Displaying items by tag: Mark O’Connell
Still Screaming in Space: Remembering “Alien” on its 40th Anniversary
“Alien (like other 1970s films such as Jaws, Superman, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Godfather, and Star Wars) was a seminal landmark in the upgrade of shopworn B-movie clichés — monsters, comic book characters, flying saucers, gangsters, Saturday afternoon serials — into major A-movie assets.” — Paul M. Sammon, author of Ridley Scott: The Making of His Movies
The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the 40th anniversary of the release of Alien, the sci-fi/horror classic about the five-man, two-woman (and one cat) crew of the Nostromo, who got more than they bargained for after investigating a distress signal from a mysterious planet.
Suspense, atmospheric moodiness and Oscar-winning visual effects were among the highlights of Alien, directed by Ridley Scott (Blade Runner, Gladiator) and starring Tom Skerritt (Top Gun), Veronica Cartwright (The Right Stuff), Harry Dean Stanton (Repo Man), John Hurt (The Elephant Man), Ian Holm (Chariots of Fire), Yaphet Kotto (Live and Let Die), and Sigourney Weaver (Ghostbusters) as Ellen Ripley. [Read on here...]
- science fiction
- History Legacy & Showmanship
- Michael Coate
- The Digital Bits
- film retrospective
- Mark O’Connell
- Alien
- Ridley Scott
- HR Giger
- Still Screaming in Space
- 40th anniversary
- Chris Barsanti
- The SciFi Movie Guide: The Universe of Film from Alien to Zardoz
- JW Rinzler
- The Making of Alien
- Paul M Sammon
- Ridley Scott: The Making of His Movies
- Tom Skerritt
- Jerry Goldsmith
- Veronica Cartwright
- Harry Dean Stanton
- John Hurt
- Ian Holm
- Yaphet Kotto
- Sigourney Weaver
- Nostromo
- Big Chap
Every Retrospective Has a Beginning: Remembering “The Phantom Menace” on its 20th Anniversary
“The Phantom Menace is the film that caused a generation gap in Star Wars fandom.” — W.R. Miller, author of The Star Wars Historical Sourcebook: Volume One 1971 to 1976
The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the 20th anniversary of the release of Star Wars: Episode I—The Phantom Menace, the first entry in the long-awaited prequel trilogy to the original 1977-83 Star Wars trilogy.
Marking series creator George Lucas’s return to directing, The Phantom Menace opened twenty years ago this month, with some fans camping out for days (plural!) to experience a screening on opening day. And while the movie was an undeniable box-office smash, breaking numerous earnings and attendance records, there was a great disturbance in the Force as the film left a lot of moviegoers and critics underwhelmed and disappointed. [Read on here...]
- Mark O’Connell
- Star Wars
- George Lucas
- film retrospective
- The Digital Bits
- Michael Coate
- History Legacy & Showmanship
- science fiction
- 20th Anniversary
- The Phantom Menace
- Episode I
- WR Miller
- Stephen Danley
- Star Wars at the Movies
- Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
- The Star Wars Historical Sourcebook: Volume One 1971 to 1976
- Watching Skies: Star Wars, Spielberg and Us
Celebrate the Love: Remembering “Return of the Jedi” on its 35th Anniversary
“With its dramatic and satisfying conclusion of the overall plot and its upbeat finale, Return of the Jedi set the future of the Star Wars brand on an extremely sure footing and ensured that the trilogy would be regarded as one of the greatest of all time.” — Craig Stevens, author of The Star Wars Phenomenon in Britain
The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the 35th anniversary of the release of Return of the Jedi, the concluding chapter of George Lucas’ original Star Wars trilogy, which featured Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher reprising their popular roles of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Princess Leia, respectively.
Tying up all of the loose ends of the previous chapter and showcasing a galaxy’s worth of creatures, robots and visual effects, Return of the Jedi opened to record-breaking box-office thirty-five years ago this week. [Read on here...]
- science fiction
- 70mm
- History Legacy & Showmanship
- Michael Coate
- The Digital Bits
- film retrospective
- George Lucas
- Star Wars
- Return of the Jedi
- 35th anniversary
- Mark Hamill
- Carrie Fisher
- Harrison Ford
- Michael Kaminski
- Mark O’Connell
- Craig Stevens
- The Secret History of Star Wars
- The Star Wars Phenomenon in Britain
- Watching Skies: Star Wars Spielberg and Us
- Richard Marquand
The Midas Touch: Remembering “Goldfinger” on its 50th Anniversary
“Only Sean Connery in 1964 could pull off wearing a baby-blue terrycloth onesie and still make every woman in the audience breathe a little more deeply and every man want to be him.” — John Cork
The Digital Bits is pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the golden anniversary of the release of Goldfinger, the classic James Bond adventure starring Sean Connery as Agent 007 and directed by Guy Hamiton. Featuring an unforgettable villain, unforgettable sidekick, unforgettable gadgets, and a Bond Girl with an unforgettable name, Goldfinger, which premiered in London 50 years ago today, delighted audiences becoming the first Bond film to be a global phenomenon, ensuring more 007 films for decades to come. [Read more here...]
- The Digital Bits
- Michael Coate
- History Legacy & Showmanship
- Bluray
- interview
- 007
- James Bond
- Goldfinger
- Ian Flemming
- Guy Hamiton
- Sean Connery
- 50th Anniversary
- Jon Burlingame
- Robert A Caplen
- James Chapman
- John Cork
- Bill Desowitz
- Charles Helfenstein
- Mark O’Connell
- Lee Pfeiffer
- Steven Jay Rubin
- Bruce Scivally