Introduction More than the namesake of one of the most iconic sneakers, Stan Smith has lived a champion’s life on and off the tennis court. Chronicling his rise from collegiate superstar to World No.1 and beyond, Smith blazed new paths for athletes, both as a fashion icon and a humanitarian. Who Is Stan Smith? highlights Smith’s tennis accomplishments and covers his humanitarian feats off the tennis court and how Smith’s relationship with Arthur Ashe heavily inspired his anti-racist activism, followed by his relationship with Black tennis playe ..read more

Introduction Dancing Village: The Curse Begins is a prequel to KKN di DesaPenari (2022), the highest-grossing Indonesian film in history when it was released. This new film is the first film made for IMAX movie ever produced in Southeast Asia. In 2024, it will be one of only five films made for IMAX productions worldwide. Producer Manoj Punjabi is Indonesia’s most successful film and TV producer and founded MD Pictures, the country’s largest film company. Punjabi has produced one-hundred sixty-eight movies, including five of Indonesia’s biggest all-time local box office hits, among them Sewu D ..read more

During the 1960s Elvis Presley made a lot of forgettable movies. That said, one of Presley’s most memorable films was the 1964 classic musical Viva Las Vegas, co-starring Ann-Margret. Cinema Scholars celebrates this iconic film’s 60th anniversary with a deep dive retrospective into its production, filming, and legacy.  ‘Bye Bye Birdie’ Sets the Stage When Columbia Pictures decided to turn the 1960 stage play Bye Bye Birdie into a movie in 1962, they wanted Elvis Presley to play the lead role of teen idol Conrad Birdie. A character based on Elvis. However, Colonel Tom Parker stepped in and ..read more

Cinema Scholars interviews Breathe director Stefon Bristol. The sci-fi thriller stars Jennifer Hudson, Quvenzhané Wallis, Common, Milla Jovovich, and Sam Worthington. Capstone Global and Warner Brothers will release Breathe in Theaters and On Digital this Friday, April 26. Introduction Why is it so strangely satisfying when an actor plays against type? Like when a comedian goes darkly dramatic. Or America’s sweetheart gets naughty. Nothing hits quite like a surprising portrayal from a favorite performer. Seeing them branch out from their comfort zone and kill it in a new and exciting format on ..read more

Cinema Scholars reviews Guy Ritchie’s latest movie, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, starring Henry Cavill, Alex Pettyfer, Alan Ritchson, and Eiza González. The film opens in theaters nationwide on April 19, 2024. Introduction Filmgoers have come to expect a lot from director Guy Ritchie, and his latest endeavor, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, does not disappoint. While the title feels a bit long, the movie itself moves swiftly, wasting no time and giving audiences a sense of the key players and the dangerous mission they find themselves undertaking. The film takes place in mostl ..read more

Introduction Scoot McNairy is one of those actors you just recognize. In a career spanning the large of Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice, to Best Picture winners Argo and 12 Years a Slave, McNairy now stars in Blood for Dust.  Dirrected by Rod Blackhurst, McNairy stars as a down-on-his-luck salesman who gets roped into drug and gun smuggling by his shady friend Ricky (Kit Harrington). I had the pleasure of interviewing McNairy. We talked about his role in the film, his appeal to darker roles, not looking in the past at his career, and getting recognized in Home Depot. T ..read more

Introduction Spanning decades, Shaw Brothers Studio is a massive Chinese film production company. A prolific studio that came to dominate Chinese media. Its roots reach back to the 1920s. With its founders, The Shaw Brothers, persevering through two simultaneous wars. To this day, Shaw Brothers Studio is richly influential in Chinese and international cinema. Born to wealthy textile merchant Shaw Yuh Hsuen (1866–1921) and Wang Shun Xiang (1871–1939), the four brothers would endeavor to revolutionize the Chinese film industry. They include the eldest of ten, Runje. Followed by Runde, Runme, and ..read more

Introduction The never-before-told story of folk-rock icon Judee Sill, who in just two years went from living in a car to appearing on the cover of Rolling Stone. Lost Angel: The Genius of Judee Sill charts her troubled adolescence through her meteoric rise in the music world and her early tragic death. Featuring Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Browne, David Crosby, Graham Nash, Fleet Foxes, David Geffen, JD Souther, Big Thief, Weyes Blood, Tim Page and more. Executive Producers include Maya Hawke and Cheryl Strayed.  Judee Sill in a scene from the documentary “Lost Angel: The Genius of Judee Sil ..read more

Introduction After reading the Challengers synopsis, I was expecting a movie about tennis. The film’s synopsis is “Tashi, a tennis player turned coach, has transformed her husband from a mediocre player into a world-famous grand slam champion. To jolt him out of his recent losing streak, she makes him play a challenger event – close to the lowest level of the tournament on the pro tour. Tensions soon run high when he finds himself standing across the net from the once-promising, now-burnt-out Patrick, his former best friend and Tashi’s former boyfriend.” Sounds like a tennis movie, right ..read more

Synopsis Elizabeth Hurley and Georgia Lock star in a sensual thriller with a devilish twist. On the anniversary of Rebecca’s (Lauren McQueen) death, Mia (Lock) returns to the Caribbean paradise where she and her best friend shared her final days. As Mia sets out to unravel the mysterious events of her passing, old passions rise, new secrets are uncovered and Mia is pulled into a seductive world of sex, betrayal, and murder. Interview Cinema Scholars’ own Glen Dower sat down with director Damian Hurley and star Elizabeth Hurley to discuss their new feature film Strictly Confidential. They spo ..read more