the reagans is a 180-minute television film about u.s. president ronald reagan and his family which cbs had planned to broadcast in november 2003 during fall " sweeps " , but was ultimately broadcast on november 30 of that year on cable channel showtime due to controversy over its portrayal of reagan .

the reagans

the reagans at the 1960 screen actors guild annual membership meeting . ( corbis )
urltoken - rnc asks to review ' the reagans ' - oct . 31 , 2003
the poster for hellcats of the navy , the feature film which co - starred the reagans .
there are no critic reviews yet for the reagans . keep checking rotten tomatoes for updates !
james brolin as president ronald reagan poses on the set of cbs '
the reagans .
actor james brolin as president ronald reagan poses on the set of cbs '
the reagans .
republicans have expressed concern that the miniseries , titled
the reagans ,
may inaccurately portray the couple .
the reagans churned out their own biographies of themselves , or of what they imagined themselves to be .
quick fyi for those of you awaiting an announcement concerning the reagans . due to a few minor delays that will be explained we have decided to wait an additional day to announce some exciting information concerning the future of the reagans
john sears , the reagan campaign manager in 1976 , told kelley that both the reagans were obsessed with illusions and appearances .
the reagans are headed up the eastcoast for the 2017
score tour
show dates and vip package details will be posted february 24th .
there is no reason showtime ' s version of ' ' the reagans ' ' could not have been broadcast on cbs earlier this month .
when cbs announced that it would not air its miniseries
the reagans ,
the network denied that it was caving in to conservative protests . instead , its statement declared that the show it had produced
does not present a balanced portrayal of the reagans for cbs and its audience .
as the guardian recounted in a history of the reagans’ dark legacy on hiv , the reagan administration long refused to take seriously growing concerns in the lgbt community about the disease .
gillespie said the miniseries might have omissions , distortions and exaggerations that could cause americans to
come away with a misunderstanding of the reagans and the reagan administration .
mounting pressure and criticism from conservatives has prompted cbs to dump
the reagans ,
the network ' s prime - time miniseries on former president ronald reagan .
big announcement concerning some very cool information tomorrow august 22 i think all fans of the reagans will be highly interested , check back tomorrow for complete details .
dr marcus conant , a clinical professor of dermatology emeritus at uc san francisco and one of the first physicians to diagnose and treat aids , recalled the reagans’ dismissal of his concerns .
the new york times , citing unidentified people close to the production of
the reagans ,
reported that cbs executives had previously reviewed the script and viewed the miniseries without raising any objections to the content .
when it canceled ' ' the reagans , ' ' cbs said it was not responding to pressure , but making a ' ' moral call . ' ' but the three - hour version on showtime does little to support the network ' s claim . ' ' the reagans ' ' may not be a cinematic masterpiece , but it is hardly an act of treason .
“i don’t know how much of the moral majority stuff the reagans believed , ” bunch said “but they didn’t fight it … that brand of homophobia lasted because ronald and nancy reagan enabled it . ”
her comments in the interview flew in the face of how many longtime gay rights activists view the reagans – as a couple who deliberately turned a blind eye to the aids crisis , with devastating and deadly consequences .
the early years of the aids crisis – when the reagans were silent and the white house spokesman , larry speakes , joked about the epidemic during regular briefings with reporters – were “what the plague in europe must have felt like .
while the viacom - owned network had no comment monday , cbs chairman leslie moonves told cnbc last week that
there are some edits being made trying to present a more fair picture of the reagans .
advocates in the san francisco bay area – who survived the epidemic and had watched friends and loved ones die in great numbers – consider the reagans , through their inaction , responsible for the death of thousands of lgbt people .
as is well known , barbara bush has challenged the accuracy of kelley ' s anecdote about how she sent the reagans a christmas wreath , which nancy then rewrapped and sent on to one of her california girlfriends .
the reagans
had been scheduled to air on nov . 16 and 18 . november is a ratings sweeps month of special importance to tv networks since it helps to determine how much they may charge advertisers .
hillary clinton outraged lgbt activists on friday with her comments at nancy reagan’s funeral praising the former first lady for helping start a “national conversation” about hiv – remarks that critics say ignore the reagans’ deeply troubling legacy on the 1980s aids crisis .
how balanced is
the reagans
? salon has obtained a copy of the 213 - page screenplay for the miniseries , and we present it here to our readers to allow them to review the primary evidence in this controversy and reach their own conclusions .
although the miniseries features impressive production values and acting performances , and the producers have sources to verify each scene in the script , we believe it does not present a balanced portrayal of the reagans for cbs and its audience ,
cbs said in a statement .
not that “the reagans” needs any additional controversy , but it’s also worth noting this quintessentially american tale was shot in canada . for the most part , it’s a handsome effort , down to the gradual aging of the principals and the re - enactment of the assassination attempt by john hinckley .
on friday , republican national committee chairman ed gillespie asked cbs to allow a team of scholars to review the film in advance for historical accuracy . otherwise , he said , cbs should run a disclaimer informing viewers that the film is a fictional portrayal of the reagans .
los angeles ( reuters ) - - drawing republican fire over the accuracy of its upcoming mini - series
the reagans ,
cbs appears ready to present a kinder , gentler portrait of the ailing former president than originally produced - - if the network airs it at all .
however , if moonves goes ahead with plans to air
the reagans
on nov . 16 , as planned , the final product will differ substantially from the film that reagan supporters have criticized , with many controversial scenes heavily edited or cut from the production , sources said .
producers zadan and meron said they were disappointed that cbs won ' t air their miniseries but added :
we are excited that showtime has agreed to broadcast it and the public will have a chance to judge ' the reagans ' on its own merits .
in real life , allen “was especially fond of the reagans , ” as reported by the washington post . a good friend of allen remembered , “he often talked about how nice they were to him . ” away from hollywood make - believe , there was no mention of why allen chose to retire his three decades of service as white house butler , other than that it was time . and in real life , allen marveled to his wife how they got to enjoy the champagne that he once served—thanks to the reagans’ gracious invitation .
cbs said in a statement it had decided to move the production to cable tv ' s showtime network after concluding that the miniseries
does not present a balanced portrayal of the reagans for cbs and its audience . subsequent edits that we considered did not address those concerns .
“there is no question that they knew many people with aids and were probably very close friends with them , ” he continued . “i haven’t heard anyone say the reagans were homophobic . but it was a political calculation . this wouldn’t sell to republican voters . ”
the furor over the mini - series arose after the new york times reported last month that the film portrays the reagans in a largely unflattering light . in one scene , reagan says of aids patients ,
they that live in sin shall die in sin .
but there is no evidence he ever expressed those views .
as cbs learned the hard way , it’s impossible to divorce the political and creative components in analyzing “the reagans” — an uneven and , yes , unflattering biography that the network tossed to showtime in a game of corporate hot potato . taking score ideologically , the project depicts nancy reagan as a dragon lady and the former president [ … ]
it is important to remember , moreover , that for the duration of their washington reign , until it came to a thudding halt on the afternoon that edwin meese announced that money from the sale of arms to iran had been diverted to the contras , the reagans were treated with kid gloves , not least by the press corps that covered them .
james brolin as president ronald reagan appears in a scene from cbs '
the reagans ,
in this undated publicity photo . the two - part miniseries about former president reagan and his wife , nancy , airs nov . 16 , 2003 and nov . 18 . ( ap photo / cbs , jan thijs )
as cbs learned the hard way , it ' s impossible to divorce the political and creative components in analyzing
the reagans
- - an uneven and , yes , unflattering biography . the project depicts nancy reagan as a dragon lady and the former president as an amiable dunce , yet it is also the story of a couple fiercely devoted to each other .
like any made - for - tv historical saga spanning four decades , “the reagans” makes brutal choices about what to throw away and keep . beyond that , this is billed as a “dramatic interpretation of events based on public sources , ” so no social studies teacher should be tempted to assign this to a class .
undoubtedly , staunch reagan loyalists would have assaulted anything that didn’t present the 40th president as worthy of a place on mount rushmore — something cbs should have recognized going in . still , it’s only fair to note there’s very little here , however pointed , that hasn’t been leveled against the reagans before — including the vitriol they endured during his presidency .
no word on when the miniseries will air on showtime , or how cbs will fill the valuable four hours of november sweeps real estate ”the reagans” vacated . it’s also not clear if moving the movie to a more sparsely viewed pay cable channel will quiet the complaints of historical inaccuracy or quell the boycott calls , or if conservatives will mind having the movie air on the home of ”queer as folk . ”
the only comment from the reagans themselves has come from former first lady nancy reagan , who in a brief statement issued last week to the fox news channel said ,
the timing of ( the mini - series ) is absolutely staggering to me . obviously , it ' s very hurtful .
she apparently was referring to the fact that the 92 - year - old former president is severely ill with alzheimer ' s disease .
there is something splendidly democratic about the
unauthorized biography . ' ' it is premised on skepticism about the official versions of public lives . its real theme is hypocrisy , which cannot be established , of course , without an
invasion of privacy . ' ' about the reagans , surely , unauthorized biography is amply justified ; indeed , it is even a case of just desserts .
from its framing device of a befuddled president reagan receiving word of the tower commission ' s damning report on the iran - contra arms - for - hostages scandal to its portrait of reagan as a leader convinced that god spared him from death by assassination so he could bring the cold war to a peaceful conclusion ,
the reagans
script provides plenty of ammunition for both sides in this controversy .
for kelley has chosen for her subject an evil genius of authorization , of spin control , of image management , of madison avenue - style propaganda . in response to the well - packaged , high - gloss imagery contrived and promoted by the reagans and their admirers , it is only fitting to have the well - packaged , high - gloss trashing of that imagery by kelley . the spinners are being unspun .
those objecting to cbs’ planned november ratings sweeps miniseries ”the reagans” included nancy reagan herself , various conservative organizations and talk show hosts , and the chairman of the republican party , all of whom said the biopic would be a smear job without having seen it . still , in announcing on tuesday that it was pulling the miniseries and licensing it to sister cable network showtime , cbs insisted that it was not giving in to pressure .
tonight ' s made - for - television movie incited conservatives to threaten a boycott , which led the network to cancel it . consigned to showtime , a premium cable channel owned by cbs ' s parent company , viacom , ' ' the reagans ' ' turns out to be neither a liberal screed on reaganomics nor a character attack on former president ronald reagan and his wife , nancy .
for all there is to dislike and debate about “the reagans , ” it remains mind - boggling that a network would pull such a project days before its planned airdate . that it finally gets its day in court on showtime , the pay channel that picked up adrian lyne’s remake of “lolita” after studios balked , is by any measure the kind of victory likely to embolden those who would stifle such material .
while gillespie - - who acknowledged that he has not seen
the reagans
and has formed his opinion of it based solely on news reports - - had a number of complaints , he said he was most concerned about a comment attributed to reagan in one episode . there is no evidence that the president told his wife during a conversation about aids patients ,
they that live in sin shall die in sin ,
gillespie said .
in the next few days we will reveal the name of our newly penned record deal , you all will recognize the the name it ' s a very well known label . i will also reveal the name of our new drummer he fuckin rocks as well as tour dates that will begin in january and will bring the reagans home to dc for multiple dates and last but not least all new merch that will be available at shows and our new website . so be ready to fucking thrash or die literally ! ! !
still , balance would have strengthened kelley ' s picture , not weakened it . of course part of the vitriolic reaction to kelley ' s book originates not in sympathy for nancy reagan , but in , well , embarrassment . for the trouble with ronald and nancy reagan between 1980 and 1988 was there for all with eyes to see . kelley ' s book is rudely reminding many people that they preferred to avert their gaze . it is a taxing book , i imagine , for the people who praised the reagans or covered them , who were complicitous with the hype and the illusion , with the condition that garry wills called the country ' s
collective suspension of disbelief . ' ' it is not pleasant , after all , to look back at that materialism and elitism and remember that we called it virtue and style . the american people twice demanded overwhelmingly that the reagans inhabit the white house ; and this is a free country . but in a free country you not only get nancy reagan , you also get kitty kelley .
a few words of caution : this script is undated , and , though it most likely represents a
shooting script
matching the version of the miniseries that was originally planned for broadcast , we cannot be sure that the script itself was not further edited , and it ' s likely that additional changes were made during editing . showtime , the cable network that has acquired
the reagans
from cbs , has announced that it will
collaborate with the filmmaker to create a final film ,
so the showtime version is likely to differ further from this script .
this was a cut up version of the tv miniseries concentrating only on the white house years . the reagans come off very human - totally devoted to each within their hysterically dysfunctional family unit - as the screenplay moves quickly ticking off all the important events during their life in the white house . james brolin gives an amazing impersonation capturing the quivering voice and the president ' s sense of naivety without reducing him to a joke as the media portrayed him . however , the film belongs to judy davis . she takes the part of nancy reagan and runs with it at full throttle playing a ferociously ambitious woman resembling the joan crawford of
mommie dearest
…
according to newsweek , lawyers vetted the miniseries three times , and the ”they that live in sin” line was edited out , but cbs chief leslie moonves , who took over the editing ( director robert allan ackerman quit in protest ) , was apparently still not satisfied . ”although the mini - series features impressive production values and acting performances , and although the producers have sources to verify each scene in the script , we believe it does not present a balanced portrayal of the reagans for cbs and its audience , ” the statement read . ”subsequent edits that we considered did not address those concerns . ”
as cbs learned the hard way , it’s impossible to divorce the political and creative components in analyzing “ the reagans ” — an uneven and , yes , unflattering biography that the network tossed to showtime in a game of corporate hot potato . taking score ideologically , the project depicts nancy reagan as a dragon lady and the former president as an amiable , square - jawed dunce blessed with a gift for gab . yet underneath that harsh glare lurks a humanizing touch , for it is also the story of a couple fiercely devoted to each other — albeit often at the expense of those around them .
although speakes had spent nearly six years enhancing the president’s image , his own unhedged assessment of the first couple undid much of that work . reagan , he writes , was an “inexperienced and sometimes downright disinterested president . ” nancy was a back stabber , obsessed to the point of absurdity with guarding her husband’s reputation . the reagans’ children , the president’s staff—everyone is fair game for speakes : maureen reagan is a “punch - you - in - the - nose type” who intimidates even george shultz ; edwin meese , “an ideologue” who earned the nickname poppin’ fresh for his pillsbury doughboy girth .
even before deciding to pull the miniseries , cbs had agreed to cut one scene in which reagan displayed indifference to people with aids , saying ( in a line that the screenwriter admits reagan never uttered ) ,
they that live in sin shall die in sin .
some media observers have argued that cbs ' s decision not to show
the reagans
represents a low point in the history of the network once considered tv ' s most fearless and independent source of news . ( see salon ' s cover story by rebecca traister . )
while the authors’ styles vary , their portraits of the reagans have a certain consistency . with the exception of nancy’s former chief of staff , james rosebush , whose recent first lady , public wife is a coffee - table paean to the woman he once served , they limn the president and mrs . reagan in a harshly unflattering light . reagan is seen as a cheerfully detached character who has mastered the role , if not the substance , of the presidency . his diminutive helpmate is described as a tireless warrior who uses press leaks , political legerdemain and astrological guidance to protect her husband and dispense with the couple’s enemies .
the decision not to cast younger actors to portray the reagans when they first met is a strange one , since judy davis and james brolin are age appropriate for the white house years , but at least it gives us an opportunity to spend more time with these talents . neither is at the top of the game , to be sure , but they ' re having fun portraying and often times eviscerating the iconic characters . it ' s enjoyable watching the pure mean - spiritedness this has , sometimes brimming on plagiarizing mommie dearest . bad writing , cheap wigs and judy davis ' s over - the - top turn make this the camp it ought to be .
the popular impression , ' ' he writes ,
is that the reagans are so close that they drive everyone else out , even the children . that may be unfair to nancy reagan . her presence gives others an excuse for not being able to get beyond a barrier that was built long before she came into his life . ' ' and she did send a letter to kitty dukakis when she revealed her problems with drugs and alcohol ; and she did drop a note to a washington reporter who learned that she had breast cancer , and even gave her a scoop ; and she was kind to the beleaguered quayles when they arrived in washington .
it is a movie . more precisely , it is a made - for - television movie that squeezes real life characters and historical moments into a convenient dramatic arc : a love story lived out against a backdrop of the cold war , california politics and washington intrigue . ' ' the reagans ' ' is reasonably accurate , at times engrossing , at other times silly and sometimes even dull . it is not a thoughtful look at a critical moment in american history . it is a domestic drama about a loving couple beset by hollywood agents , republican backers , scheming advisers and , most of all , their angry , needy children .
trash , maybe ; but not fiction . kelley ' s books should be read in the spirit in which they are rendered . just as the reagans offered a mixture of show business and politics , so kelley offers a mixture of gossip and biography . the problem with her books is that they fall between the stools . they are neither completely tacky nor completely scholarly . to read them as one would read a tabloid is to miss the instruction that they contain . to read them as one would read a work of history is to risk distorting the record . kelley ' s achievement , i guess , is to have honed the bastard genre of biography in the culture of celebrity . she brings to mind baudelaire ' s advice to readers of newspapers , that you can learn a great deal from them if you read them with the proper contempt .
and another significant misimpression of kelley ' s work should be immediately corrected . she is not any more salacious in her treatment of her subject ( and her subject ' s husband ) than other biographers have been in their treatment of theirs . she does not practice sexual history more than , say , william manchester did in his life of winston churchill , or steven naifeh and gregory white smith did in their life of jackson pollock . her unsubtle and unsophisticated book , in fact , broaches subtle and sophisticated questions . how did the reagans use their power ? how were their personal lives at variance with the conservative morality that was at the core of ronald reagan ' s political philosophy and popular appeal ? to what extent did they sell the presidency and commercialize the white house ? how much political illusion is permissible in a democracy ?
first of all , of recent presidents , the reagans and these bushes—the old bushes it was true of to a certain extent—are really close , tight . the husband and wife are a real team and a real marriage . they talk about things , live their lives together . laura bush , from what i can just reconstruct by studying the record and the biographical evidence , probably was the single person that had the biggest influence in turning her husband into a serious adult with a public sense of mission . she really turned his life around , because he always had leadership qualities in the sense that he was someone who knew how to bring out the best in other people’s performances and had a real gift of dealing with people , but he never really got serious until he gave up some of his extended adolescent habits of conspicuous consumption and whatnot , after she got hold of him . and i’ve got to think that where needed , she will always be there .
the “evil empire
paragraph was in the first draft , the reagan papers show .
the decision to pull the series sparked the same polarized response as the biopic itself , reports cbs news correspondent jerry bowen .
though the national board of review named it one of the top 10 films of the year .
the reagan library documents show that the president - - possibly with advice – removed parenthetical putdowns of the
intelligentsia ,
the
glitter set ,
the
unilateral disarmers ,
the
old liberalism
and the anti - religious sectors of the news media in the united states .
the true believers resented the influence of the pragmatists . they saw the pragmatists as trying to remake and restrain the leader they helped elect . the true believers wanted a chance to set reagan loose .
from the beginning . well before the first year , early on—they developed the idea that we’d have a steering committee for the state of the union . that helped .
exhibit a of the journalistic delinquency of those dizzy years , when it was morning in america and washington was a city of flatterers and flacks , must be first lady , a portrait of nancy reagan , a glossy picture book that appeared in 1986 under the name of chris wallace , who is , please recall , a journalist .
the reason she looks adoringly at her husband is because she adores him , ' ' reads the caption above a picture of the reagans , wearing red sweaters and sitting with their tv trays . and there are the testimonials :
nancy ' s anything but frivolous . she ' s very level - headed , she ' s very sincere , she ' s very down to earth , and why she seemed frivolous i don ' t know ' ' ( bonita granville wrather ) ;
nancy reagan has a terrific sense of humor , a terrific sense of style , is very giving , and is very tuned in to the world around her ' ' ( charles z . wick ) ;
she ' s one of the most special people that i ' ve ever known in the world ' ' ( michael deaver ) ; and so on .
in the spring of 1982 , the president already was feeling the reins on his rhetoric . the first draft of his address to the british parliament labeled the soviet union the world ' s “focus of evil . ” he liked the text . but parliament never heard those words .
on march 8 , 1983 , ronald reagan called the soviet union the focus of evil in the modern world . the evil empire speech disturbed the political universe . and yet the critical words almost went unsaid . -
and as the reagan papers show and former reagan aides confirm , the speech was the climax of a continuing debate , in and outside the white house , about how the president should talk about the soviet union .
insight on the news is the name of the publication . in any event , there’s a copy here .
mark joseph is the producer of reagan : the movie . paul kengor is the author of the crusader : ronald reagan and the fall of communism and god & ronald reagan : a spiritual life , the two books upon which the film is based .
gillespie said that if cbs denies the request , he will ask the network to run a note across the bottom of the screen every 10 minutes during the program ' s presentation informing viewers that the miniseries is not accurate .
the first half of the draft was on domestic policy , including abortion and school prayer . the second half was on world affairs , principally the nuclear freeze and the “evil empire .
read the script for the movie that was too hot for cbs to handle .
and yet all the sanctimonious complaining about kelley ' s book misses the point .
at the white house , aram bakshian , the speechwriting director , went over the draft . bakshian saw four references to the soviet union as evil . he particularly liked the term
evil empire .
both the new york times and washington post film critics detected authenticity in the emotions she conveyed on screen . the times declared that she “knows the loneliness of grief , ” while the post critiqued that she “is splendid as the understanding widow . ”
the reagan library papers provide fascinating insights into the drafting of what may have been the most important presidential statement of the cold war . they also reveal that , despite the unremitting influences on him , the president himself decided what he would say .
the commentary podcast breaks down the liberal psychological breakdown that followed justice anthony kennedy’s retirement , and the activist left’s response to the trump administration’s border crisis by advocating the abolition of ice . have republicans caught a break as their opponents go over the edge ?
this decision is based solely on our reaction to seeing the final film , not the controversy that erupted around a draft of the script ,
the network said .
gillespie said cbs should review the miniseries for historical accuracy , or the network should run a disclaimer that the program is fiction .
calisphere is a service of the uc libraries , powered by the california digital library .
early in john adams presidency , he faced the prospect of war with france after the french navy had increased its efforts of stopping american ships trading with the british empire after the signing of the jay treaty . adams attempted to send delegates to negotiate with the french , but the french minister demanded bribes before negotiations would begin . the americans refused , and the information was leaked to the public , becoming the xyz affair — x , y and z standing for the names of french officials in documents released by the adams administration . american and french naval forces engaged in an undeclared war for several months , known as the quasi - war , before the situation was finally settled . during the period of hostilities , both the federalists and the republican - democratic parties used the events to heavily push their own narratives .
while the vietnam war was controversial during his presidency , it wasn’t until after lyndon johnson left office that the true level of controversy was revealed . the pentagon papers were splashed across the front page of the new york times , indicating that the president had systematically lied to the american people about american involvement and actions in the southeast asian region .
the tv network insisted it was not bowing to political pressure over the script , details of which were revealed in the new york times last month , but said the decision was made after viewing the finished film .
and other phrases slashed from the parliament speech were resurrected in the evil empire speech .
whoever crossed out the section expected it to be deleted before the president saw the draft , but dolan would not allow it .
the letters and numbers you entered did not match the image . please try again .
this challenge came in the course of the debate over ratification of the inf treaty which the democrats , led by senator sam nunn , decided to use in pursuing their longstanding battle with reagan over whether or not the abm treaty of 1972 permits sdi to be tested in space . thus as the price of ratifying the inf agreement while reagan was in moscow at his summit with mikhail gorbachev , the democrats added the “condition” that treaties must be interpreted according to the “common understanding . . . shared by the president and the senate at the time the senate gives its advice and consent to ratification . ”
check out highlights from some of the best recent trailers including mandy , the predator , zoe , and the king of thieves .
when american military forces defeated the spanish empire in the spanish - american war , the united states found itself with a large naval and marine force in the philippines . the filipinos quickly created their own independent republic , expecting for support from the united states . instead , william mckinley ordered american forces to occupy the philippines , and in the end a brutal and repressive war was waged by american forces against the philippine republic and the ensuing insurgency . the war was so immensely unpopular that citizens offered to buy the philippines from the government to give it its independence .
the m74 northern extension , a five - mile , six - lane motorway on the southside of the clyde river provides a cautionary tale of likely outcomes for the clyde gateway project . the road ' s link to the initiative has been emphasised repeatedly by key catalyst agencies . in the glasgow and clyde valley structure plan , the motorway is described as a
key component
77 of infrastructure for the clyde gateway initiative . meanwhile , scottish enterprise claimed that the m74 was a
vital prerequisite
78 of the clyde gateway initiative , and that their funding for the initiative would not be forthcoming if the road did not proceed . moreover , the clyde gateway business plan clearly states the importance of the m74 to their infrastructure plans , including the east end regeneration route which is dependent on the m74 completion :
the extension to the m74 and the east end regeneration route will make clyde gateway one of the most accessible urban centres in scotland .
79
the “evil empire” paragraph was never part of the westminster address . but in the 32 - minute orlando speech , it was the centerpiece . it was the longest sentence - - so long that , on the day of the speech , only one television network , cbs , let viewers hear all 72 words :
instead , i was still doing commentary outside through the campaign and then was contacted after the election when they began the transition activities .
there are some fairly frequent mentions throughout the briefing materials about the idea that a speech deadline often forces the issue with competing actors .
- - also eliminated from the london speech was the reference to the soviet union as a
militaristic empire” whose ideology justifies any wrongdoing . in the evil empire speech , the empire concept returned in a more powerful form .
it was widely reported at the time of the cultural commission that bridget mcconnell wished to exert some influence over the process , with fears being expressed that the commission was a thinly veiled bid to axe the scottish arts council .
the office of speechwriting regularly placed drafts of presidential speeches in piles for circulation throughout the bureaucracy . certain white house staffers were responsible for looking over the texts and routing them to the agencies that might want to comment . if the staffers didn ' t notice the subject matter , the drafts might not go far .
cbs said its decision to cancel the movie was
based solely on our reaction to seeing the final film , not the controversy that erupted around a draft of the script .
sven kraemer , arms control director on the president ' s national security council , was asked to review the draft , giving special attention to the section on the nuclear freeze debate .
not surprisingly , the congressional minority opposed to any u . s . aid for the contras began to leak details of the operation . but the decisive leak came in april from an odd source , senator barry goldwater , who was then chairman of the senate intelligence committee , in an odd place , the floor of the senate . the way it happened is a classic cautionary tale of the risks to the secrecy of covert operations in any reporting requirement .
the best known and most scurrilous of them all , the brutalizing of robert bork , also provided the clearest example of white house passivity . 1 the long - term effect of this case on the judiciary and on the level of political debate remains to be seen , but the immediate result was that the senate stopped bothering to hold hearings at all on some judicial nominees who could be described as controversial under the post - bork rules of the game .
one group , the media research center ( search ) , asked major advertisers to review the script before buying commercial time during the broadcast .
dolan said he believes a few senior advisers muffled the sterner words of his first draft . the problem , he said , was that “the pragmatists
in the white house were afraid to let reagan be reagan while they steered
the true believers
away from the president .
the leak was unfortunate , but more damaging yet was the reaction of the liberals , led by senator daniel p . moynihan , goldwater’s co - chairman on the bipartisan intelligence committee , who announced that they had never been informed by the cia about its participation in the mining .
sometimes the squabbling even spilled over into the press . in 1982 , for example , there were two alternative drafts of the state of the union address . i never bothered to correct it , but bill safire got this one wrong in the pages of the new york times .
that’s right . i think insight on the news was the name of the feature page or something and that’s where he was writing it .
contributing to the split of the republican party in 1912 was the ballinger controversy . chief of field divisions of the general land office , louis glavis , accused president william taft’s head of the department of the interior , richard ballinger , of interfering in an investigation into coal mining in idaho . taft had glavis fired for insubordination and exonerated ballinger . press scandal followed , and the progressive wing of the republican party would split and join the democrats by the 1912 election .
liberals may still decry the “imperial presidency , ” but the reality is that since the last months of the nixon administration in 1973 - 74 , the presidency has been hampered by two major congressional restrictions on its ability to function . one , involving domestic affairs , is the budget and impoundment control act ; the other , involving foreign policy , is the war powers resolution . both passed despite president nixon’s vigorous opposition , and both vastly expanded the powers of congress at the expense of the president’s . to top it all off , the art of prosecutorial politics , developed during watergate , was perfected by congress during the reagan years as yet another effective weapon in the struggle for power against the executive .
“i told the speechwriters that day , ' look , the freezeniks are making real inroads into the evangelical heartland , and the president needs to address this issue , '
remembered cizik .
as for bin laden , reagan had nothing to do with him . reagan aided the afghans fighting the soviet invaders , demoralizing the soviets and clearly exposing the communists ' fundamentally oppressive goals .
while living apart from her mother created anxiety , being so close to washington permitted the future first lady to at least attend the annual easter egg roll contest on the white house lawn during the years that grace coolidge hosted the event .
, which took its audience . not helping matters were the negative reviews the film got at the time , though the film ' s visuals were praised and influenced the look of many science fiction films for years to come . this became
“but we knew that what the liberal democrat leaders just couldn ' t figure out : the sky would not fall if america restored her strength and resolve . the sky would not fall if an american president spoke the truth . the only thing that would fall was the berlin wall .
incident number two was a meeting with dr edward n brandt jr , the oklahoma physician who oversaw the first federal response to aids as assistant secretary of the department of health and human services . virginia apuzzo , who was executive director of the national gay and lesbian taskforce during the early days of the epidemic , arranged the meeting .
in 1919 , the u . s . navy launched an investigation into claims of homosexual interactions between naval personal and civilians at newport , r . i . , initiated by then - secretary of the navy , franklin roosevelt . the methods of the investigation — keeping it almost exclusively within the navy — drew criticism from the press , and in the end the investigators themselves were accused of homosexuality after the reports were filed . wilson , already facing criticism for his handling of world war i , found himself drawn into the scandal when the inhabitants of newport wrote to him directly , complaining of the navy’s handling of the investigation .
the flap over the $ 9 million miniseries began late last month after the times raised questions about portions of the script that were unflattering to president ronald reagan and former first lady nancy reagan .
pride causes foolishness - - pride in the sense of one of the deadly sins .
the budget act of 1974 was crafted by congress to rob the president of the ability to limit spending , while making it possible for a fragmented collection of congressmen to spend and at the same time to evade the responsibility for doing so .
once again , then , ronald reagan permitted a further weakening of the powers of the presidency .
significantly , however , none of csgs objections related to the main thrust of the article , namely , the harnessing of the citys culture to tourism and regeneration agendas and the intrusion of private interests into what was previously a public sector domain .
hanley recounts the infamous story of cutteslowe walls . cutteslowe was an area of oxford where adjoining council and private estates were built in the early 1930s to accommodate the growing population of the town , then prospering on the expansion of the first generation of motor factories . these two estates were hardly distinguishable but the developer behind the private estate thought differently and without planning permission constructed in 1934 two walls ( topped with metal spikes ) across the main road , pavements and gardens between the two estates to completely isolate the council tenants . this illegal wall stayed put until the late 1950s .
that used to happen occasionally on the plane with spiro agnew , when buchanan and safire were on the plane in 1970 , the midterm elections .
yes , several . most memorably , the one on the economy was very important before the 1982 midterm elections , where he basically managed to hold the losses even though we were in a recession , because his stay the course message resonated .
the crown jewel of presidential scandals , richard nixon’s watergate forever changed the public perception of the executive office . nixon ordered the break - in of the democratic national committee headquarters at the watergate office complex in washington , d . c . while the act itself was bad , it was the ensuing cover - up attempted by the nixon administration that became truly infamous , with nixon’s constant dodging of questions and reluctance to hand over evidence eventually leading to the obvious threat of impeachment and nixon’s resignation , the only president to resign from office .
in short , the senate can withhold its ratification , or it can insist on renegotiation , but it cannot negotiate with the administration over what the senate would like the treaty to have said , thereby binding the u . s . but leaving the soviets free to adopt a less restrictive interpretation .
killing reagan is a slight departure in the book franchise , in that the 1981 attempt on reagan’s life was unsuccessful . the book explores the assassination attempt by john hinckley on the newly elected president , and how it impacted reagan’s time in office .
the merits of the constitutional debate were on nixon’s side , but he was then at the nadir of his watergate fortunes and congress was determined to make the most of the opportunity to increase its own powers at the expense of the presidency . accordingly , the budget law passed in 1974 completely prohibited impoundments and created “deferrals” and “rescissions” in their place . henceforth presidents could only delay spending by issuing a deferral , but either the house or senate could pass a resolution ordering that the money be spent . a president could also rescind an appropriation , but for the recission to be effective , both the house and senate would have to vote their approval within 45 days . absent any action by the two houses , the president would be required to spend the funds after the 45 - day period .
to be sure , no one then anticipated the “criminalization of policy differences , ” as north would later describe the phenomenon to his congressional tormentors . nevertheless , it was clear after corinto and the boland amendments that the procedure - based approach by congress to the real issues raised by the events in nicaragua would handicap the administration’s policy . in the event , congress was able to starve the contras of consistent aid long enough to force them to surrender . this will likely be remembered as the major foreign - policy disaster of the reagan years , and the irony is that the “great communicator” never managed to force the yes - or - no , up - or - down vote by congress that would have established a clear line of responsibility if the contras were forced off the field of battle .
nevertheless , before the vote on the condition , reagan’s chief of staff , howard baker , announced that the white house did not oppose its inclusion , and it passed the senate overwhelmingly . having paid the price in the coin of presidential power and constitutional integrity , reagan was awarded with the treaty in time for a symbolic signing ceremony in moscow .
the sisters of perpetual indulgence performing an ‘exorcism’ in union square san francisco during the democratic national convention . photograph : courtesy of the sisters of perpetual indulgence
the war powers resolution , requiring congressional approval for the commitment of u . s . forces in combat abroad for longer than 60 days , and its progeny ( notably the five boland amendments limiting presidential discretion in aiding the democratic resistance in nicaragua ) have had the same paralyzing effect on foreign policy that the prohibition of impoundments and the evisceration of the veto have had on controlling the budget . to be sure , no president has made the mistake of acquiescing in the constitutionality of the war powers resolution , which was passed in 1973 over the veto of president nixon . but certainly they have all had to condition defense strategy on the possibility that congress might indeed some day try to enforce its provisions .


into the night is a 1985 american comedy-thriller film directed by john landis , starring jeff goldblum and michelle pfeiffer .

the film is notable for a large number of cameo appearances made by various filmmakers and directors , including landis himself .

the soundtrack features the songs " into the night " , " in the midnight hour " and " lucille " , performed by b.b. king .

into the night ( film )

usa . film production :
long day ' s journey into night .
1961 .
film : long day ' s journey into night . 1961 . usa . sidney lumet on the set of
a long days journey into night
. 1961 .
erich hartmann - usa . film production :
long day ' s journey into night .
1961 .
you get a private link to “into the night” and all of the above rewards .
syfy - slice into these new plot details for m . night shyamalan ' s glass | slice into these new plot details for m . night shyamalan ' s glass
you get your name in the credits of the film and a digital pack of wallpapers featuring “into the night” . and all of the above rewards .
usa . new york city . 1961 . katherine hepburn on the set of the film ,
long day ' s journey into night .
usa . sidney lumet on the set of
a long days journey into night
. 1961 .
having a bit more time on your hands on your last day ? you get a printed script of “into the night” that includes all the original scenes , a printed copy of the original short story “into the night” that the film is based on , both available in english , german and romanian , and a coffee cup coaster featuring “into the night” , all signed by the director and the writers , including all of the above rewards .
we will literally send good thoughts your way . and a pack of digital wallpapers of
into the night
.
because of all the cameos and in - jokes , this gimmicky weightless film should appeal to mostly film buffs .
usa . new york . 1961 . katherine hepburn during the filming of
long day ' s journey into night .
michelle pfeiffer is great in this film . i love her early work . films like ladyhawke , into the night , and even grease 2 . these flicks showed a more likeable side of her , whereas she became more jaded in her later work . into the night is a well made film with landis dark sense of humor . i especially loved david bowie as the assasin . i’d love to see the film on bluray .
usa . hollywood . 1961 . american actors dean stockwell and katharine hepburn , on the set of
long day ' s journey into night
, a film by sydney lumet .
the irony is that
into the night
opens so promisingly . goldblum plays an aerospace engineer who is unhappily married , unhappily employed , depressed and restless . when he finds out his wife is having an affair , he gets up in the middle of the night and drives his car to the airport planning to fly off into the night .
in addition to reviewing films , agee was also a groundbreaking screenwriter , adapting davis grubb’s novel the night of the hunter into the vividly creepy 1955 movie of the same name , and also helping to adapt c . s . forester’s novel the african queen into the 1951 film classic .
this entry was posted in film noir , hollywood , john landis , tuesday ' s overlooked film . bookmark the permalink .
usa . city island , ny . 1961 . katherine hepburn on the set ,
long day ' s journey into night .
here is a trailer for split , before we jump into the game - changing revelation that’s stitched brilliantly onto the film’s very last scene .
usa . new york city . 1961 . katherine hepburn on the city island set of
long day ' s journey into night .
into the night
features cameo appearances by 11 directors , none of whom had the sense to get behind the camera and help the 12th , john landis .
into the night ( 1985 ) : in the same john landis film in which jim henson makes a cameo , oz ' s name ( as frank oznowicz ) can be heard announced over the loud speaker in an airport .
live by night
is a failed attempt that tries to write itself into the history of gangster films . [ full review in spanish ]
timur magomedgadzhiev and ms . cotillard in
two days , one night ,
a film by jean - pierre and luc dardenne .
usa . new york city . 1961 . katherine hepburn during makeup and costume tests for
long day ' s journey into night .
there was a brief glimpse of american actress meghan markle as prince harry drove her into the middleton family home for pippa’s wedding reception on saturday night .
so now hypothetically this seems like a perfect segue into a third film . that elusive unbreakable sequel . yeah . i agree with that .
you get a blu - ray of the film signed by the director and the writers and a signed poster of the film , but following the main aesthetics of the project , it will be hand made into a paper boat , including all of the above rewards .
you could argue that into the night is actually part of an even smaller subset of the yuppie nightmare cycle of films : the long , crazy night in hell . there’s blind date , and there’s also martin scorsese’s after hours ( 1985 ) .
usa . new york city . 1961 . katherine hepburn and sir ralph richardson during camera tests for
long day ' s journey into night .
alfred molina and jane kaczmarek in eugene o ' neill ' s
long day ' s journey into night
at the geffen playhouse . ( chris whitaker )
the actual film probably dips into the well of having king sing the chorus of “into the night” in - between scenes one too many times . however , such an unrelenting march into night must have been how landis felt at the time . he was still dealing with the legal fallout of the deaths of three actors on the 1982 set of twilight zone : the movie . vic morrow and two child actors , aged 6 and 7 , died when a helicopter stunt went very , very wrong . landis was charged with manslaughter , but the only guilt he acknowledged was knowingly hiring the child actors in violation of california law which prohibited them from working at night or in proximity to explosions . he was acquitted of all charges , but not until 1987 . as such , in 1985 making a film about a man suffering through insomnia and plunging headlong into an endless , increasingly hostile night , seemed to mirror landis’ own state of mind , a reflection of his dark night of the soul .
marion cotillard , right , in the belgian drama
two days , one night .
that’s the question jeff goldblum asks himself throughout into the night . it was also the thought running through my head around 2 am on a random weeknight a couple of months ago . i was going through a weird , mild bout of insomnia in which i kept waking up every night around 2 or 3 am and could not get back to sleep . as a pop culture obsessive , my initial instinct was to simply turn on the tv and flip through the channels in search of something to watch . one night i stumbled on the opening credits sequence of 1985’s into the night . i had no idea what the film was about or who was in it . i just knew i’d never heard the bb king song ( the appropriately titled “into the night” ) playing over the soundtrack as a car dashboard camera depicted the nocturnal happenings of mid - 80s los angeles .
you get the short film limited edition “into the night - the graphic novel” , that includes a different take on the story of the film and two other stories based in the same pre - apocalyptic world : a story about a middle age clown that decides to help his “family” , the circus folk and a story about a group of teenagers on a trip to burn down a cabin .
you get the short film deluxe edition “into the night - the graphic novel” , that includes a different take on the story of the film and two other stories based in the same pre - apocalyptic world : a story about a middle age clown that decides to help his “family” , the circus folk and a story about a group of teenagers on a trip to burn down a cabin .
the tone , despite the frequent bloodletting , is light , and the film works better than the script would indicate .
america ' s widespread opioid crisis has sadly made a crucial part of eugene o ' neill ' s
long day ' s journey into night
more relatable .
live by night is not an out - and - out gangster film . if you don ' t go in expecting the same , you ' ll enjoy watching it .
beautifully strange , feels like you ' ve been up all night with these characters .
live by night is a solid , interesting but sprawling and often overwrought gangster picture .
the film itself tries sometimes too hard for laughs and at other times strains for shock .
that ' s a wrap for m . night shyamalan ' s glass , now the wait begins
also a list / scenes with all the cameos in the film , from directors such as david cronenberg , roger vadim , paul bartel , jonathan demme ( all of whom are criterion alumni ) , don siegel and many others , would be a fun extra that people who bought the film and wanted to make sure they knew who each of these people played in the film . plenty of other people , such as dan akroyd , could do an interview for the film ( just don’t ask him about the next ghostbusters film or aliens and we’ll be fine ) and maybe getting a few of the critics who gave the film negative reviews look back at the film and see if they’ve changed their outlook on the film or if it has stayed primarily the same .
while she didn’t attend the ceremony , the suits actress reportedly joined boyfriend prince harry at the reception to dance the night away .
o ' neill , staring into the abyss of his own photo album , plunged into the paradox of family relationships , the push and pull of these untenable , inescapable , irreplaceable bonds .
long day ' s journey into night
is a harrowing and often grueling journey into the elusive myth of home , the broken promise that hope keeps eternally alive . this geffen revival , while patchy in places , reminds us why actors and audiences keep returning to o ' neill ' s haunted house .
wonder how flattered salt was by the great waldo pepper the title , if not its film so much .
“two days , one night” is rated pg - 13 . hard times , hard feelings .
as is now expected with this kind of film , the protagonist is a flustered , bewildered civilian with special expertise , brusquely pressed into service by the military , which has got the spacecraft surrounded in the short term .
she is said to have changed into an elegant , white floor - length gown for the reception .
this edition will feature a unique cover , on which our artist will stylize ( in the tone of the graphic novel ) a picture of you or anyone you’d like . it will also include the blu - ray of the short film inside the cover , the original short story “into the night“ , the uncut film script , your personal poem or short story that we’ll write for you and photos from the set ( all of them printed in the book ) .
among his other minor accomplishments in ' ' into the night , ' ' mr . landis demonstrates that a director takes a certain risk when he includes scenes from other films in his own . in one sequence he includes clips from ' ' abbott and costello meet frankenstein , ' ' which may not be as pretty as ' ' into the night ' ' but it does sound funnier .
you get to come on the set of “into the night” , meet the team and take part of the whole process with us , plus an invitation to our wrap - up party . be sure to check the timeline infographic for the filming period .
a short film set on the last day before the apocalypse , where death , life , beauty and the grotesque coexist .
robert mitchum in the night of the hunter , 1955 , based on a novel davis grubb and adapted by agee .
bi’s debut feature kaili blues won best emerging director at locarno film festival and best new director and the fipresci prize at the golden horse awards in 2015 , among a slew of other awards . shen yang , who executive produced kaili blues , is also an executive producer on long day’s journey into night .
into the night
( 1985 ) wears us out , worrying about the central character ed ( jeff goldblum ) and his lack of sleep . but at the same time , the film provides some great entertainment as ed inadvertently finds diana ( michelle pfeiffer ) , a damsel in distress and on the run from a quartet of incompetent iranian hit men .
i love this film . jeff goldblum plays an insomniac , and is suitably bemused for most of the film , mostly just tagging along with not - entirely - good girl michelle pfeiffer because . . .
meanwhile , the dogged sasagaki is in the background , still trying to solve the case into retirement , while keeping tabs on its players .
death , heavy as the fog that surrounds the tyrone family home and somber as the low sea - monster cry of the foghorn echoing across the water , hangs over “long day’s journey into night . ” eugene o’neill’s soul - baring masterwork played broadway last season in a revival that won jessica lange a tony , and now haunts the geffen playhouse in a separate production . but alas , the west coast version , starring jane kaczmarek and alfred molina , goes rather too gently into that good night .
i got an opportunity to work with my idol and mentor , jack lemmon , in a 1986 production of eugene o ' neill ' s “long day ' s journey into night” as jamie , the eldest tyrone son .
entire site about that one time . . . agents of shield arrow batman 75 books box office box office top 10 broadway classic tv episodes you need to see comic books 101 debates doctor who film film news film reviews film trailers gotham i loathe that scene i love that scene infographics izombie jessica jones legends of tomorrow lists marvel rewatch music musical theatre 101 news notable women in film history oral histories reviews scream scream queens special features star wars television the biz the flash the great christopher nolan film re - watch tribute trivia : friday the 13th trivia : nightmare on elm street tv news tv reviews unbreakable kimmy schmidt x - files you gotta read this
however , he has no money to pay for train fare home . every woman he meets seems to be into him before turning on him . and eventually , a vigilante mob wants him dead , blaming him for the neighborhood thefts perpetrated by the cameoing cheech & chong ( oddly , into the night also has cameos , in the form of countless notable la filmmakers of the era ) .
but it reportedly didn’t go down well , with the room - complete with star guests and royalty - falling into silence .
the tomatometer score — based on the opinions of hundreds of film and television critics — is a trusted measurement of critical recommendation for millions of fans . it represents the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive for a given film or television show .
you get a skype conversation with the director and the writers ( not dependent on the shipping date ) . we can talk about whatever you like and we won’t shy away from discussing future projects related to
into the night
or any philosophical themes , including all of the above rewards .
guests were apparently encouraged to get stuck into the cheese and take as much or little as they liked while tasting their champagne .
meghan markle may have missed out on pippa middleton ‘s wedding ceremony but she reportedly joined prince harry to dance the night away at the reception .
chinese director bi gan has attracted a top - flight cast for his second feature , long day’s journey into night , including tang wei ( lust , caution ) , sylvia chang ( mountains may depart ) and huang jue ( the final master ) .
a little bit of into the night is funny , a lot of it is grotesque and all of it has the insidey manner of a movie made not for the rest of us but for moviemakers on the bel air circuit who watch each other ' s films in their own screening rooms .
based on a best - selling novel by keigo higashino , yoshihiro fukagawa’s “byakuyako ( into the white night ) ” is a japanese mystery movie with a difference : two of its principals are only children when the murder that sets the plot in motion occurs — one , the daughter of the prime suspect , the other , the son of the victim .
i remember a time when john landis was heralded as a visionary , a director , an auteur who people were excited when a new film would be coming out by him . then something happened . most people mistakenly think the twilight zone : the movie incident / horrific accident was the nail in his film making coffin , but as we all know , that is complete bull because even though he was being sued for the situation , he followed up that film with the huge hit trading places and possibly the biggest music video of all time , michael jackson’s ‘thriller’ . i’ll get into where i think he lost his step , but following ‘thriller’ , he made his hitchcock inspired homage into the night , which would fit in perfectly in a double feature with martin scorsese’s underrated comedic classic after hours .
thanks . it’s not the normal comic book related type of thing i write about . so , i am glad you dug it . i randomly encountered these two movies within days of each other a couple of months ago and had been thinking about writing about them ever since . sadly , it was bb king’s death that finally kicked me into action . if i had to choose between the two , i would watch into the night just because bb king is all over the soundtrack , the entire film is just so weird , and it interesting seeing young goldblum and pfeiffer . however , if none of that holds sway then after hours is the obvious choice because it is the much better film .
when library of america published a collection of pauline kael’s film writing last year , many of kael’s admirers fondly recalled her as the first writer to elevate film criticism to literature . but that distinction actually belongs to an earlier loa author , james agee .
date night is a movie starring steve carell , tina fey , and mark wahlberg . in new york city , a case of mistaken identity turns a bored married couple ' s attempt at a glamorous and romantic evening into something more thrilling and dangerous .
i remember being at a film convention where landis was giving a talk . if remember correctly he was disappointed that this movie had more or less faded from view . he said that he intended to give a rather dream - like quality to the story , the irony being that the insomniac hero is drawn ever deeper into a real - life version of a dream from which he struggles to wake up as the events shade into nightmare .
jackson added , “night’s still around . bruce is still around . i’m still around . and i’d love to break out of the asylum . ”
a little bit of ' ' into the night ' ' is funny , a lot of it is grotesque and all of it has the insidey manner of a movie made not for the rest of us but for moviemakers on the bel air circuit who watch each other ' s films in their own screening rooms . it may say something about the priorities of ' ' into the night ' ' that its production notes carry more biographical material about deborah nadoolman , who designed the ' ' red napa calf jacket ' ' miss pfeiffer wears much of the time , than about ron koslow , who wrote the screenplay . the screenplay is not great but it ' s longer than the jacket .
film was boring and poorly made . i was interested as part of it was filmed in my friend’s house in california .
the hit show’s latest celebrity cameo arrived during last night’s episode , with sheeran appearing in a brief scene with maisie williams , who plays arya stark .
goldblum plays ed okin , an aerospace engineer who is overcome by some sort of existential malaise that he can’t really define , but which peaks when he catches his wife in bed with another man . heading off into the night without really knowing why , he gets caught up in the complex life of diana ( pfeiffer ) , a jewel smuggler with connections to the movie industry who gets into deadly trouble when she transports jewels that once belonged to the shah of iran .
death , heavy as the fog that surrounds the tyrone family home and somber as the low sea - monster cry of the foghorn echoing across the water , hangs over “long day’s journey into night . ” eugene o’neill’s soul - baring masterwork played broadway last season in a revival that won jessica lange a tony , and now haunts the geffen playhouse in a [ … ]
in the case of into the night , it’s definitely a “ wrong place at the wrong time” comedy . it takes place mostly over one very long night as ed is drawn into a convoluted plot involving drug mules and wealthy middle - eastern princes . with diane by his side , he encounters various facets of the la nightlife , such as 24 / 7 diners , elvis impersonators , nighttime shoots for hollywood movies , and raging parties at glitzy hotels . david bowie even shows up as a delightfully menacing antagonist , catching me so off guard i said aloud , “holy shit ! david bowie’s in this ? ”
this is pretty much the beginning of john landis ' s ' ' into the night , ' ' a supposedly light - hearted caper comedy in which throats are slit , chests are stabbed , stomachs are shot , and artificial blood flows like beer at a fraternity house homecoming weekend . the movie opens today at the new york twin theater .
spoiler alert : get out of here — right now — if you don’t want to know anything about the final revelation of m . night shyamalan’s split .
it costs a staggering £3 , 000 a night to stay in a thatched beachside lodge – complete with their own personal swimming pool - on the island .
after hours is probably the better movie on a technical and plot construction level , but into the night is ultimately the one i enjoyed more . after all , it’s not every day you turn on a random old movie that begins with an opening line that seems to speak directly to your situation . thankfully , my insomnia has passed . sadly , it did not lead me into a wacky adventure in which i got the girl , fought the mob , and met david bowie . i’m the poorer for it .
grew up obsessing over movies and tv shows . worked in a video store . minored in film at college because my college didn ' t offer a film major . worked in academia for a while . have been freelance writing and running this blog since 2013 .
you get two tickets for the premiere of the film in an intimate setting in a cinema in cluj - napoca , the heart of transylvania . we hope to see you there .
you get to be an extra in the actual film . you’ll get to do ( almost ) whatever you want . be sure to check the timeline infographic for the filming period .
too literary and far too long , yoshihiro fukugawa’s “into the white night” depicts a detective’s lifelong obsession with a seemingly insolvable crime . perfs are solid , particularly from eiichiro funakoshi as the lead protagonist , but fukugawa seems overwhelmed by the narrative’s sprawl . skedded january domestic release will fare well thanks to the popularity of young co - stars [ … ]
* please note that this edition will only be available through our crowdfunding campaign for the short film . you will not be able to purchase it in the future .
a vote has already been held among the 16 members of sandra’s work team , but her boss agrees to a second ballot . this gives sandra a weekend — two days and one night , as the film’s title says — to persuade a majority of her colleagues to make a painful sacrifice on her behalf .
thanks very much for that – i think landis mostly achieves this , especially in the night sequences early on , like the encounters with bowie , which don’t really feel real .
when i first heard that bb king had died , at the grand old age of 89 and much too soon , the first thing i did was re - watch into the night – not just because i’m a movie nut but because , at age 16 , this was when i first heard his music and i was of course knocked out by it . his playing is an integral part to this film , one certainly adorned with more than its fair share of stars .
the ballad of narayama
is a japanese film of great beauty and elegant artifice , telling a story of startling cruelty . what a space it opens…
another tagline : ed okin used to have trouble sleeping . then , one night , he met diana . now , ed’s having trouble staying alive .
that’s just a tip of the iceberg to this wild and crazy film and one that received plenty of negative feedback , one of my favorites coming from roger ebert himself commenting on the endless parade of landis’ friends who make cameo appearances ( like he does as well ) , calling it ‘cinema auto - eroticism’ . while that is a bit of an in - joke from a filmmaker who loves the world of film itself ( if you’ve ever seen the dozens of trailers from hell episodes john landis presents , you’ll know the man loves film in general ) , i don’t find it truly distracting . instead i find it endearing , a filmmaker who just wants to have a good time with his filmmaker buddies while making an interesting and funny film about one man’s journey to finally getting a good night’s sleep .
wow , been ages since i saw the wrong box – i thought it an odd film as i recall , though i remember loving the cast and the score by john barry , especially for the extended chase at the end .
by coolly switching focus to political intrigue and betrayal within the human ranks , villeneuve keeps a grip on his story and creates ballast for its departure into the realms of the visionary and supernatural . and he also prepares us for the film’s sense that language itself , freed of our usual sense of its linear form , might be more important than anyone thought . ( i wonder if villeneuve has seen the 2010 documentary into eternity , by danish film - maker michael madsen , about attempts to devise a new universal language to label underground repositories of nuclear waste – labels whose warnings have to be understood by future humans whose language has evolved away from what we know now . )
i bought the region 1 dvd and i ' m very happy with the picture quality . i regard this film as part of a loose trilogy of yuppie nightmare movies made around the same time .
sadly , bb king died yesterday , passing away peacefully in his sleep at the ripe old age of 89 . he had been on a seemingly endless concert tour until falling ill during a show last october , subsequently canceling any remaining dates . he was the , as thr said , the “last of the southern - born blues musicians who defined modern electric blues in the 1950s and would influence scores of rock and blues guitarists . ” but back in the 80s , kings recording career had slowed down . at the time of into the night , he had not yet recorded “when loves comes to town” with u2 and made his appearance with them on the rattle & hum tour . as such , his appearance on the into the night soundtrack was quite notable , and john landis even made a 27 - minute documentary about the recording process .
elegant in its simplicity yet limitless in its scope , long day’s journey into night is the tale of an ordinary summer’s day with extraordinary consequences . drawing so heavily from the author’s personal history that it could only be produced posthumously , the story of the tyrone family and their battle to unearth—and conceal—a lifetime of secrets continues to reveal itself to audiences as one of the most profound and powerful plays ever brought to the stage .
it will feature a limited edition cover , will include ( printed in the book ) the uncut film script and your personal poem or short story that we ' ll write for you .
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subscribe : urltoken a new horror film from acclaimed filmmaker trey edward shults . joel edgerton , riley keough , and christopher abbott star in it comes at night – now playing . release date : june 9 , 2017 writer / director : trey edward shults cast : joel edgerton , riley keough , christopher abbott , and carmen ejogo visit it comes at night website : urltoken like it comes at night on facebook : urltoken follow it comes at night on twitter : urltoken follow it comes at night on instagram : urltoken now available for rent or purchase ! rent or buy it on itunes : urltoken rent or buy it on amazon : urltoken buy it on dvd / blu - ray : urltoken - - - - - - about a24 : official channel for a24 , the people behind moonlight , the lobster , the witch , ex machina , amy , spring breakers & more coming soon : a ghost story , how to talk to girls at parties , it comes at night , woodshock , slice , good time subscribe to a24 ' s newsletter : urltoken visit a24 website : urltoken like a24 on facebook : urltoken follow a24 on twitter : urltoken follow a24 on instagram : urltoken
one of the film ' s final set pieces is so wonderfully staged that it reminds you what skill affleck has with the camera . next time , he should perhaps confine himself behind it .
it’s very effective where it comes in the film — all the way at the very end , after just the film’s title has been flashed on the screen . but did you toy with when to do it ? it was always at the end . but there was a question whether it would be one scene from the end , like within the pocket of the movie , and then have james’ scene in the mirror ? or run credits and put it at the end of the end credits ? i tried all those variations but this was the best version .
random movie encounters are extremely hit and miss so it is always refreshing when you find you actually enjoy them , or at least take something positive away from them . i’m a sucker for a good soundtrack and into the night does sound interesting so i think i’ll give both of them a go when i have a little time , maybe back to back
and now this extremely long , one - set drama has been placed on film . why ? among the praised plays of this century , is there one less suitable for filming ? the project seems to be the work of what can be called the tv mind . one of the chief
serious
functions of television has been the adaptation of plays of merit , lopping and cramming them into fixed time and limited space , for which the carpenters expect gratitude because tv has brought something good to a vast public . ely landau and sidney lumet , producer and director of this picture , who are well known for their
good works
in television , have now brought something good to films ; and in the transposition have converted a viable play with tedious stretches into a turgid film with affecting episodes .
work , for sandra and her fellow citizens of the dardenne republic , is an irreplaceable source of meaning , identity and happiness . “two days , one night” is about the erosion of all of those values , and also about the waning of solidarity in the modern economy . in the past , the quality of life that workers like sandra and manu enjoy might have been secured through collective struggle . now , the film suggests , it is maintained through individual competition among the workers themselves .
live by night ' s primary takeaway is how dull it is ; there are a lot of players and set - up , and what action does transpire is wholly expected .
decades after agee’s passing , the idea of film reviewing as something intellectually valuable seems thoroughly mainstream . but when agee was making his way as a journalist in the 1930s and 1940s , few editors were interested in devoting “think pieces” to something so seemingly transient as a hollywood flick . in fighting for film’s place in the pantheon of modern culture , agee was defying convention , even at the risk of stalling his career .
the library of america’s collection of agee’s work spans two volumes : agee : film writing and selected journalism and agee : let us now praise famous men , a death in the family , and shorter fiction .
i had for many months unsuccessfully tried to get an audition for “long day’s journey into night . ” when i saw that the play’s director , sir jonathan miller , was going to be giving a series of lectures on the afterlife of plays at the alice tully hall in new york , i immediately got tickets to a lecture . i went without a plan , but intent on introducing myself to this great director .
the seventh season of the long - running hbo fantasy show got under way in the us last night ( july 16 ) , with the season premiere also being broadcast in the uk at the same time on sky atlantic at 2am earlier this morning ( july 17 ) . a repeat of the premiere will air on the channel tonight at 9pm .
production : a gaga corp . release of an
into the white night
film partners production . ( international sales : gaga corp . , tokyo . ) produced by satoka kojima , hiromi honoki , ryuta inoue , kazunari hashiguchi . executive producers , nobuya wazaki , tom yoda , masahiko mizuguchi , koichi inaba , yoshitaka hori , kazuhiko torishima , tomoko machida , hiro ishigaki , satomi odake , atsushi sugai , hiroyuki akune . directed by yoshihiro fukagawa . screenplay , fukagawa , shingo irie , akari yamamoto , based on the novel
byakuyako
by keigo higashino .
john landis tries for a laid - back surrealism in his romantic thriller into the night . jeff goldblum plays an exhausted and unhappily married aerospace engineer named ed okin . he goes to la international airport to get some sleep in the parking garage . instead , a scatterbrained blonde beauty , diana ( michelle pfeiffer ) falls on his car , being chased by a bunch of sharpshooters . it seems that diana has smuggled six iranian jewels into the united states and a group of assassins want them back at any price . ed and diana take to the freeway , looking for a place to rest , but the chase never ends and the duo keep running from the pack of iranian zanies .
the graphic novel will be signed by the director , the writers and the artist .
also , subsidiary characters kazunari and eriko take over the film for long stretches at a time , but given that their only crime is falling under the spell of bad - faith lovers , they do not deepen the mystery , and simply diffuse the focus .
coming to america ( 1988 ) : in another landis film , frank oznowicz is called to the white courtesy phone over the loudspeaker as akeem ( eddie murphy ) and semmi ( arsenio hall ) arrive in the airport in new york .
a representative from blumhouse productions , the studio run by jason blum that’s produced shyamalan’s last two movies , told ew , “we love supporting night and hope to be able to do it again soon . ”
like into the night , it depicts a meek white guy with a boring job who impulsively travels to a different area of town where he meets a beguiling young woman as the precursor for a night he can’t get out of . in this case , griffin dunne plays a word processor ( yes , that was a job then ) who travels to manhattan’s soho district where he hits it off with gorgeous , but clearly unbalanced marcy ( rosanna arquette ) . after their coffee shop encounter , he calls her from his home to set up a date and rushes back to soho to meet her . there , he meets her bohemian artist roommate ( linda fiorentino ) , who puts him to work on her person - shaped paper mache model in the center of the loft . once marcy arrives , something is clearly off about her , running hot one minute , cold the next , leading dunne to work through in his head just how much work he wants to put into his chances for a one - night stand .
entertainment weekly : when did you strike upon the idea to set split in the same story universe as david dunn ( bruce willis ) and elijah price ( samuel l . jackson ) and unbreakable ? m . night shyamalan : oh , it was always there . always . this character , kevin from split , was in the original script of unbreakable . the original draft of unbreakable focused on david dunn and elijah as his mentor . elijah tells him , “you’re a comic book character , go try it . ” and instead of bumping into the orange suit man , david bumps into one of kevin’s personalities and goes to save the girls . so you’d have been watching the girls side of it the whole time . that was the outline .
inevitably , these “contact” moments are where the film’s real impact and atmosphere have to be . and villeneuve doesn’t disappoint in sequences of eerie and claustrophobic strangeness – though i concede the film is most effective before the physical form of the aliens is revealed . there are also touches of comedy : ian and louise decide , for convenience’s sake , to nickname two aliens abbott and costello – maybe in homage to the linguistic misunderstanding in the duo’s famous routine about a baseball team’s positions .
every aspect of twin peaks , from its fashion sensibilities to its typeface will be forever etched into american culture until the end of time . but the most poignant element by itself will probably forever be the soundtrack written by david lynch and angelo badalementi . xiu xiu is keenly aware of this , which is why they ' re releasing an entire album of covers of the twin peaks soundtrack . today , they ' re premiering their cover of julee cruise ' s
into the night ,
originally a dreamy piece of music that brought to mind the feeling of laura palmer ' s spirit watching over the sleepy town . now , jamie stewart and co . have added a different kind of sadness and longing into the music . stewart ' s inflection is pained and haunted , in tandem with a line of chaotic guitars that creates a unique kind of sorrow , fear , and beauty in the track that wasn ' t there before .
and that raises the question : what’s next ? will there finally be a sequel to unbreakable ? in ew’s 2015 oral history of that film , the follow - up fantasies were discussed with aplomb by shyamalan and jackson .
following the film every step of the way , though , is bb king’s instantly recognizable guitar licks , punctuating the quieter moments and underscoring transitional scenes . in addition to performing the title song , bb king also performed “my lucille” and “in the midnight hour” for the soundtrack , although all of the songs were composed by ira newborn .
screenplay by fukagawa , shingo irie and akari yamamoto may reward those who persevere , but ultimately , the resolution feels empty , and the film is undone by its clash of storytelling styles , flawed perfs from the younger thesps and overlong running time .
ben affleck writes , produces , and stars in this adaptation of dennis lehane ' s sprawling crime novel centering on the prodigal son of a prominent police chief , and his gradual descent into the criminal underworld . ~ jason buchanan , rovi
no baby can be as dead sexy as pfeiffer in this film / 1983 - 4 . “i’m not as young as i look . ” that’s ok , even though she was .
after watching both i have to say into the night is my favourite of the two , maybe i’m just a sucker for traditional narrative as well ! after hours was intriguing but i found dunne’s exasperation exhausting , the bizarre circumstances too ludicrous to fathom and the loft scenes a little too surreal for my liking , almost like a bad trip . i suppose in that sense , technically after hours is better but i still prefer watching a young sleep deprived goldblum bumble around l . a .
charles laughton ' s
the night of the hunter” ( 1955 ) is one of the greatest of all american films , but has never received the attention it deserves because of its lack of the proper trappings . many “great movies” are by great directors , but laughton directed only this one film , which was a critical and commercial failure long overshadowed by his acting career . many great movies use actors who come draped in respectability and prestige , but robert mitchum has always been a raffish outsider . and many great movies are realistic , but “night of the hunter” is an expressionistic oddity , telling its chilling story through visual fantasy . people don ' t know how to categorize it , so they leave it off their lists .
it is an ambitious period piece , clearly intended to be affleck ' s once upon a time in america . . . yet somehow , the pacing feels off , the characters seem bland , and live by night never quite lives up to the sum of its parts .
and that begins what leighton grist once described as the “yuppie nightmare cycle” sub - genre , a president reagan - era combination of screwball comedy with film noir . it always involves a white yuppie being pulled into a world unknown to them , usually a white male by a mysterious white female . examples include blue velvet ( 1986 ) , something wild ( ‘86 ) and the bruce willis / kim basinger comedy blind date ( ’87 ) .
m . night shyamalan ' s compelling fantasy film unbreakable was a bit ahead of its time in 2000 . it focused on the superhero origin story of bruce willis ' david dunn and the birth of samuel l . jackson ' s fragile supervillain elijah price , aka mr . glass , creating its own little super - world . the marvel cinematic universe was still eight years away from engulfing the world in cowls and capes , and the comic book world was still emerging from a long period of contraction after the explosion of interest in the mid - ' 90s .
charles laughton showed here that he had an original eye , and a taste for material that stretched the conventions of the movies . it is risky to combine horror and humor , and foolhardy to approach them through expressionism . for his first film , laughton made a film like no other before or since , and with such confidence it seemed to draw on a lifetime of work . critics were baffled by it , the public rejected it , and the studio had a much more expensive mitchum picture ( “not as a stranger” ) it wanted to promote instead . but nobody who has seen
the night of the hunter” has forgotten it , or mitchum ' s voice coiling down those basement stairs :
chillll . . . dren ? ”
unlike most examples of the neo - noir genre from that decade – and here i’m thinking especially of against all odds , jagged edge , body heat , no way out , sharky’s machine , doa – which all have very strong ties to the genre’s prototypes of the 1940s , into the night is truly sui generis . if anything what it demonstrates is a genuine screwball sensibility , one that belongs perhaps to the 30s rather than the 40s . i have always felt that the two genres have a lot more in common that one night think and here we don’t have a jazzy score to evoke smoke - filled rooms and femme fatales . instead this is a tale of urban paranoia laced with jet black comedy in which 80s acquisitiveness and the new international reality of reaganomics are matched against hollywood fakery and found wanting .
mitchum is uncannily right for the role , with his long face , his gravel voice , and the silky tones of a snake - oil salesman . and shelly winters , all jitters and repressed sexual hysteria , is somehow convincing as she falls so prematurely into , and out of , his arms . the supporting actors are like a chattering gallery of norman rockwell archetypes , their lives centered on bake sales , soda fountains and gossip . the children , especially the little girl , look more odd than lovable , which helps the film move away from realism and into stylized nightmare . and lillian gish and stanley cortez quite deliberately , i think , composed that great shot of her which looks like nothing so much as whistler ' s mother holding a shotgun .
of course , into the night is more or less a screwball comedy about a mismatched pair falling in love while enduring extreme circumstances , making it the more traditional narrative , while after hours is about a yuppie who heads to soho to get laid but instead gets chased by an angry mob . the differing tones of the two films perfectly reflect the differing sensibilities of their directors . john landis looked at nocturnal los angeles as a potentially perilous , but also undeniably exciting place of adventure while the latter gazed at new york and saw imminent danger and deadly misunderstandings .