News

Joss Ackland Photo: UniFrance Stage, screen and television star Joss Ackland has died at the age of 95.

A statement said that the star, whose credits include everything from Watership Down to A Zed & Two Noughts and Bill And Ted's Bogus Journey, died peacefully.

It added: “With his distinctive voice and commanding presence, Ackland brought a unique intensity and gravitas to his roles.”

“He will be remembered as one of Britain’s most talented and beloved actors.”

The London-born star began his film career in 1950 in Seven Days To Noon and work right up until recent years.

Among those paying tribute on social media was singer Elaine Paige.

She tweeted: "So very sad to hear actor Joss Ackland, who created the role of Juan Perón alongside me as Eva Perón in [the] original production of Evita, has died. A brilliant actor and a simply wonderful person. So kind & supportive. Rip dear Joss.

Joss Ackland, a veteran character actor known for his work on stage as well as screens big and small, has died. Ackland was 95 and familiar to film fans for the likes of Lethal Weapon 2, Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey, The Hunt For Red October. "It is with great sadness that I can confirm the passing of my great friend and long-term client Joss Ackland," :a[the actor's manager Paul Pearson told The Wrap]{href='https://www.thewrap.com/joss-ackland-lethal-weapon-2-actor-dies-at-95/' }. "He died of old age this morning with his family around. He was lucid, erudite, and mischievous to the end. I loved him deeply and for me, he is the reason we have the word magnificent in the dictionary."

Ackland was born in Ladbroke Grove, London on 29 February 1928. He studied at the Central School of Speech and Drama and made his stage debut at the age of 17 in a production of The Hasty Heart.

British actor Joss Ackland, known for his distinctive voice and commanding presence, has passed away at the age of 95. He will be remembered as one of Britain's most talented and beloved actors. Ackland's remarkable career spanned several decades, during which he showcased his versatility in films, television, and stage. He received a Cbe in 2001 for his contributions to the entertainment industry. Tributes from colleagues and fans poured in, honoring Ackland's memorable performances and the impact he had on the acting community. He will be deeply missed, leaving behind a legacy that spans generations.

When it comes to actors with an ability to command a scene, British actor Joss Ackland was one of the best. It was sadly announced today that the Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey, White Mischief and The Mighty Ducks actor has passed away at the age of 95. The family statement (per BBC) revealed that the actor...

Joss Ackland, a longtime stage and screen actor best known for his roles in “Lethal Weapon 2” and “White Mischief,” has died at age 95.

Ackland, who amassed more than 130 credits, also enjoyed parts in films such as “Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey,” “The Hunt for Red October” and the TV movie “Shadowlands.” His death was confirmed in a statement by his family. They said, “With his distinctive voice and commanding presence, Ackland brought a unique intensity and gravitas to his roles.”

“He will be remembered as one of Britain’s most talented and beloved actors.”

Ackland’s manager Paul Pearson told TheWrap, “It is with great sadness that I can confirm the passing of my great friend and long-term client Joss Ackland. He died of old age this morning with his family around. He was lucid, erudite, and mischievous to the end.”

“I loved him deeply and for me, he...

Ever since movies began, filmmakers have depicted the end of the world of the world on screen whether it be from floods, asteroids, comets, alien invasion and even Zombies. But cinema went nuclear after the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August, 1945. The arrival of the nuclear age heralded the introduction of a new sub-genre: destruction by atomic bomb. And with the release July 21 of Christopher Nolan’s lauded “Oppenheimer,” which domestically earned some $70 million in its opening weekend, let’s look at some of the vintage flicks of the genre.

Nuclear destruction of London is stopped at the last moment in the taut 1950 British film “Seven Days to Noon,” directed by John and Roy Boulting and winners of the original story Oscar, stars veteran character actor Barry Jones as a brilliant scientist working at an atomic research center in London who steals an A-bomb that...

It’s sometimes fun to wonder if the reason February is the shortest month of the year is because folks want to get on to March as soon as possible. This month’s cold, damp, and often a 28-day excuse to stay inside. Even so, that doesn’t mean you have to be bored doing so!

Indeed, for those inclined to stay home but not interested in watching the Winter Olympics, Netflix has refilled its library with a variety of films. Admittedly, many of these lean on the action or broad comedy side, with romantic offerings being surprisingly slim for the month of Valentine’s Day, but if you’re in the mood for a cape or cowl, a terrifying chiller or something that will make you a giggler, then we have a list of solid offerings down below.

Batman Begins (2005)

February 1

It’s kind of strange to think that...

Hello, everyone! We have a brand new assortment of horror and sci-fi headed home this week, and there are plenty of offerings that should undoubtedly make for great additions to your Halloween season viewing plans. Universal is showing some love to a trio of classics, as it is set to release John Carpenter’s The Thing as well as Rear Window and Vertigo from Alfred Hitchcock all on 4K Ultra HD today. Kino Lorber has put together new Blu-ray presentations for both The Tomb of Ligeia and Theatre of Blood, and if you’re looking to catch up with some newer horror, both Great White and Slaxx arrive today courtesy of Rlje Films.

Other Blu-ray and DVD releases for September 7th include Lawnmower Man 2: Jobe’s War, Hellbox, Witches of Blackwood, Skinwalker, and War of the God Monsters.

Great White

A blissful tourist trip turns into a nightmare for five...

“Nuclear Nightmare”

By Raymond Benson

It was a surprise to discover this engaging, tightly-written and directed thriller—released in 1950!—about a possible nuclear nightmare taking place in London. In fact, the film was awarded the Oscar for Best Story (back when that category still existed). The writers were Paul Dehn and James Bernard.

The Boulting Brothers (identical twins!) were a sort of British Coen Brothers at the time, having made numerous quality movies from the late 1930s to the 1970s, usually directing separately. Seven Days to Noon is the only picture on which both brothers are credited as directors.

While the tale is fiction (and based on a novel), it plays as if it’s a true story. A brilliant nuclear physicist, Professor Willingdon (Barry Jones) has written a letter to the Prime Minister, saying that he’s stolen one of the suitcase-sized nuclear bombs from the British weapons development facility,...

Is this movie ground zero for Atom-fear science fiction? The Boulting Brothers assemble the very first movie about a nuclear terror plot, without cutting corners or wimping out. The incredibly dry, civilized André Morell must track down a rogue scientist who threatens to nuke London; the entire city must be evacuated. Barry Jones is the meek boffin with a bomb in his satchel. The impressively produced thriller won an Oscar for Best Story; it’s practically a template for the ‘docu-real’ approach of the first Quatermass films. It’s also the link between ordinary postwar thriller intrigues and the high-powered, science fiction- styled terrors to come.

Seven Days to Noon

Blu-ray

Kl Studio Classics

1950 / B&w / 1:37 flat Academy / 97 min. / Street Date November 5, 2019 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95

Starring: Barry Jones, Olive Sloane, André Morell, Sheila Manahan, Hugh Cross, Joan Hickson, Ronald Adam, Marie Ney, Wyndham Goldie, Russell Waters, Martin Boddey,...

Balletic, stylized and rather aloof, MGM’s biggest musical for 1954 still has what musical lovers crave — good dancing, beautiful melodies and unabashed romantic sentiments. Savant has a bad tendency to fixate on the inconsistencies of its fantasy concept — in which God places an ideal Scottish village outside the limits of Time itself.

Brigadoon

Blu-ray

Warner Archive Collection

1954 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 108 min. / Street Date September 26, 2017 / available through the WBshop / 21.99

Starring: Gene Kelly, Van Johnson, Cyd Charisse, Elaine Stewart, Barry Jones, Albert Sharpe, Virginia Bosler, Jimmy Thompson.

Cinematography: Joseph Ruttenberg

Art Direction: Preston Ames, Cedric Gibbons

Film Editor: Albert Akst

Original Music: Frederick Loewe

Screenplay, book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner

Produced by Arthur Freed

Directed by Vincente Minnelli

MGM underwent some severe cutbacks in 1953; most of its contract players were dropped including the majority of its proud roster of stars. The studio would have to survive in a new kind of Hollywood,...

Cinematographer on the first Star Wars film who worked with the Boulting Brothers, Hitchcock and Polanski

The British cinematographer Gilbert Taylor, who has died aged 99, was best known for his camerawork on the first Star Wars movie (1977). Though its special effects and set designs somewhat stole his thunder, it was Taylor who set the visual tone of George Lucas's six-part space opera.

"I wanted to give it a unique visual style that would distinguish it from other films in the science-fiction genre," Taylor declared. "I wanted Star Wars to have clarity because I don't think space is out of focus … I thought the look of the film should be absolutely clean … But George [Lucas] saw it differently … For example, he asked to set up one shot on the robots with a 300mm camera lens and the sand and sky of the Tunisian desert just meshed together. I told him it wouldn't work,...

In the 1940s and 50s, the Boulting brothers won over filmgoers and critics with a series of classics – from Brighton Rock to Private's Progress. As the BFI begins a retrospective, Michael Newton explores their version of Britain

The history of the Boulting brothers is the history of British cinema in miniature. The brilliance, the comforts and the disappointments are all there. In the 1940s, they take off from documentary realism to reach the heights of noir extravagance, before falling back into a gently unexciting worthiness. At the start of the 1950s they produce two fascinating oddities, characteristic of the oddity of the times. Later that decade, they turn to cosily satirical farce, the products of an exasperated, grump. The 1960s see them trying to get with it and making a middle-aged effort to "swing", but also creating one work that finds a vulnerable, extraordinary beauty in ordinary lives. And after that comes a petering out,...