Dawn of the Dead (1979)
93%RT Audience Score: 90%
Awards & Nominations: 1 win & 17 nominations
George A. Romero’s Dawn of the Dead is a masterpiece of horror that has stood the test of time. With its biting social commentary and unrelenting gore, it’s a film that is as relevant today as it was over four decades ago. Romero’s script is a Swiftian satire that skewers consumerism and the human condition, while also delivering some of the most gruesome and shocking scenes in horror history. The film’s intelligence and sophistication are matched only by its brutality and misanthropy, making it a must-see for any horror fan. Dawn of the Dead is a true classic that will continue to terrify and delight audiences for generations to come.
Dawn of the Dead is the ultimate zombie movie that will make you scream, laugh, and cringe all at the same time. Romero’s script may be a bit incoherent, but who cares when you’re watching people fight off hordes of the undead in a shopping mall? The gore is aplenty, but so are the funny moments and lines that will have you chuckling in between the blood and guts. It’s a classic horror film that still manages to scare and entertain audiences over four decades later. So grab some popcorn, turn off the lights, and get ready for a wild ride through the apocalypse.
Production Company(ies)
Strike Entertainment, New Amsterdam Entertainment, Metropolitan Filmexport
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Thornhill Square Mall, Thornhill, Ontario, Canada
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for pervasive strong horror violence and gore, language and sexuality
Year of Release
1979
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:DTS Dolby Digital SDDS
-
Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
-
Runtime:NA
-
Language(s):English
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Streaming): Mar 16, 2004
Genre(s)
Horror
Keyword(s)
horror, zombies, social commentary, survival, shopping center, Pennsylvania, radio-station, helicopter, SWAT members, humanity, gore, box office, budget, directed by George A Romero, written by George A Romero, produced by Richard P Rubinstein, starring David Emge, Ken Foree, Gaylen Ross, Scott H Reiniger, David Crawford, David Early, reviewed by Variety Staff, Dave Kehr, Gary Arnold, David Pirie, Roger Ebert, Tom Huhn, Brian Eggert, Jas Keimig, Rob Aldam, Anton Bitel, A.S Hamrah, MPAA rating R, English, 2h 6m, 92% Tomatometer, 90% Audience Score, Bubba Ho-Tep, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, The Evil Dead, Grindhouse, Day of the Dead
Worldwide gross: $102,278,712
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $161,343,278
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 811
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 17,594,687
US/Canada gross: $59,020,957
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $93,104,758
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 785
US/Canada opening weekend: $26,722,575
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $42,154,499
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 287
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $26,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $41,014,647
Production budget ranking: 942
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $22,086,387
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $98,242,244
ROI to date (est.): 156%
ROI ranking: 751
Ken Foree – Peter
Gaylen Ross – Francine
Scott H. Reiniger – Roger
David Crawford – Dr. Foster
David Early – Mr. Berman
Director(s)
George A. Romero
Writer(s)
NA
Producer(s)
NA
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
1 win & 17 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (50) | Top Critics (9) | Fresh (46) | Rotten (4)
Romero’s script is banal when not incoherent.
October 7, 2008
Variety Staff
Variety
TOP CRITIC
Romero’s sensibility approaches the Swiftian in its wit, accuracy, excess, and profound misanthropy.
March 29, 2007
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
Between atrocities the movie has its funny moments and funny lines. It’s just difficult to relish the humor when you’re dripping in so much gore.
February 21, 2007
Gary Arnold
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
Undoubtedly the zombie movie to end ’em all.
January 26, 2006
David Pirie
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
Grim, gruelling but beautifully shot, this is intelligent, sophisticated horror.
November 10, 2004 | Rating: 5/5
David Hughes
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Dawn of the Dead is one of the best horror films ever made — and, as an inescapable result, one of the most horrifying. It is gruesome, sickening, disgusting, violent, brutal and appalling.
October 23, 2004 | Rating: 4/4
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
TOP CRITIC
Even if one accepts the director’s premise that the earth is a toilet and hell the sewer underneath, Dawn of the Dead lacks the coherence necessary to achieve its purpose.
May 18, 2022
Tom Huhn
Washington Blade
Political and social satire rarely gets as dark as George A. Romero’s films, where gags are outlined by living death and punctuated by sinewy, bloody gore.
March 21, 2022 | Rating: 4/4
Brian Eggert
Deep Focus Review
What delights me about Dawn of the Dead is that, over four decades later, the film still has genuine scares and gore…
December 8, 2021
Jas Keimig
The Stranger (Seattle, WA)
Arguably the greatest zombie film ever made.
November 12, 2020
Rob Aldam
Backseat Mafia
an oneiric, highly influential vision of humans as dummies, shopping as survival, and the world as a fugitive, beleaguered hell
November 4, 2020
Anton Bitel
Through the Trees
It runs like crazy through American life, through American movies, and now TV, like a faucet left on.
September 17, 2020
A.S. Hamrah
The Baffler…
Plot
Ana goes home to her peaceful suburban residence, but she is unpleasantly surprised the morning that follows when her husband is brutally attacked by her zombified neighbor. In the chaos of her once picturesque neighborhood, Ana flees and stumbles upon a police officer named Kenneth, along with more survivors who decide that their best chances of survival would be found in the deserted Crossroads Shopping Mall. When supplies begin running low and other trapped survivors need help, the group comes to the realization that they cannot stay put forever at the Shopping Mall and devise a plan to escape.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The cast includes David Emge, Ken Foree, Gaylen Ross, Scott H. Reiniger, David Crawford, and David Early.
George-A.-Romero.jpg
The Deer Hunter
The Deer Hunter (1978)
91%RT Audience Score: 91%
Awards & Nominations: Won 5 Oscars
24 wins & 27 nominations total
Its greatness is blunted by its length and one-sided point of view, but the film’s weaknesses are overpowered by Michael Cimino’s sympathetic direction and a series of heartbreaking performances from Robert De Niro, Meryl Streep, and Christopher Walken.
The Deer Hunter is like a rollercoaster ride, but instead of loops and drops, it’s emotional turmoil and gut-wrenching scenes. Some critics say it’s too long, but I say it’s worth every minute. The performances are outstanding, and the cinematography is breathtaking. It’s not a feel-good movie, but it’s a must-watch for anyone who wants to understand the impact of war on individuals and communities. Just make sure you have some tissues nearby.
Production Company(ies)
Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar Animation Studios,
Distributor
MCA/Universal Pictures [us], Universal Pictures
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
St. Theodosius Russian Orthodox Church – 733 Starkweather Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
MPAA / Certificate
R
Year of Release
1979
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Dolby
-
Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
-
Runtime:3h 3m
-
Language(s):English, Vietnamese, French, Russian, Cantonese
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Dec 8, 1978 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 31, 1998
Genre(s)
War/Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, John Savage, Meryl Streep, George Dzundza, John Cazale, directed by Michael Cimino, written by Michael Cimino, Deric Washburn, produced by Michael Cimino, Michael Deeley, Barry Spik
Worldwide gross: $49,074,379
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $213,410,398
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 661
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 23,272,671
US/Canada gross: NA
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.): $15,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $65,230,697
Production budget ranking: 641
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $35,126,731
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $113,052,970
ROI to date (est.): 113%
ROI ranking: 889
Christopher Walken – Nick
John Savage – Steven
John Cazale – Stanley “Stosh”
Meryl Streep – Linda
George Dzundza – John
Michael Cimino – Director/Producer/Writer
Michael Deeley – Producer
Barry Spikings – Producer
Deric Washburn – Writer
Vilmos Zsigmond – Cinematographer
Director(s)
Michael Cimino
Writer(s)
Michael Cimino, Deric Washburn
Producer(s)
Michael Cimino, Michael Deeley, Barry Spikings
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 5 Oscars
24 wins & 27 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (82) | Top Critics (20) | Fresh (73) | Rotten (9)
The wayward, maddening screenplay succeeds only in working up a gruesome melodramatic later — hardly the catharsis promised by a bold treatment of the wounds of our most divisive war.
February 5, 2020
Gary Arnold
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
To my mind, The Deer Hunter is a major achievement in American movies. And I fervently hope that the American public won’t vote me wrong.
December 18, 2018
Arthur Knight
Hollywood Reporter
TOP CRITIC
While it’s fair to argue that The Deer Hunter contains moments of brilliance, the film as a whole is undone by its length.
October 8, 2018 | Rating: 3/4
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
TOP CRITIC
The movie won five Oscars and, if anything, improves with age.
March 2, 2015 | Rating: 5/5
Kate Muir
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
It has no more moral intelligence than the Clint Eastwood action pictures, yet it’s an astonishing piece of work, an uneasy mixture of violent pulp and grandiosity, with an enraptured view of common life — poetry of the commonplace.
March 2, 2015
Pauline Kael
New Yorker
TOP CRITIC
In trying to measure the devastating impact of Vietnam on the lives of three American soldiers, Cimino brings home the true horror of that senseless conflict in a way that the 6 O’Clock News never could.
February 18, 2015 | Rating: 4/4
Kathleen Carroll
New York Daily News
TOP CRITIC
While The Deer Hunter is interesting as a cinematic experiment, it is scarcely less dangerous than propaganda, a bad thing often done very well.
May 18, 2022
Tom Huhn
Washington Blade
We need films that remind us of our history, not films that distort it.
May 10, 2022
Nancy Wechsler
Gay Community News (Boston)
Taken as a whole, The Deer Hunter is an anti-war elegy that movingly cherishes community and friendship in the face of humanity’s darkest, most destructive tendencies.
March 22, 2022 | Rating: 10/10
Nick Rocco Scalia
Film Threat
Seen once more in 2021, 1978’s Best Picture winner feels more disturbing than ever.
January 17, 2022 | Rating: 4/5
James Wegg
JWR
Horrific history remembered as noble fantasy can only create more horrific history. Cimino bids to become our own Leni Riefenstahl.
November 4, 2021
Michael Ventura
L.A. Weekly
…a powerful study of American determinism on the rocks…
February 18, 2021 | Rating: 5/5
Eddie Harrison
film-authority.com…
Plot
Michael, Steven and Nicky are 3 best friends who enjoy going deer hunting quite often. These men get enlisted to head to Vietnam to fight for their country and celebrate with a farewell party, as well as Steven marrying a pregnant woman named “Angela.” After the horrors during the war and edge-grabbing games of Russian Roulette that these men are forced to play, Michael returns home and realizes that his deer hunting outings aren’t the same as they used to be, because of the war and he eventually finds out that Steven is handicapped and Nicky hasn’t returned from Vietnam, and in response, he heads back to Vietnam to rescue him.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The Deer Hunter features the last performance of John Cazale before his untimely death to cancer.
Michael-Cimino.jpg
The In-Laws 1979
The In-Laws (1979)
86%RT Audience Score: 83%
Awards & Nominations: NA
The In-Laws is a comedic masterpiece that showcases the unparalleled chemistry between Peter Falk and Alan Arkin. Falk’s dry delivery and Arkin’s deadpan tone are a match made in heaven, creating a perfect balance of wit and lunacy. Director Arthur Hiller’s feat of casting genius allowed the two lead actors to shine with minimal interference, resulting in a clever and engaging film that has stood the test of time. While some may see it as a simple variation of the Oscar and Felix routine, The In-Laws is anything but simpleminded. It’s a minor comedy classic that deserves a spot in every cinephile’s collection.
The In-Laws is a comedic masterpiece that will have you laughing from start to finish. Peter Falk and Alan Arkin are a dynamic duo that bring their A-game to this film. The dry delivery of Falk and the deadpan tone of Arkin make for a perfect match. The witty script and clever premise make this movie a minor comedy classic. It’s no wonder there hasn’t been a remake, because this film is simply too good to be replicated. If you’re looking for a good laugh, The In-Laws is the perfect movie for you.
Production Company(ies)
DUST, Fuzzy Door Productions, Warner Bros., Warner Bros. Pictures
Distributor
Warner Bros.
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
Year of Release
1979
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Dolby
-
Aspect ratio:NA
-
Runtime:1h 43m
-
Language(s):English
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Streaming): Jul 2, 2013
Genre(s)
Comedy
Keyword(s)
starring Peter Falk, Alan Arkin, Richard Libertini, Nancy Dussault, Penny Peyser, Arlene Golonka, directed by Arthur Hiller, written by Andrew Bergman, genre: comedy, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Tom Meek, Bernard Drew, Ann Johnston, Christopher Machell, James Kendrick, Matt Brunson, Dennis Schwartz, Cole Smithey, Chuck O’Leary, Lori Hoffman, Gregory Weinkauf, MPAA rating: PG, produced by Warner Bros
Worldwide gross: $26,891,849
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): NA
US/Canada gross: $20,453,431
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.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Alan Arkin – Sheldon Kornpett
Richard Libertini – General Garcia
Nancy Dussault – Carol Kornpett
Penny Peyser – Barbara Kornpett
Arlene Golonka – Jean Ricardo
Director – Arthur Hiller
Writer – Andrew Bergman
Producer – Arthur Hiller, William Sackheim
Composer – John Morris
Director(s)
Arthur Hiller
Writer(s)
NA
Producer(s)
NA
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (24) | Fresh (21) | Rotten (3)
An apex odd-couple comedy powered by Falk’s dry delivery, with just the right arch of the eyebrow.
July 8, 2020 | Rating: 3/4
Tom Meek
Cambridge Day
Peter Falk and Alan Arkin make The In-Laws an extremely funny movie.
September 20, 2019
Bernard Drew
Gannett News Service
A simpleminded variation on the well-worn Oscar and Felix routine.
July 19, 2019
Ann Johnston
Maclean’s Magazine
Arkin’s deadpan tone is a perfect fit for the ever-so-slightly unhinged quality that Falk brings with him.
August 15, 2016 | Rating: 4/5
Christopher Machell
CineVue
A feat of casting genius; Hiller knew to let Peter Falk and Alan Arkin do their thing with as little interference as possible
July 22, 2016 | Rating: 3.5/4
James Kendrick
Q Network Film Desk
A minor comedy classic, this one has it all, including a clever premise, a witty script, two beautifully matched lead actors in Peter Falk and Alan Arkin, and a supporting performer who almost makes off with the picture like a bandit in the night.
July 9, 2016 | Rating: 3.5/4
Matt Brunson
Creative Loafing
The teaming of Alan Arkin with Peter Falk was inspired casting.
March 30, 2015 | Rating: B+
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews
September 18, 2008 | Rating: 4/5
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com
Inspired lunacy.
January 27, 2006 | Rating: 3.5/4
Chuck O’Leary
Fantastica Daily
April 26, 2005 | Rating: 4/5
Jonathan R. Perry
Tyler Morning Telegraph (Texas)
April 20, 2005 | Rating: 2/5
Lori Hoffman
Atlantic City Weekly
Very funny and engaging. There is no remake.
October 1, 2004 | Rating: 4/5
Gregory Weinkauf
New Times…
Plot
A mild-mannered dentist becomes embroiled in an international counterfeiting plot when he discovers that his future father-in-law is actually a CIA agent in the comedy film “The In-Laws.”
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
“The teaming of Alan Arkin with Peter Falk was inspired casting.” – Dennis Schwartz, Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews
Arthur-Hiller.jpg
The Muppet Movie
The Muppet Movie (1979)
91%RT Audience Score: 88%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 2 Oscars
3 wins & 11 nominations total
The Muppet Movie, the big-screen debut of Jim Henson’s plush creations, is smart, lighthearted, and fun for all ages.
The Muppet Movie is a classic that never gets old. Kermit the Frog riding a bicycle is just one of the many hilarious moments that will make you wonder how they pulled it off. The cameos are a blast, and the balance between positivity and self-deprecating humor is spot on. It’s like a two-ring circus of thrills, laughs, and excitement that will leave you feeling pure and inspired. Plus, who doesn’t love Miss Piggy and Camilla the Chicken? It’s a must-watch for anyone who wants to escape reality and enter the world of the Muppets.
Production Company(ies)
X-Filme Creative Pool Westdeutscher Rundfunk ARTE
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
MPAA / Certificate
G
Year of Release
1979
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Dolby Stereo
-
Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
-
Runtime:NA
-
Language(s):English
-
Country of origin:United States, United Kingdom
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): May 31, 1979 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 29, 2005
Genre(s)
Comedy
Keyword(s)
starring Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Charles Durning, Austin Pendleton, Steve Martin, Mel Brooks, Edgar Bergen, Milton Berle, directed by James Frawley, written by Jack Burns, Jerry Juhl, comedy, G rating, box office success, produced by Jim Henson, David Lazer, reviewed by Roger Ebert, Noel Murray, John Skow, Variety Staff, Chris Petit, Vincent Canby, Stephen Farber, Jason Shawhan, Charles Durning as Doc Hopper, Austin Pendleton as Max, Steve Martin as Insolent Waiter, Mel Brooks as Professor Max Krassman, Edgar Bergen as Himself, Milton Berle as Mad Man Mooney
Worldwide gross: $65,810,475
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $286,190,878
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 526
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 31,209,474
US/Canada gross: $65,200,000
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.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Austin Pendleton – Max
Steve Martin – Insolent Waiter
Mel Brooks – Professor Max Krassman
Edgar Bergen – Himself, Charlie McCarthy (Voice)
Milton Berle – Mad Man Mooney
Director(s)
James Frawley
Writer(s)
Jack Burns, Jerry Juhl
Producer(s)
Jim Henson, David Lazer
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 2 Oscars
3 wins & 11 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (52) | Top Critics (6) | Fresh (46) | Rotten (6)
Jolson sang, Barrymore spoke, Garbo laughed, and now Kermit the Frog rides a bicycle… If you can figure out how they were able to show Kermit pedaling across the screen, then you are less a romantic than I am: I prefer to believe he did it himself.
June 1, 2015 | Rating: 3.5/4
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
TOP CRITIC
With his Muppets, Henson found a balance between fuzzy post-hippie positivism and self-deprecating wit, and he added in the same quality that made many of the era’s cultural phenomena so charming: simple problem-solving.
August 13, 2013 | Rating: 4/5
Noel Murray
The Dissolve
TOP CRITIC
The transition from the yank-’em-off-if-they-bomb lunacy of the TV show to the coherent narration of the film is not a complete success.
May 6, 2008
John Skow
TIME Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Jim Henson, Muppet originator, and Frank Oz, creative consultant, have abandoned the successful format of their vidshow, and inserted their creations into a well-crafted combo of musical comedy and fantasy adventure.
May 6, 2008
Variety Staff
Variety
TOP CRITIC
Slapstick chases and weak movie references look tired, while the attitude towards Miss Piggy and Camilla the Chicken is, well, less than progressive.
February 9, 2006
Chris Petit
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
There’s always room in movies for unbridled amiability when it’s governed by intelligence and wit.
May 9, 2005
Vincent Canby
New York Times
TOP CRITIC
Suffice it to say that I think this movie is funnier than Manhattan, more romantic than Hurricane, and a more sophisticated speculation on illusion and reality than Last Year at Marienbad.
November 3, 2021
Stephen Farber
New West/California
There are few things as pure and inspirational (in all senses of the word) as The Muppet Movie.
September 10, 2021
Jason Shawhan
Nashville Scene
The Muppet Movie packs all the thrills, laughs and excitement of a… well, two-ring circus.
July 19, 2019
Richard Corliss
Maclean’s Magazine
There’s all of these cameos that are so fun.
May 13, 2019 | Rating: A-
Rachel Wagner
Rachel’s Reviews (YouTube)
Comedy director James Frawley imposes pleasing order on the charming proceedings while Henson and his long-time associate Frank Oz delightfully dominate.
September 6, 2017 | Rating: 4/5
Angie Errigo
Radio Times
The cast are all here, along with the technical wizardry, but the dialogue staggers from one leaden gag to another and there is an unmistakeable note of desperation throughout.
June 1, 2015
Ted Whitehead
The Spectator…
Plot
While living the quiet life in a swamp, Kermit the Frog is approached by a Hollywood agent to audition for the chance of a lifetime. So Kermit takes this chance for his big break as he makes the journey to Hollywood. Along the way, Kermit comes across several quirky new friends including comedic Fozzie Bear, beautiful but feisty Miss Piggy, and the Great Gonzo. But Kermit must also watch out for ruthless Doc Hopper, who plans to use him as his spokesman for his frog legs food chain.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The Muppet Movie features a star-studded cast of celebrity cameos, including Steve Martin, Mel Brooks, and Bob Hope.
James-Frawley.jpg
Kramer vs Kramer
Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)
89%RT Audience Score: 89%
Awards & Nominations: Won 5 Oscars
39 wins & 25 nominations total
The divorce subject isn’t as shocking, but the film is still a thoughtful, well-acted drama that resists the urge to take sides or give easy answers
Kramer vs. Kramer is like a rollercoaster ride of emotions, but instead of screaming, you’ll be crying. This movie is a tear-jerker that will make you feel all the feels. The performances are top-notch, and the story is heart-wrenching. It’s a classic for a reason, and if you haven’t seen it yet, grab a box of tissues and get ready for a wild ride.
Production Company(ies)
Highline Pictures, Camera One Endless Picnic
Distributor
Columbia Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Tweed Courthouse – 52 Chambers Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
MPAA / Certificate
PG
Year of Release
1979
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Mono
-
Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
-
Runtime:1h 44m
-
Language(s):English
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Dec 19, 1979 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 28, 2001
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
Worldwide gross: $106,260,000
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $462,094,260
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 320
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 50,391,959
US/Canada gross: $106,260,000
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.): $8,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $34,789,705
Production budget ranking: 1,062
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $18,734,256
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $408,570,298
ROI to date (est.): 763%
ROI ranking: 166
Meryl Streep – Joanna Kramer
Justin Henry – Billy Kramer
Jane Alexander – Margaret Phelps
Howard Duff – John Shaunessy
George Coe – Jim O’Connor
Director(s)
Robert Benton
Writer(s)
Avery Corman, Robert Benton
Producer(s)
Stanley R. Jaffe
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 5 Oscars
39 wins & 25 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Best Achievement in Directing Winners, Oscar Best Picture Winners, Oscar Best Writing Winners, Oscar Nominees, Oscar Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published Winners, Oscar Winners
All Critics (55) | Top Critics (15) | Fresh (47) | Rotten (8)
Kramer vs Kramer is a lopsided, sudsy movie that coasts through on its father-appeal, its star-power and its easy-paced comedy and pathos, seldom firing our brains and hearts into a fresh response.
February 4, 2020
Nigel Andrews
Financial Times
TOP CRITIC
It is lifted above the level of common tear-jerker by the same affectionate concern for character that distinguished Benton’s earlier pictures, Bad Company and The Late Show.
February 4, 2020
David Robinson
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
A triumph of partisan pathos, a celebration of father-son bonding that astutely succeeds were tearjerkers like “The Champ” so mawkishly failed.
May 6, 2017
Gary Arnold
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
What Benton achieved with his screenplay he intensified with his direction. Each performance is a minor miracle of perfection – not only Hoffman’s and Streep’s, which dominate the picture, but each of the supporting roles as well.
December 19, 2016
Arthur Knight
Hollywood Reporter
TOP CRITIC
Kramer vs. Kramer is greatly enriched by its exceptional cast.
February 21, 2015
Kathleen Carroll
New York Daily News
TOP CRITIC
It’s an interesting movie to look back on for its attitudes: In the guise of being a consciousness-raiser it plumps for male tenderness and demonizes the mother who can’t recognize how far her workaholic ex-hubbie has come.
February 19, 2013
Peter Rainer
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
The finest works of art open up the world as if it were a blossom, displaying the bitterness of a failed marriage with the same beauty, the same truth, as the miracle of a love which develops out of constancy and trust. [This] is one of these works.
May 18, 2022
Tom Huhn
Washington Blade
It’s a film designed to make a statement about feminism, specifically against feminism.
February 23, 2022 | Rating: 2.5/4
Brian Eggert
Deep Focus Review
This 1979 Best Picture winner just seems “off” in 2021.
January 18, 2022 | Rating: 3/5
James Wegg
JWR
One of the most mature, emotionally crushing, unforgettable dramas of the year – and of the decade.
August 30, 2020 | Rating: 10/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
Kramer vs. Kramer is a wonderful picture, a lifelike experience which enthralls us, makes us think, laugh, cry, and jump for joy.
May 19, 2020
Michael Lasky
Bay Area Reporter
Kramer vs. Kramer is about the best possible subject to which art or entertainment can address themselves: people trying to get along in life.
January 27, 2020
Lawrence O’Toole
Maclean’s Magazine…
Plot
Ted Kramer is a career man for whom his work comes before his family. His wife Joanna cannot take this anymore, so she decides to leave him. Ted is now faced with the tasks of housekeeping and taking care of himself and their young son Billy. When he has learned to adjust his life to these new responsibilities, Joanna resurfaces and wants Billy back. Ted, however, refuses to give him up, so they go to court to fight for the custody of their son.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
NA
Robert-Benton.jpg
Up in Smoke 1978
Up in Smoke (1978)
73%RT Audience Score: 82%
Awards & Nominations: NA
Up in Smoke, the classic stoner comedy, has received mixed reviews from critics. While some have praised the film for its likable characters and quotable lines, others have criticized its lack of cohesiveness and amateurish humor. Director Lou Adler may have found a few chuckles, but the real stars of the film are Cheech Marin and Thomas Chong, who prove to be irresistible anti-establishment figures. Despite its flaws, Up in Smoke remains a shaggy slice of slacker comedy that launched the subgenre of “stoner” comedies and continues to be repeatedly watchable for its classic gags and iconic status in pop culture.
Up in Smoke is a classic stoner comedy that’s perfect for a lazy night in with some friends and a bag of chips. While it may not be the most well-made movie out there, it’s definitely one of the most likeable and repeatedly watchable. Cheech and Chong are the ultimate anti-establishment figures, and their never-ending search for great pot is both hilarious and relatable. Plus, the supporting cast is great and the gags are non-stop. So if you’re in the mood for some drugs, language, and sex (on screen, of course), Up in Smoke is the movie for you. Just don’t forget the munchies!
Production Company(ies)
Buddy Pic, Paramount Pictures
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
R
Year of Release
1978
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Dolby
-
Aspect ratio:NA
-
Runtime:1h 26m
-
Language(s):English
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jan 1, 1978 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 10, 2006
Genre(s)
Comedy
Keyword(s)
starring Cheech Marin, Tommy Chong, Stacy Keach, Edie Adams, Tom Skerritt, Zane Buzby, directed by Lou Adler, written by Tommy Chong, Cheech Marin, comedy, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Variety, Chicago Reader, Slant Magazine, Time Out, Austin Chronicle, Film Frenzy, Common Sense Media, Q Network Film Desk, EmanuelLevy.Com, Rob’s Movie Vault, Filmcritic.com, R rating, Paramount Pictures, produced by Lou Adler, Lou Lombardo, sound mix mono, aspect ratio scope, rock band contest, marijuana, counterculture icons, misadventures, technicality, likability, seminal piece, stoner cinema, Cheech & Chong Still Smokin’, Eddie Murphy Raw, Hellraiser, Cheech & Chong’s Next Movie, Porky’s
Worldwide gross: $44,364,244
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): NA
US/Canada gross: $44,364,244
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.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Tommy Chong – Anthony ‘Man’ Stillman
Stacy Keach – Sgt. Stedenko
Edie Adams – Mrs. Tempest Stillman
Tom Skerritt – Strawberry
Zane Buzby – Jade East
Director – Lou Adler
Producers – Lou Adler, Lou Lombardo
Writers – Tommy Chong, Cheech Marin
Director(s)
Lou Adler
Writer(s)
Tommy Chong, Cheech Marin
Producer(s)
Lou Adler, Lou Lombardo
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (19) | Top Critics (5) | Fresh (9) | Rotten (10)
What’s lacking in Up in Smoke is a cohesiveness in both humor and characterization.
May 7, 2008
Variety Staff
Variety
TOP CRITIC
Director Lou Adler (the record producer) finds a few chuckles, but mostly it’s amateur night.
May 7, 2008
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
As far as comedic ingredients go, weed is not so much a surefire laugh-getter as it is a free-floating lubricant capable of setting off wicked complications.
September 5, 2007 | Rating: 2.5/4
Fernando F. Croce
Slant Magazine
TOP CRITIC
As the most fun comes not from watching the movie but from recalling great lines later, it would seem that the audio success of C & C has not translated too well into visuals.
June 24, 2006
Fiona Ferguson
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
The duo wrote the genial script about the never-ending search for great pot, and a good supporting cast co-stars.
March 10, 2003
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
Cheech Marin and Thomas Chong prove to be irresistible anti-establishment figures in this consistently amusing dum-dum comedy.
August 30, 2021 | Rating: 3/4
Matt Brunson
Film Frenzy
Classic stoner comedy has drugs, language, sex.
July 17, 2019 | Rating: 4/5
Brian Costello
Common Sense Media
a shaggy slice of slacker comedy, and while no one will mistake it for a particularly well-made movie, it is imminently likeable and repeatedly watchable
April 26, 2018 | Rating: 3/4
James Kendrick
Q Network Film Desk
The funniest of all the Cheech and Chong movies, Up in Smoke provides a feast of gags for the sympathetically minded.
May 7, 2008 | Rating: 3/5
TV Guide Staff
TV Guide
This Cheech and Chong weed comedy was dismissed by most critics (and parents) but it was embraced by young viewers and launched the subgenre of “stoner” comedies way before Linklater made Slacker.
April 12, 2008 | Rating: C+
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
Cheech & Chong had their act down pat by ’78 and turned out to be a natural movie-comedy team.
April 9, 2007 | Rating: B
Rob Gonsalves
Rob’s Movie Vault
Up in Smoke is the world’s most revered — and most idiotic — drug movie.
September 6, 2005 | Rating: 2.5/5
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com…
Plot
Two stoners, Anthony and Pedro, hit the road and get into all sorts of misadventures, including getting arrested for possession of marijuana and competing in a rock band contest in the comedy classic Up in Smoke.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The film features Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong, two counterculture icons known for their stoner comedy.
Lou-Adler.jpg
Heaven Can Wait
Heaven Can Wait (1978)
81%RT Audience Score: 68%
Awards & Nominations: Won 1 Oscar
9 wins & 14 nominations total
A throwback to the high-gloss screwball comedies of the 1940s, Heaven Can Wait beguiles with seamless production values and great comic relief from Charles Grodin and Dianne Cannon
Heaven Can Wait is a movie that’s so light and fluffy, it’s like a cloud made of cotton candy. Warren Beatty plays a football player who dies and comes back to life, and while that might sound like a heavy premise, the movie is anything but. It’s a delightful romp through the afterlife, with plenty of laughs and a sweet romance to boot. Sure, it’s not the most profound movie you’ll ever see, but sometimes you just want to sit back, relax, and enjoy a movie that’s as charming as it is silly. Heaven Can Wait fits the bill perfectly.
Production Company(ies)
Amigo Media,
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Filoli Estate – 86 Cañada Road, Woodside, California, USA
MPAA / Certificate
PG
Year of Release
1978
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Mono
-
Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
-
Runtime:1h 41m
-
Language(s):English
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jun 28, 1978 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 27, 1999
Genre(s)
Comedy/Fantasy
Keyword(s)
starring Warren Beatty, Julie Christie, Jack Warden, James Mason, Dyan Cannon, Charles Grodin, Buck Henry, directed by Warren Beatty, Buck Henry, written by Harry Segall, Elaine May, Warren Beatty, Robert Towne, comedy, fantasy, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Nicholas Wapshott, Judith Martin, Frank Rich, Variety Staff, Jonathan Rosenbaum, Geoff Brown, PG rating, Paramount Pictures, produced by Warren Beatty, Joe Pendleton, Betty Logan, Max Corkle, Mr Jordan, Julia Farnsworth, Tony Abbott, seamless production values, comic relief, guardian angel, afterlife, environmental activist, football player, multimillionaire industrialist, Super Bowl game, romantic comedy, light summer reading, likable, sweet, big laughs, populist politics, billowy sequences set in heaven, murder plot, supporting cast, touching romance, crafty commercial entertainment, intelligence, Julie Christie’s presence
Worldwide gross: $81,640,278
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $399,917,565
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 387
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 43,611,512
US/Canada gross: $81,640,278
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $399,917,565
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 119
US/Canada opening weekend: $3,652,486
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $17,891,822
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 712
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Julie Christie – Betty Logan
Jack Warden – Max Corkle
James Mason – Mr. Jordan
Dyan Cannon – Julia Farnsworth
Charles Grodin – Tony Abbott
Directed by Warren Beatty and Buck Henry
Produced by Warren Beatty
Written by Harry Segall, Elaine May, Warren Beatty, Robert Towne
Director(s)
Warren Beatty, Buck Henry
Writer(s)
Harry Segall, Elaine May, Warren Beatty, Robert Towne
Producer(s)
Warren Beatty
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 1 Oscar
9 wins & 14 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Best Achievement in Art Direction Winners, Oscar Nominees, Oscar Winners
All Critics (47) | Top Critics (9) | Fresh (41) | Rotten (6)
Beatty can carry off this sort of whimsy by playing it straight and keeping the ludicrous premise credible. But the film is dogged by the nagging vision of what might have been.
July 13, 2020
Nicholas Wapshott
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
This is a very sweet movie to watch, the pleasant cinematic equivalent of light summer reading.
August 30, 2016
Judith Martin
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
[The film] has everything going for it: big laughs, populist politics, billowy sequences set in heaven, a murder plot, a climactic Super Bowl game, a supporting cast of choice comic actors, and best of all, a touching (but PG) romance.
January 24, 2014
Frank Rich
TIME Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Heaven Can Wait is an outstanding film.
March 26, 2009
Variety Staff
Variety
TOP CRITIC
It’s certainly likable enough and was a big hit when it came out, but one could hardly call it an auspicious artistic debut — a crafty commercial entertainment with a certain amount of intelligence is more like it.
March 21, 2007
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
The film drags its feet uncertainly from beginning to end.
February 9, 2006
Geoff Brown
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
Warren Beatty starred in, co-directed and co-wrote this fluffy, light-as-air romantic comedy about a football player who comes back from the dead as a sort of a proto-Forrest Gump.
June 27, 2022 | Rating: 3/5
Christopher Lloyd
The Film Yap
Beatty’s determined yet charming Joe is formidable, naïve, and optimistic all at the same time
December 29, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Allison Rose
FlickDirect
A wonderful piece of entertainment that’s as funny as it is fanciful.
December 4, 2021 | Rating: 4/4
Matt Brunson
Film Frenzy
Not much meat here, but there are generous helpings of what we say we want: laughs, lovely ladies and cute men and a trouble or two made all better by any number of decent folks before the final frame.
November 5, 2021
Ginger Varney
L.A. Weekly
Beatty reached his commercial and creative zenith with this movie. Having May, Henry and Towne picking up some of the slack behind the camera certainly helped but it’s clear he had the final word on every creative aspect of this unforgettable classic.
October 24, 2021 | Rating: 5/5
Michael Clark
Epoch Times
Despite its superficialities and plot confusions, Heaven Can Wait is an interesting movie to watch, mainly because of the presence of Julie Christie.
May 12, 2021
Marina Hirsch
Berkeley Barb…
Plot
Joe Pendleton is a football quarterback preparing to lead his team to the Superbowl when he is almost killed in an accident. An overanxious angel plucks him to heaven only to discover that he was not ready to die, and that his body has been cremated. Another body must be found without his death being discovered, and that of a recently murdered millionaire is chosen. His wife and accountant, the murderers, are confused by this development, as he buys the Los Angeles Rams in order to once again quarterback them into the Superbowl. At the same time, he falls in love with an English environmental activist who disapproves of his policies and actions.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Charles Grodin provides great comic relief in Heaven Can Wait.
Warren-Beatty.jpg
Grease
Grease (1978)
78%RT Audience Score:
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 Oscar
4 wins & 10 nominations total
Grease is a pleasing, energetic musical with infectiously catchy songs and an ode to young love that never gets old
Grease is the ultimate high school musical that will have you singing and dancing along in no time. Sure, the plot may be a bit generic, but who cares when you have iconic characters like Danny and Sandy, and a soundtrack that will have you belting out “Summer Nights” and “Greased Lightning” for days. It’s a shamelessly superficial film that doesn’t take itself too seriously, and that’s what makes it so much fun. So, grab your leather jacket and get ready to hand jive, baby!
Production Company(ies)
Shangri-La Entertainment, Tuff Gong Pictures, Cowboy Films,
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Huntington Park High School – 6020 Miles Avenue, Huntington Park, California, USA
MPAA / Certificate
PG
Year of Release
1978
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Dolby (35 mm prints, original release)70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints, original release)
-
Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
-
Runtime:1h 50m
-
Language(s):English
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jul 7, 1978 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 24, 2002
Genre(s)
Musical/Romance
Keyword(s)
starring John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing, Jeff Conaway, Didi Conn, Eve Arden, directed by Randal Kleiser, written by Jim Jacobs, Warren Casey, Allan Carr, Bronte Woodard, musical, romance, PG, box office gross, Allan Carr, Robert Stigwood, reviewed by Jake Wilson, Peter Bradshaw, Philip Wuntch, Douglas Watt, Judith Martin, Stanley Kauffmann, Rachel Wagner, Jill Nicholls, Matt Brunson, Richard Propes, Mike Massie, Leigh Paatsch, 1950s, high school, singing, dancing, summer romance, clique lines, Paramount Pictures, stereo, Dolby Stereo, surround
Worldwide gross: $396,271,103
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $1,941,146,925
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 21
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 211,684,507
US/Canada gross: $190,071,103
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $931,069,498
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 15
US/Canada opening weekend: $8,941,717
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $43,801,292
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 276
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $6,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $29,391,196
Production budget ranking: 1,166
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $15,827,159
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $1,895,928,570
ROI to date (est.): 4,193%
ROI ranking: 26
Olivia Newton-John – Sandy Olsen
Stockard Channing – Rizzo
Jeff Conaway – Kenickie
Didi Conn – Frenchy
Eve Arden – Principal McGee
Director(s)
Randal Kleiser
Writer(s)
Jim Jacobs, Warren Casey, Allan Carr, Bronte Woodard
Producer(s)
Allan Carr, Robert Stigwood
Film Festivals
Venice
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 Oscar
4 wins & 10 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (75) | Top Critics (25) | Fresh (57) | Rotten (18)
Randall Kleiser’s 1978 spoof of ’50s iconography [is] so consciously cheesy from the outset that it hardly seems dated today.
September 14, 2018
Jake Wilson
The Age (Australia)
TOP CRITIC
A sugar-rush of a film.
April 18, 2018 | Rating: 5/5
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
Grease has energy and a total commitment to pleasing its audience.
March 5, 2018
Philip Wuntch
Dallas Morning News
TOP CRITIC
It’s a winner.
February 9, 2018
Douglas Watt
New York Daily News
TOP CRITIC
Couldn’t the makers of “Grease” have unearthed one person who was alive in that time, perhaps even one who attended an American high school then, and checked their information?
May 7, 2017
Judith Martin
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
It has no kind of focus in atmosphere or tone, it doesn’t even have a look. It’s just sort of floating insult, shopping for a subject to light on.
June 16, 2016
Stanley Kauffmann
The New Republic
TOP CRITIC
Edgier than given credit for with some great bops
June 20, 2022
Rachel Wagner
Rachel’s Reviews (YouTube)
Grease is like a co-ed St Trinians — giggly overgrown highschool kids dancing and romping. The fifties nostalgia is a joke, a gimmick; the whole thing is shamelessly superficial.
September 22, 2021
Jill Nicholls
Spare Rib
What can I say? In the immortal words belted out by Sha-Na-Na, I guess I was born to hand jive, baby.
August 29, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/4
Matt Brunson
Film Frenzy
If you’re looking for deep, meaningful music and a film that exudes character development and strong plot then I’d suggest you look elsewhere.
September 9, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/4.0
Richard Propes
TheIndependentCritic.com
It’s a shining example of the pieces outdoing the whole – the set designs, characters, and unforgettable soundtrack are each more impressive than the simple, generic plot.
August 30, 2020 | Rating: 7/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
This irresistible kitsch classic immediately has you forgiving all of its obvious flaws, including the tacking acting, silly songs and delirious dancing.
September 27, 2018 | Rating: 4/5
Leigh Paatsch
Herald Sun (Australia)…
Plot
A musical about teens in love in the 1950s. It’s California 1958 and greaser Danny Zuko (John Travolta) and Australian Sandy Olsson (Olivia Newton-John) are in love. They spend time at the beach, and when they go back to school, what neither of them knows is that they both now attend Rydell High. Danny’s the leader of the T-Birds, a group of black leather jacket-wearing greasers while Sandy hangs with the Pink Ladies, a group of pink-wearing girls led by Rizzo (Stockard Channing). When they clash at Rydell’s first pep rally, Danny isn’t the same Danny from the beach. They try to be like each other so they can be together.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
No goofy or funny or odd comments were found in the Fresh Kernels database for Grease.
Randal-Kleiser.jpg
Killer of Sheep
Killer of Sheep (2007)
91%RT Audience Score: 84%
Awards & Nominations: 4 wins & 3 nominations
Killer of Sheep is a cinematic masterpiece that captures the essence of poverty in the ghetto with a quiet, understated, and unblinking approach. Charles Burnett’s documentarian empathy and easygoing skill as a dramatic essayist result in a film that doesn’t look, feel, or breathe like any American work of its generation. The film’s brilliant reflections and collage portrait provide no answers, only a complicated and timeless reflection of the human condition. With emotive acting, Burnett’s melancholic tone, and brilliant cinematic framings, Killer of Sheep is virtually a blues symphony that will leave you moved and haunted long after the credits roll. It’s a film that deserves more recognition and appreciation for its influence on artists in the late 20th and early 21st century.
Killer of Sheep is a film that will make you feel all the feels. It’s not your typical Hollywood blockbuster with guns and explosions, but rather a quiet and understated portrayal of life in the ghetto. You’ll find yourself rooting for the hard-working people just trying to get by and keep their hopes alive. And even though it may fill you with despair at times, you won’t be able to look away. Charles Burnett’s first film is a haunting masterpiece that deserves all the recognition it can get.
Production Company(ies)
Warner Bros.,
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
Year of Release
1978
-
Color:Color
Black and White -
Sound mix:Mono
-
Aspect ratio:1.37 : 1
-
Runtime:NA
-
Language(s):English
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Streaming): Sep 15, 2009
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Henry G Sanders, Kaycee Moore, Charles Bracy, Angela Burnett, Eugene Cherry, Jack Drummond, directed by Charles Burnett, written by Charles Burnett, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Mark Feeney, Roger Ebert, Marta Barber, Terry Lawson, Jeff Shannon, Michael Phillips, Jas Keimig, Tom Meek, David Lamble, Mattie Lucas, Ren Jender, Tanner Tafelski, produced by Charles Burnett, MPAA rating, inner-city life, African-American, Los Angeles, slaughterhouse, family, poverty, hope, hard-working, human condition, melancholic tone, unprofessional actors, blues symphony, haunting, influential, urban, dark intentions, stress, quality of life, dailiness, mood, sympathy, humane glimpse, unblinking, layered, complicated, collage portrait, reflections
Worldwide gross: $468,460
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $2,294,767
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,376
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 250,247
US/Canada gross: $404,508
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $1,981,496
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,038
US/Canada opening weekend: $26,154
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $128,116
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,839
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $100,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $489,853
Production budget ranking: 2,114
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $263,786
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $1,541,127
ROI to date (est.): 204%
ROI ranking: 622
Kaycee Moore – Stan’s Wife
Charles Bracy – Bracy
Angela Burnett – Stan’s Daughter
Eugene Cherry – Eugene
Jack Drummond – Stan’s Son
Charles Burnett – Director, Producer, Writer
Director(s)
Charles Burnett
Writer(s)
Charles Burnett
Producer(s)
Charles Burnett
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
4 wins & 3 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (81) | Top Critics (35) | Fresh (79) | Rotten (2)
It’s quiet, unhurried, understated, unblinking. Mood matters more than style, dailiness more than incident.
September 21, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/4
Mark Feeney
Boston Globe
TOP CRITIC
Poverty in the ghetto is not the guns and drugs we see on TV. It is more often like life in this movie: Good, honest, hard-working people trying to get by, keep up their hopes, love their children and get a little sleep.
July 2, 2018 | Rating: 4/4
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
TOP CRITIC
A film that is hard to forget.
November 9, 2007 | Rating: 3.5/4
Marta Barber
Miami Herald
TOP CRITIC
It may fill you with despair or offer up relief, but you will not be unmoved.
September 7, 2007 | Rating: 3/4
Terry Lawson
Detroit Free Press
TOP CRITIC
As timeless as the human condition.
August 17, 2007 | Rating: 3.5/4
Jeff Shannon
Seattle Times
TOP CRITIC
Burnett’s documentarian empathy, coupled with his easygoing skill as a dramatic essayist, result in a film that doesn’t look, feel or breathe like any American work of its generation.
August 2, 2007 | Rating: 4/4
Michael Phillips
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
It’s a complicated, collage portrait that doesn’t provide answers, only brilliant reflections.
December 8, 2021
Jas Keimig
The Stranger (Seattle, WA)
It’s a very internal film, brought out by some incredibly emotive acting, Burnett’s melancholic tone and some brilliant cinematic framings.
June 11, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/4
Tom Meek
Cambridge Day
Killer of Sheep is virtually a blues symphony.
May 21, 2020
David Lamble
Bay Area Reporter
Even with a cast of unprofessional actors, Killer of Sheep is always vibrantly alive and unflinchingly real.
June 5, 2019 | Rating: 4/4
Mattie Lucas
The Dispatch (Lexington, NC)
The differences between the ’70s and now are deeper than just a matter of hairstyles, fashion, and phones. We can see that difference clearly, and beautifully, in Black writer-director Charles Burnett’s haunting first film, Killer of Sheep.
March 12, 2019
Ren Jender
Bitch Flicks
Charles Burnett still hasn’t gotten his due… In spite of his later difficulties, Burnett’s first feature-his thesis film at UCLA-Killer of Sheep (1978), has gone on to influence quite a few artists in the late 20th and early 21st century.
November 18, 2018
Tanner Tafelski
Kinoscope…
Plot
In Killer of Sheep, a man named Stan struggles to provide for his family while working at a slaughterhouse in Watts, Los Angeles, and faces difficult situations outside of his home that make him question if a better life is possible.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Henry Gayle Sanders plays the lead role of Stan in Killer of Sheep.
Charles-Burnett.jpg
Saturday Night Fever
Saturday Night Fever (1977)
93%RT Audience Score: 96%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 Oscar
4 wins & 12 nominations total
Boasting a smart, poignant story, a classic soundtrack, and a starmaking performance from John Travolta, Saturday Night Fever ranks among the finest dramas of the 1970s.
Saturday Night Fever is a movie that will make you want to put on your dancing shoes and hit the disco floor. Sure, the script may be a bit foul-mouthed and the setting may be stagnant, but John Travolta’s performance as Tony Manero is nothing short of amazing. He’s tough, punkish, and yet still manages to be vulnerable and appealing. Plus, who can resist those iconic posters of Farrah Fawcett-Majors, Rocky, and Al Pacino? It’s a cultural phenomenon that’s worth watching, even if it leaves you with a bit of a broken aftertaste. So, grab your polyester suit and get ready to boogie!
Production Company(ies)
FM Productions, Last Waltz Inc.,
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
86th Street, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for strong language, sexuality/nudity and some drug content
Year of Release
1977
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 59m
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Language(s):English, Italian
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Dec 16, 1977 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 8, 2002
Genre(s)
Drama/Music
Keyword(s)
starring John Travolta, directed by John Badham, written by Nik Cohn and Norman Wexler, drama, music, box office success, budget, reviewed by Gene Siskel, Gary Arnold, Kathleen Carroll, Eric Henderson, Dave Kehr, A.D Murphy,
Worldwide gross: $237,113,184
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $1,257,257,286
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 70
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 137,105,484
US/Canada gross: $94,213,184
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $499,551,354
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 78
US/Canada opening weekend: $3,878,099
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $20,563,041
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 641
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $3,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $15,907,052
Production budget ranking: 1,490
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $8,565,948
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $1,232,784,286
ROI to date (est.): 5,037%
ROI ranking: 18
Karen Lynn Gorney – Stephanie Mangano
Barry Miller – Bobby C.
Joseph Cali – Joey
Paul Pape – Double J
Bruce Ornstein – Gus
Director(s)
John Badham
Writer(s)
Nik Cohn, Norman Wexler
Producer(s)
Robert Stigwood
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 Oscar
4 wins & 12 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (50) | Top Critics (11) | Fresh (41) | Rotten (9)
Saturday Night Fever makes good moviemaking seem easy.
January 8, 2018 | Rating: 3.5/4
Gene Siskel
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
Saturday Night Fever assaults you with a flagrantly foul-mouthed script and coarse viewpoint.
December 21, 2015
Gary Arnold
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
Saturday Night Fever is wonderfully honest and completely accurate when it comes to depicting that stagnant environment that keeps young people like Tony pinned down.
April 7, 2015
Kathleen Carroll
New York Daily News
TOP CRITIC
Saturday Night Fever’s heart is actually in the right place. It’s ears, though? That’s another story.
May 10, 2009 | Rating: 2/4
Eric Henderson
Slant Magazine
TOP CRITIC
A small, solid film, made with craft if not resonance.
April 27, 2009
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
Travolta’s characterization, given the script and directorial demands, is okay. It will please the already-committed; but it won’t win him any new fans.
March 5, 2009
A.D. Murphy
Variety
TOP CRITIC
Unfairly remembered in some quarters as a kitschy celebration of the disco era (no, that would be Thank God It’s Friday), this is actually a hard-hitting drama with an Oscar-nominated performance by John Travolta.
April 10, 2022 | Rating: 3.5/4
Matt Brunson
Film Frenzy
John Travolta is far better than any previous exposure would indicate; his Tony Manero is suitably tough and punkish, but there is also a warmth and vulnerability that make him very appealing.
May 6, 2020
Donald McLean
Bay Area Reporter
Leaving aside any social commentary that the film does not address, this Saturday night is not safe from reproducing well-known cliches. Despite its silly and happy ending, it leaves us with a frustrated and broken aftertaste. [Full Review in Spanish]
July 30, 2019
Jesús Fernández Santos
El Pais (Spain)
Most details of character and setting, finally, are reduced to simplistic icons, mingling with such over-emphasised bric-a-brac as posters of Farrah Fawcett-Majors, Rocky and Al Pacino.
January 8, 2018
Richard Combs
Monthly Film Bulletin
Not many movies are genuine cultural phenomena, and John Badham’s Saturday Night Fever is without doubt one of the most memorable.
May 6, 2017 | Rating: 3.5/4
James Kendrick
Q Network Film Desk
Contemptuous of the community it phonily purports to depict.
November 9, 2016
Henry Stewart
Brooklyn Magazine…
Plot
Nineteen-year-old Brooklyn native Tony Manero lives for Saturday nights at the local disco, where he’s king of the club, thanks to his stylish moves on the dance floor. But outside of the club, things don’t look so rosy. At home, Tony fights constantly with his father and has to compete with his family’s starry-eyed view of his older brother, a priest. Nor can he find satisfaction at his dead-end job at a small paint store. However, things begin to change when he spies Stephanie Mangano in the disco and starts training with her for the club’s dance competition. Stephanie dreams of the world beyond Brooklyn, and her plans to move to Manhattan just over the bridge soon change Tony’s life forever.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
John Travolta’s performance in Saturday Night Fever earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.
John-Badham.jpg