Sylvester Stallone’s Rambo series is one of the more durable franchises in American cinema, which is somewhat surprising given that it didn’t really find its voice until its fourth installment and began with a film that didn’t lend itself to sequels at all. First Blood, which Ted Kotcheff directed from a script by Stallone, Michael Kozoll and William Sackheim in 1982, is a stand-alone action classic, an elegant and austere survival film in which Vietnam vet John Rambo takes on the town that wronged him without killing a single person. Stallone made up for First Blood’s low body count with […]
by Jim Hemphill on Oct 30, 2020Bradley Cooper’s directorial debut, A Star is Born, is the kind of movie that feels as though it contains decades’ worth of saved-up ideas and feelings, yet never strains under the weight of its ambition. It’s simultaneously sweeping in its scope and razor-sharp in its clarity, passionate and exuberant but restrained and confident. Although the tale has been told several times before, most memorably in George Cukor’s 1954 CinemaScope extravaganza, Cooper (who collaborated on the screenplay with Eric Roth and Will Fetters) makes it his own by using the basic premise as a springboard for a sophisticated meditation on fame […]
by Jim Hemphill on Sep 17, 2018Here’s an effective alternative to the traditionally jam-packed action thriller trailer. The first bumper for Clint Eastwood’s American Sniper is structured entirely around a white knuckled do-or-die scenario in which the titular protagonist, played by Bradley Cooper, wagers whether or not to make a kill shot. Based on Navy Seal Chris Kyle’s autobiography and co-starring Sienna Miller, the film opens on Christmas Day, just in time for awards season.
by Sarah Salovaara on Oct 3, 2014Martin Papazian has been a working actor for nearly two decades, supporting a list of heavyweights in projects like Jarhead and 24. For Papazian, learning on the sidelines from his colleagues and directors became an essential task, and ultimately has prepared him for his most pivotal role yet — a filmmaker. Working at break-neck speed for a total of 19 shooting days, Papazian made his feature debut as a writer/director with Least Among Saints. The film, in which he is also the lead actor, begins with a soldier returning from war and a boy who’s had to grow up in […]
by Niki Cruz on Oct 9, 2012The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) announced today that Matt Damon, David O. Russell and Jeff Skoll will be presented with career tributes at the 22nd Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards™ on Monday, November 26th at Cipriani Wall Street, in New York City. These honorees also represent some of the most highly anticipated films of 2012 including: Promised Land from Focus Features (co-starring and co-written by Matt Damon and John Krasinski and directed by Gus Van Sant, produced by Participant Media); and the upcoming Weinstein Co. release Silver Linings Playbook (directed by David O. Russell and featuring Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence). “It is with pride and […]
by Billy Brennan on Oct 1, 2012Clint, here, via Harmony Korine and Mark Gonzalez, is how you fight a chair. (The clip, of course, is from Gummo, which I co-produced.)
by Scott Macaulay on Aug 31, 2012Talking Points Memo goes all Leone on Mitt Romney and Rick Perry, comparing Romney’s campaign strategy against the Texas governor to the final scene in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.
by Scott Macaulay on Oct 14, 2011Jamie Stuart has made available the complete video interviews excerpted for his short film NYFF 48, which we premiered here at Filmmaker. (If you haven’t watched Jamie’s Kubrick and Bruce Connor-inspired piece of apocalyptic film journalism, please turn up the speakers, turn down the lights, and click here.) After viewing then check out the full interviews by clicking over to Jamie’s site. Here’s Olivier Assayas (pictured). David Fincher. Clint Eastwood and Matt Damon. Joe Dante.
by Scott Macaulay on Oct 24, 2010Jamie Stuart’s NYFF 48 is the latest in his annual cinematic trips to the New York Film Festival, “a 13-minute impressionistic juxtaposition of modern film’s evolution and man’s progress.” Turn your lights out, crank your speakers and watch. With appearances by David Fincher, Clint Eastwood, Olivier Assayas, Joe Dante, Charles Ferguson, Frederick Wiseman, and others. The 720p file can be downloaded here. Visit Jamie at Mutiny Company.
by Scott Macaulay on Oct 13, 2010Jamie Stuart drops a bomb in this episode from his New York Film Festival series. With special appearances by Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Clint Eastwood and many more. Running time: 7:48. Download the short here by right clicking and choosing Save Target or Save Link. (69M) Please visit Jamie’s site at www.mutinycompany.com. To see all the videos in this series please go to https://filmmakermagazine.com/nyff46.php.
by Jason Guerrasio on Oct 7, 2008