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Citizen Kane (1941) More at IMDbPro »
2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998
1-20 of 70 articles from 2009 « Prev | Next »
Me and Orson Welles
7 hours ago | The Guardian - Film News | See recent The Guardian - Film News news »
A schoolboy stumbles upon a major role in Welles's production of Julius Caesar in this sublime adaptation of Robert Kaplow's book
It is difficult to recapture the excitement Orson Welles generated 50 years ago among cinephiles and serious theatregoers. When George Coulouris joined the Bristol Old Vic Company in 1950 after a lengthy sojourn in the States my fellow sixth-formers and I were thrilled beyond measure to have in our city an actor who'd played Mark Antony opposite Welles in the Mercury company's fabled 1937 modern dress production of Julius Caesar and had a leading role in Citizen Kane. Yet none of us had seen Citizen Kane which had been out of distribution since shortly after its opening in 1941. We only knew of him through a few film appearances, most notably The Third Man, and his reputation for brilliance, wit and innovation, and what a few years later we'd learn to call charisma. »
- Philip French
Rising star Noel Clarke, Claire Danes in London, and hard liquor at the Bifa awards | Trailer trash
7 hours ago | The Guardian - Film News | See recent The Guardian - Film News news »
The jury's out
Trash had the pleasure of being on the Bafta jury to decide this year's Orange Rising Star Award nominees. It was an impressively intense process, whittling down 117 candidates until 18 remained. These were then vigorously debated: is being in Twilight a good or bad thing? Do we count debuts or only those with growing bodies of work? Will the voting public recognise a foreign actor if we put one forward? Anyway, our votes are now in for the final five nominees who'll be announced on 12 January, sparking a public vote via www.orange.co.uk/bafta. Current holder Noel Clarke is on the jury this year and is in no doubt how much of a boost the Orsa gave him last year. "In terms of recognition and respect within the industry, it's amazing how much it does for you," he told me. "A whole new public saw me winning, »
- Jason Solomons
100 Greatest Films Beyond the Canon
4 December 2009 9:02 AM, PST | Cinematical | See recent Cinematical news »
Earlier this year I participated in a poll of film critics, enthusiasts and experts to find the 50 greatest films of all time. The results were worthy, of course, and anyone should be proud to have seen or own such a collection of 50 films. But the results were also fairly predictable, and were just about the same as every other film poll, complete with Citizen Kane topping the list. So the listmaster, Iain Stott, came up with a better idea. He invited everyone to participate in another poll, a "Beyond the canon" poll. This time he gave us a list of 300 films that were considered the "canon" films, or the accepted classics. Our job was to vote for up to 100 great or favorite films that did not appear on this list. The final list of 100 posted this week, and it's a great deal more interesting.
Filed under: Lists
Continue reading 100 Greatest »
- Jeffrey M. Anderson
Top Ten Overrated Films
3 December 2009 9:58 AM, PST | FilmShaft.com | See recent FilmShaft.com news »
Overrated films are an interesting breed. They are essentially the type that everybody goes crazy for until consideration, time, thought and retrospect force us to reassess the situation. They are, by and large, the product of Hollywood: though by no means exclusive. However, Hollywood films are the most hyped; the most seen; the most heard. They are garnered with awards and flattery and the cycle begins again. Is it genius of deception or commerce?
Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane is often labelled as “the greatest film ever made”. It will not appear in this list. It is not an overrated film. Even now, in the sixty-plus years since its release, Welles’ masterpiece remains inimitable. Searching for something to dislike in it is pointless. Yes, critics go ga-ga for Orson, and so they should. He was a true maverick.
If one looks at the history of the Best Film award at the Oscars, »
- Martyn Conterio
'I'm not like Orson Welles. I'm a quiet director'
2 December 2009 6:58 AM, PST | The Guardian - Film News | See recent The Guardian - Film News news »
The indie film-maker talks about his new film Me and Orson Welles, starring Zac Efron
In his later years Orson Welles made wine and beer commercials. He acted in The Muppet Movie and Magnum Pi and narrated a documentary about Bugs Bunny. Sometimes he gave lectures, too, shambling into the half-empty town-halls of middle America to breathlessly introduce himself as a film director, writer and actor; a magician, designer and painter. Then his eyes would flick across the rows of empty seats. "Isn't it strange," he said, "that there are so many of me and so few of you?"
It was Welles's fate to burn too brightly, too quickly. He was a man who could be everything except a cog in the Hollywood machine; an artist whose precocity would prove his undoing. He was a stage star in his teens and the creator of Citizen Kane at the age of 25. After that, »
- Xan Brooks
Apocalypse Now tops London critics' 30th anniversary poll
1 December 2009 2:46 AM, PST | The Guardian - Film News | See recent The Guardian - Film News news »
Francis Ford Coppola's nightmarish vision of the Vietnam war is named best film of the past three decades, beating Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List to the top spot
Apocalypse Now was today named as the best film of the past three decades by the London Film Critics' Circle (Lfcc). Francis Ford Coppola's nightmarish vision of the Vietnam war beat out Steven Spielberg's 1994 holocaust drama Schindler's List to take top spot in the poll, held to celebrate the organisation's 30th anniversary.
Third place went to German film The Lives of Others, Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck's Oscar-winner for best foreign language film in 2007. The top five was rounded out by two very different movies with western themes: Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven, from 1992, and Ang Lee's 2005 tale of gay cowboys, Brokeback Mountain.
Chair of the circle and Observer writer Jason Solomons said: "I'm delighted that such a powerful and »
- Ben Child
Chico's Lunchbox could usher in a golden age of X Factor feature films
30 November 2009 4:34 AM, PST | The Guardian - Film News | See recent The Guardian - Film News news »
The Welsh-Moroccan powerhouse is lining up a comedy à clef of his stripping days, while Susan Boyle's brother reckons Kathy Bates might be the woman for the Scottish singer's story
The Full Monty was a decent film and all, but it wasn't perfect. Where, for instance, was the troupe of irrepressible breakdancing children? Where were all the oddly patterned shirts? And why, for God's sake, wasn't Robert Carlyle's character a Welsh/Moroccan former goat herder with a catchphrase based on his profound inability to grasp the concept of chronology?
Well, fret no more. All of those problems are about to be ironed out. And, somewhat distressingly, Chico from X Factor is the one who'll be doing the ironing. He's co-written a film with a man who Wikipedia claims is his lodger. It's called Lunchbox. It's a "raunchy comedy about a stripping troupe on tour in Europe". It's based on Chico's own life. »
- Stuart Heritage
Chico's Lunchbox could usher in a golden age of X Factor feature films
30 November 2009 4:34 AM, PST | The Guardian - TV News | See recent The Guardian - TV News news »
The Welsh-Moroccan powerhouse is lining up a comedy à clef of his stripping days, while Susan Boyle's brother reckons Kathy Bates might be the woman for the Scottish singer's story
The Full Monty was a decent film and all, but it wasn't perfect. Where, for instance, was the troupe of irrepressible breakdancing children? Where were all the oddly patterned shirts? And why, for God's sake, wasn't Robert Carlyle's character a Welsh/Moroccan former goat herder with a catchphrase based on his profound inability to grasp the concept of chronology?
Well, fret no more. All of those problems are about to be ironed out. And, somewhat distressingly, Chico from X Factor is the one who'll be doing the ironing. He's co-written a film with a man who Wikipedia claims is his lodger. It's called Lunchbox. It's a "raunchy comedy about a stripping troupe on tour in Europe". It's based on Chico's own life. »
- Stuart Heritage
"Me and Orson Welles" and "The Road"
27 November 2009 9:29 AM, PST | The Auteurs | See recent The Auteurs news »
Updated through 11/27.
"In the traditional mythologies," begins Andrew Schenker in Slant, "two views of Orson Welles predominate, neither exactly flattering: the boy genius of the pre-Citizen Kane years, a fiery, arrogant wunderkind who cares for nothing except his art, unless it's the company of as many women as will have him; and later, the bloated fatso pissing his legacy away on indifferent supporting roles and television spots while unable to complete any work of his own. Whatever the historical accuracy of these images may be (and we know that the second, in particular, is a dangerously false characterization), it's not clear what productive use is to be gained from their continued rehashing. Which is why, among other reasons, Richard Linklater's Me and Orson Welles, which draws on Robert Kaplow's novel of the same name and takes place during the filmmaker's 1937 make-it-or-break-it stage production of Julius Caesar, seems such an unenlightening exercise. »
War of the Welles: Seven Actors Who've Played Orson
26 November 2009 7:15 AM, PST | ifc.com | See recent IFC news »
Orson Welles' "Citizen Kane" is about one man from many perspectives. As a reporter travels the country in search of the meaning of Charles Foster Kane's last words, he hears stories about the man from wives, co-workers, friends, and guardians, all of whom see Kane's life differently. In the trailer, Welles describes the many dimensions of his character in the narration: "Kane is a hero, and a scoundrel, a no account and a swell guy. A great lover, a great American citizen and a dirty dog."
Certainly, Welles believed that one man could encompass all of these dissimilar traits. And in recent years, enough actors have portrayed enough variations of Welles himself to suggest that the acting/directing wunderkind, like Kane, was just as complex an individual. Some films have portrayed him as a hero, others as a scoundrel. Some, like Richard Linklater's new film "Me and Orson Welles, »
- Matt Singer
Exclusive Interview: Ninja Assassin Director James McTeigue
25 November 2009 12:20 PM, PST | cinemablend.com | See recent Cinema Blend news »
"You're making a ninja movie... you can't say this is Citizen Kane," James McTeigue told me when I asked him about the light tone he maintained during Ninja Assassin, the second film he's directed with The Matrix visionaries Andy and Larry Wachowski on board as producers. Though McTeigue recognizes that V for Vendetta was advertised as a Wachowski movie first and McTeigue movie second, he sees Ninja Assassin as being very much his own thing, influenced by the Wachowskis of course, but also every other filmmaker who has inspired him in his career. I talked to McTeigue about his working relationship with the Wachowskis, his decision to cast Korean pop star Rain in the lead role as reformed assassin Raizo, the completely imaginary weapon that Rain fights with, and of course, keeping the tone light even when the screen is splattered with blood. Watch our 15-minute interview below. Ninja Assassin »
Me And Orson Welles Review
25 November 2009 11:38 AM, PST | FilmShaft.com | See recent FilmShaft.com news »
Orson Welles lives again while poor old Zac Efron continues to struggle the first time around in Richard Linklater’s enjoyable tale of board treading, rubbing shoulders with history and first love.
Efron’s Richard Samuels is a mere whippersnapper in 1937 New York, who eyes a career on the stage. His encounter with the now legendary Mercury Theatre Company, lead by none other than theatrical, and later motion picture impresario, Orson Welles, proves fruitful, as he successfully charms the notoriously fickle genius and secures a part in his new production of Julius Caesar. He also secures the eye of production assistant Sonja (Claire Danes) which brings him into potential conflict with Welles and threatens his place in the troupe.
The tease of Linklater’s film, and the Robert Kaplow source novel, is the opportunity afforded to spend time with a young and as yet unburdened by self-doubt Orson Welles at »
- Ed Whitfield
Movie Review: Me and Orson Welles (2009)
25 November 2009 12:56 AM, PST | Rope of Silicon | See recent Rope Of Silicon news »
Christian McKay in Me and Orson Welles
Photo: Freestyle Releasing Richard Linklater's Me and Orson Welles is a hard one to put your finger on. It's got comedic elements, a baseline dramatic framework and then doesn't fully dedicate itself to being a coming-of-age story. However, despite my inability to nail it down in a nutshell, it's a great film with one of the better male performances of 2009.
Starring as the titular "me" is Zac Efron playing Richard, a wannabe actor who coincidentally runs into a 22-year-old Orson Welles (Christian McKay) coming out of the newly-opened Mercury Theatre where he will produce, direct and star in his adaptation of Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar." Words are said and Richard finds himself with a part in the play and rubbing elbows with Welles on a day-to-day basis as something of a friend-at-arms-length over the course of the next week, culminating in the opening night production. »
- Brad Brevet
Zac Efron and Claire Danes Interview Me And Orson Welles
24 November 2009 7:48 PM, PST | Collider.com | See recent Collider.com news »
If you’ve been reading Collider over the past few days, you may have noticed I’ve already posted a Zac Efron interview for Me and Orson Welles. The reason you’re getting an extra interview with Mr. Efron is at last week’s press day, I participated in both roundtable and TV interviews with the entire cast and director Richard Linklater. While I usually only post one or the other, with someone as popular as Zak Efron, I figured his fans might like to have access to both of them.
As I said in the previous interview, Me and Orson Welles is based in real theatrical history, the film is a coming-of-age story about a teenage actor (Zac Efron) who lucks into a role in Julius Caesar as it’s being re-imagined by a brilliant, impetuous young director named Orson Welles (Christian McKay) at his newly-founded Mercury Theater in NYC, »
- Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub
Me and Orson Welles | Review
24 November 2009 10:00 AM, PST | SmellsLikeScreenSpirit | See recent SmellsLikeScreenSpirit news »
Director: Richard Linklater Writer(s): Robert Kaplow (novel), Holly Gent Palmo, Vincent Palmo Jr. (screenplay) Starring: Zac Efron, Christian McKay, Claire Danes, Ben Chaplin November 1937 – Orson Welles, producer John Houseman and their theater company at the Mercury Theatre began working on their much fabled production of Julius Caesar (the first Shakespearian play to be presented on Broadway). The Mercury Theatre was founded by Welles and Houseman earlier in the same year after the duo resigned from the Federal Theatre. In 1938, the Mercury Theatre evolved into The Mercury Theatre on the Air – a radio series that included the most infamous and influential radio broadcasts of all time: The War of the Worlds (broadcast on October 30, 1938). Welles and Houseman then moved to Hollywood and made Citizen Kane. Director Richard Linklater shows us a fictionalized perspective of the Welles (Christian McKay) and Houseman (Eddie Marsan) 1937 production of Julius Caesar. We are introduced »
- Don Simpson
Dominating Performance Lifts 'Orson Welles'
16 November 2009 11:50 AM, PST | The Wrap | See recent The Wrap news »
By Steve Pond
Over the years, Orson Welles has been portrayed on film and on TV by Vincent D’Onfrio, Live Schreiber, Danny Huston, Carsten Hayes and more than a dozen more actors, all of whom tried to embody the enormous, larger-than-life actor, filmmaker and mercurial genius responsible for “Citizen Kane,” the “War of the Worlds” radio panic, the groundbreaking Mercury Theater, and those regrettable Paul Masson wine commercials, among his other accomplishments.
Some of the actors have fallen short, some have been terrific, and some have played it for laughs.
B... »
- Steve Pond
Cult movie star Edward Woodward dies
16 November 2009 11:13 AM, PST | The Guardian - TV News | See recent The Guardian - TV News news »
The actor Edward Woodward, best known for his roles as a virginal policeman in The Wicker Man and a trenchcoated vigilante in the 1980s TV series The Equalizer, has died, his agent confirmed .
The Emmy and Golden Globe winning actor, who was 79, had been suffering from a number of illnesses including pneumonia, Janet Glass said, and died in hospital near his home in Cornwall.
She said he had been "universally loved and admired" in a career of "unforgettable" roles, adding: "He was equally fine and courageous in real life, never losing his brave spirit and wonderful humour throughout his illness," she said in a statement. He is survived by his wife, the actor Michele Dotrice, and four children.
Woodward, who was born into a working class family in Croydon, south London, attended Rada and was already a successful stage actor when, in 1967, he won the part of the unsmiling assassin »
- Esther Addley
Cult movie star Edward Woodward dies
16 November 2009 11:13 AM, PST | The Guardian - Film News | See recent The Guardian - Film News news »
The actor Edward Woodward, best known for his roles as a virginal policeman in The Wicker Man and a trenchcoated vigilante in the 1980s TV series The Equalizer, has died, his agent confirmed .
The Emmy and Golden Globe winning actor, who was 79, had been suffering from a number of illnesses including pneumonia, Janet Glass said, and died in hospital near his home in Cornwall.
She said he had been "universally loved and admired" in a career of "unforgettable" roles, adding: "He was equally fine and courageous in real life, never losing his brave spirit and wonderful humour throughout his illness," she said in a statement. He is survived by his wife, the actor Michele Dotrice, and four children.
Woodward, who was born into a working class family in Croydon, south London, attended Rada and was already a successful stage actor when, in 1967, he won the part of the unsmiling assassin »
- Esther Addley
Free Flick of the Day: Mr. Arkadin
12 November 2009 3:45 PM, PST | Cinematical | See recent Cinematical news »
One of the great fallacies of film history is that Orson Welles made his directorial debut at age 25 and then burned out and never made anything else of note. And it's true that he spent a lot of time doing acting jobs for money and starting projects that he never finished. But in reality, he directed, completed and released thirteen films between 1941 and 1976 -- including that debut, Citizen Kane -- and every single one of them is notable. Some are masterpieces, some are ahead of their time, and some, like Mr. Arkadin (1955), require a little work. Mr. Arkadin was only one of two original screenplays in Welles filmography (along with Citizen Kane), and they have many things in common: a flashback structure and a secondary character snooping around in the life of the title character. (A book was published with Orson Welles listed as the author, but Welles insisted that »
- Jeffrey M. Anderson
Exclusive: A Night with The Wicker Man / The Wicker Tree Footage Premiere Report
11 November 2009 1:00 AM, PST | DreadCentral.com | See recent Dread Central news »
Director Robin Hardy was present for a screening of his 1973 film The Wicker Man and a 10-minute clip of his upcoming feature The Wicker Tree at the 92nd St. Y in Tribeca on All Hallows Eve. Once heralded as the “Citizen Kane of Horror Films,” by Cinefantastique Magazine, The Wicker Man remains relevant today with its nod towards an outwardly polite and perfect community obfuscating malignant religious fanaticism and featuring the age-old fight between pagans and Christians.
The Wicker Man follows the good Police Sergeant Howie (Edward Woodward) as he attempts to uncover the whereabouts of a missing girl last seen on Summerisle in Scotland, a beautiful, private island filled with song, ritual, and customs from a time long, long ago. Howie bears witness to many instances of bizarre behavior: outdoor orgies under a moonlit sky; a naked woman in a cemetery, weeping with her chest pressed against her beloved »
- Heather Buckley
2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998
1-20 of 70 articles from 2009 « Prev | Next »
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