Carry On Laughing at Sid's Place

The Stu View is proud to announce a new website has joined The Stu View family!

If you are a fan of the classic Carry On series of films and British comedy in general, then you will love Sid's Place!

Sid's Place - A Loving Tribute to the Carry Ons


Follow the link above to visit Sid's Place, where you will find lots of interesting information and trivia on the Carry On films and the wonderful stars who appeared in them.

Come to Sid's Place and Carry On Laughing!

Sid's Place at www.carryonsid.blogspot.co.uk

10 Great Movie Beards

The Stu View takes a look at the role of the manly beard in movie history. 

Much to the chagrin of Gillette (other makes of razors are available), the beard is back in fashion. Despite some men (myself included) never giving up on the fuzz, it is only in the last couple of years that facial bristles have become more prevalent; stars like George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Johnny Depp being at the forefront of this furry revival.

Film-wise, in the golden age of black and white, a beard was always used to mark a character out as a villain; Bela Lugosi's strange but funky double-goatee in White Zombie being a perfect example. Nowadays however, the bristles seem to be worn as a symbol of manliness, singling out the character as a grizzly bad-ass - don't mess with the beard, man!

Here are some truly memorable movie beards.

Actor: Bela Lugosi
Character: Murder Legendre
Film: White Zombie (1932)

Beardness: This truly bizarre piece of villain beardery even comes with its own matching accessories - a sharp-looking widows peak and a frightening monobrow. It seems that, as well as creating a drug to turn workers into mindless zombies, Lugosi's evil mill owner had plenty of time to spend in front of the mirror sculpting this outstanding chin masterpiece.

Actor: Christopher Lee
Character: Rasputin
Film: Rasputin the Mad Monk (1966)

Beardness: Another fine piece of facial foilage that is perfect for the 'slow beard stroke' favoured by all the best movie villains. Christopher Lee was memorably hypnotic as the Russian monk but was almost outdone by this classy piece of Bad Guy Beard with straggly hair to match. You only have to look at the photo to know this character isn't going to be winning any Humanitarian of the Year awards any time soon.

Actor: Ian McShane
Character: Blackbeard
Film: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)

Beardness: This one does exactly as it says on the tin. The character is called Blackbeard, he has a beard and it's...ehm...black. Although this picture does show up a number of grey flecks too. We can't be too pedantic though; calling the character Blackwithflecksofgreybeard just wouldn't work.

Actor: Kurt Russell
Character: MacReady
Film: The Thing (1982)

Beardness: John Carpenter's classic sci-fi horror movie The Thing is memorable for a number of reasons - the claustrophobic atmosphere, incredible special effects which still hold up well today and Kurt Russell's vast facial hair. Now this is truly a beard to survive fierce Arctic conditions. If the Oscars contained a Best Beard category, Kurt would have been a sure-fire winner with this one.

Actor: Jeff Bridges
Character: Rooster Cogburn
Film: True Grit (2010)

Beardness: When including Jeff Bridges characters in a line-up of best movie beards, the logical choice for most people would be The Dude from The Big Lebowski. However, to my mind, this is a far better piece of facial finery, which defines the character of Rooster Cogburn perfectly. How could anyone look at this mug and not think 'Mean Grizzly Old Bastard'?

Actor: Sylvester Stallone
Character: Deke DaSilva
Film: Nighthawks (1981)

Beardness: Undoubtedly the coolest looking character on this list, Sly really manages to pull it off here. After all, Deke is sporting a blow-waved mullet and has a hat on backwards but still manages to look effortlessly cool. Mind you, something has to make up for that awfully bad character name.

Actor: Clint Eastwood
Character: Man with No Name
Films: The Dollars Trilogy

Clint Beard Trivia: 1. Clint has worn a beard in seven films. 2. Every one of those seven films is a western. 3. Clint's first screen beard was worn in A Fistful of Dollars (1964). 4. His last screen face fuzz was seen in Pale Rider (1985). 5. Clint's first clean-shaven western was Hang 'Em High in 1968.

Actor: Tom Hanks
Character: Chuck Noland
Film: Cast Away (2000)

Beardness: If you're going to draw a face on a ball and talk to it, you need a bona fide Crazy Man Beard to get away with it. What may be surprising is that the beard Mr Hanks wears in this movie is 100% real. Just how long did it take him to grow this rather marvellous soup straggler?

Actor: James Hong
Character: Lo Pan
Film: Big Trouble in Little China (1986)

Beardness: For a man over 2000 years of age, Chinese sorcerer Lo Pan looks pretty damn good; someone who could even become the new face of Just For Men with that wonderfully glossy black beard. This is, however, just Lo Pan's spirit form - until he appeases the gods by sacrificing a green-eyed girl, he's forever destined to resemble a shrivelled peanut that's been dropped behind the sofa cushion.

Actor: Chuck Norris
Character: Take your pick...
Film: As above...

Beardness: No self-respecting list of Top Movie Beards is complete without Mr Carlos Ray Norris. Ever since Lone Wolf McQuade, the beard has become an integral part of the Chuck personae. Legend has it that there is no chin beneath Chuck Norris' beard, only another fist. Are you brave enough to discover the truth?

Movie Stars Off-Set - Candid Photo Gallery

Just for a nice change of pace here on The Stu View, here are some lovely, candid shots of various Stu View-favourite Hollywood superstars - both past and present - relaxing off the movie set.

Lee Van Cleef

Jennifer Aniston

Charles Bronson & Jill Ireland

   

George Clooney

Marilyn Monroe

Richard Pryor

Johnny Depp

Clint Eastwood

20 Facts About...Eddie Murphy

It's hard to believe but Eddie Murphy is celebrating 30 years in film this year. He made his big screen debut in Walter Hill's 48 Hours in 1982. Here are 20 other facts about the fast-talking comedy star.

20
Facts
About...


Eddie
Murphy













1. Born on April 3 1961 in Brooklyn, New York, Eddie Murphy's middle name is Regan.

2. Taking Richard Pryor as his inspiration, Eddie began writing and performing his own stand-up comedy routines at the age of 15.

3. At the age of 19, Murphy was hired as a back-up performer on the legendary television comedy show Saturday Night Live. He soon became the show's most popular attraction.

4. Classic characters created and performed by Murphy on Saturday Night Live included Gumby, Buckwheat and poet Tyrone Green.

5. As mentioned at the beginning of the article, Murphy was cast opposite Nick Nolte in the 1982 movie 48 Hours, on the strength of his performances on Saturday Night Live.

6. Eddie Murphy won a Grammy in 1984 for the album Eddie Murphy, Comedian.

7. Murphy is the only Saturday Night Live cast member to host the show whilst still a regular. This happened in 1984 when he stepped in for planned host Nick Nolte, who was ill.

8. Both Sylvester Stallone and Mickey Rourke were considered for the role of Axel Foley in Beverley Hills Cop.

9. Dan Aykroyd wrote the part of Winston Zeddemore in Ghostbusters with Eddie Murphy in mind but Murphy could not commit to filming due to schedules.

10. Eddie Murphy released a pop album in 1985 entitled How Could It Be. Party All The Time, taken from the album, reached number 2 on the US Billboard Charts.

11. He has a total of 8 children, 5 daughters and 3 sons.

12. Eddie Murphy was ranked number 10 on Comedy Central's 100 Greatest Stand-up Comics of All Time.

13. On Channel 4's 100 Greatest Stand-Ups, Murphy came in at number 40.

14. The most successful film at the box-office featuring Eddie Murphy is Shrek 2 (2004), which stands at number 22 on the list of all-time highest grossing movies.

15. The most successful live-action Murphy movie at the box-office remains Beverley Hills Cop from 1984.

16. In 2006, Eddie Murphy won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Dreamgirls. This performance also garnered him an Oscar nomination.

17. He has been nominated for Golden Globe Best Actor on 3 occasions - Trading Places (1982), Beverley Hills Cop (1984) and The Nutty Professor (1996).

18. Eddie has played multiple roles in 7 different movies.

19. Eddie Murphy was due to be the host of the 2012 Oscar Ceremony but pulled out after his friend, film director Brett Ratner, resigned as producer.

20. Murphy is rumoured to be the voice of Hong Kong Phooey in an upcoming live-action movie version of the Hanna-Barberra cartoon.

20 Facts About...Steven Spielberg

With Steven Spielberg's latest movie War Horse riding high (get it?) at the box office, The Stu View takes a look at arguably the most famous film director of all time. 

20
Facts
About 
Steven
Spielberg






1. Steven Allan Spielberg was born on December 18 1946 in Cincinatti, Ohio.

2. He joined the Boy Scouts when he was 12.

3. Spielberg made several 8mm amateur films in his early teens.

4. His film directing debut came with the made-for-tv movie Duel starring Dennis Weaver. Duel is still highly regarded today and is considered a cult classic.


5. Steven Spielberg's cinema debut as a director came in 1974 with The Sugarland Express starring Goldie Hawn.

6. Spielberg's first huge box office hit was Jaws in 1975. He followed this with Close Encounters of the Third Kind in 1977.

7. Steven Spielberg's most successful film at the box office is Jurassic Park (1993). It sits at number 18 on the list of the biggest box office films of all time.

8. The list of the top 100 highest-earning films of all time contains 7 films directed by Steven Spielberg.

9. Steven Spielberg's first Oscar nomination for Best Director was for Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

10. Steven Spielberg has received a total of 6 Best Director Oscar nominations and has won on 2 occasions -
in 1994 for Schindler's List and 1998 for Saving Private Ryan.  


11. Schindler's List also won the Oscar for Best Picture in 1993.

12. Steven Spielberg met his wife Kate Capshaw on the set of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.

13. In 2005, Empire Magazine rated Spielberg the Greatest Film Director of All-Time.

14. Steven Spielberg was one of the founders of Dreamworks Pictures, along with Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen.

15. Steven Spielberg is a close friend of former President Bill Clinton.

16. Spielberg is a big fan of video games .

17. Steven Spielberg owns one of the original Rosebud sleds from Citizen Kane (1941).

18. Gwyneth Paltrow is Steven Spielberg's god daughter.

19. In a recent interview, Steven Spielberg named Elliott from E.T. as the character he is most fond of.

20. Steven Spielberg's latest directorial project is a biopic of Abraham Lincoln starring Daniel Day-Lewis in the title role.

Sights and Sounds of the Golden Globes 2012

The 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards have come and gone. Here are some sights and sounds from the event, held at the Beverley Hilton Hotel in Beverley Hills, California.

Host Ricky Gervais was once again on fine form. His best quip - "You don't need
to thank everyone you've ever met or members of your family who have done nothing. Just
the main two - your agent and God"

The lovely Kate Beckinsale in probably the most pointless red carpet interview ever. Why do they always have to ask "Who are you wearing?" Does anyone really care?



They even ask a Knight of the Realm the same question - "Who are you wearing?" By the looks of him, I think it's Primark.



Same question again. Is this the world's worst interviewer? Please stop!



Congratulations to the always excellent Kelsey Grammer on winning the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a TV Drama for Boss. Like the beard too!

Best Actor winner George Clooney with his girlfriend, ex-WWE wrestler Stacy Keibler.

Her Madgeness

Discussing The Tourist

Angelina Jolie, just before she turned sideways and disappeared behind the microphone stand.

The legend that is Morgan Freeman auditions for the role of
the next Bond villain.

Retro Review - The Curse of Frankenstein

The first of what will hopefully be a regular series of affectionate looks at some of my all-time favourite movies. With Hammer Films latest release The Woman in Black due in UK cinemas on 12th February, I thought the time would be right to take a fond look back at the film that started it all for Hammer. 

The Curse of Frankenstein was released in Britain on 20th May 1957 and broke box office records across the country, with nothing of its kind having been seen before. Filmed in colour (the first British horror film to be made this way) by the small British company Hammer Films, Curse of Frankenstein shocked cinemagoers with its lingering grisly close ups and the startling appearance of its Creature. The somewhat cosy atmosphere of the Universal monster pictures of the thirties and forties, with only faint suggestions of terror, was now a thing of the past.
                                                                                                         

First formed in 1934, Hammer Productions Ltd survived throughout the late forties and early fifties on a diet of cheaply made, black and white second features, which served as support to other more expensive productions. After dipping its toe into the science fiction market with Four Sided Triangle and Spaceways, Hammer fully submerged itself with the 1955 release of The Quatermass Xperiment – an adaptation of Nigel Kneale’s hugely popular BBC TV series. The film was a big hit at the box office and was quickly capitalised on with a sequel, imaginatively titled Quatermass 2. Seeing the potential in the sci-fi/horror market, Hammer turned their attention to a script they had received for an adaptation of Mary Shelley’s classic novel Frankenstein. The film was to be called Frankenstein and the Monster.

After a script rewrite by Jimmy Sangster and Anthony Hinds - the title changing to the more palatable and definitely more eerie, The Curse of Frankenstein – Hammer placed notices in the trade press for casting. Alerted to the advert was a certain Peter Cushing, a popular television actor at the time; his portrayal of Winston Smith in the BBC’s version of Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four held audiences spellbound when transmitted live in 1954. Hammer had tried to engage Cushing’s services before, and so, determined to get their man this time, invited him to a screening of their latest release X The Unknown. Impressed, the actor duly signed a contract on 26th October 1956 to play the title role of Baron Frankenstein. 

For the part of the Creature, Hammer invited auditions from actors who were tall in stature. Originally considered for the part was future Carry On star Bernard Bresslaw but, in one of those ironic twists of fate, Peter Cushing’s agent at the time - John Redway - also had on his books a young 34-year –old actor called Christopher Lee. At six feet four, Lee certainly met the height requirements. At Redway’s suggestion, he went along to audition and was immediately offered the part.

One potential stumbling block remained. Universal had copyrighted the image of their creature, played by Boris Karloff in 1931,so the famous flat-headed look was out of bounds. Hammer make up artiste Phil Leakey worked tirelessly with Christopher Lee to create the right look for their monster; only completing the job just a few hours before Lee had to make his first appearance on set. 

After a six-week shoot, the film was completed on 3 January 1957 and unleashed on the public five months later. The press reaction to the movie was negative, with much criticism aimed at the level of gore present; although viewed today the film is quite tame. However, at the time, no film had ever shown quite so gratuitously, close ups of severed hands and eyeballs in jars- all in full colour too.

As much as the critics disliked it, the public loved it, and the film was a huge box office smash. Audiences were startled at the first appearance of the Creature – the camera rapidly zooming in as Frankenstein’s creation tears bandages from its face – revealing a grisly hotchpotch of scars and tissue, made all the more frightening by a look of pure hatred in its eyes. Confused and disoriented, the Creature attacks the one thing it recognises – its creator, Baron Frankenstein.

Peter Cushing portrayed the Baron as a man driven by his desire to succeed: a desire so strong that he will do anything to see his work come to fruition. It was a role that Cushing was to make his own – portraying Frankenstein in a further five pictures for Hammer.

Director Terence Fisher made full use of the colour at his disposal for Curse, with Frankenstein’s laboratory a particularly vivid creation; brightly coloured liquids and various bits of machinery taking up every available bit of space. With dedicated but dangerous scientists, frightened villagers and a hideous monster, all ensconced in a 19th century setting, the Hammer ‘formula’ for success was set.




The Curse of Frankenstein remains a landmark horror picture for many reasons.

The gothic horror picture had all but disappeared from cinema screens after the golden age of the Universal monster pictures had passed. The Hammer take on the Frankenstein legend changed all that and brought this neglected sub-genre back into fashion, its success paving the way for what would be an even bigger hit – Dracula; once again pairing Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, under the guidance of director Terence Fisher.

Hammer would go on to dominate the horror film market throughout the sixties and early seventies, the gothic horror rules laid down by Curse of Frankenstein being used to full effect. The company’s worldwide success led to a Queens Award to Industry being presented to Hammer in 1968, for their contribution to the British economy. As well as the Frankenstein series, Hammer produced eight Dracula pictures and remade other classic Universal films such as The Mummy and Phantom of the Opera, all in the unique adult fairy tale style pioneered by Curse and many featuring the talents of Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee.

Perhaps it is the first pairing of these two giants of the British cinema that makes Curse of Frankenstein such an important film in the annals of film history. Although both had roles in Laurence Olivier’s 1948 production of Hamlet, they did not appear in the same scenes and it was Curse that brought them to the attention of the worldwide movie going audience.

The chemistry between the two was evident right from the start, both on screen and off. During the filming of Curse, the two would entertain the crew with musical numbers and even a little dance routine with both in full make up! Their dynamic on screen partnership would be seen in another nineteen films, culminating in their final cinema appearance together in 1982’s House of the Long Shadows – although their very final working engagement as a pair would be recording the narration for the TV documentary Flesh and Blood The Hammer Heritage of Horror in 1994. 

 

Peter Cushing went from strength to strength after his dynamic turn in The Curse of Frankenstein, turning in some memorable performances as Van Helsing, Sherlock Holmes, Dr Who and Grand Mof Tarkin, the villain in the original Star Wars; a movie franchise that Lee would join some twenty five years later, creating another link between himself and his great friend. The career of Christopher Lee is still going strong of course, over fifty years after Curse and sixty four years since his screen debut.

To the cinema audiences of today, The Curse of Frankenstein would probably make for tame viewing but the debt of gratitude the horror cinema owes it is immeasurable.