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Quick LinksAlfred Hitchcock’s Torn Curtain Was Released Before MPAA Ratings ExistedJulie Andrews Starred in Torn Curtain 2 Years After Winning the Oscar for Disney’s Mary PoppinsCritics Thought Hitchcock’s Turn Curtain Was More of the Same

By the 1960s, director Alfred Hitchcock had been making films for decades. A holdover from the silent era, Hitchcock saw major changes in the film industry happen in real-time. And he was able to weather these hurdles to great success. However, in the mid-20th century, movies were changing once again and Hitchcock's films were perceived by some critics as becoming formulaic. Even though Hitchcock was still attracting some of the biggest talent of the day, he was certainly staying well within his niche. On top of his film career, the directorial icon was also juggling a hit TV by this point.

In 1966, when Hitchcock released Torn Curtain, he was entering another stage of filmmaking in the industry.

The VHS cassette was initially developed in 1971 by engineers working for the Jvc corporation. Unlike their old video recording technologies, the nascent VHS machines were given a series of strict mandates by lead engineers Yuma Shiraishi and Shizuo Takano, all of them intended to make the new tech as consumer-friendly as possible. The cassettes and players, for instance, had to be compatible with the televisions already owned by the bulk of families. Cassettes needed to be able to hold two hours of recorded material, and the image quality had to be almost as good as broadcast TV. The cassettes needed to be usable in all players, compatible with video cameras, and simple enough that repair wouldn't be terribly difficult. And, most importantly, they needed to be affordable.

Shiraishi and Takano began working with their team, but the project immediately stalled when Jvc experienced a financial hit, forcing them to cut...

Updated, with comments from press secretary: Donald Trump on Monday will make his first visit to the Kennedy Center since he ousted leadership and ensured that he would be chairman of the D.C. arts institution.

While the center has been beset by cancellations of major shows by artists protesting the Trump takeover, the president told reporters that “we have to straighten it out. It is not a good situation. Like everything else in this country.”

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the president “hopes to restore arts and culture that embrace American tradition, not disparage it, as we have unfortunately seen over the past several years.” She said that Trump would do a tour of the center and would “perhaps be discussing some future plays and musicals and theatrical programs that the center will be hosting under his new leadership.”

The New York Times reported that Trump will address...

Although there are many great actors whose work has sadly been ignored by the Academy Awards for far too long, few cases are quite as egregious as that of Christopher Plummer. Plummer was one of the greatest actors of all-time, and starred in acclaimed films for over six decades, including the Best Picture-winning musical The Sound of Music. Plummer finally received his first nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the biopic The Last Station, which many saw as a generous way of honoring his entire body of work. However, it was only two years later that Plummer won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his powerful, heartwarming performance in the romantic comedy Beginners.

Today, Cleopatra isn't a particularly noteworthy film. It looks and plays in the exact way that a classical Hollywood epic from the '60s or further back should. Only cinephiles who love old-school Hollywood would watch it. However, these are not the reasons why the film entered the public lexicon. Rather, it's because Cleopatra was simultaneously the biggest film and the biggest box office bomb in history when it was released in 1963.

Even now — and especially in light of rumors of its long-gestating remake — Cleopatra's highs and lows remind audiences of a time that modern Hollywood claims to have outgrown, even if questionable financial decisions and trends say otherwise. That said, the film isn't just an old history lesson that people cite on occasion. Cleopatra is also responsible for killing Hollywood's golden age, and for causing a ripple effect that can still be felt today.

Cleopatra Was the Most Financially...

In the "Family Guy" episode "Untitled Griffin Family History", the Griffins find that burglars have broken into their basement. In a panic, they flee to their home's previously unseen panic room, a room that Peter (Seth MacFarlane) had been constructing in secret. After locking themselves inside, the Griffins find there's no telephone, nor any real way of escaping. Peter, trying to keep the mood jovial, decides to tell the history of his family, going back to the beginning of time. The bulk of the episode consists of jokey asides and flashbacks, because it's "Family Guy." 

Near the end of the episode, Peter, finally tired of being trapped, fires a flare gun into the panic room's air vent. This triggers the room's automated sprinkler system, and the airtight closet begins to fill with water. Before long, the Griffins are all floating, facing a potential watery doom. As they are about to drown,...

We all love Julia Louis-Dreyfus — sometimes so much that we can’t help but annoy her when she’s trying to pee or give birth. After all, she played iconic characters like Elaine Benes on Seinfeld, Selina Meyers on Veep and Neighbor Who Didn’t Deserve Any of Clark Griswold’s Crap in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.

But one of Louis-Dreyfus’ most delightful roles is Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Whenever she shows up on a talk show, Louis-Dreyfus is always charming and funny. And there’s perhaps no better evidence of this than her many appearances on The Late Show with David Letterman.

Letterman’s official YouTube account recently posted a “Best of Julia Louis-Dreyfus” compilation that, it should be noted, was in no way a harbinger of any tragic news. In addition to her conversations with Letterman, one memorable segment from 2000 found Louis-Dreyfus singing with Jerry Seinfeld. That’s right,...

The hits keep comin’ to the Pantages. The fabled Hollywood Boulevard venue today revealed the schedule for its 2025-26 Broadway in Hollywood series, featuring tours of recent hits from the New York stage — including last year’s Tony winner for Best Play — along with revivals of three stage classics and a pair of previously announced special added productions. See the full schedule below.

The season will kick off in November with Suffs, which won 2024 Tonys for Best Score and Best Book for a Musical. Next up is Stereophonic, the smash hit that won Best Play and four other Tony Awards last year.

Next up, in order of appearance: The Notebook: The Musical, 2005 Best Musical Tony winner Monty Python’s Spamalot; a new revival of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music; the Alicia Keys musical Hell’s Kitchen; and the first North American production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast...

The coveted Best Picture category at The Oscars has defined countless cultural moments throughout cinema history. As the category has evolved from including five films to 10 in 2009, more films have had their chance to be crowned the most influential film of the year by the Academy. The Best Picture Selections have significantly ranged over the years, encompassing a variety of genres and stories that reflect the media and culture of their time.

In the almost 100 years that have passed since the first Oscars ceremony in 1929, the Best Picture award has remained just as powerful in cementing a lasting legacy for a film. As the 2025 Oscars approach, it's fascinating to examine this year's lineup in association with other Best Picture winners.

The Sound of Music Is an Uplifting and Poignant Musical Winner of Best Picture in 1966 at the 38th Academy Awards

One of the most famous musicals in theater history, The Sound of Music...

The 1965 musical has its faults but it remains a deserving and enduring point of reference for so many of us

Many of the formative films of my childhood come with crisp sense memories of the first time I saw them: precisely what cinema or whose couch, the time of day and the weather outside, who I was watching with, my in-the-moment reactions to what delights or shocks the film threw at me.

The Sound of Music, however, is an exception. Robert Wise’s swirling, swollen 1965 film version of the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical has been a personal favourite since long before I ever thought to list personal favourites – a seasonal staple, a constant generator of unprompted earworms, a point of good-natured familial conflict between those who love it and those who merely pretend not to, a film so laden with short-cut iconography that it rushes quickly to mind when I see a certain shade of upholstery,...

The Masked Singer is back!

A new episode of season 13 of the hit Fox singing competition series aired on Wednesday night (February 26).

The show, which began in South Korea, features celebrities singing songs while wearing costumes and face masks concealing their identities until they’re eliminated. Throughout the season, the contestants provide clues to try and help the judges and fans figure out who is under the mask.

This season includes the new costumed character Detective Lucky Duck, who will help panelists “uncover who’s behind each mask.”

During the episode, Group A contestants Ant, Coral, and Paparazzo returned to the stage for their second performance of the season.

While on stage, Coral performed “Luck be a Lady” by Frank Sinatra.

Keep reading to see all of the clues and guesses for Coral…Keep scrolling to check out the clues and guesses…

First Performance Clues:

- Sees herself as being hard and resilient.

Here in the final days of the 2025 Oscar season, Gold Derby has been sharing the secret — and unfiltered — ballots of several Academy Awards voters. We have compiled all of the results below in a slightly edited form. If you prefer to see the full ballots of each of our anonymous participants check them out here: Voter 1 | Voter 2 | Voter 3 | Voter 4 | Voter 5 | Voter 6

Best Picture

Voter 1 (Emilia Pérez): I totally understand why some people will steer clear of supporting Emilia Pérez because of the offensive social media posts of its star from several years ago. But let me also add the obvious: it has nothing to do with the quality of the film, which to my mind is greater than its nine fellow nominees. You simply cannot watch this movie and not be bowled over by its cleverness and how distinctive and powerfully quirky it is. If the Academy Awards are...

The hills are alive once again, as Disney is prepping some 60th anniversary celebrations for The Sound of Music. And yes, that includes a 4K Ultra HD release that is expected to arrive sometime in late 2025.

While details and specifics have yet to be released, we can do doubt expect a truly phenomenal presentation courtesy of Walt Disney Film Restoration. As per the press release for The Sound of Music’s 60th anniversary, “Over the course of 9 months, the restoration team oversaw digital scanning of preserved film footage and expert clean-up efforts to correct any dirt, warping or other issues encountered.” Kevin Schaeffer, who serves as Director of Restoration & Library Management, added, “Our team is honored to care for and re-deliver this classic film to audiences around the world so they can enjoy it in all its originally intended visual and audio glory.”

The team definitely has their work cut out for them,...

The Masked Singer is back!

A new episode of season 13 of the hit Fox singing competition series aired on Wednesday night (February 19).

The show, which began in South Korea, features celebrities singing songs while wearing costumes and face masks concealing their identities until they’re eliminated. Throughout the season, the contestants provide clues to try and help the judges and fans figure out who is under the mask.

This season includes the new costumed character Detective Lucky Duck, who will help panelists “uncover who’s behind each mask.”

During the episode, Group A contestants Ant, Coral, Fuzzy Peas, and Paparazzo returned to the stage for their second performance of the season.

While on stage, Coral performed “Accidentally in Love” by Counting Crows.

Keep reading to see all of the clues and guesses for Coral…Keep scrolling to check out the clues and guesses…

First Performance Clues:

- Sees herself as being hard and resilient.

The Masked Singer is back!

Season 13 of the hit Fox singing competition series premiered on Wednesday night (February 12).

The show, which began in South Korea, features celebrities singing songs while wearing costumes and face masks concealing their identities until they’re eliminated. Throughout the season, the contestants provide clues to try and help the judges and fans figure out who is under the mask.

This season includes the new costumed character Detective Lucky Duck, who will help panelists “uncover who’s behind each mask.”

During the episode, Group A contestants Ant, Coral, Fuzzy Peas, Honey Pot, and Paparazzo gave their first performances of the season.

While on stage, Coral performed “Mad World.”

Keep reading to see all of the clues and guesses for Coral…Keep scrolling to check out the clues and guesses…

First Performance Clues:

-Sees herself as being hard and resilient.

-Received rejection for the first eight years of her career.

President Trump said Wednesday that he’d been “unanimously” elected to lead the board of the Kennedy Center, completing his takeover of the Washington, D.C. cultural center.

The move, which the president announced on his social media site Truth Social, comes after Trump moved to oust members of the organization’s board who had been appointed by his predecessor, Joe Biden.

“It is a Great Honor to be Chairman of The Kennedy Center, especially with this amazing Board of Trustees,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “We will make The Kennedy Center a very special and exciting place!”

On Monday, Trump announced that Richard Grenell, who serves as his envoy for special missions, would be the interim executive director of the Kennedy Center. Trump has criticized the organization for having programming that is overly woke. “No More Drag Shows, Or Other Anti-american Propaganda — Only The Best,” Trump wrote on Truth...

Updated, with additional comment: Donald Trump continued his takeover of the Kennedy Center today, as he named loyalist Ric Grenell to serve as interim executive director.

Trump wrote on Truth Social, “I am pleased to announce that Ric Grenell will serve as the Interim Executive Director of The Kennedy Center. Ric shares my Vision for a Golden Age of American Arts and Culture, and will be overseeing the daily operations of the Center. No More Drag Shows, Or Other Anti-american Propaganda — Only The Best. Ric, Welcome To Show Business!”

There is no executive director position at the Kennedy Center. Deborah Rutter currently serves as president of the arts institution, and it is unclear what her status is. In January, she announced plans to step down at the end of the year.

Grenell served as U.S. ambassador to Germany and acting director of national intelligence in Trump’s first administration.

It's no secret that it took a lot of back and forths to get Star Trek: The Motion Picture greenlit. Originally, it was going to be a series [Phase II], but after Star Wars came out and was so successful at the box office, there was sudden interest in making a big screen Star Trek.

Academy Award winning director Robert Wise, who'd previously directed West Side Story and The Sound of Music, was chosen as the director, and this brought confusion to some of the parties involved. Although Jon Povill, the associate producer said "everyone was pretty much thrilled at the prospect of working with Robert Wise," Richard Taylor, who supervised the storyboarding for The Motion Picture, was also reported in The Fifty Year Mission The First Twenty-Five Years by Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman as saying "I don't think he was ever very enthusiastic at all about directing this movie.

Finally, we know when Family Guy will be coming back with Season 23! Find out the premiere date!

It's been a longer wait than usual for fans of Family Guy. The wild Fox animated series wrapped up Season 22 in April 2024, but released a pair of specials in late 2024 on Hulu. The delay appeared to be due to creator Seth McFarlane's busy schedule and Fox wanting to save a big premiere for midseason.

But now we know when Season 23 is coming! As reported by TVLine, Family Guy will return to the Sunday "Animation Domination" lineup on Feb. 16 at 8/7c. This marks the first time in almost 30 years that The Simpsons will not be airing at that time slot on Sundays.

Instead, The Simpsons will take a few weeks off before returning with the rest of Season 36 on March 30. As for the rest of the new Sunday lineup, following Family Guy will be the season 2 premiere of Grimsburg,...

Family Guy took potshots at countless films, but Peter Griffin's scathing confession about The Godfather is iconic. Seth MacFarlane revealed that bit's backstory and admitted he's still figuring out what it meant.

Seth MacFarlane took to X to provide context on one of Family Guy's most-clipped bits. The "it insists upon itself" joke from Season 4's "The Griffin Family History" has (again) gone viral, prompting a deluge of hot takes. "Since this has been trending, here's a fun fact: 'It insists upon itself' was a criticism my college film history professor used to explain why he didn't think The Sound of Music was a great film," MacFarlane wrote. "First-rate teacher, but I never quite followed that one." The comments section weighed in with more examples of "overrated" classics, including Citizen Kane, Goodfellas, and The Lord of the Rings.

Related This 14-Year-Old Family Guy Episode Was Banned in the...

One of Family Guy's more memorable gags was during Season 4 in the 2006 episode, Untitled Griffin Family History. As the family could possibly drown in a panic room that's flooding, Peter has a major confession to make, "I did not care for The Godfather." His family's reactions are fairly relatable, despite the pending doom.

After the clip had gone viral, series creator and executive producer Seth MacFarlane jumped on X (formerly Twitter) to reveal one of the key lines when Peter was explaining to his stunned family why he didn't care for arguably one of the greatest films in cinematic history, "It insists upon itself."

"Since this has been trending, here's a fun fact: 'It insists upon itself' was a criticism my college film history professor used to explain why he didn't think 'The Sound of Music' was a great film. First-rate teacher, but I never quite followed that one.

Seth MacFarlane may not care for The Godfather, but he insists that he doesn’t know what the hell Peter Griffin was talking about.

On May 14, 2006, a very special Family Guy episode aired that would change the way Letterboxd users and Film Twitter power players would talk about prestige cinema for years — once New Zealand invented Letterboxd and Twitter became more than just Jack Dorsey posting into the void by himself, of course. In “The Griffin Family History,” Peter, Meg, Lois, Stewie and Brian spend what they believe to be their last moments alive before drowning in the family’s panic room arguing about Francis Ford Coppola’s magnum opus, the 1972 mob epic The Godfather, and, as the water rises, Peter explains his distaste for the film in the most confusing terms possible.

Flash forward to 2025, and Family Guy star and creator MacFarlane is apparently fed up with film buffs using his line,...

Even if you’ve never seen one of Family Guy‘s 400+ episodes, there’s a good chance you already know that Peter Griffin did not care for The Godfather. In fact, he’d go so far as to say that Francis Ford Coppola’s 1972 classic “insists upon itself.”

That’s because one of the show’s most iconic scenes — in which the Griffin family gets into a heated exchange about movies while the room slowly fills with water — remains one of the show’s most viral moments, still regularly shared online nearly two decades after the episode’s original airing.

Social media is inundated with Family Guy memes, and a particular one involving The Godfather resurfaces occasionally.

Seth MacFarlane, creator and star of the long-running animated series, recently took to social media to explain the origins of the “it insists upon itself” meme that fans quote.

“Since this has been trending, here’s a fun fact,” MacFarlane shared on X, the microblogging platform formerly known as Twitter. “‘It insists upon itself’ was a criticism my college film history professor used to explain why he didn’t think The Sound of Music was a great film. First-rate teacher, but I never quite followed that one.”

In Season 4, Episode 27, titled “Untitled Griffin Family History,” Peter Griffin shares with his family that he did not care for The Godfather.

“How can you even say that, Dad?” Peter’s son Chris asks.

Lois adds, “Peter, it’s like the perfect movie.”

“And this is what everyone always says,...

There’s no obvious 2025 Oscars frontrunner like last year’s “Oppenheimer” (Universal). This year, that studio’s blockbuster stage-to-screen musical “Wicked” will be one of 10 lauded frontrunners duking it out for Best Picture.

Another musical, the Spanish-language French Oscar entry “Emilia Pérez” (Netflix), is poised to dominate the delayed Oscar nominations announcement on January 23 with 12 nods, by my estimation, followed by papal thriller “Conclave” (Focus Features) with 10, and “The Brutalist” (A24), a post-World War II drama about an émigré architect (Adrien Brody) produced for under $10 million, with nine. All display the scale, scope, and ambition of a potential Oscar winner.

Based on the hit stage musical, “Wicked” should nab eight nominations and boasts more stateside support and a SAG Ensemble nod, as does “Emilia Pérez,” which also won five European Film Awards (including Best Film) and four Golden Globes including Best Comedy/Musical, and scored 11 BAFTA nominations to “Wicked’s” seven.

Though it may be one of the most acclaimed movie musicals of all time, The Sound of Music is not without its controversy. Released in 1965, the film tells the story of Maria (Julie Andrews), a flighty young nun who is sent to work as a governess for the seven von Trapp children in 1938 Salzburg, Austria, where falls in love with the steely Captain von Trapp (Christopher Plummer). The Sound of Music is based on a true story, adapting the real Maria von Trapp's 1949 memoir, The Story of the von Trapp Family Singers.

Though Christopher Plummer famously hated The Sound of Music, it is an enduring favorite, particularly around the holidays. At the time of its release, The Sound of Music won five Academy Awards, including the coveted Best Picture. However, as the film gets perenially rewatched, some of its inaccuracies have caused controversy. Though it's understandable that a movie...

David Lynch, whose death was announced Thursday, was my motion picture lodestar.

When his 1977 movie Eraserhead played at an obscure film festival, now long gone, in Woolwich, London, it was like nirvana for a kid raised on The Sound of Music, Cliff Richard in Summer Holiday and Tommy Steele in Half a Sixpence!

It was my kind of weirdness. Thank heavens my sister loved Bob Dylan, otherwise I’d have been really weird.

I was getting high on Lynch’s movies, and the price of admission at the Odeon in Richmond was all it cost me.

A few years later, as a reporter on the London Evening Standard, I was charged with tracking the progress of The Elephant Man, the film Lynch was shooting about John Merrick starring John Hurt, Anthony Hopkins, Anne Bancroft and John Gielgud. They were on location at a crumbling old wing — so dilapidated that it...

The Best Picture race at the 2025 Oscars is coming into focus. The Oscars, also known as the Academy Awards, were created by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1929, and celebrate the artistic achievement of each year's films in a variety of categories including acting, directing, editing, costume design, sound design, and more. The Oscar that is perhaps the most prestigious is the Best Picture award, which celebrates what Academy voters have deemed to be the best film of the year.

Over the years, there have been a wide variety of Best Picture winners, so far running from 1927's Wings, a silent film starring Clara Bow, through 2023's Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan's biopic-thriller of J. Robert Oppenheimer starring Cillian Murphy. Some winners are minted classics such as 1942's Casablanca, 1964's The Sound of Music, 1971's The Godfather, and 1992's Schindler's List. However, there are also some winners that...

With a stellar career spanning almost 70 years, Christopher Plummer has earned his reputation as one of the best actors of all time; whether it's his work in illicit dramas or in animated films, he captivates with his magnetic presence and charisma. Plummer plays many morally complex and powerful characters, from cruel villains to gritty businessmen, his roles and his career have left a lasting impact on Hollywood and cinema in general.

Potentially best known for his legendary role as Captain von Trapp in The Sound of Music, one of the best musicals of all time, or his Academy Award-winning performance as Hal Fields in Beginners, Plummer always shows incredible depth and nuance in his abilities. Even in his later work, like All The Money In The World, Plummer continues to evolve and change the expectations of his characters. His filmography is filled with incredible films and brilliant roles that capture...

This claim, included in Universal’s thorough and impressive list of box office achievements for 2024, is technically true: “Domestically ‘Wicked‘ is now … the highest-grossing Broadway adaptation of all-time at the domestic office ahead of ‘Grease’ ($188.62M).”

Also technically true is that “The Grinch” is bigger than “Gone with the Wind,” “Sing” is bigger than “Jaws,” and “Five Nights at Freddy’s” is bigger than “The Godfather.” Also, the 1977 first “Star Wars” is only the third biggest success of that franchise.

Presenting grosses without adjusting skews the real picture of how they compare. It is a prime case of film history erasure, an all-too common occurrence these days. The somewhat (but not impossible in most cases) effort to sort out the true success of films through history starts with adjusting box office takes to current ticket prices. Normally, that is fairly simple, since we know the costs by year and can do the math.

Many have noticed the following trend in recent years, and it strikes everyone as incredibly odd. Whenever a major Hollywood studio pours millions into a high-profile movie musical, they insist on eschewing the fact that they have done so in the film's advertising. One might note that the early previews for Jon M. Chu's "Wicked" didn't feature any of the film's songs, despite being based on one of the most popular Broadway musicals of all time. Likewise, trailers for "Mufasa: The Lion King" didn't boast any of the film's songs, despite them having been written by Disney superstar Lin-Manuel Miranda. Earlier this year, previews from the musical rendition of "Mean Girls," also adapted from a Broadway show, didn't have any singing in them, and the ads for the 2023 hit "Wonka" were also song-free. 

This has led many pundits and critics to ask why Hollywood is manufacturing a stigma against musicals.

Adam McKay got candid about where he thinks Wicked will be in a few years.

The director and producer took to X (formerly Twitter) earlier this week to share his thoughts about Jon M. Chu’s record-breaking musical adaptation and how he doesn’t think it’ll be received as well down the line.

“On a pure storytelling level Wicked Part 1 is right up there as one of the most radical big studio Hollywood movies ever made,” he wrote in his first post, adding, “I know Part 2 swings back to the center a bit but Part 1 is nakedly about radicalization in the face of careerism, fascism, propaganda.”

He noted a few other movies that come to mind when he thinks of “radical” projects: Bridge on the River Kwai, The Sound of Music, the Searchers, It’s a Wonderful Life, The Hunger Games and Citizen Kane. He also mentioned The Best Years of Our Lives,...

Wicked is a fantasy musical based on the popular Broadway musical, but it deals with modern and complex themes. As the movie is getting more praise and awards nominations, an Academy Award-winning filmmaker addressed the ongoing censorship that might lead to politicians banning Wicked.

On Dec. 23, Oscar-winning filmmaker Adam McKay addressed the U.S. banning art, including music, books, and films. In a lengthy X trend, the Don't Look Up director explained that the hit musical might be extremely "Popular" with the audience, but it might lead to politicians disliking its message. Considering the current political climate, he made a bold bet that he wouldn't be surprised if it were banned in the near future.

On a pure storytelling level Wicked Part 1 is right up there as one of the most radical big studio Hollywood movies ever made.I know Part 2 swings back to the center a bit but Part...

Adam McKay has shared his thoughts on Wicked‘s future in the U.S. Recently, the movie musical was briefly banned in Kuwait because of its LGBTQ cast. McKay took to X, formerly Twitter, to say that he “wouldn’t be surprised to see the movie banned in 3-5 years” in the U.S. if “America keeps going on the track it is.”

The director called Wicked “one of the most radical big studio Hollywood movies ever made” and pointed to its storytelling as the reason for a potential ban in the near future.

Adam McKay is applauding just how “radical” Jon M. Chu’s musical adaptation “Wicked” is.

The director tweeted that “Wicked,” which is only one half of Chu’s two-part vision, is one of the biggest swings in Hollywood. McKay explained that “Wicked” is “nakedly about radicalization in the face of careerism, fascism, [and] propaganda,” which feels especially poignant in America today.

“On a pure storytelling level, ‘Wicked Part 1’ is right up there as one of the most radical big studio Hollywood movies ever made,” McKay wrote. “I know ‘Part 2’ swings back to the center a bit but ‘Part 1’ is nakedly about radicalization in the face of careerism, fascism, [and] propaganda.”

He continued, “What’s really striking about ‘Wicked Part 1’ is that it’s coming out Now when America has never been more right wing and propagandized. And yes, I know the theatrical production and the book are much older so part of...

Adam McKay, the filmmaker behind The Big Short and Don’t Look Up, has some strong opinions about Wicked. He’s not just talking about the musical’s plot, but its political themes, especially in today’s climate.

McKay called Wicked Part 1 one of the most radical big studio films ever made. He pointed out how it focuses on careerism, fascism, and propaganda—themes that seem particularly relevant in America right now, given its increasingly right-wing direction.

While McKay acknowledged that the book and musical are older, he believes the timing of the film’s release couldn’t be more relevant. When replying to another user online, McKay even suggested that, if America continues on its current political path, the movie could end up being banned in the next few years, as you will see below.

His warning comes from a place of concern over how politics could affect the freedom...

“Wicked” was briefly pulled from theaters in Kuwait, allegedly due to its LGBTQ cast, but could the blockbuster musical ever be fully banned in the United States? Filmmaker Adam McKay “wouldn’t be surprised” if the film was pulled in the next few years because of where America is headed politically.

The “Don’t Look Up” director shared his “Wicked” thoughts on X on Tuesday, writing: “On a pure storytelling level ‘Wicked Part 1’ is right up there as one of the most radical big studio Hollywood movies ever made. I know ‘Part 2’ swings back to the center a bit but ‘Part 1’ is nakedly about radicalization in the face of careerism, fascism, propaganda.”

He continued, “What’s really striking about ‘Wicked Part 1’ is that it’s coming out Now when America has never been more right wing and propagandized. And yes, I know the theatrical production and the book are much older...

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There are a few holiday traditions that go hand-in-hand with turkey and egg nog, namely watching Christmas movies with friends and family (or if you’re like me one year, booking a little hotel staycation to order room service and watch festive movies in bed).

One of the most popular movies this time of year is The Sound of Music. Though it was originally released in March of...

I grew up in Canada, and I’d wager the experience – at least as far as pop culture goes – was probably pretty similar to growing up in the States. Yet, there were some minor, strange differences. Here, we have a regulatory body called the Crtc (Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission), which ensures that about 30% of the content that’s broadcast on TV qualifies as “Canadian Content.” Thus, whenever you turn on the TV, one of our Canadian channels is bound to show something Canadian, including movies. While holiday classics like A Christmas Story and Black Christmas counted as Canadian Content (God Bless Bob Clark) we could reliably see around the holidays, more adventurous TV stations would show something outside the box. One such station was the adult-oriented Showcase (not to be confused with Showtime), which would program an utterly mental movie called The Silent Partner every Christmas Eve.

If you’re not Canadian,...

It took a force like Taylor Sheridan to topple Max’s dominant run atop the streaming chart on the Samba TV Weekly Wrap Report last week. This week, it’s another streaming super power’s turn, as Netflix denies Sheridan the rare opportunity to top both the streaming and linear top 10 lists.

Netflix’s return to the top spot is thanks to “Carry-On.” The thriller has a holiday angle – all of the action happens on Christmas Eve – which helped it give Netflix its first chart topper since “The Perfect Couple,” way back on the Sept. 19 edition of the Samba TV Weekly Wrap Report.

“Landman,” the Taylor Sheridan creation that topped last week’s chart, slides down to No. 2 this week. It’s one of just two non-Netflix titles on this week’s chart as the streamer dominates holiday season viewership.

The other, “Red One” on Amazon Prime Video, is yet another holiday-oriented action movie,...

With a 200-minute running time, Brady Corbet’s “The Brutalist” (A24) isn’t unique among wide-release English-language films. In fact, it’s somewhat shorter than some major releases in recent decades.

There’s no standard for intermissions, which can vary between presentations, technical issues, or even elevating a film’s prestige. “The Brutalist” qualifies on all counts, but its intermission could herald a comeback: Audience habits have changed, and directors would love to use them to defend longer movies.

“The Brutalist” becomes 215 minutes start to finish with its precisely timed 15-minute break. Without it, it would be nine minutes shorter than “The Irishman”; about the same as “Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,” “The Godfather Part II,” and George Stevens’ 1956 “Giant”; and about five minutes longer than “Schindler’s List” and “Titanic.” All were released without intermissions. Among major titles, “Gone with the Wind” is still the longest...

With the Film Independent Spirit Awards just announcing our nominees, we thought it was a good time to focus our Member Lens series on a Member who is a past winner as well.

Dale Dickey is a has always loved acting. She started at age 9 in a university sponsored performance of The Sound of Music, then went on to New York, then eventually working on films like Sean Penn’s The Pledge and TV shows like My Name Is Earl.

In 2010, Debra Granik’s Winters Bone was a smash hit and indie darling. It was nominated for seven Spirit Awards and won two, including Best Supporting Female for Dickey’s performance as the dangerous Merab.

Since then, she’s been a staple in both indie films, TV shows and everything in between. In the last few years, she’s shifted from playing supporting roles to leading films, with her first lead performance,...

As we get closer to Christmas and the New Year, more and more networks opt for specials and reruns. There’s a fair few on TV tonight, Sunday, Dec. 15.

There are still episodes of top shows to air. There’s also the fun of Sunday Night Football on NBC. So, if you’re worried about finding something to watch, don’t be. We have everything that’s airing across the Big 5 broadcast networks tonight.

The Simpsons, The Sound of Music, and more

If you’re looking for a movie to watch with the whole family, The Sound of Music will air throughout the night on ABC. This is a long one, with the movie starting at the slightly earlier time than normal of 7 p.m. Et/Pt. It will continue throughout the night, which is something to keep in mind for those with smaller children.

How about the adult animation?...

Snatch up some great family titles in time for the holidays, and get $5 back for your trouble from Prime Video!

With the holidays racing toward us, some parents are likely worried about how they’re going to keep their kids entertained over break. Prime Video wants to help. The streamer is offering customers the chance to buy two high-quality family movies, such as titles from the “Shrek” or “Harry Potter” franchises, and get a $5 credit back to spend on another title! It’s an easy way to set yourself up with some great movies and save a little money at the same time.

How to get $5 credit after buying two family movies on Prime Video Click here to get the deal from Prime Video. Choose the two family movies you want to purchase. Keep an eye on the email you use to sign up for Amazon to get a notification about the $5 credit.

Universal Television casting head Beth Klein is set to retire and depart the studio at the end of the year.

Klein, who first joined Utv in 2011, has increased representation in front of the camera through her work, which included Jason Katims’ “As We See It,” which centered around three roommates on the autism spectrum, and David Schulner’s “New Amsterdam,” with characters often portrayed by actors living with the actual illnesses featured in the storylines.

She was also instrumental in the creation of “StandUp NBC,” where diverse stand-up comedians across the country would compete for the chance to win a talent-holding deal; and worked closely with NBCUniversal’s Launch Talent and Casting Assistant program that develops aspiring episodic casting directors during a ten-month paid pipeline initiative.

“I have been fortunate to collaborate with some of the best in the business during my career, and while I will miss my colleagues,...

Exclusive: Universal Television’s EVP of Talent and Casting Beth Klein will be leaving the studio at the end of the year when she will retire after a 37-year career as a casting executive. There is no immediate replacement.

Klein has been Universal TV’s first — and only — head of casting. She joined the studio, now a division of Universal Studio Group, in September 2011 as part of a new executive team for the unit as it was being rebranded from Universal Media Studios to Universal TV.

With Chicago Fire and Brooklyn Nine-Nine among her first shows, Klein has spearheaded casting for four Peabody Award-winning series and 20 Emmy-winning series, most recently, Hacks, as well as the the Law & Order, One Chicago and FBI franchises, The Gilded Age, Loot, Schmigadoon! and “Girls5eva, Bel-Air, Never Have I Ever and The Best Man: The Final Chapters, among others. She also oversaw casting on NBC’s live musicals,...

For well over over five decades, Christopher Plummer was one of our most esteemed and honored actors across all acting fields. He hwon two Tony awards (out of seven nominations) for his stage work — the musical “Cyrano” (1974) and the one-man show “Barrymore” (1997), which was later turned into a film. For his television work, he has also won two Emmy Awards (out of six nominations) for the TV movie “Arthur Hailey’s The Moneychangers” (1977) and for his voice-over performance in the animated “Madeline” (1994).

But similar awards for his work in film eluded him for many years. True, he did co-star in 1965’s “The Sound of Music,” a film he had disdained for the longest time but one that was a phenomenon at the box-office. The musical ran in theaters for over 4 1/2 years and, adjusted for inflation, “The Sound of Music” has grossed $2.366 billion, currently making it the fifth highest-grossing film of all time.

(Welcome to Tales from the Box Office, our column that examines box office miracles, disasters, and everything in between, as well as what we can learn from them.)

"It was not a good working situation." That's how associate producer Jon Povill described the situation behind-the-scenes while working on "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" in the book "The Fifty-Year Mission: The First 25 Years." Director Robert Wise was told he had control over the film. Creator Gene Roddenberry was also told he had control. What Paramount had was a long-awaited movie adaptation of a wildly popular TV show. On paper, that was a good thing. In practice, it was messy in every way.

The end result was both a box office success story and a financial blunder that only served to disappoint fans. It also allowed "Star Trek" to thrive as a franchise in all new ways for years to come, including...

Over the years, that shiny gold statuette known as the Oscar has been handed out to a wide variety of films, including certain winners that plenty of film fans might think didn't even deserve the little shiny plaque the actual awards are nailed to. For example, not even filmmaker Paul Haggis thinks his movie "Crash" should've taken home the Best Picture Oscar. It's not up to him, though! This is the internet, after all. But how are we to determine the worst film to have won that coveted coveted man-shaped medal (don't make it weird)? According to Rotten Tomatoes' metrics, the worst Best Picture Oscar winner of all time also happens to be the first of its kind in a different but related respect.

Long before James Cameron was crowned king of the world thanks to "Titanic" and the wildest Oscars moment of our lifetime (i.e. the "La La Land...

With “Moana 2,” Disney’s Wednesday-opening animated sequel leading the way with a $221 million five-day total, U.S./Canada theaters saw attendance that came close to the highest for the holiday this century. That’s about the biggest boost for the health of the theatrical-release model since Covid-related theater closures.

The three-day weekend total of over $272 million fell just short of best for the year (that came with “Deadpool & Wolverine” opening in late July), but the $150 million for Wednesday and Thursday made for a five-day total of $420 million, unseen (adjusted) since the same period in 2012. That year, seven films grossed over $20 million (about $32 million at current ticket prices), compared to three this year.

As a result, year to date domestic box office totals have now dropped to below seven percent behind 2023. That’s a big improvement, aided by a comparison to last Thanksgiving (which was only $173 million). We may see 2024 reach $8.5 billion,...