Latest news with #TheDeep
San Francisco Chronicle
22-06-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
‘Jaws' at 50: How Steven Spielberg's shark movie changed my life and cinema forever
It's been 50 years since American movies, and a boy's life, changed forever. ' Jaws ' was released on June 20, 1975, a seismic event in moviegoing. Few films can be said to have changed cinema, but Steven Spielberg's early masterpiece is one. With an unprecedented marketing campaign, an unusually wide initial release and crowds packing showings from its opening weekend, the shark thriller literally invented the summer blockbuster season. It also happened to be the first 'adult' movie I ever saw in a theater. At age 9 and growing up in Indianapolis, I might have been too young to see it; my sister Kristin, four years younger, certainly was. Before 'Jaws,' the only films we'd seen in theaters were Disney-type fare. Perhaps our parents couldn't get a babysitter, or maybe they didn't care. Like the rest of America, they wanted to be where the action was. I likely would have fallen in love with movies anyway at some point, but you could connect the dots directly from that viewing to this column, the latest in a career spent in the dark. If it hadn't been then, it likely would have been in 1977, when the summer movie season became a full-blown phenomenon. Of course, there was George Lucas' ' Star Wars,' which 11-year-old me saw seven times, but there was also the 'Jaws'-inspired 'The Deep,' the Burt Reynolds car chase action comedy 'Smokey and the Bandit' and the James Bond film 'The Spy Who Loved Me.' I could go on: 'Grease' and 'Revenge of the Pink Panther' in 1978; 'Alien' and 'Moonraker' in 1979; 'The Empire Strikes Back' and 'Airplane!' in 1980. You get the idea — I saw them all. In 1981, at age 15, I broadened my horizons. I spent the summer watching the Spielberg-Lucas 'Raiders of the Lost Ark,' fantasy films 'Time Bandits' and 'Clash of the Titans' as well as the box office bomb 'Megaforce,' a terrible action movie starring Barry Bostwick that for some reason sticks in my mind to this day. In the fall, I ventured into more sophisticated fare, what we'd call Oscar bait today. 'Chariots of Fire,' the eventual best picture winner; then 'Reds,' 'Ragtime' and many others. By college I was consuming the French New Wave and film noir, and the rest is personal history. However, the summer box office season of big scale adventures, eye-popping special effects, jump scares and belly laughs still holds an allure for me after all these years. I'm obviously not alone; the recent Memorial Day box-office weekend, led by ' Lilo & Stitch ' and ' Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning,' was the best ever for that holiday. This summer is shaping up to be the best since at least 2019, the last before the pandemic. Spielberg calls such genre movies 'films of imagination,' although one has to say that character-driven comedies and dramas from 'Casablanca' to ' Anora ' are also imaginative, but I know what he means. Science fiction and action films have a way of transporting the viewer into another realm — alternate universes, if you will — more than conventional comedies or dramas do. Yet, what is the future of the summer movie season? Despite its current viability, home viewing habits in general and higher movie theater ticket prices present obstacles. The legacy of 'Jaws' has lasted 50 years. Will it last 60? I think so, but who knows. ' How to Train Your Dragon ' is going strong, Pixar's ' Elio ' and the zombie sequel ' 28 Years Later ' just opened to high expectations, and 'Jurassic Park Rebirth,' a new 'Superman' and 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' loom. Still, few of these movies reach the sublime level of 'Jaws,' which is quite simply not just the greatest summer movie, but one of the best suspense films ever made, not only in its visual splendor and memorable performances, but also the character-driven script by Carl Gottlieb and Peter Benchley from Benchley's novel, Verna Fields' kinetic editing and John Williams' legendary score. Its troubled production, mainly stemming from the fact that the mechanical shark often didn't work properly, is the stuff of legend. Spielberg, then only 27, had to invent on the fly. With the shark, nicknamed Bruce, unavailable much of the time, scenes with humans became more important. With its brooding battle of wills, Robert Shaw's classic USS Indianapolis monologue and a clash between civilization and the elements, 'Jaws' became the '70s version of 'Moby Dick,' a man vs. nature parable that was almost operatic in its humans' obsession with the destruction of an unstoppable predator.
Perth Now
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Chace Crawford felt he was in 'pretty boy jail'
Chace Crawford felt he was in "pretty boy jail" after Gossip Girl ended. The 39-year-old actor shot to fame playing Nate Archibald in the CW drama from 2007 to 2012 but he spent time in the "wilderness" after the show ended and admitted he feared it would be a struggle to find another role. He told Josh Peck and Ben Soffer on their Good Guys podcast: 'First of all, [people] think actors make a ton more money and have way more agency than we actually do, depending on where you are [in your career]. I felt like I was in the wilderness for years after Gossip Girl. "As big of a show as it was, coming off [it] as a still young guy, it's like, 'That's not cool anymore,' and I'm in this box. I'm in this jail of the CW pretty boy who has no range. I felt that, and I was probably harder on myself than I needed to be.' Following Gossip Girl, Chace appeared in Blood + Oil, but the ABC drama was axed in 2015 after just one season, and he also had a small role in Hulu comedy Casual. He noted: 'It was not lost on me how difficult after those four years of false starts on some TV shows … like, it could be difficult to find another thing." Fortunately, the actor's career has revived thanks to his role as The Deep in The Boys, which premiered in 2019 and is due to end with its fifth season in 2016. And Chace was "really, really appreciative" when the project came his way. He said: "I just remember that audition hitting my inbox and reading the synopsis, I was like, 'That sounds wild!' And then reading the pilot, I was like, 'Oh, this is great. This is so out-there and original and weird. "And the specific role of The Deep, I'm like, 'I know that guy. I know a hundred of those guys.' I instantly felt confident and excited about my take on the character. 'I was really, really appreciative when this happened." Chace previously admitted he "almost had a panic attack" before filming a sex scene with an octopus, who was voiced by Tilda Swinton, for The Boys. He told Rolling Stone magazine: "It's so funny and brilliant now, but when that came up, I was like, 'Oh God, how's this going to work?' "[I was] in total denial about it ... And then it got 24 hours out from the first day I had to shoot it and I almost had a panic attack." Chase decided to talk it over with showrunner Eric Kripke and they managed to put together a plan to make the scene less worrying for the actor. He added: "I called Eric Kripke - he's so great. He's got a million things going on but his door's always open. So I was worried about the scene. "I'm like, 'How are we gonna do this? What are the angles gonna be? How naked do I have to be?' He changed one shot for me. And it was great."
Cosmopolitan
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Cosmopolitan
Chace Crawford Was in 'CW Pretty Boy" Jail Post-Gossip Girl
Gossip Girl basically built the careers of stars Blake Lively, Leighton Meester, Penn Badgley, and Chace Crawford, but contrary to popular belief, starring in a hit teen TV show isn't always a blessing—especially when it comes to finding your next gig. In a recent interview, Chace opened up about his post-Gossip Girl career, saying he felt like he was stuck in a 'CW pretty boy' jail. During an appearance on Josh Peck and Ben Soffer's Good Guys podcast, Chace spoke about the misconceptions people had about him when he finished Gossip Girl's six season run.'I felt like I was in the wilderness for years after Gossip Girl,' he said, per Us Weekly. 'As big of a show as it was, coming off [it] as a still young guy, it's like, 'That's not cool anymore,' and I'm in this box. I'm in this jail of the CW pretty boy who has no range.' The 'CW pretty boy' jail might sound like a dream vacation spot—book me a cell right next to Chad Michael Murray and Scott Speedman, stat!—but for Chace, it was limiting. Looking at his IMDB page, it's not hard to see what the actor is talking about. Though he has consistently been working since Gossip Girl ended in 2012, it took almost seven years before he booked his next big gig, playing The Deep in The Boys. 'I just remember that audition hitting my inbox and reading the synopsis, I was like, 'That sounds wild!' And then reading the pilot, I was like, 'Oh, this is great. This is so out-there and original and weird,'' he recounted of The Boys. The role of The Deep, an earnest, but extremely shallow superhero who can breathe underwater and communicate with sea creatures, immediately stood out. 'I'm like, 'I know that guy. I know a hundred of those guys.' I instantly felt confident and excited about my take on the character.' As for all those years spent in 'CW pretty boy' jail, they made him all the more grateful for his current gig. 'I was really, really appreciative when this happened,' he said. And, don't worry, guys, he's still pretty. He's just a Prime Video pretty boy now.
BBC News
25-04-2025
- General
- BBC News
Hull to hold events for global City Nature Challenge
People in Hull are being asked to record wild animals, plants, birds, insects and City Nature Challenge (CNC) runs from Saturday until Monday, with people asked to share their observations using the iNaturalist mobile app. Bug hunts will be held on Saturday between 11:00 and 15:00 BST at the Alderman Kneeshaw Park and on Friday and Monday from 13:00 at the East Park Animal Education Centre.A spokesperson for The Deep, which is backing the challenge, said: "Any observations made will support local conservation efforts to look after, and connect with, native wildlife in green spaces, back gardens, nature reserves, parks and more." CNC is a worldwide nature challenge to record urban the challenge is being run by the North and East Yorkshire Ecological Data Centre, with support from a number of organisations and volunteers. The spokesperson added: "The challenge encourages people to discover the biodiversity on their doorstep, make useful biological records, and engage in friendly competition with cities around the world."Don't worry, you don't need to be an expert to get involved. Anyone can take part."In 2023, 7,047 observations were made across Hull, putting it in seventh place on the UK leader information about the challenge can be found here. Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
BBC News
18-03-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
'Batman star' penguin hopes to be crowned world's favourite
A Hollywood star who keepers say shared the screen with Danny DeVito and David Attenborough - is vying to become the world's most popular penguin at the grand age of who lives at Birdland Park and Gardens in Bourton-on-the-Water, Gloucestershire, has been shortlisted for the award as part of the March of the Penguin Madness is thought to be the oldest king penguin in the world at 40 years of competition to become the world's most popular penguin includes Brian from The Deep in Hull, and Ike from ABQ BioPark Zoo, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with voting due to happen in rounds. 'Hollywood swagger' Organised by Penguins International, the competition involves 48 birds from around the world, nominated by zoos, aquariums, and Cox says that at mealtimes Seth is fed a herring that has half a vitamin tablet in its mouth, and that the penguin is distinguished from the others due to his "celebrity strut"."Fundamentally, he is 40 years old, so it's probably a bit of arthritis, hence the fact we're giving him his medication," he said."We like to call it his Hollywood swagger, especially as he's been in the Batman Returns movie." Mr Cox said Seth was one of "six or eight penguins" flown to Hollywood in crates of ice to star in the 1992 film."They formed part of Danny DeVito's evil penguin army in the movie," he said."You can see Seth in part of the film swimming around on a rocket launcher on his back."Mr Cox described Seth as a very caring creature, having helped one of his fellow Birdland penguins when she was struggling. He explained: "We had an older penguin called Lily who went blind in one eye so she couldn't really see."When it was food time, he would call to her and get her to follow him as he was wandering down."In 2023, another of Seth's fellow Birdland penguins, Spike, was crowned the world's favourite penguin. The pair are among those at the Cotswolds park to have featured in David Attenborough's programme, Natural Curiosities. Voting will continue each week until one penguin is declared the most popular.
