Underway now through July 16, Severin Films‘ annual summer sale is the most ambitious in the company’s history. The Dario Argento’s Opera five-disc box set — which you can preview in an exclusive clip below — is the headliner, but there are nine more releases in addition to exclusive merchandise and big savings on past inventory.

Here’s everything you need to know about this year’s Severin Summer Sale…

Opera

In my eyes — held open with needles, of course — Opera is Argento’s last true masterpiece. While the Italian maestro attained fleeting moments of greatness later in his oeuvre, Opera is the last of his efforts that can hold its own alongside his earlier, career-defining work like Suspiria, Deep Red, Tenebrae, and The Bird with the Crystal Plumage.

Co-written by Argento and frequent collaborator Franco Ferrini, the giallo stars Cristina Marsillach as Betty, a young opera singer whose big break...

Hudson brought an ad-man’s eye to the brilliant 1981 drama about athletics and bigotry, as well as directing the hilarious Cinzano commercials

As the 1980s dawned, British ad director Hugh Hudson took on his first feature film and made it a legendary hit: an inspirational story which supplied a sugar-rush of patriotism and a swoon of nostalgia which hit the spot both sides of the Atlantic. It somehow brought off the trick of being about the underdog and the victim of bigotry and religious discrimination – and yet also being a resounding endorsement of the status quo which could, on grounds of decency and meritocracy, always accommodate the outsider. This was the era of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan, and the ethos of success for the hardworking and the deserving.

The film of course was Chariots of Fire, the true story of the 1924 Olympic runners Harold Abrahams (played by Ben Cross...

Hugh Hudson, who came from the worlds of documentaries and advertising to make his feature directing debut on the stirring Oscar best picture winner Chariots of Fire, one of the most admired British films ever made, has died. He was 86.

Hudson died Friday at Charing Cross hospital in London after a short illness, his family told The Guardian newspaper.

Hudson helmed just seven features during his career. After earning an Oscar nomination for his 1981 masterpiece, he followed with the highly regarded Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984). Starring Christopher Lambert, it was the first Tarzan feature to receive an Oscar nom (it landed three).

Up next for Hudson, however, was Revolution (1985), which starred Al Pacino as a fur trapper thrust into the American Revolutionary War. Made for a reported 28 million, it was a major bust, grossing just 350,000 in the U.S. Critics hammered Pacino, who left acting for about four years,...

Vangelis, whose instantly recognizable musical theme for 1981’s Chariots of Fire won an Oscar and became a sort of aural shorthand for tales of endurance and triumph, died May 17, according to his representatives. He was 79.

His assistant Lefteris Zermas has confirmed the death but did not provide a specific cause, saying only that Vangelis died in a hospital in France. Greek newspaper Ot is reporting that Vangelis was being treated for Covid-19.

Born Evangelos Odessey Papathanassiou in Greece, the composer and musician known worldwide simply as Vangelis, combined orchestral music, electronic synth sounds, jazz and ambient to create a then-new sound for the film that seemed to provide the musical equivalent of the ocean waves that crashed as the story’s Olympic runners sprinted down the beach. (Watch the video below.)

Vangelis would go on to compose scores for Blade Runner (1982), Missing (1982), Antarctica (1983), The Bounty (1984), 1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992) and...

[This October is "Gialloween" on Daily Dead, as we celebrate the Halloween season by diving into the macabre mysteries, creepy kills, and eccentric characters found in some of our favorite giallo films! Keep checking back on Daily Dead this month for more retrospectives on classic, cult, and altogether unforgettable gialli, and visit our online hub to catch up on all of our Gialloween special features!]

This time, our director Od’d on weird. It isn’t like the movies.

With Opera, Dario Argento creates an inescapable waking nightmare of violence and voyeurism that could also be considered one of the Maestro’s most unapologetically philosophical and introspective entries in his entire filmography. Throughout Opera, Argento boldly toys with Giallo conventions in a variety of unique ways, often blurring the lines between reality and imagination, and examines the effects of trauma that haunt both Opera’s protagonist and antagonist alike.

Go back to horror films. Forget opera.

Even though Opera feels very much in line with Argento’s sense of style as a visual storyteller, there’s something incredibly singular about his approach to his cinematic clash of high art and Giallo-infused hysteria. While there is certainly a mystery that propels the film’s narrative, one involving an up-and-coming soprano named Betty (Cristina Marsillach), who finds...

Ben Cross, best known for his portrayal of British Olympic athlete Harold Abrahams in “Chariots of Fire” and Sarek in the 2009 “Star Trek” reboot, died on Aug. 18. He was 72.

Cross wrapped his last role as Cardinal Mathews in Lionsgate’s “The Devil’s Light” ten days ago. The veteran screen and stage star died Tuesday in Vienna following a short illness, his agent Ed Smith confirmed to Variety.

Cross was born Harry Bernard Cross in London in 1947. He began acting at a young age, participating in grammar school productions, but left school to work as a window cleaner, waiter and carpenter.

His career took a turn at age 22, when he was accepted into London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. Cross graduated with the acting school’s prestigious Vanbrugh prize for performance of the year and made his screen debut on a 1976 World War II thriller “A Bridge Too Far.”

His...

Ben Cross, the English actor best known for his portrayal of the British Olympic athlete Harold Abrahams in the 1981 Best Picture Oscar winner Chariots of Fire and as Sarek in the 2009 reboot Star Trek, died today in Vienna after a short illness. He was 72.

The veteran stage and screen star’s family confirmed the news to Deadline.

Cross was born Harry Bernard Cross in London in 1947 to a working-class family. He began acting at a young age, participating in grammar school plays, but left school to work as a window cleaner, waiter, joiner and carpenter before being accepted into London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts at age 22. He excelled at Rada and won the acting school’s prestigious Vanbrugh Prize for performance of the year. He would go on to claim a string of key stage roles and made his big-screen debut on 1977 World War II epic A Bridge Too Far.

Some Oscar nominees, upon hearing that they are up for an Academy Award, try to downplay the achievement and be humble. But Richard E. Grant is going to savor this one, thank you very much.

At TheWrap’s Screening Series at Landmark Theaters in Los Angeles, awards editor Steve Pond asked Grant about the viral video he made after learning he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his work alongside Melissa McCarthy in “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” The video showed Grant shaking his fists excitedly in front of the tiny studio he rented out when he first arrived to England from Swaziland to begin his acting career in the early 1980s.

“I have looked at it again in the normal light of day and I look like a completely insane person,” he said. “I thought I would get three or four hundred likes or whatever the things are that you get on there.

Stars: Cristina Marsillach, Ian Charleson, Urbano Barberini, Daria Nicolodi, Coralina Cataldi-Tassoni, Antonella Vitale, William McNamara, Barbara Cupisti | Written by Dario Argento, Franco Ferrini | Directed by Dario Argento

Good god… Dario Argento is wildy over-rated isn’t he? Four Flies on Grey Velvet, Suspiria and now Opera, three so-called “classics” of Argento oeuvre released on to Blu-ray with great fan fare but all three of which have left me cold. Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy a couple of Argento movies – Deep Red and Phenomena (though I prefer the Creepers cut), however I can live without the rest. I much prefer the work of his proteges Lamberto Bava… and Michele Soavi in particular.

The plot of Opera goes something like this: When young understudy Betty takes the lead role in a new operatic production of Verdi’s Macbeth, she soon attracts the attention of a knife-wielding psycho who forces...

Richard E. Grant is earning major Oscar buzz for his scene-stealing role in “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” as Jack Hock, friend and accomplice to literary forger Lee Israel (Melissa McCarthy). While he won numerous awards as part of the cast of “Gosford Park” in 2001 including the Screen Actors Guild Award, “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” is giving him one of his first awards runs as an individual, with nominations at the Gotham Awards and Independent Spirit Awards plus a win with the New York Film Critics Circle.

Grant spoke with Gold Derby managing editor Chris Beachum and contributing editor Zach Laws in October about how he found his way into Jack Hock, working with McCarthy and director Marielle Heller, and what it would mean to earn his first-ever Oscar nomination. Watch the exclusive video chat above and read the complete interview transcript below.

See‘Can You Ever Forgive Me?...

A new2K restoration of Dario Argento's Opera will invade the UK's shores on Blu-ray, DVD, and VOD this November. See all the blood and terror in high definition and a brand new interview with Dario as part of the Blu-ray/DVD special features. Also: Comet TV's October contest details, 4Dx Horror Film Fest announcement, and The Forest of the Lost Souls Blu-ray and Amazon Prime release details.

New Opera 2K Restored Blu-ray, DVD, and VOD UK Release Details: "Restored in 2K with reference to Argento's own personal print Dario Argento (Suspiria) returns to CultFilms with this breath-taking new restoration of his visionary horror masterpiece Opera. Splattered with stylistic bloodshed and soaring cinematography, Opera shows Italy's master of horror at the very height of his game.

When young understudy Betty takes the lead role in a new operatic production of Verdi's Macbeth, she soon attracts the attention of...

Following their release of Suspiria, CultFilms return to the oeuvre of Dario Argento with a brand new restoration of Argento’ visionary horror masterpiece Opera, which stars Cristina Marsillach, Ian Charleson (Chariots of Fire) and Daria Nicolodi (Deep Red); and features music by Brian Eno, Bill Wyman, long-time Argento favourite Claudio Simonetti and the divinity herself Maria Callas.

When young understudy Betty takes the lead role in a new operatic production of Verdi’s Macbeth, she soon attracts the attention of a knife-wielding psycho who forces her to watch – with eyes pinned open – as he brutally despatches her friends and colleagues with sadistic delight. Can Betty free herself from this unending nightmare or does a more terrifying fate await? Opera is a ravishing return to the giallo style Argento made his name with, awash with black-gloved killers, lavish bloodletting and the director’s expressionistic Grand Guignol excess.

CultFilms are set to...

David Crow Feb 24, 2019

Richard E. Grant remembers AIDS in '90s New York for Can You Ever Forgive Me? Plus the whiplash of going from Logan to this.

Richard E. Grant has a unique approach to becoming a character on any film he boards. While other performers may try to understand a person’s initial gait or wardrobe—both also crucial aspects for the Withnail & I actor—the way into any of that for Grant is to imagine what kind of animal they would be in the wild. He credits this quirk to growing up in Swaziland during a youth that now gives a prescient vantage of his and Melissa McCarthy’s parts in Can You Ever Forgive Me?

In the film, both McCarthy and Grant turn in astonishing work as a pair of down and out loners in early ‘90s New York City. But whereas McCarthy’s Lee Israel prefers it that way,...

It’s hard for me to even admit that Dario Argento’s Opera had been a major blind spot of mine for far too long, but I’m thankful for the recent Blu-ray release of the film, courtesy of both Scorpion Releasing and Doppelganger Releasing, as it made this cinematic discovery feel like a true work of art befitting of the Horror Maestro’s stunning and wholly unique vision, confidently displaying this slice of giallo madness from 1987. And as you can probably tell, after just one viewing, I’m 110 percent a fan of Opera now and still cannot believe it took me this long to see this wildly weird masterpiece.

For anyone who hasn’t seen Opera, I’ll do my best not to spoil the abundance of intriguing revelations that happen throughout the movie. The simplified version of the film’s core story follows an ingénue soprano named Betty...

Little over a week ago, we shared details that the Argento-directed, Opera, and Argento-produced films, The Sect and The Church, would be hitting Blu-Ray by Doppelgänger Releasing and Scorpion Releasing. We finally got some specific details today on the Opera Blu-Ray!

While we had some details back in 2016 about the Opera release, we’re not sure if they are still using the cover art displayed in that post.

Original Trailer

From the Press Release:

Best known for his work in the horror and thriller genres and regarded as one of the most influential artists of the past half-century, Italian filmmaker Dario Argento’s 1987 cult classic film Opera will make a fresh new reprise in the new year. Arriving for the first time on Blu-ray, Doppelgänger Releasing and Scorpion Releasing will present a remastered/restored edition in high definition, with over 45 hours of color correction, brand new 5.1 soundtrack,...

“I spent a lot of time reviewing the silent films for crowd scenes –the way extras move, evolve, how the space is staged and how the cameras capture it, the views used,” Nolan said earlier this year when it came to the creation of his WWII epic Dunkirk, referencing films such as Intolerance, Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans, and Greed, as well as the films of Robert Bresson.

Throughout the entire month of July, if you’re in the U.K., you are lucky enough to witness a selection of these influences in a program at BFI Southbank. Featuring all screenings in 35mm or 70mm — including a preview of Dunkirk over a week before it hits theaters — there’s classics such as Greed, Sunrise, and The Wages of Fear, as well as Alien, Speed, and even Tony Scott’s final film.

Check out Nolan’s introduction below, followed by...

Running from 1-31 July, BFI Southbank are delighted to present a season of films which have inspired director Christopher Nolan’s new feature Dunkirk (2017), released in cinemas across the UK on Friday 21 July.

Christopher Nolan Presents has been personally curated by the award-winning director and will offer audiences unique insight into the films which influenced his hotly anticipated take on one of the key moments of WWII.

The season will include a special preview screening of Dunkirk on Thursday 13 July, which will be presented in 70mm and include an introduction from the director himself.

Christopher Nolan is a passionate advocate for the importance of seeing films projected on film, and as one of the few cinemas in the UK that still shows a vast amount of celluloid film, BFI Southbank will screen all the films in the season on 35mm or 70mm.

In 2015 Nolan appeared on stage alongside visual artist...

Special Mention: Misery

Directed by Rob Reiner

Screenplay by William Goldman

1990, USA

Genre: Thriller

Elevated by standout performances from James Caan and Kathy Bates, Misery remains one of the best Stephen King adaptations to date. Director Rob Reiner is clearly more interested in the dark humour and humanity than the gory detail in King’s novel, but make no mistake about it, Misery is a tough watch soaked in sharp dialogue, a brooding atmosphere, and disturbing bodily harm inflicted on James Caan by sweet old Kathy Bates. I can still feel his pain.

129. Black Sabbath (Three Faces of Fear)

Mario Bava and Salvatore Billitteri

Written by Ennio De Concini and Mario Serandrei

Italy 1960 / Italy 1963

Genre: Horror Anthology

Not to be confused with Black Sunday, Black Sabbath is a horror anthology composed of three atmospheric tales. “The Drop of Water” concerns a nurse who steals a ring off a corpse, only...

While not going so far as to call itself Chariots Of Fire II: God’s Own Athlete, The Last Race is aiming to serve as a kind of sequel to the Oscar-winning classic, telling more of Scottish runner Eric Liddell’s story. Joseph Fiennes is now in place to play the man himself.Ian Charleson was Liddell in Chariots, and now Fiennes is aboard to star in The Last Race, which follows his life after the 1924 Paris Olympics and his work as a missionary in China. And that location gives a clue to where this new film is being backed – as it’ll have financial backing from Chinese companies and shoot in the country from a script by Stephen Shin, who also co-directs with Michael Parker. “It is not only the perfect movie theme, but it should also make younger generations more aware of their past,” Shin tells The Independent.

The Last Race, to star Joseph Fiennes, will tell the story of Chinese-born Olympic runner Eric Liddell’s heroics in a Japanese second world war prison camp

An “unofficial sequel” to the Oscar-winning 1981 film Chariots of Fire has been greenlit, thanks to Chinese fans of Olympic gold-winning runner Eric Liddell, aka the Flying Scotsman, reports the Independent.

The Last Race will star Joseph Fiennes as the athlete, who was played by Ian Charleson in Hugh Hudson’s historical drama. The deeply religious Liddell was born in Tientsin, northern China, to Scottish missionaries, and returned there a year after his victory in the 400m at the Paris Olympics in 1924. He became a hero to the Chinese people, partly due to his athletic achievements – some consider him the first Chinese gold medallist – but mostly for his heroics while interned during the second world war at a Japanese prisoner of war camp in 1943.

Continue reading.

David Oyelowo shines as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Ava Duvernay's "Selma" and now, he's being honored at the upcoming Palm Springs International Film Festival! Here's the complete press release:

Palm Springs, CA (December 7, 2014) . The 26th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (Psiff) will present David Oyelowo with the Breakthrough Performance Award, Actor for his critically acclaimed performance as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Ava DuVernay.s Selma at its annual Awards Gala. The Gala will also present awards to previously announced honorees Richard Linklater, Julianne Moore, Rosamund Pike, Eddie Redmayne, J.K. Simmons, Reese Witherspoon and the cast of The Imitation Game. Presented by Cartier, and hosted by Mary Hart, the Awards Gala will be held Saturday, January 3 at the Palm Springs Convention Center. The Festival runs January 2-12.

.David Oyelowo.s transformation into Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is truly outstanding,. said Film Festival Chairman Harold Matzner.

A universal story of standing up for yourself, the (dys) functionality of family and the question of identity, East is East is a must see production.

BollySpice had the chance to plunge in deeper and get to know the issues provoked – even more closely.

A conversation with three East is East cast members resulted in an interview exploring multitude avenues.

Speaking exclusively to Amit Shah, Ashley Kumar and Rani Moorthy, we heavily explored identity, what finding oneself entails, the strengths and weaknesses of being human, the history of Bollywood, women’s power, suppression and even Shah Rukh Khan!

East is East is currently being performed at Trafalgar Studios, London.

Sibling Love. Identity. Being Human

In conversation with Amit Shah, Aka Abdul

Shah’s credits include Salim in theatre production “Bombay Dreams” and Mansur in “The Hundred Foot Journey” and awards include the Ian Charleson Commendation for The Alchemist at the...

Whether he is gaining publicity for the right or wrong reasons, Jude Law is ever-present. The actor's private life has sometimes overshadowed his achievements, yet he is still going strong both on screen and stage.

With his new film Dom Hemingway, in which he plays a destructive safecracker, hitting cinemas next week, we round up ten facts about Mr. Law.

1. Jude Law was born on December 29, 1972 to teachers Margaret Anne and Peter Robert in Lewisham, South London. His older sister, Natasha, is a renowned painter and graphic designer. Their parents now run a theatre company in France.

2. The actor's name derives from Beatles song 'Hey Jude' and Thomas Hardy's Jude The Obscure. He also has a tattoo on his arm of lyrics from the Fab Four's 'Sexy Sadie': "You came along to turn on everyone Sexy Sadie", which is purportedly meant to link to ex-wife Sadie Frost.

3. Law started...

Every year, we here at Sound On Sight celebrate the month of October with 31 Days of Horror; and every year, I update the list of my favourite horror films ever made. Last year, I released a list that included 150 picks. This year, I’ll be upgrading the list, making minor alterations, changing the rankings, adding new entries, and possibly removing a few titles. I’ve also decided to publish each post backwards this time for one reason: the new additions appear lower on my list, whereas my top 50 haven’t changed much, except for maybe in ranking. I am including documentaries, short films and mini series, only as special mentions – along with a few features that can qualify as horror, but barely do.

****

Special Mention:

Häxan

Directed by Benjamin Christensen

Denmark / Sweden, 1922

Häxan (a.k.a The Witches or Witchcraft Through The Ages) is a 1922 silent documentary about the history of witchcraft,...

From Formula One to football and boxing to baseball, here are the big screen's finest sport sagas

Rush

Don't get excited, Liverpool fans: director Ron Howard's latest film isn't about the Reds' all-time leading scorer Ian Rush and his rubbish 'tache. Instead, it tells the extraordinary story of the 1976 Formula One season, dominated by the battle between dashing British playboy driver James Hunt (played by Chris "Thor" Hemsworth) and austere Austrian Niki Lauda (Daniel "Good Bye, Lenin!" Brühl). After a near-fatal crash at the Nürburgring, Lauda returned just six weeks later, his horrific scalp burns still bandaged and bleeding, to defend his world title. It's scripted by Peter Morgan, who's made a career out of dramatising real events in the likes of The Queen and Frost/Nixon.

The Damned United

"I wouldn't say I was the best manager in the country. But I'm in the top one." Director Tom Hooper...

We told you recently that Sam Heughan had been cast as the male lead in the Ronald D. Moore-produced adaptation of Diana Gabaldon‘s Outlander. Heughan is set to play Scottish warrior Jamie Fraser in the 18th century part of the two ages time travel story.

Starz has now announced that the second point of the triangle has been cast, as Tobias Menzies (Edmure Tully in Game of Thrones) will be playing the dual roles of Frank Randall in post-World War 2 times, and Frank’s ancestor “Black Jack” Randall in 18th century times. We’re still waiting to see who will be playing the third point of that triangle, the female/primary lead for the series, which is scheduled to air in 2014.

Tobias Menzies Cast In Starz & Sony Pictures TV’S Anticipated New Original Series “Outlander” Menzies to Play Dual Roles of Frank Randall and the Duplicitous “Black Jack...

Seventeen years after being nominated for an Oscar for her role in Mike Leigh's award-winning Secrets & Lies, Londoner Marianne Jean-Baptiste has returned to the London stage. Here she talks about her own brand of spirituality, motherhood and why she chose to pursue her career in America

Marianne Jean-Baptiste is back. She is about to play the lead in the National's production of James Baldwin's The Amen Corner, and there is a feeling that she is, at last, in her rightful place. Jean-Baptiste made history: she was nominated for a Golden Globe for her role in Mike Leigh's Secrets & Lies (1996) and was the first black British actress to be nominated for an Oscar. Yet we have not seen her on stage here for years. Her return is a cause for celebration. I hear her generous laughter in the theatre's upstairs corridor before clapping eyes on her – and know,...

Throughout the month of October, Editor-in-Chief and resident Horror expert Ricky D, will be posting a list of his favorite Horror films of all time. The list will be posted in six parts. Click here to see every entry.

As with all lists, this is personal and nobody will agree with every choice – and if you do, that would be incredibly disturbing. It was almost impossible for me to rank them in order, but I tried and eventually gave up.

****

Special Mention: Gremlins

Directed by Joe Dante

Written by Chris Columbus

1984, USA

Gremlins gets a special mention because I’ve always considered it more of a comedy and a wholesome Christmas flick than an actual horror film. This tribute the 1950s matinee genre stands the test of time from a time when parents would take their children to family films that pushed the boundaries of the MPAA. Joe Dante is...

"Charlie Chan at the Olympics" (1937): Yes, really. Footage from the previous year's Berlin Olympics figures into this caper that takes the sleuth (Warner Oland) to those Games.

"Jim Thorpe - All American" (1951): Burt Lancaster surely had the physique for the title role in this portrait of the Native American who medaled in both the pentathlon and decathlon.

"Walk, Don't Run" (1966): Cary Grant made his final screen appearance in this comedy set against the backdrop of the Tokyo Olympics, where scarce quarters make roommates of strangers (Grant, Samantha Eggar, Jim Hutton).

"Chariots of Fire" (1981): Generally acknowledged as the top Olympics movie to date, confirmed by its Oscar for best picture, director Hugh Hudson's drama casts Ben Cross and Ian Charleson as British competitors in the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris.

"Personal Best" (1982): An athlete (Mariel Hemingway) becomes deeply involved with a rival (Patrice Donnelly) for a spot on the U.

Factual obstacles? Pah – they will be hurdled like champagne glasses in 1981's rousing but historically dodgy Olympics drama

Director: Hugh Hudson

Entertainment grade: B+

History grade: C–

British runners won three gold medals at the 1924 Olympics in Paris.

Races

The 1919 Cambridge University freshers' fair teems with eager young chaps signing up for various drinking societies masquerading under the banners of philately, birdwatching or Fabianism. But Harold Abrahams (Ben Cross) has eyes only for the athletics club. He challenges for the Great Court Run – a dash around the main quad of Trinity College within the time it takes the clock to strike 12. "In almost 700 years nobody's ever done it," gasps a fellow student. Probably not, for Trinity Great Court was laid out in its current form in the early 17th century, and that's only 300 years before this film is set. It's filmed not in Trinity but in Eton College's School Yard,...

Warner Bros. released another one of their book editions of a catalog Blu-ray film and while some of these seem somewhat random in their timing, this one has a nice real-world tie-in as “Chariots of Fire” hits stores just in time for the 2012 Olympics. “Chariots of Fire” is a well-made epic even if my strongest memory of it is related to the stunned realization that it is the movie that beat “Raiders of the Lost Ark” for Best Picture. Yes, the Academy makes mistakes too.

Rating: 4.0/5.0

“Chariots of Fire” has held up expectedly. If, like me, you think it’s an entertaining period drama that was a bit over-praised at the time (it won four Oscars, including Best Picture, but Warren Beatty stole director from Hugh Hudson for “Reds”) then the years are unlikely to have changed that opinion. If you love it, this release will only give you reason to love it more.

Magic Mike (15)

(Steven Soderbergh, 2012, Us) Channing Tatum, Alex Pettyfer, Cody Horn, Matthew McConaughey, Olivia Munn. 110 mins

The roles are reversed but the themes are familiar in this rise-and-fall tale of male strippers, making and losing their way in a (sort of) woman's world. It's like a cross between The Full Monty, Boogie Nights and Showgirls, sketching a landscape of exploitation and desperation – even as it participates in it by serving up the barely clad Tatum and other beef products.

Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World (15)

(Lorene Scafaria, 2012, Us) Steve Carell, Keira Knightley, Patton Oswalt. 101 mins

Do passion and the apocalypse mix? Or Carell and Knightley? This faltering effort tries anyway.

Detachment (15)

(Tony Kaye, 2011, Us) Adrien Brody, Marcia Gay Harden. 98 mins

No provocation left behind in this scathing schoolroom drama with a starry cast.

Ice Age 4: Continental Drift (U)

(Steve Martino, Mark Thurmeier, 2012, Us) Ray Romano, Denis Leary.

Imagine Chariots of Fire without the haunting sounds of Vangelis' theme. It nearly happened...

It could be yesterday we first saw those young men, in their spattered sports whites, running along the beach, helped along by the electronic, thumping beats of the Greek composer's electric piano.

But, thirty years later, the film’s producer, David Puttnam (for 15 years, Lord Puttnam) tells HuffPostUK that the Greek composer’s stunning score that did so much to embed the film in fans’ hearts, nearly didn’t make it to the soundtrack.

Vangelis' score was an integral part of Chariots of Fire, but it nearly didn't make it to the soundtrack

“We knew we needed a contemporary score to bookend the film, to bring it up to date, and make people realise that these were real people we were talking about, not just a period drama,” remembers Puttnam.

“And the film was done,...

Out in time for an Olympics lap of honour, Hugh Hudson's intelligent film has the lineaments of a classic

Hugh Hudson's 1981 Oscar-winner gets a deserved Olympic rerelease: a bold, intelligent, romantic film with all the lineaments of a classic, and a score by Vangelis as instantly hummable as the music for Jaws. As the British team prepare for the 1924 Paris games, we follow two underdog outsiders: Eric Liddell (Ian Charleson) is the devout Scot who won't run on a Sunday; Harold Abrahams (Ben Cross) is the Jewish runner who faces casual antisemitism at Cambridge University. Screenwriter Colin Welland was a vigorous socialist, but the movie was nonetheless adored by Ronald Reagan for the individual striving and patriotic glory. Hugh Hudson's stylish candlelit college dinner scene at Cambridge may well have inspired the Hogwarts dining-hall scenes in the Harry Potter movies.

Rating: 5/5

DramaPeter Bradshaw

guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian...

This week: Stifler and the rest of his East Great Falls gang reunite for a wild weekend of MILFs and memories in "American Reunion," the third and final sequel in the theatrical "American Pie" comedy franchise.

Also new this week is a return to form for Robert De Niro in "Being Flynn," Anna Paquin in the long-delayed "Margaret," plus the Blu-ray debuts of "Altered States" and "Chariots of Fire."

'American Reunion'

Box Office: $57 million

Rotten Tomatoes: 43% Rotten

Storyline: The gang of East Great Falls reunites in this fourth and final theatrical "American Pie" movie. Twelve years after graduating from high school, Jim (Jason Biggs) and Michelle (Alyson Hannigan) have gotten married, Oz (Chris Klein) is an NFL sportscaster that grew apart from Heather (Mena Suvari), Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas) and Vicky (Tara Reid) have split, while Stifler (Seann William Scott) continues to suffer from prolonged arrested development. Meanwhile,...

With a little more than a month until the opening ceremonies of the 2012 Summer Olympics, kids re-enacted the famous scene from Chariots of Fire on West Sands Beach in St Andrews, Scotland earlier today. On July 13th, audiences across the UK will have the opportunity to enjoy the Great British movie classic, Chariots Of Fire on the big screen as Twentieth Century Fox, in association with The Sun and BT and with the support of the BFI, release the internationally acclaimed, multi Oscar®-winning Olympic drama in a stunning digitally restored version.

Listen as past athletes from Great Britain talk about their Olympic moments.

Yesterday Variety reported on the Games of the XXX Olympiad.

Filmmaker Danny Boyle has unveiled details of the opening ceremony of the London Olympics, which will see the Olympic Stadium transformed into an idealized version of the British countryside.

Boyle, artistic director for the curtain raiser,...

With the Olympics set to kickoff in less than 100 days, take a look at the new trailer for the forthcoming re-release of Chariots Of Fire – in UK cinemas July 13th. For the first time in a generation, audiences across the UK will have the opportunity to enjoy the Great British movie classic, Chariots Of Fire on the big screen as Twentieth Century Fox, in association with The Sun and BT and with the support of the BFI, release the internationally acclaimed, multi Oscar®-winning Olympic drama in a stunning digitally restored version.

An official part of the London 2012 Festival, Chariots Of Fire will help get this summer.s Olympic celebrations off to a flying start on July 10th, with the British Premiere for the film taking place simultaneously in London.s Leicester Square, at Edinburgh.s iconic Festival Theatre, and at selected locations across the country. The events will be...

Blu-ray: July 10, 2012

Price: Blu-ray $35.99

Studio: Warner

The 1981 film drama Chariots of Fire, the 1982 winner of the Academy Award for Best Picture that tells the true story of two very different men competing in the 1924 Olympics, comes to Blu-ray for the first time in July, 2012 with its release coinciding with the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

Directed by Hugh Hudson (I Dreamed of Africa), the 1981 film tells the tale of British sprinters Harold Abrahams (Ben Cross, Star Trek) and Eric Liddell (Ian Charleson, (Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan Lord of the Apes) and the reasons that they run: Eric, a devout Scottish missionary runs because he knows it must please God, while Harold, the son of a newly wealthy Jew runs to prove his place in Cambridge society.

In addition to winning Best Picture, Chariots –which also features John Gielgud (Arthur) and Ian Holm (The Lord of the Rings trilogy)–picked up Oscars for Best Original Screenplay,...

"Mad Men" season premiere shatters ratings records: "The fifth-season debut of AMC’s 'Mad Men' delivered 3.5 million viewers for its two-hour premiere. That’s up 21 percent from 2010′s fourth-season premiere, which marked the show’s previous all-time high. Of those viewers, about 1.6 million were adults 18-49. The fourth season averaged about 2.4 million viewers, including DVR playback. 'Mad Men's' first season averaged about 925,000 viewers." EW.Com Oscar-winning 1981 film "Chariots of Fire" will be re-released in honor of the upcoming London Olympics: "Starring Ben Cross and Ian Charleson as British sprinters competing in the Paris Olympics of 1924, Hugh Hudson's drama won four Oscars at the 1981 Academy Awards, including best picture ... The digitally restored 'Chariots of Fire' will be re-released in more than 100 UK cinemas from 13 July with £150,000 in funding from the British ...

Oscar-winning drama about two British sprinters competing in the 1924 Paris Olympics is to be re-released on 13 July to celebrate London 2012

The Oscar-winning 1981 British film Chariots of Fire is to return to cinemas more than three decades on to celebrate the London Olympics.

Starring Ben Cross and Ian Charleson as British sprinters competing in the Paris Olympics of 1924, Hugh Hudson's drama won four Oscars at the 1981 Academy Awards, including best picture, best original screenplay, best costume design and best original music for Vangelis's stirring synth-fuelled score. Its victory is famous for screenwriter Colin Welland's speech while collecting his Oscar, in which he declared: "The British are coming".

The digitally restored Chariots of Fire will be re-released in more than 100 UK cinemas from 13 July with £150,000 in funding from the British Film Institute. It opens two weeks ahead of the London 2012 Olympics' opening ceremony. A previously mooted stage adaptation, Hudson's own idea,...

Cue the faux slo-mo trod over dramatic notes duh-da-da-da-dah-dah. (We’ve all done it.) The British Institute and London Olympic organizers are teaming up to bring Chariots of Fire back to British theaters July 13, in advance of London’s Summer Olympic Games.

Based on a true story, the film follows two runners (played by Ben Cross and Ian Charleson) whose quest to qualify for the 1920 Olympics is complicated by their religious convictions. Chariots of Fire shocked Hollywood at the 1982 Oscars, winning Best Picture, as well as trophies for original screenplay, costume design, and original score. The title theme, by Vangelis,...

Outstanding in the Madonna-directed W.E., the Rada graduate may just be the best and brightest actor of her generation

Andrea Riseborough does not so much walk into a room as float through it; a fragrant, other-worldly presence who seems to appear out of nowhere like a shimmering will-o'-the-wisp. Her physical presence is slight – translucent skin and tiny, fine-boned fingers – and she gives the impression of operating on a different plane from the rest of us, as though earthly concerns are something of a mystery to her.

We are seated upstairs in the studio where the 30-year-old Riseborough has just finished the Observer photoshoot. On the table is a tray of baked apples. She peers at them detachedly, as though they are a strange piece of sculpture she cannot quite understand. Would she like one? "Oh no, I can't eat them," Riseborough says, smoothing down her floral tea dress. Why not?...

The term “giallo” initially referred to cheap yellow paperbacks (printed American mysteries from writers such as Agatha Christie), that were distributed in post-fascist Italy. Applied to cinema, the genre is comprised of equal parts early pulp thrillers, mystery novels, with a willingness to gleefully explore onscreen sex and violence in provocative, innovative ways. Giallos are strikingly different from American crime films: they value style and plot over characterization, and tend towards unapologetic displays of violence, sexual content, and taboo exploration. The genre is known for stylistic excess, characterized by unnatural yet intriguing lighting techniques, convoluted plots, red herrings, extended murder sequences, excessive bloodletting, stylish camerawork and unusual musical arrangements. Amidst the ‘creative kill’ set-pieces are thematic undercurrents along with a whodunit element, usually some sort of twist ending. Here is my list of the best giallo films – made strictly by Italian directors, so don’t expect Black Swan, Amer or...

Each week within this column we strive to pair the latest in theatrical releases to the worthwhile titles currently available on Netflix Instant Watch. This week we look at alternatives to Moneyball, Machine Gun Preacher and Killer Elite.

With the cold weather barreling in, theaters across the country brace for docudrama-rama! Trailers boast “based on a true story” as an A-lister rubs elbows with a fat funnyman, an action star tries for Oscar-baiting, and badasses new and old unite in a gritty action-thriller. Want more? Well, if Netflix news has you spinning, take a seat and indulge in some true-life drama, wild action flicks, and wonderfully sweet and strange, indie rom-com wild card.

Fresh from its debut at Tiff (review here!), this Aaron Sorkin-scripted sports-drama tells the true story of Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane’s unconventional method to building a winning team. Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill star.

Britain's Andrea Riseborough and Ireland's Domhnall Gleeson, who starred together in Never Let Me Go, are amongst the 10 European newcomers to be honoured with a Shooting Star award at the Berlin Film Festival next year.

A former member of the National Youth Theatre, Newcastle-born Andrea graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (Rada) in 2005. She won the 2006 Ian Charleson Award, which recognises exceptional classical stage work from actors under 30, for her performances in "Miss Julie" and "Measure For Measure".

In 2009, Andrea was nominated for the BAFTA TV Award for her portrayal of the young Margaret Thatcher in the TV drama "The Long Walk To Finchley". That year also saw her being hailed by The Sunday Times Magazine as one of Britain's finest Rising Stars.

29 year old Andrea (represented by Independent Talent Group) was recognised by the Shooting Stars Jury for her upcoming film Brighton Rock, and her roles in Madonna's directorial debut film,...

From Margaret Thatcher to a Dagenham factory worker, Andrea Riseborough has earned a name for herself portraying headstrong women on stage and screen. But her next role will be the most challenging yet – Mrs Simpson, directed by Madonna

As a child, Andrea Riseborough spent a lot of time watching people. "I used to stare at them in restaurants, open-mouthed until my little brother said 'Er, Andrea, don't do that,'" she says, emitting a short burst of self-mocking laughter. She recalls being particularly in awe of the way her friend Chloe drank juice from her cup. "I used to think she was so cool, so exciting and so I copied the way she drank because I wanted to be closer to her. I don't know whether that's exploration or voyeurism or what that is."

Whatever it was, those formative experiences served her well in her chosen career as an actress.

Jose here.

I've always wondered if Madonna shouts "Vogue!" instead of "action" when she's directing.

And you can't blame me!

W.E last week in London, totally screams "strike a pose" huh?

We have discussed this movie before but in case you need a quick pick up, the film centers on the affair between American socialite Wallis Simpson and King Edward VIII.

Yet instead of going for a straightforward biopic thing, the Queen went for a Julie and Julia twist in which a modern woman (played by Abbie Cornish) looks for inspiration in the royal scandal to help her decide between two men in her life (one of them being the constantly interesting Oscar Isaac).

The biggest change in the movie was the news that Vera Farmiga, who was set to play Wallis, dropped out due to her pregnancy.

But never one to wait for anyone (time goes by so slowly for those who wait.

Tom Hollander's latest role as an inner-city vicar is earning him popular recognition – and the praise of fan Lily Allen. But he's been a hard-working actor ever since his student drama days with Nick Clegg

Even if Tom Hollander's latest performance doesn't win him awards, riches or the role of his dreams, he has a consolation: it might get his kitchen extension built. Earlier this week, Lily Allen tweeted her love of Rev, the gentle BBC2 comedy in which he stars as an inner-city vicar, adding: "Tom Hollander is my favourite British actor, very, very funny." Hollander looks quietly delighted. "Her boyfriend Sam is a very good builder and I've been trying to get him to do some work on my house. I hope they're still together. Perhaps he'll return my calls now."

Hollander's turn as Adam Smallbone, the embattled leader of a tiny, rackety congregation in grimy east London,...

Rebecca Hall is full of promise at 28 – but can she find the burning sense of need or danger required to take over an entire movie?

It's tricky being an actress. Think of it this way: any young actress would like to be in the movie Frost/Nixon. But she can see that most of the chewy parts are for men. However, that very clever writer Peter Morgan has written in a scene in which David Frost, on his way to America, meets an attractive young woman on the plane (let's call her Caroline Cushing), and thereafter carries her along with him as eye-catching back-up and ego masseuse in the whole Nixon enterprise. She goes out for food when he's doing research; she wears a series of moderately revealing summer clothes; and she evidently provides the opportunity for what Nixon regards gloomily and enviously as "fornicating".

It happens that the role...

Are young actors taking over the big screen? Max Irons, son of Jeremy Irons, has been set to star with Amanda Seyfried and Shiloh Fernandez in The Girl with the Red Riding Hood, the Warner Bros action film that will be directed by Twilight's Catherine Hardwicke. Julie Christie and Gary Oldman also appear. Irons has been nominated for an Ian Charleson Award in the UK – the award celebrates outstanding new talent in the theatre. He's repped by UTA and UK-based Tavistock Wood.