One thing you can always count on from horror anthology shows is that eventually, they'll get to an episode about ventriloquist dolls. Don Rickles starred in an episode of "Tales from the Crypt" about a ventriloquist and his dummy and the granddaddy of them all, "The Twilight Zone," had multiple episodes centered around a ventriloquist and his little wooden pal.
And why wouldn't they? Ventriloquist dummies exist on that same uncanny valley plane as overly realistic porcelain dolls that everybody's grandmother collected for some reason. They're just creepy.
For episode 98, titled "The Dummy," the storytellers wanted to convey a tale about a down-and-out ventriloquist convinced his puppet is alive and being uncooperative. Of course, to the outside world it looks like the dude is having a mental break, but in true "Twilight Zone" fashion the big twist is that the main character's doll is indeed alive. The shocking reveal goes one step further because,...
And why wouldn't they? Ventriloquist dummies exist on that same uncanny valley plane as overly realistic porcelain dolls that everybody's grandmother collected for some reason. They're just creepy.
For episode 98, titled "The Dummy," the storytellers wanted to convey a tale about a down-and-out ventriloquist convinced his puppet is alive and being uncooperative. Of course, to the outside world it looks like the dude is having a mental break, but in true "Twilight Zone" fashion the big twist is that the main character's doll is indeed alive. The shocking reveal goes one step further because,...
- 7/30/2023
- by Eric Vespe
- Slash Film
As beloved as "The Twilight Zone" is, it often gets made fun of for its occasionally shoddy twists. Sometimes the twist is so obvious everyone could see it coming from a mile away, and sometimes the twist feels random and arbitrary. There's a balancing act to making a plot twist both well-foreshadowed yet still surprising, and not all of the series' 156 episodes managed to pull it off.
Then there are the revered episodes like "Eye of the Beholder," which manages a twist that's obvious in hindsight, yet somehow still a total shock on first viewing. The episode follows a bunch of doctors who try to "fix" an ugly patient whose face is bandaged up for the whole first half. "Ever since I was a little girl, people have turned away when they looked at me," the masked woman, Janet, laments. "Funny, the very first thing I can remember is another...
Then there are the revered episodes like "Eye of the Beholder," which manages a twist that's obvious in hindsight, yet somehow still a total shock on first viewing. The episode follows a bunch of doctors who try to "fix" an ugly patient whose face is bandaged up for the whole first half. "Ever since I was a little girl, people have turned away when they looked at me," the masked woman, Janet, laments. "Funny, the very first thing I can remember is another...
- 7/29/2023
- by Michael Boyle
- Slash Film
We can all agree upon the fact that among all the seasons of Prime Video’s Jack Ryan, the current one has the most intricate plot, with layers and layers of storylines stacking on top of each other. And it is fascinating how the show actually managed to pull things off and run everything through the same blender to get the juice out of it. With all the core main characters returning, including Abbie Cornish’s Doctor Cathy Mueller, who was last seen in the first season, a lot of new characters were also introduced in this season in order to move around the plot. While Michael Pea’s flamboyant CIA operative Domingo Chavez and Louis Ozawa’s cool-as-a-cucumber Triad boss Chao Fah were the standouts, one other character also managed to leave a mark: Walter, aka William Tuttle.
The character had a mysterious aura surrounding him, which was further enhanced by actor Michael McElhatton,...
The character had a mysterious aura surrounding him, which was further enhanced by actor Michael McElhatton,...
- 7/14/2023
- by Rohitavra Majumdar
- Film Fugitives
As most people with a working knowledge of cinema history know, movies used to be predominantly in black & white — glorious black and white, if you will! That qualifier is not at all facetious, by the way, given how the cinematographers during the studio system did a regularly fabulous job of lighting actors and sets in moody, lush, expressionist ways without ever having the benefit of color.
Yet when films made the transition to being shot predominately in color, black and white suddenly became a dirty word to the movie studios, believing that audiences would reject a black and white film as being old-fashioned or worse. Unfortunately, their assumption became a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy, as many less cultured audience members still view black and white movies as being somehow old and boring, causing lists like these to be written up by critics and historians.
Despite becoming famous for pushing the...
Yet when films made the transition to being shot predominately in color, black and white suddenly became a dirty word to the movie studios, believing that audiences would reject a black and white film as being old-fashioned or worse. Unfortunately, their assumption became a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy, as many less cultured audience members still view black and white movies as being somehow old and boring, causing lists like these to be written up by critics and historians.
Despite becoming famous for pushing the...
- 10/26/2022
- by Bill Bria
- Slash Film
Hello, everyone! It’s been a while since I’ve had a chance to do an installment of my Phantom Thread series, but I’m finally back on the beat and this newest entry is quite an oddball in the realm of Phantom of the Opera-related adaptations. Directed by Gene Levitt and starring the likes of Peter Lawford, Jack Cassidy, Broderick Crawford, and Jackie Coogan (who most genre fans know from his role as Uncle Fester in the Addams Family TV series), this made-for-tv movie first aired on CBS in February 1974 and features a mysterious masked entity who is stalking the backlot of Worldwide Films as the studio prepares to sell the property off to the highest bidder.
And while there’s a lot of unevenness to The Phantom of Hollywood that makes its plotting feel choppy at times, as someone who adores the history of Old Hollywood, I...
And while there’s a lot of unevenness to The Phantom of Hollywood that makes its plotting feel choppy at times, as someone who adores the history of Old Hollywood, I...
- 2/23/2021
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
What can one say about a comedy that just limps along, even when an attractive cast does fine work every step of the way? Even the bit parts are creatively cast in this odd romp infected with a really bad case of The Cutes. Natalie Wood is at her best, but in service of dumb gags: let’s blow bubble gum bubbles! The result so upset Natalie that she ditched her studio contract. The roster of engaging talent includes Peter Falk (in suave leading man mode!), Dick Shawn (less grating than usual), Lila Kedrova & Lou Jacobi (showing real style), Jonathan Winters (wasted) and, of all people, Ian Bannen as Natalie Wood’s uncomprehending husband. Bannen is so good, he drags a real laugh or two from the material. The show has been beautifully remastered.
Penelope
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1966 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 97 min. / Street Date January 26, 2020 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Natalie Wood,...
Penelope
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1966 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 97 min. / Street Date January 26, 2020 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Natalie Wood,...
- 1/25/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Burbank, CA, August 22, 2019 – Warner Bros. Home Entertainment announced today that 1939’s acclaimed and beloved classic The Wizard of Oz will be released on Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack and Digital on October 29th. Directed by Victor Fleming (Gone With the Wind) and starring Judy Garland as Dorothy Gayle, The Wizard of Oz is widely considered to be one of the most influential films in cinematic history.
Adapted from L. Frank Baum’s timeless children’s tale about a Kansas girl’s journey over the rainbow, The Wizard of Oz officially premiered at Grauman’s Chinese Theater on August 15, 1939. The film was directed by Victor Fleming (who that same year directed Gone With the Wind), produced by Mervyn LeRoy, and scored by Herbert Stothart, with music and lyrics by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg. Ray Bolger appeared as the Scarecrow; Bert Lahr as the Cowardly Lion, Jack Haley as the Tin Woodman.
Adapted from L. Frank Baum’s timeless children’s tale about a Kansas girl’s journey over the rainbow, The Wizard of Oz officially premiered at Grauman’s Chinese Theater on August 15, 1939. The film was directed by Victor Fleming (who that same year directed Gone With the Wind), produced by Mervyn LeRoy, and scored by Herbert Stothart, with music and lyrics by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg. Ray Bolger appeared as the Scarecrow; Bert Lahr as the Cowardly Lion, Jack Haley as the Tin Woodman.
- 8/24/2019
- by ComicMix Staff
- Comicmix.com
The Circus of Dr. Lao, written by Charles G. Finney in 1935, was a cynical, trenchant satire of the small minds of small town people. George Pal, whose perennially sunny demeanor was in sharp contrast to Finney’s curdled comedy, kept his rose-colored glasses firmly in place when he directed his own version in 1964 from a screenplay by Charles Beaumont. Though the pungent atmosphere is missing from Pal’s adaptation, several memorable things remain including a bittersweet score from Leigh Harline (Pinocchio), an assortment of mythical monsters courtesy of William Tuttle and Wah Chang and, most importantly, a brilliant tour-de-force by Tony Randall as the mysterious ringmaster Lao. Randall possessed one of the most beautiful speaking voices in Hollywood and he uses it to full effect in 7 Faces, inhabiting everything from a wistful Merlin the Magician to a spooky drag version of the snake-headed Medusa.
The post 7 Faces of Dr. Lao...
The post 7 Faces of Dr. Lao...
- 8/2/2019
- by TFH Team
- Trailers from Hell
'7 Faces of Dr. Lao' with Tony Randall. '7 Faces of Dr. Lao' movie: 'Things are not as they seem' Director George Pal's 7 Faces of Dr. Lao surprises on multiple levels: its witty screenplay by Twilight Zone writer Charles Beaumont, an odd assortment of well-defined characters, a bravura performance by Tony Randall, and some of the best special effects of that time. In the film, a strange traveling magician drifts into a small western American town, announcing that he is bringing with him a “Magic Circus.” Calling himself Dr. Lao, the eccentric Chinese character places an ad in the local newspaper and makes friends with the editor. But things are not as they seem. When the Magic Circus magically appears, Dr. Lao changes appearances and personalities, interfering in the lives of everyone in the community. Love with the properly repressed widow John Ericson plays the handsome newspaperman who rebels...
- 12/15/2015
- by Danny Fortune
- Alt Film Guide
Today on Trailers from Hell, Alan Spencer unravels the many layers of 1964's "The 7 Faces of Dr. Lao." "The Circus of Dr. Lao," written by Charles G. Finney in 1935, was a cynical, trenchant satire of the small minds of small town people. George Pal, whose perennially sunny demeanor was in sharp contrast to Finney's curdled comedy, kept his rose-colored glasses firmly in place when he directed his own version in 1964 from a screenplay by Charles Beaumont. Though the pungent atmosphere is missing from Pal's adaptation, several memorable things remain including a bittersweet score from Leigh Harline ("Pinocchio"), an assortment of mythical monsters courtesy of William Tuttle and Wah Chang and, most importantly, a brilliant tour-de-force by Tony Randall as the mysterious ringmaster Lao. Randall possessed one of the most beautiful speaking voices in Hollywood and he uses it to full effect in "7 Faces," inhabiting everything from a wistful Merlin the...
- 6/13/2014
- by Trailers From Hell
- Thompson on Hollywood
The Circus of Dr. Lao, written by Charles G. Finney in 1935, was a cynical, trenchant satire of the small minds of small town people. George Pal, whose perennially sunny demeanor was in sharp contrast to Finney's curdled comedy, kept his rose-colored glasses firmly in place when he directed his own version in 1964 from a screenplay by Charles Beaumont. Though the pungent atmosphere is missing from Pal's adaptation, several memorable things remain including a bittersweet score from Leigh Harline (Pinocchio), an assortment of mythical monsters courtesy of William Tuttle and Wah Chang and, most importantly, a brilliant tour-de-force by Tony Randall as the mysterious ringmaster Lao. Randall possessed one of the most beautiful speaking voices in Hollywood and he uses it to full effect in 7 Faces, inhabiting everything from a wistful Merlin the Magician to a spooky drag version of the snake-headed Medusa.
The post 7 Faces of Dr. Lao appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
The post 7 Faces of Dr. Lao appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
- 6/13/2014
- by TFH Team
- Trailers from Hell
With the release of Sam Raimi’s CGI-heavy fantasy film Oz the Great and Powerful coming this weekend, it seems appropriate to look back in time more than 70 years to the release of one of the most influential films of all time: The Wizard of Oz. Based on L. Frank Baum’s children’s book “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” the story had been made into a film previously (once as a silent film in 1925 and again as a short film in 1933). However, it was Victor Fleming’s musical rendition of the story that left the brightest mark on the cinema landscape. This commentary was included on the 2005 DVD release, which is also included on the 70th anniversary 2009 DVD and Blu-ray discs. The late Sidney Pollack serves as emcee for the commentary, introducing archival interviews with cast, as well as family members of deceased cast and crew. The Wizard of Oz (1939) Commentators: John Fricke (historian), with archival...
- 3/7/2013
- by Kevin Carr
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
There is a fifth dimension, beyond that which is known to man. It is an area we call Stills We Love.
The Twilight Zone is just bliss, and those of us with Netflix accounts are very lucky indeed to currently be able to stream 4 of the 5 seasons in the original Rod Serling series. Which is exactly what I’ve been doing, bopping around, reading episode descriptions and choosing episodes to watch based on my mood at the time. The other night, I chose this very episode (Long Live Walter Jameson), unaware of who was in it or anything beyond the logline. I was very pleasantly surprised to see Kevin McCarthy show up.
Then, in a completely unrelated bit of circumstance that’s like the Zone is trying to reach out and say something, Joe — his thoughts below — tossed this wonderful still to me:
Click to enter another dimension and enlarge this photo.
The Twilight Zone is just bliss, and those of us with Netflix accounts are very lucky indeed to currently be able to stream 4 of the 5 seasons in the original Rod Serling series. Which is exactly what I’ve been doing, bopping around, reading episode descriptions and choosing episodes to watch based on my mood at the time. The other night, I chose this very episode (Long Live Walter Jameson), unaware of who was in it or anything beyond the logline. I was very pleasantly surprised to see Kevin McCarthy show up.
Then, in a completely unrelated bit of circumstance that’s like the Zone is trying to reach out and say something, Joe — his thoughts below — tossed this wonderful still to me:
Click to enter another dimension and enlarge this photo.
- 6/28/2011
- by Danny
- Trailers from Hell
Chicago – Image Entertainment released a spectacular Blu-ray release in September of “The Twilight Zone: Season 1,” an amazing set that will surely be mentioned when our year-end “Best Blu-rays of the Year” feature debuts in a few weeks. With “The Twilight Zone: Season 2” following quickly on its heels just two months later, the only concern was if they would drop the ball with the second release. Instead they have hit another home run.
Blu-ray Rating: 5.0/5.0
Of course, the primary reason to pick up both seasons is the quality of the program itself. It helped shape science fiction of all forms, not just television. It’s one of the most influential programs of all time and most episodes have held up incredibly well. There aren’t many programs from the early ’60s for which a shot-for-shot remake could air in 2010 and still be devastatingly effective. You can say that about...
Blu-ray Rating: 5.0/5.0
Of course, the primary reason to pick up both seasons is the quality of the program itself. It helped shape science fiction of all forms, not just television. It’s one of the most influential programs of all time and most episodes have held up incredibly well. There aren’t many programs from the early ’60s for which a shot-for-shot remake could air in 2010 and still be devastatingly effective. You can say that about...
- 11/24/2010
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Oh, Image Entertainment. How quickly we're growing to love thee. The official specs and artwork for both "The Twilight Zone" Season 2 on Blu-ray and "The Twilight Zone" Fan Favorites DVD Collection have come our way along with the artwork so without further ado ...
From the Press Releases
"Genies, malevolent machines, Santa Claus and The Devil himself. Get ready for more excursions into the fantastic when Image Entertainment releases The Twilight Zone: Season 2 on Blu-ray November 16th. All 29 episodes from the legendary series’ second season have been remastered and will be presented in pristine 1080p high-definition and uncompressed Pcm audio. In addition, the 4-disc set also includes many of the bonus features from the Definitive Collection DVD release, along with hours of new bonus features, specially created for this Blu-ray™ release. Spr is $99.98, and pre-book is October 19th.
Season Two Episodes
King Nine Will Not Return, The Man in the Bottle,...
From the Press Releases
"Genies, malevolent machines, Santa Claus and The Devil himself. Get ready for more excursions into the fantastic when Image Entertainment releases The Twilight Zone: Season 2 on Blu-ray November 16th. All 29 episodes from the legendary series’ second season have been remastered and will be presented in pristine 1080p high-definition and uncompressed Pcm audio. In addition, the 4-disc set also includes many of the bonus features from the Definitive Collection DVD release, along with hours of new bonus features, specially created for this Blu-ray™ release. Spr is $99.98, and pre-book is October 19th.
Season Two Episodes
King Nine Will Not Return, The Man in the Bottle,...
- 8/12/2010
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
It seems like yesterday that we told y'all The Twilight Zone Season 1 was hitting Blu-ray and today we have some Season 2 news. According to Blu-ray.com, The Twilight Zone Season 2 will hit Blu-ray on November 16th, just two months after the Season 1 release.
There's not too many details released yet but here's what we got.
The four disc set will include all 29 episodes in 1080p video, an uncompressed monaural soundtrack, and new suppliments include: " Nightmare at Ground Zero", an episode from the TV series Suspense; George T. Clemens audio interview (1978), part 2, and a William Tuttle audio interview.
There's not too many details released yet but here's what we got.
The four disc set will include all 29 episodes in 1080p video, an uncompressed monaural soundtrack, and new suppliments include: " Nightmare at Ground Zero", an episode from the TV series Suspense; George T. Clemens audio interview (1978), part 2, and a William Tuttle audio interview.
- 8/5/2010
- by brians
- GeekTyrant
Though we're all still waiting patiently for "The Twilight Zone" Season 1 to come out on Blu-ray from Image Entertainment on September 14th, word has already broken on when we'll be seeing Season 2 and what we can expect. Oh, joyous day!
According to Hi Def Digest "The Twilight Zone" Season 2 will be available in stores on November 16th. Let's hope we get another season release every two months thereafter. That would be so incredibly sweet!
"The 4-disc Blu-ray set will contain all 29 episodes of the second season with 1080p video, an uncompressed monaural soundtrack, and new supplements include: "Nightmare at Ground Zero," an episode from the TV series Suspense; George T. Clemens audio interview (1978), part 2; and a William Tuttle audio interview. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $99.98."
Oh, hell yeah!
- Uncle Creepy
Visit The Evilshop @ Amazon!
Got news? Click here to submit it!
Step into another dimension in the Dread Central forums!
According to Hi Def Digest "The Twilight Zone" Season 2 will be available in stores on November 16th. Let's hope we get another season release every two months thereafter. That would be so incredibly sweet!
"The 4-disc Blu-ray set will contain all 29 episodes of the second season with 1080p video, an uncompressed monaural soundtrack, and new supplements include: "Nightmare at Ground Zero," an episode from the TV series Suspense; George T. Clemens audio interview (1978), part 2; and a William Tuttle audio interview. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $99.98."
Oh, hell yeah!
- Uncle Creepy
Visit The Evilshop @ Amazon!
Got news? Click here to submit it!
Step into another dimension in the Dread Central forums!
- 8/4/2010
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
So how does it feel to look back on the legacy of The Railway Children after 40 years?
People have taken it on as a film they wanted to show their children. You have new generation of young who look at it. And you wonder "why does this still relate?" but I suppose it just does. I think Lionel made something that was so completley honest in the way. He did it so that you're not stuck with values of the seventies- he's trying to get across the Edwardian time setting, and you're left with the story and he does it really beautifully. He really understands every element of film making-really: great sound; really great music by Johnny Douglas; brillant photography. He chose people around him that he really cared about, like Bernard Cribbins who he just admired as an actor and had worked with before. The whole setup was just like a family.
People have taken it on as a film they wanted to show their children. You have new generation of young who look at it. And you wonder "why does this still relate?" but I suppose it just does. I think Lionel made something that was so completley honest in the way. He did it so that you're not stuck with values of the seventies- he's trying to get across the Edwardian time setting, and you're left with the story and he does it really beautifully. He really understands every element of film making-really: great sound; really great music by Johnny Douglas; brillant photography. He chose people around him that he really cared about, like Bernard Cribbins who he just admired as an actor and had worked with before. The whole setup was just like a family.
- 4/6/2010
- Screenrush
So how does it feel to look back on the legacy of The Railway Children after 40 years?
People have taken it on as a film they wanted to show their children. You have new generation of young who look at it. And you wonder "why does this still relate?" but I suppose it just does. I think Lionel made something that was so completley honest in the way. He did it so that you're not stuck with values of the seventies- he's trying to get across the Edwardian time setting, and you're left with the story and he does it really beautifully. He really understands every element of film making-really: great sound; really great music by Johnny Douglas; brillant photography. He chose people around him that he really cared about, like Bernard Cribbins who he just admired as an actor and had worked with before. The whole setup was just like a family.
People have taken it on as a film they wanted to show their children. You have new generation of young who look at it. And you wonder "why does this still relate?" but I suppose it just does. I think Lionel made something that was so completley honest in the way. He did it so that you're not stuck with values of the seventies- he's trying to get across the Edwardian time setting, and you're left with the story and he does it really beautifully. He really understands every element of film making-really: great sound; really great music by Johnny Douglas; brillant photography. He chose people around him that he really cared about, like Bernard Cribbins who he just admired as an actor and had worked with before. The whole setup was just like a family.
- 3/31/2010
- Screenrush
A still from Il Divo, showcasing the transformation of actor Toni Servillo into three-time Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti. In this day of computer-generated imagery and green screens, it’s hard out there for an old-school movie makeup artist, the kind putting on pancake makeup with a sponge or using spirit gum to apply silicone noses. Imagine all the man-hours and tubs of blue pigment it would have taken to create those Na’vi. This year the members of the makeup branch of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences met to recognize their peers who did wield brushes and lipsticks, viewing excerpts from a short-list of seven possibilities and voting for our three nominees: Star Trek, The Young Victoria and Il Divo. (Winnowed out were District 9, The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian and The Road.) The first ever winner of...
- 3/1/2010
- Vanity Fair
By Scott Essman
In the history of the modern American cinema, there are but few legacies of makeup artists. While the legendary Burman and Dawn names each include three generations of makeup artists, there is but one lasting family that features four working generations: the Westmores of Hollywood. With ties to virtually every studio in the annals cinema, the Westmores have created classic makeups in top contemporary film and TV shows back to the earliest years of silent film.
George Westmore, the patriarch of the Westmore clan at the turn of the century, worked as a wigmaker in his native England — where he was born in 1879 — and gave birth to sons Mont (born in 1902), twins Perc and Ern (born in 1904), Wally (born in 1906), and a daughter, Dorothy (born in 1907). The young family traveled to the U.S. to seek better opportunities and maintained a wig-making and beauty salon business which floated amongst various cities,...
In the history of the modern American cinema, there are but few legacies of makeup artists. While the legendary Burman and Dawn names each include three generations of makeup artists, there is but one lasting family that features four working generations: the Westmores of Hollywood. With ties to virtually every studio in the annals cinema, the Westmores have created classic makeups in top contemporary film and TV shows back to the earliest years of silent film.
George Westmore, the patriarch of the Westmore clan at the turn of the century, worked as a wigmaker in his native England — where he was born in 1879 — and gave birth to sons Mont (born in 1902), twins Perc and Ern (born in 1904), Wally (born in 1906), and a daughter, Dorothy (born in 1907). The young family traveled to the U.S. to seek better opportunities and maintained a wig-making and beauty salon business which floated amongst various cities,...
- 1/12/2010
- by Jesse
- FamousMonsters of Filmland
Chicago – The Warner Brothers Blu-Ray release to mark the 70th anniversary of the beloved “The Wizard of Oz” is perhaps the most exhaustive and complete “Collector’s Edition” release to date. Warner Brothers, a studio that knows how to treat their classics, releasing gigantic sets for “Blade Runner” and “Casablanca” in recent years and with another for “Gone With the Wind” coming soon, has done it again, and arguably better than ever.
Blu-Ray Rating: 5.0/5.0
As for the film itself, what more could possibly be written about “The Wizard of Oz”? By some standards, it’s the most watched movie in world history, a film that has transcended its genre to simply become a part of the history of the planet. Have you ever heard someone criticize or complain about “The Wizard of Oz”? Me either.
The Wizard of Oz: 70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector’s Edition was released on DVD and Blu-Ray on September 29th,...
Blu-Ray Rating: 5.0/5.0
As for the film itself, what more could possibly be written about “The Wizard of Oz”? By some standards, it’s the most watched movie in world history, a film that has transcended its genre to simply become a part of the history of the planet. Have you ever heard someone criticize or complain about “The Wizard of Oz”? Me either.
The Wizard of Oz: 70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector’s Edition was released on DVD and Blu-Ray on September 29th,...
- 10/13/2009
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
If I hear “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” one more time, I’m gonna send Dorothy “way up high”—with a kick from my friggin’ boot! Now, before you Oz enthusiasts jump all over me for being such a surly, curmudgeonly son of a witch, I want to profess my love for The Wizard Of Oz and this four-disc DVD set (Warner, $69.92). Allow me to explain my castigatory opening remark. “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” is a beautiful, seminal, touching song—the first 50 Times you hear it during the Same week. That’s how long it took me to review this exceptional box set, because The Wizard Of Oz: 70Th Anniversary Ultimate Collector’S Edition has more extras than a Cecil B. DeMille picture.
That’s why I’m fed up with “Over the Rainbow”—between the movie and the main menus and the endless documentaries and the featurettes, etc., etc.
That’s why I’m fed up with “Over the Rainbow”—between the movie and the main menus and the endless documentaries and the featurettes, etc., etc.
- 10/6/2009
- by no-reply@starlog.com (Allan Dart)
- Starlog
Hitting shelves tomorrow, The Wizard of Oz 70th Anniversary DVD Editions are amazing treatments for the classic film. Newly remastered and filled with bonuses, the DVD releases are absolute must-owns. The Blu-Ray release is obviously the clear winner here, but this is a great example of not skimping for those who haven't made that upgrade yet. The 2-disc edition gives you a treasure trove of bonuses, and a brilliant-looking version of the film that gives you the advantages of the 8K resolution scan remastering, which results in an instantly noticeable improvement over previous DVD releases. The 2-disc includes - Disc 1 Remastered feature with Dolby Digital 5.1 Audio (New) Sing-along Track (New) Commentary by John Fricke with Barbara Freed-Saltzman (daughter of Arthur Freed), Margaret Hamilton, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, John Lahr (son of Bert Lahr), Jane Lahr (daughter of Bert Lahr), Hamilton Meserve (son of Margaret Hamilton), Dona Massin (MGM choreographer), William Tuttle (make-up artist), Buddy Ebsen,...
- 9/28/2009
- by Marc Eastman
- AreYouScreening.com
Next door to the Los Angeles Korea Town, up on the third floor of a building on Wilshire Boulevard, some of the finest makeup artists in the city train and are trained at the Cinema Make-Up School. While it may not be as prominently advertised or as large as many other schools specialized in movie make-up, it has the reputation to attract one of the industries leading artists: Greg Cannom.
While anyone familiar with the artform is no doubt very aware of Cannom’s past work, even the neophyte has witnessed his work many times before in films such as Watchmen, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, The Lost Boys (pictured on the cover of Fangoria #66) Hannibal, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (for which Cannom received his fourth Oscar). Motivated by the work of Dick Smith and William Tuttle, Cannom got started in the industry working with the likes of Rick Baker and Smith himself.
While anyone familiar with the artform is no doubt very aware of Cannom’s past work, even the neophyte has witnessed his work many times before in films such as Watchmen, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, The Lost Boys (pictured on the cover of Fangoria #66) Hannibal, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (for which Cannom received his fourth Oscar). Motivated by the work of Dick Smith and William Tuttle, Cannom got started in the industry working with the likes of Rick Baker and Smith himself.
- 7/23/2009
- by no-reply@fangoria.com (Cameron Koller)
- Fangoria
Charles Schram, whose iconic Cowardly Lion make-up for The Wizard of Oz charmed generations of film fans, died Nov. 14 in Los Angeles. He was 97. Born in Los Angeles in 1911, Schram enrolled in art classes at the University of Southern California with William Tuttle. According to Al Taylor and Sue Roy.s book Making a Monster, MGM Make-up Department Head Jack Dawn recruited Schram and Tuttle in 1935 as apprentices after he asked a college dean to recommend a couple of sculpture and painting students who could learn the art of make-up for the 1937 film The Good Earth. The pair went on to collaborate on several films, including The Seven Faces of Dr. Lao, Ben Hur and The Time Machine.
- 12/17/2008
- makeupmag.com
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