Director John Hughes Dead at 59

(NEWSER) - The Chicago-area house immortalized in a glass-breaking, Ferrari-plunging shot from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is for sale, the Arlington Heights Daily Herald reports. “It’s spectacular inside,” said the realtor offering the glass-walled modern home at $2.3 million. “It’s like living in a tree house.” The house is decorated with pictures from the shoot. Director John Hughes has been notified of the sale, but has yet to express interest. No word on Cameron, either. More»

Influential director made 'Bonnie and Clyde,' 'Little Big Man'

(AP) - Director Arthur Penn, a myth-maker and myth-breaker who in such classics as Bonnie and Clyde and Little Big Man refashioned movie and American history and sealed a generation's affinity for outsiders, died last night, a day after his 88th birthday. Daughter Molly Penn said her father (no relation to actor Sean) died at his home in Manhattan of congestive heart failure. More»

Even Hollywood can make movies for the non-'lily-livered:' Nile Gardiner

(NEWSER) - "Hollywood may well be a bastion of liberalism, but it does continue to occasionally produce major films that advance conservative principles," Nile Gardiner writes in the Telegraph . His best of the aughts:

1. Master and Commander, 2003: The Peter Weir flick starring Russell Crowe is "an epic tale of heroism and love for country in the face of incredible odds, and a glowing tribute to the grit and determination that forged the British Empire."
2. Black Hawk Down, 2001: Critics may have called it an "anti-war film," but Gardiner doesn't buy it. Instead, it's "an extraordinarily powerful and deeply patriotic tribute to the heroism and bravery of the US military."

French first lady returns director's fawning with a 'yes'

(NEWSER) - French first lady Carla Bruni doesn’t have any delusions about her acting ability—“Perhaps I’ll be completely hopeless”—but when Woody Allen comes a-knocking, you don’t say no. The director has asked the former model to appear in an upcoming movie after meeting her earlier this year. “I don't know what the role would be, but I said yes,” she tells the AFP . “I go into everything blindly, or I'd never do anything at all.” Besides, "when I'm a grandmother I'd like to be able to say I made a film with Woody Allen.” More»

Roger Corman, Gordon Willis, John Calley share the spotlight

(NEWSER) - A mere 65 years after her unforgettable screen debut, Lauren Bacall has won an Academy Award. The honorary Oscar was a high point of a ceremony last night in Los Angeles that also celebrated the careers of filmmaker Roger Corman, cinematographer Gordon Willis, and producer John Calley. "I can't believe it, a man at last!" the 85-year-old Bacall joked as she hoisted her new hardware. More»