PeterFonda Tagged Articles at Cinematical

The great opportunity with new presentation formats for established forms of entertainment is that newcomers can be introduced and experience them for the very first time; the burden with them is that longtime fans have to forage through multiple editions and decide which one is best. Enter "Making The (Up) Grade," Cinematical's examination of these new, alternate, special editions of films that have long since become favorites. This week's selection, Easy Rider, is one of those cases where people may or may not have purchased the film before, but because it's been so thoroughly discussed and dissected in cinematic culture for the past forty years, it seems almost a redundant choice for any person who considers him- or herself a cinephile.

Is this new 40th Anniversary Blu-ray really better? Let's take a look and see.

Just what would you expect from a white, cutie student from The Jane Austen Book Club (or the dysfunctional son from Transamerica) and Spike Lee? Believe it or not, Lee is executive producing a new indie film called The Perfect Age of Rock 'n' Roll, and Variety reports that Kevin Zegers (the cutie student) and Jason Ritter (The Education of Charlie Banks) will star.

Written by Scott Rosenbaum, who is also directing, the film focuses on "a rock star (Zegers) who retreats to his Long Island hometown after his sophomore album flops." Oh, the woes of stardom. So, in this story, we'll also see the likes of Peter Fonda, Taryn Manning, Lauren Holly, Aimee Teegarden, and James Ransone -- plus, appearances by music names like Billy Morrison, Pinetop Perkins, Hubert Sumlin, and Sugar Blue.

There's not enough information to really get a handle on the story, but I'm in just to see who Peter Fonda will play. Production on the film has already begun in New Jersey, New York, and Los Angeles, so we should know more soon.

James Mangold's Cop Land is a stellar example of an "urban western," a contemporary film that beautifully updates the genre's plots and themes -- without the saddles n' spurs that Hollywood seems to be so afraid of these days. You could tell by watching that wildly underrated flick that Mangold had studied a lot of the classic westerns, and I can't wait to see his take on the real deal. 3:10 to Yuma stars Russell Crowe and Christian Bale, a potentially explosive acting duo. It's a remake of the 1957 Glenn Ford/Van Heflin film. The plot's a simple one: Outlaw leader Ben Wade (Crowe) is captured and awaiting the 3:10 train to Yuma for his trial. "Small-time rancher" Dan Evans (Bale) agrees to hold the outlaw, a battle of wills ensues, and in true western style, the whole thing culminates in a shootout, which Mangold says "has the potential to be one of the great movie gunfights." Ben Foster, Peter Fonda, and Alan Tudyk will costar.

Here we have the first two official pictures from the film. As you can see, Crowe and Bale are in full-on intense mode, and I would imagine these shots are taken from the climactic showdown. If you want to really have some fun, put the pictures up so they're facing each other and make your own gunfight. Feel free to add voices and sound effects, I won't judge. You can take the 3:10 to Yuma this October.