Bill Condon
William Condon (born October 22, 1955) is an American director and screenwriter. Condon is known for writing and/or directing numerous successful and acclaimed films including '' Gods and Monsters'', ''Chicago'', '' Kinsey'', ''Dreamgirls'', '' The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1'', '' The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2'', and ''Beauty and the Beast''. He has received two nominations for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, ''Gods and Monsters'' and ''Chicago'', winning for the former. Early life Condon was born in New York City on October 22, 1955, the son of a police detective, and was raised in an Irish Catholic family. He attended Regis High School and Columbia College of Columbia University, graduating in 1976 with a degree in philosophy. Two films had a significant impact of Condon's early life. At the age of twelve, he found himself drawn to screenplay writing with his first viewing of ''Bonnie and Clyde''. In college he saw '' Sweet Char ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Columbia College Of Columbia University
Columbia College is the oldest undergraduate college of Columbia University, situated on the university's main campus in Morningside Heights in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded by the Church of England in 1754 as King's College, receiving a royal charter from King George II of Great Britain. It is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York and the fifth oldest in the United States. Columbia College (along with Columbia Engineering) is distinctive for its comprehensive Core Curriculum and is among the most selective colleges in its admissions. History Columbia College was founded as King's College, by royal charter of King George II of Great Britain, in the Province of New York in 1754. Due in part to the influence of Church of England religious leaders, a site in New York City in the Trinity Church yard, Wall Street on the island of Manhattan was selected, however it would only remain at this site for less than a decade. ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Southern Gothic
Southern Gothic is an artistic subgenre of fiction, country music, film and television that are heavily influenced by Gothic elements and the American South. Common themes of Southern Gothic include storytelling of deeply flawed, disturbing or eccentric characters who may be involved in hoodoo, decayed or derelict settings, grotesque situations, and other sinister events relating to or stemming from poverty, alienation, crime, or violence. Origins Elements of a Gothic treatment of the South were first apparent during the ante- and post-bellum 19th century in the grotesques of Henry Clay Lewis and in the de-idealized representations of Mark Twain. The genre was consolidated, however, only in the 20th century, when dark romanticism, Southern humor, and the new literary naturalism merged in a new and powerful form of social critique. The thematic material was largely a reflection of the culture existing in the South following the collapse of the Confederacy as a consequence ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Sister, Sister (1987 Film)
''Sister, Sister'' is a 1987 American Southern Gothic psychological horror film directed and co-written by Bill Condon in his directorial debut, and starring Eric Stoltz, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Judith Ivey. It follows two sisters operating an inn the Louisiana bayou, whose dark secrets come to light after the arrival of a male guest. Plot Lucy Bonnard, a young woman with a history of mental illness, helps her older sister, Charlotte, operate the Willows, an inn at their familial plantation in the Louisiana bayou. The sexually-frustrated Lucy is unsuccessfully courted by Etienne LeViolette, her childhood friend who now works as a handyman for the sisters. Charlotte is carrying on a romance with town sheriff Cleve Bonnard, but he ends the relationship, blaming Charlotte's overbearing devotion to caring for Lucy. Late one night, Matt Rutledge, a congressional aide from Washington, D. C., arrives at the inn as a guest, and soon finds himself attracted to Lucy. Three other guestsâ ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Wallace Shawn
Wallace Michael Shawn (born November 12, 1943) is an American actor, playwright, and essayist. His film roles include Wally Shawn (a fictionalized version of himself) in '' My Dinner with Andre'' (1981), Vizzini in ''The Princess Bride'' (1987), Mr. James Hall in ''Clueless'' (1995) and the voice of Rex in the ''Toy Story'' franchise (1995–2019). He has also had roles in six of Woody Allen's films. His television work includes recurring roles as Jeff Engels in ''The Cosby Show'' (1987–1991), Grand Nagus Zek in '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' (1993–1999), Cyrus Rose in ''Gossip Girl'' (2008–2012), and Dr. John Sturgis in ''Young Sheldon'' (2018–present). His plays include the Obie Award–winning ''Aunt Dan and Lemon'' (1985), ''The Designated Mourner'' (1996) and ''Grasses of a Thousand Colors'' (2008). He also co-wrote the screenplay for ''My Dinner with Andre'' with Andre Gregory, and scripted ''A Master Builder'' (2013), a film adaptation of the play by Henrik Ibs ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Nancy Allen (actress)
Nancy Anne Allen (born June 24, 1950) is an American actress. She came to prominence for her performances in several films directed by Brian De Palma in the 1970s and early 1980s. Her accolades include a Golden Globe Award nomination and three Saturn Award nominations. The daughter of a New York City police lieutenant, Allen was raised in the Bronx, and attended the High School of Performing Arts, aspiring to have a career as a dancer. In her early twenties, she shifted her focus to acting and relocated to Los Angeles to pursue a career there. Her first major role was as Chris Hargensen in Brian De Palma's film adaptation of ''Carrie'' (1976). Allen was subsequently cast as the lead in the Robert Zemeckis-directed comedy ''I Wanna Hold Your Hand'' (1978), followed by a supporting part in Steven Spielberg's ''1941'' (1979). Allen married De Palma in 1979, and her subsequent portrayal of a prostitute who witnesses a murder in his feature '' Dressed to Kill'' (1980) earned her ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Strange Invaders
''Strange Invaders'' is a 1983 American science fiction film directed and co-written by Michael Laughlin, and stars Paul Le Mat, Nancy Allen and Diana Scarwid. Produced as a tribute to the sci-fi films of the 1950s, notably ''The Invasion of the Body Snatchers'', it was intended to be the second installment of the aborted ''Strange Trilogy'' with '' Strange Behavior'' (1981), another 1950s spoof by Laughlin, but the idea was abandoned after ''Invaders'' failed to attract a large audience. Scarwid's performance earned her a Razzie Award nomination for Worst Supporting Actress. Plot In 1958, the town of (fictionalized) Centreville, Illinois is invaded by a race of aliens. The invaders fire lasers from their eyes and hands and reduce humans to "crystallized" glowing blue orbs. They took over the form of the humans who were either captured or killed. Twenty-five years later, Columbia University lecturer Charles Bigelow learns that his ex-wife, Margaret, has disappeared while at ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Science-fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel universes, extraterrestrial life, sentient artificial intelligence, cybernetics, certain forms of immortality (like mind uploading), and the singularity. Science fiction predicted several existing inventions, such as the atomic bomb, robots, and borazon, whose names entirely match their fictional predecessors. In addition, science fiction might serve as an outlet to facilitate future scientific and technological innovations. Science fiction can trace its roots to ancient mythology. It is also related to fantasy, horror, and superhero fiction and contains many subgenres. Its exact definition has long been disputed among authors, critics, scholars, and readers. Science fiction, in literature, film, television, and other media, has become po ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Strange Behavior
''Strange Behavior'' (also known as ''Dead Kids'') is a 1981 slasher film written and directed by Michael Laughlin, co-written with Bill Condon, and starring Michael Murphy, Louise Fletcher, and Dan Shor. Its plot follows a series of bizarre murders being perpetrated against teenagers in a small Midwestern town, at the same time that the local university is engaging in covert mind control experiments on the youth. An international co-production between the United States, New Zealand, and Australia, the film was intended as the first installment of the ''Strange Trilogy'' which was cancelled after the second installment, ''Strange Invaders'', failed to attract a large enough audience. It is a homage to the pulp horror films of the 1950s. The film is considered a seminal work of New Zealand cinema, being the first horror film produced in the country. It has since attracted a large cult following. While not prosecuted for obscenity, the film was seized and confiscated in the UK ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Independent Film
An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is produced outside the major film studio system, in addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies (or, in some cases, distributed by major companies). Independent films are sometimes distinguishable by their content and style and the way in which the filmmakers' personal artistic vision is realized. Usually, but not always, independent films are made with considerably lower budgets than major studio films. It is not unusual for well-known actors who are cast in independent features to take substantial pay cuts for a variety of reasons: if they truly believe in the message of the film; they feel indebted to filmmaker for a career break; their career is otherwise stalled or they feel unable to manage a larger commitment to a studio film; the film offers an opportunity to showcase a talent that hasn't gained traction in the studio system; or ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Village Voice
''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the creative community of New York City. It ceased publication in 2017, although its online archives remained accessible. After an ownership change, the ''Voice'' reappeared in print as a quarterly in April 2021. Over its 63 years of publication, ''The Village Voice'' received three Pulitzer Prizes, the National Press Foundation Award, and the George Polk Award. ''The Village Voice'' hosted a variety of writers and artists, including writer Ezra Pound, cartoonist Lynda Barry, artist Greg Tate, and film critics Andrew Sarris, Jonas Mekas and J. Hoberman. In October 2015, ''The Village Voice'' changed ownership and severed all ties with former parent company Voice Media Group (VMG). The ''Voice'' announced on August 22, 2017, that it would cease pu ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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American Film (magazine)
''American Film'' is a movie magazine originally published by the American Film Institute (AFI) as a print publication between 1975 and 1992. The magazine emphasized analysis and deconstructionist criticism in a format similar to ''Film Comment'' magazine. AFI re-launched the magazine as an ongoing monthly digital edition in April 2012. See also * List of film periodicals Film periodicals combine discussion of individual films, genres and directors with in-depth considerations of the medium and the conditions of its production and reception. Their articles contrast with film reviewing in newspapers and magazines whi ... References {{reflist American Film Institute Defunct magazines published in the United States English-language magazines Film magazines published in the United States Magazines established in 1975 Magazines disestablished in 1992 Monthly magazines published in the United States Online magazines published in the United States Online magazines with defu ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |