Displaying items by tag: Dan Aykroyd
Hellzapoppin’: Remembering “1941” on its 40th Anniversary
“Any legitimate study of Spielberg’s career has to include 1941.” — film music historian Mike Matessino
The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the 40th anniversary of the release of 1941, Steven Spielberg’s zany, whacky, epic World War II comedy featuring a screenplay by Robert Zemeckis & Bob Gale (Used Cars, Back to the Future) and John Milius (Big Wednesday, Red Dawn), an all-star cast headed by Dan Aykroyd (The Blues Brothers, Ghostbusters) and John Belushi (Animal House, The Blues Brothers), and Oscar-nominated Cinematography, Sound and Visual Effects.
The large ensemble cast also featured Nancy Allen (Dressed to Kill), Ned Beatty (Deliverance), Eddie Deezen (Grease), Bobby DiCicco (I Wanna Hold Your Hand), Lorraine Gary (Jaws), Murray Hamilton (Jaws), Diane Kay (Eight is Enough TV series), Christopher Lee (The Man with the Golden Gun), Tim Matheson (Animal House), Frank McRae (Used Cars), Toshiro Mifune (The Hidden Fortress), Warren Oates (The Wild Bunch), Slim Pickens (Dr. Strangelove), Wendie Jo Sperber (Back to the Future), Robert Stack (The Untouchables TV series), Lionel Stander (Hart to Hart TV series), and Treat Williams (Prince of the City). [Read more here...]
Revisiting ‘1941’: Spielberg’s WWII Comedy Spectacular Turns Thirty-five
“[Spielberg] has said he felt invincible at the time, so what you get is a Steven Spielberg channeling his inner ten-year-old and going crazy on a movie backlot.” — Mike Matessino
“The main reason to celebrate 1941,” says Mike Matessino, “is because it has been restored in HD and released on Blu-ray, particularly the extended version that fans have come to love and which Steven Spielberg considers his Director’s Cut.” Matessino produced the two-disc CD soundtrack release of 1941 issued by La-La Land Records in 2011 and will be hosting the American Cinematheque’s March 22nd screening of the film and cast-and-crew Q&A. The screening will mark the theatrical debut of a new DCP of the extended cut of the film. [Read more here...]
They Came, They Saw, They Kicked Its Ass: Remembering “Ghostbusters” on its 30th Anniversary
“Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. No job is too big. No fee is too big.”
The Digital Bits is pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the 30th anniversary of the release of Ghostbusters, the supernatural comedy and smash hit of the summer of ’84 that introduced the world to Slimer, the Ecto-1, the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man and unlicensed nuclear accelerators. The Bits celebrates the occasion with this retrospective featuring some quotes from movie critics, production & exhibition trivia, a list of the movie’s deluxe 70-millimeter presentations, and a compilation of box-office data that places the movie’s performance in context. [Read on here…]