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In season five opener Memory Man, a naked man suffering from amnesia turns up on the island. He is well educated and when the Bureau recover his clothes they are very expensive and hand made. Jim persuades Charlie to put the man, now rechristened John Smythe, up for a few days but when Smythe begins […]

Bergerac: The Memory Man...

We've finally reached the time of the year when everyone dedicates an unnecessary amount of time to arguing over the same, cyclical topics ad nauseam — like whether or not "Die Hard" is a Christmas movie or what film deserves the biggest gift under the tree as the best Christmas movie of all time. Just as hotly debated is what constitutes the "worst" Christmas movie of all time, which is a lot harder to determine depending on what you deem "bad." One film that is frequently in the running for the dishonor is 1985's "Santa Claus: The Movie," directed by Jeannot Szwarc, who also gave us "Supergirl" and the equally polarizing "Jaws 2."

On paper, "Santa Claus: The Movie" has a lot going for it. It's about a man named Claus (David Huddleston) who delivers toys in his small village, eventually becoming Santa Claus after crossing paths with an elf toy-maker,...

Alvin Rakoff, the Canadian-born filmmaker who directed Laurence Olivier in A Voyage Round My Father, has died. He was 97.

His death was confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter by his longtime publicist, Nick Pourgourides. He passed away on Oct. 12 surrounded by family at home in Chiswick, a neighborhood in London.

Rakoff as a writer, director and producer of over 100 TV, film and stage productions, as well as novels, directed Olivier and co-stars Alan Bates and Jane Asher in the 1982 TV drama A Voyage Round My Father, a film written by John Mortimer and which earned the director his second Emmy Award.

Alvin and Olivier also worked together on Mr. Halpern and Mr. Johnson and A Talent for Murder, both shot in 1983. The two-time Emmy Award winner also gave a young Sean Connery his first leading role in the 1957 film Requiem for a Heavyweight, and Alan Rickman as a young actor was...

Alvin Rakoff, the veteran Canadian filmmaker best known for pics like the 1982 feature A Voyage Round My Father starring Laurence Olivier, died in Chiswick, London, October 12 surrounded by his family. He was 97.

Rakoff’s former personal agent confirmed the news with Deadline this morning.

Born on on February 6, 1927, in Toronto Rakoff was the third of seven children. After graduating from the University of Toronto with a psychology degree, Rakoff spent time as a news reporter. His first job as a writer was with the Canadian Broadcasting Company (CBC), which later sponsored Rakoff to visit the UK. Within days of arriving, he sold his first fiction script to the BBC. He was soon invited to join the BBC’s director’s training course and, the following year at the age of twenty-six, Rakoff became the youngest producer/director in the BBC drama department.

As Rakoff once recalled: “I trained at the BBC as a director-producer.

Canadian director, writer and producer Alvin Rakoff, best known for directing Laurence Olivier in “A Voyage Round My Father,” has died at the age of 97.

The cause of death was “old age,” his publicist told Variety. He died on Oct. 12 at home, surrounded by his family.

Over a career spanning more than four decades, which began when television was still only available in black-and-white, Rakoff was involved in over 100 television, film and stage productions as well as writing novels. According to his representatives, he was still working into his ’90s.

Rakoff was the third of seven children born to Sam and Pearl Rakoff in Toronto in 1927. His parents owned a dry goods shop but the director grew up in poverty after the Great Depression hit in 1929. He would later recount the experience in his novel “Baldwin Street.”

After seeing his first film in a theater at the age of 6, his...

Some movies from our childhood fail to live up to the size of their memory, but rarely, we rediscover an old movie we always knew was ugly and find it still ugly but also shocking or revelatory. Santa Claus: The Movie is one such secretly subtextual movie. The first act is sort of incredible, with ‘80s movie magic, including matte paintings of the North Pole, massive sets for the castle-like home of the elves, and reindeer puppets that still hold up to today’s effects. Acts two and three turn into a story about one of the elves who runs away, and it becomes Dudley Moore: The Movie.

Santa Claus Release Date October 29, 1985 Director Jeannot Szwarc Cast Dudley Moore , John Lithgow , David Huddleston , Burgess Meredith , Judy Cornwell , Jeffrey Kramer Rating PG Runtime 107 Main Genre Adventure See More-->

Watching Santa Claus: The Movie as an adult, you see a different movie.

Transport yourself to 1985, Shakin’ Stevens had the number one hit Merry Christmas Everyone, babycham and pina coladas were flowing, multi-coloured tinsel decorated every tree and the must have toys were Teddy Ruckspins, Cabbage Patch Dolls, Transformers, and Ataris.

It was a classic era for filmmaking, Back to the Future, Legend, The Breakfast Club, Beverly Hills Cop and of course The Goonies (“Hey You Guys!”). But one film that will forever be known as one of The Best Christmas Films Ever is of course, Santa Claus: The Movie (1985). It is a delightful blend of Christmas magic, 80s nostalgia, and standout performances from the dynamic duo of Dudley Moore and John Lithgow.HeyUGuys HQ got particularly excitable when we heard this classic was getting the 5 Star, 4K treatment and could not wait to get our hands on a copy. The remastered film is now available on 4K Uhd for the first time,...

"This year he Really Is coming to town!" Studiocanal UK has revealed a new trailer for Santa Claus: The Movie, to promote their 4K re-release. "We're delighted to announce that a magical new 4k restoration of the perennial Christmas Classic, Santa Claus: The Movie, from director Jeannot Szwarc will return to cinemas this festive period" starting in late November. The film originally opened in 1985 for the holidays and became a favorite worldwide, though more commonly in the UK than the US. It's not the same as The Santa Clause with Tim Allen, or many of the other animated classics. Santa Claus: The Movie stars David Huddleston as Santa, Dudley Moore, John Lithgow, Judy Cornwell, Jeffrey Kramer, and many others. The legend of Santa Claus is put in jeopardy when an unscrupulous toy manufacturer attempts to take over Christmas. This is definitely a good one to catch up with and show...

An admiring nod to ’60s dream siren Daliah Lavi! American-International leaps into an epic Jules Verne comedy about a trip to the moon, a good-looking but slow and unfunny farce that must squeak by on the goodwill of its cast of comedians. Burl Ives is excellent casting as P.T. Barnum, promoting a Greatest Show Off the Earth.

Blast-Off

Blu-ray

Olive Films

1967 / Color/ 2:35 widescreen / 119 99, 95 min. / Street Date March 21, 2017 / Those Fantastic Flying Fools; Jules Verne’s Rocket to the Moon / available through Olive Films / 29.95

Starring: Burl Ives, Terry-Thomas, Gert Fröbe, Lionel Jeffries, Troy Donahue, Daliah Lavi, Dennis Price, Hermione Gingold, Jimmy Clitheroe, Graham Stark, Edward de Souza, Judy Cornwell, Allan Cuthbertson, Sinéd Cusack, Maurice Denham.

Cinematography: Reginald H. Wyer

Film Editor: Ann Chegwidden

Original Music: John Scott

Written by Dave Freeman, Peter Welbeck (Harry Allan Towers) inspired by the writings of Jules Verne

Produced by Harry Allan Towers

Directed by Don Sharp...

Caroline Aherne and Judy Cornwell have offered messages of support to their TV co-star Geoffrey Hughes following his diagnosis with cancer. It was revealed yesterday that the Royle Family star had been rushed to hospital after his wife found him collapsed at their Isle of Wight home. In a message to Hughes, Royle Family creator and writer Aherne told The Mirror: "Geoffrey is a fighter. He has beaten this cancer before and I know he will beat it again. "I am thinking about Geoffrey at this very difficult time. He is a warm (more)...

EastEnders actress Cheryl Fergison has confirmed that she does not expect her screen mother to return to the soap any time soon. Viewers will see Fergison's character Heather Trott giving birth to a healthy baby boy on the Walford drama next week, but the child's mean-spirited grandmother Queenie (Judy Cornwell) will not be present to share the happy moment. Asked if fans can expect Queenie to be back in Albert Square after hearing the news, Fergison told Digital Spy: "Not as far as I know. Heather phones her up in the hospital explaining what's happened and basically she turns around and says that she can't believe Heather's had a baby and whoever got her pregnant must've been drunk as a skunk. "It's a total realisation for Heather that she doesn't have her mother any longer. I think that'll be one of the (more)...