George Waggner's 1941 horror film "The Wolf Man" introduced audiences to, essentially, the "second officer" of the Universal Monsters canon. Everyone knows that Dracula is the captain of the monster ship, and that Frankenstein is his first officer (a position he often shares with the Bride). The Wolf Man is always third in command, perhaps serving as a security officer or an enforcer. Mummies, gillmen, invisible men, Dr. Hydes, and other ancillary ghouls serve lower down in the crew.
Watching the original "Wolf Man" film, however, reveals a dark and sad tale about Larry Talbot who is attacked by a wolf on a misty night in Wales, afflicting him with the curse of the werewolf. Throughout the year, Larry will transform into an animalistic wolf/human creature and stalk and kill random victims. The tale is terrifying and tragic and inspired many pop culture tales to follow -- as well as many nightmares.
Watching the original "Wolf Man" film, however, reveals a dark and sad tale about Larry Talbot who is attacked by a wolf on a misty night in Wales, afflicting him with the curse of the werewolf. Throughout the year, Larry will transform into an animalistic wolf/human creature and stalk and kill random victims. The tale is terrifying and tragic and inspired many pop culture tales to follow -- as well as many nightmares.
- 4/16/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
I think modern television gets a little too much credit for being revolutionary. Yes, there have been big strides in what kind of stories get told on TV, especially in regards to the structural and thematic experiments many programs take on, but I do feel like there is this strange mindset that TV wasn't all that innovative prior to "The Sopranos" premiering in 1999. Part of this has to do with the many people's either inability or refusal to appreciate art made before a certain time period. When it comes to film, that cutoff point is in the 1970s, where "real movies" began with the likes of "The Godfather," "Jaws," and "Star Wars," and anything older than that is stale, crusty, and homework. Because television is a newer medium, that cutoff point is somewhere in the 1990s, which also just so happens to be the time period where a majority of...
- 9/10/2023
- by Mike Shutt
- Slash Film
This post contains spoilers for the ninth episode of "Star Trek: Picard," season 3.
In the ninth episode of the third season of "Star Trek: Picard," called "Võx," hundreds of Starfleet vessels have been overtaken by a malevolent Borg consciousness, led by the powerful psychic mind of Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers), the son of Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart). In order to save the day, the over-65 ensemble of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" stars have to make use of an old-fashioned ship that's not tied into the modern Starfleet wi-fi. Luckily for them, Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) has been secretly reconstructing the decades-old Enterprise-d -- the ship from "Star Trek: The Next Generation" -- in secret in his garage. The episode ends with the cast striding out onto a bridge that hasn't been seen since "Star Trek: Generations" in 1994.
This moment may have evoked many wistful waves of nostalgia in the viewer.
In the ninth episode of the third season of "Star Trek: Picard," called "Võx," hundreds of Starfleet vessels have been overtaken by a malevolent Borg consciousness, led by the powerful psychic mind of Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers), the son of Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart). In order to save the day, the over-65 ensemble of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" stars have to make use of an old-fashioned ship that's not tied into the modern Starfleet wi-fi. Luckily for them, Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) has been secretly reconstructing the decades-old Enterprise-d -- the ship from "Star Trek: The Next Generation" -- in secret in his garage. The episode ends with the cast striding out onto a bridge that hasn't been seen since "Star Trek: Generations" in 1994.
This moment may have evoked many wistful waves of nostalgia in the viewer.
- 4/20/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
No film of the Hays Code era revels in its own perversity quite like Mad Love (1935). Mad science, body horror, insanity, obsession, executions, gaslighting, sadomasochism—it’s all here and presented with unparalleled excellence of craft. Though it may seem tame compared to pre-Code fare like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931), Freaks, and Island of Lost Souls (both 1932), it manages to just barely sneak its lurid subject matter by the censors under a layer of dark humor, exceptional cinematography, and a masterful performance by Peter Lorre in his first American film.
After Dracula proved to be a huge success for Universal, other Hollywood studios became eager to get in on the horror game, though many of these studios felt the genre was beneath them. Metro Goldwyn Mayer was considered the most prestigious of the golden-age studios, famous for its big budget musicals, epic spectaculars, and boasting “more stars than there are in the heavens.
After Dracula proved to be a huge success for Universal, other Hollywood studios became eager to get in on the horror game, though many of these studios felt the genre was beneath them. Metro Goldwyn Mayer was considered the most prestigious of the golden-age studios, famous for its big budget musicals, epic spectaculars, and boasting “more stars than there are in the heavens.
- 2/15/2023
- by Brian Keiper
- bloody-disgusting.com
With Valentine’s Day arriving next week, we here at Arrow in the Head decided that this was a good time to put together a list of some of the Best Horror Movies to Watch on Valentine’s Day. The movies listed below all deal with love, romance, or infatuation in some way, ranging from stories of love-hungry killers to films with lead characters who are in sweet, wholesome relationships. Check it out, and let us know if you have any suggestions for movies to watch on Valentine’s Day!
The Mummy (1932)
While future entries in Universal’s Mummy franchise would (until the more recent reboots) present the character as a bandage-wrapped monster that likes to strangle people and carry women around, Karl Freund’s 1932 version of The Mummy allowed the legendary Boris Karloff to give more of a performance in the title role. Ditching his bandages after being released from his tomb,...
The Mummy (1932)
While future entries in Universal’s Mummy franchise would (until the more recent reboots) present the character as a bandage-wrapped monster that likes to strangle people and carry women around, Karl Freund’s 1932 version of The Mummy allowed the legendary Boris Karloff to give more of a performance in the title role. Ditching his bandages after being released from his tomb,...
- 2/12/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Peter Lorre’s Hollywood debut is one of the weirder pix ever to come from MGM, or maybe anywhere else. One of ace cinematographer Karl Freund’s rare forays into directing, and his last. Gregg Toland photographed it, and years later Pauline Kael would claim he stole a lot of shots from this to use in Citizen Kane!
The post Mad Love appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
The post Mad Love appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
- 1/25/2023
- by TFH Team
- Trailers from Hell
With the new trailer for Chris McKay's action comedy "Renfield" dropping last week, the legend of Dracula is back and possibly bigger than ever. Nicolas Cage, thankfully, is finally getting around to playing the classic vampire and his performance should go down as one of the most memorable portrayals to date. Cage recently told Variety that he took inspiration from "Malignant" and the J-horror staple "Ringu" to come up with some unique movements for his version of Dracula, and went back to study Bela Lugosi's ageless performance as well. In most people's eyes, Lugosi's appearance in Tod Browning's 1931 film remains the most iconic and most romanticized depiction of all time.
Browning's "Dracula" was the first talking picture to feature Bram Stoker's ghoul, allowing audiences to see a much more elegant representation of the character that Lugosi turned out to be tailor-made for. Lugosi was a stately...
Browning's "Dracula" was the first talking picture to feature Bram Stoker's ghoul, allowing audiences to see a much more elegant representation of the character that Lugosi turned out to be tailor-made for. Lugosi was a stately...
- 1/14/2023
- by Drew Tinnin
- Slash Film
There is literally no other character in movie history that's as popular as Dracula.
That's not speculation, and it's not hyperbole, it's a recorded fact: The Guinness Book of World Records has declared Dracula "the most portrayed literary character in film." People love this bloodsucking monster, whether he's portrayed as a sympathetic antihero or a despicable hellspawn, possibly bent on world domination, and often on the hunt for a girlfriend who looks suspiciously like his ex.
So it makes sense that Chris McKay's "Renfield" would not only tell yet another version of the "Dracula" story, this time from the perspective of his notoriously sniveling manservant Renfield (played by Nicholas Hoult), but also that the film would be peppered with references to "Dracula" movies of yore.
The first trailer alone featured two distinct references to Tod Browning's original 1931 classic, starring Bela Lugosi as cinema's most iconic monster. Did you catch them,...
That's not speculation, and it's not hyperbole, it's a recorded fact: The Guinness Book of World Records has declared Dracula "the most portrayed literary character in film." People love this bloodsucking monster, whether he's portrayed as a sympathetic antihero or a despicable hellspawn, possibly bent on world domination, and often on the hunt for a girlfriend who looks suspiciously like his ex.
So it makes sense that Chris McKay's "Renfield" would not only tell yet another version of the "Dracula" story, this time from the perspective of his notoriously sniveling manservant Renfield (played by Nicholas Hoult), but also that the film would be peppered with references to "Dracula" movies of yore.
The first trailer alone featured two distinct references to Tod Browning's original 1931 classic, starring Bela Lugosi as cinema's most iconic monster. Did you catch them,...
- 1/6/2023
- by William Bibbiani
- Slash Film
Following the release of Frankenstein, Boris Karloff, at nearly 45 years of age and having spent twenty years as a professional actor, became an overnight sensation. As the film was still raking in its rewards, Universal signed him to a star contract and immediately began searching for a property for him. As it turned out it took nearly a year, between his outstanding commitments to other studios and Universal’s inability to find a suitable script, for Karloff to appear in his first starring role for the studio. The film was a decidedly different, but no less remarkable, from Frankenstein. Instead of being quickly paced and sensationalistic, The Mummy was deliberately plotted with a slowly unfolding story, but its restrained direction and masterful performances made it a unique entry in Universal’s growing library of horror cinema of the early 1930s.
Writer and journalist Nina Wilcox Putnam was tasked by Universal...
Writer and journalist Nina Wilcox Putnam was tasked by Universal...
- 11/30/2022
- by Brian Keiper
- bloody-disgusting.com
Bram Stoker’s Dracula is a film that, much like its protagonist, crosses oceans of time. Director Francis Ford Coppola, one of the filmmakers at the leading edge of the “film school” generation of the seventies, tapped into the talents of the young up-and-coming stars, both in front of and behind the camera, to tell a familiar story using very old techniques. Opting to avoid the rising tide of digital effects, expensive location shooting, and elaborate artifices in favor of “naïve” in-camera effects, stage-bound shooting, and lavish costumes as “sets,” Coppola and his collaborators created a thoroughly unique retelling of Dracula. The look of the film is simultaneously timeless and on the cutting-edge of innovation. Though it celebrates its thirtieth anniversary this year, it still feels as modern and transgressive as the day it was released.
Though Coppola is cited as one of cinema’s great auteurs, he is first...
Though Coppola is cited as one of cinema’s great auteurs, he is first...
- 11/14/2022
- by Brian Keiper
- bloody-disgusting.com
Still by far the best adaptation of the Robert Louis Stevenson story, Paramount’s glossy pre-Code is also one of the most prestigious horror shows on record. Fredric March won an acting Oscar and it’s one of Miriam Hopkins’ best performances. The film is sexually daring and technically astute — with the help of cameraman Karl Struss director Rouben Mamoulian makes use of every cinematic trick he can conjure. The horrible Mr. Hyde is conceived as a near-simian primitive man, equating unrestrained lust and desire as something ‘society’ must repress. The disc packaging says it’s two minutes longer than the 2004 Warner DVD . . . but it’s not.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1931 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 98 min. / Available at Amazon.com / General site Wac-Amazon / Street Date October 25, 2022 / 21.99
Starring: Fredric March, Miriam Hopkins, Rose Hobart, Holmes Herbert, Halliwell Hobbes, Edgar Norton, Tempe Pigott, Douglas Walton.
Cinematography: Karl Struss...
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1931 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 98 min. / Available at Amazon.com / General site Wac-Amazon / Street Date October 25, 2022 / 21.99
Starring: Fredric March, Miriam Hopkins, Rose Hobart, Holmes Herbert, Halliwell Hobbes, Edgar Norton, Tempe Pigott, Douglas Walton.
Cinematography: Karl Struss...
- 10/15/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Though their “’80s Horror” lineup would constitute enough of a Halloween push, the Criterion Channel enter October all guns blazing. The month’s lineup also includes a 19-movie vampire series running from 1931’s Dracula (English and Spanish both) to 2014’s A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, the collection in-between including Herzog’s Nosferatu, Near Dark, and Let the Right One In. Last year’s “Universal Horror” collection returns, a 17-title Ishirō Honda retrospective has been set, and a few genre titles stand alone: Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte, The House of the Devil, and Island of Lost Souls.
Streaming premieres include restorations of Tsai Ming-liang’s Vive L’amour and Ed Lachman’s Lou Reed / John Cale concert film Songs for Drella; October’s Criterion editions are Samuel Fuller’s Forty Guns, Bill Duke’s Deep Cover, Haxan, and My Own Private Idaho. Meanwhile, Ari Aster has curated an “Adventures...
Streaming premieres include restorations of Tsai Ming-liang’s Vive L’amour and Ed Lachman’s Lou Reed / John Cale concert film Songs for Drella; October’s Criterion editions are Samuel Fuller’s Forty Guns, Bill Duke’s Deep Cover, Haxan, and My Own Private Idaho. Meanwhile, Ari Aster has curated an “Adventures...
- 9/26/2022
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Video Version of this Article Photo: Cinema of Vampires At the Beginning The role of vampires in film has long been a part of cinema since the early pictures. There has always been a fascination with the pulseless bloodsuckers and as film has evolved and transformed, the topic of vampires has stayed with it. No matter the genre or even the own rules of what makes a vampire, there will be an audience to watch every move. Looking at over a hundred years’ worth of movie-making, the transformation is incredible of seeing what film can accomplish. Comparing the first appearances of vampires in film and what it is now is interesting and hilarious. Related Video: Full Commentary on 'Top Gun: Maverick': Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, Jennifer Connelly, Miles Teller Related video: 'Top Gun: Maverick' Full Premiere Reactions: Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, Jennifer Connelly, Miles Teller Related...
- 5/19/2022
- by Jack Colin
- Hollywood Insider - Substance & Meaningful Entertainment
The public considers the Academy Awards as a Hollywood event. True, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences is headquartered in Southern California, and most of the best pic contenders are American and/or in the English language. But Oscar history proves they have been an international event from the beginning.
In the first year (1927-28), there were nominations for directors Herbert Brenon (born in Ireland) and Lewis Milestone (born in Moldova), plus a special award to Charlie Chaplin (from the U.K.).
The next five years saw two noms apiece for directors Ernst Lubitsch (Germany) and Josef von Sternberg (Austria). And the second best actress Academy Award was given to Canadian Mary Pickford.
The early years of Oscar featured a slew of non-Americans. Aside from mega-star Chaplin, the list of early Academy Award winners includes Emil Jannings, George Arliss (U.K.), Claudette Colbert (raised in the U.S. but...
In the first year (1927-28), there were nominations for directors Herbert Brenon (born in Ireland) and Lewis Milestone (born in Moldova), plus a special award to Charlie Chaplin (from the U.K.).
The next five years saw two noms apiece for directors Ernst Lubitsch (Germany) and Josef von Sternberg (Austria). And the second best actress Academy Award was given to Canadian Mary Pickford.
The early years of Oscar featured a slew of non-Americans. Aside from mega-star Chaplin, the list of early Academy Award winners includes Emil Jannings, George Arliss (U.K.), Claudette Colbert (raised in the U.S. but...
- 1/22/2022
- by Tim Gray
- Variety Film + TV
Directed in 1932 by the brilliant Karl Freund (a year after he photographed Dracula), The Mummy remains one of the greatest horror films ever made. An appropriately cadaverous Boris Karloff plays the lovelorn title character (sporting not one but two uniquely disturbing make-ups by Jack Pierce), giving a superbly understated performance that is both malevolent and intensely romantic. Here’s more on The Mummy at Ferdy on Films.
The post The Mummy ’32 appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
The post The Mummy ’32 appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
- 10/29/2021
- by TFH Team
- Trailers from Hell
What a Halloween treat! Karl Freund stopped directing after this classic, which is a shame — it’s German expressionism’s most exciting foray into classic Hollywood horror of the ’30s. Peter Lorre is incredible as Dr. Gogol, making himself as creepy and repulsive as possible while retaining a giddy audience sympathy. It’s Grand Guignol all the way — macabre, funny and irresistible. The screenplay toys with uncomfortable Body Horror and psychological weirdness; Colin Clive must contend with becoming the recipient of murderous hands. Frances Drake is the beauty that drives Dr. Gogol mad, and comedian Edward Brophy is a highlight in a non-comedic scene. “I have conquered science. Why can I not conquer love?!”
Mad Love
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1935 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 68 (86) min. / Available at Amazon.com / Street Date October 19, 2021 / 21.99
Starring: Peter Lorre, Frances Drake, Colin Clive, Ted Healy, Sara Haden, Edward Brophy, Henry Kolker, Keye Luke, May Beatty, Billy Gilbert,...
Mad Love
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1935 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 68 (86) min. / Available at Amazon.com / Street Date October 19, 2021 / 21.99
Starring: Peter Lorre, Frances Drake, Colin Clive, Ted Healy, Sara Haden, Edward Brophy, Henry Kolker, Keye Luke, May Beatty, Billy Gilbert,...
- 10/26/2021
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
(L-r) Boris Karloff with fellow horror star Vincent Price, in a publicity photo. Boris Karloff: The Man Behind The Monster is a documentary about the career and life of Karloff. Courtesy of Abramarama and Shout Studios
Boris Karloff: The Man Behind The Monster is a gloriously enjoyable retrospective of the legendary actor, who is forever tied to the horror genre and the monster role of Frankenstein’s monster, which first brought him fame. The film, directed by Thomas Hamilton, is thoroughly enjoyable but, despite its subtitle, it is less a personal biography than a review of this career, with an emphasis on how his work influenced future filmmakers and the horror genre. Karloff fans and serious film history buffs will find little that was not already known about the man but it is a wonderful introduction and retrospective on Boris Karloff.
If ever there was an iconic Hollywood figure who deserves a biopic,...
Boris Karloff: The Man Behind The Monster is a gloriously enjoyable retrospective of the legendary actor, who is forever tied to the horror genre and the monster role of Frankenstein’s monster, which first brought him fame. The film, directed by Thomas Hamilton, is thoroughly enjoyable but, despite its subtitle, it is less a personal biography than a review of this career, with an emphasis on how his work influenced future filmmakers and the horror genre. Karloff fans and serious film history buffs will find little that was not already known about the man but it is a wonderful introduction and retrospective on Boris Karloff.
If ever there was an iconic Hollywood figure who deserves a biopic,...
- 9/17/2021
- by Cate Marquis
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Is this a horror classic? I’d certainly says yes, just for the shrewd, sympathetic performance of Peter Lorre as an unlucky immigrant whose disfigurement in a fire turns him to life of crime and vengeance. An impossibly young Evelyn Keyes shines as the sweet love interest, but the performances and Robert Florey’s good direction keep the tone from going soft. And the ending is as bleak and chilling as they come. Whatever you may do, my recommendation is to Not double-cross Peter Lorre. The disc producers give experts Alan K. Rode and Kim Newman the podium, and they respond with three full extras on this highly unusual, seldom-seen gem of a horror film.
The Face Behind the Mask
Blu-ray (Plays on Region A players)
Viavision [Imprint] 44
1941 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 68 min. / Street Date May 21, May 26 or June 2, 2021 / Available from / 34.95 au
Starring: Peter Lorre, Evelyn Keyes, Don Beddoe, George E. Stone,...
The Face Behind the Mask
Blu-ray (Plays on Region A players)
Viavision [Imprint] 44
1941 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 68 min. / Street Date May 21, May 26 or June 2, 2021 / Available from / 34.95 au
Starring: Peter Lorre, Evelyn Keyes, Don Beddoe, George E. Stone,...
- 6/12/2021
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
The Kiss Before the Mirror
Blu ray
Kino Lorber
1933 / 1.33:1 / 69 min.
Starring Nancy Carroll, Frank Morgan, Gloria Stuart
Cinematography by Karl Freund
Directed by James Whale
James Whale’s The Kiss Before the Mirror opens on familiar terrain for the director of Frankenstein—a moon-lit backroad littered with crooked trees and clutching branches. A figure tip-toes out of the darkness toward her destination—not a mad scientist’s castle but a swanky post-modern bungalow where her lover waits. The woman catches the moonlight quite well, thank you—she’s played by an incandescent Gloria Stuart and she has just escaped her husband for a rendezvous with a self-impressed roué played by the blankly handsome Walter Pidgeon. The two engage in pre-sex small talk that is so coy, so ear-grating, that it’s clear Whale is preparing them (and the audience) for some awful comeuppance.
Produced in 1933, The Kiss Before the...
Blu ray
Kino Lorber
1933 / 1.33:1 / 69 min.
Starring Nancy Carroll, Frank Morgan, Gloria Stuart
Cinematography by Karl Freund
Directed by James Whale
James Whale’s The Kiss Before the Mirror opens on familiar terrain for the director of Frankenstein—a moon-lit backroad littered with crooked trees and clutching branches. A figure tip-toes out of the darkness toward her destination—not a mad scientist’s castle but a swanky post-modern bungalow where her lover waits. The woman catches the moonlight quite well, thank you—she’s played by an incandescent Gloria Stuart and she has just escaped her husband for a rendezvous with a self-impressed roué played by the blankly handsome Walter Pidgeon. The two engage in pre-sex small talk that is so coy, so ear-grating, that it’s clear Whale is preparing them (and the audience) for some awful comeuppance.
Produced in 1933, The Kiss Before the...
- 1/23/2021
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
Horror cinema, by nature, is most often concerned with the uncanny. The fantastic. The grotesque. Despite the genre’s largely fictional preoccupations, however, the macabre has always been a viable outlet for political and social commentary. In fact, the American horror film provides an often reliable indicator as to which forms of societal unrest plague the nation at any given time. Perhaps more than any other filmic genre, horror has provided an outlet for filmmakers to document government fallacy and real- life atrocity through the filter of fantastic, often supernatural, narratives. By hyperbolizing societal conflicts like war, civil unrest, poverty, and corruption, a good political horror film seeks not only to draw attention to such issues, but also to make them seem manageable by comparison. Take, for example, the premise of George Romero’s Dawn of the Dead (1978). While Americans needn’t worry themselves over hordes of zombies rising from...
- 12/31/2020
- by Gray Underwood
- DailyDead
The November 2020 lineup for The Criterion Channel has been unveiled, toplined by a Claire Denis retrospective, including the brand-new restoration of Beau travail, along with Chocolat, No Fear, No Die, Nenette and Boni, Towards Mathilde, 35 Shots of Rum, and White Material.
There will also be a series celebrating 30 years of The Film Foundation, featuring a new interview with Martin Scorsese by Ari Aster, as well as a number of their most essential restorations, including films by Jia Zhangke, Ritwik Ghatak, Luchino Visconti, Shirley Clarke, Med Hondo, and more.
There’s also David Lynch’s new restoration of The Elephant Man, retrospectives dedicated to Ngozi Onwurah, Nadav Lapid, and Terence Nance, a new edition of the series Queersighted titled Queer Fear, featuring a new conversation between series programmer Michael Koresky and filmmaker and critic Farihah Zaman, and much more.
See the lineup below and learn more on the official site.
There will also be a series celebrating 30 years of The Film Foundation, featuring a new interview with Martin Scorsese by Ari Aster, as well as a number of their most essential restorations, including films by Jia Zhangke, Ritwik Ghatak, Luchino Visconti, Shirley Clarke, Med Hondo, and more.
There’s also David Lynch’s new restoration of The Elephant Man, retrospectives dedicated to Ngozi Onwurah, Nadav Lapid, and Terence Nance, a new edition of the series Queersighted titled Queer Fear, featuring a new conversation between series programmer Michael Koresky and filmmaker and critic Farihah Zaman, and much more.
See the lineup below and learn more on the official site.
- 10/27/2020
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
MGM in 1940 was just the movie factory to turn out a smart, compact version of the Jane Austen novel, with Greer Garson in fine form and Laurence Olivier possibly slumming but also contributing a flawless performance. Robert Z. Leonard’s direction is invisible but does no harm; adaptors Aldous Huxley and Jane Murfin telescope events and concoct an even happier ending, all with great skill. Sorry, despite persistent rumors, the story hasn’t a single zombie.
Pride and Prejudice
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1940 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 118 min. / Street Date July 14, 2020 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Greer Garson, Laurence Olivier, Mary Boland, Edna May Oliver, Maureen O’Sullivan, Ann Rutherford, Frieda Inescort, Edmund Gwenn, Heather Angel, Marsha Hunt.
Cinematography: Karl Freund
Film Editor: Robert Kern
Original Music: Herbert Stothart
Written by Aldous Huxley, Jane Murfin from the book by Jane Austen
Produced by Hunt Stromberg
Directed by Robert Z. Leonard
I...
Pride and Prejudice
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1940 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 118 min. / Street Date July 14, 2020 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Greer Garson, Laurence Olivier, Mary Boland, Edna May Oliver, Maureen O’Sullivan, Ann Rutherford, Frieda Inescort, Edmund Gwenn, Heather Angel, Marsha Hunt.
Cinematography: Karl Freund
Film Editor: Robert Kern
Original Music: Herbert Stothart
Written by Aldous Huxley, Jane Murfin from the book by Jane Austen
Produced by Hunt Stromberg
Directed by Robert Z. Leonard
I...
- 7/18/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
One Shot is a series that seeks to find an essence of cinema history in one single image of a movie. F.W. Murnau's The Last Laugh (1924) is showing May 3 - June 2, 2020 in the United States in the series Weimar Cinema.An aging doorman (Emil Jannings), portly and pleasant and proud of his job, has become an eyesore for the decorous hotel where he works, and is unceremoniously deposed from his job. He becomes inconsolable. This is a man who defines himself by his vocation, who isn’t even given a name. At night, he bumbles down the streets in drunken discomfiture, cowering as buildings conspire and the city threatens to crush him. Even his imperial beard, redolent of Franz Josef’s formidable whiskers, can’t hide the look of destitution on his face. F. W. Murnau’s The Last Laugh shares with its viewers many moments of vulnerability, moments...
- 5/29/2020
- MUBI
A top movie monster is back from filmic perdition, restored to his full might and power. Rabbi Lowe’s answer to the persecution of the ghetto is a mysterious unthinking automaton capable of terrible destruction. Paul Wegener’s indelible clay statue stands as a core myth in Jewish lore. But he’s still here, usually in allegories about mankind losing control of its own creations. With its imposing architecture and impressive special effects, this early expressionist masterpiece is one of the design highlights of silent cinema.
The Golem
Blu-ray
Kino Classics
1920 / B&w with tints / 1:33 silent ap. / 76 min. / Der Golem, wie er in die Welt kam / Street Date April 14, 2020 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Paul Wegener, Albert Steinrück, Lyda Salmonova, Ernst Deutsch, Lothar Müthel, Fritz Feld.
Cinematography: Karl Freund, Guido Seeber
Art Direction and design: Hans Poelzig, Kurt Richter, Edgar G. Ulmer
New Music scores: Stephen Horne, Admir Shkurtai,...
The Golem
Blu-ray
Kino Classics
1920 / B&w with tints / 1:33 silent ap. / 76 min. / Der Golem, wie er in die Welt kam / Street Date April 14, 2020 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Paul Wegener, Albert Steinrück, Lyda Salmonova, Ernst Deutsch, Lothar Müthel, Fritz Feld.
Cinematography: Karl Freund, Guido Seeber
Art Direction and design: Hans Poelzig, Kurt Richter, Edgar G. Ulmer
New Music scores: Stephen Horne, Admir Shkurtai,...
- 5/5/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
The Head
DVD – Region 2 Only – No English Audio or Subtitles
Delta Music & Entert. GmbH & Co. Kg
1959 / 1.33:1 / 97 min.
Starring Michel Simon, Horst Frank, Karin Kernke
Cinematography by Georg Krause
Directed by Victor Trivas
A scientist who operates out of a starkly Modernist laboratory of glass and steel, Dr. Ood comes from a long line of German crackpots with a flair for the theatrical. Rotwang, the bug-eyed inventor of Fritz Lang’s Metropolis, springs to mind along with Dr. Gogol, the lovelorn psychopath of Karl Freund’s Mad Love. And not to forget the omniscient Dr. Mabuse. Each man had style to burn and was obsessed with possessing desirable – and controllable – women.
The protagonist of Victor Trivas’s The Head, Ood was the most hands-on of the bunch, satisfying his lust by transplanting the head of a beautiful but misshapen doctor’s assistant to the body of a burlesque queen. Trivas...
DVD – Region 2 Only – No English Audio or Subtitles
Delta Music & Entert. GmbH & Co. Kg
1959 / 1.33:1 / 97 min.
Starring Michel Simon, Horst Frank, Karin Kernke
Cinematography by Georg Krause
Directed by Victor Trivas
A scientist who operates out of a starkly Modernist laboratory of glass and steel, Dr. Ood comes from a long line of German crackpots with a flair for the theatrical. Rotwang, the bug-eyed inventor of Fritz Lang’s Metropolis, springs to mind along with Dr. Gogol, the lovelorn psychopath of Karl Freund’s Mad Love. And not to forget the omniscient Dr. Mabuse. Each man had style to burn and was obsessed with possessing desirable – and controllable – women.
The protagonist of Victor Trivas’s The Head, Ood was the most hands-on of the bunch, satisfying his lust by transplanting the head of a beautiful but misshapen doctor’s assistant to the body of a burlesque queen. Trivas...
- 4/18/2020
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
Well, here we are, just a few short days away from the kickoff of the 10th annual TCM Classic Film Festival. I promise I am excited for what will undoubtedly be yet another stimulating weekend of buzzing about in Hollywood, engaged in an exuberant celebration of all things classic Hollywood with all manner of fellow travelers from the furthest-flung locales around the country and the world. But what I also am is pre-exhausted, which is a condition that has preceded at least the last five TCMFFs I’ve attended, regardless of the quality and consistency of the individual festivals themselves. I’ve attended every Tcmff since the inaugural festival in 2010, am about to dive deep into the tenth such gathering, and after ten years one develops ways of forgetting, in much the same way that, say, a cyclist can allow herself to forget the grueling aspects of a long-distance road...
- 4/10/2019
- by Dennis Cozzalio
- Trailers from Hell
You may love “Mad Max: Fury Road” — how could you not? — but you probably don’t love it as much as Edgar Wright. The filmmaker responsible for “Shaun of the Dead,” “Hot Fuzz,” and “The World’s End” took to Twitter to reaffirm his admiration of George Miller’s 2015 genre masterpiece, giving it the highest praise possible: “I had to test out a new home projector with a BluRay and I can confirm the results,” he tweeted. “‘Mad Max Fury Road’ is still the best action film of all time.”
This naturally led to a number of “what about…” responses in his mentions, with the filmmaker replying to just one: “Every time I mention anything about superlatives in cinema (action or otherwise), there’s a reply saying ‘What no Predator / Commando?'” Wright said. “Neither are even my fav Arnie action film (both are fun though).”
It’s certainly true...
This naturally led to a number of “what about…” responses in his mentions, with the filmmaker replying to just one: “Every time I mention anything about superlatives in cinema (action or otherwise), there’s a reply saying ‘What no Predator / Commando?'” Wright said. “Neither are even my fav Arnie action film (both are fun though).”
It’s certainly true...
- 4/6/2019
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
In celebration of its 100th anniversary, the American Society of Cinematographers has released a list of the 100 best shot films of the 20th century.
This list was released to "showcase the best of cinematography as selected by professional cinematographers.” Here's how the list was put together:
The process of cultivating the 100 films began with Asc members each submitting 10 to 25 titles that were personally inspirational or perhaps changed the way they approached their craft. “I asked them — as cinematographers, members of the Asc, artists, filmmakers and people who love film and whose lives were shaped by films — to list the films that were most influential,” Fierberg explains. A master list was then complied, and members voted on what they considered to be the most essential 100 titles.
Here's a little sizzle reel that was cut together showcasing some of the films on the list:
It's hard to argue with the Top 10 films,...
This list was released to "showcase the best of cinematography as selected by professional cinematographers.” Here's how the list was put together:
The process of cultivating the 100 films began with Asc members each submitting 10 to 25 titles that were personally inspirational or perhaps changed the way they approached their craft. “I asked them — as cinematographers, members of the Asc, artists, filmmakers and people who love film and whose lives were shaped by films — to list the films that were most influential,” Fierberg explains. A master list was then complied, and members voted on what they considered to be the most essential 100 titles.
Here's a little sizzle reel that was cut together showcasing some of the films on the list:
It's hard to argue with the Top 10 films,...
- 1/9/2019
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
Ralph Woolsey, an Emmy-winning cinematographer who worked on such series as Batman and It Takes a Thief and films including The Iceman Cometh and The Great Santini, has died. He was 104. The American Society of Cinematographers, which gave him its career award in 2003, said he died March 23 at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills.
The Asc described Woolsey as a consummate technician whose Hollywood career paralleled the birth and early evolution of television cinematography, including the transition from black-and-white to color. Among the many series he shot were Maverick, 77 Sunset Strip — for which he earned Emmy noms in 1959 and 1960, respectively — Batman and Mister Roberts. He won the 1968 Emmy for It Takes a Thief, starring Robert Wagner.
Born on New Year’s Day 1914, in Oregon, the first movies Woolsey saw were silent. He began his career while a student at the University of Minnesota, making conservation...
The Asc described Woolsey as a consummate technician whose Hollywood career paralleled the birth and early evolution of television cinematography, including the transition from black-and-white to color. Among the many series he shot were Maverick, 77 Sunset Strip — for which he earned Emmy noms in 1959 and 1960, respectively — Batman and Mister Roberts. He won the 1968 Emmy for It Takes a Thief, starring Robert Wagner.
Born on New Year’s Day 1914, in Oregon, the first movies Woolsey saw were silent. He began his career while a student at the University of Minnesota, making conservation...
- 4/10/2018
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
When I started the Crypt of Curiosities, I did it with the explicit intention to introduce people to the weird, wild corners of genre cinema. Shaw Brothers’ Black Magic, Hammer mummies, hyper-violent anime, sadistic Spaghetti Westerns—it’s an exercise in peering into the odd expanses that deserve more attention. It’s about championing the under-championed.
So, admittedly, writing about one of the most recognizable, celebrated horror films ever made might seem a bit off. But there’s a catch. Because, like many films of its time, there were actually two versions of Dracula in 1931: Tod Browning’s iconic English-language one, and the much less beloved Spanish-language Drácula. While the former has gone on to become a classic, the latter has languished in relative obscurity, beloved by a small cult but otherwise alien to most viewers. So, I figured this would be a good opportunity to look at the two side by side,...
So, admittedly, writing about one of the most recognizable, celebrated horror films ever made might seem a bit off. But there’s a catch. Because, like many films of its time, there were actually two versions of Dracula in 1931: Tod Browning’s iconic English-language one, and the much less beloved Spanish-language Drácula. While the former has gone on to become a classic, the latter has languished in relative obscurity, beloved by a small cult but otherwise alien to most viewers. So, I figured this would be a good opportunity to look at the two side by side,...
- 1/12/2018
- by Perry Ruhland
- DailyDead
The cream of German Expressionist filmmaking of the 1920s is increasingly accessible to modern audiences. The curated restoration of F.W. Murnau’s expressionist masterpiece is a beauty — we finally can experience the film in its full original form.
The Last Laugh
Blu-ray
Kino Lorber Kino Classics
1924 / B&W / 1:37 flat full frame / 90 min. / Der letze mann / Street Date November 14, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95 Starring: Emil Jannings, Georg John.
Cinematography: Karl Freund
Film Editor: Elfi Böttrich
Production Design: Edgar G. Ulmer
Original Music: Giuseppe Becce
Written by Carl Mayer
Produced by Erich Pommer
Directed by F. W. Murnau
Back in the early 1970s film school professors had limited resources. They lectured, assigned readings from a short list of authoritative film scholars and screened 16mm prints of renowned world classics. The only problem is that it was often difficult to correlate the classics described in the texts with the ragged film prints available.
The Last Laugh
Blu-ray
Kino Lorber Kino Classics
1924 / B&W / 1:37 flat full frame / 90 min. / Der letze mann / Street Date November 14, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95 Starring: Emil Jannings, Georg John.
Cinematography: Karl Freund
Film Editor: Elfi Böttrich
Production Design: Edgar G. Ulmer
Original Music: Giuseppe Becce
Written by Carl Mayer
Produced by Erich Pommer
Directed by F. W. Murnau
Back in the early 1970s film school professors had limited resources. They lectured, assigned readings from a short list of authoritative film scholars and screened 16mm prints of renowned world classics. The only problem is that it was often difficult to correlate the classics described in the texts with the ragged film prints available.
- 11/14/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Your ultimate Halloween horror movie binge is here. Edgar Wright has joined forces with Mubi to list his 100 favorite horror movies, and the collection is full of classics and surprising choices that range from 1922 to 2016. The director, who himself has given the genre a classic title thanks to “Shaun of the Dead,” names recent horror hits like “Raw,” “The Witch,” and “Train to Busan,” as well as classics from horror masters James Whale and Mario Bava.
Read More:Edgar Wright’s 40 Favorite Movies Ever Made (Right Now): ‘Boogie Nights,’ ‘Suspiria’ and More
Wright wrote an introduction to his list, in which he makes it clear this is simply a list of 100 favorite titles and not his definitive list of the best horror films ever. You can read Wright’s statement below:
Here, for Halloween, is a chronological list of my favorite horror movies. It’s not in any way...
Read More:Edgar Wright’s 40 Favorite Movies Ever Made (Right Now): ‘Boogie Nights,’ ‘Suspiria’ and More
Wright wrote an introduction to his list, in which he makes it clear this is simply a list of 100 favorite titles and not his definitive list of the best horror films ever. You can read Wright’s statement below:
Here, for Halloween, is a chronological list of my favorite horror movies. It’s not in any way...
- 10/26/2017
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
At last, an expressionist silent classic that takes full advantage of cinematic principles. The legendary E.A. Dupont goes in for subjective-emotional effects of which Hitchcock would approve, and cameraman Karl Freund and effects wizard Eugen Schüfftan pull off spectacular visuals and special effects. No wonder this was a huge hit in America, it’s way ahead of its time (and ours, in some ways).
Varieté
Blu-ray
Kino Classics
1925 / Color tinted / 1:33 Silent Ap / 95 min. / Street Date August 22, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Emil Jannings, Maly Delschaft, Lya De Putti, Warwick Ward, Alice Hechy, Georg John, Kurt Gerron.
Cinematography: Karl Freund, Karl Hoffman
Art Director: Alfred Junge, Oscar Friedrich Werndorff
Visual Effects: Eugen Schüfftan
Original Music: Erno Rapee
From the book Der Eid des Stephan Huller by Felix Hollaender
Produced by Erich Pommer
Written and Directed by E. A. Dupont
We carefully studied this show in film school, in a mangled...
Varieté
Blu-ray
Kino Classics
1925 / Color tinted / 1:33 Silent Ap / 95 min. / Street Date August 22, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Emil Jannings, Maly Delschaft, Lya De Putti, Warwick Ward, Alice Hechy, Georg John, Kurt Gerron.
Cinematography: Karl Freund, Karl Hoffman
Art Director: Alfred Junge, Oscar Friedrich Werndorff
Visual Effects: Eugen Schüfftan
Original Music: Erno Rapee
From the book Der Eid des Stephan Huller by Felix Hollaender
Produced by Erich Pommer
Written and Directed by E. A. Dupont
We carefully studied this show in film school, in a mangled...
- 7/4/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
The first reviews for Alex Kurtzman's The Mummy are in, and it's not looking good for the Tom Cruise-starrer.
The film, which is a reboot of the Brendan Fraser-starring Mummy films and the 1932 Karl Freund-directed one before that, stars Cruise as Nick Morton, an Army sergeant and secret antiquities looter who accidentally stumbles upon and awakens a mummy. This version of the titular villain is Ahmanet (Sofia Boutella), who brings with her millennia-old malevolence and modern-day destruction.
The pic — the first in a planned Universal monster film series dubbed the Dark Universe — currently has a Rotten Tomatoes score of...
The film, which is a reboot of the Brendan Fraser-starring Mummy films and the 1932 Karl Freund-directed one before that, stars Cruise as Nick Morton, an Army sergeant and secret antiquities looter who accidentally stumbles upon and awakens a mummy. This version of the titular villain is Ahmanet (Sofia Boutella), who brings with her millennia-old malevolence and modern-day destruction.
The pic — the first in a planned Universal monster film series dubbed the Dark Universe — currently has a Rotten Tomatoes score of...
- 6/7/2017
- by Lauren Huff
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The 2016 blu ray release of the Frankenstein and Wolf Man Legacy Collections was a moment of celebration for movie and monster lovers everywhere, bringing together all the golden age appearances of Frankenstein’s misbegotten creation and Larry Talbot’s hairy alter-ego. Universal Studios treated those dusty creature features to luminous restorations; from Bride of Frankenstein to She Wolf of London, these essential artifacts never looked less than impeccable and, at times, even ravishing. Colin Clive’s frenzied declaration, “It’s Alive!”, never felt more appropriate.
Now Universal has turned their attention to their other legendary franchise players, Dracula, the sharp-dressed but undead ladies’ man and Im-ho-tep, the cursed Egyptian priest who loved not wisely but too well.
Dracula: Complete Legacy Collection
Blu-ray
Universal Studios Home Entertainment
1931, ’36, ’43, ’44, ’45, ’48 / 449 min. / B&W / 1:33 / Street Date May 16, 2017
Starring: Actors: Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney Jr. , Boris Karloff, Bud Abbott, Lou Costello
Cinematography: Karl Freund,...
Now Universal has turned their attention to their other legendary franchise players, Dracula, the sharp-dressed but undead ladies’ man and Im-ho-tep, the cursed Egyptian priest who loved not wisely but too well.
Dracula: Complete Legacy Collection
Blu-ray
Universal Studios Home Entertainment
1931, ’36, ’43, ’44, ’45, ’48 / 449 min. / B&W / 1:33 / Street Date May 16, 2017
Starring: Actors: Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney Jr. , Boris Karloff, Bud Abbott, Lou Costello
Cinematography: Karl Freund,...
- 5/29/2017
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
I may be a bit skeptical about The Mummy and Universal’s attempt to take a bite of the shared universe fad via their classic horror properties in what they’re calling the Dark Universe, but I have to admit that this companion featurette they’ve put together is pretty cool. It’s chock full of clips from the classic movies they’re remaking, paired together with the creative minds behind the universe hyping up what’s to come.
Along the way, we see snippets of James Whale’s Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein and The Invisible Man, George Waggner’s The Wolfman, Jack Arnold’s Creature from the Black Lagoon and Karl Freund’s The Mummy, all edited together in a modern style. While I grant that they’re cherrypicking the best shots from these films, it’s remarkable how great they look stacked up. It’s particularly nice to...
Along the way, we see snippets of James Whale’s Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein and The Invisible Man, George Waggner’s The Wolfman, Jack Arnold’s Creature from the Black Lagoon and Karl Freund’s The Mummy, all edited together in a modern style. While I grant that they’re cherrypicking the best shots from these films, it’s remarkable how great they look stacked up. It’s particularly nice to...
- 5/24/2017
- by David James
- We Got This Covered
This past weekend, the American Society of Cinematographers awarded Greig Fraser for his contribution to Lion as last year’s greatest accomplishment in the field. Of course, his achievement was just a small sampling of the fantastic work from directors of photography, but it did give us a stronger hint at what may be the winner on Oscar night. Ahead of the ceremony, we have a new video compilation that honors all the past winners in the category at the Academy Awards
Created by Burger Fiction, it spans the stunning silent landmark Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans all the way up to the end of Emmanuel Lubezki‘s three-peat win for The Revenant. Aside from the advancements in color and aspect ration, it’s a thrill to see some of cinema’s most iconic shots side-by-side. However, the best way to experience the evolution of the craft is by...
Created by Burger Fiction, it spans the stunning silent landmark Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans all the way up to the end of Emmanuel Lubezki‘s three-peat win for The Revenant. Aside from the advancements in color and aspect ration, it’s a thrill to see some of cinema’s most iconic shots side-by-side. However, the best way to experience the evolution of the craft is by...
- 2/6/2017
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Tom Cruise enters a world of "gods and monsters" in the explosive first trailer for Marvel's The Mummy. Cruise and a small crew fly a sarcophagus before an ominous flock of birds blast through the front window causing the plane to crash. After Cruise wakes up and soon encounters the wrath of an ancient priestess, played by Sofia Boutella (Star Trek Beyond).
The trailer, which balances high-energy action with elements of horror, also shows Russell Crowe's Dr. Jekyll, who warns that the princess "will claim what she has been denied.
The trailer, which balances high-energy action with elements of horror, also shows Russell Crowe's Dr. Jekyll, who warns that the princess "will claim what she has been denied.
- 12/5/2016
- Rollingstone.com
When Fritz Lang began in film he was a better writer than director. This lavish two-part thriller sees him concocting a multi-genre mashup, shoehorning cowboy action thrills and an exotic lost Incan civilization into dagger-and-poison serial skullduggery. The Spiders Blu-ray Kino Classics 1919 / B&W / 1:33 flat / 173 min. / Street Date August 23, 2016 / Die Spinnen / available through Kino Classics / 29.95 Starring Carl de Vogt, Ressel Orla, Lil Dagover, Georg John. Cinematography Karl Freund Designers Otto Hunte, Carl Ludwig Kirmse, Heinrich Umlauff, Hermann Warm Music (2012) Ben Model Produced by Erich Pommer Written and Directed by Fritz Lang There appears to be nothing new under the sun, even if lovers of Indiana Jones don't realize that most everything he did, had been done long before in silent serials. I have a lazy habit here of claiming that Fritz Lang invented most of the basic ideas we see in every adventure genre except the western. But these...
- 8/13/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Cinema Art from Lawrence, Kansas? Industrial filmmaker Herk Harvey comes through with a classic horror gem for the ages. A haunted church organist begins to suspect that her hallucinations are more than just nerves. And who is that ghoulish man who keeps appearing in reflections, or popping up out of nowhere? Carnival of Souls Blu-ray The Criterion Collection 63 1962 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 78 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date July 12, 2016 / 39.95 Starring Candace Hilligoss, Frances Feist, Sidney Berger, Art Ellison, Stan Levitt, Herk Harvey. Cinematography Maurice Prather Film Editor Dan Palmquist, Bill de Jarnette Original Music Gene Moore Assistant Director Raza (Reza) Badiyi Written by John Clifford Produced and Directed by Herk Harvey
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Herk Harvey's marvelous Carnival of Souls is an anomaly in screen horror, a regional effort that transcends its production limitations to deliver a tingling encounter with the uncanny. Harvey was a prolific producer of industrial films,...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Herk Harvey's marvelous Carnival of Souls is an anomaly in screen horror, a regional effort that transcends its production limitations to deliver a tingling encounter with the uncanny. Harvey was a prolific producer of industrial films,...
- 7/8/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Review by Adrian Smith
When I Love Lucy debuted on American television in 1951, nobody could have suspected that it would become one of the most beloved shows of all time. Across six seasons Lucille Ball and her real-life husband, Cuban band leader Desi Arnaz, shared their lives with millions. At the time it was the most watched show in the United States, and undoubtedly helped fuel TV set sales during the decade. It has also been repeated constantly since, and sold around the world. Now, almost sixty years since the final episode, it is possible to go back and view it all from the beginning.
Keeping their own names helped further blur the line between the show and reality in the minds of the audience, and watching Desi and Lucy every week felt like you were spending time with real friends. For the most part the situations played out in...
When I Love Lucy debuted on American television in 1951, nobody could have suspected that it would become one of the most beloved shows of all time. Across six seasons Lucille Ball and her real-life husband, Cuban band leader Desi Arnaz, shared their lives with millions. At the time it was the most watched show in the United States, and undoubtedly helped fuel TV set sales during the decade. It has also been repeated constantly since, and sold around the world. Now, almost sixty years since the final episode, it is possible to go back and view it all from the beginning.
Keeping their own names helped further blur the line between the show and reality in the minds of the audience, and watching Desi and Lucy every week felt like you were spending time with real friends. For the most part the situations played out in...
- 5/30/2016
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
“Hunger makes men mad.”
The Good Earth (1937) screen this Friday through Sunday (May 13th-15th) at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium (470 E. Lockwood, Webster Groves, Mo 63119). The film begins each evening at 8:00.
They just don’t cast enough Caucasian actresses in yellow-face drag anymore! Katherine Hepburn in Dragon Seed, Myrna Loy in The Mask Of Fu Manchu, and (my favorite) French Hammer starlet Yvonne Monlaur in The Terror Of The Tongs all proved that a little scotch tape behind the eyes is all it takes to change one’s ethnicity! German-born actress Luise Rainer won her second consecutive Oscar (her first was for The Great Ziegfeld) in 1937 for playing O-Lan in The Good Earth opposite Paul Muni as her husband Wang Lung. Producer Irving Thalberg had originally planned on casting Chinese-American actress Anna May Wong as O-Lan but once Muni was hired, he knew the Hays Office would not...
The Good Earth (1937) screen this Friday through Sunday (May 13th-15th) at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium (470 E. Lockwood, Webster Groves, Mo 63119). The film begins each evening at 8:00.
They just don’t cast enough Caucasian actresses in yellow-face drag anymore! Katherine Hepburn in Dragon Seed, Myrna Loy in The Mask Of Fu Manchu, and (my favorite) French Hammer starlet Yvonne Monlaur in The Terror Of The Tongs all proved that a little scotch tape behind the eyes is all it takes to change one’s ethnicity! German-born actress Luise Rainer won her second consecutive Oscar (her first was for The Great Ziegfeld) in 1937 for playing O-Lan in The Good Earth opposite Paul Muni as her husband Wang Lung. Producer Irving Thalberg had originally planned on casting Chinese-American actress Anna May Wong as O-Lan but once Muni was hired, he knew the Hays Office would not...
- 5/9/2016
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
By 1934 Boris Karloff was certainly no stranger to great movie entrances. In 1931, under the direction of James Whale, he seared his image, and that of the monstrous creation of Dr. Henry Frankenstein, into the collective consciousness by shuffling on screen and staring down his creator, and of course the terrified audience, embodying and fulfilling unspeakable nightmares. Frankenstein, an instant phenomenon, was one of 16 pictures Karloff made that were released in 1931.
And in the following year, 1932, in addition of Howard Hawks’ Scarface, Whale’s The Old Dark House and Charles Brabin’s The Mask of Fu Manchu, Karloff had another terrifying entrance in cinematographer-turned-director Karl Freund’s horror landmark The Mummy. As the title fiend, Imhotep, Karloff is first glimpsed in full bandage, sarcophagus laid open behind an unfortunate archaeologist who, engrossed in the parchments he’s discovered, doesn’t notice the mummy’s arm slide down from its bound position.
And in the following year, 1932, in addition of Howard Hawks’ Scarface, Whale’s The Old Dark House and Charles Brabin’s The Mask of Fu Manchu, Karloff had another terrifying entrance in cinematographer-turned-director Karl Freund’s horror landmark The Mummy. As the title fiend, Imhotep, Karloff is first glimpsed in full bandage, sarcophagus laid open behind an unfortunate archaeologist who, engrossed in the parchments he’s discovered, doesn’t notice the mummy’s arm slide down from its bound position.
- 3/27/2016
- by Dennis Cozzalio
- Trailers from Hell
Our series on remakes continues and since Universal Studios has announced a new version of the Mummy, set for a 2017 release, it seemed like a good time to dissect the previous attempt to redo this story. This week, Cinelinx looks at The Mummy (1999).
It’s hard to really compare the original Universal Studios version of the Mummy (1932) to the more whimsical remake (1999) because the two are so immensely different. The new version takes the seed of the first film and transforms it into something almost unrecognizable. The 1999 version meets one of the two criteria of making a good remake…Keep the spirit of the original but make it into something new and special. Well, this remake does successfully make the concept of the Mummy into something quite different, but it totally loses the spirit of the 1932 original.
The original is one of the seminal horror classics, creating one of the...
It’s hard to really compare the original Universal Studios version of the Mummy (1932) to the more whimsical remake (1999) because the two are so immensely different. The new version takes the seed of the first film and transforms it into something almost unrecognizable. The 1999 version meets one of the two criteria of making a good remake…Keep the spirit of the original but make it into something new and special. Well, this remake does successfully make the concept of the Mummy into something quite different, but it totally loses the spirit of the 1932 original.
The original is one of the seminal horror classics, creating one of the...
- 3/7/2016
- by feeds@cinelinx.com (Rob Young)
- Cinelinx
Bogie and Bacall are back, but with Edward G. Robinson's oily gangster breathing down their necks -- "Nyah!" Excellent direction (John Huston) and great performances (Claire Trevor) have made this one an eternal classic. We want subtitles for whatever Eddie whispered in Betty's ear... A most-requested, or demanded, HD release from Warners. Key Largo Blu-ray Warner Archive Collection 1948 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 100 min. / Street Date February 23, 2016 / available through the WBshop / 21.99 Starring Humphrey Bogart, Edward G. Robinson, Lauren Bacall, Lionel Barrymore, Claire Trevor, Thomas Gomez, Harry Lewis, John Rodney, Marc Lawrence, Dan Seymour, Monte Blue, William Haade, Jay Silverheels, Rodd Redwing. Cinematography Karl Freund Film Editor Rudi Fehr Original Music Max Steiner Written by Richard Brooks, John Huston from the play by Maxwell Anderson Produced by Jerry Wald Directed by John Huston
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
I'd guess that Key Largo became a classic the moment it hit the screen,...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
I'd guess that Key Largo became a classic the moment it hit the screen,...
- 2/27/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Following the recent news that Tom Cruise is in talks to star in Universal's The Mummy reboot, it's now been revealed that Sofia Boutella (Kingsman: The Secret Service) is in early discussions to play The Mummy in the reimagining of the classic horror movie.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sofia Boutella is in talks to portray The Mummy in the upcoming reboot. Boutella stole scenes last year as the villainous, slice-and-dice killer Gazelle in Matthew Vaughn's Kingsman: The Secret Service, and she will also play a key role in 2016's Star Trek Beyond. No character details on Boutella's possible version of The Mummy are known at this time. Additionally, Cruise's involvement and potential role are currently unconfirmed.
Set to be directed by Alex Kurtzman from a screenplay by Jon Spaihts (Doctor Strange, Prometheus), The Mummy reboot is slated for a March 24th, 2017 theatrical release, and is expected to begin filming early next year.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sofia Boutella is in talks to portray The Mummy in the upcoming reboot. Boutella stole scenes last year as the villainous, slice-and-dice killer Gazelle in Matthew Vaughn's Kingsman: The Secret Service, and she will also play a key role in 2016's Star Trek Beyond. No character details on Boutella's possible version of The Mummy are known at this time. Additionally, Cruise's involvement and potential role are currently unconfirmed.
Set to be directed by Alex Kurtzman from a screenplay by Jon Spaihts (Doctor Strange, Prometheus), The Mummy reboot is slated for a March 24th, 2017 theatrical release, and is expected to begin filming early next year.
- 12/8/2015
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
With cameras readying to roll on Universal's The Mummy reboot early next year, there's been talk today that Tom Cruise might star in the reimagining of the classic horror movie.
According to Variety, Tom Cruise and Universal are having talks about the actor coming onboard The Mummy reboot in a starring role. Details about the role are currently unknown.
Slated for a March 24th, 2017 theatrical release, The Mummy is expected to be the first of many Universal Monster movie reboots, with the ultimate goal being to create a shared cinematic universe including Wolf Man, Dracula, Van Helsing, the Bride of Frankenstein, the titular characters from Creature from the Black Lagoon and The Phantom of the Opera, and more.
Comprised of a sizable creative team of ten writers, the Universal Monsters reboot initiative is being headed by Alex Kurtzman and Chris Morgan, with the former set to be in the director's chair for The Mummy reboot.
According to Variety, Tom Cruise and Universal are having talks about the actor coming onboard The Mummy reboot in a starring role. Details about the role are currently unknown.
Slated for a March 24th, 2017 theatrical release, The Mummy is expected to be the first of many Universal Monster movie reboots, with the ultimate goal being to create a shared cinematic universe including Wolf Man, Dracula, Van Helsing, the Bride of Frankenstein, the titular characters from Creature from the Black Lagoon and The Phantom of the Opera, and more.
Comprised of a sizable creative team of ten writers, the Universal Monsters reboot initiative is being headed by Alex Kurtzman and Chris Morgan, with the former set to be in the director's chair for The Mummy reboot.
- 11/24/2015
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Article by Jim Batts, Dana Jung, and Tom Stockman
No other actor in the long history of horror has been so closely identified with the genre as Boris Karloff, yet he was as famous for his gentle heart and kindness as he was for his screen persona. William Henry Pratt was born on November 23, 1887, in Camberwell, London, England. He studied at London University in anticipation of a diplomatic career; however, he moved to Canada in 1909 and joined a theater company where he was bit by the acting bug. It was there that he adopted the stage name of “Boris Karloff.” He toured back and forth across the USA for over ten years in a variety of low-budget Theater shows and eventually ended up in Hollywood. Needing cash to support himself, Karloff landed roles in silent films making his on-screen debut in Chapter 2 of the 1919 serial The Masked Rider. His big...
No other actor in the long history of horror has been so closely identified with the genre as Boris Karloff, yet he was as famous for his gentle heart and kindness as he was for his screen persona. William Henry Pratt was born on November 23, 1887, in Camberwell, London, England. He studied at London University in anticipation of a diplomatic career; however, he moved to Canada in 1909 and joined a theater company where he was bit by the acting bug. It was there that he adopted the stage name of “Boris Karloff.” He toured back and forth across the USA for over ten years in a variety of low-budget Theater shows and eventually ended up in Hollywood. Needing cash to support himself, Karloff landed roles in silent films making his on-screen debut in Chapter 2 of the 1919 serial The Masked Rider. His big...
- 11/23/2015
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
David Cronenberg's Videodrome isn't just a classic sci-fi horror, but also a brilliant noir thriller. Ryan explains why...
Everything in Max Renn’s life is beginning to pulsate. First the Betamax videotape sent to him by one Bianca O’Blivion, which seems to breathe in his hand as he removes it from its beige packaging. Then Max’s television, squatting in the corner of his apartment, appears take on a life of its own: veins twitching, the screen bulging to the sound of a woman’s voice: “Come to me, Max. Come to me...”
David Cronenberg’s Videodrome, released in 1982, is loaded with violent and startling imagery like this. Like Apocalypse Now, its very narrative seems to disintegrate as its morally suspect protagonist Max Renn (James Woods) embarks on a journey into his own heart of darkness: a fascination with the origins of a video signal soon leads him to a world of corruption,...
Everything in Max Renn’s life is beginning to pulsate. First the Betamax videotape sent to him by one Bianca O’Blivion, which seems to breathe in his hand as he removes it from its beige packaging. Then Max’s television, squatting in the corner of his apartment, appears take on a life of its own: veins twitching, the screen bulging to the sound of a woman’s voice: “Come to me, Max. Come to me...”
David Cronenberg’s Videodrome, released in 1982, is loaded with violent and startling imagery like this. Like Apocalypse Now, its very narrative seems to disintegrate as its morally suspect protagonist Max Renn (James Woods) embarks on a journey into his own heart of darkness: a fascination with the origins of a video signal soon leads him to a world of corruption,...
- 7/31/2015
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
This Sunday's "I Love Lucy Superstar Special" on CBS may just be an elaborate repackaging of two 60-year-old black-and-white sitcom episodes, now meticulously colorized and shown back-to-back without a pause. But anything Lucy-related remains a gold mine for CBS, even six decades later, and the May 17 special will probably not be an exception.
The two "I Love Lucy" episodes show a couple of Lucy Ricardo's (Lucille Ball) typically frustrating brushes with fame. In "L.A. at Last!", Lucy's bandleader husband Ricky (Desi Arnaz) is cast in a movie, which means a Hollywood road trip for the Ricardos and their friends Ethel and Fred Mertz (Vivian Vance and William Frawley). Lucy and Ricky each make the acquaintance of movie icon William Holden, playing himself, and gamely taking a pie in the face. (The colorized version CBS is airing contains footage not seen on TV since the episode first aired 60 years ago.
The two "I Love Lucy" episodes show a couple of Lucy Ricardo's (Lucille Ball) typically frustrating brushes with fame. In "L.A. at Last!", Lucy's bandleader husband Ricky (Desi Arnaz) is cast in a movie, which means a Hollywood road trip for the Ricardos and their friends Ethel and Fred Mertz (Vivian Vance and William Frawley). Lucy and Ricky each make the acquaintance of movie icon William Holden, playing himself, and gamely taking a pie in the face. (The colorized version CBS is airing contains footage not seen on TV since the episode first aired 60 years ago.
- 5/16/2015
- by Gary Susman
- Moviefone
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