance in The Stunt Man is described as “Oscar-worthy (nomination, at least!)” by Fresh Kernels.
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