Author: Peter J Patrick
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The DVD Report #349
New This Week Alfred Hitchcock was fond of saying that Foreign Correspondent was his first Hollywood film even if technically that wasn’t so. Hitchcock was brought to America by David O. Selznick as a director of hire for Selznick’s film of Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca in 1939. Hitchock, who was bound by contract to make…
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Oscar Profile #174: Robert Mitchum
Born August 6, 1917 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, Robert Mitchum was hands down the most taken for granted actor in Hollywood history. Despite a long and illustrious career he was nominated only once for an Oscar at the start of his career for a 1945 film; received his only BAFTA nomination for a 1957 film; his…
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The DVD Report #348
New This Week One of the best Blu-rays to come down the pike so far this year is the newly re-mastered edition of Chicago, the last musical to win a Best Picture Oscar. With improved picture and sound, it lives up to Lionsgate’s hype as a more visually stunning presentation than it was during its…
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Oscar Profile #173: Robert Redford
Born August 18, 1936 in Santa Monica, California, Charles Robert Redford Jr. began his acting career in 1959. First on Broadway with a minor role in Tall Story, he had an uncredited role in the 1960 film version. His first major role was in the 1960 TV version of The Iceman Cometh with Jason Robards…
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The DVD Report #347
New This Week Films about HIV-AIDS have been few and far between. The first film on the subject was the landmark 1985 TV production, An Early Frost starring Aidan Quinn, Gena Rowlands, Ben Gazzara, Sylvia Sidney and D.B. Sweeney in a film that centered on the reactions of the family to a young lawyer’s coming…
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Oscar Profile #172: Paul Newman
Born January 26, 1925 in Shaker Heights, Ohio to Theresa (née Fetsko) and Arthur Newman, who ran a profitable sporting goods store, Paul Newman would become a world-famous actor, director; entrepreneur; humanitarian; professional racing car driver and auto racing team owner. He would receive numerous awards throughout his career including nine Oscar nominations and one…
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The DVD Report #346
New This Week 2013 was supposed to be the year Berlin based actor Daniel Bruhl broke through to international stardom. He had the co-lead in two major films, Ron Howard’s Rush and Bill Condon’s The Fifth Estate. Unfortunately for him both films flopped at the box office. Despite its box office failure, Bruhl was still…
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Oscar Profile #171: Joanne Woodward
Born February 27, 1930 to Wade and Elinor Woodward, Joanne Woodward was named after Joan Crawford by her avid movie fan mother. When she was 9, her mother took her to the world premiere of Gone With the Wind in Atlanta. When Vivien Leigh exited her limo, young Woodward jumped in the car and sat…
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The DVD Report #345
New This Week With most of this year’s Oscar nominations coming from films released in October 2013 or later, home video releases of the major contenders have been non-existent until now. Finally we have Captain Phillips, nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Picture and Blue Jasmine, nominated for three, released to home video. In…
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Oscar Profile #170: Lew Ayres
Born December 28, 1908 in Minneapolis, Minnesota to Irma and Louis Ayres II, an amateur musician and court reporter, Louis III (Lew) was a member of Henry Halstead’s orchestra in 1927 when he left to pursue an acting career. Discovered by a talent agent in 1929, he had two uncredited roles before being cast opposite…
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The DVD Report #344
New This Week To me Lee Daniels’ The Butler is a missed opportunity at best. In 1979, there was a superb 9 hour TV mini-series called Backstairs at the White House which followed the true story of mother and daughter domestics Maggie and Lillian Rogers, brilliantly played by Olivia Cole and Leslie Uggams, through eught…
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Oscar Profile #169: Oscar Hammerstein II
Born July 12, 1895 to Alice (née Nimmo) and William Hammerstein, the vaudeville producer who invented the pie-in-the-face routine, he was named after his paternal grandfather, a well-known theatre impresario of the day. Hammerstein began writing songs for musicals while studying law at Columbia University. The first Broadway show he contributed to was 1917’s Furs…
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The DVD Report #343
New This Week Two very different comedies about sex addiction are among the new releases available on Blu-ray and standard DVD. Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s writing and directing debut, Don Jon, is the better of the two. An often hilarious take on Don Juan filtered through Saturday Night Fever, Gordon-Levitt’s character is a hip young man living…
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Oscar Profile #168: Emma Thompson
Born April 15, 1959, to well-known British actors Bill Thompson and Phyllida Law, Emma Thompson was educated at the Camden School for Girls. At eighteen she began studying for a degree in English at Cambridge University from which she would graduate in 1982. While there she became a member of the prestigious Footlights comedy sketch…
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The DVD Report #342
New This Week 2014 is the 75th anniversary of films released in 1939, often cited as the greatest year in the history of the movies. It is also the 50th anniversary of films released in 1964 and the 25th anniversary of films released in 1989. Will we see very many anniversary edition DVDs and Blu-rays…
