The story goes thus: it was 1985, and Hong Kong superstar Jackie Chan, having enjoyed nearly two decades of cinematic success in his native country, wanted to extend his reach into the United States. Chan had already tried to infiltrate America in 1980 with Robert Clouse's film "The Big Brawl," but while it was highly respected by martial arts fans, "Brawl" wasn't the massive hit Chan wanted. Chan had already directed four movies by 1985 but still felt that an American director could translate his fightin' sensibilities for a North American audience more accurately. So, he hired genre filmmaker James Glickenhaus to helm the 1985 actioner "The Protector."
Chan and Glickenhaus butted heads throughout production, as Glickenhaus refused to film fight sequences in a way Chan approved of. At the end of production, Chan merely re-edited the film himself and directed new scenes in the hope of salvaging the project.
It was his...
Chan and Glickenhaus butted heads throughout production, as Glickenhaus refused to film fight sequences in a way Chan approved of. At the end of production, Chan merely re-edited the film himself and directed new scenes in the hope of salvaging the project.
It was his...
- 5/19/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Al Onorato, co-founder of the Casting Society of America and a casting director on such series as “Bewitched,” “Police Story,” “Fame” and “The Patridge Family,” has died. He was 88.
Onorato died April 21 in Los Angeles, his nephew Chris Onorato announced.
Onorato founded the Casting Society of America (then known as the American Society of Casting Directors) with Mike Fenton and Joe Reich in 1982. He and Jerold Franks — his Onorato/Franks Independent Casting partner — won the CSA’s Artios Award for best casting for a comedy film for 1989’s “Bagdad Café.” At the 34th annual Artios Awards in 2019, Onorato received a lifetime achievement award from the organization.
“Casting Society mourns the passing of Al Onorato, whose passion and dedication and love for casting was pivotal in co-founding our organization in 1982 Al helped build what CSA is today — a global organization with over 1200 members and a resource for the entertainment industry worldwide,...
Onorato died April 21 in Los Angeles, his nephew Chris Onorato announced.
Onorato founded the Casting Society of America (then known as the American Society of Casting Directors) with Mike Fenton and Joe Reich in 1982. He and Jerold Franks — his Onorato/Franks Independent Casting partner — won the CSA’s Artios Award for best casting for a comedy film for 1989’s “Bagdad Café.” At the 34th annual Artios Awards in 2019, Onorato received a lifetime achievement award from the organization.
“Casting Society mourns the passing of Al Onorato, whose passion and dedication and love for casting was pivotal in co-founding our organization in 1982 Al helped build what CSA is today — a global organization with over 1200 members and a resource for the entertainment industry worldwide,...
- 5/12/2024
- by Lexi Carson
- Variety Film + TV
Stars: Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Hannah Waddingham, Teresa Palmer, Stephanie Hsu, Winston Duke, Ben Knight, Matuse, Adam Dunn | Written by Drew Pearce | Directed by David Leitch
Stunts have been at the forefront of cinema since the beginning. Some of the earliest directors, actors, and writers were the very best stunt performers. Think Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, and Harold Lloyd. Their influence can be seen across the history of cinema, from bridge jumps in Smokey and the Bandit, to lorry flips in The Dark Knight, shopping centre jumps in Police Story, to jumping off cliffs in the latest Mission Impossible. Stunts are in every action movie and ingrained in the very fabric of the art form – why it’s not yet recognised by the academy is a mystery, but David Leitch and his talented cast and crew look set on solving the mystery by putting a spotlight on those stunt performers.
Stunts have been at the forefront of cinema since the beginning. Some of the earliest directors, actors, and writers were the very best stunt performers. Think Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, and Harold Lloyd. Their influence can be seen across the history of cinema, from bridge jumps in Smokey and the Bandit, to lorry flips in The Dark Knight, shopping centre jumps in Police Story, to jumping off cliffs in the latest Mission Impossible. Stunts are in every action movie and ingrained in the very fabric of the art form – why it’s not yet recognised by the academy is a mystery, but David Leitch and his talented cast and crew look set on solving the mystery by putting a spotlight on those stunt performers.
- 5/7/2024
- by Alex Ginnelly
- Nerdly
Prior to his gig on "Star Trek" in 1966, actor DeForest Kelley spent 20 years traversing the wild and hoary world of episodic television and appearing in supporting roles in little-regarded feature films. His first professional screen acting job was a one-off performance in the one-season 1947 TV series "Public Prosecutor." The series holds the distinction of being the first-ever mainstream televised series to be released on film, instead of being broadcast live, which was standard at the time.
Between that show and "Star Trek," Kelley appeared on over 80 TV shows, often just in single episodes, but sometimes returning for two or three. He also had bit roles in films like "Variety Girl," "The Men," "Taxi," and "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral," playing Morgan Earp. He was just a hardworking character actor, taking the jobs that were offered him. There is an integrity to that approach.
In 1960, Kelley appeared in an episode of "Alcoa Theater,...
Between that show and "Star Trek," Kelley appeared on over 80 TV shows, often just in single episodes, but sometimes returning for two or three. He also had bit roles in films like "Variety Girl," "The Men," "Taxi," and "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral," playing Morgan Earp. He was just a hardworking character actor, taking the jobs that were offered him. There is an integrity to that approach.
In 1960, Kelley appeared in an episode of "Alcoa Theater,...
- 5/1/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Charles Dierkop, the busy character actor who played tough guys in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Sting and the 1970s Angie Dickinson series Police Woman, has died. He was 87.
Dierkop died Sunday at Sherman Oaks Hospital after a recent heart attack and bout with pneumonia, his daughter, Lynn, told The Hollywood Reporter.
The Wisconsin native also appeared alongside Rod Steiger in Sidney Lumet’s The Pawnbroker (1964), played the mobster Salvanti in Roger Corman’s The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre (1967) and was a murderous Santa Claus in the cult horror movie Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984).
After portraying an uncredited pool-hall hood in the Paul Newman-starring The Hustler (1961), Dierkop got to work with Newman again in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) when he was hired to play Hole in the Wall Gang outlaw George “Flat Nose” Curry.
Dierkop had broken his nose in fights several times as a kid,...
Dierkop died Sunday at Sherman Oaks Hospital after a recent heart attack and bout with pneumonia, his daughter, Lynn, told The Hollywood Reporter.
The Wisconsin native also appeared alongside Rod Steiger in Sidney Lumet’s The Pawnbroker (1964), played the mobster Salvanti in Roger Corman’s The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre (1967) and was a murderous Santa Claus in the cult horror movie Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984).
After portraying an uncredited pool-hall hood in the Paul Newman-starring The Hustler (1961), Dierkop got to work with Newman again in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) when he was hired to play Hole in the Wall Gang outlaw George “Flat Nose” Curry.
Dierkop had broken his nose in fights several times as a kid,...
- 2/26/2024
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The 1980s was a seminal period in the development of what we now define as the action movie. This was the decade that cemented the statuses of both Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger as the muscle-bound box office behemoths eating the competition for breakfast. Having emerged off the back of critically acclaimed efforts like Rocky and The Terminator, the years that followed saw the pair hone their greased-up on-screen personas to fine effect.
It wasn’t all about the muscles though. The 1980s also ushered in the era of the everyman action star with Bruce Willis in Die Hard and Eddie Murphy in Beverly Hills Cop opting for brains over brawn and reaping the benefits in multiplexes far and wide as a result. While Hollywood basked in the glory of a new generation of leading men, in the Far East, Jackie Chan was taking action movie physicality to a whole...
It wasn’t all about the muscles though. The 1980s also ushered in the era of the everyman action star with Bruce Willis in Die Hard and Eddie Murphy in Beverly Hills Cop opting for brains over brawn and reaping the benefits in multiplexes far and wide as a result. While Hollywood basked in the glory of a new generation of leading men, in the Far East, Jackie Chan was taking action movie physicality to a whole...
- 2/17/2024
- by John Saavedra
- Den of Geek
Dick Butkus, a Hall of Famer who was among the greatest, most respected and most feared players in NFL history and also had a long acting career in TV, film and commercials, died overnight in his sleep at his Malibu home. He was 80.
His family confirmed the news on social media.
After back-to-back All-America seasons at the University of Illinois, Butkus was picked No. 3 overall by his hometown Chicago Bears in 1965. A fearsome force on the field and rather gentle giant off of it, he spent his entire injury-shortened nine-season career with the club, redefining the linebacker position in the process.
Dick Butkus circa 1965
Active from 1965-73, Butkus was named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team for both the 1960s and ’70s and was selected for the All-Time NFL Team in 2000. A six-time All-nfl selection and two-time Defensive Player of the Year, he played in eight consecutive Pro Bowls and...
His family confirmed the news on social media.
After back-to-back All-America seasons at the University of Illinois, Butkus was picked No. 3 overall by his hometown Chicago Bears in 1965. A fearsome force on the field and rather gentle giant off of it, he spent his entire injury-shortened nine-season career with the club, redefining the linebacker position in the process.
Dick Butkus circa 1965
Active from 1965-73, Butkus was named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team for both the 1960s and ’70s and was selected for the All-Time NFL Team in 2000. A six-time All-nfl selection and two-time Defensive Player of the Year, he played in eight consecutive Pro Bowls and...
- 10/5/2023
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
There is no in-universe explanation for the disappearance of Yeoman Janice Rand (Grace Lee Whitney), an enlisted officer often seen on the bridge of on the U.S.S. Enterprise. Yeoman Rand appeared in eight episodes of the original "Star Trek" series, usually sporting an elaborate beehive hairdo. The story goes that Whitney was cast in "Star Trek" because she had worked with show creator Gene Roddenberry on an unsold pilot called "Police Story." Rand was a resolute but emotionally vulnerable character who often provided distress or confusion in a scene to communicate seriousness to the audience. Yeoman Rand didn't have a rank (naval yeomen merely perform clerical duties), putting her outside of the ultra-professional auspices of Starfleet formality. Her reactions to extreme scenarios, then, were allowed to be more natural and organic.
Why did Yeoman Rand disappear from the show? Years later, Whitney would reveal that she left "Star Trek...
Why did Yeoman Rand disappear from the show? Years later, Whitney would reveal that she left "Star Trek...
- 8/13/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
There are Kung Fu movies. Then there are Hong Kong Kung Fu movies. Starting in the ’70s, Hong Kong filmmakers dominated the martial arts genre with a unique brand of Hong Kong ballistic action, white-knuckle stunts, and exquisite fight choreography. Towering Hong Kong studios like Shaw Brothers and Golden Harvest were the prolific grindhouses that brought us Bruce Lee and so many other action movie stars at an astonishingly bounteous rate.
If you’re already familiar with Bruce Lee’s work in Hong Kong cinema and aren’t sure where to go next on your martial arts movie journey, or which stars’ filmographies you should be checking out, here are five pivotal Hong Kong martial arts films worthy of your attention. Each of these movie either launched or are part of venerated Hong Kong franchises, so you’ll have plenty to watch once you dive in!
The 36th Chamber of Shaolin a.
If you’re already familiar with Bruce Lee’s work in Hong Kong cinema and aren’t sure where to go next on your martial arts movie journey, or which stars’ filmographies you should be checking out, here are five pivotal Hong Kong martial arts films worthy of your attention. Each of these movie either launched or are part of venerated Hong Kong franchises, so you’ll have plenty to watch once you dive in!
The 36th Chamber of Shaolin a.
- 8/9/2023
- by John Saavedra
- Den of Geek
A Chinese and American production shot in 2018, but mainly funded by mainland China, this feature film starring Jackie Chan and John Cena was then put on the shelf because of whatever setbacks, perhaps due to Covid19. However, a good five years later and with a change in name from its original names “Project X-traction”, “Project Ex Baghdad” and so on, “Hidden Strike” finally appeared on the streaming platform Netflix.
Click on the image below to follow our Tribute to Netflix
Obviously, “Need for Speed” director Scott Waugh and screenwriter Arash Amel are trying to recreate the mood of the buddy cops action-comedy films like “Rush Hour” with the pairing of Chan and Cena. Set in a near future desert in Baghdad, a huge Chinese-owned oil refinery is under attack by mercenaries which puts all their almost five hundred workers and their families at risk. In order to transport them to the safer Green Zone,...
Click on the image below to follow our Tribute to Netflix
Obviously, “Need for Speed” director Scott Waugh and screenwriter Arash Amel are trying to recreate the mood of the buddy cops action-comedy films like “Rush Hour” with the pairing of Chan and Cena. Set in a near future desert in Baghdad, a huge Chinese-owned oil refinery is under attack by mercenaries which puts all their almost five hundred workers and their families at risk. In order to transport them to the safer Green Zone,...
- 8/7/2023
- by David Chew
- AsianMoviePulse
In the pantheon of the best action films ever, many of the same worthwhile titles come up: Die Hard, Speed, Aliens…And of course there’s Predator, The Killer, Runaway Train – well, not according to Variety, at least, who made some glaring omissions and curious inclusions on their list of “The 50 Best Action Movies of All Time”.
This ranking of the best action movies has, expectedly, come under scrutiny, with many readers wondering, Where’s this movie? and Where’s that movie? Of course, even with the prestige of Variety, this list of “The 50 Best Action Movies of All Time” is still just opinion. Still, we can’t help but notice a few things here…
The 50 Best Action Movies of All Time https://t.co/NWrrY0jfzE
— Variety (@Variety) July 14, 2023
Where are movies like Predator and True Lies? Predator stands as a fan favorite with some terrific action sequences and...
This ranking of the best action movies has, expectedly, come under scrutiny, with many readers wondering, Where’s this movie? and Where’s that movie? Of course, even with the prestige of Variety, this list of “The 50 Best Action Movies of All Time” is still just opinion. Still, we can’t help but notice a few things here…
The 50 Best Action Movies of All Time https://t.co/NWrrY0jfzE
— Variety (@Variety) July 14, 2023
Where are movies like Predator and True Lies? Predator stands as a fan favorite with some terrific action sequences and...
- 7/15/2023
- by Mathew Plale
- JoBlo.com
TV dramas have come a long way since the days of Playhouse 90, Hallmark Hall of Fame and Net Playhouse – all of which won Emmys for best drama in the 1960s. Even the category’s name has evolved since then, from Outstanding Program Achievement in the Field of Drama to Outstanding Dramatic Series or Outstanding Series-Drama and the current Outstanding Drama Series.
Click through a gallery of the shows that have taken home to marquee Emmy Award since 1960 – from the elegance of The Defenders and the period tech of Mission: Impossible through cop shows including Police Story, Hill Street Blues and NYPD Blue; medical shows Marcus Welby, M.D. and ER, the legal offices of L.A. Law and The Practice; such quirky fare as Picket Fences, Northern Exposure and Ally McBeal; and into the antihero tales of The Sopranos and Breaking Bad – and many more.
Along the way you...
Click through a gallery of the shows that have taken home to marquee Emmy Award since 1960 – from the elegance of The Defenders and the period tech of Mission: Impossible through cop shows including Police Story, Hill Street Blues and NYPD Blue; medical shows Marcus Welby, M.D. and ER, the legal offices of L.A. Law and The Practice; such quirky fare as Picket Fences, Northern Exposure and Ally McBeal; and into the antihero tales of The Sopranos and Breaking Bad – and many more.
Along the way you...
- 7/12/2023
- by Brandon Choe
- Deadline Film + TV
Clockwise from upper left: Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (Paramount), Ben-Hur (MGM), Police Story (Golden Harvest), Steamboat Bill, Jr. (United Artists)Graphic: AVClub
When it comes to the art of motion picture making, stunt work is one of the industry’s most important yet unsung crafts. Indeed, stunt people have been...
When it comes to the art of motion picture making, stunt work is one of the industry’s most important yet unsung crafts. Indeed, stunt people have been...
- 7/12/2023
- by Richard Newby
- avclub.com
Australian Adaptation
The BBC has acquired the Australian version of hit gameshow “The Traitors” for broadcast and streaming this summer.
“The Traitors Australia,” which sees contestants compete for a prize of Aus $250,000 in a luxury hotel in the Southern Highlands, is set to drop on BBC Three and iPlayer on July 9. It is hosted by Rodger Corser.
“’The Traitors’ is an addictively fiendish format and I am so pleased that viewers can get their summer fix of treachery and suspicion as we head Down Under for the Australian version of the show on BBC Three and iPlayer,” said Nasfim Haque, head of content for BBC Three.
The Australian version follows the U.K. and U.S. adaptations of the Dutch series, which have both been a hit for the broadcaster. All3Media International reps global rights to “The Traitors.”
Documentary
Sky News is set to release the second in its three-part series “Women at War.
The BBC has acquired the Australian version of hit gameshow “The Traitors” for broadcast and streaming this summer.
“The Traitors Australia,” which sees contestants compete for a prize of Aus $250,000 in a luxury hotel in the Southern Highlands, is set to drop on BBC Three and iPlayer on July 9. It is hosted by Rodger Corser.
“’The Traitors’ is an addictively fiendish format and I am so pleased that viewers can get their summer fix of treachery and suspicion as we head Down Under for the Australian version of the show on BBC Three and iPlayer,” said Nasfim Haque, head of content for BBC Three.
The Australian version follows the U.K. and U.S. adaptations of the Dutch series, which have both been a hit for the broadcaster. All3Media International reps global rights to “The Traitors.”
Documentary
Sky News is set to release the second in its three-part series “Women at War.
- 6/23/2023
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
We have some somber news to begin our Fanatic Feed on Friday, June 16, 2023.
Brett Hadley, who played Genoa City detective Carl Williams on The Young and the Restless, has died.
He was 92.
Soap Opera Digest broke the news. A cause of death has not been revealed.
Hadley joined the CBS daytime soap in 1980 and was a part of some of the most shocking storylines.
The actor initially departed in 1991, but the character remained present in Genoa City as the topic of several conversations.
Hadley returned to the role in 1998 as part of a storyline that found Carl attacked and near death.
In one of the wildest twists in soap history, viewers learned he had amnesia and disappeared from Genoa City to start a new life as Jim Bradley.
Hadley's final time playing Carl was in 1999. His former co-stars released statements to Soap Opera Digest about the actor's passing.
"The passing...
Brett Hadley, who played Genoa City detective Carl Williams on The Young and the Restless, has died.
He was 92.
Soap Opera Digest broke the news. A cause of death has not been revealed.
Hadley joined the CBS daytime soap in 1980 and was a part of some of the most shocking storylines.
The actor initially departed in 1991, but the character remained present in Genoa City as the topic of several conversations.
Hadley returned to the role in 1998 as part of a storyline that found Carl attacked and near death.
In one of the wildest twists in soap history, viewers learned he had amnesia and disappeared from Genoa City to start a new life as Jim Bradley.
Hadley's final time playing Carl was in 1999. His former co-stars released statements to Soap Opera Digest about the actor's passing.
"The passing...
- 6/16/2023
- by Paul Dailly
- TVfanatic
Brett Hadley, who starred as Genoa City police detective Carl Williams for more than a decade on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless, has died. He was 92.
Hadley died Wednesday of sepsis at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, his friend of 30 years, Darcy Lee, told The Hollywood Reporter. “He was a wonderful, sweet and kind man,” she said.
Hadley joined the daytime serial as the father of Doug Davidson’s Paul Williams in 1980 and remained with the show through 1990, when his character mysteriously disappeared.
Wouldn’t you know it, just as his onscreen wife, Mary (Carolyn Conwell), was about to remarry, Hadley returned in 1998 as a man named Jim Bradley. It seems a savage beating had left Carl with amnesia, and he would never remember who he was. He left the show for good in 1999.
“He was a delight to work...
Hadley died Wednesday of sepsis at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, his friend of 30 years, Darcy Lee, told The Hollywood Reporter. “He was a wonderful, sweet and kind man,” she said.
Hadley joined the daytime serial as the father of Doug Davidson’s Paul Williams in 1980 and remained with the show through 1990, when his character mysteriously disappeared.
Wouldn’t you know it, just as his onscreen wife, Mary (Carolyn Conwell), was about to remarry, Hadley returned in 1998 as a man named Jim Bradley. It seems a savage beating had left Carl with amnesia, and he would never remember who he was. He left the show for good in 1999.
“He was a delight to work...
- 6/16/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
George Maharis, the star of “Route 66” who went on to appear on “Fantasy Island” and other shows, died Wednesday in Beverly Hills.
His friend and caretaker Marc Bahan announced his death on Facebook, writing that he was “above all a great guy who would do anything for anyone. My dear friend, you will be terribly missed.”
Maharis co-starred with Martin Milner in the early 1960s series “Route 66,” and received an Emmy nomination for his role as Buz, a handsome beatnik-adjacent working class man. Shot on location across the U.S., the adventure series portrayed two young men who travel around in a Corvette, looking for work and adventure as they struggle to find themselves. Part way through the third season, Maharis left the show after being hospitalized for hepatitis. He asserted later in an interview that his departure wasn’t because he wanted a higher salary or wanted to get into movies,...
His friend and caretaker Marc Bahan announced his death on Facebook, writing that he was “above all a great guy who would do anything for anyone. My dear friend, you will be terribly missed.”
Maharis co-starred with Martin Milner in the early 1960s series “Route 66,” and received an Emmy nomination for his role as Buz, a handsome beatnik-adjacent working class man. Shot on location across the U.S., the adventure series portrayed two young men who travel around in a Corvette, looking for work and adventure as they struggle to find themselves. Part way through the third season, Maharis left the show after being hospitalized for hepatitis. He asserted later in an interview that his departure wasn’t because he wanted a higher salary or wanted to get into movies,...
- 5/28/2023
- by Pat Saperstein
- Variety Film + TV
By 2004, Jackie Chan thought that it was time to reboot the “Police Story” series, which eventually led to the 5th installment in the franchise, with him playing not Chan Ka-kui anymore, but Inspector Chan Kwok-wing. The most important difference with the previous installments, however, is that “New Police Story” is essentially a drama, almost completely leaving the comedic premises of the previous series to the background.
Click on the image below to follow our Tribute to Netflix
The movie begins with Inspector Chan being a total mess, completely drunk, with even the taxi drivers avoiding him. Flashback one year earlier, he and his group of young cadets are about to be in a showdown with Joe, the leader of a gang, and his crew of youths who, apart from robbers, are also cop killers. The fight between the two groups ends up in a devastating defeat for the police, with...
Click on the image below to follow our Tribute to Netflix
The movie begins with Inspector Chan being a total mess, completely drunk, with even the taxi drivers avoiding him. Flashback one year earlier, he and his group of young cadets are about to be in a showdown with Joe, the leader of a gang, and his crew of youths who, apart from robbers, are also cop killers. The fight between the two groups ends up in a devastating defeat for the police, with...
- 5/27/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
It seems only apt that after decades at the top of her game, Michelle Yeoh finally triumphed at the Oscars this year with a performance that transcends both genres and languages. At times, Everything Everywhere All At Once even feels like a greatest hits montage of Yeoh’s already multi-faceted career – blending her most physical performances with her most emotional – going all-in on everything from her monstrous matriarchs to those hard-nosed cops; the delicate wuxia and the properly gnarly face-kicking.
After all, The Yeoh’s journey from Malaysian pageant winner to world-renowned action icon has been anything but straight-forward; there’s any number of reasons she’s as celebrated as she is in genre circles. Obviously she’s very, very, very good at beating people up whilst looking cool, but it’s also impossible to ignore just how much of a pioneer she’s been, not just for women in action,...
After all, The Yeoh’s journey from Malaysian pageant winner to world-renowned action icon has been anything but straight-forward; there’s any number of reasons she’s as celebrated as she is in genre circles. Obviously she’s very, very, very good at beating people up whilst looking cool, but it’s also impossible to ignore just how much of a pioneer she’s been, not just for women in action,...
- 5/22/2023
- by Ben Robins
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Jackie Chan has signed on to star in A Legend, a martial arts fantasy-adventure movie which will be a sequel to his 2005 movie The Myth.
The sequel to The Myth will find Jackie Chan reprising his role as archaeology expert Professor Chen. “The film’s action begins when he notices that the texture on the artifacts discovered by his students during a glacier expedition is strikingly similar to a jade pendant he had seen in his dreams,” reads the description. “Suspecting that the pendant is acting as a bridge between the realm of dreams and reality, Professor Chen leads his research team on a journey deep into the Glacier Temple, embarking on a fantastical adventure.” A Legend will be directed by Stanley Tong, a long-time collaborator of Chan who has helmed Police Story 3, Rumble in the Bronx, and The Myth.
A Legend will have a budget of $50 million, a large...
The sequel to The Myth will find Jackie Chan reprising his role as archaeology expert Professor Chen. “The film’s action begins when he notices that the texture on the artifacts discovered by his students during a glacier expedition is strikingly similar to a jade pendant he had seen in his dreams,” reads the description. “Suspecting that the pendant is acting as a bridge between the realm of dreams and reality, Professor Chen leads his research team on a journey deep into the Glacier Temple, embarking on a fantastical adventure.” A Legend will be directed by Stanley Tong, a long-time collaborator of Chan who has helmed Police Story 3, Rumble in the Bronx, and The Myth.
A Legend will have a budget of $50 million, a large...
- 5/16/2023
- by Kevin Fraser
- JoBlo.com
Taipei-based sales agency Distribution Workshop has picked up international sales rights to $50M action adventure A Legend, starring Jackie Chan and directed by Stanley Tong.
A sequel to Chan and Tong’s 2005 collaboration The Myth, the film also stars Zhang Yixing (Kung Fu Yoga) and Coulee Nazha (Police Story 2013), and is currently in production with no release date set.
Chan again plays the role of an archaeology expert who this time notices that the texture on the artifacts discovered by his students during a glacier expedition is similar to a jade pendant he had seen in his dreams. Filled with curiosity, he leads the research team on a journey to the Glacier Temple in search of the truth behind the dreams.
Chan’s latest Chinese action drama, Ride On, in which he ironically plays a washed up stuntman, received positive reviews and grossed $30M in China last month. His upcoming...
A sequel to Chan and Tong’s 2005 collaboration The Myth, the film also stars Zhang Yixing (Kung Fu Yoga) and Coulee Nazha (Police Story 2013), and is currently in production with no release date set.
Chan again plays the role of an archaeology expert who this time notices that the texture on the artifacts discovered by his students during a glacier expedition is similar to a jade pendant he had seen in his dreams. Filled with curiosity, he leads the research team on a journey to the Glacier Temple in search of the truth behind the dreams.
Chan’s latest Chinese action drama, Ride On, in which he ironically plays a washed up stuntman, received positive reviews and grossed $30M in China last month. His upcoming...
- 5/15/2023
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
(Welcome to Best Action Scene Ever, a column dedicated to breaking down the best, most effective action sequences throughout the genre. In this edition, we circle back to Jackie Chan's stunt-acular action classic, "Police Story.")
Before Jackie Chan ever crossed the shores of the American mainstream during his Hollywood heyday in the 1990s, the actor/director/stuntman extraordinaire had been hard at work in Hong Kong cinema, churning out hit after hit for decades in his native country. One of his most memorable successes came only a scant handful of years before he finally crossed over into global appeal: 1985's "Police Story," directed by and starring Chan as Chan Ka-Kui, followed the rogue cop on his relentless quest to take down a drug lord, babysit a key witness played by Maggie Cheung, and subsequently clear his own name after being framed by his powerful enemies
The movie — which, quite honestly,...
Before Jackie Chan ever crossed the shores of the American mainstream during his Hollywood heyday in the 1990s, the actor/director/stuntman extraordinaire had been hard at work in Hong Kong cinema, churning out hit after hit for decades in his native country. One of his most memorable successes came only a scant handful of years before he finally crossed over into global appeal: 1985's "Police Story," directed by and starring Chan as Chan Ka-Kui, followed the rogue cop on his relentless quest to take down a drug lord, babysit a key witness played by Maggie Cheung, and subsequently clear his own name after being framed by his powerful enemies
The movie — which, quite honestly,...
- 4/17/2023
- by Jeremy Mathai
- Slash Film
The Film
The title of this film is confusing. I first saw it on a Hong Kong Legends DVD as In the Line of Duty. Hkl had released the first film in the series, Yes Madam, as Police Assassins, then skipped directly to this fourth entry. To be fair to them, it never made much sense to pretend that they exist as part of a series, despite the onscreen title for this one—Royal Madam IV: The Witness—again combining elements of the titles of the first two films.
However the title is styled, this one picks up with Cynthia Khan’s Inspector Yeung, who was introduced in the previous film, and would carry over into several more tenuously linked sequels. To begin with we find Yeung in Seattle, helping US Police. There, she and Luk Wan-ting, an immigrant worker moving boxes for a gang of drug smugglers, get caught...
The title of this film is confusing. I first saw it on a Hong Kong Legends DVD as In the Line of Duty. Hkl had released the first film in the series, Yes Madam, as Police Assassins, then skipped directly to this fourth entry. To be fair to them, it never made much sense to pretend that they exist as part of a series, despite the onscreen title for this one—Royal Madam IV: The Witness—again combining elements of the titles of the first two films.
However the title is styled, this one picks up with Cynthia Khan’s Inspector Yeung, who was introduced in the previous film, and would carry over into several more tenuously linked sequels. To begin with we find Yeung in Seattle, helping US Police. There, she and Luk Wan-ting, an immigrant worker moving boxes for a gang of drug smugglers, get caught...
- 4/17/2023
- by Sam Inglis
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Watch any of the films that made Jackie Chan a legend and you notice that so much of his graceful, goofball charisma comes from simply having one more move up his sleeve. Whether changing position while sliding down a plate-glass skyscraper or falling off a clock face onto a series of awnings or dispatching multiple assailants with his witty brand of bendy, aerobic kung-fu, only to end on a silly eye-poke or a gymnastic semi-levitation, the star-making flourish is so often the extra thing he does when anyone else would be finished.
But what do you do when, nearing 70 and with almost 150 movie performances behind you, there aren’t that many one-more-moves left? Maybe you make something like Larry Yang’s “Ride On,” a sappy but enjoyable slice of family fun that has a nice horse doing wacky tricks for the younger viewers and for parents and older fans, is a gently meta,...
But what do you do when, nearing 70 and with almost 150 movie performances behind you, there aren’t that many one-more-moves left? Maybe you make something like Larry Yang’s “Ride On,” a sappy but enjoyable slice of family fun that has a nice horse doing wacky tricks for the younger viewers and for parents and older fans, is a gently meta,...
- 4/7/2023
- by Jessica Kiang
- Variety Film + TV
Red Hare, a horse that makes the actors look like chicken-legged weaklings, helps pull the emotional strings in this maudlin going over of old ground
Old warhorse Jackie Chan, who still has a heap of movies in development, doesn’t look ready for the knacker’s yard quite yet. But that’s not the impression given by this valedictory-seeming and downright maudlin family action film, with its refrain of “Jumping down is easy, stepping down is hard”. Playing a one-time master Hong Kong stuntman who has been laid low by injury, Chan is seen watching reels of his classic spills – including the iconic Police Story shopping mall plunge – with all the misty-eyed reverence of Cinema Paradiso.
Ride On lays it on doubly thick: not only is Master Luo (Chan) partnered with Red Hare, a cute horse who all but talks, he is also rebuilding his relationship with estranged daughter Bao...
Old warhorse Jackie Chan, who still has a heap of movies in development, doesn’t look ready for the knacker’s yard quite yet. But that’s not the impression given by this valedictory-seeming and downright maudlin family action film, with its refrain of “Jumping down is easy, stepping down is hard”. Playing a one-time master Hong Kong stuntman who has been laid low by injury, Chan is seen watching reels of his classic spills – including the iconic Police Story shopping mall plunge – with all the misty-eyed reverence of Cinema Paradiso.
Ride On lays it on doubly thick: not only is Master Luo (Chan) partnered with Red Hare, a cute horse who all but talks, he is also rebuilding his relationship with estranged daughter Bao...
- 4/5/2023
- by Phil Hoad
- The Guardian - Film News
Sharon Acker, best known as Lee Marvin’s unfaithful wife in the 1967 film Point Blank, died March 16 in a Toronto residential home. She was 87 and her death was confirmed by daughter Kim Everest, a casting director.
Acker had a long and varied resume in film, television, and the stage. In 1956, she played the teacher Mrs. Stacey on a CBC adaptation of Anne of Green Gables. She then joined the Stratford Shakespeare Festival company, starring as Anne Page opposite future Star Trek costar William Shatner in a production of The Merry Wives of Windsor.
In addition to Point Blank, her film credits include Lucky Jim (1957). Acker also was in Don’t Let the Angels Fall (1969), which played in competition at Cannes. She was selected by the Motion Picture Exhibitors of Canada as their Film Star of Tomorrow that year,
Her memorable TV roles included a 1976-77 CBS adaptation of Executive Suite, playing...
Acker had a long and varied resume in film, television, and the stage. In 1956, she played the teacher Mrs. Stacey on a CBC adaptation of Anne of Green Gables. She then joined the Stratford Shakespeare Festival company, starring as Anne Page opposite future Star Trek costar William Shatner in a production of The Merry Wives of Windsor.
In addition to Point Blank, her film credits include Lucky Jim (1957). Acker also was in Don’t Let the Angels Fall (1969), which played in competition at Cannes. She was selected by the Motion Picture Exhibitors of Canada as their Film Star of Tomorrow that year,
Her memorable TV roles included a 1976-77 CBS adaptation of Executive Suite, playing...
- 4/1/2023
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Sharon Acker, the Canadian actress who portrayed Lee Marvin’s unfaithful wife in the 1967 neo-noir classic Point Blank and the right-hand woman Della Street opposite Monte Markham on a rebooted Perry Mason in the 1970s, has died. She was 87.
Acker died March 16 in a retirement home in her native Toronto, her daughter Kim Everest, a casting director, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Star Trek fans know Acker for her January 1969 turn as Odona, a desperate woman from an overpopulated planet, on the third-season episode “The Mark of Gideon.”
She also starred on a 1976-77 CBS adaptation of Executive Suite, playing the wife of Mitchell Ryan‘s Dan Walling. (Acker and Ryan assumed the parts performed by William Holden and June Allyson in the 1954 MGM film directed by Robert Wise.)
In John Boorman’s Point Blank, Acker’s character takes up with John Vernon’s Mal Reese after he shoots Walker (Marvin...
Acker died March 16 in a retirement home in her native Toronto, her daughter Kim Everest, a casting director, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Star Trek fans know Acker for her January 1969 turn as Odona, a desperate woman from an overpopulated planet, on the third-season episode “The Mark of Gideon.”
She also starred on a 1976-77 CBS adaptation of Executive Suite, playing the wife of Mitchell Ryan‘s Dan Walling. (Acker and Ryan assumed the parts performed by William Holden and June Allyson in the 1954 MGM film directed by Robert Wise.)
In John Boorman’s Point Blank, Acker’s character takes up with John Vernon’s Mal Reese after he shoots Walker (Marvin...
- 4/1/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Michelle Yeoh has just won the Academy Award for best actress with her hysterically good performance in “Everything Everywhere All at Once”, making Oscar history as first Asian woman winning that category. It has been a long way since the year 1937, when white actress Luise Rainer won the same category for sporting a “yellowface” and play a Chinese villager in “The Good Earth.” But the Malaysian-born actress had already built up a reputation in the 1980s and '90s as Hong Kong's kick-ass action star.
Check out the interview of Michelle Yeoh An Interview with Michelle Yeoh : One of Asia's Biggest Film Stars
A ballet dancer since 4, she moved to London to study at the Royal Academy as a teen, but her dancer career didn't last long. After winning the Miss Malaysia beauty pageant title and the Miss Moomba beauty pageant title in Australia in the early 1980s, she...
Check out the interview of Michelle Yeoh An Interview with Michelle Yeoh : One of Asia's Biggest Film Stars
A ballet dancer since 4, she moved to London to study at the Royal Academy as a teen, but her dancer career didn't last long. After winning the Miss Malaysia beauty pageant title and the Miss Moomba beauty pageant title in Australia in the early 1980s, she...
- 3/20/2023
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
World-famous martial arts star Jackie Chan is returning to his Hong Kong roots in news that will have any action junkie positively buzzing with excitement. Longtime fans will hardly need a reminder of Chan's leading role in the "Police Story" trilogy of movies. Made with significant creative influence by Chan (who directed and co-wrote two of the films) from 1985 to 1992, the trilogy follows lead character Chan Ka-Kui, a local cop tasked with assisting in a major undercover sting operation. The franchise was actually rebooted twice with Chan's direct involvement, most notably in 2004 with "New Police Story." That film also starred Chan in the lead role and paired him with immensely popular popstar and actor Nicholas Tse. Now, the two are teaming up once again to deliver a follow-up to that film with "New Police Story 2."
This news comes from The Hollywood Reporter, which states that Chan recently made the official...
This news comes from The Hollywood Reporter, which states that Chan recently made the official...
- 3/14/2023
- by Jeremy Mathai
- Slash Film
While Donnie Yen is about to turn 60 and is showing no signs of slowing down — in career or fight speed, Jackie Chan is nearing 70 and doesn’t look interested in throwing in the towel as well. The action legend had once said his last all-out action movie was to be 2012’s Chinese Zodiac, the third film in the Armour of God series. However, he has since made a smattering of movies with some of his signature style. Chan recently announced he would be doing a new Rush Hour with Chris Tucker. Now, according to The Hollywood Reporter, Chan is officially launching the sequel to the 2004 reboot of his famous Police Story series, New Police Story.
Jackie appeared at the Filmart market alongside his New Police Story co-star Nicolas Tse as the Chinese movie studio Emperor Motion Pictures announced their slate for 2023. The duo made an appearance to help launch the sequel to their 2004 film.
Jackie appeared at the Filmart market alongside his New Police Story co-star Nicolas Tse as the Chinese movie studio Emperor Motion Pictures announced their slate for 2023. The duo made an appearance to help launch the sequel to their 2004 film.
- 3/14/2023
- by EJ Tangonan
- JoBlo.com
Jackie Chan made a rare public appearance in Hong Kong on Tuesday, taking center stage and amping up the star wattage at the Filmart market when he joined local heartthrob Nicolas Tse in front of a hall packed by hundreds as the pair helped local giant Emperor Motion Pictures (Emp) launch its 2023 slate.
Emp used the platform, and the presence of so many people gathered, to officially launch Chan’s latest production, New Police Story 2, in which he takes a leading role, while also producing. The film, which promises to pretty much deliver what’s on its label, also marks the directorial debut of Tse, the genre-jumping popstar-turned-filmmaker who emerged with a string of hits across both mediums in the early 2000s.
Emp was behind Chan’s New Police Story, which also helped Tse to stardom when it was released in 2004 and itself was a reboot of the Police Story...
Emp used the platform, and the presence of so many people gathered, to officially launch Chan’s latest production, New Police Story 2, in which he takes a leading role, while also producing. The film, which promises to pretty much deliver what’s on its label, also marks the directorial debut of Tse, the genre-jumping popstar-turned-filmmaker who emerged with a string of hits across both mediums in the early 2000s.
Emp was behind Chan’s New Police Story, which also helped Tse to stardom when it was released in 2004 and itself was a reboot of the Police Story...
- 3/14/2023
- by Mathew Scott
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Michelle Yeoh was already a star overseas by 1997 thanks to popular Hong Kong movies like “Police Story 3: Super Cop” and “Supercop 2,” but it wasn’t until the James Bond tentpole “Tomorrow Never Dies” opened that year that Yeoh had her Hollywood breakthrough. The actor played Wai Lin, a Chinese spy who is highly skilled in marital arts and bucks every “damsel in distress” and “Bond girl” stereotype.
“The first movie I did after I came to America was ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’ with Pierce Brosnan,” Yeoh recently told People magazine. “James Bond at that point had only been known as macho, and the girls were just the ones with cutesy names.”
Although Yeoh was praised for her progressive and action-ready Bond girl, she told People that the Hollywood offers that followed were exactly the opposite.
“At that point, people in the industry couldn’t really tell the difference between...
“The first movie I did after I came to America was ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’ with Pierce Brosnan,” Yeoh recently told People magazine. “James Bond at that point had only been known as macho, and the girls were just the ones with cutesy names.”
Although Yeoh was praised for her progressive and action-ready Bond girl, she told People that the Hollywood offers that followed were exactly the opposite.
“At that point, people in the industry couldn’t really tell the difference between...
- 3/3/2023
- by Zack Sharf
- Variety Film + TV
Stella Stevens is the actress known for playing Stella Purdy in The Nutty Professor (1963) and starring alongside Elvis Presley in Girls! Girls! Girls! Sadly, Ms. Steven passed away on Friday in Los Angeles after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. Her death was confirmed by her son, actor-producer Andrew Stevens, and her long-time friend John O’Brien.
A former Playboy centerfold from January 1960, Stevens participated in a screen test by 20th Century Fox as a part of launching her Hollywood career. She signed on the dotted line with Paramount and Columbia through the ’60s, appearing opposite Elvis Presley in Girls! Girls! Girls!, a role that sent her star soaring. She played Stella Purdy opposite Jerry Lewis’ Prof. Julius Kelp in The Nutty Professor, then acted in such films as Advance to the Rear, Synanon, The Silencers, Rage, How to Save a Marriage and Ruin Your Life, The Mad Room, and more.
A former Playboy centerfold from January 1960, Stevens participated in a screen test by 20th Century Fox as a part of launching her Hollywood career. She signed on the dotted line with Paramount and Columbia through the ’60s, appearing opposite Elvis Presley in Girls! Girls! Girls!, a role that sent her star soaring. She played Stella Purdy opposite Jerry Lewis’ Prof. Julius Kelp in The Nutty Professor, then acted in such films as Advance to the Rear, Synanon, The Silencers, Rage, How to Save a Marriage and Ruin Your Life, The Mad Room, and more.
- 2/17/2023
- by Steve Seigh
- JoBlo.com
The veteran action star plays as a washed-up stuntman in the drama-comedy.
Hong Kong’s Golden Network Asia has closed sales of upcoming Jackie Chan action feature Ride On in the US, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
The film has sold to North America (Well Go USA), Germany (Plaion Pictures), Italy (Eagle Pictures), Eastern Europe, Benelux and Israel (Spi International), Cis (An Media), Turkey (Atv), Middle East (Phars Film), Japan (Twin Co. Ltd), South Korea (Contents Panda), Malaysia (Shanghai Pictures), Singapore (Shaw Renters), Taiwan and worldwide airlines (Eagle International), Indonesia (Prima Cinema), the Philippines (Pioneer Films) and India (Indo Overseas Film...
Hong Kong’s Golden Network Asia has closed sales of upcoming Jackie Chan action feature Ride On in the US, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
The film has sold to North America (Well Go USA), Germany (Plaion Pictures), Italy (Eagle Pictures), Eastern Europe, Benelux and Israel (Spi International), Cis (An Media), Turkey (Atv), Middle East (Phars Film), Japan (Twin Co. Ltd), South Korea (Contents Panda), Malaysia (Shanghai Pictures), Singapore (Shaw Renters), Taiwan and worldwide airlines (Eagle International), Indonesia (Prima Cinema), the Philippines (Pioneer Films) and India (Indo Overseas Film...
- 2/15/2023
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Children of the mid-1980s will likely recall the Toys "Я" Us Super Toy Run. The 1985 sweepstakes was one of the most alluring prizes offered to a toy-hungry youth, and most kids secretly had a plan of attack, should they win. Winners were given a shopping cart and five glorious, unfettered minutes to run through their local Toys "Я" Us, scooping whatever they wanted into it. You were allowed to keep whatever you could carry out. It was essentially a form of legal looting.
The modern cineaste's version of the Super Toy Run is, of course, the Criterion Closet. On a long-running video series put out by the Criterion Channel, notable filmmakers are invited to look through a small storage room filled floor-to-ceiling with Criterion Collection Blu-rays, and are permitted to take what they want. Unlike the Toys "Я" Us equivalent, unfortunately, no one full-arms an entire shelf of Blu-rays into a waiting shopping cart.
The modern cineaste's version of the Super Toy Run is, of course, the Criterion Closet. On a long-running video series put out by the Criterion Channel, notable filmmakers are invited to look through a small storage room filled floor-to-ceiling with Criterion Collection Blu-rays, and are permitted to take what they want. Unlike the Toys "Я" Us equivalent, unfortunately, no one full-arms an entire shelf of Blu-rays into a waiting shopping cart.
- 2/7/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (Aka the Daniels) had been indie film darlings for years thanks to their work on movies like “Swiss Army Man” and “The Death of Dick Long.” But the massive success of “Everything Everywhere All at Once” launched them into the stratosphere. The A24 film enjoyed a lengthy theatrical run and became the highest grossing indie film in 2022 before picking up 11 Oscar nominations last month. In addition to joining the rarified air of award season contenders, the film’s success earned the Daniels an invitation to another elite film industry institution: the Criterion Closet.
In a new video released by Criterion, the two filmmakers stopped by the legendary closet to pick out a selection of their favorite Criterion Blu-rays. Their taste spanned a wide variety of genres, but the video provides a special look at the types of films that inspired their unique style.
Scheinert kicked...
In a new video released by Criterion, the two filmmakers stopped by the legendary closet to pick out a selection of their favorite Criterion Blu-rays. Their taste spanned a wide variety of genres, but the video provides a special look at the types of films that inspired their unique style.
Scheinert kicked...
- 2/6/2023
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
Schlemiel! Schlimazel! Hasenpfeffer Incorporated!
Everyone of a certain age remembers the kickoff of the Laverne & Shirley theme song, and today, we imagine Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams singing from the heavenly skies once again.
Cindy Williams died today at 75 after a brief illness.
Williams is best known for her work on Laverne & Shirley, but she had over 80 movie and TV roles during her career.
Her first credit was in 1970, but it was her role as Laurie in American Graffiti in 1973 that got people talking.
She starred opposite Ron Howard and would later be cast as Shirley Feeney on Happy Days, in which he had the starring role, which led to the spinoff Laverne & Shirley.
While she did have other movie roles, such as in The Conversation with Gene Hackman, Williams was a TV personality.
Before being cast in Laverne & Shirley, Williams walked through television history on shows like Room 222,...
Everyone of a certain age remembers the kickoff of the Laverne & Shirley theme song, and today, we imagine Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams singing from the heavenly skies once again.
Cindy Williams died today at 75 after a brief illness.
Williams is best known for her work on Laverne & Shirley, but she had over 80 movie and TV roles during her career.
Her first credit was in 1970, but it was her role as Laurie in American Graffiti in 1973 that got people talking.
She starred opposite Ron Howard and would later be cast as Shirley Feeney on Happy Days, in which he had the starring role, which led to the spinoff Laverne & Shirley.
While she did have other movie roles, such as in The Conversation with Gene Hackman, Williams was a TV personality.
Before being cast in Laverne & Shirley, Williams walked through television history on shows like Room 222,...
- 1/31/2023
- by Carissa Pavlica
- TVfanatic
Sad news today as it was announced that Cindy Williams, best known for starring in Happy Days spin-off Laverne & Shirley, has died at the age of 75 after a brief illness.
In a statement released through a family spokesperson, Cindy Williams’ children Zak and Emily Hudson said, “The passing of our kind, hilarious mother, Cindy Williams, has brought us insurmountable sadness that could never truly be expressed. Knowing and loving her has been our joy and privilege. She was one of a kind, beautiful, generous and possessed a brilliant sense of humor and a glittering spirit that everyone loved.“
Cindy Williams first appeared as Shirley Feeney on Happy Days alongside Penny Marshall as Laverne DeFazio, and the choice was soon made to spin the characters off into their own series. Laverne & Shirley found the pals sharing a basement apartment in Milwaukee and working as bottle cappers for the Schotz brewery. The...
In a statement released through a family spokesperson, Cindy Williams’ children Zak and Emily Hudson said, “The passing of our kind, hilarious mother, Cindy Williams, has brought us insurmountable sadness that could never truly be expressed. Knowing and loving her has been our joy and privilege. She was one of a kind, beautiful, generous and possessed a brilliant sense of humor and a glittering spirit that everyone loved.“
Cindy Williams first appeared as Shirley Feeney on Happy Days alongside Penny Marshall as Laverne DeFazio, and the choice was soon made to spin the characters off into their own series. Laverne & Shirley found the pals sharing a basement apartment in Milwaukee and working as bottle cappers for the Schotz brewery. The...
- 1/31/2023
- by Kevin Fraser
- JoBlo.com
Photo: ‘Police Story’ Trilogy
Edgar Wright once highlighted the essential difference in Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan’s respective big screen personas when he pointed out the stark contrast between the two Martial Arts legend’s signature combat stances. Wright pointed out that Lee’s calling card was an aggressive “Come on!” gesture, confidently beckoning his next opponent into the fray (notably referenced in ‘The Matrix’). Conversely, Wright’s enduring image of Chan is of a man who is perpetually defending himself, barely managing to dodge, slip, or parry the preposterous onslaught of punches, kicks, and flying objects that are constantly coming his way. Wright went on to proclaim that despite their best efforts, all of the films that blatantly ripped off Jackie’s style, or attempted to re-capture the energy of a Jackie Chan picture, were doomed from the start, because they were all missing the most irreplaceable element...
Edgar Wright once highlighted the essential difference in Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan’s respective big screen personas when he pointed out the stark contrast between the two Martial Arts legend’s signature combat stances. Wright pointed out that Lee’s calling card was an aggressive “Come on!” gesture, confidently beckoning his next opponent into the fray (notably referenced in ‘The Matrix’). Conversely, Wright’s enduring image of Chan is of a man who is perpetually defending himself, barely managing to dodge, slip, or parry the preposterous onslaught of punches, kicks, and flying objects that are constantly coming his way. Wright went on to proclaim that despite their best efforts, all of the films that blatantly ripped off Jackie’s style, or attempted to re-capture the energy of a Jackie Chan picture, were doomed from the start, because they were all missing the most irreplaceable element...
- 1/13/2023
- by Dillon Goss-Carpenter
- Hollywood Insider - Substance & Meaningful Entertainment
Click here to read the full article.
Robert Brown, who starred alongside David Soul and Bobby Sherman by portraying the oldest of the three logging Bolt brothers on the 1968-70 ABC series Here Come the Brides, has died. He was 95.
Brown died Sept. 19 at his home in Ojai, his friend Kiki Bremont told The Hollywood Reporter.
Brown appeared twice on Broadway and guest-starred as alternating versions of a dilithium-lusting character named Lazarus on the 1967 Star Trek episode “The Alternative Factor.” He got that gig when John Drew Barrymore failed to show up on the morning of the shoot.
In 1968, Brown was on the other end of a last-minute replacement situation. All set to star as Det. Steve McGarrett on the original Hawaii Five-0, he was replaced by Jack Lord five days before filming on the pilot began after producer Leonard Freeman had a change of heart about his leading man.
Robert Brown, who starred alongside David Soul and Bobby Sherman by portraying the oldest of the three logging Bolt brothers on the 1968-70 ABC series Here Come the Brides, has died. He was 95.
Brown died Sept. 19 at his home in Ojai, his friend Kiki Bremont told The Hollywood Reporter.
Brown appeared twice on Broadway and guest-starred as alternating versions of a dilithium-lusting character named Lazarus on the 1967 Star Trek episode “The Alternative Factor.” He got that gig when John Drew Barrymore failed to show up on the morning of the shoot.
In 1968, Brown was on the other end of a last-minute replacement situation. All set to star as Det. Steve McGarrett on the original Hawaii Five-0, he was replaced by Jack Lord five days before filming on the pilot began after producer Leonard Freeman had a change of heart about his leading man.
- 10/3/2022
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
By the early to mid 1980s, Jackie Chan had been a megastar in Asia for a few years, since the roaring success of Drunken Master. With The Young Master, Dragon Lord and Project A he had established himself as a director. What eluded him was global success. His first American film, Battle Creek Brawl hadn’t allowed him much control, and was a flop. The Cannonball Run did business, but he was hardly the star, and The Protector miscast him in a harder edged film, attempting to make him a cop in the Dirty Harry mould. Back home, he reshot much of The Protector, adding a new subplot and expanding the action for the Hong Kong cut, but he still wanted to make a contemporary cop movie that was also a true Jackie Chan film.
The Films Police Story (1985)
Dir: Jackie Chan
If his career so far had found Jackie...
The Films Police Story (1985)
Dir: Jackie Chan
If his career so far had found Jackie...
- 9/20/2022
- by Sam Inglis
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Director Gary Nelson, whose credits include live-action Disney films like "The Black Hole" and the original "Freaky Friday," as well as numerous TV episodes, has died of natural causes at the age of 87. Nelson's son confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter on Friday that Nelson had passed away in his Las Vegas home several months ago, on May 25, 2022, though the news is only just now coming to light.
Nelson was born in Los Angeles on October 6, 1934, and he first came up in Hollywood as an assistant director. Among his earliest credits are the classic James Dean film "Rebel Without a Cause" and Joseph L. Mankiewicz's 1955 film adaptation of the Broadway musical "Guys and Dolls," both of which were nominated for multiple Academy Awards. He followed this up with further Ad work on two more Oscar-nominated Westerns, "The Searchers" and "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral," before crossing over into television.
TV Work...
Nelson was born in Los Angeles on October 6, 1934, and he first came up in Hollywood as an assistant director. Among his earliest credits are the classic James Dean film "Rebel Without a Cause" and Joseph L. Mankiewicz's 1955 film adaptation of the Broadway musical "Guys and Dolls," both of which were nominated for multiple Academy Awards. He followed this up with further Ad work on two more Oscar-nominated Westerns, "The Searchers" and "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral," before crossing over into television.
TV Work...
- 9/10/2022
- by Joshua Meyer
- Slash Film
Click here to read the full article.
Gary Nelson, who directed the Disney films Freaky Friday and The Black Hole, served as the in-house helmer on the first two seasons of Get Smart and called the shots for scores of other shows, has died. He was 87.
Nelson died May 25 in Las Vegas of natural causes, his son Garrett Nelson told The Hollywood Reporter.
His father was Sam Nelson, who served as an assistant director on such landmark films as The Lady From Shanghai (1947), All the King’s Men (1949), Some Like It Hot (1959) and Experiment in Terror (1962) and was a co-founder, along with King Vidor and others, of what would become the DGA.
Gary Nelson started out as an A.D., too, working on films including Nicholas Ray’s Rebel Without a Cause (1955), John Ford’s The Searchers (1956) and John Sturges’ Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957), before he got a big break thanks to his future wife,...
Gary Nelson, who directed the Disney films Freaky Friday and The Black Hole, served as the in-house helmer on the first two seasons of Get Smart and called the shots for scores of other shows, has died. He was 87.
Nelson died May 25 in Las Vegas of natural causes, his son Garrett Nelson told The Hollywood Reporter.
His father was Sam Nelson, who served as an assistant director on such landmark films as The Lady From Shanghai (1947), All the King’s Men (1949), Some Like It Hot (1959) and Experiment in Terror (1962) and was a co-founder, along with King Vidor and others, of what would become the DGA.
Gary Nelson started out as an A.D., too, working on films including Nicholas Ray’s Rebel Without a Cause (1955), John Ford’s The Searchers (1956) and John Sturges’ Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957), before he got a big break thanks to his future wife,...
- 9/10/2022
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Every kid of a certain age grew up wanting to be Jackie Chan. A legend in Hong Kong and most of the world from the late-seventies on, Jackie Chan also, at long last, became a superstar in North America after the release of his 1996 classic Rumble in the Bronx. Supercop, First Strike and more dubbed versions of his Hong Kong movies would follow, but it was 1998’s Rush Hour, which paired him with Chris Tucker, that made him a phenomenon in the United States. It was as if, at long last, the United States was let in on a secret the rest of the world already knew.
Jackie Chan emerged in the late nineties after a failed attempt to make him into a Bruce Lee clone. Never wanting to be a typical martial arts star, Chan opted to mix comedy and martial arts in a way that made him a...
Jackie Chan emerged in the late nineties after a failed attempt to make him into a Bruce Lee clone. Never wanting to be a typical martial arts star, Chan opted to mix comedy and martial arts in a way that made him a...
- 9/2/2022
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
Richard Roat, a character actor with 130-plus credits spanning nearly a half-century who appeared in many of TV’s biggest shows including Seinfeld, Friends, Cheers, Murphy Brown, Dallas, Hawaii Five-o and Happy Days, has died. He was 89.
Roat died August 5 in Orange County, CA, according to his family. No other details were available.
Hollywood & Media Deaths 2022: A Photo Gallery
Born on July 3, 1933, in Hartford, Ct, Roat had a couple of bit TV roles before being cast as Dr. Jerry Chandler in the 1962 pilot of NBC soap opera The Doctors. He appeared in more than 170 episodes during the first year of the which, would go on to air for two decades.
He guested on a 1965 episode of The Fugitive and became a busy character actor during the following decade. Roat appeared in memorable 1970s comedies and dramas as Hawaii Five-o, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Columbo, Cannon, Kojak, The Bob Newhart Show,...
Roat died August 5 in Orange County, CA, according to his family. No other details were available.
Hollywood & Media Deaths 2022: A Photo Gallery
Born on July 3, 1933, in Hartford, Ct, Roat had a couple of bit TV roles before being cast as Dr. Jerry Chandler in the 1962 pilot of NBC soap opera The Doctors. He appeared in more than 170 episodes during the first year of the which, would go on to air for two decades.
He guested on a 1965 episode of The Fugitive and became a busy character actor during the following decade. Roat appeared in memorable 1970s comedies and dramas as Hawaii Five-o, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Columbo, Cannon, Kojak, The Bob Newhart Show,...
- 8/31/2022
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Joe E. Tata, who portrayed the endearing Peach Pit diner owner Nat Bussichio on all 10 seasons of the original Beverly Hills, 90210, has died. He was 85.
Tata died Wednesday night, his daughter, Kelly Katharine Tata, announced on a GoFundMe page. Earlier, she wrote that he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2018 and that he had been moved in April to the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills.
In what has to be some kind of record, Tata played henchmen to three supervillains — Frank Gorshin’s the Riddler, Burgess Meredith’s the Penguin and Victor Buono’s King Tut — on the 1966-68 ABC series Batman.
He also appeared in the ’60s on a trio of Irwin Allen-produced sci-fi shows — ABC’s The Time Tunnel (once as Napoleon) and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea and CBS’ Lost in Space...
Joe E. Tata, who portrayed the endearing Peach Pit diner owner Nat Bussichio on all 10 seasons of the original Beverly Hills, 90210, has died. He was 85.
Tata died Wednesday night, his daughter, Kelly Katharine Tata, announced on a GoFundMe page. Earlier, she wrote that he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2018 and that he had been moved in April to the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills.
In what has to be some kind of record, Tata played henchmen to three supervillains — Frank Gorshin’s the Riddler, Burgess Meredith’s the Penguin and Victor Buono’s King Tut — on the 1966-68 ABC series Batman.
He also appeared in the ’60s on a trio of Irwin Allen-produced sci-fi shows — ABC’s The Time Tunnel (once as Napoleon) and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea and CBS’ Lost in Space...
- 8/25/2022
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The “made for television movie” began in the 1960s. In fact, one of the most famous TV movies Don Siegel’s 1964 version of “The Killers” featuring Ronald Reagan in his last film role as a ruthless villain, ended up being released theatrically because it was considered too violent for television.
But the genre came of age in the 1970s.
Some of these movies that aired on the three broadcast networks were sheer shlock and others were pilots for prospective TV series. But it was also an embarrassment of riches. Who could forget the beloved 1971 ABC biopic “Brian’s Song,” starring James Caan and Billy Dee Williams, which was nominated for 11 Emmys and won five including outstanding single program (drama or comedy). The four-hankie weepie was so popular it was released theatrically.
Also briefly released theatrically was Steven Spielberg’s pulsating 1971 classic “Duel” starring Dennis Weaver which aired on ABC. Considered one...
But the genre came of age in the 1970s.
Some of these movies that aired on the three broadcast networks were sheer shlock and others were pilots for prospective TV series. But it was also an embarrassment of riches. Who could forget the beloved 1971 ABC biopic “Brian’s Song,” starring James Caan and Billy Dee Williams, which was nominated for 11 Emmys and won five including outstanding single program (drama or comedy). The four-hankie weepie was so popular it was released theatrically.
Also briefly released theatrically was Steven Spielberg’s pulsating 1971 classic “Duel” starring Dennis Weaver which aired on ABC. Considered one...
- 8/15/2022
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Stuntman J.J. Perry, director of Day Shift, joins hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante to discuss his favorite action flicks.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
You Only Live Twice (1967) – Dana Gould’s trailer commentary
From Russia With Love (1963) – Brian Trenchard-Smith’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairing
Day Shift (2022)
Big Trouble In Little China (1986) – Mike Mendez’s trailer commentary
The Lost Boys (1987) – Alex Kirschenbaum’s review
Fright Night (1986) – Alex Kirschenbaum’s review
The Evil Dead (1983) – Fede Alvarez’s trailer commentary
Zombieland (2009)
Traffic (2000)
Spectral (2016)
Spectre (2015)
The Exorcist (1973) – Oren Peli’s trailer commentary
Enter The Dragon (1973) – Brian Trenchard-Smith’s trailer commentary
The Way of the Dragon a.k.a. Return of the Dragon (1972) – Brian Trenchard-Smith’s trailer commentary
Rocky (1976)
Rocky II (1979)
Rocky III (1982)
Rocky IV (1985)
Rocky V (1990)
Creed (2015)
Undisputed II: Last Man Standing (2006)
The Tournament (2009)
The Shepherd: Border Patrol (2008)
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
F9: The Fast Saga (2021)
Samaritan (2022)
Safe (2012)
Warrior...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
You Only Live Twice (1967) – Dana Gould’s trailer commentary
From Russia With Love (1963) – Brian Trenchard-Smith’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairing
Day Shift (2022)
Big Trouble In Little China (1986) – Mike Mendez’s trailer commentary
The Lost Boys (1987) – Alex Kirschenbaum’s review
Fright Night (1986) – Alex Kirschenbaum’s review
The Evil Dead (1983) – Fede Alvarez’s trailer commentary
Zombieland (2009)
Traffic (2000)
Spectral (2016)
Spectre (2015)
The Exorcist (1973) – Oren Peli’s trailer commentary
Enter The Dragon (1973) – Brian Trenchard-Smith’s trailer commentary
The Way of the Dragon a.k.a. Return of the Dragon (1972) – Brian Trenchard-Smith’s trailer commentary
Rocky (1976)
Rocky II (1979)
Rocky III (1982)
Rocky IV (1985)
Rocky V (1990)
Creed (2015)
Undisputed II: Last Man Standing (2006)
The Tournament (2009)
The Shepherd: Border Patrol (2008)
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
F9: The Fast Saga (2021)
Samaritan (2022)
Safe (2012)
Warrior...
- 8/9/2022
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
Four years after the second installment to arguably Jackie Chan’ most popular franchise, the actor would reprise his role as police inspector Chan Ka-Kui in “Police Story 3: Supercop” (or just “Supercop” in some areas). Perhaps due to his busy schedule in front and behind the camera, working on other projects such as the equally successful “Armour of God”-films, Stanley Tong took over directing duties from Chan, who would still be a producer for the project. This collaboration turned out to be quite fruitful for both them, setting the foundation for features such as “Rumble in the Bronx”, which would give the actor the breakthrough with US-American markets after years of trying. Although the previous entries into the franchise had already set quite a high level when it came to action set pieces, “Supercop” would see Chan in the middle of some of the most ambitious and costly action scenes of his career,...
- 8/7/2022
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Much like the Prom Night series, or in martial arts cinema the later additions to the Police Story franchise, the Tiger Cage films don’t feature ongoing characters or tell linked stories. The only real tie is that they share cast members and are all martial arts cop movies directed by Yuen Woo-Ping.
The Films
Tiger Cage is about an anti-drug team in the Hong Kong Police force in which there may be corruption, with potentially several of the task force members working with and supplying dealers. Simon Yam plays the head of the unit, while Jacky Cheung, Carol ‘DoDo’ Cheng, Bryan Leung and Donnie Yen are among the detectives he commands. The tone is largely quite serious, and that’s the film’s main downfall, because it’s not something that Yuen Woo-Ping does especially well. In particular, he’s prone to letting his cast overact. They’re having fun,...
The Films
Tiger Cage is about an anti-drug team in the Hong Kong Police force in which there may be corruption, with potentially several of the task force members working with and supplying dealers. Simon Yam plays the head of the unit, while Jacky Cheung, Carol ‘DoDo’ Cheng, Bryan Leung and Donnie Yen are among the detectives he commands. The tone is largely quite serious, and that’s the film’s main downfall, because it’s not something that Yuen Woo-Ping does especially well. In particular, he’s prone to letting his cast overact. They’re having fun,...
- 8/4/2022
- by Sam Inglis
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
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