#Leslie Zemeckis

[badmovieihave]

Bad movie I have Beowulf 2007

[jmunneytumbler]

What to Do When You Find Yourself 'Here'

What to Do When You Find Yourself 'Here'

What’s the best way to get Here? (CREDIT: TriStar Pictures/Sony Pictures Entertainment) Starring: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Paul Bettany, Kelly Reilly, Michelle Dockery, Gwilym Lee, Ophelia Lovibond, David Fynn, Leslie Zemeckis, Jonathan Aris, Daniel Betts, Harry Marcus, Lily Aspell, Joel Oulette, Dannie McCallum, Nicholas Pinnock, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Cache Vanderpuye, Anya Marco Harris, Mohammed…

[chiefarbitermoon]

Sherry Britton: Fordham Class of '82

Do Any Of Our Fordham University Alumni Recognize This Lady?

College enrollment will begin to decline in the next few years. Around the year 2026, the number of high school graduates in the United States is expected to drop significantly and for maybe as long as a decade. Maybe longer. What are some of the tactics the institutions of higher learning are taking to combat these enrollment/revenue deficits? 

Schools have lobbied the government for the use of Pell Grants which, starting this year, will expand the eligibility of people in prison (750,000+) to receive college educations.

In 2020, New York State relaxed the definition of the term university. It is hoped this will make it easier to market to foreign students who often viewed the term “college” as simply 2-year junior colleges.

Some of the major for-profit universities have been sold to major private schools to provide turn-key operations for encouraging on-line learners.

Another important area, built into these business models is the adult learner-Introducing Ms. Sherry Britton! 

Dec. 9, 1945 issue of Yank, the Army Weekly

“Here is the story of The Great Britton or Stripeasaurus Sex 

 and a College Graduate from the Class of 1982 graduate.”

She was born in 1918 as Edith Zack. After fleeing an adolescence marred with domestic violence, foster homes and an abusive first husband, Sherry Britton started stripping at the age of fifteen at the People's Theater on The Bowery in Lower Manhattan. She received ten cents a performance. She was also a trained belly dancer and acted on Broadway.

- IMDb Mini Biography By: Jane Margaret Laight 

She was named an honorary brigadier general by President Franklin D. Roosevelt for entertaining our troops during World War II.

She Married Her Millionaire

In 1971, Britton, who had been married twice previously, and who once said she'd been engaged "14 times," married wealthy businessman Robert Gross. Gross urged her to attend Fordham University. Although Britton had never attended high school, she was admitted to the Lincoln Center campus as an undergraduate where she majored in courses “appropriate for pre-law students”. Gifted with a very high IQ, she graduated magna cum laude in 1982, at the age of 63.

Perhaps A Little Too “Tradeschoolish” For A Serious University? 

Attending a burlesque show is not like going to a strip club. 

“Burlesque is a form of variety theater.” said Edward Bristow, former Dean at FCLC who has served at the Director of the Bachelor of Fine Arts. Program, ”It includes both dance and singing. It was most popular in the late 19th century and early 20th Century.” Bristow added: “I don’t think there is any formal training in stripetease.” 

Note: Unlike the striptease performer, you should not necessarily expect nudity on a burlesque stage. Dancers at a burlesque show plan their routines carefully and do a lot of training, just like ‘exotic dancers’ do. 

NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY DIGITAL COLLECTIONS

(L-R) Sherry Britton, unidentified actress, and Tom Poston in the stage revue The Best of Burlesque

Behind the Burly Q (2010)

Sherry is seen in archive footage in the Leslie Zemeckis directed film documentary that attempted to examine the golden age of American Burlesque in the first half of the 20th century. It takes a behind-the-velvet-curtain peek at the golden age of burlesque, meeting the women and men who pushed the envelope of social propriety. 

The Legitimate Theatre Too.

She appeared on Broadway in the 1958 three act comedy, Drink To Me Only. At the George Abbott Theatre on 154 West 54th Street. She played a character named Princess Alexandria for 77 performances. 

(https://www.ibdb.com/broadway)

After Robert Gross died in 1990, Britton lived a life of retirement. She died of natural causes on April 1, 2008, in New York City. 

Sherry Britton talks about burlesque and its history in NYC

{This article originally appeared in the Fordham University Class of 1980 Facebook site: https://www.facebook.com/groups/537184563628982}

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Some Other Fordham Connections

When she co starred in Drink To Me Only she worked with Screen, 

Stage and TV veteran John McGiver (FCRH 1938 B.A. English) 

(IMDb.com)

Also interviewed in Behind the Burly Q, was Alan Alda (FCRH Class of 1956). His father, Robert Alda (right), had worked as a burlesque singer and straightman. 

(IMDb.com)

End Notes

1.https://www.forbes.com/sites/dereknewton/2021/01/27/one-way-colleges-can-weather-the-coming-enrollment-squeeze/?sh=657acf016aaf

2.https://thehill.com/homenews/education/4073299-around-30000-prisoners-soon-to-be-eligible-for-free-college-with-pell-grant-expansion/

 3.https://www.news10.com/news/ny-news/nys-board-of-regents-changes-definition-of-university/

 University of Phoenix being bought by the University of Idaho (estimated price is $550 million). 4.https://www.azcentral.com/story/money/business/2023/05/18/sale-of-university-of-phoenix-nears-after-deal-with-university-of-idaho-550-million/70234256007/

 5. Kaplan University bought by Purdue University for $1.00 (share revenue over next 30 years.) 

6.https://www.edsurge.com/news/2017-04-27-purdue-buys-for-profit-kaplan-university-for-1-to-create-new-kind-of-public-university

 7. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2000509/bio/?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm

 8. https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/sherry-britton-100411

 9. Hevesi, Dennis (3 April 2008). "Sherry Britton, 89, a S

10. https://www.1923lv.com/what-to-expect-from-a-burlesque-show/

11. https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/drink-to-me-only-2696

12. Hevesi, Dennis (3 April 2008). "Sherry Britton, 89, a Star of the Burlesque Stage, Dies". The New York Times.

13. Freeman, William M. (September 10, 1975). "John McGiver, Actor, 62, Dies. Did TV, Film Character Roles" (PDF). New York Times.  14. Gelt, Jessica (6 July 2013). "'Behind the Burly Q' a revealing portrait of burlesque's stars". Los Angeles Times.

[travsd]

The Oeuvre of Leslie Zemeckis

In the spirit of our recent post on Marion Meade, we thought you’d use the occasion of Leslie Zemeckis’s natal day for a brief appreciation of, like, everything she’s ever done (with fervent hopes that, unlike Meade, she will live and produce many more cool works long after I hit the “publish” button.) We first became aware of Zemeckis via her first film, 2010’s terrific classic burlesque…

[luckypluckychair]

Death Becomes Her | 1992

Director: Robert Zemeckis

Production designer: Rick Carter / Set decorator: Jackie Carr, Max E. Brehme, Steven Jarrard, Scott W. Leslie, Bruce Fuselier, William Kemper Wright, Lauren E. Polizzi, Elizabeth Lapp, Masako Masuda and John Berger

[collinthenychudson]

"One thing about trains: It doesn't matter where they're going. What matters is deciding to get on." - Conductor

Twenty years ago, The Polar Express made it's theatrical debut in cinemas across the United States. Loosely based on the 1985 children's book of the same name written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg, the film was directed by Robert Zemeckis (who also directed the Back To The Future trilogy, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Forrest Gump, etc.) With Alan Silvestri producing the film's music. Although the film's premiere was held at the Chicago International Film Fesitval on October 13th 2004, the theatrical debut took place on November 10th of that year.

Among the cast members was Tom Hanks (the voice of Woody in the Disney-Pixar Toy Story franchise) who took on the roles of Chris the Hero Boy, the Conductor, the Hobo, the Ebenezer Scrooge Puppet, Santa Claus, Chris' Father, and the narrator, although Chris' child voice was done by Daryl Sabara with additional motion capture done by Josh Hutcherson.

Other cast members include:

Nona Gaye (voice), Darrian O Driscoll (additional motion capture), Meagan Moore (singing voice), and Tinashe (motion-capture model) as Holly the Hero Girl.

Peter Scolari (motion capture), Hayden McFarland (additional motion-capture), Jimmy Bennett (voice), and Matthew Hall (singing voice) as Billy the Lonely Boy.

Eddie Deezen and Jimmy Pinchak (additional motion capture) as Know-It-All.

Michael Jeter (voice) and André Sogliuzzo (additional voice) as Steamer the Engineer and Smokey the Fireman.

Leslie Zemeckis (motion capture), Isabella Peregrina (voice) and Ashly Holloway (additional motion capture) as Sister Sarah and Chris' Mother.

Dylan Cash as a Boy on the Train.

Brendan King and Andy Pellick as the Pastry Chefs.

Josh Eli, Rolandes Hendricks, Jon Scott, Sean Scott, Mark Mendonca, Mark Goodman, Gregory Gast, and Gordon Hart as the Waiters.

Julene Renee as Red Head Girl and an Elf.

Chris Coppola and Connor Matheus (additional motion capture) as Gus the Toothless Boy and an Elf.

Phil Fondacaro, Debbie Lee Carrington, Mark Povinelli, and Ed Gale as the Elves.

Charles Fleischer as the Elf General.

Steven Tyler as the Elf Lieutenant and Elf Singer.

The locomotive that pulls the train is based on No. 1225, an N-1 class 2-8-4 "Berkshire" type locomotive that was built by the Lima Locomotive Works in October 1941 to pull freight trains for the Pere Marquette Railway. The locomotive's design and sounds were used for the Polar Express while the whistle came from Sierra Railway No. 3, a 4-6-0 "Ten Wheeler" locomotive built by the Rogers Locomotive and Machine Works March 26, 1891.

Upon it's release, the film was met with mixed reviews with many people labeling the film as a "Christmas Classic" and others criticizing the film's characters as "lifeless zombies". The movie recieved a Rotten Tomatoes score of 56% but had otherwise performed successfully in the box office at $318.2 million reaching over the film's budget of $165-170 million. Over the years follwing it's theatrical debut, the film would be released to home media both on DVD and VHS with occasional DVD releases from time to time.

Like all films, The Polar Express also has marketing and other promotional materials. One example comes in the form of games based on the film such as a PS2 game of the same name, a Ticket Chase game, a Train Adventure game, and so forth. Another example is with model railroad and toy train companies such as Lionel and Brio have made various train sets based on the Polar Express train.

A third example includes various Polar Express-themed train ride events loosely based on the train's journey taking place at various heritage railroads during the Christmas season such as on the Durango & Silverton, Grand Canyon Railway, the B&O Railroad Museum, and even from Pere Marquette 1225, although under the name of "North Pole Express". In addition, SeaWorld Orlando did a temporary Christmas Layover of the Wild Arctic motion simulator ride called the "Polar Express Experience" from 2007 to 2015. Other forms of marketing, promotional materials, and merch has come or have came in the form of various board games such as a matching game and Train-opoly, a book showcasing the film's concept art, and even a limited edition cereal.

Despite what some people think of the movie, The Polar Express continues to remain one of the most iconic Christmas movies to this day making occasional returns to cinemas during the Christmas season alongside various other Christmas movies. In fact, this is my number one favorite Christmas movie of all time not just because I'm obviously a railfan, but it's also because that this was the first ever movie I have seen in the theaters. It was this film, alongside Thomas The Tank Engine and I Love Toy Trains, that have gotten me into steam locomotives and trains in general.

To Robert Zemeckis, Alan Silvestri, Tom Hanks, and everyone else who took part in the making of this film, thank you. Happy 20th anniversary to The Polar Express!

Models and Route by: K&L Trainz, Auran and Download Station

The Polar Express C) Warner Bros.

[popentertainment-moviereviews]

HERE (2024)

Starring Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Paul Bettany, Kelly Reilly, Michelle Dockery, Gwilym Lee, Ophelia Lovibond, David Fynn, Leslie Zemeckis, Lauren McQueen, Beau Gadsdon, Jonathan Aris, Albie Salter, Harry Marcus, Lilly Aspell, Joel Oulette, Dannie McCallum, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Anya Marco Harris, Mohammed George, Dexter Sol Ansell and Stuart Bowman.

Screenplay by Eric Roth and Robert Zemeckis.

Directed by Robert Zemeckis.

Distributed by TriStar Pictures. 104 minutes. Rated PG-13.

It’s hard to believe that it’s been 30 years since Forrest Gump. All this time later, the stars (Tom Hanks and Robin Wright), the writer (Eric Roth) and the director (Robert Zemeckis) have reunited for a new film. Gump has always had a bit of a weird reputation. Many people – me included – very much enjoyed Forrest Gump. It even won the Best Picture Oscar. Yet, at the same time, many people who don’t like it consider the film to be sappy and condescending, and these critics do have some very legitimate points.

Not to worry, though, for better or worse, other than some of the same talent Here really has little in common with Forrest Gump. In fact, Here is pretty unique to itself. It is not taking a traditional storytelling path. Instead of focusing on characters – although there are quite a few characters in the film – this movie is particularly about a setting. Very specifically, the living room of a small but charming 250-year-old house. Here tracks what has happened on this specific plot of land over the centuries – starting with the dinosaurs and ending in the present day. (There are a few early segments from before the house was built, in which it is merely a field or a road.)

I can respect that kind of story idea – who hasn’t passed by houses and wondered what was going on in them, or what had happened there? I particularly am intrigued by this kind of idea because I too live in an old house and have often pondered about its history. My house is not quite as old as the house in Here. It’s about 125 years old – the official building date on record is 1900, but I have been told several times that is because they didn’t keep records before 1900, so it is quite probably older than that.

So why not take a look at the history of a place? The people who have lived and died there, the joy and pain experienced there, the parties, the funerals, the hopes, and the dreams. It’s an interesting idea for a film, although eventually it turns out that it is not exactly a cinematic one, or at least it doesn’t quite work as well as the filmmakers would have hoped.

Much of what happens in Here feels random, which I suppose even makes a certain amount of sense, because it is not the story of people so much as it is the story of a place. Some characters connect, others don’t, the storyline flips back and forth through time, and the whole story seems to have no true through line – unless again you count the single room in which pretty much all of the action occurred.

We meet and then move away from many people over the years, to the point that the audience feels like it is not really learning enough about any of the main characters. Essentially, the Here house has four families living in it over the years, although it even skips further back in time to the indigenous people who once lived on the land and the Revolutionary war-era citizens who built the huge house nearby that will become the center view of the living room window for the yet-to-be-built home.

With all of these characters flittering in and out of the storyline, it becomes a bit difficult to build up a relationship with many of these characters. (The Native Americans, the colonials and a furniture inventor who is married to a pin-up model seem to have particularly little to do here…)

Much of the narrative revolves around a two-generation family which kept the house for decades – the mother Rose and father Al (Kelly Reilly and Paul Bettany) eventually leave the house to one of their sons Richard and his wife Margaret (Hanks and Wright), who end up spending much of their life there.

Quite frankly, had Here focused on this one family they would have had more than enough for a more engaging storyline. Also, Here does spend more time with these characters than any other, but every time you start to build up an interest in the character arcs, the film suddenly moves back or forth in time to another story, losing the narrative momentum.

Speaking of Hanks and Wright, through some very disturbing de-aging tricks, they end up playing their characters from age 18 until sometime in their 70s or 80s. The old-age makeup in their later years is all right and mostly normal although it probably is done with SFX, but the computerized de-aging effects are distracting and unrealistic. It is as if director Zemeckis is still trying to sell us on his motion-capture process that made Hanks look so creepy in The Polar Express when he is the only one who doesn’t get how wrong it all looks. To make it even more disorienting, most of their de-aged shots were done in extreme close-up, which made the flaws even more noticeable.

Here was an interesting film experiment and, in some sections, it is quite beautiful. However, it doesn’t quite work.

Jay S. Jacobs

Copyright ©2024 PopEntertainment.com. All rights reserved. Posted: October 30, 2024.

[citylifeorg]

Ellis Island Honors Society Presents the 2023 Ellis Island Medals of Honor

(left to right): Academy Award-winning Director Robert Zemeckis, Award-Winning Documentarian Leslie Zemeckis, Actor and Ukraine Activist Liev Schreiber, Financier and Philanthropist David Rubenstein were among the more than the ninety honorees who received the 2023 Ellis Island Medal of Honor from the The Ellis Island Honors Society for their personal contributions to the nation and their support…

[saturdaynightmatinee]

CALIFICACIÓN PERSONAL: 7 / 10

Título Original: Welcome to Marwen

Año: 2018

Duración: 116 min

País: Estados Unidos

Dirección: Robert Zemeckis

Guion: Caroline Thompson, Robert Zemeckis

Música:  Alan Silvestri

Fotografía:  C. Kim Miles

Reparto: Steve Carell, Leslie Mann, Janelle Monáe, Diane Kruger, Eiza González, Gwendoline Christie, Merritt Wever, Neil Jackson, Siobhan Williams, Matt O'Leary, Falk Hentschel, Nikolai Witschl, Patrick Roccas, Leslie Zemeckis, Stefanie von Pfetten, Eric Keenleyside, Robert Mann, Clay St. Thomas, Kate Gajdosik, Conrad Coates, Veena Sood, Brad Kelly, Patrick Sabongui, Fraser Aitcheson, Jeff Sanca, Adrian Persad, Sharon Crandall, Gerald Paetz, Jason Glass, Matt Ellis

Productora: Coproducción Estados Unidos-Japón; Universal Pictures, CPTC, Dentsu Inc, DreamWorks SKG, Fuji TV, ImageMovers

Género: Biography; Comedy; Drama

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3289724/

TRAILER:

[suchananewsblog]

Filmmaker Leslie Zemeckis Signs With Buchwald

EXCLUSIVE: Filmmaker, writer and actress Leslie Zemeckis has inked with Buchwald for representation in the directing arena. Zemeckis will film a new role in Here, the Robert Zemeckis adaptation of the Richard McGuire graphic novel starring Tom Hanks and Robin Wright for Miramax. Production on Here is underway on location in London. Zemeckis, an award-winning documentarian and novelist recently…

[oer4]

Watching: The Polar Express (2004 movie) on Google TV

[spindleprick]

Her body is on display, her thoughts hidden under yards of cherry red chiffon.

Leslie Zemeckis, Goddess of Love Incarnate

[mythcreant]

Robert Zemeckis’ warm and magical Welcome To Marwen – starring Steve Carell as the victim of a violent assault who constructs a realistic miniature World War II village in his yard where he becomes an action hero – invaded theaters on December 21, 2018.

[cosmicretreat]

[cinemadrunk]

RecentWatch (4/30)

Dora and the Lost City of Gold 2019

I can’t decide if you’re supposed to laugh at or with this. It’s a reach, even for a kid. And definitely for one that may have grown up watching Dora. Nickelodeon, really?

4/10

 Welcome To Marwen 2018

5/10