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Marlon Brando transformed into all different kinds of people on the big screen. He was a dockworker in On the Waterfront, Shakespeare’s Mark Antony in Julius Caesar, and a temperamental and abusive drunk in A Streetcar Named Desire. But it was while he was preparing to become the mafia boss Vito Corleone in The Godfather that he decided to try a new role based in the real world: the founder of an ecological island resort in Tahiti. Playing pretend for so long gave him an edge of boundless confidence...

Othello, one of the greatest tragedy tales by William Shakespeare, is all set to return to the stages once again through Broadway. Set in Venice and Cyprus, it is widely regarded among the mastermind author’s major tragedies as it brings about the titular Moorish military commander’s story as he is manipulated by his ensign, Iago, into suspecting his wife Desdemona of infidelity.

Of course, as famous as it is, there have been innumerable other iterations of this play over the years. Multiple different star-studded actors have joined the cast of the same, and given epic performances that they continue to be renowned for. And now that Broadway is reviving the saga, a cast of critically applauded actors has once again united to give the performance of a lifetime.

Othello revival on Broadway. | Credits: @othellobway / Ig.

This time around, some of the major names connected to the cast are Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal,...

Douglass Fake, founder of leading movie soundtrack label Intrada and producer of more than 700 albums of movie and TV music, died Saturday at a Richmond, Calif., hospital after a long illness. He was 72.

Fake’s many credits include the first complete restoration of Leonard Bernstein’s “On the Waterfront,” a lavish 5-cd release of Elmer Bernstein’s “The Ten Commandments” and the debut of several Henry Mancini scores including “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” previously only available in abridged pop recordings.

Among the label’s best sellers were expansions of previously incomplete recordings of such classics as John Williams’ “Jaws,” Alan Silvestri’s “Back to the Future” and Jerry Goldsmith’s “Alien.” Fake also supervised the re-recording of a dozen albums of classic film music including Bernard Herrmann’s “The Man Who Knew Too Much” and Miklos Rozsa’s “Ivanhoe,” “Spellbound” and “Julius Caesar.”

A longtime film-music fan, Fake launched Intrada Records...

June 4, 2024 – Academy Award winner Sir Ben Kingsley, beloved James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan and Star Wars universe luminary Mark Hamill form the ultimate vocal rogues’ gallery in Mofac Animation’s upcoming The King of Kings, an animated family film inspired by a little-known short story by Charles Dickens depicting the life and times of Jesus Christ.

Kingsley voices High Priest Caiaphas, who presided over the Sanhedrin trial of Jesus. Hamill takes on the role of King Herod, who, according to the Gospel of Matthew, ordered the Massacre of the Innocents in an attempt to kill Jesus as an infant. And Brosnan gives animated life to Pontius Pilate, who ultimately ordered the crucifixion of Jesus. The triumvirate of villainous voices further enhances the A-list cast behind the faith-based animated film, which also includes Academy Award & Emmy Award winners Kenneth Branagh (Belfast) and Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland), Golden Globe...

Showtown American Pictures and Cannon Fire Productions announce Candyman (2021) actor Michael Hargrove will join actress Avaryana Rose in a Tale of Murder, Resurrection and Revenge in Bitter Souls. Directed by Tom Ryan of ‘Return To The Theatre Of Terror.’

Some of Michael Hargrove’s notable work includes the role of Sherman Fields in the hit MonkeyPaw Production’s Candyman feature. Michael has also been honored with the Black Theatre Alliance’s Sidney Poitier Award in 2002 as Best Leading Actor in a Play for his role in “Will He Bop, Will He Drop” at Chicago’s National Pastime Theater.

Michael has also appeared in such National Pastime Theater productions as “Red Dog Moon,” David Rabe’s “The Orphan,” “Yuba City,” Kafka’s “The Trial,” “Servant of the People!! The Rise and Fall of Huey P. Newton and the Black Panther Party,” “Possessed,” Kesey’s “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Shakespeare...

by Chad Kennerk

K.J. Relth-Miller, Director of Film Programs.

All images courtesy the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.

The Academy’s annual ceremony is just one aspect of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ overall examination and recognition of film. The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is the largest museum in the United States devoted to the art, science, and artists behind the magic of the movies. Through exhibitions, curated film series and extensive programming, the Academy Museum celebrates and captures the stories behind the art of moviemaking. The museum’s David Geffen and Ted Mann theatres present a year-round robust calendar of screenings, film series, member programs, panel discussions, and more. Through retrospectives and thematic film series, the artistic and cultural contributions of those in front of and behind the camera are illuminated and explored.

One of the great actors of the 20th century, Marlon Brando studied...

On what would be his 100th birthday, Marlon Brando remains synonymous not with acting, but great acting — even if this ranked list of all his performances represents what may be the most wildly uneven filmography for any talent of his caliber. But that’s the power of Brando: A handful of his performances are so great and influential they shook up the art of acting forever. Even among his lesser performances, there’s compelling work deserving of rediscovery.

In order to best exemplify what made him such a singular onscreen presence, we ranked all 39 of his films (and one TV appearance), reflecting a spectrum as wide as the man’s broad shoulders. Based on the quality of Brando’s performances rather than the overall films themselves, there are some placements that may surprise you; for example, as great as Brando is in “The Godfather,” it’s still just the fourth-best...

Everyone remembers their first time. That is the first time they saw Marlon Brando.

For the late Mike Nichols, seeing Brando on Broadway in 1947 in his seminal turn as Stanley Kowalski in Tennessee Williams‘ “A Streetcar Named Desire,” was the catalyst that lead to his career in the arts which saw him become a rare Egot winner. The teenage Nichols and his then girlfriend’s mother were given tickets for the second night of the Elia Kazan-directed production. “There had never been anything like it, I know that by now,” Nichols recalled in a 2010 L.A. Times interview. It was, to this day, the only thing onstage that I had ever seen that was 100% real and 100% poetic. Lucy and I weren’t exactly theater buffs, but we couldn’t get up at the intermission. We were just so stunned. Your heart was pounding. It was a major experience.”

Susan L.

Get ready for an intriguing journey into the life of one of history’s most iconic figures in the upcoming episode of “Julius Caesar: The Making of a Dictator” titled “Veni Vidi Vici,” airing at 9:00 Pm on Tuesday, April 9th, 2024, on PBS.

In this captivating installment, viewers will witness events that threaten to disrupt Caesar’s carefully laid plans, leaving him feeling isolated and vulnerable. As external pressures mount and challenges arise, Caesar finds himself pushed into a corner, forced to make a decision that will have far-reaching consequences for the Republic.

Through compelling storytelling and historical insights, this episode delves deep into the complexities of power, ambition, and the human condition. Audiences will be captivated as they witness Caesar’s struggles and triumphs, gaining a deeper understanding of the man behind the legend.

Don’t miss “Julius Caesar: The Making of a Dictator” as it continues to unravel...

Jake Gyllenhaal and Denzel Washington are joining forces and heading to the stage.

The duo are set to star in a production of Othello, which is heading to Broadway next year.

Read more about Jake Gyllenhaal and Denzel Washington’s project…

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Denzel will play the titular character while Jake brings Iago to life. Kenny Leon has signed on to direct.

Neither actor is a Broadway novice. Denzel made his debut back in 1988 in a play called Checkmates. He’s even starred in another Shakespeare project – 2005′s Julius Caesar.

Meanwhile, Jake made his Broadway debut with 2014′s Constellations. His most recent starring role was 2019′s Sunday in the Park with George.

We will update you as we learn more about the project. It is currently expected to premiere in the spring of 2025.

Before that, Jake will take over Prime Video with his new movie Road House.

Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal will star in a 2025 Broadway revival of William Shakespeare’s Othello, producer Brian Anthony Moreland announced today.

The production, to be directed by Tony Award-winner Kenny Leon, will open in Spring 2025 at a Shubert Theatre to be announced.

Washington will portray the title character, while Gyllenhaal will play ‘Iago’.

Few other details were provided in Moreland’s brief announcement today.

Neither Washington nor Gyllenhaal are strangers to Broadway. Washington most recently starred in the 2018 revival of The Iceman Cometh (earning a Tony nomination), and starred as Walter Lee Younger in the 2014 revival of A Raisin in the Sun. In 2010, he appeared in (and won a Tony for) Fences, and in 2005 he played Marcus Brutus in Julius Caesar. His Broadway debut came in 1988 with Checkmates.

Gyllenhaal has performed on Broadway in Sea Wall/A Life in 2019, Sunday in the Park With George in 2017, and Constellations in...

Italy’s Torino Film Festival will celebrate the centennial of Marlon Brando’s birth with a 24-title retrospective of films featuring the groundbreaking two-time Oscar winner, known for his naturalistic acting style and rebellious streak.

The Brando retro will be “the backbone” of the fest, according to its new artistic director, Italian actor/director Giulio Base. Accordingly, an image of Brando – photographed when he was shooting Bernardo Bertolucci’s “Last Tango in Paris” – is featured on the poster for the fest’s upcoming 42nd edition, which will run Nov. 22-30.

Torino is Italy’s preeminent event for young directors and indie cinema, and is where Matteo Garrone and Paolo Sorrentino screened their first works. The festival’s lineup will be announced at a later date.

“As an actor, Brando has always been my guiding star and I had been wondering for a while – since way before being appointed at Torino...

Stars: Scott Adkins, Waleed Elgadi, Tom Berenger, Meena Rayann, Michael Jai White, Aaron Toney | Written by Jamie Russell | Directed by James Nunn

Not only is One More Shot filmed with the illusion of being one long take like its predecessor 2021’s One Shot, it does something more important. It reunites director James Nunn and writer Jamie Russell with the previous film’s leads, Scott Adkins as Navy Seal Jake Harris and Waleed Elgadi as terrorist Amin Mansur.

Following the events of the first film, Harris is escorting Mansur back to the US where they plan to get him to reveal the whereabouts of a dirty bomb set to explode during the State of the Union Address, which the President, of course, refuses to postpone. For leverage, CIA Agent Marshall has brought Mansur’s pregnant wife Niesha to meet his plane. But they’re not the only ones there to meet the flight.

Every school has that certain teacher who is a bully, heartless and at times sadistic. Everyone must take their class, but no one finishes the course unscathed. Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti) of Alexander Payne’s acclaimed comedy-drama “The Holdovers” is one such instructor. Set in 1970, “The Holdovers” revolves around the by-the-books classics professor teaching at the same New England boarding school he had attended. Hunham is hated by his students, as well as his fellow teachers. And he’s also in hot water, after he failed one of the school’s largest donor’s son in his class. During the Christmas break, he is forced to supervise the “holdovers — -the students who for various reasons must stay on campus. He ends up sharing the holidays with one troubled student (Dominic Sessa) whose mother recently remarried; and the cafeteria administrator (Da’Vine Joy Randolph) grieving her only son’s death in the Vietnam War.

Khufiya turned out to be a complicated spy thriller. Vishal Bhardwaj was bang on the money with the humor and the satirical parts of the movie, but the rest of the film had scope for improvement. Despite its issues, Khufiya presented some interesting characters that got embroiled in espionage of a larger magnitude. This movie was about a senior intelligence officer betraying his agency and country and fleeing to America. Several characters in the film are now at it to locate this man and bring him back to make him face the Indian judicial system.

Spoilers Ahead

What Was Operation Brutus?

Jeevanathan, portrayed by the veteran actor Ashish Vidyarthi, was in support of the work Krishna Mehra does right from the beginning of the film. Krishna was a ruthless and shrewd R&aw analyst who, by the looks of it, has been a part of the Bangladesh desk for a very long time.

The world of detective Charlie Chopra, based on characters created by Agatha Christie, is set to have a prolonged life in India as a franchise.

“Charlie Chopra & The Mystery Of Solang Valley,” based on Christie’s 1931 novel “The Sittaford Mystery,” was adapted as a series for Indian streamer SonyLIV by renowned filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj.

Set in the mountains of Himachal Pradesh, northern India, the series follows the journey of Charlie Chopra and her quest to uncover a murder mystery alongside her sidekick Sitaram. Bhardwaj served as director and co-producer and co-screenwriter alongside Anjum Rajabali and Jyotsna Hariharan. The cast includes Wamiqa Gabbi, Priyanshu Painyuli, Naseeruddin Shah, Neena Gupta, Ratna Pathak Shah, Gulshan Grover, Lara Dutta, Chandan Roy Sanyal and Paoli Dam.

Vishal Bhardwaj Pictures produced with Priti Shahani’s Tusk Tale Films in association with Agatha Christie Limited. James Prichard, Basi Akpabio and Leo Dezoysa served as executive producers...

NCIS veteran David McCallum, also known for his Emmy-nominated role in The Man From U.N.C.L.E., died peacefully this morning of natural causes at New York Presbyterian Hospital, surrounded by family. He was 90, having celebrated his birthday less than a week ago.

A fan favorite, McCallum was the last remaining original cast member on CBS’ NCIS, in which he played Chief Medical Examiner Donald “Ducky” Mallard, an eccentric but highly efficient investigator with a knack for psychological profiling, for two decades.

David McCallum as Medical Examiner Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard. (Photo by Sonja Flemming/CBS via Getty Images)

“For over 20 years, David McCallum endeared himself to audiences around the world playing the wise, quirky, and sometimes enigmatic, Dr. Donald ‘Ducky’ Mallard,” said NCIS executive producers Steven D. Binder and David North. “But as much as his fans may have loved him, those who worked side by side with David loved him that much more.

The 80th annual Venice Film Festival launches on the Lido on August 30. This edition features a slew of Oscar hopefuls including Sofia Coppola’s “Priscilla,” Bradley Cooper’s “Maestro,” David Fincher’s “The Killer,” Yorgas Lanthimos’ “Poor Things” and Michael Mann’s “Ferrari.” They’re all vying for the top prize, the Golden Lion.

Seventy years ago, there were four now-classics in competition: William Wyler’s “Roman Holiday,” for which Audrey Hepburn would win Oscar, John Huston’s “Moulin Rouge,” Samuel Fuller’s “Pickup on South Street” and Vincente Minnelli’s “The Bad and the Beautiful,” which had recently picked up five Oscars. But the Golden Lion didn’t roar at the 14th edition of the international film festival.

The jury headed by future Nobel Prize laureate in literature Eugenio Montale just couldn’t decide on the best of the fest because according to the New York Times “the quality...

Chicago – While at the SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas, there are shuttles between the film theaters, and often en route some prime networking takes place. On one such shuttle connection was Tara Bopp, a featured actor in the world premiere of the short film “Never Fuggedaboutit,” a sly take on two legendary media events.

The story takes place during the high anxiety of post-9/11 NYC, as a struggling post-production house … managed by the character that Tara Bopp portrays … is hired to remove a shot of the Twin Towers from the intro to a hit TV show. As tensions rise on how to go about this task, the final outcome becomes a surprising conflict between what you do and who you are. “Never Fuggedaboutit” had its World Premiere at SXSW and was written and directed by Dustin Waldman.

Actor/Singer/Dancer Tara Bopp

Photo credit: TaraBopp.com

Tara Bopp grew up performing.

April is the cruelest month, but evidently not for one-man shows starring Oscar nominee Ralph Fiennes.

The “Schindler’s List” and “Harry Potter” star’s sister Sophie Fiennes directs a film version of “T.S. Eliot’s Four Quartets,” the stage production he brought to London and throughout the UK back in 2021. During the lockdown, Fiennes committed to memory the “Wasteland” poet’s four epic poems written during World War II about man’s relationship to time and the divine. His performance, praised as “magnetic” by The Telegraph, was filmed at the end of his run.

IndieWire shares the exclusive trailer for the film version, opening April 28 at the IFC Center in New York City, courtesy of Kino Lorber. An expansion in theaters nationally will follow.

Fiennes’ filmed performance of Eliot’s masterworks is a co-production between The Bath Theatre Royal and Royal & Derngate, Northampton and Lone Star Productions, Amoeba Film and Lonely Dragon Films.

Art lovers rejoice. Marquee TV, a streaming platform for arts and culture, has announced new content partnerships that will make it possible for more people all over the globe to watch more top-notch artistic productions.

7-Day Free Trial $8.99 / month Marquee TV via amazon.com

On Monday, Marquee announced that the Washington Ballet and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment have joined the streamer as content partners, joining the London Symphony Orchestra and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. These organizations present digital seasons — including world premieres — exclusively on the platform. Every single creative partner of Marquee TV has a devoted on-platform presence that will include unique performances.

A subscription to Marquee TV costs $8.99 per month or $89.99 annually, both after a seven-day free trial. You can sign up for the service directly, or through Prime Video Channels, which launched the service in March 2022.

Some of the upcoming programming from Marquee TV’s new...

Zia Mohyeddin, the British-Pakistani actor known for his parts in ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ and ‘Immaculate Conception’, and the stage version of ‘A Passage to India’, died on Monday in a Karachi hospital, ‘Variety’ reports. Mohyeddin, who was 91, was ill and on life support, his family said. His death was condoled by top members of Pakistan’s political establishment, including President Arif Ali, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and his predecessor, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Imran Khan.

Mohyeddin was born in Lyallpur (now Faisalabad), British India, in 1931. He studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London in the early 1950s.

After theatre roles in ‘Long Day’s Journey into Night’ and ‘Julius Caesar’, Mohyeddin in 1960 made his West End debut in ‘A Passage to India’, where he originated the role of Dr Aziz.

The actor featured in David Lean’s ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ (1962), playing the role of Arab guide Tafas. Roles in...

Zia Mohyeddin, a British-Pakistani actor known for films “Lawrence of Arabia” and “Immaculate Conception” and the stage version of “A Passage to India,” died on Monday in Karachi. He was 91.

Mohyeddin was ill and was on life support in a Karachi hospital, his family said.

Mohyeddin was born in Lylallpur (now Faisalabad), British India, in 1931. He studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London in the early 1950s. After theater roles in “Long Day’s Journey into Night” and “Julius Caesar,” Mohyeddin made his West End debut in “A Passage to India” in 1960, where he originated the role of Dr. Aziz.

The actor featured in David Lean’s “Lawrence of Arabia” (1962), playing the role of Arab guide Tafas. Roles in Alexander Mackendrick’s “Sammy Going South” (1963), Fred Zinnemann’s “Behold a Pale Horse” (1964), Basil Dearden’s “Khartoum” (1966), Ralph Thomas’ “Deadlier Than the Male” (1966), Tony Richardson’s “The Sailor from...

No more enjoyable conversation grudge match can be had than pitting James Dean against Marlon Brando in a Hollywood Heartthrob showdown. Which do prefer? The rough, raw honesty of Brando in László Benedek's "The Wild One," wherein he plays a humming, human motorcycle engine, tanked up on erotic, rebellious energy and living to subvert paradigms and dismiss 1950s squareness? Or the brooding, poetic angst of Dean in Nicholas Ray's "Rebel Without a Cause," a sensitive, mature soul -- even a little kooky -- who may sometimes let pride get the better of him, but who would be content to form his own blissful, star-gazing queer polycule with a pair of classmates. 

Each of the actors was also sexually open at a time when queerness was notoriously repressed and pilloried; remember when Rock Hudson and Liberace were "ladies men"? Commonly attributed to Dean is the quote "No, I'm not homosexual.

Mike Flanagan threw viewers a bit of a curveball with the second entry in his "Haunting" anthology series, 2020's "The Haunting of Bly Manor." Where the show's revered first outing, 2018's "The Haunting of Hill House," is horror through and through, its mostly well-received but slightly more divisive second entry is really a gothic romance that just happens to include literal ghosts. Yes, I'm using what you might call the "Crimson Peak" defense, but it applies here all the same.

Perhaps even more than "Hill House," "Bly Manor" plays fast and loose with its source material. Mainly a retelling of Henry James' classic 1898 gothic horror novella "The Turn of the Screw," the series adds elements from James' other works while also filling in the gaps in the romance between doomed lovers Peter Quint and Miss Jessel prior to the story's events. Interestingly, though, it wasn't the first off-shoot of James' novella to do this.

Click here to read the full article.

Mary Alice, the Tony- and Emmy-winning actress who starred in the original Broadway production of Fences, portrayed the mother of three singing daughters in Sparkle and appeared as The Oracle in The Matrix Revolutions, has died. She was 85.

Alice died Wednesday in her Manhattan apartment, an NYPD spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter.

In 1990 films, Alice played Nurse Margaret opposite Robin Williams and Robert De Niro in Awakenings, directed by Penny Marshall; the family matriarch dealing with a disruptive guest (Danny Glover) in Charles Burnett’s To Sleep With Anger; and a woman whose son was struck by a car in the South Bronx in Brian De Palma’s The Bonfire of the Vanities.

The onetime Chicago schoolteacher received back-to-back Emmy nominations in 1992 and ’93 — winning in the second year — for her supporting turn as Marguerite Peck, whose child is murdered, on the Atlanta-set NBC legal drama I’ll Fly Away,...

A post-James Bond Daniel Craig and Oscar-nominee Ruth Negga currently are shaking things up on Broadway in the latest revival of “Macbeth,” Shakespeare’s tragedy of mayhem, power, murder and madness. The “Scottish play” has a reputation for being cursed because the Bard used real witches’ spells.

It certainly has fallen afoul of the Tony Awards over the years. Negga was nominated but Craig was snubbed. Of the 11 previous stagings of “Macbeth” since the start of the Tony Awards, only the 2008 revival merited nominations for both stars (Patrick Stewart and Kate Fleetwood). Glenda Jackson reaped a bid in 1988 while Christopher Plummer was left in the wings.

The first recorded production of the play in New York was way back in 1768 at the John Street Theatre, which had been built the year before. Though the closing date is unknown, the theater was demolished in 1897. Lewis Hallam, who is the only known cast member,...

Lev Mailer, former 11th vice president of the Screen Actors Guild, has died at 88. He died Feb. 24 of a bacterial infection at Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. Mailer, who served on SAG’s national board in the 1990s, chaired the Screen Actors Guild Conservatory for 10 years.

“He was a union man,” his wife Paula told Deadline. “He loved the Screen Actors Guild and he loved actors. He really cared that they were recognized and that they were given their fair share.”

A framed poster celebrating SAG’s 50th anniversary still hangs in their living room in Edina, Mn. “We had it in our townhouse in Studio City, and we brought it with us when we moved here in 2000,” Paula recalled. “He was very proud of SAG. He really believed in the union and in justice for actors. He was really driven about it. He thought it was a wonderful union.

Denzel Washington never went to Juilliard. His first exposure to William Shakespeare came a thousand feet down the street, at Fordham University at Lincoln Center, when he played Othello at 21.

“They wouldn’t let me in,” he joked on a recent Zoom call. “I didn’t know anything about theater acting, any of that, until I was introduced in the fall of 1975. I did a musical and found that I couldn’t sing. But I enjoyed being on the stage. The artistic director saw something in me.”

After his fall semester musical debut, the spring semester saw Washington tackle Eugene O’Neill’s “The Emperor Jones.” “I had no idea,” he said. “I did my homework and fell in love with the theater. I was green as a Southern tomato.” And in his senior year he starred in “Othello.” “I had never done any Shakespeare. I did have a couple classes.

Denzel Washington never went to Juilliard. His first exposure to William Shakespeare came a thousand feet down the street, at Fordham University at Lincoln Center, when he played Othello at 21.

“They wouldn’t let me in,” he joked on a recent Zoom call. “I didn’t know anything about theater acting, any of that, until I was introduced in the fall of 1975. I did a musical and found that I couldn’t sing. But I enjoyed being on the stage. The artistic director saw something in me.”

After his fall semester musical debut, the spring semester saw Washington tackle Eugene O’Neill’s “The Emperor Jones.” “I had no idea,” he said. “I did my homework and fell in love with the theater. I was green as a Southern tomato.” And in his senior year he starred in “Othello.” “I had never done any Shakespeare. I did have a couple classes.

In Joel Coen’s “The Tragedy of Macbeth,” starring Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand, the concept of time — and feeling like you’re running out of it — is central to the narrative. Corey Hawkins and Moses Ingram play Lord and Lady Macduff, the fertile young couple who represent all that has eluded the Macbeths — a bushel of children to continue their lineage and potential for upward mobility in their political future. They’re time incarnate.

In the pantheon of film adaptations of William Shakespeare’s Scottish play, the Apple and A24 production stands out, not only for its modern black-and-white cinematography, but the inclusion of a wide array of Black actors is another notable triumph.

Hawkins, Ingram and Sean Patrick Thomas discussed the production’s prominent diversity with Variety at the film’s L.A. premiere at the DGA Theatre earlier this month.

“When’s the last time you’ve seen it?...

MGM’s Orion Pictures’ film “Till,” starring Danielle Deadwyler, Whoopi Goldberg and Jalyn Hall as Emmett Till, has rounded out its cast.

Frankie Faison, Jayme Lawson, Tosin Cole, Kevin Carroll, Sean Patrick Thomas, John Douglas Thompson and Roger Guenveur Smith have boarded the project, directed by Chinonye Chukwu. “Till” is currently filming in Atlanta, with the full cast pictured above.

“Till” tells the story of Mamie Till-Mobley (Deadwyler), chronicling her decision to have an open casket at Emmett’s funeral and allowing Jet magazine to publish David Jackson’s funeral photos in order to ensure people everywhere saw the true horrors of her son’s murder. The decision from the grieving mother was a galvanizing moment that led to the creation of the civil rights movement. Goldberg is set to portray Till’s grandmother, Alma Carthan.

Chuwku also wrote the screenplay for the film, about a mother’s pursuit of justice,...

The film will be released to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s Folio in 2023.

Dominic Dromgoole, the former artistic director of London’s The Globe Theatre, will direct and produce Folio! Folio!, a feature comedy about the publication of the ground-breaking edition of Shakespeare’s works.

The film is aiming to shoot in summer 2022, produced by Marcus Coles’ UK company Folio 400 Productions. The company was founded to celebrate the 400th anniversary in 2023 of the publication of Shakespeare’s Folio – the first full collection of his plays, including the previously unpublished Macbeth, Julius Caesar, Twelfth Night and The Tempest.

Norman Lloyd, the Emmy-nominated character actor who worked with Orson Welles and Alfred Hitchcock before landing major roles in 1980s hits like “Dead Poets Society” and “St. Elsewhere,” has died. He was 106.

A family friend confirmed the news to Deadline.

The New Jersey native, born Norman Perlmutter, got his start in the New York theater scene of the 1930s, much of it federally subsidized through the Federal Theatre Project. He became a charter member of Orson Welles and John Housman’s Mercury Theatre, where he played the prophetic Cinna the Poet in an acclaimed 1937 production of Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar.”

Lloyd first broke out on the big screen playing a Nazi spy in Hitchcock’s 1942 thriller “Saboteur,” then returned as a psychiatric patient in 1945’s “Spellbound” with Ingrid Bergman and Gregory Peck. Hitchcock later hired Lloyd as a director and associate producer on his 1950s anthology TV series “Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

Norman Lloyd, the Emmy-nominated veteran actor, producer and director whose career ranged from Orson Welles’ Mercury Theatre, Alfred Hitchcock’s Saboteur and acting with Charlie Chaplin in Limelight to St. Elsewhere, Dead Poets Society and The Practice, died May 10 in his sleep at his Los Angeles home. He was 106. A family friend confirmed the news to Deadline.

During one of the famous Lloyd birthday celebrations, Karl Malden said, “Norman Lloyd is the history of our business.”

Blessed with a commanding voice, Lloyd’s acting career dates back to Orson Welles’ Mercury Theatre troupe, of which he was the last surviving member. He was part of its first production — 1937 a modern-dress adaptation of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar on Broadway titled Caesar.

He originally was cast in Welles’ epic Citizen Kane and accompanied the director to Hollywood. When the filmmaker ran into his proverbial budget problems, Lloyd quit the project and returned to New York,...

The 73rd Directors Guild of America Awards nominees are historic. Two female helmers number among the five nominees for Best Director: Emerald Fennell (“Promising Young Woman”) and Chloe Zhao (“Nomadland”), the Chinese filmmaker who is the first female Asian director to be cited. Zhao isn’t the only Asian director who earned a nomination. Korean-American Lee Isaac Chung also reaped a bid for his semi-autobiographical “Minari. Rounding out the list of nominees are David Fincher for “Mank” and Aaron Sorkin for “The Trial of the Chicago 7.”).

How well do you know your Directors Guild of America Awards trivia? Keep reading for 25 fun facts and figures about the DGA Awards.

Prior to Zhao and Fennell, the last woman to earn a DGA nomination was Greta Gerwig for 2017’s “Lady Bird.” Lina Wertmuller was the first female nominee for 1976’s “Seven Beauties” (the Italian filmmaker was also the first woman to be...

On Nov. 8, Norman Lloyd will celebrate his 106th birthday, which is just one more accomplishment for a man whose nearly-100-year career is filled with amazing milestones. Lloyd worked as an actor, director and/or producer in theater, the early days of radio, film and TV. He wasn’t a household name, but he has always been well known and respected within the industry — not only for his work, but for the people he worked with. That list includes Alfred Hitchcock, Orson Welles, Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Elia Kazan, Jean Renoir, Robin Williams, Martin Scorsese, Denzel Washington, Mark Harmon, Cameron Diaz, Judd Apatow and Amy Schumer.

As his contemporary Karl Malden summed up in 2007, “He is the history of our industry.”

Lloyd was born Norman Perlmutter Nov. 8, 1914, in Jersey City, N.J. He took singing and dancing lessons and was a paid professional by the age of 9. He performed with...

Diana Rigg, best known for her iconic turn on The Avengers, and memorable roles on Game of Thrones and Theatre of Blood, died Sept. 10, at home with her family at the age of 82, according to Variety. “It is with tremendous sadness that we announce that Dame Diana Rigg died peacefully early this morning. She was at home with her family who have asked for privacy at this difficult time,” her agent Simon Beresford said in a statement. “Dame Diana was an icon of theatre, film, and television. She was the recipient of BAFTA, Emmy, Tony and Evening Standard Awards for her work on stage and screen. Dame Diana was a much loved and admired member of her profession, a force of nature who loved her work and her fellow actors. She will be greatly missed.”

Rigg was diagnosed with cancer in March, according to her daughter Rachael Stirling, who said...

Diana Rigg, the Tony and Emmy winner who splashed into the world of television with her commanding turn as intelligence agent Emma Peel on “The Avengers” in the 1960s and played Lady Olenna Tyrell on “Game of Thrones” decades later, died Thursday at her home in England. She was 82.

Rigg was a venerable figure in Britain’s entertainment industry who worked incessantly on stage, TV and film. She famously thumbed her nose at convention in her private life and in later years seemed to enjoy her status as a grande dame.

“She was a beautiful kind and generous human being that enhanced the lives of all that knew her as well as a great actress. She leaves a great void in my heart,” said Lionel Larner, Rigg’s longtime friend and talent agent.

Having a key role in the biggest TV series of the past decade was a fitting career capper for Rigg.

Pairing wine with movies! See the trailers and hear the fascinating commentary for these movies and many more at Trailers From Hell. This week, a look at some award-winning movies. If you are reading outside, please keep your mask on. Intense laughter can really send those Covid germs a-flying.

There are still more than six months until the next Academy Awards show, if there is a next one. The way things are going, February is like that car in the rear view mirror – closer than it looks. Hopefully, a vaccine against Covid-19 will be developed before we lose another 650,000 people from this planet. Yay, Pfizer! Said no one ever. That’s right, this pandemic has brought us to that – cheering Big Pharma.

Amadeus was a big hit and an award magnet in 1984, sort of a curious time for a movie about a classical composer. The Cars, Prince and Wham were...

Right now, in this galaxy… featuring Lloyd Kaufman, Brad Simpson, Gilbert Hernandez, Grant Moninger and Blaire Bercy.

Please support the Hollywood Food Coalition. Text “Give” to 323.402.5704 or visit https://hofoco.org/donate!

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

Mondo Keazunt (1955)

The Human Tornado (1976)

Gigot (1962)

The Hustler (1961)

How to Commit Marriage (1969)

The Magnificent Ambersons (1942)

Citizen Kane (1941)

Touch of Evil (1958)

The Last Man On Earth (1963)

Night of the Living Dead (1968)

The Omega Man (1971)

I Am Legend (2007)

Panic In Year Zero! (1962)

Dogtooth (2009)

The Entity (1983)

Shelf Life (1993)

The Killers (1964)

The Next Voice You Hear… (1950)

Donovan’s Brain (1953)

Talk About A Stranger (1952)

Julius Caesar (1950)

They Saved Hitler’s Brain (1968)

The Exterminating Angel (1962)

The Jerk (1979)

Kings Row (1942)

Santa Fe Trail (1940

Bedtime For Bonzo (1951)

The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter (19468)

Point Blank (1967)

House of Wax (1953)

Black Shampoo (1976)

A History Of Violence (2005)

Return To Oz (1985)

Death Wish 4: The Crackdown (1987)

The Anderson Tapes (1971)

Psycho (1960)

Two Evil Eyes (1990)

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three...

The other day I spoke with my great old friend Norman Lloyd, and I do mean great and I do mean old. As an actor, Norman's credentials stretch back to the Federal Theatre days of the mid-1930s — he's the last surviving member of Orson Welles' legendary 1937 Mercury Theatre production of Julius Caesar — and he made his Hollywood debut as the villain who falls to his death from the top of the Statue of Liberty in Alfred Hitchcock's 1942 Saboteur. His most recent screen appearance was in Judd Apatow and Amy Schumer's Trainwreck; Norman always ...

The other day I spoke with my great old friend Norman Lloyd, and I do mean great and I do mean old. As an actor, Norman's credentials stretch back to the Federal Theatre days of the mid-1930s — he's the last surviving member of Orson Welles' legendary 1937 Mercury Theatre production of Julius Caesar — and he made his Hollywood debut as the villain who falls to his death from the top of the Statue of Liberty in Alfred Hitchcock's 1942 Saboteur. His most recent screen appearance was in Judd Apatow and Amy Schumer's Trainwreck; Norman always ...

Marlon Brando would’ve celebrated his 96th birthday on April 3, 2020. The Oscar-winning thespian both delighted and perplexed his fans with his Method-inspired performances and disdain for his profession, marked by increasingly bizarre behavior on and off set. Yet several of his movies remain classics despite his many career ups-and-downs. In honor of his birthday, let’s take a look back at 20 of his greatest films, ranked worst to best.

Born in 1924, Brando studied the Stanislavski system under acting coach Stella Adler, who encouraged her students to explore inner and external turmoil within their characters. He shot to stardom on both the stage and screen with his performance in Tennessee Williams‘ “A Streetcar Named Desire,” in which he brought a startling naturalism and reality mixed with vulnerability, machismo, and humor to the character of Stanley Kowalski. The 1951 film version brought him his first Oscar nomination as Best Actor.

He picked up...

Ranjan Ghosh is an acclaimed Bengali scriptwriter and filmmaker, based in Kolkata, India. In 2011 Ranjan Ghosh co-authored the story and screenplay of “Iti Mrinalini”, a Bengali movie directed by noted director Aparna Sen. He started his career as a filmmaker in 2014 with critically acclaimed movie “Hrid Majhare”, inspired by Shakespeare’s ‘Othello’ and with elements of ‘Julius Caesar’ and ‘Macbeth’ in it. Screened at the New York University Tisch School of Arts in 2015, “Hrid Majharey” was included in their Ph.D. in Cinema Studies (Shakespeare and Indian Cinema). Also, the film and its screenplay were included in the Ugc Literature Archive through the Shakespeare in Bengal project conducted by Jadavpur University, Kolkata. Ghosh’s second movie “Rong Beronger Korhi” (2018) has a unique narrative where four stories are connected through one single thread- money. His latest movie “Ahaa Re” (2019) is critically acclaimed and a box-office success, is a portrayal of a...

In the first 72 years of the Academy Awards (1927-99), 14 fact-based movies won the best-picture prize, or 19%. In the 21st century, fact-based films have won 33% of the time.

Last year, three of 2018’s four acting winners were playing real-life characters. And six of the eight best-picture contenders were fact-based, including winner “Green Book.”

For whatever reasons, based-on-reality films are clearly increasing, and are increasingly finding favor from awards-givers. At the same time, there has also been a boost in a sub-category: the autobiographical film. Last year’s “Roma” fit into that category and the auto-truth group has multiplied this year.

In 2019 there have been so many reality-based tales that it’s possible (but unlikely) that every Oscar nominee will be from a fact-based film. In alphabetical order, the list includes “The Aeronauts,” “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” “Bombshell,” “Dark Waters,” “Dolemite Is My Name,” “Ford v Ferrari,” “Harriet,” “A Hidden Life,...

Though there’s nothing like seeing Shakespeare live on stage, the magic of cinema can bring new light to the Bard's classic works—and can allow us to view timeless performances over and over again. How many great Shakespearean performances have you seen at the movies? Here are 17 film versions of Shakespeare that all actors must watch. “Henry V” (1944, Sir Laurence Olivier)Partially funded by the British government following the devastation of World War II, this widely lauded film adaptation of a Globe Theatre production earned Olivier a special honorary Academy Award for his work as actor, producer, and director. “Hamlet” (1948, Sir Laurence Olivier)Olivier created another impactful turn with this acclaimed (if not perfectly faithful to the text) adaption of one of Shakespeare’s greatest works. Starring as the title role, Olivier carefully focused his directorial narrative on the characters’ psychological turmoil, removing the characters of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern entirely.

Oskar Eustis speaking right now at the opening of Julius Caesar @PublicTheaterNY important truth here about art and choice. pic.twitter.com/sekXavplRm

— Amber Tamblyn (@ambertamblyn) June 13, 2017

The Public Theater’s free production of William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, which came under fire for its bloody assassination of a leader resembling President Donald Trump, officially opened at New York’s Delacorte Theater in Central Park Monday night after three weeks of previews with an impassioned speech from director Oskar Eustis on the importance of art and the true messages of the play.

His speech came as sponsors Delta Air Lines...

For the past 400 years, the title character in William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar has been traditionally regarded as one of the good guys. Oh sure, there was that time back in '37 when Orson Welles staged a production that had the Roman ruler interpreted as a stand-in for Mussolini, but The Bard's text is generally taken as a case where a powerful, but ultimately benevolent leader is assassinated by a group of questionably motivated, dagger-wielding senators who paint him as an ambitious populist seeking absolute power.

Delta Air Lines and Bank of America have pulled their sponsorship of a New York City production of William Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar” that includes the bloody assassination of a leader resembling President Trump.

The play, currently showing at The Public Theater, was staged in Central Park on June 6, as part of this summer’s Free Shakespeare in the Park. The production’s assassination scene has drawn criticism from Fox News, Breitbart News and the president’s son Donald Trump Jr.

Delta Air Lines explained its decision in a statement on Twitter.

“No matter what your political stance may be,...