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Only Meryl Streep would take rehearsing so seriously for “Saturday Night Live.” The “Only Murders in the Building” star made her “SNL” debut during the recent “SNL50” special, when the lauded actress appeared in the alien abduction “Close Encounters” skit with Kate McKinnon, Woody Harrelson, and Pedro Pascal.

According to “SNL” alum Amy Poehler, who was also featured in “SNL50,” Streep rehearsed so “hard” prior to the live taping. Poehler and Streep shared a dressing room during the show, where Poehler witnessed some of Streep’s acting process.

“It was a night of famous alumni and people,” Poehler said during a recent appearance on the “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend” podcast in the below video. “There were so many people that people had to share dressing rooms, so I was sharing my dressing room with Meryl Streep. Just like a fan, I was taking a picture of the door that...

Amy Poehler appeared on the “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend” podcast and revealed that she shared a dressing room with none other than Meryl Streep during the “SNL50” special last month. And yes, Meryl Streep took her role in the “Close Encounters” sketch very seriously.

“There were so many people that people had to share dressing rooms,” Poehler said. “So I was sharing my dressing room with Meryl Streep. Just like a fan, I was taking a picture of the door that said my name and Meryl Streep and it was really cool.”

“She was getting ready for her sketch and really rehearsing it and I remember thinking, ‘I have never rehearsed as hard as Meryl Streep is in this one moment,’” Poehler added.

Streep’s surprise appearance on “SNL50” marked her first time ever starring on “Saturday Night Live.” She appeared in the “Close Encounters” sketch alongside Kate McKinnon,...

Amy Poehler was left in awe of Meryl Streep’s dedication to her “SNL50” sketch.

The “Park and Recreation” alum appeared on the “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend” podcast on Monday and recalled the long weekend celebrating 50 years of “Saturday Night Live.” The actress explained that because there were so many celebrity appearances, many h

ad to share dressing rooms. She was paired with none other than Streep which led to her watching the Oscar-winning actress prepare for her sketch.

“There were so many people that people had to share dressing rooms,” Poehler said. “So I was sharing my dressing room with Meryl Streep. Just like a fan, I was taking a picture of the door that said my name and Meryl Streep and it was really cool.”

You can watch the interview in the clip below:

Poehler continued, “She was getting ready for her sketch and really rehearsing it and I remember thinking,...

We're only three months into 2025, but somehow it doesn't feel too early to pick the worst sci-fi flick of the year. "The Astronaut," which premiered at the SXSW festival on Friday, was a disappointing, baffling slog. Kate Mara, Laurence Fishburne, and Gabriel Luna are all great actors, but they can't save a script that refuses to go anywhere interesting or say anything meaningful. 

The movie is about an astronaut named Sam Walker (Kate Mara), who has returned all bruised up from her first ever trip to space. NASA thinks something broke into her space shuttle as it descended back to Earth, so they keep her in an isolated house in Virginia while they figure it out. What follows is a dragged-out haunted house movie, where spooky stuff keeps gradually escalating around Walker. If you hate jump scares, tough luck: that's all the second act of this film has to offer.

The film industry will tell you Mickey 17 is risky business – but recent box office receipts might not back that up…

Whether or not the rumoured disputes surrounding Mickey 17’s final cut prove to be true, it’s not hard to see why Bong Joon-ho’s latest sci-fi would have Warner Bros worried.

Set in a near-future world where a wealthy, orange charisma vacuum leads a white supremacist eugenicist cult to colonise a distant planet (imagine), the director’s Parasite follow-up is the most flagrantly political blockbuster to come out of a major studio in years. More to the point, it’s an essentially original sci-fi story in an age where that sort of thing has a reputation for losing everyone a lot of money.

Deadline has called the film’s global box office outlook “tricky”. Screen Rant has labelled it “one of 2025’s riskiest box office bets...

If you were to imagine the most-watched “Saturday Night Live” sketches of all time, certain characters would likely come to mind. Mike Myers and Dana Carvey’s Wayne and Garth would likely make that hypothetical list as would the Coneheads, The Blues Brothers and maybe even MacGruber. But when you actually look through the numbers of the “SNL” YouTube page, that’s not what you find.

Overall, the most watched “SNL” sketches tend to be far more modern. That’s not entirely surprising given that, in general, videos that were released after the start of the internet age tend to be more widely watched. But even though the oldest sketch on this roundup happened in Season 29, this compilation still serves as a celebration of some of the NBC show’s best performers.

Internet savvy viewers may note that a surprising name is missing from this compilation: The Lonely Island. To keep this ranking relatively fair,...

Let’s face it: Jurassic Park is basically the T-Rex-sized sequel to Jaws, and Steven Spielberg’s totally owning it. Think about it: swap the shark for a dino, toss in a bunch of humans tempting fate, and boom — you’ve got chaos, screams, and another Spielberg masterpiece. Both flicks thrive on humans messing with nature and regretting it.

Steven Spielberg at 2017 San Diego Comic Con | Credits: Gage Skidmore, licensed under Cc By-sa 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

When you’ve crafted two of the most epic thrill rides in movie history, you’ve got every right to flex. Spielberg knew what he was doing, and honestly, we’re all better off for it.

How Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park blended Jaws-inspired terror with blockbuster brilliance Steven Spielberg on the set of Jaws | Credits: Universal Pictures

Steven Spielberg didn’t mince words about Jurassic Park’s roots. He admitted it...

The career of director Steven Spielberg has practically defined modern blockbusters, but he’s also been able to craft more personal films as well. Let’s rank Spielberg’s entire filmography from worst to best in a new photo gallery of his 33 theatrical features.

Spielberg’s reputation as a master entertainer came with the release of “Jaws,” his 1975 shark attack thriller. Made when he was just 29 years old, the film set box office records and made the summer safe for blockbusters again. Such following films as “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” (1977), “Raiders of the Lost Ark” (1981) and “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” (1982) cemented Spielberg’s ability to create spectacular amusements that brought audiences to their feet.

He later moved into serious filmmaking with “The Color Purple” (1985), which paved the way for his 1993 Holocaust drama “Schindler’s List” (1993). That film swept the Academy Awards, bringing Spielberg Oscars for Best Director and Best Picture.

While Hollywood has played a prominent role in giving a voice to the martyrs through war drama and historical documentaries, more often than not, these stories get swept up in overly patriotic sentiments rather than giving precedence to factual accuracy. But Steven Spielberg has singlehandedly managed to harness both expansive cinematography as well as emotional storytelling through his research into world war stories.

Band of Brothers [Credit: HBO]

Through an obsessive retelling of World War II stories, Spielberg has never grown bored or tired of the era that has caused so much grief, strife, and pain among the people. With films like Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers, Schindler’s List, Munich, and Bridge of Spies, the Oscar-winning director has shed more light on the war than any other director.

However, not all of them have been received well by the audience.

Steven Spielberg’s obsession with World War II Band of Brothers...

Stars: Mike Capes, David Shackelford, Sean Astin, Sandy Martin, Caitlin McHugh, Bobby Gilchrist, Larry Hankin, Bill Kottkamp | Written by Mike Capes, Johnny Wickham | Directed by Mike Hermosa

The Tyler Corporation has finally figured out how to engineer a prehistoric raptor genetically, but they didn’t stop there… they also made it invisible. Unfortunately for them, he’s a really smart invisible raptor. After easily breaking out of its enclosure, it’s now up to washed-up amusement park palaeontologist Dr Grant Walker and hapless loner Security Guard Denny Danielson to stop the predator before it wreaks havoc on the entire community of Spielburgh County. With the help of local celebrity chicken farmer Henrietta McCluckskey and Grant’s old flame Amber, they uncover the truth behind the mysterious apex predator.

Take Jurassic Park, ramp up the horror, film it on a low budget and make it independently and you have the Roger Corman-produced Carnosaur…...

Exclusive: Xavier Samuel and Sonal Sehgal have been cast to lead The Great Departure.

The film, from producer Arvind Reddy’s Kvr Productions and directed by the Camera d’Or-nominated Pierre Filmon, is currently in post-production having shot entirely in India. Sehgal wrote the script during lockdown, with the film originally titled Travellers.

Plot explores patriarchy in society through the prism of a man and woman who accidentally meet in Varanasi, and have very different experiences while on the same road trip as they fall in love. Samuel (Twiling: Eclipse) and Sehgal (Aashayein) star.

“Growing up in a patriarchal society and yet with a set of parents who encouraged my fiercely independent streak, I often found myself in a dichotomy of how I was brought up and what society expected of me and hence took to cinema as a form of expression,” said Sehgal of the script.

The film is...

Few other rising stars have it as good as Josh O'Connor does right now. Beloved of Luca Guadagnino, pen pal of Alice Rohrwacher, member of the latest Rian Johnson ensemble, O'Connor has cultivated an IMDb page that surely inspires envy in his peers. And to add a feather to his cap,...

Plot: Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, and Petunia Pig are Earth’s only hope when facing the threat of alien invasion.

Review: During a time when moral compasses are pointing anywhere but up, and on a day when you find your credit card is beyond its limit, it sure is nice to feel like a kid again. Few things could bring me back to when Sesame Street’s “12 and Pinball” animation was the hottest jam of the Summer, like Looney Tunes. Every morning, and sometimes on Saturdays, Bugs, Daffy, Porky Pig, and their eclectic cast of friends molded my sense of humor, gave me a fondness for classical music, and invited sunshine into even the rainiest days.

I lost my mind when I heard Daffy Duck and Porky Pig would reunite for an unconventional 2D Looney Tunes movie. The news helped lick the wounds of losing the shelved Coyote vs. Acme,...

During an interview, Steven Spielberg reflected on his decision not to watch his own movies (Photo Credit – Amazon Prime Video)

Steven Spielberg doesn’t watch his films! Ahan, who brought us Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Schindler’s List, would rather skip right past them if they pop up on TV.

So, what gives? Spielberg shared his “no rewatch” policy while promoting Spielberg, the HBO documentary chronicling his legendary career. He explained to E! News that his approach is simple: he doesn’t “dwell.” As soon as one movie’s done, it’s onto the next project—no rewinds, no replays. For Spielberg, it’s all about looking forward. “I don’t dwell,” he said, hinting that reliving his past films might feel like revisiting old homework.

The one exception to Spielberg’s hard rule is E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. But even then,...

Disney's new documentary Music by John Williams gives an intriguing insight into the different highs and lows of the legendary composer's iconic career. Throughout the movie industry, John Williams has composed celebrated musical scores for iconic movies such as Jaws, Home Alone, and Star Wars and has been cited as an inspiration for other movie composers, including Alan Silvestri and Itzshak Perlman. He holds the record as the person with the second-most nominations at the Academy Awards, with 56 nominations and four wins.

Across his career, John Williams has worked closely with film director Steven Spielberg; since their first collaboration in 1974, Williams has composed music for all but five of Spielberg's movies. Three of Williams' Academy Awards were for his work on what many consider to be some of Steven Spielberg's best movies. Williams has composed remarkable scores for Spielberg's works, but he has admitted to having issues with composing music for one particular movie.

Disney's new documentary covering the life and work of composer John Williams, Music by John Williams, is a detailed homage to one of screen music's most loved icons. John Williams' film scores are known throughout the movie-going world for their orchestral sophistication and emotional complexity, making the New York City native the go-to musical inspiration for directors such as Stephen Spielberg, George Lucas, Oliver Stone, and Ron Howard. While Star Wars is arguably John Williams' best-known score, his credits read like a who's-who of blockbuster movies: Jaws, Close Encounters, Jurassic Park, and many others. His four Best Original Score Oscars are unmatched.

But, again, it is his celebrated score for the Star Wars franchise that Williams is most remembered for. Music by John Williams notes that, in 1977 when Williams composed the theme for the first Star Wars film, the sci-fi genre was in its relative infancy. Accompanying sci-fi music at...

Early in director Laurent Bouzereau’s “Music by John Williams” documentary (streaming November 1 on Disney+), Steven Spielberg explains that he was worried about the demise of orchestral film scoring in the early ’70s while embarking on his directing career. He was determined that this emotionally stirring, if anachronistic, format would not die on his watch, so he hired John Williams to score his first theatrical feature, “The Sugarland Express” (1974).

Williams (who caught the director’s attention in 1969 with “The Reivers”) surprised Spielberg with an intimate harmonica solo (played by Toots Thielmans) that helped elevate the movie in a way he didn’t expect. Thus began the greatest director-composer collaboration in the history of movies, with Spielberg making 29 films with Williams and admitting that the composer has been indispensable to each and every one of them.

But it was their second film together, “Jaws” (1975), that propelled their careers. With two unforgettable...

Michael Keaton, Paul Feig and David Letterman are among the Hollywood figures paying tribute to Teri Garr after she died on Tuesday at 79.

The Oscar-nominated actress was known for films like Tootsie and Young Frankenstein, among many others, before her career was derailed by multiple sclerosis, which she revealed she was diagnosed during an appearance on Larry King’s CNN show in October 2002. She appeared onscreen for the last time in 2011.

Garr died at home in Los Angeles, surrounded by family and friends,” her publicist, Heidi Schaffer, told The Hollywood Reporter.

Mel Brooks, who gave Garr her breakthrough role alongside Gene Wilder in Young Frankenstein, paid tribute to the actress. “So very sorry to hear about Teri Garr’s passing,” he wrote on X. “She was so talented and so funny. Her humor and lively spirit made the Young Frankenstein set a pleasure to work on. Her ‘German’ accent had us all in stitches!

David Letterman is calling Teri Garr, who died Tuesday, one of his “all time favorite guests,” while Garr’s Mr. Mom costar Michael Keaton laments “a day I feared and knew was coming.” And Richard Dreyfuss, who costarred with Garr in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, remembers her as “vibrant, playful and so funny.”

The late, great Teri Garr, who brightened everything from sitcoms, variety shows, talk shows, some of the funniest movies ever made and even the occasional drama is being remembered by co-stars and colleagues today for the light she was.

“I adored Teri,” tweeted Dreyfuss. “She was vibrant, playful and so funny. Her essence created an ease in every scene we did together.

Teri Garr, the Academy Award-nominated actress known for her roles in films including Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Tootsie, Mr. Mom, and Young Frankenstein, has died at the age of 79.

According to Variety, Garr died on Tuesday following a long battle with multiple sclerosis. Garr first revealed her diagnosis with Ms in 2002 and later suffered an aneurysm in 2006. She officially retired from acting in 2011, with some of her final films including Paul Feig’s Unaccompanied Minors and the Lisa Kudrow-staring Kabluey.

With over 140 credits across film and television, Garr’s career in Hollywood was both extensive and versatile. After starting her career as a dancer, she earned a breakout role as Inga, the audacious assistant in Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein. In 1982, she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Oscars for her performance as actress Sandy Lester in Tootsie.

Throughout her career, Garr was a mainstay on late-night...

It begins with Jaws. Of course it begins with Jaws. Has any composer in history utilised two simple notes — an alternating pattern between E and F — so effectively? So iconically? It feels obvious to begin a documentary entitled Music By John Williams with perhaps his most famous work, but it also feels like there would be no other way to begin.

This film comes from Laurent Bouzereau, a prolific author and documentarian who has made making-of films for Steven Spielberg for decades, and has written at least three books on the filmmaker, including last year’s Spielberg: The First Ten Years. Bouzereau has even made a documentary on Williams before — 2017’s TV film Steven Spielberg & John Williams: The Adventure Continues. So, there is certainly a sense of well-trodden ground here, and it’s a fairly cosy portrait between regular collaborators, rather than a probing journalistic inquiry.

Does an excellent job of capturing his importance.

Few people are more integral to film culture than John Williams. The famed composer not only crafted dozens of the most iconic soundtracks of the last fifty years but also some of the most memorable music in human history. Music By John Williams, a new documentary about the man and his career, tracks his incredible journey. The impact of the sounds he crafted remains impossible to quantify. Combining the beautiful footage of Williams’ filmography with present-day interviews, director Laurent Bouzereau provides a loving tribute to the man.

Related “I just couldn’t stop laughing”: John Williams’ Devotion to Star Wars Proves Why He’s the Greatest Composer Alive Music By John Williams follows his historic career.

Like most biographical documentaries, Music By John Williams does not attempt to present a new narrative around his career. Instead, Bouzereau takes us step by step through his career. After showing promise as a young musician and pianist,...

Seth Meyers confessed to Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live that he hasn’t gotten around to seeing Saturday Night yet, so maybe it’s no surprise that none of the original cast’s characters appears on his rapid-fire countdown of all-time Saturday Night Live favorites.

Who did make the cut? Here are the five greatest SNL characters ever, according to Meyers…

5 Debbie Downer Play

Presented without comment from Meyers, Debbie Downer was Rachel Dratch’s signature character. The name became synonymous with that person who manages to find doom in even the happiest news, bringing down the entire group in the process. The character’s first appearance may hold the SNL record for most crack-ups in a single sketch. “I always loved when things went ‘wrong’ on the show,” Dratch said in the SNL oral history Live From New York, “because it reminds you the show is really live.

When one is a creator, inspiration can strike from anywhere. When one is as talented as Steven Spielberg, this becomes even more true. The director has created films from almost every genre, all varying in style, matter of storytelling, and direction. It is safe to say that the diversity in his filmmaking style makes it very difficult to find inspiration in the same place over and over.

Steven Spielberg (image credit: Gage Skidmore/Cc By-sa 2.0/Wikimedia Commons)

While most of the time, it can strike on the pages of a book or a conversation with someone about their life experiences, often, it can be isolation or a troublesome situation that can force the mind to work overtime. During an interview, Spielberg revealed how he ended up getting the idea for his 2022 film, The Fabelmans, and the story is quite interesting.

Steven Spielberg’s Worst Houseful Show

During an interview with The New Yorker,...

Steven Spielberg is a master filmmaker. His movies are some of the most visually stunning in the business, and they are the biggest reason for the success that he possesses today. However, it is important to remember that, first and foremost, Spielberg is a storyteller. He has incorporated some deeply complex themes into making films that range from fantasy and science fiction to drama and war tales.

Steven Spielberg Credit: Gage Skidmore licensed under Cc By-sa 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Through so much experience and attention to detail, he is able to deliver stories in a way that few in the industry have been able to do. However, it would seem that the director has also been able to trick his viewers by hiding the most interesting story in plain sight; the one about him and his family.

Steven Spielberg’s Tale of a Pursuit and Its Cost

One of the...

Steven Spielberg is known for his blockbuster-scale sci-fi films with a strong emotional core. While he has ventured into serious dramatic territory and has succeeded with films like Schindler’s List, Saving Private Ryan, and The Post, his contribution to genre-filmmaking is unparalleled.

Before the filmmaker made the iconic E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Spielberg ventured into sci-fi territory immediately after the Summer hit Jaws. With Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Spielberg seemed to have his first stint at the UFO film. Like E.T., the film seemed to connect to his parents, which he only to realize after an interviewer pointed it out.

Steven Spielberg Thanked An Interviewer For Noticing The Personal Connection In Close Encounters of the Third Kind A still from Close Encounters of the Third Kind | Credits: Columbia Pictures

After Jaws became the highest-grossing film of all time upon its release, Steven Spielberg went against type and...

For a good while, it seemed as though everything Steven Spielberg touched turned to gold. Having established the very concept of the blockbuster with "Jaws" in 1975, the director went on to make hit after hit with "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" (1977), "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1981), and "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" (1982). Even 1984's "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" was a box office success, despite shocking some viewers who weren't used to such a dark and oddly violent effort from the director. Critical response to the movie was also more mixed than it had been for its predecessor. Of course, anyone following Spielberg's career closely would have known that "Temple of Doom" was not the first time the seemingly infallible director had fallen afoul of the critics.

Sandwiched between "Close Encounters" and "Raiders" in Spielberg's filmography is "1941." Made in 1979, this war comedy featured an ensemble cast that included Dan Aykroyd,...

Steven Spielberg once revealed that he was rejected twice from helming a James Bond film. He shared that it was right after the success of his blockbuster film, Jaws. When he approached producer Albert “Cubby” Broccoli, he shared that Spielberg didn’t have enough experience to direct a big-budget film like James Bond.

Steven Spielberg | Elena Ternovaja, licensed under Cc By-sa 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

However, Spielberg had the last laugh since he became one of the pioneer filmmakers in the industry. He has far outgrown the spy thriller franchise, which is looking to reboot the character for a modern audience after Daniel Craig retired from the role.

Steven Spielberg Was Rejected From Helming A James Bond Film Despite His Jaws Success Roger Moore and Lois Chiles in Moonraker (1979) | Credits: MGM

James Bond films were brought to life by six different actors and directed by twelve different directors. Steven Spielberg could...

NYC Weekend Watch is our weekly round-up of repertory offerings.

Brooklyn Center for Theatre Research

My screening series Amnesiascope partners again with Rohmer Fits for an encore presentation of Éric Rohmer shorts on Sunday.

Paris Theater

“Big & Loud!” returns with 70mm prints of Vertigo, Phantom Thread, and Boogie Nights, along with The Abyss, Close Encounters, and films by Don Hertzfeldt.

Bam

The controversial, remarkable The Spook Who Sat By the Door continues in a new restoration.

Roxy Cinema

Amalia Ulman has programmed prints of If… and The Holy Girl; “Explosive Cinema” offers First Reformed and The Battle of Algiers.

Film at Lincoln Center

As an essential restoration of Shinji Somai’s Moving continues, The Stranger and the Fog begins a run.

Museum of the Moving Image

Speed Racer and A Silent Voice have screenings.

Anthology Film Archives

Films by Buñuel, Chaplin, and Cocteau screen in “Essential Cinema“; Funeral Parade of Roses shows this Friday.

NYC Weekend Watch is our weekly round-up of repertory offerings.

Bam

The controversial, remarkable The Spook Who Sat By the Door plays in a new restoration.

Roxy Cinema

Fidelio, our four-film program with Chapo Trap House’s Movie Mindset, has an encore with Eyes Wide Shut on a spectacular 35mm print this Saturday; Amalia Ulman has programmed prints of The Piano Teacher and The Holy Girl.

Film at Lincoln Center

An essential restoration of Shinji Somai’s Moving continues.

Museum of the Moving Image

Erich von Stroheim’s Greed plays on 35mm with live accompaniment this Sunday; Alice in the Cities, Insiang, The Killing of a Chinese Bookie, and The Muppet Movie have screenings.

Paris Theater

“Big & Loud!” returns with 70mm prints of Vertigo and Boogie Nights, along with The Abyss, Close Encounters, and Days of Heaven.

Film Forum

A new restoration of Alfred Hitchcock’s Frenzy begins playing; Army of Shadows continues.

Alain Delon, the French star who shot to stardom during the 1960s with films like Il Gattopardo (1963) and Le Samoura (1967), has passed away at the age of 88 years old in Douchy, France, in the company of his family. Delon was reported to have spent his last months on his estate, and his family has confirmed he died peacefully in his home, per a Variety report.

Born in Sceaux, France, in 1935, the actor is considered one of the most influential leading men of his generation. His work with directors like Jean-Pierre Melville, Michelangelo Antonioni, Luchino Victoni, and Jean-Luc Godard was internationally acclaimed and always put him in the spotlight as one of the valued European actors everyone sought for their films in the '60s and '70s. However, he wasn't very keen on participating in every movie he was offered. His career was primarily based on French cinema.

Related 15 Best...

Third time was the charm for Ryan Gosling whose third turn as host on NBC’s Saturday Night Live brought him his first Emmy nomination in the Guest Actor In a Comedy Series category. It comes on the heels of Gosling’s third Oscar nomination for Barbie.

Gosling’s Emmy-nominated SNL hosting stint on April 13 was a memorable one, with a third “Close Encounters” sketch, featuring former SNL cast member (and Gosling’s Barbie co-star) Kate McKinnon, a Gosling-Emily Blunt “Barbenheimer” musical number to Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well,” and the viral SNL sketch of the season, “Beavis & Butt-Head,” which has generated 17M views on YouTube alone.

The success of that episode — and that “Beavis & Butthead” skit showcasing the impressive transformation of Gosling and SNL cast member Mikey Day into the beloved MTV characters — helped the venerable NBC sketch program to secure multiple nominations for the Gosling-hosted show,...

Steven Spielberg, the master auteur, had somewhat of a crash course in the interdependent working relationship between a director and the studio quite early on in his career. Despite his natural expertise and ingrained talent for producing cinematic masterpieces, Spielberg is not entirely immune to box office failures.

Steven Spielberg on the sets of 1941 [Credit: Amblin]

The director of the aquatic thriller, Jaws, and sci-fi alien film, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, had ridden the wave of success and glory for far too long to realize that without studio interference, a project can sometimes go downhill too. And Spielberg was quick to learn that on the evening of the premiere of 1941.

Steven Spielberg and His Radical New Hollywood Era

No studio production enters the final theatrical lineup without the absolute say-so of the higher-up execs. The Hollywood of today is entirely guided by the principle of equal collaboration between the suits and the creatives.

When Harrison Ford quipped about his girlfriend turning Spielberg down, it was more than banter—it was a spark that led to the creation of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Ford’s charm and a bit of behind-the-scenes magic helped shape this Spielberg classic.

Harrison Ford as Jacob Dutton in 1923 | Paramount Network

Despite no sequel in sight, this quirky collaboration between Ford and Spielberg resulted in a masterpiece that stands alone. Discover how a cheeky comment from Ford played a pivotal role in bringing a beloved film to life, leaving us craving for more.

How Harrison Ford’s Persuasion Brought E.T. to Life and Kept Its Magic Untouched The Harrison Ford cameo in ‘E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial’ | Amblin Entertainment

Imagine the 1982 sci-fi film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial without the lovable alien we all know. It almost didn’t happen, and we have Harrison Ford to thank for its creation. Back in...

The James Bond franchise has grown stupendously well, bringing in several impeccable actors, characters, directors, artists, and more. From its inception to now, the franchise has collected a range of talent yet it did once famously reject one of Hollywood’s Goat, Steven Spielberg. However, that is not the only mistake the franchise made, for it failed to bring in one musical genius for a long, long time.

Daniel Craig as James Bond in No Time to Die | Universal Pictures

The mind behind some of the greatest soundtracks of all time, Hans Zimmer surprisingly never made it to the James Bond movies, until No Time To Die. If it hadn’t been for Barbara Broccoli, he might never have been given the opportunity.

Hans Zimmer Made It to the James Bond Franchise Only Because of Barbara Broccoli

Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer [Credit: Richard Yaussi | Wikimedia Commons]Hans Zimmer is one of the most...

Ultraman: Rising is a fresh take on the classic franchise, offering a family-focused superhero story with a vibrant animation style. Composer Scot Stafford took a bold approach to the soundtrack, blending classic melodies with unexpected instruments for a unique score. The film was originally conceived as a non-franchise project inspired by Ultraman, showcasing the creative journey from concept to franchise entry.

Ultraman: Rising is the latest entry in a franchise that dates back to 1966. The character was co-created by Eiji Tsuburaya, a special effects director who also co-created Godzilla in the decade prior to Ultramans arrival. Over forty years, and films, later, Ultraman: Rising serves as a fitting introduction to the franchise, as it doesnt require any prior knowledge of the franchise. This could be in part because co-writer and director Shannon Tindle didnt initially envision this family tale as an Ultraman story, and steps into that universe for the first time with this film.

Quick Links Who Is Richard Dreyfuss? 2017 Sexual Harassment Allegations May 2023 Academy Award Controversy May 2024 Cabot Theater Controversy

Oscar-winning actor Richard Dreyfuss has experienced a major fall from grace over the past seven years. The once-beloved actor who came to prominence in the 1970s with such classic George Lucas and Steven Spielberg movies as American Graffiti, Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and others has recently made headlines by lashing out and insulting several marginalized groups at a public Jaws retrospective screening in Beverly, Massachusetts. The latest controversy comes seven years after Dreyfuss was accused of sexual harassment by a female TV writer.

In the past year, Dreyfuss has also spoken out against the Academy Awards' new diversity rules that promote inclusion, showing how far the world has left him behind and how out of touch with reality he seems to be. Unfortunately, the once-venerated Hollywood actor has doubled down on his seething outrage,...

Richard Dreyfus Sexist Rant Sparks Apology ( Photo Credit – Wikimedia )

Oscar winner Richard Dreyfus is under fire again over a sexist and homophobic rant that reportedly prompted a Massachusetts theater to issue an apology over the offensive remarks.

It all began when the Cabot hosted the 76-year-old “Jaws” star for “An Evening With Richard Dreyfuss” on Saturday, May 25, before the film’s Massachusetts Theatre screening.

However, things supposedly went off the rails as soon as Richard Dreyfus walked to the stage wearing a dress over his clothes. In a YouTube video taken by an audience member, the actor was seen on stage wearing a floral print dress, shaking his hips to Love Story by Taylor Swift in the background.

Trending Who Is Doja Cat’s Father Dumisani Dlamini? All About The Parents As Singer Slams “Deadbeat” Dad In Rage-Fueled Post Justice For Johnny Wactor GoFundMe Raises Over $38,000 As ‘General Hospital’ Star...

Ryan Gosling dressed up as his character from the Beavis and Butt-Head sketch from his latest SNL appearance at The Fall Guy premiere, alongside Mikey Day. The original sketch went viral online, partly due to the actors breaking character looking at their ridiculous costumes. Their two characters also crashed Emily Blunt's red carpet interview and had some fun exchanges.

Ryan Gosling reprises his Saturday Night Live character on The Fall Guy red carpet, paying homage to Beavis and Butt-Head. Gosling has hosted the long-running NBC comedy show three times, but his most recent hosting gig in April, with musical guest Chris Stapleton, might be his most memorable yet. That's especially true because of a segment in which Gosling and SNL's Mikey Day played characters that looked strikingly like Beavis and Butt-Head without even realizing it. The sketch caught fire online, partly because Gosling and others, like cast member Heidi Gardner,...

“The Alien Report” from newbie Director Patrick Donnelly and Producer Kevin Schroeder, releases this month on streamers bringing a fresh yet troubling perspective to the UFO story, it’s vastly different from traditional UFO movies like E.T. The Extraterrestrial and Close Encounters, both Steven Spielberg flicks. This week, Steven Spielberg announced plans to make a new …

The post ” The Alien Report”: An iPhone UFO Movie Vastly Different From Steven Spielberg UFO Movies appeared first on Horror News | Hnn.

Signage at the 2024 TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood, CA.

Once again, it was time for our favorite film festival, the Turner Classic Movies Film Festival, and as usual, the Stars were shining brightly!

Movie lovers from around the globe descended upon Hollywood for the 15th edition of the festival, which took place Thursday, April 18 – Sunday, April 21. Over four packed days and nights, fans were treated to a lineup of great movies, appearances by legendary stars and filmmakers, fascinating presentations and panel discussions.

There were quite a few big-name notables, both on the red carpet and introducing some of our favorite classic films.

Thursday’s opening night gala was a stunner, with the 30th anniversary screening of Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction (1994). Many of the iconic film’s stars walked the red carpet for a reunion that included John Travolta, Samuel Jackson, Uma Thurman, and Harvey Keitel.

This set the...

Steven Spielberg has had a lifelong fascination with alien beings from beyond the stars. When the legendary director was just 17, he made a nearly two-and-a-half-hour epic on his 8mm camera called Firelight, a film that he more or less remade 14 years later as Close Encounters of the Third Kind. That 1977 classic would be the first of three professional movies Spielberg would make about aliens arriving on our planet, the other two being E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) and War of the Worlds (2005). And each trip into the extraterrestrial has led to one of the director’s most successful and acclaimed films (we’re not counting 2008’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull since Spielberg didn’t actually want aliens in the movie).

It’s also a subject that continues to fascinate the filmmaker, with Variety recently reporting that Spielberg’s next film is going to be another...

Even though Ryan Gosling popped up during Kristin Wiig's induction into the Five Timers Club in last weekend's episode of "Saturday Night Live," the "Barbie" star had actually only hosted the late night sketch comedy show a couple times. Despite having just that pair of hosting stints under his belt, Gosling had already proven he was a reliable and hilarious host. But even with expectations high, Gosling made this third round hosting "Saturday Night Live" an absolute banger, delivering one of the best episodes that I've ever seen. And it wasn't just because of guest appearances by former "SNL" cast member (and recent host) Kate McKinnon or a cameo by Gosling's "The Fall Guy" co-star Emily Blunt. Even without those bonuses, this episode of "SNL" was simply phenomenal. 

So let's not waste anymore time. Come with us as we dig into the highs and non-existent lows of Ryan Gosling's latest "Saturday Night Live.

Get ready for another explosive episode of “Summer House”! Airing at 9:00 Pm on Thursday, April 18, 2024, exclusively on Bravo, Season 8 Episode 9 promises to deliver all the drama, romance, and laughs that fans have come to expect from the hit reality series.

In this installment, titled “Close Encounters,” viewers will see the friends continue to share a house together in the picturesque beach town of Montauk, N.Y. As the summer season heats up, tensions rise and emotions run high as the housemates navigate their relationships, friendships, and personal dramas.

From romantic entanglements to heated arguments, no topic is off-limits as the cast members confront their issues head-on. And with the beautiful backdrop of Montauk providing the perfect setting for their adventures, viewers can expect plenty of fun in the sun, along with some unexpected twists and turns along the way.

Don’t miss out on the excitement of “Summer House...

The Fabelmans (2022), arguably Steven Spielberg’s most personal movie to date, had everyone talking. Starring Michelle Williams and Paul Dano, it’s a semi-autobiographical tale that’s loosely based on the director’s childhood and his early years as a film director.

However, Spielberg’s reluctance to delve into his family’s history stemmed from worries that his parents would suffer, so the project was dropped for twenty years. Regardless, with seven Oscar nominations upon its release, The Fabelmans has generated a lot of Oscar buzz.

James Cameron’s Avatar

Does that encourage other filmmakers to document their own life stories on screen? Well, the director of Avatar and Titanic, though, is not going to take that route. James Cameron remains surprisingly uninterested when it comes to sharing the story of his own journey to success on the big screen because he finds it “boring”.

Why James Cameron Won’t...

Steven Spielberg is undoubtedly one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. The filmmaker has captivated audiences for over five decades with his entertaining and deeply impactful stories along with introducing hit franchises like Indiana Jones and Jurassic Park. However, despite his illustrious career, there’s one coveted project he has been unable to tackle, a James Bond film.

Steven Spielberg | Credits: Wikimedia Commons

Multiple iterations of the character have been brought to the screen by several filmmakers and actors throughout the years. Although Spielberg expressed interest in making a film with a beloved character, his offers were met with rejection from the franchise’s producers.

Steven Spielberg Faced Rejections From the James Bond Producer

Steven Spielberg has shared that he is a “huge [James] Bond fan.” And during a conversation on Michael Ball’s BBC Radio 2, the filmmaker revealed that he even approached the franchise’s producer to direct a James Bond film.

Richard Dreyfuss, a familiar face in Steven Spielberg’s filmography, went to unorthodox lengths to land a role in one of their collaborations. While Dreyfuss’s performance in Jaws cemented his status as a leading actor, it wasn’t a smooth sail to win the role in Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

A still of Richard Dreyfuss in Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977).

Steven Spielberg explored various options by seeking an actor with a touch of eccentricity to portray the role. Initially considering names like Steve McQueen, Al Pacino, Gene Hackman, and Jack Nicholson, Spielberg had his eyes set on an actor who could embody Neary’s beloved yet unconventional character.

Suggested‘Halloween’ Director John Carpenter Dismissed 1 Steven Spielberg Film as “Pretentious”, Claimed Director “Lost control of it”

Amidst the competition, Richard Dreyfuss emerged as a frontrunner by strategically advocating for himself. Going beyond traditional auditioning, Dreyfuss adopted a bold approach.

Stars: Mike Capes, David Shackelford, Sean Astin, Sandy Martin, Caitlin McHugh, Bobby Gilchrist, Larry Hankin, Bill Kottkamp | Written by Mike Capes, Johnny Wickham | Directed by Mike Hermosa

The Tyler Corporation has finally figured out how to engineer a prehistoric raptor genetically, but they didn’t stop there… they also made it invisible. Unfortunately for them, he’s a really smart invisible raptor. After easily breaking out of its enclosure, it’s now up to washed-up amusement park palaeontologist Dr Grant Walker and hapless loner Security Guard Denny Danielson to stop the predator before it wreaks havoc on the entire community of Spielburgh County. With the help of local celebrity chicken farmer Henrietta McCluckskey and Grant’s old flame Amber, they uncover the truth behind the mysterious apex predator.

Take Jurassic Park, ramp up the horror, film it on a low budget and make it independently and you have the Roger Corman-produced Carnosaur…...

Steven Spielberg is one of the wisest men in Hollywood and is known to give all kinds of advice to his peers, whether they are part of his films or not. After all, there is no one who wouldn’t want to get advice from someone who has such a wealth of knowledge. However, John Carpenter has one notable Steven Spielberg movie, which he claimed was pretentious.

Jurassic Park

Steven Spielberg has been a part of many iconic franchises over the years, as he has been responsible for films such as the Jurassic Park franchise, Indiana Jones film series, Saving Private Ryan and many other films. That is why his opinion carries a lot of weight when it comes to anything related to films, but that doesn’t mean all of his films are equally well-received.

Suggested“Don’t you think these tunnels are like my mother’s womb?”:...

It's fair to say that "Schindler's List" changed the course of Steven Spielberg's career. The wunderkind filmmaker invented the blockbuster with "Jaws" and rose to become one of the most successful directors of all time. But there was something Spielberg wanted more than fame and money: respect. He didn't just want to be the blockbuster guy; he wanted to be taken seriously as an artist.

"Schindler's List" was the film that finally did that, signaling Spielberg as a "serious" filmmaker capable of winning multiple Oscars for his hard work. The historical drama earned Spielberg some of the best reviews of his career, and it took home seven Academy Awards — including giving Spielberg his first Best Director Oscar.

Spielberg had to work his way up to making such a serious movie, and "Schindler's List" wasn't the first time the filmmaker chased Oscar gold and artistic respect. In a new oral history of "Schindler's List,...