Production Company(ies)

 
Distributor
NA
 
Release Type

 
Filming Location(s)

 
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for thematic elements including some violence, racial slurs, drug use and brief nudity
 
Year of Release
1964
 

 
Genre(s)
Comedy
 
Keyword(s)
starring Alberto Sordi, Norma Bengell, Gabriella Conti, Ugo Attanasio, Cinzia Bruno, Katiusca Piretti, directed by Alberto Lattuada, written by Rafael Azcona, Bruno Caruso, Marco Ferreri, comedy, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Ben Kenigsberg, Chris Vognar, Marc Savlov, Eleanor Ringel Cater, Amy Biancolli, G Allen Johnson, Dennis Schwartz, Michele Kenner, Phil Villarreal, Chris Hewitt, Shawn Levy, Robert W Butler, producer Tonino Cervi, MPAA rating, Sicily, mobster, New York, family, social drama, farce, tonal shifts, masterpiece, black-and-white, gem, Italian, wiseguy, mafia, lifestyle, documentary, Michael Corleone, betrayal, light-hearted, deadly serious
 

Cast & Crew

Alberto Sordi

Antonio Badalamenti

Norma Bengell

Gabriella Conti

Ugo Attanasio

Antonio Badalamenti

Marta

Rosalia

Don Vincenzo

Donatella

Alberto Sordi – Antonio Badalamenti
Norma Bengell – Marta
Gabriella Conti – Rosalia
Ugo Attanasio – Don Vincenzo
Cinzia Bruno – Donatella
Katiusca Piretti – Patrizia

 

Alberto Lattuada

Rafael Azcona

Tonino Cervi

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Alberto Lattuada
 
Writer(s)
Rafael Azcona, Bruno Caruso, Marco Ferreri
 
Producer(s)
Tonino Cervi

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
NA
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Ben Kenigsberg

Chris Vognar

Marc Savlov

Eleanor Ringel Cater

Amy Biancolli

Time Out

Dallas Morning News

Austin Chronicle

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Houston Chronicle

MAFIOSO
 All Critics (50) | Top Critics (29) | Fresh (48) | Rotten (2)
 Director Lattuada was reportedly acclaimed for his oddball tonal shifts, which Mafioso offers in spades.
 
 July 12, 2007 | Rating: 4/6
 
 Ben Kenigsberg
 Time Out
 TOP CRITIC
 The transitional gears never grind. They just keep clicking until you know you’re along for the entire ride.
 
 May 11, 2007 | Rating: A-
 
 Chris Vognar
 Dallas Morning News
 TOP CRITIC
 The sort of masterpiece that will obliterate memories of lesser, later efforts in the ‘meeting the parents’ comedy lineage. Brilliant.
 
 April 26, 2007 | Rating: 4/4
 
 Marc Savlov
 Austin Chronicle
 TOP CRITIC
 The film ripens in an unanticipated way, nimbly shifting from near farce to something quite a bit darker.
 
 April 26, 2007 | Rating: A-
 
 Eleanor Ringel Cater
 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
 TOP CRITIC
 Mafioso may be 45 years old, but it’s as bracingly relevant as anything else in theaters today. Even in the heat of a dry Sicilian summer, the film looks fresh as a lemon tree. And when you bite down hard, it’s just as bitter.
 
 April 20, 2007 | Rating: 4/4
 
 Amy Biancolli
 Houston Chronicle
 TOP CRITIC
 If you crossed Meet the Parents with The Godfather and filmed it 45 years ago in Italian, you might come close to Mafioso, a black-and-white gem from 1962 whose appearance in local theaters is inexplicable but most welcome.
 
 April 13, 2007 | Rating: 4/4
 
 G. Allen Johnson
 San Francisco Chronicle
 TOP CRITIC
 Brilliant neglected and underappreciated film about the Sicilian mafia.
 
 December 15, 2008 | Rating: A
 
 Dennis Schwartz
 Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews
 A gentle Italian comedy from 1962 that takes a sobering, chilling turn that would make Michael Corleone proud.
 
 July 12, 2007 | Rating: 3/4
 
 Michele Kenner
 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
 Director Alberto Lattuada’s seriocomic 1962 look at the Sicilian mob lifestyle broke the omerta, providing a look at the sordidly fascinating life of the wiseguy.
 
 May 30, 2007 | Rating: 3/4
 
 Phil Villarreal
 Arizona Daily Star
 No wonder Mafioso vanished without a trace when it was released in 1962; the mordant mobster comedy was about 45 years ahead of its time.
 
 May 24, 2007 | Rating: 2.5/4
 
 Chris Hewitt
 St. Paul Pioneer Press
 It feels like a comedy, and then a dark drama, and then, no, wait . . . a semicomic documentary, right? The effect, carried brilliantly by Sordi, is delightful.
 
 May 18, 2007 | Rating: A-
 
 Shawn Levy
 Oregonian
 Some viewers may feel betrayed when the film’s light-hearted and gently mocking attitude suddenly turns deadly serious. I thought it was breathtaking.
 
 May 18, 2007 | Rating: 3/4
 
 Robert W. Butler
 Kansas City Star…

 

Plot
This is the funny story about two warring Mafia gangs in New York City. The weaker gang uses a lion to blackmail the opposite gang’s “clients”. The police succeed in stopping one of the gangs, while the other remains without the boss.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
No goofy or funny or odd comments were found in the Fresh Kernels database for Mafioso.
 

 
Alberto-Lattuada.jpg

 
Year of Release
2019
 
Technical Specs
Color: Color
Sound mix: NA
Aspect ratio: NA
Language(s):
Country of origin:
Original premiere:
Newest season premiere:
 
Genre(s)
Animation, Documentary, Music
 
Keyword(s)
Psychology, Movies Directed by Tom Shadyac, Shady Acres Entertainment Movie, Movies from 2011, Movies from the 2010s, Low Budget Movie, English Language
 

 

Awards & Nominations
NA
 

Synopsis (Warning: Spoilers!)

Links
 

(Click to Visit)
 

(Click to Visit)
 
Wikipedia: Go to Wiki
Rotten Tomatoes: Go to RT

 

Coming soon…
 

 
Production Company(ies)
Réalisation d’art cinématographique
 
Distributor
Universal Pictures
 
Release Type

 
Filming Location(s)

 
MPAA / Certificate
TV-MA
 
Year of Release
1960
 

 
Genre(s)
Action
 
Keyword(s)
starring Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons, Tony Curtis, Charles Laughton, Peter Ustinov, directed by Stanley Kubrick, written by Howard Fast, Dalton Trumbo, Calder Willingham, action, swords-and-sandals, rebellion, gladiators, slaves, epic, classic, restored, box office, gross USA, budget, PG-13, critic reviews, reviewed by Peter John Dyer, David Stratton, Owen Gleiberman, Nell Minow, James Christopher, Peter Bradshaw, Josh Larsen, Mike Massie, M.V Moorhead, Clyde Gilmour, Jesús Fernández Santos, Dwight MacDonald, audience score, directed by Edward Lewis, produced by Edward Lewis, MPAA rating, Universal Pictures, stereo, magnetic stereo 6 track, scope (2.35:1), runtime 3h 4m, distributor Universal Pictures
 

Cast & Crew

Kirk Douglas

Laurence Olivier

Jean Simmons

Tony Curtis

Charles Laughton

Spartacus

Marcus Licinius Crassus

Varinia

Antoninus

Sempronius Gracchus

Kirk Douglas – Spartacus
Laurence Olivier – Marcus Licinius Crassus
Jean Simmons – Varinia
Tony Curtis – Antoninus
Charles Laughton – Sempronius Gracchus
Peter Ustinov – Lentulus Batiatus

 

Stanley Kubrick

Howard Fast

Edward Lewis

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Stanley Kubrick
 
Writer(s)
Howard Fast, Dalton Trumbo, Calder Willingham
 
Producer(s)
Edward Lewis

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
NA
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Peter John Dyer

David Stratton

Owen Gleiberman

Nell Minow

James Christopher

Sight & Sound

At the Movies (Australia)

Entertainment Weekly

Common Sense Media

Times (UK)

SPARTACUS
  All Critics (62) | Top Critics (16) | Fresh (58) | Rotten (4)
  The result, to all intents and purposes, is pre-ordained.
 
  February 10, 2020
 
  Peter John Dyer
  Sight & Sound
  TOP CRITIC
  There have been other versions of the Spartacus story, including a silent epic and a more recent TV series, but Kubrick’s film can’t be beaten.
 
  October 23, 2014
 
  David Stratton
  At the Movies (Australia)
  TOP CRITIC
  September 7, 2011 | Rating: A-
 
  Owen Gleiberman
  Entertainment Weekly
  TOP CRITIC
  Thrilling epic is too intense for the youngest.
 
  December 28, 2010 | Rating: 5/5
 
  Nell Minow
  Common Sense Media
  TOP CRITIC
  Douglas is terrific as the iron-jawed slave fuelled by righteous fury.
 
  June 12, 2009 | Rating: 4/5
 
  James Christopher
  Times (UK)
  TOP CRITIC
  The great-granddaddy of Ridley Scott’s Gladiator hasn’t lost any muscle tone after nearly half a century, and Kirk Douglas’s direct, unpretentious performance as the great slave-rebel Spartacus is more engaging than ever.
 
  June 12, 2009 | Rating: 5/5
 
  Peter Bradshaw
  Guardian
  TOP CRITIC
  …the performances might be its most compelling element.
 
  June 28, 2022 | Rating: 3.5/4
 
  Josh Larsen
  LarsenOnFilm
  A magnificent picture that packs a rarely equaled emotional wallop with its impassioned camaraderie and paralyzing conclusion.
 
  August 27, 2020 | Rating: 10/10
 
  Mike Massie
  Gone With The Twins
  The movie is full of wonderful character players who have fun with Trumbo’s ripe dialogue.
 
  February 18, 2020
 
  M.V. Moorhead
  Phoenix Magazine
  Laurence Olivier memorably portrays a subtle, ruthless aristocrat who vows to destroy the gladiatorial army.
 
  October 31, 2019
 
  Clyde Gilmour
  Maclean’s Magazine
  This chapter of the history of Rome stands out for its recreation of the lives of gladiators and its beautiful images that culminate in the confrontation of the Roman legions in the open field. [Full Review in Spanish]
 
  August 20, 2019
 
  Jesús Fernández Santos
  El Pais (Spain)
  Like a fast back with plenty of power, Kubrick twists and plunges. But he goes down on the twenty-yard line under the sheer weight of the opposition.
 
  February 10, 2019
 
  Dwight MacDonald
  Esquire Magazine…

 

Plot
The inspiration behind this series is the Thracian Gladiator Spartacus, who led a slave uprising against the Roman Republic. The Thracians had been persuaded by Claudius Glaber to serve as auxiliaries in the Roman legions in a campaign against the Getae, who had often plundered Thracian lands. However after Glaber reneges on the deal and switches his attentions from the Getae to attack Mithridates in Asia Minor, the Thracians feel betrayed and mutiny. Captured by Glaber, Spartacus is condemned to death as a Gladiator, whilst his wife Sura is condemned to slavery. Spartacus, however, proves to be a formidable gladiator, and defeats the four gladiators tasked with executing him. He becomes a favorite of the crowd, leading Senator Albinius to commute his death sentence to a life of slavery. Spartacus is purchased by Batiatus for gladiator training, who promises to help him find Sura if he proves himself in training. As the series develops, the story follows the betrayals and machinations of Roman life and a tale of one man’s heroic quest for vengeance.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
Kirk Douglas gives a “direct, unpretentious performance as the great slave-rebel Spartacus” according to one critic review.
 

 
Stanley-Kubrick.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Universal Pictures, Studio Canal, Sidney Kimmel Entertainment,
 
Distributor
NA
 
Release Type

 
Filming Location(s)

 
MPAA / Certificate
PG
 
Year of Release
1959
 

 
Genre(s)
Drama
 
Keyword(s)
starring Breno Mello, Marpessa Dawn, Lourdes de Oliveira, Léa Garcia, directed by Marcel Camus, written by Vinicius de Moraes, Marcel Camus, Jacques Viot, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Marjory Adams, Kate Cameron, Mildred Martin, Helen Bower, Stanley Kauffmann, Elston Brooks, Jean-Luc Godard, Moira Walsh, John Bustin, Jack Parr, Jay Carmody, produced by Sacha Gordine, PG rating, bossa nova soundtrack, Rio de Janeiro, favelas, Greek legend, Orpheus and Eurydice, hitman, death, fantasy, reality, Brazilian composers, Luiz Bonfá, Antonio Carlos Jobim
 

Cast & Crew

Breno Mello

Marpessa Dawn

Lourdes de Oliveira

Léa Garcia

Ademar Da Silva

Orfeo

Eurydice

Mira

Serafina

Death

Breno Mello – Orfeo
Marpessa Dawn – Eurydice
Lourdes de Oliveira – Mira
Léa Garcia – Serafina
Ademar Da Silva – Death
Alexandro Constantino – Hermes

 

Marcel Camus

Vinicius de Moraes

Sacha Gordine

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Marcel Camus
 
Writer(s)
Vinicius de Moraes, Marcel Camus, Jacques Viot
 
Producer(s)
Sacha Gordine

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
Won 1 Oscar
4 wins & 3 nominations total
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Marjory Adams

Kate Cameron

Mildred Martin

Helen Bower

Stanley Kauffmann

Boston Globe

New York Daily News

Philadelphia Inquirer

Detroit Free Press

The New Republic

BLACK ORPHEUS
  All Critics (70) | Top Critics (30) | Fresh (61) | Rotten (9)
  It is amazingly exciting — sometimes, with the quick voluptuous beat of the music, and the mad gusto of the costumed dancers, the pace seems unbearable in its speed and passion. There is realism and imagery; fantasy and truth.
 
  July 27, 2021
 
  Marjory Adams
  Boston Globe
  TOP CRITIC
  The picture represents a beautiful and touching concept of the old legend.
 
  July 27, 2021 | Rating: 4/4
 
  Kate Cameron
  New York Daily News
  TOP CRITIC
  A stunning example of ingenuity and art.
 
  July 27, 2021
 
  Mildred Martin
  Philadelphia Inquirer
  TOP CRITIC
  [Breno Mello and Marpessa] Dawn are exceedingly well chosen to be the romantic principals.
 
  July 27, 2021
 
  Helen Bower
  Detroit Free Press
  TOP CRITIC
  The film is often beautiful, a swirl of color and music and movement almost from first to last.
 
  July 27, 2021
 
  Stanley Kauffmann
  The New Republic
  TOP CRITIC
  Black Orpheus is a magnificently photographed picture rich in the carnival atmosphere that is its background.
 
  July 26, 2021
 
  Elston Brooks
  Fort Worth Star-Telegram/DFW.com
  TOP CRITIC
  The amiability and sincerity of Marcel Camus are not in question. But then, does being amiable and sincere suffice to make a good film?
 
  September 1, 2021
 
  Jean-Luc Godard
  Cahiers du Cinéma
  What remains is an arty, empty shell of a picture.
 
  July 27, 2021
 
  Moira Walsh
  America Magazine
  The film’s surge of emotions, the freshness of the acting — which doesn’t look like acting at all — and the sensitivity of the direction makes it all into a wild, pagan-like poem, swirling with color and life.
 
  July 27, 2021
 
  John Bustin
  Austin American-Statesman
  The impact then is flat and unmoving: sort of like looking at a home movie of colorful old Brazil.
 
  July 27, 2021
 
  Jack Parr
  Winnipeg Free Press
  Miss Dawn is a vivid performer who meets a worthy match in Bruno Melo, a noted athlete in Rio. whose amateur standing as an actor is deftly concealed in his passionate Orpheus portrait.
 
  July 27, 2021
 
  Jay Carmody
  Washington Star
  [Black Orpheus] is an example of taste in search of a style. It is full of good ideas and moving perceptions… But somehow the film never ignites.
 
  July 27, 2021
 
  Robert Hatch
  The Nation…

 

Plot
In the heady atmosphere of Rio’s carnival, two people meet and fall in love. Eurydice, a country girl, has run away from home to avoid a man who arrived at her her looking for her. She is convinced that he was going to kill her. She arrives in Rio to stay with her cousin Serafina. Orfeo works as a tram conductor and is engaged to Mira – as far as Mira is concerned anyways. As Eurydice and Orpheus get to know one another they fall deeply in love. Mira is mad with jealousy and when Eurydice disappears, Orfeo sets out to find her.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
The film features Breno Mello, a noted athlete in Rio whose amateur standing as an actor is deftly concealed in his passionate Orpheus portrait.
 

 
Marcel-Camus.jpg

 
Production Company(ies)
Miramax, Shooting Gallery
 
Distributor
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Criterion Collection
 
Release Type
Theatrical
 
Filming Location(s)
Sony Pictures Studios – 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA
 
MPAA / Certificate
G
 
Year of Release
1958
 

 
Genre(s)
Sci-Fi
 
Keyword(s)

Cast & Crew

Walter Pidgeon

Anne Francis

Leslie Nielsen

Warren Stevens

Jack Kelly

Dr. Edward Morbius

Altaira Morbius

Commander John J. Adams

Lt. “Doc” Ostrow

Lt. Jerry Farman

Walter Pidgeon – Dr. Edward Morbius
Anne Francis – Altaira Morbius
Leslie Nielsen – Commander John J. Adams
Warren Stevens – Lt. “Doc” Ostrow
Jack Kelly – Lt. Jerry Farman
Richard Anderson – Chief Engineer Quinn

 

Fred M. Wilcox

William Shakespeare

Nicholas Nayfack

Director

Writer

Producer

Producer

Producer

Director(s)
Fred M. Wilcox
 
Writer(s)
William Shakespeare, Irving Block, Cyril Hume
 
Producer(s)
Nicholas Nayfack

 

Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 Oscar
1 win & 3 nominations total
 
Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Dave Kehr

Nell Minow

Variety Staff

Bosley Crowther

Geoff Andrew

Chicago Reader

Common Sense Media

Variety

New York Times

Time Out

FORBIDDEN PLANET
  All Critics (47) | Top Critics (9) | Fresh (45) | Rotten (2)
  An engaging 1956 science fiction gloss of Shakespeare’s Tempest.
 
  July 26, 2011
 
  Dave Kehr
  Chicago Reader
  TOP CRITIC
  Classic ’50s sci-fi flick is campy fun.
 
  December 24, 2010 | Rating: 4/5
 
  Nell Minow
  Common Sense Media
  TOP CRITIC
  Imaginative gadgets galore, plus plenty of suspense and thrills, make the production a top offering in the space travel category.
 
  June 5, 2007
 
  Variety Staff
  Variety
  TOP CRITIC
  Offers some of the most amusing creatures conceived since the Keystone cops.
 
  March 25, 2006 | Rating: 5/5
 
  Bosley Crowther
  New York Times
  TOP CRITIC
  An ingenious script, excellent special effects and photography, and superior acting, make it an endearing winner.
 
  January 26, 2006
 
  Geoff Andrew
  Time Out
  TOP CRITIC
  Intriguing, perhaps overrated sci-fi classic that borrows from The Tempest and anticipates ‘Star Trek’ — but its driving fears are the ‘monsters from the id.’
 
  October 10, 2005 | Rating: B+
 
  Steven D. Greydanus
  Decent Films
  TOP CRITIC
  “Aladdin’s lamp in a physics laboratory!”
 
  October 16, 2021
 
  Anton Bitel
  BFI
  Episode 37: Edge of Tomorrow / Forbidden Planet / High Life
 
  October 4, 2021 | Rating: 96/100
 
  Taylor Baker
  Drink in the Movies
  The final revelations are grand, yet they take far too long to arrive.
 
  August 18, 2020 | Rating: 5/10
 
  Mike Massie
  Gone With The Twins
  The film takes its time to expose, or discover, the real heart of the matter, to fully present its cards, something that would become a role model in future films of the genre. [Full Review in Spanish]
 
  April 15, 2020
 
  Alberto Abuín
  Espinof
  Forbidden Planet (1956) is one of the more influential, classic and ground-breaking science-fiction space-opera adventures ever made – it was the first science-fiction film in color and CinemaScope.
 
  September 29, 2019 | Rating: A+
 
  Tim Dirks
  Filmsite
  No wonder so many sci-fi writers have cited it as an inspiration, I can see how this film would spark a lot of imagination back then, or even now. Great stuff.
 
  February 7, 2019 | Rating: 4/5
 
  David Hogan
  hoganreviews.co.uk…

 

Plot
When Commander Adams and his crew are sent to investigate why there were no communications from a previous mission to a planet explored 20 years earlier by scientists, he finds only two survivors, Dr. Morbius and his daughter. Unknown to Adams, Morbius has made a discovery, a discovery of great power, and has no intention of sharing it with anyone.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
NA
 

 
Fred-M.-Wilcox.jpg