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This article contains spoilers for "Vox Lux," "Trap," "Smile 2," and "The Substance."

The marriage of popular music and subversive cinema is hardly new. Whether it's peppy musical numbers in "After the Thin Man," the music of Miles Davis in "Elevator to the Gallows," or the needle drops in many of the films of Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino, the combination of catchy melodies and infections rhythms with harrowing drama and the onset of violence has been a cinematic peanut butter and jelly for a long time now, almost as long as the dawn of movies themselves. Yet something very intriguing has been happening in American culture ever since the turn of the century. Where cinema has taken advantage of its malleability of genre and tone to explore the well-rounded totality of the human condition, pop music has undergone a curious shift.

The frivolity, ennui and devil-may-care attitude that so...

“Beverly Hills Cop” and its young exuberant star Eddie Murphy were dominant forces on the cultural landscape as soon as the action comedy opened Dec. 5, 1984 on 1,532 screens, earning over $15 million in its first five days of release. “Beverly Hills Cop” garnered nearly $235 million domestically and another $81.6 million internationally.

The comedy even earned an Oscar nomination for its screenplay while Murphy hit superstar status thanks to his dazzling comedic turn as Axel Foley, a freewheeling Detroit cop who is the ultimate fish out of water when a murder investigation leads him to the by-the-book Beverly Hills police department. And the soundtrack album featuring the film’s composer Harold Faltermeyer’s hit “Axel F,” as well as the Pointer Sisters‘ “Neutron Dance” and Glenn Frey’s “The Heat is On,” hit No. 1 on the Billboard chart.

Three years later, Murphy returned in “Beverly Hills Cop II,” which made close to $300 million worldwide...

The cherished screen team of William Powell and Myrna Loy met “cute” on their first film together, the gritty 1934 “Manhattan Melodrama.” According to TCM.com, first scene in the film required her to run out a building, maneuver through a crowd of people and jump into a car. The film’s director W.S. “Woody” Van Dyke, who was nicknamed “One Take Woody” because of his efficiency, didn’t bother to introduce the actress to Powell. So, when Van Dyke called “action “Loy recalled jumping into the car and landing “smack on William Powell’s lap. He looked up nonchalantly: Miss Loy, I presume?” I said, Mr. Powell? That’s how I met the man who would be my partner in 14 films.”

It was their next film, the smart screwball comedy/mystery “The Thin Man,” which opened May 25, 1934, transformed the couple into top stars at MGM. Directed by Van Dyke...

Dashiell Hammett didn't invent detective fiction, he just perfected it — partially because he knew good and goddamn well of what he wrote. The high school dropout landed a gig with the Pinkerton National Detective Agency and evidently saw the worst side of the profession when his employer got fat off industrial cash by assigning their operatives to muscle, if not kill labor organizers. Years later, he laced his first published novel, "Red Harvest," with the bitter conscience of a man who witnessed evil but out of self-preservation did nothing.

Much of Hammett's work stings like a day drunk's swallow of rotgut whiskey, a belt they absorb over and over again to escape the awfulness of a world they cannot change in any meaningful way. The Continental Op eradicating a cluster of cold-blooded thugs with the 20-steps-ahead cool of a chess grandmaster in "Red Harvest" is so satisfying it's provided the foundation for several brilliant films.

Christmas comes early on Max, as the streamer adds a bevy of holiday movies to its library for the month of November, alongside new TV debuts, a noteworthy documentary and more. “Elf,” “Christmas Vacation,” “Arthur Christmas,” “The Shop Around the Corner” and “Four Christmases” are some of the holiday films arriving on the streaming platform on Nov. 1.

This month also sees the Season 2 premieres of “Rap Sh!t” (on Nov. 9) and “Julia” (on Nov. 16) and the series premiere of “Two and a Half Men” creator Chuck Lorre’s new sitcom “Bookie” starring Sebastian Maniscalco (on Nov. 30).

On Nov. 11, check out the documentary “Albert Brooks: Defending My Life” in which the comedian, actor and filmmaker’s best friend Rob Reiner peppers him with questions about his life and career.

And Chip and Joanna Gaines renovate a 100-year-old building in “Fixer Upper: The Hotel,” which premieres on Nov. 8.

Check out the full list...

It’s a lean month for new original content on HBO/Max. November will see the return of two scripted series in Julia and Rap Sh!t, both of which are debuting their respective second seasons, but this month’s fresh highlight is likely to be Bookie, a new comedy series from the partnership of The Big Bang Theory creator Chuck Lorre, and Nick Bakay. The show tracks an LA bookie called Danny (Sebastian Maniscalco), whose business is in peril as California movies to legalize sports gambling.

Elsewhere in November, there quite a few interesting documentaries to keep an eye on, and two that jump out as “must watch”. The first is Albert Brooks: Defending My Life, which chronicles the aging comedian’s life and career. The second is the previously-released Little Richard: I Am Everything, which tries to peel back the whitewashed canon of Richard Penniman in a true...

Max out your November viewing with Max! The streamer is starting the new month with a wide variety of additions to its combined library of HBO and Max exclusives, plus titles from Food Network, Cartoon Network, HGTV, and more.

While also racing toward the official holiday season with dozens of Christmas classics like “A Christmas Story” and “Elf,” you can also stream new documentaries on Albert Brooks and Little Richard, catch the premieres of new seasons of “Rap Sh!t” and “Julia,” and much more.

Check out The Streamable’s top picks for what’s new this month on Max, and then continue below to see the full list of everything new in November!

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What are the 5 Best Shows and Movies Coming to Max in November 2023? “Rap Sh!t” Season 2 | Thursday, Nov. 9

Issa Rae is back on her “Rap Sh!

Sarah Lancashire and David Hyde Pierce in ‘Julia’ season 2 (Photograph by Sebastein Gonon/Max)

Max’s November 2023 schedule includes season two of Julia starring Sarah Lancashire as Julia Child and the return of Rap Sh!t with Aida Osman and Mia KaMillion. Bookie, a new comedy about sports gambling created by Chuck Lorre, makes its debut on November 30th with Sebastian Maniscalco starring as an LA bookie.

HBO documentaries Albert Brooks: Defending My Life and South to Black Power will stream on Max this November, along with CNN Films’ Little Richard: I Am Everything.

Series & Films Arriving On Max In November 2023:

November 1

Act of Valor (2012)

After the Thin Man (1936)

Aliens (1986)

The Ant Bully (2006)

Arthur Christmas (2011)

The Avengers (1998)

The Bachelor (1999)

The Bad and the Beautiful (1952)

Bells Are Ringing (1960)

Black Beauty (1994)

Boys’ Night Out (1962)

Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo (1984)

Brigadoon (1954)

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)

A Christmas Carol (1938)

Christmas Cookie Challenge, Seasons...

Margot Robbie’s LuckyChap Entertainment and Brad Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment are in talks to co-produce a remake of classic 1934 comedy mystery The Thin Man.

Based on the novel of the same name by Dashiell Hammett, The Thin Man starred William Powell and Myrna Loy as a husband and wife who team up to solve a murder and host a dinner party attended by all the suspects. The film was a huge success upon release, even scoring several Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Actor. Five sequels followed, including After the Thin Man, Another Thin Man, Shadow of the Thin Man, The Thin Man Goes Home, and Song of the Thin Man.

The third star of The Thin Man and its sequel was Asta, the couple’s Wire Fox Terrier. At the time, the breed wasn’t overly popular in the United States, but the films quickly...

Experience the perfect blend of mystery and comedy in the world of “Thin Man” movies. In this blog post, we will guide you through the franchise chronologically and explain why these films achieved classic status during the Golden Age of Hollywood.

Related: 10 Best Comedies of All Time, Ranked by Viewers

“The Thin Man” series follows the charming couple Nick Charles and Nora Charles, played by the incomparable William Powell and Myrna Loy, as they solve murders and crimes with a side of hilarity.

Whether you’re a longtime fan or a newcomer to these films, you’ll soon understand why they’ve remained so beloved. So sit back, grab a martini, and let’s dive into the world of the “Thin Man” franchise.

A List of All ‘Thin Man’ Movies In Order The Thin Man (1934) After the Thin Man (1936) Another Thin Man (1939) Shadow of the Thin Man (1941) The Thin Man Goes Home...

The controversial and contentious experiment where Warner Bros. has debuted its 2021 slate of feature films on HBO Max will hit a crescendo in October thanks to the releases of “The Many Saints of Newark” and “Dune” on the streaming platform. Both “Many Saints” producer and co-writer David Chase and “Dune” filmmaker Denis Villeneuve have criticized the corporate decision to release films day-and-date in theaters and via HBO Max, but despite the outcry, the two highly anticipated features lead a massive lineup of acclaimed library movie titles and Emmy Award-winning original series coming to the network in October 2021. Highlights include:

“Curb Your Enthusiasm” (October): Larry David’s Emmy Award-winning series returns for its 11th season in October and will tackle the coronavirus pandemic in a way that feels organic to the show and its protagonist. “We figured out a way that we are definitely living in a reality where the pandemic has happened,...

Since the first ceremony, Oscar voters have honored the importance of the first step in the filmmaking process by awarding screenwriters on an annual basis. The Best Adapted Screenplay award is given in recognition of each year’s most outstanding script derived from an existing work. Academy rules allow for a variety of source materials, including fiction and nonfiction books, plays, and even previous short and feature films.

The films in contention for the 2021 Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar are “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm,” “The Father,” “Nomadland,” “One Night in Miami,” and “The White Tiger.” Our odds currently indicate that “Nomadland” (82/25) will win the award, followed in order by “The Father” (37/10), “One Night in Miami” (9/2), “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” (9/2), and “The White Tiger” (9/2).

In adapting his play “The Father” from stage to screen, Florian Zeller teamed with Christopher Hampton, who previously won this award in 1989 for “Dangerous Liaisons.” Hampton is now one of...

Kenneth Branagh was only 29 when he wrote, directed, and starred in his debut feature, a rousing adaptation of Shakespeare’s Henry V that garnered massive critical acclaim upon its release in 1989. As a result, the young filmmaker was offered every costume drama and literary adaptation on the studios’ development slates, but he turned them all down in favor of an original screenplay by future Queen’s Gambit auteur Scott Frank that had been kicking around for years. Dead Again was Frank’s throwback to the gothic melodramas and film noir pictures of the 1930s and ’40s, a gloriously theatrical combination of […]

The post Dead Again, After the Thin Man, The Court Jester: Jim Hemphill's Home Video Recommendations first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Kenneth Branagh was only 29 when he wrote, directed, and starred in his debut feature, a rousing adaptation of Shakespeare’s Henry V that garnered massive critical acclaim upon its release in 1989. As a result, the young filmmaker was offered every costume drama and literary adaptation on the studios’ development slates, but he turned them all down in favor of an original screenplay by future Queen’s Gambit auteur Scott Frank that had been kicking around for years. Dead Again was Frank’s throwback to the gothic melodramas and film noir pictures of the 1930s and ’40s, a gloriously theatrical combination of […]

The post Dead Again, After the Thin Man, The Court Jester: Jim Hemphill's Home Video Recommendations first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

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“More Sleuthing, More Drinking”

By Raymond Benson

The Thin Man, released in 1934, was such a success (and Oscar nominee) that Hollywood decided to make a sequel. After the Thin Man, released in 1936, reunited stars William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles, the Wire Fox Terrier-actor Skippy as “Asta,” director W. S. Van Dyke, writer Dashiell Hammett (who wrote the original novel and supplied story ideas for the sequels), and screenwriters Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich. The result is a thoroughly enjoyable follow-up, if not quite as brilliant as the original (sequels seldom are).

One of the more striking elements of After the Thin Man is the presence of a young James Stewart in a supporting role. It is one of his earliest screen appearances, and he displays the charisma that would suit him well for the next several decades.

The...

Johnny Depp / The Thin Man big-budgeted remake: Low-budget original Thin Man series starred William Powell and Myrna Loy and Asta as Nick and Nora Charles and Asta (above in After the Thin Man) Johnny Depp The Thin Man déjà vu: First, Gore Verbinski’s The Lone Ranger, to star Johnny Depp as Tonto and Armie Hammer in the title role (in that order), was to have been a megabudget Western for Disney. Then the $165m-budgeted, Universal-distributed, Jon Favreau / Harrison Ford / Daniel Craig Western Cowboys & Aliens turned out to be a box-office disappointment in North America and, more importantly, a mediocre performer overseas, [...]...

Myrna Loy Q&A Pt.2: Political Activism, Hollywood blacklist While doing research on Myrna Loy and her times, was there anything that came as a shock to you? Any major difficulties while trying to uncover aspects of Loy's life and career? Was there a "most enjoyable" area of research? Or perhaps a "least enjoyable"? I sometimes felt frustrated by Loy's success in covering her tracks. I longed for more revelations, but her step-granddaughter Deb Hornblow warned me when I first got going on this book that it was going to be tough to find original material that was going to unlock secrets. Also, time has passed, and most of those closest to her are not around any more. Most enjoyable to me was watching Myrna Loy movies. She was a really terrific actress, a natural, without formal training or a background in theater, who had a grace, intelligence and...

Release Date: Feb. 7, 2012

Price: DVD $19.95

Studio: Hen’s Tooth

Robert donat (l.) swashbuckles as The Count of Monte Cristo.

Robert Donat (The 39 Steps) stars in the 1934 film adaptation of the classic action-adventure swashbuckler The Count of Monte Cristo, based on the classic 1844 novel by Alexandre Dumas.

The movie tells the story of Edmond Dantes (Donat), a common seaman falsely accused of spying during the Napoleonic Wars. Imprisoned without trial in the infamous Chateau d’If, he spends over a decade in solitary confinement. Eventually, with the aid of a fellow captive (O.P. Heggie), he makes a daring escape. Once outside, he fabricates a stately new identity as the Count of Monte Cristo and vows to bring the villains who framed him to justice.

Directed by Rowland V. Lee (Captain Kidd), the classic film also stars Elissa Landi (After the Thin Man) and Sidney Blackmer (Rosemary’s Baby).

The movie was...

"The Lone Ranger" may be on the budget back burner,  but Johnny Depp is keeping busy designing yet another slurry, quirky role for himself.  As you're undoubtedly aware, Depp has set up a remake of "The Thin Man" at Warner Bros.  Rob Marshall will helm it, and now Deadline reports he's put David Koepp to work writing the script. And oh, what a script that will be.  As if fans of "The Thin Man" weren't furious enough at Depp daring to take on the classic role of Nick Charles, they're going to go into a blind berserker rage at the version Depp aims to tell. While there's some soothing lipservice that Depp and Koepp plan to turn to the original Dashiell Hammett novel, it's only talk, because the starting point is clearly the 1934 film. Koepp plans to write one film that combines The Thin Man and After the Thin Man...

I’ve reported on the Thin Man remake that Johnny Depp is attached to star in a couple times before. First, there was the news that “Permanent Midnight” author Jerry Stahl would be writing the new screenplay for the film. Then there was word that past Depp collaborator Rob Marshall would be stepping in to direct. A new round of updates on the development of this project seem to confirm that, yes, Marshall is still attached to sit in the director’s chair. However, it seems that Stahl never actually did any writing for the film, so the suits have gotten a new guy to start a script from scratch. According to Deadline Rockland, veteran screenwriter David Koepp has now been charged with the duty of updating the exploits of married P.I. team Nick and Nora Charles. Koepp’s name doesn’t really tell me much about what to expect from this movie. He...

As Hollywood threatens to remake The Thin Man, Turner Classic Movies and Warner Home Entertainment are releasing a Thin Man collection as one of three new classic film collections being added to their Greatest Classic Films and Legends lines (The Thin Man, After the Thin Man, Another Thin Man, Shadow of the Thin Man), all starring the iconic screen couple William Powell and Myrna Loy as happily tipsy sleuths Nick and Nora Charles. The other two collections also feature Golden Age screen couples, but of the singer-dancer variety: young MGM-era Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland (Girl Crazy, Strike Up the Band, Babes in Arms, Babes on Broadway) and the second-tier Astaire and Rogers Volume Two (Flying Down to Rio [pictured], Follow the Fleet, The Story ...

Depp to reunite with Pirates director Rob Marshall on new version of Dashiell Hammett thriller – but the partners in crime are still looking for their Nora

Johnny Depp is to reunite with Rob Marshall, director of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides for a remake of the classic 1934 comedy The Thin Man, according to the Thompson on Hollywood blog.

Ws Van Dyke's much-loved film, based on Dashiell Hammett's mystery novel, centres on a flirtatious, bantering married couple who work together to solve a mystery. Depp will play Nick Charles, a hard-drinking, droll, retired detective forced back into service by his friend's disappearance and possible involvement in a murder. Top priority for Marshall, also producing with partner John DeLuca, will be securing an A-list actor to portray his witty wife Nora, a wealthy heiress. The pair were played by William Powell and Myrna Loy in the original film.

"John...

Rob Marshall and John DeLuca have signed on to produce, and Marshall has signed on to direct, the remake of The Thin Man, which will star Marshall’s “Pirates of the Carribean” team-mate, Johnny Depp.

Based on the detective novel by Dashiell Hammett, the 1934 film of the same name starred William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles, a former detective and his wealthy wife who take on a murder case. The film had both thriller and comedy elements, and could be said to have inspired the TV show “Hart to Hart.”

An interesting point to note is that “The Thin Man” was followed by another five films in the series, including “After the Thin Man” and “Another Thin Man,” and and could easily be crafted into another monster franchise for Depp should the first film find firm footing.

As for a leading lady to play Depp’s wife?...

Rob Marshall and John DeLuca have signed on to produce, and Marshall has signed on to direct, the remake of The Thin Man, which will star Marshall’s “Pirates of the Carribean” team-mate, Johnny Depp.

Based on the detective novel by Dashiell Hammett, the 1934 film of the same name starred William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles, a former detective and his wealthy wife who take on a murder case. The film had both thriller and comedy elements, and could be said to have inspired the TV show “Hart to Hart.”

An interesting point to note is that “The Thin Man” was followed by another five films in the series, including “After the Thin Man” and “Another Thin Man,” and and could easily be crafted into another monster franchise for Depp should the first film find firm footing.

As for a leading lady to play Depp’s wife?...

William Powell, Myrna Loy, Asta, After the Thin Man Personally, I find it hard to picture Johnny Depp in the old William Powell role of the witty, sophisticated, dipsomaniac former gumshoe Nick Charles. But according to The Hollywood Reporter, Depp and Rob Marshall, currently working on Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, will in the not-too-distant future start working on a remake of MGM's 1934 screwballish whodunit The Thin Man, which introduced to moviegoers Nick and Nora Charles — the latter played by Myrna Loy. Warner Bros., whose parent company Time Warner owns the rights to the old MGM library, will reportedly modernize the feel of the Dashiell Hammett novel on which the 1934 movie was based, while maintaining its period setting. (Some say Nick and Nora were based on Hammett and one-time lover Lillian Hellman; other say the characters, as seen in the film adaptation, were inspired by The Thin [...]...

Today Universal released Get Him to the Greek, a sort-of sequel to 2008's Forgetting Sarah Marshall as it uses Aldous Snow who had a small role in the original. Beyond that, there is only a brief reference to Sarah Marshall, which has me thinking it's not really a sequel as much as it is a spin-off. The same could be said for a movie like Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001)... Same characters, but not really a sequel to Clerks, which ended up having its own sequel in 2006.

In a debate with a group of fellow Seattle critics trying to decide if Get Him to the Greek was a sequel to Forgetting Sarah Marshall or not, the topic turned to comedy sequels in general and I was asked to name a great comedy sequel. Should be easy... right?

I started mining my memory banks, and started thinking of movies with...

The Alamo Guide

for December 10th, 2009 If you’re at the S. Lamar theater this weekend, and you see a bunch of groggy ass, smelly, crazy-looking people wandering out of the theater around noon on Sunday, don’t worry. They won’t hurt you, they will have just sat through a full 24 hours plus of movies and they’ll be in desperate need of sleep. I’ll be one of them. It’ll be awesomely exhausting! Aside from that, if you got tickets already (if not, toooo bad), you can see the folks from Broken Lizard with their newest film The Slammin’ Salmon, but the most important thing that you should do is Go See Bad Lieutenant: Port Of Call New Orleans!!! Yes, the name is long, and the trailer makes it look kind of silly, but the hype over at Alamo Headquarters is ridiculous and the few people in...

Our second annual New Year’s celebration of classic cinema, cocktails and cuisine at The Ritz!!

2008’s screening of After The Thin Man was a true extravaganza, bringing together an incredible drinking/dining experience with one of the greatest film’s of Hollywood’s golden era. This year, we’re stepping it up with the flat-out greatest New Year’s film in the world: Billy Wilder’s 1960 masterpiece The Apartment, a brilliantly written, fast-paced, heartbreakingly hilarious adventure of a poor schlub (a young, bumbling Jack Lemmon) who just can’t steer things right to fall into the good graces of the most wonderful woman in town (a young, unbelievably charming Shirley MacLaine). In his way are an innumerable number of comic obstacles, including the great Fred MacMurray and Ray Walston as self-serving high-rollers content to kick dirt in the face of anyone who crosses them.

It’s a gorgeously shot,...

Tick Tock, tick tock, the time for Christmas shopping is running out. Hurry up and go out there and start buying Lexuses you can tie big red bows on and other expensive stuff like that so you can singlehandedly save the economy of the entire planet. Then reward yourself with some affordable entertainment and great times at the Alamo. You can feel like a million bucks no matter how much money you spend when you come down to the South Lamar theater for Slumdog Millionaire. You can feel the holidays all around you when you're on a caroling sabotage mission after The Christmas Pops Sing-along at the Ritz. And you can just say Yes to Jim Carrey over and over and over again at the Alamo Village, just be careful what you say yes to.

- Alamo Gift Certificates -

: Mondo Tees : Any Alamo : drafthouse.com :

"Well,...

Finally a real reason to come to downtown Austin on New Year's Eve, Plus you can still make it to your own midnight festivities!!

The response to our first Cinema Cocktails screenings of the classic screwball romantic mystery The Thin Man was so great that we just knew we had to return to the wonderful chemistry of Nick and Nora Charles, their adorable dog Asta, their crime-solving savvy and, maybe best of all, their love of distilled spirits. We love good booze too, and while we may not drink as much of it as Nick and Nora (who could?), we like to think of it as highly civilized, quality time - just the kind of time we like to spend at the elegant, restored Ritz Theater.

Get your tickets Here!!

After The Thin Man picks up at the same high level of the first film and keeps the laughs coming.