John Nolte - Page 316

With a jazzy score, twisty-turny plot, split-screens and scads of romantic banter between two attractive, well-tailored leads who never quite know whether or not one is hustling the other, “Duplicity” wants very much to catch the vibe of those romantic

No, it’s not any of those celebrities we’re told are stars. DiCaprio and George Clooney didn’t even make the top 10. Neither did Ashton Kutcher, Sean Penn, Brad Pitt, Seth Rogen, Matt Damon, Will Farrell, or Tom Cruise. Every year

Last week, Jim Cramer had to be asking himself, “Why me? Why now? Why did Pop Culture’s King Jester choose this point and time to turn me into a national joke for doing what I’ve been doing forever?” It’s been

11:15am PST – Alamo, The (1960) – Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie join the fight for Texas’ independence from Mexico. Cast: John Wayne, Richard Widmark, Laurence Harvey, Frankie Avalon Dir: John Wayne C-203 mins, TV-14 John Wayne felt it was

3:15pm PST – Hell is for Heroes (1962) – A small U.S. squadron holds off the Nazis in a desperate last stand. Cast: Steve McQueen, Bobby Darin, Fess Parker, Harry Guardino Dir: Don Siegel BW-90 mins, TV-PG No classic, but

There’s nothing better than a time travel flick that works, but it has to work – it has to hold together. The few months I spent doing script coverage some years ago, it felt like a time travel screenplay came

This* one lost me at “From the Writer-Director of ‘Michael Clayton,’” a film I found dreadfully dull and completely illogical. (Of course, Tilda Swinton’s intelligent, savvy high-powered lawyer would fall for the old taping-you-without-you-knowing-it trick — not everyone saw “Wall

It’s a little surprising to look back and realize I’ve been complaining whining pouting crying bitching moaning writing about the insidious effects of left-wing Hollywood on both our culture and the art form of film itself for a few years

Hosted and narrated by Newt and Callista Gingrich, “Ronald Reagan: Rendezvous With Destiny” looks at the life and varied careers of America’s 40th President and would make an excellent primer for anyone interested in what made the great man tick

[youtube s4XXydDEkG0 nolink] What to resent more? The fact that they’re raping my childhood or that they’re forcing me to use the term, “raping my childhood?” Here you have these larger-than-life, legendary characters to work with and what are they

There’s much to love about TCM’s Mighty Robert Osborne. His introduction to an evening’s film will frequently offer up an insight that makes a repeat viewing essential, and his summation after the fade is always a perfect capper. Osborne’s warm

10pm PST – Bridge On The River Kwai, The (1957) – The Japanese Army forces World War II POWs to build a strategic bridge in Burma. Cast: William Holden, Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, Sessue Hayakawa Dir: David Lean C-162 mins,

With “Brothers at War” set for release this Friday, over the course of the coming week Big Hollywood will feature a full review of the documentary along with an interview with the film’s creator, Jake Rademacher. I attended one of

In Christopher Nolan’s “Dark Knight” there’s a scene which plays out on separate ferry boats where a group of hardened prisoners and a group of everyday citizens are told they must blow the other up in order to survive. The

My wife and I argue about once a year. It comes from nowhere and starts for no reason. It’s a cleansing of sorts where we burst into a litany of long held grievances: You live in the bathroom! You leave

10:45am PST – Runaway, The (1961) – A priest and a dog help a young delinquent find a new lease on life. Cast: Cesar Romero, Nacho Galindo, Chick Chandler, St. Mike (A Greyhound) Dir: Claudio Guzman BW-85 mins, TV-G A

The story behind why some films get a DVD release and others don’t must help to make some sense of it all, but the format is into its second decade and if something doesn’t change soon regarding these five I

My buddy and fellow Big Hollywooder Christian Toto penned a “Top 5 Superhero Moments” over at his blog which has inspired my own. I only steal the best. Ask my wife’s first husband. — [youtube U83YzCXI22U nolink] 1. Superman (1978)

As a kid, I wanted to be James Bond. Sneaking into villainous volcano lairs in-between hayloft romps with the likes of Pussy Galore is very appealing to a twelve-year old … and a forty-two year old. For a lucky few,

This is somewhat anecdotal, but when you look at the Metacritic scores below it boosts my theory that truly awful leftist films frequently get better reviews than deserved while solid, entertaining conservative films (now that the left’s ceded “liberty” to

Years often passed between my catching his broadcast, but whenever I did the sound of Paul Harvey’s voice always took me back to the summers of ’81 and ’82 when I was around fourteen and living with my grandparents. They

Stunning figures: This year, only three big-budget movies have applied for permits to shoot in Los Angeles, according to Film LA, which issues them. That compares to 21 major feature films – meaning those with budgets higher than $80 million

There were two Hollywood-related moments that gladdened the heart over this past weekend. The first, obviously, was the glorious sight of the Oscar telecast end credits, the second was Kim Master’s “Slate” story reporting that Steven Spielberg’s long gestating passion

There are a billion Catholics in what Hollywood calls the worldwide market and today’s Ash Wednesday, one of most important holy days of the faith and the beginning of our Lenten season — and how many films have been produced

5pm PST – Dark Victory (1939) – A flighty heiress discovers inner strength when she develops a brain tumor. Cast: Bette Davis, George Brent, Humphrey Bogart, Geraldine Fitzgerald Dir: Edmund Goulding BW-104 mins, TV-PG Classic Bette Davis melodrama filled with

A 23.3 rating this year, compared to last year’s record low of 21.9. The headlines read, “Oscar Ratings on the Rise.” If George W. Bush ran the Academy they would read, “Oscar Viewership Barely Keeps Up With Annual Increase in

Big Hollywood was given an exclusive first look at John Ziegler’s latest documentary covering the media coverage of the 2008 presidential election. In journalistic terms it’s called a “tick-tock.” This is when the media crafts a news story that takes

5pm PST – Stage Door (1937) – Women at a theatrical boarding house try to make their big break happen. Cast: Katharine Hepburn, Ginger Rogers, Adolphe Menjou, Gail Patrick Dir: Gregory LaCava BW-92 mins, TV-G Because it conflicts with Big

This Sunday, February 22nd, starting around 4:30pm PST/ 7:30ET – please join Andrew Breitbart, Gary Graham, Iowahawk, Stage Right, Andrew Leigh, Robert Avrech, John Romano, Ernie Mannix and more… when The Big Hollywood Gang live-blogs the 81st annual Academy Awards.

7:30am PST – Battle Of Algiers, The (1965) – Algiers revolts against the French Foreign Legion. Cast: Jean Martin, Yacef Saadi, Brahim Haggiag, Tommaso Neri Dir: Gillo Pontecorvo BW-121 mins, TV-14 I’m embarrassed to admit I’ve never seen this. I

With the Academy Awards just a few days away, here’s a list – from best to worst — of the films nominated for best picture along with links to their Big Hollywood reviews. Last year when critics called 2007 a

National Review’s 25 Best Conservative Movies of the Last 25 Years did what all good lists do, ignite debate and discussion. Last week, NRO’s own Kathryn Jean Lopez jumped in to make a solid case in favor of “Rocky Balboa,”

Noon PST – Anatomy Of A Murder (1959) – A small-town lawyer gets the case of a lifetime when a military man avenges an attack on his wife. Cast: James Stewart, Lee Remick, Ben Gazzara, Arthur O’Connell Dir: Otto Preminger

In the Sunday L.A. Times, Reed Johnson examines the evolution of the portrayal of gay characters on film from 1941’s “The Maltese Falcon” to last year’s “Milk.” In his paragraph covering the gap between “Falcon” and 1980’s “Cruising,” Reed lets

9am PST – Boomerang (1947) – A prosecutor fights to prove the defendant in a scandalous murder case is innocent. Cast: Dana Andrews, Jane Wyatt, Lee J. Cobb, Cara Williams Dir: Elia Kazan BW-88 mins, TV-PG Here’s a treat for

2:30pm PST – Agony And The Ecstasy, The (1965) – Michelangelo fights censorship and an autocratic pope to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Cast: Charlton Heston, Rex Harrison, Diane Cilento, Harry Andrews Dir: Carol Reed C-134 mins, TV-PG