The beginning of a new month is always a glorious time on Netflix because it means we get a glut of new streaming titles! The 1992 Hall of Fame classic Single White Female was part of a trend of early nineties flicks about stalkers and psycho females, and they don’t come much crazier or nuder than Jennifer Jason Leigh ! Jennifer showed off her sensational snoobs several times in the film, and her co-star Bridget Fonda showed off her ripe rump and dimly lit lobbers as well! Another Hall of Fame entry, Boys Don’t Cry , netted star Hilary Swank an Oscar and her co-star Chloe Sevigny a nomination, and it’s certainly not hard to see why! Sevigny bares her boobs during a sensational sapphic scene with Swank, and Hilary shows her mams and muff, though both of those scenes are difficult to watch. But remember, it’s just acting, so try and enjoy! The Human Stain was more or less ignored when it was released. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that Anthony Hopkins was playing a black dude. Nevertheless, it featured some knockout nudity from Oscar winner Nicole Kidman , as well as fantastic full frontal from Jacinda Barrett ! Now we know what they mean by The Human Stain ! The 2013 unconventional The Future is also new on Netflix this week, and features more phenomenal full frontal, this time from Chilean cutie Manuela Martelli ! Her future certainly looks bright! Finally it’s the 1996 thriller The Juror starring Demi Moore and Alec Baldwin ! 30 Rock fans, be careful not to confuse this with The Rural Juror starring Jenna Maroney . For an easy way to tell them apart, this is the one with a topless scene from on-again/off-again lesbian Anne Heche ! See? Easy!
Bryan Cranston has three Emmy Awards on his mantel. But it may end up being a framed letter that becomes the actor’s most prized possession. Two weeks after the Breaking Bad finale that rocked the television universe, Cranston received a written message from Sir Anthony Hopkins that gave the AMC show, its crew and its cast the highest of praise. It also said Cranston put on the “best acting” Hopkins has ever seen. And this man has seen some acting in his time! Scroll down to read the full letter from the Academy Award-winning legend: Dear Mister Cranston. I wanted to write you this email – so I am contacting you through Jeremy Barber – I take it we are both represented by UTA . Great agency. I’ve just finished a marathon of watching “BREAKING BAD” – from episode one of the First Season – to the last eight episodes of the Sixth Season. (I downloaded the last season on AMAZON) A total of two weeks (addictive) viewing. I have never watched anything like it. Brilliant! Your performance as Walter White was the best acting I have seen – ever. I know there is so much smoke blowing and sickening bullshit in this business, and I’ve sort of lost belief in anything really. But this work of yours is spectacular – absolutely stunning. What is extraordinary, is the sheer power of everyone in the entire production. What was it? Five or six years in the making? How the producers (yourself being one of them), the writers, directors, cinematographers…. every department – casting etc. managed to keep the discipline and control from beginning to the end is (that over used word) awesome. From what started as a black comedy, descended into a labyrinth of blood, destruction and hell. It was like a great Jacobean, Shakespearian or Greek Tragedy. If you ever get a chance to – would you pass on my admiration to everyone – Anna Gunn, Dean Norris, Aaron Paul, Betsy Brandt, R.J. Mitte, Bob Odenkirk, Jonathan Banks, Steven Michael Quezada – everyone – everyone gave master classes of performance … The list is endless. Thank you. That kind of work/artistry is rare, and when, once in a while, it occurs, as in this epic work, it restores confidence. You and all the cast are the best actors I’ve ever seen. That may sound like a good lung full of smoke blowing. But it is not. It’s almost midnight out here in Malibu, and I felt compelled to write this email. Congratulations and my deepest respect. You are truly a great, great actor.
All the main cast are present in the first Red 2 poster . Take a look: The action-comedy sequel once again follows retired CIA op Frank Moses, as he reassembles the old team to track down a missing nuclear weapon. Along the way, the must stave off a barrage of assassination attempts. John Malkovich, Bruce Willis, Mary Louise-Parker, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Lee Byung-hun, Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, and Brian Cox star. Red 2 will premiere July 19.
When he wasn’t rooting out Communists, cracking down on the mob and spying on civil rights leaders, FBI head J. Edgar Hoover toiled as a one-man culture warrior battling Hollywood decadence. He prevented Charlie Chaplin from reentering the U.S. because of his leftist political views, and he condemned Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life for its “rather obvious attempt to discredit bankers.” So what did he have to say about Alfred Hitchcock , who gave American moviegoers new and strange things to fear? Not a bad word. The only questions anyone’s asking about Hitchcock these days are just how much and what kind of a creeper was he? The famed director’s wandering eye, his sexual obsessions, and less-than-decorous urges roil at the center of Hitchcock , the just-released biopic starring Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren , as well as last month’s The Girl , the HBO film with Toby Jones and Naomi Watts . As The Birds actress Tippi Hedren claimed earlier this fall , the Master of Suspense could be masterfully cruel and unforgiving. But as far as his popular image as an artiste-provocateur goes, there’s probably more than a little self-mythologizing — or branding, if you’d prefer — in that ironic Englishman persona, the casually sadistic remarks about actors, the pretensions to finding truth in nightmares. It’s that last detail that fuels Hitchcock , a tempting portrait of “Hitch” as a crowd-pleasing, truth-telling anti-hero — not unlike Howard Stern and Larry Flynt in their respective biopics — who shows moviegoers the dark things they didn’t know they wanted to see. But was his threat to the American psyche all smoke and mirrors? That’s certainly what Hitchcock’s FBI file, obtained via MuckRock.com , suggests. Hitchcock’s file doesn’t begin until October of 1960, four months after the successful release of Psycho , which casts serious doubt on Hitch’s claim that the FBI followed him for three months in 1945 after he discussed uranium with a Caltech professor as research for his next film, Notorious . (Donald Spoto, a four-time biographer of Hitchcock, also concluded in The Dark Side of Genius that the FBI investigation was likely apocryphal, declaring that the “extremely sensitive” director would have been “emotionally incapable” of making a film under government surveillance.) In fact, the contents of the FBI file have much more to do with Hoover’s obsessions than with Hitchcock’s. Whatever paranoia and “extreme sensitivities” Hitchcock suffered, Hoover suffered doubly so. The bulk of the file has to do with a seven-month surveillance on a single episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents that illustrates the acute obsessiveness of the FBI’s fearsome but fearful director. Through unrelenting pressure and undeserved authority, the Bureau convinced Revue Studios, which produced A.H. Presents, to eliminate a minor character, an FBI agent who instructs a would-be kidnapper that abduction is illegal, from the episode “Coming, Mama.”
Critics praise the cast but lament the focus on Hitch’s demons. By Tami Katzoff Anthony Hopkins and Scarlett Johansson in “Hitchcock” Photo: Fox Searchlight
” Elmo is bigger than any one person,” the producers of Sesame Street declared last week when Kevin Clash, who was the voice of the furry and very famous red muppet, was first accused of having sex with a minor. That statement is about to be tested in the wake of Clash’s resignation from the venerable children’s show after a second allegation, this time, in a lawsuit, was reported by the Associated Press on Tuesday. Although Clash’s first accuser recanted his claims, a lawsuit filed in federal court in New York charges Clash with sexual abuse of a second youth, Cecil Singleton, then 15 and now an adult. According to the AP (via Yahoo!) , the lawsuit, which seeks damages in excess of $5 million, alleges that Singleton was persuaded by Clash to meet for sexual encounters. A statement posted on the Sesame Workshop blog, also on Tuesday, noted that “the controversy surrounding Kevin’s personal life has become a distraction that none of us want.” The statement additionally read that Clash had resigned after 28 years at Sesame Street , because he’d concluded that “that he can no longer be effective in his job.” “It’s a sad day for Sesame Street ,” concluded the statement. It’s also a thorny public-relations problem for Sesame Workshop. But while Clash’s career won’t likely bounce back from this scandal any time soon, the reality is that Elmo is going to be fine. Movieline ‘s offices are located in the Times Square and even as news of these new allegations were breaking, there were two people dressed as Elmo circulating among the tourists and making a few bucks by taking pictures with children. They did not seem to be having trouble attracting business and no one was taunting them about the Clash story. In fact, when I approached one of the Elmos, who identified himself as Jose Segarro — that’s him in the picture with Hello Kitty — he was unaware of Clash’s resignation and told me that business was “the same.” In a recent piece on the growing scandal, The Grio.com interviewed Jim Silver, Editor in Chief of the online family site, Time to Play.com, who pointed out that while a small group of parents may be hesitant to buy an Elmo-related product for their kids in light of Clash’s problems, the brand remains strong. (He estimates that Elmo generates more than 50 percent of the $75 million in sales that Sesame Stree t toys generate each year. ) “Kevin [Clash] is the voice and is not Elmo the same way James Earl Jones is not Darth Vader.” Exactly. Despite this scandal’s great potential as a media story, my experience as a father tells me that kids, who are in the Elmo-loving age bracket, aren’t going to spend a lot of time thinking about what the voice of Elmo does in his personal life, even if they’re savvy enough to understand that Elmo is a puppet voiced by an actor. And even if there are a few preternaturally aware youngsters who watch a lot of cable news and grasp what’s happening here, they’re probably going to grow up to be the kind of knowing pop-culture savants who will convert this unfortunate chapter in Sesame Street history into some form of art or journalism, whether it be a documentary, book or comedy routine. That may be cold comfort, but, at this stage in the story, the silver linings don’t look all that plentiful. Related Stories: TALKBACK: Can ‘Elmo’ Puppeteer Kevin Clash Bounce Back From Abuse Allegations? INTERVIEW: Kevin Clash, the Man Behind Elmo, on Jim Henson, Puppetry, and Jason Segel’s The Muppets [AP via Yahoo! The Grio.com] Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
Quick, name your favorite Alfred Hitchcock movie and scene. With the Master of Suspense getting a lot of attention this fall, thanks to the HBO movie, The Girl , and the theatrical feature Hitchcock , which opens in limited release on Friday, Movieline decided these would be good questions to ask of the celebrity contingent that showed up for the New York premiere of the latter film on Sunday. Hitchcock , which stars Anthony Hopkins in the title role and Helen Mirren as his better half Alma Reville, is set during the making of Psycho and depicts the filmmaker in a more cuddly light than the manipulative misogynist he’s made out to be in The Girl . The comic drama is built around Hitchcock’s relationship with wife and the helpful role she played in his career. And though Hopkins didn’t attend the premiere at the Ziegfeld Theater, I spoke to him via satellite on Saturday. Based on his answers, he’s clearly spent some time with Vertigo. Movieline: What is your favorite Hitchcock film and your favorite scene? Anthony Hopkins , the star of Hitchcock . Movie: “ Vertigo is one of my all-time favorites. I think it’s the haunting music of Bernard Hermann and James Stewart’s romantic obsession for this young woman who is a mystery. She’s beautiful, blonde, inaccessible. He falls madly in love with her, and she’s killed halfway through or a quarter way through the film. She just falls out of the window or commits suicide. Then she reappears on the street in San Francisco.” Scene: “That scene particularly, when he follows her across the street to her hotel. That late afternoon light in the San Francisco street, 54 years ago when it was made. And the moment when he leaves her room, he says, “Can I take you for dinner,” and Kim Novak, as he goes out, turns towards the camera and you see the whole plot. You’re let in on the secret that this was a setup and James Stewart is the victim of an appalling tragedy—a woman’s murder. Then, he sees her on the street and becomes obsessed with repossessing Madeleine. He makes her have her hair done and the skirts and the shoes and everything. He’s obsessed, as Hitchcock was about the costuming, about the dressing of his female stars. He’s waiting in her hotel room and she’s finally persuaded to have her hair done the way Madeleine had it. She comes out and she’s come back from the dead. I mean, that’s the kind of mystical genius of Hitchcock. I think that has now become the top, number one film of all time. The critics destroyed it when it came out. They just said it was rubbish. Now, it’s number one. Top movie, above Casablanca and all those. So, the guy’s genius lives on, many years after his death.” Sacha Gervasi , the director of Hitchcock Movie: “Hel-lo, Psycho . With many filmmakers there’s perhaps two or three masterworks, but with Hitchcock there’s ten or twelve. That’s very rare. I also love Vertigo , because it’s so romantic. I think it’s sort of unintentionally revealing of the man himself.” Scene: “How could I not say the shower scene? It’s so revolutionary and so shocking and surprising.” Scarlett Johansson , Janet Leigh in Hitchcock Movie: “ Strangers on a Train . As a kid, I liked the look of it. I liked the cinematography. I liked the suspense. I liked everything about it.” Danny Huston , Strangers on a Train screenwriter Whitfield Cook in Hitchcock Movie: “ Strangers on a Train — only because I wrote it. [Laughs] I suppose Psycho because of those memorable moments; because it all came together in such a terrifying way and it’s just such a deeply psychological film.” Scene: “I don’t know whether it’s my favorite, but the one I just can’t shake, especially when I get soap in my eyes in the shower is the Psycho shower sequence. It’s just something that stays with me. And, if you’re somewhere around birds and the birds get a little too close to you, then you have that memory, too. It’s a subconscious thing.” Toni Collette , Peggy Robertson in Hitchcock : Movie: “It’s too hard. I mean, do you know how many movies he made? Jesus. I always go for Rear Window . Psycho is probably the most famous, which is why [Hitchcock] is so enlightening. He’s the master.” Scene: “I’m too jetlagged to recall.” Michael Stuhlbarg , Lew Wasserman in Hitchcock : Movie: “It’s impossible to choose between them. Each one accomplishes a different feat. I am particularly taken by Rope , especially because of the technical achievement of shooting the story so that it appeared to be a single continuous shot and how he creatively found ways to hide that.” Scene: “When that biplane comes after Cary Grant in North By Northwest and how close it gets to him — that’s an iconic scene that has stayed with me.” Jessica Biel , Vera Miles in Hitchcock : Movie : “I actually just saw Dial M for Murder , which I quite loved a lot. That and The Birds , of course.” James D’Arcy , Anthony Perkins in Hitchcock Movie: “I think the best one is the last one I watched, because the minute you see it you’re struck by his genius and you forget the other ones. Then, you watch the next one. The last one I saw was Foreign Correspondent , which is a 1940 piece of war propaganda. It’s utterly mesmeric. It’s got one of the best plane crashes I’ve ever seen. That wasn’t even on my radar before I’d seen it. Now it’s my favorite Hitchcock film.” Scene: “Wow. That is a difficult question. That shower scene in Psycho . That had people running out of cinemas when it was first screened. It’s just so iconic.” Jon Voight , actor: Movie: “I don’t have any favorites. I liked what he did for cinema, you know? And everybody who makes a film has learned something from Hitchcock and the way he made films. So, every film I see reminds me. ‘They took that from Hitchcock, they took that from Hitchcock.’ The things he employed became ingested by everybody in filmmaking.” Amanda Setton , actress, Gossip Girl Movie: “I don’t want to be cliché, but I have to say Psycho . We shoot on the Universal lot in L.A. and the Bates Motel and the Psycho house are on our back lot, so I kind of feel a very personal relationship to the ‘epicness,’ if you will, of that space. Ralph Macchio , actor: Movie: “Right now, it’s Rear Window . I just wrote a short film that I’m going to direct this December and there’s a voyeur-esque element to it. Scene: “Certainly the shower scene in Psycho . There’s a zillion of ’em.” Steve “Lips” Kudlow, frontman, Anvil Movie: “It would probably be Dial M for Murder . It was really brilliant that there was virtually nothing but one room. That and Rear Window . Those two movies. Wow.” Nell Alk is an arts and entertainment writer and reporter based in New York City. Her work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Manhattan Magazine, Z!NK Magazine and on InterviewMagazine.com, PaperMag.com and RollingStone.com, among others. Learn more about her here. Follow Nell Alk on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
Scarlett Johansson is channeling screen legend Janet Leigh in this depiction of the cult movie Psycho ‘s famous (or infamous) shower scene. Johansson is, of course, portraying Leigh’s character Marion Crane in the upcoming Oscar contender Hitchcock , which will have its world premiere as the opening night film at AFI Fest November 1st. Alfred Hitchcock (Anthony Hopkins) and his wife Alma Reville (Helen Mirren) are the focus in the Sacha Gervasi-directed feature, which is set against the backdrop of filming Hitchcock’s Psycho in 1959. Click for more images from Hitchcock Scarlett Johansson as Janet Leigh Johansson as well as Jessica Biel, Vera Miles, James D’Arcy, Danny Huston and Toni Collette also star in the film, which spans from the time of Wisconsin murderer Ed Gein, who was the inspiration for Psycho ‘s Norman Bates character, to the release of the acclaimed film in 1960. Hitchcock and Reville’s marriage comes under strain due to the filmmaker’s determination to complete the film. It is hard to completely tell if Johansson is wearing a bit of lipstick to show off her pillowy lips, given the color vs. black and white comparison with the original, but a little creative license will always be at play nevertheless. Psycho became a big success despite the fact that horror was often dismissed by the Hollywood elite of the time. Janet Leigh’s scream is easily one of the most recognizable images in Hollywood history. Leigh died in October 2004 at 77. Alfred Hitchcock passed away in 1980 at age 80. Fox Searchlight, which will release Hitchcock beginning November 23rd and it will likely be an Academy Award power-house this year. [ Source: The Sun ]
Scarlett Johansson is channeling screen legend Janet Leigh in this depiction of the cult movie Psycho ‘s famous (or infamous) shower scene. Johansson is, of course, portraying Leigh’s character Marion Crane in the upcoming Oscar contender Hitchcock , which will have its world premiere as the opening night film at AFI Fest November 1st. Alfred Hitchcock (Anthony Hopkins) and his wife Alma Reville (Helen Mirren) are the focus in the Sacha Gervasi-directed feature, which is set against the backdrop of filming Hitchcock’s Psycho in 1959. Click for more images from Hitchcock Scarlett Johansson as Janet Leigh Johansson as well as Jessica Biel, Vera Miles, James D’Arcy, Danny Huston and Toni Collette also star in the film, which spans from the time of Wisconsin murderer Ed Gein, who was the inspiration for Psycho ‘s Norman Bates character, to the release of the acclaimed film in 1960. Hitchcock and Reville’s marriage comes under strain due to the filmmaker’s determination to complete the film. It is hard to completely tell if Johansson is wearing a bit of lipstick to show off her pillowy lips, given the color vs. black and white comparison with the original, but a little creative license will always be at play nevertheless. Psycho became a big success despite the fact that horror was often dismissed by the Hollywood elite of the time. Janet Leigh’s scream is easily one of the most recognizable images in Hollywood history. Leigh died in October 2004 at 77. Alfred Hitchcock passed away in 1980 at age 80. Fox Searchlight, which will release Hitchcock beginning November 23rd and it will likely be an Academy Award power-house this year. [ Source: The Sun ]
From shooting the shower scene to struggling with producers, MTV News breaks down new teaser. By Kara Warner Anthony Hopkins and Scarlett Johansson in “Hitchcock” Photo: Fox Searchlight
