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Metro
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
Arnold Schwarzenegger tried to rewrite the most famous line in movie history
Arnold Schwarzenegger has dropped a huge bombshell about his stint in the Terminator, confessing that he didn't like his most famous catchphrase. The 77-year-old starred as the creepy cyborg assassin in the hit 1984 flick, helmed by James Cameron, and later reprised his role in a string of the sequels. The character is most known for threatening, 'I'll be back', which was voted among the best movie quotes in history by the American Film Institute (AFI). However, sitting down with son Patrick Schwarzenegger to reflect on their separate screen careers, he admitted that he tried to rewrite it before the director shut him down. In a new Variety interview, he told the White Lotus star: 'The old directors were fanatics about 'Study your dialogue and hit the mark.' 'Jim Cameron is like that. I would say, 'I don't like the line 'I'll be back.'' He says, 'What do you mean you don't like the line?' I said, 'It's just weird for a German to say, 'I'll be back.' Why not just say, 'I will be back'?' 'He says, 'Oh, you're trying to tell me how to be a better writer, because I'm not telling you to be a better actor. 'Just say, 'I'll be back.' If you want me to do 10 takes because you feel insecure about it, we can do that. But don't change my writing.'' Thankfully, the line remained the same and has popped up countless times in Arnie's career ever since, including in the other Terminator movies. He also uttered the now-infamous words in 1988 comedy Twins, 1993's the Last Action Hero as well as the Expendables 2 in 2012. In the action blockbuster, the Hollywood favorite played a robot assassin from the future sent back in time to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), a woman whose unborn son will one day save humanity from AI. He went on to reprise his role in sequels Terminator 2: Judgement Day and Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, before featuring in 2015's Genisys and 2019's Dark Fate. Although the franchise has been hugely successful, the films could have looked very different as OJ Simpson was linked to the main role at one point. Arnie previously claimed that the NFL star – who was accused of killing his partner, Nicole Brown Simpson, in 1994 – to appear as the killer cyborg while he was considered for the role of rebel soldier Kyle Reese. More Trending Lifting the lid on that version of the film, James confirmed: 'Very early on, a highly placed person at one of the two studios that funded that film had a brilliant idea and called me up and said, 'Are you sitting down? … OJ Simpson for the Terminator!' 'I said, 'I actually think that's a bad idea.' It didn't go anywhere.' And the rest is history… Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Blake Lively makes unexpected move and drops major claims against Justin Baldoni MORE: Screaming woman removed from Sean 'Diddy' Combs trial after explicit outburst MORE: Miley Cyrus reveals deep regret about Sinead O'Connor spat
Metro
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Psychological thriller labelled a 'masterpiece' coming to BBC iPlayer
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video A 'masterpiece' psychological thriller is making its way to BBC iPlayer. Released in 2021, The Power of the Dog stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Jesse Plemons, and Kirsten Dunst and is based on the 1967 novel of the same name by Thomas Savage. The film follows wealthy ranching brothers Phil (Cumberbatch) and George Burbank (Plemons) who meet widow Rose (Dunst) and her son Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee) during a cattle drive. The volatile and brash Phil takes a disliking to Rose, but George strikes up a relationship with her, which eventually leads them to marry, and Rose and Peter to move to the Burbank ranch house. As Phil taunts Rose, he appears to take Peter under his wing, but his intentions don't seem as clear-cut to Rose. It is set to arrive on BBC iPlayer on May 30, but if you can't wait that long and need a Bank Holiday watch, The Power of the Dog can be streamed right now on Netflix. The Power of the Dog proved an instant hit following its premiere at the 2021 Venice Film Festival, garnering a whopping 12 Oscar nominations and seven Golden Globe nods. It is often cited as one of the best films of 2021, and indeed of the decade as a whole, and was named one of the best films of 2021 by the American Film Institute. It currently holds a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with the critics' consensus reading: 'Brought to life by a stellar ensemble led by Benedict Cumberbatch, The Power of the Dog reaffirms writer-director Jane Campion as one of her generation's finest filmmakers.' Metro critic Tori Brazier dubbed the film a 'taut and emotional epic' in her review, adding: 'A rich and detailed character study for each of its excellent four leads – and especially Cumberbatch and Smit-McPhee, who is an admirable scene partner – The Power of the Dog brings everything you'd expect, and hope for, from the writer and director of The Piano. 'The film is like watching a play, so focused is it on the minutiae of seemingly small human actions and emotions, and so nuanced in its storytelling.' The New York Times wrote: 'The Power of the Dog builds tremendous force, gaining its momentum through the harmonious discord of its performances, the nervous rhythms of Jonny Greenwood's score and the grandeur of its visuals.' More Trending USA Today lauded The Power of the Dog a 'picturesque, enthralling exploration of male ego and toxic masculinity, crafted by an extremely talented woman and offering enough nuanced bite to keep it interesting till the very end.' InSession Film said: 'Much has already been said about Jane Campion's western masterpiece, and for good reason. It is indeed truly great. Benedict Cumberbatch gives a career-best performance.' Heaping praise on Cumberbatch, with Ty Burr writing on his Substack: 'How do we know Benedict Cumberbatch is a serious thespian? Because we have no idea who he is offscreen. He's just entirely the role he's playing at any given moment, and those roles change radically.' The Power of the Dog comes to BBC iPlayer on May 30. It is available to stream on Netflix now . Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Post-apocalyptic thriller's season 2 finale hailed 'perfect ending' despite crushing fans MORE: BBC quietly adds Australian drama that left fans 'crying their eyes out' MORE: All EastEnders cast returns, exits and new arrivals coming up in 2025
Calgary Herald
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Calgary Herald
Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water: Jaws turns 50, but still resonates — and terrifies
Article content Jaws is a powerful reminder that excellence in filmmaking isn't always equated with mega budgets. At the time, Jaws grossed $100 million US within 60 days, which was a record achievement back then. It broke box office records previously set by other movies of the early 1970s, such as The Exorcist and The Godfather. Jaws ultimately grossed $470 million US around the world, after being made for under $9 million US. It was the highest grossing movie in history until Star Wars took that title a couple of years later. Article content The movie not only led the way for the creation of the aforementioned summer blockbuster; it proved the power of suspenseful shows in terms of being able to attract significant audience and significant revenue. Article content Jaws also demonstrated the irreplaceable feeling of watching a big movie on a big screen alongside a few hundred strangers. To have hundreds of others occasionally jump or scream at the same movie moment is a unique feeling. Just ask anyone who saw Jaws in a movie theatre 50 years ago. Article content Article content Another claim to fame for Jaws was its effective use of music. The theme song, based on the repetition of two notes being played one after another, became recognizable around the world. The composer, John Williams, won an Academy Award for the movie's musical score and the American Film Institute many years later ranked it as the sixth-greatest movie score. Article content Article content Other bits and bites from Jaws Article content Jaws won a total of three Academy Awards; the aforementioned Best Original Dramatic Score award and the awards for Best Sound and Best Film Editing. It also garnered a nomination as Best Picture, but lost to One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. At one point before production on the movie started, producers debated the idea of trying to train and use a living great white shark in the movie. It quickly became apparent the idea would never work. Instead, the shark used in most of the scenes was actually one of three mechanical sharks, nicknamed Bruce. Up to 40 special effect workers spent time producing the sharks. Sometimes, those sharks didn't work perfectly, leading some workers on the set to call the movie Flaws, according to a Roanoke Times article published on the 30th anniversary of the movie. The movie also contained footage of real sharks, filmed in Australia. To make sharks in that footage appear larger, a short actor in a smaller-than-usual shark cage was used in shots. The three principal actors in Jaws spent so much time on the water shooting scenes that they often got seasick. The movie was originally scheduled to shoot for 55 days. Instead, it took 159 days, leaving Spielberg to tell journalists it left him worrying this would ruin his career. Spielberg told costume and set designers on the movie to avoid using anything red in terms of backgrounds or the actors' wardrobes so that when red blood would appear in a dramatic scene, it would be even more jarring to someone watching the flick. Spin-off merchandise from the movie has included everything from Jaws-theme purses and beach bags to tub toys and whisky glasses. One of the strangest items, a Japanese bath bomb, is shaped like a little blue boat, but as it dissolves in bath water a toy shark appears, along with an ample supply of blood-red liquid. In 2016, Tragically Hip lead singer Gord Downie sported a Jaws T-shirt for some performances during the band's final tour before his death. Why? Well, some speculated the shark represented the cancer that would ultimately take his life. His stylist told media the T-shirt was a personal item that Downie decided to wear. Craving more shark content? Don't worry. Discovery channel's Shark Week is only a few weeks away, July 6-13, 2025.
Mint
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Mint
Conclave star Ralph Fiennes cast as President Snow in ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping'
Acclaimed British actor Ralph Fiennes is set to portray one of Panem's most feared figures in the upcoming Hunger Games prequel, Sunrise on the Reaping. Lionsgate announced the casting on 17 May, marking the biggest addition to the film's ensemble so far. Ralph Fiennes, recently seen in the Oscar and BAFTA-winning film Conclave, will step into the role of President Coriolanus Snow – the calculating leader of Panem. Fans of the franchise will remember Snow as played by Donald Sutherland in the original quartet of films, and by Tom Blyth in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2023), which explored his younger years. Fiennes' portrayal will depict Snow at a middle point in his life, set 40 years after Songbirds and 24 years before Katniss Everdeen steps into the arena. Production on the film adaptation officially began on June 6, 2024, with a release date locked in for November 20, 2026. With Fiennes bringing gravitas and menace to President Snow, anticipation is soaring among fans eager to return to the world of Panem. The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping is based on Suzanne Collins' latest novel, released on March 18, 2025. The story revisits the 50th Hunger Games — famously won by Haymitch Abernathy — and dives into darker themes of political control, propaganda, and rebellion in a tightly controlled dystopia. Ralph was most recently seen in political thriller Conclave, alongside Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, and Isabella Rossellini. Upon its release, the film was named one of the top ten films of 2024 by the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute. Among other accolades, it won four awards at the 78th British Academy Film Awards, including Best Film, and also won the Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. At the 97th Academy Awards, it received eight nominations, including Best Picture, and won Best Adapted Screenplay. Ralph will next be seen in 28 Years Later, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, and The Choral.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The 50th AFI Life Achievement Award Dinner For Francis Ford Coppola Is One Of The Starriest And Most Heartfelt Tributes Of Them All
On a night saluting the independence and go-for-broke cinematic life of Francis Ford Coppola, Al Pacino perhaps best summed up why the legendary filmmaker has opted out of accepting many honors over the decades by quoting Coppola himself, who once said, 'The things you do when you're young that you get fired for, are the same things that years later, they give you lifetime achievement awards for.' Well Coppola, finally on the 50th anniversary of the AFI Life Achievement Award dinners, got the most prestigious one of all for movie makers, and having been to numerous of these AFI events over the decades (Frank Capra's in 1982 was my first), this warm and very starry evening Saturday was among the very best, and certainly one of the best attended by other legends and past AFI honorees themselves. More from Deadline Francis Ford Coppola Felt Like He Returned 'To The Old Neighborhood' In AFI Life Achievement Tribute Speech — Watch AFI Life Achievement Award Red Carpet: Elle Fanning, Ron Howard, George Lucas, Spike Lee & More Honor Francis Ford Coppola Adam Driver Praises Francis Ford Coppola For "Not Letting The Money Dictate" 'Megalopolis' At AFI Life Achievement Tribute No less than seven, count 'em, seven past AFI Life Achievement Award laureates were not only on hand in the Dolby Theatre, they all got on stage to sing his praises. Pacino, Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman, Dustin Hoffman, Harrison Ford, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg (the latter pair bookending Coppola at his long table in the middle of the room) were all there to pass the torch, but you have to wonder why it took until the 50th to give this man his due, arguably the godfather himself of his generation of filmmakers (and many of those who received this years ago). Well, it wasn't because the AFI didn't ask. I am told AFI had tried on many occasions to get him to agree. At last he did, and boy, what a night. AFI president and CEO Bob Gazzale welcomed everyone and started the evening with a remembrance of one of the first graduates of the AFI Conservatory, the late great David Lynch. But the day didn't start out well. The sudden rainstorm Saturday morning in parts of Southern California took a toll on Hollywood Boulevard and literally sent a river flooding the AFI red carpet that had already been set up for the event. Organizers, taken by surprise, flew into action, completely trashing the entire soaked carpet, and getting a new one in place before the first of many stars arrived. These included Spielberg, who has been in New York making a movie, but to show his respect for Coppola, didn't just send in a video greeting, but got a private plane, picked up De Niro and Spike Lee as well, and flew in earlier Saturday before immediately flying back so he can be back on set Monday morning. American Film Institute founder (and creator of this event) George Stevens Jr. had tipped me off Friday evening at the TCM Classic Film Festival event honoring him, that Spielberg felt so strongly about being there in person, and joining with Lucas to present the award they both had gotten long ago, that he just had to do this. When he got up on stage at the end of the evening, he said to Coppola, 'We have come all the way up the river to find you buddy,' in a wry reference to one of the master's masterpieces, Apocalypse Now. 'Francis is a warrior for independent artists and always championing their causes,' he added before pronouncing The Godfather as 'the greatest American film ever made.' But there was so much more before we got to that point. Freeman opened the show portion of the evening by telling the audience he was there despite never having been in a movie written, directed or produced by Coppola, who he noted was still ever so the independent filmmaker. 'He may have lost millions but tonight, f— the bankers!'' Throughout the night, there were not just film clips, but portions of an interview his daughter Sofia Coppola conducted with her father that took us through each step of his life and career from directing Fred Astaire in Finian's Rainbow in 1967 (where a young college intern named George Lucas would come by the set to learn) all the way to 2024's Megalopolis. Sofia couldn't be at the Dolby however since she is shooting her own new film in London. The interesting thing is how few sent tapes. They were all there, including Ron Howard who starred in Lucas' American Grafitti, which Coppola produced in order to even get this low-budget ($700,000) movie made by the largely untested young director. The studio (Universal) wasn't thrilled with what they were seeing, 'So after a very early screening, studio executives said to Francis and George, 'You should be embarrassed by this movie. It's too long. We hate the way it looks. It seems unprofessional.' George was shocked, so Francis, with unblinking authority, pulled out a checkbook and said, 'Alright, listen. You don't want the picture? Okay, I will buy it back from you right now. I will buy it back from you today.' Well never mind he didn't have the money, it worked. And the film went on to make well over $100 million, which at that time made it the most profitable ROI (return on investment) in Hollywood history. So that's a producer and that's Francis Ford Coppola.' Next up, the evening's first big standing ovation (after Coppola's as he was seated) went to De Niro and Pacino who made some brief remarks, including the aforementioned one from Pacino, and De Niro's gratitude for not getting cast as Sonny in The Godfather. A clip had been shown from De Niro's screen test and he would have been great, but Coppola thought he was not quite right for the role (James Caan got it). 'Thank you for not casting me in The Godfather, Francis, which meant I was available for The Godfather Part II!' he said of the role that won him his first Oscar. RELATED: Harrison Ford arrived to tell how he was a carpenter but determined to be an actor when he said he got lucky and landed the role in American Graffiti, and later a smaller one in The Conversation. 'Not the part I wanted but I got the part,' he smiled, saying he now felt part of the family. 'After that film, I built something for Francis because he hired me again as a carpenter. I'm not kidding. I was installing a library portico entrance for his offices, as one does, and George Lucas walks in and says (to Francis), 'I am looking for someone to play Hans Solo,' and I am covered in sawdust, wearing my tool belt, sweeping the floor. Well you know the rest… He created a world where the carpenter could be the guy. And by the way, thank you for Apocalypse Now, where I played a guy named Colonel Lucas. Subtle!' Lee talked about the influence Coppola had on him from the days he was a student at NYU ('I couldn't get into AFI'), seeing the uncut version of The Cotton Club with Coppola, and announcing he still has his ticket stub from Apocalypse Now. Also highlighted was Coppola's dream-like musical One From the Heart, one of his self-financed American Zoetrope swings for the fences, and early dances with bankruptcy, a movie now being reconsidered and watched again, even as a predecessor to the likes of La La Land. And then a look at The Outsiders, one of many films where Coppola rolled the dice with new talent including Tom Cruise, Rob Lowe, Patrick Swayze, Matt Dillon, Emilio Estevez, and at the Dolby onstage, both Ralph Macchio and C. Thomas Howell. Macchio drew big laughs with a story about borrowing $5 from Coppola on the set but never paying it back, or for that matter everything he owed the director for his career, until this night when he told Coppola to look under the centerpiece in front of him at his table. There was a $5 dollar bill, which got a smile from Coppola, who promptly handed it to Lucas, who probably doesn't need it. In the audience was a librarian, Jo Ellen Misakian from Lone Star Elementary School in Fresno, California, who had sent Coppola a letter (that somehow got to him) with the enthusiasm of her class, who loved the book, suggesting he read S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders in hopes that he might make a movie out of it. 'Stay gold, Francis,' she said to him, repeating a key phrase from the book that urged Ponyboy to retain his youthful optimism and innocence, 'Stay gold.' It was one of the undisputed highlights of the night. Another Outsiders star, Diane Lane, was next, and interestingly the only female participant onstage for the evening who talked about the four films she has made with Coppola, including how while making Outsiders, they all had such a good time, they decided to make another film on the spot. That movie was Rumble Fish. After Roman Coppola paid tribute to his father for putting him to work on the visual effects for Bram Stoker's Dracula and starting his career, it was Dustin Hoffman's turn, who began by saying, 'Word has it you turned down a lot of these awards in the past.' He also said it took a while for Coppola to hire him. 'I waited until I was 86 for you to cast me in Megalopolis! It was worth the wait.' Regarding that movie, it was star Adam Driver who showed up to tell the tale of the futuristic and controversial, but unquestionable risk-taking and wild ride of a cinematic journey Coppola had been trying to get made for over 40 years and finally did by financing it himself to the tune of $120 million. Driver said at one point Coppola addressed the cast and crew and said, 'We're not being brave enough.' Of all the speakers, I thought Driver really summed up best just who this genuine maverick of a filmmaker is. 'Knowing Francis as I know him now, being brave is not such a surprising note if you consider the source. You can pick any section of Francis' work, open it up, and find bravery, whether it be fighting the studio over cuts of The Godfather; forming American Zoetrope; making Apocalypse Now, again with his own money; giving Ellie (his late wife Eleanor Coppola) a camera and saying 'shoot what you want'; running a studio that ended up bankrupting him; hiring Marlon Brando; defending Al Pacino; breaking all four of his Oscars by throwing them out of a window—I'm not sure that is especially brave but it certainly is passionate [ed note: he actually has five]; moving into the jungle and starting a hotel; spending $120 million on a piece of art and not letting the money dictate the content of the film,' Driver listed for the crowd. 'This is a principled life, and for a year in our culture where the importance of the arts is minimized and our industry is seemingly out in the open, that the only measure to judge a film's success is simply by how much money it makes, I hang on to individuals like Francis for inspiration who live though their convictions, through big moves, all in service of pushing the medium forward. Francis took $120 million dollars and created a singular gesture for what he thought film could be, and I think that's pretty great.' RELATED: The actual award to Coppola was preceded by an orchestra on stage with Josh Groban, who sang, all in Italian, a beautiful version of the immortal theme from The Godfather. Spielberg added to his remarks about seeing a five-hour cut of Apocalypse Now with other filmmakers invited to give their thoughts, and Lucas recounted the key lesson he learned from his American Graffiti producer. 'Don't be afraid of jumping off cliffs. I have lived by that my entire life,' he said while confirming Coppola was indeed the first cinema student to make it big and prove the worth of that education. As for Coppola, he was brief but charming in his acceptance (after all, we had seen him talk about his career all night in that interview with Sofia). He talked about his childhood and remembrances of growing up before addressing this community of those who toil in the same fields he does. '(I see) all the beautiful faces are welcoming me back because I am, and will always be, nothing more than one of you.' Stay gold indeed, Francis Ford Coppola. The evening earned a record $2.5 million for AFI and will be broadcast on TNT on June 18 at 10 p.m. ET/PT with an encore on TCM on July 31 at 8 p.m. ET/PT. 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