“You know you can watch that at home, right?” Such was the advice directed my way by a wisecracking passerby while queued up for a screening at the 2024 Turner Classic Movies Film Festival in Hollywood, California. They were clearly not a festival passholder, but the indifference heard right there on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was another instance of the trampling of history that both the festival and its parent channel aim to counter.
Probably the most even-handed response to that trampling would be a reminder—to flip a well-known phrase—that a home is not a house (not a movie house anyway). The folks who flock to Los Angeles every year from all over the world to attend this festival, probably all subscribers or rabid devotees of the channel that bears its name, cough up a prodigious amount of money to do so. It’s clear that for them,...
Probably the most even-handed response to that trampling would be a reminder—to flip a well-known phrase—that a home is not a house (not a movie house anyway). The folks who flock to Los Angeles every year from all over the world to attend this festival, probably all subscribers or rabid devotees of the channel that bears its name, cough up a prodigious amount of money to do so. It’s clear that for them,...
- 4/23/2024
- by Dennis Cozzalio
- Slant Magazine
Lenka Peterson, whose Broadway performances included a 1984 Tony-nominated turn in the musical Quilters, co-starring roles with Shelley Winters, Lillian Gish and Colleen Dewhurst in plays with creative teams including Truman Capote and Arthur Penn, died Sept. 24 in her sleep at home in Roxbury, Connecticut. She was 95.
Her death was announced by her family, including daughter, actress Glynnis O’Connor.
In addition to her stage work, Peterson appeared in an extensive roster of film and television projects, spanning more than 50 years beginning with a small role in director Elia Kazan’s 1950 film Panic in the Streets (Peterson was a charter member of The Actors Studio) and continuing through the 2006 remake of All The King’s Men starring Sean Penn, Jude Law and Kate Winslet.
Born Lenka Isacson in Omaha, Nebraska, Peterson moved to New York City following World War II to pursue a stage career, and soon landed...
Her death was announced by her family, including daughter, actress Glynnis O’Connor.
In addition to her stage work, Peterson appeared in an extensive roster of film and television projects, spanning more than 50 years beginning with a small role in director Elia Kazan’s 1950 film Panic in the Streets (Peterson was a charter member of The Actors Studio) and continuing through the 2006 remake of All The King’s Men starring Sean Penn, Jude Law and Kate Winslet.
Born Lenka Isacson in Omaha, Nebraska, Peterson moved to New York City following World War II to pursue a stage career, and soon landed...
- 10/5/2021
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Lenka Peterson, the Tony-nominated actress and charter member of The Actors Studio who also worked in films including Panic in the Streets, The Phenix City Story and Dragnet, has died. She was 95.
Peterson died Sept. 24 in her sleep at her home in Roxbury, Connecticut, her family announced. Survivors include her daughter, actress Glynnis O’Connor (Ode to Billy Joe, The Boy in the Plastic Bubble).
Peterson appeared in 10 Broadway productions over a span of nearly 40 years and received her Tony nom for best featured actress in a musical in 1985 for Quilters.
She also acted in Truman Capote’s The Grass Harp in ...
Peterson died Sept. 24 in her sleep at her home in Roxbury, Connecticut, her family announced. Survivors include her daughter, actress Glynnis O’Connor (Ode to Billy Joe, The Boy in the Plastic Bubble).
Peterson appeared in 10 Broadway productions over a span of nearly 40 years and received her Tony nom for best featured actress in a musical in 1985 for Quilters.
She also acted in Truman Capote’s The Grass Harp in ...
- 10/5/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Lenka Peterson, the Tony-nominated actress and charter member of The Actors Studio who also worked in films including Panic in the Streets, The Phenix City Story and Dragnet, has died. She was 95.
Peterson died Sept. 24 in her sleep at her home in Roxbury, Connecticut, her family announced. Survivors include her daughter, actress Glynnis O’Connor (Ode to Billy Joe, The Boy in the Plastic Bubble).
Peterson appeared in 10 Broadway productions over a span of nearly 40 years and received her Tony nom for best featured actress in a musical in 1985 for Quilters.
She also acted in Truman Capote’s The Grass Harp in ...
Peterson died Sept. 24 in her sleep at her home in Roxbury, Connecticut, her family announced. Survivors include her daughter, actress Glynnis O’Connor (Ode to Billy Joe, The Boy in the Plastic Bubble).
Peterson appeared in 10 Broadway productions over a span of nearly 40 years and received her Tony nom for best featured actress in a musical in 1985 for Quilters.
She also acted in Truman Capote’s The Grass Harp in ...
- 10/5/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
The legendary punk god joins us to talk about movies he finds unforgettable. Special appearance by his cat, Moon Unit.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Tapeheads (1988)
Rock ‘n’ Roll High School (1979) – Eli Roth’s trailer commentary
A Face In The Crowd (1957) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Meet John Doe (1941)
Bob Roberts (1992)
Bachelor Party (1984)
Dangerously Close (1986)
Videodrome (1983) – Mick Garris’s trailer commentary
F/X (1986)
Hot Rods To Hell (1967)
Riot On Sunset Strip (1967)
While The City Sleeps (1956) – Glenn Erickson’s trailer commentary
Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) – John Landis’s trailer commentary
Spider-Man (2002)
The Killing (1956) – Michael Lehmann’s trailer commentary
Serpent’s Egg (1977)
The Thin Man (1934)
Meet Nero Wolfe (1936)
The Hidden Eye (1945)
Eyes In The Night (1942)
Sudden Impact (1983) – Alan Spencer’s trailer commentary
Red Dawn (1984)
Warlock (1989)
The Dead Zone (1983) – Mick Garris’s trailer commentary
Secret Honor (1984)
The Player (1992) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary,...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Tapeheads (1988)
Rock ‘n’ Roll High School (1979) – Eli Roth’s trailer commentary
A Face In The Crowd (1957) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Meet John Doe (1941)
Bob Roberts (1992)
Bachelor Party (1984)
Dangerously Close (1986)
Videodrome (1983) – Mick Garris’s trailer commentary
F/X (1986)
Hot Rods To Hell (1967)
Riot On Sunset Strip (1967)
While The City Sleeps (1956) – Glenn Erickson’s trailer commentary
Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) – John Landis’s trailer commentary
Spider-Man (2002)
The Killing (1956) – Michael Lehmann’s trailer commentary
Serpent’s Egg (1977)
The Thin Man (1934)
Meet Nero Wolfe (1936)
The Hidden Eye (1945)
Eyes In The Night (1942)
Sudden Impact (1983) – Alan Spencer’s trailer commentary
Red Dawn (1984)
Warlock (1989)
The Dead Zone (1983) – Mick Garris’s trailer commentary
Secret Honor (1984)
The Player (1992) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary,...
- 6/22/2021
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
Purple Rain, The Last Waltz, Platoon, She’s Gotta Have It and Clerks were among the 25 films added to the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry, the organization announced Wednesday.
2019’s list of motion pictures — selected for their “cultural, historic and aesthetic importance to the nation’s film heritage” — include an “unprecedented” seven films by female directors, including Kimberly Peirce’s Boys Don’t Cry, Elaine May’s A New Leaf and Patricia Cardoso’s Real Women Have Curves.
In addition to Prince’s 1984 classic and Martin Scorsese’s documentary about the Band’s all-star farewell gig,...
2019’s list of motion pictures — selected for their “cultural, historic and aesthetic importance to the nation’s film heritage” — include an “unprecedented” seven films by female directors, including Kimberly Peirce’s Boys Don’t Cry, Elaine May’s A New Leaf and Patricia Cardoso’s Real Women Have Curves.
In addition to Prince’s 1984 classic and Martin Scorsese’s documentary about the Band’s all-star farewell gig,...
- 12/11/2019
- by Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
Since 1989, the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress has been accomplishing the important task of preserving films that “represent important cultural, artistic and historic achievements in filmmaking.” From films way back in 1897 all the way up to 2005, they’ve now reached 775 films that celebrate our heritage and encapsulate our film history.
Today they’ve unveiled their 2019 list, which includes Elaine May’s A New Leaf, Spike Lee’s She’s Gotta Have It, Martin Scorsese’s The Last Waltz, the Prince feature Purple Rain, Oliver Stone’s Platoon, Claudia Weill’s Girlfriends, Miloš Forman’s Amadeus, George Cukor’s Gaslight, and more.
“The National Film Registry is an essential American enterprise that officially recognizes the rich depth and variety, the eloquence and the real greatness of American cinema and the filmmakers who have created it, film by film,” said Scorsese.
Check out the full list below and you can...
Today they’ve unveiled their 2019 list, which includes Elaine May’s A New Leaf, Spike Lee’s She’s Gotta Have It, Martin Scorsese’s The Last Waltz, the Prince feature Purple Rain, Oliver Stone’s Platoon, Claudia Weill’s Girlfriends, Miloš Forman’s Amadeus, George Cukor’s Gaslight, and more.
“The National Film Registry is an essential American enterprise that officially recognizes the rich depth and variety, the eloquence and the real greatness of American cinema and the filmmakers who have created it, film by film,” said Scorsese.
Check out the full list below and you can...
- 12/11/2019
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
The Library of Congress has unveiled its annual selection of 25 films added to the National Film Registry, with an unprecedented seven titles directed by women, the most in a single year since the inaugural registry in 1989. (Scroll down for the full list.)
Among those making the cut for 2019 are Kimberly Peirce’s 1999 Oscar winner Boys Don’t Cry; Greta Schiller’s 1984 documentary Before Stonewall; Claudia Weill’s 1978 Girlfriends; Gunvor Nelson’s 1969 avant-garde pic My Name Is Oona; Elaine May’s A New Leaf, which in 1971 made her the first woman to write, direct and star in a major American studio feature; the 2002 indie Real Women Have Curves, directed by Patricia Cardoso; and Madeline Anderson’s 1970 I Am Somebody, which is considered the first documentary on civil rights directed by a woman of color.
Also notably added to the Film Registry are such classics as George Cukor’s 1944 Gaslight, which won...
Among those making the cut for 2019 are Kimberly Peirce’s 1999 Oscar winner Boys Don’t Cry; Greta Schiller’s 1984 documentary Before Stonewall; Claudia Weill’s 1978 Girlfriends; Gunvor Nelson’s 1969 avant-garde pic My Name Is Oona; Elaine May’s A New Leaf, which in 1971 made her the first woman to write, direct and star in a major American studio feature; the 2002 indie Real Women Have Curves, directed by Patricia Cardoso; and Madeline Anderson’s 1970 I Am Somebody, which is considered the first documentary on civil rights directed by a woman of color.
Also notably added to the Film Registry are such classics as George Cukor’s 1944 Gaslight, which won...
- 12/11/2019
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
“Purple Rain,” “Clerks,” “She’s Gotta Have It,” “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” “Amadeus,” “Sleeping Beauty,””Boys Don’t Cry” and “The Last Waltz” are among this year’s additions to the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.
The list also includes 1944’s “Gaslight,” starring Ingrid Bergman in an Oscar-winning performance; the 1955 film noir “The Phenix City Story,” based on a real-life murder in Alabama; Disney’s 1959 canine tearjerker “Old Yeller”; Oliver Stone’s 1986 Best Picture winner “Platoon,” based on his own experiences in Vietnam; and Luis Valdez’s “Zoot Suit,” which tells the story of the 1943 Sleepy Lagoon Murder and the racially charged riots that followed.
A place on the list — always made up of 25 films — guarantees the film will be preserved under the terms of the National Film Preservation Act. The criteria for selection is that the movies are “culturally, historically or aesthetically” significant.
“The National Film Registry has become...
The list also includes 1944’s “Gaslight,” starring Ingrid Bergman in an Oscar-winning performance; the 1955 film noir “The Phenix City Story,” based on a real-life murder in Alabama; Disney’s 1959 canine tearjerker “Old Yeller”; Oliver Stone’s 1986 Best Picture winner “Platoon,” based on his own experiences in Vietnam; and Luis Valdez’s “Zoot Suit,” which tells the story of the 1943 Sleepy Lagoon Murder and the racially charged riots that followed.
A place on the list — always made up of 25 films — guarantees the film will be preserved under the terms of the National Film Preservation Act. The criteria for selection is that the movies are “culturally, historically or aesthetically” significant.
“The National Film Registry has become...
- 12/11/2019
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Homicide cop Glenn Ford visits destruction on every woman he meets while avenging the murder of his wife. Fritz Lang’s noirish classic is tough, cynical and operates from the premise that most big cities are run by crime syndicates, a popular theme in contemporary thrillers like The Enforcer, The Big Combo and The Phenix City Story.
The post The Big Heat appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
The post The Big Heat appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
- 10/23/2019
- by TFH Team
- Trailers from Hell
Homicide cop Glenn Ford visits destruction on every woman he meets while avenging the murder of his wife. Fritz Lang’s noirish classic is tough, cynical and operates from the premise that most big cities are run by crime syndicates, a popular theme in contemporary thrillers like The Enforcer, The Big Combo and The Phenix City Story.
The post The Big Heat appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
The post The Big Heat appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
- 10/23/2019
- by TFH Team
- Trailers from Hell
He sings, he fixes cars, and he takes punches better than De Niro’s Raging Bull. Elvis Presley excels in one of his few ’60s pictures that shows an interest in being a ‘real movie,’ a remake of a boxing saga with entertaining characters and fine direction from noir specialist Phil Karlson. Plus Charles Bronson, Lola Albright and Joan Blackman in standout roles.
Kid Galahad
Blu-ray
Twilight Time
1962 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 95 min. / Street Date August 14, 2017 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store 29.95
Starring: Elvis Presley, Gig Young, Lola Albright, Joan Blackman, Charles Bronson, Robert Emhardt, Liam Redmond, Judson Pratt, Ned Glass, George Mitchell, Roy Roberts, Michael Dante, Richard Devon, Jeff Morris, Edward Asner, Frank Gerstle, Seamon Glass, Bert Remsen.
Cinematography: Burnett Guffey
Film Editor: Stuart Gilmore
Original Music: Jeff Alexander
Written by William Fay, Francis Wallace
Produced by David Weisbart
Directed by Phil Karlson
What, a good Elvis Presley picture?...
Kid Galahad
Blu-ray
Twilight Time
1962 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 95 min. / Street Date August 14, 2017 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store 29.95
Starring: Elvis Presley, Gig Young, Lola Albright, Joan Blackman, Charles Bronson, Robert Emhardt, Liam Redmond, Judson Pratt, Ned Glass, George Mitchell, Roy Roberts, Michael Dante, Richard Devon, Jeff Morris, Edward Asner, Frank Gerstle, Seamon Glass, Bert Remsen.
Cinematography: Burnett Guffey
Film Editor: Stuart Gilmore
Original Music: Jeff Alexander
Written by William Fay, Francis Wallace
Produced by David Weisbart
Directed by Phil Karlson
What, a good Elvis Presley picture?...
- 8/29/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
This classy Fox production was considered the epitome of sick film subject matter in the pre- Psycho year of 1959, the true story of jazz-age thrill killers Leopold & Loeb. Dean Stockwell and Bradford Dillman are the nihilistic child murderers; Orson Welles stops the show with his portrayal of Clarence Darrow, going under a different name.
Compulsion
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1959 / B&W / 2:35 widescreen / 103 min. / Street Date March 7, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Orson Welles, Dean Stockwell, Diane Varsi, Bradford Dillman, E.G. Marshall, Richard Anderson, Robert F. Simon, Edward Binns, Gavid McLeod, Russ Bender, Peter Brocco.
Cinematography: William C. Mellor
Film Editor: William Reynolds
Original Music: Lionel Newman
Written by Richard Murphy from a novel by Meyer Levin
Produced by Richard D. Zanuck
Directed by Richard Fleischer
Movies about serial killers and psychos with exotic agendas were much different before Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, which hit America in 1960 like a thrown brick.
Compulsion
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1959 / B&W / 2:35 widescreen / 103 min. / Street Date March 7, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Orson Welles, Dean Stockwell, Diane Varsi, Bradford Dillman, E.G. Marshall, Richard Anderson, Robert F. Simon, Edward Binns, Gavid McLeod, Russ Bender, Peter Brocco.
Cinematography: William C. Mellor
Film Editor: William Reynolds
Original Music: Lionel Newman
Written by Richard Murphy from a novel by Meyer Levin
Produced by Richard D. Zanuck
Directed by Richard Fleischer
Movies about serial killers and psychos with exotic agendas were much different before Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, which hit America in 1960 like a thrown brick.
- 3/12/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
In the 1970s crime films morphed into sadistic vigilante fantasies about tough-guy heroes avenging terrible crimes against their families. Veteran noir director Phil Karlson directed the bruiser’s bruiser Joe Don Baker in a standard tale of violent vengeance, with the violence factor given an extra bloody boost.
Framed
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1975 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 106 min. / Street Date February 28, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Joe Don Baker, Conny Van Dyke, John Marley, Gabriel Dell,, Brock Peters, John Larch, Warren J. Kemmerling, Walter Brooke, Paul Mantee, H.B. Haggerty, Roy Jenson.
Cinematography: Jack A. Marta
Film Editor: Harry W. Gerstad
Stunts: Carey Loftin, Gil Perkins, Buddy Joe Hooker
Original Music: Pat Williams
Written by Mort Briskin from a book by Art Powers & Mike Misenheimer
Produced by Joel Briskin, Mort Briskin
Directed by Phil Karlson
Time for another curiosity review, of a grindhouse gut-basher from the 1970s — a subgenre I avoided when new.
Framed
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1975 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 106 min. / Street Date February 28, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Joe Don Baker, Conny Van Dyke, John Marley, Gabriel Dell,, Brock Peters, John Larch, Warren J. Kemmerling, Walter Brooke, Paul Mantee, H.B. Haggerty, Roy Jenson.
Cinematography: Jack A. Marta
Film Editor: Harry W. Gerstad
Stunts: Carey Loftin, Gil Perkins, Buddy Joe Hooker
Original Music: Pat Williams
Written by Mort Briskin from a book by Art Powers & Mike Misenheimer
Produced by Joel Briskin, Mort Briskin
Directed by Phil Karlson
Time for another curiosity review, of a grindhouse gut-basher from the 1970s — a subgenre I avoided when new.
- 2/28/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Lock your doors! Hulking menace Victor Buono gets the full-on psycho treatment, based (very) roughly on early reports of The Boston Strangler. The 'baby doll' killer also prefigures the fiendish Richard Speck. Burt Topper's film is routine but ex- Baby Jane star Victor Buono's performance is decidedly not. The Strangler DVD-r The Warner Archive Collection 1964 / B&W / 1:85 widescreen / 89 min. / Street Date November 10, 2015 / available through the WBshop / 21.99 Starring Victor Buono, Diane Sayer, Davey Davison, Jeanne Bates, Ellen Corby, Mimi Dillard, Selette Cole, David McLean, Baynes Barron, Michael Ryan, Russ Bender, Wally Campo, Byron Morrow, John Yates, James Sikking, Robert Cranford. Cinematography Jacques R. Marquette Film Editor Robert S. Eisen Original Music Martin Skiles Written by Bill S. Ballinger Produced by Samuel Bischoff, David Diamond Directed by Burt Topper
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
The old-time independent producer Edward Small gravitated to United Artists in the 1950s, while his counterpart...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
The old-time independent producer Edward Small gravitated to United Artists in the 1950s, while his counterpart...
- 3/12/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Germany's Explosive Media company has a serious itch for American westerns, and they have a trio of new releases. One is a minor Hollywood classic with major graces, from the late 1950s. A second sees an American producer based in England filming in Italy with a rising international star, and for the third an established American star goes European to stay in the game. The best thing for Yankee buyers? The discs are Region-free.
Gunman's Walk, Land Raiders, A Man Called Sledge Three Westerns from Explosive Media Blu-ray Separate Releases 1958-1970 / Color Starring Van Heflin, Tab Hunter; George Maharis, Telly Savalas; James Garner
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
The majority of American studios now choose not to market their libraries for digital disc, and license them out instead. Collectors unwilling to settle for whatever's on Netflix or concerned about the permanence of Cloud Cinema, find themselves increasingly tempted by discs from Europe,...
Gunman's Walk, Land Raiders, A Man Called Sledge Three Westerns from Explosive Media Blu-ray Separate Releases 1958-1970 / Color Starring Van Heflin, Tab Hunter; George Maharis, Telly Savalas; James Garner
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
The majority of American studios now choose not to market their libraries for digital disc, and license them out instead. Collectors unwilling to settle for whatever's on Netflix or concerned about the permanence of Cloud Cinema, find themselves increasingly tempted by discs from Europe,...
- 12/30/2015
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
"The music seemed extraordinarily fresh and genuine still. It might grow old-fashioned, he told himself, but never old, surely, while there was any youth left in men. It was an expression of youth–that, and no more; with sweetness and foolishness, the lingering accent, the heavy stresses–the delicacy, too–belonging to that time."—"The Professor's House," Willa CatherHis last words, in a hospital four months later, are said to have been 'Mind your own business!' addressed to an enquirer after the state of his bowels. Friends got to the studio just before the wreckers' ball. Pictures, a profusion, piles of them, littered the floor: of 'a world that will never be seen except in pictures'"—"The Pound Era," Hugh Kenner***Heart Of FIREOften when I go to a movie, usually one made before 1960, I think about the opening scene of The Red Shoes, of Marius Goring and his...
- 10/2/2015
- by gina telaroli
- MUBI
Quentin Tarantino's new movie is a reminder of Hollywood's failure to properly grapple with slavery. In fact, all the intelligent movies come from the exploitation sector, says John Patterson
Can you name a single great mainstream American movie about slavery? I don't mean Birth Of A Nation or Gone With The Wind, both of which more or less endorse the Peculiar Institution; or Amistad or Beloved, which are adequate on the facts but no one's idea of great movies. I mean a great American movie possessed of an understanding of the full extent of slavery, its bottomless obscenity and violence.
No, I didn't think so. I'm not yet sure if Django Unchained, with Jamie Foxx as Nat Turner by way of Black Zorro, is actually a great American movie (though I haven't enjoyed a Tarantino movie this much since Jackie Brown), but it does not stint in its determination...
Can you name a single great mainstream American movie about slavery? I don't mean Birth Of A Nation or Gone With The Wind, both of which more or less endorse the Peculiar Institution; or Amistad or Beloved, which are adequate on the facts but no one's idea of great movies. I mean a great American movie possessed of an understanding of the full extent of slavery, its bottomless obscenity and violence.
No, I didn't think so. I'm not yet sure if Django Unchained, with Jamie Foxx as Nat Turner by way of Black Zorro, is actually a great American movie (though I haven't enjoyed a Tarantino movie this much since Jackie Brown), but it does not stint in its determination...
- 1/14/2013
- by John Patterson
- The Guardian - Film News
The Phenix City Story
Directed by Phil Karlson
Written by Daniel Mainwaring and Crane Wilbur
U.S.A., 1955
When a neighbourhood, a town, a city, a state or a country is ostensibly run by the wicked and the corrupt, what does it take for the populace to rise up and fight its oppressors? When the patience of the majority runs thin, when their minds are finally set on uprooting the seeds of vice which have infected their institutions and culture, the results can be shockingly effective. Simply ask the former leaders of Lybia and Tunisia, both ousted in a matter of few weeks in early 2011. The stories feel are the more appalling when they occur closer to home however. Even small town America is not exempt from such tyrannical rule, as is seen in Phil Karlson’s provocative 1955 film, The Phenix City Story (yes, that’s P-h-e-n-i-x).
Phenix, Alabama is the setting,...
Directed by Phil Karlson
Written by Daniel Mainwaring and Crane Wilbur
U.S.A., 1955
When a neighbourhood, a town, a city, a state or a country is ostensibly run by the wicked and the corrupt, what does it take for the populace to rise up and fight its oppressors? When the patience of the majority runs thin, when their minds are finally set on uprooting the seeds of vice which have infected their institutions and culture, the results can be shockingly effective. Simply ask the former leaders of Lybia and Tunisia, both ousted in a matter of few weeks in early 2011. The stories feel are the more appalling when they occur closer to home however. Even small town America is not exempt from such tyrannical rule, as is seen in Phil Karlson’s provocative 1955 film, The Phenix City Story (yes, that’s P-h-e-n-i-x).
Phenix, Alabama is the setting,...
- 3/30/2012
- by Edgar Chaput
- SoundOnSight
Leave it to The Daily Beast to get Scorsese talking about films. Not that it would be hard to do. The man is “Mr. Cinema.” He directs, produces and he even has his own nonprofit organization for preserving classic films, The Film Foundation. The director may have toyed with other genres during his lifetime, but the one people would discuss aplenty is his contributions to crime cinema. To think of Scorsese is to think of Goodfellas, Casino and The Departed, despite also directing films like After Hours and The Last Temptation of Christ. As he turns his attention to the small screen with HBO’s Boardwalk Empire – touted as being the network’s costliest production to date – the director lists off his 15 favorite gangster movies. Scorsese writes:
“Here are 15 gangster pictures that had a profound effect on me and the way I thought about crime and how to portray it on film.
“Here are 15 gangster pictures that had a profound effect on me and the way I thought about crime and how to portray it on film.
- 9/17/2010
- by thedvdlounge
- Examiner Movies Channel
The past several years have seen a resurgence in interest in the Film Noir genre, not just in recreations via a host of films, but in the classics that started it all. That interest has spawned a series of releases on DVD, and The Film Noir Classic Collection Vol. 5 is filled with treats.
You might expect that we would be reaching by the time we got to the fifth installment, a set with eight films, but in some sense the opposite may be true here.
While not the biggest names in the genre, the set gives us some true favorites, as well as some great actors.
Cornered (1945):
From England to continental Europe to Buenos Aires, ex-rcaf pilot Dick Powell stalks the Nazi collaborator who murdered his bride. But one fact constantly surfaces during his quest: no one can describe the mysterious man. Joining Powell in the film shadows are...
You might expect that we would be reaching by the time we got to the fifth installment, a set with eight films, but in some sense the opposite may be true here.
While not the biggest names in the genre, the set gives us some true favorites, as well as some great actors.
Cornered (1945):
From England to continental Europe to Buenos Aires, ex-rcaf pilot Dick Powell stalks the Nazi collaborator who murdered his bride. But one fact constantly surfaces during his quest: no one can describe the mysterious man. Joining Powell in the film shadows are...
- 7/28/2010
- by Marc Eastman
- AreYouScreening.com
Film Noir Classic Collection: Vol. 5, has dusted off eight films of the celebrated genre and adapted them to DVD format. Collections like these, which bring older films to newer light, are godsends regardless (to a degree) of which films are selected, because as timeless as some of these stories and performances might be, the barrier of being stuck in an old format can bury them forever. And these stories deserve to be told. If you watch a few well made noir thrillers you will no doubt see the seeds that were planted in the heads of crime-thriller filmmakers the likes of Martin Scorsese or Michael Mann. Though there are better films in the noir genre that this collection could have culminated, there are also a lot worse. Any fan of noir films or old mysteries and thrillers will be pleased at what this box set has to offer.
Desperate (1947)
Directed...
Desperate (1947)
Directed...
- 7/20/2010
- by Ryan Katona
- JustPressPlay.net
There seems to be no exhausting the raw eyeball pleasure to be had from old-fashioned handmade (or semi-handmade, or whatever) animation, and we may be well living through a pop renaissance of it.
The eruptions below the Pixar/Dreamworks budget tier have been spectacular and international, beginning perhaps with 2003's "The Triplets of Belleville," learning from Miyazaki, Oshii, Aardman and the Quays, moving on to Kim Moon-saeng's "Sky Blue," machinima, "The Corpse Bride," "A Scanner Darkly," "Persepolis," "Coraline," "Waltz with Bashir," "Fantastic Mr. Fox," "Mary & Max," "Sita Sings the Blues," "Fear(s) in the Dark," "The Secret of Kells," and now the Belgian nonpareil "A Town Called Panic."
The variety of toolboxes and styles at work seem limitless (the seductive but uniform look of pure 3D computer animation is getting tiresome just as other approaches proliferate), but it's the personal engagement that makes most of the films sing.
Many of...
The eruptions below the Pixar/Dreamworks budget tier have been spectacular and international, beginning perhaps with 2003's "The Triplets of Belleville," learning from Miyazaki, Oshii, Aardman and the Quays, moving on to Kim Moon-saeng's "Sky Blue," machinima, "The Corpse Bride," "A Scanner Darkly," "Persepolis," "Coraline," "Waltz with Bashir," "Fantastic Mr. Fox," "Mary & Max," "Sita Sings the Blues," "Fear(s) in the Dark," "The Secret of Kells," and now the Belgian nonpareil "A Town Called Panic."
The variety of toolboxes and styles at work seem limitless (the seductive but uniform look of pure 3D computer animation is getting tiresome just as other approaches proliferate), but it's the personal engagement that makes most of the films sing.
Many of...
- 7/20/2010
- by Michael Atkinson
- ifc.com
The weekend’s here. You’ve just been paid, and it’s burning a hole in your pocket. What’s a pop culture geek to do? In hopes of steering you in the right direction to blow some of that hard-earned cash, it’s time for the Fred Weekend Shopping Guide - your spotlight on the things you didn’t even know you wanted…
(Please support Fred by using the links below to make any impulse purchases - it helps to keep us going…)
Shout Factory has settled into a pleasantly clockwork schedule of releasing new sets, but I still greet Mystery Science Theater 3000: Volume Xviii (Shout Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$59.97 Srp) with delight, because it means more episodes have made it out. This go round, we get Lost Continent, Crash Of The Moons, The Beast Of Yucca Flats, and Jack Frost. Bonus materials include new intros from Kevin Murphy & Frank Conniff,...
(Please support Fred by using the links below to make any impulse purchases - it helps to keep us going…)
Shout Factory has settled into a pleasantly clockwork schedule of releasing new sets, but I still greet Mystery Science Theater 3000: Volume Xviii (Shout Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$59.97 Srp) with delight, because it means more episodes have made it out. This go round, we get Lost Continent, Crash Of The Moons, The Beast Of Yucca Flats, and Jack Frost. Bonus materials include new intros from Kevin Murphy & Frank Conniff,...
- 7/16/2010
- by UncaScroogeMcD
DVD Links: DVD News | Release Dates | New Dvds | Reviews | RSS Feed
Insomnia I just posted my review of this Blu-ray and while this isn't exactly a personal favorite, fans of this film will particularly enjoy this release. The film looks and sounds great and it comes with a solid group of special features, especially Chris Nolan's commentary, presented in the order he shot the film. You can read my full review right here. Universal Catalog Blu-ray
Alpha Dog / Assault on Precinct 13 / In Bruges This is a decent trio of films although I have no real desire to watch Alpha Dog again and Assault on Precinct 13, while fun, could be replaced by just about any other action thriller you may already have in your collection. But, In Bruges, if you don't already own this one now is the time to pick it up. It's a great film and a ton of fun.
Insomnia I just posted my review of this Blu-ray and while this isn't exactly a personal favorite, fans of this film will particularly enjoy this release. The film looks and sounds great and it comes with a solid group of special features, especially Chris Nolan's commentary, presented in the order he shot the film. You can read my full review right here. Universal Catalog Blu-ray
Alpha Dog / Assault on Precinct 13 / In Bruges This is a decent trio of films although I have no real desire to watch Alpha Dog again and Assault on Precinct 13, while fun, could be replaced by just about any other action thriller you may already have in your collection. But, In Bruges, if you don't already own this one now is the time to pick it up. It's a great film and a ton of fun.
- 7/13/2010
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
For this edition Shadows of Film Noir, it's time for Phil Karlson's tough 99 River Street, produced by United Artists in 1953. It will be playing in a new print on Saturday, May 15 at San Francisco's Roxie Cinema. The film is not available on DVD, but for those not lucky enough to see it on the big screen, it is at least available streaming on Hulu.
Behind the Scenes
Director Phil Karlson was born in Chicago in 1908, the son of an Irish stage actress. He attended law school in Los Angeles, and began working in the movie industry as a prop man. He moved up to assistant director and began making his own films in the 1940s. Despite directing one notable, early Marilyn Monroe film, he did not make a mark until the 1950s, with a series of very tough, violent film noirs. This run eventually ended, and he went on...
Behind the Scenes
Director Phil Karlson was born in Chicago in 1908, the son of an Irish stage actress. He attended law school in Los Angeles, and began working in the movie industry as a prop man. He moved up to assistant director and began making his own films in the 1940s. Despite directing one notable, early Marilyn Monroe film, he did not make a mark until the 1950s, with a series of very tough, violent film noirs. This run eventually ended, and he went on...
- 5/7/2010
- by Jeffrey M. Anderson
- Cinematical
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