Showbiz History: Andrei Rublev, Avatar 2, and a reunion for the stars of Grease
Wednesday, December 16, 2020 at 10:00AM 4 random things that happened on this day, December 16th, in showbiz history
1966 Andrei Tarkovsky's classic Andrei Rublev premieres in Moscow but an actual release for moviegoers was blocked by the Soviet censors. The years will be kind to it and its reputation grows. It goes to Cannes in 1969, finally opens in the Soviet Union in 1971 (to sold out houses) and reaches US arthouses in 1973...
1973 Prison escape drama Papillon, starring Steven McQueen and Dustin Hoffman, has its world premiere in NYC. McQueen nabs a Golden Globe Best Actor nomination but Oscar ignores the movie outside of its Jerry Goldsmith score. Charlie Hunnam and Rami Malek headlined a remake a couple of years back but audiences mostly ignored it.
1983 A crowded opening night at movie theaters with the Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta romantic fantasy Two of a Kind, the Gene Hackman war drama Uncommon Valor, the comedy remake To Be Or Not To Be starring Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft, the Blake Edwards dramedy The Man Who Loved Women, crime drama Gorky Park, and the Nazis and demons horror film The Keep, all joining Silkwood (which had opened two days prior) for a shared first weekend. Olivia & Travolta's reunion was the biggest initial attraction amongst the glut of new releases but mostly audiences stuck with prior releases Scarface, Terms of Endearment and Clint Eastwood's Sudden Impact, which were the top three hits at the box office.
2022 Obviously something's gotta give here. Hollywood no longer pits multiple blockbusters against each other each weekend but this particular Friday, two years from now, is supposed to see the release of both Aquaman 2 and James Cameron's forever in production Avatar 2. What's more they both take place in the oceans!
Today's Birthday Suit
Happy 32nd birthday to the actor Park Seo-Joon born on this day in Seoul, South Korea.
The past eighteen months or so have been big for him, co-starring in the action film Divine Fury and playing the small but key kick-off role in Parasite (2019) as the college student who leave his job and prospective girlfriend in the trusted hands of his unemployed friend, setting off the film's unforgettable chain of events. Since Parasite he's headlined the engaging drama series Itaewon Class (streaming on Netflix) as a morally stubborn young man in a war with a wealthy corporate CEO. Next up is the sci-fi drama Concrete Utopia opposite Lee Byung-Hun (The Magnificent Seven, Terminator Genysis) as earthquake survivors.
bonus (almost) birthday suit: Stephen James in If Beale Street Could TalkOther showbiz types with birthdays today:
Acting legend Liv Ullmann (WHERE IS HER HONORARY OSCAR, ACADEMY?), Rising star Stephan James (If Beale Street Could Talk), Director James Mangold (Logan, Walk the Line), ABBA legend Benny Andersson, Benjamin Bratt (Miss Congeniality, Traffic), Broadway star LaChanze (The Color Purple, Once on This Island), Jessica Jones herself Krysten Ritter, Divergent's Theo James, fierce Lord of the Rings slayer Miranda Otto, who's that guy character actor Xander Berkeley (Terminator 2, The Walking Dead, 24, Kickass), 2001 writer Arthur C Clarke, Oscar winning producer Greg Shapiro (The Hurt Locker), TV giant Steven Bochco, composer Ludwig van Beethoven, witty Noël Coward, and two novelists that Hollywood really loves to adapt, Philip K Dick and Jane Austen.
Reader Comments (11)
Jerry Goldsmith was nominated for Papillon and not Goldenthal...
When I quickly glanced at the headline, I thought it was news of a movie called "Andrei Rublev 2" which would really be an amazing idea for a funny skit.
I consider 83 a great film year. plus Anne Bancroft was on a roll from 83 - 89.
Two of a Kind nailed Olivia's film career dead and Travolta was on a slippery slide after turning down mega hit AOAG.
Silkwood is obviously THE best release of 83 and contains my favourite Meryl performance.
Uncommon Valor - Gene Hackman certainly made a lot of films no-ones ever heard of and i'm a fan.
The Man Who Loved Women inc a lovely Julie Andrews turn but not much else.
Are people eager for Avatar 2,I know it has Winslet and Weaver but can't say i was gagging to go back to Pandora.
If any movie needs to be remade is "The Keep" the book is scarier than the lame movie
Andrei Rublev is one of my favorite films. I still remember the overwhelming awe at the bell episode. When, as if by a miracle, that damned bell comes out fine, I cried tears of relief, of amazement. It's a stupendous work of art and Tarkovsky's crowning achievement.
I was in that audience to see Livvy and Johnny reunite. Yikes!
It's odd that Papillion didn't make much of a dent at the Oscars. A decent film with strong performances from both leads and Steve and Dusty could not have been bigger stars at the time plus it was a box office success. Must have been a crowded slate. The remake was weak sauce.
I love the Jack Benny/Carole Lombard original To Be or Not to Be but I love this Mel Brooks/Anne Bancroft remake just as much. Even though they are nearly scene for scene replicas they both have their own distinct feeling with Brooks skewing more towards the comedic but both delightful.
I re-watch "Papillon" (1973) and it stands up well- the film has gay subtext in the relationship between Hoffman and McQueen but McQueen wasn't going there.
Two of a Kind is best remembered for the song that Olivia Newton-John did with "A Twist of Fate". The movie is horrendous. The Man Who Loved Women, I have never seen that version with Burt Reynolds and Julie Andrews but I have seen the original by Truffaut which is a minor film but I liked it a lot.
I do love Andrei Rublev as I own the DVD.
I thought What.... when I saw one of the new generation tennis players named Andrei Roublev. In the “what were your parents thinking” category.
But I’m getting used to it, just like I’m getting used to there being 2 Steve McQueens. It helps that I love both of them.
I do wonder if the Academy is going to give Ullmann an honorary Oscar or just let her die without one, like they did with Max Von Sydow. Arguably Ullmann deserves it more than he did, as a double threat: Actor and, later in life, great director: FAITHLESS, MISS JULIE.