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There is a distinct ’70s sheen to the Criterion Channel’s September lineup: a decades-spanning Robert Altman retrospective with everything from Nashville and The Long Goodbye to That Cold Day in the Park and The Company; a highlight of the decade’s best thrillers; and a Klute–Parallax–President Alan J. Pakula set all mark the month, while even “Nunsploitation” program primarily stems from the decade. Retrospectives are rounded out by a Jodie Foster retrospective that gives one chance to reconsider The Beaver.

Criterion Editions include Grey Gardens, The Wind Will Carry Us, Me and You and Everyone We Know, Sorcerer, Altman’s Tanner ’88, and Olivier Assayas’ Carlos, a film that would probably rank higher in estimations of his career were it more regularly streaming. Restorations of Undercurrent, Fresh Kill, and City of Ghosts make their debut, while you can say you watched The Crow (a new addition to ’90s Soundtracks) in a high-class way.

On Sunday 17 August 2025, BBC Four broadcasts Omnibus!

Frederick Delius Episode Summary

The upcoming episode of “Omnibus” titled “Frederick Delius” promises to be a captivating look into the life of the renowned composer. This film is based on Eric Fenby’s memoir, “Delius As I Knew Him,” which recounts the last years of Delius’s life. Fenby’s dedication to helping Delius, who was blind and paralyzed, is a central theme. He devoted five years to assist the composer in translating the music that Delius could still hear in his mind into written scores.

Viewers can expect a deeply moving narrative that explores themes of sacrifice and idealism. The film highlights the unique bond between Fenby and Delius, showcasing the challenges they faced together. It paints a portrait of a musical genius who, despite his physical limitations, continued to inspire those around him.

“Frederick Delius” is regarded as one of the...

“Frederick Delius” is set to air on BBC Four at 9:45 Pm on Sunday, August 17, 2025. This film is part of the “Omnibus” series and brings a touching story to life, based on Eric Fenby’s memoir, “Delius As I Knew Him.” The film captures the last years of the renowned composer Frederick Delius, focusing on his struggles with blindness and paralysis.

Fenby dedicated five years of his life to assist Delius, helping him transcribe the beautiful music that played in his mind. This collaboration showcases not only Delius’s musical genius but also the deep bond formed between the two men. The film is known for its emotional depth, highlighting themes of sacrifice and idealism.

“Frederick Delius” is often regarded as one of the finest biographical films made by Ken Russell for the BBC in the 1960s. It promises to be a moving experience, celebrating the power of music and the human spirit.

Has there ever been a more controversial year in cinema than 1971? It was the year that Ken Russell's "The Devils" caused outrage with its graphic sexuality and blasphemous imagery; elsewhere, Stanley Kubrick's "A Clockwork Orange" divided critics with its ugly violence upon making its debut in New York, while Ted Kotcheff's "Wake in Fright" turned stomachs with its grisly kangaroo hunt sequence. In the United States, the gloves were off after the Hays Code had given way to the more lenient MPAA ratings system in 1968, allowing filmmakers to explore challenging themes and show sex and violence in more explicit detail. Among the American movies that pushed these new boundaries were Don Siegel's "Dirty Harry" and Sam Peckinpah's "Straw Dogs," an intensely misanthropic psychodrama that became notorious for its depiction of sexual assault.

"Straw Dogs" was Peckinpah's first non-Western film, and it was an unusual hybrid,...

In Duster, an impossibly cool wheelman (Josh Holloway) and a rookie FBI agent (Rachel Hilson) join forces to take down a crime boss (Keith David) in 1970s Phoenix. If any of the creative forces behind the HBO series ever wondered if they were properly capturing the vibe of 1970s pulp, all they had to do was turn to cinematographer Paul Elliott for confirmation. Though born and raised in London, Elliott arrived in the States at the end of the 1970s and began working at Roger Corman’s New World Pictures as a camera assistant. He crossed paths with cult B-movie figures […]

The post “You Go to L.A. and Then You Start Working with Roger Corman”: Dp Paul Elliott on Duster, Ken Russell and Roger Deakins first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Director Guillermo del Toro’s noir thriller / Best Picture nominee Nightmare Alley (watch it Here) was released into the world in December of 2021, and a black and white version of the film, called Nightmare Alley: Vision in Darkness and Light, was released soon after. Both the color and b&w versions of the film had a running time of 150 minutes – but seven months ago, del Toro revealed that he was working on an extended cut of the black and white version. Now we know when we’re going to have the chance to see it, as Criterion has announced that they’ll be bringing the new black and white extended director’s cut of Nightmare Alley to 4K on October 28th! It’s available for pre-order at This Link.

Del Toro had this to say about the black and white version of Nightmare Alley when it was first released: “Although...

To call the Criterion Collection's October 2025 lineup anything less than masterful would be doing the films and the label a disservice. It's more like: wow! The official announcement is bookended by David Cronenberg: first, a 4K of A History of Violence, then, a Blu-ray of his latest, The Shrouds. The month will lead off, though, with David Lynch's Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me in 4K, which should only enhance the film's nightmarish qualities. From one classic to another, we step back to 1960 for Georges Franju's horrifying Eyes Without a Face, then race forward for Guillermo del Toro's Nightmare Alley, which is a remake in name only, going beyond the original. We can't forget Deep Crimson, from Arturo Ripstein, nor Ken Russell's Altered...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

The Criterion Collection‘s October line-up is stacked with genre heavy hitters: Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, Eyes Without a Face, The Shrouds, A History of Violence, Altered States, Deep Crimson, and Nightmare Alley.

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me will be released on 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray on October 7.

Serving a prequel to “Twin Peaks,” the 1992 psychological horror film is directed by David Lynch from a script he co-wrote with Robert Engels.

Director-approved special features:

4K digital restoration, with 7.1 surround DTS-hd Master Audio soundtrack, both supervised by director David Lynch Alternate original 2.0 surround DTS-hd Master Audio soundtrack One 4K Uhd disc of the film and one Blu-ray with the film and special features The Missing Pieces, ninety minutes of deleted and alternate takes from the film, assembled by Lynch Interview by Lynch with actors Sheryl Lee, Ray Wise, and Grace Zabriskie Interviews with Lee and composer Angelo Badalamenti...

True to the Halloween spirit, the Criterion Collection’s October lineup is fright-filled (and 4K-heavy to boot). Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me is getting a major upgrade alongside Eyes Without a Face, while David Cronenberg’s A History of Violence represents one of the more notable recent additions to their canon.

Finishing the reclamation of a Covid casualty, Guillermo del Toro’s Nightmare Alley will release in both its theatrical cut and black-and-white Vision in Darkness and Light edition. Ken Russell’s classic Altered States and Arturo Ripstein’s lesser-seen Deep Crimson round out the month.

See more at Criterion and the full lineup below:

The post The Criterion Collection’s October Lineup Includes Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, A History of Violence, and Nightmare Alley on 4K first appeared on The Film Stage.

The BFI are releasing Ken Russell's adaptation of the Dh Lawrence novel Women In Love, restored and in 4K. Alongside the film, the Uhd disc contains several hours of special features.

Throughout Women In Love, Russell make use of intricately detailed sets, often gorgeously cluttered. Whether these are interior or exterior they never overshadow the actors. The film is shot in a naturalistic way that accentuates the performances of the actors. There are no outlandish cinematic expressions. It's not that Ken Russell can't do the outlandish - watch The Devils or Altered States. He is framing the skill and subtlety of the cast. Being able to see Women In Love in 4K means that the viewer can experience the nuances of those performances in a way that has not been possible for most people since the first prints were shown in 1969. They all deserve to be seen, especially Glenda.

Kenneth Colley, the British actor who appeared in seven features for director Ken Russell and portrayed the Darth Vader underling Admiral Piett in the Star Wars films The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, has died. He was 87.

Colley died Monday at his Ashford home in Kent, England, of complications from Covid and pneumonia, his agent Julian Owen announced.

For Ken Russell, Colley played dramatist Modest Ilyich Tchaikovsky, younger brother of the famed composer, in The Music Lovers (1971), and he did six other features with the director: The Devils (1971), The Boy Friend (1971), Mahler (1974), Lisztomania (1975) — as Frédéric Chopin — The Rainbow (1989) and Prisoner of Honor (1991).

In a career that spanned more than 60 years, Colley also enjoyed a fruitful association with Monty Python and its members; he worked with director Terry Gilliam in Jabberwocky (1977) and with Michael Palin and Terry Jones on a 1977 episode of the BBC’s Ripping Yarns and...

It is hard to find an actor from the original Star Wars trilogy that did not become an icon of the franchise in their own way. As Admiral Piett, actor Kenneth Colley became instantly recognizable to millions of fans of George Lucas’ space opera, but also had a career outside the franchise. It was sadly reported today that the actor passed away peacefully at his home in Kent, U.K, on Monday at the age of 87 after developing pneumonia following a bout of Covid.

Colley played Admiral Piett, one of the imperial officers under the command of Darth Vader, in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. His Star Wars role also continued in 2012, almost 30 years after his last on-screen appearance, when he voiced a version of his character in Lego Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out. His other roles included playing Jesus in Monty Python’s The Life of Brian.

Kenneth Colley, who appeared in such films as “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back” and “Monty Python’s Life of Brian,” is dead at the age of 87, TheWrap has learned.

Colley’s agent, Julian Owen, said the actor contracted Covid after landing in the hospital for an arm injury. He then fell ill with pneumonia before he “passed away peacefully with friends at his bedside” on Monday.

“It is with great sadness to report that my client Kenneth Colley passed away Monday 30th June at around 5:30 p.m. in hospital in Ashford, Kent,” Owen said in a statement. “Ken Colley was one of our finest character actors with a career spanning 60 years. Ken continually worked on stage, film and television playing a vast array of characters, from Jesus in ‘Monty Python’s Life of Brian’ to evil and eccentric characters in Ken Russell films, and the Duke of Vienna in Shakespeare...

Star Warsand Monty Python's Life of Brian star Kenneth Colley has passed away at the age of 87.

Per Deadline, Colley passed away on June 30 at his home in Kent, England. According to the report, Colley passed following a battle with Covid, which led him to develop pneumonia. The beloved British actor's death was confirmed by his agent, Julian Owen, via a statement released to the BBC.

"Ken Colley was one of our finest character actors with a career spanning 60 years," Owens' statement read. "Ken continually worked on stage, film, and television playing a vast array of characters, from Jesus in Monty Python's Life of Brian to evil and eccentric characters in Ken Russell films, and the Duke of Vienna in Shakespeare's Measure for Measure for the BBC." The statement went on to note that "Ken's favourite part was playing Estragon in the stage production of Beckett’s classic Waiting for Godot...

Star Wars actor Kenneth Colley is dead at 87 after a health battle. On Monday, June 30, the actor behind Admiral Piett in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi died “peacefully with friends at his bedside” in Ashford, Kent, his agent, Julian Owen, said in a statement, per BBC. The actor contracted Covid-19 and pneumonia after he was hospitalized due to an injured arm. “Ken Colley was one of our finest character actors with a career spanning 60 years,” Owens said. He added, “Ken continually worked on stage, film and television playing a vast array of characters, from Jesus in Monty Python’s Life of Brian to evil and eccentric characters in Ken Russell films, and the Duke of Vienna in Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure for the BBC.” My condolences to Kenneth Colley’s friends and family ! Kenneth Colley, who played Admiral Piett in Esb and Rotj and enjoyed...

Kenneth Colley has sadly passed away.

The British actor, best known for playing Admiral Piett in the original Star Wars series and Jesus in Monty Python’s Life of Brian, died at the age of 87 on June 30 at his home in Kent, England, per his agent Julian Owen.

Kenneth passed away after contracting Covid and developing pneumonia, the agent said in a statement provided to the BBC, per Deadline.

Keep reading to find out more…

“Ken Colley was one of our finest character actors with a career spanning 60 years,” the agent said in a statement.

“Ken continually worked on stage, film, and television playing a vast array of characters, from Jesus in Monty Python’s Life of Brian to evil and eccentric characters in Ken Russell films, and the Duke of Vienna in Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure for the BBC.”

He had originally been admitted to hospital with an injured arm after a fall,...

Kenneth Colley, the revered British actor best known to Star Wars fans as the fan-favorite villain Admiral Piett, has died at the age of 87. The news was confirmed by his longtime agent Julian Owen via a statement, which noted that Colley had been admitted to the hospital after a fall injured his arm. While in care, he contracted Covid, which quickly developed into pneumonia and saw him lose his life, surrounded by friends, and peacefully. The full statement can be found below:

“He had been admitted after a fall with an injured arm, however he quickly contracted Covid which developed into pneumonia. He passed away peacefully with friends at his bedside. Ken Colley was one of our finest character actors with a career spanning 60 years. Ken continually worked on stage, film and television playing a vast array of characters, from Jesus in Monty Python’s Life of Brian to evil...

Kenneth Colley, the British actor who played Admiral Piett in the original Star Wars series and Jesus in Monty Python’s Life of Brian, died June 30 at his home in Kent, England, after contracting Covid and developing pneumonia. He was 87.

His death was announced by his agent Julian Owen in a statement first reported on by the BBC.

“Ken Colley was one of our finest character actors with a career spanning 60 years,” Owens said in the statement.

“Ken continually worked on stage, film, and television playing a vast array of characters, from Jesus in Monty Python’s Life of Brian to evil and eccentric characters in Ken Russell films, and the Duke of Vienna in Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure for the BBC.”

The BBC reported that Colley had originally been admitted to hospital with an injured arm after a fall, but quickly contracted Covid, which developed into pneumonia.

Colley reprised the...

Star Wars icon Kenneth Colley has died aged 87.The late actor - who is best known for playing Admiral Piett in George Lucas’ sci-fi franchise - “peacefully” passed away on Monday (30.06.25) in Ashford, Kent, after contracting Covid and pneumonia, his agent Julian Owen has confirmed.In a statement, Owen said: “He had been admitted after a fall with an injured arm, however he quickly contracted Covid which developed into pneumonia. He passed away peacefully with friends at his bedside.“Ken Colley was one of our finest character actors with a career spanning 60 years.“Ken continually worked on stage, film and television playing a vast array of characters, from Jesus in Monty Python's Life of Brian to evil and eccentric characters in Ken Russell films, and the Duke of Vienna in Shakespeare's Measure for Measure for the BBC.”Colley appeared in 1980’s Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back as Admiral Piett,...

There’s no denying the power of a good exorcism film. Whether or not you subscribe to the teachings of the Catholic Church, there’s something uniquely terrifying about a horror film starring the devil himself or a villain unbound by the laws of corporeal life. Exorcism films invite us to suspend our disbelief and question the spiritual safety we take for granted. After all, demons could be lurking everywhere and there’s little to stop them from possessing our souls. Even more frightening, many claim to be based on actual events, adding authenticity to genuine terror.

David Midell’s bases his new film The Ritual on the most extensively documented exorcism in US history: the tragic case of Emma Schmidt (Abigail Cowen). Also known as Anna Ecklund, Schmidt suffered for decades under demonic oppression before her body was purged by the holy rite. Despite the reassurance of Father Theophilus...

Over 30 leading experts in the genre film industry accepted the invite to help put together Dread Central’s list of Best Genre Film Festivals & Programs in 2025/2026: visionary festival programmers, influential studio executives, genre-savvy distributors, seasoned sales executives, respected journalists/critics, and acclaimed filmmakers.

In alphabetical order of their last names, here they are with their professional achievements summarized in short bios: Emily Bennett

Writer/Director Emily Bennett is an Academy-recognized screenwriter and Fangoria Chainsaw Award-winning director. Her films Alone With You, Accidental Stars, Lvrs, and Bed have screened at festivals such as Sitges, Fantastic Fest, Brooklyn Horror, Telluride Horror, Bifan, and Fantasia. Her screenplay, Ache, placed quarter finalist in the Academy Nicholl Fellowship (2020).

In 2023, Bennett won a Fangoria Chainsaw Award for her debut feature film Alone With You, which she co-directed with husband and Dp Justin Brooks. Her second feature film, Blood Shine, is currently in post and stars Bennett,...

Following a rather long stint on his Avatar films, James Cameron will be picking up the reins on Joe Abercrombie’s fantasy novel, The Devils.

Although it may seem like James Cameron has been working on his Avatar films and only his Avatar films for many years now, we have seen inklings here or there that the veteran filmmaker may yet be coaxed from the world of Pandora and back into other realms, imaginary or otherwise.

In autumn of last year he announced that he’d secured the rights to Charles Pellegrino’s 2015 book Last Train From Hiroshima, adding that he’d also snapped up the rights to the author’s forthcoming follow-up, Ghosts Of Hiroshima and planned to adapt the novels into an ‘“uncompromising theatrical film.”

Pellegrino’s book covers the devastating effects of the atomic bomb, from its detonation on the 6th August 1945 to the suffering left behind in its wake.

Billy Williams, the British cinematographer celebrated for his Oscar-winning work on Gandhi and his evocative imagery in On Golden Pond, passed away on May 21, 2025, at the age of 96. It is with deepest sadness that the British Society of Cinematographers announced the loss of “our friend, member and former President” Billy Williams Bsc, whose pioneering spirit shaped generations of image-makers.

Williams began his career apprenticed to his father before serving as a photographer in the Royal Air Force, then joined British Transport Films, where he honed a documentary eye for light and movement. His first feature credit came in 1965, and by 1967 he was director of photography on Ken Russell’s Billion Dollar Brain. He earned his first Oscar nomination for Women in Love (1969) and won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography for Gandhi (1982), a distinction he shared with Ronnie Taylor.

Colleagues recall Williams’s insistence on live musical performances and natural...

Billy Williams, the esteemed British cinematographer who shared an Oscar for shooting Gandhi and also was nominated for his work on the Glenda Jackson-starring Women in Love and Henry Fonda’s final film, On Golden Pond, has died. He was 96.

Williams’ death was announced in British Cinematographer magazine. No details on the cause of death were provided.

“With deep sorrow, we bid farewell to Billy Williams — an outstanding British cinematographer, laureate of the ‘Golden Frog’ for exceptional achievements in the art of cinematography at the Camerimage Festival in 2000,” tweeted the official X account of Camerimage, the Poland-based film festival dedicated to cinematography.

Williams also served as the director of photography on John Milius’ The Wind and the Lion (1975), Stuart Rosenberg’s Voyage of the Damned (1976), Martin Brest’s Going in Style (1979) and Peter Yates’ Suspect (1987).

The London native received an early career break when he was hired for Ken Russell...

Douglas E. Turner, the British rerecording mixer who worked with John Boorman on Deliverance and four other films and with David Lynch on The Elephant Man, has died. He was 93.

Turner died May 5 at his home in Agua Dulce, California, his wife of 37 years, retired sound editor Justine Turner (Dances With Wolves, Field of Dreams), told The Hollywood Reporter.

His rerecording career spanned 36 years, which included 19 at De Lane Lea Studios in London.

Turner worked on Fox’s The X-Files for two seasons (1995-97) and received an Emmy in 1996 for mixing “Nisei,” a third-season episode. He also was nominated in 1989 for the NBC telefilm The Hijacking of the Achille Lauro and in 1990 for the CBS telefilm Caroline?

Plus, he mixed an Oscar-winning short film, an animated version of Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea that was released in 1999.

After the Oscar best picture nominee Deliverance (1972), Turner and Boorman...

it is the first of the month and we always find out what our friends at Screambox have in store for their subscribers.    In May we will get films from genre icons like Ken Russell, Maro Bava and Larry Cohen. Also, keep an eye out for The Devil's Rain, which stars William Shatner, Ernest Borgnine, Tom Skerrit, John Travolta and Church of Satan founder Anton Lavey. That's a wacky lineup worth the price of admission alone.    Screambox has revealed the new films that are joining the horror streaming service in May.   Oscar winner Ken Russell (Devils) tells the tale of the drug-fueled night that inspired Mary Shelley to write Frankenstein in Gothic. Gabriel Byrne (Hereditary), Julian Sands (Warlock), Natasha Richardson (The Parent...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

Screambox has revealed the new films that are joining the Bloody Disgusting-powered horror streaming service in May.

Oscar winner Ken Russell (Devils) explores the drug-fueled night that inspired Mary Shelley to write Frankenstein in Gothic. Gabriel Byrne (Hereditary), Julian Sands (Warlock), Natasha Richardson (The Parent Trap), and Timothy Spall (Harry Potter) star.

From Italian horror maverick Mario Bava (Black Sunday) comes Kill, Baby… Kill. A small village is haunted by the ghost of a murderous young girl in the sumptuous Gothic chiller, which is said to have influenced Dario Argento’s Suspiria.

Heaven help those caught in The Devil’s Rain. The ’70s supernatural horror ensemble includes William Shatner (Star Trek), Ernest Borgnine (Escape from New York), Tom Skerritt (Alien), Church of Satan founder Anton Lavey, and John Travolta in his film debut.

Other May highlights include: The Stuff director Larry Cohen‘s genre-defying God Told Me To; acclaimed psychological nightmare...

Midnight Pulp has revealed the new films that are joining the cult streaming service in May.

Horror highlights include: Mario Bava‘s gothic chiller Kill, Baby… Kill!; acclaimed psychological nightmare Repulsion; Ken Russell‘s Gothic, a retelling of the drug-fueled night that inspired Mary Shelley to write Frankenstein; and The Coffee Table, about which Stephen King said, “My guess is you have never, not once in your whole life, seen a movie as black as this one.”

There’s also ’60s sci-fi horror Queen of Blood with Dennis Hopper; Bigfoot hidden gem Creature from Black Lake; horror anthology Trapped Ashes featuring segments by Joe Dante (Gremlins) and Sean S. Cunningham (Friday the 13th); supernatural horror To the Devil a Daughter with Christopher Lee; Larry Cohen’s genre-defying God Told Me To; and the irresistibly titled Kaiju Glam Metal Shark Attack.

Here’s the full line-up:

May 2: Return of Street Fighter,...

Fandor has revealed the new films that are joining the artfully entertaining streaming service in May.

This month includes Dario Argento‘s influential directorial debut The Bird with the Crystal Plumage along with a several other stylish giallo murder-mysteries, like Footprints, Night of the Scorpion, Libido, and Sonno Profondo, plus the documentary All the Colors of Giallo.

Other highlights include: Mario Bava‘s Gothic chiller Kill, Baby… Kill!; Ken Russell‘s Gothic, a retelling of the drug-fueled night that inspired Mary Shelley to write Frankenstein; ’60s sci-fi horror Queen of Blood with Dennis Hopper; and horror anthology Trapped Ashes featuring segments by Joe Dante (Gremlins) and Sean S. Cunningham (Friday the 13th).

Here’s the full line-up:

May 2: The Tree, The Mayor and the Mediatheque, 1982, Quackser Fortune Has A Cousin In The Bronx, Lie With Me, Labyrinth of Cinema, All the Colors of Giallo, Sonno Profondo, Trapped Ashes

May 9: Footprints,...

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The most frequent fact cited about Ron Howard's 1985 sci-fi film "Cocoon" is that star Wilford Brimley was only 50 years old when he appeared in it. One might have heard the statistic that Tom Cruise was the same age when he made "Jack Reacher" and "Oblivion." This was said to be notable because Brimley plays an aged retiree in "Cocoon," and his advanced age is part of the film's plot, while Cruise was still leading action franchises. Many young people can't wrap their heads around the fact that two 50-year-old men should look so different in age. 

Another fun fact: Did you know that pretty much only people around Wilford Brimley's age in "Cocoon" remember the movie "Cocoon?" Ron Howard's film was a notable hit at the time, making over $85 million on a $17 million budget (those numbers translate to $252 million...

Roger Daltrey, lead singer for The Who, shared unfortunate medical news with a crowd of fans in London over the weekend.

The Who, which includes singer Daltrey and singer-guitarist Pete Townsend, was formed in 1964 alongside former members drummer Keith Moon, who died at 32 in 1978, and bassist John Entwistle, who died at 57 in 2002. Daltrey and Townsend have continued to tour as The Who over the years, performing the band’s classic songs such as “I Can See For Miles” and “Pinball Wizard.”

Last month, Townsend made headlines when he spoke about his past relationships with men.

While playing a show at the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday, Daltrey, 81, told the crowd, “The joys of getting old mean you go deaf; I also now have got the joy of going blind. Fortunately, I still have my voice because then I’ll have a full Tommy.”

Daltrey was referencing The Who’s iconic...

Handsome leading man Richard Chamberlain, who came to prominence in the 1960s medical series “Dr. Kildare” and then became king of the miniseries with such ratings blockbusters as “Shogun” and “The Thorn Birds,” has died. He was 90.

Chamberlain’s death was confirmed to Variety by publicist Harlan Boll. The actor died Saturday, March 29 in Waimanalo, Hawai’i, of complications following a stroke, according to Boll.

“Our beloved Richard is with the angels now,” Martin Rabbett, Chamberlain’s longtime partner, said in a statement. “He is free and soaring to those loved ones before us. How blessed were we to have known such an amazing and loving soul. Love never dies. And our love is under his wings lifting him to his next great adventure.”

Chamberlain’s All-American matinee idol looks stood in the way of his acting career at times until he proved himself onstage in a highly lauded production...

William Hurt died on March 13, 2022, at age 71, just a week short of his 72nd birthday. The Oscar-winning actor starred in a variety of movies over the last four decades, but how many of those titles remain classics? Let's take a look back at 15 of his greatest films, ranked worst to best.

Born in 1950, Hurt made his movie debut with a starring role in Ken Russell's psychedelic thriller "Altered States" (1980), quickly followed by Lawrence Kasdan's classic neo-noir "Body Heat" (1981). He won the Oscar as Best Actor just four years later for Hector Babenco's "Kiss of the Spider Woman" (1985), playing a transgender inmate at a South American prison who forms a bond with his cellmate (Raul Julia), a political prisoner. The role brought him additional prizes at BAFTA and the Cannes Film Festival.

Hurt followed up his Oscar victory with two more consecutive Best Actor bids: first for Randa...

The Last Sacrifice

On Valentine’s Day in 1945, an elderly man was found by a hedgerow in a quiet Cotswolds village. He had been murdered in a bizarre, ritualistic fashion. The crime, which was never solved, led to one mystery after another, and had a tremendous influence on British culture. Rupert Russell’s latest documentary, which is screening as part of the Frightfest strand at the 2025 Glasgow Film Festival, explores the stories surrounding the killing itself and examines its impact at a pivotal moment in the island’s history.

With a background in sociology, Rupert, who is the son of Ken Russell, has spent most of his career in film working on political documentaries. When we connected, shortly before the festival, I asked if he sees this as a different way of looking at politics.

“It's interesting,” he says. “I'd say politics isn't quite the right word, but it's a more explicit analysis.

John Lilly and the Earth Coincidence Control Office.John C. Lilly may not have the name recognition of certain other twentieth-century scientists, but aspects of his work in neurophysiology and psychedelic psychiatry continue to reverberate throughout popular culture. His pioneering studies in the field of cetacean neurobiology during the 1950s and ’60s were the basis of Mike Nichols’s Day of the Dolphin (1973). He may be best known for inventing the sensory deprivation tank, the inspiration for Ken Russell’s vivid Altered States (1980). The latter film in particular grapples with Lilly’s late-career scientific standing, which was marred by his appetite for psychedelic substances and New Age mysticism.Composed of material found in Stanford University’s archives, talking-head interviews, and previously unseen footage preserved by Lilly’s late son, John Lilly and the Earth Coincidence Control Office (2025) presents a nuanced portrait of this controversial scientific figure. Codirectors Courtney Stephens and...

Half a century on from the sublimely ridiculous Tommy, the passionate abandon that distinguished Russell’s films – from composer biopics to the infamous The Devils, among other bonkers oddities – is needed now more than ever

This month marks the 50th anniversary of the release of one of the most important and groundbreaking pop movies of all time: Ken Russell’s psychedelic screen adaptation of the Who’s rock opera Tommy (1975). Marketed with the eye-catching tag lines “Your senses will never be the same” and “He will tear your soul apart”, the film starred Roger Daltrey as the traumatised kid who becomes a Pinball Wizard and (more importantly) a cult messiah.

Blending themes to which Russell would return throughout his career (the transformative power of music; the alchemical madness of genius; the dark power of false religion), Tommy was a typically wild ride that swung between the sublime and the ridiculous.

The first time I came across the name John C. Lilly I was––rather fittingly, for reasons that will become clearer in a minute––not exactly sober. Late in the night or early in the morning, back from a housewarming party, my YouTube algorithm fed me a video concerned with an American scientist who’d spent his career trying to communicate with dolphins, a lifelong obsession that saw him, among several unbelievable feats, flood his beachside mansion into a pool, elect a few cetaceans as roommates, and watch as one of them became sexually fixated on his research partner. I suppose there must be other portraits of the man circulating in some dark corners of the web, but what sets apart Michael Almereyda and Courtney Stephens’s John Lilly and the Earth Coincidence Control Office is that the professor isn’t the documentary’s only focus. Lilly’s experiments on...

It was in 1816 that the science-fiction masterpiece Frankenstein was conceived. However, author Mary Shelley’s fateful holiday wasn’tall ghost stories and fruitful writing sessions. It was screenwriter Stephen Volk who peeled back the carefully curated layers of history to reveal the brash side of the iconic novel’s genesis in Gothic. The feverish screenplay focused on the factors that influenced Mary’s writing, namely a relationship so often explored by gothic literature: sex and death. Promising fright and seduction, who better than British director Ken Russell to helm the genre feature? With an oeuvre defined by his flamboyant, challenging style, and hypersexual, psychedelic storytelling, it was a match made in hell. Gothic leans into its namesake, combining madness and lust into a uniquely disturbing historical horror.

Actor and comedian Brian Murphy, best known for his iconic roles in groundbreaking sitcoms “Man About the House” and “George and Mildred,” passed away Sunday at his home in Kent, England. He was 92.

Murphy’s agent, Thomas Bowington, confirmed his death, noting that the actor died peacefully with his wife, actress Linda Regan, by his side. “Brian was a truly joyful and profoundly good-hearted man,” Bowington said.

A veteran of British entertainment, Murphy’s career spanned over seven decades. He began in the 1950s with Joan Littlewood’s Theatre Workshop, where he helped transform British theater and make it more accessible to wider audiences. His early stage work included Shakespearean productions and a memorable role in “Oh, What a Lovely War!”

Television brought Murphy his greatest recognition. After appearing in classic British series like “The Avengers” and “Z-Cars,” he found breakthrough success in 1973 with “Man About the House.” The sitcom,...

Brian Murphy, star of 1970s UK sitcoms Man About the House and George and Mildred, has died aged 92.

His wife, Hi-De-Hi! actress and crime writer Linda Regan, posted a message on social media with a picture of the two that read, “My love for you will never die. Rip sweetheart”.

He passed away at his home in Kent in England on Sunday morning with Regan by his side, according to his agent, Thomas Bowington of Bowington Management.

“It is with the greatest of sadness that we have to announce the death of our client actor Brian Murphy,” Bowington said today. “It is almost impossible to describe the depth of his talent and humanity. A truly joyful and profoundly good hearted man.”

Through Bowington, Regan added: “I was lucky to have in my lifetime found my soulmate — Brian who I will love forever.”

An actor and comedian by trade, Murphy was...

Have you seen the Walt Disney-directed animated short "The Skeleton Dance?" A part of Disney's "Silly Symphony" series, the short revolves around four human skeletons dancing merrily in a graveyard, imitating the allegorical Dance of Death (also known as danse macabre). It isn't particularly spooky, but it is a fun, whimsical piece of animation that is still regarded with a sense of nostalgic fondness. However, this 1930 short was not always viewed through such a benign lens. Indeed, "The Skeleton Dance" was banned in Denmark upon its original release, with its subject matter being deemed too ... macabre. This moral stance to justify censorship might seem a bit silly in hindsight, as animated skeletons using bones as a xylophone hardly make for an unsettling premise. Well, in vaguely related news, the short entered the U.S. public domain on January 1, 2025, so you can now enjoy these fine skeletal gentlemen having a gala time to your heart's content.

Film director and producer who worked with Salvador Dalí and the Pet Shop Boys

The Spanish surrealist painter Salvador Dalí refused to cooperate with anyone wanting to make a film about him – until 1965, when he was finally persuaded to agree by the British director Jack Bond. Like Dalí, Bond, who has died of a stroke aged 87, brought an idiosyncratic style to his work. He was sometimes likened to Ken Russell, another a graduate of BBC arts documentaries, for his wild imagination.

Invited to tea with Dalí at the St Regis hotel in New York, the artist’s winter home, Bond was asked why he wanted to make a film. “My intention would have been to mentally take an electric drill and get inside your head to destroy you and your subconscious and your ego once and for all,” he replied. Dalí’s manager dropped the teapot, but Dalí said: “We will make a film,...

Heretic has many highlights, but Hugh Grant is one of the best things about the horror movie. His performance as the antagonist, Mr. Reed, is very memorable. Even as a villain, Grant's character is vulnerable, flawed, charismatic and clever. He pushes the boundaries just enough to make the sisters feel uncomfortable, but he apologizes just enough to make it seem that he made genuine mistakes. Something is off with Mr. Reed, but that's true for most people. Between the innocent Sister Paxton, who advocates religion with too much enthusiasm, and Sister Barnes, who is too clever for her own good, Mr. Reed stands out as a more relatable character.

This is hardly the first time Grant has charmed viewers away from the protagonist, and he certainly stole the whole show from his co-stars in the 36-year-old movie titled The Lair of the White Worm. Young Grant starred in this forgotten...

Peter and Bobby Farrelly's 2005 romantic comedy "Fever Pitch," based on the Nick Hornby novel, was about the relationship travails of a level-headed businesswoman named Lindsey (Drew Barrymore) as she attempted to date a funny and charming schoolteacher named Ben (Jimmy Fallon). Ben admits early in their courtship that he is a fan of the Boston Red Sox. Nay, not just a fan, but an embarrassingly devoted superfan who attends all their games. Lindsey doesn't know much about baseball, and she has to accept that, if she wants to keep seeing Ben, she'll have to attend many, many baseball games with him. She'll also have to follow his emotional ups and downs as his favorite team wins or loses.

Curiously, Hornby's original book wasn't about a baseball team, but Arsenal, an English football club. The title "Fever Pitch" makes more sense with baseball.

"Fever Pitch" was fine, and nothing more.

Bridget Fonda is the daughter of Peter Fonda, the granddaughter of Henry Fonda, and the niece of Jane Fonda, so it only seemed natural that she would become an actor. She started appearing on stage as a girl and appeared in "Easy Rider" with her father when she was only five years old.

Fonda would go on to study method acting at the famed Lee Strassberg Theater. She started appearing in films only two years after graduating at NYU. Acting was in her blood and it seemed like she never considered doing anything else. From 1988 to 2002, Fonda appeared in dozens of high-profile Hollywood films, and was nominated for two Golden Globes and an Emmy. She retired unexpectedly in 2002 and hasn't been seen on screen since. Throughout the 1990s, however, Fonda was something of a cinematic "It" girl, appearing in raucous comedies, dramatic indies, intense crime films, and a few of Sam Raimi's productions.

After the opening credits, a stark blue screen appears to the sounds of bell chimes. The film is called Blue, and the image on-screen will not change for the duration of the film. Derek Jarman was a British filmmaker who pushed boundaries not just with his avant-garde films, but also for his outspoken voice as a gay man in the 20th century. Jarman was one of the strongest LGBT+ activists to come out of the 20th century film industry. He was a prolific filmmaker, painter, gardener, and he even did the set design for Ken Russell's controversial cult classic horror film The Devils. Blue is Jarman's final film, and a deeply personal one at that. The experimental film chronicles Jarman's fight with AIDS virus, which he had been diagnosed with in the mid '80s. Sadly, Jarman passed away from an AIDS related illness less than a year after finishing the film,...

The A24 horror film Heretic, from the writing and directing duo of Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, received a wide theatrical release last week, and so far has made about $16 million at the global box office. The budget came in under $10 million, so it’s doing okay – and Beck and Woods have ideas for follow-up films that wouldn’t be direct sequels, but “spiritual sequels.”

Hugh Grant – whose credits include Notting Hill, Love Actually, Wonka, and Unfrosted – stars in Heretic, which has the following synopsis: Two young missionaries are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed (Grant), becoming ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse. Grant is joined in the cast of Heretic by Chloe East (The Fabelmans) and Sophie Thatcher (Yellowjackets) as the missionaries. (You can watch our interviews with them Here.) Grant hasn’t done much horror in his career,...

Hugh Grant surprised everyone when he appeared in trailers for the horror movie Heretic, since he's most famous for playing endearingly goofy romantic leads. Even when he's played villains, they've been in straight dramas or lighter fare like Paddington 2. Heretic is the first time Grant's played an actual horror villain, and now that it's widely available in theaters, critics and audiences are both praising his chilling performance as more than worth the price of admission. But even more surprisingly, Heretic isn't Hugh Grant's first horror movie: that honor goes to Ken Russell's The Lair of the White Worm.

Related Images invites readers behind the scenes and into the sketchbooks of working filmmakers to learn more about their creative processes.Elizabeth Sankey’s Witches is now showing exclusively on Mubi.Witches.Title cards are an underappreciated art and a powerful tool for every director. They can punctuate a moment, make it more comic, shocking, or beautiful. They can hold your hand and lead you sweetly down the garden path of the story you’re about to experience, or they can undermine your expectations and throw you for a loop. Even their placement in the runtime can have a huge impact. In the black-metal revenge thriller Mandy (2018) Panos Cosmatos waits 75 minutes before abruptly kicking his title card onto the screen. Conversely Luca Guadagnino places the card for Call Me by Your Name (2017) at the end of the film to enhance Elio’s heartbreaking stare into the fire, intensifying his crushing...

The A24 horror film Heretic, which is coming our way from the writing and directing duo of Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, has received a wide theatrical release as of today. JoBlo’s own Chris Bumbray enjoyed the film, giving it a 7/10 review you can read at This Link (or you can watch the video version embedded above), and now we want to know: what do you think about Heretic?

Hugh Grant – whose credits include Notting Hill, Love Actually, Wonka, and Unfrosted – stars in Heretic, which has the following synopsis: Two young missionaries are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed (Grant), becoming ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse.

Grant has previously said that he finds villain roles to be “more fun” to play, so it should be very interesting to watch him take on a...