Pink Flamingos (1972)
80%RT Audience Score: 72%
Awards & Nominations: 1 win
Pink Flamingos is a film that has stood the test of time, and for good reason. John Waters’ twisted sense of humor and Divine’s fearless performance make for a truly unforgettable experience. While some may find the film repulsive and vile, it’s hard to deny the genius behind the filth. The absurdity of the plot and characters is both shocking and hilarious, and it’s clear that Waters and his cast were ahead of their time. Pink Flamingos is not for the faint of heart, but for those willing to take the journey, it’s a delightfully absurdist shock that will leave you feeling like you’ve found your true home in the world of the film.
Pink Flamingos is a movie that’s so bad, it’s good. Or maybe it’s so good, it’s bad? Either way, it’s a wild ride that will leave you questioning everything you thought you knew about cinema. John Waters’s twisted sense of humor is on full display here, and it’s not for the faint of heart. But if you’re willing to take the plunge, you’ll be rewarded with a film that’s as hilarious as it is disgusting. Just don’t watch it on a full stomach.
Production Company(ies)
3ality Digital Entertainment,
Distributor
Fine Line Features, New Line Cinema
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Baltimore, Maryland, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated NC-17 for a wide range of perversions in explicit detail
Year of Release
1976
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Dolby
-
Aspect ratio:NA
-
Runtime:1h 35m
-
Language(s):English
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Apr 11, 1997 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 7, 2004
Genre(s)
Comedy
Keyword(s)
starring Divine, David Lochary, Mink Stole, Mary Vivian Pearce, Danny Mills, Edith Massey, Babs Johnson, directed by John Waters, written by John Waters, comedy, NC-17 rating, box office gross $413.8K, reviewed by Eric Henderson, Rene Rodriguez, Owen Gleiberman, Variety Staff, Nick Schager, Nell Minow, Dennis Harvey, Chase Burns, Paul Gessell, Greg Klymkiw, Donald J Levit, Cole Smithey, transgressive, camp, shocking, filthiest people alive, Baltimore, fat woman, misfit family, competition, family-oriented, psychotic exuberance, cannibalism, castration, junk art, exploitation, trash cinema, influential, Harmony Korine, Rob Zombie, horror, porn, vulgar, pointless, horrendous filmmaking, bad acting
Worldwide gross: NA
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): NA
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.): 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
David Lochary – Raymond Marble
Mink Stole – Connie Marble
Mary Vivian Pearce – Cotton
Danny Mills – Crackers
Edith Massey – Edie
Director(s)
John Waters
Writer(s)
John Waters
Producer(s)
John Waters
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
1 win
Academy Awards
All Critics (45) | Top Critics (11) | Fresh (37) | Rotten (8)
Of course, every battle in their filth war is quite obviously filtered through John Waters’s legendarily up-is-down, wrong-is-right sense of humor.
June 21, 2022
Eric Henderson
Slant Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Talk about an unlikely classic.
December 2, 2020
Rene Rodriguez
Miami Herald
TOP CRITIC
Twenty-five years after Pink Flamingos was first unleashed, the film has lost none of its danger, its wit, its psychotic exuberance.
September 7, 2011 | Rating: A
Owen Gleiberman
Entertainment Weekly
TOP CRITIC
One of the most vile, stupid and repulsive films ever made.
June 30, 2008
Variety Staff
Variety
TOP CRITIC
Still succeeds as an all-out assault on good taste.
May 4, 2005 | Rating: B
Nick Schager
Lessons of Darkness
TOP CRITIC
June 25, 2004 | Rating: 0/5
Nell Minow
Movie Mom
TOP CRITIC
Fifty years on, Pink Flamingos is still a delightfully absurdist shock…
March 15, 2022
Dennis Harvey
48 Hills
[It] gave me permission to relish in the freedom of being a reject.
January 11, 2022
Chase Burns
The Stranger (Seattle, WA)
There is even a touch of genius to the filth of Waters, Divine and company. These folks were way ahead of their time. They may still be ahead of the times. Indeed, the times may never catch up.
December 2, 2020 | Rating: 3/4
Paul Gessell
Ottawa Citizen
Seeing this movie seemed like having a dream of home, and the world of the movie made me feel like I’d found my true home.
August 17, 2015 | Rating: 5/5
Greg Klymkiw
Electric Sheep
It will take patience and a strong stomach to sit through, to ‘take,’ the whole.
September 18, 2014
Donald J. Levit
ReelTalk Movie Reviews
[VIDEO ESSAY] “Pink Flamingos” remains to this day the most cogently transgressive and anarchic film ever made.
July 13, 2014 | Rating: A+
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com…
Plot
Sleaze queen Divine lives in a caravan with her mad hippie son Crackers and her 250-pound mother Mama Edie, trying to rest quietly on their laurels as ‘the filthiest people alive’. But competition is brewing in the form of Connie and Raymond Marble, who sell heroin to schoolchildren and kidnap and impregnate female hitchhikers, then sell the babies to lesbian couples. Finally, they challenge Divine directly, and battle commences.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The late drag legend Divine stars in Pink Flamingos as the “filthiest person alive.”
John-Waters.jpg
Jaws
Jaws (1975)
92%RT Audience Score: 90%
Awards & Nominations: Won 3 Oscars
15 wins & 20 nominations total
Compelling, well-crafted storytelling and a judicious sense of terror ensure Steven Spielberg’s Jaws has remained a benchmark in the art of delivering modern blockbuster thrills.
Jaws is the ultimate summer blockbuster that will make you think twice about going into the water. Steven Spielberg’s direction and John Williams’ iconic score create a thrilling experience that still holds up today. Plus, who can forget the unforgettable performances from Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, and Richard Dreyfuss? Jaws is a classic that will continue to scare and entertain audiences for generations to come. Just make sure to watch it with a buddy, because you never know what’s lurking beneath the surface.
Production Company(ies)
Fantasy Films, Bryna Productions N.V., Zvaluw
Distributor
Universal Pictures, DiscoVision
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Water Street, Edgartown, Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, USA
MPAA / Certificate
PG
Year of Release
1975
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Dolby
-
Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
-
Runtime:2h 4m
-
Language(s):English
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jun 20, 1975 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 14, 2005
Genre(s)
Horror/Adventure
Keyword(s)
starring Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, Lorraine Gary, Murray Hamilton, Carl Gottlieb, Ben Meadows, directed by Steven Spielberg, written by Peter Benchley, Carl Gottlieb, Howard Sackler, John Milius, Robert Shaw, produced by David Brown, Richard D Zanuck, horror, adventure, PG rating, box office success, $260.9M gross, reviewed by Adam Nayman, Adam Kempenaar, Arthur Cooper, Derek Malcolm, Gary Arnold, Arthur Knight, Brian Eggert, Kristy Strouse, Jason Shawhan, Robin Holabird, Niall Browne, Sarah Brinks, shark, beach, police chief, ichthyologist, ship captain, New England, tourist town, Amity Island, terror, thriller, suspense, John Williams, score, monster movie, primal fears, blockbuster, summer movie, Jaws
Worldwide gross: $471,411,300
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $2,836,527,095
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 8
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 309,326,837
US/Canada gross: $260,758,300
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $1,569,007,750
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 7
US/Canada opening weekend: $7,061,513
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $42,489,802
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 284
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $7,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $42,119,673
Production budget ranking: 913
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $22,681,444
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $2,771,725,979
ROI to date (est.): 4,277%
ROI ranking: 25
Robert Shaw – Quint
Richard Dreyfuss – Matt Hooper
Lorraine Gary – Ellen Brody
Murray Hamilton – Mayor Larry Vaughn
Carl Gottlieb – Ben Meadows
Director(s)
Steven Spielberg
Writer(s)
Peter Benchley, Peter Benchley, Carl Gottlieb, Howard Sackler, John Milius, Robert Shaw
Producer(s)
David Brown, Richard D. Zanuck
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 3 Oscars
15 wins & 20 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Best Achievement in Editing Winners, Oscar Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures Winners, Oscar Best Achievement in Sound Mixing Winners, Oscar Nominees, Oscar Original Score Winners, Oscar Winners
All Critics (96) | Top Critics (25) | Fresh (94) | Rotten (2)
The beauty of Steven Spielberg’s 1975 classic is that you can choose how to watch it: as a summery, shark-bitten thriller or as an allegory about the failed leadership of institutions…
June 25, 2020
Adam Nayman
The Ringer
TOP CRITIC
…more interesting is where the political and personal intersect… which fits nicely with what the movie as a whole does so well, mixing the horror and adventure with the personal.
June 19, 2020 | Rating: 5/5
Adam Kempenaar
Filmspotting
TOP CRITIC
Jaws is a grisly film, often ugly as sin, which achieves precisely what it set out to accomplish-scare the hell out of you.
September 21, 2017
Arthur Cooper
Newsweek
TOP CRITIC
Jaws is a splendidly shrewd cinematic equation which not only gives you one or two very nasty turns when you least expect them but, possibly more important, knows when to make you think another’s coming without actually providing it.
December 22, 2016
Derek Malcolm
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
I don’t think there’s a more exciting talent at work right now than Spielberg, an authentic moviemaking prodigy, and perhaps his worst problem from June 20, 1975, on will be preventing success from making a nervous or artistic wreck of him.
July 31, 2015
Gary Arnold
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
Perhaps the most perfectly constructed horror story in our time.
July 6, 2015
Arthur Knight
Hollywood Reporter
TOP CRITIC
A carefully composed and genuinely great piece of filmmaking Steven Spielberg accomplished through unimaginable circumstances.
February 23, 2022 | Rating: 4/4
Brian Eggert
Deep Focus Review
It’s immortalized for good reason. Between the thematic score, its perfect cast, and gut-punch of a thrill, Jaws is still very much alive.
October 14, 2021
Kristy Strouse
Wonderfully Weird and Horrifying
Jaws (1975) is a classic that defined the modern Summer Movie Blockbuster as we know it. It still plays like gangbusters and will make you deeply nervous around water.
September 10, 2021
Jason Shawhan
Nashville Scene
A relatively inexperienced director Steven Spielberg found a “less is more” visual approach heightened suspense in the movie’s early scenes. Characters to care about helped, along with spot-on editing by Verna Fields.
August 10, 2021
Robin Holabird
Robin Holabird
Jaws may be Steven Spielberg’s greatest achievement. Sure, Schindler’s List may get more critical kudos and Indiana Jones may be more iconic – but Spielberg’s 1975 adaptation of Peter Benchley’s aquatic thriller is a masterpiece from start to finish.
June 24, 2021 | Rating: 5/5
Niall Browne
Movies in Focus
I have always been a fan of “creature features” and monster movies and Jaws is that and so much more. It is endlessly rewatchable and fun.
March 24, 2021
Sarah Brinks
Battleship Pretension…
Plot
It’s a hot summer on Amity Island, a small community whose main business is its beaches. When new Sheriff Martin Brody discovers the remains of a shark attack victim, his first inclination is to close the beaches to swimmers. This doesn’t sit well with Mayor Larry Vaughn and several of the local businessmen. Brody backs down to his regret as that weekend a young boy is killed by the predator. The dead boy’s mother puts out a bounty on the shark and Amity is soon swamped with amateur hunters and fisherman hoping to cash in on the reward. A local fisherman with much experience hunting sharks, Quint, offers to hunt down the creature for a hefty fee. Soon Quint, Brody and Matt Hooper from the Oceanographic Institute are at sea hunting the Great White shark. As Brody succinctly surmises after their first encounter with the creature, they’re going to need a bigger boat.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no goofy or funny or odd comment about the film Jaws on Fresh Kernels.
Steven-Spielberg.jpg
Three Days of the Condor
Three Days of the Condor (1975)
88%RT Audience Score: 83%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 Oscar
6 wins & 4 nominations total
This post-Watergate thriller captures the paranoid tenor of the times, thanks to Syndey Pollack’s taut direction and excellent performances from Robert Redford and Faye Dunaway
Three Days of the Condor is a classic thriller that has stood the test of time. While some critics may find fault with its pacing or political messaging, the film delivers on its promise of suspense and intrigue. Plus, who doesn’t love a good cat-and-mouse chase between two professionals? It’s like watching a game of chess, but with higher stakes and more bullets. So grab some popcorn, settle in, and enjoy the ride. Just don’t forget to look over your shoulder every once in a while… you never know who might be watching.
Production Company(ies)
Distributor
Paramount Pictures, Video Classics
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
World Trade Center, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
MPAA / Certificate
R
Year of Release
1975
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Mono Dolby Digital
-
Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
-
Runtime:1h 57m
-
Language(s):English, French
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Sep 24, 1975 Original
Release Date (Streaming): May 19, 2009
Genre(s)
Mystery & thriller
Keyword(s)
starring Robert Redford, Faye Dunaway, Cliff Robertson, Max von Sydow, John Houseman, Addison Powell, directed by Sydney Pollack, written by Lorenzo Semple Jr., David Rayfiel, Mystery & thriller, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Kevin Maher, Jay Cocks, Variety Staff, Dave Kehr, Chris Petit, Roger Ebert, Eddie Harrison, Norman Wilner, Mike Massie, Jacoba Atlas, David Parkinson, MPAA rating R, CIA, codebreaker, Watergate, paranoid, hit man, assassination, government conspiracy, suspense, action, thriller, neo-Hitchcock, 1970s, feminism, sexism, politics, technology, survival, betrayal, trust, betrayal, coworkers, murder, tragedy, agency, death, danger, investigation, mystery, tension, chase, cat-and-mouse, professional relationship, location shooting, production values, excellent performances, prophetic, eerie, resonant
Worldwide gross: $27,476,252
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $165,327,249
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 794
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 18,029,144
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.): $20,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $120,341,922
Production budget ranking: 308
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $64,804,125
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$19,818,798
ROI to date (est.): -11%
ROI ranking: 1,454
Faye Dunaway – Kathy Hale
Cliff Robertson – J. Higgins
Max von Sydow – G. Joubert
John Houseman – Mr. Wabash
Addison Powell – Leonard Atwood
Director(s)
Sydney Pollack
Writer(s)
Lorenzo Semple Jr., David Rayfiel
Producer(s)
Stanley Schneider
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 Oscar
6 wins & 4 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (48) | Top Critics (8) | Fresh (42) | Rotten (6)
This peerless Sydney Pollack thriller hasn’t just aged well, it’s become positively prophetic, or at least eerily resonant.
May 8, 2021 | Rating: 5/5
Kevin Maher
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
A piece of dotty, slightly paranoid intrigue. Three Days of the Condor promises little and keeps its word. It is hard to get indignant about it, or enthusiastic either.
August 9, 2016
Jay Cocks
TIME Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Basically a B, it has been elevated in form — but not in substance — via four bigger names, location shooting and more production values. Sometimes the trick works, but not here.
March 1, 2007
Variety Staff
Variety
TOP CRITIC
Basically, the film is a throwback to the 60s anti-Bond spy thriller (a la The Ipcress File), except here the genre’s annihilating irony has been replaced by Pollack’s liberal piousness.
March 1, 2007
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
The action rarely falters, and at its best the film offers an intriguing slice of neo-Hitchcock.
February 9, 2006
Chris Petit
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
Three Days of the Condor is a well-made thriller, tense and involving, and the scary thing, in these months after Watergate, is that it’s all too believable.
October 23, 2004 | Rating: 3.5/4
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
TOP CRITIC
…there’s plenty of underlying excitement about the way that the murky events unfold here…
November 6, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Eddie Harrison
film-authority.com
…it narrows its focus entirely to the cat-and-mouse chase at its core, boiling its post-Watergate theme of governmental indifference to human life down to the relationship between two professionals…
November 10, 2020
Norman Wilner
NOW Toronto
As all the pieces begin coming together, the resolution slows, flawing the pacing that had started so smartly.
August 31, 2020 | Rating: 6/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
What we are given is more than worth seeing.
November 22, 2019
Jacoba Atlas
Los Angeles Free Press
The excellent cast makes up for Pollack’s occasional lapses in pacing.
August 9, 2016 | Rating: 4/5
David Parkinson
Radio Times
While its thriller elements deliver, the film is undermined by a subplot that was surely over-egged even when it was made and which has only been further diminished by the passage of time.
August 7, 2016 | Rating: 3.5/5
Amber Wilkinson
Eye for Film…
Plot
A mild mannered CIA researcher, paid to read books, returns from lunch to find all of his co-workers assassinated. “Condor” must find out who did this and get in from the cold before the hitmen get him.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Nothing to add here about Three Days of the Condor.
Sydney-Pollack.jpg
F for Fake
F for Fake (1974)
90%RT Audience Score: 88%
Awards & Nominations: 3 wins
F for Fake playfully poses intriguing questions while proving that even Orson Welles’ minor works contain their share of masterful moments.
F For Fake is like a magician’s trick – you’re not quite sure how it’s done, but you’re thoroughly entertained nonetheless. Orson Welles weaves together documentary footage and his own musings on art, truth, and illusion to create a film that’s both thought-provoking and fun. It’s a testament to Welles’ creativity and wit that he can take seemingly disparate elements and turn them into a cohesive whole. Whether you’re a fan of Welles or just looking for something a little different, F For Fake is definitely worth a watch.
Production Company(ies)
Jalem Productions,
Distributor
Criterion Collection
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Paris, France
MPAA / Certificate
PG
Year of Release
1975
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Mono
-
Aspect ratio:1.66 : 1
-
Runtime:1h 28m
-
Language(s):English, French, Spanish
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jan 30, 1976 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 26, 2005
Genre(s)
Documentary
Keyword(s)
F for Fake, Orson Welles, documentary, fraud, art, Picasso, Matisse, Howard Hughes, autobiography, Elmyr de Hory, Clifford Irving, truth, illusion, creativity, authenticity, value, film essay, French director, François Reichenbach, cinematographer, hoax, trailer, box office, budget, PG rating, reviewed by Roger Ebert, Gary Arnold, Wendy Ide, Tom Huddleston, Richard Brody, Kevin Thomas, Gérard Legrand, A.S Hamrah, Clancy Sigel, Kevin Harley, Emma Simmonds, Simon Foster, directed by Orson Welles, written by Orson Welles, Oja Kodar, produced by Dominique Antoine, starring Orson Welles, Oja Kodar, Joseph Cotten, Francois Reichenbach, Richard Wilson, Paul Stewart, Criterion Collection
Worldwide gross: $10,206
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $61,410
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 3,071
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 6,697
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.): 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
Oja Kodar – The Girl
Joseph Cotten – Special Participant
Francois Reichenbach – Special Participant
Richard Wilson – Special Participant
Paul Stewart – Special Participant
Director(s)
Orson Welles
Writer(s)
Orson Welles, Oja Kodar
Producer(s)
Dominique Antoine
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
3 wins
Academy Awards
All Critics (51) | Top Critics (19) | Fresh (45) | Rotten (6)
F For Fake is minor Welles, the master idly tuning his instrument while the concert seems never to start again. But it’s engaging and fun, and it’s astonishing how easily Welles spins a movie out of next to nothing.
October 11, 2015 | Rating: 3/4
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
TOP CRITIC
The result is a curious, unsatisfactory pastiche of documentary tidbits acquired from Reichenbach and speculative filler supplied by Welles himself.
October 11, 2015
Gary Arnold
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
The last film to be completed by Orson Welles is also probably his most challenging. A tricksy combination of documentary, discourse and sleight of hand, F for Fake is as elusive as it is playful.
October 11, 2015 | Rating: 3/5
Wendy Ide
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
For all its nods, winks and witty asides, it’s a richly personal work, picking over the questions every creative artist must eventually ask: Am I ‘for real’? Does it matter? And what is all this work worth, anyway?
October 11, 2015 | Rating: 5/5
Tom Huddleston
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
F for Fake is as grand, multitudinous, and original as Welles himself.
October 11, 2015
Richard Brody
New Yorker
TOP CRITIC
Welles stretches his material and his legend just about as thin as possible in this tedious treatise on truth and illusion.
October 11, 2015
Kevin Thomas
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
In F for Fake, the creation of illusion completely overtakes the craving for power. Hence the exceptional euphoria generated by the film.
May 4, 2022
Gérard Legrand
Positif
Did Welles write those marvelous lines about reality himself? He must have.
November 29, 2018
A.S. Hamrah
n+1
I enjoyed every dubious minute of this bit of hanky-panky.
October 11, 2015
Clancy Sigel
The Spectator
A mischievous mash of mock-doc, magic show, lecture and comedy.
October 11, 2015 | Rating: 4/5
Kevin Harley
Total Film
If Citizen Kane is testament to a young man’s genius then F For Fake is testament to a veteran’s rebellious spirit and wicked sense of humour.
October 11, 2015 | Rating: 5/5
Emma Simmonds
The Arts Desk
A buoyant, delightfully playful Orson Welles exposes the artifice of film in his 1975 head scratcher, F For Fake.
October 11, 2015 | Rating: 4/5
Simon Foster
sbs.com.au…
Plot
Orson Welles’ final film explores the lives of infamous fakers Elmyr de Hory and Clifford Irving, examining the fundamental elements of fraud and the people who commit fraud at the expense of others.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Orson Welles not only directed and co-wrote F for Fake, but also starred in it as the film’s host.
Orson-Welles.jpg
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
83%RT Audience Score: 85%
Awards & Nominations: 4 wins & 5 nominations
Rocky Horror Picture Show brings its quirky characters in tight, but it’s the narrative thrust that really drives audiences insane and keeps ’em doing the time warp again
The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a wild ride that’s not for the faint of heart. Some critics may say it’s a bad movie, but they’re missing the point. It’s all about the outrageousness, the campiness, and the sheer fun of it all. From the hummable songs to Tim Curry’s iconic performance as Dr. Frank N. Furter, this movie is a cult classic for a reason. So grab your fishnets and get ready to do the Time Warp again!
Production Company(ies)
Why Not Productions, Chic Films, Page 114
Distributor
20th Century Fox
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
Oakley Court, Windsor Road, Oakley Green, Windsor, Berkshire, England, UK
MPAA / Certificate
R
Year of Release
1975
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Dolby
-
Aspect ratio:NA
-
Runtime:1h 35m
-
Language(s):English
-
Country of origin:United States, United Kingdom
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Sep 29, 1975 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 7, 2004
Genre(s)
Comedy/Musical
Keyword(s)
starring Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick, Richard O’Brien, Jonathan Adams, Nell Campbell, Meat Loaf, directed by Jim Sharman, written by Richard O’Brien and Jim Sharman, produced by Michael White, comedy, musical, R rating, box office gross $519.0K, reviewed by James Berardinelli, Andy Tweddle, Variety Staff, Brian Tallerico, Dave Kehr, Geoff Andrew, Don Shewey, Charlotte Harrison, Katie Duggan, Donald McLean, Jacoba Atlas, cult classic, audience participation, B-movie spoof, horror satire, sci-fi allusions, Frankenstein, Dracula, catchy songs, “The Time Warp”, “Science Fiction/Double Feature”, low-budget, campy, psychedelic, eccentric, irreverent, wild, garish, energetic, entertaining
Worldwide gross: $113,804,859
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $684,774,773
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 179
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 74,675,548
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.): $1,200,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $7,220,515
Production budget ranking: 1,801
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $3,888,248
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $673,666,010
ROI to date (est.): 6,064%
ROI ranking: 15
Susan Sarandon – Janet Weiss
Barry Bostwick – Brad Majors
Richard O’Brien – Riff Raff
Jonathan Adams – Dr. Everett V. Scott
Nell Campbell – Columbia
Director(s)
Jim Sharman
Writer(s)
Richard O’Brien, Richard O’Brien, Jim Sharman
Producer(s)
Michael White
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
4 wins & 5 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (46) | Top Critics (10) | Fresh (36) | Rotten (10)
Stripping away the live elements, one finds a movie at the heart of this all. It’s a pretty bad movie, as even some of the most die-hard adherents will admit.
September 20, 2021 | Rating: 2/4
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
TOP CRITIC
One hundred minutes of pure queer celebration that manages to concoct a bizarre cocktail of sincerity and reckless abandon.
October 31, 2012 | Rating: 5/5
Andy Tweddle
Little White Lies
TOP CRITIC
Most of the jokes that might have seemed jolly fun on stage now appear obvious and even flat. The sparkle’s gone.
January 11, 2008
Variety Staff
Variety
TOP CRITIC
March 24, 2007 | Rating: 3/5
Brian Tallerico
UGO
TOP CRITIC
The wit is too weak to sustain a film, and the songs all sound the same.
February 9, 2007
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
A string of hummable songs gives it momentum, Gray’s admirably straight-faced narrator holds it together, and a run on black lingerie takes care of almost everything else.
February 9, 2006
Geoff Andrew
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
Sounds like the hokiest story in the book, right? But The Rocky Horror Picture Show transcends the corn by introducing countless conventions out of film history and then, with a minimum of cheap shots, turning them upside down.
May 10, 2022
Don Shewey
Gay Community News (Boston)
Astounding, yet never fleeting…
August 24, 2021
Charlotte Harrison
Charlotte Sometimes Goes to the Movies
If we choose one piece of culture ephemera to beam into space to let aliens know we’re here, let it be this. The universe is filled with weirdos lost in time, lost in space, but through Rocky Horror perhaps we can find one another.
September 22, 2020
Katie Duggan
Film Daze
For the most part it moves spiritedly along and the whole thing is a giant giggle. It’s all so blatantly outrageous it can only be taken in the spirit of campy fun; this is one time a stage production has been enhanced by the film version.
May 21, 2020
Donald McLean
Bay Area Reporter
The music is only adequate, and the acting leaves something to be desired, except in the case of Tim Curry, who manages some fine turns as Dr. Frank N. Furter.
November 22, 2019
Jacoba Atlas
Los Angeles Free Press
Famous for its allure as an audience-participation event, this adaptation of the stage musical works just fine as a solo viewing at home, with no resultant diminishment of its highlights.
October 10, 2015 | Rating: 3/4
Matt Brunson
Creative Loafing…
Plot
On a wild and rain-swept late-November evening, somewhere at an empty stretch of road outside Ohio’s merry Denton, blissfully-affianced, prudish, boringly-innocent young pair Brad Majors (Barry Bostwick) and Janet Weiss (Susan Sarandon) find themselves stranded on their way to visit an ex-tutor. Instead, the couple will inadvertently unearth the cross-dressing Dr. Frank-N-Furter’s (Tim Curry’s) spooky lair of inexhaustible oddities, just in time to partake in the out-of-this-world mad scientist’s proud unveiling of his latest, delightfully extravagant, most daring creation: the ultimate male and the perfect sex symbol: the flaxen-haired Rocky Horror (Peter Hinwood). But, little by little, as the effervescent transgressive force gobbles up whole the unsuspecting visitors of the night, Brad and Janet slowly begin to embrace the potent fascinations of seduction, while an idolized Rocky roams free in the mansion. Who can interrupt man’s union with the absolute pleasure?
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Tim Curry’s performance as Dr. Frank-N-Furter is “quite something” in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, according to one audience review.
Jim-Sharman.jpg
Barry Lyndon
Barry Lyndon (1975)
91%RT Audience Score: 92%
Awards & Nominations: Won 4 Oscars
19 wins & 15 nominations total
Cynical, ironic, and suffused with seductive natural lighting, Barry Lyndon is a complex character piece of a hapless man doomed by Georgian society.
Barry Lyndon is like a fancy feast for your eyes, with all the beautiful costumes and sets. It’s like watching a painting come to life, but with more drama and less stillness. And let’s not forget the witty narration that adds a touch of humor to the whole thing. Sure, it may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but if you’re in the mood for a slow burn with stunning visuals, then give Barry Lyndon a chance. Plus, who doesn’t love a good 18th century travelogue?
Production Company(ies)
Screen Gems Jerry Bruckheimer Films, L Star Capital
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England, UK
MPAA / Certificate
PG
Year of Release
1975
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Mono Dolby Digital
-
Aspect ratio:1.66 : 1
-
Runtime:3h 4m
-
Language(s):English, German, French
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Dec 18, 1975 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 18, 2008
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Ryan O’Neal, Marisa Berenson, Patrick Magee, Hardy Krüger, Steven Berkoff, Gay Hamilton, directed by Stanley Kubrick, written by Stanley Kubrick, William Makepeace Thackeray, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Adam Nayman, Donald Clarke, Michael Wilmington, Wendy Ide, Geoffrey Macnab, Kate Muir, Rachel Wagner, Scott Tompkins, Brian Eggert, Matt Brunson, Nicholas Bell, David A Nardozzi, PG, William Makepeace Thackeray’s novel, 18th-century English nobility, Georgian society, painterly beauty, natural lighting, cinematography, score, costumes, art direction, mono sound mix, flat aspect ratio, Warner Bros Pictures, Ryan O’Neal as Barry Lyndon, Marisa Berenson as Lady Lyndon, Patrick Magee as Chevalier de Baliban, Hardy Krüger as Capt Potzdorf, Steven Berkoff as Lord Ludd, Gay Hamilton as Nora Brady
Worldwide gross: $198,992
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $1,197,354
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,553
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 130,573
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.): 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
Marisa Berenson – Lady Lyndon
Patrick Magee – Chevalier de Baliban
Hardy Krüger – Capt. Potzdorf
Steven Berkoff – Lord Ludd
Gay Hamilton – Nora Brady
Director(s)
Stanley Kubrick
Writer(s)
Stanley Kubrick, William Makepeace Thackeray
Producer(s)
Stanley Kubrick
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 4 Oscars
19 wins & 15 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Best Achievement in Art Direction Winners, Oscar Best Achievement in Cinematography Winners, Oscar Best Achievement in Costume Design Winners, Oscar Nominees, Oscar Winners
All Critics (78) | Top Critics (22) | Fresh (69) | Rotten (9)
The sense of torpor simultaneously helps to call attention to the painterly beauty of the images-widescreen compositions evoking the light and coloring of 18th century paintings-and the grim, fatalistic determinism of the narrative…
March 27, 2020
Adam Nayman
The Ringer
TOP CRITIC
Barry Lyndon is, despite its rigorous construction, also among Kubrick’s more emotionally engaged films.
March 20, 2019 | Rating: 5/5
Donald Clarke
Irish Times
TOP CRITIC
The wonderfully dry and witty narration is from Thackeray, delivered by Michael Horder.
February 4, 2019 | Rating: 4/4
Michael Wilmington
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
As leisurely as it is painterly, this is a masterclass in cinematography – famously, Kubrick used nothing but natural light in all but a few scenes. Don’t miss the chance to watch it in a cinema.
July 31, 2016 | Rating: 5/5
Wendy Ide
Observer (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Every frame of every battle scene or courtly interlude is exhaustively and exquisitely detailed.
July 29, 2016 | Rating: 5/5
Geoffrey Macnab
Independent (UK)
TOP CRITIC
There are few films so sumptuous that you almost require fabric swatches while watching — peachy moiré silks, red brocades, eau de nil satins, lilac-grey velvets — and that’s just the menswear and the furniture.
July 29, 2016 | Rating: 5/5
Kate Muir
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
I can see why it won Oscars for score, costumes, art direction and cinematography. All of that is exemplary and very well done
May 15, 2022 | Rating: 6/10
Rachel Wagner
rachelsreviews.net
[Barry Lyndon] ends up as little more than an 18th century travelogue. The film proves that technical perfection for the sake of technical perfection is meaningless.
March 5, 2022
Scott Tompkins
Fresno Bee
A film that best defines Kubrick’s intellect, antisocial withdrawal, and obsessive tenure as a filmmaker, Barry Lyndon is also masterful, technically precise, and narratively complex.
February 23, 2022 | Rating: 4/4
Brian Eggert
Deep Focus Review
While many consider it brilliant, others find it about as exciting as folding socks.
September 22, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/4
Matt Brunson
Film Frenzy
It is perhaps one of the most revolutionary examples of art-house auteur cinema before or since.
August 31, 2020 | Rating: 4/5
Nicholas Bell
IONCINEMA.com
Barry Lyndon is exuberant, an exhilarating interplay of comedy, romance, battle, and poignancy.
May 26, 2020
David A. Nardozzi
Philadelphia Gay News…
Plot
In the eighteenth century, in a small village in Ireland, Redmond Barry (Ryan O’Neal) is a young farm boy in love with his cousin Nora Brady (Gay Hamilton). When Nora gets engaged to British Captain John Quin (Leonard Rossiter), Barry challenges him to a duel of pistols. He wins and escapes to Dublin, but is robbed on the road. Without an alternative, Barry joins the British Army to fight in the Seven Years War. He deserts and is forced to join the Prussian Army, where he saves the life of his Captain and becomes his protégé and spy of Irish gambler Chevalier de Balibari (Patrick Magee). He helps Chevalier and becomes his associate until he decides to marry the wealthy Lady Lyndon (Marisa Berenson). They move to England and Barry, in his obsession of nobility, dissipates her fortune and makes a dangerous and revengeful enemy.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Ryan O’Neal stars as the titular character in Barry Lyndon, directed by Stanley Kubrick.
Stanley-Kubrick.jpg
Dog Day Afternoon
Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
92%RT Audience Score: 90%
Awards & Nominations: Won 1 Oscar
14 wins & 21 nominations total
Framed by great work from director Sidney Lumet and fueled by a gripping performance from Al Pacino, Dog Day Afternoon offers a finely detailed snapshot of people in crisis with tension-soaked drama shaded in black humor.
Dog Day Afternoon is a classic 70s bank heist movie that has it all: Al Pacino’s electric performance, a brilliantly constructed script, and a spectacular turn from John Cazale. It’s a film that rises and falls on its acting, and its acting is magnificent. Plus, it’s got swearing and violence, so what’s not to love? If you haven’t seen it yet, grab some popcorn and settle in for a wild ride.
Production Company(ies)
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
285 Prospect Park West, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA
MPAA / Certificate
R
Year of Release
1975
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Mono
-
Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
-
Runtime:2h 10m
-
Language(s):English
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Sep 21, 1975 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 16, 1997
Genre(s)
Lgbtq+
Keyword(s)
starring Al Pacino, John Cazale, Charles Durning, Chris Sarandon, Sully Boyar, James Broderick, directed by Sidney Lumet, written by Frank Pierson, LGBTQ+, bank robbery, hostage situation, media circus, FBI, tension, black humor, motivations, law enforcement, R rating, Warner Bros Pictures, Martin Bregman, Martin Elfand, reviewed by Stanley Kauffmann, Dave Kehr, Jonathan Rosenbaum, Richard Schickel, Variety Staff, Adam Smith, Brian Eggert, Graeme Tuckett, D Patrick Rodgers, Fico Cangiano, Alistair Lawrence, Michael Calleri, Chinatown, Unforgiven, Dogville, The Insider, No Man’s Land, box office performance, budget, MPAA rating, producer names, sound mix, aspect ratio
Worldwide gross: $50,000,000
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $300,854,805
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 500
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 32,808,594
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.): $1,800,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $10,830,773
Production budget ranking: 1,633
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $5,832,371
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $284,191,661
ROI to date (est.): 1,706%
ROI ranking: 60
John Cazale – Salvatore
Charles Durning – Eugene Moretti
Chris Sarandon – Leon Shermer
Sully Boyar – Mulvaney
James Broderick – FBI Agent Sheldon
Director(s)
Sidney Lumet
Writer(s)
Frank Pierson
Producer(s)
Martin Bregman, Martin Elfand
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 1 Oscar
14 wins & 21 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Best Writing Winners, Oscar Nominees, Oscar Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen Winners, Oscar Winners
All Critics (50) | Top Critics (9) | Fresh (48) | Rotten (2)
On the other and substantial hand, most of those segments are very good. If the whole is less than the sum of the parts, if there really is no sum of the parts, those parts those parts are extraordinarily well made.
January 8, 2018
Stanley Kauffmann
The New Republic
TOP CRITIC
Enjoyable and even exciting at the start, Dog Day Afternoon degenerates into frustration and tedium toward nightfall — an experience no less painful for the audience than for the actors.
April 27, 2009
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
One of Sidney Lumet’s best jobs of directing and one of Al Pacino’s best performances (as a bisexual bank robber) come together in a populist thriller with lots of New York juice
April 27, 2009
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
[Pacino] gives an electric performance, charged with a lunatic energy that expertly captures the weird blend of confidence and self-deprecation (if not hatred) that marks the paranoid syndrome.
August 24, 2008
Richard Schickel
TIME Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Dog Day Afternoon is, in the whole as well as the parts, filmmaking at its best.
August 24, 2008
Variety Staff
Variety
TOP CRITIC
Pacino simmers in this daring and brilliantly constructed treatise on the many facets of a crime.
February 1, 2006 | Rating: 5/5
Adam Smith
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
In the canon of great American films of the 1970s, its unembellished portrait of LGBTQ+ characters keeps the film in the contemporary conversations about representation in cinema.
June 29, 2022 | Rating: 4/4
Brian Eggert
Deep Focus Review
Every performance in this film is a thing of beauty.
December 1, 2021
Graeme Tuckett
Stuff.co.nz
It features one of Pacino’s finest performances, as well as a spectacular turn from John Cazale, who would die from cancer just three years after Dog Day’s release.
September 13, 2021
D. Patrick Rodgers
Nashville Scene
Al Pacino’s tour de force performance and Frank Pierson’s lean & mean script are big standouts in this magnificent drama. [Full review in Spanish]
May 15, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Fico Cangiano
CineXpress Podcast
Classic 1970s bank heist drama has swearing and violence.
February 18, 2021 | Rating: 5/5
Alistair Lawrence
Common Sense Media
“Dog Day Afternoon” rises and falls on its acting, and its acting is magnificent.
January 14, 2021
Michael Calleri
Niagara Gazette…
Plot
Based upon a real-life incident which occurred in August 1972 in which a Chase Manhattan Bank branch in Gravesend, Brooklyn, New York, was held siege by Sonny, a Vietnam veteran turned bank robber determined to steal enough money ($2500) for his “wife” (Leon, a man; the two, were, according to an onscreen TV news report, married in a church by a priest who was defrocked shortly after, although Leon says to the police that Sal is “married and has children”) to undergo a sex change operation. (The real life character upon whom Leon is based did, in fact, get the operation.) On a hot summer afternoon, Sonny and two cohort, Stevie and Sal, go to rob the (fictional) First Savings Bank of Brooklyn. Stevie soon gets nervous and flees. Although the bank manager and female tellers agree not to interfere with the robbery, Sonny finds there is not much to steal, as most of the cash has been picked up for the day. Sonny then gets an unexpected phone call from Captain Moretti of the NYPD, who tells him the place is surrounded by the city’s entire police force. Having few options under the circumstances, Sonny nervously bargains with Moretti, demanding safe escort to the airport and a plane out of the country in return for the bank employees’ safety.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Dog Day Afternoon features a standout performance from Al Pacino as the inexperienced criminal leading a bank robbery.
Sidney-Lumet.jpg
One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
96%RT Audience Score: 96%
Awards & Nominations: Won 5 Oscars
38 wins & 16 nominations total
Jack Nicholson and Louise Fletcher are worthy adversaries in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, with Miloš Forman’s more grounded and morally ambiguous approach to Ken Kesey’s surrealistic novel yielding a film of outsized power.
If you’re looking for a movie that’ll make you feel like you’re not quite sure what’s real and what’s not, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is the one for you. Jack Nicholson and Louise Fletcher go head-to-head in this flick, and it’s a battle for the ages. Director Miloš Forman takes Ken Kesey’s trippy book and brings it down to earth a bit, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less powerful. This movie will have you on the edge of your seat, wondering who’s really in charge and what’s going to happen next. It’s a wild ride, but it’s definitely worth it.
Production Company(ies)
Fantasy Films, Bryna Productions N.V., Zvaluw
Distributor
Pioneer Entertainment, United Artists, Warner Home Vídeo, Republic Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Oregon State Mental Hospital – 2600 Center Street NE, Salem, Oregon, USA
MPAA / Certificate
R
Year of Release
1975
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Mono
-
Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
-
Runtime:2h 13m
-
Language(s):English
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Nov 19, 1975 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 16, 1997
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher, Brad Dourif, William Redfield, Michael Berryman, Peter Brocco, directed by Milos Forman, written by Lawrence Hauben, Bo Goldman, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Alexander Walker, Derek Malcolm, John Cashman, Desmond Ryan, G.J Fleming, Joseph Gelmis, Madeleine Harmsworth, Susan Toepfer, Janet Maslin, Michael Marzella, Stanley Eichelbaum, Charles Johnson, R rating, Pioneer Entertainment, United Artists, Warner Home Vídeo, Republic Pictures, Mono sound mix, 35mm aspect ratio, Nurse Ratched, Randle Patrick McMurphy, mental institution, battle of wills, patients, electroconvulsive therapy, Michael Douglas, Saul Zaentz, produced by
Worldwide gross: $109,114,817
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $656,554,340
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 196
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 71,598,074
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.): $3,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $18,051,288
Production budget ranking: 1,416
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $9,720,619
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $628,782,433
ROI to date (est.): 2,264%
ROI ranking: 43
Louise Fletcher – Nurse Mildred Ratched
Brad Dourif – Billy Bibbit
William Redfield – Harding
Michael Berryman – Ellis, tall bald patient
Peter Brocco – Col. Matterson
Director(s)
Milos Forman
Writer(s)
Lawrence Hauben, Bo Goldman
Producer(s)
Michael Douglas, Saul Zaentz
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 5 Oscars
38 wins & 16 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 (115) | Top Critics (32) | Fresh (107) | Rotten (8)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is a film I admire as much as I mistrust. And I mistrust it very much indeed.
March 8, 2022
Alexander Walker
London Evening Standard
TOP CRITIC
When it matters the strength is there, together with the feeling that our judgment of who is mad and who is sane, is at best faulty and uncertain and at worst downright disastrous.
March 8, 2022
Derek Malcolm
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest ultimately fails as black humor because it is too real for anyone who wants to think about it not to realize what is causing the laughter. Sick persons are not funny. And McMurphy may be the sickest of them all.
March 7, 2022
John Cashman
Newsday
TOP CRITIC
An all but flawless film. It is a movie of numbing power with a raw humor that induces laughter made shrill by an undercurrent of despair.
March 7, 2022
Desmond Ryan
Philadelphia Inquirer
TOP CRITIC
Despite its flaws — which include the audience’s ambivalent attitude toward the hero and his world — it is a surprisingly enjoyable, finely acted character study.
March 7, 2022
G.J. Fleming
Orlando Sentinel
TOP CRITIC
“Cuckoo’s Nest” appeals to audiences’ worst reflexes. It poses as a sort of liberal’s lunatic asylum version of that anti-institutional glorification of criminals, The Dirty Dozen.
March 7, 2022
Joseph Gelmis
Newsday
TOP CRITIC
Every vice and virtue is explored with humour and compassion in this masterly film. Altogether, an unforgettable experience.
March 9, 2022
Madeleine Harmsworth
Sunday Mirror (UK)
Under the skillful direction of Milos Forman, and with Jack Nicholson in the “heroic” lead, “Cuckoo’s Nest” attains its greatest power in the medium of film.
March 9, 2022
Susan Toepfer
Photoplay
Kesey’s story was hardly designed to be naturalistic, and Forman’s streamlining isn’t the way to make it work (there may not be any way). As it stands, Forman has merely reduced the story without successfully revising it.
March 9, 2022
Janet Maslin
Boston Phoenix
It is Jack Nicholson, an actor continually producing profound and stunning performances, who fires a life in McMurphy different from, but not lesser than, Kesey’s character. This is a milestone performance.
March 9, 2022
Michael Marzella
Tampa Bay Times
I found the ending, with its heavily rigged tragedy and trite metaphors, neither believable nor very moving… [But] in its better moments, [One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest] is hilariously and potently effective.
March 9, 2022
Stanley Eichelbaum
San Francisco Examiner
The problem with stripping away the dramatics is, as I see it, that Forman was not able to replace them with the ingredients of a more truly thoughtful film.
March 8, 2022
Charles Johnson
Sacramento Bee…
Plot
McMurphy has a criminal past and has once again gotten himself into trouble and is sentenced by the court. To escape labor duties in prison, McMurphy pleads insanity and is sent to a ward for the mentally unstable. Once here, McMurphy both endures and stands witness to the abuse and degradation of the oppressive Nurse Ratched, who gains superiority and power through the flaws of the other inmates. McMurphy and the other inmates band together to make a rebellious stance against the atrocious Nurse.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Jack Nicholson’s performance in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is considered a milestone in his career.
Milos-Forman.jpg
Dark Star 1974
Dark Star (1974)
73%RT Audience Score: 64%
Awards & Nominations: NA
Dark Star, John Carpenter’s student film turned cult classic, is a delightful romp through space that manages to blend science fiction with molasses-black humor and human eccentricities. While some critics may dismiss it as sophomoric or lacking in substance, Carpenter’s vision of the technological future is both disillusioned and oddly affirmative in its insistence on the unscientific survival of emotional frailty. With amusing moments and a slacker satire of 2001: A Space Odyssey, Dark Star is a must-watch for anyone who enjoys anarchic humor and a good old-fashioned space adventure.
Dark Star is a wild ride through space that will have you laughing and scratching your head at the same time. While some critics may find fault with the film’s sophomoric humor and primitive special effects, it’s hard not to appreciate the sheer anarchy and creativity on display. John Carpenter’s student film may not be for everyone, but if you’re a fan of Star Wars, Alien, Halloween, or The Thing, you owe it to yourself to check it out. Just don’t expect any intelligent bombs or beach balls from other worlds.
Production Company(ies)
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
Year of Release
1974
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Dolby
-
Aspect ratio:NA
-
Runtime:1h 23m
-
Language(s):
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Streaming): Jul 3, 2001
Genre(s)
Sci-fi
Keyword(s)
sci-fi, John Carpenter, Dan O’Bannon, Brian Narelle, Cal Kuniholm, Dre Pahich, Joe Saunders, G rating, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Adam Smith, Dave Kehr, Variety Staff, Nick Schager, Janet Maslin, Roger Ebert, Anton Bitel, Cody Leach, John Fleming, Eddie Harrison, Jacoba Atlas, satire, astronauts, rogue planets, human eccentricity, technology, emotional frailty, space travel, special effects, set designs, horror, comedy, aliens, molasses-black humour, 16mm, 35mm, mono, flat (1.85:1), directed by John Carpenter, written by John Carpenter and Dan O’Bannon, produced by John Carpenter, original language English, runtime 1h 23m, streaming release date Jul 3, 2001
Worldwide gross: NA
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): NA
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.): 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
Dan O’Bannon – Pinback
Cal Kuniholm – Boiler
Dre Pahich – Talby
Joe Saunders – Commander Powell (uncredited)
John Carpenter – Director
John Carpenter – Producer
John Carpenter, Dan O’Bannon – Writers
Director(s)
John Carpenter
Writer(s)
John Carpenter, Dan O’Bannon
Producer(s)
John Carpenter
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (30) | Top Critics (7) | Fresh (23) | Rotten (7)
Hats off nonetheless to young whippersnapper John Carpenter, whose studenty tale of space tedium, aliens and molasses-black humour remains approximately a thousand times better than the director’s last 15 years.
June 6, 2007 | Rating: 5/5
Adam Smith
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
By introducing human eccentricities into the cold structure of SF, Carpenter creates a vision of the technological future that is both disillusioned and oddly affirmative in its insistence on the unscientific survival of emotional frailty.
June 6, 2007
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
The dim comedy consists of sophomoric notations and mistimed one-liners.
June 6, 2007
Variety Staff
Variety
TOP CRITIC
Isn’t nearly as funny as it once was…but it nonetheless has its amusing moments.
April 26, 2007 | Rating: B-
Nick Schager
Lessons of Darkness
TOP CRITIC
There are some funny routines here, though Mr. Carpenter doesn’t seem to have cared much about integrating or sustaining them.
May 9, 2005 | Rating: 2.5/5
Janet Maslin
New York Times
TOP CRITIC
A berserk combination of space opera, intelligent bombs, and beach balls from other worlds.
October 23, 2004 | Rating: 3/4
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
TOP CRITIC
student film plays like a slacker satire of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), exposing all the ennui and idiocy of deep-space travel.
December 16, 2022
Anton Bitel
BFI
Dark Star is a student film with a studio release and it’s exactly what you expect from that. Some of Carpenter’s early promise is on display but whatever impressed in 1974 has mostly faded with time and age.
September 10, 2022 | Rating: 2/5
Cody Leach
Cody Leach (YouTube)
Dark Star is well worth 83 minutes of anyone’s time: perhaps the most enjoyable piece of anarchy since the Marx Brothers.
July 22, 2022
John Fleming
Starburst
…a must-watch for anyone who dug Star Wars, Alien, Halloween or The Thing…
February 24, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Eddie Harrison
film-authority.com
If it weren’t for the extremely primitive special effects and set designs (though decent considering the budget), the picture might have succeeded as outright horror.
August 29, 2020 | Rating: 2/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
All good fun, without much substance or lasting power.
December 9, 2019
Jacoba Atlas
Los Angeles Free Press…
Plot
Dark Star is a satirical sci-fi comedy about a crew of bumbling astronauts on a mission to destroy rogue planets.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Fresh Kernels doesn’t say anything goofy or funny or odd about the film Signed in.
John-Carpenter.jpg
The Cuckoo
The Cuckoo (2003)
91%RT Audience Score: 89%
Awards & Nominations: Won 5 Oscars
38 wins & 16 nominations total
The Cuckoo is a delightful and whimsical film that manages to balance humor and heart with ease. Alexander Rogozhkin’s direction is masterful, creating a world that is both absurd and touching. The collision of cultures and misunderstandings that occur throughout the film are consistently hilarious, but never at the expense of the characters. Instead, the film finds a way to celebrate their quirks and differences, ultimately delivering a message of unexpected companionship and the power of love. The Cuckoo is a mystical fairy tale that is as beautiful as it is tender, and a true treat for anyone who loves a good laugh and a good cry.
The Cuckoo is a hilarious and heartwarming film that will leave you feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. The collision of cultures and misunderstandings will have you laughing out loud, while the tender moments will tug at your heartstrings. It’s a beautiful fairy tale that reminds us of the importance of companionship and love, no matter where we come from or what language we speak. So grab some popcorn, sit back, and enjoy this wondrous little film that will leave you with a smile on your face.
Production Company(ies)
Du Art Film and Video Nothing But a Man Company,
Distributor
Sony Pictures Classics
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Oregon State Mental Hospital – 2600 Center Street NE, Salem, Oregon, USA
MPAA / Certificate
R
Year of Release
1975
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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:1h 39m
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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, 2003 Wide
Genre(s)
War
Keyword(s)
starring Ville Haapasalo, Viktor Bychkov, Anni-Kristiina Juuso, directed by Aleksandr Rogozhkin, written by Aleksandr Rogozhkin, war, pacifist, Finland, World War II, Soviet Union, Sami woman, winter survival, PG-13, Russian language, Sony Pictures Classics, Dolby Stereo, Dolby A, Dolby SR, Dolby Digital, $243.2K box office, reviewed by Jamie Russell, Chris Vognar, Roger Moore, Marta Barber, Michael O’Sullivan, Stephen Hunter, Dennis Schwartz, Mark Halverson, Emanuel Levy, James Verniere, MaryAnn Johanson, Anton Bitel, 87% Tomatometer, 63 reviews, 89% audience score
Worldwide gross: $109,114,817
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $656,554,340
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 196
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 71,598,074
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.): $3,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $18,051,288
Production budget ranking: 1,416
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $9,720,619
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $628,782,433
ROI to date (est.): 2,264%
ROI ranking: 43
Viktor Bychkov – Ivan, Psoltõ
Anni-Kristiina Juuso – Anni
Aleksei Kashnikov
Denis Aksyonov
Aleksandr Kuykka
Director(s)
Aleksandr Rogozhkin
Writer(s)
Aleksandr Rogozhkin
Producer(s)
NA
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 5 Oscars
38 wins & 16 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (63) | Top Critics (28) | Fresh (55) | Rotten (8)
November 18, 2003 | Rating: 3/5
Jamie Russell
BBC.com
TOP CRITIC
Writer/director Alexander Rogozhkin has a way of lapsing into cuteness when the story calls for something more challenging, but The Cuckoo eventually finds its own kind of light, ridiculous tone that generally doesn’t talk down to the characters.
October 9, 2003 | Rating: B
Chris Vognar
Dallas Morning News
TOP CRITIC
A consistently hilarious collision of cultures and a string of misunderstandings.
October 3, 2003 | Rating: 4/5
Roger Moore
Orlando Sentinel
TOP CRITIC
A mystical fairy tale by Alexander Rogozhkin as beautiful as it is tender.
September 20, 2003 | Rating: 3/4
Marta Barber
Miami Herald
TOP CRITIC
A wondrous, funny and moving little film.
September 12, 2003
Michael O’Sullivan
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
It’s quite a treat.
September 12, 2003
Stephen Hunter
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
Rogozhkin brings a needed sense of humanity to this well-realized war film.
July 7, 2016 | Rating: B
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews
August 7, 2008 | Rating: 4/5
Mark Halverson
Sacramento News & Review
September 8, 2005 | Rating: 3/5
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
July 16, 2005 | Rating: 3.5/4
James Verniere
Boston Herald
[A] gentle, often funny, always very human film about loneliness and unexpected companionship…
August 8, 2004
MaryAnn Johanson
Flick Filosopher
A gently funny mini-epic whose ‘make love not war’ message is delivered in three languages at once.
January 9, 2004
Anton Bitel
Movie Gazette…
Plot
McMurphy has a criminal past and has once again gotten himself into trouble and is sentenced by the court. To escape labor duties in prison, McMurphy pleads insanity and is sent to a ward for the mentally unstable. Once here, McMurphy both endures and stands witness to the abuse and degradation of the oppressive Nurse Ratched, who gains superiority and power through the flaws of the other inmates. McMurphy and the other inmates band together to make a rebellious stance against the atrocious Nurse.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The film features Anni-Kristiina Juuso, who won the Best Actress award at the 2003 Shanghai International Film Festival for her role in the movie.
Aleksandr-Rogozhkin.jpg