When Disney purchased the 20th Century Fox library in 2019, it caused some consternation among cineastes. The Fox catalog was vast and impressive, containing tons of indelible classics and even more titles waiting deep inside the studio's archive. 20th Century Fox was formed in 1935 and quickly became one of the "big five" studios that dominated the film industry for decades. Fox hadn't seen a shake-up this dramatic since 1985 when ultra-conservative media mogul Rubert Murdoch bought a controlling share of the company from Marvin Davis.
When Disney made its purchase, many film fans wondered if Fox's old classics would be made more widely available through the about-to-launch Disney+. When the streaming service debuted with a paltry 500 titles, cineastes were aghast. Why buy all those Fox titles if you're not going to distribute them?
That, however, was merely the end of the road for Fox. For its 83-year life, the studio went through many massive,...
When Disney made its purchase, many film fans wondered if Fox's old classics would be made more widely available through the about-to-launch Disney+. When the streaming service debuted with a paltry 500 titles, cineastes were aghast. Why buy all those Fox titles if you're not going to distribute them?
That, however, was merely the end of the road for Fox. For its 83-year life, the studio went through many massive,...
- 4/21/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Manhunt by Apple TV+ finally reaches a bittersweet conclusion. In the previous episode, Stanton’s Union servicemen finally caught up to Booth and Herold, who were hiding in a barn near Richmond, Virginia. The Union Cavalry arrived at the scene, leading to Booth getting shot at the hands of Sergeant Corbett. In a manner similar to Lincoln, Booth too was shot in the back of his head. Stanton orders his men to have Booth’s body buried where nobody can find him and make him a martyr.
Now that the President’s assassin is executed, Stanton and his men proceed to arrange a case against the Confederates, through which he wishes to accuse Jefferson Davis of conspiracy against the President. Stanton and his men call it the ‘grand conspiracy’ but also feel that this plan is far-fetched. Regardless, with President Johnson’s approval, they made a case and gathered enough...
Now that the President’s assassin is executed, Stanton and his men proceed to arrange a case against the Confederates, through which he wishes to accuse Jefferson Davis of conspiracy against the President. Stanton and his men call it the ‘grand conspiracy’ but also feel that this plan is far-fetched. Regardless, with President Johnson’s approval, they made a case and gathered enough...
- 4/19/2024
- by Shrey Ashley Philip
- Film Fugitives
Since the inception of the Academy Awards, the U.S.-based organization behind them has always strived to honor worldwide film achievements. Their extensive roster of competitive acting winners alone consists of artists from 30 unique countries, three of which first gained representation during the 2020s. The last full decade’s worth of triumphant performers hail from eight countries, while 42.1% of the individual actors nominated during that time originate from outside of America.
The academy’s history of recognizing acting talent on a global scale dates all the way back to the inaugural Oscars ceremony in 1929, when Swiss-born Emil Jannings (who was of German and American parentage) won Best Actor for his work in both “The Last Command” and “The Way of All Flesh.” Over the next three years, the Best Actress prize was exclusively awarded to Canadians: Mary Pickford (“Coquette”), Norma Shearer (“The Divorcee”), and Marie Dressler (“Min and Bill...
The academy’s history of recognizing acting talent on a global scale dates all the way back to the inaugural Oscars ceremony in 1929, when Swiss-born Emil Jannings (who was of German and American parentage) won Best Actor for his work in both “The Last Command” and “The Way of All Flesh.” Over the next three years, the Best Actress prize was exclusively awarded to Canadians: Mary Pickford (“Coquette”), Norma Shearer (“The Divorcee”), and Marie Dressler (“Min and Bill...
- 3/18/2024
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
British Buggery.
After closing out January with the very gay (and very terrible) The Covenant (listen) and the pseudo-remake of Single White Female: The Roommate (listen), we kicked off February with journey to the world of H.P. Lovecraft in Re-Animator. Now, we’re traveling back in time to discuss Albert Lewin‘s 1945 adaptation of The Portrait of Dorian Gray.
In The Picture of Dorian Gray, Lord Henry Wotton (George Sanders), tells his friend Dorian Gray (Hurd Hatfield) that men should pursue their sensual longings, but laments that only the young get to do so. Taken with the idea, Dorian inadvertently makes a Faustian bargain to stay young forever. His wish comes true, and his boyish looks aid him as he indulges his every whim. Unfortunately, his sins take physical form on a portrait of himself, and as the years go by he must decide what type of man he wants to be.
After closing out January with the very gay (and very terrible) The Covenant (listen) and the pseudo-remake of Single White Female: The Roommate (listen), we kicked off February with journey to the world of H.P. Lovecraft in Re-Animator. Now, we’re traveling back in time to discuss Albert Lewin‘s 1945 adaptation of The Portrait of Dorian Gray.
In The Picture of Dorian Gray, Lord Henry Wotton (George Sanders), tells his friend Dorian Gray (Hurd Hatfield) that men should pursue their sensual longings, but laments that only the young get to do so. Taken with the idea, Dorian inadvertently makes a Faustian bargain to stay young forever. His wish comes true, and his boyish looks aid him as he indulges his every whim. Unfortunately, his sins take physical form on a portrait of himself, and as the years go by he must decide what type of man he wants to be.
- 2/12/2024
- by Trace Thurman
- bloody-disgusting.com
"Batman & Robin" is an infamous movie, in no small part thanks to Arnold Schwarzenegger's turn as the villainous Mr. Freeze. Was the casting of such a big-name star a mandate from Warner Bros? Nope! Director Joel Schumacher personally chose Arnold for the part. Reading Akiva Goldsman's script for the film, Schumacher found the dialogue for Mr. Freeze, intended to be "Shakespearean," to instead be "hysterical. In my head, I was reading Freeze's dialogue as Schwarzenegger."
So, Schumacher called up Arnold and asked him to play the part. As Schwarzenegger recounts in "The Making of 'Batman & Robin' | Behind The Scenes."
"Joel Schumacher came to me and said that he would like me to play Mr. Freeze. 'I would not direct the movie, because I only can do this movie if you play Mr. Freeze.' So, what are you gonna do? I mean, screw up a whole movie?...
So, Schumacher called up Arnold and asked him to play the part. As Schwarzenegger recounts in "The Making of 'Batman & Robin' | Behind The Scenes."
"Joel Schumacher came to me and said that he would like me to play Mr. Freeze. 'I would not direct the movie, because I only can do this movie if you play Mr. Freeze.' So, what are you gonna do? I mean, screw up a whole movie?...
- 12/24/2023
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
Robert Butler, the Emmy-winning, go-to pilot director who helmed the first episodes of such acclaimed shows as Batman, Star Trek, Hill Street Blues and Moonlighting, died Nov. 3 in Los Angeles, his family announced. He was 95.
Butler also co-created the Pierce Brosnan-starring Remington Steele (and helmed its pilot, of course), directed the first episode of Hogan’s Heroes in 1965, and called the first shots and set the tone for, Glenn Gordon Caron’s Moonlighting, Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Sisters and The Division.
In 1973, he directed the William Holden-starring The Blue Knight — the first four-hour television miniseries — at NBC and then got the CBS series adaptation of the Joseph Wambaugh novel that starred George Kennedy off on the right foot.
Butler also helmed two episodes of The Twilight Zone (the fifth-season installments “Caesar and Me,” starring his old friend, Jackie Cooper, and “The Encounter”) and worked on The Dick Van Dyke Show,...
Butler also co-created the Pierce Brosnan-starring Remington Steele (and helmed its pilot, of course), directed the first episode of Hogan’s Heroes in 1965, and called the first shots and set the tone for, Glenn Gordon Caron’s Moonlighting, Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Sisters and The Division.
In 1973, he directed the William Holden-starring The Blue Knight — the first four-hour television miniseries — at NBC and then got the CBS series adaptation of the Joseph Wambaugh novel that starred George Kennedy off on the right foot.
Butler also helmed two episodes of The Twilight Zone (the fifth-season installments “Caesar and Me,” starring his old friend, Jackie Cooper, and “The Encounter”) and worked on The Dick Van Dyke Show,...
- 11/11/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The second of nine films made by director Jess Franco and writer-producer Harry Alan Towers over the course of only two years, The Girl from Rio is their jazzy, featherweight riff on the spy-fi genre, a heady blend of international intrigue and semi-science-fictional elements, popular (especially in Europe) in the wake of the James Bond films. It’s also a sequel of sorts to Towers’s earlier film The Million Eyes of Sumuru, directed by Lindsay Shonteff, based on the exploits of the Sax Rohmer super-villainess. Though in this film, for some inexplicable reason, the character is regularly referred to as Sunanda (obviously and not very convincingly dubbed in post) and listed in the credits as Sumitra. Blame it on Rio!
Like many a Franco film, The Girl from Rio opens with a protracted erotic dance routine: Clad only in a webbed body stocking, Yana (Beni Cardoso) does her number for a recumbent man,...
Like many a Franco film, The Girl from Rio opens with a protracted erotic dance routine: Clad only in a webbed body stocking, Yana (Beni Cardoso) does her number for a recumbent man,...
- 9/27/2023
- by Budd Wilkins
- Slant Magazine
Severin Films is celebrating the late Peter Cushing with an unprecedented box set highlighting the most unexpected gems from the filmography of the legendary horror actor.
Cushing Curiosities, releasing August 29, presents 6-discs of rarely seen feature films and television broadcasts restored and scanned from original vault sources, plus a curated plethora of Special Features that celebrate Cushing’s unique career like never before.
From Hammer Films to Star Wars, he remains one of genre films’ best-loved actors. Now celebrate six of the most unexpected, rarely seen and decidedly curious performances from the legendary career of Peter Cushing: Cushing delivers a rare villain turn in the 1960 aviation thriller Cone Of Silence. That same year, Cushing brought gentle dignity to The Boulting Brothers’ cold-war drama Suspect. In 1962’s The Man Who Finally Died, Cushing co-stars opposite Stanley Baker as a former Nazi hiding a grave post-war secret.
Cushing returns to his...
Cushing Curiosities, releasing August 29, presents 6-discs of rarely seen feature films and television broadcasts restored and scanned from original vault sources, plus a curated plethora of Special Features that celebrate Cushing’s unique career like never before.
From Hammer Films to Star Wars, he remains one of genre films’ best-loved actors. Now celebrate six of the most unexpected, rarely seen and decidedly curious performances from the legendary career of Peter Cushing: Cushing delivers a rare villain turn in the 1960 aviation thriller Cone Of Silence. That same year, Cushing brought gentle dignity to The Boulting Brothers’ cold-war drama Suspect. In 1962’s The Man Who Finally Died, Cushing co-stars opposite Stanley Baker as a former Nazi hiding a grave post-war secret.
Cushing returns to his...
- 8/16/2023
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
The cinema of science fiction began to mature in the 1950s, concurrent with the arrival of the Cold War and the Atomic Age, as well as the growing sophistication of the literature. But it was during the 1960s that the genre really began to expand in different directions, still heavily influenced by the ideological paranoia and existential dread of the previous decade, but finding even more distinctive expressions of it.
At the same time, the 1960s was also the decade in which sci-fi movies truly started to become event films, not just B-movies and drive-in fodder, as evidenced by the likes of landmarks like 2001: A Space Odyssey and Planet of the Apes, both released in 1968. There were other successes as well, some of them on our list below, but a lot of remarkable sci-fi films of the era did not initially score with critics, audiences, or either. Yet nuclear terror,...
At the same time, the 1960s was also the decade in which sci-fi movies truly started to become event films, not just B-movies and drive-in fodder, as evidenced by the likes of landmarks like 2001: A Space Odyssey and Planet of the Apes, both released in 1968. There were other successes as well, some of them on our list below, but a lot of remarkable sci-fi films of the era did not initially score with critics, audiences, or either. Yet nuclear terror,...
- 8/7/2023
- by Don Kaye
- Den of Geek
For only the eighth time ever and first time since 1978, multiple films have simultaneously received at least four Oscar nominations for acting. “The Banshees of Inisherin” and “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” which earned a collective total of 20 academy notices, are now the 39th and 40th films to have four or more of their performers recognized, and they could soon be added to the list of 25 films of this kind that scored at least one acting win. However, it is possible that one or both could follow the 13 other movies – including “The Power of the Dog” (2022) – that lost on all of their acting bids.
“The Banshees of Inisherin” and “Everything Everywhere All at Once” each ended up with one lead acting notice, for Colin Farrell and Michelle Yeoh, respectively. Farrell’s three nominated supporting cast mates are Kerry Condon, Brendan Gleeson, and Barry Keoghan, while Yeoh’s are Jamie Lee Curtis,...
“The Banshees of Inisherin” and “Everything Everywhere All at Once” each ended up with one lead acting notice, for Colin Farrell and Michelle Yeoh, respectively. Farrell’s three nominated supporting cast mates are Kerry Condon, Brendan Gleeson, and Barry Keoghan, while Yeoh’s are Jamie Lee Curtis,...
- 3/6/2023
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
Joel Schumacher's 1997 film "Batman & Robin" is a large, clunky, over-designed nightmare. In his two-star review, Roger Ebert referred to the film as resembling "an art-deco garbage disposal," and there often appears to be a consensus that it remains, to this day, one of the worst comic book movies ever made. Director Schumacher has even gone on record apologizing to anyone who might have felt disappointed by his film.
"Batman & Robin," while following the same Batman continuity that began in 1989 with Tim Burton's "Batman," couldn't be farther from the original. Burton's film took visual cues from 1930s German expressionism film, and was shot using shadows and steam. "Batman & Robin" looks like a Las Vegas dance spectacular, rife with bright colors, swirling lights, and neon tubing. Even the film's central villain, Mr. Freeze (Arnold Schwarzenegger), has glittery silver skin, a glowing blue mouth, and a busy, light-up suit of armor.
"Batman & Robin," while following the same Batman continuity that began in 1989 with Tim Burton's "Batman," couldn't be farther from the original. Burton's film took visual cues from 1930s German expressionism film, and was shot using shadows and steam. "Batman & Robin" looks like a Las Vegas dance spectacular, rife with bright colors, swirling lights, and neon tubing. Even the film's central villain, Mr. Freeze (Arnold Schwarzenegger), has glittery silver skin, a glowing blue mouth, and a busy, light-up suit of armor.
- 2/20/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Actor Liam Neeson is set to portray the iconic character Philip Marlowe in the upcoming film, Marlowe. But he is hardly the first. Neeson has become known in recent decades for his leading roles in action movies like The Grey and Taken.
In Marlowe, he’ll go noir as he attempts to fill the shoes of one of the most storied private eyes in history: a character who’s been played by some of the biggest actors in Hollywood history.
Liam Neeson takes his penchant for action movies noir in ‘Marlowe’ Marlowe stars Diane Kruger and Liam Neeson | Jb Lacroix/WireImage
Set in Bay Cities, California, in the ’50s, Marlowe follows a “tough as nails private detective” as he investigates the disappearance of a beautiful heiress’ ex-lover. But the more he digs into the case, the more he realizes the spider’s web has spun far larger than he originally thought.
In Marlowe, he’ll go noir as he attempts to fill the shoes of one of the most storied private eyes in history: a character who’s been played by some of the biggest actors in Hollywood history.
Liam Neeson takes his penchant for action movies noir in ‘Marlowe’ Marlowe stars Diane Kruger and Liam Neeson | Jb Lacroix/WireImage
Set in Bay Cities, California, in the ’50s, Marlowe follows a “tough as nails private detective” as he investigates the disappearance of a beautiful heiress’ ex-lover. But the more he digs into the case, the more he realizes the spider’s web has spun far larger than he originally thought.
- 2/5/2023
- by Lindsay Kusiak
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Director Luca Guadagnino discusses a few of his favorite films with Josh Olson and Joe Dante.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Bones And All (2022)
A Bigger Splash (2015)
Suspiria (2018)
Call Me By Your Name (2017)
Apocalypse Now (1979) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom (1975)
Amarcord (1973) – Bernard Rose’s trailer commentary
Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Jason And The Argonauts (1963) – Ernest Dickerson’s trailer commentary, Charlie Largent’s review
After Hours (1985) – Brian Trenchard-Smith’s trailer commentary
Nashville (1975) – Larry Karaszewski’s trailer commentary, Dan Perri’s trailer commentary, Dennis Cozzalio’s review
Journey To Italy (1954)
Empire Of The Sun (1987)
The Flower Of My Secret (1995)
The Last Emperor (1987) – John Landis’s trailer commentary
1900 (1976)
Last Tango In Paris (1972) – Larry Karaszewski’s trailer commentary
Psycho (1960) – John Landis’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairing, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Suspiria (1977) – Edgar Wright’s U.S. and international trailer commentaries,...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Bones And All (2022)
A Bigger Splash (2015)
Suspiria (2018)
Call Me By Your Name (2017)
Apocalypse Now (1979) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom (1975)
Amarcord (1973) – Bernard Rose’s trailer commentary
Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Jason And The Argonauts (1963) – Ernest Dickerson’s trailer commentary, Charlie Largent’s review
After Hours (1985) – Brian Trenchard-Smith’s trailer commentary
Nashville (1975) – Larry Karaszewski’s trailer commentary, Dan Perri’s trailer commentary, Dennis Cozzalio’s review
Journey To Italy (1954)
Empire Of The Sun (1987)
The Flower Of My Secret (1995)
The Last Emperor (1987) – John Landis’s trailer commentary
1900 (1976)
Last Tango In Paris (1972) – Larry Karaszewski’s trailer commentary
Psycho (1960) – John Landis’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairing, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Suspiria (1977) – Edgar Wright’s U.S. and international trailer commentaries,...
- 12/13/2022
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
This mid-60s detective story has the right ingredients — a good mystery and interesting characters. David Jannsen gets to play a ‘Bosch’- style lone wolf investigator given a public thrashing for a ‘mistake’ that he knows was no mistake at all. Can a ‘bad cop’ redeem himself? The parade of mid-level guest stars — Stefanie Powers, Joan Collins, Lillian Gish, Steve Allen — may resemble a TV movie, but the tense show has a good feel for Los Angeles and the new swingin’ singles lifestyle. It might be Buzz Kulik’s best job of direction, and it has a great music score by Jerry Goldsmith.
Warning Shot
Region Free Blu-ray
Viavision [Imprint] #177
1967 / Color / 1:78 widescreen / 99 min. / Street Date October 26, 2022 / Available from [Imprint] / au 39.95
Starring: David Janssen, Ed Begley, Stefanie Powers, George Grizzard, Keenan Wynn, Joan Collins, Lillian Gish, Eleanor Parker, Sam Wanamaker, George Sanders, Steve Allen, Carroll O’Connor, Walter Pidgeon.
Cinematography: Joseph F. Biroc...
Warning Shot
Region Free Blu-ray
Viavision [Imprint] #177
1967 / Color / 1:78 widescreen / 99 min. / Street Date October 26, 2022 / Available from [Imprint] / au 39.95
Starring: David Janssen, Ed Begley, Stefanie Powers, George Grizzard, Keenan Wynn, Joan Collins, Lillian Gish, Eleanor Parker, Sam Wanamaker, George Sanders, Steve Allen, Carroll O’Connor, Walter Pidgeon.
Cinematography: Joseph F. Biroc...
- 11/22/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
"My Father's Dragon" is a 2022 animated feature that feels like a classic. Between the charming hand-drawn aesthetic, the imaginative setting, and the myth-like narrative structure, it has that rare quality of being truly timeless; this is a film that could have come out forty years ago, and will feel as relevant generations from now as it does today.
And I worry that no-one else will like it.
Directed by Irish animator and director Nora Twomey ("The Breadwinner"), "My Father's Dragon" tells the story of a boy who finds himself on an unexpected adventure. When he and his mother lose their shop and fall on hard times, Elmer (Jacob Tremblay) runs away from home, vowing to raise the money to reopen the family business. Elmer has a knack for finding things and prides himself on being a fixer, which only makes it harder for him to accept that some problems in life don't have answers.
And I worry that no-one else will like it.
Directed by Irish animator and director Nora Twomey ("The Breadwinner"), "My Father's Dragon" tells the story of a boy who finds himself on an unexpected adventure. When he and his mother lose their shop and fall on hard times, Elmer (Jacob Tremblay) runs away from home, vowing to raise the money to reopen the family business. Elmer has a knack for finding things and prides himself on being a fixer, which only makes it harder for him to accept that some problems in life don't have answers.
- 10/8/2022
- by Sarah Milner
- Slash Film
Andrew Dominik had to convince MGM to let “Some Like It Hot” be part of “Blonde.”
Much like Quentin Tarantino’s 2019 Oscar-winning “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Dominik’s “Blonde” includes real footage from Marilyn Monroe’s filmography. Yet lead star Ana de Armas is placed in the films, including “All About Eve,” “Some Like It Hot,” “Don’t Bother to Knock,” and “Niagara.” The iconic “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” scene from “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” is also recreated by de Armas. “Blonde” is now in theaters and premieres September 28 on Netflix.
Writer/director Dominik revealed that it was difficult to get permission to use snippets from Monroe’s films, especially the MGM-owned classics.
“The hardest things to get were permissions. So, I put ‘Ana in All About Eve,’ for example, and in ‘Some Like It Hot,’ and we use a bunch of Fox movies,” Dominik told Deadline.
Much like Quentin Tarantino’s 2019 Oscar-winning “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Dominik’s “Blonde” includes real footage from Marilyn Monroe’s filmography. Yet lead star Ana de Armas is placed in the films, including “All About Eve,” “Some Like It Hot,” “Don’t Bother to Knock,” and “Niagara.” The iconic “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” scene from “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” is also recreated by de Armas. “Blonde” is now in theaters and premieres September 28 on Netflix.
Writer/director Dominik revealed that it was difficult to get permission to use snippets from Monroe’s films, especially the MGM-owned classics.
“The hardest things to get were permissions. So, I put ‘Ana in All About Eve,’ for example, and in ‘Some Like It Hot,’ and we use a bunch of Fox movies,” Dominik told Deadline.
- 9/23/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
In the opening scene of "All About Eve," as theater critic Addison DeWitt (George Sanders) gives his voice-over at an awards dinner, more than one character sits smoking. Broadway star Margo Channing (Bette Davis) joins DeWitt in lighting up a cigarette indoors, and it's not the last time we'll see her doing that in the movie, as she deals with the machinations of another careerist actor named Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter).
With recognition in 14 categories, "All About Eve" became the most Oscar-nominated film of all time, a record that only two films, "Titanic" and "La La Land," have been able to tie since 1950. However, as detailed in the Sam Staggs book, "All About Eve: The Complete Behind-the-Scenes Story of the Bitchiest Film Ever Made," one scene where Margo smokes in bed caught the attention of a concerned viewer. J.R. Moser, a member of the Evansville, Indiana Fire Prevention Committee,...
With recognition in 14 categories, "All About Eve" became the most Oscar-nominated film of all time, a record that only two films, "Titanic" and "La La Land," have been able to tie since 1950. However, as detailed in the Sam Staggs book, "All About Eve: The Complete Behind-the-Scenes Story of the Bitchiest Film Ever Made," one scene where Margo smokes in bed caught the attention of a concerned viewer. J.R. Moser, a member of the Evansville, Indiana Fire Prevention Committee,...
- 8/28/2022
- by Joshua Meyer
- Slash Film
Click here to read the full article.
Faye Marlowe, a 1940s starlet best known for her turn opposite the doomed Laird Cregar, Linda Darnell and George Sanders in the film noir classic Hangover Square, has died. She was 95.
Marlowe died May 5 in Cary, North Carolina, her daughter Karen Joseph told The Hollywood Reporter.
In her brief Hollywood career, the dark-haired Marlowe also starred alongside Richard Conte in The Spider (1945), another excellent film noir; with Richard Crane in Johnny Comes Flying Home (1946); and, as the title character, with Eddie Albert in Rendezvous With Annie (1946).
After she appeared on the stage for John Brahm, the German director gave her a key role in her first movie, Fox’s Hangover Square (1945). She played the pianist girlfriend of a mild-mannered composer (Cregar) who suffers from blackouts and becomes a serial killer in the turn-of-the century, London-set thriller scored by Bernard Herrmann.
(Cregar, who was...
Faye Marlowe, a 1940s starlet best known for her turn opposite the doomed Laird Cregar, Linda Darnell and George Sanders in the film noir classic Hangover Square, has died. She was 95.
Marlowe died May 5 in Cary, North Carolina, her daughter Karen Joseph told The Hollywood Reporter.
In her brief Hollywood career, the dark-haired Marlowe also starred alongside Richard Conte in The Spider (1945), another excellent film noir; with Richard Crane in Johnny Comes Flying Home (1946); and, as the title character, with Eddie Albert in Rendezvous With Annie (1946).
After she appeared on the stage for John Brahm, the German director gave her a key role in her first movie, Fox’s Hangover Square (1945). She played the pianist girlfriend of a mild-mannered composer (Cregar) who suffers from blackouts and becomes a serial killer in the turn-of-the century, London-set thriller scored by Bernard Herrmann.
(Cregar, who was...
- 7/28/2022
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A “sleeper” is a box office success that comes out of nowhere. And no one expected this modest 1960 British import, based on John Wyndham’s “The Midwich Cuckoos”, to catch the attention of a worldwide audience and inspire its own (some think even better) sequel. The glowing eyes effect on the alien children was not present in British prints, having been added via freeze frame by MGM for US release. Ronald Colman was to play the lead when the studio shelved the film over worries about controversy regarding its virgin birth plot. Once the project was reactivated Colman had passed away and George Sanders took the role. Remade in 1995.
The post Village of the Damned appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
The post Village of the Damned appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
- 6/10/2022
- by TFH Team
- Trailers from Hell
James Whale escapes Frankenstein’s lab for a jaunt in the jungle with Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Joan Bennett, all in search of Incan treasures in South America. The supporting cast included George Sanders and Vincent Price, who called it “one of the funniest films ever shot.” The actors may have struggled to keep a straight face but the movie is really something to look at, including an elaborate Mayan temple that found better use in 1940’s The Mummy’s Hand.
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The post Green Hell appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
- 6/8/2022
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
Thanks to gossip columnists, movie goers needed just one look at the title to know who starred in Death of a Scoundrel. George Sanders’s scandalous reputation was perfect fodder for this cheeky melodrama about a murdered gigolo and his long line of jilted lovers, and it’s helped by a beautiful line up of suspects including Zsa Zsa Gabor (Sanders’ real-life ex-wife) and Yvonne de Carlo. Director Charles Martin also wrote and produced the film and had the good taste to hire the brilliant James Wong Howe as his cinematographer.
The post Death of a Scoundrel appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
The post Death of a Scoundrel appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
- 6/6/2022
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
Every year the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences gets together to single out the best movies, performances and craftsmanship, and sometimes they actually get it right. Sure, sometimes it goes the other way, but throughout the history of the Oscars, there are many excellent examples of actors who gave astounding performances for the ages. The types of roles may change, and the acting styles may evolve, but these Oscar-winning actors of yesteryear absolutely deserved their gold statues and remain some of the gold standards for screen acting.
Norma Shearer, “The Divorcee” (1930)
Norma Shearer gives an astoundingly multifaceted performance in Robert Z. Leonard’s “The Divorcee,” as a woman whose husband is unfaithful and decides turnabout is fair play, only to see her role in polite society shift dramatically. What could have been a tawdry and finger-wagging cautionary tale lights up because Shearer explores all the emotional complexity of her...
Norma Shearer, “The Divorcee” (1930)
Norma Shearer gives an astoundingly multifaceted performance in Robert Z. Leonard’s “The Divorcee,” as a woman whose husband is unfaithful and decides turnabout is fair play, only to see her role in polite society shift dramatically. What could have been a tawdry and finger-wagging cautionary tale lights up because Shearer explores all the emotional complexity of her...
- 3/23/2022
- by William Bibbiani
- The Wrap
In addition to being this year’s Oscar nominations leader with a dozen bids across 11 categories, “The Power of the Dog” is the 38th film in the academy’s 94-year history to amass at least four acting nominations. Star Benedict Cumberbatch is up for the Best Actor award, while his castmates Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, and Kodi Smit-McPhee have all been recognized as supporting players. In a matter of weeks, their film will either be the 26th to score at least one win from four or more acting bids or the 13th to lose them all.
On average, a film of this kind earns a total of 10 nominations. 33 of them have received Best Picture bids and 13 have won the top honor. “The Power of the Dog” is nominated there as well as in the next seven non-acting categories where its predecessors have most often landed: Best Director (33; 12 wins), Best Film...
On average, a film of this kind earns a total of 10 nominations. 33 of them have received Best Picture bids and 13 have won the top honor. “The Power of the Dog” is nominated there as well as in the next seven non-acting categories where its predecessors have most often landed: Best Director (33; 12 wins), Best Film...
- 3/15/2022
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
Orson Welles in fine form! This lavishly produced costume drama, beautifully cast and directed, was filmed on location in gorgeous Italian palazzos, churches and villas. Welles is cast to type as the literally mesmerizing mountebank Cagliostro, who aids Madame du Barry in a scheme to seize the throne of France. Welles almost certainly ‘helped’ the credited director; the highly theatrical goings-on look exactly like Orson’s style. Super performances from Nancy Guild, Akim Tamiroff, Valentina Cortese, Margot Grahame and Charles Goldner turn Alexandre Dumas’ tale into swashbuckling mind-control excitement; the disc tops it off with a sensationally good restoration.
Black Magic
Blu-ray
ClassicFlix
1949 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 105 min. / Street Date January 25, 2022 / Available from ClassicFlix / 19.99
Starring: Orson Welles, Nancy Guild, Akim Tamiroff, Charles Goldner, Stephen Bekassy, Valentina Cortese, Margot Grahame, Frank Latimore, Gregory Gaye, Berry Kroeger, Robert Atkins, Raymond Burr, Harriet White Medin, Silvana Mangano, Milly Vitale.
Cinematography: Ubaldo Arata, Anchise Brizzi
Art Directors: Jean d’Eaubonne,...
Black Magic
Blu-ray
ClassicFlix
1949 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 105 min. / Street Date January 25, 2022 / Available from ClassicFlix / 19.99
Starring: Orson Welles, Nancy Guild, Akim Tamiroff, Charles Goldner, Stephen Bekassy, Valentina Cortese, Margot Grahame, Frank Latimore, Gregory Gaye, Berry Kroeger, Robert Atkins, Raymond Burr, Harriet White Medin, Silvana Mangano, Milly Vitale.
Cinematography: Ubaldo Arata, Anchise Brizzi
Art Directors: Jean d’Eaubonne,...
- 2/1/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Chivalry! Vows of loyalty and honor! Combat action that will impress today’s Marvel fans! The violet eyes and super-damsel figure of Elizabeth Taylor! MGM’s made-in-Merrie Olde England tale of Knights and knaves and forbidden love is yet another suits-of-armor sword-basher about ransoming King Richard from those European Union swine across the channel. Everything clicks, from Miklos Rozsa’s most stirring anthem to the righteous justice of the finale. And it’s restored from 3-strip Technicolor. Robert Taylor is terrific as the stalwart Ivanhoe, the kind of no-funny-business hero they ain’t makin’ anymore.
Ivanhoe
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1952 /Color / 1:37 Academy / 106 min. / Available at Amazon.com / Street Date December 14, 2021 / 21.99
Starring: Robert Taylor, Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Fontaine, George Sanders, Emlyn Williams, Robert Douglas, Finlay Currie, Felix Aylmer, Guy Rolfe.
Cinematography: Freddie Young
Art Director: Alfred Junge
Film Editor: Frank Clarke
Original Music: Miklos Rozsa
Written by Aeneas MacKenzie, Marguerite Roberts,...
Ivanhoe
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1952 /Color / 1:37 Academy / 106 min. / Available at Amazon.com / Street Date December 14, 2021 / 21.99
Starring: Robert Taylor, Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Fontaine, George Sanders, Emlyn Williams, Robert Douglas, Finlay Currie, Felix Aylmer, Guy Rolfe.
Cinematography: Freddie Young
Art Director: Alfred Junge
Film Editor: Frank Clarke
Original Music: Miklos Rozsa
Written by Aeneas MacKenzie, Marguerite Roberts,...
- 12/7/2021
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
The movie awards’ season is in full flower with such films as Jane Campion’s “The Power of the Dog”; Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story”; Kenneth Branagh’s “Belfast,” Guillermo Del Toro’s “Nightmare Alley” and Joel Coen’s “The Tragedy of Macbeth” among the favorites for top prizes. But one thing we know for certain is that there is no sure thing when it comes to the Oscars. Consider the case of seventy years ago. Not only were there surprises among the nominees, but there were also some shocks when it came to the winners of the 1952 Oscars.
Let’s revisit the 24th Academy Awards, which took place March 20, 1952 at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood and were hosted by Danny Kaye. This was the last time the ceremony was presented on radio. The show moved to television the following year. Among the presenters that evening were Lucille Ball,...
Let’s revisit the 24th Academy Awards, which took place March 20, 1952 at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood and were hosted by Danny Kaye. This was the last time the ceremony was presented on radio. The show moved to television the following year. Among the presenters that evening were Lucille Ball,...
- 12/6/2021
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Children of the Damned
Blu ray
Warner Archive
1964/ 1.85:1/ 89 Minutes
Starring Ian Hendry, Alan Badel
Directed by Anton Leader
Wolf Rilla’s Village of the Damned was an alien invasion thriller that was genuinely invasive—all around the world women of child-bearing age are suddenly and mysteriously pregnant. No matter the circumstances, whether a virgin or a lonely widow, they wake from a deep sleep to find themselves in a family way. Who or what is responsible is never determined and the results are devastating—marriages shattered, young lives ruined, reputations damaged beyond repair. Strong stuff for 1960 and Rilla didn’t shy away from the moral, not to mention awkward, implications of the situation. The otherworldly offspring grow up to be intellectual powerhouses with a talent for telekinesis and mind control—they’re defeated, irony of ironies, by an equally intelligent adversary who destroys them by simply not thinking at all.
Blu ray
Warner Archive
1964/ 1.85:1/ 89 Minutes
Starring Ian Hendry, Alan Badel
Directed by Anton Leader
Wolf Rilla’s Village of the Damned was an alien invasion thriller that was genuinely invasive—all around the world women of child-bearing age are suddenly and mysteriously pregnant. No matter the circumstances, whether a virgin or a lonely widow, they wake from a deep sleep to find themselves in a family way. Who or what is responsible is never determined and the results are devastating—marriages shattered, young lives ruined, reputations damaged beyond repair. Strong stuff for 1960 and Rilla didn’t shy away from the moral, not to mention awkward, implications of the situation. The otherworldly offspring grow up to be intellectual powerhouses with a talent for telekinesis and mind control—they’re defeated, irony of ironies, by an equally intelligent adversary who destroys them by simply not thinking at all.
- 10/30/2021
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
Guillermo del Toro takes a walk on the noir side in his first film since winning the Oscar for directing the 2017 best picture winner “The Shape of Things.” “Nightmare Alley,’ based on the uncompromising 1946 novel by William Lindsay Gresham, offers a bleak depiction of humanity including low-rent carnivals filled with has-beens, geeks and “rum-dums.” Searchlight Pictures is giving “Nightmare Alley,” which had to shut down production during the height of Covid in 2020, the “A” treatment, opening the film on Dec. 3 just in time for awards consideration.
The innovative Mexican filmmaker best known for his acclaimed fantasy, horror (“The Devil’s Backbone”) and sci-fi (‘Hellboy”) productions, co-wrote the screenplay with Kim Morgan. Bradley Cooper plays Stan Carlisle, a handsome manipulative carny worker who has a massive chip on his shoulder. Stan wants to hit the big time and with the help of carnival headliner Zeena (Toni Collette) resurrects her old mentalist act.
The innovative Mexican filmmaker best known for his acclaimed fantasy, horror (“The Devil’s Backbone”) and sci-fi (‘Hellboy”) productions, co-wrote the screenplay with Kim Morgan. Bradley Cooper plays Stan Carlisle, a handsome manipulative carny worker who has a massive chip on his shoulder. Stan wants to hit the big time and with the help of carnival headliner Zeena (Toni Collette) resurrects her old mentalist act.
- 6/4/2021
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Eight plus decades worth of Best Supporting Actor Oscar races have proven that the outcome is often dependent on alignment with the other acting categories as well as Best Picture. Over the years, 18 different combinations have resulted in supporting male wins; several of these have achieved double digit success rates. Some of the 2021 contenders have the potential to join these established groups, while others could create one of their own.
Forty-eight (or 57%) of the Best Supporting Actor winning performances have been in Best Picture nominees, including the last eight in a row. This clear advantage has proven to be more of one when the film loses the top honor, as only 17 (or 35%) of these cases have resulted in wins in both categories. The supporting actor who triumphed most recently for appearing in a Best Picture winner is Mahershala Ali who did it twice. He was preceded by Javier Bardem.
Forty...
Forty-eight (or 57%) of the Best Supporting Actor winning performances have been in Best Picture nominees, including the last eight in a row. This clear advantage has proven to be more of one when the film loses the top honor, as only 17 (or 35%) of these cases have resulted in wins in both categories. The supporting actor who triumphed most recently for appearing in a Best Picture winner is Mahershala Ali who did it twice. He was preceded by Javier Bardem.
Forty...
- 4/23/2021
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
Everything I knew about British culture as a kid I learned from TV. Canada has always been inundated with programming from our Commonwealth pal; Monty Python, Benny Hill, The Two Ronnies, et al paraded before my eyes but nary a horror. And then I discovered the Amicus and Hammer films; worlds unto themselves for exploration. While I’m still knee deep in cleavage and cobwebs, I’m compelled to check out the indie scene; and I happened to come across Psychomania (1973): a well known to some, unknown to many, and now beloved by me Occult Biker film that is absurd as it is entertaining.
Absurdity really is the prominent compound in this heady mash of free spirits and (un)deader ones; the mix of motorcycle mayhem with splashes of Satan works better than it should. That’s probably (at least partly) because the lower budget makes for lower stakes...
Absurdity really is the prominent compound in this heady mash of free spirits and (un)deader ones; the mix of motorcycle mayhem with splashes of Satan works better than it should. That’s probably (at least partly) because the lower budget makes for lower stakes...
- 4/10/2021
- by Scott Drebit
- DailyDead
There’s a good chance that “Mank,” David Fincher’s stylish black-and-white chronicle of veteran Hollywood screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz’ struggle to write the screenplay for Orson Welles’ 1941 masterpiece “Citizen Kane,” will dominate the Oscar nominations on March 15. Our Oscar experts are predicting the Netflix release could garner has many has 13 nominations including picture, director, screenplay for Fincher’s latest father Jack Fincher, actor for Gary Oldman and supporting actress for Amanda Seyfried.
Exactly 70 years ago Mank’s brother, writer/director Joseph L. Mankiewicz, dominated the Academy Awards. His “All About Eve,” a sophisticated and sharp drama starring Bette Davis as aging theater actress Margo Channing who mistakenly befriends and mentors an ambitious young actress Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter), earned 14 Oscar nominations. “All About Eve” actually broke all records for Oscar nominations besting 1939’s “Gone with the Wind” lucky 13 bids.
The younger Mank’s masterpiece went on to win six...
Exactly 70 years ago Mank’s brother, writer/director Joseph L. Mankiewicz, dominated the Academy Awards. His “All About Eve,” a sophisticated and sharp drama starring Bette Davis as aging theater actress Margo Channing who mistakenly befriends and mentors an ambitious young actress Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter), earned 14 Oscar nominations. “All About Eve” actually broke all records for Oscar nominations besting 1939’s “Gone with the Wind” lucky 13 bids.
The younger Mank’s masterpiece went on to win six...
- 3/12/2021
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Tex Avery Screwball Classics Volume 2
Blu ray
Warner Archive
1948-55 / 1.33:1 / 143 min.
Starring Blasé Basset Hounds, Antisocial Alley Cats, Swivel-hipped Sex-bombs, Hot-to-Trot Wolves
Directed by Tex Avery
With their bawdy gags and come-hither chorus girls, Tex Avery’s cartoons might seem better suited to the burlesque stage than a movie theater. Your living room is another entertaining alternative and Warner Archive delivers with Tex Avery Screwball Classics Volume 2—their new Blu ray set continues the exploits of the madman of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, an artist whose illogical art was produced with mathematical precision and a libido in hyperdrive. Warner has pulled 21 shorts from the vaults for the follow up to their Screwball Classics Vol. 1—it covers roughly the second portion of Avery’s 12 year stint at MGM and though there’s nothing here as explosive as King Size Canary (the ne plus ultra of Avery cartoons) or as groundbreaking as Red Hot Riding Hood,...
Blu ray
Warner Archive
1948-55 / 1.33:1 / 143 min.
Starring Blasé Basset Hounds, Antisocial Alley Cats, Swivel-hipped Sex-bombs, Hot-to-Trot Wolves
Directed by Tex Avery
With their bawdy gags and come-hither chorus girls, Tex Avery’s cartoons might seem better suited to the burlesque stage than a movie theater. Your living room is another entertaining alternative and Warner Archive delivers with Tex Avery Screwball Classics Volume 2—their new Blu ray set continues the exploits of the madman of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, an artist whose illogical art was produced with mathematical precision and a libido in hyperdrive. Warner has pulled 21 shorts from the vaults for the follow up to their Screwball Classics Vol. 1—it covers roughly the second portion of Avery’s 12 year stint at MGM and though there’s nothing here as explosive as King Size Canary (the ne plus ultra of Avery cartoons) or as groundbreaking as Red Hot Riding Hood,...
- 2/2/2021
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
By Lee Pfeiffer
British actress Barbara Shelley has passed away from Covid-19 related ailments. She was 88 years-old. Shelley became popular with horror movie fans in the 1960s when she became one of the resident leading ladies at the legendary Hammer Films where she made several movies with another studio legend, Christopher Lee. Among Shelley's Hammer films were "The Camp on Blood Island" (a rare non-horror entry), "The Gorgon", "Dracula: Prince of Darkness", "Rasputin: The Mad Monk" and "Quatermass and the Pit". Shelley played the lead female role in the 1960 MGM cult classic "Village of the Damned" opposite George Sanders. She also played a recurring character in the 1984 "Doctor Who" television series. She appeared in other iconic British television shows including "Blake's 7", "The Avengers", "EastEnders", "Danger Man", "The Saint" "Man in a Suitcase" and "The Two Ronnies" as well as international favorites including "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." and "Route 66". For more,...
British actress Barbara Shelley has passed away from Covid-19 related ailments. She was 88 years-old. Shelley became popular with horror movie fans in the 1960s when she became one of the resident leading ladies at the legendary Hammer Films where she made several movies with another studio legend, Christopher Lee. Among Shelley's Hammer films were "The Camp on Blood Island" (a rare non-horror entry), "The Gorgon", "Dracula: Prince of Darkness", "Rasputin: The Mad Monk" and "Quatermass and the Pit". Shelley played the lead female role in the 1960 MGM cult classic "Village of the Damned" opposite George Sanders. She also played a recurring character in the 1984 "Doctor Who" television series. She appeared in other iconic British television shows including "Blake's 7", "The Avengers", "EastEnders", "Danger Man", "The Saint" "Man in a Suitcase" and "The Two Ronnies" as well as international favorites including "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." and "Route 66". For more,...
- 1/4/2021
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
The Federal Government has splashed $21.58 million to lure two Netflix titles to Australia: feature film Escape From Spiderhead, due to shoot on the Gold Coast, and eight-part series Pieces of Her, bound for Sydney.
Both projects have been coaxed here via the government’s $400 million Location Incentive Program, with the expectation that combined they will inject around $160 million into the economy and create 770 local jobs.
Notably, both projects star homegrown talent. Chris Hemsworth leads the cast of Escape from Spiderhead, while Toni Collette, Bella Heathcoate and David Wenham are attached to star in Pieces of Her, executive produced by Bruna Papandrea’s Made Up Stories.
“Australia’s world-class production sector is renowned for being hardworking and these productions will support hundreds of jobs – from carpenters, lighting technicians and set designers to actors, crews and special effects teams,” said Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts Paul Fletcher in announcing the projects.
Both projects have been coaxed here via the government’s $400 million Location Incentive Program, with the expectation that combined they will inject around $160 million into the economy and create 770 local jobs.
Notably, both projects star homegrown talent. Chris Hemsworth leads the cast of Escape from Spiderhead, while Toni Collette, Bella Heathcoate and David Wenham are attached to star in Pieces of Her, executive produced by Bruna Papandrea’s Made Up Stories.
“Australia’s world-class production sector is renowned for being hardworking and these productions will support hundreds of jobs – from carpenters, lighting technicians and set designers to actors, crews and special effects teams,” said Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts Paul Fletcher in announcing the projects.
- 11/15/2020
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
As Disney quietly disappears huge swathes of film history into its vaults, I'm going to spend 2020 celebrating Twentieth Century Fox and the Fox Film Corporation's films, what one might call their output if only someone were putting it out.And now they've quietly disappeared William Fox's name from the company: guilty by association with Rupert Murdoch, even though he never associated with him.***"We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars," Oscar Wilde as purred by George Sanders, is enough to make any film worth while.A friend of mine once appeared on a daytime quiz show, on which he was required to complete the quote from the word "...but..." His heroic stab at an answer was, "...but some of us belong there?" I suppose one of the achievements of Otto Preminger's The Fan, a 1950 film of Wilde's 1892 play Lady Windermere's Fan,...
- 6/23/2020
- MUBI
Legendary animator Floyd Norman talks about his all time favorite movies.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Floyd Norman: An Animated Life (2016)
Vertigo (1958)
Citizen Kane (1941)
Rope (1948)
The Trouble With Harry (1955)
The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
Song of the South (1946)
The Treasure of Sierra Madre (1948)
The Third Man (1950)
The Jungle Book (1967)
The Jungle Book (2016)
The Lion King (2019)
Pinocchio (1940)
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
The Old Mill (1937)
Casablanca (1942)
Cinderella (1950)
Singin’ In The Rain (1953)
Paths of Glory (1957)
1917 (2019)
The Bridge On The River Kwai (1957)
Star Wars (1977)
American Graffiti (1973)
Sorcerer (1977)
Other Notable Items
Michael Fiore
The Watts riots
The LAPD’s cruel mistreatment of Rodney King
The George Floyd protests
Move in Philadelphia
Walt Disney Pictures
Tfh Guru Roger Corman
Erik Sharkey
The Three Stooges
I Am the Greatest: The Adventures of Muhammad Ali TV series (1977)
Muhammad Ali
Fred Calvert
Alfred Hitchcock
Bernard Herrman’s Vertigo score
Robert Burks
The latest...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Floyd Norman: An Animated Life (2016)
Vertigo (1958)
Citizen Kane (1941)
Rope (1948)
The Trouble With Harry (1955)
The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
Song of the South (1946)
The Treasure of Sierra Madre (1948)
The Third Man (1950)
The Jungle Book (1967)
The Jungle Book (2016)
The Lion King (2019)
Pinocchio (1940)
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
The Old Mill (1937)
Casablanca (1942)
Cinderella (1950)
Singin’ In The Rain (1953)
Paths of Glory (1957)
1917 (2019)
The Bridge On The River Kwai (1957)
Star Wars (1977)
American Graffiti (1973)
Sorcerer (1977)
Other Notable Items
Michael Fiore
The Watts riots
The LAPD’s cruel mistreatment of Rodney King
The George Floyd protests
Move in Philadelphia
Walt Disney Pictures
Tfh Guru Roger Corman
Erik Sharkey
The Three Stooges
I Am the Greatest: The Adventures of Muhammad Ali TV series (1977)
Muhammad Ali
Fred Calvert
Alfred Hitchcock
Bernard Herrman’s Vertigo score
Robert Burks
The latest...
- 6/9/2020
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
With “Scoob!,” Warner Bros. Animation launches a new Hanna-Barbera cinematic universe built around the crime-fighting Mystery Inc. teenage gang and its lovable Great Dane. The plan was to release the franchise’s first CG-animated feature theatrically on May 15, but, of course, the pandemic intervened, so it’s going straight to VOD instead.
Whether or not “Scoob!” taps as large an audience as DreamWorks’ “Trolls World Tour” remains to be seen, but, according to director Tony Cervone, a veteran of the Hanna-Barbera and Looney Tunes home video franchises, it offers nostalgic comfort food for quarantined families. “Sure, I would’ve loved a theater experience, but we’re in a weird time,” he said. “It’s a bummer. But because of that, there’s families at home looking for stuff to watch, and there’s something reaffirming and warm and fuzzy and bright and colorful [about ‘Scoob!’].”
It begins with Scooby and Shaggy...
Whether or not “Scoob!” taps as large an audience as DreamWorks’ “Trolls World Tour” remains to be seen, but, according to director Tony Cervone, a veteran of the Hanna-Barbera and Looney Tunes home video franchises, it offers nostalgic comfort food for quarantined families. “Sure, I would’ve loved a theater experience, but we’re in a weird time,” he said. “It’s a bummer. But because of that, there’s families at home looking for stuff to watch, and there’s something reaffirming and warm and fuzzy and bright and colorful [about ‘Scoob!’].”
It begins with Scooby and Shaggy...
- 5/14/2020
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
We have a relatively quiet week of home media releases ahead of us this week, but the titles that are coming out are a rad bunch of films nonetheless. Scream Factory is doing the Dark Lord’s work with both the Collector’s Edition of April Fool’s Day and the HD release of Frankenstein: The True Story. If you missed it in theaters back in January, Nicolas Pesce’s The Grudge (2020) is headed to various platforms this Tuesday, and Arrow Video has put together a stellar Special Edition release of Philip Ridley’s The Passion of Darkly Noon as well.
Other Blu-ray and DVD releases for March 24th include Endless Night, Cabal, Hunter’s Moon, The Zombinator, and The Wizard: Collector’s Edition.
April Fool’s Day: Collector’s Edition
Good friends...with some time to kill. When Muffy St. John invited her college friends up to her parents' secluded...
Other Blu-ray and DVD releases for March 24th include Endless Night, Cabal, Hunter’s Moon, The Zombinator, and The Wizard: Collector’s Edition.
April Fool’s Day: Collector’s Edition
Good friends...with some time to kill. When Muffy St. John invited her college friends up to her parents' secluded...
- 3/23/2020
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
Tilda Swinton has arrived just when we need her most to share a list of 11 favorite movies. The Oscar winner teamed up with the British Film Institute this month to list a selection of films she wants every moviegoer to see. Even better news is that Swinton’s list is accompanied by captions in which the actress shares some personal thoughts on each of her selections. Topping the list is Yasujiro Ozu’s 1932 drama “I Was Born But…,” which Swinton hailed as “a beautiful silent masterpiece about childhood, brotherhood, and learning about how to negotiate fathers and learn the rules of the game.”
The most recent entry on the list is Alain Guiraudie’s 2013 gay romance thriller “Stranger by the Lake,” about a young man who falls in love with a mysterious stranger at a gay cruising beach in France. Swinton said of the movie, “Exquisitely atmospheric summer cruising. Boys...
The most recent entry on the list is Alain Guiraudie’s 2013 gay romance thriller “Stranger by the Lake,” about a young man who falls in love with a mysterious stranger at a gay cruising beach in France. Swinton said of the movie, “Exquisitely atmospheric summer cruising. Boys...
- 3/18/2020
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Why does CineSavant write so many positive reviews, even for films not commonly thought of as even being ‘good?’ Well, I’m about to offend committed fans of this Hayley Mills thriller… it bothered me in such basic ways that I had to watch it twice to make sure I hadn’t missed something important. Hayley Mills loves Hywel Bennett, a poor boy who gets a chance at the good life. But are they going to be victimized by envious relations, murderous gypsies, a deranged architect? The big superduper plus here is the film’s original music score by Bernard Herrman, one of his last.
Endless Night
Region B Blu-ray
Powerhouse Indicator
1972 / Color B&w / 1:85 widescreen / 100 min. / / Street Date , 2020 / available from Powerhouse Films UK / £15.99
Starring: Hayley Mills, Hywel Bennett, Britt Ekland, Per Oscarsson, George Sanders, Lois Maxwell, Patience Collier, Ann Way, Leo Genn, Shirley Jones (voice).
Cinematography: Harry Waxman...
Endless Night
Region B Blu-ray
Powerhouse Indicator
1972 / Color B&w / 1:85 widescreen / 100 min. / / Street Date , 2020 / available from Powerhouse Films UK / £15.99
Starring: Hayley Mills, Hywel Bennett, Britt Ekland, Per Oscarsson, George Sanders, Lois Maxwell, Patience Collier, Ann Way, Leo Genn, Shirley Jones (voice).
Cinematography: Harry Waxman...
- 2/18/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
When the critic John Simon died last weekend, at 94, virtually every piece written about him — one usually calls these pieces “tributes,” though in Simon’s case I’m not sure the word applies — dealt front and center with the quality that had made him a legend: his famous vitriol, the gleeful and reflexive nastiness that sloshed through the cartridge of his poison pen.
For Simon, toxic negativity wasn‘t a tool for reviewing an art form; it was the art form. At New York magazine, where he was ensconced as the theater critic from 1968 to 2005, and at the National Review, where he reviewed movies for decades, he pushed the role of critical hanging judge as far as it could go, to the point that it was the driving force of his identity. In 1967, he was fired from New York’s Channel 13 for writing reviews that were deemed too “misanthropic,...
For Simon, toxic negativity wasn‘t a tool for reviewing an art form; it was the art form. At New York magazine, where he was ensconced as the theater critic from 1968 to 2005, and at the National Review, where he reviewed movies for decades, he pushed the role of critical hanging judge as far as it could go, to the point that it was the driving force of his identity. In 1967, he was fired from New York’s Channel 13 for writing reviews that were deemed too “misanthropic,...
- 11/30/2019
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
Great news for fans of director Fritz Lang. His 1955 western Moonfleet is available on Blu-ray From Warner Archive
Adventure and intrigue await all ye who venture into the small and sinister village of Moonfleet on the windswept moors of Dorsetshire. Particularly as directed by master-of-menace Fritz Lang, this colorful tale of a young boy’s experiences among some really bad companions enthralls in the tradition of Kidnapped and Treasure Island. Here, young John Mohune (Jon Whiteley) arrives at his ancestral estate, now owned by the dashing, and mysterious Jeremy Fox (Stewart Granger). Out of love for the boy’s mother, but against his better judgment, Fox grudgingly allows John to stay. He soon becomes attached to the boy, but his devotion is tested when John discovers a hidden smugglers’ lair beneath the village graveyard and learns a shocking secret that could cost both him and Fox their lives.
Fritz Lang...
Adventure and intrigue await all ye who venture into the small and sinister village of Moonfleet on the windswept moors of Dorsetshire. Particularly as directed by master-of-menace Fritz Lang, this colorful tale of a young boy’s experiences among some really bad companions enthralls in the tradition of Kidnapped and Treasure Island. Here, young John Mohune (Jon Whiteley) arrives at his ancestral estate, now owned by the dashing, and mysterious Jeremy Fox (Stewart Granger). Out of love for the boy’s mother, but against his better judgment, Fox grudgingly allows John to stay. He soon becomes attached to the boy, but his devotion is tested when John discovers a hidden smugglers’ lair beneath the village graveyard and learns a shocking secret that could cost both him and Fox their lives.
Fritz Lang...
- 8/20/2019
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
It’s Fritz Lang versus CinemaScope, for the first and last time. The format suited to snakes and funerals effectively hamstrings the great filmmaker’s expressive camera direction, yet the movie is one of the best of MGM’s last-gasp ’50s costume dramas. Corrupt smuggler Stewart Granger is redeemed by the faith of a young boy who believes in him; in this story the words “He’s my friend” take on a big significance. Come see director Lang struggle to adapt the wide-wide screen to accommodate his brand of real cinema.
Moonfleet
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1955 / Color / 2:55 widescreen / 87 min. / Street Date August 13, 2019 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Stewart Granger, Jon Whiteley, George Sanders, Joan Greenwood, Viveca Lindfors, Liliane Montevecchi, Melville Cooper, Sean McClory, Alan Napier, John Hoyt, Donna Corcoran, Jack Elam, Dan Seymour, Ian Wolfe.
Cinematography: Robert H. Planck
Film Editor: Albert Akst
Original Music: Miklos Rozsa
Written by Jan Lustig,...
Moonfleet
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1955 / Color / 2:55 widescreen / 87 min. / Street Date August 13, 2019 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Stewart Granger, Jon Whiteley, George Sanders, Joan Greenwood, Viveca Lindfors, Liliane Montevecchi, Melville Cooper, Sean McClory, Alan Napier, John Hoyt, Donna Corcoran, Jack Elam, Dan Seymour, Ian Wolfe.
Cinematography: Robert H. Planck
Film Editor: Albert Akst
Original Music: Miklos Rozsa
Written by Jan Lustig,...
- 8/17/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
“Bill’s thirty-two. He looks thirty-two. He looked it five years ago, he’ll look it twenty years from now. I hate men. “
All About Eve plays at The Tivoli Theater (6350 Delmar in St. Louis) Monday July 15th as part of the ‘Classics on the Loop’ series. Showtimes are 4pm and 7pm. Admission is $7.
A publicity still from the 1950 Academy Award®-winning drama “All about Eve” features (left to right): Gary Merrill, Bette Davis, George Sanders, Anne Baxter, Hugh Marlowe and Celeste Holm. “All about Eve” received a record 14 Academy Award nominations and won six Oscars®, including Best Picture. Restored by Nick & jane for Dr. Macro’s High Quality Movie Scans Website: http:www.doctormacro.com. Enjoy!
It is almost impossible to find fault in the performances in
All About Eve . Bette Davis is in her element as Margo Channing and Anne Baxter is great as the cunning, if not slightly deranged,...
All About Eve plays at The Tivoli Theater (6350 Delmar in St. Louis) Monday July 15th as part of the ‘Classics on the Loop’ series. Showtimes are 4pm and 7pm. Admission is $7.
A publicity still from the 1950 Academy Award®-winning drama “All about Eve” features (left to right): Gary Merrill, Bette Davis, George Sanders, Anne Baxter, Hugh Marlowe and Celeste Holm. “All about Eve” received a record 14 Academy Award nominations and won six Oscars®, including Best Picture. Restored by Nick & jane for Dr. Macro’s High Quality Movie Scans Website: http:www.doctormacro.com. Enjoy!
It is almost impossible to find fault in the performances in
All About Eve . Bette Davis is in her element as Margo Channing and Anne Baxter is great as the cunning, if not slightly deranged,...
- 7/9/2019
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The House of the Seven Gables
Blu ray
Kino Lorber
1940 / 1:33:1 / 89 Min.
Starring Margaret Lindsay, Vincent Price, George Sanders
Written by Lester Cole
Cinematography by Milton R. Krasner
Directed by Joe May
In 1940’s The House of the Seven Gables, Margaret Lindsay transforms from sunny romantic to stone-faced recluse in the blink of an eye – her startling performance gives a 20th century hot foot to Universal’s 19th century melodrama.
Published in 1851, Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel is set during the new era of enlightenment – a superstitious few may resist but the wheels of change are turning – just not fast enough for the Pyncheon family, a seemingly cursed dynasty plagued by corruption and cruelty.
Lindsay plays Hepzibah Pyncheon whose lover Clifford has been framed by his brother Jaffrey for the death of their father. A cold-blooded fop maintaining the family’s avaricious tradition, Jaffrey covets the distinctly gabled ancestral home and its hidden treasures.
Blu ray
Kino Lorber
1940 / 1:33:1 / 89 Min.
Starring Margaret Lindsay, Vincent Price, George Sanders
Written by Lester Cole
Cinematography by Milton R. Krasner
Directed by Joe May
In 1940’s The House of the Seven Gables, Margaret Lindsay transforms from sunny romantic to stone-faced recluse in the blink of an eye – her startling performance gives a 20th century hot foot to Universal’s 19th century melodrama.
Published in 1851, Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel is set during the new era of enlightenment – a superstitious few may resist but the wheels of change are turning – just not fast enough for the Pyncheon family, a seemingly cursed dynasty plagued by corruption and cruelty.
Lindsay plays Hepzibah Pyncheon whose lover Clifford has been framed by his brother Jaffrey for the death of their father. A cold-blooded fop maintaining the family’s avaricious tradition, Jaffrey covets the distinctly gabled ancestral home and its hidden treasures.
- 5/11/2019
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
Michael Anderson directs a classy slice of ’60s spy-dom. In West Berlin, George Segal’s Quiller struggles through a near- existential battle with Neo-Nazi swine more soulless than his own cold-fish handlers. Harold Pinter supplies the circular dialogue, Alec Guinness the charming insincerity and Max von Sydow a devilish menace. Quiller is mesmerized by the seductive ambiguity of lovely Senta Berger. Does she love Quiller? Or is love dead in this brave world of deceit and subterfuge?
The Quiller Memorandum
Blu-ray
Twilight Time
1966 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 105 min. / Street Date March 19, 2019 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store / 29.95
Starring: George Segal, Alec Guinness, Max von Sydow, Senta Berger, George Sanders, Robert Helpmann, Robert Flemyng, Peter Carsten.
Cinematography: Erwin Hillier
Film Editor: Frederick Wilson
Original Music: John Barry
Written by Harold Pinter from the novel by Adam Hall
Produced by Ivan Foxwell
Directed by Michael Anderson
The ’60s spy movie craze was a copycat game.
The Quiller Memorandum
Blu-ray
Twilight Time
1966 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 105 min. / Street Date March 19, 2019 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store / 29.95
Starring: George Segal, Alec Guinness, Max von Sydow, Senta Berger, George Sanders, Robert Helpmann, Robert Flemyng, Peter Carsten.
Cinematography: Erwin Hillier
Film Editor: Frederick Wilson
Original Music: John Barry
Written by Harold Pinter from the novel by Adam Hall
Produced by Ivan Foxwell
Directed by Michael Anderson
The ’60s spy movie craze was a copycat game.
- 3/26/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Those scurrilous Italian ‘mondo’ films are difficult to see in original versions; this Something Weird double bill yields an American hybrid of one of the better (?) examples, given the classy touch of a narration by George Sanders. A second oversexed pseudo-docu is a homegrown mongrel with all the credibility of today’s Reality TV — it doesn’t even try to be legit. Once again, Severin comes through with a doubly guilty pleasure, for sex-starved carnival suckers everywhere.
Ecco + The Forbidden
Blu-ray
Severin Films/Something Weird
1962/65 + 1966
Street Date January 29, 2019
29.98
Severin Films has released two Something Weird ‘Mondo’ double bills on Blu-ray, that came out on DVD thirteen years ago on the Image label. One of the few genres of exploitation film that still receives little or no serious criticism is an infestation series of opportunistic faux- documentaries borne from the massive success of 1962’s Mondo Cane. These pictures do have a...
Ecco + The Forbidden
Blu-ray
Severin Films/Something Weird
1962/65 + 1966
Street Date January 29, 2019
29.98
Severin Films has released two Something Weird ‘Mondo’ double bills on Blu-ray, that came out on DVD thirteen years ago on the Image label. One of the few genres of exploitation film that still receives little or no serious criticism is an infestation series of opportunistic faux- documentaries borne from the massive success of 1962’s Mondo Cane. These pictures do have a...
- 2/19/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
David Crow May 14, 2019
We compare the best and worst Robin Hood movies. From Errol Flynn to Kevin Costner, Russell Crowe to a fox, here's the definitive ranking.
Like a certain Saxon archer landing an arrow right down the center of a bullseye, another Robin Hood movie being around the corner is inevitable. One of the oldest and most beloved figures of English folklore, Robin of Locksley has evolved through the centuries from grifter and trickster to fallen nobleman, and finally to righteous social justice warrior enamored with a serious income distribution plan. He also has more easily made the jump to cinema in the 20th century than many of his legendary peers of yore like King Arthur and Beowulf.
Indeed, thanks in large part to the charms of Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland, Robin has been the star of one of the most important Hollywood films in cinema history,...
We compare the best and worst Robin Hood movies. From Errol Flynn to Kevin Costner, Russell Crowe to a fox, here's the definitive ranking.
Like a certain Saxon archer landing an arrow right down the center of a bullseye, another Robin Hood movie being around the corner is inevitable. One of the oldest and most beloved figures of English folklore, Robin of Locksley has evolved through the centuries from grifter and trickster to fallen nobleman, and finally to righteous social justice warrior enamored with a serious income distribution plan. He also has more easily made the jump to cinema in the 20th century than many of his legendary peers of yore like King Arthur and Beowulf.
Indeed, thanks in large part to the charms of Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland, Robin has been the star of one of the most important Hollywood films in cinema history,...
- 11/21/2018
- Den of Geek
Paramount Pictures is in early negotiations with Chris Pratt to star in a movie reboot of “The Saint,” two decades after Val Kilmer’s thriller and 50 years after Roger Moore’s TV series.
Pratt’s deal is not closed. He became a worldwide star after headlining Disney-Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” movies and “Avengers: Infinity War” (2018) and its upcoming sequel (2019). He also starred in “Passengers” with Jennifer Lawrence, and long-running NBC sitcom “Parks and Recreation.”
The studio secured a deal for book series rights in 2016 and set up a producing deal with Lorenzo di Bonaventura with the goal of starting an action franchise.
“The Saint” is based on Leslie Charteris’ book series, which follow the debonair Simon Templar character first introduced in the 1928 novel “Meet the Tiger,” followed by “Enter the Saint” in 1930. Templar stole from corrupt politicians and warmongers, leaving a calling card of a stick figure with a halo.
Pratt’s deal is not closed. He became a worldwide star after headlining Disney-Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” movies and “Avengers: Infinity War” (2018) and its upcoming sequel (2019). He also starred in “Passengers” with Jennifer Lawrence, and long-running NBC sitcom “Parks and Recreation.”
The studio secured a deal for book series rights in 2016 and set up a producing deal with Lorenzo di Bonaventura with the goal of starting an action franchise.
“The Saint” is based on Leslie Charteris’ book series, which follow the debonair Simon Templar character first introduced in the 1928 novel “Meet the Tiger,” followed by “Enter the Saint” in 1930. Templar stole from corrupt politicians and warmongers, leaving a calling card of a stick figure with a halo.
- 11/16/2018
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
This article marks Part 1 of the Gold Derby series reflecting on Horror Films at the Oscars. Join us as we look back at the spine-tingling movies that earned Academy Awards nominations, including the following films from the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s.
In considering history of horror cinema and its performance at the Oscars, it must first be acknowledged that a plethora of pictures from this genre were released prior to the very existence of the Academy Awards. The legendary likes of “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” (1920), “Nosferatu” (1922) and “The Phantom of the Opera” (1925), among others, all earned releases prior to the first Oscar ceremony, in 1928.
There were not many horror films eligible for consideration at the 1st Academy Awards – the most worthy of such recognition would have been “The Man Who Laughs” (1928), one of countless horror movies released in the first half of the century by Universal Pictures. The picture did not garner recognition,...
In considering history of horror cinema and its performance at the Oscars, it must first be acknowledged that a plethora of pictures from this genre were released prior to the very existence of the Academy Awards. The legendary likes of “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” (1920), “Nosferatu” (1922) and “The Phantom of the Opera” (1925), among others, all earned releases prior to the first Oscar ceremony, in 1928.
There were not many horror films eligible for consideration at the 1st Academy Awards – the most worthy of such recognition would have been “The Man Who Laughs” (1928), one of countless horror movies released in the first half of the century by Universal Pictures. The picture did not garner recognition,...
- 10/16/2018
- by Andrew Carden
- Gold Derby
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