Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2016 January 23

= January 23 =

Movies about the Russian civil war
What are some examples of movies about the Russian revolution/Russian civil war which show Bolshevik atrocities against the Russian people? I know Dr. Zhivago shows some of that (along with Tsarist atrocities against the opposition) -- are there others? 2601:646:8E01:9089:85AF:C6B2:CBDD:1C9 (talk) 02:56, 23 January 2016 (UTC)
 * Two places to start would be Category:Russian Revolution films and Category:Russian Civil War films. Clarityfiend (talk) 22:13, 23 January 2016 (UTC)
 * Quite a few movies there which show the Reds as the bad guys -- thanks! 2601:646:8E01:9089:94DA:2520:D95F:848D (talk) 02:40, 24 January 2016 (UTC)

Studios following Warners - Real or rumor?
I have discovered Warner Archive Collection's streaming service for its titles. A friend told me that competing studios have also released their films online a la Netflix, but I have not found any evidence to support this. What's really the case? Theskinnytypist (talk) 04:27, 23 January 2016 (UTC)
 * Paramount Pictures streams some of their films for free on YouTube, on a channel called The Paramount Vault; it's only available in the US, though. I haven't heard of other studios jumping on that bandwagon yet, but who knows? It may happen soon...--Lemuellio (talk) 20:39, 30 January 2016 (UTC)

Becoming a Film Critic
There seem to be two kinds of film critics: those who review current theatrical releases (like Roger Ebert) and those who review past releases, with new ones as they come out (like Leonard Maltin). Since the '80s it takes an advanced degree to become a film critic - is that the case for both types, or only the former?

I have read informal movie guides by people who in all likelihood didn't go to graduate school. Did someone help them see enough to write them, or was it only through effort on their part? Theskinnytypist (talk) 04:33, 23 January 2016 (UTC)
 * The articles don't indicate that either Ebert or Maltin got journalism degrees. What they both did was to start writing while still in high school, and developed their skills. They also both saw lots of movies. That's the key to being able to review knowledgably. Maltin, for his books, had a staff of writers, which made it easier to review and rate practically every feature film ever made which still existed. Siskel and Ebert both talked about how they had seen so many movies that they recognized patterns, so they could say whether a particular type of story line was done above average or not. And that's why they would praise films like My Dinner with Andre, because it didn't follow a clichéd story line. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 15:26, 23 January 2016 (UTC)


 * With the advent of the Internet, the bar has been somewhat lowered. Everyone's a critic (though Everyone's a Critic is defunct). Similarly, people no longer need to go to film school or spend a lot of money to make a film Ebert liked. InedibleHulk (talk) 20:01, 23 January 2016 (UTC)

Confirmation of whether some actors and actresses of the Philippines are dead or alive
Can anyone confirm if these actors and actresses of the Philippines are dead or alive?: Ebaillargeon82 (talk) 20:50, 23 January 2016 (UTC)
 * 1) Tony Tolman (birth date 1917)
 * 2) Eddie Ilagan (birth date November 17, 1917)
 * 3) Aring Bautista (birth date 1920)
 * 4) Joseph de Cordova (birth date January 1, 1921)
 * 5) Ramon D'Salva (birth date 1921)
 * 6) Luningning (birth date May 1922)
 * The answer is probably "No". I've not been able to find any reports (reliable or unreliable) of their deaths, and none of the actors with an IMDb page have a date of death listed, but this isn't confirmation that they're alive. Tevildo (talk) 19:01, 25 January 2016 (UTC)
 * They're all dead except for Eddie Ilagan, who was born around 1948, not 1917. Tony Tolman (He was born 1926, not 1917. The Tony Tolman born in 1917 was a 23 year old white male in the 1940 U.S. Census) died somewhere between the late 1970s and early 1980s, Aring Bautista died in the 1970s, Joseph de Cordova died around 1990, Ramon D'Salva died around 1994/1995, and Luningning died in the 1950s. VRtrooper (talk) 02:45, 2 March 2016 (UTC)
 * Ok, it looks like I made some mistakes. Most of what VRtrooper said is true. Though, I must correct a few mistakes he and I made. Joseph de Cordova's birthday is August 27, 1918. He died December 16, 1990. As for Tony Tolman, a 1926 birth year is indeed correct. He was born March 17, 1926 and died January 30, 2012 (so, he didn't die in the late 1970s or early 1980s. Ebaillargeon82 (talk) 19:55, 27 September 2016 (UTC)