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Full disclosure: I’ve been looking forward to this interview ever since I read the novel Ash Wednesday as a teenager. Ethan Hawke, co-writer and director of Wildcat, is an actor and filmmaker who has been as important to me as any artist in my life. The opportunity to discuss his new film––a feverish, faith-fueled look into the life of writer Flannery O’Connor as inspired by her fiction––with Hawke was both welcome and daunting.

The film stars Maya Hawke as O’Connor, alongside a stellar supporting cast that includes Laura Linney, Philip Ettinger, Rafael Casal, Steve Zahn, Cooper Hoffman, Willa Fitzgerald, Alessandro Nivola, and Liam Neeson. Ahead of the film’s release this Friday, we talk about the intimidation of adapting a great writer’s work, the joy of filming a great scene in a master shot, and inviting your audience into the conversation.

The Film Stage: What...

Actor and filmmaker Ethan Hawke received the Stockholm Film Festival’s Lifetime Achievement Award 2023 at Biograf Skandia.

Hawke and his daughter, Maya Hawke, posed for a picture together on the red carpet at the ceremony.

Ethan, 53, made his film debut at the age of 14 in the 1985 sci-fi film Explorers, followed by his breakthrough performance as Todd Anderson in Dead Poets Society. He went on to star alongside Julie Delpy in the Before trilogy from 1995 to 2013, which he collaborated on with film director/writer Richard Linklater.

Ethan has received four Academy Award nominations in his career, along with two nominations for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the 2001 crime/thriller Training Day and three nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay for the Before trilogy films. The three films, Before Sunrise (1995), Before Sunset (2004) and Before Midnight (2013), were based on a woman named Amy Lehrhaupt, whom writer/director Richard Linklater met in a...

Austrian actor Helmut Berger, the groundbreaking star of European cinematic masterpieces such as Luchino Visconti’s “The Damned” and Vittorio De Sica’s “Garden of the Finzi-Continis,” has died at the age of 78. Berger died at home in Austria from natural causes.

In one of European cinema’s most storied and creative periods, the 60s and 70s, Berger boldly established his place in the pantheon of Continental stars via a handful of films directed by Visconti, his one-time romantic partner. “The Damned,” “Ludwig” and “Conversation Piece” were all crafted with standout roles for Berger and the films were hugely successful both at the arthouse box office and with critics and awards groups.

“The Damned”

Berger was nominated for a Golden Globe for “The Damned,” which was also nominated for a Best Screenplay Oscar in 1970. No less an authority than the late German filmmaking maestro Rainer Werner Fassbinder called it “perhaps the greatest film,...

Karlovy Vary Intl. Film Festival, the leading cinema event in Central and Eastern Europe, will honor American actor, director, and writer Ethan Hawke, who will receive the Festival President’s Award at its 55th edition, taking place Aug. 20-28. The award is given to actors, directors, and producers who have “contributed in a fundamental way to the development of contemporary world cinema.”

“We are thrilled to welcome to Karlovy Vary an artist we’ve been admiring for a long time. In 2018, Kviff paid tribute to the Austin Film Society and it is exciting to extend our appreciation of this renowned organization’s work by honoring an actor and director who is so closely connected to the Texas independent film scene,” said artistic director Karel Och and executive director Krystof Mucha.

Hawke will personally introduce Paul Schrader’s thriller “First Reformed,” in which he portrays a parish pastor experiencing a crisis of faith.

This article contains spoilers for Saving Private Ryan.

Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan (1998) is known for a number of things: the gut-wrenching, visceral terror of its battle scenes (especially the opening landing at Omaha Beach), the shocking way in which bodies are torn to pieces during the course of those battles, the attention to period detail, and a powerful performance by Tom Hanks that rates as one of his finest.

But one thing that the film may not be as widely recognized for is the lineup of young actors who played members of Capt. John Miller’s (Hanks) squad, or soldiers they met along the way as they searched throughout Normandy for the missing Pvt. James Francis Ryan. From Matt Damon to Vin Diesel, Spielberg recruited relatively new faces who were all, in one way or another, either launching their careers outright or just starting to make their mark on Hollywood.

Elizabeth Taylor, who would have turned 89 on Feb. 27, lived multiple lives. She was a movie mega-star, a tabloid mega-celebrity (which are not always the same thing), an innovator in creating herself as a brand — and a tireless and effective philanthropist and activist.

She was adored, admired, denounced, scandal-ridden and unpredictable, and the public couldn’t get enough of her.

On screen, she was at her most breathtakingly beautiful in such 1950s and ‘60s films as “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” “Suddenly, Last Summer,” “Cleopatra” and “The Taming of the Shrew.” And in the 1966 “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf,” at age 34, she frumped herself up and gave a great performance, winning the second of two Oscars (after the 1960 “Butterfield 8”).

She also excelled in a wide array of films, like “Giant” (1956), “Raintree Country” (1958), “X, Y and Z” (1972), “Ash Wednesday”, and “The Mirror Crack’d” (1980), her last leading role on the big screen.

The Oscar-nominated actor on his new novel set during a production of Henry IV, dealing with bad reviews and art’s role in examining all human behaviour

Ethan Hawke is an actor, writer and director, star of the films Dead Poets Society, Training Day and Boyhood. He has been nominated for Academy Awards for his acting, and for his writing on Before Sunset and Before Midnight. Hawke describes theatre as his first love and has featured in a number of plays by Sam Shepard, as well as in productions of work by Shakespeare, Chekhov, and his own second cousin twice-removed, Tennessee Williams.

Hawke’s first novel, The Hottest State, was published in 1996. His second, Ash Wednesday, came out in 2002. Now, with A Bright Ray of Darkness, Hawke brings us a novel that is structured around a stage production of Henry IV, Part 1. The book’s narrator, William Harding, is a...

Theaters and distributors are locked in a dirty dance that could have serious repercussions down the line. Without new movies to drive audiences to theaters, the question is, why pay the huge costs of reopening? That’s why the world’s largest theater chain, AMC, is moving back its relaunch from July 31 to “mid-to-late August”, while Cinemark is expected to open 75 theaters next weekend.

A stateside “Tenet” release, wavers in limbo, as Warner Bros. will soon announce its first overseas bookings. AMC, for example, states that “approximately one-third of all AMC cinemas in Europe and the Middle East are already open and are operating normally.”

Which leaves two indie movies prepared to open in American theaters in August, as soon as the chains will let them. Picturehouse has already mounted a series of pop-up parking lot premieres including Miami and Los Angeles for Marco Pontecorvo’s Catholic-themed drama “Fatima,” starring...

In her 5-star Fantastic Fest review, Emily von Seele wrote that Saint Maud "...terrifies as much as it intrigues, and will keep audiences guessing up until the very last horrific second." With an April release date, we thankfully won't have to wait long to see the new religious horror film, and with it being Ash Wednesday, A24 has revealed a new trailer for the movie.

Written and directed by Rose Glass, Saint Maud stars Morfydd Clark, Jennifer Ehle, Lilly Frazer, Lily Knight, Marcus Hutton, Turlough Convery, and Rosie Sansom. A24 will release Saint Maud in theaters across the Us on April 3rd, 2020.

You can watch the new trailer below, and in case you missed it, check out Emily's review and the film's previous trailer.

"The debut film from writer-director Rose Glass, Saint Maud is a chilling and boldly original vision of faith, madness, and salvation in a fallen world. Maud,...

Today marks Ash Wednesday, which is the beginning of the Easter season. While there might not be a classic Easter movie quite yet, there’s still no shortage of movies that chronicle stories of faith and believing in honor of this season. Just in time to join the ranks of this genre comes the trailer for “Fatima.”

Read More: ‘Betty’: Women Shred Skateparks And Stereotypes In New HBO Series Inspired By ‘Skate Kitchen’

The film, which is based on true events, chronicles the story of a young shepherd and her two cousins in Fatima, Portugal.

Continue reading “Fatima” Trailer: New Drama Wants You To Believe In The Unbelievable at The Playlist.

"He's everywhere... He's physically in me." A24 has debuted a new "Ash Wednesday" promo trailer for the indie horror film titled Saint Maud, which first premiered at the Toronto Film Festival last fall. Perfect timing for an intensely frightening new trailer for this highly acclaimed horror film arriving in theaters late next month. This unconventional "religious horror" feature follows a pious nurse who becomes dangerously obsessed with saving the soul of her dying patient. It received rave reviews out of Tiff, and looks like it has some crazy scenes. Saint Maud stars Morfydd Clark as the titular Maud, along with Jennifer Ehle, Lilly Frazer, Lily Knight, Marcus Hutton, Turlough Convery, and Rosie Sansom. A hell of a new trailer. Here's the "Ash Wednesday" trailer (+ poster) for Rose Glass' Saint Maud, direct from A24's YouTube: You can still watch the first full trailer for Rose Glass' Saint Maud here,...

The Psychedelic Furs have announced their first new album in 29 years. Titled Made of Rain, the record will be released on May 1st via Cooking Vinyl.

The New Wave band also dropped the album’s lead single, “Don’t Believe.” “Life is short and God is gold/And promises are bought and sold,” Richard Butler sings over blaring guitar, “And everything I never said/Comes crashing on my tiny head.”

The Furs will perform Made of Rain in its entirety — as well as hits that include “Love My Way” and...

Maggie Blye, the blond Houston actress who supported such action films as Hombre, Hard Times and the original The Italian Job, has died. She was 73. Blye died on March 24 in West Hollywood after a two-year battle with cancer, her sister, casting director Judy Blye Wilson (The Young and the Restless), announced. Blye also portrayed the daughter of Elizabeth Taylor and Henry Fonda's characters in Ash Wednesday (1973) and appeared in Waterhole #3 (1967) opposite Carroll O’Connor and James Coburn and in Diamonds for Breakfast (1968) with Marcello Mastroianni. Blye stood out as the girlfriend of Benny Hill's

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Pearls exhibition reveals history of jewel that beguiled Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor

Marilyn Monroe had little interest in jewellery but she did adore the simple pearl necklace given to her by Joe Dimaggio on their honeymoon in January 1954. So much so that she wore it again at their divorce hearing later that year.

Elizabeth Taylor, on the other hand, acquired blingy, expensive jewellery like nobody's business – "Big girls need big diamonds," she once said. Her collection included the spectacular 16th-century La Peregrina pearl which was part of the Spanish crown jewels.

Monroe and Taylor are represented in a show devoted to pearls, opening at the V&A on Saturday.

Neither probably knew the grimmer truth of what they were wearing. "The pearls are formed around the larvae from a tapeworm coming from the excrement of other animals," said the show's co-curator, Hubert Bari. "The people marketing them prefer to...

The sad news of Elizabeth Taylor’s death last week marked the end of Hollywood’s Golden Era for me, the last remaining superstar finally expired. As a fan of Taylor’s since childhood – I’ll never forget seeing Cleopatra (1963) for the first time at 11 years old and literally being transfixed with the actress’s beauty for the entire 4 hour run time! – I’ve decided to abandon my usual Top 10 format and offer you her 20 greatest roles…because 10 is simply not a big enough number for the biggest diva of the screen!

Beginning in the industry at the tender age of 9, Taylor quickly rose to stardom on the MGM lot and become the most iconic actress of the 20th century. With an impressive 70 acting credits to her name, her life was plagued with illness but never prevented her from succeeding. Transcending her inimitable beauty, she proved that she was a...

The actor Elizabeth Taylor has died aged 79. Here we look back over her work, from early roles in National Velvet and Little Women to her defining appearances opposite Richard Burton

News: Elizabeth Taylor dies at 79

Gallery: A career in pictures

It's difficult to think of a better argument for the separate-but-equal value of the terms "actor" and "film star" than the career of Elizabeth Taylor. If that reads as a slight on her ability, it shouldn't. Taylor was a sporadically marvellous performer, one who rarely superseded her director or material but who could, with those factors working in her favour, surpass some of her more gifted peers' capacity for reckless emotional danger.

She was the rare actor who was as interesting on a bad day as on a good one, and not just for her mesmeric physical beauty: like any great film star, she was as compelled by her own screen presence as we were,...

Los Angeles – Elizabeth Taylor, one of the great icons of Hollywood, and known as much for her marriages, personal life and activism as her screen performances, died this morning at the age of 79, as announced by her publicist in Los Angeles.

Born in London, England, in 1932 to American art dealers from St. Louis, Taylor was moved back to the U.S. in 1939. Her unique beauty, which included her famous violet eyes, won her a screen test at age 10 at Universal studios. She made her film debut there (”There’s One Born Every Minute”), but her contract was soon dropped and she was hired by Metro-Goldwyn Mayer shortly thereafter.

Early Days: Elizabeth Taylor in an MGM studio pose with Co-star Lassie

Photo credit: MGM

After joining MGM’s unforgettable stable of stars, she began her meteoric rise with “National Velvet” (1944), co-starring Mickey Rooney. Hit after hit followed in those studio system days,...

The woman, the star, the legend that is Elizabeth Taylor passed away this morning at the age of 79.

The violet-eyed actress was hospitalized six weeks ago at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles for treatment of congestive heart failure, a condition that had stabilized. The hope was she would soon be well enough to return home, sadly that wasn't to be.

Taylor had a career that spanned a full six decades, from her first role in the 1942 comedy "There's One Born Every Minute" to her last in the 2001 TV movie "These Old Broads". Her first real breakthrough role was as Velvet Brown in MGM's "National Velvet" which made her a star at age 12.

For the next few years she became a very bankable adolescent star with a string of successful features. Her first success in an adult role was in the original "Father of the Bride" in 1950 with Spencer Tracy,...

Montgomery Clift, Elizabeth Taylor in George Stevens‘ A Place in the Sun Elizabeth Taylor can be found in 11 movies to be presented on Turner Classic Movies on Monday, Aug. 23, as part of TCM’s "Summer Under the Stars" series. [Elizabeth Taylor schedule.] Curiously, even though Taylor is one of the biggest movie stars ever, she did appear in a few (to the best of my knowledge) still hard-to-find titles. Is Franco Zeffirelli‘s Young Toscanini (1988) available on home video in the Us? Are Night Watch (1973) and Ash Wednesday (1973) easily available? Unfortunately, none of those titles will be shown on TCM, but there’s one that most people probably haven’t heard of despite its stellar cast: Brian G. Hutton‘s X, Y & Zee (1971), a bizarre psychological drama in which Taylor co-stars with Michael Caine and Susannah York. Though hardly what I’d call a great film, X, Y & Zee is [...]...