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Above: 1973 New York Film Festival poster designed by Niki de Saint Phalle.The 61st edition of the New York Film Festival, which opens tonight, has 32 films in its Main Slate, fifteen films in its Spotlight section, ten films and seven collections of shorts in the Currents sidebar, and eleven revivals. That's over 60 feature films. Fifty years ago, in 1973, the 11th edition of the festival had just eighteen feature films and nineteen shorts. Just like this year’s opener—Todd Haynes’s May December—1973’s opening night film, François Truffaut’s Day for Night, had premiered four months earlier at the Cannes Film Festival. And as with this year’s festival, the 1973 edition opened, fifty years and one day ago exactly, in the shadow of an artists' strike. Local 802 of the American Federation of Musicians had been picketing the New York Philharmonic outside Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall, where the festival was taking place,...

The very first episode of The Monkees, “Royal Flush,” won the series‘ director an Emmy Award in 1967. The Monkees‘ creators, Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider won their own golden statuettes in the Best Comedy Series category that same legendary evening.

Davy Jones is seated on the sand in front of fellow ‘The Monkees’ co-stars Mike Nesmith, Peter Tork, and Micky Dolenz in ‘Royal Flush’ | Keystone Features/Getty Images The first episode of ‘The Monkees’ was ‘Royal Flush’

The Monkees episodes may not have been the first to feature slapstick on television. However, the series was one of the first to include music shorts within each 30-minute episode.

Viewers were treated to a new music montage each week, driving The Monkees‘ record sales to number one on the Billboard Charts. However, the series also found a home with viewers who enjoyed its light humor.

In the series very first episode, “Royal Flush,...

Several atom-fear exposés bravely ‘told the truth’ about the madness of the nuclear standoff. They didn’t get more liberal-precious than this uncompromising, difficult-to-watch ordeal based on a true incident. When an Imminent Attack alarm sends a tiny elementary school into a panic, Frank and Eleanor Perry pull no punches, finding the worst possible outcome to twist one’s insides in helpless frustration. The notorious yet little-seen show stars stage actors then unfamiliar, a couple of whom would soon become much bigger names. For us Children of the Bomb it’s the traumatic connection between Duck and Cover and Miracle Mile — or “Romper Room of Fear.” Richard Harland Smith’s commentary gives this release the context it needs, answering most of the questions that have hovered over it for 57 years.

Ladybug Ladybug

Blu-ray

Kl Studio Classics

1963 / B&w / 1:85 widescreen / 82 min. / Street Date December 15, 2020 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95

Starring: Adults: Nancy Marchand,...

Here’s a list of some of the notable celebrities and industry professionals in film, TV, music and sports who have passed away in 2019.

Carol Channing

The legendary Broadway and musical actress died Jan. 15. Channing was 97.

Kevin Barnett

The comic and “Rel” co-creator, the Lil’ Rel Howery-led sitcom, died Jan. 22 due to a hemorrhage. Barnett was 32.

Joe Stapleton

The New England broadcaster who appeared in several Oscar-winning films like “Spotlight” and “Mystic River,” died Jan. 1. Stapleton was 55.

Daryl Dragon

One half of pop duo Captain and Tennille died Jan. 2 of renal failure, according to Reuters. He was 76.

Gene Okurland

The famed WWE announcer, who frequently interviewed the likes of Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant at their peak, died Jan. 2. Okurland was 76.

Bob Einstein

The “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and “Arrested Development” actor (and brother of actor-filmmaker Albert Brooks) died Jan. 2. Einstein was 76.

Verna Bloom

The “Animal House” and “The Last Temptation of Christ...

The special “In Memoriam” segment on the 2019 Emmy Awards ceremony will be especially tearful this year. Beloved television legends Tim Conway, Doris Day, Bob Einstein, Valerie Harper, Katherine Helmond, Peggy Lipton, Penny Marshall, Luke Perry, John Singleton and Rip Torn will certainly be just a few people honored with in a musical tribute performed by pop star Halsey.

Let’s take a look back at these TV icons as well as over 60 others who have died since mid-September last year. Many will be included in the memoriam for the live Emmys ceremony for Fox on September 22.

SEECelebrity Deaths 2019: In Memoriam Gallery

Tim Conway died on May 14 at age 85. The comedy legend won six Emmy Awards during his lengthy career, including four for “The Carol Burnett Show,” one for “Coach” and one for “30 Rock.” He was inducted into the TV Academy Hall of Fame in 2002.

Legendary singer and actress...

Chris Cummins Jul 20, 2019

The Muppet Movie will return to theaters for two days in July for its 40th anniversary.

This story is brought to you by Fathom Events.

“More entertaining than humanly possible!”

Those words, emblazoned atop the poster for The Muppet Movie, were a tongue-in-cheek reminder of how the film would be unlike anything audiences had seen before. And indeed it was. In many ways, the Muppets’ first cinematic outing was the culmination of Jim Henson’s desire to bring the art of puppetry to audiences on a scale that had never been previously attempted.

By the time of the film’s release in summer 1979, the Muppets were already stars in their own right thanks to frequent television appearances. Yet the prospect of their own feature still seemed like a dicey one. Concerns ranging from the practical to the technical reared their ugly heads. Then there was the issue...

Forty years ago this summer, a frog with a dream to make millions of people happy hopped out of the swamp, onto a bicycle and into cinema history in “The Muppet Movie.” For two days only this July, the original classic is back in movie theaters nationwide from Fathom Events, The Jim Henson Company and Universal Pictures.

Tickets are available at www.FathomEvents.com or at participating theater box offices.

“The Muppet Movie” will play in more than 700 movie theaters on Thursday, July 25, and Tuesday, July 30, at 12:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. local time each day through Fathom’s Digital Broadcast Network (Dbn). For a complete list of theater locations, visit the Fathom Events website (theaters and participants are subject to change).

Following massive global success with the television hit “The Muppet Show,” which at its height aired in more than 100 countries around the world, Muppets creator Jim...

In today’s film news roundup, documentaries on Mac Miller and the U.S.’s great outdoors are under way, Paramount has promoted Kevin Tsu, Wavelength hires four and “The Muppet Movie” will come back for two days.

Documentaries Launched

Filmmaker Cj Wallis has announced that his company Margrette Bird Pictures is beginning pre-production on a documentary chronicling the late rapper Mac Miller.

Miller died in September from a mix of fentanyl and cocaine, according to a toxicology report from the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office. His death was characterized as accidental. Miller had struggled with substance abuse in the past and often referred to the problems in his songs.

Wallis made the announcement on his Twitter account:

So, over the next year I'm going to start collecting interviews & content to make the definitive @MacMiller documentary for his family, friends & fans…

Please share & tag anyone you think we need to speak with!

For Sunday’s Oscars 2019 ceremony, producers had a difficult decision of which film industry people would make the cut and who would be left out of the “In Memoriam.” For the segment, Gustavo Dudamel and the L.A. Philharmonic performed music by Oscar winner John Williams.

Over 100 Academy members or film industry veterans died in the past 12 months. Visit our own Gold Derby memoriam galleries for the year of 2018 and the newly-started gallery for 2019.

SEEDirector Stanley Donen, dead at 94, was light on his feet and a movie musical heavyweight

Stanley Donen would have certainly been included, but he died on the weekend after the segment had been finalized (look for him on the 2020 show). Here is list of some of the people included in the Memoriam tribute for the ceremony (Academy members are indicated with ** by their names):

Susan Anspach (actor)

Bernardo Bertolucci (director)

Yvonne Blake (costume designer)**

Paul Bloch...

While Academy Awards producers have strived for a much shorter ceremony this year, the annual “In Memoriam” segment will definitely remain. In fact this moment on Sunday’s 2019 event should be extra classy since Gustavo Dudamel and the L.A. Philharmonic will be performing as part of the tribute.

Over 100 Academy members or film industry veterans died in the past 12 months. But which ones will be featured in the short segment? There are generally outcries each year from family members upset about people being left out. Visit our own Gold Derby memoriam galleries for the year of 2018 and the newly-started gallery for 2019.

Virtually certain to be part of the montage are Oscar-winning directors Bernardo Bertolucci and Milos Forman, Oscar-nominated actors Carol Channing, Albert Finney and Burt Reynolds, director and actress Penny Marshall, executive producer and entertainment icon Stan Lee and many more.

SEEDana Carvey, Mike Myers, Queen Latifah, Barbra Streisand...

Fatima Ali, a contestant on Season 15 of Bravo’s "Top Chef," has died following her battle with cancer. She was 29.

Ali’s family confirmed the news to Pakistani outlet, Dawn. Bravo also shared the news on its "Top Chef" twitter account, writing:

"We are deeply saddened to hear the news that Fatima Ali lost her courageous battle with cancer. Our thoughts are with her family at this time. People not only fell in love with her cooking, but fell in love with her personality and heart."...

James Frawley, a prolific filmmaker who won an Emmy for directing the first episode of “The Monkees” and helmed “The Muppet Movie,” died Jan. 22 at his home in Indian Wells, Calif. He was 82.

His wife, Cynthia Frawley, told Variety that her husband died following a heart attack.

Born on Sept. 29, 1936, in Houston, Frawley was the youngest son of actor William Frawley. He broke into the entertainment business as a television actor with credits on “The Seasons of Youth,” “Gunsmoke,” “The Outer Limits” and “Perry Mason.”

Frawley was chosen selected by producers Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider to direct the first episode of “The Monkees,” starring Davy Jones, Peter Tork, Michael Nesmith and Micky Dolenz. He won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series in 1967 for the episode “Royal Flush” and was nominated the following year for the segment “The Devil and Peter Tork.”

“I picked up a 16mm camera,...

James Frawley, the Emmy-winning director who brought both the Monkees and the Muppets to screen success during a prolific television and film career spanning five decades, has died. He was 82. Frawley died on Jan. 22 at his home in Indian Well, as first reported in the Palm Springs Desert Sun.

Frawley was born in Houston in September 1936 but he was an heir of Hollywood as the youngest son of I Love Lucy and My Three Sons co-star William Frawley, who Lucille Ball hailed as “one of the greatest character actors of all time.” Show biz beckoned the second-generation Frawley who became an actor himself, first on stage and then and in classic 1960s television fare such as Gunsmoke, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Perry Mason, My Favorite Martian, Dr. Kildare, The Outer Limits and I, Spy.

Frawley’s career took a major turn in 1966 when he set aside acting to step...

James Frawley, the director of “The Muppet Movie” and the show “The Monkees,” died on Tuesday at his home in Indian Wells, California. He was 82.

Frawley’s wife Cynthia told the Desert Sun that he fell and had a heart attack. She also said that he did not tell friends that he suffered from a lung condition after years of smoking. Representatives for Frawley did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.

Frawley won an Emmy for his work directing an episode of “The Monkees” about the ’60s pop band that was the American answer to The Beatles. He would direct half of the series’ 58 episodes.

Also Read: Russell Baker, Pulitzer-Winning Author and 'Masterpiece Theatre' Host, Dies at 93

He also directed the pilot to “Ally McBeal” and the 2000 comedy, “Ed.” Some of his other TV credits include “Columbo,” “Magnum P.I.,” “Cagney and Lacey” and most recently, “Grey’s Anatomy.

James Frawley, a veteran Hollywood director of film and TV projects like The Monkees and The Muppet Movie, has died. He was 82.

Frawley died on Jan. 22 at his home in Indian Wells, Calif., the Palm Springs Desert Sun reported on Wednesday. His wife, Cynthia Frawley, told the newspaper that Frawley had fallen and had a heart attack after for years facing a lung condition.

Born on Sept. 29, 1936 in Houston, Frawley was the youngest son of actor William Frawley, and followed his father to performing in front of the camera, initially in New York City and on Broadway....

There are people out there who have never seen The Princess Bride. They walk among us, holding down jobs, contributing to society, and generally living happy, semi-fulfilled lives. But whisper a perfectly-timed “mawage” in their direction during a wedding, and the resulting blank stare or awkward chuckle will expose an inconceivable pop-cultural blind spot. Someone failed them when they were growing up.

In many ways it’s too late for them, but we can still save the next generation. The 55 Essential Movies Kids Must Experience (Before They Turn 13) is a starting point. This isn’t a list of the 55 “best” kids movies,...

Part of the list provides a few Best Picture nominees, a number of Oscar winners, and a childhood favorite that still pops up now and again. In reality, this list could be half-full of music documentaries, but for that reason, I stayed away from them. Plus, I did my best to include only films that really are musicals in every sense of the word. Plenty of films have lots of musical components, but only true musicals have performances in the film that truly drive the story forward. The songs in movie musicals have a purpose, if there could be a true definition.

courtesy of ew.com

40. Coal Miner’s Daughter (1980)

Directed by Michael Apted

Signature Song: “Coal Miner’s Daughter”

Michael Apted certainly has a dicey filmography, this probably being his best: a biographical piece featuring a breakout adult role from Sissy Spacek, winning her the Oscar for Best Actress.

Chicago – Welcome to the new world of Blu-ray, DVD, and streaming coverage on HollywoodChicago.com. With so many options from iTunes to Video On Demand to Hulu to Blu-ray, what should you be watching this week? Every week, we’ll highlight some of the most interesting new releases, link to our full review coverage when applicable, tell you what’s special about the Blu-ray releases, and point you in the right direction to watch them.

We will still do some full-length Blu-ray and DVD reviews of special editions or particularly notable releases, but we know that you’re watching movies and TV shows in new ways in 2013 and we want to be as helpful as possible. Welcome to the future.

What to Watch: August 13-19th, 2013

The Muppet Movie

Photo credit: Disney

“The Muppet Movie”

There may be some irony in starting a new feature with a “Nearly 35th Anniversary...

And to think, at one time there were skeptics who claimed that a Muppet film couldn’t be done! That only humans could star in successful films! Boy, did Jim Henson and co. prove them wrong! The Muppet Movie was a huge hit in 1979 and spawned decades of sequels. Now it is available in a Blu-ray/Digital combo pack that is loaded with terrific extras.

The Muppet Movie is essentially a road movie. After meeting a Hollywood agent and learning that a big film studio is holding auditions, Kermit the Frog hits the highway, picking up various friends on the way. First he meets Fozzie Bear, telling jokes in a nasty cafe. Then they meet Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, and then Gonzo and his chicken friend Camilla, and then the incomparable Miss Piggy, and finally Rowlf the Dog. All of these guys decide to head for Tinseltown to hit the big time.

And there was much rejoicing. Though the overall package could be improved, it’s hard to deny the joy of watching The Muppet Movie on Blu-ray for the first time. You may be, like yours truly, a Netflix subscriber who’s watched this 1979 family classic on the Watch Instantly service over the last few months, hoping that the so-called SuperHD upgrade would be enough of an upgrade compared to DVD. It turns out that Disney had a trick or two up its sleeve with regards to this film’s high-definition transfer, though. (Or, possibly, the Netflix SuperHD moniker isn’t 100% accurate, but with a name like “SuperHD,” how could it be lying?) And like most Disney catalog Blu-rays, The Muppet Movie is criminally light on special features, but the few that are present are quite something.

Logic, being fair, hasn’t entered in much to the timing of this Blu-ray release,...

This week: Saving the president, reclaiming the White House and averting a global nuclear war is all in a day's work for Gerard Butler in the action flick "Olympus Has Fallen," starring Morgan Freeman, Angela Bassett, Aaron Eckhart and many more patriots in peril.

Also new this week is the horror sequel "Hatchet III" featuring some genre veterans, the rom-com "The Big Wedding" with a huge ensemble cast," and the Blu-ray debut of the original "The Muppet Movie."

'Olympus Has Fallen'

Box Office: $99 million

Rotten Tomatoes: 48% Rotten

Storyline: Disgraced former presidential guard Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) moves into action after the White House is captured by a North Korean terrorist mastermind and the President (Aaron Eckhart) and some of his staff are held captive. As the national security team scrambles to respond and the Secret Service ground team is wiped out, it's up to Banning to retake the White House,...

Three weeks ago I wrote a post about the dawn of the golden era of Polish movie posters that centered on the early work of the great Waldemar Swierzy. The incredibly prolific Swierzy, who has continued to work until the present, has changed his style quite considerably over a half century and 2,500 posters, and I am not as much of a fan of his later work as I am of the lovely, deceptively simple, cartoon-like posters he produced in the 50s and 60s. His later work became much busier, more garishly multi-colored, and often dominated by what I like to call the Swierzy squiggle (most prominent in his series of American Jazz portraits, but also in some posters I really dislike such as his designs for Greystoke and Cries and Whispers.)

Swierzy’s 1973 poster for Midnight Cowboy, above, is one of the most expensive Polish posters ever sold at auction...

It's already magical enough to see The Muppets come to life on the big screen. Jim Henson's creations, when in the hands of geniuses like himself and cohort Frank Oz, don't even feel like Muppets. They feel like sentient beings, who just happen to exist in the human world. This shines in the long line of films featuring Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear and more, but this kind of charm is even more present off screen. Such evidence comes in the form of some screen tests with director Jim Frawley which feature Henson and Oz hilariously improvising in character on the set of The Muppet Movie. Watch! Here's the videos from The Muppet Movie with Jim Henson and Frank Oz via io9: It's amazing to see these two talents so engrained in their characters to have existential conversations about their lives as puppets, without any script to help them.

Last week, "The Muppets" arrived in theaters, and even though I've been a lifelong fan of Kermit and company, I was genuinely surprised by how emotionally involved I became in the film while watching it at a recent press screening. But it dawned on me soon afterward that it's possible it's been so long since I've actually watched the original Muppets content - either via "The Muppet Show" of the theatrical films - that perhaps the reason for my newfound appreciation was simply the dimming of my memories of it. As such, it seemed like a good time to go back and watch "The Muppet Movie," James Frawley's epic saga about Kermit's journey from a Florida swamp to the movie studios of Hollywood, California.

After more than 20 years, is the (rainbow) connection to The Muppet Movie as strong as ever, or as moviegoers have we kept movin' right along?...

One of the most delightful things about James Frawley's The Muppet Movie (1979), aside from the songs and the creatures and the comedy, is the roster of colorful cameo appearances. As just a wee little movie geek, I didn't really "get" the chuckles when Milton Berle, James Coburn, Mel Brooks, Orson Welles, and Bob Hope popped up onscreen -- but I did know (and love) the likes of Madeline Kahn, Dom DeLuise, Richard Pryor and (especially) the wonderfully weird wit of Mr. Steve Martin. By now we all know Mr. Martin as a fine actor (sometimes in fine films), an astute author / screenwriter, and an all-around classy guy. But back in 1979, he was a breakout stand-up comic who was known solely from the stage, records, and TV appearances. (The Muppet Movie hit in...

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One of the most delightful things about James Frawley's The Muppet Movie (1979), aside from the songs and the creatures and the comedy, is the roster of colorful cameo appearances. As just a wee little movie geek, I didn't really "get" the chuckles when Milton Berle, James Coburn, Mel Brooks, Orson Welles, and Bob Hope popped up onscreen -- but I did know (and love) the likes of Madeline Kahn, Dom DeLuise, Richard Pryor and (especially) the wonderfully weird wit of Mr. Steve Martin. By now we all know Mr. Martin as a fine actor (sometimes in fine films), an astute author / screenwriter, and an all-around classy guy. But back in 1979, he was a breakout stand-up comic who was known solely from the stage, records, and TV appearances. (The Muppet Movie hit in...

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Every year for the last 20 years, 25 motion pictures have been selected for archiving in the Library of Congress' National Film Registry. Here's the full of list of this year's films, while after the break I will embed full video for some of the shorts. Dog Day Afternoon, Dir. Sidney Lumet (1975) The Exiles, Dir. Kent MacKenzie (1961) Heroes All, Dir. Anthony Young (1920) Hot Dogs for Gauguin, Dir. Martin Brest (1972) The Incredible Shrinking Man, Dir. Jack Arnold (1957) Jezebel, Dir. William Wyler (1938) The Jungle, Dir. Charlie "Brown" Davis, Jimmy "Country" Robinson, David "Bat" Williams (1967) The Lead Shoes, Dir. Sidney Peterson (1949) Little Nemo, Dir. Winsor McCay (1911) Mabel's Blunder, Dir. Mabel Normand (1914) The Mark of Zorro, Dir. Rouben Mamoulian (1940) Mrs. Miniver, Dir. William Wyler (1942) The Muppet Movie, Dir. James Frawley (1979) Once Upon a Time in the West, Dir. Sergio Leone (1968) Pillow Talk, Dir. Michael Gordon (1959) Precious Images, Dir. Chuck Workman (1986) Quasi at the Quackadero, ...

I think our original idea behind the Classic Cameos series was to pick one memorable cameo from a movie. However, The Muppet Movie is a long string of cameos, and why should I have to highlight only one? So many people pop up throughout the 1979 film -- my favorites are James Coburn, who owns the El Sleezo nightclub; Carol Kane's very silly "Myth? Yeth?" running gag; Mel Brooks in what's really more of an actual role than a cameo, as the mad scientist; and Orson Welles at the end of the film.

If that sounds like enough cameos, I've barely started. The Muppet Movie also has appearances from Dom DeLuise, Madeline Kahn and Telly Savalas, Paul Williams, Cloris Leachman, Bob Hope, Milton Berle, Edgar Bergen (and Charlie McCarthy), Elliot Gould and Big Bird. Director James Frawley supposedly appears onscreen briefly, but I'm not sure I'd recognize him. I've included...

Universal Pictures' "Public Enemies," starring Johnny Depp as John Dillinger, will screen as the Centerpiece Premiere at the Los Angeles Film Festival, which runs June 18-28.

Directed by Michael Mann, whose "Collateral" screened as a sneak peek at the festival five years ago, "Enemies" also stars Christian Bale and Marion Cotillard. The film opens nationally July 1.

Organized by Film Independent, the fest announced the bulk of its lineup Tuesday,encompassing more than 70 feature films, 70 shorts and 50 music videos drawn from more than 30 countries.

Said Rebecca Yeldham, who recently stepped into her new role as the festival's director: "The Laff is a celebration of culture, cinema and community. We're dedicated to our public, and we're dedicated to our filmmakers. We see ourselves as part of the international community of artists and passionate cinephiles."

Joining Yeldham and programming director Rachel Rosen at the Hotel Palomar in Westwood, actors Gael Garcia Bernal...

The Muppets for the month of May. We are truly blessed here in Portland. Thank you, Northwest Film Center. And now to make sure this is in your head the rest of the day …

It’s time to play the music

It’s time to light the lights

It’s time to meet the Muppets on the Muppet Show tonight.

It’s time to put on makeup

It’s time to dress up right

It’s time to raise the curtain on the Muppet Show tonight.

Why do we always come here

I guess we’ll never know

It’s like a kind of torture

To have to watch the show

And now let’s get things started

Why don’t you get things started

It’s time to get things started

On the most sensational inspirational celebrational Muppetational

This is what we call the Muppet Show

The Northwest Film...